The Stat Boy of the Empire: B(rent)

Now, it's time to say good-bye to all our memories... M-I-C... see you real soon!

2007-04-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

*plays the rest of the song out...*

So I took the job at MVN: The Bronx Block, recently posting my first post there...

Hopefully, this is a sign of new and better things in my writing...

Thank you guys for your support, but seriously, BRING THAT SUPPORT OVER THERE!

=P

Happy reading!

B(rent)

My apologies for my absence... but a few words...

2007-04-10T14:25:00.000-04:00

I apologize for not being able to keep up with my blog the last couple of days. When it comes to me, I usually get sick at least once on a holiday per year. This year, it was Easter time. I was hit with a sore throat starting Thursday night, a 101+ fever starting Saturday (and ending mid-morning Sunday), and with a sinus infection starting on Saturday.

I've dealt with sinus infections since Junior year of high school, where I was hit severely with one. The infection carried with me throughout my play practices for "You Can't Take It With You" (I was Donald, who was originally casted as a black servant).

I will get back up and running since I'm able to function again! =P But speaking about my past play experience, that takes me to a topic I want to address to the readers of my Yankee blog and my personal blogs. It's on the subject of responsibility in writing, something that (apparently) I have a lot of experience in. Though I'm just an aspiring journalist, with my experience in blogging and diversity, I'm still perfecting my craft.

However, as we can see in the news today, many have perfected their craft... their craft of offending others.

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From MediaMatters.com:

IMUS: So, I watched the basketball game last night between -- a little bit of Rutgers and Tennessee, the women's final.
ROSENBERG: Yeah, Tennessee won last night -- seventh championship for [Tennessee coach] Pat Summitt, I-Man. They beat Rutgers by 13 points.
IMUS: That's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and --
McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.
IMUS: That's some nappy-headed hos there. I'm gonna tell you that now, man, that's some -- woo. And the girls from Tennessee, they all look cute, you know, so, like -- kinda like -- I don't know.
McGUIRK: A Spike Lee thing.
IMUS: Yeah.
McGUIRK: The Jigaboos vs. the Wannabes -- that movie that he had.
IMUS: Yeah, it was a tough --
McCORD: Do The Right Thing.
McGUIRK: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
IMUS: I don't know if I'd have wanted to beat Rutgers or not, but they did, right?
ROSENBERG: It was a tough watch. The more I look at Rutgers, they look exactly like the Toronto Raptors.
IMUS: Well, I guess, yeah.
RUFFINO: Only tougher.
McGUIRK: The [Memphis] Grizzlies would be more appropriate.

The cast of characters in which this April 4th conversation clip took place on the "Don Imus Show" was:

* Don Imus, the man taking almost 100% of the heat for his "nappy-headed hos" comment.
* Sid Rosenberg, the fired WFAN announcer who stood in that day for regular "Imus Show" sportscaster, Chris Carlin
* Bernard McGuirk, the executive producer for the "Don Imus Show" on MSNBC (and "Imus in the Morning" on 660 WFAN)

Throughout ESPN News and on ESPN.com today, lines and quotes scream from the offended Rutgers' women's basketball organization, as well as many black leaders with Rev. Al Sharpton leading the charge. Many of these leaders are calling for Imus to be fired, as well as Filip Bundy (one of my personal favorite journalists) writing in the Daily News that Imus "should be axed for one of the most despicable comments ever uttered on the air."

Yes, what Don Imus said was terrible beyond belief. Yes, this is a case of irresponsible broadcasting on television and on radio. Yes, we should not recommend Don Imus for a Nobel Peace Prize any time soon. But let's not go around, putting his head on a pike for this comment. Furthermore, let's not go around only putting his head on a pike when there were two other men who made comments as crass as his.

Let us list just a few of Don Imus's latest "radical" comments on the past few years:

* Stating that Contessa Brewer, who used to work with Imus but quit because of his treatment of her, has only one good asset: her "fat ass". He also proceeded to insult her moral worth, calling her a "skank", and her intelligence, calling her "dumber than dirt".
* Dismissing Rush Limbaugh's drug problem by calling him "a fat, pill-popping loser"
* Stating that CBS Radio is run by a "Jewish management" who are "money-grubbing bastards"
* (Quote from CNN.com)

When The New York Times hired black journalist Gwen Ifill in the 1990s, Imus said it was nice of the paper to "let the cleaning lady cover the White House." He also called Times sports columnist William C. Rhoden a "quota hire."

* He has repeatedly called Arabs "ragheads" and indirectly advocated killing the Palestinians by dropping a bomb on them

The list goes on and on. However, he gets paid to do this. This is his job: to be a shock jock, period. People turn in to hear him talk and rant. As it has been easily illustrated by a number of his insults, he actually doesn't single out a single group throughout his years on the show. Yes, he insulted the black community, but he also insulted politicians, women and even the Arab community. To see the Arab community sit down and take those undeserving shots from Imus while the black community gets up in arms against his one comment has got to be disheartening. At least, it is for me.

In 2004, you heard almost less than nothing about the insults against the Arab community on a whole... but in 2006, an attack against a basketball team gets the black community to battle together against Imus. Why is that? Of course, that goes into the aspect of "accepted racism" in America today, but that's for another day. However, it is something to think about.

It may seem simple to state this but this "problem" could have been nipped in the bud a long time ago. There are essentially two things that could have prevented this "tragedy":

1. Fire the executive producer/commentators on the show
2. Don't listen to the show.

Let's dissect the past work of the two other man involved in all of this.

Sid Rosenberg is a piece of work, plain and simple. To even think why he returned for a show is beyond me. According to FoxNews.com and CNN.com, his line of degrading comments range deeper than Imus's.

Calling Serena/Venus Williams "too masculine" and that the Williams sisters are more suited for National Geographic than Playboy
Referring the 2001 U.S. Women's Soccer Team as "juiced-up dykes"
Stating that only "faggots play tennis"
Mocked Kylie Minogue's breast cancer by being quoted as saying "She won't look so pretty when she's bald with one tit".

Lastly, he was the one who directly advocated the killing of the Palestinians by dropping a bomb on them as well as referring to those Arabs as "stinking animals."

Apparently, he treats people on the radio like he treated his job at the WFAN: with complete carelessness and disrespect. Personally, as an aspiring journalist who would love to have the job that Sid Rosenberg had, it seems careless for someone to destroy aspects of basic humanity on the radio, but hey, Rosenberg said it and we, as Americans, turned in to hear him. But then again, considering Rosenberg now has a job in a Miami sports radio station, radio stations truly are soulless, selling their worth for radio commentators for the green, the dough, and the bread.

However, if a producer of a shock jock show has both the same mindset as the radio owners that hire commentators like Rosenberg and Imus and the same attitude as Rosenberg and Imus, that equals a recipe of great success monetary for the radio station. Bernard McGuirk is that executive producer.

When it comes to spitting out hateful remarks, McGwirk is as quick as they come. His resume of work consists of:

Stating that Jill Carroll struck him as being an Iraqi terrorist, "the kind of woman who would wear one of those suicide vests"
Referring to Barack Obama as being a "jugg-eared neophyte (a novice)" as well as being "patronizing" and "Oprah's guy" because he's half-black
Playing the role of the antagonist to Don Imus, he inserted insults to Imus with insults against Anderson Cooper (whether "... Anderson Cooper was taking it in the pooper").

To add to this resume is his comment in the April 4th show, referring to black people as none other than "jigaboos", an ethnic slur.

It amazes me that the comments these three have made in the past haven't come to bite them in the butt until now. However, when it comes to radio and shock jocks in general, two names do come to mind: Don Imus and Howard Stern. When it comes to money, both are making it, with Howard Stern bringing his massive audience over to Sirius. With Howard Stern moving to Sirius on January of 2006, his inclusion resulted in a 2 million more subscribers to Sirius within his first year. Howard Stern's promotion of Sirius Satellite in the months before January of 2006 helped get 2 million more subscribers to the satellite company.

Money is what drives radio stations and companies to hire guys like Imus and Stern. In fact, the recent announcement of MSNBC canceling the live broadcast of the "Don Imus Show" wasn't done because it was the "right" thing to do. It wasn't done because MSNBC wanted to appease the growing dissect from the black community either.

From CNN.com:

Sponsors withdraw ads
Gordon's statements came as more big sponsors withdrew their ads from the airing of "Imus in the Morning" on MSNBC.
At least eight companies have pulled their ads from the show, including Staples, General Motors, Sprint Nextel, GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble, PetMed Express, American Express and Bigelow Tea.
African-American activists are expected to send a letter to Imus' remaining advertisers demanding they "withdraw sponsorship."

Radio stations and TV stations alike get their money from advertisements. If the advertisers aren't going to pay up, the show ends up not profiting for the TV or radio stations that hold it. The reason why MSNBC canceled the TV broadcast is because MSNBC saw its opportunity to profit from the show fall apart in front of their eyes. If the women and African-American activists are able to push their weight around even more, it could only be a matter of time for WFAN to cancel the show all together.

Money rules media in this day and age. If we listen and watch, advertisers will pay to have their ads play on those programs. If advertisers pay, TV and radio stations will profit. If those stations profit, they will keep putting out material that will keep us coming to that program. The cycle continues.

In my opinion, the only way Don Imus will be able to produce a strong profit again would be to move to the non-censored satellite radio stations. In fact, if any satellite radio companies are listening, they can steal this idea from me.

It's not a secret that Imus and Stern don't like each other. Howard Stern has two radio stations on Sirius so far, with the option of making one more. In that third station, you can have Stern and Imus feud. As an aside to their regular programming, the insults and slurs each of them will sling at each other would be extremely profitable. It would be a radio listener's wet dream fulfilled! Yes, to many (including me), this would be a feud of soulless and epic proportions, but hey, if money's the game to these radio and TV companies, why not cash in?

The only way this madness will end is if we all, as a collective group, decide not to listen. It took more than 15 years for Don Imus to face a backlash of this proportion. For 15 years, Imus and the people on his show have insulted men and women; blacks and Arabs; politicians and reporters. Just now, he is paying for his "sins" against the listeners and the non-listeners he affects. Within politics as well as situations like this, the black population in America as well as women in general hold an incredible weight. With both groups against you, how can you stand?

Is there any way Imus can rebound from this? Only time will tell. Maybe listeners will still listen in. Maybe Imus finally bit off more than he can chew. Maybe this is America finally fighting back against the shock jock. This has been a long time coming. If Imus is still making WFAN money after this, Imus has survived this with more than he was expecting. As long as the advertisers don't leave completely during the two-week suspension, Imus will still have a job in radio.

This is where I decide to add one small personal piece to the mix to wrap this up. My cousin was actually on the Don Imus Show. But she wasn't on so Don Imus could berate her. She was on the show to talk about Don Imus's ranch. She stayed at the ranch for four weeks because the good people at Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey sent her over. She had a wonderful time, checking out the ranch, being with Imus and his wife, and riding on the horses there.

Let's not get it twisted. Don Imus is not the devil. Don Imus is not the anti-Christ. He is just getting paid to talk about whatever he wants in whatever way he wants. People listen and he talks, period. His formula has worked for over 15 years, and heck, for all the crass things he has said in the past, people still listen in and advertisers still pay. Imus uses the money that he gets for great things, keeping his ranch as well as donating money to the rehabilitation of our soldiers overseas in Iraq.

He may be a moral man with great intentions for the money that he gets, but when dealing with Imus, you have to separate the moral man with the shock jock personality. That shock jock personality has him in heat, with pressure from all sides of the issue.

Don Imus and his people insulted both the black population of the United States, but also women. He insulted both groups by going against a women's college basketball team. He didn't go against a politician or a well-known journalist, but an "innocent" Rutgers' women's basketball team. The comments were absolutely disgusting, but please, it's not just Don Imus here.

The real blame lies in four main parties:

1. Don Imus
2. Sid Rosenburg
3. Bernard McGuirk as well as the other producers and conductors of the "Don Imus Show"
4. America

Yes, some of the blame lies within us. The story is this: if we don't listen, the show will go away. Throughout this entry, I have referred to the ugly cycle of how TV and radio shows make money. We are a cog in that wheel. If we don't listen, advertisers won't pay. If advertisers won't pay, TV and radio stations lose money. And no one wants to fund a money-sucking show. Period.

All I can ask is this: make your TV and radio choices wisely. Why is American Idol so successful? Many people watch it. Why does loud-mouth and perfected-jerk Jim Rome have a radio show and a TV show on ESPN? People listen and watch him. Why does Ben Affleck still have a job in Hollywood? Many people watch his movies. If many people don't watch or listen to something, it will go away.

If you choose to want to listen to a shock jock that will berate your thoughts and opinions, that's up to you. But don't be shocked when that shock jock says something that will offend your community. Believe me, when it comes to shock jocks, it's only a matter of time before he or she will offend you deeply. That jock may offend you either as a man or a woman, as a Christian or a Muslim or a Jew, as a black man or woman, as a Latino or Latina, or as a person living in America.

If you don't listen, shock jocks won't have a job. Just like Smokey the Bear once said, only you can prevent forest fires. My friends, only you can prevent shock jocks.

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Thank you for your time! =)

I just accepted a spot at MVN yesterday, writing for the Bronx Block, because of the recommendation from one of my favorite blog writers, EJ, who writes for Pending Pinstripes.

The future of this blog is in doubt, but we will see in the next couple of days.

Thank you guys again for your time! =)

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Quick Opening Day Remarks: Yankees 9, Devil Rays 5

2007-04-02T16:15:00.000-04:00

Woo! 2 hours of work to blow off! =P

It's so hard to write objectively on Opening Day, especially with the results of today's game and what transpired. Everything that you see today makes you hope for or against these things becoming a tread throughout the rest of the year. Hopefully for us Yankee fans, we have lots to hope for with the 9-5 result.

Because my school is either too cheap to acquire YES or is run by a group of Met fans who get off on watching SNY on the televisions at Fordham, I had to resort to the radio. Ironically though, because of Fordham, I have to go to some of the games.

According to ESPN, this is now the 10th Opening Day victory in a row for the Yankees, which is the best in the majors. It didn't come easy, with errors from A-Rod and Jeter and Pavano collapsing in the 5th. A few things though:

1) Mariano... striking out the side... having the change-up in his pitch selection... yeaaaaaaa, expect good things from easily the best closer of all-time...

2) A-Rod showing his hustle with the go-ahead run: base hit, stolen base, and scoring from 2nd on Giambi's hit. And of course, the 2-run HR iced it. Beautiful, period.

3) It's great to see Jeter up to his old tricks, especially today with the clutch 2-run single to tie the game 5-5 in the bottom of the 6th.

4) Giambi with the 2 hit/3 RBI game is encouraging to see, especially after his wrist injuries last year. There is no reason why he should hit significantly better at 1st base, especially now that he's getting more rest being the DH.

5) Though Pavano collapsed, he looked pretty decent in the first 4 innings. Many would want to attribute his struggles in the game to Opening Day nerves and not pitching since June of 2005, but we'll see for ourselves when he makes his next start.

6) YEAA!!! I loved seeing zeros next to the names of Bruney (no walks as well, even though he gave up an inherited run), Henn, Vizcaino (with the win), Farnsworth (with the hold), and the Greatest of All Time. It's absolutely encouraging to see Henn, Vizcaino and Farnsworth do what they are supposed to do.

And of course, Torre didn't overuse the bullpen, so we didn't have to use Proctor! YEA! =P

7) Amazing class displayed today from the men and women of the right-field bleachers, showing respect and displaying their love for Bernie after the customary "Box seats suck!" insult in the roll call. Enough said. =)

Now, I can only hope and wait for Wednesday to come. I got a ticket in Section 39 to see Pettitte return to the mound, but the weatherman isn't making me hopeful for Wednesday or Thursday... *sighs*

We'll just see what happens... blah.

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Preview of Yankees/Red Sox 2007 games Part 2: Outfield/DH

2007-03-19T16:36:00.000-04:00

Since I'm at work for a few hours (computer lab in the morning, kinda easy work) and Easter break/Opening Day are both coming up very soon, I'll speed up my predictions up to Tuesday, so I can write an Opening Day post and the like...

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Part 2 will have four parts: Left field, center field, right field, and DH

Left field: Hideki Matsui vs. Manny Ramirez

Yankees: I'm sure your reaction about Matsui's wrist break was like mine: your face was contorted in a kind of pain your neighborhood buddy couldn't inflict. Seeing Matsui's wrist break (a few days after I attended my first Boston game) was a worst case scenario, once Sheffield messed up his wrist. With the rookie play of Melky Cabrera, the trade for underrated Bobby Abreu, and the sheer power of the line-up, the Yankees survived 2006.

Bouncing back this year shouldn't be that big of an issue. With his wrist break having on his left wrist, he doesn't lose that much snap in his swing as much as Sheffield could have in his left wrist injury. As a left-handed hitter, the main wrist that provides the snap in your swing is your right (and for a right-handed hitter, is the left wrist). ZiPS projects that he hits .293/.367/.474, which is pretty Matsui-like, along with the 100 RBIs and 19 HRs (projecting his power will fall a bit by age and the injury).

Matsui's main strength is his bat, and when you hold Matsui and Melky in the same light, Melky has the upside on defense when it comes to covering ground and arm strength. Will that bite the Yankees in the butt? Only the season can tell us the answer.

Red Sox: Gosh, what is there to say about Manny Ramirez? If the only option the Yankees have against Manny is to walk him almost every time he got up in the Boston Massacre, I think that says it all. I mean, career-wise, the man averages a 1.011 OPS. 470 HRs. Do I need to explain his Hall of Fame credentials?

The only thing you can say against Manny is his apparent laziness in left field. And of course, let's not forget the "Manny-being-Manny" crap that has him as my least-liked player in the game today. However, I can't argue against that he almost makes me wet my pants every time I see him against the Yankees. Manny's just that good.

Advantage: Boston -- Clearly. Got Manny? Clearly, the Yankees don't.

Center Field: Johnny Damon vs. Coco Crisp

Yankees: At this point, in the strict professionalism and business-like atmosphere of the clubhouse, Damon is the straw that stirs the Yankees' drink. Besides the fact that he betrayed the Red Sox, I personally love Damon for his personality and the fact that he can team up with Jason Giambi and Brian Bruney to loosen up some of the players. The way that he has fun every time he's out there on the field shows that he loves the game. To Damon, baseball's a game, not his next paycheck, which I suspect many Yankee players have forgotten over the years. Damon's greatest asset to the Yankees is the chemistry factor. Personally, if I had a chance to hang out with one player on the Yankees, though Mariano's my favorite player, I'd have to go with Damon because there is no doubt that, like the Yankee team, he'll make me feel comfortable and welcomed.

But let's not forget: Damon's a pretty good center-fielder in his own right. He was able to reach his career high in home runs (20), while taking advantage of the short porch in right field. Even with a nagging injury in his right foot, he was still able to leg out 25 stolen bases (most since 2003), while scoring 115 runs and hitting 80 RBIs. Though he may act like Judas, look like Jesus, and throw like Mary, he can still cover all the ground that departed Bernie Williams couldn't cover in his last few years on the Yankees. Also, he cut down his errors from 6 in 2005 to 3 in 2006. Johnny Damon made us Yankee fans love him. However, I loved him ever since the signing, and though other Yankee fans either wanted someone else (a Juan Pierre, maybe?) or keep quadruple-A player Bubba Crosby as our CF, I take great pride in predicting that Damon would be a great asset for the Yankees. I project that Damon will continue to prove me right this year.

Red Sox: For all the talk Red Sox fans made about Coco Crisp and how he will be better than Damon, he didn't prove Red Sox fans right last year. In 40 less games last season (he only played 105 games), he cut his HR total from 16 to 8 and his RBI total from 69 to 36. His splits also decreased: 36 points in AVG/28 points in OBP/80 points in SLG. Though he's still young and hasn't hit the typical prime age yet (28), the Red Sox expect some rapid improvement from him. There is a possibility that, with all the tools working for him and if all the planets align at just the right angle, Crisp can get 20+ HRs, 90+ RBIs, and 30+ stolen bases.

One thing we can't deny: Crisp can play the field. Committing only one error last year, his defense was on full display when he robbed David Wright of a sure double. Though there is no doubt Crisp's defense is... well... crisp and will continue to improve, it doesn't seem that his glove and speed can't make up for his lack of hitting. Adding the clubhouse/chemistry factor I put in there for Damon, if the trade rumors were any sign, Boston may be admitting a mistake.

Advantage: Yankees -- For now. Damon still has speed, he can hit, and plus, he loosens up the clubhouse. An asset in every sense of the word.

Right Field: Bobby Abreu vs. J.D. Drew

Yankees: In my rounds around the standard MySpace Yankee/Baseball groups, and in reading Dante's post, there is one conclusion I can draw from what I have read: Bobby Abreu is the most under-rated player on the Yankees. Reading that Abreu is equal to Drew and that we should drop Abreu to 7th in our line-up absolutely drove me crazy.

What has Abreu done? Let's see: He has hit for over 100+ RBIs five out of the last six years, he has drew more than 100 walks for eight straight years, he gets on base more than 41% of the time (career-wise), he has gotten more than 10 assists playing right field five times, and he has stolen more than 21 bases for eight straight years. This guy is consistent. He hits consistently. He gets on base consistently. He has great speed consistently. He has a great arm and awareness in right field consistently. Abreu's skills are perfect for the Yankees, period.

What has he done that Drew hasn't? He won a Silver Slugger (2004), while Drew has none. He won a Gold Glove (2005), while Drew has none. Lastly, he is a two-time All-Star (2004/2005), while Drew has never appeared in an All-Star game. To even think that Drew is equal to Abreu is a ridiculous notion. But let me try to "equalize" them.

Red Sox: So Drew finally got to 100 RBIs for the first time in his career last year. Much has been made about his injury streak, but I won't get into that. The thing is that I believe he won't get injured seriously, and to try and think that he would get seriously injured would be bad karma. He drew over 100 walks once, in 2004 as a Brave. His consistency can be called out here. He either strikes out more than 100 times a year (2002/2004/2006) or he strikes out less than 50 times (2003/2005). Either he can be a 20+ HR man (2001/2004) or not (all the other years).

Defensive-wise, if you want to assess errors, Drew has the very slight edge in having less errors (overall), but Abreu has less errors from last (5 for Drew, 3 for Abreu). Drew is also two years young, so we can assess that into the equation. However, when it comes to Bobby Abreu, there is more consistency and more value in a player of Bobby Abreu's skills. Plus, when Drew gets speed like Abreu, let me know. =)

Advantage: Yankees -- Abreu > Drew, period.

Designated Hitter: David Ortiz vs. Jason Giambi

Yankees: What's so easy about assessing the DHs is that you only need to assess the hitting. After dealing with wrist injuries all throughout last year and also playing atrocious defense at 1st base, Jason Giambi has been designated to being... the designated hitter. It has been well documented that Giambi hits significantly worse when he's a DH, hitting at a .224/.373/.531 split in his 70 games there last year.

Giambi's main assets to the line-up is his ability to get on-base (getting on base more than 41% of the time last year, drawing 110 walks) and his power (37 HRs/113 RBIs last year). However, Giambi must rebound from his injuries last year as well as getting over not playing 1st base every day. I have no idea why Giambi hits significantly worse when he's a DH, but I do hope he works that stuff out because the Yankees need him.

Red Sox: It would be easy for me to say "it's David 'Freakin' Ortiz! Why do I have to assess his hitting?" But of course, that wouldn't be fair. What is fair to say is that David Ortiz is a ridiculous hitter. 54 HRs (Red Sox record). 137 RBIs. Mr. Clutch. Same on-base percentage as Giambi (41%+). Top 5 MVP-candidate the last 4 years. No signs of slowing down.

David Ortiz is one of those hitters that makes a rivalry great. He loves the game. He kills the ball. He hits you where it hurts: in the "clutch". Though I don't believe in the myth of clutchness, I do have to say: David Ortiz is a fantastic hitter.

Advantage: Boston -- Just like with A-Rod, it's David Ortiz. How can I pick against him?

That's all for Part 2!

If you're keeping track at home, it's Yankees 6, Red Sox 2.

Happy reading!

B(rent)

A little break from the A-Rod talk of the Yankee bloggers, beat writers and sportswriters...

2007-03-15T17:36:00.000-04:00

One of my friends, Dante, wrote an extremely long post with a preview of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry this year...

He did an incredible job on detailing the rivalry and assessing both teams based on position, strengths and weaknesses...

I'm going to take my own spin on assessing the rivalry with a four-part series: Infield, Outfield, Pitching, and Intangibles (which would include the bench, managing, and the Manny/A-Rod impacts).. I have no idea how the spacing of the four-parts will be time-wise, but I'll do my best!

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When we're talking about the infield, we're talking about 5 positions: 1st base, 2nd base, shortstop, 3rd base, and the catching position...

1st base: Doug Mientkiewicz/Josh Phelps/Andy Phillips vs. Kevin Youkilis

Yankees: Because of Jason Giambi's inability to defend 1st base, make the pivot throw to 2nd base, and stay injury-free while playing 1st, Mientkiewicz was signed to bring his defensive skills and glove to the team, and comparing the Zone Ratings of Giambi and Mientkiewicz, the differences are huge: .838 to Doug's .881. When it comes to errors, Giambi has 73 in 1040 games played at 1st, compared to Doug's 28 in 848 games.

The defensive upgrade is apparent, but offense? Meh. In the last three years, Doug has hit a weak .253 with an equally weak .721 OPS. Hitting 9th in the potent Yankee line-up won't hurt him quite as much, but his bat isn't something you can really get excited about. Depending on who the Yankees pick to platoon with Doug, the decision should not greatly bother the team.

Heck, career-wise, Doug actually hits left-handers a little better: .271 AVG/.759 OPS against right-handers, as opposed to .269/.780 against left-handers.

Red Sox: In addition to having one of the coolest last names in baseball and being a Jew (as Denis Leary proclaimed in a now-banned YouTube video), Kevin Youkilis isn't a bad baseball player himself. Career-wise, his Zone Rating is actually lower than Giambi's: .828, but let's keep in mind that he platooned in 2nd base (2 games), 3rd base (105 games) and left field (18 games) in his career. Yes, Youk isn't a Godsend at 1st base. However, he has the flexibility to play other positions in the infield and in the outfield. He committed 5 errors last year, compared to Doug's 3 and Giambi's 7. Stats or not, Youk plays better defense than Giambi, but Doug has the advantage over Youk.

Besides platooning at different positions, he has a pretty decent bat. In his three-year split (which is his entire career in the majors), he has hit .275 AVG/.802 OPS, and he has slowly improved in the last three years. Being at the supposed prime age (28), he should improve a little bit more for a good .280 AVG/.810+ OPS, which projects to be better than Doug's projection, even if Doug hits above his head.

Advantage: Boston -- With pop in his bat and the decent defense, Boston looks to have a bigger advantage over what many consider to be a defensive "specialist".

2nd base: Robinson Cano vs. Dustin Pedroia

Yankees: There's a lot I can say for Cano, but I'll start with an amazing projection and summary from SG of Replacement Level Yankees Weblog. In the link, SG lists the players who have had a season where the person hit for an average of .330 or higher at an age of 25 or younger in a full season since World War II. If you look at the list, there is not one bad player in that list. Must I say anything more about Cano's bat? I think not.

Cano decreased the amount of errors at 2nd base from 17 to 9 last year, while increasing his Zone Rating by .009. Guys, Cano is only 24. If not the best 2nd baseman in the league, he is easily in the top 3. Is it safe to say that it's more than likely that his defense will continue to improve? Cano is likely to improve his defense and build on his 2006 success at the plate. If he doesn't, I'll eat my hat. =)

Red Sox: Meet Dustin Pedroia. Many similarities will point to him being a lot like Marcus Giles. Pedroia's not a guy you can sleep on. He has the ability to be pretty good down the line, and as SoxProspects.com state, "Overall, Pedroia may not be an all-star, but is likely to be a dependable second baseman at the major league level, which is a great asset for any team, especially on a cost-controlled basis."

He should make a splash into the majors this year with full-time playing at 2nd base, but at this point, he's still a rookie with lots of potential that has not been tapped yet. In 2007, we should see some of that potential either come out of his pores or stay hidden in his bowels.

Advantage: Yankees -- It's Cano... CA-no! Pedroia will be good for the Red Sox in the future, but it's Cano!

Shortstop: Derek Jeter vs. Julio Lugo

Yankees: Derek Jeter, what is there to say about him? MVP-candidate last year, and somehow, he was able to get his third straight Gold Glove. I don't think I need to explain Jeter's successes hitting last year, so let's go into defense.

Though there has been lots of talk about Jeter's defensive woes, Jeter has actually rated better than an average shortstop for the 2nd year in a row. For a player past his prime age of 28 to keep improving offensively and defensively is remarkable and shows the dedication a player has to the game.

Yes, statistically, he may be below-average, and yes, through the eyes of many Yankee fans, he's an amazing defensive shortstop. I take the middle road. He may not be the greatest thing at shortstop since sliced bread, but he can still make the plays. Heck, where will ESPN be without Jeter's jumping 360 throws to 1st base?

Red Sox: Statistically, Julio Lugo is a better defensive shortstop than Jeter. If you wanna go by Zone Rating, Lugo's .848 to Jeter's .821. If you wanna go by Rate, Lugo's 102 to Jeter's 93, career-wise. His defense is actually an improvement to Alex Gonzalez's Rate of 95 career-wise and .843 Zone Rating.

With the bat, Lugo's 3-year split: .284 AVG/.753 OPS, and an improvement of Gonzalez's .249/.691. Though the contract for Lugo may seem a bit pricey (4 year/36 million), at least, he's a pretty big improvement over Alex Gonzalez, eh?

Advantage: Yankees -- When you have a MVP candidate (and arguably, the AL MVP) and the team captain as your shortstop, he most likely trumps the competition, and that includes Julio Lugo.

3rd base: Alex Rodriguez vs. Mike Lowell

Yankees: Let's be brief on A-Rod. His split of .290 AVG/.915 OPS last year was considered inferior and non A-Rod like. Considering, in his MVP season of 2005, his OPS was a ridiculous 1.031, anything less would seem a letdown. Much has been made about A-Rod's playoff struggles, but since we're talking about the 19 games the Yankees/Red Sox will play in the regular season, the playoff talk will have to wait.

Putting on weight last year definitely took a toll on A-Rod's body when it came to offense and defense. A-Rod is considered a 5-tool player, considered to be (including me) the most valuable type of player. However, the extra weight he had last year took away from three of those tools: base-running ability, throwing ability and fielding ability.

A-Rod's stolen base totals has decreased from 28 in 2004 to 15 in 2006. If ESPN hasn't hammered the images of A-Rod's mis-aligned throws yet, trust me, at times, A-Rod's throws have been off-line. When it comes to defense, A-Rod increased his Zone Rating by .005, but his errors: 12 to 24 last year.

Now, reporting to camp this year, he cut out about 13 pounds of weight off his body. That should give him a small boost in his speed. He can also get to balls quicker and throws across the body should be easier to make. The jump in errors should be proved as a fluke above anything else. If A-Rod is seriously thinking about opting out, a monster season will get him even more money from a willing team. If A-Rod isn't going to opt out, the Yankees should reap the rewards of a great season, which is what I'm predicting.

Red Sox: Ah, the former Yankee farm prospect, Mike Lowell. After a terrible 2005 season and the last season he experienced in Florida, he came to the Red Sox and put up good numbers: .284 AVG/.814 OPS, a .48 jump in AVG. Also, he made good use of the Green Monster, resulting in a jump of 11 doubles and 12 home runs from last year.

His defense, as Borat would say, was "very nice". A .811 Zone Rating destroys A-Rod's .741 Zone Rating, and of course, if you make 18 less errors than the reigning MVP, your defense is going to shine in comparison. As Red Sox fans remind me quite a number of times, the Red Sox last year committed the least amount of errors as a team: 66 errors. There is no doubt in my mind that acquiring Mike Lowell in the Florida trade helped improve that defense, even though there have been talk and evidence (through the Defensive Efficiency rating) that the Red Sox did not have the best defense last year.

Advantage: Yankees -- It's a future first-ballot Hall of Famer with a couple of great years left in him vs. a pretty good 3rd baseman. Hall of Famer wins.

Catcher: Jorge Posada vs. Jason Varitek

Yankees: Let me remind you of one thing: Jorge Posada is 35 years old. 35 years old is a pretty old age for a catcher. Let me also remind you of this: Posada may possibly be the most underrated part of the Yankee dynasty in the late 90s to early 2000s.

Last year, comparing all the catchers, who had the most HRs between them? Posada and Ramon Hernandez were tied with 23. RBIs? Posada and Victor Martinez were tied for first with 93. Forgetting Joe Mauer for a second, who came in 2nd when it came to and Slugging Percentage and OPS? Posada with a .492 SLG and .867 OPS. Last but not least, who does Posada's stats compare to the best at the age of 34? Hall-of-Famer Carlton Fisk.

Posada has a great bat for a catcher, and he has increased in the number of runners he catches stealing (37%). Tony Pena has worked with Posada last year, and the results are easy to see. With more work with Pena, Posada's hitting numbers may decrease due to age, but his defense? Barring major injury, Posada's defense numbers should range the same.

Red Sox: Jason Varitek means an incredible amount to the pitching staff of the Red Sox. Many have pointed to the fact that the collapse of the Red Sox was triggered by Varitek's torn cartilage in his left knee. When it came to the games Varitek actually played and hit in, the numbers were mediocre at best. I have made numerous jokes about ".243 Varitek" and "I only fight with a catcher's mask on" Varitek, but his numbers were even worse than a .243. Varitek hit .238 AVG/.725 OPS. Meh at best.

Though we can put some blame on his injury, Varitek was never great at throwing runners out stealing, throwing runners out at a 22% success rate last year, and 25.7% career-wise (compared to Posada's 30.3% career-rate). However, Varitek has made a lesser amount of errors (52 errors in 1017 games, 0.051 errors per game) than Posada (69 errors in 1222 games, 0.056 errors per game) and he also has less passed balls (89 to Posada's 111). Varitek is a slightly better defensive catcher, while Posada has a better throwing arm.

Advantage: Yankees (slightly) -- The injury factor is huge. When you're a catcher, your knees are all you got. If you look at Posada's injuries last year, he was out of games later in the year because of non-knee injuries. Recovering from a bruised left elbow, a bruised finger, or even a strained left knee tendon is definitely easier than recovering from surgery to repair torn cartilage in your lifeblood as a catcher. With also the better bat, Posada takes it.

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Next post, we'll look at the outfield!

Happy reading! =)

B(rent)

A Steve-esque post...

2007-03-04T16:12:00.000-05:00

Now that midterms have come and gone, and since I have a couple of weeks to ease back into blog writing, I'll go into a post that will reek of Steve's type of posts =P...

Before I do, let me plug in the articles I have written for my school's newspaper... yes, I'm serious... =P

1. So my third Fordham article (about baseball, yay!) was in print last week... while I was looking through the website, I saw the listings of the most popular articles throughout the newspaper and...

Well, my article (the 2nd most popular sports article in the newspaper) is more popular than a feature article dealing with personal cooking...

We are... FORDHAM... yea...

Anyway!

Since NoMaas.org already talked about a ridiculous article about A-Rod, why should I do the same thing? Let's go with the headline story in my local hometown paper, The Bergen Record...

From Bob Klapisch:

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Can you imagine Alex Rodriguez in a Mets uniform in 2008? It's not just impossible, you say, it's heresy. Or is it? The idea of A-Rod crossing enemy lines has strong support from none other than David Wright – who says he'd give up his position to make room for the Yankee third baseman.

"Are you kidding me? As great a hitter as Alex is, I'd definitely do it," Wright said. "Tell him to come over, tell him to do it."

In a quiet, early morning clubhouse at Tradition Field, Wright was smiling, but apparently not kidding about his crosstown rival. That's how convinced he is that A-Rod's arrival would be the final, missing piece in ensuring the Mets' domination for the rest of the decade...
Point-blank, Wright was asked, who's the more dangerous hitter, Manny or A-Rod?

Wright thought long and hard, and finally said, "I'd have to say A-Rod. I mean, that guy has sick power. I saw him hit a home run against us [July 2 at Yankee Stadium] that he was out in front of, off his front foot and he went the opposite way – and he still hit into the black [seats in the bleachers]."

Wright shook his head and said, "What other player hits 30-something home runs, drives in 100, hits .280 and calls that an off year?"
"Case closed," he said.

What is so newsworthy of this that would warrant a front page headline in the Sports section?

David Wright is showing absolute respect to the abilities of A-Rod, and he (like most other players) would like a possible 800 HR hitter and future Hall-of-Famer on their team... so what?

A-Rod was a Met fan growing up, and the whole "coming back to your hometown team" would be awesome for him, but who's to say that A-Rod won't deal with the same stuff he's dealing on the Yankees right now?

Let's not forget how Met fans rode Carlos Beltran up to last year, and putting the highest-paid baseball player on another New York team? Eh...

It's a nice sentiment and I'm sure A-Rod's greatly flattered... but I highly doubt that comments from a Met will highly change his mind on whether he wants to stay after next year...

In other news, Carl Pavano actually pitched in a game... and he did pretty decent too! 33 pitches and one run in 2 innings... good start, good start...

More to come in the next few weeks...

Happy reading! =)

B(rent)

Sammy Sosa to Japan? Do it!

2007-01-11T16:07:00.000-05:00

588 HRs, 7 All-Star appearances, 6 Silver Sluggers, and his numbers compare to these Hall of Famers (and future Hall of Famers):

However, in a matter of 3 years, one corked bat, one "extremely violent sneeze", one "no speak Ingles" speech in Congress, and one off-season supposedly to rid his body of steroids (which promptly lead him to hit .221 and 14 HRs for the Orioles) later, Sammy Sosa is in the middle of a mess that he mostly created through his mistakes.

A player with 588 HRs in the times of yesteryear would be inducted in the Hall of Fame without any shadow of a doubt. However, with the cloud hovering over the Steroid Era of baseball, players like Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa had their Hall of Fame aspirations crushed just a little bit with Mark McGwire's 1st year rejection into the Hall of Fame this week. Many baseball analysts have offered suggestions on how McGwire should repair his image in baseball. Some offered a suggestion of a public apology. Some suggested that he does nothing. Some even suggest that McGwire does not follow Barry Bonds' guide on "How To Deal with Steroid Allegations".

Due to the 1998 Chasing-Maris Home Run chase, Sammy Sosa will always be tied to Mark McGwire in baseball history. However, their abysmal speeches in front of Congress also tie them together in the steroids controversy. Sosa's massive drop in HRs, Batting Average, and OPS from 2001 to 2005 also illustrate the increased wear-and-tear effects that improper use of steroids can provide on the human body. Because of the connections and his alleged use of steroids, Sammy Sosa's image in baseball is as stained as McGwire's image. If Sammy Sosa does not play another game in the MLB, he will be up for induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Though Sosa wants to play in the MLB, there have been no rumors about any MLB team being interested in him. Notice the initials MLB in the last sentence. According to an article in the Sunday's Japan Times, the Yokohoma BayStars are interested in acquiring Sammy Sosa on a one year, 4.2 million dollar contract. Converted to yen, Sammy Sosa would be paid 500 million yen. Basically, Sammy Sosa will be paid his salary from the mid-1990s (1995: $4.3 million) to play one full year in the Japanese League.

According to the Japan Baseball Daily, an unnamed official from the BayStars have denied the Sosa offer to the point of calling out Sosa's agent, stating that the agent was trying to "perpetrate fraud" on the BayStars' organization. Whether the offer was made or not, the Sammy Sosa Japanese League offer brings up a very interesting thought. It's an interesting thought that has been brought to the forefront because of one man: David Beckham.

Not unlike Pelé and Beckenbauer with the Cosmos, David Beckham will be joining the LA Galaxy in the MLS for 5 yrs/up to 250 million dollars. The choice of the LA Galaxy was a very deliberate decision by Beckham for two reasons: fame and money.

Beckham is arguably the most marketable soccer player with a movie named after him ('Bend It Like Beckham', good movie, I must say). What does Los Angeles have that no other team (not even the New York Red Bulls) have? Hollywood. The Stars of Fame. The lights. The celebrities. Movies. Any need to continue? Beckham will instantly be immersed into the Hollywood crowd. The man will be wining and dining with the Hollywood crowd. The only difference is that he won't have to do it across the Atlantic Ocean.

There have been questions made about Beckham's health and whether he is "over the hill" at age 31. However, to think that a league signing arguably the most marketable soccer player world-wide is a bad move is illogical, at best. David Beckham will get his fame and money from the MLS and being amongst the celebrities in Hollywood. The MLS will sell out games and increase recognition across the world and amongst American and non-American soccer players worldwide.

Why do I bring Beckham up? The one thing I have seen in my lifetime is the influence American culture has on world-wide culture, especially in Japan. As the years go on, the trade-off of American and Japanese culture has been huge. Americans are becoming immersed in anime, Japanese import video games, and the popular launch and sale of the Wii. The Japanese have immersed themselves into American culture on the lines of music, advertisements, food, and yes, baseball.

I'm not bringing up baseball to bring up the American examples of Ichiro and Hideki Matsui's success here, though Alfonso Soriano and Cecil Fielder are the best examples you can make for that. I'm talking about the reverse: bringing an American at the end of his career to Japan to play baseball. Sprinkled in Japanese baseball are the Benny Agbayanis and Andy Sheets of the baseball world: mediocre players who are trying to make a name in Japanese baseball. Suggesting that Sammy Sosa should play Japanese baseball isn't grouping him in the same category as Benny Agbayani and Andy Sheets because, steroids or not, Sammy Sosa had a career that was better than mediocre on all accounts.

Sammy Sosa playing Japanese baseball would be the best move for him for two reasons:

1. Fame and money: Two words - Bob Sapp. A man who failed numerous steroid tests in the NFL got a new start in Japan. He got so much of a start that he has done numerous advertisements and have appeared on many Japanese TV shows. His fame has gotten to the point where he released a CD! To have enough fame to release a CD based on your name is Shaq-like! I would say Paris-Hilton-like, but Shaq and Sapp had to earn their fame. Sapp has achieved enough fame and money in Japan to come back to the United States and appear on Real Sports as well as the movie remake "The Longest Yard."

What does Bob Sapp's example have to do with Sammy Sosa? The unnamed official from the BayStars does not have an idea what he is talking about. It would seem hypocritical in the least bit for an entire country to embrace Bob Sapp, though he has been a proven ex-steroid user, and yet, shun Sammy Sosa. It seems ridiclous for an unnamed official from the BayStars speaks for the entire country of Japan. If Sammy Sosa wanted to go to Japan, a Japanese team would be more than happy to sign him.

Sammy's a likable guy. He has that million-dollar smile and Hispanic charm that got America to love him in 1998 during the Maris Chase. The media friendly charms and whims that Sammy Sosa processes can be used to perfection in Japan. If he played his cards right, Sammy could be as big of a name as Bob Sapp. He's got the charm, the stats, and the stature that can captivate Japanese audiences with his bat and he can make lots of money as well.

However, Sosa has one goal and one goal only. What he may not know is that he may have a better shot at achieving that goal in Japan.

2. Sammy's goal - a possible second shot at the MLB: Excluding Julio Franco (because the man's godly with his endurance), let's look at 2 mini-success stories of players who have played in the MLB, went to Japan, and got back into the MLB: Tony Batista and Eduardo Perez.

Tony Batista: The link that is provided in his name is a clip of him scaring the crap out of a Japanese pitcher after he got hit with the pitch. Apparently, hitting .263 with 27 HRs and 90 RBIs scared enough Japanese pitchers for a major league team to take a second look at him and bring him back. The Twins signed Tony Batista in March of 2006 for a 2nd MLB campaign. Though he got released again after going .236 with 5 HRs and 21 RBIs in 178 At-Bats, he got the second shot he wanted and earned.

Eduardo Perez: The hit-by-pitch object of Randy Johnson's small rise to Yankee pinstripes last year, Perez took a year off in 2001 from the MLB to try his hand in the Japanese League and to earn a consistent starting role in the majors. His stats in Japan were terrible, to say the least: .222 with 3 HRs and 19 RBIs in 52 games and 167 At-bats, but he got more consistent play in 2002 and 2003 on the St. Louis Cardinals. He has had an up-and-down career, but he viewed Japanese baseball as a solution, a solution Sammy Sosa should take on.

Do I think Sammy Sosa should play in Japan for a year? Absolutely. Will he? I don't think he will. He is too stubborn to accept that no major league team will take him at this point. If he can prove to play healthy and to put up good numbers in Japan, he can open some of those teams' eyes. At this point, however, he is viewed as opening more Big Macs and Whoppers than the eyes of the MLB.

Sammy, listen to me: go to Japan. Make some money. Get some fame. Hit some home runs. This may be your last shot, Sammy. Go to Japan and get yourself back to the MLB. Heck, it may help you when the Hall of Fame is considered. Just... don't goof up in Japan and go Joe Pepitone on us, ok?

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Zito... what to say?

2006-12-28T15:16:00.000-05:00

Well... Merry (belated) Christ-mas, Happy New Year, etc etc... you get the point, I'm finished with finals and I'm on break until mid-January, so maybe I can actually update this blog on a regular basis...

Anyway, there has been a lot of things going on lately... for starters, in a recent chat (linked to me by NoMaas.org), Baseball America's Jim Callis ranks the Yankees' farm system as #6 in the majors... can I get a BOO-YAH? :-)

For more celebrations, this goes out to the Met-haters and for the Yankee fans who enjoy and relish in the inter-league rivalry... Barry Zito, who people have inaccurately linked to the Yankees (especially with the trade talks of the Big Unit), doesn't sign with the Mets... but instead...

From ESPN:

Barry Zito is staying in the Bay Area with the San Francisco Giants.
Sources told ESPN's Peter Gammons that the former Oakland A's pitcher has agreed to a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Giants.
The deal includes an $18 million option for 2014 and a complete no-trade clause, a source told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
If Zito pitches 600 innings over the last three years of the agreement, 400 innings over the last two or 200 in the final year of the deal, he can either exercise a player option or opt out of the contract.
Zito is scheduled to have a physical Friday, and the Giants planned to announce their agreement with the three-time All-Star later in the day.
Zito's deal ties for the sixth largest overall, matching the $126 million, seven-year extension agreed to this month by Toronto and center fielder Vernon Wells. Previously, the largest contract for a pitcher was Mike Hampton's $121 million, eight-year deal with the Colorado Rockies before the 2001 season.
Texas, Seattle and the New York Mets also pursued Zito, the top available pitcher on the free-agent market. The 28-year-old left-hander spent the last seven seasons across San Francisco Bay pitching with the Oakland Athletics, and staying in the area appeared to be a factor in his decision.

What is there to say about this?

1. The Mets don't get him, leaving them without a dominant pitcher and hurting them greatly...

2. It gets him out of the AL... though he never bothered the Yankees much (last 3 years: 1-5 with a 7.01 ERA)...

3. Zito receives the biggest deal for a pitcher ever... not Webb, not Wang, not Halliday, not even Santana... but Barry Zito receives the biggest deal for a pitcher...

I know the deals that other pitchers got (including Meche to the Royals), but this is rather ridiculous... 18 million a year for seven years...

Steve (from WasWatching) thought an accurate and fair offer from the Yankees for Zito would be: 3 yr/$48 mil with a club-option for a 4th year...

Personally, I would have given (the most from any team) 17 million per year for 5 years, giving him 85 million for 5 years... but Barry Zito (and Boras, mostly) cashed in on a shallow free agent market and cashed in big...

If Barry Zito got this much, imagine what Carlos Zambrano will get next year in the free agent market... the money will only go up and it will continue going up for years to come... will we see another 250 million deal (ala Alex Rodriguez) in the next few years?

With the way things are going now, there is no doubt in my mind that we will... I just hope the Yankees won't offer the 250 million dollars... unless Philip Hughes is the second coming of Jesus Christ... I mean, Roger Clemens...

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As a small New Years' resolution, I'm trying for shorter and more frequent posts in this blog... we'll see what happens...

Happy reading! And happy ending to your 2006! :-)

B(rent)

*****

P.S.: EJ (formerly from the Fire Joe Torre blog) has a new fantastic blog up called Pinstripe Potentials... some of my analysis and looks at potential prospects come from the comprehensive scouting profiles from EJ, and what he provides is a priceless resource for almost less than nothing... :-P, check it out when you get a chance!

As finals finish up, I will be back...

2006-12-19T11:43:00.000-05:00

In a few days, but until then, Yankees 2000 has an excellent interview with Alex Belth, writer of Bronx Banter... I'll just copy and paste some of my favorite segments for views... (thanks to Steve... again...):

Y2K: Mets fans are convinced that a sizeable majority of Yankee fans are fake somehow, that they don’t really care, that they’re fans for social reasons. Do you find this criticism is justified?

Belth: Well, definitely on some level, but look, New York is a front-running town by nature. Yeah, we have great, loyal fans too. But let’s not kid ourselves, there’s lots of bandwagon cats here. In the 80s all those people were out at Shea because the Mets were winning. Now they’re Yankee fans.

The fact is that one of the things that a true, rational, decent-minded Yankee fan has to deal with is a segment of people who are totally spoiled by success. The owner [George Steinbrenner] has always tried to preach this entitled to win attitude, and because they’ve won so much, the fans have picked that up.

Y2K: What do you think the Yankee teams of the past 6 years have been missing that those late '90s teams had?

Belth: Luck. Some of that is luck that they created. They had a collective personality in the late '90s that was extremely driven; there were a lot of red asses on that team – competitive, self-motivated guys, guys who were opportunistic grinders.

When I come back, I will probably adapt a new blogging style... in order to make the blog more about the reader, I will write about comments I get and throw them up (with my answers) in the next blog post...

With that said, the comment I got from the Pettitte post will come along with my thoughts about the Igawa deal and the (hopefully dead) talks about the Melky/Gonzalez trade...

Thank you for the patience, and I will be back... heck, what else am I gonna do the next 4 weeks of break? Sleep?

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Andy Pettitte's back... :-)

2006-12-08T16:51:00.000-05:00

From ESPN:

Many thought Andy Pettitte should have never left New York. It looks like that issue has been rectified.

Pettitte
The left-hander and the Yankees have reached an agreement on a one-year deal that will pay him $16 million in 2007 with a player option for 2008, sources close to the negotiations told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Friday.
The player option for 2008 is also at $16 million. Pettitte must pass a physical for the agreement to be finalized.

Let me be somewhat realistic for a second: Pettitte's a tough dude who can pitch pretty good even with elbow pain... but he's getting old, and 16 million is quite a bit, overpassing the Astro's rumored 10 million a year deal...

But enough about that: A couple of million is a price to pay to rectify a terrible mistake and to bring back a fan favorite, enough said...

I'm very excited for this, but what bout Clemens? Will he join his best friend on the Yankees? Does Clemens still wanna win a World Series? Will he make the commitment?

Time will tell, and of course, it will be reported...

Yankee fans everywhere, drink and be merry, for tomorrow... we'll... uh... still be happy?!?!? :-D!

Happy reading... and rejoicing!

B(rent)

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P.S.: Join my campaign to elect Craig Wilson as our right-handed 1st baseman! :-P

^ Thank you Nomaas for the inspiration from a year ago with their Kevin Thompson for 4th Outfielder campaign... :-)

Wilson > Hillenbrand > Phillips Part 2...

2006-12-02T00:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, guys, I posted about why we should go with Craig Wilson a few posts ago, but due to comments left on the big (and my opinion, more moronic) Yankee group on MySpace, I decided to revisit why I want Craig Wilson for the 1st base job...

In the Craig Wilson post of the past, I showed the hitting splits... but let's talk about two more things: worries and defense...

Worries? I'll address it from this link (almost a direct copy and paste):

Some random guy posted a reply to my major Wilson points like this:

George "the man" Corsi wrote:

we need a everyday firstbaseman, we dont need sum1 who can play everything, bc thats wat a backup infielder is for, to play when problems arise. Wilson bats the complete opposite of the Yankee idea, look for ur pitch, or take a walk. And he's too old to change that now, u either hav or dont hav an eye for the ball, which wilson doesn't

Aside from the silly grammar and spelling mistakes, he seriously made ridiculous points, so I responded as such with this:

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A few things...

1. Are you serious? Wilson is "too old" to change his approach of hitting?

Ok, let me give you examples of players who have tried to change their approach in their playing... and are older than 30 years old?

Remember Randy Johnson? Yea, when he was slumping last year, what did he do? He asked Guidry for help, he put his pride down, he let himself be taught and be given advice, and he changed his release point in order to garner better results...

Let's use another example: Mr. A-Rod himself... he was slumping and striking out (more than Wilson, actually), and guess what he does? He asks Mattingly for help! He put his pride down and he asked for help... he asked for help and he did his best to put his pride down and to change his approach...

To say that people are "too old" to change something that's not working is ridiculous... players are constantly trying to get better... to say that he's "too old" to change and take advice is not only ridiculous, it's inaccurate...

2. Do you really think that Wilson, after playing on a shit-hole of a team for a couple of years, wouldn't change things so he can play better for the Yankees? Think about what you're saying before you say it...

If you can show me that Craig Wilson is a stubborn ass who wouldn't take advice from Kevin Long or any of the other coaches next year, then I'd agree with you, but until then, source your words...

and 3. For all the Phillips lovers in here, can anyone in here prove to me that Phillips is a better defender than Wilson even though Wilson has had more experience at 1b? And even with that said...

Wilson played 588 innings at 1B last year with the Pirates and Yankees... he allowed 3 errors...

Phillips played 533 innings at 1B last year with the Yankees... he allowed 7 errors...

So more innings and less errors... if you wanna use basics, that's pretty basic for you on who's the better defender...

Shea: 597 innings, 3 errors as well... so if you wanna use those, Shea's as good of a defender as Wilson, and yet, Wilson kills lefties better than Shea, which is why the Yankees are pursuing a RH 1st baseman, right? To do what Giambi can't do: hit lefties and actually play 1B well...

Now, if you want me to get into Zone ratings, and show why (career-wise) Wilson has been a much better defender at 1st base than Shea, then, ask me and I will...

But seriously, if you wanna come with what you said, but give me some sources to show me that Wilson's a stubborn ass who won't take direction... because, apparently, all the Yankees aren't that stubborn... :-)

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You know what's worse than an "angry blogger", as Jay Marriotti once called us on an "Around the Horn" episode? Idiots on MySpace who don't use the education they supposedly get at school, and apply it in their writings...

*sighs* Thank God I never thought about being an English teacher...

Speaking of defense, I want to address the Zone Rating of both Shea and Wilson...

What is Zone Rating? Though a more detailed description is linked in here, a Zone Rating is the percentage rate of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive "zone"... though it has been viewed as a "flawed" defensive statistic, it tracks a player's defensive value better than fielding percentage and errors can...

With that said, let's compare career Zone Ratings for Shea and Wilson, provided by ESPN.com...

Shea Hillenbrand: 2971.2 innings for a rating of .829 (27 errors)
Craig Wilson: 1823.2 innings for a rating of .842 (14 errors)

Due to Craig Wilson's flexibility of being able to play left field, right field and catcher, he hasn't played as many innings as Shea has... but the numbers show that Wilson has a better ability to catch more balls in his "zone" than Shea can...

Defensively, offensively, and logically, Craig Wilson is a better overall option to play 1st base than Shea Hillenbrand and Andy Phillips, no doubt about it...

Will the Yankees follow this philosophy?

We'll soon find out...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Why Kei Igawa? Why the bid? Why him? Why NOW?

2006-11-28T18:48:00.000-05:00

From ESPN.com:

The Yankees won the bidding for Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney is reporting.
The winning bid is expected to be about $25 million. An announcement is expected Tuesday night.
After the bidding closed Monday, the Tigers were informed of the amount of the high bid, but not which team made it, The Associated Press reported. The New York Mets bid about $15 million for Igawa, another baseball official told The AP, on condition of anonymity.
The Yankees will have until midnight at the end of Dec. 28 to work out a contract with the 27-year-old left-hander. Igawa is represented by Arn Tellem, also the agent for Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui.
The Yankees pay Hanshin only if they reach an agreement for Igawa.
Igawa went 14-9 last season with a 2.97 ERA in Japan. He struck out 194 to tie for the Central League lead, adding to the strikeout titles he won in 2002 and 2004.
Igawa has an 86-60 record with a 3.15 ERA. He would have to play in Japan for three more seasons before he could become a free agent.

*tries to breathe*

We just made a ridiculous bid for a pitcher who may not be a decent 4th starter...

*breathes*

I mean, I can understand why we made the bid... we need a lefty, no doubt about it... and depending on the contract we give him, he may be just about 36-40 mil for 4 years, the same deal we would offer Lilly...

Most Japanese pitchers have a ERA of 1 point or higher on their first years in the MLB... for example, a Japanese pitcher pitches a 2.00 ERA in the Japanese league can possibly see his ERA go up to 3.00 or higher...

2.97 ERA from last year would be up to 3.97 or higher... Lilly's career ERA is 4.60... looking at it objectively, it may seem that it's a decent deal... he can pitch more innings than Wright (but then again, I can)... he is a lefty... and silly to say, but look at him!

^ He's called "Iron Nerves" on his website (linked on the photo)... and he looks like he can beat some people up if a brawl is needed... personally, I think he looks like a less-skilled Japanese version of Randy Johnson...

This deal may be a decent deal, it just hinges on a few things...

1. The contract the Yankees offer...

2. If the Yankees really want to keep him...

and 3. If Igawa really wants to pitch for the Yankees...

If the Yankees offer a contract of... well... let's say, a 5 mil per year for 4 years... we would spend 40-45 mil... oh, what am I saying? This is still ridiculous...

Just like Matsuzaka, the deal may pay dividends in the future, and heck, Igawa already has a friend in Matsui to look to... but still... this appears and is a ridiculous bid...

It may work, but right now, it seems absolutely ridiculous... *sighs*

Imagine that: the first big splash the Yankees make in this off-season is a pitcher who has been projected to be a 4th/5th starter... I do hope the Yankees get him on a short 2-year deal, especially with Hughes, Sanchez, and Clippard due to come up in the next few years... but we'll see...

*head spins* I can't believe it, but I guess I can smile and say: "At least, it's not 51.1 million"... the Yankees finally decided to spend some money this year... however, many other teams are trying to catch up to the Yankees in outspending...

I have some faith that this will all work out in the end... but I wouldn't be surprised if Kei Igawa turns out to be the next "Fat Toad"... let's all just hope for the best, shall we?

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Wow... Jeter, Giambi, AND A-Rod sitting in the same club?

2006-11-28T16:07:00.000-05:00

Apparently, according to Glitter and Gossip (thanks to Steve) and the Las Vegas Review Journal, it happened during the weekend at the Wynn Las Vegas's Tryst...

As it is written in the Review Journal:

New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez, at Scores till the wee hours after spending much of the day at Fix (Bellagio) to watch the Southern Cal-Notre Dame game and returning for dinner. He also joined teammates Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi at Tryst (Wynn).

Too good to believe? Thanks to Napkin Nights, we got pictures!

^ Giambi with some random guy...

^ Look to your far right in the middle in the light blue shirt... that's A-Rod!

^ You can see A-Rod there drinking up a beer, but do you see the guy behind him? With the Jeter-like fade? I believe that the fade guy has to be Jeter...

So! What does this mean? A friendly engagement to get rid of old grudges and to start anew? We can only hope... but then again, crazier things have happened in Las Vegas...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

How much money should Lilly and Wilson get?

2006-11-22T22:54:00.000-05:00

An debate started in the Yankees Empire has sparked into an idea I have here... how much money should Ted Lilly get?

According to the New York Post, Lilly is looking for 4 years/36 million... 9 mil per year on a 30-year-old cat?

Looking at Ted Lilly's splits of the past 3 years... it's ironic: he does well against Boston and Baltimore (3.27 in 14 games, and 3.28 in 8 games, respectfully), but he does terrible against the Yankees and... the Devil Rays with a 3-3, 5.86 ERA in 7 games...

He's also had difficulty against the Royals (7.45 in 4 games), White Sox (7.71 in 4 games), the A's (6.03 in 6 games), and the Angels (5.33 in 4 games)... I'd sign Lilly but not at 9 million per year...

Using Baseball-Reference.com, this is the similarity scores with Lilly:

# Odalis Perez (964)
# Joel Pineiro (963)
# Jason Jennings (962)
# Jason Marquis (959)
# Doug Davis (959)

Perez's salary: $8.75 mil and definitely going down with his next contract...
Pineiro's salary: $6,800,000
Jennings' salary: $4,500,000
Marquis's salary: $5,150,000
Davis's salary: $3,200,000

Using my deduction, I'd sign Lilly at a maximum 4 year/30 mil contract (or $7.5 mil per year), it would be extremely fair and it'll be at the accurate range for him and his skills... but as many bloggers have mentioned, that probably won't happen because of the free agent poll and the Matsuzaka bid... but meh... *shrugs*

K has mentioned to me that a 3 year/24 mil would be the best deal, and I would agree, less years, 8 mil per year, and yes, a million dollar difference does make a difference, just talk to Johnny Damon...

According to the Toronto Star, the Yankees are about to offer Lilly an offer in the next couple of days, and the Jays and Yankees are interested in a player I'd like to see the Yankees get: Gil Meche: young (28), experienced in the AL, and would come cheaper than many of the other pitchers on the free agent market...

That's kinda how I like my Wii: young, experienced on the market, and very cheap... however, that's exactly how I don't like my women... but let's continue...

The good guys at NoMaas.org have started to list their off-season ideas, and their 5th idea is quite fitting:

NoMaas offseason idea #5
According to reports, the Yankees are looking for a right-handed 1B so Giambi can become the permanent DH. We have read about interest in players like Wes Helms and Eduardo Perez. But, a better option exists, and he was on the team last season: Craig Wilson.
Wilson was acquired from Pittsburgh for Shawn Chacon in a Ca$hMoney carjack. NoMaas was very excited about the deal, but unfortunately, Wilson performed poorly in his audition with the Yankees, sporting a .613 OPS in 109 plate appearances. That sample size, however, is not reflective of Wilson's true ability. For his career, he has a 115 OPS+ and has destroyed left-handed pitching with a .395 OBP / .543 SLG / .938 OPS. He basically turns into Gary Sheffield when he faces LHP.
He's also decent against RHP with a .793 OPS.
Are you really going to find a better option? The only reason why Wilson won't be re-signed is because he might be in Torre's doghouse. Yet, we would rather judge a player on his career trends than just 109 plate appearances.

Craig Wilson was one of the trophies on which we, as Yankee fans, can look at and say "wow, Cashman is a genius"... Abreu and the late Lidle were the other two...

Wilson was also one of my favorite players this year, I still recall the game that I was at where he couldn't play a Jeter low-throw at 1st, and picked himself, Jeter, and the Yankees up in the next inning to hit a HR to help the Yankees win a 2-0 game for Wang against the Tigers...

I have heard talks about getting another 1st baseman, and hearing Shea Hillenbrand put in the mix... well... let's put Shea's splits against LHP up anyway (same as NoMaas): .338 .464 .802

No comparison... but of course, the Yankees aren't even thinking about Wilson... but with that said, how much should the Yankees pay for Wilson, if they choose to turn from their sinful ways?

The similarity scores for Wilson (good looking out NoMaas, sponsoring his page) are as follows:

Monroe: $2,800,000
Kearns: $1,850,000
Mench: $2,800,000
Trammell: well... 3 years have passed...
Huskey: Bye bye...

And Wilson earned $3,300,000...

So would it be excessive for me to say that the Yankees should sign Wilson to a one or two year deal of about 3 million a year? I think it would be totally fair...

And just to throw this out there... Shea makes $5,800,000 and is looking for a little bit more in the market... according to the Post, the Yankees are very interested in him... I don't care much for Shea, and clearly, the better and cheaper choice, by far, is Wilson... but eh, that's how Torre and the Yankees roll...

The Yankees would save 3 million per year signing Wilson over Shea... but will the Yankees do it? Probably not... but a man can dream intelligently, can't he? :-)

Happy reading!

B(rent)

So... THIS is who they get to write in my school's newspaper?

2006-11-16T15:29:00.000-05:00

Forgive me for going off the cuff here, but I have to say: not getting responded/written back to write in the school's newspaper, and having this guy write on my subject of expertise (Yankees, Giants, Knicks, Rangers, etc.) and putting this ridiculous article out really unnerves me...

But instead of complaining about it, why not destroy his argument? :-)

From the Fordham Observer:

The key to the formation of any dynasty is the development of young players from within the organization. The Yankees' dynasty of the 1990s, was largely centered on the development and success of young players like Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera. The cycle of baseball has now come nearly full circle as these players prepare for the twilights of their careers.

Alright, we can agree there, but of course you got Bernie = Melky, Jeter = Cano, Pettite = Wang, and Mariano = we'll see... nicely written, but that's where all the nice and good stuff end...

This is an encouraging trend, but the Yankees need to further capitalize on their talent and build from within. Phillip Hughes is being touted as the best minor leaguer in baseball but needs to perform at the next level. Hopefully the Yankees can have him firmly established as a spot starter or the fifth man in the rotation by the end of next season. Brent Cox is one of the best relievers in the minor leagues and is said to be Mariano Rivera's heir. With relievers Tanyon Sturtze and Ron Villone expected to re-sign, this season should showcase a promising young bullpen of Sturtze and Villone, with Cox in a set-up role as he prepares for his inevitable usurpation of Rivera's closer role. Octavio Dotel has also filed for free agency and should be allowed to leave without a fight. In addition, the Yankees have an array of young, fast players in the minor leagues that are probably not ready to be starters in the majors, but can add energy and flexibility to the bench.

This is where the article goes terribly wrong...

1. J. Brent Cox is not Roger Clemens here, you want to throw in the fire-baller from AA straight to the MLB? Yes, Cox has great statistics, (6 - 2 with 1.75 ERA in AA), but if you wanna develop him the right way, don't bring him straight from AA to the MLB, it can destroy a pitcher's development, and hinder his growth as a pitcher...

You heard of Sean Henn? After getting destroyed by the Mets two years ago, I haven't heard much about him either... just because he was a lefty, he was brought up from AA to the MLB, and well... let's look at his numbers now: 3 - 1, 4.01 ERA, 18 games, 6 starts in AAA... the Yankees are experimenting with using him as a reliever, but instead of him moving up to AAA last year, and possibly hearing him in the same breath as Karstens and Rasner for the 5th starter spot, he's stuck in AAA, not knowing whether he has the stuff/skill to be a starter or a reliever... that indecision 2 years ago has resulted in his average AAA stats, and destruction in the proper development of him... his psyche works as well as his skills, and to destroy a young pitcher's psyche like that can destroy his career...

Who was the last great young pitcher that has come directly from the Royals or Devil Rays organization? Exactly my point...

Lastly, is Mariano slowing down that much for you to worry significantly about fast-tracking Cox from AA to the MLB? And did you completely give up and forget about Kyle Farnsworth? Gee, do your research...

2. "A promising young bullpen of Sturtze and Villone?" That has got to be the most idiotic thing I have read in The Observer...

First off, Strutze and Villone are both 36! If 36 is young in baseball terms, Julio Franco would just be considered a veteran, instead of an old man who can still hack it...

Second, let's look at Tanyon Sturtze, shall we? ERAs since 2003 (when he was converted to a reliever role): 5.94, 5.47, 4.73, 7.59... not exactly great for an average pitcher, eh? For a writer to seemingly give up on Farnsworth (who's 30, and has better stats than Sturtze), but advocate the resigning of Sturtze has got to be a joke... right?

With Villone, I love the guy, and I loved his signing, but let me quote from one of my favorite blogs, EJ from the Fire Joe Torre Blog on Villone:

Things started to unravel one month ago today. Villone was among the best relievers in baseball, pitching over 60 innings with a 2.23 ERA. Villone came in and gave up two runs in two innings, throwing 42 pitches against Baltimore. Including that appearance, Villone would then throw a total of 114 over the next three days. He would never be the same.

Since that 42 pitch outing, Villone has pitched just 12 innings, giving up 19 earned runs. His ERA has risen to 4.50. He had given up just 16 earned runs prior to that outing all year.

It's official. Ron Villone's arm is now completely useless. Good job Torre. We have lost an effective lefty weapon in the playoffs.

Torre destroyed Villone's arm, as he has done with Quantrill and Karsey in the past, and add to the fact that Villone's 36... yea... uh... no way would signing "young" Villone back would be the part thing to do...

3. If you say those things about our bench and our young, fast guys in the minors, why not mention some of them? This is a college newspaper, not the silly high school newspaper stuff where details aren't needed...

Talk about Kevin Thompson, Kevin Reese (though not young nor really fast), Brett Gardner (fastest guy in our minor league system)... talk about them, or at least, mention them... if you're going to name-drop Cox, name-drop the other guys that you talk about... consistency is important, and this guy doesn't have it... do your research...

***************

*whew* Alright, that was the first page of the 3-page article, here comes the 2nd one...

Alex Rodriguez has been one of the biggest disappointments in Yankees' recent history. His statistics reflect a seemingly solid player with a respectable, but not stellar average. But every Yankees fan knows how deeply his inconsistent play has set back the team. The unfortunate aspect of this situation is if Rodriguez was not the highest paid player in baseball history and was simply a young, unproven player trying to make his way in the harsh New York environment, he would have been forgiven. However, Rodriguez's salary and arrogance have magnified his inability to play consistently. The best thing for both sides in this situation would be a trade for A-Rod out of New York to a less pressurized venue. Rumors have been swirling that A-Rod's long-time friend and new manager of the Chicago Cubs, Lou Pinella, will attempt to acquire A-Rod for his new team. If this trade goes through and the Yankees are willing to pay a good portion of his inflated salary, the Yankees may be in a position to acquire Carlos Zambrano, a pitcher who could bolster the pitching staff for years to come.

This got me laughing quite a bit...

1. Let's work backwards... if you really think the Cubs would trade their #1 best pitcher for A-Rod, especially in a game where pitching is a huge need for many teams, you must be smoking something strong, and remember, kids, smoking is bad for you... even if it's weed...

Plus Zambrano will be a free agent in 2008, so why get him now if we're gonna probably get him later?

2. "His statistics reflect a seemingly solid player with a respectable, but not stellar average."

Nice to know that someone doesn't do their research... A-Rod has the 13th highest career batting average for active players, with every player above him possible to probable Hall of Famers... he has consistently hit 99 or more RBIs since 1996, he's the youngest player to hit 450 HRs, his OBP% this year ranked 19th (.392), and I fail to believe that this kid knows or even cares to know what OBP% really means and the importance of actually getting on base...

3. "However, Rodriguez's salary and arrogance have magnified his inability to play consistently."

I may be blind, I may be deaf, but how is A-Rod arrogant? What has A-Rod done to show himself "having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance"? Was moving to 3rd base arrogant? Is having a Family Organization arrogant? Please, explain this to someone who's deaf, dumb, and blind like me...

4. "But every Yankees fan knows how deeply his inconsistent play has set back the team."

Uh... dum, dawgone it... ah doesn't knows how his inconsissency has hurt th' Yankees... especially when Giambi has been mo'e inconsissent... (thanks Dialectizer)... but seriously, when other players have been more inconsistent (i.e. Giambi among others), why put the inconsistent stamp on A-Rod?

I don't know if this kid knows baseball, but if you get a hit 3 out of 10 times up, you are a "good" player... is 3 out of 10 a term of consistency? Is being "clutch" a consistent term? Aaron Boone hit one of the most "clutch" HRs in all of playoff history... where is he now? Is he going into the Hall of Fame for such a "clutch" performance?

To consistently be one of the best players in the game today is what I like to call "consistent"... and A-Rod has done that ever since 1996... so I don't understand where that "inconsistent play" comes from... this kid's seeing A-Rod through "ESPN glasses"... it's sad to see...

There are few free agents on the market who could have a real impact on the Yankees for more than a single season. Obviously a player like Alfonso Soriano would be a tremendous asset if he returned to his former New York home, but the Yankees have too much money invested in hitting as it is. They should pursue a player like Soriano only if a trade situation arises through which they can unload some of their age and salary for a younger, premier player.

They shouldn't pursue a player like Soriano at all... our outfield is bloated with 4 All-Stars (Melky will be one, trust me)... Cano is a better defender at 2nd plus he has more upside at 2nd because he's younger (24 for Cano > 30 for Soriano)... plus Soriano will be warranting quite a bit of money...

There has been no talk of Soriano rejoining the Yankees, so why start up ridiculous talks about him?

***************

Last page of garbage to deal with...

A few of the pitchers who may be in pinstripes next season in less-publicized signings could be Tony Armas, Bruce Chen, Gil Meche or former Yankee Ted Lilly. Jason Marquis, Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver should look to cash in on their team's World Series win by raising their profiles on the free agent market. Although Suppan is older than Marquis, his ability to remain healthy and his winning attitude might make him a candidate to join the 2007 Yankees.

Two words, kid: National League... Suppan's 12-7 with an ERA over 4 last year with the Cardinals... the Cardinals play in the National League... the National League is weak in hitting compared to the American League... put Suppan in the American League, and he'll get rocked...

In fact, in his last 2 years in the American League, Jeff Suppan's ERA blew up to 5.32 in 2002 and 5.57 in 2003 before he was traded to the National League... and *gasps* his ERA improved greatly...

Plus, because of his playoff performances, the money he will be asking will be significantly more than he is worth... Gil Meche compares to Suppan, is younger, and will ask for less money...

Also, unlike Suppan, Gil Meche is already adjusted to the American League, and through the guidance of Ron Guidry, improvement can be made... Meche is 28, and pitchers have made improvements... Suppan's 32, and he has seemed to adjust to the National League well...

Mark my words: if Suppan goes to the American League, he will not be the same pitcher you saw in the playoffs, no question about it...

A pitcher like Zito, Schmidt or Suppan would be much more valuable to the Yankees. And with the Boston Red Sox having already won the Daisuke Matsuzaka bidding war, Zito looks to be the focus of the Yankees' offseason pursuits. Still, the Yankees should ensure that if they do decide to heavily court Zito, they should not neglect the other less high-profile free agents on the market.

Schmidt = never pitched in the American League, same age as Suppan, and seems to negate this kid's idea of going younger... Schmidt's a great pitcher, no doubt, but why would you invest money on a pitcher who has never pitched in the American League, a league that significantly hits better and harder than the National League? My advice: if the Yankees want Schmidt, get him, but beware the National League pitcher...

If Josh Beckett hasn't taught us anything about the plight of the National League pitcher, here's a picture that illustrates the plight...

And now, last but not least...

Though only one of them has major league experience, all of them are under 25 years old, which is exactly what the Yankees should be looking for in the future. Hopefully this early trend of dumping salary and age for youth and potential will continue and transfer itself to the bigger deals as well.

Dude, if you're going to say that, mention the names of the pitchers! Oh wait, let me do that for you...

Chris Britton (from Baltimore), Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett... Sanchez and Whelan were regarded as 2 of the Top 10 Tigers' prospects in 2005, we got great prospects for Sheffield and Wright... mention them... talk about their stats, and what they bring to the Yankees...

This article could be spaced out for a couple of weeks... but of course, put all your eggs in one basket, why don't you?

This was the weakest Yankees article I have read in any newspaper... using many ESPN points as well as lack of research hurt the legitimacy of this article and of this writer...

If this is the best that the sports section of the Observer can do, maybe I am happy I wasn't contacted back to write...

Rob, all I can really say about your article is this: do your research!

Happy reading! :-)

B(rent)

Why I won't directly comment on the Red Sox's $51.1 million bid for Matsuzaka...

2006-11-16T02:09:00.000-05:00

Two reasons...

1. My buddy K did it already in his blog post: Move over A-Rod, you're now a bargain...

2. NoMaas.org already did it as well:

Really though, what is there to say? The Red Sox made a ridiculous bid on a pitcher who hasn't proven himself in the MLB... and Theo misjudged the market for Matsuzaka by a long shot...

The Yankees have had to pay for their sins on their ridiculous spending: Brown, Pavano, and not winning a World Series for the past 6 years, among other things... it's time for the Red Sox to do the same... :-)

Happy reading!

B(rent)

The Yankees were foiled?

2006-11-14T17:50:00.000-05:00

From NYTimes.com (Murray Chass):

What the Red Sox have done is forfeit their right to complain ever again about economic moves the Yankees make. The Red Sox could argue that even if their bid were added to their payroll, it wouldn’t match the Yankees’ payroll. The Yankees’ payroll this year was $214 million, the Red Sox $130 million.
But the Boston bid is an expenditure the Yankees have never made. When the Yankees have signed Japanese players, they have been free agents.
The posting process, though, gave the Red Sox a chance to trump the Yankees. And they most likely had the specter of the Yankees clearly in mind when Henry; the co-owner, Tom Werner; Lucchino and General Manager Theo Epstein sat down to figure out what to bid for negotiating rights to Matsuzaka. They were determined not to let the Yankees beat them out again, damn the cost, full speed ahead.

With the bid, the Red Sox are officially on the same level as the Yankees in the terms of free-spending, especially when you compare the Red Sox's bid to the Yankees' last two trades, which cut out more than $20 million in payroll...

At this point, it seems that the Yankees and Red Sox are switching positions this off-season (so far)... the Yankees are the ones cutting payroll, hesitant to make the big excessive off-season pick-up, while the Red Sox are making a splash, throwing 42 million dollars with their bid and another 10-15 mil a year (rumors have it) at an unproven pitcher...

The off-season free spending of the past did help the Yankees, but not significantly enough to win the World Series... will the Red Sox learn the same lesson?

Oh, how history repeats itself...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Jaret Wright and cash for Chris Britton...

2006-11-12T16:56:00.000-05:00

From ESPN.com:

NEW YORK -- Jaret Wright was traded by the New York Yankees to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday for right-handed reliever Chris Britton.

Britton

Wright

As part of the deal, the Yankees will pay $4 million of Wright's $7 million salary next year. New York had until Sunday to opt out of Wright's contract, a move that also would have cost the Yankees a $4 million buyout...

Britton, who turns 24 on Dec. 16, was taken by Baltimore on the eighth round of the 2001 amateur draft. He made his major league debut last season, going 0-1 with one save and a 3.35 ERA in 52 relief appearances with the Orioles. He also was 1-0 with a 2.81 ERA and two saves in 13 games for Bowie of the Double-A Eastern League.

Alright, well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to say that this is a great trade on a Yankee standpoint... but why would the Orioles make a deal like this?

My friend and fellow Empire Elite K responded to my question this way:

K: its all to do with Leo Mazzone

K: he had to have been asked about him

K: he probably gave the deal his blessing

K: told everyone he could make Wright a good starter again

I agree with him, but I don't know whether I would judge Jaret Wright as a "lost cause" in that realm... he's a decent pitcher who couldn't rack up innings... if Mazzone can make Wright a great pitcher again, I'll bow at his feet, but this isn't the Jaret Wright who pitched in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series here...

Now, Britton... a fire-baller with a lot of weight on him... I do believe he'll lose some weight before the start of Spring Training (or during the course of it), but let's look at his minor league numbers for a bit...

From Baseball Cube:

Pitching Statistics

Org	Level	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP

Bal	Rk	2	3	2.76	12	3	32.2	35	20	10	3	12	20	1.44
Bal	Rk	3	0	4.54	9	8	35.2	30	21	18	5	10	27	1.12
Bal	A	9	4	3.75	27	8	84.0	76	38	35	11	31	80	1.27
Bal	A+	6	0	1.60	46	0	78.2	47	15	14	5	23	110	0.89
Bal	AA	1	0	2.81	13	0	16.0	14	5	5	0	6	24	1.25
Bal	MLB	0	2	3.35	52	0	53.2	46	22	20	4	17	41	1.17

		21	7	2.99	107	19	247.0	202	99	82	24	82	261	1.15

What jumps out at you? For me, it's his strikeouts, numbers, and ERA in class A+ and his ERA straight through his career... anytime you can get more than a K an inning, you're throwing gas and hitting your spots... reminds me of Bruney's season this year (25 Ks in 20.2 innings)...

The Yankees are building their pitching prospects incredibly... 8 out of 10 prospects that made the Yankees' Top 10 prospect list by Baseball America are pitchers, Sanchez and Whelan were both on the Tigers' Top 10 prospect list from last year, and Britton got Baseball America's designation as having the Best Control in the Orioles' prospect list of last year...

The future's bright... but what about the present? We'll see as the off-season goes on...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Citifield and the cancer of corporate naming...

2006-11-11T10:23:00.000-05:00

It was announced yesterday that the name of the new Mets ballpark will be called CitiField, because Citigroup (the same people who take care to my student loans for Fordham) brought out the naming rights for the stadium, reportedly spending as much as 20 million a year for the name...

From Bloomberg.com:

Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc., the biggest U.S. bank, will put its name on the New York Mets' new ballpark in what might be the most expensive stadium rights agreement in history, people familiar with the negotiations said.

The ballpark, adjacent to the baseball team's Shea Stadium in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, will be called "CitiField'' and will open for the 2009 season. The team plans to unveil the name at a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, said the people, who declined to be identified before the announcement.

The push to raise Citigroup's profile is part of Chief Executive Officer Charles Prince's plan to boost flagging revenue growth at the U.S. consumer business.

"From Citigroup's perspective it makes tremendous sense,'' said Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp Ltd., a Chicago-based consulting firm. "Financial services companies are among the best positioned to benefit from naming rights of sports facilities.''

Call me an old fart, which would be ridiculous because I'm only 19, but if I go to a Mets game, I will honestly feel a bit of a sell-out... going to a game at CitiField will show me where the money I'm borrowing and paying back to them is going... my attachment to the Stadium itself will seem superficial and bought out... as baseball fans, ask yourself this question, "Which of these two sounds and feels better to say: "Welcome to Shea Stadium" or "Welcome to CitiField"?

Long gone are the days where stadiums were named after the name of the team or a significant person in the franchise...

The story of the name of Shea Stadium is a beautiful one: the name was to commemorate William Shea, the man who brought New York baseball back into the National League...
Yankee Stadium was to dedicate a franchise that would end up being the most successful franchise in all of sports (championship-wise)...
Fenway Park was named after a seemingly insignificant comment by the owner at the time John I. Taylor, he stated: "It's in the Fenway section of Boston, isn't it? Then name it Fenway Park."

What will the history write for the origin of CitiField? "CitiField was named as such to glorify what you can do with lots of money"? Is the name of the new Stadium meant to glorify the corporate mindset of NYC (though its hub is focused in Manhattan, not in Queens)? Is the name of the new stadium supposed to satisfy Mets fans, who have been lobbying to have the new stadium named after Jackie Robinson?

What will become of one of the most well-known fight songs of baseball?

"Meet the Mets, meet the Mets,
Head for the park and greet the Mets.
Hot dogs, green grass all out at Shea,
Guaranteed to have a heck of a day."

I don't think Citifield or even Citi has the same ring as Shea in this 1984 version of "Meet the Mets", don't you?

I'm not a Met fan by any means, I will admit that I loved to see Carlos Beltran strike out looking to end the NLCS, but I always had a small connection to the Mets for a few reasons: my uncles tried to raise me to be a Met fan, I love "Meet the Mets", and the Mets is a New York team...

I have met extremely passionate Met fans who bleed orange and blue as much as I bleed pinstripes... the history of the Mets has its highs, its low, but most of all, its drama, the drama that I love to read and write about... and to be honest, even though I hate the sight, I hate the planes flying over it, and my knees hurt after seating in their Tier seats, I actually enjoy the games I have seen at the purple "was-better-made-to-be-a-parking-lot" stadium...

I assumed that the Mets, being in the biggest market for baseball, would have enough money to be able to name the new stadium anything they want... I assumed that the Mets would know how to go about the naming of the stadium to please their fans... I assumed that the Mets were better than to sell the name to a soulless bank... but I guess I assumed wrong...

As a kid, and as a baseball fan, I have a connection with some stadiums, and with that connection comes the name... if Fenway Park's name was bought out by, let's say, CVS, I could never imagine remembering a park called "CVS Park" being connected to a prestige baseball franchise like the Red Sox... same with the Dodgers... and of course, the same with the Yankees...

The Mets have done their best to cement themselves into the New York baseball atmosphere the past 40 years, and the connection many people have to the Mets fall short, but can rival the connection many people have to the Yankees... when people hear "Shea Stadium", they think "the Mets"... however, when I hear "CitiField", my mind goes to thoughts of new football stadiums, Petco Park, PNC Park, Reliant Stadium in Houston, and others like it... and those stadiums don't exactly inspire great feelings of nostalgia and love towards the team and the stadium...

As a Yankee fan in the middle of a stadium transition as well, it does pain me to see talks about the demolition plans for the old Yankee Stadium, and hearing that it's not a national landmark (which would save the Stadium)... it pains me even more to read this quote from the Wikipedia article on the new Stadium:

"While the stadium will have Yankee Stadium in its name, naming rights will be sold. Possibilities include Yankee Stadium at (sponsor) Plaza or (sponsor) Yankee Stadium."

However, the one thing that is attached to it is the name "Yankee Stadium", that name will always carry with the Yankees and in Yankee fans' hearts, and to me, the name brings chills, nostalgia, and the legacy of the old Stadium, and the bright future of the new... no matter what Stadium is made for the Yankees, it will always carry the name "Yankee Stadium"...

The Boss isn't dumb enough to lose the historical name of the stadium, the Cardinals didn't lose the name "Busch Stadium" when they started play in their new stadium this year, the Red Sox, Dodgers and Cubs would keep the name of their stadiums and carry the name wherever they play next...

Met fans, however, will need to suck it up and know that any sweet plans they had of naming the new stadium "Jackie Robinson Stadium" or the like is vanished because of CitiGroup and the cancer of corporate naming... any identity to Shea will be gone as soon as the wreaking ball collides with the concrete walls of the Purple Monster... the five teams I mentioned will always carry that identity with them, no matter where they play... but the Mets? Total corporate whores for as long as the stadium is leased...

Yes, baseball is a business, but some things are still sacred in the game, and the namesakes of historical stadiums are one of those things... sometimes, all you have to remember a moment in your life is a name, a name that carries so much history and love behind it... whether it's a name of a high school sweetheart, a band, a relative, or, yes, a stadium, that name will always carry some memories...

When it comes to Yankee Stadium, no matter where they call home, it makes sense to keep the name "Yankee Stadium" with it so more memories can be built with the name... with Shea, those memories are one and done when Shea gets torn down... if I was a Met fan, I would be pissed, not only because the new stadium's name got bought out, but because the owners did not listen to you and your suggestions... Yankee fans wanted the name "Yankee Stadium" to stay with the new Stadium, and we got what we wanted... Met fans on the other hand... eh...

This is one of those days where I'm glad to be a Yankee fan... to know that the name will always be there, and more importantly, that name will have a physical representation...

Yankee Stadium (old and new):

Thank you for the memories you have made and will make until 2009, old Yankee Stadium, and to the new Yankee Stadium, let's win some more World Series in there... yes, it's the House that the Boss Built, but damn it, if that fact will slow us down... :-)

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Wow, three big happenings in the baseball world today...

2006-11-10T17:43:00.000-05:00

Let's talk about them, shall we?

I'll start with the Silver Slugger awards...

Cano and Jeter won this year, the other winners are as followed: C Joe Mauer, 1B Justin Morneau, 3B Joe Crede, OF Manny Ramirez, OF Vladimir Guerrero, OF Jermaine Dye and DH David Ortiz...

First thing you can see is the absurdity of Crede getting picked over A-Rod...

Let's do this comparsion as simple as possible (split: AVG/OBP/SLG):

A-Rod: .290 .392 .523 with 35 HRs and 121 RBIs...
Crede: .283 .323 .506 with 30 HRs and 94 RBIs...

However, the Silver Slugger (like every other award that's not the batting title or the like) are quite subjective... from Wikipedia:

In Major League Baseball, the Louisville Silver Slugger award is given annually to the best offensive player at each position in each league. Winners are picked by major league managers and coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.

Selections are based on a combination of offensive statistics, such as batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage, as well as general impressions of a player's offensive value.

I highlighted the bold to ask a ridiculous question: do managers and coaches really think that Joe Crede hit better than Alex Rodriguez this year? I guess the New York media did more than brain-wash much of Yankee fans...

I'm also very excited about Cano winning this year... he turned it on late in the season, and being 3rd in the AL batting title doesn't hurt either... Jeter was, more or less, a lock... congrats to Cano and Jeter for winning the Silver Sluggers... you guys definitely deserved them...

Second piece, from Buster Olney:

The Boston Red Sox may have posted the top bid for the right to negotiate with Japanese right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, according to Major League Baseball sources.

There has been no official announcement, and the Seibu Lions, Matsuzaka's team in Japan, have until Tuesday to accept or reject the high bid.

But, according to officials monitoring the bidding, the Red Sox bid may be between $38 million and $45 million.

Matsuzaka, who pitched for Japan's World Baseball Classic champions, is considered among the top prospects available this offseason.

If the Lions accept the top bid, the winning bidder has 30 days to reach an agreement with Matsuzaka. If a deal cannot be reached, he would return to the Lions for the 2007 Japanese baseball season.

Ok... 15 mil is decent (Ichiro got 13 mil when he was posteD), 25 is excessive, but ok... but 38 to 45?!?!?!

Of course, Olney can be wrong, but if he isn't, the Red Sox have to be prepared to pay 38 to 45 million plus a rumored 15 mil per year for 5 years... the Red Sox can also go low, offer him a small contract that he would have to reject, Matsuzaka goes back to the Lions, and the Yankees won't get a crack at him until next year...

Whatever happened will happen, but what can be said is this: the Red Sox bid more than 10 million dollars more than the rumored Yankee bid of 27 million, and they are spending this money on a guy who has won against "powerhouses" like Mexico and China, and did well against Cuba...

To me, it's a ridiculous deal... Ichiro's bid was only 13 mil, and the hype was there... however, the more hype there is, the bigger the price tag... and that's where Matsuzaka and Boras come in... if it wasn't for Ichiro, the bids wouldn't be this high, plain and simple... I think the bid's SO excessive for an unproven pitcher in the MLB level, but that's the name of the game... Matsuzaka and Boras are playing the hype incredibly well... because of that, more money will be in both their pockets as well as the Lions...

I was also thinking about the consquences of a failed signing... and what will it do to the MLB and the like...

One of the reasons why the Red Sox bid 10 million more than the Yankees' rumored bid of 27 mil was to keep him away from the Yankees... part of that reason was of Theo's failure to improve his team before the trade deadline, and believe me, if you had to hear about the Abreu trade and the Yankees' winning and about the Massacre and your failure to do anything significant before the trade deadline over and over again, it can get to you, and apparently, it got to Theo to make this ridiculous deal...

However, let's say this: if the Red Sox don't sign Matsuzaka, it can be even more disasterous than most people would think...

Think about it: look at us bloggers! Many of us have written on the guy (positively or negatively), many of us are drooling over his YouTube clips of his games, we want to see this guy pitch in the MLB to see how he will do... Matsuzaka wants to pitch in the MLB... the Japanese are going crazy about him coming over... if they threw a parade for Hideki Matsui when he became a Yankee, imagine the celebration they will throw for Matsuzaka...

It would be absolutely terrible if Matsuzaka isn't signed... most of us want to see this guy pitch... and if the Red Sox don't sign him, he will be stuck on the Lions for another year... it would be terrible for Theo's image and rep... it would be disasterous for the MLB and the relations between the MLB and Japanese ball players (if they don't sign arguably their best pitcher, what does that show?)... most of all, it would be a bitch-slap to anyone and everyone who desperately wants to see him pitch, including me...

The Red Sox's playing keep-away may backfire miserably if they don't sign Matsuzaka... that's why, most likely, he will definitely get signed, and he won't get disrespected with a low contract deal... Boras isn't stupid, he wants the money for the guy, and my belief is, he'll get it...

Only two questions remain: If the Red Sox do win the bid and make the huge deal, where was this spending with Johnny Damon? Where was this adventurous spending when Abreu was available last year?

The deal screams of a panic move against the Yankees... and I hope, for the Sox's sake, it won't backfire terribly for them...

Lastly, the Sheffield trade...

From ESPN:

Detroit has acquired Gary Sheffield from the New York Yankees for three right-handed pitching prospects, the Tigers announced Friday.

In return for Sheffield, the Tigers sent Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett to New York. Detroit agreed to a two-year contract extension with Sheffield through the 2009 season...

Sanchez, 23, was a combined 10-6 with a 2.53 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 123 innings with Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie this year. Whelan, 22, was 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 27 saves for Class A Lakeland. Claggett, 22, was 7-2 with an 0.91 ERA and 14 saves for Class A West Michigan.

I like the trade, we get three more pitching prospects, and in my mind, you can never have too many good prospects...

According to Baseball America, we got two of the Tigers' Top 10 prospects: Sanchez at #6 and Whelen at #10. This is also with Verlander and Zumaya in the majors. Claggett doesn't look like a scrub as well, with a 0.91 ERA in Class A.

The only thing I would have wanted in the trade was a left-hander, but I can't really complain much, good job Cashman!

And one last final note... Bubba Crosby is now a Red:

The Reds made their first acquisition of the offseason on Friday, signing outfielder Bubba Crosby to a one-year contract worth $400,000.
By signing him to a Major League deal, Cincinnati protected Crosby on its 40-man roster. But he's not assured a 25-man roster spot for Opening Day 2007. The 30-year-old will go to Spring Training and compete for a job as a reserve outfielder.
Crosby, a left-handed hitter, has split the past three seasons shuttling between the Yankees and Triple-A Columbus. He batted .207 with one home run and six RBIs in 2006 for New York and .238 in 22 games for Columbus.

I'm not shedding any tears for a guy who barely hit above replacement-level this year, and I supported Melky over Bubba earlier in the year, but I do wish him the best...

Thanks Bubba for giving all of us a chance to say "Bubba" and "Yankees" in the same sentence!

Happy reading!

B(rent)

A picture says it all...

2006-11-09T11:54:00.000-05:00

From SI.com:

"Sheffield also said that dropping Rodriguez to sixth and then to eighth in the batting order messed with his head.

"Knowing him, yes it did, " Sheffield said.

If Sheffield is dealt, he thinks A-Rod will lose the only teammate in the Yankees' clubhouse that he could bounce ideas off.

"He might as well get ready, " Sheffield said. "There's nobody."

^ I think the pic says it all... :-P

All I can really say is... Sheffield is trying his best to decrease his trade value, in order to screw the Yankees back...

Whether the tactic will work or not remains to be seen... I just hope for the Yankees that it doesn't...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Oh, to come back to the blog at this time...

2006-11-08T14:55:00.000-05:00

So here it comes, the bids for Matsuzaka are coming and will be bid by 5 pm today...

From Bob Klapisch:

The baseball world will have its answer on Wednesday, when, by 5 p.m. ET, clubs have to submit their blind bids for the negotiating rights to Matsuzaka and the gyroball, which is said to rotate like a football and move like a slider in slow motion.
The Yankees are believed to be ready to go as high as $20 million for the mere right to speak to Matsuzaka about a contract. It's an enormous posting fee, even by the Yankees' standards, but they're being driven by an unsubstantiated belief that the Rangers will be the dark horses in the blind bidding.

Most of us saw this coming, but with that said, this can be either a lofty success or a terrible mistake... for every Ichiro and Hideki Matsui, you have your Kaz Matsuis and Hideki Irabus... it's a gamble, but I have been following the works of Matsuzaka Watch, an incredible blog about Matsuzaka...

My opinion on him can't be set until I see what he does in the spotlight... I have heard great things about him, and I have seen great Japanese players flop here as well... I'd place him 2nd or 3rd in the rotation, but at the same time, to put a player who has never pitched in the MLB in the 2nd spot at the rotation as well as give him so much money (20 mil for bid, up to 75 mil for 5 years) shows two things:

1. It shows the absurdity of this entire situation and...

2. It shows how weak the Yankees' rotation really is...

At this point without Matsuzaka, Zito, Schmidt, Pettitte, or any other person the Yankees could get through free agency and assuming the Yankees sign Mussina for a 20 mil/2 yr contract soon, this is our rotation:

1. Wang
2. Mussina
3. Johnson
4. Pavano
5. Karstens/Rasner

If you put in either Matsuzaka or Pettitte (who I advocate the signing of) or even Zito, Karstens and Rasner gets bumped off... Karstens would challenge for a long reliever role (which I think would be perfect for him), and Rasner (according to Rotoworld) will try to make it as a middle reliever next year (which I also love)...

The future will let Hughes slip into the rotation in 2008 when Johnson is finally gone, Clippard or any of the other Yankee prospects slip in 2009 when Mussina is gone (or bought out), and you have a nice mix of young and old in the rotation, without the major free agent signing, of course...

Things will get interesting in these next few weeks, and because of that, I'll be back to writing in a more consistent fashion... I won't update as much as Steve does, but I'll do my best!

Happy reading... and watching!

B(rent)

R.I.P. Cory Lidle...

2006-10-11T17:15:00.000-04:00

^ That was the September 13th game I got to see Lidle pitch...

I was so excited to see him coming over with Abreu, and now... wow...

R.I.P. Lidle...

I'll be at the apartment tomorrow with my camera to take pictures of the situation and the like...
*tear*

B(rent)

October 5, 2006 - Tigers 8, Yankees 3: ...

2006-10-08T00:56:00.000-04:00

Thank God for being asked to a Homecoming dance at 3:30... it got my mind and heart off of the lost season...

What is there to say? It was a complete disappointment on all accounts...

In the next few days, I'll talk about the offseason and the possible firing of Torre and why it's a good move...

Happy... recovering :-/...

B(rent)

October 5, 2006 - Tigers 6, Yankees 0: Damn, comedy clubs are great relief...

2006-10-07T02:58:00.000-04:00

I gotta say, going to UCB in the middle of tonight's game was a pretty good idea... it helped me laugh off the embarrassment of tonight's game...

That once-in-a-lifetime moment... yea, that happened last night... to Kenny Rogers... it's very hard not to say "wtf, mate?" to the game, but Kenny Rogers pitched a heck of a game...

I can't be very mad at Randy... if some things went differently in the 2nd inning (Bobby playing the ball better, the call at 3rd changing, Giambi throwing straight to 2nd on the pickoff, Cano diving to stop and make a play, etc.), Randy would have yielded 2 runs at best...

It was a balls-out effort from Randy, who pitched upwards to 98 mph... but it fell short because of the Yankee bats falling silent...

On the 28th of September, I wrote:

However, I can see only one point being made here: If the Yankees fail to win the World Series with this line-up, it would truly be a team failure on all accounts. No excuses, putting it all on A-Rod (though Sheffield and Matsui didn't come through more often than not during last year's ALDS)... if we lose, it's a team effort, for a team with 9 All-Stars should not be able to make excuses...

I stand by that statement, and last night's game proved it... it was a team effort that they lost...

The season fall on the arm of Jaret Wright and beating up on Jeremy Bonderman... this is the last shot for the Yankees to recapture that playoff magic... if they recapture it, the Yankees will have movitation going into Sunday's game... if not, well... I'll have my offseason plans in a week or two., consisting of "crazy" things like firing Joe Torre.

Times are getting crazy, and my playoff beard is starting to get itchy...

Either put something together, Yankees, or go home... and don't cry if the door hits you on the way out...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

October 4, 2006 - Tigers 4, Yankees 3: cricket cricket

2006-10-06T13:48:00.000-04:00

Let me list the few things that need to happen tonight for a Yankees' victory:

Someone besides just one guy need to step up!

Game 1: Jeter and Abreu stepped up and took charge of the offense... Game 2, yesterday, the only man who stepped up on offense is Johnny Damon with his 3-run HR...

With so many skilled hitters on the team, to leave as many men on the basepaths without driving in more than Damon's 3 run HR... simply weak...
Randy Johnson would need a Kurt Gibson moment... or as close to one as possible...

The point is this: Randy wants to pitch... if he didn't want to win, he wouldn't be pitching tonight and he would take off for the rest of the season to rest his back... however, Randy didn't want to pussy out...

Randy wants to pitch, period. It's up to him to see how far his back can hold out... the ball is in his court, it's time for him to produce... I want 6 innings, 2 run ball from him, that's the best I predict... but once he shows signs of struggling... Torre... do something!
A big game from one of these three: Sheffield, A-Rod, and Cano... simply stated... A-Rod's 10-for-19 against Rogers with 5 HRs and 5 walks... Rogers has a plus 8. ERA in 20+ postseason innings... are the stars lining up? Will the NY Media and other frustrated fans be shut up tonight? In some ways, it must happen...
Torre needs to act as he is in survival mode... with Torre's comments about Rivera only being available for "one inning", my mind started to think: "This isn't spring training... this isn't the start or the end of the season... this is the postseason!"

65% of Mariano's postseason saves came when he pitched more than one inning, he is effective... what is Torre saving Mariano for? The next round? We may not even have a "next round" if Torre continues to think conservatively...

If you play chess conservatively the entire time, you usually end up losing... Torre, play some chess and get back to me...

The survival spirit he had in '96 needs to be recaptured here, or else, we're done... do what you have to, Torre, and we'll complain about it if we must... but show us something, Torre! Maybe Sheffield won't come around... maybe others won't come around... maybe they will, but this isn't a 162-game season... it's 5 games or less, and we survive within every game we win...

Play to win, Torre, don't play like you're trying not to lose...
Some postseason magic... we can remember the Flip, the Boone HR, the Maier catch, among with other moments that were just magical... however, since 2003, I can't think of any moments that have been magical... I can still remember the Steal though... *sighs*...
Last but not least, play to win and play with your hearts...

As EJ stated in his blog about tonight:

It should be an interesting game. I have this strangely optimistic feeling with Randy Johnson.

I completely agree and have that same feeling, but I have been wrong before...

The thing that rings in my head is this: Randy Johnson wants to pitch tonight... Randy has earned quite a bit of money and already has a World Series ring... but is the killer instinct of competitiveness eating Randy inside to want to pitch tonight?

People have pitched and played through pain before... Damon has done it with the bone chip in his foot... Jeter has, Giambi has, Sheffield has, A-Rod has, Mariano has, etc etc... to me, Randy's showing me how much he wants this game tonight...

Will he perform up to par and be at the standard that helped him pitch 3 almost no-hitters into the 7th inning this year? Or will he pitch to the performance that got him 17 wins, despite having a plus 5. ERA and having the most run support out of any starting pitcher this year?

We'll soon see, but what I can say is this: Randy wants this... Jeter wants this... from his look and appearance in Games 1 and 2, to me, it also seems that Abreu wants this... the question is: does anyone else? Will their best show up tonight?

Tune into tonight... and read one of my friend's K's blog... he'll kick your ass if you don't read it...

No, I'm serious, he will, he's got connections... :-P

Happy reading!

B(rent)

October 3, 2006 - Yankees 8, Tigers 4: Jeter and Abreu, enough said...

2006-10-04T12:28:00.000-04:00

Jeter: 5-for-5 with a HR, and starting up the offense... Abreu driving in 4 in his postseason debut...

Of course, you have some negatives across the board: Torre's bullpen management... uh... Torre's bullpen management... and uh... yea! Torre's bullpen management...

Actually, to be fair, I can't blame it all on Torre, Granderson is a left-handed hitter, Wang had pitched 93 pitches, but here's the thing: Granderson isn't exactly amazing, hitting .260 this season, striking out 174 times (third in the league, and for a lead-off hitter? Eh...), and Wang was still getting guys out, getting the first 2 guys out in the 7th...

Stay with the hot hand? I would have kept Wang to finish the inning, Proctor for the 8th, Mariano for the 9th... instead, Myers gives up a HR to Granderson, Proctor gives up two singles before an out, and Farnsworth comes in, and was shaky but didn't yield another run...

Farnsworth was my biggest worries, posting abysmal numbers in the 2003 NLCS, and the 2005 NLDS for the Cubs and Braves (respectfully)... but if he can get his barrings, and pitch that heat that we all know he has more often, he should be fine...

Otherwise, it was a great night: Damon breaks out of his slump with a 2-for-5 game, scoring 2 runs... Sheffield with an RBI single... Giambi with a 2-run HR... the only two who didn't join the hit parade was Cano and Matsui... no biggie though...

A good night all together, but now, we get Verlander vs. Mussina... as most of you know, the Tigers are hackers (striking out as a team more than any other playoff contender), and Mussina has great stuff to keep the hitters off-balanced...

Verlander? He hasn't pitched since September 24th, a 9-day rest span... he looked great, though he has had mediocre starts his last three times out, yielding 6 runs against the Rangers, 6 against the White Sox, and yielding 2 runs in 5 innings against the Royals...

And the only start he had against the Yankees this year? He got bombed for 6 runs in 5 innings...
The Tigers aren't timid or scared, the Yankees better be careful or the Tigers can sneak up and steal a game from them at the Stadium... only time will tell though...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

My quick predictions before my explanations...

2006-10-02T12:56:00.000-04:00

Yankees in 4
Twins in 5

Padres in 5
Mets in 4

Yankees in 6
Mets in 7 (I tried thinking of a scenario where the Padres would beat the Mets, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't :-/)

Yankees in 6

More later today...

One small point before I go to the game tonight...

2006-09-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi DH
Gary Sheffield 1B
Hideki Matsui LF
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B

^ Possibly our line-up for the playoffs... an All-Star in every position...

People may state that there is too much offense in this line-up... what I mean is: Sheffield is a liability at 1B (though apparently, not as big of one as Giambi) and Melky is better defensively than Matsui...

However, I can see only one point being made here: If the Yankees fail to win the World Series with this line-up, it would truly be a team failure on all accounts. No excuses, putting it all on A-Rod (though Sheffield and Matsui didn't come through more often than not during last year's ALDS)... if we lose, it's a team effort, for a team with 9 All-Stars should not be able to make excuses...

Now, off to the game!

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Why am I a fan?

2006-09-23T11:52:00.000-04:00

Before I start... anyone remember the "How You Doin'" song series that played on Z100 and around the Stadium between 1999 and 2003?

I just found their CD, though I'm not desperate enough to get it.... if you hear the tracks on the CD, you can tell that the songs started to sound played out by 2003...

However, I just wanna hear from Joey Baseballs and Carmanooch one last time, maybe making a version of "How You Doin'" for a possible Subway Series, perhaps? Or even just for the playoffs? It'll be the best thing to hear on Z100 since Justin brought sexy back a few months ago...

But anyway, let's bring it back to the original questions Prez put out there in a forum topic...

1. "So why are you a fan? What made you a fan?"

When I was growing up, home videos proved that I was groomed to be a Mets fan. I had the Mets jacket, the Mets cap, and I even had the cocky Mets demeanor. I was this way all the way up to 1995. I started to watch TV, especially sports, more heavily than before. In that year, my allegiance within baseball and basketball were made. I became a Yankee fan and a Knicks fan that year. Though I am a disgrunted Knicks fan (screw you, Dolan!), I still love the team, especially doing the Patrick Ewing era. As for the Yankees, if this blog isn't a testament for my love of them, nothing can.

What mades me a fan though? Maybe it's how closely I follow the team. Maybe it's the reason why I read the Times, Post and Daily News. Maybe it's the reverence I show for my Mariano Rivera jersey. Maybe it's the fact that I have a "game cap" and my "going out" Yankee caps. Maybe it's that I have so much Yankee stuff on my walls at home and at school that the walls are ready to fall with all the Yankee awesomeness.

But maybe... maybe, it's because the Yankees are a part of my identity as a person. Maybe it's because it brought me so many friends that I never thought I would have. Maybe it's because the Yankees are becoming more of my life every day I write in this blog, see a game, chat at the Yankees Empire, wear my "going out" cap, and go to the Stadium.

What makes me a fan? My love, appreciation, admiration, and dedication to my Yankees, period.

2. "What games in you life stand out and you will always remember good and bad?"

There are so many I can think of, but I'll go with three.

a) May 10, 2006: I talked about it here, but the reasons why I'll always remember the game: it was my first Yankees/Red Sox game, Schilling got bombed, A-Rod was "clutch" and hit a HR to put us in the lead, and the rush I got from repping my Yankees in the midst of an absurd amount of Red Sox fans in the Stadium.

b) November 4, 2001: Mariano gives up the blooper and Arizona wins the World Series. I remember that I was completely stunned of the moment, but I don't remember being upset really. As cliche as this sounds, we all needed that World Series for obvious reasons. It had absolutely "perfect" games, as perfect as you can get in baseball. You have Game 4 with Jeter's walk-off, you have Game 5 with one of the most clutch performers in Yankee history tying the game with a HR (Brosius), you have the Yankees sending O'Neill with amazing cheering in Game 5, and you have the improbable happen in Game 7. By far, it was the best World Series I have ever seen.

c) October 16-17, 2003: I have been practicing this call almost every day, and I do it for the people on the subway going to Yankee games. Let's see how good I am with this...

"His first at-bat of the game... there's a fly-ball, deep into left, it's on its way, there it goes, and the Yankees are going to the World Series! Aaron Boone has hit a home run! The Yankees go to the World Series for the 39th time in their remarkable history. Aaron Boone, down the left field line. They are waiting for him at home plate, and now, he dives into the scrum! The Yankees win it 6 to 5!

Ball game over! American League Championship Series Over! Yankees win, the Yankees win!"

I just finished my homework when Boone hit his HR. I ran out in my underwear and I celebrated with my mom and grandmother downstairs in the kitchen for 5 minutes. I even ran outside in the house to celebrate... yes, only in my underwear.

It was amazing, to say the least, and a moment I will never forget.

3. "Who are some of your favorite players that we let go? Who are some of your favorite flops?"

Though I still like A-Rod over Soriano, Soriano is up there. Jon Lieber is up there as well. Andy Pettitte is also up there.

Flops: Brien Taylor. Period.

4. "Who are the top Yankee players in your lifetime?"

To state them all is rather silly, so I'll just say Jeter and etc. and just move on.

5. "Can you spot a bandwagon fan from a mile away? If so, what do you tell him/her? Are you a classy Yankee fan? Or, do you fit into the "typical Yankee" fan stereotype?"

Whenever I hear the voice of a girl screaming "Jeter! Jeter!" who won't listen to reason or debate, that's my sign to know that the person's a bandwagon fan. I don't say anything to them because it would be useless. I am a classy Yankee fan who gives respect where respect is due. However, I can be a jerk, which can be fun at times. Seriously.

6. "How do you feel about our future? Are we building another dynasty? Damon, Jeter, Bobby, Alex, Jason, Matsui, Sheff, Cano, Jorge?"

As EJ from the Fire Joe Torre blog states, we have incredible pitching depth in the minors. Melky, Cano, and Wang shows what our farm system can reap and sow. Unlike the Red Sox (Cla Meredith, Anibal Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez), we didn't deal our cream-of-the-crops within our farm system. As more teams are paying and buying players as well as increasing payroll (the Mets and Blue Jays, among others), the Yankees did their best to reduce their payroll by 10 million dollars by Opening Day this year.

We're going on the right track. As my high school principal used to say about us at Paramus Catholic, "there's no better time to be a Yankee fan."

Happy reading!

B(rent)

If I had to make up the postseason roster for the Yankees...

2006-09-23T10:56:00.000-04:00

It would be a little different than what Torre probably has planned out...

Let's start simple and put in the ones that just have to be on the roster:

Jeter, A-Rod, Cano, Posada, Matsui, Abreu, Damon, and Melky... that's a simple 8 right there...

Wang, Mussina and Johnson makes it 11... Rivera, Farnsworth, Proctor, and Myers makes it 15...

That gives some questions to be answered:

1. Sheffield will be on the roster, which will make it 16, but in what condition? It all depends on how Giambi responds from his time off this weekend... a torn ligament in your wrist is not exactly the easiest injury to rebound from, and, at this point, I sincerely just want to use Giambi as the DH and DH only, putting Sheffield at 1st...

That makes the roster 17...

2. Wright over Lidle as the 4th starter, making it 18... Lidle's last start against Tampa Bay settled his fate, though I personally love the guy and his 4th/5th starter stuff... will Lidle stay on the postseason roster? I would say maybe, as an emergency starter... making the roster turn to 19...

But Lidle over Rasner and Karstens? Karstens doesn't have strong stuff, but what he can do is get you strikes and get ahead of hitters, which is always dangerous. However, the Tigers and Twins aren't exactly the most patient of teams when it comes to hitters. Karstens has the stuff that can fool teams that are patient (i.e. the Red Sox), but other teams can jump on.

Rasner's been great, and if Torre takes him over Lidle, I won't be pissed off about it. Rasner has been quite effective, even on 3-day's rest, getting the win on the 18th in place of Lidle, yielding 3 runs. If Lidle is still injured, Rasner > Lidle and Karstens... I want to wait until Lidle comes back to say him definitely, but if Lidle struggles, Rasner should go in... it depends on how things go in the next couple of days...

3. Fasano's getting on the roster, making it 20... you gotta have a good back-up catcher, especially with Posada and the risk of injury... you also need a back-up infielder, so Cairo, come on down, you got 21...

4. Villone and Bruney are almost guaranteed spots due to Villone's great start and lefty arm (you know how Torre likes his lefties), and Bruney's success so far this year... that makes the roster 23...

5. I completely forgot all about Bernie... oh ye Yankee gods, please forgive me!

So let's recap: I have picked 24 players with 11 pitchers... here comes a big question: What else to do?

You have Wilson, Phillips, and Guiel to bring up... and let's not forget Rasner... 4 players, 1 spots... who gets in?

To me, you gotta take a back-up first baseman... however, I also am pulling to bring up a 12th pitcher...

At this point, I will take Wilson over Phillips for Wilson's more "seasoned", has more experience, fields better (.990 to .989, career-wise), and I have more confidence in his bat than Phillips...

I still feel conflicted with one idea: taking Guiel or Rasner... Guiel has played 11 games at 1st base this year and has not committed an error... if there was someway Torre can use Guiel as a defensive sub for these next few games to see how Guiel can really do at 1st, I'll take him...

However, maybe I'm just slap-happy over Guiel's 2-run blast last night, and not seeing who he really is: a very useful utility player who left the Royals for good, and has gotten better while wearing pinstripes... ahhhh! *sighs*

Let's be reasonable here: I'll take Wilson as my 25th... giving you guys your 25-man playoff roster...

If you can envision the starting line-up for game 1 against the Tigers (I hope) or Twins, here is what you have:

Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Giambi DH
A-Rod 3B
Matsui LF
Sheffield 1B
Cano 2B
Posada C

Cabrera back-up OF(!)
Williams back-up OF
Wilson back-up 1B
Cairo back-up IF
Fasano back-up C

Wang (starter for game 1)
Mussina (game 2)
Johnson (game 3)
Wright (game 4, if needed)

Lidle or Rasner (emergency starter/long reliever)
Villone (Torre's whipping boy... I mean, Torre's next Paul Quantrill... I mean! Nevermind!)
Proctor (a man who found his groove as the middle reliever, and whose arm hasn't fallen off... yet)
Myers (left-handed specialist who has pitched to quite a number of righties lately... hmm...)
Bruney (everything that Farnsworth is with one added spice: he has balls... and he's younger too)
Farnsworth (a ball-less version of Bruney)
Rivera (Greatest of all time... closers, that is)

Ok, even if my starting line-up doesn't work out, think about this for one second: Cano, the man with the 3rd best batting average in the league (he will be qualified soon) will be batting 8th or even 9th!

Let that soak into your minds and hearts... ok? Ok! Think about this as well: the man who is only 2 points behind Ichiro in OBP... is our back-up outfielder!

This line-up can either be one of the best hitting line-up ever to win the World Series, or the best hitting line-up not to win the World Series, simple as that. Within that line-up, you have 9 former or current All-Stars hitting up and down that line-up... from Damon to Posada, you have all All-Stars! How sick is that?

Expect a post with questions answered from Prez on the next post...

And now... some music before you guys leave...

Here's some of the NWO Wolfpac Theme, as a tribute to Giambi, his time to heal, and the new song that pumps me up before every Yankee game... :-)

Happy reading!

B(rent)

A little "Did you know?" coming your way...

2006-09-22T00:07:00.000-04:00

Do you know that the teams with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th highest payrolls in the MLB will most likely not make the playoffs this year?

Those teams are the Red Sox, Angels, and White Sox, respectfully...

The team with the 5th highest payroll is the Mets, and the Yankees obviously have the 1st...

What does this mean?

Though the Red Sox have Ortiz and Manny, and have Schilling and Beckett, and all that, the Red Sox have absolutely no depth... the Yankees went down with a rash of injuries and still held their ground, while the Red Sox flopped through their injuries...

I'll leave you tonight with that thought... :-)

Happy reading!

B(rent)

My second hiatus has ended and now, I begin again...

2006-09-20T12:19:00.000-04:00

These hiatuses will probably only happen during the weekends and maybe, through midterms/final exams/big days with HW... but that's understandable, right?

Hmm, to go a bit off-topic, I sent my blog and my notice to the Sports editor for my school's local newspaper, and I still haven't gotten a reply back... now, I have no desire to bitch and complain about wanting to get on the newspaper, but the newspaper's known for not being responsive...

Clearly, I find it irresponsible not to get a reply back... but meh, if I don't get anything, it's, more or less, their loss and I move on...

Expect a Yankees Empire post from Thursday's game today along with my thoughts on the Boston series, and tonight's game, with the magic number being...

1!

Happy reading!

B(rent)

September 13, 2006 - Yankees 8, Devil Rays 4: If only he had more PAs...

2006-09-14T00:42:00.000-04:00

What can I say about tonight's game and the experience there except... it's pretty awesome!

I went by myself to the real place where dreams come true... Tier Box 646, Row D, Seat 20... I took my camera, my notebook, some notes to read for school, and my spirit, and this is what transpired...

^ If someone could get me the name of the guy in the Tampa Bay bullpen who wears the girly backpack, I would really appreciate it!

Now, to the game...

A few changes were in the line-up: A-Rod hitting 4th instead of 5th, and Fasano instead of Posada in the line-up... I thought the A-Rod change was a little interesting, if A-Rod hits well in the 4th spot, it will cause major damage because the other team can't use a lefty-specialist to handle both Abreu and Giambi without dealing with A-Rod in between... apparently, tonight, this worked...

I get to my seat...

^ It was a good seat, it fit my butt pretty well... and the view I had was pretty decent...

Sure, you couldn't see half of left field, but if you're around good people and enjoying a great game, why not?

What about the game can I speak about?

Let's try the first inning...

5 pitches into the game, a Baldelli HR into left... 15 pitches into the game, Crawford HR into right... add in there, A-Rod's throwing error and you got yourself a real dandy top of the 1st inning... but the Yankees responded...

Before the start of the 1st, I took out my notebook, copied down Hammel's stats and wrote in big letters (and circled) "ROOKIE", it has been well-documented that the Yankees have more trouble with pitchers they have never faced before than with veterans and 2nd/3rd year pitchers... that theory didn't hold water tonight, as plainly seen in the bottom of the 1st...

Damon walked, Jeter gets a single to extend his hitting streak to 22 games, Abreu walks, A-Rod hits a dribbler to B.J. Upton who misplays the ball barehand... it was ruled a single but many of us (including me) thought it was an error... Giambi hits into a double play... except that he actually beats out the throw to first... Cano hits a sac fly, and Matsui ends the inning with a fly out to center field... Score: Yankees 3, Devil Rays 2...

Fast-forward to the bottom of the 3rd inning... with 2 outs, A-Rod hits a monster shot into the black seats in CF for a solo shot, making the score 4-2... Giambi hits one of his two singles through the shift... and Cano comes up...

Before Cano starts to get into the box, a woman behind me asks her 3 or (possibly) 4-year old son if Cano will hit the ball, the kid says "no"... I immediately turned around and said, "I hope the kid is wrong"... boy, was he ever... Cano hits a 2-run HR into the seats in RF... Score: Yankees 6, Devil Rays 2

Cory Lidle started off shaky but it seems that he turned it on until the top of the 4th... Cantu files out to Damon, and B.J. Upton is up... Upton hits a liner off of Lidle's foot, the ball gets to Cano, and Cano throws to Giambi, but Upton beats it out...

^ Ok, how many guys does it take to check out one guy's foot? The entire infield, Guidry, the medical staff, 2 members from Boyz 2 Men, Randy Johnson's love child, Paul Lo Duca's 19-year-old short-time mistress (very hot, I may add), and the entire University of Louisville's marching band gathered around Lidle to make sure he was alright...

Though he didn't limp trying to make the play and he seemed to throw fine, what happened afterwards may refute that assessment: Zobrist (what a name) walks, Paul singles, Upton scores...

At this point, Bruney and Myers both start to warm up... Baldelli strikes out, Delmon "Throw a Bat at a Ump" Young flies out to Damon, and the inning was done...

Top of the 5th, Crawford singles and steals 2nd on a high throw by Posada that Jeter saved from going into the outfield, the DH Norton singles, and Crawford scores, effectively ending Lidle's night...

Lidle's line: 4+ innings, 4 runs, 9 hits, 1 man left on, one walk, 2 Ks... not exactly the most impressive thing in the world, and it was his second straight disappointing start...

Up comes Brian Bruney, the man I have been talking about in the blog so far... what he did in the top of the 5th shows how dominant he has been for the Yankees so far: he gets Ty Wigginton to check swing groundout to him, in a full count, he gets Cantu looking at a 97-mph fastball for the K, and he gets Upton to fly out to Abreu...

Bruney effectively pitches 2+ innings on 26 pitches, one hit, 2 Ks... his K to IP is now 1.8... and to me, he basically pitched himself not only a win in tonight's game, but a spot on the postseason roster...

Bruney seems long removed from his time as Arizona's closer, eh?

Mike Myers comes in after Bruney, pitches 2/3rd of an inning, getting Crawford to ground into a double play and pitching a walk... who comes in for Myers in the top of the 7th?

^ I groaned, I moaned, I almost cried, but the same man who received August's Pitcher of the Month before the game (for the Yankees) is the same man pitching on one day's rest and who has pitched in 4 of the last 5 Yankee games...

He didn't fall flat on his face, he pitched as effectively as he has all season, pitching 1.1 innings, getting a man to strike out, and only yielding one hit...

I would have loved to see Proctor get another day's rest and put Villone in there to see if he has worked out his problems, but then again, who would you put out there? Farnsworth was coming in later, Dotel pitched yesterday, Karstens would be used in a long-relief role, Mo's out, and Myers/Bruney already pitched... I can't argue too much about the choice, but I still didn't feel too great about it...

At least, his arm doesn't seem affected by the lack of rest... and that's a good thing...

My player-of-the game, Robinson Cano hits a bases loaded double in the bottom of the 7th to increase the lead 8-4, which says that way partly because of an impressive appearance by Kyle Farnsworth, who got Baldelli and Young to strike out, and Norton to fly out (with a Crawford double in between)...

Nat left me a comment to discuss Cano and his performance in the blog... I always give what my readers want... well, up to this point...

Robinson Cano has been incredible since he came back off the DL on August 8th...

Here are his splits (AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS) in the months of August and September (so far):

August: .351/.373/.598/.970 with 12 doubles and 23 RBIs...
September: .364/.391/.545/.937 with 5 doubles and 9 RBIs so far...

So Cano has been hitting .355 since coming off the DL... I don't know about you, but that's really impressive...

Because of him being on the DL, at this point, Cano does not have enough plate appearances to be a part of the batting title chase... the leaders of the AL batting title chase are:

1. Joe Mauer, Min	.348
2. Derek Jeter, NYY	.346
3. Vladimir Guerrero, LAA	.330
4. Miguel Tejada, Bal	.327
5. Justin Morneau, Min	.325

So, if Cano had enough plate appearances to be mentioned in the AL batting title, he would be ranked 3rd with a .337 BA... it has been talked about on WCBS that Cano may reach the number of PAs in a week or two... if that is so, Mauer and Jeter, watch out!

If only he had enough PAs now, he'll be in the chase, but just watch out...

And some people still have the nerve not to rank Cano as one of the top 5 second basemen in the game today...

Final score: Yankees 8, Devil Rays 4...

Magic number:

^ Thanks Wikipedia...

*******

Wang pitches tomorrow, looking to get his MLB-lead-tying 18th win... I'll be going with two of my friends at Fordham, and probably meeting a few more members from the Empire at the game... Section 39, that's where it goes down...

Hopefully, God will hold some of the rain back so we can get the game in... and if not, well... then... uh...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

September 12, 2006 - Yankees 12, Devil Rays 4: Hugs and hand-pounds, y'all!

2006-09-13T00:45:00.000-04:00

Before I start my post on the game, and before I go insane after posting a Stuart Scott quote as my title, I'd like to show you a picture from MLB.com and show you my intelligent and thoughtful inquiries on it... (thanks to Shaft for pointing me to it!)

Matsui: "Damnnnnn, those are some fine Japanese bitches out in right!"

Sheffield (looking out at Abreu in right field): "Who the fuck are you?"

And those are all my thoughts for tonight! Happy reading...

*5 seconds have passed*

You really thought I was going to do that and go all Royales With Cheese on you? I'm glad you think better of me not to do that... even though I do like me some royales with cheese now and then...

*******

Those 7 stars above this sentence symbolizes Bobby Abreu's 7 RBI night... but let's throw in there some stats on him and the team...

Bobby has now gotten 96 RBIs this year... A-Rod has 108, Giambi has 107, Jeter has 92 RBIs, and Posada has 80 as of today...

Assuming that Jeter and Abreu are both almost destined to get 100 RBIs at this point, having 4 100-RBI men on your team is an amazing feat... however, if Posada can get 19 more RBIs in these next 21 games... the Yankees of 2006 will be one of only four teams who has boasted 5 100-RBI men in one season (thanks Baseball Toaster!)...

What does that mean in the grand scheme of things? One of the three teams, the 1936 New York Yankees, won the World Series, starting the dynasty in the late '30s... and in 1894!, the Boston Beaneaters (should have kept the game) didn't make it to the championship series after winning it twice before, and the Baltimore Orioles lost 4-0 in the championship series to the New York Giants...

Basically, the stat is something great to look at, and maybe, just maybe, it's a small sign of the quality of the team that it can be up there in RBIs with the '36 Yankees... and of course, the Beaneaters and Orioles too... :-P

Matsui's back, and in a big way, going 4-for-4 with a RBI... I think God's rewarding my thoughts of the postseason line-up, even if it's just for one day...

My idea for a postseason line-up (against right-handers, preferably):

Damon
Jeter
Abreu
Giambi
A-Rod
Matsui
Posada
Cano
Melky

With Matsui being the DH, of course... the line-up will change for left-handers, depending on how Sheffield reacts to playing again... the match-up plans would be: L, R, L, L, R, L, R (S), L, R for right-handers, which is the best match-up situation that you could possibly get at this point...

I can't wait for Sheffield's return, and see his debut... hopefully, he'll return back with a fire in his belly and in his bat... if he does, we will be stacked, and though that will be a problem, it will be a good problem... :-)

Last, but not least, the game of baseball has so many twists and turns that Derek Jeter, who went 0-for-0 with 3 walks and a HBP, still has his hitting streak intact... but then again, that's the beauty of baseball: the weird, human aspects of the game as well as the statistical evidence that make people like me drool...

Baseball has something for everyone: from fit guys (well, except Sal Fasano and David Wells) in tight pants for the less dedicated women crowd to the essence of community... from numbers and stats to debates and arguments... from the feel of the ballpark to October baseball... and from the sandlots of our youth to the established monuments of today... baseball has it all, and I can't believe God granted me the privilege to detail it every day, if I choose...

Lidle pitches tomorrow, trying to bounce back from his less-than-stellar performance in his last outing... I will be there in Tier Box 646, with my camera and my notebook, taking notes for you guys... Cory Lidle has shown to be the 4th/5th starter the Yankees have been looking for, let's hope he can provide another big performance...

He pitches against Jason Hammel? Let's hope for the rookie pitcher disease not to catch on tomorrow night... especially with me in attendance! :-P

Happy reading!

B(rent)

September 11, 2006 - Yankees 9, Orioles 6: What a way to get your 17th, Randy! and Jeter's last laugh...

2006-09-11T23:17:00.000-04:00

Randy Johnson becomes the 4th man in the MLB to get 17 wins, giving up five runs and nine hits in 6 innings of work... Johnson stayed in long enough in the game to earn his 17th because of the Yankees' 6-run 7th inning, capped by Robinson Cano's bases-clearing double...

However, before you got that double, you have Guiel get hit, Damon walking, our MVP candidate getting a single to load them up, Abreu's sac fly, A-Rod's single to drive in a run, and Posada's hit by pitch before Cano's double... that's how you play to win...

The Yankees don't survive only on the long ball, these Yankees manufacture runs through singles, walks, sac flies, etc...

A few things to mention about tonight's game:

1. What is up with Johnson? His run support in this game was critical, getting 7 runs of run support... it's the story of the year so far: Johnson pitches a great game, almost no-hits a team, and the next game out, he buckles and yields 5 or more runs... it's incredible inconsistency, with Johnson having a 4.84 ERA, and yet, still getting 17 wins...

2. Even with that, Cy Young candidate Wang and Johnson both have 17 wins, which is admirable and worth applauding...

3. Ok... *holds my breath and my voice as much as I can*

PROCTOR HAS PITCHED IN THREE STRAIGHT GAMES!!! COME ON, TORRE!!!

*breathes again, normally*

Ok, Proctor has now 91 innings under his belt... Proctor has been one of our most effective bull-pen guys this year... and Torre decides to pitch him again?!?!?

WTF, mate??? Give Proctor some rest... can someone start a petition about that? Please? Pretty please?

4. Brian Bruney... another strong outing, one inning, 2 strikeouts... o.84 ERA in 11 games, 16 K... has pitched back-to-back yesterday and today, without yielding one hit... what is there to be said? Bruney is looking like the last player the Yankees will take with them into the postseason...

*************

From MLB.com:

Talk of whether Jeter is a worthy candidate or not surfaced before Monday's game, a day after Red Sox slugger David Ortiz indicated that he would be a better choice than Jeter, even though Boston will probably not advance into the postseason...
Jeter, who extended his career high hitting streak to 21 games in the first inning Monday, responded to Ortiz's comments prior to the game.
"I don't have to do it in his lineup," Jeter said. "I'm not thinking about winning the MVP. I'm just thinking about winning the division. No one's focus here is on individual awards. We've got something to play for."
Johnny Damon, who played with Ortiz for the past three seasons in Boston, said Ortiz's comments didn't sound like something the Red Sox designated hitter would normally say. This year, Damon has seen Jeter on an everyday basis.
"He's gotten clutch hit after clutch hit," Damon said. "I'm going to choose my teammate, bottom line. I see the value Derek brings."

So... I think there's only one thing really left to say on this topic...

You stay classy, Boston...

But really, Jeter responded in the way you'd expect a player with class to speak of: focusing on the playoffs instead of the MVP...

In other words, David Ortiz just got owned... :-)

*************

Mussina pitches for his 14th win tomorrow against the Devil Rays at the Stadium, it will be the only game I won't be attending this series, which I'm very excited about!

Pictures will follow the games...

Let's hope that Mussina comes back and pitches like his dominant self tomorrow!

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Finally, a new post!

2006-09-11T11:59:00.000-04:00

After a small hiatus (filled with lots of work, moving around, and rest), I'm back to being able to write on this blog...

To all respect for the victims and the people remembering 9/11, I won't expound on it today on this blog, that's due for my other personal blogs, but I do ask you guys to take some time, meditate, pray, and remember what happened, and also remember how much you have grown since 5 years ago...

I'd like to jump back into the thick of things by addressing an article that this forum topic on the un-private New York Yankees group brought me to...

From ESPN.com:

"I'll tell you one thing," Ortiz said. "If I get 50 home runs and 10 more RBI [which would give him 137], that's going to be a round number that no one else in the American League will have."

"But they'll vote for a position player, use that as an excuse. They're talking about [Derek] Jeter a lot, right? He's done a great job, he's having a great season, but Jeter is not a 40-homer hitter or an RBI guy. It doesn't matter how much you've done for your ball club, the bottom line is, the guy who hits 40 home runs and knocks in 100, that's the guy you know helped your team win games.

"Don't get me wrong -- he's a great player, having a great season, but he's got a lot of guys in that lineup," Ortiz continued. "Top to bottom, you've got a guy who can hurt you. Come hit in this lineup, see how good you can be."
Ortiz said if he had a vote, he might cast it for Jermaine Dye or Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox, or Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins. ...
"I'm right there," he said, "but I'm not going to win it. They give it to [Rodriguez] one year, even though his team was in last place, so now they can't play that BS anymore, just because your team didn't make it. They gave it to Alex that year because of his numbers. But they always have a reason to vote for whatever, so that's why I don't worry about it."

Not worrying about it, Papi? Heh, doesn't seem like it with your comments...

What can be said of Ortiz's "whining"?

1. As crazy as this may sound, hitting 2nd in a line-up doesn't provide protection quite like hitting 3rd in a line-up before another true MVP candidate, Manny Ramirez...

Sure, Jeter doesn't have those power numbers, but just because you have two guys who are hitting 40 HRs and driving in more than 100 RBIs doesn't mean that the one guy who's hitting .345, 13 HRs, 91 RBIs (he just might get to 100 RBIs, Big Papi, does that make him an RBI man?), getting 29 stolen bases... and he leads all MVP candidates in one interesting stat... sacrifice bunts! He has 7, which ties him for 6th overall in the AL...

He moves the players around, getting players in scoring position, which (unlike whining about the MVP award) is quite unselfish and very valuable for a player to do...

We all know that having 2 men who can hit 40 HRs and drive in 100 RBIs doesn't exactly help a team win games when they actually matter...

^ Doesn't this picture remind you of that simple fact?

2. To continue that point on, Papi seems to rip on his own line-up in his comments, stating that the Yankees have a lot of great hitters, while the Red Sox, frankly, don't...

While that may be very true, why would Ortiz even say that about his team? Mike Lowell, Mike Loretta, and the Jew are pulling together good enough numbers to help the team out in the line-up... and let's not forget Manny!

I'll say this: if I have a line-up that has 2 MVP candidates hitting incredibly while having an average line-up around me, I would be pretty damn happy about that line-up... most GMs would be happy with that fact as well... but Ortiz? Apparently, he doesn't have enough faith in his line-up...

3. They gave A-Rod the MVP when he was on the Rangers because his numbers were above and beyond anything that any other player could put up... however, Papi doesn't have numbers that are abouve and beyond all the players in the AL...

My MVP pick, Jermaine Dye, is posting a 41 HR/112 RBIs season while playing in 3 less games, and posting a better OPS% (OPS = OBP + SLG)... and let's not forget, he (unlike Papi at this point) has the pressure of a very tight playoff race in the AL Central...

4. My last point: I have had a lot of respect for David Ortiz, I feel extremely bad for him with his irregular heartbeat problems, I applauded his clutch efforts this year and the last two years, I hated the man before because he is so good as a hitter and a personality... he's the player that most teams would want on their squad...

However, reading these comments, it makes me re-think about my original thoughts about him. Sure, he's a great hitter, but I would not want a guy who will whine about a very useless award, while only focusing on his personal accomplishments. The Red Sox are 7.5 games out of the Wild Card race, sinking faster than the Titanic, and yet, he cares enough about the MVP award that he would tear into his team and his team's line-up, when the team is already down and out...

Way to kick your team when it's down, Big Papi... but most importantly, way to be a real MVP... and way to destroy your MVP chances now...

There is something positive you can say about this though: it gives Big Papi something to talk about, while his team continues its trek into the off-season, filled with golf tournaments and free Big Papi sandwiches for all!

**************

After his one-hit performance, Johnson is back on the hill tonight, facing Kris "Mets reject" Benson... it should be a good game, and I hope that Johnson will continue to build off his performance from last game...

As Steve mentioned in WasWatching.com today, we could use Johnson's Ks in the playoffs... we could use them in a major way...

Go Yankees!

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Small hiatus, my apologizes...

2006-09-09T01:30:00.000-04:00

I should inform people now... there will be times when I will take a small 2-3 day hiatus from writing in the blog because of college, the work that's involved and the like...

So for your treat tonight, here's a pitcher of a little hint of redemption, and a little ribbing against "the Wonder Kid" Theo Epstein... :-)

Enjoy your night, kids, and see you tomorrow...

Major Number = 14!

Happy reading!

B(rent)

September 5, 2006 - Royals 5, Yankees 0: 0-for-11...

2006-09-05T23:13:00.000-04:00

The stat on my title says it all: we left 11 men on base, and none of them came home... we got on, but we couldn't drive them home, simple as that...

There's not a lot I can really say about the game: Mussina goes 5+ innings, yielding 8 hits and 4 runs, including the HR to Emil Brown that knocked Mussina out of the game... I don't know what to make of his 1st performance back, he didn't look particularly sharp, though he threw 58 strikes out of 86 pitches... but I can give him the shadow of a doubt because it's his first performance back...

The two things that I found impressive were:

1. Brian Bruney... he's still 24, pitched another impressive outing today, striking out 1 in one inning of work, reaching up to 97/98 mph on his fastball...

Did I also mention that he has 13 strikeouts in 8.1 innings? That's... pretty good for a 24-year-old... pretty good...

Just wondering, is it Cashman's job to make other teams (especially the Nationals and D'Backs) look foolish? Rasner and Bruney look like the Small/Chacon pick-ups of last year: small under-the-radar pick-ups that can help the yankees... except Rasner and Bruney are both young and the up-side for both of them are greater than that of Small and Chacon...

Small/Chacon: helped at the moment... Ranser/Bruney: possible help for the future? Only time will tell...

2. Oh, my Lord, Torre finally put Dotel in! Dotel pitched a scoreless and hitless inning with one walk and one strikeout... more work for Dotel will be great for the rest of the season, just so Torre and the rest of us can see where Dotel lies in Torre's plans for the bullpen in the postseason...

And Sean Henn made an appearance tonight, after his not-too-impressive debut in the majors last year (posting an 11.12! ERA in 3 games and 11.1 innings), yielding one run in one inning of work... last year, I gave him an excuse because he was called up from AA, but this year? Eh... he's still 25, we'll see how the rest of the year goes...

Tomorrow, Randy Johnson pitches... he has been pitching... well... mediocrely the last three games, yielding at least 4 earned runs the last 3 games, but Randy has pitched at least 7+ innings the last 3 outings... I'm hoping for a good performance, 6+ inning, 2 earned runs, or 7+ inning, 3 earned runs (so we can save our bullpen), but then again, these are the Royals, who have given the Red Sox, White Sox and Twins trouble this season...

We'll see if the Big Unit can pitch and dominate against the likes of John Buck and Shane Costa...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

A survey, an article, and a rant... all in ONE post! 3 for the price of one!

2006-09-05T15:29:00.000-04:00

While randomly browsing through the Baseball group on MySpace, I came across a survey written by a member named Romi-o... he asks questions that jab at many people's childhood dream: to actually play in the MLB...

For anyone else who is gonna post this, answer these questions:

1) What team will you play for?

2) Who would you want to meet first on that team?

3) What position would you play?

4) What number would you be?

5) What record would you want to break? (Most strikeouts per season, most career homers, etc)

6) What would you prefer to win? (World Series, MVP, any other award)

Unlike on the Baseball group, I'll go into a bit more detail with my answers here...

1. I'd play for the Yankees (duh) or the Red Sox, actually... it would be interesting to be a part of a great rivalry, and take in Boston and the people in it... hey, if Craig Hansen can do it, so can I!

2. I'd want to meet Joe Torre if I was on the Yankees, and ask about why he manages his bullpen in the way he does... I'd want to meet Jonathan Papelbon of the Red Sox and see if he really has the stuff to be a starter in the league next year...

3. I'd be a utility man, playing 1st base, catcher, and a little outfield, if needed... I have experience in all three, as well as 3rd base, but balls getting hit to the "hot corner", as in my corner every time I'm called to play? Yea... no...

My hitting prowess in modified slow-pitch softball (line-drive hitter who has started to hit opposite field) would translate into an utility man playing just above replacement-level in the majors... :-P

4. 63... my two favorite players are Paul O'Neill and Mariano Rivera... 21 + 42 = 63... plus all my favorite numbers would be retired or in the process of being retired: 3, 13, and 21... (yes, I have hopes that A-Rod's number would be retired as a Yankee... if he helps us win a World Series)...

5. Lenny Harris, move over! I want the most pinch-hits in a career record! I'm absolutely serious!

6. World Series, and Mr. Congeniality... :-)

And to add something in there...

My at-bat song would be: Baby Ranks feat. Notch - Verme for a few reasons: I like music that I can dance to when I'm going to bat... I would love to have some Hispanic cred with the players on the team (especially since I'm half Puerto Rican)... and it will get the crowd hyped... just look at the fans react to Bobby Abreu's at-bat selection of C & C Music Factory - Boriqua Anthem...

*thinks to himself* But Bobby's Venezuelan...

*********************

Anyway, onto the article!

My friend Lea directed me to an article I first read on Steve's Waswatching.com comments a few days ago from Wallace Matthews detailing A-Rod and whether he's "stat-padding" now in September...

He knocked in five of the Yankees' 10 runs and, under mild prodding, took his third curtain call of the past four days for the largest regularly assembled group of hypocrites in the history of sports. (The second largest holds its meetings across town at Shea Stadium, chanting "MVP!" for Carlos Beltran, last year's punching bag.)...
No matter how many gaudy statistics Rodriguez hangs up in the next 27 regular-season games, his odometer, like everyone else's, rolls back to zero
Oct. 3. That is when we, and Rodriguez, must start all over again.

In his office after the game, Torre was asked if Rodriguez is capable of "carrying" his team.

"Well, he's doing a pretty good job right now," Torre said.

Of course he is. Right now, the burden of carrying the Yankees is light housekeeping.
A month from now, it will become heavy lifting, and once again, the burden will be on Rodriguez to prove he is up to the task.

A few things can be said about the article...

1. Mr. Matthews is one of many who can still get on A-Rod, no matter the circumstance... the thing is, with many things in life, if you have something against a player or a thing, you can find any sort of logic to prove your point...

So A-Rod hits well now, he has come through in the clutch, especially in memorable spots this season against the Braves and the Mets, when the Yankees were chasing for the AL East title... he has put up the numbers, earning his 9th straight 30 HR/100 RBI season... but many can look at that and say "well, this isn't October"...

All I can really say to that is two things:

1. You gotta play well through May through September in order to make October... and A-Rod has had a good May, a good July, and so far, he's having a pretty good September (do you sense a pattern?)

2. The Yankees aren't winning in spite of A-Rod and his stats... to make that assumption would be ridiculous... this isn't Kenny Rogers in 1996, this isn't Jared Wright, this is A-Rod, arguably one of the top five best players in the game today...

Yes, I may get frustrated at him, like I do with every Yankee player when they don't come through, but I honestly don't think that A-Rod is hurting the team more than he's helping it... it's a team effort, not just an A-Rod effort...

When the Yankees won in the postseason, it was because different players help carry the team over the hump to win... it could be Jeter one year, Brosius another year, Mariano one year, Wetteland another year... to expect A-Rod to carry the team into the World Series is a tad bit ridiculous, especially since many view the leadership role to handle that type of burden as being held by Mr. November and 2006 AL MVP candidate, Derek Jeter...

But eh, apparently, we'll see in October, and see if A-Rod can continue to try and silence Mr. Matthews and the "hypocrites" that are New York fans... is it wrong that I found that offensive?

Speaking of A-Rod, on a side note, let's congratulate Mr. Alex Rodriguez himself for earning Player-of-the-Week honors this past week, hitting .375 with a 1.042 Slugging %, one double, 5 HRs and 11 RBIs... whether this award means anything or not, A-Rod still gets a really nice watch... or time-piece, as MLB.com states it as... and I always liked nice watches... :-)

*********************

And now, my rant...

Am I the only guy out there who is absolutely sick and tired of the New York media talking over and over again about the 1986 New York Mets?

Yes, it was 1986, and yes, this is the first time the Mets will win the NL East since 1989, and yes, there were great players on that team (Dr. K, Strawberry, etc etc.)... but two things should be in mind:

1. The Mets were one out away from losing the World Series... and one Bill Buckner play from going into the 11th in Game 6... and 2. It was 20 years ago!

It's surprising that there aren't celebrations, ceremonies, or the like for the 1996 team which have those two players: Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry... 10 years later, winning another World Series together along with another former teammate: David Cone...

Apparently, to the New York media, a World Series championship that started one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history isn't as important as a World Series championship that only tell of what could have happened (a few more World Series championships for the Mets, perhaps?)... *shrugs*...

I don't blame New York and Met fans for looking fondly back 20 years ago, I still look fondly back to '96, '98, '99, and 2000 and I look fondly to our future... only differences: I have more opportunities to look fondly back on... and I have less time to complain about other teams (Braves and Yankees, anyone?) and their successes and their payrolls and the like, even though, now, the Mets own the highest payroll of any team in the NL... :-)

**Disclaimer: This isn't a stab to the smart and intelligent Met fans who know what they are talking about... it's just a stab to the ones who still complain about the Yankees, even though the Yankees don't play in their division and they don't play the Mets 17 times during the season. It's rather annoying, especially when the Mets still have to play the playoffs and get in the World Series, if at that. Worry about the NL, and then, worry about us if the Mets and Yankees make the World Series, period.**

Oh! Last but not least...

^ I highly recommend the book... it details the '96 Yankees in amazing detail and great behind-the-scenes stories...

Happy reading and let's go Mussina!

B(rent)

September 4, 2006 - Yankees 12, Royals 5: "It is high, it is far, it is... OFF the center field wall!"

2006-09-05T00:28:00.000-04:00

To start the post, I'd like to show the play-by-play from MLB.com of the top of the 8th inning:

Top 8TH B:0 S:0 O:0
Pitcher Change: Jimmy Gobble replaces Luke Hudson.

Top 8TH B:2 S:2 O:0
Alex Rodriguez singles on a soft line drive to center fielder Joey Gathright.

Top 8TH B:1 S:2 O:0
Jorge Posada homers (17) on a fly ball to right center field. Alex Rodriguez scores.

Top 8TH B:0 S:1 O:0
Robinson Cano singles on a ground ball to left fielder David DeJesus.

Top 8TH B:4 S:0 O:0
Melky Cabrera walks. Robinson Cano to 2nd.

Top 8TH B:0 S:0 O:0
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Bernie Williams replaces Aaron Guiel.

Top 8TH B:0 S:0 O:0
Pitcher Change: Scott Dohmann replaces Jimmy Gobble.

Top 8TH B:4 S:2 O:0
Bernie Williams walks. Robinson Cano to 3rd. Melky Cabrera to 2nd.

Top 8TH B:0 S:0 O:0
Pitcher Change: Andrew Sisco replaces Scott Dohmann.

Top 8TH B:1 S:1 O:0
Johnny Damon singles on a ground ball to center fielder Joey Gathright. Robinson Cano scores. Melky Cabrera scores. Bernie Williams to 2nd.

Top 8TH B:2 S:3 O:1
Derek Jeter strikes out swinging.

Top 8TH B:0 S:0 O:1
Bobby Abreu doubles (39) on a fly ball to center fielder Joey Gathright. Bernie Williams scores. Johnny Damon scores.

Top 8TH B:1 S:0 O:2
Jason Giambi grounds out, second baseman Mark Grudzielanek to first baseman Ryan Shealy. Bobby Abreu to 3rd.

Top 8TH B:4 S:2 O:2
Alex Rodriguez walks.

Top 8TH B:0 S:0 O:2
Pitcher Change: Ambiorix Burgos replaces Andrew Sisco.

Top 8TH B:1 S:2 O:2
Jorge Posada singles on a soft pop up to shortstop Angel Berroa. Bobby Abreu scores. Alex Rodriguez to 3rd.

Top 8TH B:0 S:1 O:2
Robinson Cano homers (9) on a fly ball to right field. Alex Rodriguez scores. Jorge Posada scores.

Top 8TH B:1 S:0 O:3
Melky Cabrera flies out to left fielder David DeJesus.

Whether the come-back is against the Devil Rays, the Rangers or the Royals, every epic comeback like this will always leave a great taste in your mouth...

The reason that makes this come-back even more sweet is how the runs were scored: with singles, walks, and power blasts... A-Rod starting the rally with a single, Posada coming through with a 2-run blast, Cano still hitting (to hit over .350 after coming off the DL is just flat-out good) with the single and HR, Bernie being productive in the pinch-hit role...

And Bobby Abreu, whose name was mis-spelled in the defense play-sheet on the Kansas City broadcast and whose double call was messed up by Mr. John Sterling (shown by the title), coming through with a big double...

From the AP:

RF Bobby Abreu matched a career high with three doubles. ``He fits this team like a glove,'' Alex Rodriguez said.

I whole-heartedly agree... the man affectionately known as "the Eye" by NoMaas.org fits perfectly in the 3rd spot for the simple fact that he sees so many pitches (as apparent in his OBP% since coming to the Yankees: .463!) , and putting him with Giambi and A-Rod following, pitchers would have to tire out before the 7th...

Tonight's game was a perfect example. Though the Yankees didn't do much against Luke Hudson, the Yankees made him throw 113 pitches before the 7th inning... the weakness of many teams is their bullpen, and if the Yankees can continue to look for their pitches and make pitchers work, they will be able to work on the bullpen, quite like a teenage boy rubs and washes his face just to get ready to work on popping the big zit staring at him on his forehead...

The 10-run inning overshadows a 5.2 inning, 7 hit, 3 run performance by Wang and a terrible home plate call by the ump in the 6th inning...

Let's hope that Mussina comes back and dominates after coming off the DL tomorrow...

And let me take this time to offer my congrats to Mr. Carlos Pena of the Boston Red Sox for his walk-off HR...

Here's a brief history of Carlos Pena, written by... uh... me!:

If you need a history lesson, Pena was a member of the Tigers since 2002 until 2005... the Yankees picked him off of waivers, played on the Clippers for 105 games, posting a .260 batting average until he exercised a clause in his contract, becoming a free agent...

Pena signed with the Red Sox on August 16th, he played his first game as a Sox on the 28th, and now, he hit the walkoff...

Apparently, Pena was raised around the Boston area... I'm glad he's happy and I hope he likes golf... I heard there are good country clubs around Boston, especially during October... :-)

Magic number: 17

Happy reading!

B(rent)

September 3, 2006 - Yankees 10, Twins 1: A sign of the future?

2006-09-03T21:32:00.000-04:00

I'll like to start this blog post with a quote from Mr. Tim Kurkjian about what players who must perform down the stretch:

New York Yankees
Alex Rodriguez. His horrendous play -- he is mired in a 7-for-39 slump with 16 strikeouts -- is what makes baseball so great. The best player in the American League over the last 10 years is playing as if he has forgotten how to play.

Rodriguez

This never happens in football or basketball. No great NBA shooting guard wonders if he's ever going to hit another shot. Michael Jordan, even on the worst day of his prime, was always the best player on the court.
But just as quickly as a player can lose it in baseball, he can find it, also without explanation. Rodriguez needs to find it now if the Yankees are going back to the World Series.

Mr. Kurkjian wrote this article on September 1st. Let's look at his game-lines from August 31st on...

August 31st: 3-for-4, 2 runs, one 2b, one HR, 2 RBIs, and one stolen base...
September 1st: 3-for-5, 2 runs, 2 HRs, 3 RBIs...
September 2nd: 0-for-3, one K...

And today, September 3rd: 3-for-5, 2 runs, 2 HRs, 5! RBIs... and maybe, the most important stat, no boos...

Granted, the man the Twins put out there to pitch today, Matt Garza, is a rookie, and Pat Neshek (the man A-Rod took deep in the 7th) is a rookie as well... but this game was huge for A-Rod and the Yankees for a few reasons...

1. Throughout the season, the Yankees have had problems with pitchers they have never faced before... and Matt Garza (as forementioned before) is a rookie who the Yankees never faced before...

2. The Twins are a potential ALDS opponent, and any time you can beat up on a team you may face in the playoffs is always a good thing (granted, no Santana and Liriano this series, but let's stay positive here :-P)...

3. It only takes a few at-bats for someone to get hot... and in the past 4 days, A-Rod has gone 9-for-17 with 5 HRs and 10 RBIs, helping him have another 30 HR/100 RBI season for the 9th straight season (2nd behind Jimmie Foxx with 12)... if A-Rod's hot, going into the playoffs, the "A-Rod isn't clutch" talks may finally fade away...

4. Darrell Rasner made the Nationals look foolish waiving him earlier in the year... the man doesn't have blow-you-away stuff (95+ mph fastball and the like), but his off-speed stuff can get many batters off-balance, as the Twins clearly showed today with Rasner's 1 run, 6 inning outing...

If Rasner was able to pitch a few games earlier in the year, I would have said that his performance today (and against the Tigers June 1st, 1.2 innings, one hit, one K) was Aaron Small-like... but to me, relating any pitcher to Aaron Small or Shawn Chacon is a kiss-of-death, and would I really want to jinx a pitcher's career like that? I didn't think so...

and 5. A look at the box score today shows that more good was done...

Scott Proctor rebounds from his last outing (giving up a 3 run HR... let's not talk about that) with a hitless/scoreless 1.1 inning outing with one walk... and Farnsworth comes in with a hitless/scoreless 1 inning outing with 1 K...

Our bullpen will need to be on if we want to have a chance in the playoffs, period. If Farnsworth, Proctor and Villone (hopefully, he bounces back) can get going by the end of September, they should be ready for the postseason...

However, rest is needed... we'll see how Torre works all that out during the rest of the month...

Happy reading!

B(rent)

Every blog needs a start... this is mine...

2006-09-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

So, how the heck should I start this Yankee blog? I mean, there are millions of blogs out there, and this blog's going to be just another Yankee blog in the bunch... many people won't read it, nor even know its existance...

Why am I even starting this blog in the first place? For three reasons...

I'm inspired to... I'm inspired to write due to my love for Yankee blogs like: Replacement Level Yankees Weblog, WasWatching, Fire Joe Torre Blog, and Baseball Toaster: Bronx Banter...

All four are very well-written, and quite entertaining, especially Steve's WasWatching.com...
I'm a regular blog myself... I had my first blog when I was a freshman in high school about 5 years ago... though my blog posts in those times were the talk of the school and everyone who was talked about in my blog, it didn't make me write better... it only made me write more maliciously... I even got in trouble in high school for my blogs, but let's not get into that... :-)

I still write in my blogs now (GreatestJournal, LiveJournal, Xanga), but not as much as I used to... I use the blogs to show what I can do on YouTube and the like...
It's my dream... by the end of this semester, I will probably declare a double major: History (focused on US History) and Communications (focused on Journalism)... my dream would be to write for the Yankees, to be a beat writer, to be at the games, writing on my little laptop (ala Bob Ryan), and make money in that way... I also would love to put my history knowledge within my writings, as well as my love for Christ and my journey with God...

Maybe this blog will help me fulfill that dream... :-)

I'll start this blog by actually listing a few things about me and my Yankee fan-dom and my writing style (in case you didn't guess by now :-P)...

I'll list 13 things about me, in honor of my 5th favorite player in baseball, Mr. Alexander Emmanuel Rodríguez himself...

Just to put this out there before anyone starts to ask: Yes, I like putting ellipsises at the ends of my statements, I use smilies, and I can ramble on... it's my writing style, and it's (in some ways) like the way I talk...
Many baseball fans (and players) have songs that they listen to that pumps them up for the upcoming game... for me, that song would be "Jay-Z vs. Linkin Park - Encore vs. Numb", A-Rod's former walk-up song before he changed it to Missy Elliott's "Lose Control"...

Reason why? The song details A-Rod's career and situation in New York more than he will ever know... but that's a subject and topic for another post...
I have been only able to own one Yankee jersey... but of course, it's of my favorite current Yankee...

Mr. Greatest Modern-Day Closer of All-Time, Mariano Rivera...
My blog title...

When I have time, I usually head down to MySpace and check out a few Yankees groups and the official Baseball MySpace group to add my 2 cents... however, my MySpace group of choice is the Yankees Empire, where I would argue my points about certain issues using basic and not-so-basic statistics...

An Elite member of the group named Laura started calling me her "Pocket Stat Boy" and the name stayed with me ever since...
I speak with my mind first, heart second, gut third, and out of my butt last... well, I do when it comes to baseball... though I do use stats to support my points at times, I just like talking baseball and my Yankees, period.
I have a soft spot for the New York Mets... I'll admit that... a few years ago, I saw some home-video footage of me, wearing Mets gear... I was 6 in the video, not knowing what I was doing to myself... until I started watching TV and having the revelation that I was to be a Yankee fan in 1995, I didn't know that I was wearing Met gear...

The Mets have always been the lovable losers and the arrogant winners... however, I have respect for their 2000 team , and I always love seeing them beat up on the Braves, when they are able to... and I have incredible respect for Mike Piazza, Al Leiter, and John Franco...

Heck, the Mets almost got me to actually start liking Pedro... key word: almost...

To me, Paul O'Neill symbolized everything a Yankee should be in one word: warrior... that's why I don't know if I could never accept Carl Pavano as being an actual Yankee, but that's also for another topic...
From #8 to #12, I'll quickly put my opinion to the BIG arguments and debates around baseball and the Yankees today...

A-Rod: I love A-Rod, I loved his pick-up, I have been frustrated at him, but I have never booed him, nor do I advocate booing him at all...
Steroids and the Hall-of-Fame: Though some have disagreed with me, if Mark McGwire gets in the Hall, it will be easier for Rafael Palmeiro and Barry Bonds to get in... though I do think steroids has stained the game of baseball, it doesn't do much for your hand-eye skills and it makes your balls smaller... and who wants to have small balls? Seriously?
Boston's Recent Woes: I will probably address this in more detail in my first few posts, but all I have been hearing the past couple of days is about Boston's injury/cancer woes... Jason "I fight with a catcher's mask on, while hitting .243" Varitek, Tim Wakefield, Alex Gonzalez, Trot Nixon, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Jon Lester, and now, Jonathan Papelbon...

All my prayers go to Lester and his quick recovery, but I have heard such an incredible amount of excuses and whining from Red Sox fans and the organization, it has just gotten ridiculous... when Matsui and Sheffield went down this year, all you heard from ESPN is how the Yankees were "done" and couldn't recover from the blows... the Red Sox and their fans were licking their chops and gave us no slack... why, as Yankee fans, should we do the same?

Unlike the team with the 2nd highest payroll, the Yankees have depth, and we have been able to take a 8 game lead in the East while having 14 players miss significant time during the season with injuries, plain and simple.
Carl Pavano: He has balls to pitch through 2 broken ribs... too bad he doesn't have a brain to actually tell Brian Cashman about a car accident... honesty is always the best policy and Pavano wasn't honest... and now, as Cashman stated, Pavano is the "laughing-stock" of the Yankees organization...
The Mets Resurgence: Yes, the Mets play in the NL... yes, the AL had a 154-98 (.636) record against the NL... yes, the Mets played the Yankees in a time where they won against a guy now designed for assignment (Aaron Small) and without our three pick-ups in Abreu, Lidle, and Wilson... throw all of that out the window...

The Mets can be dangerous and they are still my pick to represent the NL in the World Series... the Mets do have the Dodgers or Padres to worry about because, arguably, the Padres and Dodgers have better 3-man playoff pitching rotations than the Mets, but the offense the Mets carries with them looks like something straight from the AL...

Whether the Mets win the World Series or just get there, if the Mets don't get to the World Series, I would consider the season a disappointment... many people (including me) predicted the Mets to take the East and do well in the playoffs... anything short would just be sad... believe me, as a fan of a team who has falled short of expectations the past 6 years, I know...
Last but not least...

Many people have terrible and harmful addictions... some are addicted to drugs... some are addicted to alcohol... some are addicted to cutting... etc etc...

My addiction is Yankee games... being at Fordham University in Lincoln Center gives me a great opportunity to go to many Yankee games during the year... I usually go to the 5 dollar ticket deal games or student ticket deal games, and so far, I have been to 7 games...

1. April 12th, 2006 - Yankees 12, Royals 5: First 10 dollar Student deal ticket game and the 2nd home game of the season, Sheffield started the Yankees' scoring with a 3-run shot in the 1st and drove in 4 runs, and Chacon earned his first win of the season witha 6-inning, 5 run performance... great game to attend, but ironically, it would be one of the last times I'll see either player in pinstripes...

2. April 26th, 2006 - Devil Rays 4, Yankees 2: Another student game, had tier seats, but went closer to the action when I saw two Elites (Judy and Laura) and hung out with them... it was an extremely cold night and the game lasted past 11... it was a horrible way for me to experience my first Yankee loss at the Stadium with Mariano Rivera giving up 2 runs in the 10th, and Sheffield (after hitting a 2-run HR earlier in the game) ground out to 3rd base with the bases loaded at the bottom half of the 10th... horrible feeling, no question about it...

3. April 29th, 2006 - Yankees 17, Blue Jays 6: A game I went with people from my school, it was a great game to see, but bottom of the 5th, with the bases loaded and one out, Gary Sheffield grounded to the 2nd baseman, who had to play the ball in the outfield to throw to Shea Hillenbrand... Sheffield collided with Hillenbrand, and as Sheffield fell hard on his wrist, you can see Sheffield's option for next year fall with it...

You ever had the awkward moment when you were cheering so loud while everyone else is dead silent around you... then you turn around, see why they were silent, and go "oh... crap"? That's exactly what happened to me in the bleachers... as the bleachers went dead silent, I was still cheering Sheffield's 2 RBIs... and then... oh crap... it was the only game I felt awkward in, as well as the first game I had to leave early (at the end of the 8th)... great game though...

4. May 10, 2006 - Yankees 7, Red Sox 3: A game to remember, my first Boston game, and I had a Chemistry final the next day (got a B+ for the class, btw)... the atmosphere was incredible, though there were SO many Boston fans in attendance, I almost threw up, it was sickening to see... so many fights broke out around me, A-Rod came through against Curt Schilling (my least favorite/most disliked pitcher), and I went back to school with a Yankee win... great game I went to so far this year...

5. May 19th, 2006 - Mets 7, Yankees 6: I went with my uncle to Shea to see the first game of the Subway Series... crazy atmosphere... had a drunk Met fan next to me on the left, looking like he was going to punch me and blow chunks at me at the same time, quite classy... had a few hot girls who were Yankee fans behind me, they were good seats...

But when David Wright (my second favorite Met, Carlos Beltran's 1st) hit that ball over Damon's head to give Mariano Rivera the loss and the Mets a win, it was just... I didn't say anything the rest of the night... even when we thought someone stole our car by the park, and we looked for the car for an hour, I didn't say anything... and hearing the Met fans cheer "Yankees suck" for an hour and a half while we were getting out, it was horrific, but I still loved the experience...

6. May 27th, 2006 - Yankees 15, Royals 4: I planned a church outing to get 25 people to go to this game... it was quite hectic to get rides for everyone to go, but I was able to do it through the power and grace of God... it was a great outing, and everyone had a really good time... and that was more important than the win... :-)

7. August 30th, 2006 (1st game) - Yankees 2, Tigers 0: Wang was incredible, and I got to seat in tier box seats for the first time... Craig Wilson couldn't pick up a Jeter throw on the top of the 5th, but he picked up for himself with a solo shot in the bottom half of that inning... Giambi sac-fly, Rivera with the save, and the rest is history...

I have tickets for September 13th, September 14th (with friends), and September 28th... 10 Yankee games this year... on a college student's budget... in NYC... if that isn't an addiction, nothing is...

With that said, I take the champagne bottle, I hold it against the side of this blog ship, and I smash the heck out of the bottle on the side...

Happy reading... :-)