Posted by: Patrick
Alex has a nice interview with Joel Sherman, who just wrote a new book on the 1996 Yankees (we'll have a review of it in time).
BB: What did you learn in the process of writing the book that you did not already know? Were there any surprises?
JS: I was surprised many times over, which is why I say that my love of reporting was reinvigorated during the process. Instead of telling you about hundreds of little surprises, let me tell you about a revelation that I hope comes out in the book: Just how cosmically aligned stuff needs to be to win a single championship, much less four in five years. I hope the book does a good job of showing all the areas that the construction of that team could have gone off the rails. The example I have used most to explain the concept is this: The Yankees had the sixth pick in the 1992 draft. That means five teams had a chance to take Derek Jeter. The Astros and Reds had every intention of doing it and didn't, and the Expos almost always drafted the highest-ceiling high school player (which was Jeter), but were scared off by how much players such as Todd Van Poppel and Brien Taylor had received in the recent past. Well, what happens if one of those teams takes Jeter and the Yankees end up drafting Jim Pittsley, which was their alternative? Would it matter how much money they spent after that? It is hard to imagine that there would have been one title, and certainly no chance of conceiving four in five years.
JS: I was surprised many times over, which is why I say that my love of reporting was reinvigorated during the process. Instead of telling you about hundreds of little surprises, let me tell you about a revelation that I hope comes out in the book: Just how cosmically aligned stuff needs to be to win a single championship, much less four in five years. I hope the book does a good job of showing all the areas that the construction of that team could have gone off the rails. The example I have used most to explain the concept is this: The Yankees had the sixth pick in the 1992 draft. That means five teams had a chance to take Derek Jeter. The Astros and Reds had every intention of doing it and didn't, and the Expos almost always drafted the highest-ceiling high school player (which was Jeter), but were scared off by how much players such as Todd Van Poppel and Brien Taylor had received in the recent past. Well, what happens if one of those teams takes Jeter and the Yankees end up drafting Jim Pittsley, which was their alternative? Would it matter how much money they spent after that? It is hard to imagine that there would have been one title, and certainly no chance of conceiving four in five years.
Posted by: Patrick
With his injury, Matsui's consecutive game streak of 518 games (1,768 if you count his Japanese playing career) comes to an end. Didn't want it to pass without mentioning. Very impressive. Sad to see it end so abruptly - and in a manner that will have us missing Matsui for a while.
Torre:
Torre:
"We have to take it day by day," Torre said. "Cabrera will play most of the time; Bernie will DH a lot of the time and play some outfield, also. Bubba has certainly given us a reason to play him; he does a lot of good things out there."
05/12: A Tragedy of Errors
Posted by: James
Last night's game was...not good. I'm surprised that the Yankees didn't get blown out as the Red Sox stranded 13 runners over the first six innings. Shawn Chacon pitched into and out of trouble all game, giving up some fly balls that would have been sure homeruns in Coors. Still, the Yankees remained in the lead until Mark Loretta gave Boston the lead. At that point, and I feel bad saying this, but I knew that the game was over. It might have been that Tanyon Sturtze had come into the game at some point (that's the kiss of death for me) but really, all that negative energy had just steamrolled from the first inning when Hideki went down.
X-rays revealed a fractured left wrist, which will require surgery, which to be performed on Friday at Columbia-Presbyterian. Originally, there were optimistic reports but after some time has passed, the news has taken a decidedly negative turn. The consensus seems to be almost 3 months with a few articles positing the loss of a full season. In my mind, even if it is a quick "recovery", it will take a lot longer for Hideki to get back to the point where he can swing a baseball bat with the authority that he used to. Wrist injuries are not trivial, especially for baseball players (see Nick Johnson, Dustin Pedroia, etc.). There's a lot of talk this morning on who the Yankees will try to get with some major names such as Soriano, Torii Hunter, Reggie Sanders, Shannon Stewart, etc.
Cashman has come out and said that he isn't interested in a trade (but at this point, what else can the man say?)
For now, they have brought up Kevin Reese from Triple-A Columbus today. Reese sports a career .281/.345/.448/.793 line in 921 ABs in Columbus and has shown more doubles power than anything else. I don't know much about his defensive ability but I would have rather seen them bring up Kevin Thompson instead as Thompson handles the bat just as well but Thompson adds a lot of speed (he's an excellent basestealer) to the equation. However, I wouldn't doubt that Torre will give Bubba Crosby and Bernie Williams a lot more at bats in the stead of whoever they bring up. Gary Sheffield cannot come back quickly enough.
X-rays revealed a fractured left wrist, which will require surgery, which to be performed on Friday at Columbia-Presbyterian. Originally, there were optimistic reports but after some time has passed, the news has taken a decidedly negative turn. The consensus seems to be almost 3 months with a few articles positing the loss of a full season. In my mind, even if it is a quick "recovery", it will take a lot longer for Hideki to get back to the point where he can swing a baseball bat with the authority that he used to. Wrist injuries are not trivial, especially for baseball players (see Nick Johnson, Dustin Pedroia, etc.). There's a lot of talk this morning on who the Yankees will try to get with some major names such as Soriano, Torii Hunter, Reggie Sanders, Shannon Stewart, etc.
Cashman has come out and said that he isn't interested in a trade (but at this point, what else can the man say?)
For now, Cashman said, he is not interested in pursuing a trade.
"My hope right now is to make sure we assess what we have first," Cashman said. "If you go out on the trade market, you're going to have to sell from your system right now. Let's see what we have first.
"I don't think, in early May, there's going to be too much that makes sense right now. What makes sense and what's most likely is we're going to fight through it with what we have until circumstances dictate otherwise."
"My hope right now is to make sure we assess what we have first," Cashman said. "If you go out on the trade market, you're going to have to sell from your system right now. Let's see what we have first.
"I don't think, in early May, there's going to be too much that makes sense right now. What makes sense and what's most likely is we're going to fight through it with what we have until circumstances dictate otherwise."
For now, they have brought up Kevin Reese from Triple-A Columbus today. Reese sports a career .281/.345/.448/.793 line in 921 ABs in Columbus and has shown more doubles power than anything else. I don't know much about his defensive ability but I would have rather seen them bring up Kevin Thompson instead as Thompson handles the bat just as well but Thompson adds a lot of speed (he's an excellent basestealer) to the equation. However, I wouldn't doubt that Torre will give Bubba Crosby and Bernie Williams a lot more at bats in the stead of whoever they bring up. Gary Sheffield cannot come back quickly enough.
05/11: Carroll on Randy Johnson
Posted by: James
Will Carroll gives his take on the Randy Johnson injury situation in his latest installment of Under The Knife.
Will has mentioned this earlier and I commented on it then. Of course, the last few outings would seem to add credence to Carroll's theory. Hopefully, those knees are being considered as a source of the problem and if he's not healthy, put him on the DL. I would rather have a healthy Randy for the second half rather than an inconsistent Randy all year.
There are other interesting points in the article about other players including pointing out that Coco Crisp has been bedridden for several days with an illness and that Carl Pavano will get a start in Double-A Trenton on Friday.
Credit to Dave Pinto from Baseball Musings for the link.
From the very first pitch, Johnson was not extending, appearing instead to shorten his stride to reduce stress on that damaged front knee. Watch Johnson’s leg--it’s nearly straight. He’ll either “pop up” on his follow-through, getting taller, or rotate to the third base side. Both actions take the energy that normally heads to the plate in a delivery and redirects it. While this is taking some of the pressure off the knee, it’s taking velocity off of the ball, and adding stress to the elbow and rotator cuff. Adding insult to literal injury, Johnson’s changed mechanics are also inconsistent, leading to his newfound control problems. It's notable that his release point seems to change, at least according to the MLB.com video. Video obtained from scouting sources and then seen through the Dartfish program makes this even clearer. Johnson’s release point is more than inconsistent--it's almost random, adding stress to the shoulder. Fastballs from the normal slider release point and sliders from a higher ¾ point are consistent only in their ineffectiveness.
The key here is the knee. Johnson isn’t complaining about it, but it seems that Johnson is either due for a refill on his Synvisc, or the treatment is no longer effective enough to keep him effective. He’s too crafty and talented to write off without another couple of starts, but you don’t have to be an expert to see when Johnson’s on. You probably saw it last night in your own way, but I’ll give you an easy key--watch the front of his jersey. When it pops out hard, as shown on the cover of “Saving The Pitcher,” Johnson is okay. Surprisingly, the gloveside shoulder seems to be okay, despite previously reported problems.
The key here is the knee. Johnson isn’t complaining about it, but it seems that Johnson is either due for a refill on his Synvisc, or the treatment is no longer effective enough to keep him effective. He’s too crafty and talented to write off without another couple of starts, but you don’t have to be an expert to see when Johnson’s on. You probably saw it last night in your own way, but I’ll give you an easy key--watch the front of his jersey. When it pops out hard, as shown on the cover of “Saving The Pitcher,” Johnson is okay. Surprisingly, the gloveside shoulder seems to be okay, despite previously reported problems.
Will has mentioned this earlier and I commented on it then. Of course, the last few outings would seem to add credence to Carroll's theory. Hopefully, those knees are being considered as a source of the problem and if he's not healthy, put him on the DL. I would rather have a healthy Randy for the second half rather than an inconsistent Randy all year.
There are other interesting points in the article about other players including pointing out that Coco Crisp has been bedridden for several days with an illness and that Carl Pavano will get a start in Double-A Trenton on Friday.
Credit to Dave Pinto from Baseball Musings for the link.
05/11: Back Up Starters
Posted by: James
Just a quick note but outside of Pavano, the most major-league ready option for starting pitching help in the Yankees system right now is Darrell Rasner. He's aquitted himself pretty well to AAA so far and he pitches today for Columbus as they take on the Richmond Braves.
Update: Rasner's day is done and he did well, going 6 innings and giving up 6 hits, 1 earned run while striking out 5 and walking none. He threw 105 pitches.
Update: Rasner's day is done and he did well, going 6 innings and giving up 6 hits, 1 earned run while striking out 5 and walking none. He threw 105 pitches.
05/11: Thinking About A-Rod
Posted by: James
Here's an interesting tid-bit...for as good as Ortiz has been, as big a Yankee-killer as he has been in his career, want to know who's been just as good (better, in my oipinion)? A-Rod.
David Ortiz in his career against the Yankees: 74 Games, 274 ABs: .325/.400/.602/1.002 with 17 Hrs and 59 RBIs. 37 BBs, 49 Ks and 1 SB.
-Just with the Red Sox: 56 games, 211 ABs,: .336/.409/.654/1.063 with 16 HRs and 50 RBIs. 28 BBs, 38 Ks and no SBs.
A-Rod against the Yanks: 74 Games, 308 ABs: .347/.398/.692/1.090 with 28 HRs and 72 RBIs. 29 BBs, 58 Ks and 14 SBs.
What does this prove? Nothing. Just like A-Rod's current travails with the Red Sox prove nothing about his worth as a player. He has hit them in the past to a tune of .290/.377/.539 /.916 with 20 HRs and 52 RBIs. But wait, you say, he doesn't hit them when he's with the Yanks. Oh, is that right? .285/.386/.530/.916 with 10 HRs and 21 RBIs would say differently. This is actually somewhat diminished since he started off his Yankees-Red Sox career with a 1-for-17 performance. Take away that those 4 games and voila, .313/.414/.590 /1.004 - MVP numbers.
He has, is and will continue to hit the Red Sox but people will continue to focus on the times that he fails rather than the times that he comes through (including a few moonshots off of self-promoter extrordinaire Curt Schilling). Of course, no one has even mentioned Jeter's numbers against the Sox in the same time period but that's a story for another time and it probably wouldn't matter if they did. The people who keep booing A-Rod are the same folks who were booing Jeter when he started off the 2004 season barely hitting .200, the same people who dared to boo Mariano after he blew a save early last year.
What can A-Rod do? Nothing really. It's simply the burden that he must carry because of
a) the contract that he signed (and I swear that anyone who says that they wouldn't have done the same thing should get a swift boot to the head - you don't pass up a quarter of a BILLION dollars),
b) the fact that he has (somewhat unfairly) become the face for the new Yankees (more than Giambi, Mussina, Johnson, etc.) and
c) he just hasn't had his defining Yankee moment yet.
However, if he keeps hitting to his ability, he'll have his big games against the Red Sox, just like he has in the past. Hopefully, they'll come on a big enough stage that they actually get remembered this time. So, call me an A-Rod apologist but I will continue to root for him whether or not anyone else does...and if A-Rod keeps putting up these numbers, he'll certainly give fans like me even more ammunition.
David Ortiz in his career against the Yankees: 74 Games, 274 ABs: .325/.400/.602/1.002 with 17 Hrs and 59 RBIs. 37 BBs, 49 Ks and 1 SB.
-Just with the Red Sox: 56 games, 211 ABs,: .336/.409/.654/1.063 with 16 HRs and 50 RBIs. 28 BBs, 38 Ks and no SBs.
A-Rod against the Yanks: 74 Games, 308 ABs: .347/.398/.692/1.090 with 28 HRs and 72 RBIs. 29 BBs, 58 Ks and 14 SBs.
What does this prove? Nothing. Just like A-Rod's current travails with the Red Sox prove nothing about his worth as a player. He has hit them in the past to a tune of .290/.377/.539 /.916 with 20 HRs and 52 RBIs. But wait, you say, he doesn't hit them when he's with the Yanks. Oh, is that right? .285/.386/.530/.916 with 10 HRs and 21 RBIs would say differently. This is actually somewhat diminished since he started off his Yankees-Red Sox career with a 1-for-17 performance. Take away that those 4 games and voila, .313/.414/.590 /1.004 - MVP numbers.
He has, is and will continue to hit the Red Sox but people will continue to focus on the times that he fails rather than the times that he comes through (including a few moonshots off of self-promoter extrordinaire Curt Schilling). Of course, no one has even mentioned Jeter's numbers against the Sox in the same time period but that's a story for another time and it probably wouldn't matter if they did. The people who keep booing A-Rod are the same folks who were booing Jeter when he started off the 2004 season barely hitting .200, the same people who dared to boo Mariano after he blew a save early last year.
What can A-Rod do? Nothing really. It's simply the burden that he must carry because of
a) the contract that he signed (and I swear that anyone who says that they wouldn't have done the same thing should get a swift boot to the head - you don't pass up a quarter of a BILLION dollars),
b) the fact that he has (somewhat unfairly) become the face for the new Yankees (more than Giambi, Mussina, Johnson, etc.) and
c) he just hasn't had his defining Yankee moment yet.
However, if he keeps hitting to his ability, he'll have his big games against the Red Sox, just like he has in the past. Hopefully, they'll come on a big enough stage that they actually get remembered this time. So, call me an A-Rod apologist but I will continue to root for him whether or not anyone else does...and if A-Rod keeps putting up these numbers, he'll certainly give fans like me even more ammunition.
05/11: Pink Bats
Posted by: Patrick
For charity, Jeter will be swinging a pink bat:
Via Brian.
Major League Baseball granted special permission for players to use the colorful bats – baby pink, at that – for Mother's Day. They're part of a weeklong program to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Via Brian.
05/11: Yankees 7, Red Sox 3
Posted by: Jason
An extremely satisfying effort from the men in pinstripes last evening. A few interesting developments:
Top 1: Moose serves Ortiz an 88mph BP fastball with Loretta on, 2-0 Sox. However, as would be the case all game, Mike demonstrated trademark composure and immediately struck out Ramirez with an outside fastball. Nixon pops out to end the inning.
Top 2: In an otherwise dominant innning, Moose gives up a mistake to Lowell, 3-0 Sox.
Bottom 2: Bernie's sac fly plates Posada 3-1. Ramirez makes an improbable catch on a John Damon line drive. Highly improbable. Roughly as improbable as Schilling saying the words "no comment."
Top 3: Moose's finest moment...with 2 outs, Ortiz gets a leaking hit from the Yankees' patented "Shift for Ortiz but when he hits it to the right he's somehow safe" shift. Ramirez doubles. Nixon walks to load them. Coolly, Mike ends the inning with a Varitek grounder.
Bottom 3: Like a skilled craftsman, Jeter works Schilling from an 0-2 count to a single the other way. Giambi's bomb to right center ties the game. Is it acceptable for me to say what is creeping into all of our minds re: Jason? It is? Fine: MVP.
Bottom 5: Alex takes Red Light (Jim Fregosi's nickname, not mine) so deep to left that the guys in the first row of the upper deck try to catch the ball. 4-3 Yankees. Say what you want about Alex: I want him to hit 800 in pinstipes. Following a walk by Matsui-san, Posada makes it 6-3 with a moonshot to right.
Bottom 6: After a double by Bernie and a Melky sac bunt, John Damon scores our favorite guitarist from 3rd with a single. Just a moment...the Yankees lead the American League in sac bunts? With the best lineup in the game? I'm no Clay Davenport, but that is confusing.
Top 7: Proctor makes the Sturtze decision easy by blowing some "country hardball" (as Jim Kaat might say) by Ramirez with Ortiz and Loretta on base to end the innning. Ortiz again was the beneficiary of the strange shift described above.
Top 9: Off to never-never land...Mariano is overpowering as the Yankees win their 19th of the season.
Very satisfying.
Top 1: Moose serves Ortiz an 88mph BP fastball with Loretta on, 2-0 Sox. However, as would be the case all game, Mike demonstrated trademark composure and immediately struck out Ramirez with an outside fastball. Nixon pops out to end the inning.
Top 2: In an otherwise dominant innning, Moose gives up a mistake to Lowell, 3-0 Sox.
Bottom 2: Bernie's sac fly plates Posada 3-1. Ramirez makes an improbable catch on a John Damon line drive. Highly improbable. Roughly as improbable as Schilling saying the words "no comment."
Top 3: Moose's finest moment...with 2 outs, Ortiz gets a leaking hit from the Yankees' patented "Shift for Ortiz but when he hits it to the right he's somehow safe" shift. Ramirez doubles. Nixon walks to load them. Coolly, Mike ends the inning with a Varitek grounder.
Bottom 3: Like a skilled craftsman, Jeter works Schilling from an 0-2 count to a single the other way. Giambi's bomb to right center ties the game. Is it acceptable for me to say what is creeping into all of our minds re: Jason? It is? Fine: MVP.
Bottom 5: Alex takes Red Light (Jim Fregosi's nickname, not mine) so deep to left that the guys in the first row of the upper deck try to catch the ball. 4-3 Yankees. Say what you want about Alex: I want him to hit 800 in pinstipes. Following a walk by Matsui-san, Posada makes it 6-3 with a moonshot to right.
Bottom 6: After a double by Bernie and a Melky sac bunt, John Damon scores our favorite guitarist from 3rd with a single. Just a moment...the Yankees lead the American League in sac bunts? With the best lineup in the game? I'm no Clay Davenport, but that is confusing.
Top 7: Proctor makes the Sturtze decision easy by blowing some "country hardball" (as Jim Kaat might say) by Ramirez with Ortiz and Loretta on base to end the innning. Ortiz again was the beneficiary of the strange shift described above.
Top 9: Off to never-never land...Mariano is overpowering as the Yankees win their 19th of the season.
Very satisfying.
Posted by: Patrick
Elliott Kalb at FOX Sports names the 10 biggest games/moments of the Torre era, making for a nice look back:
2. 1996 World Series, Game 3: Following two defeats at Yankees Stadium (by a combined score of 16-1), Joe Torre faced a huge game in his career. Torre won this game with his decisions. He ordered rookie Derek Jeter to sacrifice Tim Raines to second base in the first inning. It paid off, as Bernie Williams scored Raines with a base hit. And later in the game, the manager faced an even more crucial decision. Yankees starter David Cone nursed a 2-0 lead through five innings, but Atlanta threatened in the bottom of the sixth. Glavine walked, and Grissom singled. Lemke moved the runners over with a bunt. Chipper Jones walked. The Braves had the bases loaded and one out with the heart of the order (left-handed hitters Fred McGriff and Ryan Klesko) coming up. Torre, who had managed for years in the National League, could have made a double-switch and replaced Cone (due to bat third in the 7th inning). He had lefty Graham Lloyd and reliable Rivera ready in the pen. Instead, Torre let Cone continue to pitch. McGriff popped to short. Klesko walked in a run. Javy Lopez popped to the catcher. Rivera retired the Braves in the seventh. Bernie Williams hit a two-run homer for insurance in the eighth. The Yankees were back in the World Series. ...
4. 1998 A.L.C.S., Game 4: The Yankees won 114 games during the season, but their season could have ended for the second straight season in Cleveland. The Yankees won Game 1 in New York, but the Indians took the next two games. Torre could have panicked, and gone back to ace David Wells (18-4). Wells had beaten the Indians in Game 1, and was at that point 12-3 lifetime against the Tribe. He even offered to pitch on three days rest. Torre refused the offer. Instead, he selected Orlando Hernandez, a 32-year old rookie (and no one believed his age) who had fled Castro's Cuba and had never before pitched in the freezing Cleveland temperatures. "El Duque" shutout the Indians, and pitched the Yankees back into the series.
4. 1998 A.L.C.S., Game 4: The Yankees won 114 games during the season, but their season could have ended for the second straight season in Cleveland. The Yankees won Game 1 in New York, but the Indians took the next two games. Torre could have panicked, and gone back to ace David Wells (18-4). Wells had beaten the Indians in Game 1, and was at that point 12-3 lifetime against the Tribe. He even offered to pitch on three days rest. Torre refused the offer. Instead, he selected Orlando Hernandez, a 32-year old rookie (and no one believed his age) who had fled Castro's Cuba and had never before pitched in the freezing Cleveland temperatures. "El Duque" shutout the Indians, and pitched the Yankees back into the series.
05/10: Quick Hughes Update
Posted by: James
Phil Hughes took the mound today after his start last night was rained out. He fared quite a bit better than in his first start at AA Trenton, going 6 innings and striking out 5 while allowing 5 hits and one walk. It's good to see him showing off his spectacular combination of strikeout stuff and precision control.
Also, Baseball America profiled the amazing Jose Tabata. It's a quick read and pretty much summarizes all the stuff Mike A. and I have been spouting about him since the season began. He is definitely one to watch.
Also, Baseball America profiled the amazing Jose Tabata. It's a quick read and pretty much summarizes all the stuff Mike A. and I have been spouting about him since the season began. He is definitely one to watch.
