Via the Associated Press -

CARACAS, Venezuela — Former major leaguer Oscar Azocar, a free-swinging outfielder when he debuted for the New York Yankees in 1990, died Monday. He was 45.

The native Venezuelan died at a hospital in Valencia, said Diogenes Nazar, press spokesman for one of Azocar’s former teams, the Navegantes del Magallanes.

Azocar hit .226 with five home runs and 36 RBIs in a three-year career. Promoted from the minors by the Yankees in July 1990, he got a pinch-hit single in his first big league at-bat, then homered, doubled and singled in his next game.

Azocar was hitting .350 with four home runs after his first 20 games, and was part of the last-place Yankees’ youth movement, along with fellow rookies Deion Sanders, Jim Leyritz, Mike Blowers and Kevin Maas.

But the Yankees grew impatient over Azocar’s impatience at the plate — it took 130 times up before he drew his first walk. The Yankees traded him to San Diego after his rookie season and he spent two years with San Diego.

Azocar finished up in the Mexican league, playing his last season in 2001.

Azocar started his career as a pitcher before switching to the outfield. He played for several teams in Venezuela.

During the Caribbean Series played in Venezuela last February, Azocar was inducted into the Caribbean region’s baseball hall of fame.

Oh, for five weeks back in the summer of ’90, Oscar Azocar was the man in Stump Merrill’s eyes…

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Jorge Posada had one hell of a weekend hitting two grand slams, and former Yankee bullpen coach Tony Cloninger knows how he feels.  July 3rd, 1966 Cloninger pitched 9 inning besting the Giants at Candlestick, but that wasn’t the big story.  He gave up 3 runs on 7 hits but that wasn’t the story.  On that Sunday, Cloninger hit not one but two grand slams and had an RBI single as the Atlanta Braves (first year in Atlanta) demolished the Giants 17-3.   Cloninger set the record that day for RBI’s by a pitcher  which still stands.  He is the only pitcher to ever hit two grand slams in a game, and is only one of 13 players to accomplish the feat.

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Is it just me, or, sometimes, does Jorge Posada remind you of a happier, cleaned-up, version of Don Mossi?

Don’t get me wrong – I’m a ‘Sado fan. Always have been…

I’m just saying…if we had a time machine and could set up a battery where Mossi was throwing to Posada…well…would that one be eerie, or what?

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Continuing from a previous post which digested post-draft commentary regarding Yankee draft picks, John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall.com had much to say about the Yankees 2010 draft, including the following summary below:

The selection of Culver confused a lot of people and has Yankees fans up in arms. It was certainly an unexpected choice, and on paper it looks like a significant overdraft. However, I’ve been doing this kind of work long enough to know that the “sure” picks often don’t work out and the weird ones sometimes do. I would have picked A.J. Cole or Tyrell Jenkins myself, but the Yankees didn’t ask me. The rest of the class looks pretty good. I like Gumbs a lot, and the subsequent rounds mix college guys with high school guys, refined talents with upside, in a way that I like. Encinas could be a steal in the sixth round. Overall, despite the oddity of the Culver pick, there are things I like here.

I added the bold type for emphasis to point out that at least one baseball evaluator sees good in this draft class.  I myself am increasingly more excited about the Gumbs, Kahnle, Encinas, Burawa, Austin, Rutckyj, Jordan and Viramontes picks and I’m slowly coming around on the Culver pick as well.

The key, of course, is how the Yankees fare during the signing period which ends on Monday, August 16th.  If the Yanks are able to sign the aforementioned nine players along with Rob Segedin, Ben Gamel and Zach Varce (and maybe a couple of others), this will represent a very healthy infusion of young talent into the organization.  I doubt the team is going to be able to sign all of these guys but only time will tell so, until then, the negativity surrounding last week’s draft should begin to fade as we learn more about these kids.

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Courtesy of Baseball America, here’s a story about Yankees #1 prospect Jesus Montero.

Venezuelan journalist Ismael Granadillo foresees Montero as a real impact player at the major league level. “He has raw power and can hit for average,” he said. “He can be like Mike Piazza. As soon as he develops into a more mature hitter, he’s going to be on a major league roster.

“Maybe he’s gong to stay as a catcher because (Mark Teixeira) is going to be in New York for a while, but when the time comes, he is going to be moved to another position. It was the same situation with Miguel Cabrera. He started as a shortstop, then moved to third base, the outfield, third base again and now first base.”

Meanwhile, Montero keeps working at improving his work behind the plate, especially blocking balls in the dirt, calling a good game and being on the same page as his pitchers.

“I want to be a catcher with the Yankees,” he said. “I want to help them win every single time. From here to the big leagues is not that much, but I have to learn some more.”

I like reading any story where Montero himself asserts his desire to remain at catcher and I like anything that compares Montero to sluggers like Mike Piazza and Miguel Cabrera.  I have no idea if Montero will ever be able to catch at the big league level or not but I suppose that by Spring Training 2011 we’ll know much more about the progress he’s made during the course of this season in AAA.

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Subway Squawkers is giving away a free pair of tickets to the Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium this Friday, on June 18th. The giveaway contest will end at 11:59 p.m. today. So, if you’re interested, hustle on over there, now, to get in on the action, via this link.

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Ah… first place. Feels good. Being that the Yanks have a doctor’s appointment Tuesday night, I’m really glad that they swept the Astros.

It wasn’t as pretty of an ending to a game as Hughes has been used to, but Hughes recording his 9th victory which is tops among AL starting pitchers (And any pitcher not named Ubaldo). After giving up only 1 earned run going into the 6th, Hughes lost it in the rain. Giving up four runs with two outs in the 6th inning, including a homer by Kevin Cash. You have to figure Cash had the edge because he caught Hughes last year. He doesn’t go 2 for 3 with a walk against Hughes, otherwise. Still stung though.

Posada continued right where he left off from yesterday, hitting his 2nd grand slam in as many days. The Yankee announcers said that the last time that was done by a Yankee was by Bill Dickey. That’s a long time ago. Cano extended his hitting streak to 7 games with authority. He’s just as hot now as he was back in April, and it’s awesome.

With a day off today, the Yanks prepare to host the somewhat slumping Phillies. Hopefully they can take advantage.

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Here are the A.L. East standings as of May 23rd this season:

Tm  W  L  W-L% GB
TBR 32 12 .727 --
NYY 26 18 .591 6.0
TOR 26 20 .565 7.0
BOS 24 21 .533 8.5
BAL 14 31 .311 18.5

And, this morning, we wake up to find the New York Yankees tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the A.L. East – gaining 6 games in the standings.

How’s ‘dat happen? Well, the Yankees have gone 14-5 since that date…and, obviously, that’s the story.

Or, is it?

Within those 19 games, the Yankees have gone 11-2 against the Indians, Orioles and Astros (who all stink). And, you can add on another 2 wins and one loss against the Twins (who the Yankees always beat). That’s 13-3…which is basically this whole “run” (sans going 1-2 against the Blue Jays).

Yes, all the games (and wins) count. But, clearly, this push by New York has been schedule-assisted.

In any event, the Yankees now control their own destiny. They’re in first and how they play in their remaining 99 games will determine if they can stay there.

Hey, there are a lot worse place to be in the standings on June 14th…that’s for sure.

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A friend asked me today, as a Yankees fan, who would I rather have, Ron Guidry or Andy Pettitte?

It’s an interesting question. Let’s use the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia to look at the numbers each hurler has posted as a Yankee. Yes, I’m carving out Pettitte’s time with Houston here – and the stats for him, as a Yankee, are through June 12, 2010:

                       RSAA    IP     BR/9 IP     ERA     SO/BB
1    Ron Guidry         166   2392       1.84     0.77     1.28
2    Andy Pettitte      164   2487       0.65     0.65     0.38

BASERUNNERS/9 IP, ERA and STRIKEOUTS/WALKS above are vs. the league average.

Andy has about 100 more IP and 2 less RSAA – but, it terms of RSAA/IP, it’s .069 for Guidry and .066 for Pettitte. It’s pretty close. And, sure, Gator allowed less baserunners and had better command/stuff. However, in terms of relative ERA, they’re not that far off from each other.

Guidry had five seasons of 15+ RSAA, three seasons of 20+ RSAA and two seasons of 30+ RSAA. Pettitte has five seasons of 15+ RSAA (and would have six if 2010 ended today), two seasons of 20+ RSAA and one season of 30+ RSAA. (Andy just missed having two 30+ seasons when he had 28 RSAA in 1996.) Again, that’s all close.

Moving away from the stats, both pitchers were/are beloved by their mates were/are team players. And, Pettitte’s Yankees W%, to date, is .645 whereas Guidry’s W% was .651 – so, they both won, and often, for New York.

Man, it’s a tough call, eh? Dare we say it’s a push?

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With a grand slam yesterday and another one today, Jorge Posada became the first big leaguer to hit slams in back-to-back games since since Carlos Beltran in July 2006 . ‘Sado is the first Yankees player do pull this feat since Bill Dickey in 1937. And, the only other Yankee to do it was Babe Ruth in 1927 and 1929. So, needless to say, you don’t see what Jorge’s done this weekend everyday, do ya?

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Consider the following Yankees starters statistics since May 12:

1) 2-2 5.21 ERA 4.62 FIP 38IP 11 BB 42 H 7 HR 35K .275/.323/.471

2) 4-1 3.58 ERA 4.01 FIP 37.2IP 7 BB 39 H 3 HR 37K .262/.295/.383

3) 4-1 2.83 ERA 4.53 FIP 41.1IP 11 BB 32 H 6 HR 28K .219/.263/.397

4) 2-3 4.38 ERA 4.92 FIP 39IP 15 BB 38 H 6 HR 28k .262/.345/.455

5) 5-2 2.93 ERA 3.83 FIP 40IP 12 BB 25 H 5 HR 38K .181/.248/.348

Take a second to try and guess who’s who. The answer after the break.

(more…)

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Jerome Preisler shares this on # 46 –

Fifteen years and counting since Andrew Eugene Pettitte, who will be 38 years old in a few days, broke into the big leagues with the Yanks. How time flies. The milestones tick off one by one. He is now third behind Whitey Ford (236) and Red Ruffing (231) in all-time Yankee wins. Well over three-thousand innings pitched. An 18-9 postseason record. Appearances in eight World Series that have led to five championship rings. Only one American League pitcher, Tampa’s David Price, has more wins this season so far. And he owns a 2.46 season ERA, the third best in the American League.

In his years away from New York (2004-2006), playing in Houston, Pettitte won 37 games and helped lead the Astros to a 2005 World Series appearance. In 2004, he hurt his elbow on a checked swing and missed most of the season after undergoing surgery. There are many who believe the injury might have never occurred had he remained with the Yanks, in the American League, where pitchers do not regularly take turns at bat. There are also many who are convinced the historic Yankee meltdown against the Boston Red Sox in that year’s AL Championship Series would have been avoided had the Yanks not failed to make him an appropriate offer. Friday night, it became clear that Pettitte has pondered some of these things in his quiet moments.

“You think, ‘Man, if I’d stayed here, I’d probably never have check-swung,’” he said. “Maybe my elbow wouldn’t have popped, and I’d be able to pass Whitey. But I don’t regret it . . . I don’t. I feel like it was what I needed to do at that time with the situation, and not being able to come back here with the Yankees, and the way they were feeling at that time about me. I was able to go home and be with my family, coach my kids in some baseball for a while . . . I felt like God has put me where he wants me.”

Pettitte is certainly where he ought to be right now, getting the recognition he deserves and the respect he’s earned. Before our eyes, he has grown into a Yankee legend, one of the greatest pitchers in team history and a future Hall of Famer if there is any point at all to having that building up in Cooperstown, New York.

“One day, I think he’ll sit back and be very fond of what he’s done in his career, and be able to enjoy it and share it with his children and grandchildren,” Yank manager Joe Girardi said after the game. “Andy has meant so much to this organization and done a lot of special things.”

Reading this got me wondering…is Andy Pettitte the greatest “draft and follow” signing of all-time? Well, for what it’s worth, it’s a closed class now. And, if Pettitte’s not the best “D&F” ever…he’s in the team picture, for sure.

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Jorge Vazquez is headed to Triple-A today, and, to the Yankees soon after that? Via Donnie Collins -

Josh Norris of The Trentonian is reporting that Jorge Vazquez will be promoted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for tomorrow’s game against Indianapolis.

In 10 games since coming off the disabled list, Vazquez was hitting .390 with six RBIs at Double-A Trenton.

You’ll remember that Vazquez was initially slated to open the season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. But, he needed an appendectomy late in spring training, and it set him back nearly two months. The Yankees lineup sure could use him.

Hey, we know Cashman likes the guy. Let’s just hope that Jorge Vazquez isn’t to Don Nava the same way that Kei Igawa was to Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Here are the numbers on Vazquez to date:

.

He’s played both first and third in the past. I have no idea how good he is with the leather. But, it seems like he has a clue at the plate.

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Anthony McCarron catches up with former Yankee Dave Collins -

[Dave] Collins, a quick, switch-hitting outfielder who had stolen 79 bases for the 1980 Reds, was the free-agent apple of The Boss’ eye in the winter of 1981. Steinbrenner, smarting from losing the World Series to the Dodgers, was going to remake the Bronx Bombers into the Bronx Burners and saw Collins, once dubbed “the fastest white man in baseball” as a vital cog.

“I remember that like yesterday,” Collins says. “He really wanted me to come and play for the Yankees and I really wanted to play for him. As a kid growing up in Rapid City, S.D., I was a Yankee fan, so it was a dream come true. I’ll never forget it.”

But the ’82 season, as any Yankee fan from the era recalls, was no dream. Collins, given a $2.4 million contract, was a man without a position, despite offseason assurances from Steinbrenner that he’d play. He batted .253 with 13 steals in 111 games, and the Yanks finished 79-83, fifth in the AL East.

Still, on a recent visit to New York with the Florida Marlins, for whom he is the first-base coach, the 57-year-old Collins calls his Bronx tenure “a privilege. To play in this city, I wish every player could experience it, because there’s nothing like it. It’s one of the highlights of my career.”

Collins also says he didn’t want to go when the Yanks traded him in December of 1982, but regret over that deal, a dud, runs deep — Collins was shipped to Toronto with Fred McGriff and Mike Morgan for Dale Murray and Tom Dodd, a lopsided swap that embarrassed the Yankees for years.

Ah, I remember Big Stein, back in the day, when he was getting Dave Collins, saying “The first five men in our line-up will be speedballs” – referring to Willie Randolph, Dave Collins, Ken Griffey Sr., Jerry Mumphrey, and Dave Winfield. But, Collins was a bust.

Shame, I liked the guy. Then again, I liked Steve Kemp in 1983 too – another import that failed to meet expectations in Yankeeland.

Know how many times Collins stole more than one base in a game as a Yankee? Zero, zip, nada, zilch. That about says it all. Then again, that whole 1982 season was a mess too…

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One year ago today, I went to my first ever first Subway Series game.

The energy was electric, and the crowd of 47,967 was the largest since Opening Day. There was definitely a different vibe around the Stadium.

The Luis Castillo Game will forever be remembered as one of the most extraordinary endings to a baseball game. Throw in the increased hype of the Subway Series and you’re looking at a classic.

But so much went on even before the ninth inning. Had Luis Castillo caught the ball, it still would have been an incredible game.

It all began with a strike to Alex Cora from Joba Chamberlain. Joba went on to have one of the more unusual pitching lines in recent history: 4 innings, 1 hit, 2 runs, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts. The one run scored when he hit Ryan Church with the bases loaded.

He threw exactly 100 pitches (52 for strikes), an atrocious rate of 25 pitches per inning. He actually retired the Mets in order in the first inning. But then he was all over the place the rest of the night. He threw 48 pitches in the third inning alone.

The third inning also included a series of arguments (and about thirty mound visits) between Joba and Posada. They constantly disagreed on pitch selection and were still bickering even after Joba had exited. Consequently, Francisco Cervelli started behind the plate for Joba’s next two starts, one of which included a home run that propelled the Yankees to an important win over Atlanta.

The game included a lot of highs, including a three-run home run from Hideki Matsui that gave the Yankees a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the sixth. But there were also lows. The Yankees blew leads of 1-0, 3-2, and 7-6. And Joba’s performance left a lot to be desired.

One of the more frustrating maneuvers was Joe Girardi’s decision to bring in Mariano Rivera in the eighth inning. I rarely criticize Joe Girardi, which I think puts me in the minority. But this was a clear case of over managing.

For those that don’t recall, Phil Coke had recorded the first two outs in the top of the eighth on five pitches. With two outs and no one on, Girardi decided to bring in Rivera. Granted, it’s never a bad thing when you bring in Mariano Rivera (that might be the most obvious statement of all time). But it was one of the only times I have ever seen the crowd boo prior to an appearance by Mo. The move really wasn’t necessary. Clearly the 47,000+ fans in attendance agreed with that.

Of course, once they played Enter Sandman, the crowd was back on its feet.

Rivera came into the game and walked Carlos Beltran. Then, with two strikes on David Wright, Rivera surrendered an RBI double that gave the Mets an 8-7 advantage. It was a very rare performance from Mo, but to his credit, he retired the Mets in order in the top of the ninth that kept the deficit at one.

So even before the bottom of the ninth inning, even before one of the most bizarre and preposterous baseball plays of all time, the game included a number of big hits, go-ahead home runs, and questionable managerial moves. Even though the Yankees trailed going into the ninth, it was already a thrilling game.

The bottom of the ninth started with a foul pop-out from Brett Gardner off Francisco Rodriguez. At this point, the Yankees only had a 12% chance of winning the game. Then, Derek Jeter singled, which increased the chance of victory to 22%. Johnny Damon, who didn’t start the game, pinch-hit for Nick Swisher and struck out on a 3-2 pitch. Jeter stole second in the process, but the chances of winning the game were still only 15%.

Mark Teixeira was then intentionally walked, which I thought was strange because it put the winning run on base. Isn’t that an unwritten rule? I was under the impression that a pitcher never purposely puts the winning run on base.

In any event, that brought Alex Rodriguez up to the plate. A-Rod worked the count to 3-1 and then popped up to second. He slammed his bat down in frustration and K-Rod let out a shout of elation.

You know the rest. Castillo dropped the ball. Jeter scored the tying run. Teixiera, who had been hustling around the bases from the moment of contact, scored the winning run.

There was no pie. Just giddy men who were happy to win a game. “I couldn’t believe what I saw,” A-Rod said after the game. “I’ve never seen that before.”

Neither had we. And it might be awhile before we see anything like that again.

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And, it wasn’t just the balls off the bats of Posada and Jeter flying out! Some things were flying in too!

Click on the image to enlarge.

It was a great day to be a Yankees fan, and an American, in the Boogie Down today…

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Pettitte continued his hot pitching last night, grabbing his 200th career Yankee win. He now needs 31 to tie 2nd place Red Ruffing, and 36 to tie the all time leader Whitey Ford. I’d like to see him do it, but that’s at least 2 more seasons worth of games so I doubt it. Plus I get a feeling like he’s going to pull a Moose after this season. We’ll see.

I’m not even going to get into the offense, as I find it to be pretty bad when the New York Yankees cannot knock a pitcher like Brett Myers out in the early innings. There’s no excuse for letting Myers off the hook there, he was reeling after the 1st.

But, hey, the Yanks won. Can’t complain too much about the game right, right?

One thing that I can complain about, however, is the Yankees official web site. Please test all site modifications on all browsers guys. It’s currently not rendering properly on the latest version of fire fox. (That’s a big pet peeve of mine).

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Via Mark Feinsand: Source says New York Yankees officials were ‘furious’ with Alex Rodriguez’s silence regarding groin.

Hey, seven more years of this to come…so, buckle up!

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My daughter (who is now 8-years old) went to her first professional baseball game when she was 14-months old. And, my son (who is now 6-years old) went to his first professional baseball game when he was just 4-months old.

Over the last few years, as a family, we average going to about six (give or take) professional games a season. And, this year, my kids played Little League for the very first time. So, starting at a very early age, our children have been exposed to baseball for a while and now have a pretty decent understanding of the basics in terms of what happens on the field during a game.

Taking it a step further, I recently decided to introduce my daughter to the task of keeping score of a game. To date, I haven’t lost her interest yet. Granted, some things don’t come natural to her yet – like recognizing a fielder’s choice or knowing when it’s an infield file rule situation. But, she knows the shortstop is “6″ and that it’s a “6-3″ when a batter grounds out short to first. And, she knows that a fly to center is “FO8″ in the record.

Tomorrow will be the true test…I suspect…because we’ll be at the Yankees game together and intend on sharing a scorecard during the game.

I have to say…I cannot remember the last time that I saw someone keeping score at a game. Now, I do have some friends who are diehards – in the sense that they keep score whenever they go to a game (and have their own scorebooks). But, to a man, most of them are over fifty and I haven’t been to a game with them in a while…thus why I don’t count them as seeing someone keeping score at a game.

Weighing all this, I wonder: Is keeping score a dying practice? Or, are people just waiting for “an app to do that” to become available for their iPhones and iPads?

Personally, I haven’t kept score at a game in a while. If I had to guess, I would offer that it’s been at least five years – probably more – since I attended a game, in person, where I kept score. Nonetheless, I think it’s a neat skill to have – and a fun one to use, when you want to do it.

It’s funny, “back in the day,” I could remember walking into Yankee Stadium and the very first thing you saw when you got in was the guy at a stand screaming “Programs, Scorecards, Yearbooks! Getcha Scorecards and Yearbooks here!” And, today, I’m not even sure if they sell scorecards at the new Yankee Stadium? (We’ll find out tomorrow.) In fact, when I was at the Yankees game this year on May 16th, we stopped into the shop by Gate 6 to get a Yankees Yearbook and the girl behind the counter told me that they were all gone and they were waiting for more to be printed and delivered. That was a first! Imagine, being at Yankee Stadium for a game in mid-May and being told that there were no yearbooks for purchase? Crazy, huh?

Lastly, yes, for sure, I’ll explain “WW” to my daughter when we keep score tomorrow. I know there will be a few bathroom and food runs during the game that will lead to us missing some action. In general, I hate to play the “WW” card. But, hey, if you’re going to pass along the art of keeping score, you have to share all the tricks of the trade, right?

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Via the Bats Blog -

Jim Callis, the executive editor of Baseball America, assessed this year’s first round, the Mets’ and the Yankees’ selections, and the biggest surprises of the draft.

“It seemed like there were more bold picks in the first round, where teams took guys who weren’t consensus first-round picks,” Callis said.

Callis said the surprises in this year’s draft stemmed not from the players who was selected but “more from a standpoint of where guys went.” He highlighted three selections in particular.

[#3] The Yankees drafted the high school shortstop Cito Culver, 17, of Rochester with the 32nd pick. Ranked 168th by Baseball America, Culver’s selection was scrutinized.

“They sent in a bunch of veteran scouts, and they all loved the guy,” Callis said of the Yankees.

Culver was considered a draft prospect, but the Yankees saw more in him than most others. Across the board, Callis said, the Yankees’ scouts rated him higher than Baseball America had. Some people in baseball projected Culver to be a utility man, but the Yankees saw him as a shortstop. Beyond that, the Yankees did not have any other early headline-grabbing picks.

“I don’t think they really took a guy in the first 10, 12 rounds who you point to and say, ‘That guy was a first-round talent, but he wanted a bunch of money and he fell,’” Callis said. “That’s what people expect the Yankees to do every year.”

Well, if you’re going to screw up a draft, might as well do it the year after you win the World Series and don’t have many good picking slots in the first place…right?

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Per LoHud: Alex Rodriguez has tendonitis in his right hip flexor.

Between Iliopsoas Syndrome (also known as Iliacus Tendinitis), Iliotibial Band Syndrome and Piriformis Syndrome, I’m going with Iliopsoas Syndrome since he reported pain in the groin.

The good news is that anti-inflammatory medication can assist with reducing swelling along the tendon. The bad news is that A-Rod’s preferred anti-inflammatory medication doctor is being roasted by the feds at this time…

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Via Chris Shearn -

Andy Pettitte is 2/3 of an inning away from 3,000 career innings.

His first career 1,000 IP: 78-44 3.85 ERA
His next career 1,000 IP: 84-45 3.89 ERA
His last 999.3 career IP: 74-47 3.87 ERA

How’s that for consistent? What an amazing career…

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Jesse Kornbluth of BusinessWeek didn’t like Bill Madden’s bio of Big Stein. Click here for the review.

This one is still on my list. Anyone else read it yet? Did you like it, or not? If you haven’t read it, are you planning to check it out? If not, why?

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A month or so ago, Steve asked the question “How did Robbie Cano become a star?”

I still don’t have an answer to that one but the folks at FanGraphs have a handful of other names that could fall under the same line of questioning.

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I thought this was interesting from a NoMaas.org interview of Yankees Senior VP of Baseball Operations Mark Newman:

SJK: As Senior VP of Baseball Operations, you are the boss of the entire player development system. What exactly does that role entail? How does the hierarchy work?

MN: It works like this. We have exceptional people leading four different departments of player development. Damon [Oppenheimer] runs our domestic scouting. Donny Rowland leads our international scouting department. Pat Roessler is our farm director, and a guy named Pat McMahon leads our international player development efforts, which are centered in our complex in the Dominican. Each one of those guys has responsibilities.

The nature of amateur scouting in the US is such that our guys do this all year. All in, it’s probably close to a twelve-month a year operation. They’ve got showcases in the fall, home visits in the winter — high school and college games in the spring leading up the draft. And then post-draft, there are summer leagues like the Cape, high school showcases, national team tryouts — there’s all kinds of things that our guys are involved in. Damon runs that department very well, and he has the authority to draft the players the Yankees need. Neither Cash or I tell him who to pick and who not to pick. We’re there to support, and evaluate his production, just like everyone else in the organization is evaluated.

I do get more involved in international scouting, just due to the nature of the activity. I spend a lot of time down there with Donny Rowland.

I find this very odd. The G.M. of the team is the head guy in charge. The buck stops with him. And, as we know, back in October 2005, Brian Cashman fought for having total autonomy on Yankees decisions.

So, then, why is Cashman allowing Oppenheimer to decide who to pick and who not to pick without the need to run it by the G.M. first? That’s a pretty big decision – at least on the early picks – not have any input on it. Very strange…

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Gosh, I hated this game.

Only time in my lifetime that the Yankees have been “no-hit.” Well, at the least, it took them six guys to get it done.

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Note these team records from April 20th through June 10th:

Red Sox: 31-18
Rays: 29-18
Yankees: 28-20
Jays: 26-21

Pretty close, huh? New York’s win total is three less than Boston’s, one less than Tampa’s, and two more than Toronto’s. For the last seven weeks, these teams are pretty much playing at the same pace. I wonder how the next 52 days will shake out?

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Via Joel Sherman -

At this moment, according to several executives, Seattle has mobilized its pro scouts throughout the minors. The Mariners will determine which contenders have multiple prospects they like, enabling them to narrow the number of teams they will seriously engage after determining they will definitely move [Cliff] Lee.

Organizations generally do not focus heavy resources on the July 31 trade deadline until the draft concludes, which happened this week. For now, the White Sox, under aggressive GM Kenny Williams, are the only organization apparently willing to act.

That is not inconsequential since they have elements such as Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski who could entice suitors. And keep an eye on Matt Thornton, a lefty reliever the Yankees — among others — have long desired.

As for the Mariners, they are still maintaining those slim hopes of soaring back into the AL West race. One AL personnel man said, “I would expect to see Lee traded barring a 20 out of the next 30 run by the Mariners. I would not think he’d be traded this month, but if Seattle wants the best return, it would be better off doing it now.”

It will not be easy for the Yankees and Mariners to deal. The Yanks thought Seattle’s asking price last July for back-end starter Jarrod Washburn was too high — Austin Jackson and either Manuel Banuelos or Zach McAllister.

The Yanks currently believe Seattle would not move Lee without obtaining one of their top position prospects, Jesus Montero or Austin Romine. The Yanks are against giving up elite prospects for half a season of a player. And GM Brian Cashman has long been against giving up prospects and paying free-agent dollars to retain a star within one deal.

So, with the rotation currently pitching well, the Yanks are not prioritizing Lee, despite loving him as a pitcher. However, one Yankee official said, “Who knows what the pressures will be and what we’ll need in July?”

Here is a key element: Will the Mariners ultimately take a good — but not great — deal worth more than the two compensation picks they would receive if they kept Lee? If so, the Yanks undoubtedly will play hard for Lee.

This is just me offering a scenario — in other words, this is not from an executive of the Yanks or any other team: I wonder, with Javier Vazquez pitching better, if the Yanks could trade him to an NL team such as the Cardinals, Dodgers or, heck, even Mets and obtain two prospects they know Seattle likes and then package that with one or two of their good prospects such as, say, David Phelps and/or David Adams to get Lee.

Remember, if the season ended today, Vazquez would not be one of the Yanks’ four postseason starters, while Lee might start Game 1. With Lee, the Yanks could put Phil Hughes in relief in September onward to keep him from exceeding his innings limit while bulking up the pen.

Vazquez is additionally attractive because he also is currently a Type-A free agent, which means he could bring two draft picks for next year, as well, to an acquiring team. Plus, to help bring better prospects, the Yanks could kick in $2 million of Vazquez’s salary yet remain cost neutral because Lee is making $2.5 million less than Vazquez this season.

A rotation of Sabathia, Lee, Pettitte, Hughes and Burnett would be interesting, eh? Not that you would do them in that order – because you probably don’t want to throw three lefties in a row and/or have Lee and Pettitte start in back-to-back games…you know, give the other team the same look and all…

But, this all has a lot of moving parts to it. The Yankees cannot afford to trade Austin Romine – not even in a deal for Cliff Lee. And, does anyone think Cashman could/would trade Vazquez at this point and get prospects that he could flip for Lee? I’ll believe that when I see it.

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Tough times in D-backville, indeed. Via AZ Central –

Vultures seem to be circling the ballpark. On some nights, Copper Square is a ghost town, with homeless people asleep on the curb of Chase Field. Inside the building, the mood is toxic.

Something has to give. Someone has to go.

Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick could fire Josh Byrnes, immediately calming the angry mob. Except that would be admitting the stupidity of handing a general manager an eight-year contract, thus giving Byrnes an overinflated sense of self, thus leading to the wacky hiring of an unproven manager.

Or Byrnes could fire A.J. Hinch, who has lost a good portion of the clubhouse and the organization he advocates. Walk the halls of Chase Field and you’ll hear whispers of how the manager is a joke, how he’s always a move behind. Even worse, there’s a tinge of malice in the air.

Alas, here’s what has gone down with the Diamondbacks, a team that actually looked like a budding dynasty in April 2008: Management is blaming the players for inexplicably weak performances, frequently referencing a core group of passive underachievers. They see the Dodgers’ Russell Martin plowing into Diamondbacks with cleats flying and wonder why no one seems to fight back.

Players resent the inferences, responding with unspoken questions of their own. You gave us a manager who had never even coached? You left us with a bullpen that is historically, laughably bad? And we’re the problem?

In recent days, the Diamondbacks have plugged up an embarrassing losing streak, actually appearing respectable. But belief is hard to find.

Now the team is broken. Interest is waning. The financial drain of irrelevance will prompt the Diamondbacks to pawn off whatever they can sell at the trade deadline. When that’s all done, the perception problem will remain, in the dugout, and in the executive suite.

The Valley is full of revisionist fans who become experts the moment they have the final score. I will not be a hypocrite with Byrnes. In real time, I have agreed with most of his maneuvers. At times, I felt he was a borderline baseball savant, the reason why Kendrick locked him up through the 2015 season.

But a general manager is responsible for the whole meal, including the dessert tray. In recent years, he has endured costly lessons about bullpen economics. He is continually mocked by Eric Byrnes, who is happily playing beer-league softball while cashing Diamondbacks checks. His vision to sign young players to wealthy contract extensions might have actually backfired, robbing those players of grit and ambition. And he set himself up for all of this scrutiny when he handed the team to his right-hand man, the one with no experience.

Byrnes’ essential point in promoting the energetic, intelligent, affable Hinch – managers don’t matter all that much once the game begins – is basically true. Yet thanks to Byrnes’ perceived arrogance, Hinch never had a chance.

Hey, after the 2001 World Series, I’ll never shed a tear for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Yes, I know it’s a new owner and a different team. Doesn’t matter. The 2001 Diamondbacks and 2003 Marlins will always be on my hit list – and that means the squads that followed in those franchises as well. Of course, the irony in all this is that, in my mind, those two teams just out juiced the Yankees. And, I guess that’s somewhat fitting – since the Yankees probably out juiced a lot of teams from 1998 to 2003 as well. The whole period of time it was probably all about who had the most/best juiced players. Just like, today, it just may be all about who has the most/best HGH’ed players…

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Via Wallace Matthews today -

On this date a year ago, Alex Rodriguez was hitting .234, with eight home runs, 25 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .393 and a slugging percentage of .495. He had struck out 17 times, walked 26 times and scored 16 runs.

So far this year, he is hitting .290. The home run total is the same, the RBI total is 43, the OBP is .361, the SLG .482. He has whiffed 39 times, walked 25 times and scored 34 runs.

With the exception of the batting average, pretty close, right?

Wrong. Last year, of course, he was coming off preseason hip surgery and had played in just 31 of his team’s 59 games, coming to bat just 108 times.

This year, supposedly healthy, he has played in all but two of his team’s 60 games, coming to the plate 224 times.

It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that the numbers are down and the production is off. But it may take a surgeon to figure out why.

All season long, Rodriguez and Girardi have swatted away questions regarding A-Rod’s obvious power shortage this season with a lot of seam-head talk about run production and the lack of importance of A-Rod’s hallmark stat, the home run.

But the truth is, hitting home runs is why Alex Rodriguez is here in the first place. It is why the Texas Rangers saw fit to give him a 10-year, $275 million contract back in 2001, and why the Yankees chose to extend him for another seven years, at a salary bump, no less, following his 2007 MVP season.

Nobody pays $33 million a year for a moderately powered .290 hitter, not even the Yankees, and yet that is what Alex Rodriguez has become this year.

[Rodriquez] strongly implied that whatever was going on in his groin had nothing to do with the surgically repaired right hip that caused him to miss the first 28 games of the 2009 season, the hip we were told would need additional surgery after the season.

The surgery that was never done after Dr. Marc Phillipon, the surgeon who performed the operation, gave him a clean bill of health in spring training.

“The hip is fine,” A-Rod said.

Then he said he would consult not only with Yankees team physician Chris Ahmad, but with none other than Dr. Phillipon.

That’s when things got interesting.

Why would you go to Phillipon, he was asked, if the hip is fine?

(Then again, why would you go to HGH guru Anthony Galea for “anti-inflammatories” readily available to the team physician? We’re still waiting for an answer to that one).

At that point, whatever veneer A-Rod thought he had carefully crafted began to peel off.

“That’s kind of a crazy question,” he said. “It’s the right hip, the right hip is right next to the … I mean wouldn’t you? OK, I mean, there’s not a controversy here. Don’t look for something that’s not there.”

Easy, big fella. Nobody implied there was a controversy. Nobody said there was or wasn’t a connection between the (formerly) injured hip and the (currently) injured groin. Nobody brought up the P word, as in Phillipon.

Nobody but you.

It almost makes you wonder if Rodriguez slipped up in mentioning Phillipon, but since he mentioned him not once, not twice but three times, it also makes you wonder if maybe he wanted someone to pick up on the possibility that the hip was, in fact, still a problem for him.

The Yankees did not help sort out the mystery, either, holding back on making an announcement as to the cause of A-Rod’s removal from the game until after it was all over, nearly three hours later. For an organization that generally operates with the utmost professionalism, it was a surprising lapse, to say the least.

The interesting thing is that A-Rod was a monster in the post-season last year. So, if the hip has gone bad, it happened over the off-season or this spring. Then again, last December, reportedly, his hip was so good that a second surgery, first thought needed, was ruled out. Then again, maybe this is the start of the whole Carlos Delgado thing that I shared last February?

In any event, something’s going on here. And, in time, the truth will come out.

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