April 15, 2008
When Al Leiter Almost Got Linked To Babe Ruth
Raise your hand if you remember May 31, 1988.
That was the game where Neil Allen came within 3 hits of pulling an Ernie Shore. Well, except that Leiter gave up a hit...sure.
Now, this would be a good one for Yankees Classics, no?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:13 PM | Comments (3)
April 14, 2008
USA Today Looks To Crown Best Yankees Team
USA Today has decided to have the 1998 Yankees play the 1938 Yankees in order to crown the greatest New York Yankees team ever. (Hat tip to BaseballThinkFactory.org on this one.)
I've always wanted to see the '98 Yanks play the '39 Yanks. But, this is close enough...I guess.
USA Today will be unveiling the results of each game of the best-of-seven series (between the '38 and '98 teams) each Friday until they crown the all-time champion Yankees team.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2008
Back When The A.L. East Was A Place To Get Fat
WasWatching.com reader "dave24s" asked this question today: "In 2004, how in the world did the Yankees win 101 games with that rotation?"
First, some stats via the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia:
Runs Saved Above Average Leaders, Teams, AL, 2004:
RSAA RSAA 1 Red Sox 118 2 Twins 114 3 Rangers 91 4 A's 81 5 Angels 48 6 Orioles 16 7 White Sox 7 8 Blue Jays 2 9 Yankees -41 10 Indians -42 11 Devil Rays -62 12 Tigers -76 13 Mariners -84 14 Royals -115
Runs Created Above Average Leaders, Teams, AL, 2004:
RCAA RCAA 1 Red Sox 119 2 Yankees 112 3 Indians 60 4 Tigers 53 5 Angels 25 6 A's 8 7 Orioles 3 8 Mariners -21 9 White Sox -42 10 Devil Rays -49 11 Rangers -50 12 Twins -54 13 Royals -90 14 Blue Jays -146
Yes, the Yankees pitching in 2004 was bad. There were really only four teams in the league with worse pitching that season: The Rays, Tigers, M's and Royals. But, as you can see, the Yankees had great hitting in 2004 - with only the Red Sox being just a tick better.
There are three teams to really note in the above charts: The Orioles, Blue Jays and Devil Rays.
The Orioles were just about league average in hitting and pitching. The Blue Jays had average pitching and no hitting whatsoever. And, the Devil Rays had no pitching or hitting, period.
The Yankees got to play these three teams 57 times in 2004. And, the average pitching of the O's and Jays were no match for the Yankees bats. And, as bad as the Yankees pitchers were, since Toronto and Baltimore did not have great bats, they could handle the O's and Jays batters. And, like I said, Tampa Bay was just terrible in 2004.
New York, that season, went 41-16 in those 57 games against the Orioles, Blue Jays and Devil Rays. That's a winning percentage of .719. Against the rest of baseball, the Yankees went 60-45 - a winning percentage of .571.
It was because the Yankees bats were able to beat up on the O's, Jays, and Rays - while the batters for Baltimore, Toronto, and Tampa Bay were not much trouble for the weak Yankees pitching - that New York was able to win 101 games in 2004. Without those three teams to feast on, the Yankees probably would have been a 90-win team in 2004.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:01 PM | Comments (1)
April 09, 2008
When Jesse Pulled A Pavano In '92
Witnessing Jason Giambi's slow start to this season got me looking backwards...to 1992.
In the Yankees first 30 games that season, Jesse Barfield (played in 27 games and) went 11 for 84 to start the season. That's a batting average of .131 - yikes. All told, in those first 30 games, Barfield posted a BA/OBP/SLG line of .131/.215/.226 (in 93 PA). He would play only 3 more games for the Yankees that season. Actually, the Yankees were looking to dump Barfield and, then in May, according to the Times:
Jesse Barfield hurt more than his left wrist and left elbow when he slipped and fell in his sauna Saturday night. The struggling Barfield damaged his chances of regaining his starting right-field spot and may have hurt any chances the Yankees had of trading him in the near future.
Barfield burned his left wrist and suffered contusions and swelling on his left elbow and wrist in what he described as a bizarre accident at his New Jersey home.
A month later, Barfield, after missing 23 games because of the sauna thing, returned to action on June 17th and reinjured the wrist striking out in his second at-bat in a 4-3 loss to Boston. And, that was the end of his career - at the age of 32.
That whole thing makes the Giambi start this season look not so bad.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:48 PM | Comments (2)
April 07, 2008
Rough Starts With The Bat Not Always Bad News
I was just looking back at the 1977 Yankees. That season, in their first 10 games, New York had a BA/OBP/SLG line of .232/.296/.315 in 378 PA. They went 2-8 in those first 10 games. And, four of those eight losses were by one run...and another was a 2-0 loss. But, at the end of the season, the 1977 Yankees had the league's best mark in Runs Created Above Average (146) and they won the A.L. East.
Doing some research on this now, I saw that The Sommer Frieze had a post on this as well yesterday. Ah, the line-up out of the hat trick. Does General Joe know about that one?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2008
A Different Idea About Retiring Uniform Numbers
The Scranton Times Tribune has a feature today on Yankees retired uniform numbers and the Paul O'Neill/La Troy Hawkins situation. Three months ago, I offered a suggested guideline on determining who's number should be retired in Yankeeland.
Since that time, I've come up with a new idea: No "retired" numbers. Instead, if the player was beloved, then no one can wear his number for "X" years (following his retirement) where "X" was the number of years that the beloved player was on the team. After that, the number is allowed to be used again. For example: If Joe Star played for the Yankees for 15 years, and he was beloved by the fans, then, after he retires, no one can wear his number for the next 15 years. But, after those 15 years, it's put back into circulation.
You can still do something for the player - like maybe a "Circle" or "Wall" of Fame - where you can put his name up there. And, you can still do something for those Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle types - like put up a statue for them. But, stop the practice of taking the number off the field forever.
Besides, it may be a better way to remember the player - when his number comes back into play. I could see it now: "Jim Prospect was assigned number #12. It had been reserved for the 8 years following Mike Beloved's retirement. I'm sure it's a great honor for Jim to have that number. And, when fans see it now, they'll think of both Jim and Mike."
What do you think of this idea? Should the Yankees take all their retired numbers, and put them back into use, and then use this idea going forward?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:54 AM | Comments (1)
April 04, 2008
35 Years Ago This Sunday...
In two days, it will be the 35th Anniversary of Ron Blomberg becoming the first "D.H." to appear in a regular season game. The Yankees are home that Sunday. It would be pretty cool if they were able to get Blomberg to throw out the first pitch of the game that day.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:48 PM | Comments (4)
April 03, 2008
My Moment In The Stadium Sun
So, it's April 2, 2008, and I'm at Yankee Stadium. It's about a half hour before the start of the game and I'm sitting there minding my own business. Then, a Stadium personnel member comes up to me - and, he asks if I would be interested in answering the Stadium "Trivia Question" during the game, after the end of the second inning.
"Why not?" I offered. So, he then takes down my name and address and tells me that he'll be back with a camera man during the second inning.
How cool is this?
The game starts and, as promised, during the second inning my new friend returns with his camera man. When the final out of the Yankees half of the second is recorded, it's show time.
Here come the pictures...click on them to enlarge.
Oh, my stars and garters, there's me on the big screen!
O.K., snap out of it. Here comes the question:
Which Yankee has the most 40-homerun seasons?
A. Alex Rodriguez
B. Babe Ruth
C. Lou Gehrig
D. Reggie Jackson
I know it's not A-Rod or Reggie. I think it's Ruth. But, I'm also thinking this may be one of those trick questions where it seems like it has to be Ruth but it's really Gehrig. So, I think about it some more...
But, then, knowing it's time to fish or cut bait, I think "Don't doubt the Big Bam. Trust your stuff. Let it loose. Go with Ruth..." And, my answer is...
Good thing I took "B" - because it was the right answer! And, I was spared from getting the business from my fellow Yankees fans for pulling a rock. Whew. That would have been embarrassing.
Many thanks to my game-mate, MJ, for taking the pictures! It's nice to have some evidence to go along with a fun memory.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:03 AM | Comments (10)
April 02, 2008
Barrow Book
The Hardball Times has an excerpt from, and a review of, "Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees' First Dynasty" by Dan Levitt.
Barrow is a huge piece of Yankees history. Those who want to know Yankees history should learn more about him - and, this book is probably a good start.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:47 PM | Comments (2)
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)
March 26, 2008
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)
March 21, 2008
When Was The Last Time The Yanks Had 2 Effective Lefties In their Pen?
To answer the above question, I used Baseball-Reference.com's Play Index and I set the controls for:
Yankees, LHP seasons, 1957 to 2007
where Inherited Runners % =<.5 and
WHIP<=1.3 and
at least 80% games came in relief, and
at least 45 Innings Pitched.
and, this is the result of that query:
1959 Bobby Shantz
1960 Bobby Shantz
1961 Luis Arroyo
1962 Bud Daley
1963 Steve Hamilton
1965 Steve Hamilton
1966 Steve Hamilton
1967 Steve Hamilton
1968 Steve Hamilton
1969 Steve Hamilton
1970 Steve Hamilton
1972 Sparky Lyle
1973 Sparky Lyle
1974 Sparky Lyle
1976 Sparky Lyle & Grant Jackson
1977 Sparky Lyle
1981 Dave LaRoche
1982 Rudy May & Dave LaRoche
1984 Dave Righetti
1985 Bob Shirley
1986 Dave Righetti
1989 Lee Guetterman
1990 Lee Guetterman
1991 Steve Howe
1997 Mike Stanton
1998 Mike Stanton
2001 Randy Choate
2002 Mike Stanton
2003 Chris Hammond
Based on this, it's not a reach to say that, since 1957, the Yankees have only had two seasons, 1976 and 1982, where they had two effective left-handed relief pitchers in their pen.
That's an amazing stat - just twice since 1957. Or, so I thought...
...until I looked at the same sort for all big league teams, and this is what I found, in terms of teams with two or more effective lefties in the same season:
2006 NL N.Y. Mets Wagner / Feliciano / Oliver 3 2003 AL Tx. Rangers Shouse / Mahay / Erasmo Ramirez 3 1998 NL Pittsburgh Pirates Christiansen / Rincon / Tabaka 3 1997 AL Baltimore Orioles Orosco / Myers / Arthur Rhodes 3 1983 NL New York Mets Orosco / C. Diaz / Tom Gorman 3 2007 AL Seattle Mariners G. Sherrill / Eric O'Flaherty 2 2007 AL Toronto Blue Jays Scott Downs / Brian Tallet 2 2005 NL Philadelphia Phillies Billy Wagner / Aaron Fultz 2 2004 NL Philadelphia Phillies Rheal Cormier / Billy Wagner 2 2004 NL St. Louis Cardinals Ray King / Steve Kline 2 2003 NL Colorado Rockies Brian Fuentes / Javier Lopez 2 2002 NL Atlanta Braves Mike Remlinger / Chris Hammond 2 2002 AL Minnesota Twins J.C. Romero / Eddie Guardado 2 2002 NL Montreal Expos Scott Stewart / Joey Eischen 2 2001 AL Seattle Mariners Arthur Rhodes / Norm Charlton 2 2001 NL St. Louis Cardinals Steve Kline / Mike Matthews 2 2001 AL Toronto Blue Jays Pedro Borbon / Dan Plesac 2 2000 NL Colorado Rockies Mike Myers / Gabe White 2 1999 NL Atlanta Braves John Rocker / Mike Remlinger 2 1998 NL Houston Astros Billy Wagner / C.J. Nitkowski 2 1998 NL New York Mets Dennis Cook / Brian Bohanon 2 1997 NL Houston Astros Billy Wagner / Mike Magnante 2 1993 AL Milwaukee Brewers Jesse Orosco / Graeme Lloyd 2 1992 NL Atlanta Braves Mike Stanton / Kent Mercker 2 1991 NL Chicago Cubs Paul Assenmacher / C. McElroy 2 1991 AL Chicago White Sox Scott Radinsky / Ken Patterson 2 1990 NL Pittsburgh Pirates Bob Patterson / Bob Kipper 2 1989 AL Milwaukee Brewers Dan Plesac / Tony Fossas 2 1989 NL St. Louis Cardinals Ken Dayley / Frank DiPino 2 1988 NL Cincinnati Reds Rob Murphy / John Franco 2 1988 AL Detroit Tigers Willie Hernandez / Paul Gibson 2 1988 AL Milwaukee Brewers Dan Plesac / Paul Mirabella 2 1988 NL San Diego Padres Mark Davis / Dave Leiper 2 1987 NL Cincinnati Reds Rob Murphy / John Franco 2 1986 NL Atlanta Braves Paul Assenmacher / Ed Olwine 2 1986 AL Detroit Tigers W. Hernandez / Mark Thurmond 2 1986 NL Montreal Expos Bob McClure / Dan Schatzeder 2 1984 NL New York Mets Jesse Orosco / Tom Gorman 2 1983 NL Philadelphia Phillies Al Holland / Willie Hernandez 2 1982 NL Los Angeles Dodgers Steve Howe / Terry Forster 2 1982 AL New York Yankees Rudy May / Dave LaRoche 2 1982 NL San Francisco Giants Gary Lavelle / Al Holland 2 1981 NL San Francisco Giants Al Holland / Gary Lavelle 2 1980 AL California Angels Dave LaRoche / Andy Hassler 2 1978 AL Kansas City Royals Al Hrabosky / Steve Mingori 2 1978 NL Los Angeles Dodgers Terry Forster / Lance Rautzhan 2 1977 AL Kansas City Royals Larry Gura / Steve Mingori 2 1976 AL Kansas City Royals Steve Mingori / Larry Gura 2 1976 AL New York Yankees Sparky Lyle / Grant Jackson 2 1975 NL Philadelphia Phillies Tug McGraw / Tom Hilgendorf 2 1974 AL Baltimore Orioles Grant Jackson / Don Hood 2 1973 NL Los Angeles Dodgers Jim Brewer / Pete Richert 2 1972 NL Los Angeles Dodgers Jim Brewer / Pete Richert 2 1971 AL Oakland Athletics Darold Knowles / Jim Roland 2 1971 AL Washington Senators Joe Grzenda / Paul Lindblad 2 1970 AL Detroit Tigers Fred Scherman / John Hiller 2 1968 AL Boston Red Sox Sparky Lyle / Bill Landis 2 1967 AL Washington Senators Darold Knowles / Dick Lines 2 1966 NL Cincinnati Reds Billy McCool / Ted Davidson 2 1966 NL St. Louis Cardinals Hal Woodeshick / Joe Hoerner 2 1965 NL Milwaukee Braves Billy O'Dell / Dick Kelley 2 1965 NL Los Angeles Dodgers Ron Perranoski / Jim Brewer 2 1964 NL Cincinnati Reds Billy McCool / Bill Henry 2
That's just 63 times since 1957 - in all of baseball. Just goes to show, it's hard enough to find one good lefty for your pen...and, if you have two, you've got something special.
Posted by WW Staff at 11:59 AM | Comments (1)
March 19, 2008
October 1, 1972
It was such a different game back in 1972. Just for the fun of it, let's look back to October 1, 1972 in Yankeeland.
On that day, the Indians were in New York to play a doubleheader against the Yankees.
In the first game of the doubleheader it was Fritz Peterson on the mound for the Yankees against Gaylord Perry for the Tribe. Both pitchers went 11 innings in this contest - which Cleveland won in eleven. In the top of the 11th, Peterson allowed a double followed by a ground-out and sac fly...and he ends up losing the game 2-1. The time of the game? Two hours and 19 minutes.
In the second game of the twin-bill, two throwing errors by Yankees catcher John Ellis in the 6th inning led to two unearned runs, costing the Yankees a 3-2 led, and the game which they ended up losing by a score of 4-3. To make matters worse, in the bottom of the 7th, with the Yanks down by a run, Ellis came to the plate with one out and the bases loaded, and he hits into a 5-2-3 interference double-play.
That's as tough a doubleheader loss as you can find.
Eight weeks later, the Yankees would trade John Ellis, with Jerry Kenney, Charlie Spikes, and Rusty Torres to the Indians for Graig Nettles and Jerry Moses. And, fourteen weeks after the Ellis trade, Fritz Peterson announced that he was swapping families with fellow Yankee pitcher Mike Kekich.
Posted by WW Staff at 02:31 PM | Comments (2)
March 18, 2008
Missing Stanton, Nelson & Lloyd (Part II)
Using the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia to identify the best seasons by a Yankees "set-up" man (in the bullpen), I was able to work up the following "best of" list:
YEAR RSAA G SV BR/9 IP NW
Vs. Lge Av.
Bob Wickman 1994 10 53 6 3.00 6
Chris Hammond 2003 10 62 1 1.72 3
Graeme Lloyd 1998 12 50 0 5.10 3
Jay Howell 1984 12 61 7 2.07 8
Jeff Nelson 2000 20 73 0 1.96 10
Jeff Nelson 1997 13 77 2 2.53 7
John Habyan 1991 19 66 2 3.07 4
Mariano Rivera 1996 35 61 5 4.76 9
Mike Stanton 2002 12 79 6 1.18 5
Mike Stanton 2001 17 76 0 0.27 10
Mike Stanton 1997 13 64 3 1.54 5
Ron Davis 1980 15 53 7 1.80 8
Tom Gordon 2005 17 79 2 2.81 7
Tom Gordon 2004 22 80 4 5.12 10
Once again, here, we see just how important Stanton, Nelson & Lloyd were to the Yankees (during their prime).
It will be interesting to see if Joba Chamberlain can crack this "best of" list with his 2008 season.
Posted by WW Staff at 02:29 PM | Comments (3)
March 15, 2008
Non-Slugging Productive Yankees
Recent talk here about Brett Gardner's lack of batting power got me wondering about Yankees who were also not great sluugers - but who were also productive big league batters. So, I turned to the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia and asked it to give me Yankees with at least 1,000 PA (with the team) where their SLG% was at least 20 points below the league average - and where their Runs Created Above Average was positive. Here's what I got:
SLG SLG PA SLG SEC RCAA 1 Wade Boggs .407 2600 -.021 .240 74 2 Chuck Knoblauch .402 2478 -.034 .306 27 3 Chad Curtis .400 1162 -.033 .338 11 4 Luis Polonia .389 1019 -.030 .234 0 5 Lyn Lary .388 2010 -.030 .277 5 6 Joe Sewell .367 1754 -.044 .212 0 7 Butch Wynegar .363 1712 -.040 .280 12 8 Willie Randolph .357 7465 -.041 .282 115
To me, when you look at Boggs, Knoblauch and Randolph on this list, it suggests that a player with little pop can a productive big league player if he:
1. Hits for a pretty decent batting average, and
2. Walks a lot, and
3. Is a good base-stealer.
How would this list look if you moved the bar to 5,000+ career PA and included all teams? Here's the answer:
SLG SLG PA SLG SEC RCAA 1 Darin Erstad .411 6123 -.021 .239 2 2 Rafael Furcal .407 5027 -.028 .278 12 3 Mark Loretta .399 6057 -.036 .204 10 4 Jason Kendall .394 7098 -.038 .217 58 5 Bill Bruton .393 6668 -.021 .234 3 6 Tony Phillips .389 9110 -.022 .320 146 7 Richie Ashburn .382 9736 -.031 .246 282 8 Delino DeShields .377 6652 -.039 .320 36 9 Pee Wee Reese .377 9470 -.024 .287 13 10 Brett Butler .376 9545 -.024 .292 215 11 Willie Wilson .376 8317 -.023 .232 52 12 Jim Landis .375 5025 -.023 .297 35 13 Eddie Yost .371 9175 -.025 .347 162 14 Max Bishop .366 5776 -.049 .362 53 15 George Case .358 5516 -.033 .231 16 16 Mike Scioscia .356 5056 -.033 .234 4 17 Willie Randolph .351 9462 -.044 .265 131 18 Dave Collins .351 5507 -.042 .255 6 19 Eddie Stanky .348 5435 -.043 .322 122 20 Ron Hunt .347 6158 -.037 .192 58 21 Jimmy Slagle .317 5770 -.030 .227 21 22 Miller Huggins .314 6799 -.029 .288 83
Interesting list there. And, getting back to Brett Gardner, it leads to this question: Will he be more like Darin Erstad/Dave Collins or more like Brett Butler/Richie Ashburn as a player?
If it's the former, yes, then people being concerned about his lack of power have a point. But, if it's the latter, then the Yankees have a very useful player on their hands here.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:53 PM | Comments (9)
Brown: With Inflation Factor Yanks Ticket Cost 1029% More Than in '67
Maury Brown, in The Biz of Baseball, follows up on the Yankees ticket prices story. (Hat tip to BaseballThinkFactory.org .) The highlights:
+ The longest stretch without an increase was from 1968-1975 where the price remained $4.00
+ In the last decade alone, the cost of a box seat has increased 332 percent, accounting for inflation.
+ The cost of a ticket in 1987 ($10) was less than what a ticket cost in 1967, when accounting for inflation ($12.28)
+ From 1967 to 1994 (27 years), the cost for a box seat was under $20.
+ The cost for a box seat from 1994 was under $30 for only 2 years (1995-1996), $40 for one year (1997),$50 for one year (1998)
+ The largest percentage of price increase is from last year to this: $100.
As I noted in my comments yesterday, the Yankees increases from 1994 through 1998, and from 2005 through 2008, are just obscene from a few-years standpoint.
And, seeing these reports doesn't change the way I felt last December when I wrote:
Is the only way that you’ll be able to afford decent seats to a Yankees game will be if you’re willing to scalp after the first inning is already played?
Worse, I don’t think that the Yankees care that they’re forcing the “everyday diehard fan” out of being able to go to a game. There will be enough well-to-do people, celebrities, corporations, etc., willing to buy tickets for games at the new Stadium – so, at the end of the day, the Yankees will still get their revenue. But, I will suggest this: There will be a change in the atmosphere at the new Stadium. With the “died in the wool” fans relegated to the few seats affordable and available in the upper deck and/or bleachers, and the majority of the seats filled with “Milli Vanilli type” poser-fans, going to a Yankees game, after 2008, will have an artificial feel to it.
It's going to happen. No doubt about it, for me.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:58 AM | Comments (1)
March 12, 2008
Yankee Slides Spikes High
Nope, we're not talking Shelley Duncan here. Instead, we're going back to October 6, 1977.
Game 2 of the 1977 ALCS - and it's the top of the 6th inning.
Frank White whiffs to start the frame for the Royals and that's followed by a Freddie Patek double. The next batter, Hal McRae walks - putting runners on first and second with one out.
Next, George Brett grounds a ball to Graig Nettles who fields it and throws to second, forcing McRae- where Willie Randolph attempts to turn a double play. However, McRae knocks Randolph into what seems like short left field with a nasty take-out "slide" and Patek rounds third and scores. This tied the game at two runs apiece. Al Cowens later flies out to center to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 6th, Graig Nettles goes down swinging as the lead-off batter for the Yankees. Thurman Munson then singles to center. After a Reggie Jackson pop-up to second, Lou Piniella singles to center. On the hit, Munson rounds second and slides late, and hard, with his spikes high, into third - where George Brett was covering the bag.
Afterwards, Munson said "I slid late just to let him know I was there. If I'd have wanted to hit him, I would have hit him. My argument isn't with George Brett. The guy I want to get is McRae. He better stay away from me. I told him so. He's been trying to hurt people for eight years."
The Yankees rallied from that point in the inning. Cliff Johnson doubled - scoring Munson and moving Piniella to third. After an intentional walk to Chris Chambliss, Willie Randolph hit a grounder to third that led to a George Brett error and that plated Piniella and Johnson. Bucky Dent popped to second to end the inning - but the Yankees scored three runs and took a 5-2 lead. (New York would go on to win the game, 6-2.)
Back in the day, I don't think too many Yankees fans were upset with Munson for sliding into Brett, late, with his spikes high. Then again, maybe it was a different day and age, and game, back then too?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:37 PM | Comments (13)
March 10, 2008
The Best Fielding SS In Yankees History
Five days ago, I wrote:
If I had to offer an all-time “Top Ten” of Yankees slick fielding shortstops, I would offer the following list – with the caveat that it’s derived in the absence of data and formed mostly due to subjective feelings:
1. Bucky Dent
2. Gil McDougald
3. Alvaro Espinoza
4. Fred Stanley
5. Phil Rizzuto
6. Tony Kubek
7. Everett Scott
8. Gene Michael
9. Tom Tresh
10. Frankie Crosetti
Then, yesterday, Sky Kalkman suggested a way to quantify defensive value, rather than use to "feel" method (that I employed).
As a follow up to all this, I asked Sky to derive a list of the best and worst fielding shortstops in Yankees history, based on his data and approach, realizing that he's only going back to 1956. And, this is what we was able to provide:
All Yankees with positive career contributions at SS:
Bucky Dent 66
Tony Kubek 66
Gil McDougald 16
Wayne Tolleson 13
Tom Tresh 13
Alvaro Espinoza 10
Andy Stankiewicz 8
Fred Stanley 5
Joe DeMaestri 5
Andre Robertson 4
Jerry Kenney 2
Jim Mason 2
Bobby Murcer 1
Wilson Delgado 1
Felix Escalona 1
Fritz Brickell 1
Ron Hansen 1
Phil Linz 1Bottom 10 with ties:
Randy Velarde -5
Tim Foli -5
Enrique Wilson -5
Alfonso Soriano -5
Dave Silvestri -5
Mike Gallego -6
Bob Meacham -11
Rafael Santana -11
Roy Smalley -11
Horace Clarke -11
Erick Almonte -16
Derek Jeter -96
So, my "feel" on the following wasn't so bad, after all:
1. Bucky Dent
2. Gil McDougald
3. Alvaro Espinoza
4. Fred Stanley
6. Tony Kubek
9. Tom Tresh
It seems the one that I missed on was Stick Michael.
Since Dent played less games at short for New York than Kubek and they both had equal "positive career contributions," I feel pretty good about sticking with Bucky Dent as being the best fielding shortstop in Yankees history.
Posted by WW Staff at 03:38 PM | Comments (0)
March 07, 2008
The Top 52 Yankees Individual Seasons
Inspired by something going on at Yanksfan vs Soxfan, and powered by the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia, I decided to take a 15-minute stab at ranking the "Top 52" seasons in Yankees history. (I went with "52" and not "50" because I could not choose between Mantle '55, A-Rod '05 and A-Rod '07 for #50.)
Here's are the lists:
Batters:
Pitchers:
As expected, Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle and DiMaggio own the batter's list. But, look at the pitcher's list. See Catfish's 1975 and Pettitte's 1997? Did you expect to see them in a "Top 52" seasons, all-time, for the Yankees?
I won't get into my formula for picking the "Top 52" since it was done on the fly. But, what do you think of these rankings? Anyone you would add, remove, or re-position?
Posted by WW Staff at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)
The 1970 Yankees
Via Tracy Ringolsby:
NUMBERS GAME
67 starts the past six seasons for Yankees pitchers 25 or younger. They could have more than that this year alone with Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes and Joba Cham- berlain in line for spots in the rotation. The previous time the Yankees got 70 starts from pitchers 25 or younger was 1970, when Stan Bahnsen led the group with 35, Steve Kline made 15, Mike Kekich 14, John Cumberland eight, Bill Burbach four, Ron Klimkowski three and Rob Gardner one.
The 1970 Yankees had the third best record in the American League. And, this is interesting because they were not a powerhouse team in terms of hitting or pitching that season. And, for the next three seasons that followed, the Yanks were pretty much a .500 team.
I didn't start following the team until 1973, so, I can't speak to the 1970 season off the top of my head. In any event, it will be interesting to see how the Yankees current crop of young pitchers, and the fortunes of the team, carry forward compared to that of the 1970 group.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:08 AM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2008
Lefty Kraly Update
Via USBC Communications:
More than five decades ago, Steve Kraly of Johnson City, N.Y., helped Major League Baseball's New York Yankees to a record fifth-consecutive World Series title.
Now 55 years later, the 78-year-old left-hander traveled to the Albuquerque Convention Center in search of a prestigious title of a different kind at the USBC Open Championships.
This week, Kraly made his 19th appearance at the Open Championships, an event that began in 1901 and pre-dates the modern World Series by two years. Each year, more than 60,000 bowlers take to the tournament lanes seeking championship glory in team, doubles, singles and all-events.
During his bowling career, Kraly has proven that he can throw strikes on the lanes as well as he did on the pitcher's mound, and the accomplished southpaw has multiple 300 games to his credit.
...Steve Kraly of Johnson City, N.Y., helped Major League Baseball's New York Yankees to a record fifth-consecutive World Series title...
In 1953, pitching in his only big league season, Kraly appeared in 5 games for the Yankees - facing 111 batters, notching 25 innings, while allowing 19 hits, 16 walks, and plunking two batters.
O.K, so, the USBC got a little loose with some of their words. In any event, kudos to Kraly for still going strong at the young age of seventy-eight. We should all be that good when we're knocking on the door of our eighth decade.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:51 PM | Comments (0)
Having Command & Pitching To Contact Not So Good?
Reading Tyler Kepner's feature on the command/control of Ian Kennedy (with his pitches) got me wondering as to which pitchers, in recent Yankees history, were the best in terms of having control and pitching to contact. So, I turned to the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia and set the controls for:
NEW YORK YANKEES, CAREER, 1973-2007 where
INNINGS PITCHED >=100
STRIKEOUTS/9 IP < -1 vs. the league average
WALKS/9 IP >= 1 vs. the league average
and, this is what I got:
WALKS/9 IP DIFF PLAYER LEAGUE IP RSAA SO/9 IP BB/9 IP 1 Jon Lieber 2.43 0.92 3.34 176.2 2 -1.25 2.43 2 Steve Howe 1.64 1.98 3.62 227 20 -1.28 1.64 3 Ramiro Mendoza 1.52 1.98 3.50 699.2 32 -1.01 1.52 4 Carl Pavano 1.43 1.62 3.05 111.1 -3 -1.36 1.43 5 Paul Quantrill 1.35 1.91 3.26 127.1 -11 -2.98 1.35 6 Bob Tewksbury 1.34 2.09 3.43 163.2 5 -2.50 1.34 7 Tommy John 1.15 2.13 3.28 1367 59 -1.85 1.15 8 Larry Gura 1.09 2.30 3.39 207.1 9 -1.38 1.09 9 Fritz Peterson 1.03 2.39 3.43 191.2 -4 -2.08 1.03
Outside of Ramiro Mendoza and Tommy John, the Yankees have not really had a "high command/contact" pitcher do well for them, lately, have they? And, with these two, having killer sinkers helped them.
What about Worm Killer Wang? Simple, his "WALKS/9 IP vs. the league average" (to date) is 0.79 - and that's why he missed being on this list.
Update, 3/6/08, 4:08 pm ET: Reader "Carla" asked:
"How does the list change if you use K/9 just less than league average instead of a whole unit fewer than the league average?"
Here it is:
NEW YORK YANKEES, CAREER, 1973-2007 where
INNINGS PITCHED >=100
STRIKEOUTS/9 IP < 0 vs. the league average
WALKS/9 IP >= 1 vs. the league average
WALKS/9 IP DIFF PLAYER LEAGUE IP RSAA SO/9 IP BB/9 IP 1 Jon Lieber 2.43 0.92 3.34 176.2 2 -1.25 2.43 2 David Wells 1.87 1.47 3.34 851.2 45 -.41 1.87 3 Steve Howe 1.64 1.98 3.62 227 20 -1.28 1.64 4 Ramiro Mendoza 1.52 1.98 3.50 699.2 32 -1.01 1.52 5 Carl Pavano 1.43 1.62 3.05 111.1 -3 -1.36 1.43 6 Paul Quantrill 1.35 1.91 3.26 127.1 -11 -2.98 1.35 7 Bob Tewksbury 1.34 2.09 3.43 163.2 5 -2.50 1.34 8 Jimmy Key 1.33 2.37 3.70 604.1 52 -.04 1.33 9 Scott Sanderson 1.33 2.09 3.41 401.1 -9 -.32 1.33 10 Tommy John 1.15 2.13 3.28 1367 59 -1.85 1.15
This gets David Wells, Jimmy Key and Scott Sanderson into the top ten cut - with Wells and Key pitching effectively.
Posted by WW Staff at 12:50 PM | Comments (3)
March 05, 2008
Yanks Who Were Not Short On Leather
With so much recent discussion about Derek Jeter’s fielding ability, today, I found myself wondering “When was the last time that the Yankees had a full-time defensive asset playing shortstop?”
You probably have to go back to 1991 – when Alvaro Espinoza was the Yankees shortstop. (From 1992 to 1994, Mike Gallego did a solid job for the Yankees with the glove when he played short – but, he was never really a full-time shortstop in New York.) The problem with Alvaro Espinoza was that he was one of the worst batters in Yankees history.
If I had to offer an all-time “Top Ten” of Yankees slick fielding shortstops, I would offer the following list – with the caveat that it’s derived in the absence of data and formed mostly due to subjective feelings:
1. Bucky Dent
2. Gil McDougald
3. Alvaro Espinoza
4. Fred Stanley
5. Phil Rizzuto
6. Tony Kubek
7. Everett Scott
8. Gene Michael
9. Tom Tresh
10. Frankie Crosetti
What do you think about this? Would you rank them different? Would you include someone else? Would you take someone off this list?
Posted by WW Staff at 09:33 AM | Comments (5)
February 29, 2008
The Yankeeland Before Stein Time
Last night, I went out to dinner with three of my buddies. I’ve known two of them for a long time. If I had to guess, I would say that I’ve been friends with one of them for 34 years now and the other one for 32 years. The third fellow and I have been friends for at least 11 years – maybe a little longer. And, we’re all pretty close in age. During dinner, the topic of days gone by came up, and we started to reminisce about when we were back in Little League – bringing up names of old coaches and teammates, etc.
On the way home, I still found myself thinking about that part of the evening when it dawned on me: We were going pretty far back with that Little League conversation – somewhere around circa 1972. We’re talking about the days of Adam-12, Watergate, and Deliverance territory here.
For me, two things immediately came to mind: (A) That was a long time ago, and (B) I’m really old.
Then, I started to think about the 1972 Yankees. It was the last year where the team was owned by CBS. That season, the Yankees went 79-76 and finished in 4th place – 6 ½ games back of the first place Tigers. New York averaged 12,550 fans per home game back in 1972. (As you can tell from this photo from the last game at the Stadium in 1972, the Yanks were not exactly packing them in those days.) The best hitters on that Yankees team were Bobby Murcer, Roy White, Thurman Munson and Ron Blomberg. And, the best pitchers on the team were Steve Kline, Sparky Lyle, Lindy McDaniel and Fred Beene.
It’s amazing, while we were talking about those Little League memories, it didn’t seem like it was nearly three-eights of a century ago – but, it was. And, when you look back at the 1972 Yankees Yearbook (below) it seems like it was a thousand years ago. Further, looking at Yankeeland, circa 1972, and Yankeeland, today, it seems like they’re a million years apart – at least, after last night, now it does.
Being curious, I asked Lee Sinins of the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia “How many of the 1972 Yankees are still alive today?” Without knowing, I figured that most of the 36 players on that squad were still around. If Bobby Murcer, Felipe Alou, Gene Michael, Horace Clarke, Mel Stottlemyre, Ron Blomberg, Roy White, and Sparky Lyle were still around – which I knew to be true – most of that team was probably still around (according to my logic).
Then, Lee confirmed for me: "Everyone is alive except Thurman Munson, Johnny Callison and Celerino Sanchez."
Wow. That’s pretty good – just about 92% of the 1972 Yankees are still with us. Maybe YES should do a reunion show on them (while so many are still here)? Since they were the last Yankees team “Before Steinbrenner” there is some uniqueness to them. People might be interested in seeing them assembled once again – and hear their stories be brought up to date. At the least, it sounds like something that four old guys sitting in a sports bar in Edison, New Jersey, on a Thursday night in late February might want to talk about it – along with other tales from the "old days."
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:20 PM | Comments (3)
February 22, 2008
Dion James 1993
A case can be made that Dion James' season with New York in 1993 was one of the Top 25 offensive performances (ever) by a Yankees semi-regular in team history.
Something magic was going on for Dion in 2003. Whether it was the influence of Rick Down or the benefit of (mostly) batting between Wade Boggs and Don Mattingly, I'm not sure. Maybe it was both of those things? Maybe it was neither?
I always liked Dion James when he was with the Yankees. Maybe it was his funky batting stance? Maybe it was because he was just about my age? Maybe it was because he was "found" from "nowhere"? I was sort of bummed, at the time, when he decided to go play for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan after 1993. But, the Dragons offered him about $2 million more than the Yankees - so, it's easy to see why he did it.
It was fun to see him return to the Yankees in 1995. But, he was not close - at all - to the player he was in 1993. And, he was terrible in the 1995 ALDS.
August 29th was probably James' best day in 1993. Down, 7-2, after three, the Yankees came back to win that day, 14-8. Now, that's one that I would like to see someday on Yankees Classics.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:18 PM | Comments (7)
February 20, 2008
Murcer Book Due Out This Spring
"Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes," by Bobby Murcer, is due out on May 20, 2008.
I share this because I know there are many Murcer fans out there, like me, who will want to check this one out.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:13 PM | Comments (2)
February 15, 2008
The Big Three
No, we’re not talking about Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy here. Instead, we’re going back to 1987. And, we’re going to revisit Al Leiter, Brad Arnsberg and Bill Fulton.
Some people like to say that the Yankees have never had three blue-chip pitching prospects at the big league level, all so young, at the same time – as they do now with Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy.
Those people forget 1987 – when Leiter, Arnsberg, and Fulton all pitched for the Yankees in the Bronx. At that time, Al Leiter was 21. And, both Brad Arnsberg and Bill Fulton were 23.
“Yes, but, were those three hot-shot prospects at the time, like Phil Franchise, Joba and IPK?” some are probably quick to ask.
Well, here’s the skinny on that:
Arnsberg was drafted by the Yankees in the 1st round of the Secondary Phase of 1983 amateur draft. And he was the 9th overall pick in that draft. Prior to that, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round (20th pick) of the 1982 amateur draft (Secondary Phase), drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round (25th pick) of the 1982 amateur draft (Secondary Phase), and drafted by the California Angels in the 1st round (6th pick) of the 1983 amateur draft (Secondary Phase) – but, he did not sign with those teams.
Fulton was drafted by the Yankees in the 2nd round of the Secondary Phase of 1983 amateur draft. Five months earlier, he drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round of the 1983 amateur draft – the 25th overall pick in that draft - but did not sign with the O’s.
Leiter was drafted by the Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1984 amateur draft. He was the 50th overall selection in the draft that year.
Clearly, based on where they were drafted – by the Yankees and teams before the Yankees - Al Leiter, Brad Arnsberg and Bill Fulton were hot-shot pitching prospects back in their time.
Granted, Leiter, Arnsberg, and Fulton did not rip through the minor leagues like Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy (have now). So, there is that difference to be noted here.
However, it’s worth looking back at them today to recognize this is not the first time in Yankees history that three, young, heralded pitching prospects were all in the Bronx at the same time. It happened back in 1987 too.
At the least, maybe we should start calling Phil Franchise, Joba and IPK “The Second Big Three”?
Posted by WW Staff at 04:29 PM | Comments (9)
February 14, 2008
B-12, Back In The Day, Sticking It To The Big Stein
All the talk lately about B-12 shots has me reminiscing about an old Big Stein B-12 story that was pretty funny (to me) at the time. Via Playboy back in May of 1991:
PLAYBOY: Or eccentric: According to another story in Damned Yankees, you occasionally dropped your pants at Yankees executive meetings to receive a shot of vitamin B-12 from Gene Monahan, the team trainer.
[GEORGE] STEINBRENER: I did do that on one or two occasions. I would get these shots, but I didn't want to go down to the locker room, because then somebody would write. "Oh, he's down there telling Piniella what to do." So Gene Monahan would come up with a vitamin shot and, you know, I'm a man, I've been in locker rooms all my life and, sh*t, those guys walk around with nothing on. I'm not your typical owner. I mean, I've worn a jockstrap myself. Now, if I'm standing there and I've got my guys around me and we're talking, and Gene Monahan comes in and says, "Boss, I got your shot," I'd say, "Fine. Come on over." I'd stand up, go behind the chair, drop my drawers, he'd stick a needle in and -- boom! I mean, what the f*ck am I going to say? [Affects a coquettish tone] "Oh, fellows, you have to get out, he's going to give me a shot." F*ck that! Call it macho, call it what you like, I don't give a sh*t. Besides, I think he kind of enjoyed sticking the needle in. The guys loved to see if I would grimace. [Laughs]
I wonder if Geno still has those needles, somewhere, stashed in an old beer can or something?
Posted by WW Staff at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2008
Stanley's Tools
Jim Baumbach catches up with one of my favs, Mike Stanley:
All these years later, surely Yankees fans still hold Stanley in high regard, but his star has faded in the Bronx, probably because he was never part of a championship team. Reached during the week on his cell phone, Stanley said he absolutely loved his time as a Yankee, but he admits his unlucky timing still "just eats away at me." He said sometimes Yankees fans that he meets ask to see his World Series rings. Imagine how that makes him feel. "It's just such a sore subject with me," he said.
What made that year all the more painful was that the Yankees eliminated Stanley's A's en route to their fourth World Series title in five years. "After we lost," he said, "I can still vividly remember Joe Torre coming into the clubhouse to shake Art Howe's hand and looking at me and saying, 'Stano, you should be with us.' "
"After that, I said, 'The heck with it, I'm retiring. It wasn't meant to be.' "
But, Stanley said, "I'm a firm believer in things happen for a reason." Which is why he can't argue too much with his timing. He later became the bench coach for the Boston Red Sox in 2002 and became a hot coaching commodity, viewed as a future manager. Tampa Bay invited him that offseason to interview for manager's job. The Yankees, he said, spoke to him about joining their big-league staff or gaining experience down at Triple-A.
But he chose to take a step back, to take himself out of the game for a while. He wanted to be at his suburban Orlando home with his four children, who were growing up fast.
These days Stanley is back in coaching as a first-year assistant with the Lake Highland High School varsity team. Tanner's an eighth-grader now, and Stanley figures to stick with the program until his son is finished.
Then, maybe, the time will come to return to the majors.
"It's got to be in the right place," Stanley said. "Obviously, New York will be one of them."
In 1993, Stanley (a right-handed batter) hit 10 homers at Yankee Stadium that went out in either right or right-center. And, he had another three that went out in center. He was pretty good at using Yankee Stadium, going the opposite way for homers, in 1994 and 1995 too. If ever there was a righty who had a swing tailored for the Stadium, it was him.
Picking him up in January 1992, as a free agent, was a brilliant move by Gene Michael (who was then G.M.). Great scouting by the Stick.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:12 PM | Comments (1)
February 06, 2008
The Lin Garrett Story
In terms of Lin Garrett's contribution to the Yankees (during his time of employment with the team), I was once willing to give him a thumbs-up for his work as Yankees international scouting director - which is a position that he held from 2005 through 2006. After all, under his watch, the Yankees signed prospects like Hairo Heredia and Jesus Montero. Plus, Garrett was the Yankees scouting director when the team drafted Phil Hughes in 2004.
But, now, having done some deeper research, I have to say that Lin Garrett truly hurt the Yankees while he was in their front office.
Garrett was the Yankees Scouting Director from (at least) December 1995 through July 2004. During that time, these were the Yankees first round picks in the draft: Eric Milton; Tyrell Godwin and Ryan Bradley; Andy Brown and Mark Prior (who did not sign); David Walling; David Parrish; John-Ford Griffin, Bronson Sardinha and Jon Skaggs; Eric Duncan; Phil Hughes, Jonathan Poterson, and Jeffrey Marquez.
Of all those picks, only Milton, Hughes and Marquez have worked out well for the Yankees. Here are some of the players that Garrett passed on, and could have drafted, from 1996 through 2004: Jake Westbrook and Gil Meche; Randy Wolf; Aaron Rowand and Adam Dunn; Brian Roberts and Carl Crawford; Adam Wainwright and Dustin McGowan; David Wright and Danny Haren; Carlos Quentin, Jarrod Saltalamacchi and Adam Jones; Huston Street and Yovani Gallardo.
Granted, without question, it's not fair to play Monday-morning Quarterback here, using the benefit of hindsight, and say that Lin Garrett should have drafted Crawford, Wainwright, Wright, Saltalamacchi, or Gallardo...because many other teams passed on them as well.
But, Garrett's second round picks were brutal during his drafts as well: Jason Coble; Jason Henry; Randy Keisler; Gary Winrow; Danny Borrell; Shelley Duncan and Jason Arnold; Brandon Weeden; Estee Harris; and Brett Smith.
Basically, in the nine years that Lin Garrett was the Yankees Scouting Director, his best draft picks were: Eric Milton, Nick Johnson, Brad Halsey, Tyler Clippard and Phil Hughes. Really, that's about it - in nine years.
After the 2004 draft, Garrett was reassigned - and he became the Yankees International Scouting Director. This lasted until August of 2006, when Brian Cashman told him that his contract, which was up at year-end, would not be renewed.
When Garrett was moved out of his Scouting Director role, Damon Oppenheimer took over for the Yankees - and, in a three year period, he drafted prospects like Brett Gardner, Austin Jackson, Allan Horne, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, George Kontos, Dellin Betances, Daniel McCutchen, Andrew Brackman, Justin Snyder, Austin Romine, Bradley Suttle, and Carmen Angelini (among others).
In any event, now, it's pretty clear to me that Lin Garrett clogged up, if not destroyed, the Yankees talent pipeline that was manned pretty well by personnel such as Brian Sabean and Bill Livesey (the Scouting Directors before Garrett) - as well as Gene Michael and Bob Watson (the G.M.'s before Cashman). And, it wasn't until Lin Garrett was "reassigned" that the pipeline began to flow again.
Of course, you have to also wonder about those in charge of Lin Garrett from 1995 to 2004. During part of the time that Garrett was Scouting Director, from 2000 to 2004, Mark Newman had a strong hand in the Baseball Operations area for the Yankees. Ditto Gordon Blakeley, from 2003 to 2004. Newman and Blakeley were Senior Vice-Presidents and Garrett was a Vice-President. And, let's not forget that the buck stopped, at least it should have, with Brian Cashman (from 1998 through 2004) when Garrett was Scouting Director.
But, this was all, mostly, in Yankeeland prior to the church service for Otto Graham (back in December 2003). One cannot assume, back then, that a person had some say over someone else - just because of an org-chart.
If I had to guess, I would say it took the decline of Big Stein and the rise of Brian Cashman to make Garrett go away. And, perhaps, getting rid of Lin Garrett just may be the single greatest contribution of Brian Cashman (to the Yankees franchise) in his time as G.M. for the team.
Then again, if Cashman had come from a scouting background, instead of the intern-white-collar route, perhaps he would not have had the need to strongly rely on, and defer to, Lin Garrett as much (on things like the draft)? That's possible too.
So, where is Lin Garrett now? He was not listed in the Yankees 2007 Media Guide. However, one source told me that "it's possible he was just demoted and is still collecting a check." Hey, in Yankeeland, anything is possible.
If my google-skills are any good, it appears that Lin Garrett was a pitcher on the Florida State University baseball team back in 1968. At the youngest, that would have made him ages 49 to 57 when he was the Yankees Scouting Director and about age 60 when Cashman gave him a pink slip. Therefore, guessing (again), I would suggest that Garrett is now "retired" somewhere.
I wish I could tell you how Lin Garrett rose to power in the Yankees organization, and what his background was prior to joining the Yankees, and who in the Yankees front office was the force behind allowing him to go on, so poorly, for so long. But, I cannot find anything that provides those details.
What I could find shows how, for nine years, while the Yankees were winning four rings and six pennants on the field, Lin Garrett was laying the groundwork, behind the scenes, to lay waste to their farm system.
And, if anyone wants to wonder why the Yankees have a $200 million payroll, perhaps Lin Garrett is the reason why - as the lack of young and cheap talent to retool the Yankees, from 2002 to 2005 is a direct result of the Yankees' terrible drafts from 1996 through 2003.
It's great that Brian Cashman eventually got Garrett out of town. It's too bad that it didn't happen four or five years earlier. But, again, for all we know, it could have been "The Boss" who was keeping Cashman's hands tied on this one.
Someday, it would nice to know the whole "Lin Garrett Story." This one has a lot of fingerprints on it. If Brian Cashman ever writes a book, covering his Yankees experiences, he could probably spend a chapter on Garrett.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:23 PM | Comments (8)
A Yankee By Any Other Name
Here's a fun list. It's some former and current Yankees, as we know them, followed by their "real" name. (Thanks to Lee Sinins for helping to put together this list!)
Who knew that the Yankees had two men named Nick Cullop play for them and neither one was a "true" Nick Cullop?
Tucker Ashford = Thomas Steven Ashford
Chick Autry = Martin Gordon Autry
Home Run Baker = John Franklin Baker
Scott Bankhead = Michael Scott Bankhead
Cy Barger = Eros Bolivar Barger
Paddy Baumann = Charles John Baumann
Zeke Bella = John Bella
Benny Bengough = Bernard Oliver Bengough
Yogi Berra = Lawrence Peter Berra
Bill Bevens = Floyd Clifford Bevens
Monte Beville = Henry Monte Beville
Doug Bird = James Douglas Bird
Eddie Bockman = Joseph Edward Bockman
Ping Bodie = Frank Stephen Bodie
Tiny Bonham = Ernest Edward Bonham
Luke Boone = Lute Joseph Boone
Frenchy Bordagaray = Stanley George Bordagaray
Babe Borton = William Baker Borton
Garland Braxton = Edgar Garland Braxton
Don Brennan = James Donald Brennan
Boardwalk Brown = Carroll William Brown
Bobby Brown = Rogers Lee Brown
Hal Brown = Hector Harold Brown
Jumbo Brown = Walter George Brown
Kevin Brown = James Kevin Brown
Lew Burdette = Selva Lewis Burdette
Ray Burris = Bertram Ray Burris
Joe Bush = Leslie Ambrose Bush
Duke Carmel = Leon James Carmel
Roy Castleton = Royal Eugene Castleton
Chris Chambliss = Carroll Christopher Chambliss
Spud Chandler = Spurgeon Ferdinand Chandler
Ben Chapman = William Benjamin Chapman
Al Cicotte = Alva Warren Cicotte
Roger Clemens = William Roger Clemens
Tex Clevenger = Truman Eugene Clevenger
Lu Clinton = Luciean Louis Clinton
Rocky Colavito = Rocco Domenico Colavito
King Cole = Leonard Leslie Cole
Rip Coleman = Walter Gary Coleman
Pat Collins = Tharon Leslie Collins
Rip Collins = Harry Warren Collins
Rip Collins = Robert Joseph Collins
Wid Conroy = William Edward Conroy
Doc Cook = Luther Almus Cook
Dusty Cooke = Allen Lindsey Cooke
Ernie Courtney = Edward Ernest Courtney
Casey Cox = Joseph Casey Cox
Birdie Cree = William Franklin Cree
Bubba Crosby = Richard Stephen Crosby
Ivan Cruz = Luis Ivan Cruz
Nick Cullop = Heinrich Nicholas Kolop
Nick Cullop = Norman Andrew Cullop
Babe Dahlgren = Ellsworth Tenney Dahlgren
Bud Daley = Leavitt Leo Daley
Bert Daniels = Bernard Elmer Daniels
Chili Davis = Charles Theodore Davis
Iron Davis = George Allen Davis
Kiddo Davis = George Willis Davis
Lefty Davis = Alphonzo DeFord Davis
Ray Demmitt = Charles Raymond Demmitt
Rick Dempsey = John Rikard Dempsey
Bucky Dent = Russell Earl Dent
Russ Derry = Alva Russell Derry
Sonny Dixon = John Craig Dixon
Cozy Dolan = Albert J. Dolan
Atley Donald = Richard Atley Donald
Wild Bill Donovan = William Edward Donovan
Patsy Dougherty = Patrick Henry Dougherty
Slow Joe Doyle = Judd Bruce Doyle
Monk Dubiel = Walter John Dubiel
Ryne Duren = Rinold George Duren
Rawly Eastwick = Rawlins Jackson Eastwick
Doc Edwards = Howard Rodney Edwards
Kid Elberfeld = Norman Arthur Elberfeld
Red Embree = Charles Willard Embree
Clyde Engle = Arthur Clyde Engle
Doc Farrell = Edward Stephen Farrell
Alex Ferguson = James Alexander Ferguson
Tony Fernandez = Octavio Antonio Fernandez
Chick Fewster = Wilson Lloyd Fewster
Pete Filson = William Peter Filson
Happy Finneran = Joseph Ignatius Finneran
Gus Fisher = August Harris Fisher
Mike Fitzgerald = Justin Howard Fitzgerald
Ray Fontenot = Silton Ray Fontenot
Whitey Ford = Edward Charles Ford
Tony Fossas = Emilio Antonio Fossas
Wayne Franklin = Gary Wayne Franklin
Lonny Frey = Linus Reinhard Frey
Liz Funk = Elias Calvin Funk
Mike Garbark = Nathaniel Michael Garbark
Karim Garcia = Gustavo Karim Garcia
Rob Gardner = Richard Frank Gardner
Ned Garvin = Virgil Lee Garvin
Milt Gaston = Nathaniel Milton Gaston
Joe Gedeon = Elmer Joseph Gedeon
Lou Gehrig = Henry Louis Gehrig
Jake Gibbs = Jerry Dean Gibbs
Lefty Gomez = Vernon Louis Gomez
Fernando Gonzalez = Jose Fernando Gonzalez
Dick Gossett = John Star Gossett
Paddy Greene = Patrick Joseph Greene
Ken Griffey Sr. = George Kenneth Griffey Sr.
Buddy Groom = Wedsel Gary Groom
Lee Guetterman = Arthur Lee Guetterman
Bump Hadley = Irving Darius Hadley
Ed Hahn = William Edgar Hahn
Noodles Hahn = Frank George Hahn
Hinkey Haines = Henry Luther Haines
Truck Hannah = James Harrison Hannah
Bubbles Hargrave = Eugene Franklin Hargrave
Toby Harrah = Colbert Dale Harrah
Buddy Hassett = John Aloysius Hassett
Andy Hawkins = Melton Andrew Hawkins
Chicken Hawks = Nelson Louis Hawks
Mike Hegan = James Michael Hegan
Woodie Held = Woodson George Held
Rollie Hemsley = Ralston Burdett Hemsley
Xavier Hernandez = Francis Xavier Hernandez
Mack Hillis = Malcolm David Hillis
Butch Hobson = Clell Lavern Hobson
Red Hoff = Chester Cornelius Hoff
Solly Hofman = Arthur Frederick Hofman
Shags Horan = Joseph Patrick Horan
Harry Howell = Henry Harry Howell
Long Tom Hughes = Thomas James Hughes
Billy Hunter = Gordon William Hunter
Catfish Hunter = James Augustus Hunter
Ham Hyatt = Robert Hamilton Hyatt
Jeff Johnson = William Jeffrey Johnson
Lance Johnson = Kenneth Lance Johnson
Russ Johnson = William Russell Johnson
Jay Johnstone = John William Johnstone
Gary Jones = Gareth Howell Jones
Felix Jose = Domingo Felix Andujar Jose
Red Kleinow = John Peter Kleinow
Mickey Klutts = Gene Ellis Klutts
Chuck Knoblauch = Edward Charles Knoblauch
Jim Konstanty = Casimir James Konstanty
Duffy Lewis = George Edward Lewis
Bryan Little = Richard Bryan Little
Sherm Lollar = John Sherman Lollar
Tim Lollar = William Timothy Lollar
Dale Long = Richard Dale Long
Baldy Louden = William P. Louden
Slim Love = Edward Haughton Love
Torey Lovullo = Salvatore Anthony Lovullo
Sparky Lyle = Albert Walter Lyle
Duke Maas = Duane Fredrick Maas
Lee Magee = Leo Christopher Magee
Stubby Magner = Edmund Burke Magner
Fritz Maisel = Frederick Charles Maisel
Pat Malone = Perce Leigh Malone
Rube Manning = Walter S. Manning
Cuddles Marshall = Clarence Westly Marshall
Billy Martin = Alfred Manuel Martin
Tino Martinez = Constantino Martinez
Tippy Martinez = Felix Anthony Martinez
Mickey McDermott = Maurice Joseph McDermott
Deacon McGuire = James Thomas McGuire
Irish McIlveen = Henry Cooke McIlveen
Rich McKinney = Charles Richard McKinney
Doc Medich = George Francis Medich
Andy Messersmith = John Alexander Messersmith
Bud Metheny = Arthur Beauregard Metheny
Buster Mills = Colonel Buster Mills
Wilcy Moore = William Wilcy Moore
Hal Morris = William Harold Morris
Ross Moschitto = Rosaire Allen Moschitto
Bots Nekola = Francis Joseph Nekola
Gene Nelson = Wayland Eugene Nelson
Bobo Newsom = Louis Norman Newsom
Doc Newton = Eustace James Newton
Gus Niarhos = Constantine Gregory Niarhos
Scott Nielsen = Jeffrey Scott Nielsen
Harry Niles = Herbert Clyde Niles
Mike O'Berry = Preston Michael O'Berry
Paddy O'Connor = Patrick Francis O'Connor
Lefty O'Doul = Francis Joseph O'Doul
Queenie O'Rourke = James Stephen O'Rourke
Champ Osteen = James Champlin Osteen
Stubby Overmire = Frank W. Overmire
Clay Parker = James Clayton Parker
Cy Perkins = Ralph Foster Perkins
Andy Phillips = George Andrew Phillips
Cy Pieh = Edwin John Pieh
Dale Polley = Ezra Dale Polley
Bob Porterfield = Erwin Coolidge Porterfield
Jake Powell = Alvin Jacob Powell
Del Pratt = Derrill Burnham Pratt
Tony Rensa = George Anthony Rensa
Al Reyes = Rafael Alberto Reyes
Gordon Rhodes = John Gordon Rhodes
Nolen Richardson = Clifford Nolen Richardson
Branch Rickey = Wesley Branch Rickey
Mickey Rivers = John Milton Rivers
Roxey Roach = Wilbur Charles Roach
Eddie Robinson = William Edward Robinson
Hank Robinson = John Henry Robinson
Red Rolfe = Robert Abial Rolfe
Buddy Rosar = Warren Vincent Rosar
Steve Roser = Emerson Corey Roser
Braggo Roth = Robert Frank Roth
Jerry Royster = Jeron Kennis Royster
Muddy Ruel = Herold Dominic Ruel
Dutch Ruether = Walter Henry Ruether
Red Ruffing = Charles Herbert Ruffing
Babe Ruth = George Herman Ruth
Blondy Ryan = John Collins Ryan
Rosy Ryan = Wilfred Patrick Dolan Ryan
Jack Saltzgaver = Otto Hamlin Saltzgaver
Fred Sanford = John Frederick Sanford
Germany Schaefer = Herman A. Schaefer
Roy Schalk = LeRoy John Schalk
Butch Schmidt = Charles John Schmidt
Dick Schofield = John Richard Schofield
Everett Scott = Lewis Everett Scott
Rod Scurry = Rodney Grant Scurry
Bob Seeds = Ira Robert Seeds
Billy Shantz = Wilmer Ebert Shantz
Bob Shawkey = James Robert Shawkey
Spec Shea = Francis Joseph Shea
Skeeter Shelton = Andrew Kemper Shelton
Roy Sherid = Royden Richard Sherid
Hack Simmons = George Washington Simmons
Duke Sims = Duane B. Sims
Joe Smith = Salvatore Smith
Harry Smythe = William Henry Smythe
Tony Solaita = Tolia Solaita
Shane Spencer = Michael Shane Spencer
Charlie Spikes = Leslie Charles Spikes
Jake Stahl = Garland Stahl
Tuck Stainback = George Tucker Stainback
Mike Stanley = Robert Michael Stanley
Mike Stanton = William Michael Stanton
Dutch Sterrett = Charles Hurlbut Sterrett
Bud Stewart = Edward Perry Stewart
Snuffy Stirnweiss = George Henry Stirnweiss
Gabby Street = Charles Evard Street
Jeff Sweeney = Edward Francis Sweeney
Vito Tamulis = Vitautis Casimirus Tamulis
Zack Taylor = James Wren Taylor
Walt Terrell = Charles Walter Terrell
Lee Thomas = James Leroy Thomas
Hank Thormahlen = Herbert Ehler Thormahlen
Bob Tillman = John Robert Tillman
Thad Tillotson = Thaddeus Asa Tillotson
Wayne Tolleson = Jimmy Wayne Tolleson
Earl Torgeson = Clifford Earl Torgeson
Rusty Torres = Rosendo Torres
Bubba Trammell = Thomas Bubba Trammell
Dazzy Vance = Clarence Arthur Vance
Hippo Vaughn = James Leslie Vaughn
Otto Velez = Otoniel Velez
Curt Walker = William Curtis Walker
Dixie Walker = Fred Walker
Roxy Walters = Alfred John Walters
Pee Wee Wanninger = Paul Louis Wanninger
Roy Weatherly = Cyril Roy Weatherly
David Weathers = John David Weathers
Lefty Weinert = Phillip Walter Weinert
Butch Wensloff = Charles William Wensloff
Ted Wilborn = Thaddeaus Iglehart Wilborn
Bernie Williams = Bernabe Williams
Snake Wiltse = Lewis DeWitt Wiltse
Jay Witasick = Gerald Alfonse Witasick
Mickey Witek = Nicholas Joseph Witek
Whitey Witt = Lawton Walter Witt
Bill Wolfe = Wilbert Otto Wolfe
Dooley Womack = Horace Guy Womack
Chase Wright = Sebern Chase Wright
Yats Wuestling = George Wuestling
Butch Wynegar = Harold Delano Wynegar
Tom Zachary = Jonathan Thompson Walton Zachary
Note some members of the most "recent" Yankees ring teams - who used their given middle name as a first name on their baseball resume:
William Roger Clemens
Edward Charles Knoblauch
Michael Shane Spencer
William Michael Stanton
Will Clemens, Ed Knoblauch, Mike Spencer, and Bill Stanton sound like entirely different people, don't they?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:36 PM | Comments (5)
February 02, 2008
Happy Groundhog's Day
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Staten Island Chuck and Malverne Mel did not see theirs. I'm going with the local New Yorkers, Chuck and Mel, and banking on that early Spring.
In the interim, here's some great Yankees Groundhogs of the mound:
Mel Stottlemyre
Tommy John
Chien-Ming Wang
Fritz Peterson
Jim McDonald
I wonder if any of these dudes saw their shadow this morning?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)
January 31, 2008
Jeff Cindrich
This the story of Jeff Cindrich (whose last name in some baseball references is also spelled as "Ciendrich").
He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1990 - the Yanks' selection in the 54th round that year - out of Edison Community College. (The same school that later produced Joel Pineiro.)
Cindrich, from Cape Coral, Florida, was a pitcher - and a big one, at 6 feet, 6 inches, and 230 pounds.
While I cannot tell you how he did in the minors prior to 1992, I can tell you that he was near unhittable in '92.
That season, as a 21-year old, pitching for the Gulf Coast League and Oneonta Yankees, Cindrich pitched in 14 games, making 11 starts, and threw 72 innings - allowing only 45 hits and 20 walks in the process. He also struck out 90 batters in those 72 innings and had an ERA of 1.25 - and, that ERA was the 8th best in all of the minor leagues (for pitchers with at least 50 IP).
The next season, 1993, he pitched for the Greensboro Hornets in the South Atlantic League (A-Ball) - mostly out of the pen for the Yankees affiliate. And, Cindrich struggled - in 111 innings he allowed 97 hits and 62 walks, and fashioned an ERA of 3.81 (on the year). He did strikeout 88 batters that season.
In 1994, it was somewhat the same for Cindrich. Then, he was 23 and pitching for the Tampa Yankees. In 42 games, all out of the pen, he threw 54 innings - allowing 57 hits and 30 walks, while fanning 59 batters.
The following season, 1995, the Yankees invited him to their major league Spring Training camp. After that, Cindrich found himself pitching for Tampa, again, in the Florida State League. Appearing in just 24 games, all in relief, he logged 39 innings - giving up 50 hits, 17 walks, and an ERA of 4.38 (with 32 strikeouts).
That was the end of his affiliated professional baseball career - at the tender age of twenty-four.
Based on his stats in 1992, Jeff Cindrich looked like he was a prospect - despite the fact of where he was drafted in 1990. But, it all turned on a dime for him the next season and, just three years later, he was off the map.
I cannot say what happened after 1992 - or just even in 1995. Maybe he was injured? Maybe it was something else? I can't find out what from my research. But, something happened - for sure.
Still, you just can't tell sometimes, based on one season in the minors, if a guy is a legit prospect or not, can you? Just use Cindrich as an example.
Update: I just remembered that I had Baseball America's 1992 Almanac - and was able to find Cindrich's stats from 1991: With Tampa, in the GCL, he pitched in 13 games (9 starts), threw 57 innings, allowed 61 hits and 21 walks - and fanned 55. Not terrible - but, no where near his awesome 1992.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:16 PM | Comments (15)
January 29, 2008
Going Back, 29 Or 32 Years...
For those who need a retro-Yankees-baseball-fix on a day in January where baseball seems far away, even with Pitchers and Catchers being right around the corner...
Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the images.
Ah, good times.
Posted by WW Staff at 02:39 PM | Comments (2)
January 18, 2008
Brian Dorsett Update
Via The Tribune-Star:
Brian Dorsett has at least one thing in common with former Major League Baseball pitcher — and author — Jim Bouton.
No, the Terre Haute businessman and former major league catcher isn’t planning to write a tell-all book about the characters and the superstars he played with and against; those lockerroom confidences will remain just that.
But when Bouton concluded his book “Ball Four” by noting that after many years when he thought he was gripping a baseball, he discovered it was the other way around — well, Dorsett can relate to that.
“You can’t get away from the game,” Dorsett said this week, and his lifetime of baseball will be rewarded this evening when he’s inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame by the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Dorsett, a 1979 Terre Haute North graduate, is one of two former pros to enter the Hall, the other being South Bend Riley graduate Bob Rush. Rush pitched for the Cubs, Braves and White Sox during the 1950s.
“It’s a great honor,” Dorsett said this week. “So many people have played the game … and the fact that I was able to hit the ball, throw the ball and catch the ball for such a long time was a blessing. Being recognized means a lot.”
O.K., show of hands...how many Yankees fans remember Brian Dorsett?
Really? Are you sure you're not confusing him with Brian Dayett?
Posted by WW Staff at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2008
Dandy, The Yankees Former Mascot
Funny, just yesterday, in a comments section here, the topic of 'Dandy' came up.
And, now, today, I noticed that Forbes has a feature on America's Top Sports Mascots. (Hat tip to MetsBlog.)
First, some background on 'Dandy' via the Times back in 1998:
One of the first of a new breed of team mascots aimed at bringing show biz to sports, the Phillie Phanatic is the brainchild of Bonnie Erickson and Wayde Harrison, a husband-and-wife team who run their design and merchandising company, Harrison/Erickson, out of their prewar apartment in Brooklyn Heights.
Not everyone thinks sports events need the extra touch. Of the nine professional sports teams in the New York market, five do not have mascots: the Yankees, Jets, Giants, Knicks and Rangers.
As Joseph M. Perello, vice president for business development for the Yankees, put it: ''Fans come to see the Yankees win. And that's entertainment.''
Mr. Perello said that as far as he knew, the Yankees has never had a mascot. Lonn Trost, the Yankees' general counsel, said there are official Yankee hamburgers, hot dogs and popcorn. But a mascot? No, he didn't think the team ever had one.
From 1982 to 1985, though, the Yankees had Dandy, a pinstriped character designed by Ms. Erickson.
Dandy was a failure. Mr. Harrison said that was because he wasn't allowed out of the nosebleed area in the stands. Nor did he do any outside appearances. According to Mr. Harrison, George Steinbrenner, the Yankees' principal owner, was less than enthusiastic about the mascot after Lou Pinella, the Yankee outfielder, got so angry at the San Diego Chicken's clowning that he threw his glove at the bird (not a Harrison/ Erickson creation). Mr. Steinbrenner, through his spokesman Howard Rubenstein, said he had no recollection of the pinstriped mascot.
But despite Dandy, Ms. Erickson said, ''Baseball has been berry berry good to me.''
As the Forbes feature tells us:
Hook 'em while they're young. It's a common corporate strategy: Appeal to young groups and secure a slew of customers for life. And when it comes to professional sports, that's the job of the mascot these days.
What started out as a gimmick to entertain fans during breaks in the action has become an ultra-important component for major- and minor-league sports teams looking to market at the grass roots by nabbing new fans at increasingly earlier ages.
"A six-year-old would rather see a mascot than a player," says Andy Applebee of Rochester, Mich.-based General Sports & Entertainment, an industry consultant.
I must confess that, back in the days of 'Dandy,' I was one of those people who thought that a mascot for the Yankees was a stupid idea. However, now, as a father of two, ages five and three, I can tell you that the kids love these silly things. My kids know the mascots for the Staten Island Yankees, Lakewood Blueclaws, Trenton Thunder, and Somerset Patriots (among others) - and they look forward to seeing them whenever we go to the ballpark.
Maybe it's time for the Yankees to think about bringing back a mascot? If they do, I just hope it's a little more interesting looking than 'Dandy.'
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:09 PM | Comments (9)
January 14, 2008
Last Time Yanks Didn't Finish 1st Or 2nd
The talk, earlier today, about the Yankees (maybe) not finishing in first or second, this season, in the A.L. East got me thinking about the last time the Yankees did not finish first or second in the A.L. East.
That was a long time ago. It was 1992. It was Buck Showalter's rookie year as big league field skipper. That truly was the "last" bad Yankees team.
For the fun of it, here's the typical line-up and batting order for the Yankees in 1992:
1. Andy Stankiewicz SS
2. Don Mattingly 1B
3. Roberto Kelly CF
4. Mel Hall LF
5. Danny Tartabull RF
6. Kevin Maas DH
7. Matt Nokes C
8. Charlie Hayes 3B
9. Pat Kelly 2B
That season, the Yankees starting rotation was Melido Perez, Scott Sanderson, Scott Kamieniecki, Tim Leary, and a combination of Jeff Johnson and Sam Militello.
Melido Perez was "off the charts" good that season. If not for Melido, the Yankees rotation in 1992 would have been a thought uglier than having to deploy one of Manny Ramirez' game-used Doo Rags to swaddle your newborn baby.
The Yankees closer in 1992 was the under-rated Steve Farr. Also in the pen, setting up Farr, were John Habyan and Rich Monteleone. (They both worked the 7th and/or 8th innings. And, were "helped out" be lefties Greg Cadaret and Steve Howe.)
In 1992, the Yankees finished tied for 4th - 20 games back of the World Champion Blue Jays. In fact, the Jays pounded the Yankees that season - with Toronto beating New York in 11 of the 13 games where they faced each other. (The Yankees played just about .500-ball against everyone else "not named the Blue Jays" in '92.)
Bernie Williams was the Yankees best "prospect" most close to the majors back in 1992. In fact, why Bernie was not on the big league team, for the full-season, that year is beyond me. Williams was there in the farm along with guys like Brien Taylor, Carl Everett, Hensley Meulens, Russ Davis, Gerald Williams, J.T. Snow, Dave Silvestri, Lyle Mouton, Brad Ausmus, Robert Eenhoorn, Russ Springer, Sterling Hitchcock, Mark Hutton, and the fabled Kevin Mmahat.
On the bright side, way down in the minors, the Yankees had four guys named Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera - who turned out pretty good when they got their chance in the Bronx.
Makes you wonder if there are four guys in the Yankees farm, now, who will have the same Bronx impact, four years from now, that Pettitte, Jeter, Posada and Rivera had once they were established in the show.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:22 PM | Comments (2)
Yankees Fight Song
Today, I found myself wondering "How many Yankees fans know all the words to the Yankees 'official song'"?
You know the song, right? Via Wikipedia -
"Here Come the Yankees" is the official theme song of the New York Yankees baseball team.
It has been the official team anthem since 1967, when it was composed by Bob Bundin and Lou Stallman. Bundin and Stallman were associated at the time with Columbia Records, whose then-owner, the media conglomerate CBS, was also the parent company of the Yankees. It was recorded by the Sid Bass Orchestra and Chorus.
Here's the lyrics, via The Deadball Era Site:
Y.A.N.K.E.E.S.
Here come the YANKEES
Let's get behind and cheer the YANKEES
They're gonna learn to fear the YANKEES
Everyone knows they play to win, causeThey're the New York YANKEES
Show them today why you're the YANKEES
No other way when you're the YANKEES
Wadda ya say we win a brand, new, ballgameWe're gonna shout when ya powder the ball
We're gonna scream, "put it over the wall"
The other teams gonna know what it means to play the Y.A.N.K.E.E.S
We love the Yankees
Shout it out loud , We Love The YANKEES
We're really proud of our YANKEES
And we're gonna win today
2, 3, 4, Hit, Run, Fight, Score, Go! Go! Go!We're gonna shout when ya powder the ball
We're gonna scream "put it over the wall yo"
The other teams gonna know what it means to play the Y.A.N.K.E.E.S
We love the Yankees
Shout it out loud, We Love The YANKEES
We're really proud of our YANKEES
And we're gonna win todayY.A.N.K.E.E.S. Yes
Y.A.N.K.E.E.S. Yes
Click here for some audio, also via The Deadball Era Site.
O.K., so, 'fess up. How many out there knew all the words?
Me? Yeah, I gotta say, even after all these years, I sorta hum my way through parts of it.
I wonder if Big Stein and the Brothers H-Stein even know all the words?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:42 PM | Comments (11)
January 13, 2008
Signature Goose Job
A comment by "buddaley" over at Bronx Banter reminded me of a great game for Goose Gossage during his first season as a Yankee.
It was September 3, 1978.
Yankee Stadium. Top of the 9th inning. New York leads Seattle, 4-2.
Sparky Lyle allows two singles and a double to start the frame - cutting the Yankees lead to 4-3, and giving the M's runners on 2nd and 3rd - with no outs.
In comes the Goose.
First batter faced, Tom Paciorek - a strikeout.
Second batter faced, Bob Robertson - another strikeout.
Third batter faced, Julio Cruz - another strikeout.
Game over.
Now, that's closing a game.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:31 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2008
Hip, Pop, No Hooray
I just noticed that Britt Burns will begin his first season with the Astros organization as their Minor League pitching coordinator.
Britt Burns. Ah, December 12, 1985, when the Yankees traded Ron Hassey and Joe Cowley to the Chicago White Sox for Burns. Not one of Clyle King's better moves. A degenerative hip condition, huh? (Yeah, I know, "It seemed like the right move at the time.")
Did you know that Britt Burns used bobby pins to keep his baseball cap on? That should have been a "tip off" for the Yankees, right there. You don't trade for ball players who use bobby pins.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:56 AM | Comments (5)
January 05, 2008
August 25, 1976
This was a fun little day in Yankees history. Or, should I say a fun, long, night?
Check out the boxscore from the Yankees game on that date.
It was a Wednesday night game, in the Bronx, that started at 8:10 pm EST. It went 19 innings and the time of the game was 5 hours and 26 minutes - which means the game ended at 1:37 am EST.
Dick Tidrow came into the game for the Yankees with one out in the 7th inning - and then pitched 10 and two-thirds innings in relief...bringing the game into the 18th inning. Mickey Rivers won the game for the Yankees in the 19th.
After the game, the Yankees got on a plane, heading out to the West Coast, to play a game against the Angels on August 27th - a contest that also went extra innings, with the Yankees winning in fifteen. Catfish Hunter started that game for New York and pitched the first 13 frames.
Grant Jackson got the win for the Yankees in both games.
Ah, the old days.....
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:26 PM | Comments (3)
January 03, 2008
Happy Yankee Day!
Hey, Sean McNally, this year, I beat you to it!
On January 3, 1920, the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. And, on January 3, 1973, a group of investors led by George Steinbrenner and minority partner Michael Burke bought the Yankees from CBS for $10 million.
I wonder what's on the slate for January 3, 2026? It seems like something big happens for the Yankees on this date every 53 years or so...
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:35 AM | Comments (6)
January 02, 2008
Golenbock To Write Steinbrenner Biography
From the New York Observer -
Celebrated baseball writer Peter Golenbock, author of Dynasty: The New York Yankees 1949-64, has signed a contract with John Wiley & Sons to write a biography of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, it was announced today. The book will be called The Boss, and it is scheduled for publication in spring 2009.
Unclear whether Mr. Steinbrenner will cooperate with the project, or whether Mr. Golenbock, who currently resides in Florida, will relocate to New York to do his research.
One wonders, also, whether Mr. Golenbock's controversial 2007 novel 7, in which he portrayed Mickey Mantle as something of a sex-crazed boozehound, will make it harder for him to get access to the famously cagey Yankees.
Mr. Golenbock’s literary agent, Paul Fedorko of the Trident Media Group, said the book is still in its very early stages, and that Mr. Golenbock has not yet reached out to Mr. Steinbrenner or any other officials in the Yankees organization. “Peter’s been working on this stuff for a while,” he said. “A lot of what he has now is Yankees stuff. We’re hoping it’ll become Steinbrenner stuff.”
Mr. Golenbock did not respond to a request for comment. Hana Lane, his editor at Wiley, referred all questions to Mr. Fedorko, noting that it is still “very early in the book’s development.”
Almost six years ago, I had a chance to interview Peter. Nice guy. He had, at that time, a monster bobblehead collection going. Seemed like he was living a baseball fan's dream down in Florida. I know that some think Peter can be a little loose with the facts, at times. But, I hope he does a good job on this book. It might be tough - as I don't expect Big Stein, at this stage of his life, being willing to share on the effort.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2007
The Look Of The 1960's Yankees
For Christmas this year, as part of a gift, my wife's aunt gave me a 1978 TCMA Stars of the 1960’s Baseball Card Set. It's been fun flipping through the images on those cards. Here's some Yankees - see if you can name them. (Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the photos.)
The Yankees had a different look in the 1960's huh?
From the same set, here's three guys who went on to manage the Yankees. One of the faces you can't help but know. But, how about the other two?
Have fun guessing. I'll post the answers to "Who's Who?" in the comments section, to this entry, tomorrow.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:21 AM | Comments (10)
December 29, 2007
Joe DiGangi
Man, before it's too late, will somebody work with this guy on a book? It could be one fun read.
From SignOnSanDiego.com:
Joe DiGangi was ready for his close-up. On the glass-top coffee table in his Coronado condo sat neat piles of clippings and annotated photographs. DiGangi had told his baseball stories so many times that his narration was as lean as a Hemingway novel.
Because DiGangi had spent nine seasons catching batting practice for the New York Yankees, his 92-year-old fingers were a little harder to follow.
“Lou Gehrig always had a hitch (in his swing), and he tipped one,” DiGangi said, holding up his gnarled hand as Exhibit A. “If you look at the damn glove I (had), it was rawhide in those days. You couldn't catch with one hand because the ball would pop out.
“You see the guys now catching with one hand. If I had that, I would have made the Hall of Fame.”
DiGangi told of acting as a bullpen lookout when Babe Ruth wanted a drink between innings, of throwing batting practice to Joe DiMaggio the year of his 56-game hitting streak, of warming up a pitcher while Gehrig was calling himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
He could not have been more gracious or more helpful.
Among the blessings of old age is the opportunity to recount history through your personal prism, to “remember with advantages,” as Shakespeare put it. Among the treats of the journalism trade is the opportunity to hear history as told by the participants.
– TIM SULLIVAN
Update: Just found out that the Times had a feature on Joe DiGangi about 10 months ago.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2007
Tommy Byrne Passes
From WRAL.com -
Former major league pitcher Tommy Byrne, known for his fastball and his fond memories of life in the major leagues, has died, Bright Funeral Home of Wake Forest has confirmed. He was 87.
Byrne, 87, had a career record of 85-69 and an ERA of 4.11 in his major league career.
For a pitcher, Byrne had some pop. Here are the HR/AB ratios of all pitchers who hit more than 10 career homers from 1943 to 1957:
Jack Harshman .051
Clint Hartung .037
Joe Nuxhall .034
Bob Lemon .032
Johnny Antonelli .027
Dizzy Trout .025
Tommy Byrne .023
Don Newcombe .017
Warren Spahn .016
Early Wynn .011
We've lost too many ex-Yankees this year.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2007
December 9, 1982
One quarter-century ago, yesterday, the Yankees traded Dave Collins, Fred McGriff, Mike Morgan, and cash to the Toronto Blue Jays for Dale Murray and Tom Dodd. (They also signeed Steve Kemp as a free agent that day).
McGriff for Murray. That one worked out pretty good, huh?
Attaboy Bill Bergesch.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:43 AM | Comments (7)
December 09, 2007
Lights, Camera, [And More] Larsen!
From the Times -
On Oct. 8, 1956, Saul Terry took his 8-millimeter camera to Yankee Stadium, where he and his wife settled into seats in the right-field bleachers, which would cast occasional clouds of darkness onto his film.
Terry was not the only amateur cinematographer at Game 5 of the World Series. Al Mengert, a nontouring golf pro then at Winged Foot, who finished in a four-way tie for ninth at the 1958 Masters, focused his 16-millimeter camera on the field from between home plate and third base.
Two men out of 64,519 fans were unknowingly producing the lost films of Don Larsen’s perfect game, color home movies that complement the few newsreel clips of the game that are frequently replayed, and the NBC broadcast that has been seen only by small groups since it was carried live.
Whether Terry’s and Mengert’s films will be seen by fans depends on efforts to sell or license them. Terry rejected a deal with Major League Baseball last year that would have coincided with the perfect game’s 50th anniversary.
Terry captured Mickey Mantle’s great one-handed catch in left-center off Gil Hodges’s bat in the fifth inning; Mengert followed Mantle’s trot after his home run in the fourth, but not the swing itself. Duke Snider’s tumbling catch in the fourth is in Terry’s; Mengert’s shows Yogi Berra tossing balls to Bill Dickey, who was hitting pregame fungoes. A few feet away, Sal Maglie, the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, warmed up. Terry’s film found the Yankees’ bullpen with Whitey Ford and, it seemed, Bob Grim warming up.
Mengert easily zoomed in on Larsen’s no-windup motion. “I felt like Cecil B. DeMille,” he said recently from Scottsdale, Ariz.
Some day, and some way, someone has to get all the footage out there like this, and the one Doak Ewing has, and make a great DVD that fans can enjoy. It would be a huge seller in Yankeeland.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:08 AM | Comments (0)
November 30, 2007
Catching Up With Ken Phelps
From Jim Baumbach -
Ken Phelps, for the record, was a fan of "Seinfeld" before his name came up in that hilarious conversation between Frank Costanza and the fictional George Steinbrenner.
But the second the Steinbrenner character uttered his name on television before one of the largest primetime audiences in sitcom history, Phelps' lore changed forever.
"I've been remembered more from that episode," Phelps said the other day, "than anything I did professionally.
However, before the episode "The Caddy" aired on Jan. 26, 1996, Phelps was merely a footnote in Yankees history for having been acquired in 1988 for prospect Jay Buhner.
Steinbrenner, believing that George Costanza was dead, went to his parents home to deliver the news himself.
Estelle Costanza was understandably distraught, but Frank Costanza took the opportunity to ask Steinbrenner a question many Yankees fans have wanted to ask. "What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for?!" he said. "He had 30 home runs and over 100 RBIs last year. He's got a rocket for an arm. You don't know what the hell you're doing!"
The Steinbrenner character didn't flinch, and his response included a mention of Phelps that has been recited time and again by Seinfeld fans - and perhaps Yankees fans, too.
"Well, Buhner was a good prospect, no question about it," Steinbrenner said. "But my baseball people loved Ken Phelps' bat. They kept saying 'Ken Phelps! Ken Phelps!'"
Phelps actually is on television a lot these days, beyond syndicated episodes of Seinfeld. For the last two years he has done postgame work for Diamondbacks telecasts on Fox Sports Arizona, and he is hoping to make it more of a full-time career. He said he has even reached out to John Filippelli of the YES Network to gauge his interest.
For the sake of history, and humor, maybe Steinbrenner's network can trade an up-and-coming intern for Phelps. And Steinbrenner can release a statement saying, "My network people loved Ken Phelps' voice. They kept saying 'Ken Phelps! Ken Phelps!'"
For what it's worth, personally, I laid the Jay Buhner thing to rest three years ago.
And, for the record, Phelps did hit some taters for the Yankees. From the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia:
NEW YORK YANKEES, CAREER, min. 300 PA
HR/100 PA HR/PA PA 1 Babe Ruth 7.17 9197 2 Alex Rodriguez 6.19 2795 3 Roger Maris 5.84 3475 4 Jason Giambi 5.66 3128 5 Eddie Robinson 5.45 440 6 Mickey Mantle 5.41 9909 7 Reggie Jackson 5.32 2707 8 Johnny Blanchard 5.30 1208 9 Darryl Strawberry 5.26 779 10 Jim Spencer 5.18 869 11 Bobby Bonds 5.11 626 12 Lou Gehrig 5.10 9660 13 Oscar Gamble 5.10 1707 14 David Justice 5.03 756 15 Gary Sheffield 4.98 1525 16 Ken Phelps 4.97 342 17 Dan Pasqua 4.88 860 18 Steve Balboni 4.78 858 19 Joe DiMaggio 4.71 7671 20 Matt Nokes 4.70 1510
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:07 PM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2007
'77 Yanks Full Of Stories
There's Martin's Old School Pen. And, the whole famous burning Bronx and Jan Brady Champs thing.
But, here's another reason why the 1977 Yankees were interesting: Part Time Bangers.
Cliff Johnson, Dave Kingman, Mickey Klutts, Gene Locklear, and Marty Perez. Ah, good times.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:06 PM | Comments (0)
November 25, 2007
This Man Is 56 Today
Happy Birthday Bucky.
(No, I'm not a Bucky groupie - or something like that. I just always remember his birthday - and Joe D's as well, also today - since it's one day from mine.)
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:20 AM | Comments (3)
November 22, 2007
Lee Guetterman
Lee Guetterman is 49-years old today. Guetterman was great back in 1989. Now, he's 365 days away from hitting the half-century mark. And, all of a sudden, I feel old.
Happy Birthday Lee.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2007
Roberto Kelly Update
Ten months ago, I shared something on how well ex-Yankee Roberto Kelly was doing (post-playing career). Now, I can update that things are still doing well for him. From Our Sports Central -
The San Francisco Giants have named former Augusta GreenJackets manager Roberto Kelly their first base coach, club Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Sabean announced today. Kelly will also oversee the team's baserunning and outfield defense for manager Bruce Bochy next season.
The former All-Star outfielder has spent the last three seasons as the skipper of the Giants' South Atlantic League entry Augusta, guiding them to a 285-157 ledger (.622) and two playoff appearances. The 2006 SAL Manager of the Year has guided Augusta to the best record in all of minor league baseball in each of the last two seasons, going 92-47 in 2006 and 89-51 in 2007.
"Roberto has served notice of his potential as a teacher of the game over the last three years with Augusta," said Sabean. "He brings a wealth of knowledge about winning baseball to Bruce's staff and we look forward to having him on the Major League club."
Good for him.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:49 AM | Comments (3)
November 12, 2007
Extra Inning Post-Season HRs Allowed
To date, Yankees pitchers have faced 245 batters during extra innings in a post-season game. And, only 6 of those 245 batters have hit a homerun in those chances. Here's the list:
Date Series Game Batter Team Allowed HR 10/06/57 WS 4 Eddie Mathews MLN Bob Grim 10/12/64 WS 5 Tim McCarver STL Pete Mikkelsen 10/04/95 ALDS 2 Ken Griffey SEA John Wetteland 10/22/03 WS 4 Alex Gonzalez FLA Jeff Weaver 10/06/04 ALDS 2 Torii Hunter MIN Tanyon Sturtze 10/17/04 ALCS 4 David Ortiz BOS Paul Quantrill
Would you agree, out of these six, that Alex Gonzalez is probably the least likely guy that you would expect to go yard in a spot like that?
Man, that one still stings.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:01 PM | Comments (3)
November 05, 2007
Martin's Old School Pen In '77
Have you ever looked at the 1977 Yankees pitching staff? Here are the pitchers who started games for the team that season:
Pitcher Games Started Ed Figueroa 32 Mike Torrez 31 Ron Guidry 25 Don Gullett 22 Catfish Hunter 22 Ken Holtzman 11 Dick Tidrow 7 Gil Patterson 6 Ken Clay 3 Dock Ellis 3
As you can see, the starting rotation that championship season was basically Ed Figueroa, Mike Torrez, Ron Guidry, Don Gullett and Catfish Hunter.
Here are the pitchers who came into games as a reliever in 1977 for New York:
Pitcher Relief Appearances Sparky Lyle 72 Dick Tidrow 42 Ken Clay 18 Ken Holtzman 7 Ron Guidry 6 Gil Patterson 4 Stan Thomas 3 Larry McCall 2
To me, this is an amazing stat. This shows you that, over the course of the 162-game season in 1977, Billy Martin basically only used a two-man bullpen that year: Sparky Lyle and Dick Tidrow.
Now, that's old-school, huh?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:25 AM | Comments (2)
November 02, 2007
Maybe A-Rod's Next Uni-Number Should Be 27?
From Bruce Jenkins with a hat tip to Tyler Kepner -
Since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS — the night Boston began its epic comeback from three games down against the Yankees — (Alex) Rodriguez has come to the plate with 38 runners on base, over the span of 59 at-bats. He left every single one on base, going 0-for-27, right through the Yanks’ Division Series loss to Cleveland this month.
Oh'fer twenty-seven?
I wonder if this stat will make Scott Boras' "1,001 Reasons Why A-Rod Is Worth $300 Million" binder that he'll be using at G.M. meetings this off-season?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:40 AM | Comments (1)
October 31, 2007
Yankees Top Farm Clubs
Here's a list that I find interesting - it's the Yankees "top" farm clubs, through the years:
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (2007 - present)
Columbus Clippers (1979 - 2006)
Tacoma Yankees (1978)
Syracuse Chiefs (1967 - 1977)
Toledo Mud Hens (1965 - 1966)
Richmond Virginians (1956 - 1964)
Denver Bears (1955 - 1958)
Kansas City Blues (1937 - 1954)
San Francisco Seals (1951)
Newark Bears (1931 - 1949)
Oakland Oaks (1935 - 1936)
Jersey City Skeeters (1930)
Chambersburg Young Yanks (1929) - Class "D" Ball
Jersey City Colts (1922)
As you can see, the concept of a "farm system" didn't really take root with the Yankees until the 1930's. And, yes, there were some years, especially long ago, where the Yankees had two "top" minor league teams at the same time.
I totally forgot about the Tacoma Yankees. (Shame on me.)
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:15 AM | Comments (4)
October 30, 2007
A-Rod's Time In The Bronx
Jim Baumbach has an excellent feature up today - detailing Alex Rodriguez' time with the Yankees. It includes an "A-Rod meter" that tracks the "highs and lows of Alex Rodriguez's four years in pinstripes (scale: 10 the highest, 1 the lowest)":
July 24, 2004
Brawls with Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek at Fenway Park.
Rating: 4Oct. 19, 2004
Slaps the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove and is ruled out for interference during Game 6 of the ALCS.
Rating: 3April 27, 2005
Hits three homers in first three at-bats against Angels at Yankee Stadium.
Rating: 8Nov. 14, 2005
Narrowly edges Boston's David Ortiz to win the American League MVP.
Rating: 9Sept. 19, 2006
Is spoken of negatively by other Yankees in a damning Sports Illustrated story.
Rating: 2Oct. 7, 2006
Dropped to eighth in the lineup for ALDS Game 4 in Detroit.
Rating: 1.5May 30, 2007
Breaks unwritten code by distracting Toronto's Howie Clark from catching a pop-up by yelling "Ha!"
Rating: 4Aug. 4, 2007
Crushes pitch into Yankee Stadium's leftfield stands for his 500th career home run.
Rating: 8.5Sept. 27, 2007
Proudly states in champagne-soaked clubhouse, "New York is a special place. I love New York."
Rating: 10Oct. 28, 2007
Opts out of his contract in announcement by agent Scott Boras during World Series Game 4.
Rating: 1
I would have included the illegal poker club thing, the WBC flip-flopping thing, the stripper thing, and the "Jeter" announcement before Spring Training this year, in the "meter" as well. But, still, it's an interesting list.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:29 AM | Comments (12)
October 29, 2007
Is A-Rod The First?
I know that "Free Agency" in baseball, as we know it today, has "only" been around for 32 years. Still, thinking about it today, I believe that Alex Rodriguez is the first "mega-star" in his "prime" to walk away from the Yankees, clean, as a Free Agent. Can anyone think of another?
Reggie Jackson was 35 when he left - and on the back-end of his career. Is Mike Torrez considered a "mega-star"? How about Oscar Gamble? No one really comes to mind. Goose Gossage may be the closest one. But, he's not in the A-Rod class, in my opinion.
Having someone like A-Rod, at his current age and production level, just walking away from the Yankees just does not happen very often - or, maybe even never before, no?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:50 PM | Comments (2)
October 22, 2007
Nettles To Randolph To Chambliss...
Remember when Sparky Lyle got Freddie Patek to ground into a double-play to end Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS? Did you see that game? If you did, congrats - as you saw something happen that's extremely rare in the post-season.
Until now, I never knew how rare that was to witness. Cool.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)
The Gloria Gaynor Principle
In 2007, Joe Torre's Yankees won 94 games and reached the post-season. Torre was not retained as manager in 2008.
In 1995, a shortened season, Buck Showalter's Yankees won 79 games and reached the post-season. Showalter was not retained as manager in 1996.
In 1980, Dick Howser's Yankees won 103 games and reached the post-season. Howser was not retained as manager in 1981.
In 1964, Yogi Berra's Yankees won 99 games and reached the post-season. Berra was not retained as manager in 1965.
In 1963, Ralph Houk's Yankees won 104 games and reached the post-season. Houk was not retained as manager in 1964.
In 1960, Casey Stengel's Yankees won 97 games and reached the post-season. Stengel was not retained as manager in 1961.
In 1961, after Stengel, the Yankees won the World Series. In 1964, after Houk, the Yankees reached the World Series. In 1965, after Berra, the Yankees flopped and finished sixth. In 1981, after Howser, the Yankees reached the World Series. In 1996, after Showalter, the Yankees won the World Series.
Therefore, before this season, there were five other times in Yankees history where a man managed the team for the full-season, had his team reach the post-season, and he was not brought back for the following season. In four of those five "following seasons," the Yankees made it to the World Series - winning two of those four Fall Classics.
Think about these facts the next time you hear someone say that the Yankees should be lost in 2008 without Joe Torre.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:54 PM | Comments (9)
It's Jeff Weaver Day
Ironically, it was a real solid effort from Carl Pavano that day. Go figure.
And, for the record, today is also Roger Clemems Bat Toss Day - for those keeping track at home: October 22, 2000.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:03 AM | Comments (11)
October 16, 2007
Happy Aaron Boone Day
What a wonderful day that was...too bad it seems like it was forever ago.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:14 PM | Comments (2)
October 13, 2007
October Pain
I have to confess that I'm still a little bummed over the Yankees being knocked out of this post-season, as we sit here and watch four teams continue on with October baseball.
Thinking about feeling this way, yesterday, I started to think about how I felt each time the Yankees were defeated, in the post-season, during my following the team. Here's the list:
1976: This one hurt. But, everything happened so fast - and it was as if it hit you, all the pain, in a flash. It was like stepping off the curb and then getting blind-sided by a Mack Truck doing 100 MPH.
1980: The Yankees never had a chance in this ALCS. The Royals were on a mission. And, it was a strange Yankees team - even if they won a ton of games. Bob Watson, Eric Soderholm, Ruppert Jones, Aurelio Rodriguez, Tom Underwood, Gaylord Perry...they just didn't seem like Yankees to me. Plus, I was a freshman in college when this happened - and that was distracting. This one didn't hurt all that bad.
1981: Stupid work-stoppage year. That whole "First Half Champ" and "Second Half Champ" thing just made this a bizarre year. The post-season didn't carry much weight with me because of the split season format. While I would have been happy if the Yankees won the World Series, it didn't kill me that they lost. I was even there for Game 2 of the World Series - and it seems like a non-memory to me. If I didn't have the ticket stub, I may not even remember having gone there.
1995: To this day, this one was a killer. After the winning run scored in the ALDS for Seattle, I sat, on my knees, on the floor, about a foot away from the TV, for what seemed like an hour. I couldn't move. For whatever reason, this one really hurt - probably because of the lead they blew in the series and the fact that it had been so long since Yankees October baseball.
1997: This one pissed me off more than it hurt. I thought the Yankees had a case of "fat cat" fever during this series and took too much for granted. On the bright side, the loss in this series was something, in my mind, that lead to the butt-kicking attitude that the Yanks had in 1998.
2001: Stunned. For a solid month afterwards, I walked around like a young grieving widow in mourning. It took me a long time to come around after this one - even though the Yankees were clearly out-played in the series.
2002: This one was just embarrassing for me. I felt like the Yankees were a no-show for the ALDS. It didn't hurt - it was just an embarrassment. Although, for some reason, it didn't make me very angry.
2003: Now, this one pissed me off - more than 1997. After the thrill of the ALCS, there's no way the Yankees should have lost the World Series. Plus, on the stat sheet, they out-played the Marlins - except during key moments of games. I think all the members of the Yankees team should look back at this one with a ton of regret - especially Torre.
2004: On a pain-scale, this one was up there with 1995. On an embarrassment-scale, it tops 2002 - by far. And, on an anger-scale, it tops 1997 and 2003. Yet, it was not something that left me stunned for a long time like 1995 or 2001. After Game 5 of the ALCS, you just had a feeling that it was over - maybe the Yankees players felt this too? I've gotten over this one much quicker than I imagined - but, I do still find myself telling people that the Red Sox choked in this series "by allowing the Yankees to win the first three games - as, clearly, the Sox were the better team that year."
2005, 2006, and 2007: These are all the same in many ways. Going in, you expected the Yankees to make a decent to good showing. However, in the end, the team played each series like a non-winner. And, afterwards, you felt like the Yankees may have reached the World Series if they had won their ALDS match. Each of these was disappointing, but, not fatal-feeling like 1995 or 2001. And, they were embarrassing, but, not like 2004 or 2002. And, each of these left you a little angry, but, not like 1997 or 2003. Perhaps the cumulative impact of 2001 to 2004 has numbed me to the point where it would be difficult to be very disappointed, embarrassed, and/or angry here? It's possible.
I moved past 2005 and 2006 by the time the World Series was played. I expect that I will do the same with the results of this past Yankees' ALDS. Until then, I'll probably remain just a little bummed-out.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:23 AM | Comments (2)
October 11, 2007
Top 120 Games Pitched By Yankees Starter In The Post-Season
Top 120 Games Pitched By Yankees Starter In The Post-Season
The above is a link to a spreadsheet that's fun to play with - if you want to see data on great games by Yankee starters in the post-season.
Best start in a World Series? Don Larson, Game 5, 1956. (Duh!)
Best start in an ALCS? Roger Clemens, Game 4, 2000.
Best start in an ALDS? David Wells, Game 1, 1998.
Best start on the road - after that Clemens start? Vic Raschi, Game 1, 1950 World Series.
Best start at home - after that Larsen start? Monte Pearson, Game 2, 1939 World Series.
Best start in a losing effort? Bob Turley, Game 6, 1956 World Series.
Best start in a losing effort - not in a World Series? David Cone, Game 2, 1998 ALCS.
Best start in a losing effort - not in a World Series or an ALCS? Andy Pettitte, Game 2, 2007 ALDS. (Ouch!)
Great starts by Yankees pitchers in post-season games where the game score was 1-0? Here's the list:
Allie Reynolds 1949 WS Game 1
Vic Raschi 1950 WS Game 1
Ralph Terry 1962 WS Game 7
Andy Pettitte 1996 WS Game 5
Mike Mussina 2001 ALDS Game 3
Go ahead - filter away on the list. If you find some good stuff, post it in the comments section below.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:35 PM | Comments (6)
October 09, 2007
The Mattingly Factor?
Michael Clancy states an interesting case on Donnie Baseball's really bad timing.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:12 PM | Comments (4)
October 07, 2007
How Are These Yanks With The Chips On The Line?
I was at a family party yesterday, and, at the end, just as we were leaving, my wife's uncle (who's a Mets fan) said to me: "Your team is dead."
My first reaction to this was: "I still think they're going to win a game. At least one. They're going to win at least one game before this series is over."
The split-second those words came out of my mouth, I realized my mistake and said: "Well, sure, they have to win their next game or else there will be no more games to win. So, I guess what I'm saying is that they're going to win tomorrow. They're going to win at least one game. So, they're going to win this next game."
Afterwards, I started to think about how the Yankees have done, recently, in October "elimination games." Here's their record:
2002 ALDS - Game 4: David Wells implodes.
2003 ALCS - Game 7: Roger Clemens gets undressed. Mike Mussina and Grady Little save the Yankees.
2003 World Series - Game 6: Andy Pettitte is wonderful. Yankee bats can't touch Josh Beckett.
2004 ALCS - Game 7: Kevin Brown and Javy Vazquez are terrible. Yanks bats do nothing.
2005 ALDS - Game 4: Big pinch-hit from Ruben Sierra. Good effort from Shawn Chacon.
2005 ALDS - Game 5: Mike Mussina spits the bit. Bubba Crosby and Gary Sheffield don't have fun in the outfield.
2006 ALDS - Game 4: Jaret Wright and Cory Lidle fail on the mound. Yanks bats are pretty much asleep.
Well, that's not a pretty picture. The last seven times the Yankees faced "win-or-go-home" in the post-season, they've lost five times - and it could have been six times if not for Grady Little.
Of course, if the Yankees go on to win their next three games in this ALDS, that would improve their "sudden-death" mark to 5-5 (since 2002). That does look a lot better than 2-5 or 2-6.
One game at a time now, right? Let's hope that Roger Clemens is up for it today - and that the Yankees bats wake-up. And, Joe Torre better manage this one like it's the seventh game of the World Series. After all, there just may be no tomorrow after this one.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:12 AM | Comments (1)
October 02, 2007
Happy Bucky Dent Day
I was just about 2 months shy of my 16th birthday. While that was a long time ago, I can remember this game like it was yesterday.
I hustled to get my afternoon paper route done so that I would be home in time for the game. And, for 2 hours and 51 minutes, I sat there, on my parents couch, alone, curled up, watching the game - and not moving a single muscle for the entire game. It was nerve-racking. My intestines were in a knot.
Until Nettles squeezed that final out, it was if I was afraid to exhale.
Every 15-year old diehard baseball fan should have a moment like this with his favorite team. Was it Friedrich Nietzsche that once said that?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:51 AM | Comments (7)
October 01, 2007
Just Wait Till Next Year?
Using Baseball-Reference.com's Play Index Pitching Season Finder, I tried to identify the best Yankees starting staffs, in terms of production, stability, and depth, since 1973. This is how the list found broke down - going from best to worst:
Year - Trusted Members of Starting Staff
2003 Pettitte / Clemens / Wells / Mussina
1998 Pettitte / Cone / Wells / Irabu
2001 Mussina / Clemens / Pettitte
2000 Pettitte / Clemens / Hernandez
1997 Pettitte / Wells / Cone
1996 Pettitte / Rogers / Key
1982 Guidry / Righetti / John
1980 Underwood / Guidry / John
1979 John / Guidry / Tiant
1977 Figueroa / Guidry / Gullett
2007 Pettitte / Wang
2006 Wang / Mussina
2002 Mussina / Wells
1999 Hernandez / Cone
1995 Pettitte / McDowell
1994 Key / Perez
1987 John / Rhoden
1984 Fontenot / Niekro
1983 Guidry / Righetti
1978 Guidry / Figueroa
1976 Figueroa / Ellis
1975 Hunter / May
1973 Stottlemyre / Medich
2005 Johnson
1993 Key
1992 Perez
1991 Sanderson
1988 Candelaria
1986 Rasmussen
1985 Guidry
1974 Dobson
When you have three (or more) starting pitchers who are there for the full-season, and they're productive, it really does help your chances towards having a good season.
Hopefully, if Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy come through for the Yankees next season - along with Wang and Pettitte (should he return), we could be looking at a special season in the Bronx in 2008.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:25 PM | Comments (4)
September 26, 2007
Bronx Banter Offers Book Excerpt
Bronx Banter has an excerpt from "It Ain't over 'til It's over: The Baseball Prospectus Pennant Race Book posted today.
It's from Steven Goldman and it's entitled "How to Break Up the Yankees."
Click here to read it.
To be candid, I have not always been a fan of Goldman's work. But, this piece will be a trip down memory lane for some and an education for others. The excerpt is worth checking out, if you haven't seen it yet.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:21 PM | Comments (5)
September 25, 2007
Red Light's Been Around For A Long Time
The 2007 Yankees have played 156 games so far this season and are presently 2 games back of first, in the loss column, behind the Boston Red Sox.
Let's go back to the Yankees 156th game of 1988. In this contest, Ron Guidry and Dale Mohorcic (yes, Dale, My Horse Is Sick!) defeated Baltimore - and the O's rookie starter that day...a kid named Curt Schilling. (Don Mattingly homered twice off Schilling that day.) That win by the 1988 Yankees in their 156th game put New York 3 games back of first, in the loss column, behind the Boston Red Sox. (The 1988 Boston Red Sox would go on to get swept in the post-season by the Oakland A's in the ALCS.)
How long ago was that game back in 1988? Put it this way, (current) Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes was 2 years and 3 months old at that time.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:52 AM | Comments (2)
The Bronx is Burning DVD Set
In case you missed it, The Bronx is Burning DVD set comes out today. Amazon has it for $19.99. Not a bad deal, at that price.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:34 AM | Comments (1)
September 15, 2007
Remembering Snuffy Stirnweiss
From The Star-Ledger -
On Sept. 15, 1958, a commuter train left Bay Head at 8:27 a.m., carrying dozens of people to a routine day of work in New York.
It never made it, instead plowing through three stop signals and plunging off a partially open drawbridge into Newark Bay, killing 48 people aboard. Among the dead were three crew members and 45 passengers, including former Yankees second baseman George (Snuffy) Stirnweiss and then-Shrewsbury Mayor John Hawkins.
The horrific crash, one of the worst in the nation's history, baffled state investigators who found no evidence of mechanical failure in the train's brakes or the railroad's signals. They theorized the engineer may have had a heart attack before the train veered off the drawbridge, which connected Elizabeth and Bayonne.
Following the tragedy, the state required that all locomotives operated in New Jersey be equipped with so-called "dead-man's" controls that automatically stop the train if hand pressure on the throttle is released.
As for the Newark Bay bridge, most passenger trains quit using it altogether in 1967, when what is now the New Jersey Coast Line was rerouted into Newark Penn Station. The drawbridge was torn down more than two decades ago.
I've always been interested in Snuffy Stirnweiss. First off, it's a cool name. It always stood out to me, as a kid, when people would talk about Yankees who had won a batting title. Secondly, my dad was there, in Bayonne, after the train wreck of '58, when they were fishing bodies out of the water - and I will always remember him telling me how heart-breaking that was...and that Snuffy Stirnweiss was on that train.
And, just two days ago, by chance (while I was playing around with RetroSheet.org) I found out that Stirnweiss was laid to rest not far from my home.
I plan on visiting his grave soon and placing a flower down on it. Stories like these about tragic accidental passings should not be forgotten. You never really know for sure - every time you leave the house, you may never come back again.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:41 AM | Comments (1)
September 11, 2007
No Jeter, A-Rod Or Even Joltin' Joe?
Did you know (?) that the only right-handed batters in Yankees history with multi-homerun games in the post-season are:
Tony Lazzeri
Scott Brosius
Chad Curtis
Try that one on your Yankees fans friends the next time they want a good Yankees trivia question.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)
September 07, 2007
Has It Really Been 4 Years?
Could it be that...Andy Pettitte's start in Game 2 of the 2003 World Series was the last great start by a Yankees pitcher in the post-season?
Can you name a starter that's done better since then?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:53 AM | Comments (9)
September 06, 2007
The 1974 New York Yankees
On July 2nd, 1974, the New York Yankees were in last place, in the A.L. East, 8.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox.
By September 4th, 1974, the Yankees had tied the Red Sox for first place in the A.L. East.
Over the remaining 27 games of 1974, the Yankees would go 17-10, the Red Sox would go 12-15 and the Baltimore Orioles went 21-6.
The Orioles ended up winning the A.L. East in 1974, by 2 games over the Yankees (and 7 games over the Red Sox).
Back in 1974, it was a pretty big deal for the Yankees to finish second that year - as they had finished in fourth place the three seasons before that one.
Actually, the Yankees had a great chance to win it that season - as they were in first place on September 22nd, one game ahead of the Orioles. But, Baltimore won their last 8 games of the season whereas New York went 5-3 in their last 8 games. (The Orioles actually went 9-0 to close the 1974 season.)
What killed the Yankees in those last 8 games was losing a double-header to the Red Sox, in New York, by the scores of 4-0 and 4-2...and losing a game on October 1st, in Milwaukee, by a score of 3-2 in 10 innings.
What truly helped the Orioles was winning by one-run six times in their last eight games...which led them go 8-0. The biggest win may have been a 1-0 victory, in 17 innings, against the Brewers on September 27th.
It's interesting, that, when an organization is in so many great pennant races, like the Yankees, that a team, and a season, like 1974, can get lost in the grand scheme of a franchise's legacy.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:59 PM | Comments (7)
September 04, 2007
Gabe Paul's Daughter To Write Yanks Book
From the Capital Gazette Newspaper -
Jennie Paul's father always told her not to look at the hole in the doughnut, but rather look at the whole doughnut - the same sentiment he shared with the 1977 world champion New York Yankees.
It is with those big-picture eyes that Ms. Paul, 56, views her Clay Street neighborhood where she's writing "Yankee Princess," a book about her relationship with her father, Gabe Paul, the president of the Yankees who worked under owner George Steinbrenner.
"Fathers and daughters have the most unique relationship," she said. "Everything relates back."
She's been working on different versions of her manuscript for the past six years, but as ESPN began airing the "Bronx is Burning" miniseries about the 1977 Yankees' run to victory in the World Series, Ms. Paul said she "bawled" her eyes out with each episode, sitting alone and watching a part of her life play out on the small screen.
It doesn't do her father any justice, she said.
"The more I watched it, the more I realized the real story had to be told," she said. "We never knew we were a famous family. He was just our dad."
Ms. Paul said she was about to give up on the book when she realized that sports fans still care about games that played out 30 years ago, and how the game has changed over time.
It's evident from her modest home that sports are still a huge part of her life. There are photos of her son in hockey gear, the television is tuned to ESPN and there's a copy of Newsday Inside Sports on the coffee table.
Her extensive Yankees sports memorabilia, including her father's World Series ring, are all tucked safely away in a variety of locations far from her current house, most at the family home in Florida.
She hopes to finish the book within the next six months and spent the Labor Day weekend in New York to meet with her agents. She recently signed a book deal with Literary Group International out of New York, the same company that published best-sellers "Flags of Our Fathers" and "October Sky."
But writing the memoir has been a long road. She has already rewritten the manuscript to create a more sentimental tone.
She hopes the book will also become a movie, and she's telling agents that she'd like Goldie Hawn to play the title role. But she got a surprise when she mentioned Ms. Hawn's name.
"They laughed at me," she said, laughing herself as she recalled the moment. "They told me she might be able to play the Yankee grandma. So maybe then we can get Kate Hudson instead," she said, referring to Ms. Hawn's actress daughter.
This could be a very interesting book. I would check it out once it's published.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2007
Been A Long Time
The Yankees allowed 16 runs in their game yesterday and New York only had 3 hits to their credit. When was the last time that the Yankees allowed 16+ runs in a game where they had 3 or less hits themselves?
The answer: July 11, 1979.
The Yankees, at close of business yesterday, find themselves 8 games out of first place. When was the last season where the Yankees were 8 games out (or more) at the close of business on August 27th?
The answer: 1995. But, that was not a "full" season. The last "full" season where the Yankees were 8 games out (or more) at the close of business on August 27th was 1992.
In a nutshell, we're seeing things in Yankeeland this season that we haven't seen in 15 to 30 years.
Let's hope that it's another 15 to 30 years before we see them again.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:46 AM | Comments (10)
August 21, 2007
Back In The Day Before PAP
Here’s a little Yankees trivia question to try on your friends today –
Name the 5 Yankees starting pitchers, since 1989, to throw 145+ pitches in a single game.
Here’s the answer:
Pitcher, Date/Opp, Pitches Thrown
Al Leiter, April 14, 1989/MIN, 163
Scott Sanderson, June 4, 1992/DET, 156
David Cone, August 5, 2000/SEA, 147
Roger Clemens, May 20, 2001/@SEA, 145
Andy Hawkins, July 6, 1990/MIN, 145
Anyone who watches YES regularly would have guessed Leiter – as Michael Kay brings up that game, for Al, every time he’s in the booth with Leiter (or, at least, it seems like every time). Perhaps, someone might guess Cone and Clemens. But, I doubt that many would remember that Sanderson and Hawkins did it too.
That Andy Hawkins game was amazing. He started the game, went 11 and 2/3rds, and then blew the game when he allowed back-to-back two-out singles to plate two runs.
By the way, that game was the last time that a Yankees starting pitcher threw 11+ innings in a single contest.
What to really be impressed? Catfish Hunter went 11+ innings in a start for the Yankees – three times in 1976. Yes, three times in one season: May 9th, May 22nd, and August 27th.
There were no pitch counts available back in 1976. One can only imagine the damage the Hunter did to himself in those games.
That August 27th game for Catfish was special – he started, went 13 innings, and threw a shutout for all 13 frames. It was the last time that a Yankees starter went 13 innings in a game. I think that record is probably safe for a while.
And, for those who don't know what "PAP" is, click here for more.
Update, 12:28 pm ET, 8/21/07: Click here for more perspective on that Catfish Hunter game of August 27th.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:20 AM | Comments (4)
August 20, 2007
The Chases Of 1997, 2005 & 2007
The 2007 Yankees, at this date, are 70-54 and 4 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the A.L. East. Looking at this, I wondered how many times since 1990 have the Yankees not been in first place at this date? Here’s the answer:
Year – Yankees Record (around this time) – Games Back of First
2005 – 69-55 – 3.5 (Boston)
1997 – 74-50 – 5.5 (Baltimore)
1995 – 53-51 – 10.5 (Boston)
1992 – 55-67 – 15.0 (Toronto)
1991 – 56-68 - 12.5 (Toronto)
1990 – 52-72 – 15.0 (Boston)
Therefore, in the past 18 years, 2007 (for the Yankees) is the most like 2005 and 1997 (in terms of the race for the A.L. East).
It will be interesting to see how the 2007 team responds to this chase. There are a dozen players on the 2007 Yankees who were around in 2005:
Alex Rodriguez
Andy Phillips
Chien-Ming Wang
Derek Jeter
Hideki Matsui
Jason Giambi
Jorge Posada
Mariano Rivera
Melky Cabrera
Mike Mussina
Robinson Cano
Sean Henn
If you want to go back to 1997, only Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera remain with the team today.
In some ways, 1997, 2005, and 2007 are three different chases - and three different classes as well.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:00 PM | Comments (1)
August 19, 2007
Bronx Bombers Also The Kings Of Swing?
Check out these 2007 Yankees Batting Averages (BA) coming into the game today for New York:
Alex Rodriguez .304
Jorge Posada .336
Hideki Matsui .299
Derek Jeter .323
Robinson Cano .309
Melky Cabrera .297
Bobby Abreu .285
That's seven full-time players with a chance to bat .300 on the season.
The 1931 Yankees had 6 players with 502+ PA that season and a .300+ BA. The 1930 and 1927 Yankees had 5 players with 502+ PA those seasons and a .300+ BA. No Yankees team has ever had seven players with 502+ PA in a season and a .300+ BA.
There's still many games left to this season - and a lot can happen. But, it will be interesting to see if the Yankees Magnificent Seven can pull this trick off this year.
Just imagine if the Yankees had a full-time DH and a full-time first baseman who could also hit .300 or better. Then we might be talking about nine guys instead of seven.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 06:14 PM | Comments (2)
Was Scooter 90?
From Murray Chass -
The obituaries said Phil Rizzuto was 89 when he died last week. That’s because the baseball encyclopedias said that Rizzuto was 89. And the encyclopedias said Rizzuto was 89 because that’s what Rizzuto said. That is, they listed his birth date as Sept. 25, 1917, because that’s when Rizzuto reported he was born.
But that wasn’t necessarily so. Or was it?
Sorry, Scooter, but I have to do it. I have kept your secret to myself for nearly 30 years, but now that you have sadly left us, I don’t think you would mind if I told the tale from the Yankees’ spring training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in the late 1970s.
Rizzuto was then a Yankees broadcaster, but he was also a bunting instructor in spring training. One day, he stood at the net as players bunted in the batting cage under the stands along the right-field line at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Scooter knew better, but he absent-mindedly held on to the net behind home plate, putting his hand through an opening between the cords.
A foul ball came off the bat and smashed Rizzuto’s finger. It hurt. It was bloody. It was a mess. Rizzuto was told to go to a nearby hospital and have the finger treated there. But he couldn’t drive with his finger in that condition, so I offered to take him.
When we arrived at the hospital, the nurse at the outpatient desk asked Rizzuto for the usual information. Date of birth was one of her questions.
“Sept. 25, 1916,” Rizzuto replied without hesitation. With “16” hardly out of his mouth, he turned to me and said sternly, “Don’t you tell anybody.”
And I didn’t, not then, not ever. Until now. But what could have been more Scooterlike than continuing to make himself a year younger decades after he retired? On the other hand, the department of health said Rizzuto’s birth certificate listed his year of birth as 1917, but leave it to Scooter to disagree with the officials.
Wouldn't be the first time that a ballplayer lied about his age.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:04 AM | Comments (1)
August 18, 2007
Ted Wilborn
Now, there's a blast from the past.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2007
Scooter Tales
Having already shared some thoughts on Phil Rizzuto's passing today, I thought that I would also share some of "my" favorite Scooter stories as well.
I never saw Rizzuto play - outside of old film clips and such. But, my father saw him play. And, whenever I think of Rizzuto "the player," I go back to what my dad has told me on more than one occasion: "Your grandmother wasn't much of a fan, but, she loved to watch Scooter run. She didn't care whether it was a play where he was safe or out - as long as he was running. She got such a kick out of watching him 'scoot.' She used to get upset when he was walked - because it robbed her of a chance to watch him run."
Any time my Dad's story about his mother's joy in watching Phil run would float into my head, in the background, I often would also start to hear those lines from "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" - ...this kid really makes things happen out there. Makes me wish that I had the chance to watch Rizzuto play in real time.
Back in 1975, I remember listening to Phil Rizzuto and Bill White cover a game on the radio. I want to say it was the contest of September 28, 1975 - but, I'm not positive that was the game.
It's late in the game and the Yankees are starting to rally. Rizzuto (over the air) says something like "You hear the fans going crazy now because Bobby Bonds has just come out to the on-deck circle to pinch-hit." Just then, Bill White corrects him, offering something like "Scooter, that's Rich Coggins. He wears #26. It's not Bonds. He's #25."
At this point, Scooter says to White: "Well, you know, they all look alike to me."
White laughed hard at what Phil said over the air and yelled "Anyone else says that, and they get a punch in the nose!"
That's the love that Bill White and Phil Rizzuto had for each other. It didn't matter that White was a generation younger than Rizzuto. It didn't matter that White was a National League guy and that Rizzuto was an American League guy. It didn't matter that White was college educated and Rizzuto was not. It didn't matter that Bill was Black and Phil was White. Through the years, these two men became as close as two men could be - and it showed in their performance. That's part of what made their broadcasts so special - getting a peek at their friendship.
These next two stories have nothing to do with Rizzuto as a player or a broadcaster - but, they have stuck with me through the recent years.
During the 1990's, someone that I worked with accepted an off-shore assignment in Japan. After she left, there was some restacking of offices and someone else moved into her office - before her slated return to the States. Someone, perhaps the person that moved into her office, packed up her personal belongings that were in her office, stuffed them into Bankers Boxes, unlabeled, and stuck them in our central file room. When I was looking for something in the file room, months later, I accidentally opened one of those unlabeled boxes. When I saw some of the stuff inside, I then realized that it was "her stuff." Included therein was a baseball autographed by Phil Rizzuto.
After I came across this box, I sent her an e-mail (over in Japan) to let her know that some of her things were put aside - including this ball. I asked her if she wanted me to put it in a safer place, etc.
She replied telling me not to worry about it - and that she would get the boxes when her off-shore assignment was over. She wrote that it was mostly junk - and that the ball didn't mean anything to her. She said that she was at a corporate function once and Rizzuto was there signing balls - so, she got one like everyone else. But, to be honest, she wasn't even sure who he was - except that he was a former baseball player. (She was not from New York, originally. And, she was not a sports fan. So, I can see how this could have happened.)
Now, she and I had a decent relationship. So, in the back of my mind, I planned on asking her, when she got back to New York, if I could have the ball - since it meant nothing to her. And, I mentioned this whole thing to no one - sans my boss, who, like the woman overseas, was not a sports fan. I'm not sure why I told my boss. It was probably just something I shared to fill a gap in time somewhere - since we didn't usually have much to chit-chat about, outside of work stuff.
A week or two later, I thought "You know, just to keep that ball safe, I should make sure it's in the bottom of the box - and then make sure that box is in the bottom of the stack. This way no one else will find it by accident, like I did, before she comes back." And, off to the file room I went...only to find that box now missing one Phil Rizzuto autographed baseball.
Did my boss take it? It's possible. She had pulled some stunts in the past. Did someone else find it and take it? Maybe, sure, after all, I found it by accident too. Every once in a while, I think about that little baseball and where it may be today. And, I wonder if the person who has it knows anything about the history behind it.
In any event, years later, my Dad and I went to Old-Timer's Day at the Stadium. I want to say it was July 21, 2001. But, it could have been an Old-Timer's Day in 2003 as well. Or, maybe it was 2002 or 2004? I'm not one-hundred percent sure - but, I'm pretty sure it was 2001.
It was early in the day and we were outside Yankee Stadium by the player's entrance. It was somewhat crowded. All of a sudden, a limo pulls up and out pops Phil Rizzuto. There he was! The Scooter, in the flesh, was no more than six feet away from me - live, in-person. It was a thrill. I saw and listened to the man, through the media, for more than one-third of a century...but, that was in the electronic form only. Now, there he was - in flesh and blood. Everyone around gave Phil a big cheer. Scooter offered a Pope-wave back to all of us and went inside the Stadium. The whole thing lasted less than a minute. But, being that close, and in-person, to a legend - and it being a surprise encounter - made it a special moment for me. And, yes, he looked smaller in-person than I imagined that he would have looked. Much smaller.
Lastly, I have today's Phil Rizzuto story - one that I probably will also remember for a while to come. It's the story of how I learned about his passing.
At 12-noon (ET) today, I happened to turn on the television and flipped over to the YES Network channel. The cable info that appeared when I clicked over to channel 55 said "The White Shadow" - but, that's not what I was seeing on the screen. In actuality, it was the opening moments of Phil Rizzuto's Yankeeography. At that instant, I thought to myself "This is strange" - and my thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of my wife's voice, calling to me, saying "You're going to want to see this!"
You see, I was watching TV in the family room - and my wife was upstairs in the kitchen, getting lunch ready for the kids, with the 12 o'clock news (on ABC) showing on the kitchen television in the background. The news of Phil's passing was breaking news and the lead story this afternoon.
When I got into the kitchen and saw what was on the TV, I just froze - and stood there - watching, listening, and feeling like I had been just punched in the stomach. The whole experience had a surreal feel to it. I was in a bit of a daze. But, I quickly, I thought "Let me get something out on WasWatching.com now - so that those who want to comment on it have a forum there. And, later, after I've had some time to digest the whole thing, I'll follow up on it."
And, that's how I got to here. Noodling it for a while, I figured: What better way to pay homage to the Scooter, who was a master story-teller and entertainer, than to share some stories about him, ones that you probably have never heard before, since they were somewhat personal, to me, in nature - with the hope that they may entertain someone, somewhere, some way, in his honor, today?
If you have some personal Scooter tales/memories that you'd like to share, please do post them in the comments section below. I'd love to hear them. By the way, are we going down to Florida tonight?
Oh, what fun times those were...
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:48 PM | Comments (3)
Remembering Phil Rizzuto
I just heard the news about 15 minutes ago. At this time, I want to repeat what I wrote in the very first entry ever at WasWatching.com (back on April 20, 2005):
Up until the time I was 34 years old, I had the pleasure of listening to Phil Rizzuto broadcast New York Yankees games. For those who cannot do the math, the Scooter did Yankees games from 1957 through 1996 and I was born in 1962.
Talking about some long-term baseball announcer, someone once said (and I think it was Bob Costas but I could be wrong) that the announcer’s voice was the male voice that was most heard in their house after his father. Listening to Phil for nearly a quarter-century, it was something like that for myself as well.
Phil was always entertaining to me. And, one of the items (with respect to his coverage) that always stayed with me was his habit of scrawling “WW” on his scorecard for plate appearances where he “wasn’t watching.”
As a result, when I decided to start a Yankees-focused Weblog, almost out of the chute, I thought that WasWatching.com would be an appropriate handle. After all, my intent for this blog is to provide running commentary, personal musings, and the like, on the Yankees. In order to do this, I will have to do the opposite of “WW” – meaning that I have to watch what is going on.
Paying (in a way) some homage to the Scooter in the naming process is the icing on the cake. Or, should I say that’s the powdered sugar on the cannoli? I could go on some more about this; but, I want to beat the bridge traffic.
As you can imagine, I'm a big fan of Phil Rizzuto.
Earlier this year, I had learned that Scooter was not doing well. So, while I find myself very sad now to learn of his passing, I'm also somewhat relieved to hear that his recent suffering has ended.
Back in mid-April, I exchanged a few e-mails with Rizzuto's grand-daughter, Jennifer Rizzuto Congregane, as I was hoping to find a way to have fans send Phil a card, to let him know that he (and best wishes for him) were on their mind. At that time, it seemed like the family was more interested in protecting Rizzuto's right to privacy. I fully understood that, and respected that wish, which is why I've never mentioned this effort before, here. But, I also knew then that Phil's time was probably coming to an end - sooner rather than later. So, while today's news is upsetting, it's also not shocking.
There's a line featured in the book Tuesdays With Morrie that goes like this: Death ends a life, not a relationship.
To me, there have never been words more true.
To all the fans of Phil Rizzuto out there today, remember, while his life may have ended today, your relationship with the Scooter has not, and it will never end. So, don't be too sad now - although I know it's hard when you hear news like this today. Remember to be happy that you had a chance to enjoy what Rizzuto had to offer - and, remember that experience will be with you, as long as you want it to remain with you.
Rest in peace, Scooter. And, thanks for everything. You'll always be with this Yankee fan - and, I suspect, millions of others as well.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:14 PM | Comments (12)
August 11, 2007
August 29, 1967
Something I wrote today for the Stat of the Day Blog got me interested in recent long games at Yankee Stadium. And, I came across the game of August 29, 1967.
Look at the Yankees starting line-up in that contest:
New York Yankees
1. H Clarke 2B
2. M Hegan 1B
3. T Tresh LF
4. S Whitaker RF
5. C Smith 3B
6. B Robinson CF
7. B Tillman C
8. R Amaro SS
9. B Monbouquette P
Steve Whitaker batting clean-up?
Here's the kicker. This August 29th is the 40th anniversary of that game. And, who do the Yankees play that day? Once again, it will be the Boston Red Sox - as it was back in 1967. Since Horace Clarke had the game winning hit for the Yankees on August 29, 1967, in the bottom of the 20th, I think the Yankees should bring Clarke back this year and have him throw out the first pitch before the game of August 29th. You know, celebrate the 40th anniversary of that crazy game and maybe bring the Yankees some luck that day.
It's too bad that this game footage, if there was any, is probably lost. Now, this is one that I would love to see on Yankees Classics on YES.
The attendance for that game, 40 years ago, was 40,314. That caught my eye - because the Yankees were so bad that season. Then I realized that this game was the second game of a double-header! The Yankees lost the first game that day, in 9 innings, by a score of 2-1.
Some day in Yankees history, huh?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:23 AM | Comments (7)
August 02, 2007
Let Us Not Forget
If you're a Yankees fan, and you were born before the year 1972, you might want to take a moment out today at 3:02 pm ET and remember what happened on this date back in 1979.
Our captain and leader has not left us, today, tomorrow, this year, next ... Our endeavors will reflect our love and admiration for him.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:21 AM | Comments (4)
August 01, 2007
Bobby Meacham & Tony Gwynn
From the San Fran Gate last week -
Imagine if Tony Gwynn pursued basketball only. It nearly happened. If not for some college baseball players who told their coach about this Gwynn kid, a Hall of Fame baseball career might not have materialized.
"If I had ended up going to Arizona State instead of San Diego State," Bobby Meacham says now, "I don't think Tony plays baseball."
Gwynn confirmed the story in a Friday conference call arranged by the Hall of Fame, saying if Meacham didn't enroll in his college, "I'm probably not sitting here talking to you right now."
But Meacham, a highly recruited shortstop out of Mater Dei High School who later played six seasons for the Yankees, did choose San Diego State. And now Gwynn's going to the Hall of Fame. He'll be inducted along with Cal Ripken Jr. next Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Meacham played against Gwynn in high school and with him on prep tournament teams, so he knew Gwynn had game. But Gwynn was at San Diego State on a basketball scholarship and played only basketball his freshman year.
That year, Meacham was a high school senior and made a recruiting trip to San Diego State to meet with the school's baseball coach, Jim Dietz. Meacham just happened to spot Gwynn on campus.
"I recognized the guy and asked Dietz, 'Is that Tony Gwynn?' " recalled Meacham, now the Padres' first-base coach. "He said 'yeah.' I said, 'Is he playing, too?' He said, 'No, he's playing basketball.' I told him, 'Well, he's the best high school baseball player I've ever seen,' and Dietz says, 'Well, this is a different level.' I thought to myself, 'Hmmm.' "
Fortunately, when Meacham arrived on campus the following year as a freshman, he and two high school teammates who also played at San Diego State were able to persuade Dietz to consider Gwynn, though Gwynn wouldn't show up until the season already was in progress, after basketball ended.
"When I told Coach Dietz I wanted to play baseball, he said, 'Yeah, sure, come on out. You can try out,' " Gwynn said. "But every year, they had 50, 60 guys walk on to try to make the club. I would have tried to (walk on). Who knows how the scenario would've turned out. But Bobby was a very highly recruited player, and he told Coach Dietz about me. I got the opportunity."
Once Gwynn got a shot, the transition from the hardwood to hardball was easy.
"I didn't know much about Tony," said Dietz, now living in Oregon. "Bobby told me about him, so I went to watch him play basketball. It's a sensitive situation when a coach turns to another coach's athlete. He wanted to play, and that was half the battle. It evolved from there. He hadn't played baseball in a year and a half, but it was obvious he could hit a baseball."
Baseball is a funny game. Meacham plays for the Yankees and his legacy is getting thrown out at home plate with Dale Berra in the same play. Meacham doesn't play for the Padres and his legacy there is helping Tony Gwynn become a member of Cooperstown. Go figure.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2007
Physicist: 2003 Marlins Worst Team To Win Ring In 30 Years
From USA Today -
Amid a bleak season for New York Yankees fans, science offers some solace — the wrong team, the Florida Marlins, beat them in 2003's World Series, finds a study.
You may wonder, along with Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, how this injustice could occur?
"The world of sports provides an ideal laboratory for modeling competition because game data are accurate, abundant, and accessible," answers the study in the journal Physical Review E. "Even after a long series of competitions, the best team does not always finish first."
Tournaments and one-game series are particularly likely to produce Cinderella winners, for the same reason. "Of course, lots of people like to see these kinds of winners, that's why we have March Madness," Ben-Naim says, referring to the National Collegiate Athletic Association's championship basketball tournament.
But to ensure that the best Major League Baseball team wins, a longer World Series, say 11 games, would be mathematically appropriate. "The same is true for other competitions in arts, science and politics," write the study authors.
"In real life, we have to compete all the time, rank people, rank proposals and other things," Ben-Naim says. The study suggests a more efficient approach in such cases would be to throw out the worst competitors immediately and "spend all your energy evaluating only the few obviously best ones."
Tough luck for the Marlins in that case. Statistics indicate they were the worst team in 30 years to win a World Series, say the authors.
Well, it's not like no one helped the Marlins win that World Series. Sometimes you just have to let the other team hand it to you. No one said that you have to be a good team too.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:24 PM | Comments (1)
July 22, 2007
Cashman's (Back-Up) Catcher Conga Line
So, now, Jose Molina joins the end of the dance line....
Who else is on it? Here are the back-up catchers that Brian Cashman has acquired since he's been G.M. of the team:
Chris Turner (2000, Free Agent), Joe Oliver (2001, Free Agent), Todd Greene (2001, Free Agent), Chris Widger (2002, Free Agent), Alberto Castillo (2002, Free Agent), John Flaherty (2003, Free Agent), Wil Nieves (2005, Trade), Kelly Stinnett (2006, Free Agent), Sal Fasano (2006, Trade), and Jose Molina (2006, Trade).
Chris Widger (in 2002) and John Flaherty (in 2003 and 2004) were pretty decent back-up catchers. But, the rest have been terrible. It will be interesting to see where Molina ends up - will he be as good as Flaherty when he first got to New York, or, will he be just like Alberto Castillo and Wil Nieves? If I had to place a bet, it would be on the latter.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:46 AM | Comments (4)
July 10, 2007
In 37 Days....
...it will be Thursday, August 16, 2007.
What's so special about August 16th of this year? That day will be the 1,400th day since the last time something great happened for the Yankees in the post-season. (Sorry, I can't consider winning the 2004 ALDS as being "great.")
That's 200 weeks in total. There will be around 6.5 weeks from 8/16/07 until the 2007 baseball post-season. Therefore, that total of 200 weeks will grow to, at least, 208 weeks before we maybe see something great happen again for the Yankees in October.
However, if the Yankees do not make the post-season in 2007, or, if they make it and fail in 2007, that means the number will grow to, at least, 260 weeks until we perhaps see something great from the Yankees again in October (assuming they return to the post-season in 2008).
Two-hundred and sixty. Two-six-zero. Twenty six times ten....hey, twenty six...why does that number ring a bell? Are the numbers trying to tell us something?
Nah........
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:56 AM | Comments (4)
July 09, 2007
Belth: Must-See DVD
Alex Belth checks out the Yankees 1977 World Series Collector's Edition DVD set.
Click here to read what he had to say about it.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:20 PM | Comments (3)
July 08, 2007
'77 Yanks: Jan Brady Champs
With Old-Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium yesterday (saluting the World Champs of 1977) and the ESPN "Bronx Is Burning" series coming up, the 1977 Yankees team may be on the minds of many these days. It makes sense. But, why were the '77 Yanks not already at the front of most Yankees fans minds...in terms of being a team for the ages?
To me, the '77 Yanks suffer somewhat like the '99 Yanks - in that they lose some attention being the middle child of nice runs.
Think about it. The 1998 Yankees were a super-team. They had one of the best seasons in the history of the game. The 2000 Yankees were the team that beat the Mets in the World Series. How about the 1999 Yankees? They were a great team. But, few consider them as the team that must always be remembered. In some ways, I would bet that the '99 Yankees look at the '98 Yankees and say "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"
For me, the 1977 Yanks fall into the same sort of "Jan Brady, Middle Child" hole.
Sure, the 1976 Yankees did not win a ring - and, they got waxed by the Reds on the World Series. But, the '76 Yanks were a big story. It was the first year of the new Stadium. They won the pennant on a huge homerun during the bottom of the 9th in the last game of the ALCS. Their team leader, Thurman Munson, won the MVP that season.
And, we all know about the 1978 Yankees place in baseball history.
One would think, with the exciting Game 5 of the ALCS and Games 1 and 6 of the World Series that the 1977 World Series Champs would stand out more? Maybe they do to some - with the Reggie three-homer game and all? But, to many, if you had to rank recent Yankees World Series champs, the 1977 team would be behind the teams from 1978, 1998, 1996, 2000 - and fall in with the 1999 team near the bottom of the pile. Heck, the 1977 Yankees may even fall behind the 1976, 2001 and 2003 Yankees teams - in the hearts of some Yankees fans.
However, the 1977 Yankees were a great team. They had to beat out strong teams in Boston and Baltimore to win the A.L. East. Heck, on August 7, 1977, the Yankees were in 3rd place, behind the (first place) Sox and the (second place) O's - five games out of first. (Just about 2 weeks later, on August 23rd, New York took over first place.)
And, let's not forget about the 3-run rally in the 9th inning of the last game of the '77 ALCS to win the pennant. Mickey Rivers' single in that inning may be one of the bigger hits in Yankees post-season history...but, few reflect back on that one.
If not for Reggie's three-homer game in the World Series, the 1977 Yankees might fall off the map completely - and end up somewhere with the "memorable" champs like the 1983 Orioles, 1959 Dodgers, or 1940 Reds.
And, being sandwiched between the 1976 and 1978 Yankees has something to do with the '77 Yankees getting lost in the shuffle - at least to me. How about you?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:04 AM | Comments (2)
July 06, 2007
Finding Buried Treasure
I was cleaning out some very old clothes today - getting ready for a Goodwill donation - and I found the above shirt. It was a shock find - but a good one. I had no idea that I still had this shirt.
It's a Yankees replica batting practice jersey - circa 1984-85. (I know the year because I remember getting it as a gift from some friends in the summer of 1985.)
And, it's in great condition - since I haven't touched it in about 20 years. You just can't find polyester shirts like that any more!
Ah, the days of Mike Pagliarulo, Bob Meacham, Joe Cowley, Dennis Rasmussen, Omar Moreno, Ron Hassey and Bob Shirley...why do I miss them so?
Anywho, this is probably the oldest piece of Yankees garb that I own. How about you?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:20 PM | Comments (9)
July 04, 2007
Remembering The Iron Horse & Best Wishes For The Day
From the Gannett News Service, Chillicothe Gazette -
"Today ... I consider myself ... the luckiest man ... on the face of the Earth."
Do the words echo in your ears, as they did 68 years ago today?
They do for Vinnie Anella. Not because of the clips he's seen on TV, the credit card commercial from a few years ago, or even the movie biography of Gehrig's life, "The Pride of the Yankees," starring Gary Cooper in an uncanny likeness.They still resonate in Anella's ears because he was there.
Anella was 7, and he is likely is one of the dwindling number of people still alive from the more than 62,000 who shoe-horned into Yankee Stadium that day to hear perhaps the most famous non-political speech in American history."I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."
With those final words from Gehrig, Yankee Stadium erupted in a two-minute standing ovation. Gehrig's No. 4 became the first uniform number retired in baseball history. Later that same year, baseball waived its five-year mandatory wait and inducted the 36-year-old Gehrig into its Hall of Fame.
"In just two sentences, Gehrig said so much. He summed it all up," said Anella, who is retired and living in Viera, Fla., two weeks shy of his 75th birthday.
Actually, only four sentences survived from all the audio clips and movie reels that recorded Gehrig's moving, 279-word speech.
And it was powerfully poignant and moving. Toward the end of his speech, chroniclers of the event reported that the only sound heard from the stands were people weeping.
There is Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address." Franklin D. Roosevelt insisting, "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." John F. Kennedy imploring, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Martin Luther King Jr.'s passionate, "I have a dream."
And then there is Lou Gehrig, approaching death's door, saying, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."
It still sends chills.
Anella's father, Joseph, was a postal worker who started work at 5 a.m. and then often took his son to afternoon games with tickets he'd get through a friend.
"Our seats were right behind the Yankees' dugout, about five, six rows," Anella said. "They were beautiful seats."
As they were sitting there that day, so close, watching the famous ceremony, Anella recalls a figure emerging from the Yankees' dugout, and his dad's subsequent excitement.
"It's Babe Ruth." the father told the boy. "Look, they're going to make up."
Two years later, while in Greenwood Lake, N.J., in the summer of 1943, Anella and his father met Babe Ruth at a gas station.
"He was larger than life, such a big guy, robust. He grabbed me and shook my hand. It happened so fast. You didn't even think about an autograph back then."
It was five years later, on July 26, 1948, when Ruth succumbed to cancer. For two days his body lay in state at Yankee Stadium. Anella's father asked his son if he wanted to go and see Ruth, one last time.
"I was in high school then, and thought I was too old for that," Anella recalled.
Some 200,000 people filed past Ruth's casket, but Vinnie Anella wasn't one of them.
"At the time, I didn't really understand the historical significance."
But now he does. Like Lou Gehrig's famous farewell speech, he understands better.
He knows to have been at Yankee Stadium exactly 68 years ago is significant. And special. Other than his father, who has been dead 20 years, Anella has never met anyone else who was at that game. Likely, there aren't too many people remaining.
But the words, Lou Gehrig's immortal words, still live today.
Great story - and a lucky fan to have so many great experiences. (If you follow the link, you can also see his DiMaggio encounter too.)
It is incredible that Gehrig's speech is one of the most famous in the history of our country. (Someday, ask me, and I'll tell you about me using the famous line from it in my wedding video toast to my bride.)
Gehrig, Big Stein, Rags...the Fourth of July has been good to the Yankees over the years. Maybe today will be a special day at the Stadium too? (Maybe today is the day Mussina gets his no-hitter? Yeah, I know, wishful thinking.)
In any event, I want to wish all the readers of WasWatching.com a happy and a safe holiday. Enjoy the day.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:12 AM | Comments (1)
June 22, 2007
Nineteen Ninety
At the close of business, yesterday, June 21, 2007, the Yankees are 10.5 games back of first place.
The last time the Yankees were 10.5+ games back of first on the morning of June 22nd: 1990
That "1990" number keeps popping up this season. As I have mentioned before, the 1990 Yankees were one of the worst teams in franchise history.
Now, yes, of course, the 2007 Yankees are not as bad as the 1990 Yankees. The talent level of these two clubs is not the same. And, the 2007 Yankees, to date, are a .500 team - whereas the 1990 Yankees were 24-40 at C.O.B. June 21st.
Still, in terms of being "behind," well, you can make a case that, at this junction, the 2007 Yankees are just as "behind" as the 1990 Yankees were at the same time (thereabouts).
On the bright side, because the 2007 Yankees have talent, they should be able to make up some of that "behind-ness" (for lack of a better term). The question is: Can they make up all of it?
On May 22, 2007, the Yankees were 10.5 games out of first. Therefore, in the past month, this means the Yankees have made up zero ground in the standings.
At that pace, I think it's safe to say that they won't make up all of it.
Play for the wildcard boys. Play for that card.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:31 AM | Comments (4)
June 20, 2007
It's 1977 All Over Again At Yogi's Place
From The Day.com -
Actors, reporters, television producers and one legend of a baseball player gathered this afternoon at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center to celebrate the upcoming premiere of an eight-part mini-series “The Bronx is Burning,” filmed partly in Norwich and New London.
The mini-series covers the intense summer of 1977 in New York City, as a serial killer stalked the streets, mayoral candidates ran a bitter race and the New York Yankees made news with clubhouse tensions to rival any soap opera.
Baseball scenes were shot last fall at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, and some familiar New London buildings can be seen in the shots supposed to be New York City streets.
The mini-series premieres at 10 p.m. on July 9 on ESPN and will continue on Tuesday nights for seven more one-hour episodes.
Actor Erik Jensen, who played Thurman Munson, looked at the promotional photos on the wall in a special exhibit at the museum. One shot showed Reggie Jackson, played by Daniel Sunjata, leaving “Fenway Park” after his biggest confrontation to date with manager Billy Martin (actor John Turturro).
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Jensen said of the photo, in which the rear wall of the ISAAC School serves as the exterior of Fenway Park.
Several participants, including the real beat writers who covered the Yankees during that tumultuous summer, said they were amazed and impressed at how Dodd Stadium became Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Tiger Stadium and Fenway Park.
It seems like we've been waiting on this one for a long time.
I'm now looking forward to checking this out. At the least, I want to see who's going to play Mickey Klutts.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:50 PM | Comments (2)
June 18, 2007
Chien-Ming Wang's Fifteen Best Games
I think last night's game against the Mets would rank as the 7th best pitched game in Wang's career, to date. Here's my personal "Top 15" list for Worm Killer Wang:
1. July 28, 2006
2. May 5, 2007
3. June 6, 2007
4. May 12, 2006
5. August 2, 2006
6. August 30, 2006
7. June 17, 2007
8. June 18, 2005
9. June 13, 2006
10. July 3, 2005
11. July 8, 2006
12. April 16, 2006
13. September 22, 2006
14. May 16, 2007
15. June 12, 2007
Not too shabby a list for a guy with just 61 career starts to his name, so far.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:19 PM | Comments (5)
June 15, 2007
Erick Almonte
Remember Erick Almonte?
He's now playing at Double-A, in the Tigers' farm system.
Since Almonte played with the Yankees in 2003, he's been at Triple-A for the Rockies (2004), signed by the Indians and then sold to the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan (2005), and played for the Long Island Ducks in an Independent League (2006).
Yankees, Triple-A, Japan, Indy League, and now Double-A...all before the age of 30. I give the kid credit for hanging in there.
Many think he replaced Jeter in the game where Derek wrecked his wing on Ken Huckaby...but, that was Enrique Wilson. Almonte was the long-term replacement - not the short-term answer.
The Yankees have not won a pennant since they released Almonte on March 26, 2004. Curse anyone?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:25 AM | Comments (6)
June 07, 2007
It's Official: I'm Very Old
Had he not lost his life in 1979, Thurman Munson would have been 60-years old today.
Sixty.
Yes, sixty!
When the guys you watched play as a kid start bumping up towards the age for Social Security, then you know that you are getting old too.
Man, it goes too fast. Way too fast.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:12 AM | Comments (9)
May 24, 2007
Ten To Forget - Or At Least Try To...
Chairman Mao and the Mad Cow takes a look at the "the top 10 worst Yankees of the past few seasons." Here's my list, since 2001:
10. Octavio Dotel
9. Felix Heredia
8. Gabe White
7. John Flaherty
6. Rondell White
5. Kevin Brown/Javier Vazquez (tie)
4. Enrique Wilson
3. Tony Womack
2. Carl Pavano
1. Jeff Weaver
Now, that's an ugly group. Why do I have a feeling that Kei Igawa and Doug Mientkiewicz might crack this group soon?
I would have included guys like Terrence Long, Brandon Knight, Todd Greene, Sidney Ponson, Ron Coomer, Juan Acevedo, Matt Lawton, Darrell May, Craig Wilson, Tim Redding, Todd Zeile, Donovan Osborne, and Alberto Castillo - but, most of them barely played while they were with the Yankees.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:34 PM | Comments (16)
May 21, 2007
Let's Hope This One Works Out Better Than The Other Two
In the "D.H." era (since 1973), prior to Tyler Clippard last night, the only Yankees pitchers to hit safely in their big league debut, where they also were the winning pitcher of the game, were Brandon Claussen (June 28, 2003 at Shea Stadium) and Brad Halsey (June 19, 2004 at Dodger Stadium).
That's a pretty good trivia question. I think many would struggle to remember Halsey doing it.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:39 AM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2007
Feels Like 1995?
The Yankees, coming into today's game, are 18-20 and 8 games back of the Boston Red Sox.
By my quick review, the last time the Yankees had a record this bad after their first 38 games was 1995.
At that time, in '95, the Yankees were 15-23 and 10.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox.
However, New York went on to play .604 baseball for the rest of the season and eventually secured the A.L. Wildcard spot for the post-season. (Getting David Cone in a July trade helped New York.) Still, for the record, the Yanks did end up 7 games back of Boston at year end. (Both Boston and New York would go on to lose in the LDS that post-season.)
It will be interesting to see if 2007 ends up like 1995 did - for both Boston and New York. That season, 1995, was the "Year Before Torre." If 2007 ends the same, maybe 2006 should have been "The Last Year For Torre" - and then his Yankees career would have had perfect bookends around it.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:58 PM | Comments (4)
May 14, 2007
Ors Not Well
At the close of May 13, 2007, the Yankees are 8 games back of first place. When was the last time the Yankees were at least 8 games back of first place at the close of May 13th?
1984.
For those scoring at home, this means the last time the Yankees were this far out of first place, on the morning of May 14th, was 24 years ago.
By the way, the 1984 Yankees finished with a record of 87-75 (.537) and were 17 games out (at the end of the season).
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:13 AM | Comments (2)
May 12, 2007
Bobby Abreu & David Justice
On the morning of June 29, 2000, the Yankees were barely a .500 ballclub...with a record of 37-35. At that time, they were 3 games back of first place. Later that day, the Yankees traded for David Justice.
Justice would go on to be the Yankees most valuable batter that season - and lead the Yankees into the post-season.
On the morning of July 30, 2006, the Yankees were a 60-41 ballclub...and were 1 1/2 games back of first place. Later that day, the Yankees traded for Bobby Abreu.
Abreu would go on to be the Yankees most valuable batter for the rest of that season - and lead the Yankees into the post-season.
The year after the Yankees acquired Justice was a different story than 2000. David batted .241 on the season - and was a terrible 2 for 12 in the 2001 World Series...with 9 strikeouts. After the 2001 season, the Yankees removed Justice from the team.
This year, one year after the Yankees acquired Abreu, so far, has been a different story than 2006. Abreu is presently batting .243 on the season...very close to what Justice hit in 2001.
Are we seeing a repeat of David Justice 2000-01 now in Bobby Abreu 2006-07? We'll know for sure, in about five months. And, if it happens, you can bet that the Yankees will remove Abreu from the team at the end of the season. Or, at least, they should make that move.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:26 AM | Comments (8)
May 10, 2007
Jeter On Pace To Do Something That Hasn't Been Done In A Half-Century
No, it's not a ground-breaking invention, or something like that. It's about making Yankees history.
Derek Jeter is presently batting .362, this season (including .481 with runners in scoring position). Last year, Jeter batted .343 on season.
The only Yankees to bat .340+ in back-to-back seasons are Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Earle Combs and Mickey Mantle.
Mantle was the last one to do it - when Mickey batted .340+ in 1956 and 1957.
It will be impressive if Derek joins this group.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:20 AM | Comments (4)
May 08, 2007
Bad Company
From the Elias Sports Bureau -
Matt DeSalvo made his major league debut when the Yankees hosted the Mariners on Monday. As noted in exclusive Elias research that has already been widely reported, DeSalvo is the Yankees' 10th different starting pitcher this season, the highest total in major league history over a team's first 30 games. Two related notes that haven't yet been reported:
DeSalvo is the sixth different rookie to start for the Yankees this season, following Kei Igawa, Darrell Rasner, Chase Wright, Jeff Karstens, and Phil Hughes. The only other team to start six rookie pitchers in its first 30 games -- and only by applying current rookie criteria to an earlier era -- were Pittsburgh (National League) in 1890 and Kansas City (Union Association) in 1884.
DeSalvo joined Igawa, Wright, and Hughes as the fourth pitcher to make his MLB debut as a Yankees starter this season. Only two other teams used four starting pitchers making their debuts in their first 30 games: Boston (National League) in 1890, Richmond (American Association) in 1884, and Providence (National League) in 1878.
So, how good were those other teams?
The 1878 Providence Grays (National League) went 33-27, finished 3rd.
The 1884 Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association) went 16-63, finished 11th.
The 1884 Richmond Virginians (American Association) went 12-30, finished 10th.
The 1890 Boston Beaneaters (National League) went 76-57, finished 5th.
The 1890 Pittsburg Alleghenys (National League) went 23-113, finished 8th.
Looks like those teams were not very good. Let's hope the 2007 Yankees break that trend.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:56 AM | Comments (2)
May 05, 2007
It's Not Easy Being Green
When Matt DeSalvo starts next Monday for the Yankees, he will be the 6th rookie pitcher to start a game for New York this season:
Kei Igawa
Chase Wright
Phil Hughes
Jeff Karstens
Darrell Rasner
Matt DeSalvo
Imagine that - six green starters used in the team's first 30 games of the season.
Take it a step further - when Matt DeSalvo starts, and with Rasner going the day before, it will be the 16th time in 30 games that the Yankees used a rookie to start a game. Yes, that's right, in more than half of the Yankees first thirty games, to date, this season, New York had a rookie start the game for them on the mound.
Was this part of Brian Cashman's master plan for the pitching staff?
Clearly, the reason for this is that Igawa is considered a rookie - along with the injuries to Wang, Mussina, and Pavano.
Given the recent medical histories of Wang, Mussina and Pavano, should we be shocked that they missed time this season? Over the last two seasons prior to this one, each of them has been on the disabled list at least once. Therefore, seeing them land there again this year is not something that's never been seen before...again, in recent times.
Clearly, Cashman screwed the pooch with the Igawa signing. And, he miscalculated in counting on Pavano this season - and, to an extent, Mussina and Wang too. Now, some might say that he could have not predicted the injuries to Wang and Mussina. OK, let's go with that. However, since Mussina and Wang had hamstring issues - which many believe are Marty Miller related - does that not also tie the injuries back to Cashman (who hired Miller)?
At the end of the day, the state of the Yankees sorry starting pitching staff has Brian Cashman's fingerprints all over it. And, at the end of the season, we just may be saying that the blood of the Yankees 2007 season is all over the hands of Brian Cashman.
If this happens, it will be time to stop all this "Cash Money" nonsensical love that many Yankees fans have for the Yankees current G.M. and realize that Cashman couldn't build a pitching staff even if his job depended on it.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:07 AM | Comments (31)
April 30, 2007
Yanks Worst April In Nearly A Quarter Century
For this reason alone, someone should get a pink slip. This isn't "just a bad start." This is a major break-down. Yankees fans, do you agree? If so, who should pay the price for this? Your comments are appreciated.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:51 AM | Comments (36)
April 25, 2007
The First 19 Games Under Torre A Clue To Yankees Pitching?
So, the Yankees have started this season with a record of 8-11. How does that compare to other starts under Joe Torre? Here's the answer:
This tells us that the Yankees' start this season is the same, just about, as 1997, 2004, and 2005.
This is interesting to me. One of my recent studies, suggested that the 1997 Yankees were an underachieving team and that the 2004-05 Yankees were much worse than their win totals suggested (because of their inferior pitching).
We know that the 2007 Yankees pitching has been bad to date. Will it get better? That all depends on Mussina, Pavano, and Hughes (or Karstens). If they can join Wang and Pettitte, it should be better. This also assumes that Igawa is removed from the rotation.
But, if Pavano is a bust, and Hughes (or Kartsens) can't handle the bigs yet, and Mussina proves to be an older pitcher (and shaky) this year, this season could be just like 2004 and 2005...in terms of how good the Yankees will be (compared to teams that can actually pitch). By this, I mean, sure, they still might win 90+ games - and maybe even finish first - despite the poor start. But, in the end, come October, they will have no chance.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:25 AM | Comments (6)
April 24, 2007
Hughes Facing Long Odds - Because Of His Age
What do Jose Rijo (1984), Don Johnson (1947), Bill Stafford (1960), Gene Nelson (1981) and Ray Keating (1912) have in common?
These five are the only Yankees in history to make 5+ starts in a season (for New York) during a year where they started the season as a 20-year old (or younger).
What do Jose Rijo (1984), Hank Johnson (1925), Don Johnson (1947), and Bill Stafford (1960) have in common?
These four are the only Yankees in history to throw 50+ innings in a season (for New York) during a year where they started the season as a 20-year old (or younger).
However, there's never been a pitcher in New York Yankees history to have a season of 9+ games started or (not "and" - it's "or") a season where he's thrown 68+ IP during a year where he started the season as a 20-year old (or younger).
Therefore, if Phil Hughes makes 9+ starts for the Yankees this season - or - if Hughes throws 68+ innings this year for New York - it will be a record for someone under the age of twenty-one.
I don't think he's going to do it. And, that's no knock on his talent...it's just based on his age and inexperience.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:33 AM | Comments (6)
April 21, 2007
In About Three Weeks, It Should Be Go Time For Mientkiewicz
Doug Mientkiewicz is batting .128 for the Yankees this season, to date, in 43 Plate Appearances (PA). According to the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia, there's never been a Yankees non-pitcher with at least 100 PA in a season and a batting average under .130 (for the year). Here's the list on that:
If it were up to me, I would give Mientkiewicz 57 more PA. And, if, after that time, he's still batting under .130, I would release him on the spot - and ensure that his name would now be # 1 on this list of Yankees who couldn't hit planet earth if they were dropped out of an airplane.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:07 PM | Comments (8)
April 20, 2007
Another Alex Story
Former Yankees Alex Burr, Homer Thompson, and Charlie Fallon each got the Moonlight Graham shaft (in terms of appearing in just one big league game in their career - and never having a chance to bat).
Well, technically, Thompson and Fallon were members of the New York Highlanders when it happened. So, there's a trick trivia question for you: Who is the only 'Yankee' non-pitcher to have played just one game in his major league career and who never came to bat?
A: Alex Burr...
...who, by the way, died on October 12, 1918 in Cazaux, France, when his plane crashed into a lake during the final month of World War One. (His body was never recovered.) He was 24-years old at the time.
When it comes to getting the short straw, poor Alex Burr had it all covered.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2007
I Really Do Miss This Man
Dave Buscema, with a Scooter update the other day -
Watching on TV: Phil Rizzuto watched his beloved Yankees on television from the retirement home he now lives in, reported his daughter Patricia. While some days are better than others for the Scooter, 89, Patricia said he remains active and enjoys sharing time with old friend and teammate Yogi Berra, who visits often.
Sad to think about Phil being in a home. It's more pleasant to remember better days:
From Cosmicbaseball.com -
And he hits one in the hole.
They're gonna have to hurry.
THEY'LL NEVER GET HIM!
They got him.
How do you like that?
Holy cow!
I changed my mind before he got there.
So that doesn't count as an error.- PFR, July 10, 1992
Seattle at New York
Dave Fleming pitching to Andy Stankiewicz
First inning, no outs, bases empty
Mariners lead 1-0
Classic.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:53 PM | Comments (8)
A-Rod's Yankees Top Ten
Sapna Bansil of Tufts Daily takes a look at A-Rod's Best Moments as a Yankee.
Funny, I only really remember five of the ten. For some reason, five of these games were not that memorable to me. Am I alone on this?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:35 PM | Comments (10)
A-Rod: Best Yanks Power Start Ever
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Alex Rodriguez is the first player in Yankees history to hit five homers in the first six games of a season.
Babe Ruth never did it. Mickey Mantle never did it. Lou Gehrig never did it. Joe DiMaggio never did it. Heck, Reggie Jackson never did it.
Impressive.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:40 AM | Comments (1)
April 05, 2007
"The Bellyache Heard Around the World"
Yes, it happened this week back in 1925.
Any chance (?) that "The Babe," back in the day, lamented:
Our eyes met across the crowded hat store. I, a customer, and she a coquettish haberdasher. Oh, I pursued and she withdrew, then she pursued and I withdrew, and so we danced.
In any event, it's a great story. And, one that Yankees fans should remember.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:35 PM | Comments (3)
Review On ' 77 World Series Collector's Edition DVD
CHUD.com has a review of the Yankees 1977 World Series Collector's Edition DVD. Sounds like they liked it. I'm still rooting for the 1978 set.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:24 AM | Comments (1)
March 30, 2007
It Could Be Worse
Think Carl Pavano is an odd pick to get the pill for Opening Day in the Bronx - given his recent track-record?
Try thinking back to 1991.
The Yankees first game of the season in '91 was played on April 8, 1991. The Yankees starter for Game 1 of 1991? Tim Leary.
Yeah, Tim Leary who was coming off a 1990 season in New York where his record was 9-19 with an ERA of 4.11. (The AL average ERA that season was 3.92.)
But, there's more!
In the season opener for 1990, Dave LaPoint pitched Game 1 for the Yankees that season - on April 12, 1990, Yes, Dave LaPoint - who, for the Yanks, had a record of 6-9 in 1989 with an ERA of 5.62 (compared to the A.L. average of 3.89).
So, sure, having Carl Pavano pitch the first game of your season in 2007 doesn't sound all that great - but, it's still better than the days of Dave LaPoint and Tim Leary.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2007
Dayn Perry On Recent Yankees October Failures
Dayn Perry at FOX Sports takes a look at "Why don't the Yankees win titles anymore?"
In summary, Dayn says:
In any event, it's reasonable to assume that the Yanks are enduring their title drought in part because of the fact that they're not catching the ball and whiffing the opposition as they once did and in part because of the fact that the cosmos haven't smiled upon them in a few years. It's a little of both. If the Yankees are to return to the top of the MLB mountain, then they'll need to focus on what they can control — bettering the defense and adding pitchers with strikeout chops.
While I can understand that, I think it's also just the quality of the Yankees pitchers post-2001 and the types of hitters that the Yankees feature in their line-up these days.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:04 AM | Comments (1)
March 24, 2007
What About Kirk, Marvel, America, Kangaroo & Beefheart Too?
Via the Times -
Who could possibly question Derek Jeter’s place in Yankee history?
Meet Howard W. Rosenberg.
“Derek Jeter is not the 11th captain of the New York Yankees,” said Rosenberg, 41, an author and baseball historian who lives in Arlington, Va. “Based on my research, he is either the 14th or 15th captain of the Yankees.”
When Jeter was named the Yankees’ captain in June 2003, it was widely reported that he was filling big baseball shoes worn by Hal Chase, Roger Peckinpaugh, Babe Ruth, Everett Scott, Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry and Don Mattingly.
But while Rosenberg was doing research for a series of books he was writing on Cap Anson, the first major leaguer to reach 3,000 hits, he began finding evidence in old newspapers that four other players had served as Yankee captains.
The forgotten foursome, according to Rosenberg, are Clark Griffith, a pitcher; Kid Elberfeld, a shortstop; Frank Chance, a first baseman; and Roy Hartzell, an infielder who was mainly a third baseman.
“This is a significant piece of research related to a notable player of today,” Rosenberg said. “If the Yankees wish for this to become historically accurate, they must correct this mistake.”
All I want to know is this: If Yankees fans were booing Frank LaPorte, the team's third baseman, in 1906, would Kid Elberfeld have told the fans not to boo? Now, if Howard W. Rosenberg could dig out that info, well, then we'd have something, huh?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2007
Sean Henn
I see there's a lot of talk out there these days about Sean Henn's chances to make the Yankees this season.
Did you know that Henn holds the all-time record for the highest bonus ever paid to a "draft-and-follow" pick? The Yankees gave Henn $1.701 million in 2001 after drafting him in the 26th round of the 2000 draft.
Henn was bad in Triple-A last year. And, his big league exposure to date has not been pretty. Maybe this is the year that the Yankees start to see some return on their investment? Personally, I don't think he has the command that's needed to come out of the pen in the majors - or, at least he's yet to show it.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:04 PM | Comments (4)
March 17, 2007
Bill [Bleeping] Mueller
I noticed in Lee Sinins' ATM Blog this morning that it's Bill Mueller's birthday today.
Great, now, every St. Patty's Day, I'll be forced to make a mental connection to him and then be led back to the 2004 ALCS. Talk about turning green.
Should Mueller be thought of, in the minds of Yankees fans, the same way Red Sox fans think about Bucky Dent?
It's funny. I would imagine that many Yankees fans lament the name Dave Roberts more than Bill Mueller. But, that would be like Red Sox fans moaning about Chris Chambliss and Roy White getting singles before Dent's homer on 10/2/78. For me, it's all about Bill [Bleeping] Mueller. I hope someone leaves his cake out in the rain.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:52 AM | Comments (7)
February 27, 2007
Catching Up With Paul Quantrill
Via NorthumberlandNews.com -
Retirement from major league baseball has not been that tough of a changeup to master, says Port Hope's Paul Quantrill.
"I always said the day I stopped enjoying playing baseball I would retire," says Quantrill. "I was not enjoying coming to the park anymore and with my three kids and family getting older, I wanted to move on to a new part of my life."
Quantrill explained his retirement and various career highlights during a recent talk with elementary school students at St. Anthony's school in Port Hope.
Quantrill described his time with the Yankees as being similar to being in a rock band because of the heavy media presence in New York.
When asked what his career lowlight was, Quantrill says the first time he was traded was tough. On May 31, 1994, he was traded from the Red Sox, with Billy Hatcher, to the Philadelphia Phillies for Wes Chamberlain and Mike Sullivan.
What? How about Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS? Paul threw 8 pitches in that game: Ramirez singled to left, Ortiz homered to right. Game over.
Maybe Quantrill has blocked all that out already? Probably the good thing to do, to stay sane.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:36 AM | Comments (6)
February 24, 2007
One Trick Toy
Alex Belth at Bronx Banter has a feature up today on Jimmy "The Toy Cannon" Wynn.
When I hear Wynn's name, I think of 1977. The Yankees had acquired the (then) 35-year old to be their DH that season. Wynn cracked a homer on Opening Day at the Stadium in 1977 - and it was looking like the Yankees had a find.
But, he tanked from there and was a bust. That tater in the Bronx at the Opener would be the last one in the Toy Cannon's career.
The Yankees released Wynn on July 14, 1977.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:17 PM | Comments (1)
Big Yankees Dates 1904-2003
Via this PDF File of a New York Times feature:
October 8th 1904 First game taken by Greater New Yorks
January 12th 1915 Yanks transferred, Peckinpaugh signs
January 6th 1920 Ruth bought by New York Americans
June 14th 1921 Ruth’s record hit helps Yanks win
April 19th 1923 Yanks open new stadium, Ruth hits home run
April 19th 1923 Size of stadium impresses crowd
September 28th 1923 Gehrig hits first home run, Yanks win 8-3
October 16th 1923 Yanks grasp title
May 17th 1927 Meusel steals 3 bases
October 1st 1927 Ruth crashes 60th to set new record
October 9th 1927 Yankees overjoyed over clean sweep
June 13th 1928 Gehrig gets 14 total bases including 2 “homers”
October 10th 1928 Yankee’s “homers” put Cardinals to rout
May 5th 1929 3 “homers” by Gehrig, Yank’s win 11-9
August 12th 1929 Ruth hits 500th “homer”
March 9th 1930 Ruth accepts $160,000 for 2 years
May 23rd 1930 3 “homers” each for Ruth and Gehrig
September 29th 1930 Gehrig streak ends
August 22nd 1931 Ruth drives 600th “homer”
June 4th 1932 Gehrig ties record with 4 straight “homers”
October 2nd 1932 Ruth’s famous called shot
October 3rd 1932 Yankees rout Cubs 13-6
July 14th 1934 Babe Ruth hits 700th home run
September 25th 1934 Babe Ruth’s farewell appearance
May 4th 1936 DiMaggio’s first game as a Yankee
October 7th 1936 Yanks win Series routing Giants
June 14th 1937 DiMaggio’s 5 consecutive “homers”
October 11th 1937 New records set in 1937 classic
June 1st 1938 Gehrig extends string to 2000
October 10th 1938 Yankees dominate final Series battle
January 14th 1939 Ruppert owner of Yankees dies
May 3rd 1939 Gehrig voluntarily ends streak at 2,130 straight games
July 5th 1939 Fans roar tribute to Gehrig
October 9th 1939 Yanks fourth straight World Series
June 3rd 1941 Gehrig, iron man of baseball dies
June 26th 1941 DiMaggio nearing record
July 18th 1941 DiMaggio’s record streak
October 7th 1941 Yanks win Series
October 12th 1943 Awesome start in World Series finale
October 3rd 1947 Berra first pinch hit home run
October 7th 1947 MacPhail retires as President of Yankees
November 28th 1947 DiMaggio named M.V.P for the third time
June 14th 1948 Babe Ruth day
August 17th 1948 Babe Ruth dies
August 19th 1948 77,000 file by Ruth’s Bier; Cardinal to preside at Mass
August 20th 1948 75,000 stand in rain for Babe Ruth’s funeral
October 13th 1948 Stengel signs as Yank’s Manager
October 10th 1949 “Won like Champs” is Stengel praise
June 21st 1950 DiMaggio 2000th hit
October 8th 1950 Triumphant Yanks in sixth sweep
October 27th 1950 Rizzuto wins most valuable player
April 18th 1951 Mantle debut
May 2nd 1951 Mantle, first “homer”
October 11th 1951 Jubilant victors pay tribute to Baur
December 12th 1951 DiMaggio retires
October 8th 1952 Yanks take Series down Dodgers 4-2
April 18th 1953 Mantle’s 565 foot home run
October 6th 1953 Yankee’s World Series triumph
May 19th 1956 Mantle hits homer from both sides of plate
May 31st 1956 Mantle hit almost leaves stadium
October 1st 1956 Mickey Mantle wins triple crown
October 9th 1956 Larson pitches only perfect game in World Series history
October 11th 1956 Yankees take Series
October 10th 1958 Yankees win Braves offer no excuse
September 27th 1961 Maris hits No 60
October 2nd 1961 Marris hits 61st
October 10th 1961 Houk calls Yanks best all round team
June 25th 1962 Yanks win in 22 inning record 7 hour game
October 17th 1962 Yanks triumph again
November 8th 1963 Elston Howard wins M.V.P award
May 15th 1967 Mantle’s 500th “homer”
March 2nd 1969 Mantle retires
June 9th 1969 Mantle’s day at stadium
January 4th 1973 Steinbrenner buys Yankees
January 17th 1974 Mantle and Ford elected into Hall of Fame
April 7th 1974 Yanks win; Shea debut
October 15th 1976 Yankees win world series
November 30th 1976 Yanks buy Reggie Jackson
October 19th 1977 Jackson’s 3 “homers” power Yanks to title
June 18th 1978 Guidry record “strike outs”
August 12th 1980 Yanks win; 400th for Jackson
May 5th 1981 Davis strikes out 8 in row
December 15th 1985 Death of Roger Maris
October 3rd 1986 Mattingly sets record for hits
July 19th 1987 Don Mattingly ties record
September 30th 1987 Mattingly breaks slam mark; clouts 6th of season
February 26th 1994 Rizzuto makes Hall of Fame
August 14th 1995 Mickey Mantle dies
June 17th 1996 Mel Allen dies
October 27th 1996 A return to glory, Yankees win World Series
May 18th 1998 David Wells pitches perfect game
September 28th 1998 Yankee’s glittering regular season
October 22nd 1998 Yanks sweep Series and ensure legacy
March 9th 1999 Joe DiMaggio, Yankee Clipper, dies at 84
July 19th 1999 Cone pitches perfect game
October 28th 1999 Yankees sweep Braves for 25th title
October 27th 2000 Yankee’s third straight World Series title
October 23rd 2001 Yankee’s 4 in a row
June 14th 2003 Roger Clemens wins 300th game
October 17th 2003 Yanks win 39th title
Here's a question - if you could choose what dates to add to this list, post-Boone HR, what would you add?
Have there been many highlight moments in the last three seasons? Not in the post-season, by many folks opinion, I would imagine. How about the regular season? Any no-hitters, perfect games, or records broken?
Would you suggest Rivera's 400th career save? I would agree with that.
A-Rod won an MVP in 2005. I would include that one too. Would you include A-Rod's 400th and 450th career homeruns? OK, be honest - does anyone even remember the details on these?
How about A-Rod's three-homer game from 2005? Should that be on the list? Gee, has anyone but A-Rod had many memorable moments for the Yankees in the last 3 years?
Maybe it's just early and I'm tired? But, why can't I think of many milestone moments for the Yankees over the last three years? Have things been that insignificant in Yankeeland the last three seasons?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:28 AM | Comments (14)
February 20, 2007
Brett Jodie
Brett Jodie was drafted by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 1998 draft. He made one start for the Yankees in 2001 - where he got pounded - and then was traded to the Padres ten days later (for Sterling Hitchcock).
The Yankees then re-claimed Jodie on waivers on January 4, 2002 (from the Padres) - only to let him go him again (this time via a release) on September 2, 2002.
He's now the pitching coach and Director of Player Procurement for the Somerset Patriots.
Whenever I hear his name, I think of the old Jim Carroll song "Jody." Somehow, I don't think they're playing that for him in Somerset during his trips to the mound.
Brett Jodie obviously has allowed baseball to get into his blood. You gotta root for a guy like that.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:12 PM | Comments (3)
Really Old Reliable
Via Lee Sinins' ATM Blog - Tommy Henrich is 94-years young today.
Happy birthday to the first great free agent signed by the Yankees.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:17 AM | Comments (2)
February 17, 2007
When Worst Ever Worlds Collide
If you use Pythagorean Winning Percentage to judge every Yankees season, you'll see that:
Since 1956, there has been only one "awesomely super" Yankees team (in 1998). However, since 1956, there have been four "awesomely bad" Yankees teams (in 1967, 1989, 1990, and 1991).
It's safe to say that the 1911-1913 and 1989-1991 periods were the worst three-year runs in Yankees team history.
I wonder what would have happened if the 1912 Yankees had played the 1990 Yankees - who would have won more often? If anyone out there has some baseball simulation software, and the free time, give it a try and let me know how it ends up. It would be interesting to see which team was the worst between the two.
Update 2/18/07, 9:23 am ET: The results are in! Click here for more.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:12 PM | Comments (3)
February 14, 2007
Yankees 1977 World Series Collector's Edition DVD
According to Amazon, Yankees 1977 World Series Collector's Edition DVD will be released on April 24, 2007. I can't find any details yet on this DVD set, but, I noticed that the World Series Collector's Edition DVD for the 1975 World Series is a 7-DVD set with complete game broadcasts of all seven series games. Given the price on the 1977 Series DVD, I would bet there are some complete game broadcasts in this one too.
I'm guessing that they went with 1977 because of the 30-year anniversary angle. Don't get me wrong - the 1977 post-season was exciting with Game 5 of the ALCS and Games 1 and 6 of the World Series - but, I would rather see a DVD set like this for 1978. Maybe next year?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:05 PM | Comments (4)
Strange Hold On Tenture
What Yankees manager holds the record for most years in a row, managing the team for the entire season each year, without winning a World Series?
The answer: Ralph Houk, who did it seven years in a row - from 1967 through 1973.
Who is the Yankees manager with the most seasons in a row, right after Houk?
The answer: Joe Torre, who has a streak of six seasons in a row going - from 2001 to 2006.
Torre could tie Houk this year if he manages the Yankees the whole season and New York does not win the World Series. Of course, the best Houk ever did was finish second, once, whereas Torre has gotten the Yankees to the post-season every time. But, at the end of the day, it's still many years in a row with no ring.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:13 PM | Comments (11)
February 03, 2007
Black Sox Boomer?
Geoff Haggerty of Bugs & Cranks took a look at players returning to the Yankees the other day.
As he notes, those really were some messy fingerprints that David Wells left on Game 4 of the 2002 ALDS, Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, and Game 5 of the 2003 World Series.
Those prints were almost Eddie Cicotte-ish circa 1919 in a way. When Wells was good in the post-season 2002-2003, he was awesome. But, when he was bad, he was awesomely bad.
Boomer does have a bit of a Pete Rose side to his personality at times...ah, nah, this can't be true. Can it?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:14 AM | Comments (3)
February 02, 2007
An Old Friend Still Ticking
So, I'm watching Venezuela play the Dominican Republic in the first game of the 2007 Caribbean Series after my dinner this evening. And, in the end, the Dominican Republic wins the game - in the bottom of the 18th inning!
Guess who got a single in the bottom of the 18th to help set up the winning score for the Dominican Republic?
It was none other than Luis Polonia. Yes, 42-year old Luis Polonia is still plugging away out there - playing ball.
When most Yankees fans think of Polonia, they probably recall that he, back in 1989 (as a then 24-year old member of the Yankees), hooked up with an Annie in Milwaukee after a game - who later turned out to be 15-years old. Polonia got locked up for 60 days on that one - and the Yankees ended up trading him 8 months after the incident.
However, I wonder how many remember that Polonia (in what was his third tour of duty in New York) was a member of the last Yankees team to win a World Series ring (in 2000)?
Further, while many fans remember Paul O'Neill's big walk against Armando Benitez in the 9th inning of Game 1 of the 2000 World Series - which led to the Yankees tying the game in the 9th (and eventually winning it in the 12th) - how many fans remember that it was Luis Polonia who followed that O'Neill walk with a pinch-hit single (batting for Brosius) that pushed the eventual tying run to second base?
That single against Benitez on October 21, 2000 was the last hit that Polonia had in a big league uniform. Yet, today, 2,295 days later, he's still banging out big base hits late in big pro-baseball games.
Back on June 21, 1989, Polonia first joined the Yankees when he was traded by the Oakland Athletics (with Greg Cadaret and Eric Plunk) to the Yankees for Rickey Henderson.
It's pretty interesting that both Henderson and Polonia would go on to play ball into their 40's - and be willing to keep playing outside of the major leagues to do it.
Talk about diehards, indeed.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:17 PM | Comments (2)
January 30, 2007
Roger & Andy
No, not that Roger & Andy.....
I just came across a great story from seven years ago - about Roger Maris and Andy Strasberg (who was a fan). If you've never heard the tale, it's worth checking out.
I know someone, a fan, who has developed a similar relationship with a current Yankees great. So, it's possible that something like this can still happen today.
The key, to me, is that the ballplayer needs to be down-to-earth and classy. In the case of my friend today, I know the player is a good guy.
Sounds like Maris was a good guy too - unlike what some may have thought to be otherwise.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:26 PM | Comments (6)
January 29, 2007
Art Fowler Passes
From the Times:
Art Fowler, who became George Steinbrenner’s sixth, ninth, 17th and 26th Yankees pitching coach in a turbulent baseball pairing with his often hired and fired manager and drinking buddy Billy Martin, died yesterday in Spartanburg, S.C. He was 84.
Ron Guidry, reflecting on his days as an active pitcher when Fowler was his coach, once said: "Every time he'd come out there [to the mound], I'd say, `Art what am I doing wrong?' and he'd always tell me, `I don't know, Ron, but you're (getting) Billy (angry).'"
That's how you get to reach age 84 - keeping life simple. Fowler knew what he was doing.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2007
A-Rod To Make It A Gang Of Four?
Thanks to the readers of WasWatching.com and Lee Sinins, I was able to put together a list of players who joined the Yankees after having a successful playing resume elsewhere. Here's the list (of 67 players):
The next thing I wanted to know, off this list, was "How many of these stars joined the Yankees younger than or equal to age 36 - and went on to play with the Yankees for at least 3 seasons?" Here's the answer:
So, to date, there have been 26 stars in their prime (meaning before reaching their 37th birthday) to join the Yankees - who went on to stay in New York for at least 3 seasons. The next question that came to mind here was "How many of these 26 never won a World Series ring as a member of the Yankees?" Here's the answer to that:
The above 15 are guys who brought their "star" to New York, stayed a good while, and either left or are still there without a ring.
Now, let us assume that Alex Rodriguez plays with the Yankees in 2007 - because he should, at this junction. Should A-Rod leave New York after this season, and the Yankees don't win a ring in 2007, Alex Rodriguez would then become only the 4th "star" to join the Yankees under the age of 30 who would play with the team for at least 4 seasons, and never win a World Series ring while in New York - joining Rickey Henderson, Danny Tartabull and Dave Winfield.
Now, Rickey and Winnie are Cooperstown material - as is A-Rod. That's fine company. However, in terms of a "Yankees-legacy," I'm not sure being in the Rickey-Tartabull-Winfield class is what Alex had in mind when he joined New York.
Of course, winning a ring with the Yankees would make this all moot for A-Rod.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:56 PM | Comments (11)
January 22, 2007
Last 3 Post-Seasons, Who's To Blame?
The Yankees are 3-10 in the postseason since the end of Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS. So, who should we blame for those ten games lost? Can WPA tell us the answer? Here are those ten losses and who WPA says should get the "L" next to their name:
Game 4 of the 2006 ALDS: Jaret Wright
Game 3 of the 2006 ALDS: Randy Johnson
Game 2 of the 2006 ALDS: Robinson Cano
Game 5 of the 2005 ALDS: Mike Mussina
Game 3 of the 2005 ALDS: Randy Johnson
Game 2 of the 2005 ALDS: Worm Killer Wang
Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS: Kevin Brown
Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS: Tony Clark
Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS: Tom Gordon
Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS: Paul Quantrill
What, no A-Rod?
Actually, the only games here where Alex Rodriguez had really bad games, according to WPA, were Game 2 of the 2006 ALDS and Game 5 of the 2005 ALDS. (These were both games that were started by Mike Mussina - go figure.)
Of course, Game 2 of the 2006 ALDS and Game 5 of the 2005 ALDS turned out to be pretty big games in the grand scheme of things - so, maybe that's why some people look at A-Rod's performance in those games and make it into a thing where he's to blame for the Yankees losing in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
However, the reality of it is all about the pitching.
Blame Quantrill, Gordon, and Brown for 2004.
Blame Johnson and Mussina for 2005.
Blame Johnson and Wright for 2006.
Or, blame the guy who put them on the team. But, Alex Rodriguez is not the reason why the Yankees have lost 10 of their last 13 post-season games. Maybe A-Rod hasn't been the cause for them to win 10 of their last 13, but, I'm pretty sure he's not the guy to blame for them losing 10 of their last 13 contests either.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:41 PM | Comments (8)
A Very Bad Rating
Jerry Nielsen pitched in 20 games for the Yankees in his career - all of them coming in 1992. The Yankees lost 18 of those 20 games.
Think that's bad? Dale Murray pitched in 62 games for the Yankees - and the Yankees lost 50 of those 62 games.
Or, what about Gary Jones? He pitched in 14 big league games during his career - all with the Yankees (from 1970-71)- and every game was a loss for New York. That's Oh-'fer Fourteen.
That's more than bad - it's sad.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:15 PM | Comments (3)
January 20, 2007
If The Yanks Have Pitching, Bet On Them In October
Some like to believe that the team with the best pitching wins, or should win, a post-season match-up. I can understand this position. But, does it always happen?
I decided to look at every Yankees post-season series since 1995 and compare the Yankees pitching staff against the team they played - using Runs Saved Above Average (RSAA) as a measuring stick of each team's pitching in the series. This is what I found:
Looking at the results in this chart, it brings the following thoughts to mind:
+ The 1995 Yanks-M's ALDS, pitching-wise, really was a toss-up.
+ The 1996 Braves should have beat the Yankees in the World Series.
+ The 1997 Yankees should have beaten the Indians in the ALDS.
+ The 1998 Yankees did what they were supposed to do in the post-season.
+ The 1999 Red Sox and Braves should have done better against the Yankees in the post-season.
+ The 2000 Yankees were better than anyone they faced in the post-season that year.
+ It really was a miracle that the 2001 Yankees made it to the World Series, much less making it to Game 7 of the World Series.
+ The 2002, 2005, and 2006 Yankees were all out-armed in their ALDS match-ups - and because of this they probably deserved to lose them.
+ The 2003 Yankees should have won the World Series - and losing it was a major letdown by New York.
+ The 2004 Yankees were lucky to beat the Twins in the ALDS, based on the pitching match-ups, and they were totally out-armed in the 2004 ALCS as well.
In total, in the last 25 post-season series that the Yankees played in, they had the RSAA edge on their opponent 12 times - and won 10 of those 12 times (where they only lost to Cleveland in '97 and the Marlins in '03). That's a success rate of 83%.
On the flip side, in the last 25 post-season series that the Yankees played in, they did not have the RSAA edge on their opponent 13 times - and they lost 6 of those 13 times. Based on this, New York's post-season odds are about 50-50 when they don't have the pitching edge.
Where New York beat the pitching odds: The 1996 ALDS & WS, 1999 ALCS & WS, 2001 ALDS & ALCS, and the 2004 ALDS.
Imagine if the Yankees had lost the 1996 World Series, 2001 ALDS, and 2004 ALDS? Losing just these three post-season series would have re-written modern-day Yankees history in a huge way.
Without a win in 1996, maybe there's no letdown in 1997. With no crushing 1997 ALDS loss, maybe the drive during the 1998 season is different?
But, if they lose the 2001 ALDS, then Games 4, 5 & 7 of the 2001 World Series never happen. And, of course, if they lose the 2004 ALDS, then the 2004 ALCS never happens.
This leads to another interesting question: As a Yankees fan, would you trade in the rings of 1996 and 1998 to avoid the pain of 2001 and 2004? Is that a wash? Is it better to have loved, and lost, than never to have loved at all?
If asked, I would take the rings. I'd rather have good memories and bad memories than no memories at all.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:16 PM | Comments (16)
January 18, 2007
Best Six Pack Ever?
From 1996 through 2003, the Yankees reached the World Series six times. Tonight, I find myself wondering - with the three-rounds of playoff series format (in place for baseball since 1995), will we ever see another franchise reach the World Series 6 times over a period of 8 years?
Since 1995, the Yankees have reached the World Series 6 times, the Braves have reached it 3 times, and the Marlins and Cardinals have each reached it twice. No other team has reached it more than once.
The Braves did their "3" in a 5-year period. The Marlins did their "2" in a 7-year period. And, the Cardinals did their "2" in a 3-year period. Of these three, only the Cards are close to a rate of "6 in 8."
It was starters such as Andy Pettitte, David Cone, El Duque Hernandez, and Roger Clemens who did most of the heavy lifting for the 1996-2003 Yankees.
Pettitte, Cone, Duque and Clemens were teammates in 1999 and 2000 - the last two seasons that the Yankees won a World Series. It really is always about the starting pitching, isn't it?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:06 PM | Comments (3)
January 17, 2007
Life After Being In The Stein Family
From The Toledo Blade -
Fourteen more people - including ousted leaders of the St. Louis and the Montgomery County, Alabama, public school systems, and even a former general partner of the New York Yankees [Joseph Molloy] - have added their names to the applicant pool for Toledo Public Schools superintendent.
The list of candidates who want to lead the 29,400-student district now stands at 22 - which includes the first eight people who applied by the district's Nov. 30 "soft deadline."
The Toledo Board of Education meets in private tonight to discuss the applicants with its consultant.
Joseph Molloy, of Tampa, an assistant middle school principal from Florida who ran the New York Yankees ballclub in the early 1990s when owner George Steinbrenner was suspended from baseball.
Mr. Molloy left baseball after he divorced Mr. Steinbrenner's daughter. He then returned to education.
Note to Steve Swindal - stay on the good side of Big Stein. It's a big step down.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2007
Dick King, Former Yankees Exec, Passes
From the Montgomery Advertiser -
Dick King, who helped bring minor league baseball back to Montgomery with the Wings in 2001 and who famed baseball executive Bobby Bragan once called the "the Bill Veeck of the minor leagues," has died. He was 87.
King, born Diogenes "Dick" G. Karabatsos, died in his sleep Tuesday at his home in Gilbert, Ariz. His funeral was Friday in Gilbert, and his body was transported to his hometown of Fairbury, Neb., for burial in his family's plot.
King was a longtime professional sports executive, including years of service at all levels of professional baseball, including the majors. He held management and executive positions at the major league level with Cincinnati, Cleveland and the New York Yankees. With the Yankees, he was executive director responsible for all business operations of the club.
On the day King died, he received a phone call from Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, according to business associate Frank Evans of Montgomery.
"He was so happy to hear from him," Evans said, "He died later that afternoon."
Sounds like he had a fun life. Then again, what else would you expect from a man named...oh, never mind, it's too easy.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2007
Danny Tartabull's Yankees Legacy
Richard Barbieri has a feature up today at the Hardball Times on the Yankees acquistion of Danny Tartabull. In which, he writes:
Despite flaws both real and perceived, Tartabull was a major positive step for the Yankees, their first marquee free agent in some time and a sign that the Mel Halls of the world would no longer be acceptable as off-season acquisitions. In fact, Tartabull arguably was more important to the Yankees as a symbol than as an actual player. The 1992 offseason saw the team add Wade Boggs and Jimmy Key, and by 1994 the Yankees had baseball’s best record at the time of the strike.
Whenever I think of Danny Tartabull, I think of Sam Militello's first game (ever) for the Yankees. The date was August 9, 1992. I was at that game with my friends, Lou and Mike. Tartabull did not play that day because he had a "bad back." His condition was announced before the game. (We probably heard it on the radio on the way to the park.)
Militello was awesome that day, in his big league debut, holding the Red Sox to one hit over 7 innings. Still, it was a close game until the 8th inning, so, most of the fans there that day stayed until the end of the game.
After the game, traffic around the Stadium was mess. Mike, Lou and I were stuck on some street (I forget which one) just stopped dead in traffic. There was a side-street to our right that the police had closed with those blue wooden horses that that use to block off traffic - and two cops were standing guard in front of it.
As we're sitting there, not moving an inch, all of a sudden a very large SUV (or was it a Jeep?) breaks from the traffic line that we were in and heads into that side-street towards the police barricade.
Mike, Lou and I looked at each other and one of us said "Where does he think he's going?"
Just then, the SUV stops in front of the cops and the driver's door flies open - and the driver jumps into the street (which was like a two-foot drop because the SUV was so high off the ground).
When the driver got out of the car, we realized who it was - it was Danny Tartabull.
Tartabull said something to the policemen and they nodded their heads. Then, the cops moved away from the wooden horses and allowed Danny Tartabull to walk towards the barricades.
Tartabull grabbed of the wooden horses and carried it off to the curb - then he jumped back into his SUV, and went speeding down the street that was completely open, and avoided being stuck in traffic (for any longer).
Sitting there, in Mike's car, watching this whole thing unfold, all I could think of was "Gee, that's some bad back."
And, to this Yankees fan, this event will be Danny Tartabull's Yankees legacy. I know that sabermetric measures will tell you that he was a productive batter - but, he was just one of those players who would never be part of a winning team because he had a terrible attitude towards how the game should be played.
Getting rid of players like Tartabull was a "major positive step for the Yankees," in my opinion. Getting players who give an honest effort was when the Yankees started to win again.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:01 AM | Comments (7)
January 03, 2007
"Vinegar" Bill Essick
A good story on a man many Yankees fans probably don't know about...from the Register-Mail.com -
New York Yankees general manager Ed Barrow hired Essick to be a scout in the Yankees organization. Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright wrote that in 1920, "Essick had recommended Vernon outfielder Bob Meusel to the Yankees. New York purchased Meusel, who became one of their best players for many years." Barrow had not forgotten that recommendation and as a result, one of his first moves in rebuilding a Yankees team that finished seventh the previous year was to hire Essick. "Vinegar Bill" spent the next 25 years as the West Coast baseball scout for the New York Yankees.
As a scout, Essick looked for a good throwing arm, baseball savvy, and most importantly, speed.
"A kid who isn't fast is a dead loss because you can't teach speed to a guy," Essick told Collier's Weekly.
Essick found all those elements and more when he saw an 18-year-old center fielder named Joe DiMaggio play his rookie season with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in 1933.
Needless to say, the major league scouts were drooling over DiMaggio's potential. A bidding war began for DiMaggio's services, and Seals owner Charley Graham was asking nearly $100,000, a massive sum during the Great Depression. But one spring evening in May 1934, a freak accident brought the screams from bidders down to less than a dull roar.
Sportswriter Red Smith recounted the event in his Nov. 9, 1981 article in the New York Times.
"Joe had a dinner date at his sister's house and he was late. When his taxi pulled up he started to jump out, and his left knee popped like a pistol. He had to be helped into the house and on to a hospital, where he stayed for several weeks."
DiMaggio had suffered torn cartilage in his knee. New York Times writer Dave Anderson wrote that "the original diagnosis was strained tendons," so DiMaggio continued to play for the next two days, making the injury worse. DiMaggio was then fitted for an aluminum splint, which he was forced to wear for three weeks. When he got out of the hospital, only one scout was waiting for him - Bill Essick of the New York Yankees.
DiMaggio had fallen so far out of good standing with major league scouts that his minor league team couldn't even give him away. The Chicago Cubs turned down a no-risk tryout. Essick kept track of DiMaggio during the 1934 season and was convinced that he had returned to his 1933 form. DiMaggio hit .341 in 1934 but missed several games after he slipped in the dugout and his leg collapsed again.
Essick's efforts were tireless.
Red Smith wrote that Essick placed a call to George Weiss, director of the Yankees' new farm system.
"Don't give up on DiMaggio," Essick said. "Everybody out here thinks I'm crazy but I think he's all right. Let me watch him a couple of weeks more." Weiss responded by saying, "If it had been anybody else but Essick, I would have called him off but I had complete faith in Bill."
Imagine the numbers Joe D. would have put up playing half his games at Wrigley.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:25 PM | Comments (2)
Happy Yankee Day!
Sean McNally over at Count the Rings™ reminds us of something that I realized (for the first time) last year - and since forgot. Thanks for the reminder Sean!
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:02 AM | Comments (3)
December 29, 2006
Champions of the Heart VHS
I was jonesing for some good Yankees fan-candy tonight. So, I broke out the MSG Network produced VHS tape that documented the Yankees 1999 season. It's entitled Champions of the Heart. Watching it, and reliving the 1999 season, three things dawned on me:
1. MSG did a nice job in producing these year-end summaries. It was just about this time last year that I had the itch to watch The Season Of Their Lives - also by MSG for VHS. (I guess that I have some sort of Yankees Fan Pon'far thing that hits me each season right around New Years?) It's a shame that the YES Network cannot come out with something at year end that chronicles the season, month by month, moment by moment, etc. It would sell - of this I have no doubt.
2. There were many more blocks of empty blue seats to been seen in Yankees Stadium highlights from 1999 than there are from today. Ah, the good ol' days of averaging 35,000-40,000 fans per game (as opposed to averaging 50,000+ per home game).
3. Watching the big clips from 1999, I noticed the emotional displays - during both good and bad times - in the faces and body movements of Yankees players like Paul O'Neill, Roger Clemens, Chad Curtis, El Duque Hernandez, Joe Girardi, Andy Pettitte, Tino Martinez, David Cone, and Jim Leyritz. You don't see much of that on the Yankees now, or in the last three years or so. As a fan, I miss seeing that fire.
After watching this tape tonight, I'm ready for some Yankees baseball now. Is it really just less than 7 weeks until Pitchers and Catchers report?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:58 PM | Comments (6)
December 14, 2006
Mike Pagliarulo
If you want to know what former Yankees player Mike Pagliarulo is up to these days, click here. (Hat tip to BaseballMusings.com.)
His group, IScouts, Inc., is a technology-enabled international scouting service that delivers custom professional scouting information and video to baseball organizations around the world.
I always liked "Pags." Nice to see he's found something to do in his post-playing days.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:34 AM | Comments (5)
December 12, 2006
Brandon Claussen
I just saw that the Reds designated LHP Brandon Claussen for assignment. Of all the "pitchers" (meaning excluding position players who once took toe to the rubber in a pinch) who pitched in exactly one game for the Yankees, in their career, is Claussen the guy who has the best overall career numbers?
If he's not the guy, he must be in the top five - I would imagine. Unless you want to go with Tim Redding...
By the way, in researching this, I came across a pitcher by the name of "Rugger Ardizoia" who threw one game for the Yankees back in 1947. Great name. I would love to see Bob Sheppard work that one.
"Rinaldo Joseph (Rugger) Ardizoia" was a native of Oleggio, Italy - and a teammate of Phil Rizzuto. Holy cow! Seriously, Rugger may have been the 5th best big leaguer to come from Italy (directly). Then again, there probably only 5 or 6 big league players in the history of the game that were born in Italy.
Back to Claussen - as much as I hated the trade (that sent him away) when it happened, all things considered, now, it didn't turn out all that bad.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:25 PM | Comments (12)
December 11, 2006
They Don't Grow Many, Do They?
I was just wondering when was the last time that the Yankees had a 26-year old pitcher throw 200+ IP with at least 15 RSAA - like Worm Killer Wang did in 2006. So, I turned to the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia and did a sort from 1973:
Funny, it was almost a year ago here that I reflected on that 1992 season by Melido Perez.
In any event, there's a case to be made that Wang is the best home-grown starting pitcher for the Yankees since Andy Pettitte and Ron Guidry. And, he's probably the best right-handed SP developed by the Yankees since the days of Mel Stottlemyre, Stan Bahnsen and Jim Bouton.
You would think that there would have been more of these guys in the last 40-years or so?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:10 PM | Comments (10)
Who Needs A Scorecard?
In reading Cliff Corcoran's Yankees by the Numbers, today, I became aware, for the first time, of the YankeesNumbers.com site.
Who remembered that Kerry Dineen wore two different numbers for the Yankees!
Awesome stuff.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2006
Making A List & Only Checking It Once On Cashman
I was asked today to take a stab at ranking Brian Cashman's best and worst moves since he became Yankees G.M. on February 28, 1998. So, here goes - a quick reaction on what I think were his nine best/worst trades and signings - listed in date order:
Nine Best Trades
February 18, 1999 - Traded Homer Bush, Graeme Lloyd, and David Wells to the Toronto Blue Jays. Received Roger Clemens.
December 22, 1999 - Traded Hideki Irabu to the Montreal Expos. Received players to be named later and Jake Westbrook. The Montreal Expos sent Ted Lilly (March 17, 2000) and Christian Parker (March 22, 2000) to the New York Yankees to complete the trade.
June 29, 2000 - Traded Ricky Ledee, Jake Westbrook, and Zach Day to the Cleveland Indians. Received David Justice.
July 21, 2000 - Traded Ben Ford and Oswaldo Mairena to the Chicago Cubs. Received Glenallen Hill.
December 7, 2001 - Traded David Justice to the New York Mets. Received Robin Ventura.
July 31, 2003 - Traded Robin Ventura to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Received Bubba Crosby and Scott Proctor.
July 31, 2003 - Traded Brandon Claussen, Charlie Manning (minors), and cash to the Cincinnati Reds. Received Aaron Boone.
February 16, 2004 - Traded a player to be named later and Alfonso Soriano to the Texas Rangers. Received Alex Rodriguez and cash. The New York Yankees sent Joaquin Arias (April 23, 2004) to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.
July 30, 2006 - Traded Matt Smith, C.J. Henry (minors), Carlos Monastrios (minors), and Jesus Sanchez (minors) to the Philadelphia Phillies. Received Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle.
Nine Worst Trades
February 1, 1999 - Traded Mike Lowell to the Florida Marlins. Received Mark J. Johnson, Ed Yarnall, and Todd Noel.
July 1, 2002 - Traded Scott Wiggins to the Toronto Blue Jays. Received Raul Mondesi.
July 5, 2002 - As part of a 3-team trade, traded Ted Lilly, John-Ford Griffin, and Jason Arnold (minors) to the Oakland Athletics. Received Jeff Weaver from the Detroit Tigers. In addition, the Oakland Athletics sent a player to be named later, Carlos Pena, and Franklyn German to the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Tigers sent cash to the Oakland Athletics. The Oakland Athletics sent Jeremy Bonderman (August 22, 2002) to the Detroit Tigers to complete the trade.
December 13, 2003 - Traded Jeff Weaver, Yhency Brazoban, Brandon Weeden (minors), and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Received Kevin Brown.
December 16, 2003 - Traded Nick Johnson, Juan Rivera, and Randy Choate to the Montreal Expos. Received Javier Vazquez.
July 31, 2004 - Traded Jose Contreras and cash to the Chicago White Sox. Received Esteban Loaiza.
December 3, 2004 - Traded Kenny Lofton to the Philadelphia Phillies. Received Felix Rodriguez.
January 11, 2005 - Traded Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey, Dioner Navarro, and cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Received Randy Johnson.
February 16, 2004 - Traded a player to be named later and Alfonso Soriano to the Texas Rangers. Received Alex Rodriguez and cash. The New York Yankees sent Joaquin Arias (April 23, 2004) to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.
Yes, I know that I listed the A-Rod trade twice. I think the jury is still out on that one - therefore, I'm hedging my bet here.
Nine Best Signings
September 29, 1998 - Signed Alfonso Soriano as a free agent.
May 5, 2000 - Signed Chien-Ming Wang as an amateur free agent.
November 30, 2000 - Signed Mike Mussina as a free agent.
January 5, 2001 - Signed Robinson Cano as an amateur free agent.
December 19, 2002 - Signed Hideki Matsui as a free agent.February 4, 2003 - Signed Jon Lieber as a free agent.
August 3, 2004 - Signed John Olerud as a free agent.
January 21, 2005 - Signed Aaron Small as a free agent.
January 3, 2006 - Signed Johnny Damon as a free agent.
Nine Worst Signings
June 2, 1998 - Signed Drew Henson in the 3rd round of the 1998 amateur draft.
December 7, 2001 - Signed Steve Karsay as a free agent.
December 13, 2001 - Signed Jason Giambi as a free agent.
December 17, 2001 - Signed Rondell White as a free agent.
February 6, 2003 - Signed Jose Contreras as an amateur free agent.
January 6, 2004 - Signed Kenny Lofton as a free agent.
December 20, 2004 - Signed Carl Pavano as a free agent.
December 20, 2004 - Signed Tony Womack as a free agent.
July 14, 2006 - Signed Sidney Ponson as a free agent.
Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com for the transaction data.
Keep in mind that I did this quickly. Looking at it now, I feel like I should have gotten El Duque and Tony Clark in there on the good signings too. And, the Gabe White and Felix Heredia moves should be in there somewhere as well - on the bad side.
And, yes, I do hit Cashman twice on Contreras - for signing him and then trading him. That probably should just be one or the other.
I did not give Cashman any credit for signing Gary Sheffield - since everyone knows that was all Big Stein. I also left off Shawn Chacon since that was just pure luck.
I would love to hear from others regarding how these lists should be crafted. Please use the comments section for that. Thanks in advance!
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:26 PM | Comments (18)
December 03, 2006
Can Hughes Be This Half-Century's Exception?
Since so many feel that Philip Hughes will pitch for the Yankees some time next summer, I began to wonder:
How many pitchers, since 1961, have thrown at least 15 IP in a season for the Yankees where they were 21-years old, or younger, and how did they perform?
Thanks to the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia, I have the answer:
As you can see, in the last 46 seasons, only 9 pitchers, age 21 or younger, have ever taken toe to the rubber for the Yankees where they logged 15 innings or more in a season.
And, only 5 of those 9 pitched in more than 10 games in that "21 or younger" season for the Yankees. Let's look at that party of five:
Bill Stafford is the pick of the litter here. But, he had some experience coming into that 1961 season - since he also pitched for the Yankees in 1960 as a 20-year old. By the way, Stafford was cooked by the time he was twenty-three.
Gil Blanco closed out some games for the Yankees in 1965 as a 19-year old and was traded on June 10, 1966 with Roger Repoz and Bill Stafford to the Kansas City Athletics for Fred Talbot and Billy Bryan. He pitched for the A's in 1966 and then never again.
Bill Burbach was pretty much a one-season-and-done pitcher for the Yankees in 1969 (when he was 21). He had cups of coffee in 1970 and 1971 with New York too. But, his lack of control was his downfall.
Most know the Gil Patterson and Jose Rijo stories. Both were rushed to the majors by New York. Patterson was ruined and Rijo was traded (but eventually became good).
Basically, if Hughes pitches 15+ innings for the Yankees in 2007, and does well, he'll be the first Yankees pitcher to do that (at that age) in nearly a half-century.
Those who are counting on him pitching in the Bronx in 2007, and helping the team, should consider how rare that would be in Yankeeland.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:50 PM | Comments (14)
December 02, 2006
Vermont Man On Ruth Quest
From the Bennington Banner -
Harold Rowe's time machine is a baseball.
Its leather cover is scuffed and tattered, its red stitches frayed. But such wear is to be expected, says Rowe, from something that has travelled so far.
For if his faith is justified, this life-long area resident has in his possession the greatest lost treasure in the history of the game, the most sought-after piece of memorabilia in existence, baseball's own Holy Grail.
Harold Rowe believes that Babe Ruth's called shot landed in his sock drawer.
The story of how Rowe came to find his baseball is rather ordinary, even if some of the details have been clouded by the passage of time. Following his retirement after 24 years on the road as a salesman, Rowe and his wife Audrey became fixtures on the local tag sale scene.
At one particular sale back in 1988, Rowe found a cardboard box full of plastic ice cream containers, which he figured to implement in organizing the various nails and screws that were cluttering up his garage.
It wasn't until several months later that Rowe went through those containers, and found an old baseball stashed in the bottom of one. "I've never been a baseball fan, so I had no idea what it might be," he said. "I stuck it in my sock drawer, and left it there - untouched - for the last 18 years."
What brought Rowe's ball back out was a March 26 article in USA Weekend magazine, titled "Baseball's Lost Treasures." In the article, sports memorabilia experts revealed the "top five Holy Grails of America's pastime," and what these missing artifacts would likely fetch in today's frenzied open market.
At the top of the list, with an estimated value of $2 million, was the Babe Ruth called-shot baseball. Suddenly, Harold Rowe was very much interested in the baseball in his bureau.
"Since the day that article came out, there isn't a day that goes by when I'm not looking into it," said Rowe of his ball. "I've studied it and studied it, photographed it, researched it. For the last 10 months, I've spent every day on this sort of treasure hunt."
He fully intends to keep up his quest for validation, hoping that science can provide the authentication that the industry's experts cannot, or will not. He wonders whether the ball can be carbon-dated, or have some sort of special infrared dye applied to it that will bring out even more clues as to its origin.
He is sure that someone somewhere has the means to confirm the idea that keeps him up at night, hunched over his slide viewer, studying every square inch of his baseball over and over again.
"I know in my heart that this is the ball that everyone is looking for," Rowe said. "I've stared at it for hours, and it still gives me goosebumps.
"People are quick to say this ball is not the real thing, but I think that's a mistake. If nobody believes in this thing, it's never going to be found."
Shoot, I would just be happy to find the "La Lob" ball that Yankee Dave LaRoche used to whiff Milwaukee's Gorman Thomas during the second game of a double-header in the Bronx on September 9, 1981.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:13 AM | Comments (3)
December 01, 2006
Moose & Boomer: The Chief & Larrabee In Yankees History
In a recent WasWatching.com reader comment, "baileywalk," asked "...what were the top ten power-control numbers for pitchers in the modern era?"
That got me thinking - and heading to the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia. If I had to offer an answer to that "command" question, here would be my answer:
While I expected to see Schilling in the top ten, I am surprised to see Mr. Sock Stain finish # 1 in this ranking. Big ego, big mouth, and big command for ol' Curt.
Back to the "thinking" item, I decided to take this a step further - and look at just Yankees pitchers in the modern era - and this is what I found, using the same rules:
Lieber and Candelaria were not Yankees for very long. So, to me, clearly, Mike Mussina and David Wells have been the best pitchers in Yankees history in terms of having command.
Moose and Boomer were teammates on the 2002 and 2003 Yankees - and 2003 was the last season that the Yankees had a really good pitching staff (and the last time the Yankees won a pennant). No shock there.
Here's some fun - what happens if you only look at Yankees pitchers with at least 800 IP for New York? The top ten:
George Mogridge? Never heard of him before this exercise.
Funny, if you look at his career stats, you'll see that the Yankees made a big mistake when they traded Mogridge on December 31, 1920 for Braggo Roth. Not "Buhner" bad - but, a pretty stupid move.
Lastly, what if you drop it down to just 50 IP for the Yankees? See this:
While it's interesting to see how close Wetteland and Rivera are here - and that Chris Hammond made the list - it's flat out chilling to see Carl Pavano at # 9.
I just hope if the Yankees trade Pav-Dog that it works out better than that George Mogridge deal.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:12 PM | Comments (7)
November 29, 2006
Hangin' With Mr. Bambino
I just saw this story in Newsday:
Almost 60 years after Babe Ruth's death, there's still no problem identifying him in a picture taken at the Hot Springs Country Club. But who is the man standing next to the famous New York Yankees slugger?
That's what the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau would like to know before it opens a collection of historic photographs taken in the resort city.
Ruth occasionally visited Hot Springs during the offseason and was photographed at the country club in 1923 wearing knickerbockers _ pants also known as plus-fours that ended just below the knee, with long socks below _ as he held a golf club in his right hand. Beside him stands a man in topcoat, gloves and hat who no one has been able to identify.
The picture is one of 19 never before displayed that have been added to the collection called "Hot Springs: A Journey Through History." The exhibit is to open Dec. 13 at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
"It's a great photo of Babe Ruth in Hot Springs," said Steve Arrison, executive director of the convention bureau. "This and three more photos of the Babe in Hot Springs settings have never been part of a public exhibit. We got the photos from our friends at the Garland County Historical Society, but no one on their knowledgeable staff knows the identity of the man standing next to Ruth."
This story caused a flashback for me. During the Spring of 2004, a unique picture of Babe Ruth came into my possession. My wife’s uncle met a woman who had a family member that played golf with “The Bambino” back in 1939. At which time, the family member (Frank Verna) had this picture taken with Ruth:
The woman graciously provided my wife's uncle with some copies of the photo so that he could share it with some baseball fans in the family - one of them being me. Even at age 44, Mr. Ruth was an imposing figure – as the picture shows. No wonder he hit all those homeruns.
I would bet that Babe Ruth had his picture taken with roughly 15,000 different people. It probably would have been more if they had cell phone cameras back in the day.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:52 PM | Comments (4)
November 27, 2006
Where It All Began
It just occured that I never shared the details of the first Yankees game that I ever attended at the Stadium. It was a great game. Here's the news report from that contest:
August 9, 1973
Yank old pros win one with two out in 9th
By Jim OgleGene Michael has a bad foot, a sore bunion and a bandaged big toe … but, he’s a professional; Felipe Alou packs 38 years and pulled a calf muscle in yesterday’s pre-game drill … but he’s a real pro, too.
Thurman Munson has an inbred spirit of competition ("He even wants to beat me at ping pong." says his wife, Diane) and the instincts of a riverboat gambler … and he used both; Bobby Murcer is emerging from team frustration as a leader, a guy who is "bustin’ his butt" everyday.
Put them together and they spell a 3-2, ninth-inning victory over the Texas Rangers yesterday. It was a rerun of what had been happening for two weeks—until the quartet of pros changed the script, chasing frustration and finding opportunities.
Chagrined at what he thought was a bad call on a 3-0 pitch, Murcer ripped a double to open the ninth. With one out, Munson lined a single to center that scored Murcer despite Bobby holding up a bit.
"The way things have been going with us I thought he’d make a sensational diving catch," Murcer said. "When the ball hopped up on him, I was going to make the try." Harris didn’t even make a throw.
Celerino Sanchez took a called third strike and it was up to Felipe, who had driven home the first run with a long fly, but had an 0 for 23 streak going. In the streak were a lot of caught line drives, but now Felipe topped a slow roller to Toby Harrah – and beat it out.
Gene Michael had played a doubleheader Tuesday night and was given yesterday off -- until the eighth inning. He came up for the first time and looped a 3-1 pitch into right field, just in front of Bill Sudakis, who had made two fine catches earlier.
The ball was in short right field, Sudakis can throw but there was never a chance to cut off the winning run -- because Munson likes to take chances.
"I had a super jump because Harrah and Nelson left the middle open," Munson said. "As soon as I saw Gene start to move the bat on the 3-1 pitch I was rolling. I was already at third while Dick (Howser) was still watching the ball. I was going man, no matter what.
"No, I didn’t know where the ball was. All I knew Gene had hit it and there were two out, so what could happen if I kept going. We just had to pull one out like that."
"I’m surprised we won the SOB," a weary Murcer said. "The way things have been happening to us, you have to be surprised when something good happens."
"I think I’m a better hitter with men on base," Michael said. "I concentrate more and try harder to do something. I know I’m not a good hitter, so, I try to compensate by delivering hits when they count. I’ve been doing pretty well this year."
The RBI enabled Gene to reach 40 for the first time in his career, while it was also his fifth game-winning hit, which gave the Yanks a two-game streak. It’s little, but welcome.
Fritz Peterson stood to lose the game despite making only one pitch -- which Nelson beat out for a single. Covering first, Peterson had aggravated the muscle in his thigh that he pulled last Saturday. Fritz left and Fred Beene went the rest of the way for his sixth victory without a defeat.
"In my book I pitched a complete game," Beene said. "I know it won’t be in the records, but in my mind I have pitched a complete game.
"Maybe a complete game was once one of my goals, but now I’m only concerned with ‘the team’ and I’m just glad to be here and lucky enough to contribute."
A few years back, I found someone who interviewed Beene for his website - and he passed me Fred's e-mail address. I wrote to Beene and remind him about this game. He remembered it. I thought that was pretty cool.
There were a lot of future managers who played in that game - Toby Harrah, Jim Fregosi, and Felipe Alou. Also, some future G.M.'s - Tom Grieve and Hal Lanier. And, of course, Gene Michael went on to be a manager and a G.M.
Good times.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:02 PM | Comments (8)
November 25, 2006
Bucky & The Clipper
Share a birthday today.
Joe D. was born in 1914.
Dent was born in 1951.
Yeah, it's that kind of news day.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)
November 24, 2006
Seed Of Billy
From Tracy Ringolsby -
Billy Martin died on Christmas Day in 1989, but his legacy lives on. There are six current big-league managers who played for Martin during his managerial career. Bob Geren of Oakland, Willie Randolph of the Mets, Lou Piniella of the Cubs and Jerry Narron of Cincinnati played for Martin with the Yankees. Charlie Manuel of Philadelphia played for Martin in Minnesota, and Mike Hargrove of Seattle played for Martin in Texas.
There are nine former managers who played for Martin, including Don Baylor (Cubs, Rockies) and Bucky Dent (Yankees), who played for him with the Yankees; Davey Lopes (Milwaukee) and Jim Essian (Cubs), who played for him with Oakland; Jim Fregosi (Angels, White Sox, Phillies and Blue Jays) and Toby Harrah (Rangers), who played for him in Texas; Gene Lamont (Pirates, White Sox) and Frank Howard (Padres, Mets), who played for him in Detroit; and Frank Quilici (Twins), who played for him in Minnesota.
What, no mention of Joel Skinner?
This is an interesting list. Good trivia question: Name the two men who played for Billy Martin who went on to manage the Yankees.
Answer: Piniella and Dent.
Not that many would remember Bucky.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:39 PM | Comments (3)
November 19, 2006
Scott Brosius News
From the Post -
Former Yankee three-time World Series champion Scott Brosius will take over from Scott Carnahan, his head coach at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., starting in 2008. Carnahan will be Brosius' pitching coach for the Division III program. "I am excited," the Yankees' third baseman from 1998 to 2001 tells The Post's George King. "I have been an assistant the last few years and things worked out and led to the head coach. It's a 40-game schedule and it won't keep me away from my wife and [three] kids." The classy Brosius doesn't follow the Yankees closely but is aware Alex Rodriguez has had a tough time with the fans. "I would have been thrilled with those numbers," Brosius said.
Brosius always seemed like the guy who you would want your daughter to marry. These kids will be lucky to have him.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2006
Allie Clark
Alfred Aloysius Clark was a local boy from South Amboy (NJ) who played in 24 games for the Yankees during 1947 as a 24-year old outfielder.
He hit very well in those 24 games: .373/.417/.493 (BA/OBP/SLG).
Clark even pinch-hit for Yogi Berra in Game 7 of the 1947 World Series - getting a clutch RBI in the process.
What did the Yankees do with him after that? On December 11, 1947, New York traded him to the Cleveland Indians for Red Embree (a 30-year old so-so RHP).
Imagine the hooting and hollering today if the Yankees traded a young, local, kid like Clark - fresh off a rookie season and World Series At Bat like Allie had...it would be off the charts, no?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:13 AM | Comments (4)
October 31, 2006
Happy Hollow Weenie!
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)
October 29, 2006
Remembering Billy
From the Contra Costa Times -
Alfred Manuel (Billy) Martin was born May 16, 1928, in Berkeley to Alfred and Joan Martin. He was raised by his mother after his parents separated. She, being of Italian ancestry, called him "bello," which is "beautiful" in Italian, and that's how he got the nickname "Billy."
Billy started his major league career as the second baseman for the Yankees. He went on to be the MVP in the 1953 World Series and was an All-Star in 1956. Billy played and partied hard, and the partying got him traded in 1957 to the Kansas City Athletics. Despite their deep friendship, Billy and Casey didn't speak for years after that trade. Billy always felt that Casey did nothing to stop the trade.
He returned to the Yankees in 1975. He took the Yankees to the World Series in 1976 and 1977 and won the World Series in 1977. Billy resigned briefly in 1978 after feuding with outfielder Reggie Jackson and team owner George Steinbrenner. He returned to the Yankees in 1979 and was fired for fighting with a salesman.
Billy went on to manage the Oakland Athletics and won the Western Division split-title in 1981 after he perfected a play called "Billyball." The A's went on to sweep the Royals and then lost to the Yankees. He was fired from the Athletics in 1982, and returned to the Yankees in 1983, 1985 and 1988, but for never more than one full season, due to his temperament.
On August 10, 1986, the Yankees retired his uniform number -- 1. They also dedicated a plaque in his honor at Yankee Stadium. The plaque says, "There has never been a greater competitor than Billy."
His untimely death on Dec. 25, 1989, in a car crash shocked all. His grave is located close to Babe Ruth, with the epitaph being something he said: "I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I was the proudest."
They said Martin was the only man who could actually hear someone give him the finger.
He was a funny guy - there's a story about him and Mantle, when they were young, running from rangers after they were caught poaching on a farmer's land (featured in one of Mantle's books) that's priceless.
In summary, the usual drill was for the rangers to just run the guys off the land and give them a scare. However, on that day, Martin didn't feel like running too long and told Mantle "Screw it, I'm going to shoot it out" and then Billy turned and aimed his rifle at the rangers. If I recall correctly, in the book, Mantle said that the rangers looked like they saw a ghost when this happened at hit the dirt in an instant.
Pure Billy.
I still would have not retired his number though...that was a gift from Stein.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:56 PM | Comments (7)
October 26, 2006
David Cone & The 2000 Yankees
If the Cardinals win the World Series this year, people will talk about how they have one of the lowest regular season win totals for a team that won a ring - and, that will lead some to mention the 2000 Yankees (who won a ring while only winning 87 games in the regular season).
But, when it comes to the 2000 Yankees, how much was that win total a reflection on the overall team? Six years ago, I addressed this question.
Therefore, I hope, should talk of the 2000 Yankees come up after this World Series, people remember the fact that David Cone was the reason why that team only won 87 games in 2000. Well, Cone and Torre - because Joe kept running him out there.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:24 PM | Comments (5)
Lights, Camera, Larsen!
From the Sun Times -
[Doak] Ewing, of Naperville [Milwaukee] and president of the Naperville-based Rare Sports Films Inc., offered [Don] Larsen the chance to view the only existing TV broadcast of the [perfect] game [that Larsen threw in the '56 Series], beginning at the top of the second with one out.
The footage, a kinescope broadcast filmed for the U.S. Armed Forces and intended to be destroyed a week after viewing, hadn't been seen in 50 years.
Ewing, 58, calls the footage a "freak" find he purchased through an Oregon film collector, who had bought the reels at a flea market in 1990.
Now, on the 50th anniversary of the milestone, Ewing has a mission. He hopes to make the footage available for private and public screenings for a yet undetermined fee.
However, his dream is to broadcast the game on network or cable TV.
Move over Roger Patterson and Abraham Zapruder, here comes Doak Ewing!
OK, jokes aside, it's amazing that no other film of this game exists. No one, 50 years ago, thought to keep of copy of the footage? Wow.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:31 AM | Comments (8)
October 24, 2006
Torre's 1-2 Punch
In the Joe Torre Era, the Yankees have had four seasons where they had a great 1-2 punch at the start of their line-up:
1999: Knoblauch & Jeter (113 RCAA)
2002: Soriano & Jeter (57 RCAA)
2003: Soriano & Jeter (56 RCAA)
2006: Damon & Jeter (78 RCAA)
Clearly, the Knoblauch & Jeter team of 1999 was the best of the bunch.
It's a shame that Knoblauch's career ended the way that it did...and it would be very interesting to someday hear the true story behind all his issues. Was it HGH related? Was it the stress of his father's condition? Both? Something else?
Com'on Chuck - write a book for us. I would read it.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:41 PM | Comments (5)
October 12, 2006
2007 Yankees Need "The Man"?
I've decided to try and think about baseball a bit today - to get my mind off other things. Specifically, I decided to look at the Yankees best hitters during their "ring run" and their best hitters during their current "ring drought." Thanks to the CBE, this is what I found:
During 1996-2000, Bernie Williams was "The Man" on offense for the Yankees. The numbers prove this to be true.
Since 2001, the Yankees have had players like Giambi and A-Rod produce at a rate near where Bernie was from 1996-2000. But, Giambi's issue has been staying sound enough to play and Alex Rodriguez, well, you know.
As much as I hate the expression, the Yankees seem to lack a hitter, recently, who can be "the straw to stir the drink" offensively - like Bernie Williams did from 1996-2000.
Since the Yankees line-up is full now - it's not going to be a matter of adding a hitter to the team. More so, it's going to be a matter of having someone from the current squad step up to be that "straw," everyday, without excuses.
Maybe Bobby Abreu can be that guy? Maybe it's Giambi staying sound and productive all season? Maybe it's A-Rod putting up another MVP season?
Someone in the middle of the Yankees line-up in 2007 needs to be a consistent offensive force for this team in order to match what Bernie Williams did for the Yankees from 1996 through 2000.
And...it's probably up to Abreu, Giambi and A-Rod to be take on the challenge and deliver next year.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:22 AM | Comments (22)
October 06, 2006
A Jeter By Any Other Name?
Der-ick Gee-ter.....
"Derek Jeter," as a name, has that sweet symmetrical syllable thing going for it - like "Mick-key Man-tell" worked for "Mickey Mantle."
This makes me wonder: What if Derek Jeter was not named "Derek Jeter"? Suppose that the guy raised in Kalamazoo, who later went on to wear # 2 for the Yankees, and be a baseball star was named "Horatio Lipschitz" or "Dewey Zuverinkster"? Would that take away from his mystique?
I suppose, in such a case, people could have called him "H-Lip" or "Dew-Zoov" or something. But, it's just not the same as Der-ick Gee-ter.....
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:59 AM | Comments (2)
September 26, 2006
Anchors Away!
Now that Randy Johnson's 2006 regular season seems to be a closed book, I decided to use the CBE to try and find a modern day Yankees pitcher who best equates to what the Big Unit did for the Yankees this year - in sabermetric terms. This is what I found:
Yes, the man who Dallas Green once called the (Yankees) "anchor of the staff," Andy Hawkins, was the best match. This is the level of pitching quality that Randy Johnson provided in 2006 - an "Andy Hawkins circa 1989" effort.
This confirms what I thought three weeks ago - it's time for Randy to retire.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:56 PM | Comments (2)
September 24, 2006
Nice Young Company
Only two Yankees, in the entire history of the New York franchise, have hit .340 or better in a season (where they qualified for the batting title) at the age of 23 or younger:
Joe DiMaggio in 1937 (.346) and Don Mattingly in 1984 (.343).
Robinson Cano can become the third one this year. Impressive.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:54 PM | Comments (2)
September 20, 2006
ESPN`s The Bronx is Burning News
I still hear that song every time this topic comes up........
From the UPI -
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner will be played by Oliver Platt and John Turturro plays Billy Martin in ESPN`s miniseries, 'The Bronx is Burning.'
The eight-part series adapted from Jonathan Mahler`s bestseller 'Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning,' takes place during the volatile summer of 1977 that included the Son of Sam killings, a citywide blackout and a Yankees World Series championship led by manager Martin.
Joining Platt and Turturro will be Daniel Sunjata of 'Rescue Me' as Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, Zap2it.com reported.
Oliver Platt to play Big Stein? What, was Dr. Timothy Johnson not available?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:46 PM | Comments (4)
Looking Back At The 2004 ALDS
Lots of traffic (again) today on the Garden State Parkway this morning. It took me 125 minutes to travel 45 miles. But, it gave me a chance to listen to quite a bit of the "Mike & Mike Show" on ESPN Radio as well.
Of course, one of the big topics on the show was the S.I. feature on A-Rod. And, just as the question came up yesterday afternoon on the Michael Kay radio show, it was asked: If Alex Rodriguez has a "Joe Carter" type moment in the post-season, will it "make all this go away" for him?
And, the answer was the same on both radio shows (Kay and the Mike's): No. A-Rod "single-handedly carried the Yankees to victory in the 2004 ALDS" and no one wants to remember that.
Thinking about this, I have to disagree. No, not with the notion that a huge post-season moment will not change things for Alex. More so, I do not agree with this belief that Rodriguez carried the Yankees against the Twins in 2004.
Yes, A-Rod had the big hit in the bottom of the 12th in Game 2. And, in the 11th inning of Game 4, Rodriguez doubled, stole third, and scored on a wild pitch.
But, Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui also tore the cover off the ball for that entire series. And, believe it or not, Kevin Brown pitched a gem in Game 3 (when the series was tied 1-1). And, of course, Mo was Mo, as usual, in that series.
Also, it was Ruben Sierra who hit that clutch 3-run HR with one out in the 8th to tie Game 4 at five. If Big Rube does not get that hit, it's a tied series going into a "winner-take-all" Game 5 situation.
This is not to say that A-Rod did not have a fine 2004 ALDS - because he did. But, to claim that "he carried the Yankees" in this post-season series is a joke.
He got a big hit in the 12th to help set up the great comeback win in Game 2. And, he hit a double to help set up the tie-breaking game-winning-run in the 11th inning of Game 4. But, a lot of other Yankees did big things at the plate and on the mound to win Game 3, and, it was Ruben Sierra who "carried" the team in Game 4 - not A-Rod.
This all said, I do believe that a huge "true" moment for A-Rod in the post-season for the Yankees - or a series where he truly is a "one-man" wrecking crew - will "make this all go away for him." I know that I would use such an occurrence as something to point to - anytime someone wants to claim that he's never come up big under pressure.
Now, it's just up to Alex to give us that "something."
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:04 AM | Comments (27)
September 19, 2006
Rasner & Veras' One Of A Kind Effort
Fun stuff about last night's game via Elias -
The Yankees got a win and a save from rookie pitchers Monday -- starter Darrell Rasner went six innings for the win; Jose Veras got the last out of the game to record the save. It was only the Yankees' third game since saves were first recorded in 1969 that one rookie got a win and another got a save. Ron Davis and Mike Griffin did it in 1979; Jose Rijo and Clay Christiansen did it in 1984. Davis and Rijo won those games in relief, so this was the first Yankees game in which a rookie starting pitcher got a win and another rookie got the save.
No rookie had even recorded a save for the Yankees since Dave Pavlas recorded the only save of his career on Aug. 24, 1996.
Any time something happens for the first time in Yankees history, that's saying something.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:57 AM | Comments (1)
September 13, 2006
Art Jorgens
I just saw this on former Yankee Art Jorgens over at Baseball-Reference.com -
Jorgens holds the all-time record for World Series games in which he was on the roster without ever appearing in a game. He was on the post-season roster for the Yankees in 1932 and 1936-39 (23 games total), but never apeared in a post-season game for them.
I had never heard this before. This is why I love baseball. It's possible to learn something new everyday.
Back to Jorgens, he passed away 26 years ago. I wonder where all his rings are today? I would have to think that those are very unique collectables.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2006
Mike Armstrong
Watching the Yankees play in K.C. last night made me reflect back to the memory of Mike Armstrong as a Yankee.
The Yankees of the middle-80's were an interesting bunch. Always good enough to win near 90 games, but, always bad enough to never win anything.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:00 PM | Comments (2)
August 22, 2006
The New Curse In Town
I thought this fact, about the Yankees sweeping the Bosox, from the ATM-Reports Blog was very interesting:
The Yankees became just the 2nd 1st place team to have a 5 game sweep over a team that started the series in 2nd place, joining the 1923 Giants (sweeping the Reds).
So, what you just saw happen this weekend has never happened before in American League history. (And, it's only happened twice in big league history now.)
While this fact doesn't take the full sting away from being the first team to lose a 7-game post-season series after being up 3-0, knowing that the Sox choked this weekend in a historically unique fashion makes you wonder if Babe Ruth has decided (in retrospect) that (lifting his curse in) 2004 was a bad idea at a practical joke on his part and he's gone back to putting his curse on (in full effect).
Either that, or, the Curse of Johnny Damon now supercedes the recently reversed Curse of the Bambino.
Should it be called "The Curse of Johnny Damon"? Personally, I think "Damon's Curse" has a better ring to it. Hopefully that ring will be # 27 for the Yankees this season.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:57 PM | Comments (3)
August 08, 2006
Bad Trades
Jonah Keri has a great piece on the history of bad Yankees trades over at the YES Newtork site.
I wonder where Rich Balabon is these days?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:13 PM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2006
Our Big Papis
Who has the most "Game-Ending RBI" for the Yankees since 1957?
Thanks to Excruciating Baseball Lists, we know the answer. Here are the leaders:
For the record, A-Rod has two to his Yankees credit:
8/4/2004, 2-run home run vs Justin Duchscherer, OAK, 8-6 (11)
8/27/2005, single vs Shawn Camp, KC, 8-7
Both in August, huh? That really is Alex's month.
Bernie has a chance to catch Puff on this list. And, how 'bout that Hector Lopez!
Hat tip to BaseballThinkFacory.org for the link to this study.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:54 PM | Comments (6)
In Remembrance
There are certain dates in Yankees history that will always stick with me - like October 2, 1978 and July 4, 1983. You hear the date and right away it brings back a specific memory.
But, of all the dates that have stuck with me (going back to 1973), the one that I will probably always remember most is August 2, 1979.
To anyone under the age of 27, this might not seem like a date that should never be forgotten. But, if you ask any Yankees fan between the ages of 37 and 77 (now), they would tell you a different story.
Knowing that something as bad as that can happen - and did - makes you appreciate the good times now even more.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:09 AM | Comments (12)
July 29, 2006
Bad Company
Mike Berardino talks about Philip Hughes and shares some scary stats about prior Yankees pitching prospects:
Besides Andy Pettitte, no drafted-and-developed Yankees pitcher has made more than 10 starts in a major league season since 1995.
That was the year Sterling Hitchcock and Scott Kamieniecki joined Pettitte in the same rotation for Buck Showalter. That's how long ago that was.
Of the other 10 pitchers the Yankees have taken in the first round since the June draft was instituted in 1965, only one has reached the majors with them. Bill Burbach, a high school righty from Dickeyville, Wis., was taken 19th overall in the inaugural draft and made 37 combined appearances (going 6-11) for the Yankees from 1969-71.
Among those who were either traded or sidetracked before they could reach Yankee Stadium: Dave Cheadle ('70 draft), Scott McGregor ('72), Steve Taylor ('77), Jeff Pries ('84), Rick Balabon ('85), Brien Taylor ('91), Matt Drews ('93), Eric Milton ('96) and David Walling ('99).
The Big Stein braintrust is on the hook for Steve Taylor, Jeff Pries, Rick Balabon, Brien Taylor, Matt Drews, Eric Milton, and David Walling.
That's not going to look good on a resume.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:11 PM | Comments (4)
90's, We're Living In The 90's
On Monday, July 31st, the FSN network will be airing an episode of In Focus detailing the "1990's New York Yankees."
Check your local listings for air-times.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)
Gotham's Dynamic Duo
At this moment, both Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina have winning percentages of at least .750 for the season.
When was the last time that the Yankees had two true starting pitchers go the whole season and end up with winning percentages of at least .750 for the season?
It was the magical year of 1998 when David Wells went 18-4 and El Duque Hernandez went 12-4. But, Hernandez only made 21 starts that season.
The last time that two Yankees starters went the full season and had winning percentages of at least .750 was 1963 - when Whitey Ford went 24-7 and Jim Bouton went 21-7.
If Wang and Mussina can keep up their pace, we might see something in New York that we haven't seen in 43 years.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2006
Can't Wait Till Christmas
Now, this looks sweet!
Vintage World Series Films - New York Yankees: 17 Championship Seasons 1943-2000
It was just released 3 days ago.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:33 PM | Comments (0)
Eric Milton
The Yankees drafted Eric Milton in the 1st Round of the 1996 amateur entry draft. He was the 20th overall section in the draft.
In 1997, his first pro-season, Milton was awesome. Splitting the season between Single-A and Double-A, Milton threw 171 innings, allowing only 137 hits and 50 walks. That works out to a WHIP of 1.09. In addition, in those 171 IP, Milton struck out 162 batters - which is a K/9IP rate of 8.53.
At the end of the 1997, Milton was just 22-years-old and as blue-chip as a blue-chip pitching prospect could be in terms of potential.
What did the Yankees do with him at that point? On February 6, 1998, they traded Milton, Brian Buchanan, Cristian Guzman, Danny Mota, and cash to the Minnesota Twins for Chuck Knoblauch.
Eight years later, at the age of 29, Eric Milton was the second worst starting pitcher in the major leagues. Further, coming into this season, in 233 career major league starts, Milton's career ERA was 4.99 (compared to a league average of 4.57).
If the Yankees do end up trading Philip Hughes this season, before Yankees fans get too upset, they should think about Eric Milton.
Where you're drafted and how you pitch in the minors does not always mean that you will be a star.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:37 AM | Comments (21)
Girardi Remembers
From the Palm Beach Post -
When he initially joined the Yankees in 1996, coming from Colorado to replace popular catcher Mike Stanley, fans did not even wait until he played his first game to voice their displeasure.
"I got booed the first month and a half, and I didn't even do anything,'' Girardi said. "I got booed before I got there.
"They loved Stanley, and he was a home-run hitter. I got booed at the FanFest. ... I got signs on opening day - 'Go Back to Colorado.' "
It did not let up until May 14, 1996, when Dwight Gooden took the mound with Girardi catching.
"I got booed until Gooden threw his no-hitter, and then it all started to change," Girardi said.
And, after that triple in Game 6 of the 1996 World Series, it's safe to say that Girardi will never be booed in New York again.
As bad as the fans can get on a guy in New York, all it takes is one huge play to win them over for good.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2006
23 or 51?
Aaron Moore, over at the YES Network site, has a feature posted entitled "Bernie deserving of a Hall plaque." (By the way, why doesn't YES ask me for some content?)
I covered that topic back in May 2005, so, I won't repeat myself now.
But, the timing of this is good - because it reminded me of something that I was thinking about the other morning.
When Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, and Phil Rizzuto are no longer with us - and assuming that Derek Jeter and Mo Rivera are still playing - who will be the "greatest living ex-Yankee?"
When Rivera retires - and here I assume that he will retire before Jeter - it will be Mariano.
But, what about before-it's-Mo?
I always thought it would be Don Mattingly. But, looking at Bernie's rankings on the all-time Yankees lists, he's had a better career than Donnie Baseball.
So, who gets to be the last player announced at Old Timer's Day in 2009 - if Yogi, Whitey and Phil are gone? Is it Bernie or Donnie?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:13 PM | Comments (5)
Ouch, Another Yankee Record Soon To Fall
Here are the up-to-date career HBP leaders for the Yankees:
Rank- Player - HBP Total
1 Frankie Crosetti 114
2 Derek Jeter 110
3 Kid Elberfeld 81
4 Jason Giambi 74
5 Bert Daniels 70
6 Chuck Knoblauch 61
7 Don Baylor 60
8 Jorge Posada 52
Jeter just needs 5 more this season to become the all-time HBP king for the Yankees. There's no question that he's going to make it.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:43 AM | Comments (2)
July 24, 2006
I Guess They Usually Keep Them
This afternoon, I was trying to think of the greatest "superstar" player who was traded away from the Yankees while he was still in his prime. To the best of my research/knowledge, it has to be Rickey Henderson.
For those who don't know, on June 21, 1989, the Yankees traded Henderson to the Oakland Athletics for Greg Cadaret, Eric Plunk, and Luis Polonia.
Number two on this list would probably be Bobby Bonds.
On December 11, 1975, the Yankees traded Bonds to the California Angels for Mickey Rivers and Ed Figueroa.
In terms of impact on the team, the Bonds deal was great and the Henderson deal was not a winner.
These are the only two times that the Yankees ever traded away (what was then) a current offensive superstar.
Before looking, I would have thought that it happened more often.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:16 PM | Comments (11)
July 21, 2006
It's A Long Way From Long Branch To Aruba
The other night, watching Sidney Ponson pitch for the first time in the pinstripes, his number caught my eye. And, I wondered, who was the last Yankees pitcher to wear #24?
I guessed "Mike Torrez in 1977." But, after checking with "Now Batting, Number... The Mystique, Superstition, and Lore of Baseball's Uniform Numbers," I found that there was someone after Torrez and before Ponson:
John "The Count" Montefusco wore #24 for the Yankees from 1983 through 1984. (He switched to # 26 for 1985 and 1986.)
There's an Applebee's in Tinton Falls (NJ) that has pictures of Montefusco up on the wall - showing him back when he was playing at Brookdale Community College.
There's probably a few eating joints out there with Ponson's picture on the wall too.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:57 PM | Comments (3)
July 20, 2006
And A-Rod Makes Nine
If he gets two hits tonight, Alex Rodriguez will have 2,000 hits in his career. By rough count, the only other players to get 2,000 hits in a career by the season in which they were 30-years-old are the following:
Ty Cobb
Hank Aaron
Rogers Hornsby
Mel Ott
Jimmie Foxx
Robin Yount
Vada Pinson
Joe Medwick
If you play with the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia, you'll see that A-Rod matches up best to Hank Aaron in this group:
No right-handed batter has more career hits (3,771) than Aaron. At his current pace, A-Rod could pass Aaron around the year 2015 - when Rodriguez will be 39-years-old.
I would say that there's an excellent chance that A-Rod will be the all-time hit king for RH batters.
Alex would have to play until he was 42-years-old (at the least) to have a shot at the all-time hit record (held by Pete Rose). I do not think Rodriguez will play that long.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:42 PM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2006
The 5th Yankee
From Brandweek -
Package delivery service DHL has unveiled a national program, “ Hometown heroes” to support its role as the official express delivery and logistics provider of Major League Baseball.
The effort will be anchored by hall-of-fame type program in which each of MLB’s 30 teams will nominate five players from its history who best represent each teams’ accomplishments, character and leadership. Fans will then vote on their favorites from July 18 through September 17. The official winning roster will be unveiled prior to the playoffs in September.
This got me thinking. For the Yankees, I think most people would go with Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle and DiMaggio on the top four. But, who would be #5?
Berra? Dickey? Jeter? Bernie? Ford? Rivera?
Lefty Gomez? Red Ruffing?
This is a tough one.
Right now, Berra, Dickey, Ford, Gomez and Ruffing are in the Hall of Fame. So, you have to consider them.
But, Jeter and Rivera are on Hall of Fame paths as well.
I think that I may have to go with Mo Rivera as my 5th - because of the dominance factor that he has at his position. But, then again, Berra and Dickey were two of the best hitting catchers ever, as well.
Of course, Jeter is the modern face of the Yankees - like Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle and DiMaggio were in their time. That has to count for something.
Rivera. Jeter. Berra. Dickey. Who is the best of the four? Man, that's a very tough question.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:46 AM | Comments (2)
July 06, 2006
Not Taylor Made Life
The Daily News has a great story on where Brien Taylor is today. Three quick snips from it:
It has been 15 years since the Yankees made Brien Taylor the No. 1 pick in the 1991 draft, and 14 seasons since Baseball America rated him the top prospect in the country, ahead of Pedro Martinez (No. 10) and Manny Ramirez (No. 37). He had two superb years in the minors and he, his left arm and his 98 mph fastball were rocketing toward the Bronx, until it all came undone one night outside a ramshackle trailer.
"He'd be making $15 or $20 million a year now if he hadn't gotten hurt," says Gary Chadwick, Taylor's former coach at East Carteret High School.
Brien Taylor used to throw heat. Now he lays bricks, working with his father, earning $909 per month, according to financial records filed in a child-support application. He has five daughters and wants to live his life and prefers not to answer any questions, about then or now. When he finds out it's a reporter calling, he hangs up.
"We're out of the public eye now," Bettie Taylor says. "Our lives are private and that's the way we like it."
Taylor worked briefly as a UPS package handler in the Raleigh area, and reportedly had a stint working for a beer distributor. He moved around a lot, apparently had a series of relationships and liked to move fast; his collection of speeding tickets includes one for doing 91 mph in a 45 mph zone in March 2003. There was a more serious brush with the law in January 2005, in Wake Forest, N.C., where police charged Taylor with misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly leaving four of his children - ranging in ages from 2 to 11 - alone for more than eight hours. According to a law-enforcement source, Taylor said he was out shooting pool and thought the children were with their mother. He didn't show up for his court date. There are four outstanding warrants for his arrest, Wake County records show.
Sounds like the Dwight Gooden story - without the good parts.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:30 AM | Comments (6)
July 05, 2006
Joe D. Had Friends
Steve Politi in the Star Ledger has a great story about how some "good fellas" help Joe DiMaggio get his lucky bat back in 1941. It's worth reading.
Joe called his bat "Betsy Ann." Funny, Shoeless Joe Jackson called his bat "Black Betsy."
I wonder if they were related?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:25 PM | Comments (3)
June 30, 2006
Yes, Even He Was Booed
"I never heard a crowd boo a homer, but I've heard plenty of boos after a strikeout."
- Babe Ruth, quoted in Grand Slams and Fumbles, by Peter Bellenson (as referenced in Baseball's Greatest Quotations).
Yeah, Yankees fans used to boo Babe Ruth. This sort of puts some perspective on all the "How can the fans boo?" talk today. Last time I checked, this Ruth fellow was a pretty fair ballplayer. It just goes to show - everyone gets booed at one time or another.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:47 PM | Comments (0)
June 26, 2006
Randy Velarde
When I saw this list, I did a double-take. It's most games played for the Yankees for the period 1981 through 2005:
Rank/Player/Games
1 Bernie Williams 1945
2 Don Mattingly 1785
3 Derek Jeter 1525
4 Paul O'Neill 1254
5 Dave Winfield 1172
6 Jorge Posada 1145
7 Tino Martinez 1054
8 Willie Randolph 997
9 Mike Pagliarulo 703
10 Randy Velarde 673
Yes, prior to this season, in the last quarter-century, only 9 men played more games for the New York Yankees than Randy Velarde.
Wow.
But, then I remembered something that I wrote 14 months ago -
Randy Velarde appeared in twenty more games as a member of the New York Yankees than Reggie Jackson did as a Yankee.
Velarde was in New York for a while, eh? Maybe they should write a song about Randy? How about.....
Velarde, oh, oh!
Cantare, oh, oh, oh, oh!
OK, so, it's been done before. Still, how many Yankees fans think of Randy Velarde in terms of being a Yankees icon?
Before seeing this list today, when I thought of Velarde, I would think of one of five things:
1. He had Rickey-Henderson-like low body fat.
2. His wife (once) referred to him, over the air on a Yankees broadcast (one day) while she was in the booth, as "My sweetie." (If I recall correctly, they showed him on the screen and she said "There's my sweetie" in a Texas accent.)
3. He fielded the grounder that was the last out in Jim Abbott's no-hitter.
4. After leaving the Yankees, he turned an unassisted triple-play against them.
5. He got busted in the BALCO scandal.
I guess now I should think "Modern day Yankees staple" when I think of Velarde. The numbers back it up.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:00 PM | Comments (3)
Tony Solaita
My recent observation on # 51 led to this e-mail from Repoz on the subject:
A little note on Tony Solaita wearing #51...If I'm not mistaken, the Yankees gave him that Sept. number call-up number because he had just come off hitting 51 bombs during his just finished minor league season (49 big flys at High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms in the Carolina League (A) and 2 taters skinned during the Carolina League Playoffs for a total of 51).
Trust me in saying that in Yankeeland...Solaita was the talk of the season...and the wait was on...for one stinkin' Yankee at bat!
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B09160DET1968.htm
And his sad obit...
OK, so, Solaita was the hot-shot power prospect at the end of the '60s. And, we had Bam Bam Meulens at the end of the '80's. Where's the one for now?
It should be one every twenty years, right?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:37 AM | Comments (1)
June 23, 2006
Area 51
I've been thumbing through "Now Batting, Number... The Mystique, Superstition, and Lore of Baseball's Uniform Numbers."
This book includes listings of the complete rosters of all thirty Major League teams with each player’s number and position since 1929.
It has some typos on player names - that I've noticed already. But, it's a fun book. For instance, who were the men to wear # 51 for the Yankees? Here's the list:
George McQuinn 1947
Frank Leja 1954-55
Jim Coates 1956
Gordon Windhorn 1959
Pete Mikkelsen 1964-65
Tony Solaita 1968
Ron Klimkowski 1969
Terry Whitfield 1974
Larry McCall 1977-78
Cecilio Guante 1987-88
Don Schultze 1989
Chuck Cary 1989-91
and, Bernie Williams since 1991.
Pete Mikkelsen was a Staten Island native (like myself). If I remember right, no Staten Islander has pitched in more big league games than him.
But, clearly, when the Yankees retire #51 for Bernie, there will be no debate on "They should have retired it for so-and-so first."
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:42 PM | Comments (1)
June 21, 2006
Yankee Birthday Data
Did you know (?) that:
+ Jim Beattie and George Steinbrenner share the same birthday.
+ There have been 88 men to play for the Yankees who were born in the month of May - the only month in the year to have less than 100 men born (in it) who went on to wear the pinstripes.
+ The only "Leap Year Baby" to ever play for the Yankees was Terrence Long.
+ There's never been someone, yet, born in 1985 to play for the Yankees.
Lee Sinins was very kind to supply me with the birth dates of everyone to play for the Yankees to date. Putting it into a spreadsheet allows for lots of sorting fun.
Did you know that Alan Embree and Mark Wohlers were born on the same exact month/day/year? Bernie Williams and Denny Neagle were born on the same month/day/year as well. Ditto Clay Bellinger and Gary Sheffield.
Did you know that Tony Clark, Ramiro Mendoza and Andy Pettitte were all born on the same exact month/day/year?
Fun stuff. (Thanks Lee!)
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:30 AM | Comments (11)
June 20, 2006
Mantle, Warming Up In The Pen
By now, you may have seen the story about Mickey Mantle's reported personal "experiences" at Yankee Stadium.
Part of me questions how such documents have fallen into the hands of those who are reporting this story - and therefore I have to wonder if this is legit or not.
But, part of me thinks that it could be true - based on an encounter that someone (close to me) had with Mantle back in the 1980's.
Mantle was at a function held in the Binghamton Club. The person (close to me) was working at the event - and they thought this was a great chance to get Mick's autograph (for me).
Mantle was more than willing to sign. But, as I was told, "He tried to sign my boob first." It seems Mantle had a few (what the Scooter would call) "lollipops" at the club that day and was feeling free and easy.
When his idea was rejected, Mickey did agree to sign a cocktail napkin (for me). I have it somewhere - I should look for it. (I haven't looked at it in years.)
Anyway, it seems from most reports that Mantle had a very bawdy-side to him. So, the answer that he reportedly provided in the documents does not shock me.
I would just like to know the source of the documents before I waste any serious time considering if they're real or not.
Update, 11:14 pm ET, 6-20-06: The author of the Mantle report was very kind to contact me and share some information - that I will not detail here, out of respect for the author and to ensure that I do not cause problems for their source - that now makes me believe that the Mantle documents in their report are the real deal. I'm not 100% certain on this - as a fact. But, I think the odds are in favor of these documents being what they appear to be in the report.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:38 PM | Comments (5)
June 17, 2006
Perfect Ten
Ken Rosenthal (at FOXSports.com) has made a list of Derek Jeter's top 10 signature moments.
If I was 12-years-old, I would probably print out the list and tack it to my bedroom wall. But, since I'm 43, I'll just link to it in my blog instead.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:51 AM | Comments (1)
June 08, 2006
Backstop Brains
Ever notice how many former Yankees players are now coaches at the big league level? Here's a list, by my eye-balls:
D-Backs: Bob Melvin & Mike Aldrete
Braves: Bobby Cox
Orioles: Rick Dempsey
White Sox: Tim Raines & Don Cooper
Reds: Jerry Narron, Chris Chambliss, & Bucky Dent
Indians: Joel Skinner
Rockies: Dave Collins, Mike Gallego, & Jamie Quirk
Tigers: Don Salught
Marlins: Joe Girardi & Bobby Meacham
Astros: Jose Cruz. Sr.
Dodgers: Mariano Duncan
Brewers: Bill Castro, Dale Sveum, & Butch Wynegar
Mets: Willie Randolph & Sandy Alomar Sr.
A's: Bob Geren
Pirates: Jeff Manto
Giants: Dave Righetti & Joe Lefebvre
Mariners: Ron Hassey
Devil-Rays: Bobby Ramos
Blue Jays: Brad Arnsberg
Nationals: John Wetteland
Notice that 11 of these guys were catchers. Makes sense - catchers know the game and the Yankees had 36 different men catch a game for them between 1981 and 2005.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:39 PM | Comments (4)
June 05, 2006
Number One Mistakes
Kevin Goldstein, formerly of BA and now with BP, has a feature in the NY Sun today, on recent Yankees Number One Picks:
1997: Tyrell Godwin, outfielder. Godwin didn't sign, choosing instead to go to college. He was a career minor leaguer until he got into three games with the Nationals last year.
1998: Andy Brown,outfielder.18-year-old, 6-foot-7-inch man-child from Indiana had power, but couldn't hit. Struck out 182 times in 2000 and was released in 2004 with a career average of .228.
1999: David Walling, RHP. Polished college pitcher dominated at lower levels, but had ERA above five after A-ball. Released in 2002.
2000: David Parrish, catcher. Son of eight-time all-star backstop Lance, the kid didn't have dad's power, hitting 24 home runs in 489 minor league games before the Yanks gave up on him.
2001: John-Ford Griffin, outfielder. Griffin hit .450 in his final year at Florida State, but was never able to duplicate that as a pro, and he spent barely a year in the system before moving to Oakland as part of the complicated Jeff Weaver deal in 2002. Now in Triple-A with the Blue Jays and going nowhere fast.
Clueless picks, indeed.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:52 AM | Comments (8)
June 03, 2006
Using Many Players
I was just curious as to how many times each season, over the past decade, did the Yankees have a batter on their roster get at least 100 At Bats (ABs)? So, I looked. Here are the results:
Season - Number of Players on Team With at least 100 ABs (that year)
1996 - 14
1997 - 16
1998 - 13
1999 - 13
2000 - 15
2001 - 10
2002 - 13
2003 - 17
2004 - 14
2005 - 12
Interesting, in 2001, it was all about Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Alfonso Soriano, Chuck Knoblauch, Paul O'Neill, Jorge Posada, Scott Brosius, David Justice and Shane Spencer for the Yankees. Those ten guys did most of the batting for the team.
In 2003, the Yankees ran a lot of players to the dish. Here's the gang with at least 100 ABs that season: Alfonso Soriano, Hideki Matsui, Jason Giambi, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Nick Johnson, Raul Mondesi, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile, Aaron Boone
Ruben Sierra, Juan Rivera, Karim Garcia, Enrique Wilson, John Flaherty, and Erick Almonte.
For the record, the Yankees reached the World Series in both these seasons and lost each time.
On the whole, over the last 10 years, on average, the Yankees have had 13.7 batters each season get at least 100 ABs during the year.
This does make sense - figure 8 position players, a DH, and a back-up catcher, outfielder, and middle infielder (which totals 12) and allow for one more player to be traded or injured in a season. It's easy to see how a team can reach 13 players with at least 100 ABs in a year.
How about 2006? The Yankees have 9 players this season already reach 100 ABs. And, there are four more players that should reach it soon. That would make 13. So, it looks like this years team is right about on pace with recent Yankees teams - in terms of the number of players used on a semi-regular basis.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:41 PM | Comments (2)
May 31, 2006
Studio 54
Today, I was wondering "How many former Yankees are currently still active with other major league teams?"
So, I asked Lee Sinins if there was a way to get this list from the raw data behind the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia. Here's the answer:
Mark Bellhorn
Armando Benitez
Aaron Boone
Joe Borowski
Tony Clark
Brandon Claussen
Jose Contreras
David Dellucci
Alan Embree
Tom Gordon
Todd Greene
Jason Grimsley
Brad Halsey
Chris Hammond
Orlando Hernandez
D'Angelo Jimenez
Nick Johnson
Steve Karsay
Randy Keisler
Matt Lawton
Ricky Ledee
Travis Lee
Jon Lieber
Ted Lilly
Esteban Loaiza
Kenny Lofton
Mike Lowell
Dan Miceli
Terry Mulholland
Dioner Navarro
Jeff Nelson
Andy Pettitte
Juan Rivera
Felix Rodriguez
Kenny Rogers
Ruben Sierra
J.T. Snow
Alfonso Soriano
Russ Springer
Mike Stanton
Marcus Thames
Javier Vazquez
Mike Vento
Jose Vizcaino
David Weathers
Jeff Weaver
David Wells
Jake Westbrook
Rondell White
Bob Wickman
Chris Widger
Todd Williams
Jay Witasick
Tony Womack
No wonder why it seems like every time the Yankees play someone there's a Yankees alum on the team. There's 54 players on this list.
Thanks to Lee for answering the question.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:33 PM | Comments (4)
May 28, 2006
21 Club
Using the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia, I decided to look at how some recent Yankees did at age 21, in terms of stats, compared to what Melky Cabrera has done already this season at the same age:
Right off the top, notice that it's been 30 years since a 21-year-old has played (for the Yankees) as much as Melky Cabrera has to date. That's impressive.
Secondly, Melky (again, to date) has had more success at the major league level than Jeter and Mattingly did at the same age.
Can Cabrera be as good as Derek or Donnie? Well, no one knows right now. He might. He could turn out like Grady Sizemore or Johnny Damon, for all we know. Or, his career could go the Claudell Washington or Chet Lemon route.
How about Dwight Evans-like? That would not be too shabby.
In any event, it is exciting to watch a home-grown kid like this get a chance at such a young age. It's like Cano last year, Jeter in 1996, Bernie Williams in 1991, and Mattingly in 1983. As crazy as this might sound, at this moment, Melky Cabrera might just be my favorite Yankee.
Of course, if he goes 8 for his next 75 ABs, things could always change.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2006
Mind Games
While attending the big May 16th comeback game the other day, I told my game-mate for the evening, Alex Belth, that I remembered once going to a game at the Stadium where the Yankees were down 8-0, against Frank Tanana, when Tanana was a fire-balling ace, and they came back to score 8 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning.
Thinking about that game some more today, I decided to look for it at Retrosheet.org.
And, I found it: August 22, 1976
What a game that was for me. I was almost 14-years-old at the time.
Tanana shutout the Yankees for 8 innings - while Catfish Hunter and Ron Guidry allowed the Angels to score eight runs.
That led to the bottom of the 9th, which went down like this (according to Retrosheet):
Munson grounded out (shortstop to first);
Piniella singled to right;
Chambliss doubled to right [Piniella to third];
Nettles singled to right [Piniella scored, Chambliss to third];
Velez walked [Nettles to second];
Healy singled to center [Chambliss scored, Nettles to third, Velez to second];
Randolph doubled to right [Nettles scored, Velez scored, Healy to third];VERHOEVEN REPLACED TANANA (PITCHING);
C. MAY BATTED FOR STANLEY;C. May singled to right [Healy scored, Randolph scored];
White homered [C. May scored];
Munson made an out to left;
Piniella reached on an error by Remy [Piniella to first];RIVERS RAN FOR PINIELLA;
MONGE REPLACED VERHOEVEN (PITCHING);Rivers was picked off and caught stealing second (pitcher to first to shortstop);
Check that out. In the year where he won the MVP, Munson made the first two outs of the 9th inning where the Yankees scored 8 runs to comeback from 8-0. Wow. Imagine what the media would do today to A-Rod if he did what Munson did back then?
Anyway, what's funny (at least now) is that the Yankees blew the game in the 11th inning. It's funny because I don't remember that part at all - I just remember the fact that they scored 8 in the 9th after being shutout all day.
What I also found interesting about this game, looking at it today, was the attendance: 52,864.
It must have been a give-away day or something. I wonder where that give-away is today, 30 years later? I still have a THURMAN MUNSON bat and a MICKEY RIVERS bat in the garage that I got as a kid at various "Bat Day" games. Could one of them be from that game? I'll never know.
The May 16th game this year was a give-way night - Calendar Night. Somehow, I don't think that I will be hanging on to that for 30 years.
But, just like the 8-0 comeback from 1976, I'll hang on to the memory of 5/16/06 for a long time......
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:17 PM | Comments (10)
Jimmy Key
The Yankees could use a Jimmy Key right about now........
From The State.com:
JIMMY KEY CAPTURED All-ACC honors at two positions, won 186 major-league games and finished high in the American League Cy Young Award balloting three times.
He made the AL All-Star team four times and earned the victory in the decisive World Series game in 1992 and ‘96.
Those achievements require no embellishment and make him a worthy selection for the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2006.
But there is more.
Ask about Key, who will be among eight inducted into the state athletic shrine Monday night at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, and a pattern emerges: Jimmy Key defines class.
“Unbelievable; a reporter’s dream on and off the field,” said Bill Madden, national baseball columnist for the New York Daily News.
“A winner and a guy not overly impressed with himself,” said Gene Michael, the general manager who signed Key for the Yankees and is now an adviser to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
Michael, then Yankees general manager, looked for free-agent pitchers after the 1992 season. His first choice: Greg Maddux. His second: Jimmy Key.
“Jimmy was such a smart pitcher,” Michael said. “I can’t imagine Whitey Ford being any smarter. They were the same type of pitchers, and they were winners.”
Playing and pitching for the Yankees is no place for the faint of heart. The media horde, tabloids and talk shows test the strongest resolve.
“He said something at the press conference (to announce his signing) that told me we had the right guy,” Michael said. “Someone asked about (the pressure of) pitching in New York, and he said something like, my wife always says I’m lifeless.
“His saying that about himself impressed me, and I knew we didn’t have to worry about his getting overly excited. He didn’t worry about what anybody was thinking or saying.”
Some players tend to duck the media after bad games, but Madden said the press never had to worry about Key.
“He was always cooperative, always there after games,” he said. “You could go to him for an evaluation of a situation or a whole game, and he would be right on.”
Something to remember about Key, as a member of the Yankees, in the post-season, he was always good. Not many of the other "great" recent Yankees pitchers can say that.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:55 AM | Comments (2)
May 09, 2006
Three Of A Rare Kind
What do Dave Collins, J.T. Snow, and Melky Cabrera have in common?
They're the only switch-hitters who also throw left-handed to play for the Yankees. (And, Snow later in his career stopped switch-hitting.)
There have only been 46 "Bats Both, Throws Left" non-pitchers in baseball history. That's a small group. Most of them have been inferior players. Lance Berkman is by far the best of the bunch.
Hopefully, Melky can be the exception - like Berkman - instead of being like most of the forty-six. (See: Rich Becker, John Cangelosi, Doug Dascenzo, or Mitch Webster for an example.)
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:39 PM | Comments (5)
April 28, 2006
Steve Howe
From the AP tonight:
Steve Howe, the relief pitcher whose promising career was derailed by cocaine and alcohol abuse, died Friday when his pickup truck rolled over in Coachella, Calif. He was 48.
Howe was killed at 5:55 a.m. PDT, said Dalyn Backes of the Riverside County coroner's office. The accident occurred about 130 miles east of Los Angeles.
Howe will likely forever be the whipping boy of anyone bounced from the game looking for a second chance. We've heard it before - "Why can't I get a second chance? Steve Howe was suspended seven times and was allowed to keep coming back!"
Regardless of your position on that issue, as a Yankees fan, there's something else to remember about Howe. He was a New York Yankee. In fact, while many think of him as being a member of the Dodgers, consider this: Howe pitched in 231 games for Los Angeles and in 229 for New York. So, what, those two extra games make him more of a Dodger than a Yankee?
And, while he was in New York, Howe performed. Look at these stats via the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia - all pitchers with at least 200 IP for the Yankees from 1991 through 1996:
Some might like to say that, if you looked up the word "schlimazzel" in the dictionary, you'd find a picture of Steve Howe.
But, all things considered, Howe did a fairly good job on the mound for the Yankees. I just hope that some people can realize that when they look back at his life now.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:14 PM | Comments (2)
April 19, 2006
The Big O's Hair Do's and Don'ts
The Chicago Tribune is running a story featuring Oscar Gamble and his famous 'fro. Some Yankees history that I was not aware of:
When the Indians traded him [Gamble] to the Yankees in 1976, Gamble knew it was over. Owner George Steinbrenner's edict of neatly cut hair was already in place. When Gamble showed up in the Yankees' locker room, there was no uniform. No haircut, no uniform.
Gamble had a deal to do a commercial for Afro Sheen, but the Yankees won out. A team public-relations official arranged for a haircut. Gamble's wife cried at the senseless loss.
Steinbrenner paid for the haircut and gave him $5,000 in compensation for not being able to do the commercial.
This is the first that I've heard of Big Stein kicking in the five grand. He didn't have to do that. Cool. With inflation, I wonder what Johnny Damon would have gotten this year - if he had a hair deal too?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:26 AM | Comments (1)
April 08, 2006
Where There's Smoke.....
From Movieweb -
Sports cable network, ESPN, has announced it will develop the series The Bronx Is Burning, the first of its kind for the network.
The eight-episode scripted series will dramatize the New York Yankees' championship run in 1977 while the city nearly collapsed in racial tension, fear from serial killer Son of Sam, a crippling economic crisis and even an East Coast blackout, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The series is based on the Jonathan Mahler book Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning. It will begin airing in the fall.
Every time I hear "The Bronx Is Burning," the music to "Our Beds Are Burning" starts in my head. Maybe that song should be the Yankees theme song this year?
I wonder if Peter Garrett can pitch?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:03 PM | Comments (2)
April 03, 2006
Opening Day Thoughts
It's funny what you think about sometimes on Opening Day. Just now, today, I was thinking about 1985.
On April 9th of that season, Gary Carter hit a walk-off HR for the Mets on Opening Day. And, of course, the Mets fans went nuts - as it was Carter's first game as a Met, etc. The week that followed was not a great time to be a Yankees fan living in NYC - because all your heard was "Mets" and "Carter."
Then, on April 16th, at the Yankees home opener, Don Baylor hit a walk-off HR to win the game for the Yankees.
Of course, everyone at the Stadium went loco. And, as we all were parading down the ramps to get out of the ballpark, all you heard was tens-of-thousands of people chanting "F*ck Gary Carter, F*uck Gary Carter."
Ah, good times.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:39 PM | Comments (4)
April 02, 2006
Why The Yankees Will Lose Tomorrow....
....because it almost always happens.
First, in the last 10 years (prior to this one), the Yankees have only "opened" at home twice (2001 & 2005).
And, in those 8 times where they started the year on the road, their record is 3-5 in "Opening Days." (If you exclude 1996, then the record is 2-5.)
Which three "roadies" did they win?
1996 - at the Indians, 7-1.
2000 - at the Angels, 3-2.
2003 - at the Blue Jays, 8-4.
How about, in the last ten years, when they opened on the West Coast, how did those go?
1997 - at the Mariners, lost, 4-2.
1998 - at the Angels, lost, 4-1.
1999 - at the A's, lost, 5-3.
2000 - at the Angels, won, 3-2.
That's 1-3 and the one win was a close one. Not good.
How about just the last four years?
2002 - at the Orioles, lost, 10-3.
2003 - at the Blue Jays, won, 8-4.
2004 - at the Devil Rays (in Japan), lost, 8-3.
2005 - Red Sox at NY, won, 9-2.
OK, that's a little better - it's .500. But, still, not overly impressive - considering that it's the O's, Jays, and Rays in the mix.
Now, on the plus side, in the years where they won "Game 1" on the road, New York went on to the World Series in those seasons. In fact, if you look at all the Torre "WS Years" this is how they did in Game 1:
1996 - Won @ Indians, 7-1.
1998 - Lost @ Angels, 4-1.
1999 - Lost @ A's, 5-3.
2000 - Won @ Angels, 3-2.
2001 - Won vs. KC in NY, 7-3.
2003 - Won @ Jays, 8-4.
So, is it safe to say if the Yankees win, or lose a close game, in Game 1 of a season that it's a good sign?
At this stage of the year, I'll roll with that.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:39 PM | Comments (3)
March 27, 2006
Jerry Narron On Munson
From HeraldTribune.com -
But to those fans who recall the predecessor to Lou Gehrig for the Yankees (Wally Pipp), and the first baseman who followed (Babe Dahlgren), Narron might best be remembered as the Yankees' catcher the game after the death of Thurman Munson.
New York's captain and grass-stained heartbeat died on Aug. 2, 1979, when his Cessna Citation jet crashed 1,000 feet short of the runway at Canton-Akron Airport in Ohio.
At the time, Narron was 23-year-old rookie catcher with the Yankees. Munson proved an enviable role model. He joined the Yankees in 1969 after fewer than 100 games in the minors and won Rookie of the Year honors in 1970, hitting .302.
"I learned a great deal from him,'' said Narron.
Munson's death, as he practiced landings and take-offs, happened on a Thursday, a Yankee off-day.
Narron, who roomed with reliever Ron Davis at the time, remembered Davis answering the phone in their apartment, "and, to be honest, I can't even remember who called us (with the news),'" said Narron.
"I think everybody who played with (Munson) still misses him,'' Narron said, "and thinks about him at times.''
If Narron ever makes it to a Yankees Old-Timer's Game, the fans should give him a good hand. He deserves it.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)
March 24, 2006
Thanks Looie!
I see that Ron Blomberg has a new book out.
I wonder how different life would be for Ronnie if Luis Tiant did not have some early game wildness back in 1973?
Baseball, quite often, is like real estate - it's all about location.
In any event, the Blomberg story is an interesting one - as he could hit, without question. It's a shame that he could not stay healthy.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:06 PM | Comments (4)
What's In A Name?
Just checking now, I realized that "Mike" Mussina is probably the greatest "Mike" in Yankees history. See the list:
Mike Pagliarulo
Mike Stanley
Mike Gallego
Mike Easler
Mike McNally
Mike Gazella
Mike Garbark
Mike Hegan
Mike Milosevich
Mike Kekich
Mike Blowers
Mike Fischlin
Mike Humphreys
Mike Ferraro
Mike Heath
Mike Aldrete
Mike Stanton
Mike Chartak
Mike Fitzgerald
Mike Patterson
Mike O'Berry
Mike Powers
Mike McCormick
Mike Lowell
Mike Mussina
Mike Donovan
Mike Handiboe
Mike Figga
Mike Thurman
Mike Vento
And, we know that "Derek" Jeter is the greatest "Derek" in Yankees history. Ditto the guys flanking him - "Alex" Rodriguez and "Robinson" Cano. Also, in the "Jason" department, it's Giambi, Grimsley and Anderson - so, Giambi wins. And, "Jorge" Posada is the only "Jorge" in Yankees history.
Do we even need to discuss "Hideki"?
There's been a lot of "Johnny's" to wear the pinstripes:
Johnny Lindell
Johnny Blanchard
Johnny Murphy
Johnny Mize
Johnny Grabowski
Johnny Kucks
Johnny Sain
Johnny Callison
Johnny Sturm
Johnny Broaca
Johnny Allen
Johnny Hopp
Johnny Oates
Johnny James
Johnny Johnson
Johnny Mitchell
Johnny Lucadello
Johnny Cooney
Johnny Priest
Johnny Schmitz
So, Damon has a way to go.
I was suprised at how few "Gary's" there were:
Gary Sheffield
Gary Ward
Gary Roenicke
Gary Thomasson
Gary Waslewski
Gary Blaylock
Gary Jones
Sheffield is the best ever here. And, "Bernie" Williams only has "Bernie" Allen in his way. Also, "Mariano" Rivera only has "Mariano" Duncan.
What about "Randy" Johnson? You tell me:
Randy Velarde
Randy Gumpert
Randy Choate
Randy Johnson
Randy Keisler
I could go on for a while with this - but, I think the point is made. This Yankees group is the "best" ever in terms of their relative first names (as a whole). That's kind of interesting, at least to me.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:54 AM | Comments (7)
March 22, 2006
It's The Little Things That Get Ya
Tony Womack's hit in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.
Shawn Wooten's two big hits in the 5th inning of Game 4 of the 2002 ALDS.
Alex Gonzalez' HR in the bottom of the 12th of Game 4 of the 2003 World Series.
Dave Roberts steal in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.
Orlando Cabrera's 2-out 7th inning hit in Game 2 of the 2005 ALDS.
Bugs can bug ya, huh?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:02 PM | Comments (6)
March 13, 2006
It tells time simultaneously in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Schtahd!
From NationalJeweler.com -
Baseball historians-cum-watch fans take note: A March 15 Antiquorum auction will feature the stainless steel Rolex watch presented to New York Yankee Al Downing after the team won the American League championship in 1964.
The timepiece, Rolex's stainless steel "Chronograph," Ref. 6238, will go on the block at at Antiquorum's "Important Collectors' Wristwatches, Pocket Watches and Clocks" event, slated to take place at New York's Grand Havana Room 666 Fifth Avenue at 53rd Street. The sale will also feature timepieces from Keith Jarrett's watch collection, according to an Antiquorum release.
Downing, original owner of the sale's baseball-pedigreed watch, played mainly for the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout his 17-year career in major league baseball. Infamously, Downing gave up Hank Aaron's 715th home run in 1974, enabling Aaron to break the home run record formerly held by baseball legend Babe Ruth.
Click here if you want to know why it's being sold in New York.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2006
Smart Lady
From The Mercury News:
With seven more home runs, the Giants' Barry Bonds would move into second place on baseball's all-time list.
Or, as Julia Ruth Stevens put it: ``Daddy will go down to third.''
The man she calls daddy is the man the rest of the world calls Babe Ruth. Stevens lives in Sun City, Ariz., just a short drive from where Commissioner Bud Selig announced this week that he would launch a review into the latest steroid allegations surrounding Bonds.
The Babe's adopted daughter is 88 and legally blind, but she can see the news if she sits close enough to her big-screen television. Her heart sank as she watched the latest Bonds events unfold this week.
``I personally hate controversy,'' Stevens said, hesitantly. ``But I really and truly think baseball waited too long to do something about it. They should have done something right away and nipped this in the bud.
``They hung around and hung around until it was too late.''
``Daddy's going down to third in that particular category, but I think he'll always be No. 1 in people's hearts,'' she said.
It's kinda cute to hear an 88-year-old woman refer to someone as "Daddy," no?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2006
Andre Robertson
Today, for no reason in particular, my thoughts have wandered towards Andre Robertson.
I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Robertson. Back in 1981, I was attending Baruch College in NYC. One day then, I had tickets for a night game at Yankee Stadium. Rather than take the train and the ferry back to Staten Island, and the haul up to the Bronx from there, I decided to go straight to the ballpark after school (where my dad would meet me later).
I got up to Stadium very early - hours before game time. As I was by myself, I killed time as best as I could outside - and then went in to the park as soon as the gates opened.
Hardly anyone was there while the Yankees were taking batting practice. I was 18 at the time - and somewhat shy back then (when in places where I did not know anyone). So, I sat in my seat - field boxes on the first base side - and just watched BP.
An usher came up to me, who must have felt sorry for me being by myself, and said "Why sit here? Why not go down to the railing and maybe see if you can get an autograph or a ball?" So, I did.
Just as I got to the dugout, out popped a skinny kid that the Yankees had just called up. Being a Yankees nut, I knew that it was Andre Robertson. So, I said "Hey, Andre, welcome to the big leagues!"
He turned to me with a look of shock that someone actually knew who he was - and we both stared at each other, not knowing what to do next. Somehow, I managed to say "Can I have your autograph?" And, he said yes. But, the only paper that I had on me was a brown paper bag that I brought to the game with some snacks. And, yes, you guessed it, I had him sign that.
Naturally, I kept my eye on this prospect from there out. And, he was an exciting fielder. He made some plays at SS where he looked like Spiderman.
Two years after our meeting, Andre was involved in a terrible car accident - entering the West Side Highway, around West 72d Street - as a result of improper placement of a sign warning of a curve. And, that led to the end of his career.
And, still, to this day, I have to wonder what could have been for Andre. It's such a shame.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)
March 05, 2006
Jim Kaat
Jim Kaat pitched in 44 games for the Yankees during 1979-1980. He was then already 40-years-old and past his prime.
But, from 1962 through 1976, Kaat was one of the best starting pitchers in the major leagues. See the following chart of all pitchers with at least 200 starts during that 15-year period, via the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia:
So, in the decade and a half from 1962 through 1976, how many big league pitchers had 200+ starts, 2000+ IP, with at least 200 Neutral Wins? See the following:
Note the pitchers just ahead of Kaat: Gibson, Perry, Marichal and Jenkins. That's Cooperstown material. So, why is Kaat also not in the Baseball Hall of Fame?
It's probably because Kaat hung on to pitch 7 more years after 1976 - until he was 44-years-old - mostly out of the bullpen (for the Phillies, Yankees and Cardinals). And, he was not very effective in that role:
Sadly, what happens sometimes with ball players is that the last memory becomes the lasting memory. And, this is probably why Jim Kaat gets passed by for Cooperstown consideration.
It's a shame. When a guy averages 34+ starts a year for a 15-year period, and is one of the best starters in baseball during that time, one would think that would be enough. In fact, since 1900, how many pitchers have made 34+ starts in a season, more than ten times? See below:
Look at those names: Sutton, Spahn, Maddux, Niekro, Carlton, Mathewson, Perry, Bunning, Walter Johnson, Kaat, Jenkins, Jack Morris, Seaver and Blyleven. All of inactives there are in Cooperstown except Kaat, Morris and Blyleven. And, if you look at pitchers with "good seasons" and 34+ starts, and move the bar to 10 seasons, this is what you get:
This makes it just Kaat and Blyleven who are not in the Hall of Fame.
Now, I'm not saying that Jim Kaat is in the class of a Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, or Juan Marichal type pitcher. But, if you discount the "hanging on" years, he was pretty close to being in the team pitcher with them.
I know that sticking around got Kaat a World Series ring in 1982. And, that's an interesting deal. Tim Raines Sr. has the same situation. Had Raines retired after 1995, maybe he gets more consideration from the Cooperstown voters. But, instead, Tim hung on for several more years, as a bench player, and gave the voters a different lasting impression than they would have in 1996. But, then again, Raines got a couple of World Series rings by sticking around.
Perhaps Kaat will still get into Cooperstown someday? But, it would be nice if it happened soon - as Jim will be 68 later this year. At the least, it would be nice to see him get the fair consideration that he deserves.
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Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:59 AM | Comments (2)
February 28, 2006
Best Threat Off The Bench For Torre
In "Joe's Run," who was the best threat off the bench for the Yankees?
Tim Raines in 1996?
Shane Spencer in 1998?
Darryl Strawberry in 1999?
Glenallen Hill in 2000?
How about the "non-ring" years?
Mike Stanley or Mark Whiten in 1997?
Enrique Wilson in 2001?
John Vander Wal in 2002?
Karim Garcia in 2003?
Tony Clark in 2004?
Bubba Crosby or Ruben Sierra in 2005?
Who will it be in 2006? Andy Phillips?
It seems that the Yankees need a strong bat on the bench to win it all, no?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:42 PM | Comments (5)
Yankees Geek Speak
Geek of All Trades has a fun write-up on "Yankees milestones to watch for" this year. It's worth checking out!
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2006
2, 8, and 9
According to Brian Gunn's All-Time All-Franchise All-Star Team, the Yankees are the kings at catcher, center and right.
Sorta falls right into play with the gut of Yankees retired uniform numbers.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:00 PM | Comments (1)
February 14, 2006
Local Boys Make Good
I was just looking at the USA Team for the WBC and noticing the places of birth for each player.
It's funny, in my mind, Jeter is a Kalamazoo guy and A-Rod is a Miami dude. But, technically, I believe that Derek and Alex are the first full-time SS/3B combo for the Yankees where both players were born in the Tri-State Area.
There must have been some good water in the system back in the mid-70's.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:29 PM | Comments (2)
January 26, 2006
The Season Of Their Lives
Tonight, I decided to pop this old MSG VHS puppy into the VCR:
It's the perfect fix for the "It's so close but I can't wait for Pitchers & Catchers" Yankees fan blues. Man, I still have to pump my fist when O'Neill catches the final out of Wells' perfecto. I wish they would do a DVD boxed set of all the "highlight" games from that season. Now, that would be a must-have!
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:14 PM | Comments (3)
January 16, 2006
Best Yankees Team
Roger Weber uses the stats to pick the best team ever. Personally, I think there's a difference between best team and best season.
Still, no matter how you slice it, it would be cool to see the 1998 Yankees play the 1939 Yankees, no?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:22 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2006
13,353
No, it's not a song from Rent. It's the number of batters faced by Red Ruffing while he wore a Yankees uniform - the most ever by a Yankees pitcher.
I have to think, if some were asked, what Yankees pitcher faced the most batters all-time, most would have guessed "Whitey Ford." And, Ford was close - he's second all-time with 13,036.
Call me crazy, but, I don't think we'll ever see someone break this record. That's a lot of batters.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:54 PM | Comments (1)
January 13, 2006
Contact!
Only two Yankees players have had 9+ seasons of 500+ AB with <=50 K's:
Don Mattingly (9) and Joe DiMaggio (10).
Now, for fun, add 15+ HRs to the equation and look in the entire history of the American League.
How many AL batters have had at least 7 seasons with 500+AB/<=50Ks/>=15 HRs? The answer - just three, all Yankees:
Joe DiMaggio (10) and Yogi Berra & Don Mattingly (each with 7).
Al Simmons, Al Kaline, Goose Goslin, and Lou Gehrig did it 6 times. Ted Williams, Charlie Gehringer, Bobby Doerr and Earl Averill are the only AL'ers to do it 5 times.
Source: Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2006
Fast Take Out
Johnny Damon is a very good base stealer. This made me wonder: What other great lead-off type base stealers have the Yankees acquired in the past - and what impact did it have on the team?
Basically, before the Damon deal, the Yankees have acquired 5 "lead-off base stealer" types: Mickey Rivers, Willie Randolph, Rickey Henderson, Steve Sax and Chuck Knoblauch.
And, for the purposes of this study, I'm going to throw out Randolph - because he was not a "proven" big leaguer at the time that he was acquired (like the other players here).
After getting Rivers, the Yankees won 2 rings in the four years that he was in New York.
The Yankees finished 17 games out of 1st the year before Henderson joined the team. In the 1st four years that he was with the team, the Yankees averaged 90 wins a season. He was traded during his 5th Yankees season - a year in which the team finished 14.5 games out of first.
Steve Sax was with the Yankees from 1989 through 1991. While he was in New York, the Yankees averaged 91 losses a year.
And, most people know the story about Knoblauch - he was in New York for 4 seasons and during that time the Yankees won 3 rings and came darn close on a fourth.
In summary, other than Steve Sax, acquiring a lead-off base stealer has usually meant good things for the Yankees. I hope that Damon keeps this trend the same.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:34 PM | Comments (5)
January 06, 2006
The Babe Before "The" Babe
On May 31, 1913, the Yankees traded a then lackadaisical Hal Chase to the White Sox for infielder Rollie Zeider and first baseman Babe Borton.
Babe Borton would go on to play in 33 games for the Yankees that season - batting a whopping .130 in 131 Plate Appearances. (His SLG% in New York was .148.) The following season, "Babe" was not in the majors. (For what it's worth, two years later, both Borton and Chase would be starring in the Federal League together.)
The moral of the story? You can chase for a babe, but, it may be less than what you Borton for........
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:31 PM | Comments (1)
January 05, 2006
The 2nd Greatest Yankee Panamanian?
The Yankees, from 1989 through 1992, were a bad baseball team. The never played .500 ball in any of those years and were usually 20 games out of first by the end of the season. When thinking of those teams, and the best player on them, the conventional wisdom is to say "Poor Don Mattingly, he had to play on all those bad teams."
But, check out this data via the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia:
Was Don Mattingly the best player on those bad teams?
It's not the runaway that people assume. Roberto Kelly was right up there with Donnie Baseball those seasons - in terms of productivity.
Maybe we should start thinking about poor Roberto?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:07 PM | Comments (7)
Hot Cornered Question
Today's question, class, is: At what point does Alex Rodriguez become the greatest third baseman in Yankees history? Some batting stats, via the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia:
The key seems to be: At what point does A-Rod's offensive greatness make up for the difference in games played between him and Graig Nettles?
Personally, I think three more Yankees-years under his belt should do it for Alex. It just seems like a guy should play for a team for at least 5 years before you can say he is their greatest "whatever" of all-time.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:07 AM | Comments (0)
January 03, 2006
86 Years Ago Today.......
Happy Babe Ruth Day!
Maybe someday in the future we can celebrate Johnny Damon Day too?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:45 AM | Comments (1)
January 02, 2006
27
The number "27" has never been a good one for the Yankees.
Elliot Maddox wore it and then busted up his knee in Shea Stadium. Clowns like Jay Johnstone and Mell Hall wore it. And, then there were guys who were supposed to be good and then came to New York and stunk - like Rich Dotson, Rondell White, Kevin Brown and Butch Wynegar - who wore it.
Yes, Bob Wickman and Graeme Lloyd wore it. But, so did Todd Zeile and Aurelio Rodriguez.
I sure hope that none of the "new Yankees" for 2006 decide to wear it. I'm beginning to think it's a bad luck number. After all, how long now have the Yankees been stuck on #26?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:02 AM | Comments (5)
December 26, 2005
Ball Four
Here's a trivia question for the Yankees fan in your life:
Q: Who are the five batters to earn 1,000 or more base on balls while wearing the Yankees pinstripes?
A: Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig.........OK, those are the easy ones...
....and.........
Willie Randolph and Bernie Williams.
And, it's a club that looks to be "un-joined" until at least around the year 2011 when Derek Jeter could join it.
I wonder, if you asked this question to every fan going to Opening Day at the Stadium next year, how many would be able to name all five?
Willie is the kicker. Unless you really appreciated what he did for New York from 1976 through 1988, and knew he had one of the best eyes in the game at that time, you would not think of him to be in this group.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:11 PM | Comments (2)
December 20, 2005
Negative Remark-a-bles
I was looking at Rich Lederer's Overrated Offensive Players feature today and I got an idea. Actually, it was more of a question.
Who, in their Yankees career, had a below average mark in batting average, on-base average, and slugging percentage? And, who in that group had the worst 'sum' of all those negative marks?
Well, thanks to the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia and Excel, here's the list that I came up with - as an answer to that question:
Anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis should not be shocked to see Pee Wee Wanninger on the top of the chart. And, seeing Joel Skinner's name should not be a surprise.
And, don't even get me started again about Enrique Wilson and Tony Womack.
Further, as much as I have complained in the past about David Cone's 2000 season, maybe I should have also opined some about the impact of having Clay Bellinger's 209 Plate Appearances on the 2000 Yankees stats?
Now, what about the 2005 Yankees? Were there any "below average hat trickers" there? Check this out, also from the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia:
That's 1,379 Plate Appearances given to mega-under-performers. Is that a lot? Well, it was 21.5% of the Yankees total Plate Appearances in 2005. Or, in other words, in one out of every five plate appearances by a Yankee last year, an inferior batter was at the plate.
And, the Yankees were still 2nd in the majors last year in runs scored. With a decent bench, New York might have scored 1,000 runs last year - something baseball has not seen since the 1999 Indians. (And, Cleveland was the first team to do that since the 1950 Red Sox.)
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:35 PM | Comments (5)
December 19, 2005
RIP: Barry Halper
From the Daily News:
Barry Halper, the New Jersey businessman and limited partner in the Yankees who amassed what has been acclaimed as the most extensive and valuable collection of baseball memorabilia, died yesterday from complications of diabetes. He was 66.
In all, the Halper collection, which was ultimately sold at auction by Sotheby's in 1999, contained over 100,000 pieces ranging from the truly historic (Babe Ruth's famous camel hair coat, Shoeless Joe Jackson's "black Betsey" bat, the papers of correspondence between Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and Red Sox owner Harry Frazee on the sale of Ruth in 1919), to the truly bizarre (the rifle Ty Cobb's mother used to shoot his father, Cy Young's dentures, and a weather vane that had rested on the roof of a Waterbury, Conn., factory that had once been the home of 19th century Hall of Famer Roger Connor).
At his press conference in Dallas in 1994 announcing his successful liver transplant, Mantle spotted Halper in the audience and cracked: "Hey, Barry, did you get my other liver?"
In addition to his baseball connections - he briefly served as CEO of the Yankees - Halper was a trustee for the St. Barnabas Hospital burn unit in Livingston, and raised tens of thousands of dollars for that institution by having his baseball friends, DiMaggio, Rose et al, speak at fundraisers.
When Halper sold his stuff, I felt terrible for him. As a collector, I would have to imagine that part of the thrill is thinking that the collection would remain in the family for years. But, a year after he sold his memorabilia, I saw the following clip on "why" -
The auction of Barry Halper's baseball memorabilia last year featured some of the most unique items from the national pastime ever assembled.
Had Halper's collection remained intact and put in a museum, it would have rivaled that of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Halper wanted to see the collection kept together, but when that did not come to fruition he decided to part with it via an auction conducted by Sotheby's.
"I hated to break it up, but in fairness to my family it needed to be done," Halper, 60, said in a recent phone interview from his home in New Jersey.
Halper recalled reading about the struggles the family of former Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie went through when he died because of the taxes involved.
"I vowed that wouldn't happen," Halper said.
Halper gave the Hall of Fame first shot at any items in his collection. Major League Baseball reportedly paid $7.5 million to $8 million for about 20 percent of the collection and donated it to the Hall of Fame.
When you think of all the work and pride that went into a collection like his, there's no amount of money that can make up for that.
It almost makes me want to say - if you have some good "stuff" like his, just keep it quiet, and give it to your family before you pass, and tell them to enjoy it in quiet too - and save yourself some grief.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:42 AM | Comments (1)
December 18, 2005
Way To Go Oh-High-Oh
Yes, the Big Stein was born in Ohio. As was Yankees-brain-legend Gene Michael. And, Roger Clemens was born in Ohio - but was raised in Texas.
But, have you ever noticed how many big hits in Yankees history came from players born in Ohio? Jim Leyritz, Tommy Henrich, Thurman Munson, Paul O'Neill, David Justice, Chris Chambliss and Gene Woodling were all born in Ohio.
Have I mentioned that Todd Hollandsworth is from Ohio?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2005
Joel Sherman's "Birth of a Dynasty"
Next April, Rodale Books will be releasing "Birth of a Dynasty: A Behind-the-Pinstripes Look at How the 1996 Yankees of Torre, Jeter, Cone, Rivera, Doc, and Darryl came Together to Spark One of the Greatest Runs in Baseball History" by Joel Sherman.
Rodale is the same group that brought us Pete Rose's "My Prison Without Bars."
I wonder if Sherman's book will have any insightful and not generally publicly known tales. If it does, it could be a fun read.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2005
They're Almost All Gone
I was just thinking about the 1998-2001 Yankees - the team that made it to the World Series four years in a row, winning 3 rings, and coming within 3 outs of winning four World Championships in a row. To my knowledge, there are just 13 men who played on all four of those Yankees teams. Here's the list and where they are now:
El Duque Hernandez - now pitching in Arizona
Scott Brosius - retired
Derek Jeter - still going strong in New York
Chuck Knoblauch - retired
Ramiro Mendoza - getting close to being retired
Paul O'Neill - retired
Andy Pettitte - now starring in Houston
Jorge Posada - still in New York through 2007
Mariano Rivera - still going strong in New York
Luis Sojo - retired
Shane Spencer - for all I know, he's retired
Mike Stanton - should be retired
Bernie Williams - should be retired
When you look at how many from those teams are retired, near retirement, or should be retired, it helps you realize just how long it's been since we saw the last great Yankees team.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:50 AM | Comments (6)
December 14, 2005
Dave LaPoint
I was just playing around with the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia - something that I find myself doing just about everyday - looking for a Yankees pitcher who had a season like Carl Pavano's 2005. This is what I found:
It's funny that Dave LaPoint came up. He too, like Pavano, was a "local boy" who signed a Free Agent contract with the Yankees following the season where he was 28-years-old. Granted, Pavano was not as bad as LaPoint in his first season in New York. But, neither of them did well during their first tour with the pinstripes.
LaPoint currently works as the director of player procurement for the Long Island Ducks in the Atlantic League.
LaPoint eventually was released by the Yankees following the 1990 season. I hope the Yankees don't have to end up doing the same with Pavano in 2007.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:09 PM | Comments (1)
December 09, 2005
Bernie In The Post-Season
I just saw this quote today from Joe Torre on the value of adding Bernie Williams to the Yankees in 2006:
"The most important thing is (Williams) wants to be here, and we want him here," Torre said. "It makes sense that they'll be able to make a deal. I'm sure he could probably go somewhere else and demand more things. But he seems comfortable here. I treasure our relationship."
Torre said the switch-hitter will likely fill the role Ruben Sierra handled last season.
"The one thing about Bernie is that ... he may not be blessed with the instincts that other players have. But when the postseason comes around, he doesn't scare. That's an area where you really trust him."
It appears that Joe is looking to get Bernie 200-300 ABs this year - as Sierra has done the past few seasons. That could be a problem. Nonetheless, I wanted to look now at what Bernie has done in the post-season - because of Torre's remark - and this is what I saw:
It's interesting when you stack out the numbers like this. In summary, Bernie's had 11 post-season series where he stunk, 3 where he was average, and 10 post-season series where he excelled with the bat.
The Yankees won all three series where Bernie was average with the bat. And, when Williams excelled at the plate, the team went 6-4. But, in the 11 post-season series where Bernie was just horrendous with the stick, the Yankees went 8-3.
I have to wonder if New York went 3-8 in those series if Bernie would have gotten some of the treatment that A-Rod has seen the last two years?
If you break it down for Bernie by series, this is what you get:
In summary, Williams has been both hot and cold in the ALDS and ALCS over the years - and has been brutal offensively in 5 of the 6 World Series in which he played.
Maybe Bernie's not scared in the post-season, but, it's not like he's consistently been Lou Gehrig-ish when the calendar turns to October either.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:12 PM | Comments (3)
December 05, 2005
Three Lap Horses
Continuing on my thoughts of 200+ IP seasons for Yankees pitchers, I wondered "Since the use of the DH, how many Yankees pitchers have had back-to-back-to-back seasons of 200+ IP?" The answer is not many:
Ron Guidry 1977-80
Doc Medich 1973-75
Ed Figueroa 1976-78
Andy Pettitte 1996-98
Mike Mussina 2001-03
That's it - just five. And, just two in the last quarter-century.
When you look at some of the pitchers in baseball who have done the back-to-back-to-back thing during 1973 through 2005 (like Kevin Gross, Steve Trachsel, Jeff Suppan, Luis Leal, Jose DeLeon, Mark Clark, etc.) you have to wonder why the Yankees have so few consisent horses in their rotation.
But, then, when you look at some other teams, and see they basically had the same number as the Yankees did in that time, then you realize just how scarce those year-after-year-after-year innings-eaters are these days.
It does say something about the value of Mussina to the Yankees in the first part of his contract. It's too bad that his last two years were not on pace with the first three.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:19 PM | Comments (2)
Idle Hands Are Dangerous
Continuing with my "Who were the most effective Yankees [blank] during their present no-rings streak?" curiosity today, I decided to look at "How many Yankees pitchers threw at least 200 innings for the team during their present no-rings streak?" This is what I found:
Stats via the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia.
This was amazing to me. Over the course of the last five seasons, only 9 pitchers have logged 200+ innings (in total) for the pinstripes. And, of those nine, two of these hurlers (Brown and Weaver) stunk.
But, then I started to look at the "Total with 200+ IP and how many stunk" ratios for some other A.L. teams for 2001-2005. And, I found the following ratios:
Angels: 14-3
Orioles: 12-5
A's: 10-1
Blue Jays: 10-1
Twins: 10-2
White Sox 10-3
Red Sox: 9-1
Indians: 9-4
Mariners: 9-4
So, while the Yankees (in this measure) were not the best in league, they were sort of average (among teams with decent pitching).
And, for the record, 360 pitchers in all of baseball threw at least 200 IP from 2001 through 2005 - and 165 of them stunk. That's a shade under half of them stinking. So, ratio-wise, the Yankees were way ahead of the overall average.
Somewhat related, here's some trivia to use on your friends. The last time the Yankees had 4 pitchers on a staff where they each threw 200+ IP for the team was 2003 (Mussina, Clemens, Pettitte and Wells). Before 2003, when was the last time that the Yankees had at least 4 pitchers who each threw 200+ IP in that season?
Answer: 1975 (with Rudy May, Catfish Hunter, Doc Medich and Pat Dobson).
Now, if you really want to be tricky, ask the question as: The last time the Yankees had 4 pitchers on a staff where they each threw 200+ IP for the team was 2003 (Mussina, Clemens, Pettitte and Wells). Before 2003, when was the last time that the team from the Bronx had at least 4 pitchers who each threw 200+ IP in that season?
Answer: 1971 (with Mel Stottlemyre, Steve Kline, Fritz Peterson and Stan Bahnsen).
The trick here is that the Yankees played in Queens during 1975.
It's stuff like this that runs threw my head on slow-news days for the Yankees. Scary, huh?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:40 PM | Comments (0)
Cashman Robbin' Good?
Today, I was curious about "Who were the most effective Yankees batters during their present no-rings streak?" So, I turned to the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia for help. This is what I found:
I was surprised to see Robin Ventura make the top ten above. It's been 2 1/4 years since Ventura wore a Yankees uniform - and that time which passed has mistakenly allowed the thought of him to fall somewhere between Ron Coomer and Antonio Osuna in my topical Yankees memory. In any event, based on his rankings, it's safe to say that the acquisition of Ventura was a pretty good deal for the Yankees.
It happened on Pearl Harbor Day 2001 - when Brian Cashman swapped David Justice to the Mets for Ventura. (Justice played just one more year after the trade and then retired.)
This coming Wednesday will be the 4th anniversary of the Justice-Ventura deal. I hope that Cashman can mark that milestone with another acquisition that works as well in New York's favor.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:56 AM | Comments (3)
December 03, 2005
Making Apperances
To my knowledge, no one was aware of this chase for a Yankees record last year.
Derek Jeter came within 6 Plate Appearances (PA) of setting the franchise record for most PA in a season - a record that has stood for 67 years. The Yankees Top 10 in PA for a season, via the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia:
Jeter only took three games off last year. But, if he had played in one of those three, the record probably would have been his - considering he batted lead-off in 2005.
For what it's worth, Frankie Crosetti got some help in 1938 to set the record. The Yankees, according to their won-loss record, "played" 152 games in 1938. But, Crosetti "played" in 157 games that season. How? I would bet there were some games "called" because of playing conditions where the score was tied - and the stats counted for the players but the games did not count in the standings.
There's always another chance next year Derek!
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:41 AM | Comments (1)
December 02, 2005
Do White Right
Some Roy White history via the Journal News:
White doesn't want to lose any of the currency he's built up with the fans who still approach him to say thanks for far more than his 15 seasons in the Yankee Stadium sun.
"They mostly thank me for being a gentleman, for providing an image that young people could follow on the field," White said. "Thirty years later, they thank me for being the only guy who stopped to sign autographs for their 7-year-old kids. Those are the most rewarding things to hear."
Of course, they also thank him for hitting .333 and driving in four runs against the Dodgers in the '78 Series. They thank him for hitting .400 and .313 in back-to-back ALCS victories over the Royals. They thank him for that seventh-inning single allowing Bucky Dent to send another Red Sox season going, going, gone over the great green wall.
The fans also thank him for his steadying hand during the grim days of Mickey Mantle's decline, through the Horace Clarke ice age, all the way through the Reggie-Billy-George wars. White was there for CBS' ownership, for the wife-swapping pitchers, for Thurman Munson's first and last games. White was out in left for so long, Willie Randolph used to throw peanuts at him as a kid in the stands.
White batted in front of Mantle and — during three seasons in Japan — he batted in front of Sadaharu Oh. He won a Japan Series with the Giants to go with his two championships in New York. White was a great defensive left fielder, a switch-hitter who homered from each side of the plate in five games, a guy Whitey Ford has called the most underappreciated Yankee of them all. White became the first Yankee to play a full season of error-free ball.
Only Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth and Bernie Williams have played more games as a Yankee. White still stands today among the top 15 Yankees all-time in steals (fourth), walks (sixth), sacrifice flies (third), hits (11th), total bases (11th), runs (12th), doubles (14th) and extra-base hits (14th).
But he was never among the franchise's chosen sons. No plaque, no day, no Yankeeography, and no Joe Girardi-like rise through the coaching ranks. White spent five years of hard time in the A's farm system before getting the call to coach first base in the Bronx. Back in '93, Steinbrenner didn't even invite him to an Old-Timers' Day ceremony because he believed White tried to convince Dave Righetti to leave the Yanks for Japan. Boss George only changed his mind when his snub was made public, instructing a marketing aide to phone White with an invite.
I must agree, strongly, if anyone deserves a Yankeeography, it's Roy White. That is waaaaaaay overdue.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:28 AM | Comments (3)
November 30, 2005
See More Skinner
I see that Joel Skinner is interviewing for the Dodgers MGR post.
On July 30, 1986, the Yankees traded Bill Lindsey, Ron Hassey, and Carlos Martinez to the White Sox to get Skinner, Ron Kittle and Wayne Tolleson.
Lots of good names in that trade.
Tolleson went on to be one of the few former players that Mattingly wanted back for Don Mattingly Day at the Stadium. Lindsey was a Staten Island boy. Carlos Martinez went on to hit the ball that bounced off Jose Canseco's head for a homer. Ron Hassey is now the bench coach in Seattle - and a good one. Kittle is still trying to be a baseball funny man and finds himself in the news sometimes.
But, Skinner, man, he was a bad hitter. Probably the worst hitting Yankees catcher in the last half-century:
Stats via the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia.
And, for that, he'll always have a place in Yankees history.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:36 AM | Comments (3)
November 27, 2005
1996 Yankees Reunion
From Newsday:
We are all getting old: Plans are in the works for a 1996 Yankees reunion autograph show in January in New Jersey.
If anyone hears anything more on this, and is willing to share, please drop me a line, to, staff at waswatching dot com. Thanks.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:21 AM | Comments (4)
November 25, 2005
Brave New World?
Do you know that, if Joe Torre leads the Yankees to a first place finish in 2006 and does not win the World Series, it would be an American League record for most years in a row (6) that a team finished 1st and did not win a World Series in that run?
Right now, Torre is tied at five (2001-2005) with Mike Hargrove (who did it with the Indians (from 1995 through 1999).
You do need some World Series "bad luck" to get a string like this - see the 2001 Yankees and the 1997 Indians.
Of course, the National League record is a long way off: Bobby Cox, 10 years, with the Braves (1996-2005).
It's interesting that Cox, Hargrove and Torre are the only ones to do this for five years in a row and that it's all post-1994. Clearly, it has something to do with the leagues going to the three division format (in 1995).
Without the leagues being broken up into three groups, it's debatable if the 1997 Indians, 2001 Braves and 2005 Yankees even finish in first.
It will be interesting to see, if this does happen for New York in 2006, how it impacts Torre's legacy. Will he be remembered as the man who won 4 rings in a 5 year span or the guy who finished 1st 6 years in a row and couldn't get it done in the post-season? Or, do the two ends just offset each other and he's then just another manager with mixed (meaning so-so) results in the post-season on his resume?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:39 AM | Comments (6)
November 21, 2005
21
OK, it's been 4 years since the number has been issued to any Yankees player. What is Stein waiting for here? Or, is the standard now a 15 year waiting period (as in the case of Guidry)?
The longer you wait, the more the chance that some mega-star is acquired and requests the number. Why put yourself in that spot?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:49 AM | Comments (3)
November 19, 2005
2011 = 3,000 x 2?
No one has ever had 3,000 hits in a Yankees uniform. In fact, no player has ever recorded his 3,000th hit in the pinstripes.
Derek Jeter has 1,936 career hits. Alex Rodriguez has 1,901 career hits. Given their age, production rates, health record, drive, etc., both should reach their 3,000th hit some time in the year twenty-eleven.
Just imagine the hoopla if they even did it in the same game. Wow.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:31 AM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2005
Greatest RHP In Yankees History
I was just running some sorts on the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia and I came up with the following:
The first list is Yankees RHP career Runs Saved Above Average (RSAA) Leaders through 2005. The second list is most seasons by a Yankees RHP with a RSAA total of 20 or more.
If Mo can just keep doing what he's been doing the last three years - for another two years - then he should (around this time in 2007) be declared the "Greatest RHP in Yankees History." Maybe Big Stein can even get him a plaque or something when it happens?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:01 PM | Comments (10)
November 03, 2005
Nick Johnson
Will Nick Johnson become the George McQuinn of his time?
I guess we'll know in about 10 years. I still think he has a better chance to be the next Hal Morris.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:37 PM | Comments (4)
Not Wasting Time
In the history of the Yankees, only four times has a batter hit 30+ homeruns in a season while having less than 550 Plate Appearances in that year. The list:
Babe Ruth 1922
Joe DiMaggio 1939
Mickey Mantle 1962
Jason Giambi 2005
This past season, Giambi became the first Yankees player to pull this trick in the last 43 years. Not a bad little trivia question.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:11 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2005
Melido Perez 1992
I wonder how many Yankees fans realize that Melido Perez' 1992 performance for the Yankees was probably one of the twenty best single season pitching performances (in terms of effectiveness) by a Yankees right-handed starter. And, if the Yankees had any hitting that season, he could have been a 20-game winner and a legitimate Cy Young Award contender?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:25 PM | Comments (6)
October 30, 2005
Bernie Williams & Ken Singleton
I was just playing around with the latest edition of the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia, running some sorts and the like, and then I can across this one:
These are Ken's lifetime stats and Bernie's through the 2005 season. Could they be any closer? And, it's fun because they were both switch hitters.
What's telling to me is the last season for each batter. Singleton's last year was 1984. And, it was the worst season that he had in his career. Last year was Williams' worst season in the bigs with the bat. Ken elected to retire. I think Bernie should do the same.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:32 PM | Comments (5)
October 26, 2005
162
Who are the only three right-handed batters in Yankees history to play in 162 games during a season?
Bobby Richardson 1961
Roberto Kelly 1990
Alex Rodriguez 2005
Who are the only three left-handed batters in Yankees history to play in 162 games during a season?
Chris Chambliss 1978
Don Mattingly 1986
Hideki Matsui 2003, 2004 & 2005
I think Roberto Kelly is the one that very few would guess at correctly.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:39 PM | Comments (2)
October 25, 2005
Chicken Stanley
When I see the Houston Astros' Adam Everett play in this current World Series, I cannot help but think of Fred "Chicken" Stanley. There's just something about the kid Everett that makes me think of Chicken.
Ironically, Stanley (like Everett) was drafted by the Houston Astros (back in the 8th round of the 1966 amateur draft).
Here's a trivia question for you: How many Yankees players appeared in at least one game in the pinstripes, every year, for the period 1973 through and including 1980? The answer: Just two - Fred Stanley and Graig Nettles.
Try that one on your Yankees fan friends someday.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:10 PM | Comments (4)
Where The Balls Are
USA Today is running a fun story on the final resting place of last out balls from recent World Series. Here's the Yankees info:
1996
• Where's the ball? Displayed in [Charlie] Hayes' living room.
1998
• Where's the ball? With [Tino] Martinez's glove in a safe-deposit box. "I'm never going to use the glove again," Martinez says.
1999
• Where's the ball? [Chad] Curtis gave it to a security guard, Dan Weiss, who helped Curtis and his family when they lived in New York. When Weiss said he wanted to give the ball back, Curtis said he autographed it, "To Dan," and said, "Now what am I going to do with a ball that says, 'To Dan?' He would have never sold it, but I wanted it to have value to him as a friend."
2000
• Where's the ball? [Bernie] Williams had it signed by his teammates and keeps it in his trophy case at home.
I'm a little down on Bernie for his comments on the 2000 ball:
Williams has the final-out ball from the Yankees' 2000 World Series win and said the team would have to win a court case to get it from him.
Too bad he wasn't as greedy with the ball from the 2001 World Series:
Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams picked up the ball and gave it to [Luis] Gonzalez, who gave it to team owner Jerry Colangelo. It was in Colangelo's desk drawer until he left the team last year. "I've been chasing that dream of a championship my whole life, as a competitor, an athlete and then in terms of management and ownership," Colangelo says. "It signifies the culmination of a lifetime pursuit."
I would rather have seen that ball blown up into a million pieces.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:37 AM | Comments (3)
October 11, 2005
Poorly Prepped Post-Season Starters
Here are the results of New York's starting pitchers in the last five "winner-take-all" American League post-season games for the Yankees:
Look at these results. In the last five "do or die" must win league playoffs games for the Yankees, their starting pitcher has failed to go five innings in any of their starts. In fact, in just two of these games did their starter manage to register two outs in the 4th inning - and the last time they were able to do that was 2001.
If this happens once, you say "He just didn't have it that day." If it happened twice in the last five, you'd say "You win some and you lose some." But, five duds in a row? And, these are "brand name" pitchers - so, it's not like it's just what happens when you throw sheep to the wolves.
Someone in the Yankees organization has been sleeping at their post in terms of ensuring that their starting pitcher, in the biggest game of the year, was ready for the game. And, they've been doing it now for five times in a row.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:24 PM | Comments (9)
October 10, 2005
Do Or Die On The Road
Since October 9, 1977, the Yankees are 3-2 in "winner-take-all" post-season games on the road.
They won these types of games in 1977, 1978 and 2000. They lost these types of games in 1997 and 2001.
It's that recent history that concerns me (1997, 2000, and 2001).
Tonight is going to be all uphill. And, the boys will be wearing ice skates.
Not impossible - just a huge nut to crack.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:18 AM | Comments (2)
October 08, 2005
Ed Yarnall
Tonight, I started to think about Harvey Edward (Ed) Yarnall.
Yarnall had the highest ERA of any pitcher on the last Yankees team to win a World Series ring. Granted, he only pitched in two games that year. The 2000 season was also the last time that Ed pitched in the big leagues.
Yarnall was a 3rd round draft pick of the Mets in 1996. (The year that the last Yankees dynasty started.) Before this, Yarnall was selected by the New York Yankees in the 44th round of the 1993 draft (but elected not to sign).
In 1998 - one of the best seasons in the history of the Yankees - the Mets traded Yarnall to the Marlins (with others) to get Mike Piazza (in an attempt to get themselves back on the New York baseball radar).
In 1999, Yarnall was traded (by the Marlins) to the Yankees for Mike Lowell. Ed did well for the Yankees in the minors that season - he was the International League's Most Valuable Pitcher. But, Yarnall pitched in just 5 games with the Yankees in 1999. Meanwhile, Lowell went on to become an All-Star with the Marlins.
During the aforementioned 2000 season, after appearing in just two Yankees games, Yarnall was traded to the Cincinnati Reds (along with Jackson Melian and Drew Henson) for Denny Neagle.
Yarnall never pitched with the Reds in the majors - his seven games with the Yankees was his whole big league career. The Reds released him in 2001 (the year that the Yankees had their hearts broken in the World Series) and sold him to the Orix Blue Wave (in Japan). He would pitch in Japan in 2001 and 2002.
In 2003, Yarnall was picked up by the A's organization. In 2003, the A's blew a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five LDS with the Boston Red Sox. Boston would then go on to face the Yankees in a tough ALCS.
In 2004, Yarnall was picked up by the Red Sox organization - who later sent him to the Phillies organization (after he pitched in just 2 games with the Sox Triple-A team). In 2004, the Yankees blew a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven LCS with the Boston Red Sox.
This season, Yarnall (now 29-years-old) pitched for Washington Nationals Triple-A team in New Orleans. Ed pitched in 19 games with an ERA of 5.59.
In summary, the Yankees tried to get Yarnall when he was just a kid, missed, and then still managed to get him six years later - and he starred for them in Triple-A at the age of 23.
The year after that good season, Yarnall had a chance to be part of a World Series winner - but was he was dealt away from the Yankees with two other (then) prized prospects in order to get a guy (Neagle) who bombed with New York (and was gone the next year).
Then Yarnall was sent bouncing around - including two years in the Far East - with stops in organizations that impacted the Yankees post-season schedule (in the years that he was there).
I almost want to suggest that there's some bad karma here - if you looked at what's happened to the Yankees and Yarnall since they parted ways in 2000 and where they've crossed paths, in a way. But, that's a reach. It's not like "Ed Yarnall" is an anagram for "A Rally End" or something.
Wait a minute, it is.
Looks like the Yankees are going to have to win it all this year - just to put this Yarnall thing to bed.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:34 PM | Comments (5)
October 06, 2005
Yankees LDS Contests With Splits To Start
There have been six times before this ALDS where the Yankees have split the first two games of their series:
1996: The Yankees lost their first game at the Stadium to the Rangers, then came back to win Game 2 (in 12 innings, 5-4). The Yankees then won the next two games in Texas. They needed two in the 9th to win Game 3 (by the score of 3-2).
1997: The Yankees won the first game of the series at the Stadium over the Indians, then lost Game 2 (also at home). New York went to Cleveland after that - and won Game 3. But, they lost the next two games - both in Cleveland - by one run each. (This was before the LDS went to the 2-2-1 format.) Game 4 was the crusher here - when Mo gave up the HR to Alomar in the 8th.
2000: The Yankees split the first two on the road in Oakland - losing the first and winning the second. Then the series moved to New York where the team split two games - Yanks won Game 3 and the A's romped in Game 4. Then, the series moved back to Oakland for Game 5 - with the Yankees winning 7-5.
2002: The Yankees won the first game at the Stadium over the Angels, then lost Game 2 (at home). The series then moved to Anaheim where the Angels won the next two games - with 9 runs in each game - and took the series.
2003: The Yankees lost the first game at the Stadium to the Twins, then came back to win Game 2. The Yankees then had no problem taking the next two games in Minnesota.
2004: This was the same as 2003. The Yankees lost the first game at the Stadium to the Twins, then came back to win Game 2. The Yankees then took the next two games in Minnesota. However, Game 2 and 4 were close - and required great comebacks for the Yankees to win.
So, there's never been an ALDS for the Yankees where they opened on the road and then split the first two games with their loss coming in the 2nd game of the two road contests.
But, if there's anything to learn from the above summaries it is that Game 3 is the key when the teams split the first two games. In five of these six series mentioned, the team that won Game 3 took the series. And, if not for the Rivera HR to Alomar, it could probably be six for six.
This Friday is going to be a very important game for the Yankees to win.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:04 AM | Comments (8)
October 05, 2005
Welcoming Company
In 1969, baseball introduced the 5-game LCS (which was later changed to the best-of-seven format in 1985).
The first team to ever win the first two games of a 5-game LCS and then "choke" it by losing the next three games in a row was the 1982 Angels. The next team to do this was the 1984 Cubs in the NLCS.
Actually, in 1981, because of the work stoppage that year, baseball had a 5-game divisional play-off prior to the LCS that season. And, in that divisional play-off, the Houston Astros also blew a 2-0 lead in their series (by losing the next three games in a row).
Baseball later introduced the 5-game LDS series in 1995. And, in that year, the Yankees had a 2-0 lead in their LDS which they lost to Seattle (losing three straight games). Since then, the 1999 Indians, 2001 A's and 2003 A's have all "choked" away a 2-0 lead in a 5-game LDS series.
I wonder how many baseball fans on the street, prior to last year, would have picked the 1981 Astros or 1982 Angels in terms of being the greatest "choke" in baseball post-season history? After all, they just needed 1 win and had 3 chances to get it.
Of course, many now like to say that the 2004 Yankees are the greatest "choke" in post-season history (with their needing one game to win the LCS - and having four games to get it).
I wonder how close those same folks (who refer to the 2004 Yankees as having the greatest "choke") would place the 1981 Astros or 1982 Angels to the top of the "choke" list?
It's probably not that high - because those two teams have company now (thanks to the 1984 Cubs, 1995 Yankees, 1999 Indians, and the A's of 2001 and 2003).
Therefore, I predict that once a few more teams do what the Yankees did in 2004, we will hear less and less about the "greatest choke in post-season history". It might take 20 years or so for this to happen - but, it will happen. It's only the greatest when it's done once. As soon as more than one does it, it's not so great.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:14 PM | Comments (8)
Lucky Youngsters
From October 3, 1995 through this coming Friday (10/7), the Yankees will have played 119 post-season games in the span of 120 months.
In the 167 months from October 29, 1981 through October 2, 1995, the Yankees played in no post-season games.
I wonder if Yankees fans, say, age 21 and younger realize just how fortunate they've had it during this run?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:15 AM | Comments (14)
September 28, 2005
A-Rod 2005 vs. Joe D. 1937
With his HR this evening, Alex Rodriguez broke Joe DiMaggio's Yankees team record for most HRs in a season by a RH batter. DiMaggio's mark was 46 HRs in 1937. It's a great feat by A-Rod to pass this mark. However, one thing that should be taken into consideration is Yankee Stadium 1937 versus how it measures today:
It's pretty safe to say that Joe would have had many more than 46 homers in 1937 if Yankee Stadium (then) was the same size that it is today.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:59 PM | Comments (6)
September 26, 2005
1949
Think this year is stressful? Try 1949.
On this date, September 26th, in 1949, coming into the action for that day, the Yankees and Red Sox were tied for first place in the American League. Boston had just beat the Yankees in two straight, at Fenway (on 9/24 and 9/25) to bring about the tie.
On this date in 1949, the Red Sox came to New York and beat the Yankees, 7-6, with 4 of their runs coming in the top of the 8th. This gave Boston a one-game lead in the standings.
On September 27th, the Yankees beat the A's and the Sox beat the Senators - and Boston remained in first by a game.
On September 28th, The Yankees beat the A's again - but the Senators scored two in the bottom of the 9th to beat Boston, 2-1. The tie for first in the A.L. was on again. Since September 29th was an of day for New York and Boston, the tie remained for two days.
On September 30th, the A's beat the Yankees and the Sox beat the Senators - putting the Red Sox up again, by one game (with two games left to play in the season).
The next day, on October 1st, the Yankees beat the Red Sox in New York, despite Boston jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the game, by the score of 5-4 (with the winning run scoring in the 8th inning, the only run scored in that frame, on Johnny Lindell’s home run). The teams were tied again in the standings - with a winner take all game to come the next day.
On October 2nd, it was a 1-0 game heading into the bottom of the 8th - when the Yankees scored 4 runs to take a 5-0 lead. Three of the runs in the 8th came on Jerry Coleman's bases-loaded bloop hit - struck with two outs.
Boston came back with 3 in the top of the 9th - but, fell short. Two of those runs came when Joe DiMaggio couldn't catch a ball off the bat of the Sox' Bobby Doerr. (The playing-hobbled DiMaggio then removed himself from the game to get a better fielder out there. Joe had a viral infection at the time.) In the end, the Sox had the tying run at the plate in the 9th, but, he popped up.
The Yankees won the game, 5-3, and took the A.L. pennant.
All I can say is, if the Yankees do the same thing this year, and it's October 2nd, in the 9th, New York better not wait for their CF to remove himself from the game after a miscue.
Just what is it about these two teams and October 2nd, anyway?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:58 PM | Comments (1)
September 21, 2005
Best Season With The Bat Since 1973 - Pt. II
Following up on something from August 15th, don't look now, but, Alex Rodriguez has 72 RCAA at this moment. He's in excellent position to lay claim towards the title of "Best Season With The Bat Since 1973" for the Yankees.
Further, when he's done this year, A-Rod might also have the "Best Season With The Bat Since 1937 By A Right-Handed Batter" title for the Yankees as well.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:05 PM | Comments (3)
September 19, 2005
Pee Wee Wanninger
Runs Created Above Average (RCAA) is a Lee Sinins creation. It is the difference between a player’s Runs Created total and the total for an average player who used the same amount of his team’s outs. (A negative Runs Created Above Average indicates a below average player in this category.)
As of last Saturday, Tony Womack's RCAA total for 2005 was -24.
The last time that the Yankees had a left-handed batter with a RCAA total nearly that low was Jim Mason in 1975 (with a mark of -23).
The worst RCAA mark by a LH batter in Yankees history belongs to Pee Wee Wanninger who had a mark of -37 in 1925. That season, Pee Wee, as a 22-year-old, made the jump from Class C-Ball to become the Yankees SS. He was back in the minors the next year - and later played in 46 games with the Red Sox and Reds in 1927 (the only other year he played in the bigs).
However, Wanninger was the player for whom Lou Gehrig PH for in the first of the Iron Horse's 2,130 consecutive games played.
Now, that's a good trivia question.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
John McMullen
RIP.
McMullen, a career naval officer who founded a marine engineering firm after leaving military service, turned to the sporting world in the early 1970s. He became a limited partner in the group headed by George Steinbrenner that purchased the Yankees from CBS, but famously remarked that "nothing is as limited as being a limited partner of George's."
What a classic line that was....it was/is perfect.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)
September 16, 2005
Long, Long, Time Now
Outside of the wacky standings of 1981, the last time the Yankees were this close to 1st place (within 1.5 games) while actually not being in first on September 16th of a season was 1964.
On 9/16/64, the Yankees were a 1/2 game back of both the White Sox and O's - who were tied for first.
The Yankees ended-up winning that year, finishing 1 game over the O's and 2 over the White Sox. However, it wasn't really that close over the full final three weeks of the year. The Yankees took sole possession of 1st on 9/19 - and eventually had a 4 game cushion - only to let it whittle down in the season's final days.
I'd could live with the same thing happening this season.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)
September 15, 2005
Area 51
When Mike Vento made his big league debut on 9/13, he became the 51st player used by New York this season - a franchise record.
Man, they're going to have to make a lot of World Series rings!
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:36 PM | Comments (1)
September 12, 2005
Bad Kurznach Davidson
Yankees.com has a nice story out today on Stefan Wever - who was sorta/kinda like a Moonlight Graham for the Yankees.
Actually, Arthur Ingram (Art) Goodwin was more like Moonlight for the Yankees - getting into just one single game for a big league career and doing nothing. Well, close to nothing: 1/3 of an IP, facing 5 batters and allowing 4 of them to score, on 10/7/1905. (Wow, the seasons went late back then.)
Anyway, what's interesting to me here is that Stefan Wever was born in West Germany. Only four players in Yankees history were born there: Wever, Dave Pavlas (Gosh, remember him?), Mike Blowers (ditto), and a pitcher named Bob Davidson who made it to one game in July 1989. And, Davidson was born in Bad Kurznach, West Germany. Really, that's the name of the place.
Bad Kurznach.
It's a shame that Davidson never went on to star. That would have been one helluva nickname: Bad Kurznach Davidson. Oh, that would have been so cool.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:02 PM | Comments (4)
August 30, 2005
Giambi's New Record
From The Record:
Giambi became the first Yankee ever to have consecutive multiple homer games twice in the same season.
On July 20 (at Texas) and July 21 (at Los Angeles) Giambi hit two homers in each game. He connected twice Sunday against the Royals, and hit his 24th and 25th homers of the year Monday night.
I'm shocked. Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Berra, Maris, Reggie, et al, never did this? Ever?
One would think that one of the greats, or a fluke like Cliff Johnson, Kevin Mass, Matt Nokes, Darryl Strawberry, or Oscar Gamble, would have pulled this trick.
Wow.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:44 AM | Comments (6)
August 23, 2005
Not A No-No To Me
The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal is running an interesting piece on the lack of no-hitters in baseball these days. In the feature, Billy Wagner talks about the June 2003 "no-hitter" against the Yankees:
"It was probably the most exciting moment of my career," said Wagner, now the Phillies closer. "It was my only appearance against the Yankees, and it finished off a no-hitter. We knew we had done something special."
I must confess that, for a long time, I took pride (as a Yankees fan) that no one ever threw a no-hitter against the Yankees in my lifetime (which is a long time, as I was born in late 1962).
And, I still take pride in that - because I just cannot consider a six-man "effort" as the same as one pitcher shutting down a team for 9 innings.
Yes, they were held hitless that day. But, no "pitcher" (note, singular) has thrown a no-hitter against them since Hoyt Wilhelm did it in 1958.
Sorry Yankee-haters, it's still 47 years and counting in my book.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:48 PM | Comments (6)
August 18, 2005
August 18th
This morning, the Yankees sit in 2nd place in the AL East - 4.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox. I was wondering, when was the last time that the Yankees were in 2nd, this far back of Boston, on August 18th? Thanks to RetroSheet, that's an easy thing to figure out.
Here is the list of where the Yankees were in the standings for the last 10 "August 18ths":
Year - Place In Standings - Games Ahead/Back
2004 - 1st - 8.0 Ahead
2003 - 1st - 5.5 Ahead
2002 - 1st - 7.0 Ahead
2001 - 1st - 5.0 Ahead
2000 - 1st - 3.0 Ahead
1999 - 1st - 6.5 Ahead
1998 - 1st - 19.5 Ahead
1997 - 2nd - 5.0 Back (of Baltimore)
1996 - 1st - 5.5 Ahead
1995 - 2nd - 9.5 Back (of Boston)
So, the answer is: 1995. And, it's been a decade since the Yankees trailed Boston by this many games on August 18th (of a season).
On the bright side, the Yankees did win the Wildcard in 1995. And, that season was a lot like this one - in 1995, the Yankees used 12 different pitchers to start games and their "big three" in the pen were John Wetteland, Bob Wickman and Steve Howe, supported by guys like Bob MacDonald, Joe Ausanio, Scott Bankhead and Josias Manzanillo.
Oh, and, they were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.
Talk about coming full cycle - maybe.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:20 PM | Comments (4)
August 16, 2005
Mo Future
Yogi is 80. Whitey will soon be 79. And, Scooter, bless him, will soon be 88. When they pass, who will be the "Greatest Living Yankee"?
Mattingly? Bernie? Gator? Roy White?
For many, it will be Mariano Rivera - and I think few could gripe with that selection. Thank you Herb Raybourn.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:08 PM | Comments (10)
August 15, 2005
Best Season With The Bat Since 1973
Runs Created Above Average (RCAA) is a Lee Sinins creation. It is the difference between a player’s Runs Created total and the total for an average player who used the same amount of his team’s outs. (A negative Runs Created Above Average indicates a below average player in this category.)
Here are the best seasons by a Yankees batter, since 1973, in terms of RCAA:
1. Derek Jeter, 1999 - 77
1. Rickey Henderson, 1985 - 77
3. Jason Giambi, 2002 - 75
4. Don Mattingly, 1986 - 67
5. Bernie Williams, 1999 - 64
6. Reggie Jackson, 1980 - 62
This season, Alex Rodriguez is on pace for a season of 69 RCAA. If he can turn it up a notch or two, he just might put together the best season by a Yankees batter since 1973.
By the way, the all-time Yankees season RCAA record (Ruth with 166 RCAA in 1921) will be safe for a long time.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:41 AM | Comments (3)
August 03, 2005
Remember When........2001
On 2/15/01, Yanks signed free agent outfielder Henry Rodriguez, who had been with the Florida Marlins.
On 7/1/01, Mark Wohlers was acquired by the Yankees for a minor leaguer.
On 12/7/01, they signed P Steve Karsay to a four-year contract with a club option for a fifth year.
On 12/21/01, Yanks signed C Alberto Castillo to a one-year major league contract and OF F.P. Santangelo to a one-year minor league contract.
On 12/18/01, New York re-signed free agent LHP Sterling Hitchcock to a two-year contract.
On, 12/17/01, Yanks signed free agent OF Rondell White to a two-year contract.
Man, that was a really bad year for pick-ups.........
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:47 PM | Comments (2)
July 30, 2005
The Doctor Is In
Dr. Denise Fortino has recently offered some comments on the 2004 ALCS that are worth checking out.
She should fear not, I already have a great T-shirt idea for this year when Boston does not repeat. You'll see it in October. I've had it in mind now since the Sox started the trophy tour. Just waiting for the right time for it to hit the market.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2005
Jerry Narron Remembers
Just saw a nice Jerry Narron story in The Cincy Post.
Has it really been 26 years?
Right now, it seems like it was just yesterday. I had just finished my afternoon paper route. I was in my bedroom - resting on my bed. I was listening to Paco on WKTU on the stereo. They interrupted with the news flash. I jumped off my bed and ran downstairs to the living room. My dad was watching Channel 7 - and they broke in with the story too.
The next few days are a blur for me. I was a zombie - I suppose. The next thing I actually remember was days later - it was late, around 11 pm, and everyone in the house was asleep, except me. I was sitting in the kitchen, by myself, and I just started crying like a baby. My mother heard me and came downstairs. She asked me why I was crying. I told her that I never felt worse in my whole life - which was less than 17 years long at that time.
Mom told me that I needed to get a grip and start moving on. And, as much as I probably have moved on, every time I see a story like the one on Narron, I'm brought right back to that afternoon when I was resting in my bedroom on August 2, 1979 - when the unthinkable happened.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:21 AM | Comments (6)
July 20, 2005
Joe Torre
Seeing some of the comments that many have on how the game last night was handled has me thinking back to something that I thought about Joe Torre, coming into this season.
In terms of his "Yankees Ledger," this year is Torre's chance to get back into the post-season black, in my opinion.
If you look at 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000, it's clear, Joe Torre met the firm's mission statement. The Yankees won the World Series.
But, when you look at those years, you have to consider what happened in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 as well. There are events in most of these non-ring post-seasons where one could point to the team's overall readiness to play and/or a dugout decision that brought cause for the Yankees failure therein. If you give Torre the credit for 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000, then he also has to take the hits for 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.
So, in terms of the mission statement "Ledger," Torre has 4 wins and 5 losses. And, that's why, with this season, Joe has a chance to even the score at five each.
I wish I felt confident that this will happen. But, if you look at all of the years, you see a trend in that the last four years are full of bad calls (WS Game 7 in 2001, WS Game 4 in 2003, and lots of stuff in the 2004 ALCS). Basically, if you take out the first WS ring, 1996, in which you can say the team was very hungry, a case could be made that the Yankees only ring wins in post-seasons were where they "steam roll" - and, that when it's a close series (like 1997, 2001, 2003, and 2004), eventually, in most cases, a call will be made to cost the Yankees the series.
I know, let's wait and see if the Yankees even make the post-season this year. Still, if they do, based on what we know, if the series they're in is a tight one, there should be attention paid to how Torre handles it - it might just be his ultimate Yankees legacy.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:47 PM | Comments (10)
July 15, 2005
Marty Bystrom
Marty Bystrom, at age 21, came up in September 1980 with the Philadelphia Phillies and was an overnight sensation for the team that would eventually win the World Series. In six games, five of which were starts, he had a tidy ERA of 1.50.
Then arm problems came and he was one of the worst pitchers in the NL for a few years - including 1984 when the Phillies finally gave up on him and traded him to the New York Yankees on June 30, 1984.
What happened over the final three months of the 1984 season? Bystrom made 7 starts for the Yankees and had an ERA of 2.97. You could probably make a case that Marty Bystrom was the second or third best starting pitcher on the Yankees for the second half of 1984.
In 1985, Bystrom reverted to his terrible pitching form and only made 8 starts for the Yanks and that would be the last time he pitched in the major leagues. His big league pitching days were over before his 28th birthday.
There is no question, that in 1984, the Yankees caught lightning in a bottle with Marty Bystrom - an extremely rare grab, indeed.
As this is being penned, the 2005 Yankees are in desperate need for starting pitching. Will lightning strike twice in a bottle for New York? Can it happen again this season? Stay tuned.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:44 AM | Comments (5)
July 07, 2005
Jeffrey Maier Today
The RSN's fav CHB recently offered up an update on Jeffrey Maier:
Top player on this year's Wesleyan baseball team was none other than Jeffrey Maier -- who made history in 1996 when he reached over the right-field wall in Yankee Stadium and turned Derek Jeter's fly ball into a home run in a playoff game against the Orioles. Maier, a junior outfielder, hit .350 and led his team in slugging, on-base percentage, hits, runs, double, and triples. Still good with the glove, too.
There's only been one person from this school to ever play big league ball: Red Lanning, and that was in 1916.
Not good news for the kid's chances as a prospect. But, say, around 2016, if the Yankees bring back the 1996 team for an Old-Timer's Day theme, they should bring in Maier too, and give him a seat - just about where he sat in 1996. Now, that would be funny.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:14 PM | Comments (5)
June 29, 2005
Strange But True!
The Yankees game tonight, 6/29/05, at Baltimore, was rained out.
When was the last time that the Yankees had a road game called?
It was almost two years to the day - July 2, 2003, also, a game at Baltimore.
Several games have been called at the Stadium in the last two years - but, other than tonight, and the 7/2/03 game, nothing on the road (in between).
Wacky.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)
June 28, 2005
"Mantle" on HBO, July 13, 2005
Oklahoma baseball legend Mickey Mantle will be the subject of an HBO documentary this summer.
The documentary is called "Mantle" and will be debut July 13th, the day after Major League Baseball's All-Star Game.
Interviews include Mantle's widow, Merlyn, sons David and Danny, Oklahoma native and former New York Yankee Bobby Murcer, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin junior who is the son of Mantle's good friend, the late Billy Martin.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2005
The Last Ring Season
Well, this is interesting:
Yankees 71 Games Into The Season
2000 vs. 2004
2000: 37-34 record, 2 GB, +20 RS-RA
2004: 37-34 record, 5 GB, +33 RS-RA
Of course, two games later, in 2000, the Yankees made the trade for David Justice and then went on to play better ball for the remainder of that season.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:49 PM | Comments (2)
June 10, 2005
Yankees, Looking Back, Looks Like Now....
Several weeks back, I mentioned in a game entry that I had kept daily notes on the Yankees during the 1984 and 1985 season. Just for fun today, here are the June 10th comments:
1984:
- Toronto, Won 5-3
- Gamble & Mattingly had 2-run homers
- Rawley ineffective, Christiansen went strong 4 for the win, Righetti got his 7th save
- Yank attendance down 9.2% from last year
1985:
- Toronto, Won 4-2
- Bob Shirley was excellent: 6 1/3 inn., 1 run, 6 hits, 1 BB & 2K's....what a lift!
- Meacham, Winfield & Baylor (2) had RBIs
- Mattingly, Pasqua, Baylor, and, once again, Henderson each had 2 hits, Winfield had 3, Pags added a double for 12 hits
- Marty Bystrom is due back soon
- In games that the Yanks have held the other team to 3 runs or less, their record is 22-4
- In games where the Yanks have given up 5 runs or more their record is 4-16
- Where would this team be if they had some pitching?
Thoughts on these today:
1. Shirley, Meacham, Pasqua, and Pags......there's a song in there somewhere.
2. Was June 10th the official "Play the Jays" day?
3. Pitching - the more things change.........
Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:33 AM | Comments (1)
May 25, 2005
Bill Dickey
Bill Dickey sometimes seems to get lost in the shuffle of all-time Yankees greats. Yes, for sure, he was a batter who took advantage of Yankee Stadium - as 135 of is 202 lifetime homeruns were hit in the Bronx. But, Dickey was also durable and one of the best hitting catchers in the modern era (post-1900) of baseball - and remains there today.
First, the proof of his stability: How many catchers in the history of baseball have caught 100+ games in a season for 13 years in a row? The answer is just two: Bill Dickey and Johnny Bench. Very impressive.
Secondly, regarding Dickey's standing among modern catchers with the bat. When Bill retired in 1946, it was basically him, Mickey Cochrane, and Gabby Hartnett at the top of the list in terms of great offensive catchers. In the 20 years that passed after his retirement, this fact was only changed by the addition of Yogi Berra to the list. In the 50 years that passed after Dickey's retirement, the only other catcher to warrant inclusion to this group was Johnny Bench. And, as of today, you would have to include Mike Piazza as well.
Therefore, at the worst, today, Bill Dickey has a claim towards being the 6th best batting catcher in the history of modern era baseball. And, by many sabermetric measures, Dickey would rank as the 2nd or 3rd greatest of all-time.
Most Yankee fans know that Bill Dickey was a great player - as he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954 and the Yankees retired his number (8) in 1972 along with honoring Yogi Berra (who also wore #8). At the time, this was just the 6th number ever retired by the Yankees.
But, there are probably just as many Yankee fans who would list catchers like Fisk, Carter, Campanella, I-Rod, on their list of great hitting catchers before getting to Dickey, and this would be wrong. Bill Dickey, as an of