Only love for Cliff Lee and his new deal

I thought I was done writing Cliff Lee posts (and was just about to deactivate the Cliff Lee Google alert I set up) after his flirtation with the New York Yankees officially ended when he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. But I feel compelled to write one more post about him taking less money to head back to the City of Brotherly Love.

Jon Heyman asked players' union chief Michael Weiner if the union had any issues with Lee spurning more lucrative offers from the Yankees and the Texas Rangers to go back to Philly. Weiner firmly replied that Lee taking a lesser deal was not at all a problem, which I hope represents the start of a sea change for the union. Think back to the winter of 2003 when the players’ union effectively scuttled the trade of Alex Rodriguez to the Boston Red Sox because he had the nerve to agree to give up some money to make his contract more affordable. I'm still bitter at the union for that considering that ARod would be Boston's problem right now if the union had minded its own business. But I can forgive if union officials have decided to stay out of the way and let players make the best decisions for themselves, even if that means making less money to play baseball in the city they really want to play for.

Meanwhile, Roy "Doc" Halladay sounds thrilled about the Lee deal and not at all jealous that Lee got a better deal from the Phillies than he did. I believe him because by all accounts Halladay is a good guy, even if he is a fierce competitor who's slightly scary on the baseball field. He could have been a free agent himself this offseason and would have made a killing. But he chose to take a contract extension for fewer years and dollars than he could have gotten on the open market for the chance to join a club that had played in the World Series the previous two seasons. Again, it's heartwarming to see players like Halladay and Lee choose family and comfort over excess millions.

So there seems to be only love for Lee and his new deal. Is it Ok to move on now? I'd like to deactivate that alert soon. My inbox is crowded enough.

Thanks to Rubenstein via Wikipedia for the Cliff Lee photo.

Hail to the King, Felix beats CC Sabathia

This was a good week for the monarchy. Prince William gets engaged and King Felix wins the American League Cy Young award.

By a decisive margin, Felix Hernandez beat out David Price and CC Sabathia for the honor of being named the best pitcher in the American League in 2010. It’s an impressive feat considering he played for an inferior Seattle Mariners team and his 13 wins were well below CC’s 21 victories and Price’s 19.

It's also a victory for the stat geeks as Hernandez dominated most of the major pitching categories, except wins of course. While I fully appreciate the skill it takes to pitch to a 2.27 ERA in the American League, I can't help but wonder how many fewer runs Sabathia and Price would have given up had they not been pitching regularly for or against the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.

I doubt Sabathia is broken up about this loss. He already has a Cy Young award and a championship ring. CC is probably more upset about losing to a Texas Rangers team that went down in five games in the World Series than losing the Cy Young award to a talented youngster.

But personally, I agree with Roy "Doc” Halladay, who upon winning his second Cy Young award a few days ago, remarked that wins matter. His implication, of course, was that the high victory totals for Price and Sabathia should carry more weight than the sparkling stats of Hernandez. I would have no problem if CC had lost to Price, who helped propel the Rays to the AL East division title. But losing to Hernandez is galling because it diminishes the importance of actually winning games compared to compiling nice stats.

But I guess it's a moot point now. Long live the monarchy!

Go SF Giants! Sorry, Texas Rangers

Just to be clear, I'm not rooting for the San Francisco Giants to beat the Texas Rangers in the World Series just because the Rangers trounced my New York Yankees (although I wouldn't be upset if the Giants were able to avenge that loss).

I'm rooting for the Giants because I've been rooting for them through the entire playoffs (against Atlanta and especially Philadelphia). I'm rooting for the Giants because I'm rooting for the underdogs, for the misfits. Plus, I can't wait to hear what closer Brian Wilson says next. The guy is a total loon, but a lovable one.

The Rangers have to be the favorites because they have a well-rested Cliff Lee ready to pitch two, and possible three, games. Plus, the Rangers proved against the Yankees that they are masters of exploiting another team's weaknesses.

But the Giants are no pushovers, having defeated the Phillies' supposedly indestructible troika of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. They play solid baseball, hit in the clutch and have their own ace in Tim Lincecum, the youngster with the weird, but effective delivery.

Can San Francisco pull it off? I hope so. Go Giants!

Thanks to Bryce_edwards and UCinternational via Wikipedia for the photo.

Yankees revamp can't just revolve on Lee

The New York Yankees are setting themselves up for potential trouble if their entire plan to revamp the team revolves around Cliff Lee.

Most of the baseball world assumes that Lee will take the biggest contract he can get, which undoubtedly will come from the Yankees. But what if, after vanquishing the Yankees, Lee sees the Bronx Bombers as a team on the decline, with an aging roster and many problems despite their massive payroll? What if new owner Nolan Ryan, a legendary pitcher himself, knows what he has in his ace, has visions of a possible dynasty and refuses to let him leave, emptying his pockets with a contract offer that Lee finds reasonable? What if Lee decides he has finally found his baseball home in Texas after multiple trades and pulls a Roy Halladay, signing for a lot less than he can get on the open market?

Lee wouldn't be the first stud pitcher to reject the Yankees. Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux declined to wear the pinstripes, preferring to remain in a more sedate baseball home in Atlanta. Roger Clemens famously spurned the Yankees, even after lifting weights with George Steinbrenner, until he realized he couldn't win that elusive World Series ring without them.

Lee is widely depicted in the media as a hired gun aiming for the biggest score. What if it's not true? What if Lee is not willing to let money be the biggest factor in deciding where he will play the next five years of his baseball career? If that's the case, the Yankees better put away the wallet and come up with a back-up plan, one that doesn't revolve getting the best guy on the market.

Thanks to artolog and Fui in terra aliena via Wikipedia for the photo.

Halladay shows Yanks what awaits them in WS

Roy Halladay's no-hitter in his first postseason start validated my fervent but ultimately crushed dreams about him being acquired by the New York Yankees in the 2009-10 offseason. But in dominating the Cincinnati Reds, Doc showed the Yankees what will probably be waiting for them if they make a repeat trip to the World Series.

It was nice to see Halladay’s greatness finally on display for the world to see in the playoffs. The only thing that sucked about watching him pitch that game last night was that he wasn't doing it in a Yankee uniform.

I freely admit that I wanted Halladay and yesterday he showed why. A pitcher making his first start in the playoffs should have been at least a little anxious, but Halladay was the calmest guy in Citizens Bank Park yesterday. Hell, I think I was more nervous watching him pursue baseball history. (BTW Orlando Cabrera, Halladay got every strike call from the umpire because every pitch he threw was a strike so shut up because no one wants to hear your sour grapes).

Last year, the Yankees beat the Phillies largely because the Phils had no one to follow the great Cliff Lee, who showed something himself yesterday in throttling the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Yankees make it to the World Series this year, they will have to face Halladay at least twice, followed by a resurgent Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt, another great pitcher who spent far too long in baseball obscurity in Houston.

I don’t know if the Yankees actually came close to landing Halladay last offseason, but it sure seems like a missed opportunity, especially now that the good doctor has shown what he can do under the intense pressure of the playoffs.

Thanks to schwenkenstein01 and UCinternational via Wikipedia for the photo.

Baseball is back and as awesome as ever

Now that March Madness is over (sorry Butler, I was rooting for you even though you quashed Syracuse's national title hopes and broke my heart), we can all turn our full attention to baseball. And Monday was a fantastic day all around the majors, one that I'm sure Bud Selig was thrilled about.

Where do we start? Since I'm a pitching and defense kind of fan, I'll start with Roy "Doc" Halladay showing why the Philadelphia Phillies are probably on their way to repeating their division title and a World Series rematch with the New York Yankees after tossing 7 innings of one-run ball. Or we could go with the Freak Tim Lincecum showing why the San Francisco Giants were smart to finally get that contract done and lock the youngster up for a couple of years with a dominant performance in the first game of the regular season.

If you like offense, Albert Pujols started another Most Valuable Player campaign with not one, but two homers. Pujols seems to be trying to settle the question once and for all of who is the best player in baseball. It's hard to argue against him after swinging the bat like he did yesterday.

The Mets had a surprisingly good all-around game, led by a typical strong performance from Johan Santana. But David Wright's nice afternoon, including that homer, was probably more reassuring for fans of the Metsies hoping for a turnaround from an awful season.

All and all, it was an awesome opening day in baseball and hopefully a sign of the fantastic season to come.

Thanks to Bryce Edwards and UCinternational via Wikipedia for the photo.

Yanks do well on best of baseball list

The New York Yankees did pretty well on Joel Sherman's annual best of baseball list, which highlights why they will be tough to beat this year. But their cross-town rival Mets didn't fare as well, not surprising considering the year they had.

Mariano Rivera was tops in the closer category for reasons Sherman rightly felt no need to explain. Francisco Rodriguez of the Mets made the top five list, but only because Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan just had season-ending surgery.

CC Sabathia made the top starters list at #4, with the category featuring a nice mix of strong veterans and super-talented youngsters. But New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana just missed the cut, something he wouldn't be happy to hear considering he believes he is still the best pitcher in the National League East, ahead of top starter Roy "Doc" Halladay.

Alex Rodriguez, once considered the best player in baseball, has fallen behind both Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer, but his placement is still pretty good considering his hip surgery and steroids controversy. Even more impressive is that Yankee Captain Derek Jeter, proving the stats geeks still hold limited influence among baseball professionals, and Mark Teixeira both made the honorable mention category of best overall players.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.

Hooray! Baseball is back!

The New York Yankees quest to repeat their World Series title got off to a smashing start today, literally. Colin Curtis, who quite frankly I wouldn't be able to pick out of a lineup, put the Yankees in the win column with a 3-run blast in the 9th inning. It was a typical Yankee walk-off victory, minus AJ Burnett's pie in the face.

Of course it's only spring training, which represents a fresh start for the team and the first in a series of opportunities for players to impress their bosses and win jobs. Alfredo Aceves, Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre all did well in their first attempts to win the fifth starter job, pitching two scoreless innings each.

Tomorrow will be really interesting, with CC Sabathia matching up against Roy "Doc" Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies. Yes, it's only spring training, but it will still be fun to see these two heavyweights battle it out, if only for two innings.

All I have to say is hooray, baseball is back!

Worst moves of baseball offseason

This was an easier list to compile because several teams made questionable decisions, starting with the New York Yankees cross-town rivals:

1) Mets strange offseason moves: Under tremendous pressure to redeem themselves after a lost 2009 season, the Mets made a good move signing Jason Bay to the deal they wanted rather than on his terms. But everything fell apart after that. Defying conventional wisdom, catcher Bengie Molina dissed the Mets to resign with the San Francisco Giants. But the most embarrassing, head-scratching move was the Carlos Beltran surgery debacle. Getting into a nasty, public dispute with one of your best players is unwise and a true reflection of the behind-the-scenes dysfunctionality that prevented the Mets from really fixing their ballclub.

2) The Yankees letting both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui walk: Yes, Brian Cashman fulfilled his stated desire to get younger, but he did so by letting two clutch performers who perfectly fit their roles with the team walk away. He didn't even put up a fight to keep Matsui, signing another injury-plagued player, Nick Johnson, to replace him without saving much money. Damon is going to end up signing with another team for about the same dollars he could have gotten from the Yanks so that's partly on him and Scott Boras, but the team could have been a little more flexible in those negotiations. I just hope Johnson and Curtis Granderson can fill those big shoes.

3) Phillies trading Cliff Lee: When I heard the Phils got Roy Halladay, I thought they would be unbeatable, until I heard they gave up Lee as part of the multi-team trade to get him. They cited a need to replenish their minor league system, but I think they blew a major chance to dominate the National League for the next five years. Lee was incredible during the 2009 playoffs and will make a nice free-agent target for the Yankees, unless Seattle locks him up first.

Thanks to Wknight94 via Wikipedia for the photo.