Great Blog Post on Sterling

I found a hilarious piece on another blog documenting the worst broadcaster in the game, John Sterling. THIS, my friends, is funny stuff. And coming from a Yankee fan, mind you! When even the Yankee fans start hating Sterling, you know the guy's really gone downhill.

Memo To Brian Cashman: Reverse The Curse

Hey Brian,

I hope 2006 is treating you well, as you enjoy your newfound control. With Sidney Ponson and Aaron Guiel as your big midseason acquisitions, you've stuck it to George pretty well. After all, if he had his way, he'd have put Reggie Sanders and Bobby Abreu in pinstripes long, long ago, while Phil Hughes would be rising through the Phillies' system.

I have a trade idea for you. It's a big deal, a huge one. One like you've done once before. It's like a trade you made that sent shockwaves across the country.

Trade A-Rod for Soriano. Just like in February 2004, but in reverse. Maybe you can give up Cano for Ryan Zimmerman, so you can have someone play third. Or maybe Frank Robinson will move A-Rod back to short, instead of using the erratic Felipe Lopez. And lock up Soriano long-term. The guy is still a potential 40-40 guy. For '07, you can even use him in LF and move Shemp to right.

Sure, you'll have to eat a ton of A-Rod's salary. But it's worth it. It's worth it before he turns into another Whitson, Knoblauch, Brown, Mondesi, and Pavano all rolled into one. Before you're truly desparate to get rid of the guy. Do it while his value's still up.

Besides, unlike the A-Schmuck, Sori can actually perform in October. If not for Mariano's implosion in '01, Sori's HR in game 7 of the '01 WS would've been one of the greatest shots in Yankee history, up there with moments like Leyritz, Reggie, etc. Instead, that 2-1 lead going into the 9th was the last happy moment for your club.

And we all know where A-Rod performs best: in last place! Thus, Washington would be a perfect fit. And Jim Bowden loves a splash, especially one that will grab away a whole bunch of Orioles fans. I'm sure he'd do the deal in a heartbeat.

And maybe this time, A-Rod for Soriano will work in your favor.

I hope you get to play lots of golf this October,
Manny Ortiz

Big Series Win For Jays

I was worried about this series. After the whole Shea Hillebrand fiasco, I thought there would be a Jason Grimsley-esque effect on Toronto. Arizona couldn't win for about 2 weeks after that, and I was thoroughly expecting the Yanks to kick butt this weekend. But after Vernon Wells' walkoff shot off Charlie Brown, you knew Toronto was gonna survive. And survive they did.

They took full advantage of the weak Yankee pitching, teeing off of Jaret Wright, Ponson, and Kris Wilson. So far, Ponson is not looking like a Cashman genius move. Too bad the Sox stunk it up against Seattle.

- Great piece on Buster Olney's ESPN blog, comparing A-Rod's struggles to those of Chuck Knoblauch. I think in a year or two from now, the Yanks will try to trade away A-Rod. The guy clearly is unhappy in New York, and the Yanks may have to eat a lot of salary, but things are getting worse and worse for the A-Schmuck. Reggie Jackson he isn't.

- And with Wakefield now on the DL, the Red Sox have also had their fair share of injuries. I don't want to hear Yankee fans making excuses. The Sox have had Wells, Clement, and now Wakefield on the shelf. Not to mention Crisp and Wily Mo Pena missing significant amounts of team, as well as Foulke and Timlin serving stints on the DL. I'll concede that the Yanks' injuries had more of an impact, but the way some Yankee fans complain, you'd think all 25 players on the Red Sox roster were healthy. Come on.

Damn!

Tough past few days for a Yankee despiser. That sweep of the White Sox was painful to watch. And all the while, the Red Sox lead evaporated.

The last thing I need to hear is how well the Yanks are doing in spite of the injuries. Hey, without Shemp and Sheff, they actually have some guys that can do the little things right and hit half-decently in the clutch. Maybe that's why they've done so well lately.

But it's still July, so I won't worry. Remember last year, when the White Sox nearly blew it all in September? Then they dominated in October. There's still time yet for both Sox teams to pull ahead and for the Yanks to fold.

Ponson: Redding or Small?

A year after Redding/May/Small/Chacon, the Yanks are looking for lightning in a bottle once again, this time in the form of oft-troubled Sidney Ponson. I think George was involved in this one. After all, the guy loves people will screwed-up personal lives, like Darryl and Doc.

I can't see how Ponson will do too well. He sucked in the NL, even with a great pitching coach. He reminds me of Mondesi, a guy who often doesn't seem to care about the game. And then he screwed up in a big spot with the Giants a few years back.

One good thing: he makes the Yanks exciting. How long till his first DUI in pinstripes?

Ponson: Redding or Small?

A year after Redding/May/Small/Chacon, the Yanks are looking for lightning in a bottle once again, this time in the form of oft-troubled Sidney Ponson. I think George was involved in this one. After all, the guy loves people will screwed-up personal lives, like Darryl and Doc.

I can't see how Ponson will do too well. He sucked in the NL, even with a great pitching coach. He reminds me of Mondesi, a guy who often doesn't seem to care about the game. And then he screwed up in a big spot with the Giants a few years back.

One good thing: he makes the Yanks exciting. How long till his first DUI in pinstripes?

Yankees At The Half

'06 is looking like a great year thus far, especially with the Yanks primed to miss the playoffs if the season ended tomorrow. But of course, we've gotta play all 162.

The hatred and enmity against the Yankees seems to be missing some bite this year. Maybe it's the fact that Shemp and Sheff are on the DL. Or Small and Chacon reverting to their old ways. Plus, the Yanks have very little personality to begin with, but this year they seem extra dull. The Boss and Snorre have been much, much quieter than usual. At least last year the Boss got mad every week, and found every opportunity to tweak Ca$hman. And the emergence of the exciting Mets? Also a huge factor.

Now, what should we expect from the Yanks in the second half?

I think one big x-factor will be if and when George steps in. Clearly, Ca$hman has been running things for now. Otherwise, I'm sure we'd long since have seen Reggie Sanders in pinstripes, and probably Bobby Abreu, too.

Seems to me like Cashman has two ways of dealing with issues like injuries: a) the farm system - bring up the Kevin Thompson and TJ Beam types, and hope for the best, or b) rely on your local ex-Royal. Heck, Cashman likes ex-Royals more than Steinbrenner likes ex-Mets! First Terrence Long, then Guiel and Kris Wilson - what's next, Frank White as the new first-base coach?

So I'd be surprised if Cashman makes a big splash before the deadline, unless he gets an offer he can't refuse, like with Mondesi in '02 (but that, of course, turned out to be a disaster and was almost definitely a George move, coming after Enrique Wilson's infamous error against the Mets). I think Cashman will try to push his luck again and look for the 2006 version of Small and Chacon. Chances are he'll end up with something more like Redding and Darrell May.

Yanks have a tough schedule coming up. They play the White Sox, the resurgent Mariners, and later on, Texas and then Detroit. Boston will give them a hard time, too. Unfortunately, thanks to the chemically imbalanced schedule, the Yanks play Baltimore and Tampa Bay about 100 times the rest of the way. Hopefully they'll be seeing a lot of Kazmir and Bedard.

Boston needs a big second half from Beckett. He was inconsistent for much of the first half, but before getting lit up by the White Sox, had pitched 5 quality starts in a row. Is he finally figuring out the AL? If he, Schilling, and Lester can keep things up, and Mirabelli can work some magic with Wakefield, the Sox will be in great shape.

And I would also like the Twins to get hot, just in case Detroit starts stinking it up. But if Santana has another huge second half and Liriano stays red-hot, Minnesota will have an excellent chance at the wild card.

Another Yankee-Hater Classic

When it comes time to list the top 10 Yankee-hater moments of '06, last night's game has to be up there. Shawn Chacon pitched like he was back in Coors Field, and the Yanks' revolving door of relievers didn't do much better. I didn't think the Indians would be going for the sweep tonight, but wouldn't that be sweet.

Unfortunately, Tampa Bay is in the same situation. Kazmir did what he does best, killing the Red Sox. And the Sox stunk it up again last night. At least with the Yanks' struggles, the Sox haven't lost any ground in the East.