Gotham's Clubhouse

Those Lucky Sons of Bitches...The Mets

2008-07-08T11:28:00.004-04:00

Those gosh-darn New York Mets. They go up 8-0 then 10-1 and somehow only end up winning by a single run. The crazy thing is that the Mets are now above .500 and only 2.5 games out of first place in the pitiful division, commonly known as the National League East. The Phillies cannot seem to get a win, the Marlins have slowed down tremendously, the Braves are beset by injuries and the Nationals are just awful. This leaves the Mets as a viable option to come out of the division and make the playoffs. This New York Mets baseball team is just not very good, you know it, I know it, and everyone in baseball knows it. The offensive is terribly inconsistent, the starting pitching is not deep, and the bullpen is lacking ability. With all of these problems it is clear that if the Mets want to continue to make a playoff push they are going to have to make some midseason moves to acquire a solid 8th inning reliever and another hitter.

The Mets current bullpen setup looks something like this: Starter comes out of the game in the 6th inning. Joe Smith comes into the game and gives up a couple of hits then Pedro Feliciano comes in and closes the door on the threat that Smith has just created. Duaner Sanchez comes in for the 8th and gives up a run, and then Wagner comes in to blow the game or dominate depending on his mood the given evening.

The problem with this is that every game that the Mets are leading by only one or two runs becomes a dangerous, since Feliciano is the only consistent guy in the 'pen and he is only brought in after Smith, Heilman, or Schoenweis create a dangerous situation. Acquiring a pitcher like Brian Fuentes would solve this problem, giving the Mets a solid option in the 8th or 7th. A 7th, 8th, 9th combination of Feliciano to Fuentes to Wagner is a whole lot better than anything the Mets are currently putting out there. With the inclusion of a solid end game reliever the Mets can continue to win games like the one last night, only without the heart-attack inducing trauma that occured after Pedro Martinez left the game.

2008-07-06T11:50:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (SUNDAY, JULY 6, 2008)

Mets at Phillies 1:35 p.m. (CW11) - The Mets can't count on clutch hits from Brian Schneider every night.
Red Sox at Yankees 8:05 p.m. (ESPN) - Even if the Yanks pull off a win tonight, their season may be over. Right now, they are behind Tampa Bay, Boston, Chicago, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Oakland and are only up one game on Baltimore and Texas in the American League standings.

- D. Spell

2008-07-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2008)

Red Sox at Yankees 3:55 p.m. (FOX) - The last time the Yankees were in fourth place on July 5th or later was 1992. Does that explain to you how badly this team is playing?
Mets at Phillies 7:05 p.m. (SNY) - Last night's game was the perfect microcosm of the Mets' season. Santana allows two runs in eight innings only to find himself with a no decision and the Mets' untimely hitting leads them to a 3-2 defeat in Philadelphia. I'm impressed. Could Omar Minaya be the next one out? More to come on this later...

- D. Spell

2008-07-04T11:15:00.002-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2008)

The Annual July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest 12:00 p.m. (ESPN) - I wonder if Joey Chestnut blogs...

Red Sox at Yankees 1:05 p.m. (YES) - Mr. Girardi seemed quite peeved after the Yankees' 7-0 loss to Boston last night. Let's see how the team responds to his closed door meeting.
Mets at Phillies 7:05 p.m. (SNY) - As badly as the Mets have been playing, they're only 4.5 games out and they play the first place Phillies in a three-game series this weekend.

- D. Spell

Jetting Jeter to the Outfield

2008-07-04T10:30:00.002-04:00

Derek Jeter never had very good range at shortstop, but now it seems to be plummeting, and fast. Jeter, who always ranged well to his backhand and poorly to his glove-side, is now only average ranging to his backhand well below average ranging to his glove-side.

For those of you who contest Jeter's poor defensive ability, look at the stats. According to baseball-reference.com, he has a 4.04 range factor in his career. Over his time in the league, the average shortstop has a 4.11 range factor. Jeter's range factor has decreased in every year since 2005 (4.56 in 2005, 3.97 in 2006, 3.80 in 2007 and 3.79 this year). Although Jeter still has soft hands in the field - he has a .980 fielding percentage this year - he is hurting the team too much at shortstop. Thus, I propose that it's time for Joe Girardi, Brian Cashman and the rest of the Yankees' organization to move Jeter to right field next year and start to find a replacement for him.

Bobby Abreu is a free agent at the end of the season. There will be a hole to fill in right field and Jeter would be the perfect player to fill it. He has always been great on pop-ups. The most impressive part of his game in the field is ranging back and towards the line for fly balls. He still has the arm to play right field, as exemplified by his almost-great backhanded jump-spin-and-throw play against Texas on Monday.

You may ask, who would play shortstop if Jeter moves? If the Yanks are moving him for defensive reasons, they should be signing a defensively capable shortstop. Orlando Cabrera and Rafael Furcal are both free agents at the end of the season. Cabrera has great hands and a good arm in the field. Although he is not known for his hitting, he is competent at the plate. Furcal has good hands and a tremendous arm, not to mention that he was hitting .366 before he got hurt earlier this year.

If Derek Jeter is truly about the team, he will realize that his defense is only hurting the Yankees at this point. It would take an adjustment, but there is no reason Jeter can't be as good in right field as he was in the prime of his career at shortstop. Now, all the Yankees have to do is realize that Derek's not the player that he once was. The real question is: will they ever come to that realization?

- D. Spell

It's About Making a Point

2008-06-30T16:30:00.001-04:00

Although this doesn't relate to New York sports, as a sports fan in general, one should be outraged by the way the Boston Red Sox have handled Manny Ramirez's past antics. Only a week after Shawn Chacon's scuffle with Astros' General Manager Ed Wade ultimately led to his release, Manny Ramirez has done essentially the same act. The difference: it looks like he won't even be disciplined.

When the traveling secretary for the Red Sox told Ramirez that it may not be possible to obtain the 16 tickets that Manny had requested for an upcoming game, Manny reportedly yelled, "Just do your job" and shoved him to the ground. Why is this any worse than Chacon shoving Wade to the ground? Because a traveling secretary is playing the part of the General Manager and a future-hall-of-famer is playing the part of Shawn Chacon.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona claims that the organization has already taken care of the situation and that he is happy with the way it was handled. Of course he is. He wasn't the one shoved to the floor and he still has his slugger and best hitter in the lineup.

The Red Sox need to ignore the jobs that these two have within the organization and simply acknowledge them as two people. If you shoved a co-worker to the ground at work, you wouldn't get out without any scratches. The Red Sox should suspend Ramirez indefinitely without pay. They should allow him to return when he has proven that he has cleaned up his attitude; when he no longer is taking swings at Kevin Youkilis in the dugout, when he says he will always run a groundball out. It's not nearly as severe as a punishment as what happened to Chacon, who was released. Granted, as Jay Mariotti said, "The biggest mistake Shawn Chacon made was having a 5.15 ERA." It's about making a point.

- D. Spell

Girardi Needs to Learn How to Make a Lineup...Again

2008-06-30T16:15:00.001-04:00

About a month and a half ago, I wrote about Joe Girardi's difficulties with making a lineup. His troubles once again stemmed into Sunday's game against the Mets.

With Hideki Matsui on the DL, Girardi couldn't afford to sit three of his best hitters (Robinson Cano, Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu), but he did because they are all lefties. Facing left-handed starter Oliver Perez, Girardi completely reconfigured his lineup in order to avoid the lefty-lefty match-ups. In doing so, he decided to play Wilson Betemit instead of Robinson Cano, Jose Molina instead of Jason Giambi and Jason Christian instead of Bobby Abreu.

Girardi seems like he is reading the textbook, but not looking at the numbers or even looking into common sense. Why would he rather have a lifetime minor leaguer with twelve career at bats heading into a game (Christian) over a perennial All-Star (Abreu)? Christian shouldn't be starting unless he is filling in for someone during a day off or an injury.

Girardi clearly neglected to look at the numbers. If he had, he would've seen that Abreu is hitting .316 against lefties this year with an OPS 57 points higher than that against righties. Cano's batting average against lefties (.281) is twenty points higher than Betemit's (.261), as the utility infielder is notoriously known as an anemic hitter from the right side (even though he did hit a long homerun yesterday). Jason Giambi is hitting over .400 against lefties since May 17.

If Girardi wanted to sit a lefty, it should've been the only one he decided to play. Johnny Damon's batting average against lefty pitchers (.292) is 36 points lower than his average against righties (.328). Consider the fact that he is also nursing a sore left arch and has witnessed his batting average drop since he returned to the lineup a few days ago, he should've gotten a day off.

Why did Girardi decide to sit all the lefties against Oliver Perez, who had a 5.29 ERA entering the game, and decide to play all the lefties against Johan Santana, who had a 2.93 ERA entering Saturday's game and is known as one of the best pitchers in baseball? Wouldn't it make more sense to sit them on Saturday? There's a better pitcher on the mound - Sunday, there wasn't even a good pitcher on the mound - and you can rest players after a long double-header the previous day.

In the eighth inning, after Oliver Perez threw seven innings of three-hit-ball against a lineup in which Wilson Betemit was hitting fifth, Joe Girardi sent out Jason Giambi to pinch hit and face Pedro Feliciano, another lefty. However, the difference between Feliciano and Perez is that the former is an effective pitcher. Girardi knew that if the Mets had a lead, Feliciano would be in the game. He's their eighth inning guy. Thus, in pinch hitting Giambi, he was stating that he'd rather have his first baseman against a good lefty than a bad one - not exactly the right game strategy to have.

When Girardi sent out that lineup at the beginning of the game, Manuel knew it was because he didn't have confidence in his left-handed hitters. Thus, he pulled a great managerial move and called his bluff, only throwing lefties in the game (Perez, Feliciano and Billy Wagner). You know Scott Schoenweis would have been the next Mets' pitcher out of the bullpen. Girardi got out-managed on Sunday because of a lack of confidence in his players and too much of an allegiance to the baseball textbooks.

- D. Spell

Jozy Alitdore-We Hardly Knew Thee

2008-06-30T16:05:00.003-04:00

As you know I have an ongoing love affair with the New York Red Bulls. A couple months back I wrote about the team, I explained why you should love them too. One of the reasons I gave was Jozy Altidore, the 18 year old stiker with European-League level talent, a rare talent in the MLS. Earlier this month Altidore was signed by Villareal, one of the top "clubs" in the Spanish Premier league. Not only did Villareal sign an American born player, but they signed him to the largest contract ever given to an MLSer. This post is not just an "I told you so" on my part, but another chance for me to ask you to please give the Red Bulls a shot. As they pull into the middle of the season (the all-star game is in a couple of weeks), the Bulls are only four wins out of first place in the Eastern Conference. With Altidore gone, Angel has become an even bigger part of the Red Bulls offense, and he now has 19 goals on the season, second best in the league. Clearly scoring is not an issue for the Bulls, and their games are not the boring contests you would normally think of when considering watching an MLS match on TV. And if you are one of the few who do consider watching MLS matches, good for you, to the rest of you give it a shot, just one, it will be fun I promise. And if you don't have a good time, I know that D. Spell's mom is available every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6 to 10...and that is always a fun time.

-Mose

2008-06-30T15:35:00.001-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2008)

Mets at Cardinals 7:05 p.m. (SNY) - The Mets try to bounce back to .500 as they officially begin the second half of their season.
Rangers at Yankees 7:05 p.m. (YES) - Could Scott Feldman be a fellow Jew?

- D. Spell

NBA Draft: Semi-Live Blog

2008-06-26T20:01:00.013-04:00

8:02

So I am coming in a little late, but in time for the Knicks pick. Rose and Beasley went 1 and 2 obviously followed by OJ Mayo. The fucking Sonics took Russell Westbrook so that dream is over and Memphis took Kevin Love.

8:05
And now it is time for the Knicks to pick...the options as I see them are Eric Gordon, Jerryd Bayless, Joe Alexander and the dreaded Italian. I am hoping for Gordon or Alexander in this situation, Gordon from the point guard angle and Alexander from the lovable, face of the franchise angle.

8:07
And here comes Stern

8:07
1 minute left on the clock, the fans at the Wamu theater do not look pretty happy, seem to know that the Knicks are going to take Mr. Italy

8:08
And of course the Knicks take the fucking asshole from Italy. Danilo Gallinari, the face of the New York Knicks. If someone could please just rip my heart out now.

8:08
Stu Scott just went over the Knicks 2 other international picks (Nene and some dude named Frederic Weis) those both worked out very well.

8:09
Oh great his nickname is "The Rooster" and he is, according to ESPN he will "not be a superstar", excellent!

8:10
Danilo's favorite player? Tayshaun Prince! Can this get any better?

8:12
Just like that my enthusiasm for the upcoming season has waned to close to nothing.

8:13
And the Clippers take...Eric Gordon. At the end of the year let's see who has a better season. E Gordon or The Rooster.

8:14
Now what happened to Brook Lopez? He went from the 3rd pick in many mock drafts to sitting here for the 8th pick.

8:15
According to the bottom-line, Donnie Walsh is going to be speaking soon. I want to see how he is going to explain the selection of Cock-a-doodle-doo

8:17
Donnie just looks like he is stoned out of his mind on some prescription pill...great

8:21
Marc Jackson just summed it up perfectly, Knicks fans are not going to wait for The Rooster to develop, I know that I am already impatient. I can only hope that the Knicks make another move tonight to counterbalance this pick.

8:30
Time for the Nets pick and they take Brook Lopez, putting himout of his misery and getting one of the best prospects in this draft. That is a really great pick for the Nets after trading away Richard Jefferson earlier in the day they needed a solid presence in the middle of the court. If only I was a Nets fan and not a Knicks fan, damn you fandom.

8:35
So the next Gotham related pick is the Nets second 1st round selection, 21st overall. Until then I can do nothing but watch uncomfortable Stephen A. Smith player interviews.

-Mose

Tonight is the Night

2008-06-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

As you most likely know, tonight is the NBA Draft. The Knicks have the 6th pick precluding them from selecting either of two supposedly "can't miss" players of the draft-Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, but there is still some talent available. I would love for the Knicks to trade up, potentially with the TWolves at 3 and select OJ Mayo, but if that doesn't happen and they stay pat (which we know they will), they better not take Danilo Gallinari. I don't care what the analysts say about his athletic ability or his differences from all of the recent European prospects who were hyped up and then dropped out of sight within a season or two. I don't care that he has a great shot, and a lean body whatever that means. And I don't care that he and Mike D'Antoni are both Italian (Chad Ford seems to believe that all Italians are in some sort of blood pact, certifying that D'Antoni will select Gallinari). No matter how much information I am supplied with saying how great Gallinari is I still do not want him on the New York Knicks. And the real reason is simple. I want the Knicks to draft someone who I have heard of, who can become a fan favorite around New York. Could you imagine Gallinari being the iconic player on this Knicks team? No matter how great he becomes he will never be embraced by the media and he will never become the fan favorite that the Knicks are in desperate need of. Yes, David Lee and Renaldo Balkman are fan favorites, they play hard and hustle like no other. But deep down I know that Lee and Balkman can never be the faces of the New York Knicks franchise because they simply are not talented enough. Lee nor Balkman can carry a team by themselves, they are role players, excellent role players but nothing more. In this draft the Knicks have a chance to select someone who can be a star, someone who can carry the team, while still being someone who the average fan can like.

And there is one player in this draft who the Knicks can feasibly select that will fulfill this role. Russel Westbrook is the man that the Knicks must select 6th overall in the NBA Draft tonight. He fits a need (point guard), he is young enough, but experienced enough to build a franchise around, he has a great work ethic and he plays defense better than the entire Knicks roster combined. How the Knicks can even consider taking a nobody forward over a eye-catching point guard is beyond me. Tonight when I am watching the draft I will sit and hope that they make the right decision and make Russel Westbrook the new face of the New York Knicks.

-Mose

2008-06-26T16:30:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2008)

Yankees at Pirates 7:05 p.m. (YES) - Mike Mussina could have more wins (10) than walks (13) this season.
2008 NBA Draft 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) - Imagine the boos you're going to hear in MSG when David Stern utters these words: "With the sixth pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select...Danilo Gallinari."

- D. Spell

Jerry Manuel and the Infamous Ump Bump

2008-06-26T15:00:00.000-04:00

The Jerry Manuel-Brian Runge saga finally appears to be over. Runge formally apologized to Manuel last night for bumping him after his ejection on Tuesday night while arguing Runge's strike zone. I did not personally see the bump, but from the coverage that this received from the local media and ESPN I have come to the conclusion that not only did Runge bump Manuel but he also stuck his finer in his eye and broke his nose. Never have I seen so much coverage over something so minimal. Managers and players bump umpires all of the time, is it really such a big deal that one finally decided to bump back? If anything Runge's bump was helpful to the Mets as it took some of the attention away from the fact that they had just lost to the worst in baseball Seattle Mariners with their ace Johan Santana on the mound. This was followed up by an 11-0 shellacking
and yet people were still talking about the goddamn bump. Runge saved Manuel from a potentially thunderous storm of negative reporting. But now that the bump incident is behind us, the focus can return to The Mets and their pitiful play. Manuel better hope that another umpire is in a bumping mood, otherwise he might end up like Willie, jobless in a California hotel.

And the True Auteur Has Returned

2008-06-26T14:42:00.004-04:00

So yes, we came back this week, and yes the great D. Spell has shepherded you through the beginning of this week. But we all know what you have been waiting for, my return to the blogosphere. I had a pretty good break sleeping and going to the bathroom, as Spell so eloquently put it, is a pretty huge time suck, but I am anxious to get this show back on the road.

A lot of Gotham sports events have occured during my absence, and I would write about all of them, but I want to look ahead not behind, forward not backward, so the only event I would like to write about is Jared Lorenzen's release from the New York Giants football team.

As I wrote last month, it did not look good for Jared Lorenzen's return to the Giants for this upcoming season and two days ago my worst fears were confirmed, as Lorenzen was released from the Giants. It was merely one line on the ESPNews fancy new-and-improved bottom ticker, it was not on the front page of ESPN.com, it was certainly not to be found anywhere on sportsline.com or si.com and it was a mere three sentences in the New York Times. Just like that Jared Lorenzen's career as chubby quarterback poster boy was over. So I would like to use my return post as an opportunity to remember Lorenzen's career and hope that David Carr and Anthony Wright both suffer the karmic consequences for depriving us of Mr. Lorenzen.

Anyway I am glad to be back and I will be back posting on a regular basis for the foreseeable future.

-Mose

2008-06-25T11:15:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2008)

Yankees at Pirates 7:05 p.m. (YES) - Johnny Damon could miss the entire series in Pittsburgh. Luckily for him, the Yankees are facing three lefty-handed starters in a row.
Mariners at Mets 7:10 p.m. (SNY) - Oliver Perez just got lit up by the worst offensive team in the American League. I wouldn't be surprised if he is pulled from the rotation if he has a poor outing against the Yankees on Sunday.

- D. Spell

Time To Change the Jeterian Ways

2008-06-25T09:30:00.001-04:00

The day before his 34th birthday, Derek Jeter should be prepared to listen to some advice. Currently hitting .278 with a .717 OPS, Jeter needs to change his hitting style in order to return from the valleys of mediocrity and head back to the peak of stardom.

First, the type of hit which John Sterling has coined as the Jeterian single needs to cease. Jeter turns 34-years-old tomorrow and is noticeably getting older. Not only has his range in the field diminished, but his bat speed has also slowed down. No player is as strong at the age of 34 as he is at the age of 26 or 27. It takes a lot of strength to hit that "Jeterian single", an opposite field bloop over the second baseman's head on an inside fastball. That strength that he had in his prime allowed him to get enough lift on the ball to hit it in the air.

Now, Jeter is not as strong as he once was. Those balls that he was once hitting in the air are being hit on the ground. This year, when he tries to inside-out a pitch to rightfield, he will often hit a ground ball to second base or right back to the pitcher. This has led to his highest groundball:flyball ratio since 1997 (2.70:1). Because of this, he is grounding into more double plays than he ever has before.

Jeter needs to start pulling the ball and turning on the inside pitch because he is not longer strong enough to consistently hit the ball to right-center. The Yankees' shortstop this year has simply turned into a below-average hitter. His OPS+ is 93 (league average is 100); his secondary average is .183, 30 points worse than his previous worst season; his runs created/27 outs are 4.3, by far the lowest of his career.

Jeter has not just deteriorated as a physical hitter, but he seems as if he has also regressed as an intelligent hitter. He has changed his approach this year and not for the better. Derek, who was always good for around 100 strikeouts, decided to cut down on his strikeout total, but in turn, has affected his walk total. He is swinging at pitches earlier in the count, so that he doesn't get into two-strike holes. Although Jeter has only struck out 34 times this year, he has only walked 20 times . He is seeing a mere 3.67 pitches/plate appearance, the lowest average of his career. One of Jeter's strengths throughout his time in the league has been that he is able to force pitchers to work. This year, he is voluntarily giving into them earlier in the at bat.

So, maybe Sports Illustrated was right in their player poll that stated that Derek Jeter is the most overrated player in Major League Baseball. Before this year, I would disagree, but it's hard to argue against it when his 2008 numbers so clearly outline him as a mediocre shortstop.

- D. Spell

2008-06-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

Yesterday was Mose's birthday!

2008-06-24T11:15:00.001-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2008)

Yankees at Pirates 7:05 p.m. (MY9) - Who else is psyched to see Darrell Rasner hit?
Mariners at Mets 7:10 p.m. (SNY) - He's been managing the team for less than a week and Jerry Manuel has already called Mets' Nation (if the Red Sox can have a country, so can the Mets) fertilizer for rooting for his team. I'm pretty sure a group of fans is allowed to boo when the team with the highest payroll in the National League by almost $20 million is 37-38. Someone should tell that to Jerry...

- D. Spell

If Only the Jets Weren't So Cheap...

2008-06-24T11:00:00.001-04:00

Pete Kendall wanted a raise; he didn't get it. Chris Baker wants a raise; he doesn't seem like he's going to get it. After the Jets traded Kendall, their best lineman, before last season because of a dispute over a mere one million dollars, their offensive line completely collapsed. They went from 10-6 and a playoff team to 4-12 and the sixth pick in the draft. Their rushing attack and pass blocking weren't memorable last season, to say the least.

This year, it seems as if they haven't learned their lesson. Chris Baker, who has been with the team since 2002, has been holding out for more money and the Jets seem not to be budging. After the team signed free agent Bubba Franks and drafted Purdue's Dustin Keller, Baker, the incumbent starter, is now the third highest paid tight end on the team's roster.

Baker had 41 receptions last year, a career high. Next to Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles, he has the best hands of anyone on the roster. Although he is not a great run-blocker, he is a big target to throw to. If Chad Pennington ends up winning the starting position at quarterback, it is important for him to have a tight end he can throw to across the middle. Pennington needs a big target, who will be available for a short dump-off, since he no longer has a Jerald Sowell-type as a teammate.

Right now, the Jets haven't paid Baker to make a point. In turn, the tight end is yet to attend a practice. If they trade or release him, they will be making a big mistake. Fans were upset about the Pete Kendall trade at the beginning of the season and even more upset at the end of the season. Not paying Baker will express to the fans that the Jets would rather save money than actually win.

Two years ago, Coles wanted a new contract from the organization. When they wouldn't pay him, he claimed that the Jets were more concerned with paying big name free agents than they were with taking care of their current stars. The Baker holdout would prove just that. In an off-season, which the Jets signed Calvin Pace, Tony Richardson, Kris Jenkins, Damien Woody, Bubba Franks and Alan Faneca, it would be petty not to re-sign their starting tight end.

- D. Spell

Wait For the Other Half

2008-06-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

Johan Santana is 7-6. I've heard too many questions about his talent compared to other National League pitchers. Is he as good as Tim Lincecum? Is he as good as Edinson Volquez? Is he as good as Felix Hernandez, who he faced off against on Monday night? The answer to every single one of those questions is yes. Mets' fans, who seem to have harbored the same traits in recent years as Yankees' fans, clearly have forgotten the virtue of patience.

It's obvious that the Santana skeptics haven't taken a look at the lefty's second half prowess in his career. Santana, who is notoriously known as a stellar second half pitcher, is 45-11 after the All-Star break since the 2003 season. Keep in mind that he was 5-7 in the second half last year, which was clearly a fluke season. From 2003-2006, he was 40-4 in the second half.

Santana seems to have already started a monster second half, as he has compiled a 1.87 ERA in June to this point. However, he has managed to go only 1-3 as the Mets' offense has averaged a mere 1.8 runs in support of him during those starts.

Last year's National League Cy Young winner, Jake Peavy, struck out 240 batters. 35 of those were pitchers. Santana has averaged 245.75 strikeouts per year over the past four years in an offensively superior league with a designated hitter. Two of the past five years. he's had a second-half ERA under 1.60 and four of the past five years, he's had a second-half ERA under 3.20.

So Mets' fans, calm down about Johan. He'll finish with the lowest ERA of his career. He'll finish with his highest strikeout total. The real question is: will that be good enough for the Mets to make the playoffs?

- D. Spell

2008-06-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

Johnny Damon switched from maple to ash bats last week because he said that maple bats break too much. Since then, he has broken a bat at least once in every game.

2008-06-23T11:15:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2008)

Mariners at Mets 7:10 p.m. (SNY) - Johan Santana faces off against Felix Hernandez in a battle between the two best Venezuelan pitchers in baseball. (We figured Freddy Garcia isn't quite on their level).

- D. Spell

A Draining System Would Be Nice

2008-06-23T11:00:00.000-04:00

The picture on the left is an image of what Yankee Stadium looked like in the sixth inning of Sunday's game. I know because I was there. I sat in the bleachers with my brother when in the sixth inning, the skies opened up and it started to pour. The wind was obscene. In fact, it was so strong, it actually took my Coca Cola bottle, which was calmly resting on the bench in front of me, and sent it flying in the air across my section.

Now, here's where the Yankee Stadium architects are really brilliant. You have to walk up a small ramp to get from the indoor concessions to the bleachers. Naturally, water will stream down the ramp, considering liquid will rarely flow uphill. They delayed the game - seeing the grounds crew trying to put the tarp on the field in the wind was hilarious - and people started to go inside to get shelter from the rain. Of course, as my brother and I set foot inside, we felt a pool of water up to our ankles. All the water was draining into the Stadium. It was completely flooded, which led to a great time for me and an even greater time for my socks, who were accompanied by water and peanut shavings.

Cheers to the builders of 1976, who are responsible for turning Yankee Stadium into a pool today. And for the record, the water was pitch black.

- D. Spell

And We're Back

2008-06-23T09:30:00.001-04:00

Well, after quite the hiatus, Mose and I are back for some more blogging. We apologize for such a long break between columns, but know that starting today, we're here for good. We thought you might want to know what we were doing in our three weeks off. Here was our average daily schedule:

2:00 p.m. - Wake up

2:03 p.m. - Bathroom call

2:10 p.m. - Movie of choice (usually something along the lines of "Gangs of New York" or "Kids Bop"

3:30 p.m. - Get really pissed because Skip Bayless has no idea what he's talking about on "First and Ten". If he says something, I automatically disagree with it, whether I think it's a good point or not. I just feel like I'm stupid if I agree with Skip Bayless on any given issue.

3:47 p.m. - Bathroom call

3:52 p.m. - Go back to wondering how Skip Bayless can be so wrong about LeBron James, when he argues that he is not a top 20 player in the NBA. (Yes, he actually said that).

3:56 p.m. - Another four minutes of Bayless

4:45 p.m. - Eat something sweet and completely unhealthy.

5:45 p.m. - Finish eating sweet and completely unhealthy food and go for another bathroom call.

7:05 p.m. - Watch the Yankees' game and listen to The Great Michael Kay single-handedly take on being the number one PR guy for the Yankees. Boy, Bayless and Kay in one day...And Bissinger thought only bloggers could produce bad journalism.

10:30 p.m. - Sleep for the next 16 hours.

So I guess now you can understand why we had so much trouble getting to the blog. We had such busy schedules we just weren't able to fit it in. However, we've now made room in our lives for it, and we'll be writing everyday. And check out this piece on Bayless from deadspin.com. It really describes him better than I ever could.

- D. Spell

Why Do the Yankees Always Rush Things?

2008-06-02T13:15:00.000-04:00

Joba Chamberlain will make his first start tomorrow against the Blue Jays in Yankee Stadium. Ironically, Joba made his Major League debut out of the bullpen against the same Blue Jays' team on August 7th of last year.

Because of an injury to Ian Kennedy, who was just placed on the disabled list, Chamberlain was forced to move into the rotation earlier than anticipated. Chamberlain has never thrown more than 40 pitches in a game. Joe Girardi expected that Chamberlain would have a 55-pitch relief appearance and then a 70-pitch appearance before joining the rotation. Now, Joba is starting on Tuesday and being held to a very strict pitch count - probably around 65 pitches, which is still too big of a jump from 40.

Joba has been struggling in the second inning of his appearances this year. How is he going to do in the rotation if that's the case? Probably not very well. Neither his legs nor his arm is in good enough shape to be throwing so many pitches. If the Yankees want to make him into a starter, they need to either do it over the off-season, or take it very slowly during the season. In the meantime, they can call up Dan Giese, who has a 1.98 ERA in 59 innings at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Giese should be making the start tomorrow, not Joba. You can get five innings out of him and then have Joba throw 55 pitches in relief. In Giese's next start, Joba can throw two or three simulated innings in the bullpen and then take the mound, throwing a total of around 70 pitches. You have be gradual when working such a stellar reliever into the rotation. The Yankees are rushing him. It will lead to ineffectiveness on the mound and a possible injury.

However, the Yankees shouldn't even be moving Chamberlain to the bullpen anyway.

- D. Spell

2008-06-02T12:30:00.001-04:00

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

Kei Igawa requested that the Yankees allow him to return to Japan.

Posada Should Take His Time

2008-06-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

Jorge Posada, who has been out since the end of April with a shoulder injury, is expected to rejoin the Yankees by Thursday of this week. Posada will catch two straight games, have an off day on Wednesday and then rejoin the team on Thursday in Yankee Stadium.

However, Posada should not be coming back to the team so soon. The Yankees are not having his catch on Wednesday, because they don't trust that he can catch three days in a row. If the organization still trusts his shoulder so little, why would they activate him so soon?

The team is forcing him back because of problems it has had against lefties. With Posada back in the lineup, it can break up the tandem of Matsui - Giambi - Cano, which has been terrorized by lefty specialists since the Yankee catcher left the lineup. Posada can slide Cano down the eighth slot, which he is more comfortable.

Still, if the Yankees don't trust Posada to catch three days in a row, then he is being rushed back. It wouldn't surprise me if he re-injures his shoulder on a throw down to second base. Clearly the Yankees know this, since they have said that they will be carrying three catchers on their roster (Posada along with Jose Molina and Chad Moeller). The Yanks should wait a week until Posada is completely healthy. Then, they can take the risk of sticking him behind the plate.

- D. Spell

2008-06-02T11:45:00.001-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008)

Yankees at Twins 7:05 p.m. (YES) - The Yanks try to climb to one game over mediocrity.
Mets at Giants 10:15 p.m. (SNY) - The lucky Mets miss Tim Lincecum (7-1-2.23) in their three games in San Francisco

- D. Spell

That Ain't Right

2008-05-23T15:45:00.001-04:00

I have disagreed with a lot of what Joe Girardi has done this season. I don't like a lot of the on-the-field moves he has made. However, yesterday, he made his best move of the season in the ninth inning against the Orioles.

Girardi got tossed after arguing a Jason Giambi third strike call. Regardless of whether it was the correct or incorrect call, Girardi's move was brilliant. He didn't just argue, he fought. He threw his hat down, he kicked dirt on the umpire. As Michael Kay put it, "He got his money's worth".

As soon as Girardi got ejected from that game, you could feel a different vibe. For the first time in a while, you actually felt like the Yankees were poised to win a game. And they did on the next batter, a walk-off single by Robinson Cano. Doing what Girardi did - especially in a home game - can pump up the players and the crowd to the next level. Hopefully, that energy with stay with the Yankees throughout their series with Seattle so that they can build confidence going into next week's softer schedule, featuring the Orioles and the Twins.

Girardi knew was he was doing last night. Nice Job, Joe. It was Billy Martin-esque.

- D. Spell

2008-05-23T15:15:00.000-04:00

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

Oliver Perez has been all-or-nothing this season, owning a 1.78 ERA in his four wins and a 8.10 ERA in his three losses.

Free Willie

2008-05-23T14:45:00.001-04:00

Fred Wilpon refused to comment on Willie Randolph's future with the Mets. That means within the next few weeks or so, we will probably see Willie Randolph out as manager of the New York Mets. After leading the Mets to the biggest collapse in league history last year (blowing a seven game lead with 17 games to go), the Mets are underachieving again this year and slipped under .500 last night after they capped off a four game sweep in Atlanta. As much as I have been a Willie-supporter in the past, I think he has to go. In order to evaluate a manager, you need to go through a series of questions:

1) Do the players like him?

It seems like the players actually do like and respect Willie. He has a smart baseball mind and he's a fun guy to be around. Randolph's players have always liked him, but that's not the issue.

2) Does his team look more impressive on paper than it does on the field?

Absolutely. Especially with the addition of Johan Santana, the Mets were expected to be the best team in the National League. A team that won 87 games last year, is now 22-23, while only gaining talent.

3) Does he often give the dazed and confused Dusty Baker Face?

Actually, yes. Willie seems to feel the pressure mounting on him everyday. You can tell that he's just not as comfortable in the dugout. He has made a lot of questionable moves on the field, moves he probably feels like will make or break his job. They seem to be breaking it.

4) How does he handle the New York media?

He handled them well until recently. Monday, Randolph blamed his negative attention by the media on his race. (Of course, this was before he lost four straight to the Braves to dip back under par.) His examples were even more ridiculous. He said the New York media have Herm Edwards and Isaiah Thomas a hard time because of their race, also. Edwards demanded to leave the Jets because he felt like they were in a situation where he couldn't win. How good of a coach is that? Isaiah...Well, you get the point: Jerome James, Eddy Curry, Quentin Richardson, Stephon Marbury, Renaldo Balkman, Steve Francis. Ok, I'm done.

5) How is the clubhouse chemistry?

Terrible. Billy Wagner is mouthing off to the media weekly. Delgado and Beltran are leaving as soon as the game is over, not talking to the media or teammates. There is no unity on this team. Randolph has already had to have a closed door meeting.

Willie fails four out of the five questions, which means the Mets need to seriously evaluate who they want at their manager. The Mets need someone, who is not going to be as lax, someone who won't stand for the clubhouse bickering and knows how to handle the media. Bring back the man in the glasses! We want Bobby Valentine!

- D. Spell

2008-05-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2008)

Mariners at Yankees 7:05 p.m. (MY9) - In his last five starts, Andy Pettite has a 6.26 ERA and is only averaging 5.5 innings-per-start.
Mets at Rockies 9:05 p.m. (SNY) - The Mets best defensive player tonight: the humidifier.

- D. Spell

What Happened to the Old Reliever?

2008-05-23T13:35:00.000-04:00

Twenty-five or thirty years ago, closers like Goose Gossage and Sparky Lyle used to come into the game in the 7th inning to get the save. Now, closers come into the game for the ninth inning. It is considered a laborious outing for them if they have to get more than three outs.

Joe Girardi recently announced that he has plans of moving Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation. Although the Yankee rotation has been terrible this season, I don't agree with this rash move. Girardi seems like a manager who is willing to take risks. I want to see him turn Joba into one of the old relievers, someone who can come in and throw three innings to close out a game routinely. This would be an easier transition for Chamberlain and it would be a way to still have him throw 120-140 innings. You can maximize his production with that amount. He wouldn't feel as pressured to be stretched out and therefore, he would still be throwing 95-98 MPH. When he moves into the starting rotation, the velocity on his fastball will drop since he will feel like he needs to conserve that energy for the later innings.

For now, the Yanks can make him into a guy that can pitch the 6th, 7th and 8th. When Rivera leaves, he can become the closer and pitch the 7th, 8th and 9th. How dominant would that be? Three Joba's coming in to close out a game.

- D. Spell

2008-05-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2008)

Mets at Yankees 8:05 p.m. (ESPN) - Two pitcher with opposite pitching styles, Chien-Ming Wang and Oliver Perez, face off in the last game of the first Subway Series. - D. Spell

The Mets Love the Media

2008-05-17T14:00:00.000-04:00

The Mets have made a habit this season of mouthing off to the media about their own problems. Earlier this season Billy Wagner was highly critical of pitcher Oliver Perez for not giving his team a strong outing. Wagner has also been critical of the team for other issues.

Last year, Paul LoDuca (damn racist) was critical of the Spanish players for not being more vocal with the media. "I know they speak English," he said. It was probably the 'roid rage.

Yesterday, Willie Randolph held a 35 minute meeting with his team after the Subway Series game was officially rained out last night. Since this was a closed door meeting, content of discussion was not disclosed to reporters. However, I would have to imagine the meeting was about keeping problems within the team. Randolph has to tell his players to keep their problems internal. This is the type of chemistry-killer that allows for seven game collapses in only a 17 game period.

- D. Spell

A-Rod Returns

2008-05-17T12:42:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Alex Rodriquez played in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays minor league team. He went 1 for 4 with a home run. This should put A-Rod on track for his return to the majors on Tuesday. The Yankees offensive struggles have been well documented since Rodriquez and Posada have been put on the disabled list, so there is a serious need for A-Rod's return. There were some initial reports that the A-Rod could be out until at least the AllStar break, but that looks to be false. Hopefully it is not too little too late for the Yankees upon his return.

My Wonderful Shea Experience

2008-05-17T11:09:00.000-04:00

So last weekend I went to the Mets-Reds game, the game where Santana started and Carlos Beltran actually managed to hit a triple. Anyway, the whole time I was there I couldn't help but notice how truly terrible Shea Stadium is. Now I know Darrell wrote a post on this already, but neither of us had been to Shea this season, and let me tell you it has not dressed up for its last season.
The most pressing issue at Shea is the seat size. People were a lot smaller in the sixites, I know that, but come now, how could any human being, at any point in our evolutionary lineage fit into the seats at Shea? Sitting in one of them for three straight hours was almost as torturous as listening to the fat bozo sitting right in front of me heckle Ken Griffey Jr.each time he came to the plate. "Hey Griffey, why don't you hit another pop out you loser!". Nicely played good sir, I would wager that you have hurt Mr. Griffey's feelings immensely. No one, not even your buddy sitting next to you, thought you were clever. Yet for all 4 Griffey at bats, you just kept going at it.
Regardless, the seats at she are tiny and the gaps between the seats in one row are also incredibly miniscule. If the person sitting next to you was wearing pleather pants and it was a hot day at Shea, there is a 90 percent chance that you would exit the stadium attached at the thigh.
Now the second issue I have with Shea is the apple that pops up beyond the outfield wall. I originally thought that the apple only came out on homeruns, but in fact it seems as though it comes out whenever the Mets staff sees fit. Delgado got a hit? My god! Send that apple out there! It seems to have lost any significance that it once had and it no longer as the appeal of a quaint novelty, a cute addition for the beleagured Mets fans. Now it is used as an ineffective tool to "motivate" the crowd. I'm shocked that it still even gets out of its hat.
The third problem I had during my visit was the interesting food options available at the stadium. I am not complaining about the prices, those were pretty reasonable compared to those found at Yankee stadium, I am talking about the actual food offered at the park. For example, the size of the Cracker Jacks bag is comparable to the that of your fist. How can I be expected to go through a whole game with a fist-sized back of Cracker Jacks? Exactly, I can't be, why must they taunt me with the fun size Cracker Jacks? Now the peanuts at Shea are salted in the shell. How that's possible I have no idea, but that is the claimon the bag. That seems completely unnatural. The peanut should not taste salty if it is still in its sheath. And yet when I tried a bag, the peanuts were in fact salted and the shell had no flavor at all. Until someone explains how this is possible, there are going to some serious issues. Lastly, Shea has managed to find a Dip'n Dots knock-off company. Honestly I forgot the stupid name of the company, but I can tell you that it carries a inferior product. I have no issue with Shea supporting a mini-sphere ice cream vendor, but that company should be Dip'n Dots not some bootleg brand, that is just dishonest. Which brings me to my last issue with Shea, the parking. I took the 7 train to the game, but my cousin drove. She had to park her car, literally 20 minutes from the stadium and she got to the game 45 minutes early. That shouldn't happem at any sporting venue anywhere in the country. Adequate and convinient parking should be available, period.
So as you can see Shea Stadium and I have a love-hate relationship. I hate the team that plays in it, I hate the seats in it, I hate the food in it, and I hate the parking around it. Other than that though I love it long time.

2008-05-17T10:45:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2008)

Mets at Yankees 1:05 p.m. (YES, SNY) - On the tenth anniversary of David Wells' perfect game, two other great lefties - Johan Santana and Andy Pettitte - face off at Yankee Stadium.
Wizards at Red Bulls 7:30 p.m. (MSG) - Let's not kid ourselves. There's no way you're going to watch this.

- D. Spell

Last Night in New York Sports

2008-05-17T09:18:00.000-04:00

As Ollie predicted, "it gonna rain", and rain it did. So the Yankees and Mets were both off painting the town red. Or in the Mets case half the team, led by Billy Wagner got into a rumble with the other half, led by the Carloses, over their turf.
Now who is Maria?

It's a Coin Toss

2008-05-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

After their first three OTA's, the Jets still have no idea who their starting quarterback will be going into the 2008 season. Chad Pennington has been working with the first team and Kellen Clemens has been working with the second team only because of a coin flip. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer flipped a coin in order to decide who would start off the season working with the first team. Pennington called heads and won the flip.

Hopefully, the Jets won't have to use the same method in order to decide their starter going into the regular season - or even the preseason for that matter. Pennington's numbers last year were infinitely better (1,765-10-9 with a 68.8% completion percentage in eight starts) than Clemens' (1,529-5-10 with a 52.0% completion percentage). However, if the Jets want any shot of contending, they need to make Clemens their starter.

Although his basement is much lower than Pennington's, his ceiling is much higher. The Jets know what they will get from Pennington - about a 1:1 TD:INT ratio, a good completion percentage and a lot of dump-offs to the backs. However, he can't throw to the sidelines anymore with his lack of arm strength. He has a lot of trouble on the flag routes as his passes tend to float up there for cornerbacks and safeties to knock down or pick off. He can't throw deep routes consistently - or at all. When he throws across the middle, he leaves his wide receivers out to dry, as he hangs up his passes and makes it very easy for Laveranues Coles or Jerricho Cotchery to take a hard hit from a linebacker. The Jets won't be able to win more than six to eight games with Pennington at the helm.

Although Clemens did not play as he was marketed last year, he proved that he has a very strong arm. He can throw the ball through the goal posts from the 50 yard line on his knees. He makes a lot of bad decisions, but that will change with good coaching and experience. He is more mobile than Chad. He can move in the pocket quite well and can actually gain some yards on the ground if the defense lays off.

It is possible that Clemens could come out and have a terrible season like he did last year. But if the Jets want to be contenders, then they have to take that risk. His big arm and mobility could allow them to have a competitive season.

- D. Spell

D'Antoni Needs To Lower His Expectations

2008-05-16T15:00:00.000-04:00

New Knicks' coach Mike D'Antoni said yesterday that he would be disappointed if his team doesn't make the playoffs in his first year. D' Antoni claimed that with a weak Eastern Conference, 39 wins may be all it takes to back into the post-season.

"Hopefully the East stays that way and it doesn't go where teams are winning games all over the place. We need to try to get in. If it doesn't happen, I'd be disappointed. There's no guarantees, but me personally, I would be very upset. "

39 wins may not sound like a lot to D'Antoni, who averaged 58 wins-per-year over his last four seasons in Phoenix, and for most every team in the NBA, it's not, but it would be a great improvement for the Knicks over only a year. 39 wins is 16 more than they had this past year, when they tied their franchise record for most losses with a 23-59 record.

D'Antoni should prepare himself for disappointment if he thinks his Knicks can be playoff-bound next year. With essentially the same roster as last year, there will be no reason the Knicks can improve 16 games. A coach cannot better a team by 50%. D'Antoni's run-and-gun style can't work with the Knicks' current players. Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury are completely untradable. Their roster won't turn over until 2010, when Marbury's Zach Randolph's contracts are both up and LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are all free agents.

- D. Spell

2008-05-16T14:30:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008)

Mets at Yankees 7:10 p.m. (MY9, SNY) - This series could determine Willy Randolph's future in New York.

- D. Spell

Not On His Way Back

2008-05-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

Unlike Alex Rodriguez, who expects to be back on Tuesday, Jorge Posada seems like he will not step on the field for the Yankees for a while longer. He can now throw up the 75 feet with as Girardi put it, "better velocity". However, he is progressing slowly and definitely will not return before June. The Yankees are hopeful that he will be able to play in some extended spring training games at the end of May or the beginning of June.

- D. Spell

On His Way Back

2008-05-16T13:20:00.002-04:00

Alex Rodriguez is playing in three extended spring training games starting tomorrow against the Rays' minor leaguers. On Sunday, he will play in a simulated game and on Monday, he will be playing the Phillies' minor leaguers, hoping to return to the Yankees by Tuesday.

Rodriguez for the first time yesterday ran the bases and said that he felt great. He will be guaranteed five at-bats in all three games over the weekend. He hasn't played since April 28th, when he re-injured his aching right quad.

- D. Spell

Randolph Shuffles the Rotation

2008-05-14T13:15:00.000-04:00

The Mets have called up Claudio Vargas to start tonight's game in order to move Johan Santana back a day so he can face the Yankees on Friday in the first game of this year's Subway Series. There has been much speculation by the media, wondering if Willy Randolph will push Santana back or if he will have him start in his normal spot in the rotation - pitching on Thursday against the Nationals.

According to the New York Post, Randolph has officially made his decision to have Santana start against the Mets' cross-town rivals. In this case, Randolph seems to have gotten caught up a bit with what the media and the fans want. The best decision for a team that is not playing as well as it could is keeping the rotation where it is. You want consistency in a starting rotation and it's hard to get that consistency when starters can't follow their usual routine. Randolph is simply setting up this game for the media and not for the Mets.

- D. Spell

2008-05-14T10:45:00.001-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2008)

Nationals at Mets 7:10 (SNY) - Claudio Vargas will make his first start as a Met.
Yankees at Rays 7:10 (YES) - James Shields' linescore in his last start: 9 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks. The Yankee offense seems to have come up against him at just the right time.

- D. Spell

Last Night in New York Sports

2008-05-14T10:06:00.000-04:00

Yankees-1 Rays-2

In what can only be described as an embarrassing showing, the Yankees lost again to the Rays, who are now in first in the AL East. The Yanks continue to have severe offensive offensive struggles, this time being shut out by Edwin Jackson of all people. The Yanks wasted another solid start by Wang and more solid bullpen work by Kyle Farnsworth. I didn't think that I would ever say this, but the Yankees offense simply and truly sucks. There is no other way to seee it, and that is a serious issue for the Yanks the rest of the season. Maybe ARods return, supposedly later this week, will jumpstart things. I sure hope so.

Mets-6 Nationals-3
Ryan Church continued his hot hitting with his 8th home run of the year and John Maine pitched a beauty of a game, and the bullpen didn't implode. Also the Mets were playing the Nationals-you and I could beat the Nationals.

2008-05-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

Chien-Ming Wang has almost half the strikeouts (36 to 76) he had in his Cy Young runner-up year of 2006 in less than a quarter of the innings (52 to 218).

- D. Spell

Losing Is Also Not the Yankee Way

2008-05-13T13:00:00.001-04:00

Former Yankee closer and newest member of the Hall of Fame Goose Gossage took a trip to Cooperstown yesterday in which he was critical of Joba Chamberlain's eccentric celebrations after recording the final out of one of his eighth inning appearances. Gossage saidof Chamberlain's celebratory antics, "There's no place for it in the game and I will stand by that."

Gossage went on to say that it is not representative of the Yankee way.

"The jumping and the high-fiving, Roy White brought up a great point to me the other day when we were in a charity golf tournament. Roy said, 'Did you see Melky jumping up and down, doing the pirouette and all? That's not the Yankee way.' It's not the Yankee way."

Weren't Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle intolerable drunks? Gossage isn't talking about the Yankee way, he's talking about the Steinbrenner way, which has been instated every since the Yankees' owner bought the team in 1974. Gossage is referring to Steinbrenner's business-like attitude towards what a clubhouse should be. However, isn't this baseball is simply business attitude one of the reasons the Yankees haven't been able to win in so long? There has been a lack of team chemistry and a lack of energy. They need that boost of energy from the younger players.

Was Paul O'Neill not a Yankee? O'Neill is known as one of the most animated players in New York history for throwing his bat and his helmet and beating the water cooler as if it owed him money. Did O'Neill not follow the "Yankee way"? He must have. George Steinbrenner used to call him a Warrior (so much so that now it's a proper noun). Clearly, he was one of Steinbrenner's favorite players. Shouldn't George get to decide the Yankee way more than Goose Gossage?

If energy is coming from the top, why can't the players have that same fire? Hank Steinbrenner has made numerous comments through the media regarding the Red Sox and other teams, trash-talking them and referring to Yankee superiority. Why is that better than Melky Cabrera doing his signature handshake jump-and-bump high five with Robinson Cano after a win?

I don't understand this comment by Gossage, who is a man who criticized Hall of Fame voters for keeping him out for so long. Was that following the Yankee way?

- D. Spell

You Get a Parade, But You're Still Sixth Best

2008-05-13T11:15:00.000-04:00

ESPN released its preseason NFL power rankings on Monday, slating the Giants in as the sixth best team in the league. Sorry but didn't they just win the Super Bowl?

The power rankings have the Cowboys, a team the Giants beat in the playoffs last season, ranked ahead of the G-men as the fourth best team. This may be a bit high for a team that has lost two consecutive playoff games with Tony Romo at quarterback.

Once again, everybody is talking about how the Jaguars are underrated. I don't understand how this team is so overrated by its underratedness. How has this team improved in any way from last year? Realistically, David Garrard will not be as good as he was last year when he only threw three interceptions. Clearly, they are a competitive team, but they lost in the second round last year and did not make any major off-season moves. I'm not sure how that dictates jumping over the Super Bowl Champs in the power rankings.

Once again, the Giants seem to have been disrespected. Eli Manning's incredible playoff run was overlooked by the people at ESPN. Last January, we saw him develop into a big game quarterback. Clearly, this was not taken into account.

Oh, and for those of you who care, the Jets are number 21.

- D. Spell

2008-05-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008)

Yankees at Rays 7:10 p.m. (YES) - Chien-Ming Wang has allowed only one homerun in 52 innings this season.
Nationals at Mets 7:10 p.m. (SNY) - On a staff that includes Johan Santana, John Maine leads the Mets with a 3.00 ERA.

- D. Spell

We Remember - Luis Sojo

2008-05-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

We will be running a segment called "We Remember" in an effort to honor old New York players, who may not have been the best, but were able to help their teams in different ways. Today, we remember Luis Sojo.

Game five. Top of the ninth. Two to two. Yankees have a three to one series lead. "Leiter has 141 pitches, this is gonna be number 142. The pitch...up the middle, base hit! They're gonna bring Posada to the plate. Payton's throw hits the runner. Brosius scores! Sojo goes to third. It's a two-run single by Luis Sojo and the Yankees take a 4-2 lead!" - Joe Buck

A better hitter than he was given credit for, Luis Sojo was described by Yankee announcer John Sterling as "The best .200 hitter ever". Sojo was a great utility player for the Yankees from 1996-2001. In one of the best moves of their dynasty, the Yankees claimed Sojo off waivers from the Mariners on August 22, 1996. Sojo, who was hitting only .211 in Seattle, hit .275 for the Yankees the rest of the season and .400 in the playoffs (.600 in the World Series). After only a few months as a Yankee, Sojo had already won a ring and established himself as a clutch and integral team player. The Yankees re-signed him before the 1997 season, a year Sojo did not disappoint hitting a career-high .307.

Primarily a second baseman, Sojo was known most for his defense. He played every position in the infield along with left field. A versatile player, the Venezuelan native had soft hands, good range and a strong arm in the infield. But he could hit, too. Sojo is the proud owner of a walk-off hit against the Red Sox, a game-winning double down the right field line for a 7-6 victory in Yankee Stadium. In 2,571 career at-bats, he struck out only 198 times even though he used to hit in a lot of two-strike counts. With his short, compact swing, he was able to slap the ball through the infield often, making him a great hit-and-run guy.

The .261 career hitter would do anything for manager Joe Torre or his teammates. In fact, Sojo loved being a Yankee so much that when he was not re-signed after the 2000 season and was forced to sign with the Pirates, he would root for his former New York teammates every night, following the Yankee games daily. On August 7 of that year, the Yankees traded Chris Spurling to the Pirates for Sojo, who made a grand return to New York that night. Sojo hit .288 the rest of the season in New York and contributed in the World Series, getting his famous series-winning hit at Shea Stadium off Al Leiter.

Sojo will be remembered as a player who put everything on the line in order to win. As George Steinbrenner would put it, he was and always will be a true Yankee. He was one of the most relaxed and easy-going players I've ever seen, traits that are necessary in a guy who may not play everyday. They helped him become the best utility infielder of the 1990s.

Girardi Needs to Learn How to Make a Lineup

2008-05-12T15:45:00.001-04:00

Before Sunday's Yankee game against the Tigers was rained out, Joe Girardi had penciled Derek Jeter into the cleanup spot in the lineup. Jeter hit is first homerun of the season the day before; it was his only long-ball in 133 at-bats this season. Girardi says that he made the decision because he wanted to give Matsui a day off.

Clearly, Girardi is having trouble making the lineup this season. He has had inconsistencies throughout the year. Jeter's power seems to have diminished over the past few years. He seems to have gotten a bit weaker with age and with his hitting style - keeping his hands inside and hitting the ball the right field - he can't hit many homeruns since he doesn't get his arms extended. Jeter has hit 27 homers in the past two years and 38 games, none of them traveling a long way.

Why does Girardi feel like he needs to give Matsui a day off? The Yankees were off the previous Monday, only six days prior. Why give your hottest hitter a day off and potentially ruin the best hot-streak the offensively challenged team has had by any individual all year. One of the first rules of managing - and something Joe Torre was so good at - is riding your hottest players. Torre seemed to stick to this theory without fail. Girardi, as a former player, should understand that if a player is hitting the ball well, only one day off can completely ruin his rythm. I also don't think he understands lineup construction.

In a game earlier this season, Girardi batted Morgan Ensberg fifth. I actually have no disagreement here. I think Ensberg has a very nice line-drive stroke and hits the ball back up the middle very well. He has been hitting much better than his numbers would show. Late in the game, Ensberg had a game-tying hit. Then, he came up in the ninth inning again with a runner in scoring position and a chance to win it. Here's the issue: Girardi pinch-hit. Now, why would you pinch-hit for your number five hitter? Why would you be hitting him fifth if you don't have the confidence to let him hit in that situation? Would he have pinch-hit for Cano? No. Would he have pinch-hit for Giambi? No. Then why didn't he bat them earlier in the lineup and move Ensberg to the seventh slot? I don't know.

He is a young manager but some of his lineup choices seem to nonsensical. Oh, this just in: Mike Mussina is leading off Monday in Tampa.

- D. Spell

David Ross Can't Count

2008-05-12T14:30:00.000-04:00

What a strange occurrence. The last time I saw something like this, I was at a little league baseball game in Central Park. Yesterday against the Mets, Reds' catcher David Ross hit out of order in the lineup. Centerfielder Corey Patterson entered the game in a double switch, which had Ross hitting in the ninth hole and the pitcher moving to the sixth spot. However, Ross came to the plate where the eighth batter, Patterson, should hit, forcing the umpire to call Patterson automatically out for the first out in the inning.

How pissed must Patterson be? His average is down three points in an at bat which he never stepped into the batter's box. Ross eventually singled. Isn't Patterson thinking, "That could've been mine"?

Manager Dusty Baker says that the lineup card in the dugout was correct and that Ross simply got confused. Shouldn't Dusty have been paying attention enough to pull Ross back into the dugout and send Patterson to the plate? He had the same dazed and confused look on his face as he did when he forget to keep Mark Prior's pitch count in every game of the 2003 season. Oh, The Dusty Baker Face.

- D. Spell

2008-05-12T13:15:00.000-04:00

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

After singing "Take Me Out To the Ball Game" yesterday at the Cubs' game, Tony Romo now has two career singing appearances. Unfortunately, they took the rest of the clip down.

- D. Spell

Wilson Betemit-More Like Wilson Gets Hurt A Lot

2008-05-12T11:36:00.004-04:00

So Wilson Betemit is back on the DL this time with a strained hammy. Betemit has managed to not walk once this entire season-26 at bats, 7 hits, 7 strikeouts, and 0 walks. Not sure that that is what the Yankees wanted when they traded for Wilson last season. Betemit isn't exactly a great fielder either, taking ARod's spot at 3rd base, Betemit has look lost recently. In Friday night's game against the Tigers Betemit misplayed 3 balls in a row that were hit his way. Now that Betemit is hurt Morgan Ensberg will be given the opportunity to start regularly. Ensberg has struggled this season offensively, his first as a backup, but he is a very good fielder. He clearly is not much of an improvement over Betemit, if at all. Even with Ensberg at 3rd, the Yankees are still a total wreck at the position. Calling up Alberto Gonzalez, who was brought up to the Bigs to take Betemit's spot wont help matters much either. If ARod's injury is as mild as the Yankees seem to believe it is than this will hopefully be behind them soon enough. However, if ARod is out for an extended period of time, as many press sources are stating, then there will be a serious issue for the Yankees to deal with. They already need to find a catcher who can hit, since Moeller and Molina are not the answers there, they need to find another quality starter because Kei Igawa is still a member of the Yankees' rotation and Kei Igawa should not be in anyone's rotation, so if you add starting 3rd baseman and heart of the lineup to that list it looks as though this could be a very long season for the Yankees and their fans.

-Mose

It's Hard Out Here for a Star at USC

2008-05-12T11:17:00.006-04:00

Since this is a New York Sports blog, I am writing this under the guise that if OJ Mayo is available for the Knicks to take in the NBA Draft, I think that they should select him, over Eric Gordon and over Jeryd Bayless.

By now I am sure that you have all read the story about one of OJ Mayo's confidants coming clean about all of the violations that Mayo committed as a high schooler and as a freshman at USC this season. Allegedly Mayo was receiving cash and other gifts from his friend/advisor Rodney Guillory who was getting the money he was spending on Mayo from BDA (Bill Duffy Associates), the sports agency that Mayo signed with when he declared for the NBA draft. Obviously, if true, this is a violation of NCAA regulations and Mayo as well as USC and BDA should be punished for it. This is all well and good, I have no issue with there being punishments when a violation occurs. However, on Sportscenter this morning, there was a 5 to 10 minute piece in which the Outside the Lines reporters spoke with Louis Johnson (the confidant who is accusing Mayo and Guillory, after Guillory "sabotaged Johnson's relationship with Mayo") and then proceeded to follow around Mayo and Guillory with their accusations. The reporters ambushed Mayo the day of his press conference to announce his draft intentions, on one of the happiest and most important days of his life, Mayo was confronted and attacked by these so-called reporters. I understand that they were just doing their jobs and that as journalists it is their duty to find the truth. But Mayo is still just a kid, was it really that important for them to ruin his draft intentions? Did they need to come in guns ablaze trying to catch him and trick him into admitting that he had received money from BDA? No it was not. The piece reminded me of the recent Miguel Tejeda piece that Outside the Lines did, where they confronted Tejada about his age, and the fact that he is two years older than the Astros organization believed. Two freaking years. The way that ESPN covered the story you would have thought that he had admitted to taking steroids, with Roger Clemens, in Jose Canseco's house, will falsifying documents for terrorists. Yes Tejeda made a mistake and yes Mayo might have potentially made a mistake, but the guerrilla tactics that these reporters are using to confront these men make the reporters seem like the bad guys.

-Mose

2008-05-12T10:45:00.002-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (MONDAY, MAY 12, 2008)

Nationals at Mets 7:10 p.m. (SNY) - Odalis Perez has a 3.43 ERA in eight starts for the Nationals and is 0-3. Talk about your stagnant offenses...
Yankees at Rays 7:10 p.m. (YES) - The Rays have scored four more runs than the Yankees, have allowed nine fewer and are 2.5 games better. Gotta love baseball.

- D. Spell

Last Weekend in New York Sports

2008-05-12T10:00:00.006-04:00

Darrell was kind enough to give me the weekend off, I know you all missed me. Anyway if you took the weekend off to spend more time with your mother here's what you missed.

Friday:
Yankees-5 Tigers-6
As Darrell wrote so eloquently last week, Kei Igawa sucks. And he followed through on his terrible pitching ability Friday night going 3 innings, allowing 11 hits, 6 runs, and not striking out a single batter. Besides Igawa the Yankees were good Friday night, nearly coming back to tie the game up against Todd Jones, alas it was not to be. But 5 innings of shut out ball from the bullpen and another home run from Jason Giambi were very positive indicators for the Yanks. Even Robinson Cano had two hits, so you know it must have been a good day.

Saturday:
Mets-12 Reds-6
For the opening half of Saturday's doubleheader, the Mets came out swinging, scoring seven runs in the first five innings of off starter Matt Belisle and reliever Bill Bray, before Mike Lincoln came in and shut the door, allowing only four runs in two innings. Everyone was able to hit off of the Reds pitchers, David Wright had two hits and Carlos Beltran was able to hit a triple, his second of the season. Santana pitched well, although he did allow 10 hits in just six innings, but the offensive firepower was more than enough to make up for Santana's less than perfect pitching.

Mets-1 Reds-7
The second half of the doubleheader looked like the exact opposite of the first game. The Mets offense could not put it togther against Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, who surrendered just four hits over eight innings. Mike Pelfrey had a pretty good start himself, allowing two runs over six. And the game stayed close until the 8th, when Duaner Sanchez game up another two runs, and at that point it was all over. 3 unearned runs in the 9th off of a David Wright error, and the game ended up looking like a route, but it was really a close game for the Mets.

Yankees-5 Tigers-2
Darrell Rasner had his second consecutive strong start and the Yankees finally ended their losing streak against the Tigers. Derek Jeter hit his first homerun of the year and Jason Giambi continued his slump busting ways, hitting a double and driving in a run in the Yankees victory. The bullpen showed up yesterday as well, good for 3 innings of shutout ball. Kyle Farnsworth is securing his spot as the 7th inning guy in the Yankees bullpen, making this team reminiscent of the Yankees teams of yore, when the Yanks were nearly unbeatable with a lead after the 6th inning.

Red Bulls-2 LA Galaxy-1
In the first Red Bulls game since I wrote my post about them, the Bulls squeaked past the LA Galaxy thanks to goals by Angel (I mentioned him) and Danleigh Borman (I did not mention him). David Beckham is on the Galaxy and the Red Bulls held him scoreless even though he did take like 5 free kicks. Where is your bending power now punk? So the Bulls have not lost a game in four consecutive matches, and they have only played six matches in all. Just to remind you it is not too late to join the Red Bulls bandwagon.

The Knicks sign Mike D'Antoni to be their next head coach. Yeah, let's see how well that works out.

Sunday:
Mets-8 Reds-3
After taking the second game of the double header off on Saturday the Mets offense came back strong on Sunday, scoring six runs off of rookie Johnny Cueto in just 4 2/3 innings. Carlos Beltran hit an RBI ground-rule double and a two-run homer in the victory and Oliver Perez had one of his best starts of the season as the Mets took care of business at home against one of the worst teams in the Majors.

-Mose

2008-05-11T11:00:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2008)

Yankees at Tigers 1:05 p.m. (YES) - Mickey Mantle hit his 500th homerun on Mother's Day. Let's see if the Yankees can work some more magic.
Reds at Mets 1:10 p.m. (CW11) - Rookie Johnny Cueto has been much better than his numbers show. However, he has only topped 100 pitches once.

Can Pedro Fix the Mets' Rotation?

2008-05-10T12:45:00.001-04:00

The New York Post is reporting that Pedro Martinez may be back at the end of this month with some luck. Pedro threw 60 pitches off a mound yesterday in rehab for his injured hamstring. "He's definitely at the point of being on the mound," said Mets' General Manager Omar Minaya. "His arm feels good." Minaya wouldn't say when Pedro was going to pitch a simulated game, however, it is anticipated to be soon. At this point, however, you have to ask yourself: Can Pedro go through an entire rehab stint with no set-backs? Last year, the Mets had anticipated a Martinez return so many times, and so many times, he re-injured himself on the way back.

Here's where the Mets are wrong: They are putting too much pressure on Martinez to recover and come back to the team. Last year, they clearly rushed him, which is why he continually hurt himself. This year, they seemed to have not learned their lesson. Although Pedro was originally supposed to make his comeback in the middle of June at the earliest, the organization is now hopeful he can be back by the end of the month, within the next three weeks or so. There's no way that an older player with a long history of injuries and fragility and be so ahead of pace. The Mets are writing themselves a recipe for another Pedro hamstring injury.

Another possibility for a Martinez injury is to his arm or shoulder - his elbow, his rotator cuff, etc. When he has leg injuries, he tends to baby that side more-so than other pitchers. If he continues to do so, he won't push off his legs as much, where he gets almost all his power for his velocity. He will try to compensate by swinging his arm around harder. It could hurt his control, fundamentals and could injure his arm.

- D. Spell

If We Knew This, Why Didn't Brian Cashman?

2008-05-10T11:30:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, we wrote that Kei Igawa's numbers in the Minor Leagues were not important. What would be indicative of his play in the Majors would be how he was pitching each hitter, how he was getting to that ERA. With the high curveball and the high and away fastball, he would be unable to produce in the Major Leagues. Well, we were right. Three innings, six runs and 11 hits later, Igawa looks worse than he did last year. How did Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi not know this? The Tigers hit .550 off him last night. Who's the fat toad now?

- D. Spell

2008-05-10T11:15:00.002-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008)

Reds at Mets 1:10 p.m. (SNY) - Johan Santana is only four wins short of 100 for his career.
Yankees at Tigers 3:40 p.m. (YES) - Darrell Rasner is only four wins short of nine for his career.
Reds at Mets 7:30 p.m. (SNY) - Double the trouble.
Red Bulls at Galaxy 10:30 p.m. (MSG) - David Beckham might be there.

- D. Spell

No Longer Farns-Worthless

2008-05-10T10:30:00.001-04:00

Kyle Farnsworth's appeal was worth it after all. After being penalized with a three game suspension for allegedly throwing at Manny Ramirez's head in a game between the Yankees and Red Sox on April 17th, Farnsworth's punishment was reduced to a one game suspension on Friday.

When Farnsworth was initially suspended, my reaction was an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I wanted the Yankee set-up man out longer than three days. He had been horrible out of the bullpen for the past two years and was off to another poor start.

However, since April 13th, Farnsworth has a 1.69 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP and is averaging 9.3 K/9. He has helped lead the Yankee bullpen, which has been surprisingly good, to major success thus far this season. Now, he's actually worth something.

- D. Spell

Award Injustices-Dominik Hasek Over Martin Brodeur 1996-97

2008-05-09T17:00:00.001-04:00

We are going to be running a series highlighting the greatest award injustices (situations where the winner of an award clearly should not have been the victor) in New York sports history. We will be doing this in both directions-where a New York player was not given the award even when he was the superior player, and when a New York player was given the award even though there was a better option available. Today we will be examining...

Dominik Hasek's victory over Martin Brodeur for the 1996-97 Vezina Trophy

The Vezina Trophy, named after 1920's goaltender Georges Vezina, is awarded to the best goalie in the league. It is basically the CY Young of NHL awards, since goalies rarely win the Hart Trophy (the NHL's MVP award), winning the Vezina is the crowning achievement of a successful season. During the 1996-97 season there were two clear candidates for the Vezina, Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres, and Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. Their stats follow-

1996-97 Stats- Games Played Wins Losses Ties Shutouts GAA Save %
Dominik Hasek- 67 37 20 10 5 2.27 .930
Martin Brodeur- 67 37 14 13 10 1.88 .927

Brodeur and Hasek had remarkably similar seasons. They started the same amount of games, won the same amount of games had save percentages within .003 of each other. And yet Hasek won the Vezina trophy and he won it handily. Not only did Brodeur win the same amount of games as Hasek, but he last lost 6 fewer and tied 3 more, giving him a much better overall record. However, the two most vital parts of Brodeur's argument in favor of winning the Vezina over Hasek are his goals against average and the amount of shutouts he had. Brodeur's goals against average of 1.88, easily the lowest of any goaltender of the 96-97 seasonis incredibly impressive and nearly half a goal better than Hasek's GAA. Many people argue that, like ERA in baseball, GAA is heavily dependent on the defense in front of you but even so, a GAA that low is indicative of an amazing goaltender not just the caliber of his defense. The 10 shutouts that Brodeur had during the 1996-97 season also speak to the high-level that he was playing at.Having twice as many shutouts as Hasek, while playing the same amount of games lead me to believe that Brodeur was the better stopper that season.
Hasek went on to win three Vezina trophies, from the 1996-97 season through the 1998-99 season, while Brodeur was held without a Vezina until the 2002-2003 season. That Brodeur had to wait that long for his first Vezina is one of the greatest injustices in New York hockey history, especially since he should have had it won in the 1996-97 season.

-Mose

Ultimate Subway Series-Yankees Play In Series

2008-05-09T14:30:00.000-04:00

Yankees Play-In Series: Best 3 out of 5
8. 1978 Yankees VS. 9. 1956 Yankees

Game 1
Home: 1978 Yankees-Ron Guidry Away:1956 Yankee-Whitey Ford

In the opening game of this play-in series each team put forth an excellent pitching effort. The game went through 10 innings in a 1-1 tie. Whitey Ford pitched brilliantly, allowing only 5 base runners over 10 innings, while Guidry only allowed 5 hits over 8 innings. The game reached the top 11th inning, with Sparky Lyle pitching for the '78 Yanks. Lyle give up two quick hits to Bill Skowron and Hank Bauer, and had to face Billy Martin with no outs and runners on first and third. Martin hit a triple into the gap in right field, allowing Bauer and Skowron to score, and Marting was driven in later in the inning by an Elston Howard sacrifice. With a 4-1 lead, Tommy Byrne came into close it out securing the win for the 1956 Yankees
Game MVP:Whitey Ford, 10 innings pitched, 1 ER.
1956 Yankees win 4-1.

Game 2
Home: 1978 Yankees-Ed Figueroa Away:1956 Yankees-Don Larsen

Trying to not fall into a 2-0 hole, the 1978 Yankees game out swinging against Don Larsen and the '56 Yanks. The game started out the '56 Yankees way, after Mickey Mantle hit a 3-run shot in the first, but it soon turned into a slugfest for the 1978 Yankees thanks in part to errors by Gil McDougald and Andy Carey. In all the '78 Yanks scored 15 runs, leaving the '56 Yanks in the dust. Home runs by Willie Randolph and Roy White highlighted the effort and Ed Figueroa pitched a complete game as the '78 Yanks tied the series at 1 game apiece.
Game MVP:Willie Randolph, 3 RBIs and 1 Homer
1978 Yankees win 15-5

Game 3
Home:1956 Yankees-Tom Sturdivant Away:1978 Yankees-Catfish Hunter

Game 3 saw another offensive explosion, but this time on the side of the 1956 Yankees. Catfish Hunter was dealt with handily as the '56 Yankees scored 7 runs in the 5th thanks to a bases clearing double by Elston Howard with the bases loaded and some sloppy defense from catcher Thurmon Munson who had a passed ball and an error in the inning. After that the '78 Yankees could not scratch anything together, getting only two men on base after the 5th inning.
Game MVP: Mickey Mantle, 2 doubles and 3 RBIs
1956 Yankees win 10-3

Game 4
Home: 1956Yankees-Whitey Ford Away:1978 Yankees-Ron Guidry

Playing for their tournament lives, the 1978 Yankees threw out Ron Guidry to face the '56 Yankees ace Whitey Ford. Unlike the first game of this series, the '78 Yankees were able to get to Ford, with 9 hits over 6 innings. The scoring began in the 6th for the '78 Yankees, after singles from Lou Pinella and Thurmon Munson were followed by hits from Mickey Rivers and Bucky Dent scoring both runners. The '78 Yanks scored two more in the 7th thanks to a Graig Nettles double with 2 men on base. That turned out to be enough as Ron Guidry pitched a beautiful game, allowing just 2 runs in a complete game victory, as the series returns to 1978 for the deciding game of the series.
Game MVP:Ron Guidry, Complete Game, 2 runs allowed, 9 strikeouts
1978 Yankees win 5-2

Game 5
Home: 1978 Yankees-Ed Figueroa Away:1956 Yankees-Don Larsen

The 5th and final game of the series was also the most exciting of all 5 games. Ed Figueroa and Don Larsen paced each other through 6 innings, with the '56 Yankees holding a 1 run lead in a 4 to 3 game. Two-run homers by Gil McDouglad and Yogi Berra had given the '56 Yankees and lead and Andy Carey widened that lead the 3 runs with a 2 RBI double in the 7th. The game remained at 6-3 until the 8th inning until Tommy Byrne, in for relief of Don Larsen, walked 3 consecutive batters after surrendering a single to open the inning. Tom Morgan came in to the game to stop the bleeding, allowing only 2 more runs with the bases loaded and no one out, but at that point it was already too late and the '78 Yankees had tied the game at 6 going into the ninth inning. Don Gullett escaped the top half of the ninth thanks to a great defensive play at second base by Willie Randolph, which stopped a run from scoring. In the bottom of the ninth Roy White came to bat with the bases-loaded and 2 out, facing Rip Coleman, and he came through squeaking a single up the middle to drive in the deciding run of the series.
Game MVP:Roy White, series winning RBI
1978 Yankees win 7-6

1978 Yankees win series 3-2

-Mose

I Guess Green Really is the Color of Money

2008-05-09T13:30:00.002-04:00

This offseason the Jets have spent an incredible amount of money in order to solidify their defense and offensive line. The moves on defense have garnered the majority of the attention-signing Cardinals OLB/DE Calvin Pace to a huge contract worth 22 million guaranteed, trading for run-stuffing defensive tackle Kris Jenkins from Carolina, signing corner back and former first round pick Andre Woolfolk, and finally veteran safety Artrell Hawkins.

The Pace signing, paired with the Jets first round selection of Vernon Gholston should create one of the best past rushing tandems in the entire NFL. I really like the Pace signing, even though the guaranteed money is a little high because with the departure of Victor Hobson to the Patriots there was a hole to fill and the Jets did what they needed to do to find a replacement. It seems like this is one of the first seasons in which the Jets organization actively attempted to fill holes through blockbuster free agent signings or trades as opposed to simply finding role players who were average at best. This pattern is easily seen with the acquisition of Kris Jenkins, who is a good fit for the Jets 3-4 defense, weighing in at 6'4 and 335 pounds if there was ever a body made to play the nose Jenkins is the one. And now that the Dewayne Robertson era is over, the Jets might actually be able to play some run defense next season.

The signings of Woolfolk and Hawkins are interesting because neither defensive back played even one down in the NFL last year. Woolfolk hasn't really had any impact in the league since 2005 when he played 13 games, had 55 tackles, and 1 interception. If Woolfolk manages to remain uninjured then he should be able to help the Jets in run support and he can play a decent 3rd or 4th corner. Either way he cannot be any worse than Andre Dyson. who the Jets waived in February. Hawkins, who last played in 2006 with the Patriots, will look to replace the departing Erik Coleman, who left for the Falcons in free agency. Hawkins is only 31 and had a very solid season with the Pats recording 73 tackles, an interception, and two forced fumbles.
On the offensive side of the ball The Jets biggest free agent signings were on the O-Line. Damien Woody was signed to play right tackle, and Alan Faneca signed another huge contract, with 21 million dollars guaranteed over 5 seasons. Woody is supposedly a great player, even though he was moved from guard to tackle last season and he played on one of the league's worst offensive lines in Detroit. I will take a wait and see approach towards Woody, I am not expecting an incredible season. Faneca is in my mind the premier offensive guard in the league and his acquisition should give a huge boost to the running game, where Thomas Jones and Leon Washington looked dazed and confused for the majority of last season. To further help Jones and Washington the Jets signed veteran full back Tony Richardson. It is unclear how much gas he has left in the tank, but Richardson has been one of the greatest blocking and receiving fullbacks in the league over the past 10 years.

The last offseason acquisition of any import was the signing of tight end Bubba Franks. I am worried about Franks' durability as he has missed significant time due to injury in two of the past three seasons, Franks signing paired with the selection of TE Dustin Keller in the first round of the draft leaves me even more confused about what the Jets are going to be doing offensively. Why the Jets chose to take Keller at the end of the first round instead of a big wide receiver like Limas Sweed is quite a mystery. I have no choice, but to hope that the Mangenious knows what he is doing, I just hope we don't end up running multiple 3 tight end sets, because that my friends is not fun to watch for anyone.

Going into the season the Jets have made some massive improvements, particularly on defense, but the situation at quarterback still leaves a lot to be desired. No matter how many weapons Pennington gets, he still will never be able to throw the ball more than 20 yards down field, and until Kellen Clemens becomes more consistent this could end up being another very long season for the Jets.

-Mose

2008-05-09T12:50:00.001-04:00

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

Today's Yankees starter, Kei Igawa, has only one career quality start (three runs or fewer in six innings or more) in his career in 12 starts. It was almost 13 months ago (4/18/07).

Boomer's Back

2008-05-09T12:30:00.001-04:00

May 17th will mark the ten year anniversary of David Wells' perfect game in Yankee Stadium, the second in Yankee history. Now, the past seems to be seeping into the present. Yesterday, David Wells said that he wanted to return to pinstripes.

When asked what he thought of the 45-year-old lefty, who was 9-9 with a 5.43 ERA combined for the Dodgers and Padres last season, Hank Steinbrenner responded, "I've thought about it. You never know." Steinbrenner went on to say that he has not spoken about this idea with General Manager Brian Cashman, yet.

The Yankees rotation has been spotty at best. Aside from Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte, no one has been consistent. Mike Mussina has actually been decent of late, however, he has trouble going more than six, and sometimes five innings. Hughes is injured, Kennedy might as well be. The Yankees' four and five starters right now are Darrell Rasner and Kei Igawa. They are desperate to find more starting pitching, however, they should never be so rash to sign David Wells.

When Wells said that he would want to return to New York, that he thinks he could still have a positive impact on the Yankees' staff, he was asked what kind of shape he is in. My favorite part of this piece by the New York Post is that it quotes Wells as saying,

"I'm in shape, I'd just have to fine-tune a couple of things. I'd need a little bit of time, but not much. Physically I feel fine, real good."

By a couple of things, I hope he is referring to his gargantuan belly, which files out his prominent 300-pound, cough, I mean 248-pound frame. (Did he actually say he was 248 pounds? Does he think he's fooling people?) He already has back problems from the wear and tear of a long career. His extra weight will be an issue more so than ever, now that he is a middle-aged man.

He had a 5.43 ERA pitching in the National League last year. Let's not forget that. If Roger Clemens' ERA sky-rocketed two runs in his league-switch last season, think about how much the change would affect Wells, a pitcher of similar age, but not similar ability of physical shape.

Wells in a return to the Bronx would be a disaster. I will remember one thing about David Wells' legacy in New York. It's not the perfect game. It's not the 18-4 '98 season. It's not the 19 win season only a few years ago. It was when he screamed at a teammate for making an error behind him allowing for the only time I have ever seen Derek Jeter lose his temper on the baseball field. The Captain put Wells in his place. You don't slight another teammate on the field because of a physical error.

To me, Wells' character will always be in question. He drinks nights before he pitches, he does not hold his teammates to a top priority. It's not worth it to bring a guy like that into your clubhouse, especially when he will contribute with an ERA of 5.50 at best.

- D. Spell

D'Antoni May Be Coming To New York

2008-05-09T11:35:00.003-04:00

Knicks' fans, I give you a premature congratulations on your new head coach, Mike D'Antoni. ESPN is reporting that the Knicks have outlined a deal for the Suns' head coach, who is now their number one priority this off-season. The deal is five-years and an estimated $30 million, a contract that would make the Phoenix coach the highest paid coach in the league next to the Lakers' Phil Jackson.

It seems like for the first time since the Jeff Van Gundy days, the Knicks have done something right. Donnie Walsh seems to have handled the coaching situation quite well. The Knicks have made it public that D'Antoni is far and away their first choice, letting him know that they are willing to put other coaching jobs on the line for him.

Although it has been reported ever since D'Antoni was given permission by the Suns to talk to other teams that his top choice is Chicago (understandably so), Ric Bucher of ESPN the Magazine is now saying that D'Antoni's interests have changed. His first choice seems to have shifted to New York. Although the Knicks are now his top pick, D'Antoni says he will wait for a Bulls offer before he commits to anything. The Bulls are expected to offer him a contract by Sunday at the latest, however, they have said that they will not get involved in a bidding war. They still owe Scott Skiles $4 million after firing him (even though he has already signed a deal to coach the Bucks). Bulls' management has made it public that they don't want to add on too much more salary to their coaching staff.

According to Donnie Walsh, the Knicks have not made any formal offer to D'Antoni. However, this may simply be a technicality, a ploy to the media in order to avoid any sort of tampering violations - which happen in sports all the time without the media finding out. He seems to know what he's doing. Or maybe I've just been around Isaiah Thomas for too long.

- D. Spell

2008-05-09T11:15:00.001-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2008)

Yankees at Tigers 7:05 p.m. (MY9) - The Yanks try to tie the Devil Rays for second place...I can't believe I just uttered that sentence.
Reds at Mets 7:10 p.m. (SNY) - Mike Pelfrey allowed only two runs in six innings in his only career start against the Reds.

- D. Spell

The Patriots Are Bigger Cheaters Than We Thought

2008-05-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

We know this is a New York sports blog, but this story has encompassed every city in the country. The Patriots are even bigger cheaters than we thought they were.

Yesterday, Matt Walsh handed the NFL eight video tapes of his stealing signs for New England. Although it was reported by the Boston Herald before this year's Super Bowl that the Patriots had stolen defensive signals from the St. Louis Rams in a walk-through before the 2002 Super Bowl, there was no evidence of this in Walsh's tapes. The initial reaction of the media and presumably of the NFL was that "Spygate" was not as drastic as it seemed.

However, it is being reported now that the Patriots were stealing not only defensive signals with their video tapes, but also offensive signals. As part of a pact that he accepted with the league, the former Patriots' video assistant agreed to hand over all tapes that he had filmed in his years in New England. Tape number three was labeled "OFF signals" and contained footage of the Miami Dolphins' calling their offensive signals in a 2002 game. It is assumed that although those eight games are the only that Walsh still has possession of, that they are not the only ones that were filmed by New England. In fact, one of the eight tapes turned in by the former Patriots' employee was not even filmed by him and was taped after he was promoted from the video department.

The questions that this leaves me asking is what should the punishment be for the New England Patriots and how will their affect their and Bill Belichick's legacy? After not being completely truthful about video taping this season - they were taping offensive signals, also - I would once again take away their first round pick in the draft. In fact, they, in effect, still had a first round pick this season. (They drafted seventh overall, taking the 49ers spot in the NFL Draft.) I would also fine Belichick another $250,000 to bring his total Spygate fine to a clean $1 million. He knew what he was doing was wrong and, yet, continued to film opposing coaches. He then lied to the media, the fans and most importantly, the NFL about who he was filming and how often he was filming them.

The Patriots will always have their three Super Bowls from this era - there may be more to come - but there will always be an air of skepticism surrounding them. Would they have been a great team without the video taping? Absolutely. Did they need to tape opposing coordinators? Probably not. This entire situation could've been avoided in New England by some simple common sense and ethics.

- D. Spell

New Background

2008-05-09T09:45:00.004-04:00

We were a bit worried from the beginning about the background, so we have decided to change it after a few wise words from our friend Jonah Keri over at ESPN. I must admit, I liked the black background with white writing, but when I first mentioned it to Jim, he said to me, "Don't you think it might be stressful for the eyes?" Of course it wouldn't. What's the difference between black on white and white on black? Then, a friend called me emo for having a black background on my blog. I didn't appreciate his comment, but realized his right to the First Amendment and backed off.

After receiving an email from Jonah Keri, an ESPN baseball columnist, we have decided to change our background after four days of experimentation. Jim left the decision up to me, so we will now have the yellow background that you see. If we get the same complaints about this, then screw everyone. I'm not going through this process again.

"Seems like white writing on black background might be hard on the eyes," Jonah said via email. Well, here's your gift Mr. Keri: a new background.

- D. Spell

Last Night in New York Sports

2008-05-09T09:00:00.001-04:00

Yankees-6 Indians-3

The Yankees finished off their series against the Indians with a solid 3 run victory. Thanks to home runs by Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano, and Wilson Betemit the Yankees powered their way to victory. The Bombers went up 3-0 in the 4th after Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi hit their home runs, but Mike Mussina gave the lead right back in the 5th, in part due to Bobby Abreu's terrible fielding effort. Yet the Yankees answered right back with a Damon RBI double and they did not look back. The bullpen pitched very well, combining for 4 innings of 2 hit ball, including a solid inning from Joba Chamberlain, who struck out his tormentor from earlier in the week, David Delluci, to end the 8th. This was a very positive game for the Yankees offensively as Giambi hit two shots, one caught near the warning track, and Robinson Cano went 2 for 3 which could potentially signal the end of his cold start to the season.

-Mose

We Remember - Chris Childs

2008-05-08T17:35:00.001-04:00

He didn't go straight to the NBA. After going undrafted in 1989, point guard Chris Childs graduated from Boise State and left to play in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) hoping to be signed by an NBA team, eventually. Childs dedicated himself to the CBA from the '89-'90 season to the '93-'94 season, when finally made his mark averaging 17.9 points-per-game, 7.6 assists-per-game and winning the league MVP. He was signed by the Nets at the end of the season and was finally given his first shot at an NBA career.

As a 27-year-old rookie, Childs started 11 games in New Jersey, averaging 5.8 points-per-game and dishing off 4.1 assists-per-game. In his second season, a contract year, Childs started 54 games at point guard for New Jersey, averaging 12.8 points and 7.0 assists, both career highs. He had a 17-assist game against the Lakers in February.

At the end of the season, he signed with the Knicks, the team he will always be most associated with. In '96-'97 Childs helped the team to 57 victories and a playoff appearance. In '98-'99, he helped them win 27 games in a strike-shortened season and become the first number eight seed to power its way to the NBA finals. That same year, he was named to the All-NBA Interview Second-Team as one of the most likable and intelligent basketball players. A team leader, Childs continued to help the Knicks win until he was traded to the Raptors for Mark Jackson and Muggsy Bogues in 2001. It was the last time the Knicks have finished over .500.

After spending one and a half years in Toronto and 12 games in a return to New Jersey, Childs was released by the Nets and decided to call it quits. Childs' Knicks legacy: leader. His career points-per-game and three-point-percentage both climbed higher in the playoffs. We remember Childs as s big game player with a character that can't be questioned.

- D. Spell

Damn Limeade, Part 2

2008-05-08T16:27:00.005-04:00

Well, the Yanks pulled out the victory in a 6-3 win over Cleveland, but I'm still baffled over that cherry limeade. Why would they make something so sweet? Joba pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, recovering nicely from Tuesday's outing against Cleveland when he allowed a game winning three-run homer to David Dellucci. Mo, once against pitched a scoreless ninth. In 14 innings this year, he has allowed five hits, no walks and no runs. Really, those are remarkable numbers. It was a crisp game on a crisp day.

The guy sitting behind Mose and me was one of your typical fat, drunk guys; drunk to the point where he no longer had any idea what he's talking about and is already slurring his words. I kid you not, this exchange actually went down in the seventh inning today:

Vendor: Last call for beer.

Drunk Guy's Friend Who's Also Drunk: You want another?

Drunk Guy: No, man. I have to drive home. I really don't need another right now.

Drunk Guy's Friend Who's Also Drunk purchases two more Bud Lights, anyway.

Drunk Guy's Friend Who's Also Drunk: Well, I've already bought two beers...

Drunk Guy: Oh whatever. This is a problem though. I don't know the cops around here like I do in Florida.

Drunk Guy drinks the entire beer in two seconds.

Fun day.

- D. Spell

Award Injustices-Fergie Jenkins Over Tom Seaver 1971

2008-05-08T15:45:00.001-04:00

We are going to be running a series highlighting the greatest award injustices (situations where the winner of an award clearly should not have been the victor) in New York sports history. We will be doing this in both directions-where a New York player was not given the award even when he was the superior player, and when a New York player was given the award even though there was a better option available. Today we will be examining...

Fergie Jenkins victory over Tom Seaver in the 1971 Cy Young race.

First let's start with the stats of each player
Wins Losses ERA Strikeouts WHIP
Player A: 20 10 1.76 289 0.95
Player B: 24 13 2.77 263 1.05

Now if you were a CY Young voter, who would you have voted for? I know that Player A would have had my vote easily. Yes he had 4 less wins, but he also had 3 less losses, an ERA a full point better than Player B's and he had 26 more strikeouts. Even his WHIP was an entire tenth of a point better. It should have been no contest between these two players. Yet, Fergie Jenkins (Player B) had more than three times as many first place votes as Tom Seaver (Player A) did. I thought that Jenkins might have won so handily because the Cubs in 1971 were a much better team than the Mets, making Jenkins' contributions more valuable, but in fact the Cubs and the Mets had the exact same record in '71, 83-79.
This means that the only reason why Jenkins dominated the vote getting was because of his 4 more wins. That just doesn't justify the award for me. Seaver still had 20 wins, second most in the National League, the benchmark for any truly amazing pitching season, and that ERA is simply absurd. Seaver was the only pitcher with a sub 2.00 ERA that season, and he was the only pitcher with a sub 1.00 WHIP. Not only that, but Seaver led the league in strikeouts even though he threw 40 innings less than Jenkins. On the opposite side of the coin, Jenkins led the league in home runs allowed and in hits allowed, not the categories you would expect the CY Young award to be leading in.

So for me it is pretty clear that Tom Seaver was robbed in the 1971 CY Young voting. what do you think?

- Mose

Damn Limeade

2008-05-08T14:51:00.000-04:00

Darrell and I are at the Yankees game today. It is now the end the of the 6th inning, time for the YMCA groundskeepers sponsored by Toro Tractors. At the moment the Yankees are winning 4 to 3 thanks to a Jason Giambi 2-run homer, a solo shot and an rbi double from Johnny Damon. Mussina pitched a very solid game until the 5th inning and he has been replaced by Ross Ohlendorf.

The most interesting part of the day though has been Darrell's constant inner-battle on whether or not to buy a Minute Maid (registered trade mark) Frozen Lemonade. After finally findng the lemonade vendor, Darrell was told that there was only Cherry Limeade available, no Lemonade. Thus Darrell was forced into purchasing the unappealing, sickly red colored limeade. After 3 spoonfuls of the cherry goop, Darrell was forced to throw it away out of disgust. Not five minutes later another vendor came by with the mythical Lemon flavored treat, alas it was too late, and Darrell was to go unsatisfied for another day.

We break for the 7th inning stretch now, but we will get back to you after the game. With a recap.

-Mose

Why Do We Need to Remember Shea Stadium?

2008-05-08T14:30:00.003-04:00

The New York Post is running this piece, in order to commemorate the final season of Shea Stadium. Why do I need to remember one of the worst and ugliest stadiums I have ever set foot in. The seats are uncomfortable, the security is terrible and there is no special feeling about it. No one walks into Shea Stadium and feels past Mets' ghosts in the walls. All you can feel is your knees pressed up against the head of the guy sitting in front of you.

The only thing I will miss in Shea, which I hope carries over to the new stadium is the extreme lack of security. In Yankee Stadium, you need to show your ticket in order to get into the first 20 rows. If your seat is not there, you can't go behind the dugout. However, in Shea, none of the ushers care. All you have to do is buy upper-deck seats from a scalper before the game and walk down to one of the many seats available down the baseline. I have tried this a number of times without fail.

To be perfectly honest, I won't miss Shea Stadium at all. I won't miss Yankee Stadium either. I would rather have the new features, the comfortable seats with good views of the field, the more intimate setting of a smaller stadium. I can't wait until New York baseball in 2009.

- D. Spell

2008-05-08T13:15:00.001-04:00

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

Richard Jefferson does a very good Latrell Sprewell impression.

Candy Is Not Good For You

2008-05-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

Apparently, candy is bad for you. Did anyone else know that? Joe Girardi does. The Yankee manager has officially banned candy from the clubhouse during the pregame, postgame and during-game player visits to the locker room.

Not only will there not be no candy permitted in the Yankee Stadium clubhouse, but there will also be no candy to welcome the Yankees on the road. Girardi has contacted all future road teams in an effort to make sure that there is no junk food waiting for his team in the visiting locker room. Usually, the Yankees arrive to an array of candy and ice cream. When they showed up in Tampa two weeks ago, there was a smorgasbord of dried fruit and nuts waiting for them. In Baltimore, the ice cream freezer was removed from the clubhouse and wrapped up outside the door so that no player would be able to steal any frozen goodies.

How fat exactly are Girardi's players that he would actually worry about them breaking out of the clubhouse and stealing a Froze Fruit after a game? Is wrapping up the freezer really necessary when Derek Jeter can probably afford his own pint of ice cream after the game, anyway? Either way, the non-sweets rule does not seem to be working as the Yanks have gone 11-11 since Girardi installed it.

FireJoeMorgan.com has something to say about Girardi's ban on candy.

- D. Spell

Angel Pagan Is Awesome

2008-05-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's still early, but so far this season, we have to anoint the New York Mets with the crown for the best 2007-2008 off-season in baseball. Everyone knows about the Santana trade. Everyone knows about his 47 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings, his 2.91 ERA, his 1.01 WHIP. Somehow the Mets managed to give up one guy with good Major League talent in that deal, Carlos Gomez, who hit for the cycle yesterday but is quite replaceable in comparison to an ace like Santana. Any general manager would have been crazy to turn down that deal with the Twins if he were in the Mets' position, which is why I commend Omar Minaya much more for his other finds over the off-season.

In what may be remembered as the best trade of the season, Minaya sent his top outfield prospect, Lastings Milledge, to the division rival Washington Nationals for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church. Milledge, who is only hitting .256 in Washington, was not a favorite of manager Willy Randolph, who did not condone his non-chalant style of play accompanied with his bitter attitude towards his teammates. Schneider and Church were nice players in Washington, Schneider was a decent catcher who was a .250 hitter and Church was coming off a 15 homerun season in which he hit .272. However, Church and Schneider have played much better than their previous numbers would indicate as they are currently first and second on the Mets in batting average, respectively. Church is hitting .328 and slugging .541, both the highest percentages of his career. He has also contributed with 24 RBI, second on the team to David Wright. Schneider is hitting .308 and has thrown out 33% of his opposing base stealers, 8% higher than the league average.

Schneider has also gotten help from backup catcher Raul Casanova, a member of the Devil Rays last season, who is hitting .283. Opposing baserunners scarcely run on Casanova's powerful arm as he has thrown out two potential base-stealers in four attempts this year.

Angel Pagan, who the Mets acquired through a trade with the Cubs on January 5, has also helped fill in well for Moises Alou. So well, in fact, that it will be tough to remove him from the lineup. Pagan's defense in left field has been superb (did you see that catch yesterday against the Dodgers?) and he is hitting in the clutch with a terrific .323 batting average with runners in scoring position.

Imagine the Mets' season without these four players. Imagine Lastings Milledge starting in the outfield, hitting .250 and privately and/or publicly bickering with Willy Randolph. Imagine if Casanova had not been available to replace last year's backup catcher Ramon Castro when he was placed on the DL early in the season. The Mets would probably be hanging out with the Nationals right now instead of the Phillies and Marlins.

- D. Spell

Left in Everyone's Hands

2008-05-08T10:40:00.001-04:00

Alex Rodriguez is gone. Jorge Posada is gone. The Yankees' lineup seems to be in disarray. Although the Yankees have virtually the same record without Arod as they did with him (5-6 without him, 12-12 with him) and are actually scoring more runs-per-game without him (4.8 vs. 4.1), their hitting against left-handed pitching has been short of excellent. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees are hitting .220 as a team against lefties since April 29th, the first time Posada and Rodriguez were both out of the Yankee lineup. They have a .282 on-base percentage and a .292 slugging percentage since that date. Yankees, who are supposed to be picking up the slack with their two best hitters from 2007 out are not doing their jobs.

Jason Giambi, who is hitting poorly to begin with, is 0-20 against lefties this season and is looking so fooled at the plate that Joe Girardi may have to consider benching or pinch-hitting for him every time there is a lefty on the mound. Hideki Matsui does not have an extra-base hit against a lefty this year. While Melky Cabrera is hitting .308 from the left side of the plate, he is only hitting .212 when lefties turn him around to the right side. The Yankees two replacements for Rodriguez, Morgan Ensberg and Wilson Betemit, are both struggling against south-paws. Ensberg is hitting .182 with no extra-base hits and Betemit is a switch-hitter who always struggles from the right side of the plate.

Rodriguez and Posada, along with Phil Hughes, both reported to Tampa yesterday for intensified workouts. The Yankees hope for Rodriguez to be back by the Subway Series next weekend. Until that point, they face Kenny Rogers, Nate Robertson, Scott Kazmir and Oliver Perez - all lefties.

Joel Sherman makes a great point about the Yankees against left-handed pitchers.

- D. Spell

2008-05-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008)

Indians at Yankees 1:05 p.m. (YES) - Mike Mussina and Paul Byrd compete to see who can throw the slowest fastball in the American League this season.
I hope everyone watched the premier of last nights' The Great Michael Kay's YESterdays with Alex Rodriguez. Does it surprise anyone that he almost passed out during the birth of his first child? This guy can't even perform under pressure in the hospital.

- D. Spell

Last Night in New York Sports

2008-05-08T09:05:00.001-04:00

Mets-12 Dodgers-1
The Mets finally woke up offensively, and in a big way, to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ryan Church continued his hot hitting, stroking three hots, one a solo shot in the 6th inning. The rest of the Mets offense came predominantly from the bottom half of the order with John Maine, Marlon Anderson, Raul Casanova, and Angel Pagan accounted for half of the Mets' runs scored and half of the RBIs. John Maine pitched a beautiful game, which tends to happen when a pitcher is given an early cushion, in this case 4 runs after the 2nd inning, and he carried a shutout into the 9th inning before surrendering the Dodgers' only run of the game. The Mets escaped their long road trip without any ill effects and they return home to Shea still 2 games over .500

Yankees-0 Indians-3
Cliff Lee continues his dominance this season, pitching 7 innings of shutout ball, without surrendering a walk. Wang pitched a fine game, but it nothing would have been enough to out-duel Lee who lowered his ERA to 0.81, I would be a little more upset about the outcome of this came were it not for the fact that I have Cliff Lee on my fantasy team, didn't even draft him, but picked him up off waivers after the second week of the season. The Yankees offensive struggles continued, particularly Robinson Cano, who actually lifted his average to .160 after going 1 for 4. The Yankees have scored only 3 runs against the Indians, after an offensive explosion against the Mariners last week. Hopefully the strong hitting team will appear in tonight's game against the more hittable Paul Byrd.

- Mose

We Remember - Ray Mickens

2008-05-07T17:00:00.003-04:00

His 5'8" 180 lb. frame never stopped him from dominating games out of the nickel formation. Mickens was an NFL cornerback from 1996-2006 and a member of the New York Jets from 1996-2004 and then again for a short stint in 2006.

Mickens was actually a running back coming out of high school. One of the top players in the nation, he was recruited to play at Texas A&M, where he was switched to playing only cornerback. Throughout his junior and senior seasons at A&M, Mickens made a name for himself as one of the best college cornerbacks in the country. He was a first-day pick for the Jets in 1996, taken in the third round on draft day.

Mickens immediately got playing time as a rookie, playing in 15 games and recording 40 tackles, playing a role as the nickel corner. He started to become well known and respected as one of the better nickel cornerbacks in the league. By the end of his second season, when he picked off four passes and even recorded his first career sack, Mickens was widely known as the best nickel corner in the AFC and was helping contribute to a much improving team. In 1998, he helped carry the Jets all the way to the AFC Championship game.

Throughout the first eight seasons of Mickens' career, he managed to miss only two games - one in '96 and one in '99. However, in 2004, he tore is ACL in his knee and was unable to step on the field for the entire season. He was let go by the Jets at the end of the year, only to sign with the Browns before the 2005 season. Having not played in almost two years, Mickens played in every game for coach Romeo Crennel that season, recording 36 tackles and still playing in the nickel. After a training camp stint with the Jets and a four game period with the Patriots in 2006, Mickens decided to call it quits and retired after the season.

His legacy will always live on. Ray Mickens, that guy could play the nickel.

- D. Spell

Golf in Gotham? It Can Happen

2008-05-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

I come to you today from the great state of New Jersey where I am at the Paramus Golf Club, about to start my first round of the season. I was going to liveblog it, since it is such a momentous occasion, but I realize that reading a series of "slice, hook, three-putt, and fuck that tree" would be less than exciting. Instead I want to point out the dearth of golfing options available to those of us in the Gotham area. Unless you have a car, you are not going anywhere except for maybe Chelsea Piers where you can pay an insane amount of money for the privilege of having the balls automatically placed on the tee (which is quite cool, but not worth an extra 20 bucks). There is a pitch and putt course out near Shea Stadium, in Flushing, and that is a lot of fun, but with no holes longer than 120 yards it cannot satisfy the golfing itch. Yes there are courses on Long Island, but most of them are private and a pain to get too. And there are the hundreds of courses in New Jersey, but I wish there was a more suitable option for the Gotham golfer.

O-Kei, Not This Guy, Again

2008-05-07T15:00:00.004-04:00

So you've got Wang on Wednesday, Moose on Thursday and what? Kei Igawa on Friday? Igawa will be called up before Friday's game to pitch against the Detroit Tigers in a 7:05 game. I will never understand this move. The $46 million is 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre. A 3.68 ERA in a league where Darrell Rasner is 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA and Ian Kennedy just threw 7+ innings of shutout, 1-hit ball leaves me very unimpressed. What leaves me even more unimpressed is the four walks in seven innings that he had in his last outing.

I didn't understand the Igawa signing when it happened and I don't understand it now. It was completely reactionary. Someone in the Yankees' organization said, "The Red Sox went out and bought themselves a Japanese pitcher. Now, we must do the same." The only problem was that their scouting on him was horribly off. If you look at his numbers and see that he led the league in his final year in Japan with 194 strikeouts, you might be impressed. However, most of those strikeouts came on high curveballs, his forte across the Pacific. The problem here is that he continues to throw that high curveball to get strike three and high curveball in Japanese translates to hanging curveball and English. Major League hitters are too good to let a curveball up in the zone go by them. Igawa's curve was good enough that the Japanese hitters had trouble with it, however, more sophisticated and talented hitters, like most Major Leaguers, will not ever be fooled by that pitch.

This is why his 3.86 ERA in the minors should be looked past. In the Minor Leagues, you have to look at how a pitcher has compiled his ERA, not what the exact number is. The way he has pitched will not yield the same result in the Majors as it has in the Minors, because Minor League hitters do miss that high curveball. When he pitches on Saturday, watch for the high curve and the fastball drifting high and away from righties off the plate. If he manages to get another start, I would be shocked.

- D. Spell

Where Oh Where are Pedro and El Duque

2008-05-07T14:00:00.001-04:00

Just in case you were confused let me remind you, Pedro Martinez, the Mets projected second starter, and Orlando Hernandez, the projected fifth starter/long reliever are both injured and have not made a significant contribution to the team this season. The Daily News ran an article today describing the "progress" being made by both pitchers in their long road back to the major leagues. Martinez throwing a bullpen session without feeling any substantial pain is great news because it means that he can, contrary to popular belief, throw a baseball without injuring some part of his body. How close Pedro is to starting again is anyone's guess, but if there are no further setbacks then I think Pedro will pitch in the majors by the all star break. Of course he will reinjure himself as soon as he steps on the mound of a major league game and this entire cycle will being anew-Injury, Rehab, Minor League Start, Major League Start, Injury...
Now for Orlando Hernandez the news is not as promising. He is still in a walking boot and there is some doubt as to whether he will ever be able to pitch effectively again. The issue at hand is that El Duque cannot plant off of his injured causing his pitches to lose a tremendous amount of velocity. What is surprising about Hernandez's situation is that unlike Pedro he is not particularly injury-prone. He was never an innings-eater, throwing over 165 innings only two times in his 10 year career, but he was also never a serious injury risk throwing under 120 innings only twice. This could spell the end for El Duque as a Met and as a pitcher in the Major Leagues.

Recently, El Duque has been as consistent as it gets for a muddled Mets rotation, with back to back 20 start seasons, which means that this Mets team has had to scramble to find a replacement starter. Nelson "Bert" Figueroa was roughed up in his start last night and Mike Pelfrey's ERA continues to rise. If the Mets want to contend for the playoffs they must acquire another reliable starter because they are certainly not going to be getting those innings from Hernandez and Pedro cannot be counted on to return from his injury.

-Mose

2008-05-07T13:00:00.007-04:00

TRIVIA OF THE DAY

Tony Batista is a lot scarier in Japan than he is here.

Kennedy Throws Great Game In AAA

2008-05-07T12:35:00.000-04:00

Ian Kennedy went 7 1/3 scoreless innings in his first start for the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees, yesterday. Kennedy allowed only one hit, no-hitting the Charlotte Knights through 6 2/3 innings in what was clearly his finest start of the year between the Majors and the Minors. He struck out eight and didn't walk a batter.

Here's the most jaw-dropping statistic for me: zero walks. Kennedy managed to walk 20 hitters in only 23 2/3 innings in the big leagues. Yankee coaches, especially pitching coach Dave Eiland, were baffled at Kennedy as to why he had so much trouble getting his 88 mile-per-hour fastball over the plate in the Major Leagues. After comments about being intimidated a couple of days ago and this outing I think they have their answer.

Kennedy frightened of Major League hitters' bats. Thus, he panics and doesn't even work the corners, he works off the corners. When he hits his self-imposed target, he is still missing a few inches to the right or left. When he misses, he is throwing the ball way outside since he is already starting off throwing a ball. He feels like every mistake he makes, every curveball that misses its target, every fastball that's too far inside is going to be hit a mile. This explains his relatively high Major League strikeout total (16). A pitcher with his stuff needs to pitch to contact. Since he is throwing the ball so far out of the strike zone, when batters swing, they miss since have so much trouble reaching the pitch.

In his start last night, Kennedy wasn't intimidated by the hitters. He went right after them, throwing strikes and working off his fastball. He has enough confidence in his stuff to throw it over the plate and know it won't get hit. This is the mentality that he needs to bring into the Major Leagues. If he keeps throwing like this, he'll have a spot in the Yankees' rotation shortly, especially after the inevitable Kei Igawa stinkbomb on Friday night. When he is recalled, the Major League Ian Kennedy needs to have the same swagger as the Minor League Ian Kennedy or he will continue his series of terrible outings. After all, that's why the Yankees are so high on him.

- D. Spell

2008-05-07T11:30:00.000-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2008)

Mets at Dodgers 3:00 p.m. (SNY) - John Maine tries to continue his good season against a Dodgers team that has won 10 of 11.
Indians at Yankees 7:0 p.m. (YES) - Excluding Chien-Ming Wang's one bad start against Boston (eight runs in four innings), he has a 1.54 ERA in six winning starts this season. That ERA is nothing compared to his competition tonight, Cliff Lee, who is 5-0 with a 0.96 earned run average.

- D. Spell

Ultimate Subway Series-Mets Play-In Series

2008-05-07T11:00:00.001-04:00

Mets Play-In Game: Best 3 out of 5

8. 1985 Mets VS. 9. 1976 Mets

Game 1

Home: Mets 85-Gooden

Away: Mets 76- Seaver

In an exciting game 1 of the play-in series, the 1976 Mets took an early lead thanks to a Wayne Garret 2-run home run off of Doc Gooden. The 85 Mets scratched back, taking a 4-3 lead. But then in the 8^th, Dave King Kong Kingman crushed a 2-run homer off of Roger McDowell sealing the 76 victory 5-4

Game MVP-Dave Kingman, 3RBIs and 1 Homer

76 Mets win 5-4

Game 2

Home: Mets 85-Sid Fernandez

Away: Mets 76-Koosman

In another tight game the 85 Mets pulled off the late inning heroics, coming back from a 4-2 deficit in the 8^th inning thanks to a bases loaded double by Rafael Santana. Sid Fernandez only lasted 4 innings, but the 85 Mets bullpen was stellar, only giving up 3 baserunners in 5 innings.

Game MVP-Rafael Santana-3RBIs

85 Mets win 6-4

Game 3

Home: Mets 76-John Matlack

Away: Mets 85- Ron Darling

The 76 Mets handled the 85 bullpen easily in this one, scoring 3 runs in just 2 innings of relief work. John Matlack shut down the 85 Mets offense as the team now faces elimination before the true tournament even begins.

Game MVP-John Milner-4RBIs, 1 Home Run

76 Mets win 6-2

Game 4

Home: Mets 76-Tom Seaver

Away: Mets 85-Dwight Gooden

On the brink of elimination the 85 Mets elect to start Dwight Gooden and the 76 Mets counter by returning Tom Seaver, their game 1 starter to the mound. A pitcher’s duel through 7 innings the 76 Mets were winning 2-1 in the top of the 8^th when Darryl Strawberry came up with 2 men on and hit a line drive home run over the RF wall, giving the 85 Mets a 4-2 lead. Straw’s homer was enough and the 85 Mets were able to force a game 5, at home.

Game MVP-Darryl Strawberry-3 RBIs, 1 Home Run

85 Mets win 4-2

Game 5

Home: Mets 85-Sid Fernandez

Away: Mets 76-Jerry Koosman

The final game of the series was decided in a rematch of the game 2 starters. And the game like every other in the series was a late-inning nail biter. The 76 Mets took the lead early with a John Milner homer in the 3^rd inning followed by 2 quick runs in the 5^th. Koosman had been stifling the Mets’ hitters through 6 innings, allowing only 4 hits. But then he plunked Gary Carter in the arm to start the 7^th, who came around to score on a Howard Johnson single, The 8^th started even worse for Koosman, following back to back singles, a sacrifice fly and three more hits, the 85 Mets had tied the game up at 3 apiece and had the bases loaded with only one out. Koosman was replaced by Bob Apodaca who managed to get Rafael Santana to end into an inning ending 5-2-3 double play. Entering the 9^th inning Jesse Orosco replaced Sid Fernandez and threw an easy 1,2, 3 inning. The bottom of the 9^th, was also the bottom of the order for the 85 Mets and looked as though the game would go into extra innings. Howard Johnson grounded out to start the frame; Lenny Dykstra came in as a pinch-hitter for Orosco and smoked a single. Wally Backman came to the plate a rocketed a triple into the gap, Dysktra scored and the 85 Mets took the series 3 games to 2.

Game MVP-Wally Backman-Walkoff triple

85 Mets win 4-3

Again thanks to Whatifsports.com’s SimMatchup technology for making this possible. The official opening round of the Mets series will begin shortly; I hope you enjoyed the play-in battle.

-Mose

The Ultimate Subway Series - Yankees Teams

2008-05-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

The seeding of the Yankees' half of the bracket is as follows:

The play-in series between the 1978 Yankees and 1956 Yankees will be played Thursday. It is a best of five series.

1. 1927 Yankees

Owners of a 110-44 regular season record, the 1927 Yankees won by an average of 2.4 runs-per-game. All three outfielders (Earle Combs, Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel) hit over .337 and slugged over .510. A star-studded infield was led by Lou Gehrig who hit .373 and drove in 175 runs, while only striking out 84 times. Babe Ruth set the single-season homerun record, blasting 60 round-trippers and slugging .772. Starting pitcher and captain Herb Pennock led the rotation to a 3.20 ERA and a sweep over the Pirates in the World Series.

2. 1998 Yankees

Derek Jeter's team won its second World Series in three years and broke the single-season wins mark (125-50 including the playoffs) without having one hitter knock 30 homers. Tino Martinez came closest hitting 28 homeruns. A great rotation was led by Andy Pettitte, David Wells and David Cone. Orlando Hernandez was signed mid-season as a Cuban defect and made an immediate impact, posting a 12-4 record and a 3.13 ERA.

3. 1961 Yankees

Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris led the offense to combine for 115 homeruns (54 and 61, respectively). Six players hit at least 20 homers as the Yankees set the team record for most homeruns in a season with 240. A great rotation was headed by Cy Young winner Whitey Ford (25-4, 3.21 ERA), Ralph Terry (16-3, 3.15 ERA) and Bill Stafford (14-9, 2.68 ERA). The Yankees beat the Reds in a five game World Series.

4. 1939 Yankees

Red Ruffing was the ace of the staff going 21-7 with a 2.93 ERA. Ruffing also played his part offensively, hitting .307 and driving in 20 runs from the nine-hole in the lineup. Fourth-year player Joe DiMaggio hit .381 with 30 homeruns, 126 RBI and only 20 strikeouts, while playing a stellar defensive centerfield. The Yankees swept the Reds in the World Series.

5. 1932 Yankees

Like the '27 Yankees, this team was anchored by a three-four combination of right fielder Babe Ruth (.341-41-137) and first baseman Lou Gehrig (.349-34-151). On a pitching staff that was not superb - they had a 3.98 team ERA - Red Ruffing was the lone stand-out with an 18-7 record and 3.09 ERA. The Yankees dominated games with their offense en route to scoring 1,002 runs and sweeping the Cubs in the World Series, a series that featured Babe Ruth calling his famous homerun in Wrigley Field.

6. 1950 Yankees

Rookie Whitey Ford joined the rotation mid-season and made an impression from his first day going 9-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 112 innings and finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Walt Dropo. Johnny Mize hit 25 homeruns in only 274 at bats and Joe DiMaggio hit .301 with 122 R.B.I. in his final full season in the Major Leagues. An offense that scored 914 runs was led by Yogi Berra's 124 R.B.I. en route to a sweep over the Phillies in the World Series.

7. 1947 Yankees

Unlike most of the great Yankees' teams, the 1947 Yankees were more dominating on the mound than at the plate. In order to compensate for a sometimes sputtering offense - an offense that did not a representative from the 100 R.B.I. club - the pitching staff posted a team ERA of 3.39. Ace Allie Reynolds was 19-8 with a 3.20 ERA in 241.2 innings. Spud Chandler had a 2.46 ERA and Bobo Newsom had a 2.80. They beat Jackie Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers in a seven-game World Series.

1978 Yankees and 1956 Yankees

Because Ron Guidry had such a spectacular year in 1978 (25-3 with a 1.74 ERA in over 270 innings), people forget that Ed Figueroa also put up Cy Young-quality numbers going 20-9 with a 2.99 ERA. That's not bad for a number two starter.

In 1956, Mickey Mantle had the best year of his career hitting .353 with 52 homers and 130 R.B.I. Whitey Ford went 19-6 with a 2.47 ERA, finishing third in the Cy Young voting. Don't forget, this is the year that Don Larsen threw the World Series' only perfect game. Now let's see if he can do it in the play-in series.

- D. Spell

Last Night in New York Sports

2008-05-07T09:15:00.003-04:00

Yankees-3 Indians-5

It was a tough night for Yankees' fans. A strong start by Andy Pettitte, solid relief work by the goggled one Kyle Farnsworth, a potentially slump-busting double by Jason Giambi, and an RBI for Robinson Cano were all put to waste when David Delluci(?) hit a three-run pinch-hit home run off of Joba Chamberlain in the 8th inning that give the Indians the lead for good. There were a lot of positives to take out of last nights game, among them a quality start from Pettitte and a solid effort offensively-6 hits in 5 innings off of Fausto Carmona who is having another great season. It may be too early to worry about Joba, but I am a little concerned, he has already given up more than twice as many runs as last season (5 to 2) in about half of the innings (13 to 23). Hopefully this is not a trend.

- Mose

Mets-4 Dodgers-5

It was a tough night for Mets' fans too. As you watched Blake DeWitt round third base, all you could think was, "I can't believe this is actually happening." It did. The day after he hit his first Major League homerun, DeWitt hit his first Major League inside-the-park-homerun, a two-run-homer to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning. After four more innings from the bullpen to finish up a night in which Dodgers relievers threw 5.2 scoreless innings, Joe Torre's team concluded a 5-4 victory, winning its 10th of 11 games. Positives for Mets' fans? Aaron Heilman seems to be coming around, as he has thrown four consecutive scoreless outings.

- D. Spell

We Remember - Joe McEwing

2008-05-06T22:01:00.006-04:00

Now, he's the hitting coach for the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate for the Chicago White Sox. But before that, Joe McEwing was more than just a utility man. He was an integral player on the 2000 Mets team that won the pennant. His teammates called him 'Super Joe' as he played every position on the field throughout his illustrious career. In 2001, McEwing played every position on the field including designated hitter.

He had the best statistical year of his career in 1999 as a rookie and a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. McEwing hit .275 that season with nine homeruns, 44 RBI and seven stolen bases. He impressively finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Scott Williamson. In 2001, partly because of injuries, the durable McEwing had 283 at-bats and made the most of them, hitting .283 and slugging a career-high .449. After a stints with the Royals and Astros and a short appearance in the Red Sox minor-league system, McEwing officially announced his retirement on January 16, 2008. You can find him in the dugout in Charlotte, trying to work his way to the show again, this time as a coach.

- D. Spell

Does This Spell the End for Quarterback Tubby?

2008-05-06T16:08:00.007-04:00

The best part about The Giants the past few years has not been the Eli Manning saga, or Jeremy Shockey's appearances at random nightclubs around New York, nor was it the Super Bowl victory over the team I despise the most in the NFL. No, the most enjoyable thing about The Giants is watching fatty, and by all accounts all-around good guy, Jared Lorenzen move his massive bulk around the sidelines. And after the free agent period and the NFL Draft this past month I worry that Lorenzen's time in a Giants uniform might be numbered. The Giants signed David Carr this off-season, the oft-injured, oft-terrible quarterback from the Texans and more recently the Panthers still has a decent arm and can be a serviceable backup. Then in the draft the Giants selected Andre' Woodson, the big, athletic quarterback from Lorenzen's alma mater Kentucky. With veteran Anthony Wright already on the roster, that doesn't seem to leave any room left for my favorite Giant. In his two years with the Giants, Lorenzen has only thrown eight passes and he has as many rushing yards as he does passing completions. Maybe the Giants can keep him as a backup fullback? Or even if they gave him a clipboard and asked him to stand behind the rest of the team on the sidelines so that Fox can continue to pan over to him doing the fatman shuffle throughout the day. Whatever the case, I hope the Giants hold on to Lorenzen, and if not he will be sorely missed.

-Mose

The Ultimate Subway Series-Mets Teams

2008-05-06T14:32:00.004-04:00

The Seeding of the Mets half of the bracket is as follows:

The play-in series between the 1976 Mets and the 1985 Mets will be played later today. It is a best of 5 series, a series recap will be forthcoming.

1. 1986 Mets

The 1986 Mets were far and away the greatest Mets teams of all time, and one of the best baseball teams of the 80’s period. The team has been immortalized by taking part in one of the most famous plays of all time-Bill Buckner’s booted ground ball. A killer rotation that had four 15 game winners, combined with a potent offense headlined by Gary Carter, Lenny Dykstra, Keith Hernandez, and Darryl Strawberry make this team Mets team truly amazing.

2. 1969 Mets

The first Mets team to win the World Series, and the first team to have a winning record is rewarded with the second seed in the tournament. With the two-headed monster of Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, and the excellent bullpen work of Tug McGraw the team dominated the playoffs, only losing one game. The offense wasn’t spectacular, but Cleon Jones and Tommie Agee were enough to carry them through.

3. 1988 Mets

Only two years removed from the incredible 86 season, the 88 Mets almost matched their success. David Cone dominated the NL winning 20 games, and Doc Gooden won 18. One of the most powerful teams in Mets history, the 88 Mets had three players with at least 20 homer runs-Kevin McReynolds, Darryl Strawberry, and Howard Johnson, unfortunately they did not do much hitting otherwise, only Wally Backman had a batting average over .300

4. 2000 Mets

The greatest Mets team of this century, and losing half of the 2000 World Series, gets the 4th seed in our bracket. Back when Mike Hampton was good, and Armando Benitez was a reliable closer this Mets pitching staff was the cream of the crop. Piazza, Alfonzo, Ventura, Payton, Bell, the lineup reads like a late 90’s allstar team.

5. 2006 Mets

Oh 2006, such high hopes, such a good playoff run, only to be stopped by Adam Wainwright and his killer curve. We all know the team, but maybe this time Beltran will take a hack. One interesting note, the Mets used 10 starting pitchers in 2006 more than any other team in the NL

6. 1999 Mets

One of the weakest Mets pitching staff in the tournament, no starters with more than 13 wins, or with an ERA under 4.00. Thankfully the offense was nearly as prolific as the 2000 iteration, and with Rickey Henderson on this team you never know what could happen.

7. 1973 Mets

The 1973 Mets are famous for one reason and one reason alone. The 73 Mets were the worst team of all time to have played in a World Series. That .509 winning percentage was just enough for them to squeak into the playoffs, and past the Reds where they almost beat the powerhouse 73 Athletics. The pitching on the team was excellent as was true on every Mets team with Seaver and Koosman, but the hitting was truly atrocious. The leading hitter was Felix Milan who hit .290 and the next highest average was from Rusty Staub-.279. Not so good.

1985 Mets and 1976 Mets

In a battle for the final seed we have the 1985 Mets, very similar to the 1986 team, but not as good offensively. 1985 was also Dwight Gooden’s bonkers year, in which he went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA in over 275 innings pitched.
The 1976 Mets, like the 73 Mets were incredible in the pitching game, but offensively inept, and not nearly as lucky.

-Mose

I'M PRETTY SURE IF YOU SUCK, YOU'RE GONNA SUCK WITH HIGH SOCKS OR LOW PANTS

2008-05-06T14:02:00.008-04:00

You may have learned from The Great Michael Kay, the eternal lord of the baseball world, that Jason Giambi wore high socks for the past two games in an effort to get out of his slump. However, the New York Post has reported that Giambi said before an 8-2 win over the Mariners on Sunday that if he continues to hit poorly, he will start wearing his pants like Dockers.

"One more day and that's it. If it doesn't work, I will try something else."

Well, if that something else isn't going the other way, I don't know if it will help.

- D. Spell

2008-05-06T13:50:00.003-04:00

TODAY IN SPORTS (TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2008)

Indians at Yankees 7:05 p.m. (YES) - The Yanks are home so there's no need to worry about midges.
Mets at Dodgers 10:10 p.m. (SNY) - The Dodgers won last night, probably because Joe Torre doesn't have to worry about anything other than the sports section.
Only one more day until the Great Michael Kay's YESterdays with Alex Rodriguez premiers! I haven't been this excited since the Great Michael Kay's YESterdays with Joba Chamberlain premiered.

- D. Spell