To me, this makes the most sense for the Red Sox. I stated this before and will stand by my original statements. The Red Sox will not be blown out of too many games, not with their lineup. If they are close in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings having that automatic closer in the bullpen is a psychological advantage.
As has been mentioned in the article, Papelbons's college career was all about relief pitching. Relief pitching did get him to the All star game. His mental approach to closing is a perfect match. This is what he is most comfortable with. This is where the Red Sox are the weakest. Also mentioned was his loss in velocity after a few innings, making him more effective in the eighty or so innings he would pitch as a closer during the season.
The Red Sox starting pitching is still a question mark and I am not about to anoint Matsuzaka the next Pedro. Schilling is a year older and injury susceptible. Beckett is only twenty six but after a poor showing last year the book is still out on him. Jon Lester, although young and talented, is a season removed from dealing with a serious illness. That leaves Matt Clement, Tim Wakefield and a list not worth mentioning thereafter. Lots of question marks. Also lots of potential. Having a secure closer of Papelbon's caliber will help set up and take pressure off the middle relief staff.
Their pen has some veterans who are capable of holding the offense down for an inning or three. This also makes the Roger Clemens lottery more enticing, especially if the Red Sox are showing signs of dominance. Unlikely, but a more than average possibility. Clemens could put them right over the top and into the World Series. A Clemens, Schilling and Matsuzaka starting three in the playoffs is more than formidable.
This is not a make or break move for the Red Sox but a smart one. I hate the Red Sox but like the move from a team point of view.
For a lot of us baseball fanatics this is our Punxsutawney Phil, “Ground Hogs Day,” week. I know, a day isn’t a week and all of that stuff but, give me some writers suspended reality leeway here, Okay? I just crawled out from under my four-month pile of meaning less, paperless essays and there are bound to be cobwebs.
After crawling out I managed to see my shadow. This means two things. There will be six more weeks of speculation baseball and I need to loose ten pounds. Fortunately, for baseball, the six weeks will pass. Unfortunately, for me, the ten pounds probably won’t.
So far, this off-season, the Yankees addressed their needs like an annual physical exam.
They required a colonoscopy where they found and removed a couple of polyps, of the Gary Sheffield and Randy Johnson variety. A third polyp of the Carl Pavano type was left in tact. They elected to treat the polyp with diet and exercise. The feeling here was removing it now could cause more internal bleeding and require a longer healing process. A re-evaluation of the polyp will be addressed in the next month or so.
The cardio exam revealed the same ongoing issues the Yankees have been experiencing the past few years, a weak heart. There is a lot of plaque built up in those arteries and another new diet is recommended. The Joe Torre Diet has run its course and has been deemed ineffective for the most part. The “Indiana Mattingly Diet” or the “South Beach Girardi Diet” has been suggested. Both are new and trendy. With a little exception of the South Beach Girardi Diet they are basically untested.
In the meantime, they performed another angioplasty and inserted an Andy Pettitte stent with the possibility of a Roger Clemens one to follow in a few months. These should service well for the next year or so but either a triple bypass or a transplant will eventually be needed. I hear the new Philip Huges replacement heart is new and strong but needs a little more development. There have also been discussions on whether to use the new pacemakers on the market. There are several models to choose from: Alberto Gonzalez,Ross Ohlendorf, Humberto Sanchez and the Kevin Whelan. Time will tell and I am still a skeptic regarding these models. A new Japanese model called the Kei Igawa has worked well in Japan but has not been tested in the states.
Endurance has not been a problem for twelve years for the Yankees and the stress test revealed no change.
Strength, which has been questioned in recent years regarding non-prescription additives, will always be an issue, until the medical board sets some guidelines. This is not likely to happen in the near future. Bureaucracy and revenue always cause confusion and delay.
The daily vitamin requirement has been revamped and it will include the Doug Mientkiewicz hand and eye co-ordination supplement. The Juan Miranda Josh Phelps Alberto Gonzalez Wil Nieves and Bronson Sardinha supplements have also been added as a precautionary measure. These supplements are always rearranged and substituted as the season wears on.
The orthopedic evaluation suggested that the bones and joints were all healed. Other than a slight case of arthritis in the first, center and buttocks locations of the anatomy, all is well.
As with every patient willing to go through analysis, there are always issues. The Yankees have their share, with #### envy and non-acceptance paranoia heading the list. A slight case of immaturity and adolescence behavior sprinkled in with some dementia. The latter has been associated with and proven to be a side effect of the Joe Torre Diet.
The Yankees have an excellent health plan carrier in the George M. Steinbrenner group. Given a five star rating by whoever the hell rates these things. They are in good hands, as the saying goes.
So the evaluation seems healthy enough to expect the same results for the coming year. That, my friend, is good enough for me…. for now. Come October I might sing a different tune.
So medication prescribed for these symptoms? Six more weeks of speculation baseball.
All of us who consider ourselves baseball fanatics understand the unique timeless mystery of the game. Our summertime sports passion has evolved into a year round obsession of baseball. With the development of the WBC, baseball is steadily becoming an international sport of merit. With that in mind, what we are seeing in this off-season, regarding the pursuit of Japanese quality pitchers by major market MLB baseball franchises, should not be looked at as a grotesque attempt to acquire the untested foreign talent and sports tabloid headlines. This has become a huge international business strategy that can secure enormous revenue for all baseball franchises involved.
Who knows how much revenue and cash reserve these MLB franchises have secured over the last decade of baseball popularity. Until baseball franchises open their financial books to the public this will always be a speculative guess to the inquiring public.
The New York Yankees are considered the Microsoft Corporation of MLB. Generating international revenue that keeps getting larger and larger with each passing year. It is beginning to sink in with other Franchises as well. Reinvesting in your franchises pocket strategically, TV revenue, farm systems, network sports venues and signing of international players, will line the franchise pockets for years to come. Playing the international marketing game can be a financial windfall for all those willing to take the initial plunge. This is evident by the 51 million dollar bid that the Boston Red Sox submitted, and eventually won, to the Seibu Lions, of the Japanese Baseball League, for the negotiating rights for their star pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. This was followed up this week by the 25 million dollar winning bid that the New York Yankees secured for the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa of the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Baseball League.
The baseball world is all a buzz by this initial act of, what the public views as, ludicrous spending by the egotistical spoiled baseball owners of MLB. Is it egotistical pandering or shrewd business tactics?
If this was such a ludicrous tactic why hasn’t the commissioner of MLB stepped in to protect the product that has been the golden goose? The silence speaks volumes on the enormity of the financial windfall that is ascending upon this international marketing game and the future of MLB on a global scheme.
The timing of all this to coincide with the success of the WBC interest is not coincidental. This is international big business and the beginning of a world sports market. The MLB has obviously been looking at the talent displayed by the WBC and have decided that the results of interest and talent in the global market is worthy of this kind of attention and good business sense. This is serious folks.
The Yankees did have chemistry this year. Unfortunately it was stripped from the lineup in the last three weeks of the regular season with the return of Hedeiki Matsui and Gary Sheffield. Joe Torre’s hands were tied when it came time to play these two. He had to. This, as it turned out, was the wrong time to screw with team chemistry.
In the beginning of the year the Yankee team that played everyday lacked that chemistry also. Matsui and Sheffield were part of that starting lineup. I remember writing an article on how boring this Yankee team was in the first month to six weeks of the season. No clutch hitting, poor starting pitching and an already over worked bullpen.
There was this familiar feeling surrounding this team that things would eventually work there way to a head to head battle with the Red Sox. Then the injuries unfolded. This perhaps was the highlight of the season for the New York Yankees.
Brian Cashman and Joe Torre had their work cut out for them and the two seemed to be on the same page and that is when the chemistry started to develop. This, in part, was due to the understanding and confidence that Brian Cashman was now the true General Manager of this franchise. Now he and Joe Torre did not have to constantly look over their shoulder for every decision that they collectively agreed upon and eventually made. They would be held totally responsible for their moves and that would be fine as far as Brian and Joe were concerned.
The infusion of younger and hungrier players into the everyday lineup had an immediate impact on the field and the results were equally positive. There was a life to this team that was not present in the past three plus years.
You need a blend of confidence, energy, swagger and yes, even fire. You are not going to win without that mix for the most part. To say that you need a team of Rivera’s, Jetter’s and Williams who just go out there everyday and do their jobs sounds wonderful. It won’t happen because you could never find nine guys with that approach who play everyday. It’s a blend.
The Yankees, in their championship seasons, always had a blend. Knobloch, O’neill, Clemens, Nelson, El Duque, Tino. These guys showed emotion and brought the energy level up to a point where it needed to be, to be a champion. The Yankees had it for a good part of the season but they lost that energy this year in the final three weeks of the season. Too many All Stars and an all too familiar look that lulled them back to a false sense of “We are the best lineup in all of baseball.”
Blame it on pitching, but the pitching was not horrible, the offense was.
Lou Piniella has made a difference every place that he has managed with the exception of Tampa Bay. He can motivate talent. Tampa Bay had a class AA team for the time he managed there and a payroll to match. So it is unfair to judge him on that level. No one could win being dealt with that hand. I am glad he was not hired to manage the Yankees but if he was I’ll bet the ranch he would have been successful.
I like Cashman and I like where he is going with his approach. I’m pretty sure he has learned from his frustrating years as a three-headed GM. I am guessing that this will be the last year of a top to bottom All Star lineup for the Yankees under Cashman’s present day’s watch. He has a lot more rope as far as I’m concerned.
The St. Louis Cardinals have done what both the New York Mets and New York Yankees could not accomplish in a short series. Hit in the clutch.
It doesn’t take a team batting average of .300 to win in a short series. With the quality of good pitching each team must face in the post season, it would be highly unlikely that offense would dominate the series. Strong starting pitching and timely hitting is of the essence and go hand in hand.
What killed the Detroit Tigers was momentum. They got it after game two of the first round ALDS against the Yankees and rattled off seven straight wins. The only problems here was that the Cardinals and the Mets stretched the ALCS to seven games. Add in a rainout and that left the Tigers with a week waiting for their opponents to be determined. Now that is a momentum killer. The Tigers had the good starting pitching and timely clutch hitting down pat before their week off.
Let’s face it the best teams don’t always win in a short series. The Yankees and Mets each won ninety-seven games in their division and were the top winners in each of their leagues. The Cardinals won eighty-three games. The lowest ever win total by any World Series Champion. Tack on the eleven post season wins by the Cardinals and they still did not win as many games as the Mets or the Yankees.
The Mets get somewhat of a pass, as this is their first post season in five years. They do not have to be embarrassed by their post season showing. They swept the Dodgers in the NLDS and pushed the Cardinals to seven games in the NLCS. It happens.
The Yankees just were embarrassed once again in the post season. Loosing in the first round of the ALDS. This after a monumental breakdown against the Red Sox in 2004 and a first round knock out by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (can we shorten the name please) in 2005. This momentum has to be stopped.
Right after the disappointment of being ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the under dogged Detroit Tigers I was all over some much needed changes. I wanted to get rid of Joe Torre and Alex Rodriguez. Obviously decision makers who REALLY count on the Joe Torre issue out voted me. No surprise there.
Alex Rodriguez is not going anywhere either and after rethinking, I have decided that it is a good thing for A-Rod to stay put. After all pitching did in the Yankees and…well so did hitting but that was spread out equally amongst this post-season offensively challenged Yankee team.
A-Rod did not cost the Yankees a division title and he did not single handedly cost his team a shot at the AL pennant. It was a team effort.
A-Rod plays a decent third base and we all know his numbers offensively during the regular season. He helped put the Yankees in a position to get into the playoffs every year that he has been in New York.
Rule number one: Get to the post season. After that it really is about pitching in a short series. That is where the Yankees have failed to match up with their opponents in post-season play, during this recent championship drought run.
Who cares if Derek and A-Rod don’t like each other or if A-Rod is prettier or self-proclaimed more Bi-racial and makes more money than everyone else. Actually it makes for great arguments at bars, stadiums, water coolers and message boards. It sure takes your mind off important issues like when the hell are we going to get out of Iraq and stop trying to fight two wars and bring our boys home. That’s for another article though.
It’s fun to pick on A-Rod because he always has something really scripted and eyebrow rising to say. This has been a writers dream to have the likes of Alex Rodriquez in New York. Derek gets the endorsements but A-Rod gets the press. When it comes to whether Derek gets more money for his endorsements or writers get more page exposure writing about Alex, I’ll opt for Alex every time. It makes a writer’s job easier and we get out all our frustrations to boot.
A-Rod bashing has been in Vogue, but fall fashion is history. It’s time for a new wardrobe. Something geared for spring with a little curve around the right or left arms. Something that says hard and fast and young…but always in pinstripes.
The constant doubt that plagues all major league players will be a shroud of skeptiseum as long as there is a game. Science will always be one step ahead of the bureaucratic protocol that leads to testing of performance enhancing and HGH drugs.
In Barry Bonds case there is little doubt in the mind of the general public that he did and possible still does one form of HGH. His arrogance and demeanor have not helped his cause.
Jason Giambi on the other hand, just to mention another known user, has taken a different approach in his handling of a similar career persona. He admitted to something, although nothing directly, and continued to be the good ambassador for the sport and his work ethic.. He did all of this in the toughest media market in the country and you rarely, if ever, hear a negative word about him.
While looking at Giambi and his physical appearance, one still has to question his reliance on HGH or some other type of stimuli. The fact that he has broken down so much also casts a slight shadow on these issues.
So it appears that Bonds has the arrogance and prejudice to make his life as complicated as it is. He is one of the best players to ever put on a uniform and his personality has put him deeper into the black book of sports records.
There will always be the question mark of performance enhancing drugs in sports, that will never change. Unless an athlete is found out legally or by his own admission that he used these drugs it will be the athlete and his personality that will determine his public persona.
Joe Torre is a true mentor in his ability to keep a level presence when the boiler room reaches scorching temperatures. His slow methodical demeanor has a calming effect on all who surround him.
Unfortunately, Joe is not a motivator. He has been part of three straight colossal collapses in the post season. These failures have been monumental and embarrassing to the Yankee organization and it's fan base. Unless the organization finally realizes that pitching really is the key to post season success, Joe will end his reign as manager with just four rings (not a bad number).
During his first six years and four World Championships Joe had the horses on his pitching staff to be successful. There was quality starting pitching and great middle relief leading to the best closer of all time in the post season, Mariano Rivera.
Since 2002 the Yankee management decided that All Stars at every position was the way to go. Well it got them to the post season but in a short series we all know good pitching stops good hitting.
With this year’s pool of free agent pitching talent the market for staring pitching is weak at best. Therefore trading will be the highlight of this off-season restructuring strategy for the Yankees.
This will prove to be quite difficult given the Yankee dearth of large contracts and older injury prone pitchers that will be hard to move.
Look for either a major overhaul through trades (highly unlikely) or the same looking Yankee team of the past six seasons (more than likely).
If the later is the case, then expect the same result as the last six years. Joe does not have the motivational skills to get all these all stars on the same page to play team situational baseball. To be fair, I don’t know of any manager who can pull that one off.
----------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------- This is an article I wrote last week concerning My opinions on retaining Joe Torre
The longer this debacle plays out the more secure Joe Torre’s job will be. If he is not let go now there will be more damage done next season when the Yankees go into their first management and media proclaimed slump and his head is on the block again.
I would hope, and hope is the only rational thought I have, that Joe decides to step down as manager and take on a lesser role with the organization or just hangs them up. Let him leave with dignity and as they say, his terms. He has brought class and dignity to this organization for eleven years. He gets an A+ and a paycheck to prove it.
Joe Torre is a true mentor in his ability to keep a level presence when the boiler room reaches scorching temperatures. His slow methodical demeanor has a calming effect on all who surround him. The problem here is, after so many years, the soldier becomes lulled into a false sense of comfort and the troops are not prepared for battle.
The failures in the past three years have been monumental and embarrassing to the Yankee organization and it’s fan base. A drastic change has to be made and Torre and A-Rod are the projected targets. One or the other or both have got to go.
My real choice is for both to leave, but the lesser of the two problems would be for Joe to stay and A-Rod to go. There is no telling how team chemistry would react to a roster that included a player, in A-Rod, who is so psychologically fragile that causes teammates to make statements like the one Gary Sheffield made, which states, ” Joe Torre’s decision to bat Alex Rodriguez eighth in Game 4 ended up dooming the Yankees. I think that affected the morale and psyche of the entire team, not just A-Rod. I’m not making any excuses, but everyone was wondering what was going on. It made it a real weird day. You would like to be treated with a little respect, I don’t care who you play for.” (this coming from a guy who shows no respect for anyone but himself throughout most of his career). By the way, no matter what, the Sheff has cooked his last meal in New York’s AL kitchen.
By firing Torre an hiring Piniella this means A-Rod stays and the above mentioned team chemistry is going to suffer.
By keeping Torre and trading A-Rod, the team is once again lulled back into a “Daddy will make it better” mentality and here we go again.
Is a crazed Lou Piniella making the back pages of the New York Sports pages on a weekly basis and a coddled Alex Rodriquez whining about being treated unfairly because of his Bi-racial good looks and equally good looking pay stub what Yankee management and fans want to hear and read about? If so, bring on Sweet Lou. Let the Three Ring Circus begin and put that long running Class of New York Broadway hit Joe Torre directed in his eleven years into the record books.
Both acts have played their last matinee in New York. It’s time for a change. Let us hope that it is a classy one.
When you look at this series it is the Tigers who are playing the type of ball that got them going this year and propelled them to the top of their division for 99.9% of the year. Quality starting pitching, timely hitting and a pretty good bullpen. They have recaptured the chemistry they displayed for the first half of the year and at a very opportune time.
Every team goes through slumps and the Tigers were showing the strains of a young talented ball club going through a 162 game grueling season. This is where a young, energetic, talented, well-managed ball club becomes extremely dangerous.
The National press and sports writers gave the Detroit Tigers absolutely no chance to win more than one, if any games from the powerful New York Yankees who's lineup has been assessed to be the best ever assembled in the history of post season baseball.
Chemistry is a very large part of team sports and their success. As it stands right now, the Tigers have it and the Yankees do not.
The Yankees have gone through several changes through out the year and were able to put together a scrappy and energetic squad for two thirds' of that season. Now they have put together THE TEAM that was supposed to project them to their 27th world title and it has been only a three-week experiment. This is not enough time to build chemistry through war-hardened camaraderie, among teammates, no matter how experienced and talented these individuals are.
This current Yankee team (this post season one) is just a slightly different looking package from the past three seasons. Just enough big name players who have been "THE GUY" for other teams but do not know the feeling of how to be part of a team player mindset.
The Yankees starting pitching, with the exception of Chien-Ming Wang, has been inconsistent and spotty all year. The bullpen is their Achilles heel. Not a good combination for playoff success.
Johnny Damon has been in a slump and looks as if he is a notch or two below his usual playoff twitchy edge.
Derek Jeter is playing his usual game with an average amount of throwing problems. Nonetheless, he still rises to the occasion.
Bobby Abreau has been steady and below average at the plate so far.
Jason Giambi is awful in the field and overmatched at the plate at times.
Gary Sheffield is not a first baseman and continues to struggle in the post season with New York.
A-Rod, I refuse to state my views, no sense in beating a dead horse although his play in the field has been steady.
Hideki Matsui has played better than I expected. He makes contact.
Jorge Posada has continued to hit the ball hard and his play behind the plate has been as good as ever.
Robinson Cano, has not shown up offensively in this series and has shown his impatience at the plate. His fielding has been as expected.
The Bullpen has done a fair job.
Joe Torre has been a non-factor. He continues to be unable to motivate his team at the most crucial of times. Joe is just a good handler of men, not a motivator.
There is one game left for the Yankees to start putting a stamp on their team chemistry portfolio. That is a huge task for a team who looks more tight and frustrated and has not been able to focus on their ability to play to their strengths. Even if they somehow manage to win the next two games, the Oakland A’s look like The Detroit Tigers West. The problems will continue.
Team chemistry and good pitching. Developing one and facing another. Too much, too soon.
The Detroit Tigers have shown, for the last three games, that they pitch better, hit better and are managed better than the “best team penciled into a post season lineup in major league history.”
I have been on a soapbox most of the year when it comes to promoting Posada. His off-season conditioning has really paid off in ####s. He has played through some injuries and has maintained his stamina for the entire season.
His desire and willingness to take advantage of and be tutored by an all-star catcher, first base coach Tony Pena, has improved his quickness, throwing mechanics and accuracy. This has allowed Posada to throw out base runners at a much-improved rate then at anytime in his long career with the Yankees.
His handling of the pitching staff has been remarkable. His long time personality problems with Randy Johnson are a thing of the past. You can see the respect Randy now has with Jorge every time the duo are teamed up (which now is every start for Randy) on the mound, behind the plate and in the dugout. Jorge made an all out effort to reconcile their differences the first day of spring training. No ego here. Not for Jorge. Not this year. Never.
The revolving door of starters, both through trades and call ups from the minors, has been an easy transition for all arms thanks to Jorge’s command and respect he projects on the field.
His clutch hitting has been obvious to all that follow the Yankees on a regular basis. His is driving the ball with authority. He has Had only one slump all year, which lasted eighteen at bats. Not bad for a catcher his age. When most catchers at this point in their careers are showing signs of slowing down Posada has stepped up and improved all aspects of his game. We who follow this team see it and marvel. The rest of baseball does not.
I was disappointed last Sunday evening when Jorge launched a towering fly ball to left centerfield that was clearly over the fence against the Red Sox, were it not for an amazing leaping over the fence catch by Coco Crisp it would have put the Yankees ahead in the eighth inning possibly winning the game for the Yankees. All this on a national ESPN broadcast. Jorge has been that kind of clutch all year.
He is a not an MVP by offensive numbers but his overall play is MVP quality in his performance and importance to his team. While Derek Jeter is having his MVP season so is Jorge Posada. The oh so quiet MVP
Pete Rose, O.J. Simpson and Barry Bonds,. The social and arrogant similarities between these three men are both controversial and revealing. They are athletes who have caused a national debate over very sacred and moral issues. Although murder could and never can be compared to cheating or gambling and tax evasion, I am more interested in the public perception of these athletes, these icons of sport who turned their highly successful lives into a collapsing house of cards and what led them into this spiraling descent.
Pete Rose was a hard nosed gritty in your face baseball player that was the heart and soul of any team who’s uniform he wore. He is Major League Baseball’s all time hit leader. He was a predicted first ballot Hall of Famer. He had an addiction to gambling.
O.J. Simpson had it all, a Hall of Fame College and Professional career. He was a national spokesman for major corporate enterprises. He had a Hollywood movie career and lifestyle. He had a personality that was infectious. He also was suspected of having a drug dependency.
Barry Bonds was not ever a great spokesperson for anything other than himself (Bonds on Bonds) let alone a corporate enterprise. As in all sports, Bonds was an extremely gifted player that harbors fame and fortune to anyone who puts together great athletic statistics regardless of personality and or arrogance. He is approaching baseball’s all time home run record. He too is suspected of drug abuse.
The similarities are rooted in their addictive personalities that lend them to believe that they are above moral and legal barriers because of their iconic stature. Whatever it takes to protect ones criminal and illegal type of behavior, form the truths that surround them, is perfectly acceptable in their own distorted and selfish minds.
The real problem is the support that these athletes gather from their adoring fan base even though the majority of the population is not in agreement or believe in them. Just the reassurance of the slightest magnitude will convince these self-centered egos to believe in the lies and misguidings that they spew to the general public.
Pete Rose, to this day, has enough support to give him the arrogance to pursue his quest for induction into the Hall of Fame. He pursues this even though he finally admitted that his many years of denial of gambling on his sport was a lie. A lifetime ban is a lifetime ban. When he passes on then and only then should he be considered for induction into the Hall of Fame. Those are the rules. He broke those rules time and time again. No sympathy here.
The debate will go on because the selected fan base screams for Pete Rose’s talent, ability and accomplishments to be above the moral and legal barriers and he should be recognized for his on field actions even if his actions included gambling on his sport. If the fans did not support his quest neither would Rose.
O.J. Simpson divided a nation into a racially segregated mindset. His on field, on screen and on TV likeable image was a triple icon shield that made Simpson impenetrable to a wide range of public and media scrutiny. This fueled his arrogance more than any acquittal of murder charges could fathom. He lost his civil suit for damages caused by his actions that clearly pointed to his involvement in the murder of his wife and friend. O.J. still has run-ins with the law and drugs always seem to be in the mix. His arrogance is fueled by his support from a still adoring fan base. In O.J.’s case the fan base only needs to be one or two because I believe that is the number of people that believe he is innocent.
Barry Bonds puts all the cards out on the table when defending himself. Those cards being race, ignorance and just outright lies. The baseball fan in San Francisco adores him and this is the entire ego fix that the arrogant Bonds needs to support his habit. His rise to baseball immortality was his other fix. Steroids and HGH were a conduit. His personality is one of dependency fueled by support from his fan base and fame. Money also helps. With boat loads you can buy support.
The common factor here, besides dependant personalities, is the adoring and narrow-minded fan base. We put our super athletes on pedestals and therefore a need for addictive approval by the athlete. Without the fan support there would be no fix. We are a big part of the problem and always will be. That is why we are called fanatics. fa·nat·ic (f?-nat'ik) A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm.
One month into the 2006 baseball season and it seemed as if the New York Yankees were going to be hard pressed to fill some big offensive holes that developed in their lineup. The injuries to Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield took some 250 RBI’s right out of the heart of the Yankee lineup with the added possibility that Matsui and Sheffield were going to miss a good part, if not all of the season.
The starting rotation was looking very vulnerable. Randy Johnson was certainly showing signs of being a forty-three year old pitcher. Chien Ming Wang was having some problems keeping his sinker down. Sean Chacon was hit in the leg with a line drive and never regained his momentum. Aaron Small was showing why he was a minor leaguer for nine years. The magic from the previous year where Small had gone 10-0 was gone. Jaret Wright was awful and could not pitch more than four or five innings at best .The one bright spot was Mike Mussina and he was coming off a year where he had to be shut down for several starts due to a sore elbow.
The bullpen was a big question mark also with Tanyon Sturtze reverting back to his unreliable self, giving up home runs at an alarming rate. Joe Torre’s bullpen was already being over worked and seemed to be a mirror image of the previous years’ unreliable lot but with new faces. Plus the Red Sox won the first four games played against the Yankees. The Grey cloud thickens.
Jetter, A-Rod and Giambi are out with injuries and illnesses. Johnny Damon is playing with a broken foot and needs days off frequently as not to injure himself permanently.
Rookies are called up from the farm system and Brian Cashman is preaching patience. Cashman seems determined to stick by his new policy that he will not give up or trade away any of the organization’s young talent. Melky Cabrera, the young outfielder called up a season ago and who was just awful defensively, is placed in the corner outfield slot and given a chance to play everyday. Light hitting Bubba Crosby was now playing a regular outfield position. Bubba is a step up defensively and at one time in the off-season was designated the Yankee starting center fielder before the acquisition of Johnny Damon. Cosby then goes down with a hamstring injury that keeps him out of the lineup for six weeks. Bernie Williams, who in the off-season was resigned as a back up outfielder and DH, is now pressed into daily duty in the outfield.
What else could go wrong for the New York Yankees?
Robinson Cano, the Yankees quality second baseman, who a year ago made the most of an early season call up from the minors, pulled a hamstring muscle and was out of the lineup for six weeks. Miguel Cairo, the utility infielder resigned in the off-season by Cashman, was now the everyday second baseman.
Alex Rodriguez decided this year would be the right year to prove the naysayers right and have a terrible time getting his mental game together. His fielding is erratic causing his offense to be erratic causing his fielding to be erratic causing his, well you get the idea.
The rest of Major League baseball is quietly smiling at the unnatural series of pitfalls that have settled like a mid-summer storm over the richest and most successful team in baseball. It appeared that the Yankee string of playoff seasons was coming to an end. So if you are a major league baseball player, on every other team, you are snickering and amused at the Evil Empire’s misfortune.
Somehow through mid season, the Yankees are still hovering around the top of their division. Some in the baseball community are suggesting that this is all smoke and mirrors. After all how could a team missing three of their top RBI guys, two to injury and one the reigning league’s MVP playing like a Freud patient, be near the top of their division? It is a house of cards waiting to fall. So it seems.
Well low and behold, Melky Cabrera comes in and plays stellar defense and hits between .265 and .300. He nails down the left field position so well that off-season decisions have to be made on how they can keep this kid in the lineup everyday. With the return of Matsui, not the best outfielder, who has a multi year contract and an international corporate influence on the bottom line, should cause some real hard decision making by the front office but that is for the off season.
Derek Jeter has a year that is so consistent and clutch that by mid season his name is mentioned along with Big Papi, David Ortiz, as a possible MVP candidate. Jeter is putting up career numbers and is the most clutch of Yankees.
Jason Giambi, has settled in at DH/first base and is putting up power numbers and RBI’s like he did with the Oakland A’s and his first two years in pinstripes.
Joge Posada is having an excellent year behind the plate and is throwing out runners better than at any other point in his long career. Thanks in part to his tutelage from first base coach and former All-Star catcher Tony Pena. Posada’s offense is also consistent, being among the top ten at his position in all of baseball. His handling of the pitching staff has been as solid as ever.
Johnny Damon has been as good if not better than advertised. He is having a career year while suffering form numerous nagging injuries. His presence in the dugout and clubhouse has been very noticeable and well received. He is no #### unless camaraderie is ignorance.
Bernie Williams is making twelve million dollars less than he did a year ago. The bargain of the century. He has played almost regularly and proved the skeptics wrong. Bernie is far from done. This is a role that he has adjusted to very well. His outfield play has been solid and his offense has been consistent and brisk.
Andy Philips played a solid defensive first base and showed some power while sharing the first base position with Giambi for half a season. A formidable duo.
Miguel Cairo played all four-infield positions flawlessly spelling injuries to Cairo, Jetter, and A-Rod. He always seemed to have tough at bats when the game was on the line.
The bullpen took a while to get formulated but now has settled in. Scott Proctor has been solid and durable. Leading the league in appearances from day one. His over powering fastball (96-98 MPH) and good Curveball have served him and the Yankees well.
Ron Villone the quality lefthander, has come into his own as a Yankee and Torre has now developed faith in his reliance on Villone for middle to late inning relief.
Kyle Farnsworth can be dominating (100-101 MPH fastball and slider) and frustrating (any thing under 95mph is straight and over the fence hittable). The trick is to not have him pitch two innings one day and then pitch the next. It took Joe Torre over a half season to figure that one out. He also is in the top two in appearances among relievers.
Mariano Rivera is the best closer in the history of the game. “Das it”.
The coaching staff is the most experienced and the best in baseball with four major league managers on their staff. , Bench coach Lee Mazzilli, Third base coach Larry Bowa, First base coach Tony Pena, and bullpen coach Joe Kerrigan. Add to that Ron Guidry as pitching coach and probably the best hitting coach in all of baseball Don Mattingly and you have the most post season experienced coaching staff in Major League baseball.
Joe Torre is having his hardest year as manager and is doing a remarkable job. The shuffling of ballplayers, due to injury, has been a skill he has mastered. Although Joe could use a refresher course on how he handles his bullpen at times.
Brian Cashman , if he had a number, his number should be retired just on his player personnel moves the last two seasons. The acquisition this July 31st of Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle From the Philadelphia Philles for four minor leaguers put this team right back in the thick of the playoff picture once again. Perhaps even a trip to another World Series. Brian has turned this club over from a streaky, power hitting, three run homer offence that at times would be shut down, to a energetic single, double and occasional power hitting juggernaut. One that is patient at the plate and wears down the opponents starting pitching then attacks their bullpen. Brian has done this during the season and has not skipped a beat. In fact the Yankees now have a strong hold on first place by seven games with five weeks to go in the season.
So the silver lining in the cloud came in the form of replacement players and a general manager who did a tremendous job despite losing Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield and playing with a fractured reigning MVP.
We all know it comes down to pitching in the playoffs and no one other than the Minnesota Twins seem to have three aces. Let us see how this Yankee team will do. Johnson, Mussina and Wang are formidable. If the Twins make it to the playoffs I’m sure the Yankees would rather see them than the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Yankees just can’t beat that team.
The Boston Red Sox are finding out that some clouds are just that, clouds. They are experiencing the rigors of war at the end of the battle. I'd rather have been through the war than approaching the battle.
With the third best record in all of Major League baseball the New York Yankees look like the class of the American League. They will display more than adequate starting pitching, strong relief pitching, good defense, timely hitting, and the best third base coach in the game. That is on any given day. Yet, also on any given day, the New York Yankees might look like a team that is more suited for the second half of their division or league. Spotty starting pitching. Pitchers who are unable to pitch with a lead, a tired an ineffective bull pen, poor and lackadaisical fielding, offensively squandering base runner after base runner and the best player in the game not being the best player in the game. Who are these guys?
The first half of the year they kick around the top tier teams in the Central division and made the baseball annalists look at the Central Division teams as imposters to their records, inflated by playing in a heavily scheduled weaker division.
The Yankees take a five game series from the Red Sox, in Boston. Unheard of in sixty-three years in Boston. Yet they are now having a hard time winning a series from lower echelon teams like Baltimore and Seattle (it’s always dangerous to play a team who has lost eleven straight games). Now they are off to play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ( could we make this teams name longer or more confusing?) who out hustle, out pitch, and out manage the Yankees every time they meet. Then they're off to play the Detroit Tigers (best record in baseball) and the Minnesota Twins who are one of only three teams to have a winning record against the Yankees this year.
This stretch of twenty-one games in twenty days has a kiss your sister kind of feel to it so far. The Boston series being the big bright spot that keeps the pressure somewhat tolerable today. Boston is not going to go away. There are still four more games with the Red Sox at Yankee stadium and right now the Red Sox are only five and a half games back.
The Red Sox rebounded nicely after the Boston Massacre of 2006, winning two of three from the Angles after flying cross-country. Not so for New York and it will only get tougher for the next nine games (Angles, Tigers, Twins). Boston has a break for the next three games as they play the Seattle Mainers who should be primed for a sweep after their winning ways against the Yankees, although the Red Sox are only 3-4 against Seattle. Then they too have a rough schedule playing Oakland, who they are 3-4 against, Toronto 4-7, and Chicago 2-1.
The Yankees still should be the team to beat. They have benefited nicely by their July 31st trades. Bobby Abreu has been nothing short of stellar offensively and is an upgrade defensively in right field. Corey Lidle has pitched like he always has in the second half of the season throughout his career. Craig Wilson certainly hasn’t hurt the team but between him and an uninjured Andy Phillips I’ll take Phillips defensively. Wilson is just awful swinging at pitches low and away.
Pitching is the key, as always, and the Yankees seem to have a nice edge here also. Wang, who has pitched more innings then at any other point in his short career, is their ace. A watchful eye needs to be focusing on preventing a reoccurrence of last years shoulder problems.
Mussina is being protected and rested and that should be all he needs to finish out the year on a strong note.
Randy Johnson will give you mostly good outings and lots of innings. You will always get the occasional stinker. Lets hope if this is his last year he lets it all out.
Jaret Wright, amazingly has been injury free and is a bulldog, showing an ability to keep his team in most of the games he pitches. The bullpen needs to be rested when his turn in the rotation comes up. Strategic bullpen planning is required here by Joe Torre and Ron Gudry.
Maybe a Jeff Karstens can sneak in a few good starts while the Yankees periodically rest their starters. He throws strikes and has a decent assortment of off speed curves and change ups. Certainly the Yankees can’t be the only team dazzled by young unknown pitchers.
The bullpen has really come around and it looks like everyone has his niche. If Proctors right arm is not four inches longer than it was at the beginning of the year I would be surprised. He has done more than an adequate job. The same can be said for Ron Villone.
Mike Myers is brutal to all lefties and is seasoned for the playoff run.
Kyle Farnsworth is starting to look like the pitcher who pitched brilliantly for the Braves the second half of last season. The Yankees hope that in the playoffs he pitches better than he did for the Braves last year.
Octavio Dotel ???
Mariano Rivera. Enough said.
So if the Yankees can master the art of not playing down to their competition then all is well in Yankee land and a trip to the Championship series and beyond is likely. Anything less could mean a interesting series with the dreaded Red Sox.
Jorge Posada has been an incredible and stabilizing part of this franchise for ten years. The handling of the revolving door of pitchers (and the personalities that go along with big name pitchers) has been nothing short of amazing and Kissingeresque. We think of Mariano Rivera and his worth to this organization and the guy behind the plate orchestrating his performance, ninety five percent of the time, has been Jorge Posada. Don't think that has nothing to do with some of Mariano's' success. There is a comfort level there that most fans take for granted.
There is a toughness and grittiness about him that is part O'Neil and an arrogance and respect and work ethic like a Clemens. His leadership can be linked to a Jetter persona with a bit more outspokenness. He plays hurt and makes no excuses. His offense is among the best in all of baseball at his position. He is coach able. Look at his reaction and play from his working relationship with Pena. After ten plus grueling years behind the plate (remember he plays an extra five to nineteen high pressured playoff games a year) He is only getting better.
When all is said and done, he will be compaired to the best Yankee catchers of all time. Here's hoping he plays at this level for as long as he wishes and retires on his terms. He deserves nothing less.
go into their first management and media proclaimed slump and his head is on the block again. 
