Boooooo......Ya!!

Ah, fickle Yankee fans. How you love to boo yourself the A-Rod. How you take such pleasure in vocalizing your personal frustrations in life in the direction of the reigning AL MVP. Yes, he makes $250 million. Yes, that more than any of us will ever sniff.....perhaps all put together. Yes, he occasionally strikes out with runners in scoring position. And, yes, he hits game winning home runs. Funny how those boos turn to yaas in a flash. Get over yourself.

Tonight's 2-0 win was not about A-Rod, as much as it seems every game is about him in some way. Tonight's game was about Chien Ming Wang and a knack for the ground ball. 8 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, no runs, and a whopping 4 double plays. Tonight's game was also about Robinson Cano and Andy Phillips. Their defense was huge in a number of crucial situations. Wang was able to relax on the mound because the right side of the infield was turning in gold star plays throughout the evening. They even saved their biggest connection for the 9th inning, when a shaky Mariano Rivera needed a slick 3-4-3 double play to get out of some trouble. It seems Mariano has lost strike three lately. He'll probably find it in the backseat of his car one day after work. That's where I often find things I can't seem to locate.

This game was also about Bernie Williams. I admit that I complained at having Bernie in the 5th spot. It made no sense to me during the pre-game. It made no sense to me when A-Rod struck out twice on breaking balls. It made no sense to me up until the moment he hit his late inning home run. It suddenly was forgotten when he got his curtain call to the chants of "Bernie, Bernie". Now I remember, it makes no sense. Robinson Cano is a lefty that could slide in behind A-Rod and force pitchers to respect his line drive prowess. He makes contact and hit smokers to both fields. A-Rod might get a few more fastballs, or pitched closer to the middle of the plate, if Cano was put behind him. With Bernie, despite the great moment at the Stadium, I'm not throwing Alex anything remotely resembling a straight pitch. Sorry Bernie. I love you, but you need to hit near the bottom of the order.

Zito was also good, but A-Rod is so talented that a low and outside change up can wind up in the seats. No shame. On a different night, maybe the A's win the ballgame 3-1 or 5-1, but Wang made sure that didn't happen and we're back in first again by percentage points thanks to a rain shortened game at Fenway, which the Stockings dropped to Texas 6-0. Way to go Yanks.

Finally, this game was about Hideki Matsui, who will be missed by everyone around the team and who wrote a typically humble Japanese style letter to all of us apologizing for his time away, and thanking us for supporting him. Get back soon Gojira.

Matsuzaka Watch: Episode 7

With the Hideki Matsui injury stealing headlines, I opted to wait on posting this update until Yankee fans had the opportunity to read my piece on Gojira before bumping it from the top spot on the blog.

Our hero, Daisuke Matsuzaka, took the mound against the world famous Tokyo Yomiuri Giants last night in an interleague game matchup. The Lions have struggled recently, dropping out of 1st place in the Pacific League, mainly due to poor pitching. Young Daisuke was sure to be the remedy for those ills. The Lions managed to win a close ballgame 3-1 with some late inning fireworks. Here's the lowdown:

In the Giants half of the first inning, Matsuzaka started sluggishly. Walking left fielder Takayuki Shimizu and then allowing a single to right fielder, and former Lion, Tatsuya Ozeki. Still no one out. After a strikeout of infielder Tomohiro Nioka, the Lions' ace gave up his first run on a single by "The Lion King" Lee Seung Yeop. 1-0 Giants. That's all the Giants would get for the remainder of the ballgame, as Matsuzaka cruised to a complete game, using only 106 pitches to strikeout 7, with 5 hits, no walks, and just the single run on the board.

The win didn't come without the pressure of holding it close. The Lions didn't manage to mount an attack until they batted in the 8th inning. With a runner on and two outs, the Seibu club strung together 3 consecutive hits, culminating in a game winning, 2-run double off the bat of Alex Cabrera. Cabrera is now hitting .345 with 9 home runs on the young season and saved a big moment for Matsuzaka's outing in Tokyo. More great pitching for Japan's best player. Here's his updated numbers on the year (click below):

Matsuzaka has allowed one earned run in every start this season, with the exception of the blip two weeks ago against Orix when he gave up 4. His ERA is a ridiculous 1.75 and he sports a WHIP of 1.013 making things very difficult on opposing hitters. His pitch count has been extremely managable recently which bodes well for success in the long marathon that is a professional baseball season. Check back next week for his next outing.

Godzilla vs. Misfortune

Hideki Matsui has been an ironman over the last 10+ years, playing in almost 1800 consecutive games between the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants and the New York Yankees. He’s led a storybook career to this point, and we turn our attention to his accomplishments in the shadow of a serious and season-threatening injury.

Matsui was nicknamed “Gojira” for his ferocious hitting and for his unusual size in high school, and some people say for his unfortunate bout with teen acne. At any rate, the slugger led Seiryo High School to the Koshien National High School Baseball Invitational (that's him with the flag), only to be intentionally walked 5 times in the Round of 8. His team lost and he was soon drafted by the famous Giants. It seems that the storybook life of Hideki Matsui was only beginning.

Matsui went on to become one of the greatest sluggers in the history of Japanese Pro Yakyu, and held the coveted #4 position in the "Kyoujin" lineup until his departure for the Big Apple after the 2002 season. He posted an incredible 50 home runs that season and a 1.153 OPS, the equivalent of Jimmie Foxx's 1933 season. His departure was made possible by the success of Ichiro Suzuki with the Seattle Mariners, and the only question that loomed was whether Matsui's power numbers would translate at all to Major League Baseball.

In his first Major League at bat, with the eyes of the world upon him, Hideki got himself an RBI single against the Toronto Blue Jays. Yankee fans will remember that as the game that Derek Jeter had his shoulder dislocated sliding into 3rd base. Matsui continued to drive in runs and quickly endeared himself to the Bronx faithful by crushing a grand slam into the right field bleachers against the Minnesota Twins in the home opener. That's when the love affair began in earnest.

The power numbers weren't really there for Matsui in his first season. Despite the grand slam, only two long balls would leave his bat in the first two months of the season, and George Steinbrenner was heard to grumble about the money he was spending on his Japanese import without the power return. It was a faithful session in the batting cage before an interleague game with Cincinnati that helped Gojira get his bite back. Jorge Posada noticed that his hands were staying forward throughout the entire swing and that no power was being generated. Sure enough, with his hands loaded up again, Matsui blasted six homers in interleague play and went on to finish with 16 on the year. With a respectable .287 average, 16 home runs, 42 doubles, and 106 RBIs, Hideki Matsui had helped the Yankees to another division title and cemented his place in the Big Leagues. In the postseason, Matsui's finest moments were saved for the Red Sox in the ALCS. He hit .308 and had two huge doubles in Yankee Stadium's Game 7, the last being the table setting for Jorge Posada to tie the score late against Pedro Martinez. As the tying run, Matsui had given the team a chance to come back and win it in the 11th inning on that bit of Aaron Boone magic.

The following year, he was determined to find the famous home run stroke that had made him one of the most feared hitters in the history of his home country. The Yankees opened the season in Japan for exhibitions with Japanese clubs, and a pair of games against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Matsui won the MVP of the mini-tournament with a home run in the penultimate game. Posada deserved the award, but how can you argue with passing him up for the home town hero, who had homered in front of his parents? He was not to be denied his power surge on US soil as he nearly doubled his total to 31 home runs. Unfortunately, along with several of his teammates, Matsui's 2004 will be remembered for the collapse against those same Red Sox in the ALCS, allowing the bitter rival to go on to the Fall Classic and break the 86 year drought of World Series championships. Matsui hit 11-20 (.550) in the first 4 games of the ALCS, with 2 home runs, 10RBIs, and 8 runs scored. In the final 3 games he went cold, hitting only 3-14 (.214) with only 1 run and no RBIs. Better we all forget that terrible series.

2005 was a good year for Gojira. His home run total fell to 23, but his average jumped above the .300 mark at .305, and he posted a stellar 45 doubles and 116 RBIs on the year. 2006 had been an up and down season so far for Matsui, but his swing was coming around lately and his presence in the middle of the Yankee order loomed very important as Gary Sheffield went down with a variety of bumps and bruises. All that changes on one fateful dive in the outfield on a Mark Loretta blooper.

The Yankee lineup without Matsui looks thin. In the short term, it appears as though minor league talent, in combination with Bernie Williams and Bubba Crosby, will be asked to hold down the fort. I like Melky Cabrera a great deal and hope he get the opportunity to play on an everyday basis. I expect to see good things from him. The other side of the outfield is a much bigger question. Bernie is a huge liability in the field, Bubba Crosby's bat is light, and a second minor leaguer makes things very inexperienced. In the long term, I virtually guarantee the Yankees make a run at Torii Hunter of the Twins. His bat doesn't belong in the cleanup spot, as it is in the northern territories, but it won't have to be on the Yankees. His ability to play centerfield at a Gold Glove level would solve a lot of problems, and should he join the Yankees around the trade deadline in July, certainly adding him to the rifle arm and power bat of Gary Sheffield would strengthen our team once again. Only time will tell.

As for the impact of Matsui's injury on other fronts, clearly his ability to completely come back from a wrist injury has to be proven. Hitting is mainly in the legs, hips, and wrists, and aside from a back injury, a broken wrist is a tough rehab for an over 30 power hitter. I think he'll be able to get back this year, but we'll likely only see a singles hitter down the stretch, and it wouldn't surprise me to see a lot of nights in the DH slot if he can come back.

Not having Matsui out there everyday also hurts the Yankees/Yomiuri relationship to a degree. With a lot tied up financially in Matsui's presence in the Yankee lineup, Yomiuri now has to be cringing at the loss on their investment. There's a big Yomiuri Shimbun sign on the right field wall that is prominently featured everytime Matsui goes yard in the Bronx. With fewer viewers in Japan, the worth of that sign goes down considerably. It hasn't been a good year for Matsui's image in Japan. His refusal to participate in the World Baseball Classic was received coldly by the Japanese, especially after Ichiro signed on. The Yankee outfielder seemed to roll with the punches as he was criticized in the media, but the stunning Japanese win catapulted the team's members into the pantheon of national heroes while Matsui sat home watching on television. Not only wasn't he there, but his countrymen won the whole thing without his help. Adding this injury to his controversial offseason, can't help his image as a favorite son of Japan. He may go quietly into the night until the Yankees win the whole thing again.

The coming weeks and months will be important for Matsui and the Yankees. We'll have to keep an eye on his surgery, rehab, and timetable. The Yankees will have to live without his timely hitting and occasional power. Most importantly, I will have to sit on the edge of my seat every weekend, hoping the masters of NHK will continue to show Yankee broadcasts even without their homegrown star in the game. It will be a long and dismal summer if they leave the Yankees out in favor of Tadahito Iguchi or additional Mariners games. Stay tuned.....

AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!!!!

Are you bloody serious?! Tanyon Sturtze in a tight ballgame against the Red Sox?! How much more do we all have to see of this? It's become a ranting obsession of mine, but I think I have good reason to be so furious.

It's going to take an edict from The Boss himself to banish Tanyon forever to the Abyss. Mr. Steinbrenner, sir, it is my sincere and humble request to you, as a lifelong Yankee fan, please please please force your subordinates to rid us of this plague on our house. Tanyon Sturtze MUST GO!!!

What happened in the later innings wasn't his fault. I can't pin the Yankees' problems on one man, but it's a disaster waiting to happen when you give Clueless Joe a toy to play with that is clearly labelled "Not for children under the age of 3, or Joe Torre". It's asking for trouble. Despite a career long slump, Torre asks his worst pitcher to enter the game in a close affair against our biggest rival, in the swing game of the series and get out their best hitter. What happens? He walks him. And many of us consider that result lucky. Villone was the guy that gave it up, but where did it begin? Sturtze. Villone hardly pitches and isn't sharp. Why? Sturtze leads the Yankees in appearances.

That's all I'm going to say about that today. I can't stomach anymore.

Far more unnerving is the loss of Hideki Matsui to what sounds like a fractured wrist. His streak of games played is snapped, but that may end up being a good thing for him. He may need the rest. The problem for the Yankees is that we are without Sheffield already, and Matsui was just getting hot. His absence will likely be of the longer variety, like 3 months, and even when he returns he'll need to strengthen the wrist to get his power back. It doesn't just happen that you return from the DL and get back into the groove right away. We need to solve this problem with Melky and Bernie and Bubba.....how does that sound to everyone? Hmmm.....

Bernie Williams may become more important now than anyone thought he would be at any point in the 2006 season. He hasn't been great, and there's plenty to complain about, but the bat is at least still earning him a few singles here and there that may help us drive in a few runs. As it is, the bottom of our order is now extremely weak and I have to wonder what's going to happen now.

The loss is one thing (this one's on Torre) but the injuries are piling up and we're off course for the time being.

Curtis Blow(s)

Man, do I hate Curt Schilling. Even though he beat us with the bloody ankle, I’m happy he’s not a Yankee. If you recall, the Sox and Yanks were bidding for his services a few years ago. We split the two Diamondback aces between us, and while it seems the Red Stockings got the stronger pitcher, I’d rather watch Randy Johnson pitch mediocre baseball, than be forced to cheer for a schlub like Schilling.

The guy is renowned for his idiotic, arrogant, and self-aggrandizing public statements, and on top of all that he’s a loyal Bushie. They somehow put up with his religious right antics in the heart of dyed in the wool liberal New England. Funny what a plus fastball will do for a guy. Yuck. I feel sick even writing about him.

So, you might imagine that I was more than a little happy to see him get beaten up by the Yankees in Game Two of this early season meeting. However, unlike fans in Red Sox Nation, my pleasure in the result of the game doesn’t derive exclusively from the failure of my rival. I am beaming at the victory for the following reasons:

1. Mike Mussina has posted a quality start in every appearance this season.

2. Jason Giambi is on his way to the AL MVP with the way he’s dominating.

3. Alex Rodriguez responded to the Boss’ rant with a big home run.

4. Scott “The Proct-ologist” Proctor gave Manny a thorough exam in the 7th. (Plus, no Sturtze!)

5. I predicted a 5-3 Yankee win at Bronx Banter yesterday.

Two notes on Red Sox players:

1. David Ortiz continues to kill the Yankees…even though Myers was unlucky.

2. Mike Lowell is having an outstanding year. I’ll pat myself on the back.

Game Three is the rubber match with Chacon and Wakefield dueling it out. I like the Yankees to win by a score of 9-4, with another big day for Giambi. See you on the other side.

Get Off Your Ass Cashman

You can read my post below for my thoughts on the Bad News Bombers performance against the Red Stockings, but I HAD to comment on a bewildering and incomprehensible love affair between Joe Torre and Tanyon Sturtze. The article in today's New York Post sums up the enfuriating brain lock that Torre has with regard to Sturtze:

"Joe Torre sought out Sturtze before yesterday's game to talk because the righthander had not retired any of the three batters he faced Sunday. Torre said afterward, 'I wanted to wring his neck.'

'I wanted to let him know I un-wrung his neck,' Torre joked.

After last night's game, Torre noted, 'He needs to polish it up a bit.'"

Joe....wring his neck...please. "He needs to polish it up a bit"?! What does he need to polish? No matter how much you polish a terd, it still stinks. For the love of God Cash Money, do something about this and DFA Sturtze to save Torre from himself. Does he need to get hit in the head with a brick to recognize that this guy is a stiff? Just look at his career numbers and you'll see it clear as day. In 267 career games, Tanyon has produced a 5.21 ERA and a 1.530 WHIP. He has a CAREER "batting average against" of .285!!!! That's a substantial body of work by which to judge a player. STAGGERING!

The picture I chose for this post is my fantasy of Tanyon Sturtze forever leaving Yankee Stadium with a box full of his ERA in tow.

The Bad News Bombers

Is it me or do the Yankees seem to save their most humiliating and bumbling performances for the Red Sox? Randy Johnson walking 5 in less than 4 innings and uncorking 2 wild pitches, Alex Rodriguez botching two balls in the field, Melky Cabrera with yet another costly error against the Beantonians in very limited Major League service. 14-3 is inexcusable at home.

The first two guys are lock 1st ballot Hall of Famers, and Melky has been shredding AAA. To quote legendary Met fan Jerry Seinfeld, “What’s the deal with the Yankees?”

I’m not worried in the least about the final standings. I’m not worried about how the Yankees will perform over the long haul, or against the Sox in the season series. Those things will take care of themselves. What bugs me is simply that we have to hear the “Jeter Swallows” chants even louder against the Sox when we play like this. We see the sales of “A-Rod is an A-Hole” t-shirts skyrocket when he boots balls against the Red Stockings. We have to watch the media piss Randy Johnson off with pointed questions that make him even more caustic and unlikable. Why can’t these guys just bury the Sox a few times to start the season to hush the idiots?

The team will rebound quickly and get back on track. They’re too good to let it get to them. In a 162 game season, you have to keep perspective on each game as an individual event, generally unrelated to what happens the next day. At least you hope a hideous display like Game One of this series doesn’t snowball out of control.

I’m pissed off, so I’m going to say this now. Randy Johnson sucks. He’s a washed up shadow of his former self, and he should be ashamed of the stinkers he’s throwing almost every time out for the Bombers. Ashamed! When I’m thinking more clearly, I’ll come around to the sensible reaction that is led by the notion that Johnson isn’t what he once was, but he’ll be better than this on most nights. Better days are ahead, in other words. Grumble….grumble…..

Aaron Small has continued to be putrid. The pumpkin has arrived. It’s time to cut him loose and make room for Colter Bean. Sturtze is as useless a Major League pitcher as there is anywhere. That's him being beaten by Red Sox players in the brawl a few years ago. It continues on the field to this day. I’m ready to storm Yankee headquarters with the Bleacher Creatures’ mob and slap some Yankee brass in the face. They need to wake up and smell the coffee on Sturtze and Small. There’s no reason for either of them to be on the Major League roster. FREE COLTER BEAN!!!!!!

That’s all I feel like writing today. There will be more tomorrow, and I feel strongly that it will be positive in the wake of another strong Mussina performance. We should see a close, low scoring, affair with Moose and Schilling on the mound, but we hit last, and that should make the difference. Until then……don’t break anything.

Jelly Beans and Melky Ways

The Yanks are on a roll. Everything seems to be clicking right now, and Chien Ming Wang kept the line moving back to Randy Johnson with a quality start against Texas. The string of quality starts that we've enjoyed have coincided with a nice settling in of our offense, even without Gary Sheffield. Joe Torre picked up his 1,000th win as Yankee manager. A-Rod quieted the boo birds in Arlington. Matsui seems to have his mojo back. Yeah babeeee.

Hold on.

I said, "everything seems to be clicking." Maybe I left a couple of things out. I left out the horrendous string of failures contributed by Tanyon Sturtze that are leaving a trail of snail slime behind our pinstriped fun parade. No Maas has chronicled Joe Torre's "man crush" on Tanyon for quite a while now, with some gut bustingly funny photo mock ups. If only it were so amusing in reality. I didn't see the last game of the Rangers' series, but by all accounts Torre blew his stack when Sturtze started his regular choke-a-thon in the late innings. Could this be a turning point in his love affair with the literally and figuratively bloodied reliever? We can only hope so.

It begs the question, what of Colter Bean. I almost wrote a piece entitled "Free Colter Bean" the other day, but it seems someone has dedicated an entire web page to the crusade. While Sturtze has been slipping further into the abyss in the Majors, Colter Bean has been absolutely dominating AAA. When I say "dominating", I mean seriously showing guys up. If you don't believe me, check his stats for this year's Clippers club. 2 and 0, 0.46 ERA in 19.2 innings pitched, 1 run, 9 walks, 24 strikeouts.

This is Colter's 4th year in Columbus. He's appeared in a whopping 243 innings in 180 games for the Clippers in 3+ seasons, and has been called up to the Yankees once, in 2005. He appeared in 1 game, pitched 2 innings, and was a bit shaky. Back to Ohio for Colter. Meanwhile, in those 180 games, Bean is 19 and 12 with a 2.53 ERA, and 284 K's. His WHIP is 1.174 during that run of minor league service and, at 29, NEEDS to be in the Majors, either with the Yankees or in some kind of trade for a veteran Major League player.

It's almost to insane to contemplate that we're stuck watching Tanyon Sturtze repeatedly pitch like Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, while Colter wastes his most productive years playing the Norfolk Tides.

On one positive note for a lucky member of the Columbus Clippers, it seems that either Melky Cabrera or Kevin Thompson will be called up to take the spot of the battered Gary Sheffield. Additionally, it's said that Torre is going to play the young fellah in the field everyday. I'm hoping for Melky, 'cause I think the future is now for him. (Sorry Bernie). He's currently at .376 with 4 homers and 24 RBIs in 30 games. His OPS is hovering around 1.000 and his OBP is well over .400 on the year. He was outstanding in 43 Spring Training at bats, and I'm betting his jitters in the Bronx last season will be gone this time around.

Cold Tex-Mex

Another lightning round of random game thoughts from Canyon of Heroes. Buckle up.

1. Mark Texeira's cold bat in this series reminds me of the break the Yankees caught last year up in Toronto when Vernon Wells was icy. When the Yankees left, just in time, Wells caught fire. What happens when we leave Texas?

2. Giambi is a revelation. Since July 4th of 2005 (103 games), Giambi is 89 for 305 (.292) with 37 home runs and 96 RBIs. He's scored 72 runs, walking 101 times with only 70 K's. His OBP is over .470 and his slugging is .623 by my rough estimate. That makes an OPS around 1.093. His 162 game projection would make 58 home runs, 151 RBIs, 159 BBs, 113 runs, and an MVP award in the making. I hope he keeps up the pace!

3. Chacon is now 11-4 in a Yankee uniform, and 4-1 this season. He's been excellent.

4. A-Rod controlled his smirk after silencing the boos with a 3-run homer. Nice.

5. Scott Proctor continues to look pretty good. I hope the lineup casualties are Sturtze and Wang when Dotel and Pavano come back. It was hard to say Wang instead of Wright, but Wang doesn't have an out pitch right now, and he can't seem to find strike 3. Maybe a little time at AAA Columbus will help him find it. Either way (Wright or Wang) Pavano has to prove he can pitch, and stay healthy.

6. Antonio Alfonseca has a softball league body. He's got that rock hard beer gut that weekend warriors envy. Way to stay in the Major Leagues looking like a Weeble, Fonzie.

The Big and Small of It

Wow. What a meltdown. I was losing my mind during the Bottom of the 8th inning, as the Yankee bullpen conspired to destroy the most dominating start of the season by any Bombers pitcher. My heart is still racing. Yanks win 8-7.

I say that it was the most dominating start of the season because it took place in a hitter's ballpark, against one of the most talented offensive teams in baseball. Mike Mussina continued his absolutely brilliant season by holding the Rangers to 2 hits and no walks over 7 full innings. The Texas club only scratched across a run against Mussina thanks to a deep fly ball that Damon couldn't catch up to and couldn't throw into the infield, turning a tough double into a triple. No skin off Mussina's back. He was thrilling to watch. He also picked up his 5th win in 7 starts, all of which have been quality starts.

Top of the 8th, no one out. Mussina back in with only 85 pitches thrown on the evening, and Kevin Mench knocks out a nice little single. No problem. Mussina will get a double play, right? Well, Joe Torre decided that it was time to get Aaron Small a little work. Last year's Cinderella story needs to shake off some rust from his time on the DL, and a 7 run lead ought to be enough to make this game a spring training affair. That had to be on Joe's mind. At the time, I didn't like it, because I thought it was unfair to bring Mussina out to the mound if you were only going to give him a hitter to prove he was able to continue.

If Joe wanted to bring in Small, why not bring him in with no one on base, and let Mussina finish things off cleanly? If you were going to put Moose back into the game, let him pitch until he got into real trouble. He could probably have finished off the 8th, handing the ball to Small in the 9th. That's enough time to get Small some work. Anyway, it shouldn't have been a debatable decision by Torre. We should simply be sitting around in the glow of Moose's win, wondering why he couldn't have finished the 8th, but relaxing with a coffee.

Small's gilded coach is quickly turning into a pumpkin, and while I loved what he did for us last season n such a poised fashion, I can't enjoy seeing him ineffective against a slugging team like the Rangers. One lesson for the future: rusty or shaky relievers should not get in extra work against good offensive ballclubs on the road. The Rangers' 6 run rally against Small, Farnsworth, and Mariano turned a feel good laugher into a nail biting frustrate-a-thon in a matter of 10 minutes. Thank goodness that Mark Texeira showed why he's so "unclutch" twice in the 8th and 9th innings, or we'd be crying in our beers. (That was a joke.)

On the positive side, Mussina is the Yankees MVP so far this season and looks about as good as he ever has in pinstripes. A-Rod strung together a few good at bats to get back on track. Sheffield is back in the lineup, although he popped up 3 times showing poor timing after his time away. And, finally, Mariano Rivera nailed it down in the end, while the other "Sandman" Billy Wagner gave up the lead run in the top of the 10th on a home run to pinch hitting Wilson Betemit. Cliff Floyd saved his bacon with a bottom of the 10th blast to keep the game going. The "overrated" Carlos Beltran homered again tonight, and scored the winning run in the bottom of the 14th inning at Shea. That mean the 3 most "overrated" players in baseball tonight, in their two teams' wins, went:

Derek Jeter (2 for 5, 2 runs, 2RBI)
Carlos Beltran (2 for 6, 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 runs, 2RBI, 2 walks, the game winning run)
Alex Rodriguez (2 for 4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 walk)

I hope more New York players are that overrated, so I can spend the rest of my life enjoying overrated wins.

Matsuzaka Watch: Episode 6

Coming off his worst outing of the season against Orix, Daisuke Matsuzaka looked to rebound by dominating the Fukuoka Soft Bank Hawks. Easier said than done, as the Hawks are a very good ballclub managed by Oh Sadaharu and featuring several key members of the WBC champion team, including #4 hitter and former triple crown winner Nobuhiko Matsunaka. How would the world's most sought after pitcher fare? Try, very well. Seibu 7, Soft Bank 5.

The score makes this affair seem a lot closer than it actually was. The heavyweight matchup of Matsuzaka vs. Matsunaka manifested in the first run of the ballgame in the Soft Bank 3rd, as the cleanup man drove a ball into the right field stands to give his team a 1-0 lead. That was all she wrote for the Hawks as Matsuzaka cruised for a total of 107 pitches over 7 innings, giving up that lone run on 6 hits and 3 walks. The WHIP of 1.286 is a little high for his typical outing, but the baserunners were scattered fairly evenly over 7, with the only real trouble coming in a shaky 1st and a mildly interesting 7th. Other than that he was lights out.

But wait, you say. The final score was 7-5. That's a competitive ballgame. What happened? The Lions scored in 3 consecutive innings (6-7-8) on a series of walks and hits in the 6th, and home runs by Jeffrey Liefer in the 7th, and Kazuhiro Wada in the 8th. Soft Bank didn't go down easily though, as they answered with 4 runs in the top of the 9th inning against 3 different relievers. Closer, Chikara (Power) Onodera came in to nail down the last two outs for his 9th save, and earning Matsuzaka win #4. Phew. On the season, Daisuke has posted the following numbers (click below):

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

Like yesterday's post on A-Rod, I'd like to blitz through a few random thoughts on the final game against Tampa.

1. This is the Randy Johnson we have. Let's learn to live with it.
2. Matsui is back. You could see it coming yesterday.
3. Baldelli, Huff, Cantu, Lugo waiting in the wings makes Tampa very tough.
4. No bullpen means Tampa should make a trade for a real closer and setup man.
5. Cano hits ropes. On any other team he hits 2 or 3.
6. Someone should do a Tonya Harding on Doug Eddings.
7. Johnny Damon is a great DH. Get an arm in CF please.


One more Yankee note today...Phil Hughes made his first start for AA Trenton and took the loss. He pitched 6 innings giving up 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 3. Welcome to the next level kiddo. He'll do just fine, and you have to think there were big nerves with the expectations on him. I expect you'll see a much better outing next time he pitches.

A little plug for Mike over at "In George We Trust" for the great work he does on daily updates for minor league prospects, and the profile I linked to for Hughes. Nice work Mike!

This Post is About A-Rod

Make no mistake, the main point of this post is that A-Rod is a great player. Remember that, while I quickly recap the Yankee victory against Tampa in lightning style.

1. Wright wasn't great, but I'll take that kind of start from him anytime.
2. Carl Crawford is FAST!!!
3. Tampa is going to get MUCH better when Huff and Baldelli come back.
4. Torre used the bullpen intelligently for the 1st time this season.
5. Matsui looked good at the plate for the 1st time in 3 weeks.
6. Farnsworth's right hand finishes in a funny hook around his left leg.
7. Professional athletes get swept up in nonsense like everyone else.

There, my quick game notes. #7 helps me get on with my intended point about A-Rod. Michael Kay announced that Sports Illustrated conducted a poll of players around Major League Baseball asking which players are most "overrated". Clearly an unscientific poll in that there's no way to ACTUALLY determine how a player is "rated" to know whether they are overrated or underrated. It's a kind of bar room game that's only purpose is to find out which guys are the easiest targets for jealousy, bitterness, and probably deep-seeded intimidation. You know. The guys we love to hate.

The results came back in this order:

1. Derek Jeter
2. Carlos Beltran
3. Alex Rodriguez

What do they all have in common? Big contracts and New York teams. People love to hate those who have what they don't, so the money factor isn't surprising. New York is a magnet for spite and anger, so that's also easy to figure. Now, as for the first two, I'll try to be brief. A-Rod is the main point of this post, as I've said several times already. Paying attention?

Derek Jeter is overrated? I know people think highly of him. He's been called Captain Intangible, which doesn't sell well with the sabermetrics crowd. His fan appeal, calming influence in the clubhouse, quiet professionalism, and knack for flashy plays at crucial moments has vaulted him into the forefront of baseball consciousness and has earned him the captaincy of the sports' most storied franchise. He won 4 titles and has been to the Series 6 times in 10 seasons. Jeter will soon post his 2000th hit in less than 11 seasons of work. That means he averages close to 200 hits a year. He has a career average of .315, and an OBP of almost .390. About the only thing he doesn't do is hit for big power. In the world of SportCenter that's what counts though, and that's why the 1990's was such an explosive television era for baseball. The same tabloid craze that makes Jeter an idol for his dating prowess, also makes him an easy target for haters. Add in a salary that ranks among the highest in history and you get jealousy. He's a lock Hall of Famer. He dove head first into the stands of a regular season game against the Red Sox. Hasn't he earned a little respect?

Carlos Beltran is a terrific ballplayer. About the only thing that prevents him from going 30-30 every year is tender hammies. His batting average could be a bit higher to help his case, but he produces. If he had come out in his first year in a Met uniform and continued his 2004 season, no one would call him overrated. No chance. The guy would be the darling of every sports commentator in America, and his peers would stop what they were doing to watch his at bats. He's the victim of a big payday and the New York spotlight. When he was a Royal everyone loved him. When he was blazing hot with the Astros, he was a King. Now, he's a Met and there's a bullseye on his forehead. Even bitter and jaded Met fans boo him, after watching some of the worst baseball in recent Queens memory for the last several years. Give him a break. If he drops off significantly from here on out, I'll give it to you, but calling him overrated at this point is just silly.

Now to A-Rod. I don't need to get into the historical case for A-Rod too much because it has been done far better than I could hope to do by Bronx Banter co-author, Cliff Corcoran. A-Rod, according to Cliff's research, can be considered the 2nd greatest shortstop in baseball history behind only Honus Wagner. He will also finish somewhere between the 5th and 8th greatest third baseman of all time, with only about half a career at the hot corner. Tell me another player of his caliber who shifted positions mid-career the way A-Rod did. He gave up the marquee position in the modern game....the equivalent of Mickey Mantle's centerfield in the 1960's....and he still won the MVP.

People have jumped on the "clutch" argument against A-Rod since he put on pinstripes and it makes me sick. First, what the hell is "clutch" and how do you measure it? When the experts have crunched the numbers, it's apparent that most of the big names in baseball are on the short end of "clutch". You can look more closely at this Page 2 article from ESPN's review of the Baseball Prospectus Book "Baseball Between the Numbers". He had the game winning hit in the top of the 10th inning in today's game against Tampa, which probably qualifies as "clutch".

No one is worth $250,000,000, and that's the crux of A-Rod's cross to bear. He will never live up to that money, not that anyone else could either. You'd have to hit .600 and break the home run record every year. He's probably not as good as Pujols, and needs to continue his dominance for at least 10 more years before people put him in Bonds league. At least he's doing it clean. He's #20 on the career OPS list, and was the youngest player to hit 300 and 400 home runs. He's going to finish this season around #25 on the career list at the age of 31. If he's overrated, what else does he have to do to live up to his "proper rating"?

The arguments that people use to belittle Alex Rodriguez' accomplishments are all based on the feeling that $250 million requires him to be Babe Ruth reincarnate. He needs to be so much better than anyone ever has been that it's impossible for him NOT to be overrated. That's not fair. Baseball Reference has a feature that allows us to determine the closest comparable players statistically to one another. Let's look at the list of 10 players most similar to A-Rod through the same age, in this case 29:

1. Ken Griffey, Jr.
2. Mel Ott
3. Mickey Mantle
4. Hank Aaron
5. Frank Robinson
6. Eddie Mathews
7. Jimmie Foxx
8. Rogers Hornsby
9. Vladimir Guerrero
10. Al Kaline

Tell me what else the guy has to do to be "rated properly"? He's categorically in the same league as household name Hall of Famers, and additionally promises to finish in the same league as guys like Mays, Dimaggio, Ruth, Williams, and Bonds. A-Rod's main rival in this argument has been David Ortiz who, as good as he's been for two seasons, has career comparisons to guys like Mo Vaughn, Richie Sexson, Ryan Klesko, Danny Tartabull, Giambi, Delgado, and Tino. Fine players, but until he has the body of work that Rodriguez has, and plays more in the field, it seems like a stupid Red Sox Nation joke. Hate if you will, but I plan to be there at the end of his Yankee career ready to say, "I told you so." Go get 'em Alex.

Neanderthals of Red Sox Nation

I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m amazed at the classless rabble of Red Sox fans that would boo a player as important as Johnny Damon was to the 2004 Champions. Let me amend that statement to say that I’m amazed that they booed him right away.

What kind of ungracious, boorish, and forgetful people the Neanderthals of Red Sox Nation are. Neither could they find it in their hearts to thank Johnny Damon for contributing mightily to their only World Series Championship in 86 years, nor could they keep from spewing nonsensical bile from their respective cake holes. Lest they forget, take a look at the picture at left and tell me that you'd be able to enjoy that trophy without the monumental contribution of your shaggy former lead off man. I just don't see it happening for you with Coco Crisp and Mark Loretta hitting 1-2 for you Beantown Bozos, so I don't get the hostility.

I’ll try to put myself in their shoes. Derek Jeter’s contract is up. The Boss thinks he’s past his prime and the asking price is too high. Jeter sees a chance to make his last contract count for the Red Sox and makes the move. I’m pissed. That damn traitorous bastard. I’m going to boo him…..But wait. He was the Yankee captain. He helped my ball club return to glory and contributed to 4 (or more) titles, plus a couple of Fall Classics where we came up short. We won 8 (or more) straight division crowns and made the playoffs in every year of his pinstriped career. Maybe I ought to give him a standing ovation, before turning my back. At the very least, I’ll sit on my hands, close my eyes, and imagine him in a Yankee uniform one last time. After that, everything is fair game. If the sight of Jeter made me sick, I’d boo. If I truly felt he should have taken less money to sign with the Yankees, I’d boo. If I felt he should have found a 3rd team to pay him his money, forgoing the hated Red Sox, I’d boo.

But, from the get go? Talk about short memories. Talk about turning your back on the best thing that ever happened to you. I’ll tell you why they booed Damon. Part of it is the Yankee-thing, but the bigger part of it is pain. They know they need him. They know he was crucial to their success, and now he’s going to help the Yankees succeed. It’s like having Halle Berry as your girlfriend and treating her with ambivalence because she wants you to marry her. When you hesitate and she finds someone who will commit, you regret it and lash out. That’s why they booed.

Beyond all that, there are many less knowledgeable Red Sox fans, be they drunken caustic frat boys or bitter old wash outs, that define their very fandom by being anti-Yankee. Why else would a brand dedicated to Yankee Hating come into existence and strike such a chord? The Yankee Hater apparel sells fairly well, but I can only imagine a person so twisted with self-doubt and a sense of worthlessness wearing something from the unfortunate line of clothing. No doubt there were more than a few of these pitiful wretches booing Johnny Damon. They’re idiots, but then again Damon was one of them too…an “idiot”. Now he’s our idiot, and he’s going to help us get back what’s ours…..the World Championship.

I hope we go on to whip the Red Sox this season, and I hope he hits .400 against them the rest of the way. They’ve turned their backs on him, and it’s time for him to do the same. He’s a Yankee, so be the best “Damn Yankee” you can be Johnny.

Damon-ite

TNT! Nitroglycerin. Kaboom. That's the effect Johnny Damon has on opposing teams. That's the effect he had on the Yankees when he wore his hair like Captain Caveman, and it's still the effect he has as a well groomed, but ever-grinning gremlin of a leadoff hitter. This should be a feature about the upcoming Yankees/Red Sox meeting at Fenway, but it's not. Like everyone else, I chose to write about JD. Why?

The reason everyone is writing about Damon - will he or won't he get booed - is because he's compelling. The guy who coined the phrase "Bunch of Idiots" to describe his idiotic crew of Red Sox teammates is colorful and likeable and good at what he does. I always thought Jeter's best leadership quality was his ability to keep everything in perspective and keep his fellow Yankees loose. Damon makes him look uptight.

I loved to watch the 2001 Athletics play with the grimy bunch of biker look-alikes and an emerging duo of Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada. Imagine if they had kept that team together? Damon, Chavez, Giambi, Tejada, Dye, Hudson, Mulder, Zito, Isringhausen.....It would have cost them a fortune but it would have been fun to watch. Those players are spread out across the Major Leagues these days, but the loose attitude has nestled firmly in the home dugout of the Bronx thanks to Damon and Giambi. Watch the team as they jog on and off the field, ever professional, but more like a bunch of kids than at any time in recent memory. Perhaps that's the formula to survive the grind that 162 games can put a team through.

As for the intriguing Damon, his skill on the field aside, how much does Boston miss him? The overhaul of the Red Sox lineup has turned up a few gems and more than a few question marks. The offense has stalled on a number of occasions, and currently the Beantown Boys sit 8th or 9th in the American League in most important offensive categories, including Total Bases, Slugging, Home Runs, Hits, Runs, Average, and OPS. About the only thing they're good at it hitting doubles. Coco Crisp has been injured, but the slumping Manny Ramirez has more to do with the poor production than anything else. Without Damon to garner attention, perhaps "Manny Being Manny" has become a tired act.

The Fenway faithful should cheer Damon for all he did for them. Maybe they'll get a chance to boo later this season when Damon is joined by fellow Red Sox alumn Roger Clemens in a Fenway return wearing pinstripes. That would be nice. In the meantime, we'll just have to enjoy watching Johnny Boy slap foul after foul into the seats along the first baseline, wearing out Red Sox pitchers the way he used to wear out our boys. I hope he keeps his loose approach in the Boston series. If he does, we just might have the last laugh...