Jeter taking important steps on road to recovery

I have been preoccupied with Mariano Rivera’s retirement announcement, but it did not escape my attention that Derek Jeter is taking important steps on the road to recovery.

The New York Yankees Captain got some great news last week from his doctor, who pronounced Jeter’s ankle 100% healed. He then experienced his first game action in months on Saturday, hitting a single on the first pitch in his first spring training game. Jeter has only had a handful of at-bats as the designated hitter so far, but we will likely see him in the field on Wednesday. For an injury battered team, the image of Jeter retaking his rightful position at shortstop will be a welcome relief.

Testing the ankle in the field is another important step toward demonstrating that Jeter will be able to honor his pledge to be ready for Opening Day. He has consistently stated that he plans to man the shortstop position for that first game against the Boston Red Sox. We have to hope that will be the case, even if he needs a few extra weeks in April to get back to full form.

But I also hope that Jeter doesn’t push himself too hard in service to that goal. I’d rather live without him for a week or two early in the baseball season than lose him at the most critical moment like we did last October.

Baseball world rushes to celebrate Mariano Rivera

The praise and accolades for Mariano Rivera flowed in from all over the baseball world.

Mo’s official announcement of his retirement following the 2013 baseball season prompted teammates, competitors and opposing managers all across the United States to pay tribute to a man who will go down in baseball history as the greatest closer ever.

Even former Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbum, excuse me, Papelbon (sorry, old habits die hard), rushed to embrace Mo. Papelbon, who now closes games for the Philadelphia Phillies, calls Mariano Rivera the Godfather. It’s a nickname that fits, despite Mo’s good nature, because he is ruthless and unforgiving on a baseball mound.

About the only one to voice anything close to negativity was, ironically, former New York Yankees great Goose Gossage. I understand his frustration as he feels that praising Mariano as the greatest closer ever diminishes what he and others did in the role. But I think it’s possible to appreciate what closers of Goose’s era did while acknowledging that Mo’s postseason dominance allows him to shine above all others. And even Goose’s relatively mild criticism was coupled with extensive praise for Mo’s role as the best possible role model for young relievers such as David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain.

Mo’s eagerness to work with youngsters, as he voiced during his press conference yesterday, is one of the personal factors that help him shine above the rest. He has this tremendous talent and impeccable mindset. But instead of hoarding his wisdom, Mo shared it with anyone who would listen, including Papelbon, who was then closing games for the Yankees’ fiercest rival. It’s one of the many reasons why so many people have been so outspoken in professing their respect and admiration for the great Rivera and vowing to enjoy the last year he will give us.

Random Yankees thoughts: spring training edition

There can be only one Evil Empire.

I know the nickname was meant to insult the New York Yankees, but I have always loved it and many Yankee fans and the organization itself have embraced it. Now, even the law recognizes that the Yankees are in fact the Evil Empire and are entitled to legal protection for the nickname. I guess we should thank Boston Red Sox President Larry Lucchino for pinning the moniker on the Yankees (and for the profits that came with it).

·         I love Lady Gaga’s music although I’m not always crazy about her antics. Still, I was looking forward to going to her concert at the Barclays Center (my first time checking out the new arena) with my sister. Unfortunately, Gaga’s hip injury and subsequent surgery put the kibosh on those plans. Never to fear because Alex Rodriguez is on the case. The Yankees third baseman reportedly spoke to Gaga (an archenemy of ARod’s supposed one-time paramour Madonna) to reassure her about the procedure. I’m hoping Gaga makes a quick recovery and can resume her tour in 2013. But the best things come to those who wait. I attended a U2 concert almost exactly a year after it was first scheduled due to Bono’s back injury and it was definitely worth the wait.  

·         So a Core Four reunion is not in the cards. Jorge Posada has vowed that he will not pull an Andy Pettitte and un-retire after a year away from baseball. Not even the pull of another spring training with his best pal Derek Jeter could lure him away from the happy home life he is enjoying. If Posada was still capable of playing at his level, he would have a real shot at his old job with the Yankees, who will likely be desperate for offense and don’t really have a #1 catcher now that Russell Martin has joined AJ Burnett in Pittsburgh.   

 ·         I’m generally in favor of the planned switch of outfield positions for Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner as Gardy has more speed and is clearly the better fielder. I do worry that Granderson, in having to learn how to play a notoriously difficult left field at Yankee Stadium, will let any defensive challenges affect him at the plate, where he will be counted on to produce for the often offensively challenged Yankees. However, Mike Cameron raised a potential safety issue in making the switch, with Granderson having to relinquish his take-charge mentality in the outfield to avoid a collision similar to the one Cameron experienced with New York Mets teammate Carlos Beltran. I distinctly remember that terrifying accident and pray nothing even remotely close to it happens to Granderson and Gardner.  

Chamberlain-Youkilis feud overblown

I’m so glad Joba Chamberlain and Kevin Youkilis are now best buds. Now the New York Yankees can steamroll their way to the World Series championship that’s rightfully theirs.

Seriously, I don’t doubt that there was genuine bad blood between Joba and Youkilis. The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has gotten nasty at times, despite the fact that some of the players actually enjoy each other’s company (see Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia after being teammates during the last World Baseball Classic). Now, I don’t expect Joba and Youkilis to really become friends and they don’t need to be—seriously, who likes all of their coworkers? But I never thought that there was going to be tension between Joba and the Yankees new third baseman to the point where it was going to wreak havoc with the team’s chemistry.

But perhaps Youkilis could benefit from the Yankees’ superior media operation. If he had only returned Joba’s call in the offseason when the Yankees pitcher called to make peace, the story wouldn’t have blown up the way it did. And Yankee fans shouldn’t overreact to Youkilis’ stated love for Boston and the Red Sox. He played there for eight years and we can’t expect him to start bleeding pinstripes just because he signed with the Yankees. All we should expect is that he will bring the same fire and clutch hitting to the Yankees that he did before his time in Boston came to an ugly end.

But teammates do not have to love each other for a team to win. I distinctly remember that Derek Jeter was no Roger Clemens fan when the Rocket was throwing 95mph fastballs at his head. But spring training started in 1999 and Jeter and Chuck Knoblauch pranked their new colleague by showing up in the batter’s box with full catcher’s gear, getting a big laugh out of the notoriously intense Clemens. The prank lightened the mood in spring training and the Yankees never looked back.

I’m not saying that the Yankees are going to win another title if Joba comes up with a similarly hilarious prank to pull on his new teammate. The Yankees have plenty of problems that are a lot worse than any feud between Joba and Youkilis and that’s where the focus should be.

Fun times with Mariano Rivera and friends

Funny quotes from Ed Randall’s Fans for the Cure event honoring Mariano Rivera:

David Cone on Mariano striking out Jay Buhner in the 1995 division series, then quickly being removed from Game 5 by then-Yankees manager Buck Showalter: “He should’ve brought [Mo] in earlier. Should have kept him in longer. Buck Showalter would still be managing the Yankees.”

John Flaherty talking about feeling confident about facing Mariano as a hitter because he knew Mo would throw him all fastballs: “Three pitches and I was back in the dugout. Be careful what you wish for because you might get it.”

Larry Rothschild talking about facing Mariano as the first manager of the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays: “We didn’t see him a whole lot because the games weren’t that close.”

Rothschild on calling Mo after he became the Yankees pitching coach: “There’s no use calling him, he’ll never call you back.”

Mariano on reports that he only needs eight innings of work in spring training to be ready for the baseball season: “That’s plenty. I try to cut it down.”

Mariano on his reluctance to travel to away games in spring training: “They have all these young boys and they want to send me to Winter Haven or Fort Myers. All that traffic. I did that when I was young.”

Mariano on going for the save: “If I’m there for 10 minutes, I’m in trouble.”

Flaherty on thinking he would fit right in with the Boston Red Sox because of his name: “When you hit .190, they don’t love you that much.”

Ed Randall on how players joining the New York Yankees immediately adopt the Yankees professional way of playing the game of baseball: “Locker next to Derek Jeter and see if he pulls that crap, BJ Upton.”

Cone on the Yankees beating the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 and 1999 World Series: “Twice we snatched away team of the decade from the Atlanta Braves. Every time I see [John] Smoltz, I let him know."

Cone on the New York Mets using the Baja Boys song “Who let the Dogs out?” for inspiration during the 2000 World Series: “Jeter goes all right. We’re all looking at each other and going ‘are you kidding'? This is the World Series. Jeter goes up there first pitch: whack, gone.”

Mariano on sitting next to Yankees legend Don Mattingly after he was first called up to the big leagues: “I was afraid to breathe.”

Cone on the Yankees winning tradition: “There’s always someone in the Yankees organization who can put you in your place. The Core Four [has] the great five rings. And then Yogi [Berra] walks in the room.”

“He lets you know,” Mo said of Yogi’s 10 World Series titles.

Mariano on his tweaked nickname for his former catcher Flaherty: “I call him White Flash. We have Tom Gordon—that’s Black Flash.”

Francona gets his revenge on the Red Sox

They say living well is the best revenge. If that’s the case, Terry Francona’s payback against the Boston Red Sox seems to be going beautifully.

Francona is back in the manager’s seat where he belongs after a short respite in the ESPN booth to recover from the negative end to his Red Sox tenure, with the manager being made the scapegoat for the team’s epic collapse in 2011 and a nasty hit put on him in the Boston media. The former Saux manager gets to start over with a new team in the Cleveland Indians in a town with a sports media that is not as demanding and vicious as Boston. Plus, his new book is being released and promises to tell his side of the story of how and why he left the Red Sox despite leading the team to two World Series titles.

Interestingly enough, Francona seems to put most of the blame for the collapse of the Saux in recent years on their image-obsessed owners. It’s hard to tell from just reading an excerpt, but he seems to imply that many of the personnel moves that sunk the Red Sox were directed by a marketing strategy rather than a baseball strategy. Francona also suggested that former general manager Theo Epstein, who protected his manager from much of the non-baseball nonsense, was frustrated by this type of thinking and bolted the first chance he got.

I’m planning to read the Francona book as soon as possible. I’m dying to know the details of how it all went wrong for the guys who finally ended the curse of the Bambino and pushed past the New York Yankees on their way to two titles. And even if Francona is disappointed by the excerpt published by Sports Illustrated, it’s not going to hurt his book sales one bit, which won’t make his former bosses very happy.  

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.

Yankees snubbed by Hall of Fame voters again

The New York Yankees have not fared well in the Baseball Hall of Fame voting in recent years, but this is ridiculous.

A couple of Yankee players scored so low in the voting that they were actually kicked off the ballot. The candidacy of Bernie Williams is over after two years since he only got 3.3% of the vote after a disappointing showing in last year’s voting that barely kept him in the running. I knew Bernie didn’t have much of a chance at induction, but I thought his postseason numbers and World Series championships merited a lot more support from the baseball writers.

David “Boomer” Wells is a one-and-done guy after scoring less than 1% of the vote. I didn’t expect him to get a lot of votes, but that number is pretty low for a guy who had 239 victories and pitched a perfect game. His 4.13 lifetime ERA likely worked against him, but Boomer also probably alienated a lot of people with his antics, including his claim that he was half drunk when he pitched his perfecto. I was a big Boomer fan, but I know he wasn't a Hall of Famer.

Other former Yankees will remain on the ballot after scoring more than 5% of the vote, namely Tim Raines, who passed the 50% mark for the first time. Given that he still has many years of eligibility and some vocal supporters, I think Timmy will make it in eventually. He won a couple of titles with the Yankees, but he was more of a mentor and part-time player in the Bronx so he will likely wear a Montreal Expos cap because he achieved much of his greatest success during his years in Canada. But I still count him as a Yankee so I will be thrilled when he finally gets in.

I’m not including Roger Clemens in this discussion because his performance-enhancing drug usage puts him in an entirely different category of evaluation, but I’m glad he didn’t do well in the voting and hope he never gets in. And if he does get in, I hope he doesn’t wear a Yankees cap, as he has pledged. Let the Boston Red Sox have him. 

Yankees losing the money race to LA teams

It’s official: the New York Yankees are no longer baseball’s freest spenders.

In what appeared to be a contracting market, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim swooped in to sweep Josh Hamilton off his feet with a 5-year, $125 million deal. I’m sure it’s a lot less than Hamilton thought he deserved, but it’s still a fantastic deal for someone with his injury and addiction history. The Angels have spent money like crazy over the past two years, signing Albert Pujols and Yankee reject CJ Wilson to long, rich deals. They went after Hamilton despite, or perhaps because of, missing out of the baseball playoffs in 2012, in an effort to re-establish themselves in the American League West by stealing their main rival’s best player.

 

The Hamilton signing follows the six-year, $147 million mega-deal that Zack Greinke, the only ace-type pitcher available on the free agent market, got from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are also spending like they don’t have a care in the world. Greinke’s market was thought to be limited, perhaps not as limited as Hamilton’s, because of his mental issues and his apparent disdain for big cities. But in a “pitiful” free-agent market, as described by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, Greinke was going to be well compensated. And the Dodgers, who bailed out the Boston Red Sox by taking several crushing, long-term deals and petulant players off their hands, were more than eager to accommodate Greinke in their battle for the hearts and minds of Los Angelenos.

 

In previous years, I would have believed that Hamilton or Greinke (or perhaps both) would have been viable candidates to become New York Yankees. But I barely paid attention to speculation surrounding their free agent status because I knew this year would be different, despite the embarrassing sweep the Yankees suffered at the hands of the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series, because I knew there was virtually no chance either one of them would end up in the Bronx.

 

For the Yankees, there is a different sheriff in town in Hal Steinbrenner, who apparently cares nothing about making a big splash. His father George Steinbrenner would have overlooked both players’ personal demons and spent whatever he had to spend to convince them to come to New York. Hal Steinbrenner simply does not think that way. It’s a healthy strategy when you are dealing with guys like Hamilton and Greinke, who probably were not the best fit for New York anyway. But what happens the next time a great free agent who could be the perfect solution to a baseball problem in the Bronx becomes available? Is Hal Steinbrenner going to spend what it takes to get the guy or watch as another free-spending team like the Angels or the Dodgers snatches him up? To be determined.

 

Thanks to Mikejames 19 via Wikipedia for the Hamilton photo.   

 

Youkilis could pull an Ichiro-like Yankees revival

I’m not crazy about the idea of Kevin Youkilis becoming a member of the New York Yankees, but I’m hoping I’m wrong about him, just as I was wrong about Ichiro Suzuki.

Reports indicate that the Yankees are close to finalizing deals with both Youkilis and Ichiro soon. I’m happy to welcome Ichiro back as he proved to be a valuable addition to the Yankees during the 2012 season. I’m a lot less excited about Youkilis playing third base for the Bronx Bombers.

My hesitation about Youkilis has nothing to do with him being a former member of the Boston Red Sox, although he will probably never earn my affection, just like Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon never won me over despite World Series championships. My issue with Youkilis is that I don’t think he’s a very good player anymore, certainly not worth the $12 million the Yankees threw in his direction. His batting average has slipped in recent years although he had a decent second half in 2012 after being traded to the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees were in a tight spot because they needed a third baseman for at least the first half of 2013, but didn’t want to make any multi-year offers to anyone due to their newfound austerity. They had to go with who they could afford and so they decided Youkilis was the best one-year option for them.  

But I’m willing to entertain the possibility of Youkilis becoming a new man in the Bronx and Ichiro is the only reason for that. I wasn’t crazy about the trade for Ichiro last season because I thought it was a typical, old-Yankees style move: trading for an aging veteran with tremendous name recognition who could no longer play up to his previously high standards. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. It turned out that all Ichiro needed was a change of scenery to rediscover his stroke and love for the game of baseball. He proved to be a terrific addition to the Yankees, both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Maybe Youkilis will win Yankee fans over, just like he won the hearts of Red Sox Nation, by pulling an Ichiro and reviving his career in pinstripes. I’m willing to give him that chance.

Marlins betray South Florida again

Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has screwed his fans over once again.

Loria and his minions have orchestrated yet another trade to rid themselves of their remaining high-priced superstars: Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle. Make no mistake about it, while the Marlins may have gotten some good, young talent from the Toronto Blue Jays, this trade was all about shedding most of the payroll that Loria agreed to take on only a year ago.

Not that many South Floridians are surprised by the salary purge. It has happened to them before twice with the Marlins gutting their team after World Series winning campaigns, most recently in 2003 against the New York Yankees (that one hurt after the thrilling Game 7 defeat of the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series). I suppose the most surprising thing about the move was that Loria didn’t even wait for the team to win a championship before dismantling it.

What probably hurts Marlins fans the most is that they will be paying for this beautiful new ballpark for years, with the costs potentially ballooning to as much as $2.4 billion, due to a deal that was considered both controversial and possibly illegal. And despite the sweetheart deal that gives the Marlins the bulk of the money from their new digs, the city and Major League Baseball do not have much leverage to force the Marlins to spend their cash on their payroll, especially with so many empty seats in the place.  

Marlins fans do share some of the responsibility as attendance was rather underwhelming in the first year of their brand-new ballpark when interest should be the highest, particularly after last off-season’s spending frenzy that bought Reyes and other superstars to Miami. I do give a small pass to Marlins fans in the sense that getting to and from that stadium is a transportation nightmare. Perhaps I’m spoiled by being a Yankees fan with three train lines that run to Yankee Stadium, but not having reliable public transportation to and from the ballpark and major South Florida hot spots seems to be a glaring blunder.

But, as the Tampa Bay Rays have seen for years, Floridians are just not as supportive as they should be even when their baseball teams are highly competitive. It’s probably past time for the Rays, a talented young ballclub, to find a home somewhere else. But with this brand-new ballpark, the Marlins and their fans are stuck with each other. Not exactly a match made in heaven.

 

 

Sad divorce for Jason Bay and Mets

Talk about a marriage that was doomed from the start.

The New York Mets have announced that they are parting ways with outfielder Jason Bay after three years of marriage. It’s not a surprising announcement given that Bay never turned into the player the Mets were paying him to be. And of late the Mets have been perfectly willing to eat contracts just to get a declining or problematic player off their roster.

It was never clear that Bay really wanted to play in Queens. He waited three weeks before accepting the Mets’ contract offer back in 2009. At his introductory press conference, Bay insisted that he really did want to play for the Mets. But I always had the impression that Bay only signed with the Mets because he could not get a better offer from the Boston Red Sox, even though he was a New York Yankees killer in his time with the Saux. I was perfectly happy to see him land in Queens, preferring the Yankees only face him six times a year instead of 19.

It’s really sad that the marriage between the Mets and Jason Bay didn’t work out. But the upside of a divorce is that both parties can make a fresh start. Hopefully, Bay will find his old self in a different uniform and the Mets can open up his spot to someone who can make a difference in that lineup.

 

Thanks to slgckgc via Wikipedia for the Jason Bay photo.  

Sigh of relief as Mo will return to Yankees

I’m breathing a huge sigh of relief now that Mariano Rivera has decided he will return to the New York Yankees for at least one more year.

In my heart, I know that the day will come when Mo decides to hang up his spikes and go home to his family for good. But I’m not quite ready for that so I anxiously awaited word about whether Mariano would call it quits or come back to close games for the only team he has ever played for.

All Brian Cashman was waiting for was Mo’s decision. Now that Mo has made that choice, Cashman has indicated that he and Mariano’s agent will move quickly to finalize a new deal for the Yankees legendary closer. Mo’s return from his devastating injury does not appear to be a major obstacle as Joe Girardi & Co were pleased with the progress Mariano was making in his rehab. Mo’s last contract negotiations also went so smoothly, they were over before you could even blink, namely because Mariano, probably generous to a fault, had no desire to squeeze every last dollar from the Yankees, even though he had so much leverage over his team (including competing interest from the Boston Red Sox).

Mo’s return warms my heart, but Scott Boras probably didn’t have the same feelings of joy when he heard the news. Boras would have had tremendous leverage to negotiate a rich, multi-year deal for his client Rafael Soriano had Mariano decided to retire. But the chances of Soriano staying with the Yankees took a significant hit once Mo decided to come back. Hal Steinbrenner seems determined to get to that $189 million payroll threshold, which means he will not be able to pay both Rivera and Soriano $14-$15 million each. He’s going to have to choose one and Cashman’s public eagerness to work up a new deal for Mo tells me the Yankees have already made their choice.

Not that there’s much of a choice to be made. Soriano filled in nicely and I wish him well, but there is only one Mariano Rivera and he will be back where he belongs next year, on a mound for the New York Yankees. 

ARod on the verge of becoming Yankees super villain

If the New York Yankees fail to win the World Series this year, Alex Rodriguez is going to become Public Enemy #1 in the minds of Yankee fans.

Sure, there will be other culprits if the Yankees fail to advance after leaving Baltimore with the American League division series tied at 1-1. Curtis Granderson, pulling an ARod by getting himself dropped to 8^th in the batting order, will be a target (although his easygoing, good nature and ambassador-worthy personality will insulate him to a certain extent). But ARod will bear the brunt of the vitriol from the fans and the media.

If ARod thinks his 2009 postseason performance will insulate him from verbal attack, he is seriously kidding himself. Yankee fans have short memories and are easily frustrated. They are not going to celebrate the fact that ARod helped them win a World Series three years ago. They are going to rue the fact that the man makes nearly $30 million per year and can’t seem to get the ball out of the infield or swing the bat with runners on base. I don’t blame ARod as much for the contract as other baseball fans—the Steinbrenners were the ones foolish enough to give him that massive deal that is now strangling the Yankees payroll. But I do think the fans are entitled to their anger (but not bottle throwing) when ARod doesn’t come through in the clutch, as he hasn’t for the Yankees except for that one postseason.

The Boston Red Sox are too sad to hate these days so Yankee fans are looking for a new villain. It won’t be those annoyingly pesky Baltimore Orioles even if they manage to swipe this series away from the Yankees. The blame will be placed squarely on a guy closer to home, the one that mans third base in the Bronx. 

Derek Jeter puts Yankees on his back

Derek Jeter has put the New York Yankees on his back and is trying to singlehandedly carry them across the finish line.

The Yankees Captain got a big assist last night from Phil Hughes, who shut down a beleaguered Boston Red Sox team, avoided giving up the long ball (no small feat as his is one of the league leaders in this category) and got his 15^th victory last night, tops on a Yankees rotation that includes CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda. But as impressive as Hughes was in Fenway Park, Jeter showed us why he is the true captain of the team, not just in title, but out on the field.

Ignoring the pain that has him hobbling and limping all around the bases, he managed to once again come up in the clutch, with a well-earned single that gave the dominant Hughes a small cushion. We shouldn’t really be surprised by anything Jeter does, except the man is playing on one leg, which, of course, he won’t even talk about. I wish I had Derek Jeter’s pain tolerance (my recent back injury has shown me that I do not).

It has become obvious to everyone that the Yankees are still in the division race only because of Derek Jeter. In the YES postgame show, David Cone said the Yankees Captain is basically willing the Yankees to win the American League East and get them into the baseball playoffs.

By the way, Jeter also tied the incomparable Willie Mays for 10^th place on the all-time hits list. As amazing an honor as that is, Jeter doesn’t have time to think about it. He was too busy dispatching the hapless Red Sox. Now he will turn his attention to beating the Tampa Bay Rays, on his one good leg. 

Yankees must step up for stretch run

My baseball blog has been completely neglected for the past 10 days due to a recent back injury that makes sitting in front of my computer for long stretches of time very painful. Watching the New York Yankees play during that period wasn’t nearly as painful, but it was very uncomfortable and depressing.

The only positive for the Yankees is that they barely survived a tough stretch against their two division foes, slinking their way to Boston with a one-game lead. But the Yankees only went 4-6 against the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing the teams to cut into, and in the O’s case actually temporarily tie the Yankees, for the top spot in the American League East. They were probably lucky to win those four games as they did not play particularly well, with ace CC Sabathia leading the way with two stinkers and the Bronx Bombers offense completely disappearing for most of that stretch.

And more bad news hit Monday as the Yankees found out they will be without Mark Teixeira for at least 10 days and possibly the rest of the regular season, which would make a postseason appearance for the Yankees first baseman extremely unlikely. His absence has hurt the sputtering offense, which is looking for someone in the middle of the lineup to put the team on his back and drive in Derek Jeter, who seems to always be on base.  

The Yankees do have the advantage of a weaker schedule down the stretch, starting with the Boston Red Sox tonight. But even if they can hammer their inferior opponents (not a sure thing given what the Toronto Blue Jays did to them on the last home stand) to gain the division title, Yankee fans will be consumed with fear because the team has not proven it can beat other good teams such as the O’s and Rays. But first things first, the Yankees have to win the American League East and they need to start playing better right now.  

Red Sox make awe-inspiring dump of dead weight

I’m in awe of Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington’s ability to rid his team of so much dead weight in one trade.

How he managed to convince the Los Angeles Dodgers, even with rich new owners, to take on the long, expensive contracts of both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez is beyond me. Gonzalez was a productive player for the Red Sox on the field so I can see why the Dodgers wanted him, but I can also see why the Saux felt they had to get rid of him. He clearly did not mesh with Red Sox Nation, who want their players to be accountable for their play and behavior and not leave their epic collapse in God’s hands. Crawford never truly fit in Boston and had his relatively brief stay there marred by injuries that left him underachieving—a change of scenery to the laidback West Coast might actually do him some good. And don’t get me started on Josh Beckett, who managed to blow through whatever good will he built up by being a key member of a World Series team.

Now Cherington has the money to spend on the guys that he wants, not the collection of selfish, foolish or underachieving players that his predecessor Theo Epstein left behind. But this is more than about money. Cherington can fill his clubhouse with good players and solid men he thinks will change the toxic clubhouse for the better. In one major move, he has managed to put his stamp on the Red Sox.

The other clear winner is Bobby Valentine, who will now get to impose the discipline he obviously felt was lacking in the Boston clubhouse without interference from players who think they should be running the show (assuming management keeps him around, which I think they will for at least another year). Seriously, any player who dares challenge Valentine is going to find themselves with a one-way ticket out of town, which is something perhaps some of the players actually want.

Despite the talent exodus, this deal is going to make the Red Sox a much better team, which should be a major concern for the New York Yankees.

Thanks to Timspastimes via Wikimedia Commons for the Cherington photo.  

For Red Sox, things go from bad to worse

A bunch of bitchy players is apparently not enough to sink Bobby Valentine, at least not yet.

We now know why Boston Red Sox management recently felt compelled to give Bobby V a vote of confidence. The Red Sox hierarchy knew that news of a meeting in which Red Sox players complained about Valentine’s managerial style would soon become public. So they tried to get ahead of it by expressing support for the manager, despite the many criticisms of his players.

But this latest news symbolizes the dysfunction of the Red Sox. Sure, Bobby V has made mistakes. Picking a fight with popular Kevin Youkilis, which forced the Saux to eventually trade him, was probably not a wise move. But Bobby V isn’t the one on the mound getting his ass handed to him every other start. That would be supposed ace Josh Beckett. And since when do these baseball players have a right to question his decision to leave Jon Lester in a game? It used to be that a starting pitcher was congratulated for taking one for the team if he stayed in a game despite getting hammered. Apparently that is now just something else for an unhappy team to bitch about.

It seems like things are only going to get worse as the disappointment and frustration of their sub-.500 record and general lack of competitiveness weigh on some of these Red Sox players (it seems to have already gotten to Dustin Pedroia), many of whom were ill prepared to deal with this much losing after winning two World Series in the last decade. As recently as mid-July, I still thought that the archrivals of the New York Yankees might have had a chance to turn things around, but that’s clearly not the case. For the dysfunctional Saux, 2012 is already a lost season. 

Hughes’ disappointing outing adds to Yankee blues

I was bummed that the New York Yankees could not sweep the Triple A Toronto Blue Jays this weekend, even more so because Phil Hughes was the main culprit.

After two months of strong pitching, it is completely baffling why Hughes has all of a sudden lost it again. His last two outings have started off fairly well, but he has run into major trouble in the fourth inning, jams he simply cannot get out of, even with two outs in the inning. It does not bode well for his next outing against the Boston Red Sox, a team he has struggled against in the past although he had a solid performance against them the last time they were in town.

The Yankees could have strengthened their position by sweeping the hapless Jays and remaining six games ahead of their nearest competition before starting what will be a tough week against the defending American League champion Texas Rangers and the Red Sox. They are already at a disadvantage by not having CC Sabathia available to start things off against the Rangers with his unexpected second disabled list stint of the year.

Phil Hughes could have made things a little easier by helping the Yankees solidify their lead against diminished competition, but he couldn’t do it for whatever reason. Hopefully, this is just a blip and he can get it together against the hated Saux. 

Dysfunctional Red Sox falling apart again

The Red Sox have been known to be a dysfunctional team at times, but this really takes the cake. Or rather, the beer.

The Red Sox have been accused of giving up on their baseball season as they linger near the bottom of the American League East division. One piece of evidence, according to a Boston columnist, was the sight of the injured John Lackey double fisting beers after a tough loss. The Boston media is notoriously bitchy, but they may have a point here.

Technically, Lackey didn’t break any rules by having a beer in the road clubhouse, but that really isn’t the issue. It’s just a poor decision by a guy who, along with other teammates, started the chicken-and-beer controversy last year, one that highlighted the clubhouse dysfunction that cost the Saux a playoff berth. You would think the Red Sox players would go out of their way to avoid any behavior that might remind people of last year’s collapse. Apparently not.

I definitely appreciate the instinct of Lackey’s teammates to defend him from what they see as unfair and unnecessarily harsh criticism. They pointed out his habit of picking up meal and cab bills for his less fortunate teammates. I bet his wife doesn’t think he is such a great guy, with Lackey filing for divorce while she was battling breast cancer. I wonder if he was as generous with her in the divorce proceedings as he is with his teammates.

The fact that the Red Sox are struggling badly this year and still a dysfunctional mess proves that last year’s collapse wasn’t all Terry Francona’s fault, despite the media hit the Saux management put out on him after he left the team. One thing you could say about Francona is that the Red Sox managed to be a more professional team during most of his tenure, which helped them win the World Series not once, but twice, finally besting the New York Yankees and breaking the curse.

Bobby Valentine was hired to be a law-and-order manager after last year’s late-season shenanigans. Even though Lackey didn’t violate Valentine’s rules, he clearly isn’t buying into the program. Neither are some of the other Saux players, prompting that vote of confidence from the Red Sox hierarchy trying to stave off another controversy.

As the old saying goes, you never know what you have until it’s gone. Francona is probably feeling some vindication from the safety of the ESPN booth (if it was me, I’d be laughing my ass off). How much do you want to bet Valentine wants to trade jobs with him again? But I doubt even Francona could fix this mess or even want to try.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the John Lackey photo. 

Crisis averted for New York Yankees

Balance is restored to the Yankees Universe, at least temporarily.

Some fans of the New York Yankees were on the verge of nervous breakdowns before the Yankees took the final two games from the Detroit Tigers. Granted, the Yankees have given them a lot of reason for their fears, playing terribly during a recent three-week stretch and watching their seemingly insurmountable 10-game lead dwindle in half. The Yankees themselves were starting to become concerned with their poor play, with Eric Chavez bravely voicing what others in the Yankees clubhouse were probably worrying about, but didn’t dare say publicly.

But the Yankees managed to escape Detroit with a split thanks to a turn-back-the-clock performance this week from Chavez, filling in nicely for the injured Alex Rodriguez, decent starts from CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda following poor outings by Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes, and a frustrated and angry Joe Girardi forcing the umpires to eject him and firing up his team in the process.  

Does that mean the Yankees are over the hump? Not in the least. They got lucky that the Tigers fell short in their comeback attempts these last two games. And they have to seriously hope that moving him down in the order is exactly the tonic Curtis Granderson needed to get over his slump.

Despite his recent struggles, I’m incredulous at the notion that Yankee fans would turn the ire they normally direct at ARod to the affable Granderson, but that’s what the New York Post said is happening (and, of course,  everything in that newspaper is gospel, according to my friend Scott). Sure, I was frustrated by Granderson’s weak pop up to end Tuesday night’s game and his numerous strikeouts, but the man does have 30 home runs, 66 ribbies and 78 runs scored so it’s not like he’s been a bust this year. And I seriously doubt he’ll ever take steroids or kiss his reflection in the mirror so I don’t think he deserves the level of scorn usually reserved for ARod.

I’m happy the Yankees took these last two games, but I’d feel a lot better about them if I see them sweep the Toronto Blue Jays up north before they come back to New York for a brutal 7-game home stand. They have four games against the defending American League champion Texas Rangers and three against the Boston Red Sox, who can always put up a good fight against the Yankees despite their dysfunction. It’s going to be a tough week for them and I’d like to see some signs that they can handle it.