In case you haven't already done it, head to Facebook and check out the new AB4AR page. It's got all the latest posts, my comments, and the Swanny Duckson Photoshop gallery, and will continue to be the primary source for all AB4AR-related material on Facebook from now until the world ends in 2012.
And be on the lookout for some changes to the site in the next week or two, including a link to the Facebook page. It's suddenly becoming obvious that the white-on-blue setup isn't the best option for stuff like that, so I'll work on using my limited computer/design skills to update that and getting the page looking brand spanking new before the baseball (and my lacrosse) season starts in the spring.
But until then, just be a good AB4AR fan and Like the page on Facebook. Your "Likes" go a long way to helping starving children overseas.*
*- They really don't, but I figured trying that approach couldn't hurt.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Putting Things Into Perspective
I went a bit off the reservation last night with my rant about the back of the rotation "open competition," I can admit that. And then I woke up this morning, came into work, logged into my computer to read the post again and start surfing the net before I was officially on the clock at 8AM. And as I perused the latest MLB news on various sites, suddenly it struck me that I made way too big a deal out that situation, especially considering everything else happening in the baseball world right now.
If you look around the MLB landscape right now, there are stories galore. You've got Miguel Cabrera gettin' slizzard like a G6 and falling off the wagon big time right before camp starts. You've got Albert Pujols' Flying Free Agent Circus setting up shop in Cardinals' camp. And you've got the continuing disaster that is the New York Mets organization. If anybody should be posting daily rants about their team's problems it should be Mets fans. I mean, look at that situation.
- They've got a lineup of mismatched parts, unproven youngsters, and declining veterans, none suited to put up good numbers in that ballpark.
- They have a rotation that right now consists of Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, R.A. Dickey, and Jonathon Niese, with Chris Capuano and Chris Young competing for the 5th spot and Johan Santana and what's left of his shoulder not coming back until July.
- They have a new manager who has a reputation for being a hardass and has had teams quit on him at every stop in his managerial career taking over a team who has lacked energy, passion, heart, and effort over the last couple seasons playing under a guy who was considered a players' manager.
- They have a rapidly-declining, overpaid, physically abusive closer who will draw more unwanted negative attention to the team just by being a part of it returning to the roster and the bullpen this season.
- They have an ownership group who appears to have lost more money in the Madoff schemes than I can even comprehend and are so in debt that they are looking to sell off 20-25% of their stake in the team to anybody with a heartbeat in order to cover settlements with everybody who's suing them . Mark Cuban, Charles Dolan, Martin Luther King III, and Donald Trump have all been mentioned. Lotta baseball knowledge in that crew.
If you're a Mets fan, then your season has already ended before it has even begun. The Mets roster sucks, their manager is going to make them worse, and the financial troubles caused by the Wilpons are leaving new GM Sandy Alderson no room to maneuver. They are screwed. Meanwhile, the Yankees' biggest issue is finding some viable options for the back end of the rotation whose weakness can be covered by their dynamite lineup and potentially lights out bullpen. When I really step back and look at it, the Yankees have it easy compared to the Mets and I have it much easier as a fan of the Yankees than Mets fans have it.
Don't get me wrong, I still think it's a bad baseball move to eliminate Hector Noesi and David Phelps from the rotation competition. But I'm much more at peace with that today than I was last night, and I know it's going to be just fine for the Yankees this season. And any time I get a little down, I can just think of the Mets and the mess of an organization they have become from top to bottom and smile.
If you look around the MLB landscape right now, there are stories galore. You've got Miguel Cabrera gettin' slizzard like a G6 and falling off the wagon big time right before camp starts. You've got Albert Pujols' Flying Free Agent Circus setting up shop in Cardinals' camp. And you've got the continuing disaster that is the New York Mets organization. If anybody should be posting daily rants about their team's problems it should be Mets fans. I mean, look at that situation.
- They've got a lineup of mismatched parts, unproven youngsters, and declining veterans, none suited to put up good numbers in that ballpark.
- They have a rotation that right now consists of Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, R.A. Dickey, and Jonathon Niese, with Chris Capuano and Chris Young competing for the 5th spot and Johan Santana and what's left of his shoulder not coming back until July.
- They have a new manager who has a reputation for being a hardass and has had teams quit on him at every stop in his managerial career taking over a team who has lacked energy, passion, heart, and effort over the last couple seasons playing under a guy who was considered a players' manager.
- They have a rapidly-declining, overpaid, physically abusive closer who will draw more unwanted negative attention to the team just by being a part of it returning to the roster and the bullpen this season.
- They have an ownership group who appears to have lost more money in the Madoff schemes than I can even comprehend and are so in debt that they are looking to sell off 20-25% of their stake in the team to anybody with a heartbeat in order to cover settlements with everybody who's suing them . Mark Cuban, Charles Dolan, Martin Luther King III, and Donald Trump have all been mentioned. Lotta baseball knowledge in that crew.
If you're a Mets fan, then your season has already ended before it has even begun. The Mets roster sucks, their manager is going to make them worse, and the financial troubles caused by the Wilpons are leaving new GM Sandy Alderson no room to maneuver. They are screwed. Meanwhile, the Yankees' biggest issue is finding some viable options for the back end of the rotation whose weakness can be covered by their dynamite lineup and potentially lights out bullpen. When I really step back and look at it, the Yankees have it easy compared to the Mets and I have it much easier as a fan of the Yankees than Mets fans have it.
Don't get me wrong, I still think it's a bad baseball move to eliminate Hector Noesi and David Phelps from the rotation competition. But I'm much more at peace with that today than I was last night, and I know it's going to be just fine for the Yankees this season. And any time I get a little down, I can just think of the Mets and the mess of an organization they have become from top to bottom and smile.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Back Of The Rotation Becoming An Oxymoron Situation
It seems all my blogging and suggesting and hoping and praying, to both forces of Heaven and Hell, for some younger guys to get a real shot at making the Yankee rotation out of Spring Training has already done no good as Joe has all but narrowed down the ST battle for the final 2 rotation spots to 4 guys. LoHud has all the details in this post, which made me want to throw up my dinner and then knock on the door across the hall in my apartment building so I could slap the 3-year-old girl that lives there.
The biggest thing I took from this post can be summed up in this sentence from the post itself:
"... but for the most part this appears to be an open competition between four guys."
Does that statement not make sense to anybody else but me? Is this a "jumbo shrimp" situation? "Open competition" between 4 guys? THAT'S NOT OPEN!!!!
Before I delve into the stupidity of Joe making that decision, let's first examine the phrase "open competition," key word being "open." Open implies that the competition in question will welcome all participants, in this case the participants being all of the pitchers in camp right now, be they current Major Leaguers, former Major Leaguers, Triple-A guys, Double-A guys, free agents, guys acquired through trade, and all pitchers invited to camp, roster or non-roster. To say that an "open competition" is limited to 4 select people is, in fact, a completely un-open competition. It is a competition by invite only, and if you aren't one of the lucky 4 to find the Willy Wonka golden ticket in your locker then you're SOL, friend-o. In short, a competition that limits the number of participants who can participate and then automatically selects the 4 participants before the competition actually begins is not open at all.
The biggest thing I took from this post can be summed up in this sentence from the post itself:
"... but for the most part this appears to be an open competition between four guys."
Does that statement not make sense to anybody else but me? Is this a "jumbo shrimp" situation? "Open competition" between 4 guys? THAT'S NOT OPEN!!!!
Before I delve into the stupidity of Joe making that decision, let's first examine the phrase "open competition," key word being "open." Open implies that the competition in question will welcome all participants, in this case the participants being all of the pitchers in camp right now, be they current Major Leaguers, former Major Leaguers, Triple-A guys, Double-A guys, free agents, guys acquired through trade, and all pitchers invited to camp, roster or non-roster. To say that an "open competition" is limited to 4 select people is, in fact, a completely un-open competition. It is a competition by invite only, and if you aren't one of the lucky 4 to find the Willy Wonka golden ticket in your locker then you're SOL, friend-o. In short, a competition that limits the number of participants who can participate and then automatically selects the 4 participants before the competition actually begins is not open at all.
A "Catch Up" Linkapalooza
There's been a lot of real good stuff coming out around the blogosphere in the last couple days. Being the caring, giving individual that I am, I figured it would be nice to provide it all in one small, easy-to-open package.
- The guys at the newly formed The Yankee Analysts are churning out quality stuff at an alarming rate. Mike J-D examined Kevin Millwood & Edwin Jackson as potential back-of-the-rotation options. We were both in agreement that Jackson was a far better option.
- Mike Imbrogno from TYA had a great two-part series comparing the 2011 Yankee batter projections, first against the 2010 positional averages and then by spot in the batting order. Bottom line, the lineup is going to be good this year. No reason for concern there.
- Jamie Insalaco at Bomber Banter put something right into my wheelhouse with his commentary on the current Mets ownership fiasco and an open invitation to Mets fans to come join the Evil Empire.
- Cliff Corcoran at Pinstriped Bible has a fantastically in-depth look at every pitcher in camp who is competing for the last 3 spots in the 14-man pitching platoon. If you aren't up to speed on any of the new guys, this is a great read.
- William at The Captain's Blog goes nostalgic and traces the complete history of Yankee Spring Training, all the way back to 1901. That's just good hustle by William right there.
- "All A.J. All The Time" was the perfect title for this post by Jason at IIATMS, as he collects recent commentary on A.J. and shows the breakdown between 2009 A.J. and 2010 A.J.
- Continuing the "examine A.J." trend is Mike Axisa at RAB, who breaks down A.J.'s 2010 K rates by pitch type. Admittedly, it's hard to draw any conclusions from this, but it does make it clear that the curveball will be a key for A.J. in 2011.
- And lastly, if you didn't already listen to the epically hilarious on-air battle between Francesa and Mike from Hackensack, do yourself a favor and check it out NOW at LenNY's Yankees. Lenny hits the nail on the head with his 2 favorite parts.
I am definitely going to use the "because they are magical" argument a lot more when discussing the Yanks this season.
- The guys at the newly formed The Yankee Analysts are churning out quality stuff at an alarming rate. Mike J-D examined Kevin Millwood & Edwin Jackson as potential back-of-the-rotation options. We were both in agreement that Jackson was a far better option.
- Mike Imbrogno from TYA had a great two-part series comparing the 2011 Yankee batter projections, first against the 2010 positional averages and then by spot in the batting order. Bottom line, the lineup is going to be good this year. No reason for concern there.
- Jamie Insalaco at Bomber Banter put something right into my wheelhouse with his commentary on the current Mets ownership fiasco and an open invitation to Mets fans to come join the Evil Empire.
- Cliff Corcoran at Pinstriped Bible has a fantastically in-depth look at every pitcher in camp who is competing for the last 3 spots in the 14-man pitching platoon. If you aren't up to speed on any of the new guys, this is a great read.
- William at The Captain's Blog goes nostalgic and traces the complete history of Yankee Spring Training, all the way back to 1901. That's just good hustle by William right there.
- "All A.J. All The Time" was the perfect title for this post by Jason at IIATMS, as he collects recent commentary on A.J. and shows the breakdown between 2009 A.J. and 2010 A.J.
- Continuing the "examine A.J." trend is Mike Axisa at RAB, who breaks down A.J.'s 2010 K rates by pitch type. Admittedly, it's hard to draw any conclusions from this, but it does make it clear that the curveball will be a key for A.J. in 2011.
- And lastly, if you didn't already listen to the epically hilarious on-air battle between Francesa and Mike from Hackensack, do yourself a favor and check it out NOW at LenNY's Yankees. Lenny hits the nail on the head with his 2 favorite parts.
I am definitely going to use the "because they are magical" argument a lot more when discussing the Yanks this season.
The Sandman Has Entered
He's bAAAAAAAaaaaack! Via LoHud:
"The closer has arrived. Mariano Rivera got into town last night and will begin his usual spring training routine this morning. As usual, he’s not sure when he’ll finally throw off a mound, but it won’t be any time soon."
Yeah, because the mound doesn't deserve to have him throw off of it yet. The mound can wait its turn to get destroyed just like everybody else. Somebody do me a favor and hit the music!
"The closer has arrived. Mariano Rivera got into town last night and will begin his usual spring training routine this morning. As usual, he’s not sure when he’ll finally throw off a mound, but it won’t be any time soon."
Yeah, because the mound doesn't deserve to have him throw off of it yet. The mound can wait its turn to get destroyed just like everybody else. Somebody do me a favor and hit the music!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Joba Found CC's Lost 25 Pounds
Or at least some it, this according to Ben Shpigel's latest Tweet:
"Cashman on Joba: 'he's heavier.' How much heavier? 'He's heavier.' Is he out of shape? 'He's heavier.'"
Ouch. Not exactly coming to Joba's defense there, is Cash? First Cash comes out and states that Joba is "not a lock" to make the 25-man this year and now he's subliminally calling him fat. I can already hear the keyboards clicking as the anti-Cash horde gets ready to fire out more "Why is Cash talking so much in the media?"-type stories.
But the real issue here is Joba and his current status, both physical and within the graces, good or bad, of the organization. I've already had my fun with Joba earlier this offseason, but I still thought the guy would eventually get it together and get focused on 2011. Now he's showing up to camp overweight and doesn't seem to have anybody left in his corner, except for that half-eaten package of Ho-Hos.
After an up-and-down last couple of years and continuing media swirlings about his future, it would make sense for Joba to finally get committed and come have a dynamite year, throw it back in the Yankees' faces a bit for basically ruining his career and then bailing on him, and prove that he can still be a lights out pitcher. Tweets like this one about his conditioning and what kind of shape he's in on the 2nd day of camp don't exactly speak to that.
If he stumbles out of the gate in ST, there's a good chance I start calling him Jabba from now on.
"Cashman on Joba: 'he's heavier.' How much heavier? 'He's heavier.' Is he out of shape? 'He's heavier.'"
Ouch. Not exactly coming to Joba's defense there, is Cash? First Cash comes out and states that Joba is "not a lock" to make the 25-man this year and now he's subliminally calling him fat. I can already hear the keyboards clicking as the anti-Cash horde gets ready to fire out more "Why is Cash talking so much in the media?"-type stories.
But the real issue here is Joba and his current status, both physical and within the graces, good or bad, of the organization. I've already had my fun with Joba earlier this offseason, but I still thought the guy would eventually get it together and get focused on 2011. Now he's showing up to camp overweight and doesn't seem to have anybody left in his corner, except for that half-eaten package of Ho-Hos.
After an up-and-down last couple of years and continuing media swirlings about his future, it would make sense for Joba to finally get committed and come have a dynamite year, throw it back in the Yankees' faces a bit for basically ruining his career and then bailing on him, and prove that he can still be a lights out pitcher. Tweets like this one about his conditioning and what kind of shape he's in on the 2nd day of camp don't exactly speak to that.
If he stumbles out of the gate in ST, there's a good chance I start calling him Jabba from now on.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Jorge Dabbling In Clairvoyance
Now that he's been put out to pasture as a catcher, it makes sense that Jorge would need to find some other activity with which to fill his time. This quote from Mark Feinsand's blog at The Daily News suggests that maybe Jorge is delving into the mysterious arts of the mind.
When asked about a potential Andy Pettitte return some time in 2011, Jorge had this to say:
"It wouldn't surprise me. Andy is a competitor. That's one thing you're going to miss when you stop playing. Hopefully we'll get to see him again."
Now I know there's a big difference between "Hopefully we'll get to see him again" and "He's definitely coming back," so I'm not going to start creaming my jeans over this and neither should anybody else. But I will say that if anybody from the Yankees is in constant contact with Andy, I would put my money on Jorge or somebody else from the Core Four. Jorge has never been the type to just spout off about stuff so you would assume that he's had to have some sort of conversation or conversations with Andy prior to making these statements.
I will say one thing, though. If Andy does decide to come back, my reaction to that announcement is going to dwarf Suzyn Waldman's classic conniption about Rawjuh Clemens. You can take that to the bank. And I will also hail Jorge Posada as a prophet.
Andy to retirement: "You can't win. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
When asked about a potential Andy Pettitte return some time in 2011, Jorge had this to say:
"It wouldn't surprise me. Andy is a competitor. That's one thing you're going to miss when you stop playing. Hopefully we'll get to see him again."
Now I know there's a big difference between "Hopefully we'll get to see him again" and "He's definitely coming back," so I'm not going to start creaming my jeans over this and neither should anybody else. But I will say that if anybody from the Yankees is in constant contact with Andy, I would put my money on Jorge or somebody else from the Core Four. Jorge has never been the type to just spout off about stuff so you would assume that he's had to have some sort of conversation or conversations with Andy prior to making these statements.
I will say one thing, though. If Andy does decide to come back, my reaction to that announcement is going to dwarf Suzyn Waldman's classic conniption about Rawjuh Clemens. You can take that to the bank. And I will also hail Jorge Posada as a prophet.
AB4AR Finally Gets In Touch With The 21st Century
Good news, people! The official AB4AR Facebook page is finally up and operational. It took me a while to finally get to it, but it's there and will now serve as the Facebook forum for all information related to this glorious little site, from updates to links to new posts to general commentary on the Yankees as we inch closer to the start of the season.
Because I am a complete moron when it comes to computers, getting some "Like" buttons and things like that are a work in progress right now, but for the time being check out the page here and "Like" the crap out of it. Tell your family about it, tell your friends about it, and then tell your family's friends about it.
Because I am a complete moron when it comes to computers, getting some "Like" buttons and things like that are a work in progress right now, but for the time being check out the page here and "Like" the crap out of it. Tell your family about it, tell your friends about it, and then tell your family's friends about it.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Big Change In The Yankee Blog Landscape
In case you missed it today, and shame on you if you did, there was a major change in the Yankee blogosphere.
Friend of AB4AR Larry Koestler and his team at Yankeeist have joined forces with Moshe Mandel and the crew at TYU to create the new blog The Yankee Analysts, a super-mega blog that will almost assuredly take over the world.
For me this is goods news because now it's one less internet tab I have to open up on my lunch break at work to get my daily dose of Yankee blog goodness. For you it's good because now you can get the absolute best Yankee-related statistical analysis from the same source. Even their tagline is good:
"Dedicated to thoughtful analysis of the New York Yankees"
Damn! Why didn't I think of something that good? Anyway, if you're one of the unlucky few who never checked out either of their original sites, do yourself a favor and get acquainted with the new one, and do it with the quickness. Dudes are going to be spittin' hot fire on TYA for a while to come.
Friend of AB4AR Larry Koestler and his team at Yankeeist have joined forces with Moshe Mandel and the crew at TYU to create the new blog The Yankee Analysts, a super-mega blog that will almost assuredly take over the world.
For me this is goods news because now it's one less internet tab I have to open up on my lunch break at work to get my daily dose of Yankee blog goodness. For you it's good because now you can get the absolute best Yankee-related statistical analysis from the same source. Even their tagline is good:
"Dedicated to thoughtful analysis of the New York Yankees"
Damn! Why didn't I think of something that good? Anyway, if you're one of the unlucky few who never checked out either of their original sites, do yourself a favor and get acquainted with the new one, and do it with the quickness. Dudes are going to be spittin' hot fire on TYA for a while to come.
First Yankee Spring Training Pictures
First round of ST pictures are hitting the wire and they are fantastic. Just oodles of visual gold. I'll let the legit blogs handle the PECOTA analysis of the pitchers and catchers and continue to try to predict who the Yankees should go after at the trade deadline to shore up the rotation. I'm just here to make some lame jokes.
Cash may not have been convinced that CC actually lost 25 pounds, but homebody looks pretty svelte to me. Maybe I'm just being a homer here, but it looks like Carsten and Phil could go on "WWE Raw" tonight and win the tag time titles. That's a couple of BIG dudes right there. Too bad neither of them pulled a Dennis Reynolds and popped the shirt off for the photogs.
Holy Christ! Who killed Rafael Soriano's cat?? Dude looks more miserable at camp than he was at his first press conference. Come on, guy! Crack a smile, would ya? You're making $11 mil this year to pitch for the greatest franchise in sports history.
Based on that look I'd say Bartolo Colon's chances of making the team out of ST are about the same as mine. That being said, with those tits he could have a good shot at making the cast for the next season of "Rock of Love." So he's got that going for him.
A.J. and Dave Robertson take time out of pledge week at the frat house to show up for their physicals. And I thought I was a slacker for wearing jeans to the office on a Wednesday sometimes.
"Bro, did you catch Arcade Fire on the Grammys? It was sweet."
"Dude, I know. Do you think coach is going to notice that I'm high right now?"
"I hope not, bro. I wish we would have stopped at Taco Bell on the way."
The Jesus is injured??? NO! It can't be!! Why isn't he healing himself?!?! GAAAHHHHHH!!!!!
(All photos courtesy of Reuters)
Cash may not have been convinced that CC actually lost 25 pounds, but homebody looks pretty svelte to me. Maybe I'm just being a homer here, but it looks like Carsten and Phil could go on "WWE Raw" tonight and win the tag time titles. That's a couple of BIG dudes right there. Too bad neither of them pulled a Dennis Reynolds and popped the shirt off for the photogs.
Holy Christ! Who killed Rafael Soriano's cat?? Dude looks more miserable at camp than he was at his first press conference. Come on, guy! Crack a smile, would ya? You're making $11 mil this year to pitch for the greatest franchise in sports history.
Based on that look I'd say Bartolo Colon's chances of making the team out of ST are about the same as mine. That being said, with those tits he could have a good shot at making the cast for the next season of "Rock of Love." So he's got that going for him.
A.J. and Dave Robertson take time out of pledge week at the frat house to show up for their physicals. And I thought I was a slacker for wearing jeans to the office on a Wednesday sometimes.
"Bro, did you catch Arcade Fire on the Grammys? It was sweet."
"Dude, I know. Do you think coach is going to notice that I'm high right now?"
"I hope not, bro. I wish we would have stopped at Taco Bell on the way."
The Jesus is injured??? NO! It can't be!! Why isn't he healing himself?!?! GAAAHHHHHH!!!!!
(All photos courtesy of Reuters)
5 Things I Don't EVER Want To Hear About Now That Pitchers And Catchers Have Reported
Late last week I touched on my topics of interest during P&C reporting/ST time. In all likelihood, not a lot of those will receive significant coverage. My fear is that some other stories, ones that either have nothing to do with on-the-field stuff or are ones that should never be discussed, are going to take up too much space in the blogosphere. Here are some of those stories that I could not care less about.
1) CC potentially opting out after 2011
This has already gotten more coverage than it deserves, with everybody trying to make "will he?" or "won't he?" arguments based on vague statements by CC. Here's the deal, CC has never officially said whether he plans on opting out or whether he plans to not opt out, just that he wants to continue to play for the Yankees. I think CC would be a fool to not opt out. I mean, they got that clause into the contract so they could have the option to opt out and get more money if CC performed well, and he has certainly done that. But that's AFTER this season, so I don't give a crap about it until AFTER the season. For now, let's focus on what he's going to do on the field to help the team.
2) How much weight CC ACTUALLY lost
Late last week there was a bit of a stir when Cash stated that CC didn't look like he had lost 25-30 pounds in the offseason, as had been previously reported. Just reading stories about that made me want to throw up.
I don't care if CC lost 5 pounds, 15 pounds, 25 pounds, or 50 pounds. That's not the important thing. The important thing is that he lost some weight and focused on getting in better shape to take stress off the knee on which he had offseason surgery. This isn't "The Biggest Loser," people. He doesn't get a prize for losing a certain amount. The fact that he worked to lose some weight is the real issue, and any weight lost as a result of that is a positive.
3) Jorge Posada catching
I know there are a lot of pitchers in camp and they all need to be caught by somebody, but sweet Jesus, can somebody hide all of Jorge's catching gear or burn it or something? The first time I read a story about him handling Betances in a bullpen session or see an AP photo of him making throws to 2nd, there's a good chance I book myself a flight down to Tampa to take the catching gear away myself.
Give it up, Jorge. Your time behind the plate has come and gone.
4) Joe's Demeanor
IMHO there is still too much talk about how Joe carries himself around the team. Some think he needs to loosen up, some think he needs to be like he was in 2009, some think this, and some think that. Honestly, who really cares about his demeanor??? What bearing does it have on the team's success? To a man, every player on the team has said they love playing for him. They know Joe has their back and their best interests at heart at all times.
Lou Piniella was a complete asshole, but his players played hard for him. Torre barely moved in the dugout and he won 4 titles. The demeanor means nothing as long as the coach knows which buttons to push on which players behind the scenes and makes the right personnel decisions at the right times. If Joe can do that this year and the team wins as a result, he can wear sad clown makeup in the dugout for all I care.
5) The Killer Bs
Yes, they are all badass. Yes, they are all potentially ace-type pitchers. Yes, I have a budding hard on for all of them. But no, I do not want to see any of them in a Yankee uniform this season until the late summer/early fall, and only in an emergency bullpen situation.
These guys are the future of the pitching staff and there's no reason to push them right now, regardless of how shitty the rotation might turn out to be. I don't care how good they look in Spring Training, I don't care who's raving about their stuff, I don't care if they strike out every guy they face in an outing. They need to spend the year in the Minors, building up their arm strength, increasing their innings, and continuing to develop their secondary stuff.
We saw what happened when the Yankees rushed a prize prospect up too quick and ruined him (Joba). And we saw what happened when they took it slow, let a kid mature and build up his skills before giving him a real shot at the rotation (Hughes). If the organization wants success for the Bs, they need to follow the Hughes path, not the Joba one.
1) CC potentially opting out after 2011
This has already gotten more coverage than it deserves, with everybody trying to make "will he?" or "won't he?" arguments based on vague statements by CC. Here's the deal, CC has never officially said whether he plans on opting out or whether he plans to not opt out, just that he wants to continue to play for the Yankees. I think CC would be a fool to not opt out. I mean, they got that clause into the contract so they could have the option to opt out and get more money if CC performed well, and he has certainly done that. But that's AFTER this season, so I don't give a crap about it until AFTER the season. For now, let's focus on what he's going to do on the field to help the team.
2) How much weight CC ACTUALLY lost
Late last week there was a bit of a stir when Cash stated that CC didn't look like he had lost 25-30 pounds in the offseason, as had been previously reported. Just reading stories about that made me want to throw up.
I don't care if CC lost 5 pounds, 15 pounds, 25 pounds, or 50 pounds. That's not the important thing. The important thing is that he lost some weight and focused on getting in better shape to take stress off the knee on which he had offseason surgery. This isn't "The Biggest Loser," people. He doesn't get a prize for losing a certain amount. The fact that he worked to lose some weight is the real issue, and any weight lost as a result of that is a positive.
3) Jorge Posada catching
I know there are a lot of pitchers in camp and they all need to be caught by somebody, but sweet Jesus, can somebody hide all of Jorge's catching gear or burn it or something? The first time I read a story about him handling Betances in a bullpen session or see an AP photo of him making throws to 2nd, there's a good chance I book myself a flight down to Tampa to take the catching gear away myself.
Give it up, Jorge. Your time behind the plate has come and gone.
4) Joe's Demeanor
IMHO there is still too much talk about how Joe carries himself around the team. Some think he needs to loosen up, some think he needs to be like he was in 2009, some think this, and some think that. Honestly, who really cares about his demeanor??? What bearing does it have on the team's success? To a man, every player on the team has said they love playing for him. They know Joe has their back and their best interests at heart at all times.
Lou Piniella was a complete asshole, but his players played hard for him. Torre barely moved in the dugout and he won 4 titles. The demeanor means nothing as long as the coach knows which buttons to push on which players behind the scenes and makes the right personnel decisions at the right times. If Joe can do that this year and the team wins as a result, he can wear sad clown makeup in the dugout for all I care.
5) The Killer Bs
Yes, they are all badass. Yes, they are all potentially ace-type pitchers. Yes, I have a budding hard on for all of them. But no, I do not want to see any of them in a Yankee uniform this season until the late summer/early fall, and only in an emergency bullpen situation.
These guys are the future of the pitching staff and there's no reason to push them right now, regardless of how shitty the rotation might turn out to be. I don't care how good they look in Spring Training, I don't care who's raving about their stuff, I don't care if they strike out every guy they face in an outing. They need to spend the year in the Minors, building up their arm strength, increasing their innings, and continuing to develop their secondary stuff.
We saw what happened when the Yankees rushed a prize prospect up too quick and ruined him (Joba). And we saw what happened when they took it slow, let a kid mature and build up his skills before giving him a real shot at the rotation (Hughes). If the organization wants success for the Bs, they need to follow the Hughes path, not the Joba one.
And So It Begins...
Today is a Monday, which sucks. Mondays always suck. But there was something a little different in the air this morning when I woke up. For once I didn't lay in bed hitting the snooze button every 10 minutes until I absolutely had to get out of bed or risk being late to work, cursing my stupid job for interrupting what could have been a wonderful time in bed until noon. For once I didn't stare blankly into the bathroom mirror while I waited for the shower to heat up. For once, I actually got out of bed and got ready to go to work early enough to allow myself some time to actually eat breakfast. And for once, I wasn't overcome with the urge to bash the first person I saw in the face with my keyboard as soon as I walked into the office. What could be causing this sudden change of heart, you ask?
It could be that I'm finally maturing at age 25 (not likely). It could be that I'm doped up on a wonderful concoction of prescription drugs and illegal narcotics, rendering me numb to the world (wouldn't mind it, but also not likely). It could be a lot of things, but the reason is that today is one of the most beautiful days of the baseball season, the day that pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training.
The thrill of victory or agony of defeat has worn off from the Super Bowl, college football has long sense been over for the season, college basketball's time to be at the forefront is still too far away, and nobody really gives a crap about the NBA or NHL, so this day officially signifies that it's baseball season. Across the various team facilities there will be the sound of gloves popping, the image of players jogging across the field, and the feeling of optimism that every fan is allowed on this first day of "real" baseball activity in 2011.
Cliff Lee is ancient history. Andy Pettitte is yesterday's news. All that matters right now are the players that are here and the guys who are going to show up today to start working on winning the 28th World Series title in Yankee team history.
It's baseball season again, kids. It's a good day. It's time to hit the music.
P.S.- Can somebody please update the videos for this song with players from the last couple seasons? I'm tired of looking at Giambi and Chien-Ming Wang.
It could be that I'm finally maturing at age 25 (not likely). It could be that I'm doped up on a wonderful concoction of prescription drugs and illegal narcotics, rendering me numb to the world (wouldn't mind it, but also not likely). It could be a lot of things, but the reason is that today is one of the most beautiful days of the baseball season, the day that pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training.
The thrill of victory or agony of defeat has worn off from the Super Bowl, college football has long sense been over for the season, college basketball's time to be at the forefront is still too far away, and nobody really gives a crap about the NBA or NHL, so this day officially signifies that it's baseball season. Across the various team facilities there will be the sound of gloves popping, the image of players jogging across the field, and the feeling of optimism that every fan is allowed on this first day of "real" baseball activity in 2011.
Cliff Lee is ancient history. Andy Pettitte is yesterday's news. All that matters right now are the players that are here and the guys who are going to show up today to start working on winning the 28th World Series title in Yankee team history.
It's baseball season again, kids. It's a good day. It's time to hit the music.
P.S.- Can somebody please update the videos for this song with players from the last couple seasons? I'm tired of looking at Giambi and Chien-Ming Wang.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Vegas Gets It
The latest 2011 World Series odds were released and here's how the top 3 favorites looked:
- Phillies- 13:4
- Fraud Sawx- 5:1
- New York Yankees- 13:2
Oh, what do you know? Looks like Vegas and the oddsmakers don't share the doom and gloom outlook that many seem to be taking on the 2011 New York Yankees. They must be smart enough to realize what I and a few others have been saying all along, that even without Andy Pettitte and Cliff Lee and even with a weak back end of the rotation right now, the Yankees are still one of the best teams in baseball and are not to be taken lightly.
Fact: The Yankees will enter the 2011 seasons with arguably the deepest and most dangerous 1-9 batting order in all of baseball. At it's best, it has 8 All-Star caliber players, 1 on the fringe, and 3 guys who can be legitimate MVP candidates.
Fact: That lineup could get even more deep and more dangerous with the eventual addition of Jesus Montero.
Fact: Regardless of the rest of the rotation, the Yankees still have CC Sabathia, one of the best and most consistent starting pitchers in baseball, as their ace.
Fact: The Yankees will enter the 2011 with arguably the deepest and best bullpen in all of of baseball.
Fact: The Yankees are always at the forefront of the mid-season trade market and will be poised to strike if and when an opportunity presents itself for them to improve their rotation for the playoff stretch.
Vegas is smart enough to figure all this out, and everybody else needs to be too. Lee isn't here and Andy isn't coming back, but there's plenty left to get the job done and get it done well. I'm not an advocate of betting on your own team, but if you've got some money laying around you should think about taking these odds before the season starts and they start going down.
- Phillies- 13:4
- Fraud Sawx- 5:1
- New York Yankees- 13:2
Oh, what do you know? Looks like Vegas and the oddsmakers don't share the doom and gloom outlook that many seem to be taking on the 2011 New York Yankees. They must be smart enough to realize what I and a few others have been saying all along, that even without Andy Pettitte and Cliff Lee and even with a weak back end of the rotation right now, the Yankees are still one of the best teams in baseball and are not to be taken lightly.
Fact: The Yankees will enter the 2011 seasons with arguably the deepest and most dangerous 1-9 batting order in all of baseball. At it's best, it has 8 All-Star caliber players, 1 on the fringe, and 3 guys who can be legitimate MVP candidates.
Fact: That lineup could get even more deep and more dangerous with the eventual addition of Jesus Montero.
Fact: Regardless of the rest of the rotation, the Yankees still have CC Sabathia, one of the best and most consistent starting pitchers in baseball, as their ace.
Fact: The Yankees will enter the 2011 with arguably the deepest and best bullpen in all of of baseball.
Fact: The Yankees are always at the forefront of the mid-season trade market and will be poised to strike if and when an opportunity presents itself for them to improve their rotation for the playoff stretch.
Vegas is smart enough to figure all this out, and everybody else needs to be too. Lee isn't here and Andy isn't coming back, but there's plenty left to get the job done and get it done well. I'm not an advocate of betting on your own team, but if you've got some money laying around you should think about taking these odds before the season starts and they start going down.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Afternoon/Weekend Reading Material
Mike Axisa at RAB put out his preseason Top 30 Yankee prospect list today. 'Nuff said.
If you consider yourself a real Yankee fan then there's no excuse for not reading this and then bookmarking it. It's that good. I had tears of joy in my eyes as I made my way through the list.
If you consider yourself a real Yankee fan then there's no excuse for not reading this and then bookmarking it. It's that good. I had tears of joy in my eyes as I made my way through the list.
5 Things I'm Looking Forward To Hearing About When Pitchers And Catchers Report
Pitchers and catchers report to camp in less than 3 days. Yeah, I know, fucking awesome, right?! With all that happened and didn't happen this offseason, there will be plenty of buzz, plenty of new faces, and plenty of storylines when everything kicks off Monday. Here are the 5 things I'm really going to follow:
1) Phil Hughes' changeup development
I touched on this earlier in the week, but I think it warrants repeating given that Hughes could be assuming the #2 starter role this year behind CC. Come to think of it, I want to know exactly what Hughes is working on at all times during ST, hour-by-hour updates, but definitely want to know how he plans to improve the changeup and implement it more in 2011 and what plans Rothschild has for him and the pitch he needs to master to take the next step towards becoming a big time pitcher.
2) Russell Martin's knee
Maybe I'm overreacting a bit, but I didn't exactly get a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach when reports were coming out a few days ago about Martin still not being 100% recovered from his knee surgery. I'm anxious to see how that knee holds up to crouching and getting through the grind of real catching activities. Martin and Cash are all saying the right things and both say he's going to be good as gold heading into the start of the regular season, but when it's a guy who's been ravaged by injuries the last couple years, I'll believe it when I see it.
3) A.J.'s everything
There continue to be reports coming out from Rothschild discussing the plan for A.J. this season. I want to see how the early talks and offseason work they did pays off right from the start. How's his velocity? How's his command? How's his demeanor? If anybody can fix A.J. and maximize the stuff he still has, it should be Rothschild. The earlier A.J. has success, the better off he's going to be as the regular season starts.
4) How the Triple-A kids perform
Very few people around the blogosphere have any faith in Garcia and Colon (and with good reason) and regardless of what the Yankees expect or hope to get out of them, you have to think that the Hector Noesis, David Phelpses, Adam Warrens, and D.J. Mitchells of the world are going to get a fair shot to prove themselves worthy of winning the job. Innings limits wouldn't be a concern for any of them, so I'm curious to see how they hold up against everybody else and what the coaches and Cash have to say about them if any of them pitch well.
5) The Jesus
He probably won't make the 25-man out of ST, but it will be fun to see what he can do and how hard he will work to prove he's ready. How will he handle the pitchers? How quick will his release to 2nd be? How many home runs will he crush? Will he walk on water? Will he turn water to wine? If that's still not enough to impress the coaches, will he make a blind man see? Given Martin's new health concerns, it will be worth watching what happens if he struggles/gets banged up and Jesus wows. Just like Hughes, this is something I feel warrants 24/7 coverage. Assign somebody to just follow and report on Jesus. I'm talking Twitter updates every 30 minutes.
1) Phil Hughes' changeup development
I touched on this earlier in the week, but I think it warrants repeating given that Hughes could be assuming the #2 starter role this year behind CC. Come to think of it, I want to know exactly what Hughes is working on at all times during ST, hour-by-hour updates, but definitely want to know how he plans to improve the changeup and implement it more in 2011 and what plans Rothschild has for him and the pitch he needs to master to take the next step towards becoming a big time pitcher.
2) Russell Martin's knee
Maybe I'm overreacting a bit, but I didn't exactly get a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach when reports were coming out a few days ago about Martin still not being 100% recovered from his knee surgery. I'm anxious to see how that knee holds up to crouching and getting through the grind of real catching activities. Martin and Cash are all saying the right things and both say he's going to be good as gold heading into the start of the regular season, but when it's a guy who's been ravaged by injuries the last couple years, I'll believe it when I see it.
3) A.J.'s everything
There continue to be reports coming out from Rothschild discussing the plan for A.J. this season. I want to see how the early talks and offseason work they did pays off right from the start. How's his velocity? How's his command? How's his demeanor? If anybody can fix A.J. and maximize the stuff he still has, it should be Rothschild. The earlier A.J. has success, the better off he's going to be as the regular season starts.
4) How the Triple-A kids perform
Very few people around the blogosphere have any faith in Garcia and Colon (and with good reason) and regardless of what the Yankees expect or hope to get out of them, you have to think that the Hector Noesis, David Phelpses, Adam Warrens, and D.J. Mitchells of the world are going to get a fair shot to prove themselves worthy of winning the job. Innings limits wouldn't be a concern for any of them, so I'm curious to see how they hold up against everybody else and what the coaches and Cash have to say about them if any of them pitch well.
5) The Jesus
He probably won't make the 25-man out of ST, but it will be fun to see what he can do and how hard he will work to prove he's ready. How will he handle the pitchers? How quick will his release to 2nd be? How many home runs will he crush? Will he walk on water? Will he turn water to wine? If that's still not enough to impress the coaches, will he make a blind man see? Given Martin's new health concerns, it will be worth watching what happens if he struggles/gets banged up and Jesus wows. Just like Hughes, this is something I feel warrants 24/7 coverage. Assign somebody to just follow and report on Jesus. I'm talking Twitter updates every 30 minutes.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Francisco Liriano, Anybody?
After getting $4.3 mil in arbitration, it seems like Francisco Liriano could become available, at least according to The Star Tribune.
Where do I sign up for the list to support going after Liriano if this really is a possibility? The dude is 27, is fully recovered from TJ surgery, has great stuff, and would play up to his skills being a lefty pitching in Yankee Stadium. With all the other unattractive options that the Yankees have already dabbled in and even partaken in, this much more attractive one is certainly worth Cash picking up the phone to inquire about.
The big questions is, what kind of package do the Yankees have to put together? The Twins balked at the Yanks' proposed offer for Johan a few years ago and then traded him to the Mets for a package that was less enticing than the Yankee offer, which could work for or against them here. But what would you do? Would you give up Jesus (I wouldn't)? Would you include ManBan (I wouldn't if I could make the deal with him)?
This is barely even a rumor right now, but it will be interesting to see what happens if this does start to grow legs over the next couple weeks. Adding a young pitcher of Liriano's pedigree, and a lefty at that, would more than make up for the loss of Andy Pettitte.
Where do I sign up for the list to support going after Liriano if this really is a possibility? The dude is 27, is fully recovered from TJ surgery, has great stuff, and would play up to his skills being a lefty pitching in Yankee Stadium. With all the other unattractive options that the Yankees have already dabbled in and even partaken in, this much more attractive one is certainly worth Cash picking up the phone to inquire about.
The big questions is, what kind of package do the Yankees have to put together? The Twins balked at the Yanks' proposed offer for Johan a few years ago and then traded him to the Mets for a package that was less enticing than the Yankee offer, which could work for or against them here. But what would you do? Would you give up Jesus (I wouldn't)? Would you include ManBan (I wouldn't if I could make the deal with him)?
This is barely even a rumor right now, but it will be interesting to see what happens if this does start to grow legs over the next couple weeks. Adding a young pitcher of Liriano's pedigree, and a lefty at that, would more than make up for the loss of Andy Pettitte.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
ESPNNY Kicks The Stupidity Up A Notch
Seeing as how we're all already subjugated to the never-ending stupidity of Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand when it comes to ESPN's Yankee coverage, you would think that the Worldwide Leader would ease up a little and maybe throw us a bone when it came to adding to the ESPNNY "talent" pool. Maybe somebody who was actually knowledgeable about the sport and could focus on actual meaningful things going on with the team instead of just writing down whatever illogical thoughts might be clanking around in his or her empty head.
HOWEVAH!!! That just isn't the ESPN way, and so this guy...
... has been brought back to potentially add to the nonsensical blabbering that spews forth almost daily from the ESPN Yankee blog.
Now don't get me wrong, I think Screamin' Stephen A. is a knowledgeable dude. When it comes to basketball. The guy was the first one to call the whole 'LeBron and Bosh to Miami' story and props to him for that. But anytime he opens his mouth to make a point or an argument about any other sport, I start giving serious thought to cutting my wrists with the nearest sharp object to end my suffering at his hand. And the only reason I bother to mention this is because Screamin' Stephen took time to mention how his Yankee talk was going to be different than everybody else's in his re-introductory column:
"Instead of limiting our focus to Yankees greats Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Alex Rodriguez -- or A-Rod's love life -- just as much attention will be paid to Brian Cashman's productivity."
Oh, you're going to talk about Cash and his decision making. Good call, Steve. There really hasn't been enough of that going on lately. At all. Good thing you're here now to pick up that slack.
Lord help us...
HOWEVAH!!! That just isn't the ESPN way, and so this guy...
... has been brought back to potentially add to the nonsensical blabbering that spews forth almost daily from the ESPN Yankee blog.
Now don't get me wrong, I think Screamin' Stephen A. is a knowledgeable dude. When it comes to basketball. The guy was the first one to call the whole 'LeBron and Bosh to Miami' story and props to him for that. But anytime he opens his mouth to make a point or an argument about any other sport, I start giving serious thought to cutting my wrists with the nearest sharp object to end my suffering at his hand. And the only reason I bother to mention this is because Screamin' Stephen took time to mention how his Yankee talk was going to be different than everybody else's in his re-introductory column:
"Instead of limiting our focus to Yankees greats Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Alex Rodriguez -- or A-Rod's love life -- just as much attention will be paid to Brian Cashman's productivity."
Oh, you're going to talk about Cash and his decision making. Good call, Steve. There really hasn't been enough of that going on lately. At all. Good thing you're here now to pick up that slack.
Lord help us...
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Red Sox Sign Aceves, I Die A Little Inside
Per this, Alfredo Aceves is now officially a pahht of Fraud Sawx Nation. And that is just not good news. I've been a staunch supporter/defender of Cash throughout this offseason, but I can't help but feel like he blew this one.
Yes, Ace currently has far from a clean bill of health, but all he's done since the time he joined the Yankees was pitch well, by any measurement. And in a season where the Yankees were going to end up with back-of-the-rotation problems any way you cut it, it would have been worth the guaranteed money to bring Ace back into the fold and give him time to heal, knowing you could afford to let him get back to 100% at Triple-A while you weathered the early-season storm. Maybe it's just me, but I would have felt more comfortable giving Aceves a guaranteed 900 thou than giving Colon his 900 thou Minor League deal.
I don't know, I guess maybe I had this crazy dream where Ace progresses ahead of schedule in his rehab and is good to go by the All-Star break. He rejoins the team before the trade deadline and helps solidify the back of the rotation by becoming a rebirth of 1996 Mariano Rivera (minus all the Ks), chewing up multiple innings at a time and basically becoming a 1-man bullpen on the Mitre-Nova days. Fans would fall in love with him, something similar to 2007 Joba, and he would begin to ride in from the bullpen on his motorcycle (being careful not to dump it and break his collarbone again). Energized, the Yankees would come back and win the Wild Card, the ALCS, and the World Series, with Aceves pitching 3 shutout innings of relief in Game 7 at The Stadium, picking up the 6-5 Yankee win in the 15th inning.
Was that a little to dramatic? Should I pump the breaks on the old dreammaker? OK, I guess that's fair. It would have been nice to have Ace back this year, and I think it's a bad move that the Yankees didn't do it, but now that he's pahht of the Sawx I hope he gets in a nasty bike accident on his first day in Boston and breaks both his arms, leaving him out for the entire 2011 season and putting his career in jeopardy.
(Sorry, Ace)
Yes, Ace currently has far from a clean bill of health, but all he's done since the time he joined the Yankees was pitch well, by any measurement. And in a season where the Yankees were going to end up with back-of-the-rotation problems any way you cut it, it would have been worth the guaranteed money to bring Ace back into the fold and give him time to heal, knowing you could afford to let him get back to 100% at Triple-A while you weathered the early-season storm. Maybe it's just me, but I would have felt more comfortable giving Aceves a guaranteed 900 thou than giving Colon his 900 thou Minor League deal.
I don't know, I guess maybe I had this crazy dream where Ace progresses ahead of schedule in his rehab and is good to go by the All-Star break. He rejoins the team before the trade deadline and helps solidify the back of the rotation by becoming a rebirth of 1996 Mariano Rivera (minus all the Ks), chewing up multiple innings at a time and basically becoming a 1-man bullpen on the Mitre-Nova days. Fans would fall in love with him, something similar to 2007 Joba, and he would begin to ride in from the bullpen on his motorcycle (being careful not to dump it and break his collarbone again). Energized, the Yankees would come back and win the Wild Card, the ALCS, and the World Series, with Aceves pitching 3 shutout innings of relief in Game 7 at The Stadium, picking up the 6-5 Yankee win in the 15th inning.
Was that a little to dramatic? Should I pump the breaks on the old dreammaker? OK, I guess that's fair. It would have been nice to have Ace back this year, and I think it's a bad move that the Yankees didn't do it, but now that he's pahht of the Sawx I hope he gets in a nasty bike accident on his first day in Boston and breaks both his arms, leaving him out for the entire 2011 season and putting his career in jeopardy.
(Sorry, Ace)
Offseason Space Filler Post: How Good Would The Current Yankee Team Be If This Were 2005?
(I wonder how these guys would have looked in pinstripes)
The running joke around the blogosphere with this recent rash of ST invite contracts is that this year's Yankee team would be a shoo-in to win a World Series some time in the mid-2000s. And that got me thinking, gee, I wonder what this team would look like if I piled everyone into my DeLorean, gunned it up to 88MPH, and traveled back to the mid-2000s.
My
Lineup:
This lineup would be an interesting combination of veterans in their prime, young players establishing themselves as All Stars, and brand spanking new, completely untested rookies or 2nd-year men. It wouldn't be hard to picture at least 5 All Stars coming out of this lineup.
A Little Lunchtime Reading
I'm not feeling particularly creative, clever, or motivated today, so I'll direct everyone to something much more interesting than whatever I might try to force in a failed attempt at sharp wit or solid analysis.
SJK from NoMaas interviewed John Manuel from Baseball America and there's all kinds of good stuff in there about Yankee prospects at all levels. If you're a sucker for prospect info like I am then this should be right up your alley.
P.S.- absolutely nothing firing in the old brain today and I still come through for my readers and Yankee fans. Dustin Pedroia has NOTHING on me in the "heart and determination" department.
SJK from NoMaas interviewed John Manuel from Baseball America and there's all kinds of good stuff in there about Yankee prospects at all levels. If you're a sucker for prospect info like I am then this should be right up your alley.
P.S.- absolutely nothing firing in the old brain today and I still come through for my readers and Yankee fans. Dustin Pedroia has NOTHING on me in the "heart and determination" department.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Hughes Is Becoming Self Aware
Any time I read about Phil Hughes doing something baseball-related, I usually get excited. This little tidbit from today's NY Post was no exception to that rule:
"Hughes said when he looks back on last year, he thinks he did not throw his changeup enough early in the year. The development of that pitch was a big story last spring and a reason he won the spot in the rotation. But when the season began, Hughes did not throw the pitch very often because his other pitches were so good. When he tried to go back to the pitch later in the year, he had trouble throwing it.
'I felt like that might have hurt me a little bit, just not having it,' he said. 'Then, maybe when fatigue set in and I really needed that changeup to help me get through these games it just wasn't there.' " (via The Post)
I'm loving everything about that for 2 reasons. One, it once again showcases Phil Hughes' maturity beyond his years. He recognizes the fact that he worked on it a lot in Spring Training 2010 because he knew he was going to need it, he recognizes the fact that he got away from it early in the year because his better pitches were working and he stuck with that, and he recognizes the fact that because he didn't work it early on, it failed him later in the season when he really needed it.
Hughes is acutely aware of his own strengths and weaknesses, before they happen, as they're happening, and looking back on them once they've happened. He knows what he did to be successful last year and he knows what he needs to do to become more successful this year. That may not seem like a huge deal, but to me, when I watch veteran pitchers who have been doing this for 5-10 years talk about how they didn't know what went wrong in a rough outing and then watch a 24-year-old kid with essentially one full year as a starter under his belt talk intelligently about their season as a whole, it's an eye opener.
Second thing that excited me was just the fact that Hughes is already in Tampa, working out and throwing bullpen sessions. That shows me that he's ready to prove that the first half of 2010 was no fluke and the second half of 2010 was not a true representation of how good a pitcher he truly is. Surrounded by question marks in the rotation, Hughes is already putting the work in to step and become a reliable 2nd option behind CC. Dude is younger than me and he's already more mature and dedicated than I could ever hope to be. Love it!
Then, as if that wasn't enough, the always spot-on Chad Jennings of LoHud brings up another interesting point in light of last year's performances and Hughes' early start to his 2011 campaign:
"CC Sabathia will obviously start on Opening Day, but who gets Game 2? Should the Yankees show A.J. Burnett that they still have confidence in him, or should they acknowledge that Phil Hughes seems to be the more reliable option at this point?" (via LoHud)
This should become one of the hottest ST storylines once things start getting into gear in the next couple weeks. If it's based on career track record and money, then A.J. should probably get the #2 spot. If it's based on 2010 body of work, then the nod should probably go to Hughes. My guess is, if A.J. shows any kind of marginal success in his Spring Training outings, he will get the call from Joe based on seniority. But if Hughes is lights out and shows continued improvement and better use of his secondary pitches, it's going to be hard to deny him a spot that he probably earned.
"Hughes said when he looks back on last year, he thinks he did not throw his changeup enough early in the year. The development of that pitch was a big story last spring and a reason he won the spot in the rotation. But when the season began, Hughes did not throw the pitch very often because his other pitches were so good. When he tried to go back to the pitch later in the year, he had trouble throwing it.
'I felt like that might have hurt me a little bit, just not having it,' he said. 'Then, maybe when fatigue set in and I really needed that changeup to help me get through these games it just wasn't there.' " (via The Post)
I'm loving everything about that for 2 reasons. One, it once again showcases Phil Hughes' maturity beyond his years. He recognizes the fact that he worked on it a lot in Spring Training 2010 because he knew he was going to need it, he recognizes the fact that he got away from it early in the year because his better pitches were working and he stuck with that, and he recognizes the fact that because he didn't work it early on, it failed him later in the season when he really needed it.
Hughes is acutely aware of his own strengths and weaknesses, before they happen, as they're happening, and looking back on them once they've happened. He knows what he did to be successful last year and he knows what he needs to do to become more successful this year. That may not seem like a huge deal, but to me, when I watch veteran pitchers who have been doing this for 5-10 years talk about how they didn't know what went wrong in a rough outing and then watch a 24-year-old kid with essentially one full year as a starter under his belt talk intelligently about their season as a whole, it's an eye opener.
Second thing that excited me was just the fact that Hughes is already in Tampa, working out and throwing bullpen sessions. That shows me that he's ready to prove that the first half of 2010 was no fluke and the second half of 2010 was not a true representation of how good a pitcher he truly is. Surrounded by question marks in the rotation, Hughes is already putting the work in to step and become a reliable 2nd option behind CC. Dude is younger than me and he's already more mature and dedicated than I could ever hope to be. Love it!
Then, as if that wasn't enough, the always spot-on Chad Jennings of LoHud brings up another interesting point in light of last year's performances and Hughes' early start to his 2011 campaign:
"CC Sabathia will obviously start on Opening Day, but who gets Game 2? Should the Yankees show A.J. Burnett that they still have confidence in him, or should they acknowledge that Phil Hughes seems to be the more reliable option at this point?" (via LoHud)
This should become one of the hottest ST storylines once things start getting into gear in the next couple weeks. If it's based on career track record and money, then A.J. should probably get the #2 spot. If it's based on 2010 body of work, then the nod should probably go to Hughes. My guess is, if A.J. shows any kind of marginal success in his Spring Training outings, he will get the call from Joe based on seniority. But if Hughes is lights out and shows continued improvement and better use of his secondary pitches, it's going to be hard to deny him a spot that he probably earned.
Why All The Horse Hate?
Other than the Packers winning, the commercials sucking, and the Black Eyed Peas continuing to be an embarrassment to the musical arts, the biggest story coming out of the Super Bowl last night was the image of Cameron Diaz feeding popcorn to the one and only A-Horse. If you're one of the few of the unwashed masses who hasn't seen the image, here it is:
The reaction to this image has been negative across the board, mainly in the form of people mocking the majestic A-Horse for not being able to feed himself. This is incredibly stupid and shallow, and so being the faithful soldier that I am, I will take it upon myself to explain the situation and point out why nobody should be criticizing A-Rod here.
First thing, the limp-wristed look. Make all the gay jokes you want, but I think that's a smart move. Spring Training is right around the corner and A-Rod hasn't exactly been a model of perfect health the last few seasons. Why risk moving the wrist more than you have to in order to get popcorn when you can leave it there, nice and loose, and keep it ready for batting practice? And why risk doing anything when you've got a perfectly good Cameron Diaz ready and willing to serve right next to you? I mean, come on, she's no fool. Homegirl is staring down the barrel of 40, she hasn't made a good movie since "Gangs of New York" (which she sucked in), and she's sitting there with the world's greatest centaur athlete. She knows she has to step her game up to keep that seat next to The Horse, and he knows she knows it, so let her handle the popcorn so he can watch the game.
Secondly, and this is really a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned, THE GUY IS A CENTAUR!!!!! Centaurs have hooves for crying out loud! Have you ever tried to pick up popcorn kernels with hooves? Doesn't exactly work well. So instead of getting on A-Rod for looking like a homo and having a chick feed him like a little kid, let's show a little appreciation for the intelligence and forethought that he showed in bringing Cameron Diaz to the game in order to make sure he was not unable to enjoy a little snack because of his centaurian condition.
No worries, Al, I've got your back. Haters gonna hate...
The reaction to this image has been negative across the board, mainly in the form of people mocking the majestic A-Horse for not being able to feed himself. This is incredibly stupid and shallow, and so being the faithful soldier that I am, I will take it upon myself to explain the situation and point out why nobody should be criticizing A-Rod here.
First thing, the limp-wristed look. Make all the gay jokes you want, but I think that's a smart move. Spring Training is right around the corner and A-Rod hasn't exactly been a model of perfect health the last few seasons. Why risk moving the wrist more than you have to in order to get popcorn when you can leave it there, nice and loose, and keep it ready for batting practice? And why risk doing anything when you've got a perfectly good Cameron Diaz ready and willing to serve right next to you? I mean, come on, she's no fool. Homegirl is staring down the barrel of 40, she hasn't made a good movie since "Gangs of New York" (which she sucked in), and she's sitting there with the world's greatest centaur athlete. She knows she has to step her game up to keep that seat next to The Horse, and he knows she knows it, so let her handle the popcorn so he can watch the game.
Secondly, and this is really a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned, THE GUY IS A CENTAUR!!!!! Centaurs have hooves for crying out loud! Have you ever tried to pick up popcorn kernels with hooves? Doesn't exactly work well. So instead of getting on A-Rod for looking like a homo and having a chick feed him like a little kid, let's show a little appreciation for the intelligence and forethought that he showed in bringing Cameron Diaz to the game in order to make sure he was not unable to enjoy a little snack because of his centaurian condition.
No worries, Al, I've got your back. Haters gonna hate...
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Come Back To Me, Andy
I'm not even going to waste time talking about the Eric Chavez and Ronnie Belliad signings because, quite frankly, I don't care.
I'm still recovering from the Andy Pettitte retirement announcement. And also trying to accept the fact that he didn't give me enough time to use the new Jedi Photoshop. Come on, Andy!! You couldn't come back for one more year and give me some mileage out of that Photoshop?!? If you don't have the hunger to come back and pitch for your team, at least do it for me, bro!
Screw it, I'm putting it up again anyway.
Now I'm going to light some candles, curl up on the couch, and cry while I think about the good times.
I'm still recovering from the Andy Pettitte retirement announcement. And also trying to accept the fact that he didn't give me enough time to use the new Jedi Photoshop. Come on, Andy!! You couldn't come back for one more year and give me some mileage out of that Photoshop?!? If you don't have the hunger to come back and pitch for your team, at least do it for me, bro!
Screw it, I'm putting it up again anyway.
Now I'm going to light some candles, curl up on the couch, and cry while I think about the good times.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Wallace Matthews Should Probably Stop Talking
Another day, another disgrace of a column from ESPNNY's comedy duo of Andrew Marchand and Wallace Matthews. This time, it's Matthews grabbing the spotlight as he tries to turn Andy Pettitte's retirement into the end of the world for the 2011 Yankee season, all the while ignoring facts and basic logic and making counterpoints against his own points that he thinks he's trying to make so that the rest of us in the Yankee blogosphere don't have to. But I will anyway. Let's FJM, shall we?
"Four months ago, Andy Pettitte walked out of the visitors clubhouse in Arlington, Texas, after letting everyone know he probably wouldn't be back.
Now, we are 10 days away from pitchers and catchers and he still hasn't been replaced.
That is the real story today, not that Pettitte will hold a news conference on Friday morning to make official what everyone around the Yankees should have accepted back on Oct. 22."
No, Wally. That story has been beaten into the ground for a few weeks now. You're just late to the party and have nothing to write about today. Today the story was Pettitte officially announcing his retirement and all of us getting a chance to reflect on his wonderful career.
"It may seem as if the winter got a little colder and the upcoming baseball season a little bleaker for Yankees fans with the confirmation that Pettitte will, indeed, announce his retirement... "
Did the children get a little older too, Stevie Nicks? Jesus Christ with the melodrama! Have you looked at the Yankee roster right now? It's still one of the best in baseball without Pettitte. Having him for 2011 would have been the difference between Top 5 and World Series front runner, not World Series winners and Double-A Trenton.
"... but really, nothing has changed."
And right here is where this article should have just stopped. Matthews suggests that doom and gloom has swept through Yankeeland because Andy is gone, but then states that nothing has changed. Good for you, Wally. It's good to know you aren't planning on jumping off a bridge with Bill Madden.
"Four months ago, Andy Pettitte walked out of the visitors clubhouse in Arlington, Texas, after letting everyone know he probably wouldn't be back.
Now, we are 10 days away from pitchers and catchers and he still hasn't been replaced.
That is the real story today, not that Pettitte will hold a news conference on Friday morning to make official what everyone around the Yankees should have accepted back on Oct. 22."
No, Wally. That story has been beaten into the ground for a few weeks now. You're just late to the party and have nothing to write about today. Today the story was Pettitte officially announcing his retirement and all of us getting a chance to reflect on his wonderful career.
"It may seem as if the winter got a little colder and the upcoming baseball season a little bleaker for Yankees fans with the confirmation that Pettitte will, indeed, announce his retirement... "
Did the children get a little older too, Stevie Nicks? Jesus Christ with the melodrama! Have you looked at the Yankee roster right now? It's still one of the best in baseball without Pettitte. Having him for 2011 would have been the difference between Top 5 and World Series front runner, not World Series winners and Double-A Trenton.
"... but really, nothing has changed."
And right here is where this article should have just stopped. Matthews suggests that doom and gloom has swept through Yankeeland because Andy is gone, but then states that nothing has changed. Good for you, Wally. It's good to know you aren't planning on jumping off a bridge with Bill Madden.
AB4AR Linkapalooza: Andy Pettitte Retirement Addition
In honor of one the 5 greatest Yankee pitchers of all time, AB4AR presents these links from around the Yankosphere on his retirement.
- Phil Coffin from the NYT Baseball Blog has a collection of quotes from past and present teammates, players, and coaches.
- Jason at IIATMS put together Andy's Greatest Postseason Hits.
- Minor Matters takes a look at what Andy's retirement might mean for the Yankee pitching prospects.
- SJK at NoMaas uses another one of their classic Photoshops to reflect on Andy's career.
- Jay Jaffe at Pinstriped Bible puts together a nice reflective piece.
- Donnie Collins at the SWB blog examines where Andy's numbers put him in Yankee and baseball history.
- William at The Captain's Blog discusses Pettitte's HGH admission and how it should not be a stain on his great career.
- Matt Warden at Yankeeist with another beautifully-written piece on Pettitte's career.
- Larry Koestler, also of Yankeeist, talks about where Andy's retirement leaves the 2011 rotation.
- Mike Axisa at RAB put together a fantastic photo collection tracing Andy's entire Yankee career. A couple of really good shots in there. Definitely don't NOT check this out.
- And last but not least, and even though it really wasn't that long ago, Steve S. at TYU goes back and revisits Andy's final game in pinstripes.
It's been a great career for Andy, and obviously we're all going to miss him. I'll take one more opportunity to thank him for all he's done for the Yankee organization and wish him well in his retirement. My only regret is that I won't be able to watch the press conference today.
The final image of Andy's final play as a Yankee:
- Phil Coffin from the NYT Baseball Blog has a collection of quotes from past and present teammates, players, and coaches.
- Jason at IIATMS put together Andy's Greatest Postseason Hits.
- Minor Matters takes a look at what Andy's retirement might mean for the Yankee pitching prospects.
- SJK at NoMaas uses another one of their classic Photoshops to reflect on Andy's career.
- Jay Jaffe at Pinstriped Bible puts together a nice reflective piece.
- Donnie Collins at the SWB blog examines where Andy's numbers put him in Yankee and baseball history.
- William at The Captain's Blog discusses Pettitte's HGH admission and how it should not be a stain on his great career.
- Matt Warden at Yankeeist with another beautifully-written piece on Pettitte's career.
- Larry Koestler, also of Yankeeist, talks about where Andy's retirement leaves the 2011 rotation.
- Mike Axisa at RAB put together a fantastic photo collection tracing Andy's entire Yankee career. A couple of really good shots in there. Definitely don't NOT check this out.
- And last but not least, and even though it really wasn't that long ago, Steve S. at TYU goes back and revisits Andy's final game in pinstripes.
It's been a great career for Andy, and obviously we're all going to miss him. I'll take one more opportunity to thank him for all he's done for the Yankee organization and wish him well in his retirement. My only regret is that I won't be able to watch the press conference today.
The final image of Andy's final play as a Yankee:
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