I’m not 100% sold that it was White’s voice that I was reading. Nonetheless, it was a very entertaining and educational read. (Maybe it was White’s voice? If it was, he’s got an incredible ability to recall details and facts. Everything in the book was spot on, as far as I could tell. But, usually, when an autobiography is that replete and error-free, I always assume a crafty and astute co-author and/or editor did most of the heavy lifting.)
What I enjoyed most about this one was that it served, somewhat, like a baseball history primer for the period from the 1950′s through the 1990′s – with lot of inside insight and information – as well as a telling you, at times, what was going on around the country, in general.
Bill White led an incredible life and is an intelligent person – while also being a “man’s man.” Related, his story in “Uppity” is one that I would recommend to any baseball fan – and not just for Yankees fans.
Like I said, I read it in one day (while I was serving jury duty). And, it wasn’t out of boredom. I was enjoying it so much, that I just wanted to keep reading it…and, before I knew it, I read the whole thing in one sitting. There’s no higher compliment that I can give a book than that one.
If you combine his last 188 AB from 2010 to his first 29 AB of 2011, then Curtis Granderson is batting .235 in his last 217 AB.
Then again, in his last 1,126 AB since 2009, Granderson is batting .246 over that span.
If you ask me, Granderson is just a .240 hitter. And, this goes back even more than “Since 2009.” Over his last 213 AB in 2008, Granderson hit just .235.
So, over his last 1,339 regular season ABs, Granderson’s BA has been a .244 hitter. (No pun intended on the “has been” part.) Therefore, why should we expect anything else from him at this point?
[Derek Jeter is] hitting .206, raising concerns in the Bronx that, at the least, maybe that four-year deal wasn’t the greatest of ideas for the soon-to-be 37-year-old. Jeter has hit an inordinate number of weak grounders and has only one extra-base hit so far. He won’t admit he’s worried, but others are wondering whether his adjustments to his stride (he eliminated the stride this winter, and now it’s back occasionally) is a tipoff to troubles. But others say not to read too much into so few games and a bit of tinkering (the great Yankee Don Mattingly was famous for doing the same thing). Jeter himself said, “It’s only nine games.” Even so, the speculation persists. Jeter supporters point out he’s been through bad streaks before, sometimes when he wasn’t completely healthy. But one scout says, “He’s been tardy” (on pitches), and another flat out says, “He looks done.” That’s doubtful. But one thing’s for sure, and that’s this. “I’m done talking about it,” he says.
Robin Yount was “done” at 37. So, maybe it’s true for Jeter too? Still, you have to give it some more time before you stick a fork in the guy.
There has been so much attention focused on the Yankees failing to get Cliff Lee last July and then again in the offseason that it is easy to forget that they dabbled with the idea of obtaining Dan Haren last July, as well, and offered some frustration that Houston never made them fully aware that Roy Oswalt was available. Perhaps the Yankees should have tried harder to obtain Haren and pushed harder to keep track of what was going on with Oswalt.
Haren pitched a one-hitter against the Indians on Tuesday night. That moved him to 8-4 since joining the Angels last July with a 2.43 ERA. In his 17 starts, he has failed to complete six innings just one time – his debut with the Angels last July 26. Meanwhile, since joining the Phillies, Oswalt is 9-1 with a 1.81 ERA, which is the best ERA in the majors (minimum 50 innings) in that timeframe. Oswalt has pitched fewer than six innings just once in 14 starts for Philadelphia.
The Yankees did not pursue Haren or Oswalt the way they might have because they believed that even after failing to obtain Lee in a trade, that they would simply sign the lefty in the offseason as a free agent. But, with hindsight, you could see how if the Yankees obtained either of those pitchers in July 2010, they would have been better constructed for the 2010 playoffs and the 2011 regular season ((both have contracts that covered them for 2011; Oswalt has an option for 2012, Haren for 2013). In fact, friends of Andy Pettitte had said that the lefty would have come back this year if the Yankees had been able to sign Lee. So maybe he would have felt the same way if the Yankees had Haren and, especially, Oswalt, who is a pal of Pettitte’s from their time together with the Astros.
If the Yankees have Pettitte in tandem with either Haren or Oswalt, right now, they would be viewed as the no-questions-asked AL East favorite. Especially since both would have cost considerably less in dollars than Lee (Oswalt makes $16 million this year, Haren $12.75 million), which would have given the Yankees plenty of maneuverability to either sign Rafael Soriano in the offseason or use the money in some other fashion.
…In fact, friends of Andy Pettitte had said that the lefty would have come back this year if the Yankees had been able to sign Lee. So maybe he would have felt the same way if the Yankees had Haren and, especially, Oswalt, who is a pal of Pettitte’s from their time together with the Astros…
Wow.
Of course, this is speculation. But, I could see how it may be true. Pettitte might have come back, and did all the work, and put up with being away from home, if he smelled another ring. If true, related, he might have said “screw it,” if he thought that this Yankees team didn’t have the horses to get to October – even with him there.
It’s possible. But, then again, it’s possible this was not the case too.
As a Yankees fan living in the Rochester area I always take an interest when the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (or the S-WB Masons, as I call them) come to town. The following is from today’s Rochester Democrat and Chronicle sports page, and it raises an interesting question in my mind: What to do with Jorge?
How many times, since 1919, have the Yankees only had 4 baserunners in a game, or less, while whiffing at least a dozen times in the contest? Here’s the answer:
Check out out who started that May 23, 1995 game for the Yankees. And, for the record, the Yankees had 5 BR when they were “no-hit” by Houston in 2003.
Who would you say has the most distinct batting stance in Yankees history? Is it Joe D (above)? Oscar Gamble? Roy White? Roger Maris? Jeter? Donnie Baseball? Gil McDougald? Reggie? Bucky? The Bambino? Someone else?
MLB Network’s MLB’s 20 Greatest Games continues on Sunday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET when Aaron Boone, Pedro Martinez and Bernie Williams join series hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci to discuss Game Seven of the 2003 ALCS between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, which is ranked as the sixth best game of the series. Throughout the episode Boone, Martinez and Williams discuss the intensity of the series, former Red Sox manager Grady Little’s decision to keep Martinez in to pitch during the eighth inning, the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera three-inning shutout relief performance, and Boone’s walk-off home run to win the series. A clip of the episode detailing Little’s strategy during the eighth inning can be viewed here.
The Boston Red Sox, as many know, have started off this season 0-6. In the process, they have scored just 16 runs in six games while allowing 38 runs. And, they’ve lost contests in some ugly ways – see yersterday’s game, losing on a squeeze play and ending the game with a runner picked off. In terms of bad, the Bosox are playing at a ’62 Mets level right now.
That said, how important is it for the Yankees to keep the Red Sox down on the ground with New York’s foot clamped on Boston’s throat over the next three games where these two teams meet up? How terrible would it be for the Yankees, say, if the Red Sox light up Mr. “I can’t throw ninety” Hughes and romp over New York in their home opener at Fenway today? Would that be like Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS all over again and ignore the DNR on the Sox?
Yes, it’s silly to compare April and October baseball. O.K., how about April and July baseball?
Remember July 24, 2004? Coming into that Yankees-Sox game, Boston was in second place, 9.5 games behind the Yankees, and had lost 7 of their last 11 games. They were trending towards being cooked. Then A-Rod gives them a spark and Boston won 46 of their last 66 and continued to play well through the post-season.
It would be great if the Yankees won two, or three, of these games against the Red Sox. But, what if they don’t? Worse, what happens if Boston sweeps New York – especially given how terrible they have played in their first six games. Would Fenway go crazy and could that be a spring board to get the Red Sox rolling?
Joel Sherman suggests that maybe he phoned it in last night -
After his first meltdown as a Yankee, which led to a 5-4 Minnesota triumph in 10 innings last night, [Rafael] Soriano vanished. He never came to his locker. A flustered Yankees media relations official conceded Soriano probably dressed quickly and departed, leaving others to explain his ineffectiveness.
This would not be quite as big a deal if Soriano’s reputation were closer to pristine. But in previous stops in Atlanta and Tampa Bay, he was known for being prickly, reclusive, determined not to be used in any way, but how he thought fit. Last year he expected, for example, to be deployed only for a full inning in save situations.
There were members of the Rays who felt, for example, that Soriano did not invest fully when asked to pitch the ninth inning of a 3-1 deficit of Game 3 of last year’s Division Series against the Rangers. That was an elimination game.
Thus, when his attention and fastball seem off, there is natural wonder if Soriano does not think 4-0 in the eighth inning is worth his full attention. That would have been among the questions asked had he handled last night with professionalism. Instead, he fled, leaving uncertainty if this was a singular poor effort for a talented pitcher or a bad omen for a bad actor.
“I think he was there mentally,” said Russell Martin, among those answering questions in Soriano’s absence. “He was throwing the ball with conviction, I think.”
I’m starting to like Russell Martin in a Mike Gallego meets Joe Girardi kind of way. But, of course, I reserve the right to reverse this call should the league start to catch up with him and he turns into the second coming of Joe Oliver.
The other day, I thought about the potential of the Yankees having an interest in Jose Reyes once he becomes free agent this off-season. And, I almost wrote about it here. But, then I looked at Reyes’ career OBA number and the decrease in his steals, and factored in the Jeter contract, and the few places in the line-up where the Yankees could move Jeter, and I thought “Nah, there’s no chance of this happening.” So, I said nothing and filed the thought.
Tracy Ringolsby the other day wrote about the recent failures around the Cleveland Indians -
And to think, for a seven-year stretch from 1995-2001, the Indians were what other teams wanted to be. They were a homegrown champion. Six times, they advanced to the postseason. They surpassed three million fans in a season six times. In 1995, they won their first AL pennant in 41 years.
The fans responded. The Indians set what was then a major league record with 455 consecutive sellouts from June 12, 1995, to April 4, 2001. The ticket demand was so strong that in three of those seasons, the Indians sold every available ticket before Opening Day.
This being my first post here, I’d like to thank Steve Lombardi for maintaining this blog, and for giving me a place to go to read and talk Yankees for these past few years. Thanks Steve.
DirecTV has been granted an extension until Thursday “in order to continue negotiating with the goal of reaching a new agreement,” YES Network reported this morning.
The contract between the satellite company and regional sports network expired at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. (Click here to vote in our poll about the DirecTV/YES Network dispute.)
The extension will allow subscribers to see at least five additional Yankees telecast. Today’s game is on the Fox network, but the next five — Sunday against the Tigers, and a four-game series against the Twins — are scheduled for YES.
For those of us out-of-towners who watch most of the Yankees games via Extra Innings Package, this is season defining. I’m not sure who’s the bad guy in this mess, but if DirecTV drops YES, the fans are the big losers.
Interestingly, YES stayed on throughout the game and was not blacked out as usual, requiring a channel switch to the 700′s, where extra inning content is located.
Great stuff from Joel Sherman today on Phil Hughes -
Do you want the bad news or the worse news?
Do you want to hear that Phil Hughes lacked velocity or that he compounded it by being unable to locate?
Or do you want the really, really, really troubling news? That this has been going on for weeks. That pitching coach Larry Rothschild and Hughes already have tried a bunch of remedies throughout spring training and — as of this moment — have unearthed neither a reason why the righty has lost fastball life nor a way to solve the deficiency.
Hughes thinks his arm swing is too long. Rothschild says that maybe more long tossing will provide a solution. Joe Girardi talks still about Hughes needing to build arm strength when we just finished that little thing called spring training which — above all else — is stretched to six weeks so pitchers can build arm strength.
“It’s a little disconcerting, right now,” Hughes said.
Of course it is because of the really, really, really troubling news: Hughes is not a fifth starter anymore, like at this time last year. Yes, A.J. Burnett pitched in the second slot, but in a sodium- pentothal moments Yankees offi cials would reveal it is Hughes they imagine falling in as the No. 2 man behind CC Sabathia.
Instead, Hughes has emerged as the early No. 1 rotation head ache, wresting the crown from the reigning champ: Burnett.
“This is going to be a concern until you see [velocity],” Rothschild said. “When you get going and start to see velocity, you can relax a little.”
Suffice it to say, this is no relaxation moment for the Yankees. Hughes was terrible yesterday in a 10-7 Tigers victory; running scared from a fastball he rightfully had no faith in.
He threw 40 fastballs in all — and never got a swing and miss on a single one. He hit 91 mph five times in the first inning, and then never again. He pitched mainly at 87-89 and admitted he does not locate well enough to excel at that speed. Translation: He is going to pay for more mistakes at that speed than at 91-94 mph.
It’s amazing, but, we’ve been talking about the lack of speed on Hughes fastball, on and off, since 2007. Seriously, do a search on this blog with the terms “Hughes MPH” and you’ll see it.
In the first inning, the YES gun had Hughes at 91 MPH with his fastball. (For what it’s worth, Gameday had him at 90 MPH in the first.) And, through the fifth inning, I was still seeing 91 MPH on the heater for Phil. (Most of the time it was 91 MPH. Sometimes it was 90 MPH and other times it was 89 MPH. But, again, most of the time it was 91 MPH.)
So, what happened to the theory that it was his leg that caused Hughes to lose four MPH on his fastball? He’s as healthy as a horse now, and, still, we’re seeing 91 MPH.
Sure, some probably want to scream “It’s the slow YES gun!” Well, through the first five innings, the same YES gun had Toronto’s Dustin McGowan around 94 MPH with his fastball. And, the YES gun had Brian Bruney throwing around 95 MPH and Joba Chamberlain in the mid-to-high 90′s. If the YES gun is slow, then McGowan, Bruney and Chamberlain were all throwing 100 MPH – which I cannot believe is true.
Now, at this point, Phil Hughes featuring a 91 MPH fastball is no big deal. With his curve, as long as he has command of the fastball, he’ll be fine – as he was this evening.
Where this becomes an issue is the year 2018. If Hughes is throwing 91 MPH as a 21-year old, he’s not going to gain speed as he gets older. It doesn’t work that way. Give him about 2,000 big league innings and he will lose four MPH on his fastball (at the least). And, then, Phil Hughes will be a 31-year old pitcher who features a fastball that’s in the range of 89 to 87 MPH. And, that’s not good.
Looks like 2018 has come seven years early, huh?
Actually, Paul LoDuca, of all people, on FOX Sports Extra last night had an interesting theory. He said that guys, like Hughes, who throw cutters and curves too much just fry their elbows. (Aaron Sele, anyone?) And, that’s why his velo is down – he’s cooked. (LoDuca did add that Mo Rivera was an exception because of his delivery and the fact that he only throws a natural cutter – and his elbow is spared the stress that someone like Hughes has…between the big bending curve and the forced cutter.)
If it’s true that “Phranchise Phil” is toast, that’s bad news for the Yankees rotation this season. Of that, most would agree.
Two days ago, we had the 2011 Opening Day parade for my son’s Little League.
Last season, both my son and daughter played Little League ball – she was in Girl’s Rookie/Coach Pitch and he was T-Ball in the Spring and then Rookie/Coach Pitch Baseball later in the Fall. It was their first year of Little League.
In 2010, I was able to help out with both of their teams in an unofficial capacity – assisting when needed at practices and coaching the bases during Fall Ball.
This season, only my son is playing Little League – again in Rookie/Coach pitch. (He’s seven years old now.) And, I am officially a coach on his team this season - having attended all the clinics and certification classes that our league requires.
For me, being a part of his team’s coaching staff in an honor and a thrill. Related, I’ve been very interested in reviewing as many coaching and training resources as I can these days – and was very pleased to have recently checked out Trent Mongero’s Winning Baseball for Beginner to Intermediate Play.
Trent Mongero was a switch hitting shortstop at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Division I). While there, in 1989, he was voted the CAA “All-Conference” shortstop and “Conference Player of the Year.” After college, he played a season in the Atlanta Braves farm system.
Since then, Trent has been coaching high school baseball for over 19 years and currently is the head coach at North Hall High School in Gainesville, Georgia. Mongero is also currently an associate scout for the Atlanta Braves.
In addition to his high school coaching duties, in 2001, he was co-head coach of the American Legion Post 10 squad that played for the North Carolina State Championship. Also in the summer of 2001, Trent was part of the Wilmington Sharks coaching staff. (The Sharks play in the Coastal Plains League which is a summer league consisting of many top college players in the country.) When Mongero was there in 2001, the Sharks won the CPL Championship.
Trent also instructs at some of the top college baseball camps – including the University of South Carolina, the USA National Team and the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).
Mongero has coached many players – including 12 athletes who have signed professionally and more than 80 student-athletes who have furthered their baseball careers at the collegiate level.
Within “Minimum Skill Expectations” there are chapters for “T-Ball” (Ages 4-6), “Coach or Machine Pitch” (Ages 7-8), and “Player Pitch” baseball (Ages 9-10). In each chapter, Mongero details the fundamental offensive and defensive skills for that level as well as providing information on the mechanics that should be covered for that age group. He also covers how to coach game skills at each level.
I found the information in each of these chapters to be top-notch and extremely useful. And, while the chapters included many excellent color photos that aid the learning experience, this is a good spot to note that Winning Baseball for Beginner to Intermediate Play is not just a “How To” soft-cover manual. Along with the book comes a 4-hour instructional DVD. Between the text and photos in for each instructional item, and the companion DVD, Winning Baseball for Beginner to Intermediate Play is everything you need to know about teaching kids ages four to ten proper baseball skills appropriate for their age.
However, on top of that, within “Outside The Lines” there are chapters on eliminating bad habits and keeping the game fun as well as highlighting common hitting and pitching flaws (and how to correct them). Also within this section is a chapter on “The State of Youth Baseball” that I feel is a must read for anyone coaching kids baseball when it comes to dealing with the players and their parents.
In “Prepare To Coach,” Mongero covers coaching qualifications and a guide to run a baseball practice. And, in “Travel and All-Star Teams,” he covers everything associated to putting together such a team – in terms of coaching, budgets, fundraising, procedures, etc.
When you factor everything that is covered in Trent Mongero’s Winning Baseball for Beginner to Intermediate Play, and the quality of the information therein, and how it is supported with excellent photos and instructional DVD, I highly recommend this book to everyone who is involved in coaching youth baseball. In addition, I feel that anyone who has a child playing youth baseball would benefit greatly from this product as well. Lastly, if you’re a baseball fan, regardless if you have any interest in youth baseball, Winning Baseball for Beginner to Intermediate Play is a book/DVD combination that may interest you.
As a baseball fan, how many times have you heard about a pitcher “pushing the ball” or “jumping out at the plate”? Or, how many times have you heard about a batter “not loading” or “not staying inside the baseball”? When hearing things like this, do you really know what they mean? If you read Winning Baseball for Beginner to Intermediate Play you will know what they mean – because those types of matters are no different at the big league level than they are at the youth level.
Pretty funny stuff going on in Metsville these days. Via AM New York –
It’s still unclear what will happen to the SNY employee who aired a mocking “Family Guy” audio clip after the beleaguered Mets lost their season opener.
In a statement Saturday, SNY spokesman Andrew Fegyveresi alluded to some sort of punishment for the unnamed TV technician, saying the matter “is being dealt with internally.” Fegyveresi didn’t return a call seeking comment Sunday about the employee’s fate, but said in the statement that it was “a very poor decision by an individual employee.”
Viewers of Friday’s Opening Day game between the Mets and the Florida Marlins could briefly hear the clip played over the broadcast as the Marlins celebrated their 6-2 win.
The clip comes from an episode aired last fall in which the sardonic baby, Stewie, realizes Halloween was “a bigger letdown than being a Mets fan.”
In the next scene, he’s shown at an Opening Day Mets game in which an announcer says, “It’s Opening Day, and here’s the first pitch … and the season’s over!”
In Friday’s prank, though, viewers only heard the clip up to the word “pitch.”
Bloggers and fans of “Family Guy” were quick to post the gaffe online.
A Mets spokesman took the potshot in stride, telling the Daily News, “I’m sure that what happened was accidental, not malicious, and I’m sure the person who did it felt terrible.”
The dude is lucky that he works at SNY. If he worked for YES and pulled that stunt – albeit funny as heck – as punishment, he would have been sentenced to six months time listening to audio tapes of Tara Cannistraci and Suzyn Waldman covering the 1979 duet “No More Tears” (first performed by Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand).
I was at the Stadium today to see Bartolo Colon make his Yankees debut. When it happened, I stood up and took my son to see the Yankees Museum. (I had promised him in advance that we would check it out in the 5th inning.) And, when I started to excuse myself from our row, I announced to all those around me, pointing to my son, “He’s only seven years old. I’m sorry, but, he’s too young to allow him to see Bartolo Colon pitching for the Yankees.”
Several people laughed. That tells you what people think about this wonderful pitching find from the Mexican League…and that was when he was just warming up!
If you stand on the southwest corner of River Avenue and 161st Street, at the site of the old Yankee Stadium, there’s a viewing hole in the contruction site fence. And, looking in, today, this is what I saw, below.
Pretty cool, with the old “bat” in the background.
The Yankees have won their first two games of this season. And, since I will be attending their third game to start this year, it would be nice if they won three in a row with a “W” today. (Keep the ball in the park, Mr. Hughes, OK?)
Since 1919, how many times have the Yankees won 11 of more of their first 15 games? Here’s the list:
