The Profound and the Blurrytag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2008-03-29:/378712009-11-10T15:20:30ZMovable Type Pro 4.25My Life's Great Adventuretag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.13211212009-11-10T14:03:36Z2009-11-10T15:20:30Zyankeeblogger Not that I'm a terrific writer or anything, but I do have thoughts in my head that rattle around and need to get out. I've thought for years that I've got a good book trapped somewhere inside this muddled brain of mine, so maybe this is the beginning of that.
I read Jane Heller's column every day. Her "Confessions of a She-Fan" is delightful. You want a writer? There's a writer! She writes with such ease. Compared to her I'm a two-bit hack. Ok, I'm always a two-bit hack, but compared to her I'm worse.
The thing is, I like to write. Maybe it's cathartic or something, I don't know. I took the obligatory creative writing courses in college, but I never cared about anything I wrote. It was always about Gandalf or Winston Churchill or something like that. It was never anything I really cared about.
After college I got a job at a small-town newspaper that was run by about six people. Somehow, I got my own column and so took the opportunity to write about people in that small town. It was fun. I mean, it was a lot of fun. And people seemed to enjoy it. For the first time in my life I was really writing about something I loved.
Now, thirty years later, I'm a project manager for a Fortune 500 company. Gone are my writing days, except for this blog. Oh, I keep a journal, but it's not the same.
So, I've decided that since it's the off season, I'm going to write about more than just the Yankees. I love the Yankees and have since I was able to know what baseball was. But there's only so much you can write about your favorite team, though you love them dearly, in the off season.
I've kept a small pad in my pocket the last six or eight months, and at times, during boring meetings, I sit and contemplate my life. Every time I think of something I'd like to write about, I write it down. I've filled up about twelve or thirteen pages now, so I think it's time I sprung a leak in my brain and let some of those ideas drain out.
Over the last 50 years I kept waiting for my life's great adventure. Maybe it would be some James Bond .007 adventure where I had to save some beautiful woman from certain death.
Or maybe it would be an Indiana Jones-type adventure in which I found some great and lost relic that would alter history.
Or maybe it would be an adventure that would put me on the moon or in a history book or would make some mark on the world.
Little did I know that during those first 50 years, I was living that adventure every day in the small, seemingly irrelevant and mundane activities of every day life.
This is my life's great adventure, told by the person who actually lived it and wouldn't change one minute of it.
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Back to Worktag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.13199112009-11-09T17:12:52Z2009-11-10T15:11:13Zyankeeblogger Believe me, I'm no fan of the business of baseball. I think it has ruined, to an extent, the greatest game that was ever devised. Baseball should NOT be run by businessmen who's only care is whether or not they make money. It should, instead, be run by people who care about baseball itself, people like, hmm, well, I can't really think of anyone. But you know what I mean.
However, since we're in the world of big business and multi-million dollar contracts, let me tell you what I'd do if it were me who ran the Yankees.
Let's face it. The Yankees are the World Champions, much to the chagrin of the rest of baseball. I always learned that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so I wouldn't do a whole lot of tinkering with the team. However, I would do a couple of things.
On the sign side, the first thing I'd do is sign Andy Pettitte, Johnny D and Godzilla. Yes, I know the they're all "old", that Johnny D has an arm that is a liability and that Godzilla's knees just won't let him do much of anything but DH. I know all of this. But I'd sign them anyway. Andy has proven he's a money pitcher, especially in the postseason. Johnny has proven that he's a money hitter, clutch, and smart as a whip (I still shake my head at his double steal in game 4). Godzilla, well, is the MVP of the Series. Need I say more?
On the dump side, I'd have to say goodbye to Chien-Ming Wang, Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre, and Jose Molina. Look at it like this. Wang has been too much work to keep healthy. And there is no guarantee he's going to be able to go next year. Gaudin and Mitre both contributed bupkus. I wouldn't have either one of them back if they paid ME to play. And let's face it, Jorgie's not going to last forever. Let's get another catcher in here who can take over when Jorgie's done. Molina's not going to do that.
As far as the free agent signings, I'd sign Jason Bay and John Lackey and that's it. Cream of the crop, right? Well, wouldn't both of them like to win a championship? Bring them in, we'll play them. Lackey would fit nicely into that rotation and Bay can play outfield and hit like nobody's business. Make room for both of them.
That's it. Nice and simple. Keep the core like it is. It will last another three or four years. Tex at one, Robbie at two, DJ at short, Al at three, Johnnie D, Melky and Jason Bay in the OF. Rotation of CC, AJ, Andy, and Lackey and then throw Joba in every now and then. Keep him mostly in the pen with Coke, Hughes and Mo. Jorgie behind the plate with some new guy backing him up. Sounds like a winner to me.
The World Series is over. Time to get down to business.
So much for the afterglow.
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Sign 'Emtag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.13165512009-11-06T18:29:28Z2009-11-06T20:50:08Zyankeeblogger Then he brought in some
minor role players like Jerry Jr and Swish during the summer. Terrific
moves. Both contributed in a big way down the stretch.
But now, as the Bombers roll down the Canyon of Heroes in a tickertape storm, my mind wanders to what he'll do THIS offseason.
There are some big-name free agents out there this winter, including Johnny D and Godzilla. Guys like Adam LaRoche, Brian Roberts, Chone Figgins, Jason Bay, Jason Werth, Carl Crawford, and Vladimir Guerrero head this class's crop of prospective position players. John Lackey will be the class of this year's crop of pitchers, but Josh Beckett, Brandon Webb, Rich Harden, Cliff Lee, Brett Myers and Erik Bedard are also available.
Don't get me wrong. I'd love to have another strong arm like Cliff Lee (although I hate his stinking guts) or another great stick like Jason Bay would bring (stinking Sox). But if I were Brian Cashman, I'd start putting all of my current efforts into resigning Johnny and Hideki.
I know, I know. The Yankees are old. I hear it all the time. They need to move toward getting younger. But those two guys gave an awful lot to the team this year, and even more during the postseason, and I think they deserve to be rewarded with nice, new contracts. They don't have to be long termers, just new.
Godzilla's got bum knees, but he's proved he can still go deep. Johhny's not quite as fast as some of the younger players, but what a stick. They were both money in the postseason.
Listen, I'm not going to get into who Cashman should bring in this year. I'm going to leave that up to him and the Yankee brass. But I do want to make one thing perfectly clear. Johnny D and Godzilla want to play in the Bronx and Cashman should make it his priority to make it so.
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Service with a smiletag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.13144112009-11-05T13:57:38Z2009-11-05T17:32:14Zyankeeblogger The other day I went through the drive-thru at one of your larger burger chains and asked for a very simple order. One number 7 with a Sprite, one number 11 with a Sprite and one chicken nuggets kids' meal with an Icee. What I got in my bag was a number 2, a number 12 and a kids meal without the crummy toy, so I turned around and went back. What I got the second time was still wrong, so I went back again. What I got from the "friendly" server was an icy stare.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not picking on the fast food industry. Service is bad all over. Phone service, food service, television
service. You've got to pump your own gas now (unless you live in NJ).
When I was a kid we sat in the car and let the attendant fill 'er up,
along with checking the oil and washing the windshield. Not so any
more.
Nobody seems to care any more, and there seem to be fewer every minute. But what I got last night was exactly what I wanted...a Yankees championship.
First, let me congratulate the Phillies. They are an excellent team and they deserved to be in the Series. Great hitters, great pitching, great coaching. Charlie Manuel is a class act and I am proud to know that my team beat the best. Like we always tell our Little League boys, "If you want to be the best you've got to beat the best." The Yankees did just that.
What I wanted was a dominating performance by Andy Pettitte. Check. Then I wanted a side of Mo with maybe a little bit of Joba thrown in. Check. After that I wanted to see dramatic, timely hitting. What I got was exactly that from Tex, Johnnie D, Al and of course, Godzilla. Last, but not least, I wanted some good defense. Check, check, check. Everything in my bag was exactly as ordered. Yankee championship to go, please, and hold the mayo.
I'll have the same order to go for 2010, too, if you please.
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I Hope Andy's the Mantag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.13120312009-11-04T17:25:36Z2009-11-04T17:31:00Zyankeeblogger I'm nervous. I thought Joe should have started someone other than AJ the other night. My son told me before the game started that the Yankees were going to lose because he didn't trust AJ. He said AJ hadn't had enough rest. I countered with a look at CC and how he did on three day's rest. Then he said, "AJ's not CC". And so it was.
I really thought we had them there in the top of the 9th. They kept battling back and battling back and they sucked me right in. By that time my son had falled asleep, but if Tex had gotten on, I would have awakened him. Jeter's DP was a killer and so was Tex's K. He swung at several balls there, and we could have had Al come up to the plate. Instead, we pack up our troubles in our old kit bag and wait for tonight.
I just hope Andy is the man. Please Andy. Please give us something to cheer about.
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I Just Can't Watchtag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.13050912009-10-30T16:29:59Z2009-10-30T16:42:33Zyankeeblogger You see, I can't watch the World Series.
I watch when the Yankees are batting, but I can't watch when the opposing team is batting. I just can't force myself to watch them take their raps. Why? I get too nervous. I want the Pinstripes to win so badly that I get too nervous to watch.
I figure that the Yankees can score runs while they're batting. The only good things that can happen while the other team is batting strikeouts, good defensive plays or something of that nature. The bad thing is that the other team can score runs, and that's what I don't want to see.
I mean, seriously, how many strikeouts are there in a game? Ten? Seven? Five? Depends on who's pitching, right? Howmany great defensive plays are there? Two? Three? Four? So, if you take the largest numbers and add them together, you get about 14. So, I would want to be watching 14 times during the Yankees defensive times on the field. Sorry, but that's not enough.
When the Yanks won the Series in 1996, I turned it off in Game 6. When they won in 1998, I watched because I knew they'd win. 1999, too. In 2000, I turned the channel when they were in the field. Same for 2001 and 2003.
Now, I watch the other channels and my hands shake. My son keeps asking me to change the channel back, but I just can't do it.
"Who's ahead?" my wife asks.
"I don't know because I'm not watching it right now."
She just rolls here eyes and walks off in disgust. "You're very odd," she mumbles.
Yea, I know. ]]>
I Still Hate You, Cliff Leetag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.13031612009-10-29T13:32:28Z2009-10-29T13:57:56Zyankeeblogger If you will remember, I picked him up last year from the waiver wire and straightway put him into the lineup of my fantasy team. He won and won and won in the summer of 2008 and I looked like a fantasy baseball genius. Not only did he get me into the playoffs, but he won the Cy Young award. All from a guy who was foundering on the waiver wire.
Then came September 23rd, 2008. The Yankees had one chance in a million to get into the playoffs and if Cliff Lee could beat Boston we still had a chance. But could he do it? No, he lost, and with that loss the Yankees were sent home for the winter for the first time in DJ's career.
I hated Cliff Lee all winter long last year. I threw darts at a picture of him. I made a Cliff Lee doll and pulled its head off. It was a very long and healthy hate.
Now this.
You think I hated Cliff Lee last year? Just wait. Not only did he shut down my beloved Yankees on only 6 stinking hits, but he made Johnny D's popup in the ninth look like he was having a day at the beach. He struck out Tex, A-Rod and Jorgie 7 times combined! Seriously? Seriously?
Don't get me wrong. The Yanks didn't play badly. CC only gave up four hits in 7 innings. Too bad two of them had to be Utley dingers.
But when CC was done, Joe brought in the parade of clowns. Unbelievably, Marte wasn't half bad. But the rest of those jokers? Hughes? Stinko! Robertson? Horrible. Coke? Terrible. Bruney? A joke. Joe Buck got it right. Girardi had to worry about those four runs his pen gave up. If not for those, the score could have only been 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth. CC kept us close. The pen let the horse out of the barn.
So, tonight we go again. Invariably, Fox will show Cliff Lee sitting in the dugout. I'll grind my teeth every time I see him because now I hate him even more.
Cliff Lee, you stink.
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Throwing Caution to the Windtag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.13014912009-10-28T14:52:49Z2009-10-28T16:10:39Zyankeeblogger When the Yankees were in the World Series back in 2001 I told my wife that they'd beat the Diamondbacks without much problem. Yea, so much for my prognosicating skills.
Then in 2003 I was intrepid enough to say that they'd beat the Marlins, but it would be a real battle since the 'Lins had Beckett and all that firepower. Ok. They didn't hire me in Vegas.
Now it's 2009 and I don't know what to say. I feel good about the Bombers' chances, but I am more guarded now. The success of the late 90's made me a little overconfident. Padres? Yankees in four. Mets? Yankees in four (ok, I missed that one by one game). Braves? No problem. Six games.
Now? I don't know. The Daily News says Yankees in five. I think it will be Yankees in seven, but I just never know anymore. The Phillies are a very good team, much better than those Padres, Mets or Braves. But the Yankees are a better team now, too. There are at least four or five legitimate first round Hall of Famers on this team (Jetes, A-Rod, Pettitte, Jorgie and Mo), and five more who are at least candidates (Robbie, Tex, CC, AJ, Johnny D). That's a lot of talent on one team.
The thing I worry about now is 2001 and 2003. I thought they had it then, too.
But this is a different team. This is a different year. So let's all join in the familiar chorus of "Let's Go Yankees!" and hope it goes less than five.
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How do they compare?tag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.13003312009-10-27T16:02:40Z2009-10-27T19:59:19Zyankeeblogger
I thought that since tonight is World Series Eve I'd compare the two
teams to see what we can expect in Game 1. So, here you go. My feeble
attempt to see who's going to win.
- Yankees - Tex Phillies - Ryan Howard Advantage - Phillies
Though
Tex is one of my favorite players, he hasn't been having the greatest
postseason ever. He hit his share of dingers this year, but not like
Howard. He is a man among men. I think he's only second in the NL to
Pujols, who is a giant man among boys.
Don't
get me wrong. I actually like Jimmy Rollins. But Derek Jeter is my
pick for the AL MVP this year and he may be the World Series MVP if the
Yankees can take it. He is the best clutch hitter in the history of
the game. I think the nod goes to Jeter, in a big way.
This
one isn't even close. Compare A-Rod to Howard, if you want, and I
think he still comes out ahead just because of the monster postseason
he's having. Yankees big here.
- Yankees - Johnny D, Melk Man, Swish Phillies - Ibanez, Flying Hawaiian, Wertz Advantage - Even
The
Phils actually may come out a little ahead on this one. Ibanez is
having a great postseason and so is Victorino. But Johnny D came
through the other night and so did Melky. I only worry about Swish in
the outfield. His arm is great, though, wouldn't you say Vlad?
Not
only do the Yankees have Jorge, but they have Molina who can come in at
a moment's notice without too much degradation. Slight advantage
Yankees.
- Yankees - CC Phillies - Cliff Lee Advantage - Yankees
MVP
of the ALCS. Need I do more than to point you in that direction? He
was the man in the ALCS. And don't worry about game 7. If they have
to play it, CC will be ready on three day's notice again. Oh, just
give me a reason.
- Yankees - Home Phillies - Away Advantage - Yankees
Quick. How many games have the Yankees lost in the postseason in
the new Yankee Stadium? Yea, you got that right. ZERO. And that
trend will continue on Wednesday night as CC shuts down the
high-powered offense of the Phils.
So, the total advantage comes to five categories Yankees, one category
Phillies and two even. I think there will be a lot of runs scored in
this series, maybe none more than in the first and second games because
of the wind and short porches. But I'm thinking they'll all be scored
by the home team.
Let's go Yankees!
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Let's go Yankees!!tag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.12985812009-10-26T15:20:38Z2009-10-26T19:26:11Z"Hey, congratulations on your Yankees," he said as I sat down in his office."Thanks," I replied stiffly, not really knowing what to say."I guess that makes you pretty happy, huh?"Yes, it does, but how do I say that to an...yankeeblogger "Thanks," I replied stiffly, not really knowing what to say.
"I guess that makes you pretty happy, huh?"
Yes, it does, but how do I say that to an Angels fan, who also just happens to be my boss?
"It sure was an exciting series," I replied, trying to avoid the obvious response.
"Yea, I 'spose," he said. "We just threw it away."
I know, and almost literally.
"Your guys will be back next year," I said, hoping to avoid picking the scab that had just barely started to heal.
"Maybe," he said, "but they were made for this year. What with the Adenhart thing and all, I think it was this year or nothing. Won't mean as much now."
I looked at the floor and shuffled some dirt off the bottom of my shoe that stuck there while I was walking into the building. "Aw, I doubt it. All those guys will be back, plus, now they'll have Kazmir for an entire season."
I cringed the second the words came out of my mouth, for it had been Kazmir who'd allowed the Yankees to score their two insurance runs in the bottom of the 8th.
He looked at me in that head-tilted way he always did. Then he blinked and said, almost grievingly, "Well, good luck in the Series."
I thanked him, stood and turned to leave. I looked over my shoulder and thought I caught the tail end of a tear wipe, but I couldn't be sure. He might have just been scratching his cheek. "Your team played better than mine," he whispered as I shut the door behind me.
"Let's go Yankees," I said quietly as I walked back to my desk. "Let's go!"
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My picks 2009tag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.12928412009-10-22T14:28:40Z2009-10-22T15:32:27Zyankeeblogger AL MVP: Derek Jeter - There are a lot of people who could potentially win this award this year, and if there's one I may miss, it may be this one. But DJ has had such a great year. He hit .334, had 66 ribbies, 18 dingers, 212 hits, and scored 107 runs. He also had 30 stolen bases. But the most telling, I think, are his.406 on base percentage, his .465 slugging percentage and his .871 OPS. This was a monster year for The Captain, who overtook Lou Gehrig as the Yankee's all-time hits leader. If he doesn't win it this year, I will consider it a robbery.
NL MVP: Albert Pujols - I gotta go with last year's winner on this one. Granted, my reason for going with Ryan Howard last year was that he had his team in the playoffs. He took them all the way to the Series and won it last year. Who knows? He might be able to duplicate that this year. I hope not, but he could. Albert, though, was super human. .327 batting average, 47 taters, 135 RBIs, and a staggering 1.011 OPS. Amazing. No doubt about this one.
AL Cy Young: Zack Greinke - A member of the Royals winning it? You bet. The man was unbelievable. Playing with a team that finished 32 games under .500 and 21 games behind the Tigers, he won 16 games with a 2.06 ERA. He also threw three shutouts and finished second in K's in the American League. I don't think this one is close, either.
NL Cy Young: Chris Carpenter - I could give this to either Carpenter or Adam Wainwright because they both deserve it. But I chose Carpenter because of the comeback aspect of it all. Making just four starts the last two years, he came back and laid waste to the NL by winning 16 games, posting a 2.30 ERA and throwing three complete games, two for 1-hitters. Don't get me wrong. Wainwright will probably win. But my sentimental vote goes to Carpenter.
AL Rookie of the Year: Rick Porcello -
I could give this one to Brett Gardner or to a handful of other guys, but I think Porcello handled himself admirably down the stretch. He went 5-2 with an ERA of just north of 3.00 in his last 13 starts. In the 31 starts he had over the full season, he went 14-9 with 89 K's, pitching 170 innings and an ERA just under 4. I think his WHIP is impressive, too, at only 1.34. Not bad for a 20-year old just up from the minors. Not only that, but did you see who the Tigers pitched in that classic tiebreaker, game 163? Yea, Porcello. And he struck out 8 Twinkies.
NL Rookie of the Year: Andrew McCutchen - If Chris Coghlan had kept up his torrid April pace, this would be a no-brainer. Unfortunately for him, he cooled with rise in mercury. McCutchen just kept getting hotter and hotter. He hit .286 with 12 dingers, 54 RBIs and 74 runs. He also logged 22 steals in 27 attempts. He was on base 37 percent of the time, had a slugging average of .471 and an OPS of .836. He also had 9 triples. Can't argue with speed.
AL Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia - I'd love to give this award to Joe Girardi, but he just has too much talent. His team was supposed to win. I'm sure he will get some consideration for molding the egos on this club into a true team, but Scioscia, as much as I hate to admit it, did a great job this year. His club won the AL West going away (10 games). They finished second to the Yankees in the American League, going 97-65. That's saying a lot, especially when you consider the death of Nick Adenhart, just after the start of the regular season. Scioscia kept the team together and honored the fallen pitcher throughout the season.
NL Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy - I like Joe Torre. I think he's the best manager in the game today. But Joe has talent on his team. Lots of it. Tracy, however, did more this year with less talent than any other manager in baseball. Sure, he's got Barmes, Giambi, Helton, Tulo and Hawpe. But they will never be mistaken for the Dodgers. All Tracy did this year was take an 18-28 team and have them go 74-42 the rest of the way, winning the NL Wild Card. Anyone who can make a team like the Rockies go 74-42 deserves this award.
Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Carpenter - Ok. I should have given the Cy Young award to Adam Wainwright since Carpenter gets my nod here, but doggone it, Carpenter deserves them both. He went 17-4 in 28 starts. He gave up only 7 home runs all year. Walked only 38 and struck out 144 batters. Opposing hitters hit a measly .226 off him. If anyone deserves this award, it's Carpenter. ]]>
Wowtag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.12911912009-10-21T13:24:21Z2009-10-22T14:27:54Zyankeeblogger Then,
quietly, I make my way into my daughter's room and kiss her, too. "I
love you, daddy," she infrequently says. Most days she just rolls over
and falls back into dreamland. "I love you, too, peanut."
Last,
but not least, I tiptoe into my son's room to complete this daily
routine. He's a heavy sleeper, so I seldom get much of a response from
him. This morning it was different.
It was nearly 9:30pm last night, the game was only in the bottom of the fourth inning, and my kids were ready for bed.
"But dad, can't I watch just a little more?" my son protested.
I
sighed heavily. "No son. I'm sorry. You know how hard it is to get
up in the mornings when you go to bed too late. And you've got a test
tomorrow. Besides, you know how your mom is. She wants you in bed an
hour ago."
He looked at my sadly with those big hazel eyes.
"Well, then you have to promise you'll write me a note in the morning
to let me know how the game ends." I've written my share of game
summaries in his 10-year old life, but this one was different. This is
the first time in his life, that he can remember, that the Yankees were
this close to the World Series.
"I promise," I said, and we walked up the stairs together.
Ten
minutes later I found myself racing back up the stairs, albeit quietly this time,
with big news. "Tex hits a screaming single to center, A-Rod comes up
and hits a two-run dinger to left. Yankees 5, Angels nothing."
He sat bolt up in the bed. "Really?" he exclaimed.
"Really, really," I replied. "I love you. Go to sleep."
"I love you, too, dad" he said as he nestled back down beneath the gray and blue Yankee comforter in his
Yankee-decorated room. He quickly fell fast asleep, no doubt with visions of
DJ, A-Rod and Jorgie dancing in his head.
As
I leaned over him this morning to kiss him goodbye for the day, he sat
up and looked me square in the face. "What was the final score, dad?"
he asked with just a trace of sleep in his bleary eyes.
I smiled as I gave him a hug. "10-1 Yankees," I replied.
"Wow," he said as he smiled and fell back asleep.
Yea, wow.
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Say it ain't so, Joetag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2009://37871.12892212009-10-20T13:43:11Z2009-10-20T14:31:35Zyankeeblogger Lupica says it was overmanaging, and he may be right. But even my son, who's only 10, knew it was the wrong thing to do before he did it. When we saw Joe call the bullpen, as soon as he took his first step up those dugout stairs, he (my son) looked at me and said, "What's he doing?"
"I don't know," I said. "He's been out there once already, though, so Robertson's done."
"Bad move," he said. "Really bad move. But as long as he doesn't bring in Aceves, we'll be all right."
Little did we know that the real Clueless Joe would do exactly that.
I put my head in my hands and said, "Might as well go to bed now, son. That's the ballgame."
And it was. Two out, no one on. No one really dangerous coming up for three or four slots. Yet, Joe Girardi decided it was time the Angels won a game. Aceves? Really? Seriously?
Wasted - an exceptional 1st and 3rd, nobody out performance by the Sandman. Wasted - a fine 6.1 innings from Andy Pettitte. Wasted - a game-tying Jorgie tater in the top of the 8th. And wasted - another quality relief stint by David Robertson.
You know how bad that move was? Even the Angels asked, "Why'd they change pitchers there?"
You got me.
All I know is that Joe Girardi doesn't want me to get a good night's sleep. He hates me. He just hates me. And I don't even know why. ]]>
Hey Brian!!tag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2008://37871.4973312008-10-01T14:02:26Z2008-10-01T14:31:58Zyankeeblogger Brian Cashman signed a three-year contract this morning to stay on with the Yankees. For my money, this was a good move.
"I've got a job to finish here," Cashman said to the Daily News. "That's the bottom line...I think we've got a lot of work to do."
You're right, Brian. There is A LOT of work to do. Let me help just a bit.
First, what's going to happen with Jorge? Is he going to catch? Is he going to move to first base? He's certainly got the hands for it and you and I both know that Giambi, for all he's done for the club, will not be back next year. Are you going to spend a lot of money on Teixeira or will you just move Jorge over there and bring in a new catcher to help Molina? Pudge may move to the Mets, so that's not an option, though I wouldn't mind keeping him.
Second, what about second? Cano had a horrible year, but I'm not sure that's a good enough reason to get rid of him. I know he's your best trade bait right now, but who else would you bring in to replace him? Orlando Hudson? David Eckstein? Felipe Lopez? Come on. Cano is better than them, at least with the stick, any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Next question is the outfield. Abreu? Probably gone, right? Cabrera? More trade bait, if you ask me. Don't get me wrong. I like both of those guys, but it may be time to get some new blood in here. Look what the X-Man did for us after the trade. Get someone else like him. Holliday? Dunn? I don't know, but the outfield is a big question mark. Make sure you know what you're doing here.
Finally, we come to pitching. This is the biggest question of all. Moose? Bring him back! Andy? Hire him as your pitching coach. Joba? Make him a full-time starter. Then put Hughes and Kennedy back in the minors for a year and let them simmer. Now bring in somebody like Sabathia or Burnett or even Derek Lowe as free agents and trade for someone else, like Ben Sheets. Get rid of Ponson and that big loser Pavano and get some real pitching in here. If we had had a good pitching staff this year we would have gone a lot further. Pitching, Brian. Pitching. That is what we need. I'll say it one more time. Pitching. I hope that sticks in your head. (Pitching)
I'm glad to have you back, Brian. You're a proven winner and I know you will bring another championship to the Apple. But do it quickly, will you? Get all of these pieces and put them all together. And don't be blinded by Hughes' talent or Kennedy's potential. Bring in someone who can win! And do it now! (Do I sound like The Boss?) ]]>
My Pickstag:yankeeblogger.mlblogs.com,2008://37871.4933212008-09-29T13:27:19Z2008-09-29T14:27:27Zyankeeblogger AL MVP: Joe Mauer - I should probably give it to Dustin Pedrouia, but I just can't see giving it to a member of the Sox. Besides, it's not like Mauer didn't have a monster year. The man is the class of MLB catchers. A .330 batting average, a .415 OBP and an .869 OPS land him in first place on my ballot.
NL MVP: Ryan Howard - A lot of people are probably going to go with Albert Pujols for this award, but Howard has his team in the playoffs and Pujols doesn't. Pujols leads Howard in the Slugging and OPS departments, but look at Howard's 48 home runs, .339 OBP and 146 RBIs and you'll see why he gets my vote.
AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee - I'd really like to vote for Mike Mussina for this one, as I'm a Moose fan. Winning 20 games for the first time in his career is a BIG accomplishment and one that will no doubt land him in the Hall of Fame. But Lee went 22-3. It's hard to argue with that, especially when you look at his 170 K's and miniscule 1.11 WHIP. No doubt about this one.
NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum - This one is a little bit closer, what with Brandon Webb and Johan Santana having such monster years. But Lincecum wins it because of 252 strikeouts, a .223 opponent's batting average, and because he plays on a team that stinks, and he still went 17-5. Can't argue with that.
AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria - Not only does he have a cool name, but I heard this name night after night after night during the regular season. His team won the AL East for the first time ever, and even though he was out for 30 games and still leads all AL rookies in in RBI's and total bases. Not only that, but he didn't even make the team in Spring Training! Now no one will ever forget his name, and not because of the actress, either.
NL Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto - I can't believe this guy is a rookie. He plays like he's been in the majors for years. Having satellite tv I am able to watch WGN a lot and I have taken in more than a couple Cubs games. Soto's 23 dingers and his start in the All-Star game land him in the ROTY seat on my ballot.
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Madden - Is there really any question about this one? If Madden doesn't win this there ought to be an investigation. He's got the Rays playing like they could win it all, and you know what? They just might. A first-time AL East championship and a great young nucleus will have them around for many years. The Rays are for real and Madden is a major reason why.
NL Manager of the Year: Lou Piniella - I'd actually like to give this award to one of the Manuel "brothers", Charlie and Jerry. But the Mets are out and the Cubs are in. Not only are they in, but they have as good a chance of winning the whole thing as they've had in more than 100 years. Literally. Piniella has kept this team believing through injuries, cold spells and a Chicago summer, and not only that, but he's ex-Yankee. Gotta love Sweet Lou for that.
Comeback Player of the Year: The only guy I'm voting for for this award this year, in both leagues, is the Moose. Maybe I should say, 20-game winner, Mike Mussina. How does that sound, Mike? Written off at the beginning of the year, Moose went on to have the best season of his career. Good for you, Mike. I hope you come back next year, but if you don't, I'll understand. Go home to PA and coach you son in Little League. That sounds like a great time. Enjoy it. And thank you for keeping the Yanks in the picture for so long this year. It would not have been nearly as good without you. ]]>