Yankee Despiser FAQ

LAST UPDATED: 06/08/07

When we started this blog a few years ago, I looked at it as a form of therapy -- a way of blowing off steam -- only a whole lot cheaper. Don't get me wrong - what we write is not hyperbole. We genuinely hate their guts.

Anyway, we've got a lot of new readers lately, so welcome, and for those of you who are new to the blog, allow us to explain some of what goes on here.

Q: Who are the Yankee Despiser and Manny Ortiz?
A: We're two guys from New York who've loved baseball for a long time, and when the Yankees started ruining baseball a few years back, our hatred for them intensified.

Q: Why do you call them the Junkees?
A: Two reasons. (a) That's what Manny's older brother called them many moons ago, and (b) With Giambi, Matt Lawton, Dale Berra, and all the guys over the years who've been on drugs, I think the answer becomes quite obvious.

Q: What about Old York?
A: Look at all the old men on their current roster and on the rosters of previous years.

Q: Why do you give most players nicknames?
A: First off, it's fun. It breaks up the monotony of writing the same names over and over. Second, many of them accurately reflect the personalities of the players.

Q: So what are the nicknames?
A: Joe Torre - Joe Snorre, because he always looks half asleep in the dugout.

Jason Giambi - Juice-On Giambi. Need I say more?

Doug Mientkiewiecz - Doug Smith, because the Junkees got him for PR. Ex-Red Sock, Ex-Met, and funny last name. Makes me wonder if they would have gotten him with a name like Doug Smith.

Derek Jeter - Derek Cheater. Don't remember how that one came about. May have been from a commenter.

A-Rod - A-Schmuck. Between his dirty play in the '04 ALCS and the screaming "I got it!" incident in Toronto, it's pretty self explanatory.

Hideki Matsui - Shemp. Looks like the Stooge.

Jorge Posada - Ringo. Looks like the ex-Beatle.

Kyle Farnsworth - Farnsworthless. Look at his numbers. Has been a $6 million pitcher? Have you noticed that he's only brought into 10-1 games?

Mariano Rivera - Charlie Brown. Looked like the Peanut when he flailed at the ball in Game 4 of the '04 ALCS when Bill Mueller tied it up with the single up the middle in the ninth. Also the way his ears stick out under his cap.

Q: Aside from blowing off steam, what else are you trying to prove?
A: Generally we try to further prove that the aura and mystique are long gone, now that Old York is full of jerks. We try to show how Ca$hman has been a buffoon with some of his moves, how Snorre falls in love with relievers and overuses them until their arms fall off, how they're constantly blaming the umps and coming up with excuses when they fail (especially Mike Mussina), and how so many moves are made for PR.

Q: What do you mean making moves for PR?
A: Often the Junkees will pick up guys not because they're the best guys available for their needs, rather because it'll wow others. Why did the Mets pick up a washed-up Shawn Green? PR. He's Jewish, so presumably more Jews will show up to the games or root for the Mets. Likewise, the Yankees have made tons of moves for PR. One is to pick up guys who used to be Yankees and then went elsewhere. They've done this just about every year during the Ca$hman era:

1997 - Mike Stanley
1999 - Jim Leyritz
2000 - Roberto Kelly
2001 - Randy Velarde
2002 - David Wells
2003 - Jeff Nelson
2004 - Homer Bush
2005 - Tino Martinez
2006 - Miguel Cairo

Have any of these guys really made an impact? No, they didn't have to. It was simply PR. Another PR tactic is to get ex-Mets. Among them (since Ca$hman took over in '97): Allen Watson, Jose Vizcaino, Ryan Thompson, Lance Johnson, Darren Bragg, Robin Ventura, Alberto Castillo, Todd Zeile, Bubba Trammell, Jesse Orosco, Tony Clark, Matt Lawton, Al Leiter, Octavio Dotel, and so on. Again, mostly non-impact players.

Finally, they love ex-Red Sox. That list includes Johnny Damon, Doug Mienkiewicz, Mike Myers, Tom Gordon, Alan Embree, Mark Bellhorn, and let's not forget Ramiro Mendoza in 2005.

Q: What is the Curse of Jeff Nelson that you have on the top of the page?
A: When the Junkees let him go at the end of the 2000 season, he was ticked off. He said "They'll never win without me." So far he's been right. To me it ranks right up there with the billy goat in Wrigley Field.

Yankees Power Numbers: Anemic

Yes, they rank sixth in the AL with 60 homers, which is not horrible.

But a third of those are coming from one guy, A-Schmuck.

That is pathetic.

When Old York won all thoe championships in the '90s, they had more balance. The home run leaders those years were as follows:

'96: Bernie Williams - 29
'98: Tino Martinez - 28
'99: Tino Martinez - 28
'00: Bernie Williams - 30

Nobody hit more than 30 those years, but the difference is that you had a bunch of other guys who hit in the 20s or high teens. This year, A-Schmuck is on pace to hit 59 dingers. No one else is on pace to get close to 30. Right now, after A-Rod you have the Juicer and Ringo Posada tied for second with seven each. We know that the Giambino is out of commission for a while, and Ringo may very well cool off considering that he's a 35-year-old catcher.

Abreu, Jeter, Shemp, Damon, Phelps, and Cano are simply not hitting homers. So I'm reminded of those teams with one huge home run guy, say the Cardinals of the late '90s with McGuire, or the Giants with Bonds, or the Cubs back in Sammy's heyday, and those teams never got anywhere, save for the '02 Giants.

So when Snorre is teeing off in early October, we can add this as reason #1017.

Back to Business as Usual: Junkees Drop One to ChiSox 6-4

So much for the momentum of A-Schmuck's home run, which John Sterling called A-Rod's most dramatic home run yet. Puh-leez. Then again, what the heck should I expect from Pa Pinstripe?

Anyway, Matt DeSalvo got into some trouble, thanks in part to some typical shoddy Yankee defense, and Snorre had no patience for him. I was a little surprised that Snorre went to the pen so soon, but I think it's safe to say that DeSalvo is NOT this year's Aaron Small. (Speaking of which, why not bring back Small for PR?)

Villone came in to give up a couple of runs, and before you knew it, the Junkees were way behind. Can't completely kill the Junkee offense as they did get 10 hits, but until the ninth, didn't string much together.

- Has anyone noticed that Jeter is having a horrible June? He's now 3-20, 3 for his last 27, and in that time his average has dipped from .355 to .326. Yeah, he'll blame his latest 0-5 on getting run into early in the game, but don't worry - he'll probably pull a Damon and play through it, further ruining the second coming of 1978.

- Damon, by the way, is also having a horrid June, and has absolutely zero power. If he's your DH, forget it. Another great signing by Brian Ca$hman.

- Tyler Clippard pitches on Tuesday. Pressure's on.

Yankees Outfield Defense: Horrible

Want to know why the Angels own Old York over the past few years? Because they're a very aggressive team who most often tries to take an extra base, and the Junkee arms are absolutely horrendous.

Watching Bobby Abreu reminds me of Darryl Strawberry in the late '80s, when he always let balls dunk in a couple of feet before him. Additionally, he misplayed a couple of balls in the Red Sox series, and has an unimpressive arm.

Johnny Damon gave me a good laugh a while back when he handled a sac fly against the Blue Jays in shallow center field and when throwing the ball in, reached Cano above second base on two hops. Let's face it - he throws like a girl.

Shemp Matsui was a better outfielder when he first came to the Junkees, but seems to have lost a couple of steps since then. He is, by far, the best of the three out there, but come on. He's in left field, the least important of the three positions.

Teams that don't take the extra base against Old York are foolish. Statistically speaking, they are below average in outfield assists, with 7 so far, the MLB average being 11. Who knows - perhaps word will get out and the other teams will smarten up. That will make 1978 less and less likely.

Let 'Em Enjoy It

Last night's Yankee win will ultimately be viewed in one of two ways: (a) the momentum-changing win that started an improbable comeback, or (b) an isolated highlight for Yankee fans in an otherwise very disappointing season.

As the Despiser discussed yesterday, my money is on "(b)."

What's funny is how, in years past, when A-Rod had a moment like this, the media would proclaim it as his coming of age as a Yankee. Whether it was the fight with Varitek in '04 or the homer off a rehabbing Schilling in '05, we heard all about it. At least the media has finally realized what we've known all along: until A-Rod does anything in October, he'll leave New York with the same legacy as Randy Johnson: a future Hall-of-Famer who came to the Yanks to lead them to a championship, but left the fans disappointed.

A-Rod deserves credit for the homer last night. Papelbon threw a very good pitch, and A-Rod went the other way. As much as we rip the guy, and deservedly so, he's still one of the most talented on the diamond today. Once in a while, he lets us know why he gets paid $25 million.

- Is Pettitte injured? And what is it? If he is, then the Yanks and Cashman have another excuse. Never mind the fact that Pettitte's health issues were part of the reason the Yanks weren't interested in bringing him back after 2003.

Sunday Roundup 6/3/07

- With apologies to Buster Olney, time for a new Despiser feature: links to the best Yankee-related columns in the Sunday papers, with quotes and my opinions thrown in for good measure.

Interesting performance/human interest piece in the Times about Mike Lowell; some good tidbits at the end.

Murray Chass talks about the "most expensive groin in baseball history," and how the Mussina-Nieves battery flopped. In that piece, Torre does Mussina's job for him, blaming his lousy performance on the rain delay.

Mike Vaccaro talks about the Yankees' horrible seventh inning yesterday. He does a good job pointing out how Abreu's screwing up a fly ball led to the Yanks falling apart that inning.

Typical outlandish outside-the-box piece by Joel Sherman, suggesting how the Yankees could try to opt our of Clemens' deal, considering that it's technically a minor-league deal. Sherman, do you think George would ever allow them to just drop Clemens? No way. Clemens could be out till August, and he's not going anywhere. Although if the Yanks would opt out of the contract and Clemens doesn't end up pitching for New York, it would make Suzyn Waldman's call all the more ridiculous.

Sherman does a slightly better job in this piece, quoting a bunch of scouts saying that Clemens will have a much harder time with the AL East than with the NL Central last year. But we've discussed that here, already. Not an epiphany.

Wally Matthews talks about Captain Clutch's failures yesterday, and throws in a great line about how "Joe Torre is sounding more like Art Howe every day."

Tony Massarotti believes that the Sox and Lowell played hard because they were ticked about Proctor getting a free pass for hitting Youkilis Friday night. It's Yankees-Red Sox. That's reason enough to play tough.

PICKS OF THE WEEK: I've been meaning to do a Minaya vs. Cashman comparison, and there a bunch of columns praising Minaya this week. The Record's Ian O'Connor, the Daily News' Bill Madden, and Newsday's Shaun Powell all sing Minaya's praises. O'Connor and Madden throw in the occasional dig at Cashman, too. Expect my take later this week.

1978 Will Not Happen in 2007

The Junkee fans like to get excited and delude themselves into thinking thst they can easily come back from a 13 game deficit. After all, they say, it happened in 1978, so why not this year?

Here's why. To have a 1978, two things have to happen: (a) The Red Sox play lousy baseball; and (b) The Junkees play incredible baseball. You could have either (a) or (b), but the likelihood of having (a) AND (b) is slim.

The Junkees could go on a tear, but it's a lot harder now than it was in 1978. Back then, you had two teams in their second year of expansion, the Blue Jays and the Mariners, with both teams losing over 100 games. This year, maybe you'll have one in the Royals, or even the Rangers, but Old York doesn't play them as often as they used to. Instead, they play half their games against the AL East, and none of the teams is an easy win.

Also, the Yankees had a dominating ace in Ron Guidry, who had one of the all-time seasons for pitchers, going 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA. Overall the Junkees led the AL in ERA and were second in strikeouts. This year, props to Andy Pettitte for doing a great job so far, but no one else has been any good. You've gotten decent starts here and there, but so many times Snorre has had to pull pitchers before the fifth inning, and you don't stage a 14 game comeback with guys like Mike Mussina and Kei Igawa. Right now the Junkees are tenth in ERA, and dead last in K's. Oh, and they've also issued the third most walks. Meanwhile, Boston is third in ERA, fourth in K's, and only two teams have issued fewer walks in the AL.

I'm not saying it can't happen. I won't rest until Snorre and company are mathematically out of it. Just realize that they really have their work cut out for them.

Your $18 Million At Work

I know it's Yankees-Red Sox this weekend, but I'm gonna talk about Clemens first. The injury issues are already acting up, and is anyone really surprised? The guy is 44 years old, and has had the occasional groin and hammy issues. On Friday, Mike and the Mad Dog ripped the guy for not wanting to pitch in this weekend's series. I guess now we know why. So for all you Yankee fans who thought Clemens would bridge that 14.5 game gap, think again.

- I don't know what it is, but the Yankees have killed Tim Wakefield this year. Wake has a 10.93 ERA against the Yanks this year. Yanks batted .191 against him from '04-'06.

- Today's game was fun. Mussina had another lousy start, and Proctor was lousy, as he's been lately. And 19 BB in 29 IP is just awful.

But the big story today was Captain Clutch, Derek Jeter, making a couple of errors to lose the game for New York. Abreu botched a fly ball, too. Sloppy plays.

- Credit where credit is due to Joe Torre, for calling Mike Lowell's taking out Cano at second in the 4th a "clean play." Can't remember the last time I've seen Torre act like that.

Abreu: Another Justice

The biggest disappointment for the Yanks thus far? Easily Bobby Abreu. In '06, his arrival was the turning point for the Yanks. They had trouble catching the Sox in the division, and once Abreu came, opposing pitchers were up to 90-100 pitches in the 5th inning, and the Yanks pounced on teams' lousy middle relievers. After Abreu came along, the Yanks were able to knock Boston out of the race and easily win the division.

Abreu's numbers as a Yankee last year? Excellent. .330 batting average, .926 OPS.
This year, his average has fallen over 100 points, to .228. His OBP (.313) and SLG (.289) are both worse than his average in '06. The .602 OPS is pathetic.

In 2000, David Justice was huge for arguably the weakest of the dynasty teams. He had a .309 AVG and a .976 OPS, with 20 HR to boot. He capped it all off with a huge ALCS, winning the MVP in that series.

But in '01, Justice fell apart. He hit .241, and his OPS fell over 200 points. He hit .167 in the World Series, and was shipped to Oakland after the season.

One can speculate about the reasons for Justice and Abreu's dropoffs. Did they just get old? Did the Indians and Phillies know something Cashman didn't? Did they need a change of scenery to succeed, and then lose that motivation?

Last year, Yankee fans owed their October to Abreu. This year, Abreu may be the reason the Yankees miss the playoffs.

A-Rod's April Seems Like Years Ago

It's very, very hard to believe that just over 5 weeks ago, A-Rod was the talk of New York. In a good way. The guy was hitting homers left and right, and he had finally won the admiration of Yankee fans.

Now, it's all fallen apart for him. His average has fallen, he cheated on his wife, and had an embarrassing "bush league" play last night. Any genuine Yankee fan has to be ashamed of those antics. O'Neill, Mattingly, and Brosius don't do that. Even Jeter doesn't.

A-Rod is back where he was last year: a $25 million embarrassment, getting ripped in the tabloids. So I would be shocked if A-Rod's in pinstripes next year. Back in April, when A-Rod said he wanted to stay in New York, I said, give it a couple of months. I guess I was wrong: it only took five weeks.

Why A-Schmuck is A Schmuck

When I wrote the recap after the game on Wednesday I was unaware of this latest classless incident of A-Schmuck yelling out during a pop up to distract the Blue Jays. Here's the article from the New York Post:

Thankfully, the article mentions the 2004 ALCS chopping incident against Bronson Arroyo.

Theory: He did this to take away attention from his cheating on his wife.

Can't Lose 'em All: Junkees Take One 10-5

Hey Junkee fans, can we finally stop drinking the Tyler Clippard cool aid? Yes he got the win, but watching the game, he clearly labored, throwing 98 pitches in 5 innings, walking 5, giving up 2 home runs. He was not very good, and if not for the 5 run cushion, the Junkees would be considering sending him back to Scranton. He got out of some jams, and Snorre aged 4 years just in the third inning alone.

Otherwise not a great night for a Yankee Despiser. A lot of the hitters did well, save for our buddy Mr. Minky -- with another hitless night -- now has a batting average of .217.

At one point the Jays cut the lead to 6-5, and for a moment I thought Old York might find a way to blow it, but they had to end their slide at some point, and did so on a night that the Red Sox lost, cutting the lead to 13.5.

- Couldn't care less about A-Schmuck cheating on his wife. Sorry, wrong blog for that.

- Junkees get a day off, then head to Boston. Worst case scenario they win all three, and the lead becomes 10.5. If the Bosox sweep, then it's 16.5, and we may as well count on seeing Derek Jeter on a golf course in early October. More on the upcoming series later in the week.

- At 22-29, supposing the AL Wild Card team will need 95 wins, Old York has to go 73-36 the rest of the way. Could happen, but I wouldn't bet on it. Then again, I wouldn't bet against it, either. By the way, over the past 40 years, only one Yankee team ever had a stretch of 73-36, and that was in 1998.

More on George

Decent piece in today's Times on George, and who's in control.

Line Of The Night

Mientkiewicz, Cano, Damon, A-Rod, and Abreu -- combined 0-for-16. Five hits total for the Yanks.

The one saving grace for the Yanks is that they'll continue to have company in the cellar, as Tampa Bay is getting drubbed by the Tigers. Two homers for Gary Sheffield, who now has 12 on the year. How'd that trade work out for ya, Cashman?

Beckett pitched great tonight, and in a possible playoff preview, the Sox beat the Indians, extending the lead to 14.5.

- And just like in the Subway Series, Tyler Clippard will be out there tomorrow looking to avoid the sweep.

What's Next?

All of the Yankees' panic moves this season haven't helped much. Phil Hughes stunk in his first start, then got injured in his second. The signing of Clemens didn't provide an immediate jolt of life to the team; the only one really affected by it was Suzyn Waldman. The Yanks haven't won a game since George ripped Cashman. And finally, Joe Torre's meeting didn't do anything last night. So what's next?

If the Yanks don't turn things around, I think George and his Tampa contingent will take the power back from Cashman and renege on the agreement made in late 2005. I think George would rather make Cashman powerless and miserable (like in '05) that fire the guy. Maybe the Clemens signing was the first step in that direction.

And with the Yankees expressing interest in the Rockies' Todd Helton and Brian Fuentes, there may be more players coming. If things get bad enough, the Yanks will do whatever it takes to get those guys. Even if it means parting with Phil Hughes.

Remember '03? The Yanks went through a rough stretch back then. First, Jeter was named captain. Then, top pitching prospect Brandon Claussen was traded for Aaron Boone. Claussen was the Yankees' top pitching prospect, and had a very good debut against the Mets. But George panicked, and traded the kid for a mediocre third baseman.

True, Hughes probably has a much higher upside than Claussen, but if George takes back the reins, all bets are off.

- One guy whose trade value has plummeted? Melky Cabrera. Pittsburgh offered Mike Gonzalez for him last year, and the Yanks didn't want to trade Melky. If that offer was made today, the Yanks would do it in a heartbeat (of course, Gonzalez is now on the Braves, so it's a non-issue).

Let the Good Times Roll

What can I say? This doesn't get old.

Another Junkee starter can't get out of the fifth inning, Villone is back to his late '06 form, and just five hits for the mighty Bronx Bombers.

Might as well just copy and paste some of my old posts. How many times can I write that Melky stunk it up, that Doug Smith went o-3, that Damon struggled, that the Junkee pitchers couldn't find the strike zone, walking seven....

The only thing that's missing is Snorre complaining about the umps, as he did Saturday when Abreu got called looking on a pitch outside. I've said it before and I'll say it again. No team has caught more breaks than Old York over the past decade, from the Jeffrey Maier home run and on. Granted, that was a bad call, as was the stolen base in the Mariners game. But that's not why the team is in fourth place. If you're a game or two out of first, fine. You were robbed. But when you're in a different stratosphere than the Red Sox, pipe down.

- About time the Junkee fans realized about Snorre what we've been saying for years.

- So much for their hour-long team meeting before the game. Gotta love that they lost because had they won, the Junkee pundits would go nuts about what a great motivator Snorre is.

- Bobby Abreu's numbers: .233 BA, .320 OBP, .296 SLG
- Gary Sheffield's numbers: .254 BA, .370 OBP, .459 SLG

Orlando Cabrera Tells The Truth

It's not much of a secret, but in the LA Times, Orlando Cabrera reminded us what Yankee fans are all about:

The New York Yankees might have the most fans, but they don't have the best fans. So says Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

"They don't appreciate good baseball," he said. "They just appreciate the Yankees beating up on everybody."

The Yankees are on pace to lead the major leagues in attendance for the fifth consecutive season, with fans spoiled by a team that has won 26 World Series championships and has not missed the playoffs since 1993.

But those fans can turn venomous toward opposing players — and even toward their own, when performance is not in line with expectations.

Cabrera played in Boston, another city with a loud and loyal fan base, before joining the Angels. He gives Red Sox and Angels fans high marks for supporting the home team through tough times and applauding great plays by the visiting team.

"In Boston, they admire baseball," Cabrera said. "In Anaheim, those fans are some of the best in baseball. They know you care there. They know you can't do it every day. I appreciate that.

"These people here, they're mean. And they're really mean to the other team."

Cabrera said the hostility in the stands has increased this season, with the Yankees below .500.

"When we came here last year, they were in first place, so it was OK," he said. "Now they're just looking for an excuse."

He is not bothered, he says, by whatever language Yankees fans direct his way.

"When people say [stuff], they only motivate me," he said. "They're bad losers."

Flunkees Fail Big Test

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how the series against Chicago, the Mets, Boston, and the Angels would tell us whether these Yankees can win this year.

Well, a 4-8 run tells us all we need to know. After George's comments and getting swept by the Angels, the Yankees are a game out of the cellar. This is not April anymore. The season's about 1/3 of the way done, and this team stinks.

Damon refuses to go on the DL and will remain a part-time player. Coco Crisp never looked this good (and he had quite the web gem today). But even if the Yanks sidelined Damon, Melky Cabrera (.219) is not an option. Abreu has bounced all around the lineup, and still can't hit. Cano (.375 in the last week) looks like he's doing better. A-Rod (.227 in the last week) does not.

The Yanks pen is still in bad shape. Proctor blew it today, and Luis Vizcaino is not helping Cashman's job security.

The Red Sox and Mets sweep, making it a great weekend. The Yanks-Sox series seems like a million years ago, as the deficit is now 12.5 games. And Beckett is coming back.

When it comes down to it, this team can't win. The outfield is terrible, 1B is a joke, and the '06 A-Rod is making a comeback, as is the '04-'05 foot-in-mouth Jason Giambi.

- The Blue Jays looked done when Halladay and Ryan went down, but they've got a better record than the Yanks. With Clippard and DeSalvo pitching two games, they've got a pretty good shot at taking two of three.

It's Getting Better All the Time....

First of all, Clippard got clipped by the Angels on Friday night, which makes him pitcher #275 that the Junkee fans fawned over after a good first outing only to get bombed the next time out. Hey, where's Chase Wright? Didn't he have that great debut against the Indians? And whatever happened to Matt Desalvo? Oh right, he got rocked in relief on Friday night, bringing his ERA to a nifty 5.29.

Oh yeah, and the Red Sox won, extending the lead to 10.5.

And then on Saturday, Wang gets tatooed in the first inning, the mighty Yankee bats never recover, so another loss. Bobby Abreu is now hitting .235, Cano is at .260, but hey, Doug Smith is up to .234, so things aren't that bad, right?

And then the Boss comes out of his shell for the first time in a while. Don't know what to make of that. Thought he was senile, but he sounded pretty with it in that interview. And I love how he gives it to Ca$hman. The guy is full of excuses. When he didn't have sole authority, he tried to make it like all the bad signings were other people's decisions. Now his excuse is that he's been trying to rebuild. (And that's why he signed Johnny Damon last year, a guy who can't do anything? We all know he did it to stick it to Boston, but they're having a good laugh right about now.) Listen Brian, you can't dance at all parties. Damon's been a bust, Mussina has been a disaster, Abreu over Sheffield is one for the ages, Cano was a one-year wonder, Doug Smith was PR, Luis Vizcaino is absolutely putrid, and Melky ain't what you thought.

Speaking of Damon, enough injury excuses. Drives me crazy when these guys think they're such great guys for playing hurt. If you can't do anything, go on the DL. But if you're out there, you've got to produce. Don't tell me about your hamstring, your ankle, or any other body part.

All the excuses in the world won't change the fact that 2007 may be a Yankee-free October!

Mike Mussina - Waste of $24 Million

What the heck were the Junkees thinking when they resigned him this past offseason? I know the pitching market was thin, but come on!

Here's the thing about the Moose that we've been saying for years here on YD: The guy will show flashes of brilliance every now and then, making you think that if he could just put it all together, you'd have a Cy Young winner. Yet he never does. So he'll toss a few 2-0 gems, but he'll follow that up with a stinker.

This year, though, those gems have been few and far between. Granted, he pitched well in his couple of starts against Texas, but other that that he's been a disaster. Got bombed by Baltimore in April, roughed up by the White Sox earlier this month, and most recently, pummeled by the Red Sox. He's 38 years of age, so there's an excellent chance that he's done.

Looking back, he's had a couple of good years for Old York. 2001 was very good, with an ERA of 3.15, and 2003 was pretty good as well. I guess you'd have to throw 2006 in there based on the numbers that count (don't care that he won 18 games in 2002 with an ERA north of 4), but he has not been the ace that he was supposed to be. He gives up a lot of hits, a good number of home runs (at least 20 each year), but he doesn't walk a lot of guys, which is probably why he gets away with a lot.

It's hard to imagine him being this bad the rest of the way, but hey, you never know.

Still A Way To Go

Hey, anytime the Yankees beat the Red Sox in a series, whether it's May or October, it's disappointing (of course, it hurts a lot more in October). So yeah, this series stunk. The Yanks chased Wakefield and Schilling, and got good pitching from Pettitte and Wang.

As for the hitters, the only guy who seemed to come alive was Johnny Damon, with 6 hits in the series. Abreu is still a mess, and Matsui did well in the final game. But Damon is always touch-and-go, so you can't get too excited by his success.

When it comes down to it, the Yanks still have a 9.5 game gap to fill. In order for that to happen, they have to hope for one of two things to happen: Boston has to fall apart, or they have to go on a '98-like incredible surge.

I don't see any of the two happening, and it comes down to something I wrote about last week: Boston has depth, and the Yankees don't. Even if Boston has a few injuries, they have plenty of reinforcements. Once Lester joins the big club, they can use Julian Tavarez as insurance. And the way he's pitched against the Yankees this year, that's a good backup to have. And guys like Pena and Cora are good for a couple of weeks, if need be. The Yankees' best-case scenario would be if everybody gets injured, like last year's disaster. When you saw Javy Lopez catching, you knew it was all over.

And the Yanks just don't have the horses to go on a tear. Even after Clemens and Hughes join the team, they're not gonna get great starts from both guys every time out there. As we saw on Tuesday, Mussina is getting more and more inconsistent with age, and Wang and Pettitte will have the occasional hiccup. And even if Abreu and Cano eventually start hitting, Jeter and Posada will probably slow down for a few weeks. It's very unusual for any team to have all nine hitters be in the zone at the same time.

So although this series stunk, you've gotta be nuts to start thinking about 1978.

Junkees Batter Wakefield, Cut Lead to 9.5

When Wakefield pitches, it's all or nothing. Either he's fabulous, or he gets tatooed. He's been that way throughout his career, and Monday night was no exception. The Junkees took advantage, stealing some bases, and Boston had no chance.

While watching the game, Wang looked impressive, but looking at the stats, he wasn't exactly Cy Young. He gave up 7 hits and walked 3 in 6.1 innings, and was lucky to get out of some jams. Still, he deserves credit for the end result.

The Junkee offense did just enough to get by. Nice to see Mientkiewicz (0 for 4, .212 batting average) continue to stink up the joint. Wow, picking him up was the ultimate PR move. Ex-Met, guy who caught the last out of the '04 Series for the BoSox, and a character. And that last name ... you think he'd be a Yankee if his name were Doug Smith?

Anyway, the way I see this series is this - the worst that can happen is that the Junkees sweep, in which case they'd be 7.5 games out. But even if Boston takes the next two, that would increase the lead to 11.5. And I would still be uncomfortable. I've learned to never count out the Junkees. Until I see them mathematically eliminated, I'll continue to be paranoid.

Looking ahead, you have Julian Tavarez, another guy with whom you don't know what you'll get, taking on Mike Mussina, for which -- if you think about it -- the same can be said. So expect a high scoring contest on Tuesday.

Rookies Will Save Ca$hman's Hide

There's a reason Ca$hman hasn't gone the veteran route with all his pitching woes. First off, who's available? Brian Lawrence? Chan Ho Park? Joe Mays? If you can get someone decent, fine. But the Scott Ericksons of the world are never any good, unless you have a Dave Duncan or Leo Mazzone (perhaps Rick Peterson) who can turn these guys around a la Jeff Weaver, but the Junkees went the PR route in hiring Ron Guidry, who like Mel Stottlemye, never made a decent pitcher good, so getting journeymen arms is a waste.

But the bigger reason is that by using rookies, Ca$hman has given himself the perfect out. "We're building for the future, we didn't want to deviate from the plan, so even though we missed the playoffs in '07, we're in better shape for '08."

If he gets some stinker 35 year old, what can he say then? He looks bad. He got lousy players. If his AAA guys mess up, what can you expect? It's a learning process!

So let's suppose this happens. These guys better turn out decent! I know Sterling and Waldman fawn over every single one of them, but if they all turn out to be busts -- which is a very strong possibility -- then Ca$hman is out of excuses.

But that's what this supposed youth movement is about. Ca$hman covering his fanny. Make no mistake about it.

Yanks Get One

Hey, these aren't the Nationals. You had to figure the Yanks would win sometime, and they played well last night. The three Yankees that aren't doing too badly, Posada, A-Rod, and Jeter, carried the team to victory, behind some impressive pitching by Clippard.

Is this a momentum-shifter? I don't think so. The Yankees still have a ton of games to make up in the standings, and still need a lot of guys to start doing consistently well.

- Yanks have their big three, Wang, Pettitte, and Mussina, going up against Boston this series. Should be fun.

Sherman's Despiser Echo, and The Torre Mystique's Downfall

Joel Sherman has an unusually good column today, ripping Cashman for putting a bunch of scrubs on the bench.

Key paragraphs from that piece:

Now these Yanks are seriously looking at their first empty October since 1993, in part, because veterans such as Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi appear diminished while the young Cano seems to have regressed. Will that change? Even Joe Torre said he was worried if Damon and Giambi could shake off myriad injuries to construct familiar excellence.

But there are not a lot of other choices. The Yanks do not have depth like the Mets. Fourth outfielder Endy Chavez was a Subway star for the second straight game. Damion Easley, the Mets' backup second baseman, has one fewer homer (6) than the starting Yankees outfield of Abreu, Damon and Hideki Matsui. Jorge Sosa, recently summoned from Triple-A, has more wins (3) than any Yankees pitcher.

Where does Torre turn? Yesterday, Miguel Cairo took some time to lay down white tape as a barrier that the media could not cross in Shea Stadium's visitors clubhouse. That is the most useful thing he has done for his team this year. He is a righty, but Torre has used three lefty pinch-hitters against Mets southpaws in this series rather than use Cairo. And even with Cano struggling, Cairo is no answer.

The Daily News "Subway Squawker" blog is good stuff; Lisa Swan has a series of solid posts on Joe Torre; here's a great one. If you need proof of how the Torre mystique has fallen, here's some.

Ugly Get Uglier

You knew it didn't look good for the Yankees coming into this series, and it hasn't gotten much better. All Yankee fans can get excited about are the 15 hits tonight and the Braves blowing out the Sox in the nightcap.

Friday night, Endy Chavez once again proved why he's a fan favorite. Andy Pettitte pitched well, but got no run support. Years ago, Pettitte's claim to fame was that he always helped the Yankees win following a loss. No such luck this year, especially with the anemic bats. Melky Cabrera's average dipped to .220. Who's gonna be this year's Matt Lawton (insert steroids joke here)?

Today, it was Robinson Cano's day to shine, with a Sax-esque three errors. The guy is not doing very well. Yankee fans will probably say today's loss wasn't their fault, because of Rasner's injury and all, but still, a $195 million team should have a better pen. When are they gonna bring back $6 million mop-up man Sterling Hitchcock?

- In case you had any doubts about George's health, how could he show up to the Clemens game and Tampa and not say a word about his floundering team? Nothing?

- I remember John Maine's first start against the Yankees. It capped off that disastrous '05 for Baltimore, the one that started with them being in first in May and then totally got destroyed with injuries and the Palmeiro controversy. In Maine's start, Brian Roberts suffered that nasty elbow injury when Bubba Crosby ran into him, and Maine got knocked out in the 2nd inning, after giving up 6 runs.

It's been great to see Maine turn to into a great pitcher with the Mets. He faces Tyler Clippard on Sunday night, as the Mets go for the sweep.

- Speaking of Clippard, I give Ca$hman credit for going with young pitchers during all these injuries, rather than going with washed-up guys for PR. I guess Ca$hman saw just how well Tim Redding, Sidney Ponson, Al Leiter, and Scott Erickson worked out for him.

- And I give Giambi credit for being a lot more open that Bonds about the "stuff."

Subway '07

As we approach the first subway series of '07, it's amazing to see the way things have shaped up. In the New York Post, they had the usual page with the position-by-position matchups and the edges. The results were shocking, though they made a lot of sense: 7 edges went to the Mets, 2 to the Yanks, and the rest even. To be fair, some of the results were debatable (Chavez/Gomez > Matsui) (Green > Abreu), but right now, the Yanks don't look good. My favorite part was how Torre and Randolph were ranked even. The Torre mystique has worn off.

What I find interesting this year is that the Yanks have become a boring team. Maybe it's because George is not well, and not chirping after every loss. After the ugly White Sox series, I thought George (I mean, Rubenstein) would have what to say. But things have been quiet. The Yanks still have A-Rod, Jeter, and Wang, but the rest of the club bores me.

The Mets, on the other hand, get more and more fun to watch. It's been great to see the emergence of Oliver Perez and John Maine. And maybe Jorge Sosa's next.

Pettitte vs. Perez tonight, and Glavine faces Rasner tomorrow. Should be fun. At least watching the Mets, that is.

A-Schmuck Stinking Up the Joint in May

A-Schmuck's May numbers are as follows:

.236 batting average
1 home run
5 RBI
.327 slugging percentage

So Junkee fans, no, I don't think he'll hit 100 home runs this season.

Theo: Right About Damon

Theo Epstein's legacy will revolve around breaking the curse in 2004. But overall, the guy's had his shares of ups and downs. Big Papi and Curt Schilling were excellent moves, but Matt Clement and Edgar Renteria were disasters. For every Hideki Okajima, there's a Scott Sauerbeck. And then there are guys like Hanley Ramirez, prospects who got away. (Although Anibal Sanchez has got the sophomore jinx going on now.)

Theo took some flack for letting both Pedro and Johnny Damon go. They were huge contributors, big parts of the '04 season, and two of the biggest names in Boston. But right now, Theo's looking pretty smart.

Pedro had a good '05, helped by the switch to the NL. But the guy always had health issues, which were not gonna improve with age. Who knows how he'll do after returning from surgery?

And Damon has been playing through pain since his vicious collision with Damian Jackson in '03. I'm sure that was a factor in Theo letting the guy go.

Damon certainly deserves credit for gutting it out, much like Don Mattingly in the early 90's. But this year, the guy has constantly been day-to-day. His numbers so far are decent, (.256, 2, 13, 7 SB) but how knows how long he can keep going out there? And even if he's out there, is it worth having a Johnny Damon at 70%? Is a 70% Johnny Damon worth $13 million a year? At 33, Damon's health is probably not getting any better.

I'm sure Yankee fans will say that Coco Crisp (.232, 0, 10, 7 SB) has worse numbers. But that's missing the point. That doesn't mean the Sox should've kept Damon. Maybe he should've tried getting someone better.

But even if you want to rip Crisp, the guy was playing hurt last year. Also, he's making $9 million less than Damon. Much different expectations for a guy making $3.8 million.

Most importantly, aside from last year, Crisp has no history of injury and is only 27.

You've gotta give Epstein credit for this one. Right now, the Sox don't miss Damon.

- This afternoon: Red Sox win, Yankees lose. Another good day, as the White Sox (or as Fred Hickman would say, the Pale Hose) welcomed Matt DeSalvo to the big leagues. And after a good inning against Andy Cisco, it was back to normal for the Yankee bats. Schilling goes for the Sox in the nightcap tonight.

Yankee Despiser Classic: Joe Torre: Most Overrated Manager in Baseball History

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2004

I will be very ticked off when Joe Torre gets elected to the Hall of Fame for leading the Yankees to four World Series titles. He is not a great manager.

He has these things going for him:
(a) Mariano Rivera, which wasn't his doing anyway;
(b) George's huge payroll.

Question #1: Would the Yankees have won four titles with another manager?

Question #2: Where are all his World Series rings from his previous managerial jobs?

Answer #1: Jeter. Bernie. Mariano. Clemens. Pettitte... Point is, he's had great players throughout. I'll give him '96, because no one thought they'd go all the way that year, and with the Mariano Duncans of the world and the Charlie Hayeses, it wasn't as if he were fielding an all-star lineup, although the aforementioned guys (Clemens not included) are no slouches themselves.

But '98? '99? '00? When George started spending like mad and bought all the players he needed for World Series championships? Why give Torre any credit? Anyone could have won with those teams, be it Tony LaRussa, Grady Little, Greg Riddoch, Art Howe, Jeff Torborg... Granted, there's no evidence that a different manager would have done better, but there's no evidence that another skipper would've been worse!

I'm more impressed with Bobby Valentine making it to the Series with an outfield of Jay Payton, Benny Agbayani, and Bubba Trammell. Or Tommy Lasorda winning it all in '88 with the John Shelbys and Franklin Stubbses of the world.

Answer #2: There are none. He had decent teams in St. Louis in the early '90s, but never did anything. He won the division with the Braves in the early '80s, but never got to the Series. He was a disaster with the Mets, but his teams were terrible, so let's be fair.

Overall, managers are overrated because it's the players that have to perform, and it's the GMs who put the team together, so let's not go crazy calling Torre a genius just yet.

Besides, who knows - maybe other managers could have done better and won five, six, maybe seven championships.

But I give Torre credit for one thing - he knows how to kiss George's fanny all right.

SITYS: Mussina Full of Excuses

From today's New York Post:

May 17, 2007 -- CHICAGO - Out of all the Yankees, Mike Mussina is easily the biggest creature of habit. So, when his routine was thrown off by a day off Monday and a rainout Tuesday, the veteran right-hander had trouble adjusting.

"It's tough to stay sharp," Mussina said of having six days between starts. "I didn't stay sharp."

It showed in the first game of yesterday's doubleheader against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, where the White Sox hung a 5-3 loss on the Yankees. "We needed a well-pitched game and I didn't do it."

Working in front of the Dead Bat Society, Mussina (2-2) gave up five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

"Everything," Mussina said when asked what the extended rest affected the most. "I didn't feel like I had finish on my pitches."

The Yankee Bench: Pathetic

One of the overlooked problems with the Yankee teams of recent vintage has been their lack of depth. This is very relevant now, when a lot of guys are struggling. Take a guy like Robby Cano - when his game is off, do you really want to put Miguel Cairo in there? A guy with a .600 OPS last year? Of course not.

And with the game on the line, who do they have that scares you? Nobody. Melky Cabrera is decent, but he's still pretty unproven. I know, last summer he did pretty well, but that's not much of a track record. And this year, he's off to a slow start, batting .226. Maybe '06 was a fluke.

And after that? It's a total joke. Josh Phelps is the scariest bat on the bench? Unbelieveable. And Wil Nieves (.040) makes ex-Met Charlie O'Brien look like Joe DiMaggio.

Compare the Yankees to their rivals, the Mets and Red Sox. The Mets have Endy Chavez, a guy who's gotten them a few clutch hits and, if not for Yadier Molina, sends them to the World Series last year with that amazing catch. Julio Franco may be a PR move, but the guy is still a solid hitter. Ramon Castro, too, is a guy who can hit. And now Damion Easley has been the latest guy to step things up. (To be fair, however, the Mets were in a no-lose situation and got lucky. Kind of like the Yankees and Aaron Small. Let's see how Easley's doing in August.)

The Red Sox have a solid bench as well. Wily Mo Pena can take a bad pitch and hit it over the fences. Cora and Mirabelli are great at defense. Hinske is nothing to write home about, but he's the Clay Bellinger of that team, so you can't go too crazy. If not for winning Rookie of the Year, you wonder how long Hinske would still be in the majors. There's a mystique to that award.

When you look at the dynasty teams, they had much better benches. In '96, they had Hayes, Strawberry, and Cecil Fielder. And of course, Jim Leyritz. And later they had Sojo, Vizcaino, and Ledee. Sure they had guys like Felix Jose and Tony Tarasco have cups of coffees in the big leagues, but when it came down to it, they had some good bats off the bench.

And now that the payroll has ballooned to $200 million, you'd figure they'd have more depth. Nope. Not with Cashman running the show.

My Favorite Mistakes

Yankee haters, let's face it. The last few years have been great for us. Sure, I'd sign up for the Junkees to lose a hundred next season, but overall, no championships is what matters. Granted, there've been many here-we-go-again moments, the '03 ALCS was a bitter pill to swallow, but again, when you look at the end results, you just have to smile.

So now I'd like to look back at my favorite bad moves from each season beginning in 2002, when things started falling apart.

2002: Raul Mondesi. Aside from being a jerk and batting a measly .241, this acquisition helped the baseball world wake up and realize the salary disparity that existed in the sport. When the Junkees plunked down $7 million for a guy they didn't really need (if only Enrique Wilson had caught that pop-up against the Mets....), and gave Toronto a minor leaguer in exchange, that got Chris Russo screaming on WFAN and perhaps somehow helped lead to revenue sharing.

2003: I'd go with Jeff Weaver, who not only stunk up the joint all season long but gave up a game-winning home run to Alex Gonzalez in the World Series, but he was acquired in '02, so I don't know if he counts. Instead, I nominate Jeff Nelson. This was ultimate PR. Bring back a guy who was so instrumental during the good years, never fully replaced, and what does he do, aside from being an idiot during the ALCS fight? Contribute a 4.58 ERA. and prove to be totally unreliable. They got him the heck out of there the following year. Runner-up: PR-pickup Jesse Orosco.

2004: Toss up between Javier Vazquez and Paul Qauntrill. Vazquez was supposed to be that solid number 1 or number 2 guy, and after his terrific first start against the White Sox, absolutely fizzled. Okay, he had a few decent starts after that, but how do you give up 33 homers in 198 innings? He was so bad that he was a goner after that one year. Quantrill wasn't as much PR as Nelson the year before, but he too, was supposed to be the middle relief savior, and was horrid. Believe it or not, Kevin Brown was not horrible in 2004. The next year, on the other hand, was a different story.

2005: Carl Pavano. Need I say more? (Honorable mention goes to Jaret Wright, Felix Rodriguez, Ramiro Mendoza, Tino, Tony Womack, Matt Lawton....)

2006: Again, so many to choose from. Ron Villone turned out to be a disaster, but that's because Snorre pitched him until his arm fell off. You had Aaron Small return to journeyman form. Octavio Dotel stopped by and laid an egg. You had the Yankee bench, with their cast of characters such as Terrence Long. Aaron Guiel. Craig Wilson, and Sal Fasano. But the one guy who sticks out in my mind is Miguel Cairo. The guy was great for the Yanks in '04, let go and picked up by the Mets for '05, which made him a perfect PR candidate - former Met AND former Junkee. Did absolutely nothing at the plate, batting .239 with a .280 OBP and .320 slugging average. A waste of 222 at bats.

I know a lot of these moves didn't make or break them during the regular season or the postseason, but it's still fun to look back and laugh at Ca$hman, Snorre, and company. Further wears away the aura and mystique.

Real Tests Ahead

Glad to see Seattle take two of three this weekend, even without King Felix. Aside from their outburst against Miguel Batista, the Yankee bats were quiet. Giambi is the latest guy to struggle, stuck in an 0-18 funk. Aside from A-Rod, Jeter, and Posada, these guys can't hit right now.

And with Boston taking two of three from the O's (sweet win today), the Sox pick up a game in the standings.

- Amazing to think how much I used to look forward to Yankees-Mariners. The Big Unit, Griffey, A-Rod, and of course, Edgar Martinez. Plus the one that got away, Jay Buhner. That was a good team, and the series they played were great. After the ALDS loss in '95 ended an era, you got the feeling the Yankees wanted to beat Seattle every time.

And even after three of those guys left, '01 with Ichiro, 116 wins, and Piniella's tirade in the ALCS: still a great series. But now, I'm sorry, even Ichiro can't make these games watchable. That team is dull.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next two weeks of Yankee baseball. That is gonna be the real test as to whether we'll see a Yankee-free October. They're playing the White Sox, who've struggled early on, but are starting to put it together. The Mets are gonna be a real test, and then we'll see Boston. Following that, the Angels, who are one of my favorite teams when they play the Yankees. The next easy series will probably be at the end of May, against that sinking ship in Toronto.

The next two weeks will be huge. Can the Yankees finally put it together, and pitch and hit well at the same time?

Texas Ends Season Series On High Note

Whenever you see Chien-Ming Wang vs. Brandon McCarthy as the pitching matchup, you have a feeling as to where the advantage lies. But last night, Wang, who doesn't strike anyone out, couldn't get anyone out, allowing seven runs. Luis Vizcaino stunk again, and I still think he'll gone by June.

By the way, whatever happened to Robinson Cano? Last year, they were all ranting and raving about him, as if he was the next Ryne Sandberg. This year, Cano's numbers are average: .250, 1 HR, and a platry .293 OBP. You wonder if the pitchers have figured the guy out. To be fair, he did bat .398 last June, so maybe he hasn't broken out yet. But so far, he's stunk. And Abreu's been terrible, too (.325 OBP, .309 SLG), and Matsui doesn't scare you that much anymore (.258, 2 HR). So far, lots of holes in the lineup.

That botched rundown by A-Rod reminded me of the '06 A-Rod. Wouldn't mind if he made a comeback.

- Yankees play Seattle this weekend; let's see if Rasner and DeSalvo can do it again. No Jeff Weaver this time, thankfully.

Back At .500, And More On Clemens

Another night, another win against Texas. Yankees go for the sweep tomorrow, and their starting pitching is looking great.

I'm not too frustrated with the Yankees success. Again, they'll kill teams with lousy pitching. And Texas is bad.

The good news is, there are two hot teams in the Central. The Indians have put it together following that awful series against the Yankees, and the bats of Peralta, Pronk, and Barfield have been heating up. The Tigers have been red-hot, although I wonder how the Zumaya injury will affect them. Rodney is pretty solid, too, so I wouldn't worry about them.

Why do I bring this up? Because if Boston stays hot and the wild card comes out of the Central - we've got ourselves a Yankee-free October!

- I'm tired of people talking about how the preferential treatment of Clemens goes against the Yankee way. Shut up with the aura and mystique (and I love Schilling's line back in '01 World Series). The Yankee way was gone when they replaced a warrior like O'Neill with one of the biggest jerks to ever play the game, Raul Mondesi. The Yankee way was gone when Steinbrenner wanted to ruin the game and put Montreal and Minnesota out of business. The Yankee way was gone when Kevin Brown punched the wall. So give it up already.

- And by the way, you will not see me complain about the Clemens signing ruining the parity of the game. Not when the mid-market Brewers have the best record in the game. Not after the Red Sox shelled out $100 million for Matsuzaka. Not when only 5 teams came into spring training with no shot at the playoffs. Baseball's system still needs some work, but we've come a long way since the late 90's.

I will say this: one Yankee fan told me he'd love for the Yankees to sign Johan Santana when he becomes a free agent. If that happens, I think I'll be watching the NHL playoffs this time of year.

The Yankee Version of Russ Hodges

Giants fans have Russ Hodges' "The Giants win the pennant!" following arguably the most famous homer in baseball history.

Mets fans have Bob Murphy's "Gets by Buckner! Mets Win!" Easily the best moment in Mets history.

And Dodgers fans have Vin Scully's call on the Kirk Gibson homer - just incredible.

Be jealous no more, Yankee fans - your team is now in the annals of baseball broadcasting history as well.

The Yankee Way At Work

Igawa's reward for saving Torre's behind? A trip to single-A Tampa. At least he hasn't been called a "fat pussy toad" yet.

Can Clemens Close?

The tables have turned; suddenly, the Yankees starting pitching has been excellent, while the bullpen's been bad. Aside from the Igawa disaster Friday night, the starters have done really well. Rasner and DeSalvo pitched very well, though let's not go crazy; the Mariners, Ichiro aside, just plain suck.

Anyway, it's May 7th, and Mariano Rivera has an 8.44 ERA. So Yankee fans, wipe that smile off your face. Stop dreaming about the Rocket. Because you have to start worrying about Rivera.

I know, I know, he got a couple of saves against the Rangers last week. Still, there was Marco Scutaro, that awful night in Boston, and now this. Hard to keep calling them flukes.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think Rivera has suddenly morphed into Armando Benitez. But he's no longer Mr. Automatic. He no longer gives Yankee-haters that awful feeling in the stomach when he trots out of the bullpen.

So Mo hasn't totally lost it yet. But now, he's human. No more lights-out.

Rocket a Yankee? Not Surprising

I'm pissed about Clemens coming back to New York. Pissed, but not surprised.

You knew Houston wasn't going to happen. That team doesn't have what it takes to contend, especially if Milwaukee and the Cubs stay hot. Besides, the Astros weren't gonna pay nearly as much as the AL East teams.

And Boston, too, had no reason to shell out $28 million. They're already on the hook for Dice-K (posting fee and salary), and with Beckett, Schilling, and Wakefield doing well, they don't have a need for Clemens. And Jon Lester should be back at Fenway soon.

Throw in the Pettitte factor, and you had to figure Clemens would be back. So much for Ca$hman's youth movement.

What I'm afraid of is that this move will have the same impact as the Abreu move; a move that can galvanize the team and get them to go on a tear. And unfortunately, it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case. If Clemens can still get the job done, and Mussina, Pettitte, and Wang can keep pitching well, the Yankees rotation suddenly looks like one of the best in the league. And if Hughes comes back and pitches like he did against Texas? Not good.

The big x-factor in Clemens' case? He hasn't pitched in the AL since '03. And every team in the East can hit. I don't think it'll be a disaster as it was with, say, Javier Vazquez, but his ERA will probably go up at least a run.

One more thing to keep in mind: in the '05 WS, his hamstring acted up, and helped ruin the Astros' chances. I know he's famous for his crazy workout routines, but the guy is 45. There's no guarantee that the Yankees can call on him when they'll need him most.

Yankees Sweep Texas

All the talk of Joe Snorre's job security has faded, as the Yanks swept Texas. I know a win's a win, but you can't get too excited here.

First off, Texas, as a team, is all about their hitting. Their pitching has been terrible for years; even when they made the playoffs, they had no shot with also-rans like Aaron Sele, Rick Helling, and Darren Oliver. And in '07, Kameron Loe and Vincente Padilla are nothing to write home about. So if they can't score 7 runs, they're done. And with the exception of rookie Ian Kinsler, the hitting has stunk. Young, Blalock, and Teixera have struggled, and Brad Wilkerson and Kenny Lofton don't scare anyone.

So their getting hammered by the Yankees doesn't mean anything. To Texas's credit, they still got Mussina and Pettitte to throw a lot of pitches and leave early. And at this rate, Luis Vizcaino will last about as long as Carlos Almanzar.

- The saga with conditioning coach Marty Miller reminds me of the last Yankees strength and conditioning fiasco - the "Bronx Burners" of 1982. Which, of course, was the first year of a 13-year playoff drought in the Bronx.

- Next up, Yanks and Seattle. Seattle has played decent ball thus far, but if Felix Hernandez doesn't stay healthy, they're done. Especially with Weaver and Batista in the rotation. Bill Bavasi can duke it out with Kevin Malone for "worst GM in the west."

- Kei Igawa goes tonight. Let's see if last week's performance was just a fluke.

Who's Running The Show?

I recently read Michael Morrissey's "The Pride and the Pressure," a book about the Yankees' tumultuous 2006 season, and one of the ongoing discussions throughout the book was George's health. Over the past few years, George has had a couple of fainting incidents, has looked frail in public, and has given speeches that were bizarre and incoherent. The book mentioned how, each time George seemed to be losing it, Rubenstein, Swindal, and Co. made statements that the Boss was all there and still in charge.

A lengthy New York Times piece from August 2006 discusses George's gradual retreat from the spotlight. A couple of interesting quotes from that piece:

Pitcher Mike Mussina said he had not seen Steinbrenner since spring training, and Derek Jeter added, “He hasn’t been around for the past few years.”

But Steinbrenner, who once savored and orchestrated his dealings with reporters, often appears to want to give more than terse responses before a son-in-law, Felix Lopez, a Yankees executive, and a security official squire him into a waiting limo.

Late last year, in an interview on the Yankees-controlled YES Network, he had a distant look in his eyes, offered little detail and gave answers that sounded very much like the questions.

At a visit to the owner’s suite when the guest was former President Bill Clinton in June 2005, Steinbrenner demonstrated to Clinton how much he knew of Olbermann’s career. “What I saw was the sharpness, but he couldn’t remember my name,” Olbermann said.

According to a recent piece in the New Yorker quoted by "Gawker," (hat tip: Rob Neyer), George has Alzheimer's. This would explain the Olbermann incident. And in which case, we offer George and his family our prayers and best wishes.

This also explains why Torre and Cashman aren't going anywhere anytime soon. After Swindal's divorce, who's running the show in the Bronx? According to the Post's George King, Hank Steinbrenner is now in charge. And Hank is pro-Torre, even though Rubenstein didn't seem to be too thrilled with the man.

Whatever it is, I can't take Rubenstein/Steinbrenner seriously anymore. All I know is, with the Yankee front office in a state of flux, Snorre and Ca$hman can breathe easier. In years past, they would've been gone long ago.

Igawa Saved Snorre's Ass

There is no doubt in my mind that if Boston had swept this series, Snorre would have been a goner. Instead of the 6.5 games they're behind now, they'd be eight and a half, and George would not be able to contain himself.

Instead, the Sox take two of three, which is not good for the Junkees, but not as horrible as two consecutive sweeps to the Red Sox. It also would have meant nine losses in a row, and I see no way Snorre would have gotten out alive.

The problem is that the Junkees treat every game with Boston as if it's Game 7 of the World Series. Francona didn't do that. In the first game of the series last week, he did not bring Papelbon into a save situation because the closer had pitched two nights in a row. Now what if the Sox would have blown that game? Francona would have heard about it, and I'm sure he knew darn well that that was the case, but too bad. It's just one game out of 162, and he's not going to blow out his closer's arm in mid-April. But Snorre had to bring in Charlie Brown in the eighth inning, and bring in twenty different pitchers every night.

Snorre knows how seriously George takes these games, so he manages accordingly.

That's why Snorre owes a ton to Igawa, who pitched the game of his life on Saturday and spared the Junkee skipper from hearing those famous words, YOU'RE FIRED!

Is A-Rod Back To Normal?

Quietly, A-Rod has gone the way of Don Imus in disappearing from the headlines. Lost in the discussion of the Yankees' slide, Torre being on the hot seat, and that Mets employee involved in dealing steroids, A-Rod has gone 1 for his last 14. For all I know, A-Rod will hit three dingers tomorrow. But his bat is back to normal. And if his slump continues, New York's A-Rod lovefest will be over.

On Rob Neyer's blog, he mentioned that A-Rod has had similar streaks at other points in his career. So any Yankee fan who though the guy was gonna hit 100 homers is as delusional as that idiot who wrote the book "Dow 36,000" in 1999.

- On the other hand, is Mo back? Hard to believe he finally got his first save a few days before May. In his case, he's pitched so infrequently that I can't say the guy is back. And I can't say he's finished. Friday night's appearance was ugly stuff, but only if and when the Yankees win consistently and give Rivera more save chances can we say whether he's still got it. The jury is still out.

- Igawa pitched surprisingly well today, but as putrid as the Yankees have been, you couldn't have expected the Sox to sweep them two series in a row. But with Julian Tavarez going tomorrow, the Yanks have a chance to take the series.

Which Pitcher Will Snorre NOT Abuse?

Recently, I had planned to write a piece entitled "who will Snorre abuse this year?" in trying to figure out who would be the '07 version of Villone, Sturtze, or Quantrill. Apparently, it seems like those three are the only ones who Snorre plans to give any rest at all.

In the AL leaderboard for games pitched, the Yankees have 3 of the top 5 players: Myers, Proctor, and Luis Vizcaino (who has allowed a Heredia-esque 10 walks in 12 innings). Bruney is right behind with 12 appearances, and Sean Henn has appeared in 10 games so far. Snorre must like Farnsworthless - he's only pitched in 9 games. And of course, Snorre's promise not to use Rivera in the 8th inning lasted about as long as George's pledge to have Bob Lemon manage the entire 1982 season.

It seems like every night, another reliever has a bad night. Whether it's Proctor, Myers, Bruney, or Henn. And it's only April.

I know the Yankee fans will say that things will change when Mussina comes back, but I doubt it. Mussina has been inconsistent, and at 38, he's not gonna throw as many pitches as he used to. Wang is okay, but he gives up a lot of hits. And Igawa and Karstens? You have no idea what they'll give you.

Besides, as the pressure builds for the Yanks to get on a hot streak, you'll see Snorre going to the pen to try to lock up a win. He did that in Boston, and I think we'll see it again.

-- Phil Hughes provided no rest for the weary Yankee bullpen. He threw 91 pitches in less than 5 innings, and I told you they wouldn't leave Hughes out to dry. The Yanks could use a guy like Livan Hernandez, someone who can throw 175 pitches without a problem.

- Yankees-Red Sox again this weekend. Last weekend's series was a thriller, but I am not looking forward to Julian Tavarez on Sunday.

Who Will Save the Yankees?

Yeah, they'll win a bunch of 10-9 games and hang around the AL East race for a while. But when it comes crunch time, who will rescue them?

Mike Mussina is done. He hasn't aged well, and he's been inconsistent these past few years. Occasionally he'll throw a gem and we'll think that he's back and the Moose we saw as an Oriole many moons ago, but then he'll give you a stinker, making you realize that they Junkees would be better off with their AA guys, considering that they do the same job at a fraction of the price.

And let's not even talk about Pavano.

Which leads me to believe that the Junkees will make a play for Roger Clemens. They'll need him not just for PR, but to actually make the postseason. But even with Clemens, who knows if he'll regain his form pitching in the AL East.

So the Junkees, as far as pitching goes, are screwed. Their only hope is that a team falls out of contention and are willing to trade a veteran. Otherwise, Derek Jeter will be playing golf in early October.

Give It a Few Months

A-Rod claims he wants to stay in New York. So much for my post about his last hurrah, right?

A-Rod's probably gonna put his foot in mouth. When he starts slumping and hears the inevitable boo birds, I think we'll hear a different take. And if A-Rod fails in October and gets slammed in the papers, there's no way he stays.

It's too early to take this seriously. A-Rod might have the year of his life. Or he might hit a few bumps in the road, and bring out the boos once again. In which case, New York will hardly seem like "the greatest place to play."

Cellar Dwelling

Yeah, it's only April, but there's never a bad time to see the Yankees in last place. Even the return of Wang couldn't save them tonight. Kazmir pitched well for Tampa Bay. Did a good job keeping A-Rod's bat quiet.

And the Yankees pen was bad again, with Myers giving up the big hit to Crawford.

If the Yanks are worried about preserving the arms of the bullpen, then bringing up Phil Hughes is a dumb move. The guy will be on a serious pitch count, and as soon as he hits 80 pitches, they'll be warming guys up. For all I know, Hughes might turn out to be one of those guys who's very efficient and can throw a 75-pitch complete game. As a raw rookie, I highly doubt that will happen. Instead, Hughes will likely contribute to the bullpen woes.

The Rays Can Hit

Even after Sunday night's debacle, Igawa managed to pitch worse than Dice-K. At least Igawa gave up fewer dingers than Chase Wright. Devil Rays beating the Yanks? Never gets old.

Tampa Bay is currently tied for 4th in the majors, with a team .272 clip. They're second in homers with 25 (the Yanks and Braves have 26 each). The Yanks can only beat the Rays if their pitching is decent. Otherwise, they've gotta try to outscore them and win 11-10.

In '05, the Rays batted .274, third-best in the game. Their record against the Yankees? 11-8. Even with a 6.04 ERA against New York.

Last season, they hit .255, tied with Houston for worst in the game. Against the Yanks, they went 5-13.

If the Yankee pitching doesn't improve, and if Young, Dukes, Baldelli, etc. can keep progressing, the Rays will not be a doormat this year. Should be fun.

Panic in the Bronx, 2007 Edition

It's official: Phil Hughes will make his debut on Thursday.

In case you thought George was no longer in charge, this was a reminder. This is a panic move. Why did they wait till now to bring up Hughes? Why were they content with Wright and Rasner? Why did Cashman keep blowing off all the inquiries about Hughes?

The Yankees have just gotten swept by the Red Sox, and are 8-9. The Mets, even after losing 2 of 3 to Atlanta, are still 11-6.

It's never too early to panic, so congratulations, Yankees; you've got tomorrow's back page.

- I'd be very surprised if Hughes pitches well enough to stay in the rotation; this reminds me of last year, when the Mets brought up Pelfrey, and it was all too clear that he needed more time in AAA.

Seventeen Years in the Waiting

You know how long it's been since the Sox last swept the Yanks at Fenway? In that series, they started Chuck Cary, Andy Hawkins, and Mike Witt. Who would probably match up pretty well against Pettitte, Karstens, and Chase Wright, but anyway. The Sox hit .363 in the series.

It was a great series, and not just because the Sox swept. Friday and Sunday were classic Yankee-Red Sox games, and after a rocky beginning, Josh Beckett looked like guy we saw in '03.

Matsuzaka and Schilling struggled, and I wasn't expecting that. I certainly wasn't expecting the Yankee bullpen to perform as badly as they did. Rivera's performance reminded me of 2001, with Coco Crisp's triple bringing echoes of Tony Womack. On this blog last year, I predicted that Crisp would be better than Damon, so you know damn well I'm rooting for that to be a turning point. And Proctor did not make a good case for being Rivera's successor, giving up a 3-run homer to Mike Lowell. I love how Lowell was a salary-dump throw-in in the Beckett deal last year, but has come a long way since his abysmal '05 campaign.

And I don't wanna hear the Yankees bellyache about injuries. You still have the highest payroll in the game. Get a little depth. Josh Phelps is your big bat off the bench? The Yanks have fallen mightily since their bench had Glenallen Hill, Jose Canseco, and a bunch of needles on the floor.

- So I'll enjoy this sweep. At least till this coming weekend.

After Mariano

No, no, no. I'm not saying he's done yet. I'd be a fool to say that. Yes, his location was horrendous Friday night, but it's only April. The same way I'm downplaying A-Rod's heroics by saying it's only April, I'm downplaying Rivera's struggles. I'm being consistent. So this is a speculative piece.

What I'm wondering is, who will step into the closer role after Rivera? At 37, it's hard to imagine him pitching for much longer. I'd give him until '09, maybe. Then again, Trevor Hoffman (not to be confused with Travis Hoffman) looks ageless out there. But who will attempt to fill Rivera's shoes?

My pick? Scott Proctor will be the next Yankee closer. Joe Snorre loves hard throwers, and Proctor has proven he can handle New York. He's nowhere nearly as good as Rivera, but he's gotten out of a few big spots over the last year or two.

I don't see the Yankees attempting to get an established lights-out guy like Joe Nathan or K-Rod from the free agent market. First off, with more parity in the game, and in Nathan's case, a new ballpark coming soon for the Twins, more young guns are getting locked up long-term early in their careers.

Also, the closer position is probably the highest-pressure position in the game. Not just in New York, but in any market. Look at what's happened to the once-dominant Byung-Hyun Kim and Brad Lidge. Seeing the way those guys have been traumatized from giving up big hits makes me respect Rivera for surviving Sandy Alomar, Gonzo, and '04. Additionally, the fact that Rivera has stayed cool in the pressure-cooker of New York makes his legacy all the more impressive. So I think the Yanks will have a very hard time finding something they can be sure will be an effective closer in New York, a guy who can face the media and the boos after blowing a 6-3 lead.

But the day will come when Rivera and his abilities will go the way of Bernie Williams. Maybe that day has come. And it'll be very, very interesting to see who Ca$hman and Snorre decide to use instead. And I'd be surprised if that new closer will be a big-name free agent.

- I've got a lot to say about the Yankees-Red Sox series, but I'm going to hold off until after tonight's game. Let's see if Chase Wright can prove John Sterling isn't totally nuts.

A Walk Year to Remember

A-Rod is looking like Babe Ruth right about now. More home runs than 8 teams? Unbelievable.

Maybe in years past, A-Rod's home run binge would've driven me crazy. But not this year.

First off, it's only April. For Yankee fans, baseball season might as well be one month long - October. After all, the Yankees' track record in April-September from 2001-2006 has been excellent -they're the only team to win a division title annually in that span. But the month following has been a failure. And the month following is why Yankee fans are hungry.

A-Rod will never get the love he wants from Yankee fans until he hits in October. Jeter has the Jeffrey Maier homer, the Jeremy Giambi play, and other big moments going for him. A-Rod, on the other hand, has a record of futility in the big spots. Even after this torrid stretch, I'm sure 9 of 10 Yankee fans want Jeter, not A-Rod, at the plate in a World Series with the game on the line.

The better A-Rod plays, the more money he can command next year. In a way, I'm rooting for A-Rod to have a sizzling regular season. And his usual lousy postseason. Like this, he'll want out of New York, but will command such a high price that the Yankees won't re-sign him (especially with Ca$hman cracking down on the budget). Now, some may argue that his postseason record of futility will drive down his price. I don't think so. I can see the Angels, Cubs, and other say that out of the New York spotlight, A-Rod will be able to come up huge in a big spot.

So let the Yankee fans enjoy A-Rod's run. Because it might be his last hurrah in Yankee pinstripes.

- Before the season began, I thought the Indians would be this year's version of the '06 Tigers and '05 White Sox: a team with talent coming off a mediocre year, and then putting it all together. But they looked as awful as the Phillies this past series.

- This is the first year in a while where I'm much more interested in Yankees-Mets than Yankees-Red Sox. Maybe I still have negative associations from last August's disaster. But I'm looking forward to Josh Beckett's outing (.159 BAA in three starts this year). Saturday's start will be his biggest test so far in '07. If he can regain his '03 form, then the Red Sox have to be the favorite in the AL.

Slow Down, Sterling

I was listening to the game for a short while last night, and Sterling and Waldman couldn't shut up about how good Chase Wright was. The kicker was when Sterling said "it looks like he will factor into the Yankees plans for years to come."

I've long since learned not to take Sterling seriously, but this is ridculous. Anyone remember Sam Militello? In 1992, he made his debut for the Yankees, and gave up one hit in 7 innings against Boston. They were raving about him. He ended up winning just 4 games in the big leagues.

Besides, I didn't think Wright's start was anything special. Granted, he got the win, but he gave up 3 runs, 5 hits, 3 walks, and had a Leiter-esque 104 pitches after 5 innings. A good debut, but nothing to go crazy about.

For all I know, Chase Wright might turn out to be a solid pitcher, and have a great career. But let's wait until we have a larger sample size before making that determination.

- Kei Igawa goes tonight, facing Jeremy Sowers.

Still Sweet

Why have I not posted in months? I'll 'fess up. I liked the direction the Yankees were going in, and didn't like where Boston was headed. I thought Cashman was smart in trading Sheffield, Jaret Wright (on the DL again), and Randy Johnson for young pitchers. And I hated the J.D. Drew deal, and wasn't so sure about Dice-K. I also didn't like the fact that the payroll gap between the Yanks and the Sox shrunk from $80 million to about $20 million. It's hard to argue that the Yankees are ruining baseball; aside from the Nationals, Royals, Orioles, Devil Rays, and Pirates, it looks like every team has a shot at the playoffs. And even if you argue that they're still messing up the game, the Red Sox aren't much better anymore.

But when Mariano gave up that walk-off homer to ex-Met Marco Scutaro, I felt that feeling again. That pleasure in seeing the Yankees lose, especially in such dramatic fashion. Once you're a Yankee-hater, you're always a Yankee-hater. I used to think Mariano was a rare classy Yankee, but he acted like a jerk this spring. Hey Mo, keep giving up homers to .050 hitters and maybe the Devil Rays will come calling next winter.

- The Yanks are in trouble, and they're lucky that Toronto just got hammered by injuries. I'm not surprised by the injuries to the Yankees' pitching staff. With Pavano, you knew it was only a matter of time. And Mussina, too. The guy is 38 and has had a few DL stints over the past couple of years. The Wang injury was arguably more unexpected, but remember that the guy missed a few months in '05 and a year-plus in the minors to injury.

- And one stupid move by Ca$hman was signing Igawa. Everyone knows that was just a dumb reactionary move to counter the Dice-K acquisition. At least Dice-K probably has the stuff to be an ace. Igawa has the ability to be the Yankees' version of Gil Meche.

- Even though many of the names have changed, these are still the Yankees of A-Shmuck, J-E-ter, Johnny "Traitor" Damon, Juice-on Giambi, Joe Snorre, John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Still pretty hateable, I must say.

Ca$hman Insults Bernie

The whole way the Junkees have handled the Bernie Williams situation is a disgrace. They're offering him a minor league deal, an invitation to Spring Training.... WTF?

If you want the guy, give him a contract and make him either the backup first baseman or the fourth outfielder. If you don't want the guy, then tell him listen pal, it was a great run, we appreciate all that you've done, but frankly, we have no use for you anymore, so good bye and good luck.

Instead, they create this assinine situation. So Ca$hman looks bad for leaving the guy hanging all this time, and Bernie looks bad because he hasn't ruled out playing, but he hasn't showed up either. Hey Williams, s--- or get off the pot! And now he leaves on bad terms, proving once again, that Jerome from Manhattan was right - Brian Ca$hman is a buffoon.

Yankees Will Sign Zito

It makes too much sense. They could always use another starter, and perhaps they're keeping things quiet so that other teams don't drive up the price. Nobody expected them to sign Johnny Damon last year, so maybe this is their new approach.

No MVP for Captain Intangibles; Yankee Fans Cry Foul

Are the Yankee fans' favorite football teams doing that badly that they have to keep bellyaching over the MVP award going to Justin Morneau? Your guy A-Rod won last year. Do the Yankees have to win the MVP every year, the same way they buy the AL East pennant every year?

And on a $200 million team, you have to really stand out to win the MVP. The Yanks still had Damon, Posada, and Giambi putting up excellent numbers this year. So let's say Jeter was injured. The Yanks still had enough to beat the Devil Rays and Orioles. And the way the Red Sox nosedived, they had enough to beat them, too.

And besides, as I've mentioned earlier, the key to the Yankees' 2006 was getting Bobby Abreu. After they traded for him, they got hot, the Red Sox fell apart, and the Yanks had an easy trip to the top of the division.

And I know that Morneau also had a pretty good supporting cast, with Mauer and Johan Santana. But take Morneau out of that lineup, and there's a big difference. Aside from Mauer, nobody really scares you. Torii Hunter and Michael Cuddyer did pretty well, but again, you have to factor Morneau's presence in the lineup. If he gets on base, they get pitched to differently. Maybe Mauer's average would've been lower without Morneau behind him.

I guess when you can't buy a series win in October, you have to harp on the MVP voting.

Sheff and Wright: Gone!

The Yanks have done some housecleaning over the past few days, trading away Sheffield and Jaret Wright.

I don't know much about the guys they got in return (although Chris Britton will probably work 95 games this year, knowing Joe Snorre), but I've got to give New York credit for getting rid of those clowns.

Both Sheffield and Wright were disappointments. Sheff never came through in a big spot in October, and Wright's lousy performance was overshadowed by the utter disaster named Carl Pavano.

Knowing the Yankees, though, I don't see this as a shift in approach, or as an attempt to infuse the organization with some youth. This just gives the Yanks a chance to sign more big-name players.

Crapshoot Crap

In today's New York Post, Joel Sherman tells Mets fans not to be as down as the Yankee fans, because the postseason is about luck. And you'll hear Yankee fans make the same excuse. Detroit got hot, Anaheim got hot, Florida got hot, it's the same thing every year.

I thought Joel Sherman took a turn for the worse when he thought Texas would trade A-Rod for Jeromy Burnitz, but he's beat that with today's stupidity. Surprisingly, Rob Neyer has good piece about how it took more than luck for the Cardinals to win it all.

Well, it's the same thing every year, Sherman, but there's a pattern. Let's start from this year, and work backwards.

One benchmark for a good playoff team is how they hit with runners in scoring position. You won't get as many opportunities against a playoff team than you will against the Royals; the key is utilizing every opportunity (and Mets fans will tell you just how good the Cardinals were at doing that).

So here are some Yankees batting averages for RISP in the postseason:

2006- Cano: 0-7, .000
Matsui, 0-4, .000
A-Rod, 0-2, .000
Yankees team RISP: .179; Detroit: .323

2005 - Sheff 2-11, .182
Matsui 1-7, .143
A-Rod 0-3
Yanks team RISP: .222; Angels: .366

2004, ALCS G4-7
I couldn't get the RISP splits for these games only, but I got this:
A-Rod and Sheff combined for THREE hits those four games. Pathetic.

2003
Posada 5-23, .217
Giambi 2-16, .125
Aaron Boone 2-11, .182 (Hey, he still has more big hits as a Yankee than his successor, A-Rod)
Yankees team: .228

2002
The Angels batted .396 with RISP - enough said.

2001 - WS
I'm not gonna bother with the RISP splits here. This was about the Yanks hitting .183 overall, led by Jeter (.148), Knoblauch (.056), and Justice (.167). Good job by RJ and Schill.

Aside from 2002, the Yanks have lost because they cannot get the big hit. They've lost because their big players haven't come through in the clutch. Or in some cases (like in '04), they haven't come through at all. This is no crapshoot, Sherman. This is a pattern that's been pretty consistent the past few years.

Ultimately, the Yanks need guys like Sojo, Spiezio, Brosius, and Mark Lemke. Guys that aren't sexy names, but guys that get the big hits in October. Because Sheffield isn't getting the job done, Shemp has failed, Posada's been inconsistent, and we've all heard about A-Rod.

But I don't care. Let the Yankee fans think it's luck. And let's watch them get "unlucky" every ALDS for years to come.

More Of The Same? Bring It On

Seems like every year after the Yanks get knocked out of the playoffs early, we hear about George's "big changes" coming. But those changes never come. As Fred Hickman would say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

After 2001, George thought the hitting sucked. Okay, bring in a big star, HGH-man Giambi. After '02, George needed pitching. Another big name, Jose Contreras. And Shemp Matsui to boot. After '03, the Yanks needed more offense. Call in Sheff and A-Rod. After Vazquez and Brown and everyone else choked, it was time for pitching, and big money for Wright, Pavano, and the Unit. And after the Yanks got shut down by Ervin Santana, it was time for Damon. And later, Abreu.

The fantasy team gone wrong is in full bloom. Maybe there's a Wang and a Cano to break up the monotony, with a little Phillips or Cabrera occasionally in there too. And Craig Wilson getting a start every three weeks. But this is the superstar team. The team that beats the crap out of the Devil Rays and Orioles, and does nothing in October. The team that can beat the NL All-Star team, but can't make it to the NL team in the World Series.

You would think George would try to build a team that worked, a team with guys like Brosius, Sojo, and the others that made the dynasty possible. I think this is why Jeter doesn't like A-Rod; the guy knows what types were needed to win in New York, and he knows A-Rod doesn't have it. And neither does most of the team, for that matter. When Jeter says you can't compare these Yankees to the old ones, those are his true feelings coming through.

But instead, it looks like A-Rod and Sheff are here to stay. Will A-Rod continue to be miserable in NY? Will Sheff continue to play first and make Mike Piazza look good? Will Snorre continue to be a lousy motivator in October?

So far, yes, yes, and yes. Bring on '07!

Let The Complaining Begin

It didn't take long, and I knew it wouldn't. I know Yankee fans all too well. After the controversy erputed over the substance in Kenny Rogers' hand, the Yankee fans are complaning. "It's not fair, Rogers was cheating when he beat us, we would've won the series otherwise."

First off, why is Rogers' win any less legit than Jason Giambi's homers? But anyway. We don't know if it was dirt or pine tar. And we don't know if it was steroids, HGH, or something else.

Also, many pitchers use the stuff. That's one of the reasons that LaRussa didn't make a big deal over the issue; he didn't want any of his guys doing it. And, a little speculation here: maybe a substance like this has something to do with the break on Mussina's knuckle-curve? If Rogers was guilty, he did a lousy job hiding his evidence. I'm sure many other players have done the same thing as Rogers, just less conspicuously. Even Todd Jones admitted to using pine tar.

And surprisingly, Joe Snorre didn't cry foul over Rogers' possible cheating. I've got to give Snorre credit here; one of the few times he's said something sensible (see the NY Post article here):

Asked if his hitters commented about Rogers doing something funky, Joe Torre said they didn't. "He would need something more than something on his hand to pitch the way he is pitching," Torre told The Post. "He is pitching his tail off. I don't know what he is doing. I certainly think his ability to get people out far surpasses anything else. But nobody came back and said anything to me about the ball cutting. To me, the difference in Kenny is that he is throwing strikes."

So at the end of the day, Snorre is right. The Yanks lost fair and square. And Johnson's performance certainly didn't help the cause, by the way.

Update

So Clueless Joe is sticking around, huh? Excellent. Hopefully they'll keep A-Rod around too, and build another great regular-season team.

Still Clueless After All These Years

Joe Snorre’s finest moment as Yankee manager came a long, long time ago. A decade ago, in fact. It was in the World Series, after Torre’s team got killed in the first two games, and looked all too much like those other teams the Yanks would later face, looking like the '98 Padres, the ’03 Marlins, and the ’06 Tigers. Teams that were happy just to be playing in October, and not minding how things would turn out. Teams that were heavy, heavy underdogs. Joe Snorre’s Yankees needed to be tinkered with, they needed a change. So it was Tino out, Fielder in. Boggs out, Hayes in. And the two did pretty well the next few games, as the Yanks won four in a row against a team featuring Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz in their prime. We all sat and laughed at the Daily News headline from November ’95, “Clueless Joe.” Wow, they were way off with that one!

After a small bump in ’97, it was smooth sailing for Snorre in ’98. He didn’t need to make a move; just fill out the lineup card and everything turned to gold. In ’99, he heroically battled cancer, and his team coasted to another Series. Same for 2000. For those few years, anyone could’ve managed the team. Bobby Valentine, Dallas Green, even Buck Showalter. The team was coasting.

You look at some of the great teams of the past few years, and you can see how a manager can change the way a club plays. Jack McKeon in ’03 turned a listless Marlins team into World Champions. There were no major trades that year. Just a new manager who got much more from his players than Jeff Torborg. You look at what Ozzie Guillen did last year. And look at what Jim Leyland has done with a franchise that had turned into perennial losers. After 1996, what did Snorre do? Did his presence really make a difference? The guy had competitors in the clubhouse, guys like O'Neill, Pettitte, and Brosius, who wanted to win.

And after the third championship in 2000, the wheels came off. Once Nelson left, Torre couldn’t run a bullpen. He would have his one trusted arm work tons of innings, and then be shot come October. Whether it was Karsay, Gordon, Quantrill, Sturtze, or Ron Villone (and perhaps Rivera in 2001), Torre was about as good as Art Howe (who had a big Dave Weathers fetish) when it came to running a pen. And Snorre became an arrogant crybaby, complaining about every umpire that had a small strike zone or any opposing player that slid hard into one of his infielders.

And Snorre’s ineptitude, later highlighted by Rob Neyer, came to a head in the 2003 World Series, when he used Jeff Weaver in an extra-inning game. While Rivera sat on the bench, Weaver gave up a homer to the mighty Alex Gonzalez. (By the way, how cool was it to see Yankee castoffs Weaver and Kenny Rogers pitch great games in the Division Series this year?)

And all the intangibles of praise heaped upon Snorre, all that “calming influence,” didn’t help a whole lot in the 2004 ALCS. Even the presence of Joe Snorre couldn’t prevent the biggest collapse in sports history.

Maybe Snorre deserves credit for turning the nosediving 2005 team back into contenders. Perhaps it was more Brian Cashman, who got lucky with Chacon and Small, who had career years in ’05. Whatever it was, Joe Snorre could not wake up his sleeping bats against an Angels team whose ace went down in Game 5 of the ALDS.

And this year, Snorre again has outdone himself. Sheff was right on about this one. What the hell was Snorre thinking putting A-Schmuck in the 8th spot? A-Schmuck is no Reggie Jackson. He doesn’t need a swift kick in the butt. For a guy like Snorre, a guy whose modus operandi has been grace under pressure, putting A-Rod in the 8th spot screamed out “Panic!” And using Jaret Wright screamed out “we’re done!”

And so the team with the highest payroll in the game by $80 million, a team with about as big a payroll as the other AL playoff teams combined, has not been the #1 team on the field since 2000.

So I hope the Yanks keep Snorre. He’s great for PR, great for an interview, great for the “Mike and the Mad Dog” spot. But he doesn’t help his team win championships. At least not for the past decade.

Who Saw This One Coming?

I still cannot believe it. I haven't been this shocked since those magical days two Octobers ago.

After my last post and the events of the past few days, I keep comparing this year to last year's Yankee debacle, and this year's is so much better. Last year, even though New York was the favorite, you had a feeling the Angels would beat the Yankees. They still had so many pieces of the '02 team that had manhandled the Yanks: Erstad, Molina, K-Rod (the first one), Garret Anderson, that you had a feeling they could once again prevail. And of course, in '05, they had Vlad Guerrero, too.

But this year, the Tigers have so thus far done a great '05 White Sox imitation. They limped into the postseason, and look shellshocked in game one. Then, the tables turned, and their pitching turned it on. And turn it on they did. Against the 2006 Murderer's Row. Against the team with an all-star at every position. Against the team with the .342 #9 hitter.

I was reminiscing with someone last week about how everyone was so horny over the '98 Yankees lineup, saying that even the #9 hitter, Scott Brosius, had batted .300 with 90 RBI. And Cano put the guy to shame this year.

And with a lineup like that, you had to figure the Yanks' pitching, behind Wang, Mussina, and Rivera, could pitch well enough to win.

Didn't happen.

- Another thing that makes this year stand out - the Mets' success. The Yanks came roaring into the postseason, and the Mets looked shot, especially once Pedro and Duque got hit with injuries. Unlike the Yanks, however, the Mets' bats have shown up, and perhaps those bats can carry Maine, Glavine, and Wagner to the promised land. Not to mention that Minaya has done a much better job at building a bullpen that Cashman. And more importantly, Randolph is much smarter when it comes to using him pen. For simply blowing out Quantrill, Sturtze, and Villone, Joe Snorre should get the axe. And I'm sure Scott Proctor will be all too grateful to George.

Randy Johnson Deja Vu

Where have we seen this before? The Yankees come into the ALDS as favorites, win game 1, and then struggle in Game 2. The team keeps failing in the clutch. They get bested by a superior bullpen. A-Rod can't buy a hit. And starting game 3 is Randy Johnson.

It's just like 2005, except this time Aaron Small is working at Wal-Mart.

Of course, those Angels didn't have Kenny Rogers.

Whatever it is, this is the first time since before the second Boston Massacre that, as a Yankee-hater, I'm excited. The Yanks are gonna keep getting hits, make no mistake. The key is to keep the runners stranded. Easier said than done, and a guy like Johnny Damon will occasionally jack one out of the park. But with a little help from A-Rod and Cano, the Tigers should be okay.

And I'll be rooting for some deja vu all over again.

Any Way You Look At It You Lose

I was kinda frustrated that the Yanks are playing the Tigers in the first round. I thought the Twins, with Santana for two games, had what it takes to upset the Yanks in a short series. But the Tigers have been struggling over the past month, and their pitchers look spent. I think the Yanks take Detroit (or as Fred Hickman would say, the Bengals) down in 3.

And let's say the Yanks win it all. Will Yankee fans even be happy? Chances are, they'll just be relieved. When your expectation year in and year out is to in the World Series, and you meet those expectations, what's the big deal? Think about the Tigers fans. Their team exceeded expectations. That's something to get excited about. That's what makes it worth being a fan, what makes it worth rooting for a medicore team through thick and thin. But meeting expectations? It makes you satisfied, but there's no thrill there.

And when you're a $210 million behemoth with an all-star at every position, how enjoyable is winning it all? When what turned your season around was getting Bobby Abreu and his $16 million contract for nothing? Is there any good feeling there? Any excitement? Why should there be any - when your payroll is $80 million more than the next team, you should be whipping everyone's butt on a nightly basis!

And if the Yanks don't win it all, there will be a sense of big, big disappointment. We've seen that sentiment for every year since 2000, much to my delight.

For me, the thrill of someone else upsetting the Yankees never gets old. The thrill of a Josh Beckett, an Ervin Santana beating the Yankees never gets old. The thrill of seeing Dave Roberts and Luis Gonzalez ruin the Yankees season never gets old. Better yet, seeing A-Rod ruin the Yankees season. Let's hope we get that thrill once again.