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.

 

 

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.  

Time for Yankees to show O's, Rays who's the boss

Coming into the 2012 baseball season, I never thought I would say this but the New York Yankees face a tough test against the Baltimore Orioles starting tonight.

After another disappointing performance by ace CC Sabathia, the Yankees stumbled into an off day losing two out of three games against the injury-riddled, Triple-A Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees are going to have to step up their game if they want to maintain their slim three-game margin in the American League East, with their next 10 games against the Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays.

We knew the Rays would be good, with their superior, youthful starters, but who saw the O’s coming? Not me. I have to give Buck Showalter a lot of credit for the Orioles resurgence (although with his luck he will get himself fired right before the O’s win it all, as happened in both New York and Arizona). And you can’t call their rise a fluke, not when they are coming to Yankee Stadium on the last day of August with a chance to grab the division from the floundering Yankees hands.

Can the Yankees manage to take two out of three this weekend to keep the O’s at bay, then continue to play well against the Rays and the O’s again in Baltimore next weekend? I never thought I would say this, but I’m not sure. With Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira out, the only reliable bats in the lineup belong to Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher and they can’t drive themselves in all the time. Sabathia has not pitched up to his ace billing, and Phil Hughes, who salvaged the series against the Jays with another strong performance, doesn’t start again until Monday. I feel confident that Hiroki Kuroda, who has been the best starter on the Yankees over the last two months, will give the team a great chance to win, but it’s anybody’s guess if his offense will give him any type of run support.

The Yankees are in for a brutal final stretch, starting for real tonight. It’s time to step up and show the O’s and Rays who’s boss. If they can. 

All right in baseball land as Yankees take 1st place

The New York Yankees are right where they belong: in first place.

After struggling the first couple of months of the 2012 baseball season, the Yankees finally find themselves at the top of the American League East division, just ahead of both the Tampa Bay Rays and the surprising Baltimore Orioles. It’s only a one-game lead, but considering how awful the Yankees have looked at times this season, I’ll take it.

The Yankees can thank superior starting pitching for their rise to the top. Aside from an uncharacteristically erratic CC Sabathia, the Yankee starters have been brilliant in recent weeks, consistently putting up zeros and shutting down opposing teams. And they have to be near perfect, as they haven’t gotten much in the way of run support from their “can’t get a hit with runners on base” offense.

Yesterday’s game was a good example of the Yankees’ turnaround from the start of the season. After sleepwalking through seven innings against young Mike Minor (who truly deserved a better fate after his strong outing), the Yankees finally came alive in the 8^th, led surprisingly by Alex Rodriguez, who tied the legendary Lou Gehrig with his 23^rd Grand Slam. That was quickly followed by a two-run blast from Nick Swisher that put the Yankees in the lead for good. And even after his rough first inning, Sabathia did exactly what a true ace should do in gutting his way through seven innings to give the overworked bullpen some much needed relief.

So the Yankees are in first place. All seems right in the baseball world again. 

Mediocre Yankees a cause for concern

I’m not in full-blown panic mode yet, but I’m really starting to worry about the New York Yankees, who have been a mediocre team so far in 2012 rather than the juggernaut they are supposed to be.

It is too late in the baseball season for the Yankees to be a barely-above .500 team. The Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the traditional powerhouses of the American League East, continue to languish at the bottom of the standings behind the more youthful Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. The only thing the Yankees have going for them right now is that they are only 5.5 games out of first place, despite their inconsistent start, in late May. There is still plenty of time for them to right the ship.

But if it wasn’t for a vintage performance by Andy Pettitte, the Yankees would have gotten swept this weekend by the Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees have been getting beat by a lot of teams that they should be pounding on. Most recently, the Yankees have been hurt by a lack of clutch hitting, but poor starting pitching was the main cause of their woes up until a few weeks ago. The Yankees have also been victimized by some unfortunate injuries, not just to Mariano Rivera, but to his replacement David Robertson and Brett Gardner, whose speed is sorely missed on a team struggling mightily to score runs.

I’m starting to wonder not when but if the Yankees will pull it together. I’m not completely panicking just yet, but check in with me in a couple of weeks. 

Robertson deserves shot to be king of the 9th

I had the pleasure of being at Yankee Stadium last night to enjoy CC Sabathia’s bulldog performance (thanks Titi China =). But I was completely shocked to see Rafael Soriano coming out of the bullpen to close CC’s gem in the 9^th inning.

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has been steadfast in his desire to protect his relievers, refusing to let them pitch three days in a row, which should have meant both David Robertson and Rafael Soriano were unavailable. But there was Soriano on the mound in the 9^th, as he was so many times for the Tampa Bay Rays before he left for the Yankees as a free agent.

Did Girardi simply not trust the game to a middle reliever such as Boone Logan? Perhaps. No doubt it was an important game, or as important as a baseball game can be in the second week of May, as the Yankees had to show the Rays that they can’t be pushed around in their own ballpark. But Girardi is a long-term thinker, choosing in the past to risk losing one game rather than making a move that could jeopardize the entire season for one of his players. I just hope that Girardi’s move to bring in Soriano instead of Robertson does not reflect a lack of confidence in Robertson’s ability to close.

Robertson has by far been the best reliever, other than Mariano Rivera, on the Yankees staff in recent years and he has earned a chance to succeed the great Mo. Sure, Robertson has had two very shaky outings in save situations since Mo went down, but anyone would be nervous trying to follow the greatest closer in baseball history.

D-Rob is never going be as smooth in the role as Mariano because no one else has Rivera’s poise. Robertson’s nickname is Houdini for good reason. He constantly finds himself in jams, sometimes of his own making, and then fascinates us with his ability to wiggle out of them. As Girardi jokingly said, Robertson doesn’t seem comfortable unless the bases are loaded.

But as Girardi also said, Mariano has been grooming Robertson to be his successor. And remember, Robertson probably thought he had another year to prepare for the closer’s job ahead of Mo’s supposedly impending retirement. All of a sudden, the kid was thrust into the spotlight. He just needs some time to shake the jitters and let his talent take over. 

Joe Girardi trying to keep the mystery alive

Joe Girardi must be really bored this spring because he seems to be going out of his way to try to make things interesting. It’s not working, but that’s probably a good thing.

The New York Yankees’ roster is essentially set so that will make for just a long month of players getting ready for the regular season. Sure, Girardi has some decisions to make, but these are the kind of decisions that only draw a lot of attention because it’s the Yankees. How many people care who is the fifth starter or the back-up catcher on the other big-league teams?

The Yankees manager is doing his best to keep the intrigue alive. He first said that no one but CC Sabathia was guaranteed a spot in the starting rotation. While that may technically be true as none of the other starters has CC’s pedigree or paycheck, the reality is that there is only one spot truly open. After a surprisingly strong rookie season, the Yankees are going to give Ivan Nova every opportunity to keep his job. The Yankees did not give up their top prospect to put Michael Pineda in their bullpen. And they did not loosen up the purse strings for Hideki Kuroda to not be a part of their rotation (Girardi quickly backed off and said Kuroda has a starting job).

Girardi also publicly contradicted General Manager Brian Cashman, who conceded that the Yankees did not play as hard as they would have in late September 2011 if they were still competing for a postseason spot. This is classic Girardi, not the part about going against his boss, but his sensitivity about anything even perceived as criticism. The Yankees manager will argue that he did everything he could to win those last games against the Tampa Bay Rays, even though he clearly didn’t. If he cared about winning those games, we would have seen Mariano Rivera closing things out and the Rays would have been going home instead of the Boston Red Sox. I’m not knocking Girardi, even though he would consider such comments criticism. Of course, he did the right thing in keeping Mo out of a game that didn’t mean anything to the Yankees. If only Girardi would admit it instead of being so stubborn.

But none of Girardi’s comments are going to shake things up in Yankees’ camp. A quiet spring is just what the Yankees need to get ready for baseball, even if it makes for a boring four more weeks in Florida. 

Purists' anger over new wild cards perplexing

I have to say that I’m quite surprised by all the vitriol thrown in Bud Selig’s direction over the news that Major League Baseball will add two more wild card teams and have the two wild cards in each league play a sudden-death elimination game for the right to advance further in the playoffs.

I love that more teams will have a chance to make the postseason, just as long as baseball doesn’t get too ridiculous and expands the playoffs to the point where half of all teams can get in on the playoff action. I love that the excitement that we saw on the last day of the 2011 regular season will be replicated every year. I love that division winners will have more of a reason to fight for that title rather than backing off and resting players, as Brian Cashman recently conceded that the New York Yankees did last season.

I don’t understand the furious arguments of the so-called baseball purists, mostly because in all honestly there has not been much pure about baseball in a long time. But there is a level of anger over the decision that is perplexing, most of it directed at Commissioner Selig. The silly name-calling is by far the worst as the personal attacks are juvenile and unnecessary. Can’t these people make their points without succumbing to hysteria? These changes are not going to ruin the sport, just as breaking each league into three divisions and adding the first wild cards did not break the game. The sport will adapt, the players will adapt, and most importantly, the fans will adapt because we are a resilient bunch, sticking with the sport even during its darkest days, which judging by the Ryan Braun situation will never truly be over.

To a certain extent, I do understand the concern about a third-place team winning the World Series. But that does not bother me as much as the idea of a first-place team in a weaker division winning a championship. Besides, what if that third-place team comes out of the toughest division in baseball: the American League East division? I can easily picture a scenario where the Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays all finish the regular season within a few games of each other and with better records than the teams in other divisions. I would have no problem with a wild-card matchup that pits two of these teams against each other in a do-or-die situation. There would be no way to say that any of these teams don’t deserve a shot at the postseason. I would much prefer seeing a stronger third-place team play for a world title than a weaker first-place team simply benefitting from playing in a division with lesser competition.

But we all have our opinions about baseball’s latest changes and none is more valid than the other, despite whatever any of us think. Let’s just try to act like grown-ups when discussing them. 

Posada likely to move on from Yankees soon

I’m expecting to hear the disappointing news that Jorge Posada will play baseball for another team next season any day now.

As much as I’d love for Jorge to retire forever being a member of the New York Yankees, the fact that he hasn’t announced his retirement might mean that he still wants to play. Posada’s agent is probably trying to gauge the interest of other baseball teams to see if he can get his client a decent contract that will guarantee him some playing time, which is simply not an option with the Yankees, even if they do end up trading Jesus Montero. Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi clearly see a declining Posada and have not even faked a real interest in bringing him back, something that must be breaking the emotional Posada’s heart.

Rumors have the Tampa Bay Rays in the running for Posada’s services. It makes sense for them as the budget-constrained Rays wouldn’t have to pay him a lot of money and can slot him into the designated hitter spot on a full or part-time basis. Posada would bring a lot of fire and leadership to a playoff-worthy ballclub that could use some help getting over the hump. And as Posada showed the baseball world in the 2011 playoffs, he still has some life left in that bat, despite the Yankees thinking otherwise.

Posada has earned the right to go out on his own terms. I just wish his terms were to only ever play professional baseball in a Yankees uniform. 

Baseball gets it right on wild card changes

Bravo to Bud Selig and Major League Baseball for finally doing something right, and on the first try no less!

MLB will expand the postseason to add one wild card team to each league, having the two wild cards in the leagues square off against each other to see who can continue to play baseball in October. The one-game playoff is perfect because it ensures the excitement of a sudden-death game for the right to move on, but does not drag out the postseason any longer than necessary. I love the idea of recreating the excitement we saw on the last day of the 2011 season every year.

Of course, there will be some objectors, including players, even though they stand to benefit if their team has an extra chance to make and then advance in the playoffs. Players such as Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees hate the proposal because they do not believe that they should have to face an inferior team in a do-or-die game. It’s a legitimate point, but the new format puts a greater emphasis on winning the division outright than has existed in recent years. If a team wins its division, it does not have to worry about suffering a too-quick exit from the playoffs during the wild-card round.

Plus, the extra wild card gives teams such as the Yankees that are often penalized for playing in the toughest division in baseball an extra shot at ensuring their good work over the full year does not go to waste, even if they come in one game behind the Boston Red Sox or Tampa Bay Rays. Of course, if the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays all make the playoffs because of the extra wild card, there will be quick calls for a rethinking of the new format.

But all in all, I think MLB got this one exactly right and I am looking forward to the playoff action next year.

Nova's year a breakout despite ROY loss

Ivan Nova didn’t win a Rookie of the Year award today, but that loss in no way diminishes his outstanding 2011 campaign.

I’m surprised at Nova’s fourth-place finish in the ROY balloting, with only one first-place vote and 30 points overall, well behind the winner: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson (congrats, kid!). I thought Nova would get a lot more support and perhaps become the first member of the New York Yankees to win the ROY since Derek Jeter in 1996 (yes, it has been 15 years since the skinny kid from Kalamazoo took New York by storm).

Nova went 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA for a Yankees team that finished with the best regular season record in the American League. He stepped right up to fill a major void to become the Yankees #2 starter behind CC Sabathia after AJ Burnett struggled mightily again and Phil Hughes lost a step because of injuries. I would have liked to have seen Nova rewarded for that.

But in the grand scheme of things, Nova losing the ROY doesn’t really matter. The Yankees will be counting on him to prove that 2011 wasn’t a fluke and that he deserves to be a mainstay in the Yankees rotation for years to come.

Teixeira wrong about wild card additions

Remember that glorious high we all we were feeling around midnight on Wednesday due to the trio of fantastic baseball games deciding the wild card teams in both leagues? It can happen every year if Major League Baseball implements a one-game play-in and adds two more wild card teams, which they seem to be leaning toward doing. But not everyone thinks it’s such a great idea.

Mark Teixeira said such a change would be unfair to great teams because they could be forced to play teams with lesser records in sudden-death games and have their seasons and playoff hopes crushed by one bad call or break in a game. Sorry Tex, but I just don’t agree.

While his scenario certainly could happen, I don’t think that’s a good enough reason not to make a change. First of all, such unfairness is already inherent in the game. How many times have we seen a team head for the playoffs even though a team with a better record heads home simply because they have the misfortune of being in a tougher division? In 2008, the New York Mets, the Houston Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals all missed the playoffs even though they had better records than the National League West champion Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2010, the New York Yankees won five more games in the regular season than the Texas Rangers, but went into the playoffs as the wild card (without home field advantage in any series) because the Tampa Bay Rays were one game better.

The Yankees first baseman thinks Wednesday’s finish is proof that baseball doesn’t need fixing. But that kind of wild, exhilarating finish doesn’t happen all the time. In fact, it’s never happened before in baseball. The only finish that has come close in recent history was the epic 12-inning marathon Game 163 between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins in 2009, a game that I spent five hours in a hotel room watching because I simply could not leave before someone won. Imagine having that feeling every year, twice over because it’s happening in both leagues.

Tex is absolutely right when he says that baseball is doing it for the money. The ratings and advertising dollars make two Game 163s every year an attractive proposition for baseball and its television partners. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t do it. Adding those extra wild card teams would create excitement that would drive people to their TV sets. The thrill of watching four teams battle in sudden-death matches for the right to advance would ensure that the good feelings we had on Wednesday can be replicated year in and year out.

Perfect day for baseball

Everyone once in a while I get a strong reminder of why I love baseball so much. Yesterday was one of those days.

I was obsessed with watching three baseball games going on at the same time last night (thank you ESPN and your multiple channels!) with the wild card race coming down to the last day of the 2011 baseball season. Hard-core baseball fans like myself were rewarded with two extra inning games and one rain-delayed game (Mother Nature reminding us she holds all the cards). The euphoria I felt with every twist and turn cannot be described. My only disappointment was that I went from the possibility of two play-in games today to none. That’s probably for the best because I would have blown off my weekly boot-camp workout tonight just to see the game.

Everyone will talk about the epic collapses of both the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves and no question both were ugly. But in truth, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Saux would be playing a game today if Joe Girardi hadn't insisted on keeping his top relievers on the New York Yankees’ roster off the mound last night. Not that I'm blaming Girardi at all because I think it was absolutely the right call, but it's clear that David Robertson, aka Houdini, and Mariano Rivera would have been pitching the 8th and 9th innings under normal circumstances. No way either one of them blows a seven-run lead.

Bud Selig is in heaven right now. As am I. I love this game. I can't wait until tomorrow and Saturday because I'm heading to Yankee Stadium to watch my Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers.

Thanks to SixFourThree via Wikipedia for the image.

Yankees have too much pride to lose on purpose

The New York Yankees are not throwing in the towel, not even to hurt the Boston Red Sox.

A strange theory is brewing around Red Sox Nation that perhaps the Yankees are purposely blowing games against the Tampa Bay Rays so that the Rays can eclipse the Saux for the American League wild card. The thought is ridiculous on many levels, namely because the Yankees have too much pride to intentionally lose to anyone and that any employee in the Yankees organization would be permanently banished for throwing any game, even if it hurts their archrivals.

I can understand why some Red Sox fans are turning to this theory. They need some kind of explanation for their pain. But what they have to understand is that Joe Girardi, while definitely pulling some of his guys back for some much-needed rest after a brutal September, hasn’t taken his foot completely off the gas. But Girardi has a very calculated plan, going so far as to remove David Robertson with two outs in the 8th inning just so Mariano Rivera could pitch to one batter tonight. The Yankees manager has already said he will not use his top relievers in Wednesday’s game so that they have two full days of rest before the playoffs start. But he did use his best relievers in a game that was easily within the Yankees’ grasp if not for a random, wild outing by Rafael Soriano, not the actions of a manager trying to throw a game.

Does Girardi care about the outcome of Wednesday’s game? No, it means nothing to him. He will get some of his regulars some at-bats and pull them. Aside from Phil Hughes, we won’t see any of the big-name Yankee pitchers on the mound tomorrow night. But that doesn’t mean Girardi is tossing in the towel on behalf of the Rays. It just means he is being smart and careful about keeping his players sharp without getting them hurt.

“It will be an exciting day for baseball tomorrow,” Girardi said.

Yes it will. And it won’t be the Yankees fault.

Random baseball thoughts

I know someone usually takes the fall for an epic collapse like the one the Red Sox are currently experiencing. The Saux are in serious danger of missing the playoffs because of their terrible play, with only the fact that they still have a 1 ½ game lead with only five games left in the season the one thing they have going for them right now. But the notion that Red Sox manager Terry Francona should lose his job over this September swoon is just insane.

Before Francona, the Red Sox were best known as a bunch of dysfunctional losers that hadn’t won a World Series in 86 years. With him, the Red Sox ascended to the top of the baseball world twice, once at the expense of the New York Yankees. Sure, 2007 was a long time ago in the baseball world (and the Yankees have won another world championship since then), but no manager has handled the unmerciful Boston media and the expectations of Red Sox nation better than Francona. If the Red Sox decide he should take the fall if the team misses the playoffs, I think that’s a decision they would regret very quickly.

• If the Yankees hadn’t been playing the Red Sox this weekend, I would have already gone to see Moneyball. I’m curious to know how they turned a book that was often a very difficult read into a movie that is getting rave reviews. I’m sure having Brad Pitt star as Billy Beane helps a lot.

• Just when I thought Major League Baseball was finally rid of another steroids guy, comes word that Manny Ramirez is seeking reinstatement into the game. Ramirez famously quit on the Tampa Bay Rays rather than serve his second suspension, this time a 100-game ban, for testing positive for a banned substance. He probably needs the money to pay for the lawyers who will defend him against domestic violence charges. But I hope that Bud Selig can find a way to decline the reinstatement request. If that can’t happen, I hope no baseball team chooses to sign him. His “me-first” attitude was already getting old even when he was knocking balls out of the park and carrying teams into the playoffs. I doubt anyone’s going to have the patience for a washed-up version of Manny being Manny.

• Speaking of Selig, he is finally making his big move in his quest to rid his sport of Frank McCourt, asking a bankruptcy judge to reject McCourt’s plan to auction the television rights to broadcast Los Angeles Dodgers’ games. I’m rooting for Selig to win this battle and find an owner that will restore the Dodgers to glory rather than use them as his personal piggybank.

• I’m really glad Major League Baseball and the players’ union are embracing the idea of a one-and-done wild card round in the playoffs. I love the idea of having two teams duke it out in a sudden death game for the right to advance in the postseason, ensuring that the playoffs do not drag out any longer than necessary and creating even more excitement in the September division races.

Thanks to SixFourThree via Wikipedia for the image.

Yankees benefit from Red Sox freefall

The New York Yankees lost another baseball game last night, but they didn’t lose any ground in their quest for the American League East title. Why? Because the Boston Red Sox also lost, squandering an opportunity to get a game closer to their archrivals.

With Mariano Rivera finally getting the attention he deserves for closing in on the all-time saves record, the Yankees pursuit of another division title has temporarily become a secondary topic in the Yankees universe. The Yankees have managed to put and maintain some distance between themselves and the Red Sox even though the Yankees lost two games against the lowly Baltimore Orioles last week and suffered a tough defeat in Seattle last night.

If we were paying attention to the Red Sox, we would see that their struggles have left them completely incapable of gaining ground on the Yankees. Tim Wakefield managed to get his 200th victory after 20 tries (ok, maybe not that many although it sure seemed like it), but little else has gone right for the Saux in the past few weeks. The Red Sox got swept by the Tampa Bay Rays, who are chasing the Red Sox for the American League wild card, and will face that talented young pitching staff again starting tonight. Boston’s fire-throwing young stud Daniel Bard blew a big game last night. But the Red Sox will get their ace Josh Beckett back on the mound Friday and if they can split the four-game series with the Rays, they will be in good shape in the wild-card race. My hope is that the Red Sox and Rays batter each other into submission so that whoever makes the playoffs doesn’t have much left in the tank.

Of course, the Yankees are not out of the woods yet. They have a brutal schedule down the stretch, with three games remaining against the Saux and seven against the Rays. But if the Yankees can play .500 ball during that time, they assure themselves of first place and possibly home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But with the postseason right around the corner, I’d like to see the Yankees head into October playing their best baseball of the year.

Too quick to judge Rafael Soriano?

Rafael Soriano's brilliance of late has made me wonder: were we too quick to judge him earlier this year?

Soriano got off to a terrible start in 2011 and still has the 4.03 ERA to prove it. But he has been mostly terrific since his return from the disabled list, giving up only one run and two hits in eight appearances and helping the Yankees stay in and win several of those games. The great Mariano Rivera has had a much tougher time in big games recently than the much-maligned Soriano.

So now I wonder if we were being too harsh on Soriano. Perhaps Soriano really did need an adjustment period after leaving the relative quiet and much less pressurized environment in Tampa Bay for the chaos and demands of the Bronx. Perhaps he was hurt that whole time and didn’t say anything in an attempt to justify his large contract and/or prove he belongs in New York. Or maybe he really did just need time to adjust to leaving his job as one of baseball's top closers for the Tampa Bay Rays to become Rivera’s set-up man (a job he has since lost to David Robertson).

Part of the animosity Soriano felt from fans and the media related to portrayals of his time in Tampa Bay, where he supposedly dictated to his manager how he would be used in games rather than the other way around. Perhaps that was unfair as we really don’t know what happened during Soriano’s time in Tampa Bay. But he didn't exactly help himself either when he took a shot at the Yankees offense, which was struggling earlier this year, but is running on all cylinders now.

Do we all Soriano an apology for jumping the gun? If he keeps pitching the way he has, I would answer that with a firm yes.

Robertson deserving addition to All-Star roster

David Robertson is going to the All-Star game and no one deserves it more.

Having been passed over in the initial selections, likely due to an unspoken bias against set-up relievers, Robertson finally got a well-deserved spot on the roster of baseball’s best after Tampa Bay Rays starter David Price bowed out due to a minor toe injury. It’s probably not the way Robertson wanted to make the team, but he will take it and enjoy it.

You could not wipe the smile off of Robertson’s face yesterday. He grinned with genuine excitement and happiness when reporters asked him about his first trip to the All-Star game. There probably has never been a guy so eager to give up his three-day vacation to go to work.

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi was equally happy for his reliever and thrilled he got the chance to break the good news to Robertson personally. Girardi started his Robertson for the All-Star game campaign weeks ago and for it to finally happen was obviously rewarding for both the player and the manager. I have to imagine that this is one of the bright spots of being a baseball manager and Girardi could not be happier for his player. As am I.

Congratulations, Dave!

Honest Derek shows his true emotions

Not Honest Abe, but Honest Derek.

Watching Derek Jeter circle the bases after hitting the home run for hit #3,000 was one of those moments where it felt like we were finally seeing the real Derek Jeter after all these years. He was smiling ear to ear, openly celebrating his milestone (but not in a way that showed up the Tampa Bay Rays) and had that huge smile still plastered on his face when he was greeted by best pal Jorge Posada and the rest of the New York Yankees at home plate.

But it was even more refreshing and enlightening watching Jeter in his post-game interviews admit to being relieved that the pursuit is over and that he was feeling pressure to achieve the milestone at home in front of the Yankee faithful. Jeter admitted that he was lying to the media when he tried to act like the pressure wasn’t getting to him and that he wasn’t upset about the Rays refusing to play the split doubleheader, robbing him of an extra home game to get the hits he needed before the All-Star game.

During his post-game interview with Kim Jones on the field, Jeter started to get emotional when he heard the fans chanting his name over and over and Jones asked him how he felt about it, which he responded to by waving his cap at his fans. He showed even more emotion during the press conference after, which was yet another indication of just how much it meant to him to do what he did at home.

Jeter is never going to be Nick Swisher, wearing his emotions on his sleeve for the world to see. But I am heartened to see him start to be so open, whether it’s Jeter admitting to being angry at the Yankees for the way they treated him during his contract negotiations to him allowing camera crews into his castle to document his journey to 3,000 to his thrilling gift to New York and mutual love affair with the Yankees faithful yesterday afternoon. After all these years, we’re starting to see some of the real Derek Jeter and it’s quite a sight to see.