I’m three months behind on this one. But, you have to read this feature on Johnny Broaca.
What a story, huh?
That’s what I love about baseball history. There’s just so much stuff in there – and there’s always a chance, everyday, to learn some more.
I was just looking at A.J. Burnett’s stats this season, to date.
In his last 16 starts, he’s thrown 85.3 innings and has an ERA of 6.33 over this span. Further, he’s faced 396 batters in these starts and allowed a BA/OBA/SLG line of .298/.385/.515 to them. Basically, for the last three months every batter who has faced A.J. has hit like he’s Chase Utley.
How much longer do you allow a guy like this to stay in the rotation, assuming he keeps pitching like this?
Few may remember this, but, from May 3, 2005 to May 8, 2005, in the first 21 Plate Appearances of his major league career, Robinson Cano had just two hits (both singles) and zero walks. That’s a Batting Average, On Base Average, and Slugging Percentage each of .095 (over his first 6 games with the Yankees).
That may have been one of the worst offensive starts to a Yankees and major league career ever for a position player.
Back in 1952, Kal Segrist got called up to New York in July and went 1 for 23 with 3 BB and a SH in 13 games. And, back in 1930, Dusty Cooke started his Yankees career, and the season, by going 0 for 20 with 3 BB and a SH in 8 games. So, it’s close between Cano, Segrist and Cooke.
Then again, there was Jack Saltzgaver who started off 1932 by going 2 for 19 – but he at least had 7 BB – over his first 13 games.
And, there was Montclair’s own Billy “Bull” Johnson who started off 1943 by going 3 for 26 with 3 BB and 2 SH in 7 games. However, Johnson rebounded to have a solid rookie season and finished 4th in the MVP voiting that year. Actually, Billy Johnson is a pretty interesting story. Betcha if he came up in 1995, instead of 1943, “Bull” would probably have his own Yankeeography by now.
CC Sabathia was fantastic in this one. Aside from the 2nd inning where the heart of Boston’s order tagged CC for 3 straight extra base hits, the Red Sox couldn’t do much to support their cause against the big man. It was Sabathia’s 150th win of his career. Does he have a legitimate shot at 300? If he maintains the same pace of wins over the next 10 years (which would make him 39 years old), he’d have it. I wouldn’t bet on it, but I certainly think it’s possible. And they said that nobody would even approach 300 wins after Johnson got it.
I’m not sure if Posada’s body is barking or if he’s just in the midst of a slump. Ribbie single in this game aside, he’s not getting it done at the plate lately. In his last 36 plate appearances, spanning 10 games, Posada is hitting only .176/.222/.206 with 1 extra base hit. Unfortunately, the guy who could take Posada’s spot, Berkman, is also in the midst of a tough transition to the AL East. Luckily, Cano doesn’t seem to need the protection as he’s had his second multi-hit game in a row (6 for his last 12 overall).
Speaking of Berkman, save the hot shots for the game, OK? That had to have been the hardest he’s hit the ball in pinstripes and it happens to find A-Rod. At least it appears that A-Rod is fine.
Boston’s prize offseason pitching acquisition is having a season much like Cashman’s offseason pitching acquisition, huh? Cashman is the teflon GM, but Epstein is the model for what GM’s should try to be. Not sure how that works (especially considering the contract Lackey is signed to vs. what we’re on the hook for with Vazquez).
I wonder if the current PED testing SOP was around for Rivera’s entire career, if his numbers would look like this year in and year out. He can’t be getting better, it just goes against nature. Regardless, Rivera tossed another perfect inning bringing his season ERA down to 0.89(!!) and his WHIP down to 0.615(!!!!). He’s so good that when he retires, mlb should retire the song “Enter Sandman”. Noone puts ‘em to sleep like Mo.
I totally missed yesterday’s game. I was at a party that I thought was going to be one of those 1 pm to 4 pm kiddie birthday things – but, it turned out to be one of those 1 pm to 8:30 pm blow-out barbeques. It was a really great party. But, because of it, I was totally out of the Yankees loop until I heard the news of the game on the radio, driving home.
It wasn’t until seeing the 10 pm news on Channel 5 that I saw the clips on what happened with A-Rod and how he reacted on the field. I don’t have a video clip on that here, but, we do have a print report:
New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been sidelined indefinitely after being struck by a Lance Berkman line drive in batting practice.
Rodriguez, who was stationed at his normal position at third, writhed on the grass in pain for several minutes before being tended to by a team trainer, and was taken out of the starting lineup for Saturday’s 5-2 home win over the Boston Red Sox.
A video replay of the incident seemed to show Rodriguez was momentarily distracted while Berkman was taking his swings. FOX play-by-play man Joe Buck admitted Rodriguez turned to greet him when the ball was hit.
The injury was termed a lower left leg contusion, and X-rays taken after the incident were negative.
Nonetheless, there is no timetable for his return.
For those who saw the video on what happened to Rodriguez and how he reacted on the field afterwards, what was your take on it? Yes, I know that it was a 100 MPH hardball in the leg from 100 feet away. But, is that really much different from getting a HBP on a 88 MPH ball from 55 feet away? (Figuring a pitcher is 55 feet away when he releases the ball and a 95 MPH pitch slows down to 88 MPH when it gets to the plate.) The way Alex reacted, you’d think he had a Joe Theismann type injury or something.
But, enough about what I think here. What was your reaction/impression/thoughts on seeing A-Rod on the field, rolling around in the grass, behind the batting practice screen, yesterday?
Bill Madden’s latest is about A-Rod and his future. A few snips –
Now that he’s eased everyone’s angst over his 600th homer – only to renew it by getting struck in the shin by a batting practice line drive Saturday – Alex Rodriguez can reset his sights on a far less daunting number: 25. That would be 25 homers this season, which would be his lowest total since 1997, but considering his present pace, may not be so easy to attain.
One thing is certain about A-Rod as he resumes his climb toward Barry Bonds’ bogus Mount Olympus mark of 762 homers or even Hank Aaron’s legit 755: He’s slowing down. The combination of age (35) and injury, minus any performance-enhancing drugs, would appear to be working against him – and, if so, that is ominous news for the Yankees, who will be paying him an average of $27.5 million per season through 2017 hoping to cash in themselves on his becoming baseball’s all-time home run king.
It should be remembered that the 10-year, $275 million extension the Yankees gave A-Rod back in 2008 was Hank Steinbrenner’s deal, not Brian Cashman’s, but it is Cashman who must live with it and manipulate his roster around what figures to be a gradually fading superstar whose primary value to the team three to four years from now will be his asterisked pursuit of the home run record.
Let’s just say he finishes with 25 this year. That would leave him needing 155 to surpass Bonds. If he averaged 25 homers a season, it would take him more than six seasons. Maybe A-Rod has another few 30-35-homer seasons in him but all the evidence suggests not. And he will not have the luxury Bonds allegedly had of being able to juice almost right up to the end.
Meanwhile, what has to be of bigger concern to Cashman is how many more games A-Rod has at third base. How soon does the hip condition dictate his becoming a full-time DH? And then, at the same time, there is the matter of Derek Jeter, himself showing tell-tale signs of fading with age but who will nevertheless be commanding a four-year extension of over $100 million at the end of the year. It is not at all a stretch for Cashman to be facing a situation, as early as two years from now, of having two aging bookends, earning a combined $50 million-$55 million, whose primary position has to be DH.
All the more reason why winning another championship this season becomes imperative for Cashman and the Yankees, to help assuage the $180 million “deficit” A-Rod’s contract figures to be for them from next year on.
I remember seeing this on A-Rod, when the hip thing first came up, back in March of last year -
The Yankees have an insurance policy that will reimburse some of Rodriguez’s $32 million salary this year, a baseball official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team doesn’t discuss insurance publicly. Typically, insurance on baseball contracts pays back a team a specified percentage of the salary of a player on the disabled list, after a period of days for a deductible.
So, if the Yankees have an insurance policy on Alex, do you think they would rather see him not able to play, totally, some time around 2013, and collect the insurance on him, rather than have to keep him around, pay him, and not get the insurance over the remainder of his contract? I think, secretly, at times, maybe they do sorta/kinda hope for this – seeing how things are going for Rodriguez this year. And, it would be no sweat for A-Rod – because he’s going to get paid, no matter what.
Not much went the Yankees way after the Teixeira homer. Cervelli booted an easy pop up which lead to multiple unearned runs, the Yankees couldn’t hit with men in scoring position, and then the Red Sox bullpen shut the door.
Not sure what to make of Vazquez’s night. On the one hand, he did still let the runs score after the Cervelli error despite them being unearned. Yet, he seemed to have recovered after that to pitch pretty well up until the the Red Sox rookie Kalish’s first home run. I saw some things that I liked from Vazquez, such as how good his change-up was. The problem was that he started to over use the change-up after Ortiz absolutely crushed a fastball. He did crack out a few Vicente Padilla-esque curve balls against Adrian Beltre that made him look silly. Beltre’s swings were of the Loony Tunes helicopter variety.
Except for the broken bat single, everytime the Red Sox put the bat on Kerry Wood’s offering, they hit it hard last night. The balls just happened to find gloves. As long as Girardi uses Wood in Chan Ho Park situations, I’m fine with it. I wouldn’t put him in the game with the game on the line, however. You can’ discount his ability to miss bats, but you also have to factor in the fact that when he does get hit, he gets hit hard.
As far as the offense goes, Tex continued his power surge with a 2 run homer, his 4th in the last 6 games. Berkman continued to struggle as a Yankee (although he did get robbed of a hit by an outstanding play but Ellsbury). Cano had another multi-hit game, his 41st of the year. Hopefully Cano is about to go on another tear as he had been 1 for his last 15 prior to this game. All of his knocks were hard hit.
I know A-Rod is Kevin Long’s most notable student (he is on the cover of his dvd after all) but I think he’s done his best work with Nick Swisher. Swisher is having without a doubt his best season in the bigs. And I think you can credit his new (new for his career) swing. When it’s all said and done, I believe Swisher will get a few MVP votes this year. The Yankees wouldn’t be where they are without him.
I thought this article was interesting just because it mentioned that the Yankees and Red Sox use the same rules consultant (Rich Marazzi). I wonder what he does when it’s a matter of interpreting playing rules on a call that involves both Boston and New York? Further, I wonder why the Yankees would need a rules consultant, period, with all the attorneys that they have in their front office? You would think that one of them would be able to read the rules and figure it out…
With last night’s choke job, it’s officially raining on the Javy Vazquez parade now. And, it’s time to look at the numbers and see the picture that they’re painting on Vazquez this season.
To that end, we’re going to use Game Score which is a measure of pitching performance for starting pitchers developed by Bill James. For those not aware of what’s good or bad here, an average start would score 50.
Here are Javier Vazquez starts this season, including last night, ranked by Game Score:
| Date | Opp | Rslt | Inngs | Dec | IP | H | R | BB | SO | HR | BF | Pit | GSc 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10 | @ | SEA | L,1-4 | GS-7 | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 26 | 117 | 76 | |
| May 21 | @ | NYM | W,2-1 | GS-6 | W(3-4) | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 19 | 70 | 74 |
| Jun 6 | @ | TOR | W,4-3 | GS-7 | W(5-5) | 7.0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 26 | 106 | 72 |
| Jun 1 | BAL | W,3-1 | GS-7 | W(4-5) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 26 | 103 | 71 | |
| Jun 18 | NYM | L,0-4 | GS-7 | L(6-6) | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 109 | 68 | |
| Jul 5 | @ | OAK | W,3-1 | GS-7 | W(7-7) | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 110 | 67 |
| May 12(1) | @ | DET | L,0-2 | GS-7 | L(1-4) | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 27 | 97 | 64 |
| Jul 26 | @ | CLE | W,3-2 | GS-8 | W(9-7) | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 102 | 61 |
| Jun 12 | HOU | W,9-3 | GS-7 | W(6-5) | 7.0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 27 | 95 | 59 | |
| Jun 30 | SEA | L,0-7 | GS-6 | L(6-7) | 6.0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 27 | 113 | 54 | |
| Apr 20 | @ | OAK | W,7-3 | GS-6 | W(1-2) | 5.1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 23 | 107 | 47 |
| Jul 31 | @ | TBR | W,5-4 | GS-7 | 6.1 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 102 | 43 | |
| Apr 14 | LAA | L,3-5 | GS-6 | L(0-2) | 5.1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 100 | 42 | |
| Aug 6 | BOS | L,3-6 | GS-6 | L(9-8) | 5.1 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 27 | 109 | 39 | |
| Jun 23 | @ | ARI | W,6-5 | GS-5 | 5.0 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 85 | 38 | |
| May 27 | @ | MIN | L,2-8 | GS-6 | L(3-5) | 5.2 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 112 | 32 |
| Apr 25 | @ | LAA | L,4-8 | GS-4 | L(1-3) | 3.2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 78 | 31 |
| Jul 21 | LAA | W,10-6 | GS-6 | W(8-7) | 5.0 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 80 | 30 | |
| May 1 | CHW | L,6-7 | GS-4 | 3.0 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 83 | 23 | ||
| Apr 9 | @ | TBR | L,3-9 | GS-6 | L(0-1) | 5.2 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 28 | 98 | 23 |
.
As you can see, Vazquez’ two best starts this season have come when he was facing bad offensive teams in extreme pitcher’s parks (Safeco and CitiField). And, overall, it’s not a reach to say that 8 of his 10 “above average starts” (meaning GS >50) have come against bad teams (like the Orioles, Indians, Astros, etc.)
Further, when Javier has faced teams like the Rays, Angels, Red Sox, Twins and White Sox this season, to date, teams that should be considered as contenders or close to it, he’s posted some very below average Game Score numbers like 43, 42, 39, 32, 31, 30, and 23. In fact, so far this season, 8 of his 10 “below average starts (meaning GS <50) have come against the Rays, Angels, Red Sox, Twins and White Sox.
Pretty interesting numbers here on Vazquez, no? In half of his 20 starts, he’s been above average and in half he’s been below average. And, in 80% (or thereabouts) of his above average starts he’s faced bad teams and in 80% of his below average starts he’s faced good teams.
This tells me that, at least in this season, Javy Vazquez is fine when facing a bad team – and he can do well in these situations. But, when you ask him to face a quality ballclub, he’s going to give you a less than average performance almost every time.
And, that’s why the Yankees would be a fool to trust Javier Vazquez in a big game – should the need arise for him to start one over the next two months and beyond, if New York plays in October, this season.
According to my count the Yankees are now 5-7 on MY 9 games. Tim McCarver up next and then ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, what a treat.
In his last 9 games. ‘Sado’s BA/OBA/SLG line is .188/.257/.313 (in 35 PA).
Small sample size? Sure. But, if Jorge ain’t hitting, then he’s not adding any value to the line-up. Perhaps that’s why he’s on the pine tonight?
He left Yankee Stadium for a helicopter ride with two Hollywood starlets. It’s not DisneyWorld, but, I suppose it would do…
Via PopSugar:
Alex Rodriguez was a lucky man with two beautiful blondes, girlfriend Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow, by his side boarding a helicopter in NYC on Wednesday. The actresses are friends who have worked together on environmental initiatives in the past, and the trio were spotted out to dinner in the city earlier this Summer. This is Gwyneth’s third pal who has been wrapped up with the Yankees slugger after Madonna’s famous relationship and Kate Hudson last year. Alex, Cameron, and Gwyneth headed off to celebrate his milestone 600th career home run, which he hit earlier in the day. Cameron and Alex were caught together on video on their way to the heliport, though the famous couple won’t be sitting down for lunch with a fan any time soon since no one caught the lucky ball.
The pictures are here.
I guess that Curtis Granderson and Robbie Cano had plans that afternoon – so, Alex took the girls instead. Either that, or, Rob Dibble was right.
Is that the little guy in the picture Brian Cashman?
No, actually, Cash is hanging out in a bar today. That’s what Hall of Famers do on a Friday.
Via John Harper today –
If Alex Rodriguez’s protracted pursuit of his 600th home run somehow messed with the Yankees’ equilibrium, as it seemed, then he got it out of the way just in time. Because as gutty as the Red Sox have been in fighting off a relentless wave of injuries, they are only in this AL East race if the Yankees let them in this weekend.
In truth, after learning Thursday that Kevin Youkilis will have thumb surgery and is out for the season, the Red Sox appear ready to be put away for the season.
But do these Yankees have that killer instinct?
Therein lies the intrigue to this four-game series. Joe Girardi’s ballclub is 27 games over .500, once again in first place, mostly because it has beaten up on the dregs of the American League, going 23-8 against the Orioles, Indians, Royals and Mariners, yet it has looked vulnerable at times against the better teams in the league.
In fact, the Yankees are only 14-14 vs. the Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays this season, and it remains to be seen if that’s anything more than a testament to the strength of the AL East.
This ties into what I was saying a week ago. Right now, the Red Sox are a wounded wolverine backed into a corner fighting for their life. And, the Yankees should anticipate having their hands full in this series. If New York doesn’t, we could be looking at a three team race in the A.L. East on Tuesday morning.
Vis Joel Sherman today -
Already in 2010 — with seven years left on that contract after this season — we see a [Alex] Rodriguez hitting for less power, running way less frequently, needing more rest and being susceptible to southpaws. Do you think that will get better or worse in 2011? How about 2013? How about 2017, which is the final year of the contract, at which time Rodriguez will be 42?
Could he rebound? Sure, betting against a talented player is never a great idea. Remember that Rodriguez hit two homers and seven RBIs in his final regular-season inning last year to reach 30 and 100. He followed with a brilliant postseason. So maybe hitting that 600th homer Wednesday against Shaun Marcum will serve as liberation. With all the dents, Rodriguez still has the second-most RBIs in the majors; still remains a force that the Yanks are elated to have in their lineup at present.
But it would seem another hip surgery is as likely in his future as a whole season that evokes the best of his past; especially when you see so many days now when the fluidity is absent from a once graceful athlete.
We have seen this before: Carlos Delgado, Roberto Alomar, and Albert Belle come to mind. Players on a Cooperstown path and then their bodies just broke down. Could it happen to A-Rod too? Sure, maybe. Then again, maybe not. Right now, it’s probably fifty-fifty, either way. But, still, the Yankees are probably not too thrilled about those odds.
Via George King -
Having acquired Lance Berkman and Austin Kearns this past weekend it would appear the Yankees wouldn’t have room for Jose Guillen.
Nevertheless, the Yankees aren’t shutting the door on acquiring the much-traveled 34-year-old outfielder who was designated for assignment yesterday by the Royals. They have 10 days to deal Guillen or release him.
Two weeks ago a Yankees official said there was no interest in Guillen, who told teammates at Yankee Stadium that he was close to becoming a Yankee. Now, the Yankees will track Guillen, who is expected to clear waivers since he is owed roughly $3.9 million for the remainder of this season.
Guillen, whose next team will be his 10th, has a reputation as a malcontent. Nevertheless, a person who knows him believes a seven-week stint in The Bronx wouldn’t be a problem.
“If he is playing, all you have to do is leave him alone,” the person said. “He has enough power and bat speed to get through. He has always been able to hit the fastball but has been injury prone in the outfield.”
Guillen has been bothered by a hamstring problem this year. In a recent series at the Stadium, he played one game in the outfield and looked limited running.
Guillen, who is in the final season of a three-year, $36 million deal, has 16 homers, 62 RBIs and is hitting .255.
Guillen, a headcase, has not been very effective against LHP the last couple of years. So, I’m not sure how he would help the Yankees now? But, what would be interesting is what the Yankees would do, if they picked him up, and he requested to wear #6 (which has been his number of choice on most of the teams that he’s played for in his career). Could be a tip-off as to how bad the blood is between the team and Joe Torre these days.
Have you seen the current projections at CoolStandings.com?
Now, if this happens, that would be something! The last time that two teams in the A.L. East each won 100+ games in the same season was 1980. (Last time it happened in the A.L., period, was 2001 when the A’s and M’s did it.)
See: Keeping Score: An Ace, and Some Hope, Return for Red Sox @ Bats Blog – NYTimes.com, for more on this one. And, feel free to discuss it in the comments section here.
Here are just a few things I have been thinking about recently:
Robinson Cano and WAR
Robinson Cano is leading all of baseball in Wins Above Replacement (for position players) with 5.4. Even though he is hitting just .243 since June 20th, he is still at a very healthy .325/.381/.564 clip for the year.
Despite his great season, Cano might lose the MVP race to Josh Hamilton or Miguel Cabrera. The leading WAR’er has failed to win the MVP only twice in the past ten years (Albert Pujols in 2003 and 2006).
Robinson Cano and Games Played
One of the reasons Cano is leading in WAR is that he plays every day. He has missed just two games in the last two years, and he’ll likely play in 159+ games for the fourth straight year.
No Yankee has ever played in 159 or more games for four straight years. Not Derek Jeter. Not Don Mattingly. Not Bernie Williams. No one. It’s a testament to Cano’s work ethic and his willingness to play every single day.
This might be unfair to some of the pre-1961 players, but not even Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, or Mickey Mantle managed four straight 150+ game seasons. Lou Gehrig, of course, was the exception.
Mariano Rivera and WHIP
Mariano Rivera failed to allow a hit or a walk in yesterday’s 5-1 win. Why was this significant? His career WHIP dropped below 1.
Only Addie Joss (who pitched from 1902-1910) has a better career WHIP than Rivera. Joss had a 0.9678 WHIP, while Rivera’s is 0.9994.
Among pitchers who have pitched since 1920, here are the closest anyone has come to a career WHIP under 1:
Pedro Martinez, 1.0544
Trevor Hoffman, 1.0558
Juan Marichal, 1.1012
Dick Hall, 1.1019
Sandy Koufax, 1.1061
It really is amazing that Rivera is having one of his finest seasons at the age of 40. Hitters are hitting .144/.194/.200 against him, and his 0.91 ERA would be a career low.
The Yankee Starters
The Yankees are having a down year offensively, but they have still maintained the best record in baseball primarily due to the health of the starting pitchers. With the exception of Andy Pettitte, no starter has had a stint on the Distabled List, and only seven different pitchers have started games.
The last time the Yankees used as few as seven starters in a season was in 1994. The last time they used as few as eight was in 1997.
For comparison’s sake, the Yankees had fourteen different starting pitchers in 2005 and 2007.
The Upcoming Series Against Boston
The Yankees have swept Boston at some point in August in three of the last four years. There was the memorable five-game sweep at Fenway in 2006, a three-game sweep in 2007, and last year’s unforgettable four-game sweep at home.
I’m expecting much of the same this weekend.
Thanks to Baseball Reference for the information.
Starting pitcher probables for this weekend’s wrap-around series between the Red Sox and Yankees:
Friday – Buchholz vs Vazquez
Saturday – Lackey vs Sabathia
Sunday – Beckett vs Burnett
Monday – Lester vs Moseley
As a Yankees fan, which game are you most looking forward to this weekend and which on are you least looking forward to?
Me? Vazquez and Burnett always scare me on the big stage. And, Moseley is in a mismatch on Sunday against Lester.
It’s very possible that the Red Sox will take three of four this weekend. The key against that is Vazquez and Burnett. One of those guys is going to have to throw a gem…I suspect…if the Yankees want to split or take this series. And, considering that Boston needs at least three wins here, a split for New York is not the end of the world.
Curtis Granderson blogs over at Yahoo! Sports and offered his first-person view of what it was like watching the chase for 600 homers.
One part in particular stuck out to me (warning, extra-long block quote):
When people ask about Alex, I just remain truthful. He is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. His drive and passion to win is above any individual accomplishments he could achieve. On top of all that, he is an amazing teammate. After the trade, he called me within minutes to welcome me to the team. Other players followed, but he made that first phone call and made me feel welcome. When I came to New York for my press conference to be announced as a Yankee a week later, Alex flew in from Florida to show his support. He has helped me with everything else in New York from hitting to which route is the best to take home after a game.
I think it’s easier for people to get caught up and judge people based on what they see on SportsCenter, or read on Page 6 or even here on Big League Stew, but just remember that you don’t always get the whole story that way. I’ve had a lot of teammates in my career when you consider my time in the minor leagues, in Detroit and here in New York. But there is no doubt that Alex Rodriguez is one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.
In light of some of the tabloids and talking heads killing him, it’s refreshing to see a little perspective here from Curtis.
Via the Daily News –
The last 16 years have cast some dark shadows over baseball, says Ken Burns, and those shadows are the reason he finally broke his no-repeats rule and returned to the game he chronicled in his 1994 PBS maxi-series “Baseball.”
The initial motivation, however, Burns cheerfully admitted to members of the Television Critics Association here yesterday, is that his Boston Red Sox finally won the World Series, in 2004.
“The Red Sox made me think about it,” he said. “Steroids made me do it.”
“The Tenth Inning,” to air on PBS Sept. 28-29, is by Burns standards a short, clocking in at just four hours.
It traces the major stories of baseball since 1994, including the exhilaration of the late-’90s home-run explosion followed by the deflation from the revelation that many homers were powered by steroids.
It also tracks the rise of Latin players, who Burns said have “dominated the game for the last 20 years.”
And yes, of course, the Red Sox.
For the 1994 series, Burns said, “I had to edit so many terrible moments where the Red Sox ended up losing – 1946, 1967, 1986.”
For the 2004 series, he gets to edit not only a Red Sox win, but “the greatest comeback in the history of the game,” when the Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit in games to defeat the Yankees for the American League pennant.
Burns also follows the Yankee teams that won four World Series from 1996 to 2000. He noted that his co-filmmaker, Lynn Novick, is a Yankee fan.
Somehow, I suspect, that the focus on the Red Sox on 2004 is going to be larger than that on the 1996-2000 Yankees. And, if true, this could be painful to watch…but, I’ll be watching it, nonetheless. How about you?
Looks like Ronan Tynan is never considering a return to Yankee Stadium. Via Shooting the breeze with Ronan Tynan in the Dorchester Reporter today –
Q. How does Boston compare to New York City?
Ronan Tynan: Boston is beautiful. New York City and Boston are two very different things. New York is a city of ten million people, while Boston is a lot smaller of a community. Boston is very accessible, and I’ve found that the people here are very friendly.
Q. So do you root for the Red Sox or Yankees?
Ronan Tynan: What do you think? I live in Boston. I sang at the Sox game on the 4th of July. They lost, but that happens.
In case you’ve missed it, check out: Yankees Fans Give Wardrobe Lesson to Red Sox Fans Heading to Yankee Stadium .
Mark Heisler writes about George Steinbrenner’s Evil Empire.
It’s a very long, but, very interesting read.
Everyone has an opinion on Alex Rodriguez and his 600th career home run today. Here are just a few:
And, the back page of the Daily News was not kind to A-Rod.
In the past 15 hours, I’ve listened to quite a bit of sports talk radio – both local and national outlets – and the coverage on A-Rod has been huge. I’ve heard from media members who covered Alex in Seattle and beyond. I’ve heard from former players who once played against him. I’ve heard from former players who claim to have friends among the current members of the Yankees team. And, I’ve heard from media members and baseball commentators – again, both local and national.
And, the word that’s come up the most when discussing Rodriguez, how he acts, what people think of him, etc. was: Disingenuous.
That’s a somewhat fancy word. And, for those not into those types of words, this is what it means: Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating.
Is A-Rod disingenuous? Yeah, I can see how some people would feel that way about him.
But, here’s the question – is that condition enough to bring cause for you, as a baseball fan, to dislike the player and not be enamored with his accomplishments?
Me? I think it’s basic human nature to follow this course. Ever meet someone for the first time and your immediate impression, based on the way they act and what they say, is “Holy Smokes! This guy is full of BLEEP!” I think many have had this happen at one time or another, no? And, when it does, do you not then form an opinion of dislike for the person? Again, I think many people would react this way.
Forget that it’s “Alex Rodriguez” and assume it’s someone else, anyone, real or imagined. But, say that there’s a strong case that the ballplayer is disingenuous. Would that vibe rub you the wrong way and be a major turn-off regarding said player?
