Neil Keefe, of NESN.com, asked me a few Yankees-related questions today. Click here to see what Neil and I discussed. (And, of course, my thanks to Keefe and NESN for asking!)
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Looking at the pitching match-ups, it seems like the Yankees have an edge here. But, to me, for sure, it’s going to be a different series this time – than it was when these teams met last in New York. Why? Four reasons:
It would not shock me to see the Sox take 2 of 3 here - and maybe all three.
I hope not…but, I could see it coming…I just hope this is not a repeat of July 2004 where something happens that gives the Sox some steam in their engine…
What are you thoughts on this three-game set for the Yankees up at Fenway Park?
What’s Jeff Pearlman talking about here?
Somebody needs to remind Jeff that the Red Sox basically went out and bought Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett…and did go out and buy Manny Raimrez, J.D. Drew, Keith Foulke and Johnny Damon.
And, the Mets went out and bought Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, Francisco Rodriguez and Billy Wagner.
Teams buy players all the time. It’s not just a Yankees thing…
Since July 8th, Phil Coke has pitched in 18 games for the Yankees – throwing 13.6 IP and facing 61 batters. In the process, he’s allowed 22 base runners. His ERA during this time is 9.22 and the opposing team’s BA/OBA/SLG line is .315/.377/.519 (against him).
Are you nervous about Coke? Based on these numbers, maybe we should be?
Coke is the only lefty in the Yankees bullpen. And, they’re going to need a lefty to get some big outs – especially in the post-season. Can Coke be the guy to get this done? Or, should the Yankees try and get another lefty for the pen before September 1st?
Barbara Barker of Newsday has a nice feature out on A.J. Burnett. Some clips:
In fact, with the possible exception of Nick Swisher, [A.J.] Burnett may be the most enthusiastic Yankee when it comes to doing anything.
Having introduced a team award system that includes everything from a pie in the face to the bestowing of a wrestling championship belt to the hero of each game, Burnett has worked hard on the mound and played hard off it. He has interjected a much-needed level of goofy fun to a clubhouse that had been notoriously uptight and corporate.
“A.J. is a leader. He is a major reason the club is the way it is this year,” said Ray Negron, whose duties as a special assistant to George Steinbrenner include getting players to participate in community events. “Forget about the tattoos and all that. He’s someone who cares. If you ask him to help, he helps. To me, that’s the greatest kind of Yankee. His heart and soul are into being a Yankee on and off the field.”
Burnett has made a seamless transition to being a Yankee. That comes as a big surprise to some observers who feared that the Yankees were getting themselves into another Carl Pavano situation when they signed Burnett to a five-year, $82.5-million contract last offseason.
“This is the funnest thing I’ve ever been involved with,” Burnett said. “I came here because I wanted to win. I wanted to be a part of something like this.”
Burnett’s agent, Darek Braunecker, said he’s not sure his client would have been ready for something like this earlier in this career. Braunecker is a family friend from Little Rock, Ark., and has known Burnett since he was 15 years old.
“I think A.J. had kind of grown into his own skin over the last few years and started being comfortable with who he is,” Braunecker said. “I think he had to get over this notion of having to prove himself in baseball. He proved himself in Toronto. Now he wanted to be a Yankee and be on this stage, and I thought he was ready to do it.”
“I think A.J. realizes you’re going to have a legacy whether you like it or not. Carl Pavano has a legacy,” Braunecker said. “I think he realizes if he performs his best every day and is accountable for his actions, that’s all people in New York really want. This is a perfect place for him.”
It’s so perfect that Braunecker’s client admits he can’t believe how much fun he is having. Said Burnett: “It’s just really good here. I knew it would be good here. But I didn’t know it would be like this.”
Burnett has been a very pleasant surprise, a leader, and an extremely valuable member of the Yankees – this season, in the first year of his contract. Then again, we in Yankeeland were saying the same exact things…a very pleasant surprise, a leader, and an extremely valuable member of the Yankees…about Gary Sheffield towards the end of 2004 – when he was in the first year of his contract with the Yankees. And, a couple of years later, Yankees fans’ opinion of Mr. Sheffield were somewhat different.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving what A.J. Burnett is doing for the Yankees right now. I’m just saying that we have four more seasons left on his contract, and we should see how those go, before we start to paint him as the second coming of Catfish Hunter, David Cone or Jimmy Key…and what they meant to the team when they came to New York.
I was so tempted to go with the headline “Yanks Rodriguez Suspended For PED Use”…but, that would have been just silly…
…via mlb.com –
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that two Minor League players from the New York Yankees organization, pitchers Nestor de Leon and Ramon Rodriguez, have received 50-game suspensions after each tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Rodriguez tested positive for Boldenone, while de Leon tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.
The suspensions of both players, who are members of the organization’s Dominican Summer League team, are effective immediately.
Oh, to be young, dumb and naïve…
Too bad these kids don’t play in the Red Sox chain…then they would have been given 9 days to come up with the excuse that the test results were caused by nutritional supplements and vitamins bought over the counter…
There have been some good baseball movies featuring excellent character actors…
Seeing Michael Gaston in Sugar the other day got me thinking about this…
J.K. Simmons was in For Love of the Game. Peter Jacobson was in 61*. James Gammon and Chelcie Ross were in Major League. Shoot, you can pick a bunch of them from Eight Men Out.
Who is your all-time favorite character actor to appear in a baseball movie?
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Two sounds that I never get tired of hearing: The popping of a mitt and the crack of the bat.
I know that many like to use the sound of a bubbling fountain, falling rain, crashing surf, chirping birds, and such, for relaxation and stress relief. But, me…gimmie the sound of a popping of a mitt and the crack of the bat…every time. How about you?
Here’s today’s wild thought: Are Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher, this season, the best pair of offensive outfielders that the Yankees have featured since Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matusi played the outfield for the team in 2004-2005?
You could make a case that this is true.
Has it really been four years since the Yankees have had a pair of outfielders who batted really well? How’d that happen?
Via Hoboken Now:
New blogger HobokenHorse went to the Quality of Life meeting last night, where 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason spoke about her concept plan for the northwest corner of Hoboken.
While Mason has said she’d like to see office space, a hotel and a convention center there, the biggest buzz, understandably, was about the minor league ballpark she’s been uh, pitching.
Writes HobokenHorse:
The Yankees Double A affiliate, the Trenton Thunder was mentioned several times although Councilwoman Mason stated there was interests among several Double A prospects without naming names.
Outside of questions from people attending on the major issues of scale, commitment and environmental concerns around flooding, traffic and parking for such a concept, there’s also the looming problems of land already purchased by developers. A community activist indicated a certain parcel was resold recently for $40 million dollars within the area of the northwest concept plan.
For the record, the Yankees and Trenton Thunder have an agreement that runs through 2014. So, Hoboken has a five year wait, if they’re really interested…
Then again, the Yankees do have a Triple-A team that they may be thinking about moving…
Since July 10th, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are 27-8. And, also since July 10th, the New York Yankees are 25-11.
Clearly, both the Angels and Yankees, who are both in first place of their divisions, are on rolls now – and for a while.
That said, which team do you think has a better chance of advancing in the post-season this year? Related, if they faced each other this October, which team do you think would come out on top?
Me? I cannot get over the fact that the Yankees are 5-11 against the Angels since 2008 – and New York is 12-23 against Los Angeles since 2006. This suggests that the Halos have the Bombers’ number, no? And, if true, should we expect anything different this post-season?
Via Erik Boland -
Joba Chamberlain, who started last Sunday and is not scheduled to start again until Tuesday, threw Wednesday after taking two days off. Chamberlain said, though he doesn’t know his exact innings limit, the rest of the season has been mapped out and that he will make six starts the rest of the season, giving him 29 for the regular season.
“Mentally for me to know that this is the plan we’re going to do the rest of the year is definitely calming,” Chamberlain said.
Betcha they just use someone – Chad Gaudin? – to fill in for Chamberlain, two times, and skip a couple of starts in September for Joba. That makes more sense than inserting another starter into the rotation and then messing with everyone else’s schedule. Chamberlain only had about 8 starts left, taking a normal turn, this season. No big deal to skip two starts next month, and give him 9 days rest a couple of times…
This was a close one.
The Yankees have now played 60 games this season where the margin of victory was two runs or less and New York is 39-21 in those games…best mark in the A.L. for this slice…with only the Tigers being close to them. That’s a lot of close games. Not sure what that means…if it means the Yankees are lucky, good, or some combination of the two?
Unrelated, anyone else not like the look on Chad Gaudin’s face when Joe Girardi came to the mound to take him out of this game?
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Back in February 2008, I mentioned the buzz that was bubbling up around the film “Sugar.” Unfortunately, I never had a chance to see it in the theaters. But, in July of this year, I found out that it was coming to DVD on September 1st. At that time, I promised a review on “Sugar” once I saw it. And, now that I’ve seen a review copy of the DVD, I can share that review.
First, I’ll cut to the chase and say that “Sugar” is a film that every baseball fan over the age of 16 should view – and I only provide that age cut-off due to some of the storyline not being completely suitable for young children. That said, the film was rated PG-13, and, if you’re comfortable with your young teenager watching a movie containing some mature language and mild sexual themes, then you can lower that age bar from 16 to 13 here.
Why should baseball fans watch “Sugar“? Well, it tells the story of how baseball propsects from Latin America – and, specifically, in the case of this story, the Dominican Republic – have to deal with the “systems” in their hometown as well as having to deal with the cultural and language issues, racism, and isolation/home-sickness once they make it to America to play professional baseball. “Sugar” also does a through job painting the picture of life as a minor league baseball player, in general.
Now, erudite baseball fans may think, here, “I already know all that stuff – so, what’s this flick going to tell me that I don’t already know?” And, my answer to that is simple: Thanks to the outstanding acting in “Sugar,” we get to witness and absorb some emotion around that “story” which some already know…and, thanks to warmth derived from watching “Sugar,” it enables those familar with this type of story to acquire additional perception via the stimulation of viewing this film.
Actually, that’s a good lead into my second point on this matter – while I feel that “Sugar” is a film that every baseball fan over the age of 16 should view, I can also share that this is a film that any adult should give consideration towards watching…because it’s a story told beautifully, and with compassion, that many will find satisfying.
I was very pleased to be able to watch “Sugar” on DVD – and I highly recommend checking this one out.
Today is the 58th anniversary of when St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck sent 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel, a circus midget, to pinch-hit for Frank Saucier. Right after that, the commissioner’s office effectively barred the player by establishing a minimum height for the start of the strike zone on a hitter.
So, can someone please explain to me how, today, Dustin Pedroia is allowed to bat for the Boston Red Sox?
Via Joe Posnanski:
I think that in many ways Derek Jeter this year has added a third title. He has, against all odds, become UNDERRATED. And that is a wicked turn. I think Jeter at 35 is having one of his greatest seasons. I think he’s playing defense better than he ever has, he’s getting on base and slugging like he did in his prime, and in my view he has been the Yankees most valuable player in 2009. And, for once, it’s funny, I don’t hear too many other people talking about it.
He’s hitting .330 through Tuesday and has a .394 on-base percentage — tied with A-Rod for best on the Yankees. He’s on pace for 218 hits, 109 runs, 21 homers. 27 stolen bases. He’s having a great offensive season, quite similar to the season last year’s MVP, Boston’s Dustin Pedroia, had.
And — this is weird — those advanced statistics that have so universally mocked his defense now show him to be, well, darned good defensively. The Dewan Plus/Minus system — a video system where they plot every ball hit in play — had long shown him to consistently be the worst shortstop in baseball. Now, it has him as a plus-7 shortstop, a top-10 shortstop. Ultimate Zone Rating — UZR — which had shown him to be costing his team runs defensively every single year since 2002 now calculates that he has saved the Yankees almost six runs this year. Jeter has made it clear he doesn’t care about such statistics so it probably gives him no satisfaction.
Still, the numbers suggest that he’s playing shortstop better than he has in years. Two baseball insiders concur, saying that he positions himself better now than he ever did before and his already quick release has gotten even quicker. Plainly, not as many grounders are getting past a diving Jeter.
Yeah, but, Jeter is still a meanie to A-Rod, right? And, being a BFF to Alex is much more important than all this other stuff…
According to Baseball America’s draft database*, the Yanks signed 27 out of the 49 players they selected. Because bonus terms were not disclosed for all 27 of these draftees, it’s hard to know how much more the Yanks shelled out beyond the $6,185,000 they gave to 11 of their newest bonus babies.
BA also broke down the total bonus figures for each team’s top 10 draftees. That information can be found here.
As I’ve been complaining all week, my personal feeling is that there’s no reason why the #1 revenue team in baseball should be coming in behind other MLB teams in this particular area of player procurement.
-Posted by MJ
*I would post a link but because this info is hidden behind their pay-content wall, I don’t think non-subscribers would get to see the info…
From a Will Lingo feature in the current print edition of Baseball America -
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, as the franchise had been known since joining the International League in 1989, had grown stale as a Phillies affiliate playing in a rapidly aging stadium.
[In 2007], the Yankees decided to move their Triple-A team closer to their fan base, and they joined with the Mandalay Baseball Properties conglomerate to map out a new future for Scranton. The team became known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, and while the team and stadium were still owned by Lackawanna County, Pa., the operations were handed over to Mandalay. Politicians trumpeted plans for a new ballpark, and Mandalay said it would invest millions in the region, including a Yankees village around the new ballpark, which would include a hotel and a museum.
First, plans for a new ballpark have evaporated. The first blow came when one of the politicians who led the effort to bring in the Yankees and championed plans for a new ballpark, county commissioner Robert Cordaro, lost his re-election bid. The officials elected to take his place have not been as enthusiastic about a new ballpark.
And even if they had been anxious to make a baseball stadium a priority, the collapse of the economy meant those plans moved to the back burner. Neither the county nor the state have the money to contribute to a new ballpark, which was originally estimated to cost between $35 million and $50 million.
Then heavy rains hit the area in June and July, and a poor-draining field meant the team had to move or postpone seven home dates. Scranton put in a new grass field in 2006 as part of its effort to attract a new affiliate when the Phillies announced they were leaving, but it was intended as a short-term fix.
At the same time, an engineering firm commissioned by the county completed a comprehensive study of the current ballpark—now known as PNC Field but previously called Lackawanna County Stadium—that called for more than $13 million in repairs and renovations. The study said the stadium was in good shape considering its age, but needs repairs due to water damage, deterioration of concrete and simple wear on mechanical equipment.
Everyone is saying all the right things at this point, but it seems the county and the franchise are caught in a tight situation. And part of the Yankees/Mandalay contract with the county gives them the option to purchase the team at some point. If a new or significantly renovated stadium isn’t on the horizon, that starts to become a possibility, as well as a possible franchise move.
“Our plans are, we love the Scranton area,” Lonn Trost, the chief operating officer of the parent Yankees, told The New York Times. “The intent was hopefully a stadium will be built, we just haven’t gotten to it. We understand that things have changed, and we’re monitoring that situation, but we have all intentions of staying.”
…part of the Yankees/Mandalay contract with the county gives them the option to purchase the team at some point. If a new or significantly renovated stadium isn’t on the horizon, that starts to become a possibility, as well as a possible franchise move…
That part really stands out to me here. Gee, I hope Kei Igawa is renting in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and didn’t buy…
O.K., seriously, it sounds like the Yankees might have to move their Triple-A team out of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. What do you think about that? Is it a good thing, a bad one, or, makes no difference at all?
Below are CC Sabathia’s stats over his last 20 starts, from May 8th through August 18th:
GS IP BB SO ERA BF BA OBP SLG 20 139.6 33 116 3.22 551 .224 .273 .379
Sabathia has gone 13-4 in these starts – and, overall, the Yankees have gone 13-7. Clearly, CC is pitching, these days, like the “ace” that New York was expecting when they went out and spent all that money on him.
However, to be a “true ace,” it’s required that you be the type of pitcher who will take the ball in Games 1 and 4 of the LDS, and who takes the ball in Games 1, 4 and 7 of the LCS and the World Series, and delivers in those chances. And, as we know, to date, CC has had some issues in the post-season.
How do you feel about this? Will Sabathia deliver for the Yankees this season in the post-season? And, if he doesn’t, does it mean that he’s failed to accomplish what he was brought in to New York to do?
With this win, the Yankees are the first team in baseball to reach 75 wins this season. Sweet.
This was the first time in 6 years, and 6 tries, that C.C. Sabathia pitched a good game in Oakland. And, it came at a good time. Nice job as well on throwing behind Kurt Suzuki in the first inning. Speaking of behind Kurt Suzuki…
Hey, Melky, don’t forget to send Suzuki some flowers this morning after the good time he showed you in this one.
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Via Ken Rosenthal with a h/t to YanksBlog -
The Yankees inquired about Reds right-handers Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo, but backed off when the Reds said they would not include any money in a deal. While the Yankees remain active in their pursuit of a starter, they likely will stand pat and await the benefit of the roster expansions on Sept. 1.
This is odd. The Yankees are a lock for the post-season at this point. September should be tune-up time for them. How many starts would someone get in September – maybe four or five? And, half of those should be meaningless. You already have CC, A.J., Pettitte and Joba for October. You don’t need another starter in the post-season…unless…they’re thinking of moving Chamberlain to the pen?
Here are Alex Rodriguez’ batting stats for the last 29 games that he’s played this season, as of this morning:
G PA HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG 29 130 4 13 13 31 .243 .331 .391
Good thing the Yankees went 20-9 in those 29 games – or else it might have been open-season on A-Rod…for not playing well during the pennant race this season.
Hopefully, Alex will start to play better over the remainder of the season. If not, the Yankees may have to think about moving him out of the clean-up spot, no?
Via John Miller in the WSJ -
Kathy Kepler, once a star ballerina at the Berlin ballet, has a saying: “Three days away, out of the ballet.” That training motto also serves her son Max, baseball’s most unusual prospect.
Max Kepler-Rozycki, 16, has just received an $800,000 bonus to sign with the Minnesota Twins, a stunning sum for a teenager out of Europe and a record for an amateur position player outside the U.S. and Latin America. Officials from a dozen Major League teams, including the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs, came to Berlin this year to check out the 6-foot-3, 190-pound outfielder. They compare his compact, graceful swing to that of Shawn Green, who retired in 2007 with 328 home runs. Scouts say Mr. Kepler-Rozycki possesses baseball’s five “tools”—speed, arm strength, glovework and the ability to hit for both power and average.
But the reason the Twins are betting long on a kid who is still two years away from his high school graduation is another pair of attributes scouts talk about, both inherited from his parents, former Berlin ballet stars. The first is genetics. Two athletes usually beget talented kids. The left-handed Max is so naturally coordinated he can hit a golf ball 250 yards—right-handed.
The second is “makeup”—a mix of discipline, attitude, confidence, seriousness and stage presence that allows players under the spotlight in a technically difficult sport like baseball to adjust to tougher and tougher competition. Makeup leads the chosen to the top. Its absence chops down the insanely talented athletes they’re up against. Scouts say signing players who have it is a smart way to play the odds.
The Twins, really, are renting the intensity, passion and ambition that drive European high culture in a heady place like Berlin and hoping to convert those qualities into base hits.
Max’s mother, the American-born Ms. Kepler, was an army brat whose family settled in Texas. The Joffrey Ballet school in New York gave her a scholarship when she was 15. She moved to New York by herself, dancing at the school from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In 1984, she moved to Berlin and met a muscular, handsome Polish dancer named Marek Rozycki. An elite dancer and amateur soccer player, he had defected from Poland when martial law was declared two years before. They married and raised two children on theater and music.
What was it that Rick Down used to say…if you can’t dance, you can’t hit?
I liked the caption under the picture in the feature: Max Kepler-Rozycki runs the bases at a German youth league game in June. One scout says he runs “like a galloping baby deer.”
Shame the Yankees weren’t willing to go to $800,001 on this one…and it will be interesting to see how this kid develops.
Brett Tomko? Really? Brett Tomko?
Oh, well, at least it was a fast game – 2 hours and 15 minutes. Shame, overall, A.J. Burnett pitched good enough to win.
First time this month that the Yanks have lost back-to-back games. (Their last back-to-back losses were against the White Sox on July 31st – August 1st.) This is the first time the Yankees have been shutout since June 23rd – when Cashman went to Atlanta the next day. Time for another meeting? Sure, the Yankees averaged 5.8 runs scored per game between June 24th and August 16th. But, that was then and this is now…yeah, I am kinda kidding here.
Brett Tomko? Really? Now, that’s no joke…
Hey, by the way, if you have any friends who are Mets fans, why not be nice to them and offer some encouragement. How? Simple. Just look ‘em square in the eye today and say “Hey, good news. Pitchers and catchers report in six months.”
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Sing it Johnny…
New, York, is where I’d rather stay…
I, get allergic, smelling hay.
I, just adore a penthouse view…
Dah-ling I love you, but give me Park Avenue.
I’m starting to see A.J. Burnett as Fred Ziffel and Nick Swisher as Arnold the pig…
Via Tyler Kepner -
Before the season, there was a sense that the Yankees would allow [Johnny] Damon to move on and turn over his left-field spot to a prospect like Austin Jackson or a younger free agent like Matt Holliday. But Yankees officials seem to understand Damon’s value on the field and in the clubhouse, and now they would like him to return. When the Yankees want to keep a player and the player wants to stay, that is usually what happens.
“I don’t know where else I would want to go to,” Damon said. “Obviously, that’s not the right thing to say when you’re about ready to approach free agency, but I’m very happy with playing in New York, and my family’s happy I play for New York. There’s no bigger place to go. If you play well here, you’re going to get paid. New York has the resources.
“But we also have the chance to win every year. I don’t want to attempt to go make more money elsewhere, for more years, with a chance to be out of the race by the first of June.”
