The Magic Carpet

By Matthew Storey

The last time we checked in on the Yankees, they had won the first three games of a 4-Game set against the Minnesota Twins and were at 20-17. They went on to sweep Minnesota, then sweep Baltimore in 3, then they lose 2 of 3 to the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies in a THRILLING early season contest between two teams playing at a very high level. That closed the Homestand out at 8-2.

Then they travelled to Texas to face the AL West leading Rangers, who had not lost a Home series since April 14 (KC Royals) and won 2 of 3 to win their 4th successive road series. After losing their Season Opening road series to the Baltimore Orioles, 1-2, behind dreadful starts from CC Sabathia and Chien-MIng Wang, the Yankees have now won 6 of 7 road series (Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Baltimore, Toronto, Texas) with the one series loss coming to the Boston Red Sox, a series in which they held a 2 run lead with Mariano Rivera and a 6 run lead with AJ Burnett, and managed to lose both games.

Not likely to recur.

So the Yankees are playing good baseball now, that is clear. Let's look in-depth and take their temperature;

1.) Injury Report

Alex Rodriguez - Appears to be healthy.
Derek Jeter - Appears to be healthy.
Johnny Damon - Slammed his battered shoulder into a wall in the Twin series and his hot streak died immediately, ran into wall in Texas last night and is playing through, but obviously hampered (3 K's last night, just waving at balls he was driving all over the field before jamming shoulder).
Melky Cabrera - Another OF who slammed his shoulder into a Texas wall, MRI showed no structural damage but he is too sore to play, calling for 3-6 games at this point.
Jorge Posada - Caught 5 Innings in simulated game, pronounced Hamstring 100% and shoulder strength closer to 100% than it was before DL.
Xavier Nady - Playing simulated games, difficult to project how the elbow will respond. 2nd Half at BEST. Yankees desperately need OF help, but Nady is facing surgery and unlikely to play field.
Jose Molina - Not ready to play, another month? May have lost job to Cervelli.
Cody Ransom - Not ready, at least a month and no spot when he's healthy.
Hideki Matsui - Looks like he is about to collapse from the two bad knees, than, when you are resigned to losing him - hits two long HR's in Texas. May be bionic.
Damaso Marte - The new Brown, Igawa, Pavano - exists to provide meaningless health updates for the length of his 3 year deal, calls Brian Cashman at 3AM every night and says 'Sucka!'.

2.) Individual Capsules - Player by Player Updates

Players

Yankees finally have their entire Infield playing together, all healthy, and the results have been impressive. In the Outfield, injuries of varying severity to Nady, Damon and Cabrera have forced a lot off shifting and decreased productivity. Catcher Cervelli, filled in admirably for Posada and kept the line moving all through the recent hot streak. Defensively, Cervelli has been terrific, as is Melky Cabrera in CF, and Yankees have gone a franchise record 14 games without an error (MLB record is 17, by the Red Sox).

1B/Mark Teixeira - A BEAST. He was hitting .191 on May 12 in Toronto. Since then he has gone 26/61 for a cool .426, raising his anemic average all the way to .275 in an EYEBLINK, while bouncing 8 HR off every wall from both sides and driving in 22 runs. Since Alex returns, teams pitch to Mark, he's only had 6 walks in this stretch, or one less than he had in one GAME against the Red Sox (5) on 4/25, when Alex wasn't around. His Defense is extraordinary, everything he was advertised to be. .275/.382/.596

2B/Robinson Cano - Cano's curse is to be so talented that no progress feels like ENOUGH to accommodate that talent. However, even as he continues to waste periodic at-bats by determining to swing at the first pitch and grounding harmlessly to 2B (trying to pull instead of taking his natural stroke to LF), he is hitting .320/.351/.536, with 9 HR/28 RBI and has made only 2 errors at 2B in 47 Games while being 3rd in Total Chances at 231 (Aaron Hill, Ian Kinsler tied with 236).

SS/Derek Jeter - Derek bottomed out at .264 in Baltimore on May 8, since then he's gone 24/67 (.358) with 3 HR/9 RBI. He's stolen 10 of 11 bases, and is now at .297/.372/.464 for the season. Like Cano, he has committed only 2 Errors in 44 games at SS, making the absurd claims about his Defense go
P-O-O-F!

3B/Alex Rodriguez - Completing an Infield without peer, Alex has stormed back from Surgery with THUMP, smacking 7 HR/17 RBI in his 66 At-Bats, while compiling an overall of .258/.410/.636 and playing his typical sterling Defense. Yankee infield has combined for 40 HR and only F-I-V-E Errors.

CF/RF Melky Cabrera - He has been a revelation, coming into his own in his 4th MLB season with a
.323 AVG/.368 OBP.481 SLG, hitting over .300 in April and May. He has won three games with walkoff hits and tied the Extra Inning loss to the Phillies in the 9th the day after one walkoff, but hurt his shoulder in the first inning at Texas. Yankees need his Defense, his switch-hitting, reliable bat and his young legs.

CF/Brett Gardner - Seeming overmatched at the plate in April, after winning the CF job in Spring Training, Gardner took a cue from Melky and stayed focused, worked hard and took advantage of his playing opportunities to post an unlikely .357/.449/.619 over his last 30 days (22 games). He has twice come in to replace an injured OF and, in each case, had 3 hit games. His legs have never been the question, as his blistering speed leads to errors, forced decisions and 9 of 11 Stolen Bases. His Defense is consistently terrific, and he compensates for poor arm strength with a tremendous jump and fundamentally solidly positioning. He will be an essential contributor as the Yankees move through 2009, as Damon and Matsui both will require extensive downtime, and Nick Swisher's struggles are likely to force the Yankees to make a move, either through a trade or a callup of one of their Minor League OF Options. If Brett can continue at .277/.339/.416 and contribute 40 Stolen Bases, he will be an asset.

LF/Johnny Damon - Damon carried the Yankees through the worst stretch of their young season, when Teixeira and Cano were not hitting, and Rodriguez and Posada were both out of the lineup, winning AL Player of the Week in the process. But, as has happened seemingly every year of his MLB career, he sent his fragile shoulder into a wall and came out a reduced Offensive player. Johnny is such a terrific hitter, baserunner and leader, and his place on the team is secure, but he clearly needs to play LESS in order to be at top strength in August/September, his body is battered and too much could leave the Yankees without legitimate production from LF.

RF/Nick Swisher - Swisher is the weakest link in the Yankee lineup. A mistake hitter who is incapable of handling top pitching, Nick strikes out 40% of the time. He ran into some hangers and straight fastballs earlier this year, while he carried NY before Damon took over the role. But that is six weeks past and Nick has hit just .173/.343/.370 since assuming the everyday RF role in the wake of Xavier Nady's injury. No MLB team with championship aspirations can afford that sort of production from a corner OF slot, even the Yankees, who get production from their Infield and Catcher other teams cannot match, need more than that. If Melky is healthy and Brett continues to contribute, Yankees need to cut Swisher back to a part-time OF with occasional DH duties when Damon and/or Matsui need a blow.

UT/ Ramiro Pena - Pena proved his value with sterling Defense at 3B, SS and 2B and has cemented a hold on the Utility Infield position. His Switch-hitting, glove and fresh legs insure Girardi will be confident if any of his regulars need time off, Alex will need time off for his Hip, Cano for his wandering focus and Derek from the assortment of plunks, dinks and collisions he endures annually. Pena is ideal for his role.

UT/ Angel Berroa - With Alex back playing every day and Pena firm in the utility slot, Berroa might want to go week-to-week with his rent payments - his time is almost up - Yankees are likely to call up an OF and designate Angel any day now.

C/Francisco Cervelli - Cervelli is no Jorge Posada, he lacks thump and is a RH hitter. BUT, he also has provided the Yankees with a complete backup, who calls a great game, throws darts to all bases and avoids striking out while hitting .300. Yankees got almost NOTHING from Catcher in 2008, as Jorge was injured and backups Jose Molina, Ivan Rodriguez and Chad Moeller all failed to do ANYTHING.

C/Kevin Cash - Awful early, Cash is coming off a productive couple of games in Texas, but his situation mirrors that of Angel Berroa, Posada is on the way back and Cash will no longer be King, or a Catcher for the New York Yankees.

DH/Hideki Matsui - Hideki has his surgically repaired left knee drained earlier in the season, and immediately went on a serious roll...but then the leg stiffened back up and he went into a tailspin. His bat is incredible, but his health is day-to-day, even at the best of times. He hit 2 HR last night in Texas, and may be about to go off on one of his notorious hot streaks (hit 14 HR in July 2007 to be Player of the Month), or, he could take a bad step and retire. That is his reality in 2009.

Pitchers

CC, AJ and Andy are providing veteran outings every start, going deep into games and keeping them close enough for the Yankees to win every time they are on the hill. Joba, 23 and Hughes. 22 have been electric at times, with low-hit/big K games, and also been ineffective or wild at others. Both are waiting for their experience levels to catch up with big arms and composed demeanors, they are already effective MLB starters, sometimes dominant, as they learn. Chien-Ming Wang and Alfredo Alceves are starting insurance while providing reliable innings in the Pen. Mariano has been Mo. Coke, Albaladejo, Ramirez, Tomko and Veras have been erratic and unreliable, and Girardi has been shuffling them with David Robertson, Mark Melancon and Anthony Claggett in search of a better group performance.

LH/CC Sabathia - He has been dominant.

RH/AJ Burnett - He has struggled with control, either with walks or bad location, that has led to erratic performances, but he goes long in games and strikes out a ton of hitters, and when he gets the ball over the plate, casually dominates. Gives them a chance every outing.

LH/Andy Pettitte - Just battles, has average stuff, deep experience and incredible competitiveness. Seems to have critical mid-game lapses in each start, sometimes he overcomes them, other times he struggles through, but always provides length.

RH/Joba Chamberlain - Was rolling along, a la Melky, when BOOM, he took a wicked liner off his shin in the 1st inning of a start against the Orioles. He looked flustered and uncomfortable in his one start since being hit with that ball, going only 4 innings against the Rangers, but surrendering only 3 runs despite the struggle. He never gets beat up, but hasn't been consistently reliable with his control or his fastball, which can hit 97 at times, or languish at 91-92, seems to need a little time in starts to warm up his arm, which is odd since he was so effective in the Pen. Also has a lot on his mind, with his sick Dad and imprisoned Mom, and there really isn't any way to measure that sort of stress. Still, despite the questions, like Cano, his talent is vast and his ERA of 3.97 and 46 K's in 45.1 Innings are certainly more than acceptable.

RH/Phil Hughes - 22 year old Phil seems to have made his breakthrough to permanent MLB duty. He followed up a 5 Inning/9 K effort against Baltimore with 8 Shutout innings in Texas (3 Hits), and has now given up more than 3 runs in only one of 6 MLB starts in '09. His Fastball has been consistently at 94 and his curveball is the best on a staff that has wicked CB's from Joba, AJ, CC and Andy. Has only to do a better job with adversity to become a star. May still be moved to the Bullpen in '09, but there is little doubt he can dominate in either role and that he will be permanent rotation fixture from '10 forward.

RH/Alfredo Aceves - 26 year old Ace has been overused by Girardi, due to his excellence and the unreliable '09 contributions from Veras, Ramirez, Coke and Albaladejo. He managed to win 2 games in short relief, handles middle relief and filled in for Joba with 3.1 after throwing 2 the night before, all scoreless. Girardi finally went to the well one too many times in the second game at Texas and they got to him as he began his 3rd inning, a day after 2 innings. If the rest of the pen stabilizes, he can be a great asset all season - if not, he will blow out his arm and become too familiar to opponents.

LH/Phil Coke - 26 year old Phil is better than he realizes. He doesn't trust his 94 MPH fastball enough and constantly gets beaten by throwing multiple offspeed pitches in at-bats. He has great potential but the performance on the mound has been less than the sum of his ability, it remains to be seen how big a role he will play the rest of the year - he needs more consistency, better control and less big bombs.

RH/Jose Veras - Veras came into an 8-0 game last night, gave up a 2B, a 2 Run HR and a walk and was dismissed by Girardi. He is in need of a role with a team who have more time for him to find his control. Likely to be gone by the All-Star break.

RH/Chien-Ming Wang - I was deeply skeptical about Joe Girardi's approach to his young CF tandem, and watched in amazement as BOTH players got stronger from competition and seemed to grow up in Girardi's system that rewards good play with playing time and poor play with a reduction in role (D'uh!). I was originally skeptical, as well, about the plan to place Chien-Ming Wang in the bullpen, Wang, who has always been a starter since he was a teenage phenom leading the Taiwanese international team and was the Yankee 'Ace' the last four years, is seemingly the LAST guy who should/could/would go to the bullpen. But then, I thought about Girardi, and his approach, and realized that Wang hasn't EARNED his job back and his major problem has nothing to do with his arm, it has to do with his being tough enough to overcome some reduced capacity after the injury that can ONLY be repaired with consistent innings that can ONLY be provided if he proves he knows how to get hitters out, regardless of his 'comfort level'. Joe didn't insult him or coddle him, he is inviting him to take his place through his play. Last night, Wang came into a blowout and blew through the final six hitters. Maybe this will work?

RH/Mariano Rivera - Mo is dominant.

3.) Looking Forward

After an off-day on Thursday, Yankees begin a 4 Game Wraparound series in Cleveland (F-S-S-M) and will throw (Pettitte-CC-Phil-Joba), then come home for a 3 game set with Texas (T-W-TH) behind (AJ-Pettitte-CC) and then they begin a Gauntlet that will tell them exactly where they stand in the AL East race, with 4 at Home against the Tampa Bay Rays (F-S-S-M) and then a quickie trip to Boston for 3 games with the Red Sox (T-W-TH).

We'll check in with features as they go through this stretch and be back to recap in about ten days.

Posted by Matthew at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Matthew Storey

In the Summer of 2005, a Yankee team reeling from major injuries to two starting Outfielders, brought up a 20 year old, emergency Minor League replacement named Melky Cabrera...

He proceeded to overrun a fly ball and look like a Deer caught in Fenway's headlights, on his way to a forgettable MLB debut (6 games, .211).

The next season, given an invitation to Spring Training at 21, his smiling, energetic personality, switch-hitters bat and booming left arm put him on Joe Torre's radar, and he found himself back in The Bronx by Spring and playing important innings, at first as a late-inning Defender, then as the everyday LF and, eventually, supplanting Johnny Damon in CF, a move Damon himself approved since the dramatic difference in their respective arms made it a 'no-brainer'.

That 2006 season, at 21, Melky led AL OF in Assists with twelve (12) despite playing only 127 Games at 3 OF positions. He made one of the All-Time Highlight reel plays to rob Manny Ramirez of a LCF HR, which led noted Yankee-hater, Curt Schilling, to note 'You have to hand it to them, they bring up winners like Cano and Cabrera'.

He hit .280, with 8 HR and 50 RBI (460 At-Bats) (compare with Jacoby Ellsbury, last season at 24, who hit .280 with 9HR and 47 RBI in NINETY FOUR more at-bats (554). It's true that Ellsbury, stole 50 bases from 61 tries that season - Ellsbury has Gardner speed, Melky is 37 of 50 tries in his career...but it is ALSO true that Melky's 12 assists as a Rookie compare to 5 for Ellsbury in 212 games played and that Melky had 4 assist in one 4 game playoff series against Cleveland in 2007.

Melky came back in 2007, at 22, and put up .273, with 8 HR and 73 RBI, while placing 3rd in AL OF Assists with SIXTEEN, then followed up with the 4 assist playoff and what appeared to be a game winning Playoff HR before the swarm ate Joba and the Yankee victory.

Melky began the 2008 season, at 23, with an impressive .299/6 Start and then...fell apart, slumping all the way to .249 with only 8HR and 37RBI. Even ending up in the Minor Leagues late in August...

At that point, he'd played MLB OF for 2 full seasons plus 4 months and proven to be an effective player for all but the final three of those months (he still had 7 Assists from CF, which, while a STEEP drop for Melky, was still one more than Torii Hunter (4) and Grady Sizemore (2) had COMBINED in 2008, while battling for the 'Gold Glove', a total of 288 games).

Over the Winter, the speculation was that NY would trade Melky to Milwaukee for Mike Cameron, a player TWELVE years older than Melky, who had never managed to top Melky's .273 from his 22 year old season or reach his .280 from his 21 year old season, despite playing 14 years of MLB baseball. Cameron, hitting solely from the RH side, DOES have 20 HR power, but that power comes at the cost of an average of 135 K's per each of his 12 FULL MLB Seasons (Melky's career high in K is 68).

If Melky's .249 in '08 was a slump, Cameron's LIFETIME Avg. of .251 was hardly the antidote, and Melky's 'worst of three seasons' Assist total (7) was one less than Cameron's career BEST (8). His lifetime Ratio of Assists/Errors is 68/64 (Melky's? 35/10). As for RBI, Cameron topped Melky's 73 only 3 times in his 15 seasons, and only broke 100 once (2001).

Guru spent most of the Winter writing about the above numbers and the ABSURDITY of trading away a young player with that combination of skills, who was an INSTANT fan favorite in NYC and is beloved by his teammates, amongst whom are his Idol, Alex Rodriguez and his best friend, Robinson Cano.

What I found interesting about those columns was the RESPONSE. People wrote in to say what a 'terrible player' Melky is and screeched when confronted with the statistical rebuttal...'everyone KNOWS he sucks'! Which struck me as odd. Here is this kid, with a million watt smile, a HERO to his Dominican fan base in Washington Heights and throughout NYC. His T-Shirts adorn the backs of thousands of New Yorkers ('Got Melky?') T-Shirts are amongst the best-selling items for the Yankees, who sell 25% of ALL MLB merchandise.

Still, people outside of NYC and in the local media seem to truly DISLIKE the guy, despite the evidence.

My preview magazine, written by a guy named Scott Gramling, who is an Oriole fan and lists his writing staff as 'six world-class writers' (although three of the six are from the Gramling FAMILY!). His review of Melky Cabrera, had this to say 'The offseason acquisition of Nick Swisher likely pushes Johnny Damon to CF and Cabrera to the bench, where he belongs. He's atrocious Offensively and good Defensively, only in comparison to Damon and Bernie Williams'. Now, overlooking the fact that Bernie Williams won FOUR Gold Gloves as a Yankee CF, given the statistical and anecdotal evidence, its safe to say that Melky is indisputable as a Defender. And, given the numbers Offensively, it is hard to understand the intensity of criticism, given his age and established ability as a productive MLB hitter.

Of course, the same group of Oriole fans said of Jeter 'his Defensive deficiencies won't kill your fantasy team the way they do the Yankees' (UPDATE: Jeter is 2nd in AL Fielding Percentage with 2 errors in 37 games, while being 5th in Total Chances and trailing a guy who plays fulltime on the rug...). That would be fewer errors than Julio Lugo, made in a single inning for Boston or Oriole kid, Robert Andino, made at SS during the just-completed SWEEP at Yankee Stadium). Interesting to note this is another 'fact' that 'everyone' knows, but is an absolute JOKE to those of us who have seen every inning, every game and understand that, in New York, NOBODY lasts if they aren't doing the job - not even Derek could survive if his Defense was porous, which it isn't - it happens to be terrific.

Happily, the Yankees avoided trading away the Switch-Hitting 24 year old Melky for the 36 year old Cameron, throwing open the Spring competition and awarding the starting spot to speedster Brett Gardner, who promptly lost the job to Melky when it became apparent he lacked a serious CF arm and was not an everyday Offensive threat, while Melky was streaking to a season, in which he's hit successfully in 25 of his 28 starts, hitting .319/.370 On-Base/.500 Slugging, with 5HR/19RBI.

But, just today, a friend on Facebook, called Melky 'one of those guys who is a dime a dozen', and I wondered - where are there are other switch-hitters with that sort of an arm, who don't strike out, can hit .280, drive in 73 RBI and slug .500, before they turn 25?

On MLB, recently retired, Sean Casey, a favorite of the White-Boy Press (Joe Buck, Peter Gammons) opined that he saw Gardner last year and thought he brought more 'energy' than Melky, which is interesting phrasing since Melky is, perhaps, the most demonstrative of Yankees, while Gardner is a stoic, crew-cut sort...

Is it all possible that the critics, like Casey, are really talking about the TYPE of energy?

Melky speaks no English, and the NYC media have proven time and time again that this makes them FURIOUS (they despised El Duque Hernandez). In Casey's world (and in Boston) the bouncing, laughing, stylin' Dominican approach has not exactly been the local favorite! When Melky mugs for his buddy, Cano, hops into his big brother, Alex's arms or leaps skyward after the final out for a butt bump with Robby...lots of us see 'Energy' (Joe Torre said 'I love the energy and charisma this kid brings to the team'), but apparently, lots of folks see something else...something they do NOT like, something lots of them also saw in class-act Bernie Williams, whose gentle, Guitar Playing self did not keep him from being a hated Yankee for a decade and a half.

It was nothing short of bizarre to watch the disconnect between the urban Yankee fans (who adore Melky, as we do Manny, Cano, Alfonso Soriano...) and the conservative, anglo press (NY Daily News staff, Yankee Announcer Michael Kay, MLB Network Casey and fellow Right Winger, Al Leiter) when it came to the Gardner/Melky contest - the latter were rooting HARD to see the South Carolina kid to win the job and only grudgingly have admitted how superior Melky's play has been, while Melky's teammates insisted all along that the reports of Melky's demise was WAYYYYY overdone (Damon said, in Spring 'Melky is going to be here a long, long time').

Which is NOT to say that Melky is in the same class Offensively OR Defensively with the Tampa Bay Rays phenom, BJ Upton OR the Orioles duo of CF Adam Jones and RF Nick Markakis...those are all Superstar type players with power that dwarfs Melky's.

Melky will remain a solid everyday player, but never be a superstar. He can hit .300, hit 20 HR, drive in 100 runs, steal 15-20 bases and throw out a bushel full of Baserunners, however, and that is MORE than enough to insure he remains a Yankee for longandlong. Happily, he and Gardner get along beautifully and his teammates adore him, as do Yankee fans who live IN the City. CF is likely to be patrolled by 5 tool Minor League Phenom, Austin Jackson (hitting .341 at AAA) who Reggie Jackson compared to Devon White, Defensively, in the coming years, but Melky's big arm and defense figure to make him a RF fixture as Damon and Matsui move on, and Swisher/Gardner shift over to LF.

As for his Manager? Joe Girardi said 'Melky is a different player than he was last year, he's patient at the plate, driving the ball with authority from both sides and his Defense has always been there. He's so young, and it is not unusual to see struggles from a 23 year old, regardless of how many seasons he has under his belt. We challenged him to compete and do better, and now he is playing everyday and winning games for us. We like everything we've seen.'

As for Guru, I love Melky, always have and believe that The Magic Carpet was the ONLY voice sticking with him when the critics were circling.

I have no problem saying 'I told you so..'.

Posted by Matthew at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Matthew Storey

Hey kids!

For a writer who has become accustomed to writing about Baseball nearly daily, my recent sabbatical has been a strange break from routine...I filed Game reports through the first game of the last Red Sox series (Game 25) and then...

Nothing.

Or, to be more precise, Manny Ramirez, was suspended (my last column deals with this) and my fury at MLB just took the F-U-N away. I always chat up the Doormen on my Dog Walk routes and several are Dodger fans (old time NL fans in NYC, whose dads were either Dodger or Giant fans back in the day, are still loyal to Dem Bums), they share my revulsion at the moralizing tone this sets and the incredible damage it does to the PRODUCT - obviously, nobody wants to watch Juan Pierre play, but urbanites aren't the only ones in the mix and its clear there are passionate voices on the other side of the argument. As New Yorkers, we are not accustomed to having accommodate such voices - we've got them right here in our Right Wing tabloids (New York Daily News and New York Post) and are used to ignoring their racist, culture war way of covering the sports scene. Nonetheless, Manny is on the sidelines and the NL season has become a non-event as a consequence, but LA is certainly the class of the West in any case, so the ultimate cost may not be so prohibitive.

I've got two tickets for the LA Dodgers against the NY Mets (my first game at Citi Field) on July 9, and his suspension is scheduled to end a week before that date - so HOPEFULLY, the New Yorkers who love the guy and could not let him know when he was wearing that ugly hat with the 'B', will have a chance to see him and Joe Torre, back where they belong. Otherwise the tickets are give-aways...

I've said all that needs to be about the reasons it made me mad, no reason to rehash here. What I DO want to do is catch up with the Yankees and touch on what we've learned in Games 26-37 and go through the roster to talk about who IS getting the job done and who is NOT.

Schedule Recap

Yankees were 13-12 through 25 games, since then;

Game 26 - Loss to Red Sox @ Yankee Stadium (Yanks lose series 0-2, trail Red Sox 0-5 on season)
Game 27 - Loss to Rays
Game 28 - Loss to Rays (Yanks lose series 0-2, trail Rays 2-3 on season)
Game 29 - Win against Orioles in Baltimore
Game 30 - Lose to Orioles
Game 31 - Win against Orioles (Yankees win series 2-1, tied on season 3-3)
Game 32 - Lose to Blue Jays in Toronto
Game 33 - Win against Blue Jays
Game 34 - Win against Blue Jays (Yankees win series, lead season 2-1)
Game 35 - Win against Twins @ Yankee Stadium
Game 36 - Win against Twins
Game 37 - Win against Twins

Yankees 7-4 in this period, overall 20-17, 3rd Place in the AL East, trailing Toronto by 3 games in Loss Column and Red Sox by 1.

Injury Update

RH Ian Kennedy, had Aneurysm surgery and is lost for the season.
RF Xavier Nady, is just beginning to work on Baseball drills and his return is currently unknowable.
C Jose Molina, has a deep thigh issue and is probably a month away from return.
UT Cody Ransom, has a blown out thigh and is six weeks away.
P Damaso Marte, has shoulder problems and return is indefinite.
C Jorge Posada, is close to returning from a simple Hamstring pull, probably this weekend.
P Brian Bruney, is close to returning from a sore elbow, any day.
P Chien-Ming Wang, is ready to return from complications to his hip allignment, following foot surgery. Will be slotted into rotation.
3B Alex Rodriguez, returned in Game 29.
SS Derek Jeter, pulled oblique, missed two games, returned.
1B Mark Teixeira, aggravated his Left Wrist injury in collision at 1B, played one game at DH and played 1B yesterday, sore.

This Week

Yankees close out 4 game set with Minnesota tonight (M) at the Stadium (Andy Pettitte, pitches), then welcome the Orioles for a three game set on (T-W-TH) (CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain) and then the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies are in for 3 game set (F-S-S) to usher in the Interleague schedule and close out the 10 game homestand. (Wang would be scheduled to throw on F, but so is AJ Burnett, Yankees will replace Hughes and insert Wang in the rotation slot that makes sense).

Roster Review

Pitching

CC Sabathia - (3.70) Has settled down into his new routine and is providing the Yankees with low ERA while going deep into games. His early season control problems have disappeared. Ideal 'Ace'. Consistently at 97-98 mph and extremely effective with offspeed and breaking stuff. Given Yankees a chance in 6 of 8 Starts thus far.

AJ Burnett - (5.02) Has been pitching effectively, but not getting any run support. Gives Yankees a chance to win and goes deep.
High ERA mostly attributable to meltdown against Boston, where he blew 6-0 lead and surrendered 8 earned runs. Stuff is always there and his focus and obvious excitement to be a Yankee has made his transition a dream. Needs to walk fewer hitters. He's given Yankees a chance in 6 of 8 Starts thus far.

Joba Chamberlain - (3.76) He's had to overcome 1st Inning jitters and some wildness, but provides low ERA. Needs to be more economical with pitch count to get deeper into games. Has given Yankees a chance to win in 6 of 7 starts.

Andy Pettitte - (4.00) Old reliable, Andy shows up every five days, takes ball and competes. Also given Yankees 6 good starts from his 7 tries.

Phil Hughes - (7.56) Phil is still struggling with the mental toughness required of a MLB Starter, his big arm allows him to dominate for stretches and, when things go his way - he's capable of going deep into games with low hit/run counts. BUT...when hitters get on through walks, bloops or Defensive mistakes - he tends to unravel and lose the Strike Zone. Needs to B-R-E-A-T-H-E on the mound but has not yet mastered the skill of relaxation under pressure. Likely headed to the Bullpen, where his big arm will be an upgrade and the shorter stint will make him more effective - has nothing left to learn/prove in the Minors and can serve his apprenticeship out of the pen. When he gets it (and at 22, he will), Yankees will likely allow Andy to retire/leave, the question will be up to Phil - who could move into a permanent rotation slot as soon as '10 and remains a solid #6 option if anyone goes down. Phil has given the Yankees a chance to win in 2 of 4 starts and is likely making his final one for the foreseeable future this week.

Chien-Ming Wang - (34.50) Chien was simply mishandled by the Yankee staff. Coming into the season, his health status was as important an issue for the training/pitching staffs and his abysmal and atypical performances made it clear that he was NOT ready and NOT feeling 100% and, given his value and the damage those three starts did to the team/bullpen - someone screwed up. Happily, he is coming off a typically dominant effort against an AAA team stacked with MLB hitters (Hafner, Marte, Graffanino) and seems to be in a better place physically and mentally. He is not ALL the way back (only at 92 mph, he usually operates at 95), but he can be effective at this point. Chien has been blown out early in 3 of his 3 starts, failing to give the Yankees ANY chance in all.

Jose Veras - (6.75) Veras has a dominant arm, but like former Yankee relievers with such 'stuff' (Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth) he is simply too erratic with his control to be dependable. Does not get hit hard (Slugging against .390), but walks SO many guys, that even singles lead to runs against. He'd be the first to be demoted/moved if Yankees move Hughes to the pen. It seems like it is time for that to occur.

Edwar Ramirez - (4.86) Edwar has also struggled with his control, but his power changeup/fastball array is more reliable than Veras more dynamic power and his incredible production (110 K's in 93 Innings as a Yankee) and previous success make him worthy of retention. He HAS to throw more strikes however, as he is getting pounded when forced to throw 'get over' strikes. In his defense, he has been forced to absorb long stints in blowout losses that have derailed his numbers. Still an important answer in Pen.

Jonathan Albaladejo - (4.82) Alba is a ground ball/control specialist who ALSO has simply walked too many guys. His sinker is reliably effective, but those singles he surrenders are deadly with walked runners on base. Not a focal point in the pen, might be vulnerable if some of the more dynamic arms who've yet to hit their MLB stride do so (David Robertson, Mark Melancon).

Phil Coke - (4.60) Coke is in the same situation as Phil Hughes (a 'Phil' thang?), he's dominant at AAA and occasionally so in MLB, he simply needs more seasoning and to avoid the middle of the plate. He has good control and throws strikes, but he needs to work on the command of those strikes, he can shut lineups down for awhile and then will leave 0-2, 1-2 pitches in the Zone and get
POPPED. Experience is the cure and his power LH arm will allow him enough wiggle room to get that experience in Pinstripes.

Alfredo Aceves - (2.16) 'Ace' has the least impressive 'stuff' on the staff, but is a polished product on the mound. Exactly the opposite of the rest of these great throwers who need more seasoning and EXACTLY what the Yankees need right now.Throws strikes, goes after hitters and stays away from the middle of the plate. Can start, provide long or middle relief and is coming off back to back Late inning wins out of the pen. A terrific job thus far in his Yankee career.

Brian Bruney - (3.38Brian is dominant, strikes out tons of hitters, doesn't walk guys...but he's just gotten HURT in each of the past two seasons. If he is healthy, the Yankees are set in the 8th and 9th inning.

Mariano Rivera - (2.76) Mo is still Mo (22 K's/1 walk in 16.1 Innings), surrendered 4 April HR's, but those hitters (Jason Bay, Curtis Granderson, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria) are all capable of doing that against anyone and lack of consistent early season due to Yankee struggles and rounding back to best shape after surgery are all understandable excuses for slight drop-off. Been dominant of late, as per usual.

Infielders

1B Mark Teixeira (S) - Mark struggled mightily after hurting his Left wrist in opening series and was below .200 earlier this week, although his power, on-base percentage and Defense have all been there. However, since Alex Rodriguez, is back in the lineup, he has burst out and his average looks ready to climb towards more typical levels. Provides Gold Glove Defense Yankees haven't had since Tino, switch-hitter with Power and enthusiastic Yankee, he benefits more personally from Alex's return than any other Yankee. The two are close friends, familiar with one another and forces pitchers to 'pick their poison', Yankees have been 2nd in Slugging and HR's with limited production from Teixeira and Alex, and injuries to Posada and Nady. An extremely good sign.

2B Robinson Cano (L) - Cano has been the same guy we've become accustomed to seeing. His Defense is unmatched at 2B, he simply covers an incredible amount of ground (overwhelming lead in total chances for AL 2B last two seasons), has a rocket arm and turns a smooth Double Play and has avoided the 'brain cramp' mistakes on easy chances thus far. Offensively, he can look like the best hitter in the game for long stretches, as he did for much of April...but he can also fall into lazy habits and give away bushels of at-bats when he is a little off, as he has in May. Girardi gave him the day off yesterday and the emergence of Pena allows for Cano to get more pine time and refresh his approach periodically. He is HR threat and covers the field from foul line to foul line with line drives, has taken more pitches, only needs to have a better situational approach and focus to be a perennial Batting Champ threat.

SS Derek Jeter (R) - Derek has been terrific at SS, with only two errors in his 35 games, his arm has looked fully healed after issues in each of the past two seasons and his much maligned range is actually terrific. Offensively, he was hot early, has cooled off considerably (like Cano, Swisher) but is still a great situational hitter who moves runners, uses the whole field, can go deep when needed (5 HR) and doesn't panic in clutch. He's stolen 8 of 9 bases.

3B Alex Rodriguez (R) - Alex is still in Spring Training mode after a week of baseball, returning from his surgery. His Defense has been solid and he's caught three mistakes with that power of his, but he is not the force we all expect in the batter's box just yet. He will continue to get his HR as Damon and Teixeira put stress on pitchers and his walks as they opt for Matsui and slumping Swisher instead. When he gets his stroke back, he will HR/walk MORE. Yankees will be happy to see Cano start hitting, Posada return and Swisher do SOMETHING, so Alex can have what he provides for Mark - protection.

UT Ramiro Pena (S) - 23 year old Pena has been the surprise of the young season. He's an effective LH hitter, who hits from both sides of the plate and plays slick Defense at SS, 3B and 2B. With Alex recovering, Derek needing periodic days off to recover from his linebacker approach to the game and Cano needing mental health days - Pena is the IDEAL utility man. A great job by the minor league system getting this AA kid MLB ready. Injury to Cody Ransom, who blew his chance with terrible Offense, turned into a blessing when it got Pena a look. He'll be here for a long time.

Outfielders

LF Johnny Damon (L) - Damon has been the Yankees MVP, incredibly clutch and productive (.627 slugging). He is made for Yankee Stadium the way Mike Lowell, Jason Bay and Dustin Pedroia are made for Fenway and he KNOWS it, will do anything humanly possible to force Yankees to keep him in NY (final year of his contract) and keep Michelle happy. Leaving NYC is obviously not what he or they want, and his play has at least made it less of a longshot.., but realistically, with Austin Jackson looming for CF and excellent two-way play from Melky, it is going to come down to a choice between keeping Johnny or Brett Gardner and Damon's Defensive shortcomings are likely to push that choice to the younger player, with the speed and defense. Yankees will benefit from Damon's contract year throughout the season however, and someone will sign him for as long as he wants - a 3,000 hit player if he can find a DH gig for a few seasons.

CF Melky Cabrera (S) - Melky has been terrific since Spring Training. He came in knowing his job was on the line, and early Spring success by Gardner pushed him to the bench, but he hit-hit-hit and EARNED his way back to the everyday job. Moves his Gold Glove level Defense and big arm easily to LF or RF when Girardi gets Gardner in the game and they blanket the OF. He has shown consistent Avg/On-Base/Slugging all season and would be Yankee MVP if not for Damon's recent explosion. Only flaw has been his and Cano's production in games after they've had Walk-Off winners and headed up to Washington Heights for coronations from beautiful Dominican women! Take away those 0 for occasions, Melky would be hitting .340!

RF Nick Swisher (S) - Nick is a breath of fresh air, happy to be a Yankee, relaxed and versatile (1B, OF), he even gets down effective Sac Bunts when called upon. For the first two weeks of the season, he put on a tear that was almost surreal, from both sides of the plate. BUT...for the past month, he has done Z-E-R-O, striking out every other at-bat and looking completely lost at the plate. All of his damage has come on the road and his inconsistency has illustrated how much the Nady injury hurt the middle of the lineup. Swisher is not a threat at the plate right now, and Girardi would be well served to go with Melky/Gardner for a few days in a row and allow Swisher to clear his mind.

CF Brett Gardner (L) - Brett was overmatched in the every day lineup, but handled the move to the bench well and has become a decent contributor with his speed and defense. He has game changing legs and is a weapon off the bench or with a glove, he will play as much as his bat allows. Likely to be the 4th OF or starting LF once Austin Jackson joins the team, either later this season or next.

DH Hideki Matsui (L) - Likely in his final season, Matsui has continued to be effective at the plate, shown power, been clutch. He will always be able to hit, his knees are on their final strides however and a career ending recurrence could happen at any moment. He is certainly done as a defender. Difficult to see how he can hold up for the duration, but will be productive as long as he does. Nady may inherit some time if he heals up or Jackson could be the one to replace him, freeing up DH time for Damon/Posada/Jeter.

Catchers

C Jorge Posada (S) - One of the Yankees amazing F-I-V-E switchhitters (Pena, Melky, Teixeira, Swisher), Posada came off the injury without missing a beat. He threw the ball effectively, caught his regular innings load and provided more thump and offense in five weeks than they got from Catcher all last year (5 HR/20 RBI/.582 SLG/.312 AVG). Then he pulled his hamstring! But, alas, the Yankees actually benefited when Francisco Cervelli (like Ramiro Pena) got MLB playing time and proved to be a dynamic Defensive catcher with a power arm and a productive bat. Posada will also likely benefit from the break and appears ready to return.

C Jose Molina (R) - Jose has been a much better hitter this season than last, he does well in a backup role and continues to be one of the best Defensive catchers in the game. His injury is not close to healing, however, and Cervelli has probably pushed himself into the eventual backup job, although that will wait one more season due to Molina's contract.

Manager/Coaches

Manager Joe Girardi is SMART. A graduate engineer from Northwestern, he can be deceptively 'aw shucks' with media, but his players realize how intelligent and accessible he is and they adore him for that balance. Has instilled a '90s like focus on team production and gotten impressive results from benched starters and young position players and blended a group of new parts into the larger Yankee whole with little drama or difficulty. This is HIS team in a way that last year's group was not and with veterans moving on through injury or contract (Matsui, Damon, Nady, Molina all likely in final Yankee year) that will only continue.

Pitching Coach Dave Eiland has to GO. He has gotten less out of more than any pitching coach in Baseball. Proven performers were either not ready for the season start, unable to throw strikes or injured on his watch. Yankees have depth and quality across their staff and in their system, but Eiland is not the guy. Guru would love to see Girardi's old batterymate, David Cone, bring his FIVE rings and depth of knowledge from the broadcast booth into the Pitching Coach job.

Hitting Coach Kevin Long has to GO. Guys go into twilight zone periods (Cano, Swisher) that linger without correction and seem to be coaching themselves. As with Cone, Guru would love to see Tino Martinez in the permanent chair, bringing HIS four rings, bilingual ability and universally respected approach to hitting. So would all the Yankee hitters, as Teixeira credited work with Tino for breaking his slump before Alex's return made it moot.

Bench Coach Tony Pena and 3B coach, Rob Thomson, are respected and in the right roles for this team.

And that's where they stand, as we near the 1/4 pole of the 2009 season.

Posted by Matthew at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By sf4d9erfan1


Please Rise!!

The Honorable SF is now presiding. All those who cannot uphold the moral dignity of this court must please exit now and please be sure to not let the door hit you where the good lord split you.

In today's docket we have the age old question of who is the better athlete . . . Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson.

The case is structured as follows:

Defendant: Mr. Prime Time
Prosecution: The bat breaker

Let us jump right in, shall we?

The defendant has made claims that he is one of the fastest men ever to play the game of football and/or baseball. The prosecution laughs at such a ludicrous claim. We all know that during the 80s and 90s baseball speed was measured in the amount of 3 baggers you could post coupled with the amount of steals one could collect. When all the dust settled Sanders was left holding the bag in these categories. The most steals he collected was in 1997 with 56 and the most triple's he collected was in 1992 with 14. This proves that in relation to a majority of baseball speedsters Deion was not even on the same ball field as greats like Ricky Henderson. That being said, the prosecution's laughing jesters were a bit hypocritical as we soon find out that he collected only 27 total bags in 1988 and only 6 triples in 1989. Therefore in relation to the topic of baseball speed Bo apparently didn't know he was creamed by Deion.

The prosecution begs the court to consider power in order to gain back some dignity. Since the court is a merciful one it shall investigate the statistics that apply to this category . . . . Home Runs and RBIs.

The defendant’s smile quickly turns to a disgruntlement as he remembers that his homerun total only managed to reach 39 over the course of his career and his RBI's peaked at 168. On the other hand, Jackson smashed 181 home runs and cleared the bags of 415 base runners in the RBI category. These figures clearly doubling the defendant in both areas and has thus leveled the playing field once again.

VS.



The court has ruled that in order to break the tie an evaluation of their football accomplishments must be accessed in order to determine who the best is.

Since the two opponents were in different position and on different sides of the ball a total evaluation will comprise the final resolution.

Deion accumulated and impressive resume over his 14 years. It is as follows:

Offensive TDs including punt returns: 9
Forced Fumble: 10
Fumbles Committed: 19
Defensive TDs: 9
INT: 53
Pro Bowls: 8

Jackson accumulated an impressive resume over his 4 years. It is as follows:

Offensive TDs: 18
Fumbles Committed: 11
Yards: 2782
Pro Bowls: 1

The court has come to conclusion.
Despite the misfortune of Mr. Jackson's injury and the disdain the ruling judge has for Mr. Primetime, the court must rule in the favor of the defendant. His overall athletic talent on the football field compensated the staggering lead that Mr. Jackson had accumulated in baseball. However, this is not to say that had Mr. Jackson not fell victim to professional tragedy, he could not have overcome poor football numbers and progressed his career to heights far greater then those of Mr. Sanders. This court is now open to appeal by those who may hold it in contempt.


This 49er fan writes with intelligence and wit on sports topics of all manner. Find him here.

Posted by TMC Staff at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Kelly Scaletta
I've decided to make the weekends here an MLB weekend. I've done so for a couple of reasons. First, my weekends, especially during the summer, afford me some extra time. Second, and more importantly, because I love baseball and even more, breaking down numbers in baseball. Fridays will post the MVP Predictor, Saturdays, my MLB Backell Ratings (which I introduced last week) and Sundays will be for the Cy Young Predictor.

Now, one of the great discussions in sports is the MVP award, and in baseball we get to have twice the fun, because there are twice the awards. So how can we beat that? So I've decided that henceforth, every week I will post the MVP predictor. So what is the MVP predictor you ask? It is an estimate of who is most likely (although not necessarily most deserving) of winning the MVP award. I have taken the three triple crown categories and normalized them to where a score of 120 is what you might call a "very good" performance. I have assigned one point per RBI, 3 points per HR, and BA X 275. Thus, 120 RBI, 40 HR and a BA of .335 would all be about the same. I have also added a score of .8 for runs and .5 for BB. All stats are pace adjusted by the number of games the team, not the player has played. I have also added in the projected wins *1.2 based on the present number of wins the team has, so that team success would have roughly equal weight with the triple crown categories. I then totaled the entire number and multiplied by 1.5 so that there would be a good "benchmark" number for recognizing MVP. The best way to look at it is a score over 1000 means you're having an MVP type year. Below are the top 10 in both the NL and AL along with their scores.

AMERICAN LEAGUE



PLAYER TEAM League MVP Score
Jason Bay BOS AL 1104
Evan Longoria TAM AL 1092
Carlos Pena TAM AL 1046
Aaron Hill TOR AL 1001
Ian Kinsler TEX AL 997
Kevin Youkilis BOS AL 946
Torii Hunter LAA AL 941
Miguel Cabrera DET AL 935
Brandon Inge DET AL 914
Curtis Granderson DET AL 913


NATIONAL LEGAUE

Albert Pujols STL NL 1221
Raul Ibanez PHI NL 1003
Chase Utley PHI NL 1000
Manny Ramirez LAD NL 960
Alfonso Soriano CHC NL 952
Jorge Cantu FLA NL 933
Adrian Gonzalez SDG NL 908
Adam Dunn WAS NL 893
Carlos Beltran NYM NL 886
Ryan Howard PHI NL 879

Well at first look it seems to be working OK, at least in the NL, but in the AL you look at it and say how in the heck is Bay in front of Longoria. Right now he's benefiting from a team with a much better win percentage. My guess is that's probably going to even out a tad more over time. It probably would be the case though that if Longoria had a better season, but on a team that was sitting on 70-75 wins he wouldn't get a lot of MVP consideration, especially if Bay is putting up MVP type numbers for a 100 win Boston team. Remember this isn't predicting who SHOULD win it's predicting who WILL win. In the NL there's no conflict because Albert's team is the second best record in the NL, and he's leading in 2 of the 3 triple crown categories.

My guess is that as the season goes on the anomalies will even out and the MVP will have a score around 1000. We'll wait and see how the team progresses, and if I need to I might make adjustments to it. I'm open to suggestions.

Kelly writes eloquently and intelligently about sports, politics and his faith here.

Posted by TMC Staff at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Matthew Storey

Remember 1998?

It was probably the greatest season in MLB history.

It was probably the greatest year the American Economy will EVER know.

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa put on a bi-cultural HR festival and the Yankees won 125 games.

In St. Louis, Heartland types were tripping over themselves to publicly opine on the 'wholesome' quality of the slugger who took the HR record for the Redbirds and how fitting it was that Native son Roger Maris, a crew cut smalltown boy was passed by a man who could comfortably fit in with Maris's family.

You know...not one of 'them'.

Not a guy like Sammy, in a place like Chicago.

Aw shucks Mark, who'd escaped from that communist country by the San Francisco Bay.

Aw shucks Roger, who'd hated the city he set the record in, and was thrilled to be back where people still knew what matters in life.

That season was five years after the 1993 World Series, which featured an 'All-American', scrappy type who was his generation's Dustin Pedroia. Lenny Dykstra and his NY Met running mate, Wally Backman, were the toast of the sorts of fans who sneered at Mets like Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, or his CF counterpart with that era's Yankees, Rickey Henderson.

There were people back in the '80s who would argue that Dykstra was actually a better PLAYER than Rickey, the same sorts who made Pedroia, a scrappy overachiever who was 4th in Total Chances and 2nd in OPS amongst SECOND BASEMEN, the American League's MOST Valuable Player.

That was a message from the Baseball Writers who, for some reason, are the people who select MLB award winners. A not-so-subtle message to a certain Manny Ramirez, and those people who prefer his OUT OF THIS WORLD ability. NY Daily News, lead Baseball writer, Bill Madden (who was one of those who adored Lenny and loathed Rickey) OPENLY admitted as much, while calling Manny's success in Los Angeles and legions of adoring fans 'stomach turning'.

These same writers will tell you that Alex Rodriguez, who made one more Error than Pedroia, playing a more difficult position, stole 2 fewer bases, had twice as many HR's (in 19 fewer games) and finished 24 slots (3rd) above him in OPS (On-Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage) with .965 to .869 actually HURT his team.

Sure he was. Sure he did. In the Bizzarro world these folks live in.

Think about 1998 again. As I mentioned, it was that year and the year that followed that saw the American economy and America's position in the World at their greatest point.

And how was this received by a wide swath of the American population?

Did they rally behind the brilliant young President who'd reversed the nightmare of the Reagan/Bush years, and help use America's strength to tackle her logistical needs?

No, they spent tens of millions of Taxpayer dollars to analyze every aspect of the President's SEX LIFE.

That was what mattered to them.

Not excellence. Not success. Not intellect.

What they were interested in, and outraged about, was where he chose to put his cigar.

Or his cock.

Not just on the right, there was plenty of moralizing on the left as well. The current President's wife dismissed the man's spectacular success with an allusion to the Monica affair. The progressive columnist for the NY Times, Maureen Dowd, won a Pulitzer sneering at Bill for having an affair with a younger woman and Hillary for failing to smack him down on behalf of sisterhood.

The American people, however, in their collective wisdom adored Bill and sent Hillary to the Senate twice and nearly into the White House herself. Much to the dismay of the legions of Clinton Haters on both sides of the aisle, who portrayed her support and supporters as being in some sort of deluded minority.

Perhaps where you live.

Where I and 22 Million Americans live. The Clintons are heroes and the people who dislike them are, essentially, invisible.

Which brings us to Manny Ramirez, who follows Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez in the crosshairs of those who once rooted against Rickey, Jim Rice, Darryl and Doc.

When Lenny pumped himself from 165 with those '86 Mets to 225 with those Phillies, nobody failed to understand how that was accomplished.

When Sammy, McGwire and his fellow basher, Jose burst the buttons on their uniform shirts, the 'integrity of the game' was not on the line - turnstiles were humming, dollars were flowing and books and column inches were devoted to the games new 'Golden Age'.

Heck, in Bal'more, a sideburn wearing folk hero named Brady Anderson, was sending young girl and young girl's fathers hearts equally atwitter with a combination of boy-band looks and a 50 HR season. Dear old Dad wasn't dumb, he knew Brady seemed to be an odd candidate for such exalted territory, but he was a 'respectful' kid and, after all - the sort 'I'd love to see my daughter bring home'.

But then an arrogant Black guy, who had little time for the press or interest in the approval of Small Town America, broke 'Good Guy' McGwire's HR record and began to threaten Hank Aaron's career mark.

And all of a sudden, the cry went out 'There appears to be Drug Use in Baseball!'.

Gee, ya think?

Nothing changed. No new insight was brought to the debate, no scientific breakthrough...

But Barry Bonds, like OJ or Bill Clinton, was already 'Guilty' of SOMETHING...and the pursuit was on to find a way to lynch him, regardless of the hypocrisy involved.

Sort of like the folks who demonized Rickey Williams for smoking weed, while celebrating the fair-haired QB who dumped his pregnant Girlfriend for a supermodel. You can hear them going after T.O. when the season turns, but no longer after Randy, of course, since he now catches what the fair-haired one heaves.

Not his sperm, silly - the Football!

They used to like that Mississippi QB kid who played in small town Wisconsin, but now it almost seems like the guy cares about Money! They used to like that long-haired fellow who helped slay the demonic Yankees, until he shaved his head and became their biggest supporter. And, as it turns out, HE likes Money also!

See...We told ya!

So Barry is no longer smacking HR's into the Bay, or over the wall anywhere else.

Those teeming crowds have left San Francisco, and TV viewers no longer will see that gorgeous ballpark on their screens.

And Fred Lewis is playing LF for the Giants.

Who?

Exactly.

And those who went after Barry? In the media and in their living rooms...even the Owners whose stadium and franchise SURVIVAL were a result of Barry, but were forced to actually PAY him for that sort of prowess.

They'll tell you this is GOOD for the game. They'll also tell you that those people who packed the Stadium and cheered for Barry were BAD for the game (did Peter MacGowan return a single dollar?).

Meanwhile, anyone want to guess how long it will be until a SF Giant LF matches the 28 HR a 'finished' Bonds put up in his final year, before the witch-hunt put him into an undesired (and undeserved) retirement? Or when any MLB player will match his .480 On-Base Percentage from that season?

Point being - it isn't about what you actually DO, its about who you ARE.

The moralizers feel empowered to sort out the good and bad for us, and they write the story to suit their take.

That's why Alex Rodriguez, the greatest player most of us will ever have the pleasure to watch play, is the ONLY one of 104 names on a positive test list to be revealed.

It suits their worldview. The propriety and legality involved in unsealing those documents, an offense that dwarfs the supposed 'crime'? Those rules don't matter - 'we' GOT him!!!

And Baseball fans got a great look at what 3B for the Yankees looks like without Alex in the 105 homerless at-bats his replacements contributed in his absence.

All the better, say his detractors. Like Barry, they think Alex Rodriguez, is actually BAD for the game.

Like Clinton was for the Country.

Getting this?

Steroids were cool, until they had an arrogant minority face.

Sentencing guidelines were critical, until OJ came before the court.

And Manny is a bad guy, because he dared to dislike Boston, smack his redneck teammates literally and figuratively and engineer a departure to a big city where he'd be ADORED, instead of demonized.

Because he takes the sort of Drug you take, if you find you need a little more wood in YOUR stick.

Only when YOU take it - it's 'Male Enhancement', in Manny's blood - it's 'girl stuff'.

So now, the game and its 'integrity' have been protected from Barry, in favor of Fred Lewis, the hunt is on to replace Alex with the Cody Ransom's of the World...

And, instead of Manny, delivering Hall of Fame performances, while salsa dancing with his devoted MannyWood fans - the first time LA Dodger Baseball has meant ANYTHING in a Generation - a beloved figure to the largest growing segment of American society and of MLB fandom...

Dodger fans get Juan Pierre, who will steal 2B, if he can figure out how to get to 1B.

Which is a comfort to the fastest declining segment of American society, whose voice has lost any impact in every arena, EXCEPT Sports. Remember, when Rush is on the air or FOX News, that is like speaking to like - only in Sports, can the likes of Bud Selig, Curt Schilling or Jake Peavy actually force themselves to be heard and impact upon the lives of other Americans.

And not surprisingly, like everything ELSE they touch - they make something beautiful - U-G-L-Y.

Somewhere in St. Louis, Joe Buck just popped a couple of female hormone pills and is rubbing off the resultant stiffy thinking ....'We got him!'.

Just don't try to tell anyone who can THINK that this is a 'good' thing.

Posted by Matthew at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

By Matthew Storey

Boston Red Sox - 6 (16-10)
New York Yankees - 4 (13-12)

Winning Pitcher: Lester (2-2)
Losing Pitcher: Hughes (1-1)

HR: Lowell (6)
Bay (6)
Damon (5)
Teixeira 2 (5)

Another dreary, rainy night in NYC, the 5th straight day of grey skies and soggy Yankees.

The rain drowned the Kentucky Derby, with the high-priced, pedigree types balking at the grinding, dirty effort required in such conditions, allowing the garland of Roses to go to an overlooked grinder ridden by an overlooked jockey, trained by an overlooked trainer...instead of a glamorous and glorious stallion, with a Hall of Fame Jockey/Trainer combo...we got an out-of-nowhere Gelding with a cadre of inarticulate slobs whooping it up.

The rain is drowning the Yankee homestand, with the high-priced, pedigree types balking at the grinding, dirty effort required in such conditions, once again watching the early season games go to a roster of overlooked grinders who've overcome much and relish the effort.

Instead of the sleek, pretty-boys in Pinstripes, each of whom has known all his life he would someday make serious coin and play serious ball, each of whom inspires waves of high-maintenance tail and ushers directly from The Bronx to the arms of a spectacular woman who would never DREAM of a misplaced pound, or an unplucked hair (horrors!), sliding into the premium booth at some magnificent restaurant, or nightclub...

...the sparkling Yankees are again undone by the overlooked ones, who've had to grind it out through long careers in the minors (Youkilis), overcome doubts about size and athletic ability (Pedroia), beaten Cancer (Lowell, Lester), found their game mid-career (Papi), toiled in MLB obscurity (Bay) or who harbor deep-seated resentments towards their wealthier, prettier rivals (Varitek)...managed by an afterthought retread who has turned his career around in Boston (Francona) and is a rare class act in the tired Beantown script.

These are the guys who have never 'gotten the girl', who struggle to compose sentences, whose demeanor, absurd facial hair and troll-like visages will never and have never been mistaken for the glamour side of the game. But they are winners - ugly ones, but the 'W' counts just the same, and the bottom rung women they escort don't demand attractiveness and style, they LIKE their men grungy (ewww...).

They've had to FIGHT just to have MLB careers and they resent those who coast and preen, and treat them like they are less than - even when THEY are the one's winning. You can just picture the hideous Red Sox, with their porcine women, stuffing gruel into their unwashed faces, wiping filthy hands on their shirts, belching and babbling on in some semi-coherent garble. This is Sarah Palin's America!

Yankees versus Red Sox is more than just Baseball, it is two completely contradictory approaches to life and work, more so now that the last of the HOF Superstars who DID walk in the same places as the Yankees has shipped off to L.A. (Manny Ramirez) and has joined up with former Yankee Manager, Joe Torre to have the dream season in the sun the Yankees believe is their birthright.

Once again, the Yankee season has begun with a nightmare of twists and unforseen turns, injuries to their power hitters, injuries to critical pitchers, rainouts, a sparkling new stadium left half-empty by the devastated wallets of Wall Streeters...the best laid plans, undone. Asking the expensive colt with the royal pedigree, who likes to be unencumbered in his races and to be allowed to run off alone, unchallenged...to grind it out in the mud with the claiming horses?

Not going to happen.

That isn't Yankee baseball. These guys are never going to be able to out-compete, and I suppose that makes on wonder if maybe Joe Girardi, isn't the right guy for them after all. Girardi is a plugger, a hard worker who had to fight for everything HE got in the game, too small, too this and too that...he used his intellect to understand the game better than his opponent and molded his body with harder work in the gym. He was part of a Yankee team that featured grinders and pluggers, but lacked in the Glamour the city demands of its champions. These Boston Red Sox have more in common with workmanlike Girardi and those old Yankee teams...and they inspire the sort of fan interest those teams did, but neither has the feel of a real YANKEE team. They are the champions of people like them, the sorts of folks that guys like Guru and Alex wipe from their shoes contemptuously, regardless of result.

This game was like a lot of games lately - a lot of unexpected barriers. Home Plate umpire was calling a tight zone and Phil Hughes, who had electric stuff - 95 MPH darts and bending curves, simply could not solve the zone...forced to come in, he gave up single runs in each of the first four innings and was unable to get quick innings, running his pitch count way up. For the Red Sox, Jon Lester was brilliant, an older version of Hughes, in his 66th MLB start (to Phil's 23rd), he's solved the zone and locked in his position in the rotation. He was dominant for awhile, until a pair of terrible calls led to a Jeter strikeout and a flustered Girardi, with his left-side infielders all sitting on the disabled list, had to run out to protect Jeter from getting run...

The obligatory shouting match ensued, the strain of having to struggle etched on the face of Joe, who'd imagined that year two could not POSSIBLY contain the challenges of year one (Surprise!)...when Joe was given the thumb, Lester relaxed for a moment and Damon and Teixeira took advantage with back to back bombs to bring it to 4-3, Sox.

Alfredo Alceves, who pitched so well for the Yankees last year in his MLB debut, came on and pitched well for several innings, only surrendering a 2 run HR off the Foul Pole to Jason Bay, who always gave the Yankees a hard time in Pittsburgh and has continued to be a hot hitter in Boston, 6-3, Sox.

Yankees added another on Teixeira's 2nd HR, as his wrist is apparently feeling better after costing him most of the first five weeks. 6-4, and despite a Yankee 9th Inning threat, Papelbon struck out Cano with bases loaded with Yankees to move the Bombers two back in the 'L' column and make 4 straight losses to the Sox on the young season.

Par for the course, really. The Yankees have started this way just about every season since '05 (had a decent start in '06) and Boston has OWNED them in April/May baseball, although they haven't been able to sustain it or win the season series. The problem, as it was in those other years, is that, even if they once again manage to right their ship, get healthy and get on a roll - these early season struggles take away from the season they were BUILT to have - the season the Dodgers ARE having. Yankees and Yankee fans alike, are not interested in a long, competitive slog - like those high-ticket Colts, they want to run free and alone on the lead.

Having to work hard sullies things.

But work hard they must, if they want to make anything of their year. As difficult as it to even LOOK at the likes of Pedroia and Youkilis, they are going to have to make the best of it and try to fight back (keep LOTS of 'Purell' around, Guys!).

Posted by Matthew at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Matthew Storey

Los Angeles Angels - 8 (10-13)
New York Yankees - 4 (13-11)

Winning Pitcher: Palmer (2-0)
Losing Pitcher: Sabathia (1-3)

HR: Morales (4 )
Posada (5)

An inexcusable Yankee loss, as CC Sabathia, throwing 98 MPH was unable to defeat career Journeyman, Matt Palmer, a 30 year old rookie reminiscent of Aaron Small (2005), shut the Yankees down throwing 88 MPH and reminding everyone that this is a team likely to spent the hours after a wee-hours victory celebrating, NOT getting ready to win the next day.

An absolutely awful performance by the whole team.

Posted by Matthew at 05:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Matthew Storey

New York Yankees - 10 (13-10)
Los Angeles Angels - 9 (9-13)

Winning Pitcher: Albaladejo (2-1)
Losing Pitcher: Fuentes (0-2)

HR: Posada (4)

This one was really three games.

Yankees took a 4-0 lead in the 1st against Jered Weaver, who then settled into a dominant groove and shut them down.

Meanwhile, Andy Pettitte cruised for 5.2 Innings before the Rain got hard and the Yankees started to look around towards the umps looking to be let off the field...

The Umps decided to 'play on' and the Yankees went into sleep-mode, just as the Angels surged and took the lead over two innings all the way up to 9-4.

Then the Yankees, inexplicably, rallied and won the game.

Woo-Hoo!

Posted by Matthew at 05:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Matthew Storey

New York Yankees - 7 (12-10)
Los Angeles Angels - 4 (9-12)

Winning Pitcher: Coke (1-1)
Losing Pitcher: Speier (0-1)

HR: Napoli (4)
Damon (4)

VagabondGuru.com is an effort that includes many, many contributors, but the site itself came about through a 3 person effort between Guru, Red Sox Steve and Mary Hannington - known by many as Mal Volio. Guru and Mal have been famous friends for longandlong and Mal is the one who took the world that Guru carries in his oversize head (see logo!) and made it the place we know and love.

Mal, who lives in Detroit, and Guru, here in Manhattan, had collaborated entirely online and by phone.

Until yesterday.

Mal arrived early in the day, we did some work, did some visiting with my brood and Red Sox Steve and then we headed up The Bronx for our first look at the New Yankee Stadium.

I was with one of my favorite people, who I never met before, going to one of my favorite places...

Where I'd never BEEN before.

It was thrilling. It was amazing. It was disorienting. It was wonderful.

And, they played Baseball. Which, of course, is the point of the exercise.

AJ Burnett was on the hill for the Yankees, who'd overcome the short starts that plagued them with Wang, earlier in the season and seen Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain provide consecutive solid starts, going deep into the games and giving the Yankee bats a chance to win.

Burnett, never really in that dominant mode he can feature, nonetheless provided grit and balance and fought himself and the Angels well enough to keep the game at 4-4 through his 7 innings.

In the Bottom of the 8th, Robinson Cano hit a single, extending his hitting streak to SEVENTEEN games, he has still had only ONE hitless game this season (21/22) and ONE hitless game last season (14/15) after his benching by Girardi. Guess the right button was pushed, the kid looks like an MVP right now and the Defense is sterling. Jorge Posada then blasted a drive to the wall in CF that bounced over the wall for a ground rule double. 2nd and 3rd. Swisher was walked intentionally to load the bases.

Melky Cabrera, who has emhatically wrested back the starting CF job (gee, who was his lone Champion during the long winter of Mike Cameron rumors and Brett Gardner insurgencies?)...

Where was I?

Oh yeah, Melky stepped up and laced an RBI 1B to drive in the go-ahead run. 5-4. Yankees.

Next up was 23 year old Ramiro Pena, a revelation who came into Spring Training with a reputation as a defensive wizard at Shortstop but only AA experience (with two time Minor League Organization of the Year, Trenton Thunder) and was not expected to compete for a job. After seeing his slick glove and switch-hitting bat, however, Joe Girardi and staff knew they could not leave such a talent in the Minors and brought him North to fill the Utility Infield slot that belonged to Cody Ransom, who was thrust into the starting lineup by Alex Rodriguez's injury. Pena, like Melky, sat on the bench, saw the guy in front of him struggle and waited his chance. When he played, his glove sparkled and after a slow start, the quick bat and situational awareness has been evident. After three weeks of Ransom and Gardner being automatic outs in their lineup, Melky and Pena have solidified the back of the lineup and joined Mark Teixeira, Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher to give the Yankees F-I-V-E switch-hitters in the everyday lineup, which effectively renders the opposing managerial options nill in terms of same side matchups.

Pena stood in and pulled a laser into the RF corner to plate 2 and seal this deal.

Mo cleaned up.

On a special night, in a special place, with a special friend.

Posted by Matthew at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)