Pujols and the Yankees: a match made in heaven?

On the eve of Game 1 of the World Series, all anyone seems to care about is Albert Pujols’ impending free agency. Or is that just me? As I don’t care who wins, my focus is on how the Yankees can improve for next season. Their first step must be to sign CC Sabathia and then fill out the rest of the starting rotation (another World Series participant CJ Wilson may be an option). But the intriguing question of whether to go after Pujols, who after a slow start most blamed on the break-down of his contract negotiations hit .299 with 99 RBIs, remains. Here are my thoughts in no particular order.

Pujols is the first player in MLB history to bat .300, hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs in his first 10 seasons making him far and away the best player in baseball. Of course, the same could be said of Alex Rodriguez when the Yankees signed him to a ridiculously long-term contract, essentially out-bidding themselves as no other team had any intention of paying  out that much money. The difference with Pujols is that he has a proven post-season track-record with one World Series title already in his possession. This time around, he’s batting .419 which A-Rod can only dream of!

The other issue is that Pujols is a first baseman and the Yankees have already handed out another hefty contract to Mark Teixeira to play that position. I know Tex had another rough post-season but he’s not going anywhere, nor is he moving to DH as he is great defensively.  I doubt a player of Pujols’ caliber will agree to DH at this point in his career as he has many good years left.

In sum, while it may be tempting for Cashman to go after the biggest name out there, buying a collection of star players does not automatically lead to a championship. Of course, the wild card in all this is Hank Steinbrenner who is dying to make his mark on the team and has already over-ruled Cashman by signed Raphael Soriano which, as we all know, didn’t work out too well. Hopefully, common sense will prevail but this being the Yankees, I expect some drama this off-season!

AP Photo / Albert Pujols

 

All-Star Fallacy

The All-Star game in Phoenix is one month away so, of course, it’s time for me to whine about the stupidity of the voting process! I realize that MLB has tried to make the game more relevant by bestowing home field advantage for the World Series to the winning League (which I actually think is a step in the right direction); however, the bottom line is that some players are included simply based on popularity. This year, fans can actually vote up to 25 times online so as Michael Kay helpfully pointed out during a recent Yankees broadcast, the team with the most tech savvy fans will have the highest representation. Too bad San Jose doesn’t have a baseball team then! Anyway, because I’m not immune to stuffing the ballot for my favorite Yankees, my recently submitted AL ballot (I only used 5 of my votes as I simply couldn’t be bothered) is as follows:

First Base: Mark Teixeira

Second Base: Robinson Cano

Shortstop: Derek Jeter

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez

Catcher: Russell Martin

DH: Michael Young (I still can’t believe Posada is even on the ballot!!)

Outfielders: Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher

If I’m completely honest, only two of those players – Granderson and Teixeira who are currently among the top 5 home run hitters in all of baseball- truly deserve to be on the All-Star roster but I don’t care how much better a Red Sox player may be, I’m still not voting for him purely on principle! And, before you point it out, I know Jose Bautista is having a monster year for the Blue Jays whereas Swisher’s batting average decline between last season and this one ranks among the highest but I’m still loyal to the Yankees.  I know I’m not the only one with this inner conflict so I fully expect Derek Jeter to be the starting AL shortstop despite his offensive struggles!

You would think that my voting for the National League should be more merit-based because I don’t root for any of those teams but you’d still be wrong.   I voted for Buster Posey as catcher purely because I felt sorry for him as he’s out for the season due to a collision at home plate! Plus, I simply don’t watch enough NL games to form a strong enough opinion of players but here’s my list anyway:

First Base: Ryan Howard

Second Base: Freddy Sanchez

Shortstop: Jose Reyes

Third Base: Pablo Sandoval

Catcher: Buster Posey

DH: Matt Holliday

Outfielders: Matt Kemp, Shane Victorino, Andre Ethier

I can’t wait for the pitching selections

 

 

More drama in the Bronx

Which is worse – the Yankees getting swept by the Red Sox this weekend at HOME (the first time since 2004) or a new distraction involving a star player? While Boston completely exposed New York’s many weaknesses from pitching to batting (I’ll say it again: a team cannot live by the home run alone!) to fielding even, unfortunately the correct answer is the latter. The reason is that this situation with Jorge Posada is just the tip of the iceberg for Yankees management as two other legends, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, are nearing the twilight of their great careers with the pinstripes. These players have had a remarkable run in the Bronx, contributing to multiple championships, and as a result were rewarded monetarily with huge, long term contracts. Time waits for nobody though and the rigors of long regular seasons followed almost every year by playoff series have taken their toll. GM Brian Cashman, who is already on the hot seat for not shoring up the starting rotation, had no choice but to respond harshly to Posada’s request to be taken out of the starting line-up.

Posada is currently batting .165 as the DH and while Jeter must’ve been slightly relieved not to answer questions about his own prolonged slump, the offensive struggles continue for him as well. I understand Posada’s frustration but Girardi was only doing what was necessary for the team when he moved the former catcher down in the line-up.  Clearly, this incident has been blown out of proportion (unsurprising given the Yankees’ struggles) by the media and Posada has since apologized which should really end the matter. However, Posada has been around long enough to know that the New York scribes won’t let this issue go away. To make matters worse, Big Papi decided to chime in and defend Posada by saying that the Yankees weren’t doing right by him and that DHing sucks. Thanks for the insight! While the latter may be true, what Ortiz forgets is that organizations like New York and Boston are paying players astronomical amounts of money to perform well. When this doesn’t happen, as is the case with all other employment situations, the employer has the right to make decisions that will resolve the problem. So, bottom line, I don’t want to hear any more whining – just play!

The Yankees right now have just about the same record as the other train wreck known as the Mets (yikes!) so they’d better use the upcoming road trip as a way to focus on playing fundamentally sound baseball for a change. Otherwise, I fear that this will be a looong season.

Al Bello / Getty Images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Derek Jeter’s drought

I was in the U.S. for almost two weeks recently and could finally watch Yankees games live instead of the recorded version. There were two things that struck me the most about this season’s team: one, the percentage of runs scored via homers is astoundingly high (almost 60% at one point, by far the highest of any MLB team) and two, Derek Jeter is off to a terrible start. Regarding the latter, I’ve never been one of those alarmists who declare a player’s season over in April or even May simply because of a low batting average – look at Mark Teixeira’s historically slow starts or more recently, David Ortiz who bounced back from an abysmal April with a rash of homers last year. Plus, I’ve always tended to give a player of Jeter’s status the benefit of the doubt because of all his accomplishments. In fact, barring catastrophic injury, Jeter should reach 3,000 career hits, the first player to do so wearing only a Yankees uniform which is incredible given the history of the franchise. To some extent, I think the pursuit of the record may be subconsciously affecting Jeter as it did for A-Rod last season (even I was tired of waiting for the 600th homer!)

Unfortunately, I don’t think the record alone is the issue as Jeter simply seems uncomfortable at the plate. He worked with hitting coach Kevin Long in the offseason to improve on his sub-par 2010 stats; however, these tweaks have proved futile as he’s not even hitting the ball hard. As players get older, the number of homers are bound to decline but in Jeter’s case even his trademark line drives are few and far between. In several cases, he’s either struck out or grounded into a double play with runners in scoring position so Girardi must be wondering whether to move him further down in the line-up although is reluctant to admit it.  To be fair, Jeter’s not the only player to waste such opportunities as the Yankees have relied – too heavily – on the long ball to get runners across. In fact, if they don’t start playing “small ball” I seriously worry about their postseason chances.

So, is this the end of Jeter’s storied tenure in New York? Certainly not, despite what some idiot fans who chanted for his trade might think. As the Captain, he undoubtedly plays an important role on the team but unless his productivity increases, some line-up changes must be made. Jeter has deservedly enjoyed the spotlight and all the perks that come from being a star in New York but there is also no tougher place to play, especially when the going gets tough.

Yankees vs Red Sox Game 2

I had a spare few hours to watch today’s Yankees-Red Sox game and here are my observations:

1) After 7 games, the Yankees have scored 41 runs, 14 of which were homers, the highest percentage in MLB so far. With 4 in today’s game alone, that number should increase even more. While clearly living up to the nickname “Bronx Bombers”, the Yankees shouldn’t expect to maintain that production all season. Hopefully, when the inevitable slumps occur, they’ll remember how to play small ball! The good news is that the bottom part of the line-up has been great, especially Russell Martin who contributed 2 homers against the Red Sox and has impressed me in this young season.

2) Apparently, the showers in the Yankees locker room weren’t working after yesterday’s game which was the Red Sox’s home opener. Come on, I know Fenway is old (99 years) but that is suspicious timing to say the least!! Did they forget to renovate that part of the ballpark?

The ancient Fenway Park

3) Whenever these two teams play eachother, the games seem to last forever and a day, or at the very least 3 1/2 hours! I remember when umpire Joe West complained about the length of these games last season and was roundly criticized by Mariano Rivera among others; however, he definitely has a point. By the 6th inning the game starts to drag, especially when the pitching starts to falter which is not good for baseball viewers. Umpires should make every effort to ensure the game moves along which means, for example, the pitchers shouldn’t be allowed to take so long between pitches.

4) Fox Sports showed Theo Epstein watching the game from a box and it occurred to me that I’m about his age and I went to college (Wesleyan) with Jed Hoyer, the Padres’ GM; the combination is depressing given that I’m sitting here on my couch typing this blog! Oh well.

5) Does Ken Rosenthal think his bowtie is sexy? Seriously, does he look in the mirror before he comes to the ballpark? I don’t mean  to be nasty – I just have a problem with sideline reporters in any sport. Their commentary is just fluff and certainly nothing that couldn’t be said by the regular announcers.

6) This doesn’t specifically pertain to today’s game but former Red Sox player Manny Ramirez’s sudden retirement warrants a mention. He is undoubtedly one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen with 555 career homers and 12 All-Star appearances plus the 2004 World Series MVP. However, his career was marred by off-field issues including steroids use (his retirement came after MLB notified Ramirez that he faced a 100 game suspension for failing yet another drug test) and a seriously bad attitude. As you may have guessed, I’m not a Red Sox fans but what he did to that franchise towards the end of his tenure is unforgivable (pretending to be injured etc).  Instead of ending his playing days under his own terms on the way to a sure Hall of Fame nod, Ramirez instead leaves under a cloud of suspicion, like Bonds and Sosa before him.  I can’t imagine what the Rays must be thinking right now….

How stupid can you possibly be?

Yankees Moments Part II

The Yankees have had an illustrious history, dating back to the 1903 season when the team moved to New York as the Highlanders (I’m purposely neglecting the first two seasons in Baltimore because those don’t count!). They lead the league in both revenues and championships with 27 at last count. I’ve been a fan since childhood but there are some significant moments which obviously pre-date me. Here are the ones I especially wish I had witnessed:

#5 Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech- Probably one of the most famous speeches in American history, despite lasting only about 30 seconds. Gehrig already knew the extent of his illness which would ultimately bear his name making the message all the more inspirational. Even from the grainy recordings, the famous echoes of old Yankee Stadium could be distinctly heard, never failing to give me goosebumps.

YouTube – “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth”, Lou Gehrig

#4 Reggie Jackson’s 3 home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series – As you may have guessed, I like a clutch postseason hitter and there was nobody more clutch than “Mr. October”. Against the Dodgers, with fans chanting his name, Jackson hit three long balls off three different pitchers to clinch the World Series victory. I grew up hearing stories about the “Bronx Zoo” as Billy Martin and Jackson notoriously didn’t like each other (not to mention Steinbrenner) and I would have loved to witness some of those screaming matches which inspired the ESPN mini-series The Bronx is Burning!

YouTube – Yankee Stadium’s Greatest Moments: Reggie Jackson

#3 Roger Maris’ pursuit of the single season home run record – In 1961, right fielder Maris, part of the famed “Murderers Row” accumulated home runs at an alarming pace, threatening to break the beloved Babe’s record of 60 long balls in one season. Unlike the now-tainted 1998 chase featuring McGwire and Sosa, the media and fans were not in Maris’ corner. In fact, I’ve read that poor Maris lost clumps of hair during the stressful run as he came under intense scrutiny, especially when compared to Yankees hero Mickey Mantle. That 61st homer must have been such a relief but what interests me most was that Maris completed the feat cleanly without the steroids which would blight the game later.

#2 Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak in 1941 – Clearly this isn’t a single moment but entire cover stories have been devoted to the subject of Joltin’ Joe’s feat. Seventy summers ago Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 straight – 03.14.11 – SI Vault In my opinion, this record is the most unbreakable in sports as I can’t imagine any present day batter hitting safely for 2 months straight!

#1 Bucky Dent’s home run against the Red Sox – On the last day of the 1978 season, the Yankees and Red Sox were tied atop the American League East leading to a historic, one-game playoff. We all know what happened – Bucky Dent crushed a homer to deep left field over the Green Monster to secure the Yankees’ win. The moment is all the more special as it knocked the hated Sox out of the playoffs.

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | BB Moments: 10/2/78: Bucky Dent Shocks the Sox – Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

Yankees Moments Part I

In honor of Opening Day tomorrow (already?!), I present my Top 5 Yankees moments. Hey, it’s my blog and I’ll write about the Yankees if I want to!

#5  Jeffrey Maier and the phantom home run – The Yankees were losing to the Orioles in Game 1 of their 1996 series when Derek Jeter came to the plate in the bottom of the 8th inning. He hit a long drive that appeared to be in-play but is snatched by Maier who showed amazing reflexes for a kid (I’m sure Orioles fans think otherwise). The umpire rules in favor of a home run and, in a massive momentum swing, the Yankees go on to win the game and the series. Maier becomes a minor celebrity in New York and eventually plays baseball for my alma mater Wesleyan!

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | BB Moments: ’96 ALCS, Gm 1: Fan Helps Jeter’s HR – Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

#4  The Flip – Another one involving Jeter who figures in many of my defining Yankees moments. As an aside, I’m tired of hearing from the haters who think he’s overrated. How many of them have figured so prominently in 5 World Series championships? Back to reality, this defensive play also changed the course of a playoff series, this time vs. the Oakland A’s in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS. The Yankees were down 2-0 in the series but Mike Mussina was pitching well until Jeremy Giambi got on base. The next batter Terrence Long hit the ball hard past Tino Martinez causing Giambi to plod towards home base (the third base coach should’ve known better than to send him). Shane Spencer’s throw was completely off base, missing the cut off man but Jeter somehow, from foul territory, managed to flip the ball back to Posada to throw out Giambi at the plate. As I watched the play develop, I was mystified not only by the amazingly athletic play of Jeter but by how stupid Giambi was for not sliding into home plate!!

YouTube – The GL Network Classic: “Derek Jeter Flip Play”

#3 Game 4 of the 2001 World Series vs. the Diamondbacks – The Yankees amazing post-season run that year  was in part fuelled by the passion of New Yorkers still mourning the horrible losses of September 11. This game actually featured 2 “moments”; the first was Tino Martinez’s tying home run off closer Byung-Hyun Kim in the bottom of the 9th that sent the game into extra innings. The second moment gave Derek Jeter a new nickname, “Mr. November”, as the clock struck midnight and he blasted a walk off home run against the beleagered Kim. The frenzy at Yankees Stadium that followed actually brought tears to my ears. The Yankees lost that series in heart-breaking fashion but they played a small part in the healing process.

YouTube – Derek Jeter 2001 world series game 4 walk off homerun

#2 Don Zimmer vs. Pedro Martinez – This rivalry was at its most intense during the 2003 ALCS series as the starting pitchers, Roger Clemens and Martinez, started a beanball war. When Clemens threw up and in to Manny Ramirez, a benches clearing brawl ensued leading to the knock-down of then 72-year old coach Don Zimmer. Martinez said later that he only meant to push Zimmer out of the way but it seemed he used a bit more force than was necessary – how much damage could a senior citizen do? In any event, there was also a bullpen scuffle to top off fight night at Fenway. Oh, and the Yankees went on to win the game but that actually seemed secondary at the time!

Fighting a bit outside your weight class Pedro!

#1 Aaron “Bleepin” Boone – Red Sox fans may want to stop reading because my top moment won the 2003 ALCS for the Yankees. This game was so long that I actually watched it in three different places but I never imagined that Boone, who hadn’t even started the game, would be the hero. Even the announcers were surprised as the ball drifted back towards the stands in the bottom of the 12th inning causing Red Sox nation to curse their fate again (well at least until the 2004 season)!

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | BB Moments: ’03 ALCS, Gm 7: Aaron Boone Blasts BoSox – Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

You may have noticed that the title of this post implies there will more scribblings on Yankees moments. It’s true – I intend to describe the Top 5 moments I wish I could’ve witnessed in person because given the team’s long history, I haven’t been around to see everything!

Another shot at Jeter…really?!

This article appeared in the New York Post Hank Steinbrenner tweaks Derek Jeter over mansion of Yankees captain and I must admit that I’m stunned. Not because Steinbrenner is yapping yet again – this time blaming Jeter for their playoff loss to the Rangers – that’s a given due to his lineage. No, the issue I have is that he’s clearly gone off the deep end. In his mind, Steinbrenner thinks that these constant jibes at Jeter which began during his contract negotiations (remember Cashman daring Jeter to test the free agency market?) somehow will motivate him to do better this season. Yes, his numbers were down of late but let’s note that he is 74 hits shy of becoming the FIRST Yankee to reach the 3,000 career hit plateau. This is the same franchise which Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle,  and Reggie Jackson played for. I think this lack of respect for a 5-time champion is not a good sign on the cusp of the 2011 season. Jeter is the ultimate professional and despite admitting to a certain confusion over the public nature of his contract negotations, refuses to say a bad word about the organization.

This, however, is not the only reason why I think Steinbrenner is delusion. In saying that Jeter was distracted from the playoffs because he was building his mansion in Tampa Bay, Steinbrenner has clearly forgotten just how bad his team’s pitching was all season. Management didn’t get Cliff Lee (pay attention Hank – he said the reason he chose Philly was because they had the best shot at a title!) and now what’s left is a newly svelte Sabathia playing out his final contract year, A.J. Burnett who Cashman was so concerned about that he visited him in Arkansas to establish his mental state, and a fat(ter) Joba Chamberlain. Fantastic!  Plus, Steinbrenner is responsible for giving A-Rod, in what is one of the worst contracts of all-time (right after his similar deal with the Rangers), $300 million until 2017!! Hank, you set the market impossibly high! If A-Rod is worth that money (debatable), of course Jeter who means more to the Yankees organization has to get a humongous contract. So,  maybe Steinbrenner is running his own distraction campaign so that we don’t focus on his off-season shortcomings (were you distracted while running your mouth?) but my guess is that this season will not run smoothly to say the least.

Where's the love Hank? Photo courtesy of Steve Nesius - AP

CC Sabathia’s Weight Loss Program?

In the latest sign of the apocalypse, CC Sabathia gave us the secret to his off-season weight loss – giving up Captain Crunch! Let’s see, Sabathia is entering his 10th year as a Major League baseball player and being a Yankee of course has the most expensive contract for a pitcher in MLB history. The Yankees starting rotation is minor league level at best given the incredibly ill-timed (or well-timed depending on whose perspective we’re talking about) retirement of Andy Pettitte and the emotional wreck named A.J. Burnett who apparently is still working on his mechanics. In fact, the New York Post has an article about Burnett’s state of mind, implying that it’s anybody’s best guess which pitcher will show up – the dominating one or the one who gave up six or more earned runs ten (yikes!)  times. Yankees asking a lot of erratic A.J. – NYPOST.com Then there’s Sabathia who has just now decided to focus on his weight which, in my opinion, is at least two years overdue. Watch the video below and be sure to look out for the barely suppressed alarm on Joe Girardi’s face when told about the Captain Crunch mystery, especially when the words “knee pain” are uttered.  The Yankees better hope Phil Hughes has a big season or it could be a long summer in the Bronx!

By the way, do you think Cameron Diaz is still feeding popcorn to A-Rod? I think that was my favorite part of this year’s Super Bowl and I expect Red Sox fans to mention it once or twice during his at-bats.

YouTube – The Secret to Sabathia’s Weight Loss

Who knew that Captain Crunch was fattening? NJ.com