Results tagged ‘ Angels ’
With Other Teams Opening their Wallets…What Should the Yankees Do?
Since my last entry a handful of days ago…some things have changed and developed on the free agent market as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday:
1. The Angels are trying to convince everyone they are legitimate players in the C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes…
2. The Braves have thrown their hats into the ring for the services of A.J. Burnett…
3. Andy Pettitte could be reunited with Joe Torre in La La land…
4. Everyone seems to have interest in Mark Teixeira…even if it’s only to get his price down…
5. And it appears the Yankees cannot make up their collective minds for which direction they need to address through free agency now…
Let me provide, yet again who should go where, why and how does it play out for our beloved Bombers…
If the Angels do indeed come in at 6 years, $140 mil such as the Yankees have, the Yankees MUST overpay…say 6 years $148.5 mil. Regardless of what the Braves do, the Yankees must ensure that A.J. Burnett joins Sabathia, Wang, and whomever else rounds out the rotation in 2009, and if that means giving him a fifth year, so be it. Hell, they did get a productive second half out of Carl Pavano, and Burnett is better-even hurt.
If the decision comes down to Andy Pettitte versus Derke Lowe…as much as I hate saying this, you have to go with Pettitte. He’s left-handed, and has the grit to pitch for the Bombers…not at $16 mil annually, but perhaps $12-13 mil for one year. The Yankees must get aggresive and sign both Teixeira AND Manny Ramirez. Tex is 28 and in his prime, plus he is a gold glove caliber first baseman. Show him the love and give him his 10 year deal. Get it done! As for Manny, his contract would and should be lined with performance enhancement bonuses, to where if met, will give him the cabbage he longs for, and hey, throw in an option year or so tacked on when he meets those standards…He has cornered himself, let him earn his keep PLUS let him take it out on the Beaneaters up North…
The bullpen is in pretty good shape…I still don’t like the idea of Chamberlain in the rotation…he should strictly be the 8th inning set up guy/future closer of this team…Joba hasn’t proven he can stay healthy over the long term to deserve another shot in the starting 5 just yet…So with C.C., Burnett, Pettitte, and Wang…whom should the Yankees hand that elusive 5th spot to? Mr. Arizona Fall League Phil Hughes…he’s pitched well, getting his innings in and for God’s sake, he was the gem of the system before injuries broke him down…I still believe he will be a stud…and much better long term in the rotation than Joba…
With the addition of Swisher, the must signings of Teixeira and Manny, the upgrades with C.C. and A.J., the Bombers should be setting themselves up for a wonderful run in 2009 as Cathedral 2.0 opens its doors in a few months!
As always, be good, take care of yourself, and take care of your buddy next to ya!
Familiar Feelings…
You ever get that feeling, when something isn’t going so great, whether it be in life or in sports, that you have felt that feeling before? Perhaps you think getting past that feeling, and doing what you have to do to make things right will eliminate ever having that bad feeling again? With the whipping that the Yankees took last night, perhaps this is that sinking feeling that we have collectively been waiting for since the end of the 2001 World Series, which is the end date that ESPN’s Buster Olney labelled as “The Night the Dynasty Died.”
Perhaps he was right. Maybe Olney knew something that we in Yankeeland did not-that the Yankees were simply treading water since the Diamondbacks conceivably ended our proud dynasty. From that day forward, familiar and comfortable names such as O’Neill, Tino, Brosius and the like left our lips, only to be tucked away into the good memories of our mind. Since then, we have become familiar with Mondesi, Sheffield, Abreu, Weaver, Ventura, Giambi, Damon and a whole other cast of characters that still don’t get it. Perhaps they never will. As we said good bye to team guys, and said hello to stat compilers, the Yankees have been stuck on 26 World Series titles, with no more seemingly to be in the immediate future. All this, while Boston has won 2, the Angels 1, and probably a second this fall, the Marlins 1, the Cardinals 1, and even the White Sox 1. And what do these teams have, that all of Mr. Steinbrenner’s money on the face of the earth can’t buy? Character…not characters, character, and a deeper desire to win rings rather than MVP trophies and stat leaderboard categories.
The Blue Jays are hungry, the Yankees are gluttons. The Blue Jays are tired of mediocrity, the Yankees are satisfied with the current result. Blue Jays management made dugout changes with the hopes of saving this season, and building for next year. The Yankees’ management doesn’t have a clue. And with that, another double digit beating, making it the Bombers’ worst of the season. Ponson looked like he did the first time around in pinstripes. The offense was dead yet again, despite Hideki Matsui’s 3-run blast, which was too little, too late. The defense was once again questionable, showing little range or arm ability in the outfield. Is it going to mean a fourth place finish for the Yankees as an organization to wake up and smell the fact that it is not the late 1990s anymore?
Tonight the Yankees start the second leg of their current road trip against yet another AL East foe that has something to prove. The Orioles feel they are on the verge within the next season or so of becoming the next Tampa Bay Rays, while the Yankees continue to get older and more complacent with each passing day. If wholesale changes are not made in the Bronx during the winter of 2008 and early 2009, come October of 2009, they could find themselves in a place that only a year ago would have seemed unthinkable. The place? Dead last in the AL East. Everyone in the division is getting younger and better. All while the Yankees just sit. Father time forgives nobody, including the boys in the pinstripes. Don’t be shocked if last night’s humiliating defeat up North is only the first sign of the wheels coming completely off this big, bloated bigrig with a $200 mil+ payroll. Why you might ask? Carl Pavano for one. Mr. Injury himself is getting the nod from Girardi after I blogged that Victor Zambrano actually earned the shot.
I’ve had these feelings before…with the Yankees, with personal relationships, with employers, etc. The feeling that the end is near, that regardless of how badly you want things to work out, regardless of whatever personal sacrifices you are willing to make to correct the issues at hand, that no matter what you can think, feel or do, it is going to end badly. For the foreseeable future in the Bronx, that is exactly how I feel.
I will be back on later tonight to discuss the opener against Baltimore, and preview the nightmare that will become Carl Pavano on Saturday.
As always, take care of yourself, be good, and take care of your buddy next to ya!
New Blood Shines Through, Yanks Finally Win…One
It’s only one game. As Fox’s Kevin Kennedy said after viewing the highlights of the Yankees’ thrilling 13th inning win yesterday against Kansas City: “It’s a start, but for the Yankees to make it to October, they will have to play around .750 ball with roughly 40 games to go.” And with that, finally someone on the national stage not named Peter Gammons is calling it “Mission: Impossible.” Don’t get excited Yankee fans, this was one win against a team they should own, but for some reason don’t.
Congrats to speedster Brett Gardner went 3-5 with the game winning single, driving in Robbie Cano to lead the Yankees to a hard fought 3-2 victory. Yesterday’s win can be viewed in one of two ways. The first is, is that it is just another win, and it shouldn’t have taken 13 innings to handle a team from Kansas City. Or, this win is just what the doctor ordered, hopefully getting this group of Bombers in the mindset that every game from here until the end of September should be viewed as an elimination game. Fortunately for the Yankees, Tampa and Boston also went down to defeat, thus gaining little, but precious ground on what will be a long road back to the promised land.
I also want to send kudos out to the Yankees young, and ever improving bullpen, who shutout the Royals for 6 2/3 innings Saturday afternoon. This performance coming off of the heels of arguably the worst road trip mentally and emotionally for this franchise in a decade. It will take these types of gritty, hard nosed performances for the Yankees to find light at the end of the tunnel. Myself, I believe yesterday was a mere aberration and they could just as easily lay down to Brian Bannister later today. The Moose is taking the mound for New York, looking for season win #16, and to get one step closer to that magical 20-win season he has longed for his entire career. I have been fooled too many times by this Yankees’ team before…they string together a nice winning streak of 7 or 8 games, get you thinking that they have turned the corner, and then they lay an egg on the road, all but eliminating themselves without trying very hard.
The road to greatness doesn’t get any easier for the Bombers in the coming week either. After a much needed day off on Monday, the Yanks head north of the border for three against what is always a tough Blue Jays squad, and then next weekend, after possibly having their collective ***** handed to them in Canada, they get to go to the birthplace of the Bambino, to face the Orioles, whom like the Angels, seem to have their number this season.
This weekend marked the 60th anniversary of the death of the Bambino, and I want to take this time and say to all of you out there, take a half an hour, go to baseballreference.com, and simply look at Ruth’s numbers, season by season. It never ceases to amaze me what an awesome player the Babe truly was, and how we as Yankees’ fans should never forget that he was the Yankees’ long before anybody else was. He is the one that gave us today in 2008, the ability to strut around, proud that we wear the interlocking NY and know that when people see Yankees, hear Yankees, or think Yankees, they think of winning, tradition, and excellence. It may not be so in 2008, but as the memory of the Babe lives on, so to will the greatness he provided regardless of whether or not it is in his original house, or the new one next door.
I will return tomorrow with a summary of the Kansas City series, as well as the key matchups the Yankees will face before heading into Toronto on Tuesday against the Blue Jays.
As always, take care of yourself, be good, and take care of your buddy next to ya!
It’s Official: Yanks Should Start Looking Towards 2009
I could’ve sworn that I have seen this before. I could’ve sworn I saw this identical ending to a game, less than a week ago. Wait a minute, I did. In fact, this game looked eerily similar to the game my family and I travelled to Anaheim for this past Sunday. Shoddy defense, inattention to detail on the basepaths (A-Rod last weekend, Justin Christian last night), and the Yankees fail to drive in runners when the game is on the line. Last weekend: Angels 4, Yankees 3. Last night: Royals 4, Yankees 3.
I hate to be the one to break the bad news (I know all of you out there in Yankeeland are some of the smartest fans alive), we can officially stick the proverbial fork in the New York Yankees for the 2008 season. A miniature pre-game roster shakeup did nothing to motivate the players that needed to find something within themselves. Cashman can’t simply blame Melky Cabrera and Richie Sexson for this mess. Given, Melky has regressed since making his debut three seasons ago, but so has Robinson Cano. Perhaps sending both of them back to Triple-A would’ve turned some heads, stating that nobody is safe. Hell, at least Wilson Betemit hustles out his hit balls and plays hard on defense. Can anybody, and that includes Robbie’s dad, the former major leaguer, say that Robbie Cano has done that in 2008? And poor Richie Sexson…steals a king’s ransom from the Mariners, underperforms, gets cut, signs for the league minimum, and cries that he can’t change to being a platoon player. Here’s some advice for you Mr. Sexson: don’t strike out 190 times every season, and hit better than .215, and perhaps somebody else will take you seriously. If not, perhaps you should spend your offseason in Henderson, Nevada at the Jason Giambi Hitting Academy. Sure couldn’t hurt.
As for the present…the Bombers now fall 10 1/2 behind the Rays in the AL East, basically ending any chance of winning the division with 39 games left to play, and I believe the count is now at 7 or 8 games behind Boston in the wild card chase. The historic consecutive postseason run of this proud franchise will indeed end in 2008. What should the Yankees do now? Here are some ideas…1. Bring back up Hughes and Kennedy. Why? Let them take their lumps at the major league level against big league hitters. Make this an extended spring training so that by the time next year starts, these two promising arms have some experience to fall back on. 2. Do not, and I cannot overstate this enough, give Carl Pavano a snowball’s chance in hell of taking the mound in 2008. Why? He has already fleeced this team for $40 mil, and is only trying to rush back before he hits the free agent market in 2009. Don’t help him do this to another team for God’s sake. 3. Bring up some of the younger players along with Hughes and Kennedy and get them some big league at bats and innings pitched. The future has to start somewhere, and it might as well be now. Christian and Gardner are already here, give a young catcher like Chris Stewart the opportunity, afterall, Molina and Posada won’t be around forever. Give guys like Alan Horne and Mark Melancon the chance to show their stuff at the Stadium.
The national media always says that the Yankees don’t rebuild, they reload. Okay, given, the Yankees perhaps go a little overboard on their free agent spending. And what has it gotten us as fans since 2000? Two World Series losses, an LCS collapse, and a handful of 1st round ousters. These should be the finals weeks of Yankee careers for the likes of Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, and Carl Pavano. The free agent market shows some promise with Brewer aces C.C. Sabathia, and Ben Sheets, along with a guy out in Anaheim that plays first base…Mark Teixiera. I would also propose attempting to deal Cano for some arms, and a power hitting outfielder (one that is in his prime for once…Matt Holliday anyone?), and insert Betemit as the future second baseman. He plays better defense, hustles, and has much better power numbers over the long haul than does Cano…and he is a switch hitter. I like the makeup of the young bullpen…they are taking their lumps, but they will be a strong point for New York in ’09 led by the aforementioned Mark Melancon assuming the 8th inning role left vacant by Joba Chamberlain. Melancon will be and is the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera in the closer’s role. Throw in a healthy Humberto Sanchez, Jason Jones, and Daniel McCutchen, along with Chamberlain, Hughes, Kennedy and whoever the Yankees sign between Sabathia and Sheets, no to mention a fully recovered Chien Ming Wang, and the Yankees not only have a stable of young horses, but young horses with firepower.
Now, who should the Steinbrenner’s use to harness and nurture all of this youth and inexperience? The same two men that did it the last time the Yankees were in the toilet and needed mouth to mouth an electric shock to the heart to get them back where they belong…Buck Showalter in the dugout, and Gene “Stick” Michael in the GM’s chair. While Big Boss was gone suspended, Michael drafted and kept the likes of Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. I don’t think those guys turned out too bad did they? Hard to argue with 4 World Series titles, 6 American League pennants, and 10 division titles with those cornerstone players. Buck was rushed out the door, and Stick had simply had enough. Perhaps the younger Steinbrenner will look to the past to brighten the Yankees’ future.
Sidney Ponson will be taking the hill for the Bombers in Game 2 of the home set, and I have absolutely no idea who is pitching for the Royals. At this rate, it really doesn’t matter, because the Yankees will play shoddy defense, pitch well enough to win, and find a way to let an inferior team beat them yet again. It truly amazes me how long this Yankees’ squad was able to stay in contention before the wheels came off. I do have one question, and perhaps one of my fellow Yankee fans can answer it for me. This is the third year in a row that injuries have decimated this team. Why isn’t the training team being questioned or held accountable for this annual M*A*S*H unit that is held together from one DL stint to the next? I know the team loves assistant trainer Steve Donahue, but they also loved Mickey Mantle. Mantle knew when it was time to go…perhaps Donahue needs a push from upstairs to find his way out as well.
I will be back on later today or early tomorrow morning to summarize what I am sure will be another agonizing loss for Yankee fans to stomach, and perhaps shed some light on what went wrong yet again.
As always, take care of yourself, be good, and take care of your buddy next to ya!
Royals/Yankees Preview…Roadtrip: What Went Wrong
The Yankees open up a crucial three game series with their long time rival Kansas City Royals Friday night at the Stadium. This will be the last time that the Royals visit Yankee Stadium before it closes at the end of the 2008 season. Over the years, there have been quite a few memories made between these two teams. Historic events such as the Pine Tar Game in 1983, Chris Chambliss’ pennant-winning blast are a couple just to mention.
The 2008 version of this matchup is not quite as sexy as in years past, but is just as important for the Yankees as any series against Kansas City has been in years. Why? Simply stated, the Yankees are 9 1/2 games back of Tampa, and 6 games back in the wild card entering play Friday night. For the Yankees to reach the postseason, their playoffs start now…they start tonight as Andy Pettitte, who historically is lights out from August 1st on, has been anything but. Fortunately for the Yankees, the Royals are in as much of a slump as they are. Difference is, the Royals were expected to play this way, while the Yankees, given their large payroll and big headlines, were supposed to compete for a World Series title. Gil Meche will take the hill for the Royals. Kansas City scored a mere two runs in their recent three game sweep at the hands of the AL Central Division leading Chicago White Sox. The Yankees, come limping home on the heels of a 3-7 roadtrip that saw them split a four game set in Texas, getting swept by the Angels out in California, and losing two of three to the Twins in the Metrodome.
So what went wrong? The bullpen showed its inexperience. The offense failed to hit not only with RISP throughout the roadtrip, but also failed to do the small things that get rallies started and starting pitchers knocked out. They failed to capitalize on opportunities that opposing starters gave them. Players on this Yankees’ team showed signs of lackadaisical play, shoddy defense, and an indifference for their play that is reminiscent of the early 1990′s Yankees’ squads that lost anywhere between 85-95 games over that timespan.
What needs to happen? Patience at the plate. Make the Royals’ starters work for their success. They may all collectively pitch well, but make them earn it. Work the count, know your strikezone, and if you make an out, make it a productive out, move some runners over either by fly ball or groundout behind the lead runner. Take the extra base, make the defense make a perfect play, and show some hustle. It’s amazing how well Mike Sciosia’s Angels play when they force the hand of the opposing team. Drop down a bunt when one isn’t expected, steal a base. Do the little things that win games. Put a winning streak together. Handle things at home. Use this brief homestand to build some momentum to take on the road and show that this team isn’t dead in the water. For if the Yankees fail to pull themselves up by the bootstraps this weekend, and lose two of three, or god forbid, get swept at home, the season will essentially be over. After this weekend, there will be 37 games remaining and the clock is ticking. The Red Sox and Rays aren’t going away. Make them look over their shoulders…make them think “Oh no, here we go again.” Just like each of the past three seasons, when everyone left the Yankees for dead, this year might actually be the season the dragon has finally been slayed.
I’ll be back on later tonight to review Game 1 of the Royals/Yankees matchup, and see where this team is headed.
As always, take care of yourself, be good, and take care of your buddy next to ya!
As An Eye Witness…I’m Not Shocked
Well, the family and I have returned to Sin City from our weekend voyage to Anaheim to watch the Yankees/Angels series finale Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, I witnessed exactly what I thought I would. One doesn’t need to be a season ticket holder of this team to full comprehend what it going on inside this organization. I’ll get back to that later, but I want to thank the Angels and their fans, for being courteous to us in Yankeeland as we invaded your home ballpark. All of you were very friendly (of course with some added ribbing), and were more than willing to allow us to enjoy the game Sunday, and for the most part, it was a competitive game until the bitter end.
Andy Pettitte, who was reported to be injured, pitched as well as he possibly could given the fact his hitters continued to piss away several opportunities to knock out Angels starter Joe Saunders in the 1st inning and beyond. Some boneheaded choices and an underlying inability to hit with RISP, doomed the Yankees from the start. Being in the stands during the game, when the Yankees put two runs up in their half of the 1st, when they failed to knock in what should have been at the very minimum a third run, when the inning came to a close, you had a sense of dread throughout the fans there to see the Bombers right this ship before it is too late.
I could point to situations throughout the game, and rehash what has already been reported. I won’t, but instead there were a handful of situations that would and should have changed the outcome of Sunday’s game. A-Rod was quoted after the game as saying Sunday’s loss was “devastating, and we need to play with a sense of urgency…every game is a playoff now.” You think? Thanks for the newsflash Captain Obvious (to quote my wonderful wife). This team should have been playing as if it were a playoff every game for a month now. Instead Cano grounds into a double play, Abreu grounds out, failing to get a run in from third with less than 2 outs, and A-Rod runs on his own, attempting to steal 3rd base, gets thrown out and fails to give Nady the opportunity to knock him in. Game, set, match. We as a collective fanbase, knew when A-Rod was called out (which he clearly had his hand on the bag prior to the tag), the game was essentially over. The wind had been taken out of this team’s sails, and the Angels and that damn monkey did what they had to. Angels 4, Yankees 3.
Now, the question is, will this team play with the urgency needed to sustain any type of run at the AL wild card. Forget the eastern title. That will be for next year, Tampa or Boston has the numbers and the schedule to dream of division titles. The Yankees can start their march tonight in Minneapolis against one of the teams in front of them in the wild card chase. The Twins are 1 1/2 games behind Boston, who is struggling since the return of David Ortiz, and the trade of Manny Ramirez. We knew that would happen. If New York can somehow regroup, sweep the Twins, and return home to handle the Royals next weekend, the Yankees will be primed to overtake the BoSox in the wild card chase as they meet sooner, rather than later.
Sidney Ponson returns to the mound tonight as he continues his “Revenge Tour” taking on yet another team that cut him loose. He faces Carl Perkins, who gave up 5 earned against the Bombers in New York the last time he faced them. Ponson has a nice record since joining the Bombers, and an even better mark against the Twins, having pitched a complete game while a member of the Rangers earlier this season.
A relative unknown, I enjoyed watching the burner Justin Christian show off his speed not only on the basepaths, but in centerfield Sunday, and I hope Girardi gives him time over Melky down the stretch. He can hit a little, he can run alot, and he isn’t a big name, one in which he will demand the spotlight. How nice would that be for a change?
Stay tuned as I will be posting an entry later tonight after the series opener versus the Twins.If any of you wish to contact me, you can e-mail me at westcoastyankees@yahoo.com
As always, take care of yourself, be good, and take care of your buddy next to ya.
The March Towards October Postseason Begins in Arlington
Well, what can I say? I was prepared for the worst, and was pleasantly surprised by not the best, but a pulse. After watching the best team in baseball march into Fenway, gut the Red Sox like fish, and march right into the Bronx and do the same thing Thursday night, I truly believed the season for all intents and purposes was going to be over in terms of mattering by Sunday afternoon. Instead, the Yankees found purpose, they found some grit, and they eeked out a little bit of pride by pulling off a split with a team they over the last handful of years, literally owns the Yankees. Thursday night the Bombers got blasted, then shut out, and magically they rediscover their bats on both Saturday and Sunday, scoring in the double digits both days, led by a career day for newly acquired Xavier Nady, who went 4-5, with his 3rd bomb in pinstripes, and garnering 6 RBI in Sunday’s defenseless victory.
Where does that leave the Yankees? 5 1/2 games back of Tampa as play starts Monday night, but more importantly, the road trip that Yahoo! Sports claims is going to be the iceberg that sinks the Titanic of the Bronx. New York starts a trip where their next 16 of 19 possible games will be away from the Cathedral. Unfortunately the Yankees don’t have an easy ride on this road trip, playing the Rangers, the Angels and the Twins, with a quick stop back at home, before heading north of the border to face the pitching strong Blue Jays, who just happen to believe that they too are still in this race.
Joba Chamberlain takes on Vincente Padilla in Game 1, as the Bombers best bring not only their A-game, but their bats, because you can best believe as the heat continues to sizzle in the summer of Texas, their bats led by AL MVP Josh Hamilton is starting to recover from his post-Home Run Derby slump. As mentioned before, Xavier Nady is making his new presence felt, blasting 3 bombs, and 9 ribbies since coming over from Pirateland. With reports that the Yankees might be willing to say goodbye to rightfeider Bobby Abreu this next offseason, he is either playing to stay, or playing to get his dollars up-either way, Abreu is finally starting to heat up again. The biggest question is however, will the rest of the slumping Bombers follow? Pudge did hit his first home run as a Yankee, and he has always hit well in his original stomping grounds of Arlington. Look for Pudge to have a nice series against his former team.
Injury concerns have reared their ugly head once again, as Robby Cano is battling a hand injury, and Mo Rivera was unavailable due to back spasms. Edwar Ramirez looked lost at times against Anaheim, but the Bombers did gain back a power arm-no, not Kyle Farnsworth (thank god…1/3 of an inning, 3 earned runs Sunday), but fellow Oregonian and friend to my cousin, Brian Bruney. I still can’t believe with all of the relief corp problems the Diamondbacks have had over the last couple of years, the they simple let Bruney walk. I love this guy’s arm, and his mental makeup. Look for Bruney to have a big final 8 weeks of the regular season out of Yanks’ bullpen.
Mark August 5th (tomorrow) on your schedules, as free agent pitcher Freddie Garcia will be holding an all scouts welcome workout, trying to fetch some quick cash to pitch the remainder of this season. This is where being a Yankee fan is always worth it…Brian Cashman will, and I love it, overpay for Freddie just to attempt to upgrade the mistakes that are Ponson and Rasner. Ponson did indeed pitch a gem Friday night against the Angels, and yes, he is 4-1 since joining the Yankees, Garcia has big game, pennant race experience. Not knowing for sure if and when Chien Ming Wang returns, the Yankees don’t know for sure what he has left this season. He just got into a walking boot, and is several weeks away from being able to pitch, if at all in 2008. As much as I have always loved Eric Milton, and loathed Carl Pavano, it might be Pavano who makes a start for the Yankees in 2008 before the season is over. Pavano threw 28 pitches the other night, and looked relatively good. We shall see, I am still not sold on that piece of human cow flop.
In closing for this entry, I want to send my condolences to the Caray family, as long time Braves’ broadcaster Skip Caray passed away yesterday at the age of 68. Long before the MLB Extra Innings package was available, and the only games to be seen in Oregon were on WTBS, ABC Monday Night Baseball, and NBC’s Saturday Game of the Week, Mr. Caray was one of the voices I grew up listening to as the Braves struggled with fellow Oregonian Dale Murphy at the helm. He will be sorely missed, as another piece of my childhood (I turned 32 two days ago) fades into the memories of my mind.
To you all, be good, take care of yourself, and take care of your buddy next to ya!
Enough Already
Okay, so it’s 1:45 a.m. on the left coast, it is still 100 degrees in Sin City, and I am waiting for the nightly update on my 3 fantasy league’s daily stats that it seems like these days help keep me somewhat sane. While I am waiting, I just watched the Yankees/Angels highlights (more like lowlights for Yankee fans), and I began to get warm under the collar once again, as I watched the masacre firsthand a handful of hours earlier. My rant begins….NOW!
Andy Pettitte, who historically speaking, has won almost 72% of his starts throughout his career after the All-Star break looked more like recent Yankee acquisition, Victor Zambrano than he did a two-time 20 game winner, four-time World Series champion, and big game winner since he came to New York in 1995. In 5.1 innings, Pettitte gave up 9 earned runs as the Halos hit three, three-run homers in the opening game of the highly important 4 game set in the Bronx. This type of lackadaisical performance has me rethinking my plans to attend the Yankees/Angels series in Anaheim next weekend. Why the hell would I drive four hours to watch an impotent offense, one filled with what appears to be old, overpaid, underachieving sluggers who I am pretty sure could use a candy bowl full of greenies, and some HGH or better (Yes, I am talking to you Jason Giambi!)?
After a night like last night’s game, and what I read about A-Rod, it reminds me of a bumper sticker that my wife saw and still gets the occasional chuckle from: “A-Rod is an A-Hole.” For the reigning MVP, he sure isn’t proving to me why he was worth $27.5 mil over the next decade. How many rings has he helped deliver? Better yet, how many have Abreu, Cano, Giambi, Matsui, Nady, Damon, or Melky helped deliver? Oh that’s right-ZERO!!!!!!
I was telling my wife (as she was rolling her eyes as I went on another one of my Yankee rants), that I miss the Paul O’Neills, the Scott Brosius’, and the Tino Martinezs of years gone by. Why? Simply stated, because they were more concerned about adding another ring to their collective fingers than they were adding numbers to their contracts and stat sheets. It was about the interlocking NY on the front of the jersey, and not the misplaced numeral on the back. I understand now why Derek Jeter looks disinterested at best this season. He knows what all of us Yankee fans were late in picking up…this team is a collection of has beens and bums, not a collection of guys whose talent as a unit far outweighed their worth as individuals.
This Yankee squad takes me back to my childhood of the 1980s. One in which Donnie Baseball (http://www.inductdonnie.com) was the heart and soul, and beared the brunt of no chance to win a World Series his entire career. Teams during the 80s that on paper should have won the division at least half of the years during the decade, but rather watched Billy Martin come and go, watched Lou Piniella hone his skills that would help lead other teams to glory, and watched an owner make a horse’s *** of himself.
It may not be the same cast of characters, but this team has that same feel. The feeling that you know they should be performing, wiping the opposition off the field by crushing them to death, batting around at least once per game, but yet this Yankees squad did not get their first hit off of Angels starter Jon Garland until the 4th inning last night. By that time, the Yankees were already down 6-0, and I don’t care how good you are (except perhaps the ’04 and ’07 Red Sox) can come back regularly down that many runs too often. The names on the lineup card look impressive enough, but ENOUGH ALREADY!! I sit and watch each hitter come and go, inning after inning, and it makes me want to throw up in my mouth.
If the Yankees continue to lack offense, then score 13, then struggle to score for more extended periods of time, as I have stated before, it doesn’t matter who the hell Brian Cashman brings in, or how emotionally tied Joe Girardi gets to them, this team is going to miss the postseason for the first time in almost a decade and a half. Perhaps it is the wakeup call that the powers that be running this franchise need to finally crack the whip, clean house (Cashman, Girardi, the coaching staff, the has been prima donna players), and start rebuilding and retooling for another dynasty. The embarrassment of missing the playoffs with this kind of payroll will be more than either of the Steinbrenner boys can mentally handle going into the offseason. If Yankee fans think the Bronx was a zoo during the late 70s and early 80s, let a $200 mil+ payroll fall flat on its face and finish 3rd or 4th in their division. A whole new era of Yankees baseball will begin the day after the regular season ends this year, and games such as the one I witnessed last night could be the fuel that helps get this fire started.
Thanks for checking in, be sure to comment, and I am sure I will be back on here later today as more developments occur within Yankeeland and the rest of the baseball world.
Moves, Moves, and Yes, More Moves
Hello Once Again from what I swear is the hottest place in North America (Las Vegas)!
As I sit here, we are about 20 minutes away from the Angels of Anaheim versus the Bombers from the Bronx, and their newest piece of the puzzle, future Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez. It was laughable at how emotional Joe Girardi was when discussing the trade with the media yesterday after it was announced. Once again, just another sign that Girardi has no business being the manager of this team. Who cares that Girardi caught Farnsworth in Chicago, and who cares that Farnsworth was having his best season in pinstripes. In my opinion, it was far too little, far too late. Farnsworth was in the final year of this nightmare of a contract, and of course, of course he is pitching his best right now-want to get paid again! Don’t be fooled. Great stuff, empty brain. Good ridance home run machine.
Brief comments on some other moves that were made (or not made): Griffey to the White Sox…Why? He can’t play centerfield anymore, can’t hit lefties, and is only hitting about .245 on the season. Another case where a GM is in love with the marquee rather than improving his squad for the stretch run…Teixeria to the Halos for Kotchman and a minor leaguer…This could be the final piece of the World Series puzzle for the Angels. Excellent, regardless of whether he hits the free agent market at the end of the season or not. As Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver used to say…”Worry about this year, this year. Worry about next year, next year.” Going for the gold shows how the Angels are trying to make L.A. their town. Last but certainly not least, Manny leaves Beantown for the sunny skies of L.A…Perfect move for the perfect manager. Francona lost control, Theo is Theo, and Manny is still one of the 3 or 4 best pure hitters in the game-BAR NONE! This will force Dodgers management to finally admit that Andruw Jones was a mistake, and either bench he, Andre Eithier, or Juan Pierre. If it were me, Manny would join Pierre and Kemp as the starters until the season ends. Pittsburgh made out like bandits, acquiring power arms, servicable bats, and helped eliminate any chance of David Ortiz ever having another MVP-type season by replacing Manny with Jason Bay. Bay is solid, but does he scare anybody?
Ramirez and Ortiz were the modern-day Ruth and Gehrig combo, and Theo refused to give Manny his props as that type of hitter, and instead got into a pissing match with the much maligned slugger, thus ending any chance, Yes, I said it, any chance of Boston repeating as World Series Champions. With Manny, Boston won more post season games in his 7 1/2 years than they did in the previous 88 combined! Sometimes it is best to think before you act, and everyone got what they wanted…Manny got dealt, thus weakening the lineup and elminating a noted Yankee killer, replacing him with someone who hasn’t ever played in the American League, the Dodgers are now the best team in the NL West on paper, and if Brad Penny along with some other pieces can get healthy, the division is theirs for the taking…and the Pirates, who needed a new direction, have some solid pieces at a cheap price under contract to try and rebuild since the end of the Bonds/Bonilla/Leyland era ended yet again.
One other set of notes before I go…Eric Milton is scheduled to make his first minor league rehab start within the next week, and free agent Freddie Garcia will be throwing before scouts on August 5th. The Yankees will overpay to get his services if they think he can contribute whatsoever. Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner, your time as the 4th and 5th starters in the Yankee rotation is ticking away as we speak.
My next entry will discuss how the Yanks fared against what most national media outlets are labelling the “Best Team in Baseball”.
Be good, be safe, and take care of your buddie next to ya!
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