Clemens still haunting former pal Pettitte

I don't know if the upcoming trial of Roger Clemens is causing Andy Pettitte to have doubts about returning to the New York Yankees for one final baseball season, but Clemens continues to haunt Pettitte on a personal level.

Bob Klapisch wrote a compelling column that raised the possibility that the Clemens’ situation is preventing a reunion between Pettitte and the Yankees, which Yankee fans desperately want and the team desperately needs. I would imagine Pettitte would have already told the Yankees he wasn’t coming back if the Clemens trial really was a factor in his decision process because he has no control over when he might be summoned to help send his pal to prison. More likely, Pettitte is just having a more difficult internal struggle than usual, with his oldest children just years away from college and coming off an injury-plagued second half that had Pettitte frustrated by his inability to help his team.

But Pettitte obviously still misses his former friend. His desire to rekindle the friendship was on full display during his Centerstage interview with Michael Kay last year. I don’t think he wants Clemens back in his life enough to lie for him on the stand, but a court appearance at the trial would be the final nail in the coffin of the friendship. I would suggest that a conviction of Clemens would finally release the strange hold he still seems to have on Pettitte except that I think Andy would just torment himself about the role he played in Clemens’ demise, even if all he did was put his hand on the Bible and tell the entire truth.

Putting the baseball issue aside, what I hope for Andy Pettitte is that he somehow finds peace with whatever happens with Clemens, that he realizes that Clemens made his own choices and has to live with the ramifications and that he appreciates the friendship for what it was, but finally figures out a way to move on.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.

Yankees must give Pettitte whatever he wants

I laughed when I saw a report that the New York Yankees were "willing" to pay Andy Pettitte $12-$13 million to come back for another year. The Yankees will give Pettitte whatever he wants, whether it’s as much time as he needs to make a decision or as much money as he wants.

A New York Post reporter seemingly violated unwritten baseball protocol by showing up at Pettitte’s doorstep uninvited to ask him the question that all of us Yankee fans are dying to hear a positive answer to: Are you coming back?

The Yankees are desperate for a yes on that one too. Brian Cashman is playing things unbelievably cool, not panicking and throwing tons of money at the lesser free agents still on the market just because he lost on out on Cliff Lee. But if Pettitte calls Cashman to tell the general manager he is on for another year, Cashman will be relieved and he will also have no choice but to give Andy whatever he wants.

Unlike with the Derek Jeter situation, Pettitte has all leverage and should use it to the fullest extent. If Cashman tries to say no on the money that Pettitte wants, the lefty can simply call it quits. And if he let people know that he was willing to come back, but the Yankees refused to acquiesce to his monetary demands, the Yankee faithful and the media will come down ultra-hard on Cashman and the Steinbrenners, perhaps even calling for Cashman’s head.

Don’t forget what happened the last time Pettitte left the Yankees. He pitched masterfully in the 2003 World Series, simply getting outdueled by a young Josh Beckett in Game 6 despite another great postseason performance. He then took a lot less money to go home to Houston and the Yankees suffered the indignity of blowing a 3-0 lead in the 2004 American League Championship Series and watching the Red Sox finally reverse the curse with a World Series championship. That happened in large part because Joe Torre didn’t have a reliably clutch Pettitte to stop the bleeding. With the retooled Red Sox gunning for the Bronx Bombers this year, the Yankees have to be desperate to avoid a 2004 redux.

So the Yankees won’t push Pettitte for an answer. They will just wait patiently and pray that he decides he has another year in him and then write a nice, fat check if his answer is yes.

Better late than never for Blyleven, Alomar

I’ve spent so much time (and two blog posts) on the guys that didn’t make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame that I haven’t congratulated the two deserving players who did become members of the exclusive club: Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven.

For Blyleven, the 14th time was a charm. He finally cleared the 75% hurdle for induction this year after coming painfully close last year, falling less than a percentage point shy of election. Despite lingering doubts about his resume and whether he was dominating enough to be considered a Hall of Famer, Blyleven’s candidacy got a nice boost in recent years from the rise of the stat geeks, who continue to insist that wins and losses don’t tell the whole story.

Alomar only had to wait one year, but it shouldn’t even have been that long. His Hall credentials were never in doubt, but the voters decided to punish him for the infamous spitting incident with John Hirschbeck and his subsequent disclosure of the umpire’s personal sorrow over the death of his son. But Alomar long ago asked for and received forgiveness from Hirschbeck, who for years has been one of his biggest supporters. Alomar is also dealing with some very questionable issues in his personal life, but those have nothing to do with his performance on the baseball field.

So two guys who deserve to be in the Hall of Fame finally got in. Perhaps they’ll be joined next year by Barry Larkin and Jack Morris, two players who have the credentials to be in the Hall, but are still waiting for that call.

Thanks to ConspiracyofHappiness via Wikipedia for the photo.

Yankees getting little love from Hall voters

Once again, no player who wore a New York Yankees uniform got anywhere close to the Baseball Hall of Fame. I wouldn’t call it a snub, but the former Yankees currently eligible for enshrinement are not getting much love from the writers.

Legendary Yankee Don Mattingly has more important things to worry about, namely prepping for his first season as a big-league manager. But it’s disappointing that Donnie Baseball continues to slip in the voting, falling from 16.1% last year to about 13.6% in 2011. But Mattingly seems at peace with not making the Hall as a player. Perhaps he can follow in his mentor Joe Torre’s footsteps by becoming a Hall of Fame manager (as Torre will soon gain entrance on the strength of his stewardship of the 1990s Yankee dynasty).

In his 9th year on the ballet, closer Lee Smith is also watching the Hall slip further away from his grasp. His 478 career saves (third-most in baseball history behind Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera) are just not getting any respect from the voters. He still has six more years of eligibility, but his vote totals have not made the slow, but steady upward movement that would indicate he has any chance to make the Hall.

But Tim Raines, a beloved teammate during his baseball career, is inching upward after garnering 37.5% of the vote, up from 30.4% last year and 22-24% during his first two years. Raines was one of the most dynamic leadoff hitters in the game and that, combined with his popularity, works in his favor. Given that he still has more than 10 years of eligibility left, he could follow Bert Blyleven’s slow path toward enshrinement.

None of the other eligible former Yankees will even get another chance at the Hall after falling well short of the 5% needed to stay on the ballot. My boy Tino Martinez only received the support of six writers in his first year of eligibility. I wasn’t expecting Tino to get anywhere close to enough votes for enshrinement, but I was hoping for a better showing for a guy who was such an integral part of the last Yankee dynasty.

At this rate, the Yankees may have to wait until Mariano Rivera or Derek Jeter retires before they get another player into the Hall.

Hall voters right to keep steroid users out

There is no longer any question that the writers deciding who gets into the Baseball Hall of Fame are determined to keep out players linked to performance-enhancing drugs. Good for them. It’s the right decision.

I am a firm believer that no players linked to steroids or human growth hormone should be allowed into the Hall, but even I was shocked by the minimal support for the candidates whose careers are now forever marred by their PED usage.

Rafael Palmeiro was considered by some observers to be a borderline first-ballot Hall of Famer simply because of his numbers. While some writers view Palmeiro as an accumulator of stats rather than a legendary player worthy of enshrinement, his 11% vote total makes it clear that his positive drug test will likely keep him out of the Hall. Ditto for Juan Gonzalez, who at one point was one of the most feared hitters and the highest paid player in the game, but could only muster about 5% support.

The hardest call for me would have been Jeff Bagwell. He was one of the great players of his generation and he got the 6th highest vote total. But it’s apparent that the majority of voters suspect that his numbers are based on PED use and will not vote for him, just like they didn’t vote for Mark McGwire before he confirmed his steroids use. I’m one of those people who believe you can’t hold something against a guy just because you think he did it, but I clearly have the minority opinion here.

The writers deserve high praise for taking an unpopular stance, one that I wholeheartedly agree with. I’ve long been bothered by the lack of punishment for PED users. These players got away with, and many were made ridiculously rich by, their bad behavior during their playing days. I don’t think they should be rewarded any further. For some of these players, the lack of Hall support will be a huge blow to their egos and therefore a just punishment.

Thanks to Googie man via Wikipedia for the photo.

AJ Burnett's birthday wish for rebound year

What do you get for a guy who has everything? Well if it’s AJ Burnett, that’s a tough one since his biggest birthday wish is probably to put a hellacious 2010 season behind him and put forth a better performance in 2011.

Aside from wishing media phonies like ESPN's Colin Cowherd would stop speculating about the state of his marriage, Burnett probably wants nothing more than to have a rebound year and prove that he can be a dependable pitcher for the New York Yankees, to show that Brian Cashman didn’t just throw away $65 million on him. Burnett seems to take it badly when he thinks he let his team down, which he did in 2010 and likely desperately wants to reverse that stigma.

I’d like to believe he can do it. Remember, this guy started off last season like gangbusters, looking like a legitimate ace while CC Sabathia was still looking for his groove. More importantly, Burnett was a pivotal performer in the 2009 playoffs, helping the Yankees secure critical Game 2 victories in three different series. But first he has to deal with whatever mental issue handcuffs him out on the mound.

Cashman and Joe Girardi have expressed confidence that Burnett can be a reliable pitcher for them again. They have no choice but to believe that, especially if Andy Pettitte walks away for good. They need Burnett to show that he can harness all that talent and finally become a stud pitcher befitting his potential. Burnett probably wants that too.

Happy Birthday, AJ. Blow out your candles and hope your birthday wish comes true.

Yankees happy to say goodbye to 2010

The New York Yankees must be thrilled that 2010 is finally over, considering all the miserable events they suffered through.

At the top of the list has to be the death of iconic owner George Steinbrenner, even if his passing was perfectly timed to escape the estate tax that could have forced his heirs to sell the team. Love him or hate him, the Boss’ willingness to outspend every other team in baseball and pursue the best players with unmatched vigor played a critical role in the success of the Yankee franchise. But the Yankees also lost their heart & soul with the death of legendary announcer Bob Sheppard.

The stated goal of the Yankees every year is to win the World Series so the loss to the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series ranks as the worst on-field moment. After easily stomping over their perennial doormat Minnesota Twins, the Yankees were embarrassed by the Rangers. They looked old and inflexible and manager Joe Girardi took his questionable in-game decision making to new levels.

The Yankees have also been losing the offseason battle to the Boston Red Sox, a team that has showed a determination to get back to the playoffs by pulling off a trade for one of the brightest stars in the game in Adrian Gonzalez and signing another young superstar in Carl Crawford. In just those two moves, the Saux created a mighty lineup that promises to wreak havoc in the American League.

In contrast, the Yankees offseason has been characterized by an ugly contract dispute with Derek Jeter in which the team publicly questioned their captain’s ability to continue to perform at a high level and portrayed him as another greedy athlete, a portrayal that resonated with a lot of fans likely due to their personal financial struggles. Ironically though, Jeter was just ranked as the most beloved athlete in New York, suggesting that the shortstop emerged from the clash without any permanent scars.

What does all this mean for 2011? With Girardi returning to pencil in nearly the same lineup every day (with the exception of Jorge Posada becoming a full time designated hitter), the prospects for improving on last season’s performance don’t look terribly promising. If the Yankees fail to make a major move before spring training, they will go into another season hoping that a fresh start will be enough to dispel the memory of a miserable 2010 season.

Thanks to the New York Yankees and MLB via Wikipedia for the photo.