Via MTV with a H/T to BBTF -

The New York Yankees are nine innings away from winning the World Series. If everything goes according to the Yanks’ plan on Wednesday night (November 4), Mariano Rivera will take the mound for the final handful of outs, leading the team to its first championship since 2000 and further cementing his reputation as the greatest closer in baseball history.

Rivera will have an unlikely fan pulling for him, one who’s become a pop superstar with a record-breaking four #1 singles off her debut album but who continues to see something of herself in the future Hall of Famer: New Yorker Lady Gaga. She’s a lifelong fan whose family bleeds Yankee pinstripes. As she told MTV News, Gaga believes her approach to pumping out hit song after hit song and outrageous performance after outrageous performance is not unlike Rivera’s approach to closing out a tight game.

“I’ve actually been making a lot of Yankee analogies in my interviews lately because I get asked, ‘Do you feel pressure? How do you feel when someone says this? Or do you feel like you have to top yourself?’ ” she explained. “I say I do feel like I have to top myself. But I feel like I’m Rivera. I’m a closer.”

Is it time for Mariano to ditch his usual entrance music, Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” and rush onto the field under the blaring electropop of “Poker Face”?

I believe we’ve found Ronan Tynan’s replacement…

Via The Fabulous Forum in the LA Times -

Now it can be told.

Although Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman is widely credited with making this year’s Yankees successful by signing the likes of CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett, it may have been something he said rather than something he did that got the team to the World Series.

New York was limping along in second place, five games off the pace in the American League East, when the team went into Atlanta for an interleague series in late June. Cashman met the team there and gave a clubhouse pep talk, after which the Yankees went a baseball-best 65-27. Including the playoffs, New York has won nearly 72% of its games since the Cashman speech.

“We were barely picking up wins and not playing good ball,” outfielder Johnny Damon said. “And when Cashman came and had a talk with us down in Atlanta, we got it going. And we’ve been able to battle every night because we know that every team out there was gunning for us.”

Know what?

Should the Yankees win one more game in this World Series, and earn a championship ring, instead of designing their ring with an interlocking “NY” as the jewel in the center, New York should commission rings with the likeness of Brian Cashman’s face, made out of diamonds, as the centerpiece of everyone’s ring.

Really, they should…

Betcha Cash opened that meeting with something like this:

The mind is a strange thing, men.
We must begin by asking it… …
“What is losing?”
Losing is a disease…..as contagious as polio.
Losing is a disease…..as contagious as syphilis.
Losing is a disease…..as contagious as bubonic plague…… attacking one… … but infecting all.
But curable.
Now, I want you to imagine…..you are on a ship at sea…
…gently rocking.
Gently rocking.
Gently rocking.
Gently rocking.

Yup. We’re sooooo lucky to have him on our side!

Continue reading »

Took the family out for lunch today at Bobby’s Burger Palace. Lots of fellow Yankees-jackets wearers in there this afternoon. Since it’s all counter-style sitting, I had the chance to listen in on a couple of conversations around me about the Yankees, the Series, etc.

It’s amazing how many people watch SportsCenter, or something like that, and become armed just enough to be able to talk about the team, or the Series, in terms of knowing a few immediate facts, and then talk about it all as if they really know what’s going on with the team, etc.,…but, in reality, the more they talk the more it becomes obvious that they’re no more knowledgeable about the game, Series, etc., than most people are knowledgeable about quantum mechanics…

As we left, my wife asked me “How many times did you want to correct those guys sitting next to us?” And, my answer was “So many times that I lost count…and then stopped caring, completely, about having a curious interest in what they were saying…”

Via the Daily News yesterday -

But it’s worth pointing out that Martinez twice made a bid to join his “daddies” in the family business – once when he was a free agent after the 2004 season, and again earlier this summer when he was also a free agent and worked out for numerous major league scouts.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that in both instances, there was a slim chance that Martinez was going to sign with the Yankees, but for very different reasons. Five years ago, Martinez’s monetary demands were one hurdle for George Steinbrenner and Cashman, but the more serious concern was the righthander’s long-term durability.

“At that time we had internal information about his health that turned out to be accurate,” Cashman said yesterday after the Yankees’ workout at Citizens Bank Park. “We thought he was going to break down and he did.”

Martinez eventually signed with the Mets for four years and $54 million, but the health worries proved valid, as he made just 79 starts for them, going 32-23 with a 3.88ERA. Martinez’s woes included missing most of 2007 after rotator-cuff surgery. Martinez had a separate meeting with Steinbrenner in Tampa during that winter of 2004-05, which Cashman did not attend, a meeting that Martinez reflected on fondly during a 2005 interview.

“You know, Mr. Steinbrenner was a gentleman. Everybody in the Yankees organization was very gentlemanly to me,” Martinez said then. A source familiar with the meeting said that Steinbrenner even teased Martinez about his unruly hair at the time, and said that if the righthander did sign, he would have to get a haircut.

This past summer, Cashman said Martinez was asking for $5 million for half a season, which was too rich for even the Yankees. Martinez eventually signed with the defending champion Phillies for $1 million, plus incentives.

“We took a look at him, but he didn’t throw well in front of us. They said he was throwing 95. He was throwing 87, 88,” said Cashman. “What he showed us wasn’t what we were told. He was looking for $5 million. When he recalculated his demand, he didn’t tell us about it. We might have had interest.”

Cashman said Martinez pitched “fantastic” on Thursday night, when the 38-year-old gave up three runs on six hits over six-plus innings, while striking out eight. Enough to warrant another look by the Yankees this winter, when he’ll be a free agent again?

“Every year we have to plan the trade and free-agent market. We’ll assess what we might like. We’ll line the boards up and rank them accordingly,” said Cashman. “But he clearly was healthy and pitched great.”

Now you know…apparently $4 million dollars is the difference between a “yes” and a “no” in Yankeeland these days…when it comes to taking a flier. Let’s just hope that four-mill doesn’t come back to haunt New York in Game 5 or 6 of this World Series (should there be a Game 6, of course).

Via the NY Post: Karen Burnett, wife to Yankees pitcher AJ, hangs out with Amber Sabathia, Kate Hudson and Michelle Damon.

When I look at this picture, the names that come to mind are: Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Charlotte York, Miranda Hobbes. And, then, I’m embarrassed that I actually know those four names.

Gotta go lift some weights and then watch a movie featuring guns, talking chimps, car chases, vampires, and fart jokes. And, maybe, after that, I should go hammer some nails and cut some wood. Yeah, I better do all that…and fast.

Headline says it all…

…anyone that wants a place to rant, feel free to do it here.

Headline says it all…

…anyone that wants a place to rant, feel free to do it here.

Headline says it all…

…anyone that wants a place to rant, feel free to do it here.

Via Bill Madden -

If nothing else, the Yankees’ inability to close out the ALCS in five games exposed some of their vulnerability that didn’t show up during the regular season when they led the majors with 103 wins.

Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher, who combined for 53 homers in the regular season, have been quieted in the postseason – especially Swisher, who will lug a .103 (3-for-29), one RBI, 10-strikeout postseason into Yankee Stadium for the rescheduled Game 6 tonight. And for whatever reason, the young power arms in the bullpen, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, have not fared well under playoff pressure.

A National League scout following the ALCS admitted Saturday he’s had to alter his report on the Yankees. “Before the series, I felt they were about the best overall team I’d seen in 30 years, with almost no weaknesses,” he said. “But in Swisher’s case, in hitting those 29 homers over the course of the 162-game season, he saw a lot of a mediocre or worse pitching and now he’s hit the wall in the postseason against much better pitching. You can see his mechanics and confidence are all messed up now.

“As for Hughes and Chamberlain, I didn’t like either of their body language in Game 5. It was the same with (A.J.) Burnett. That’s the Burnett I’ve seen over the last 5-6 years, a guy with great stuff who doesn’t pitch well in big-game pressure situations.”

I don’t agree with including Johnny Damon in this one. He’s had two homers in this series already. And, Hughes’ overall numbers this ALCS have been O.K. – but, agreed he has allowed some baserunners in bad spots. Joba & A.J.? Burnett choked in Game Five. Of that, I am pretty sure. And, Chamberlain has just been terrible this post-season. His WHIP is 5.00 pitching in 3 games and only recording 3 outs.

Now, Swishalicious has just been flat out exposed this October. He has 10 whiffs in 29 BA, overall. At this rate, he may be posting one of the worst post-season showings ever by a Yankees full-time position player. But, if the Yankees need to count on Nick Swisher to win a post-season series, then they have much bigger problems than Nick Swisher.

If you’ve been paying attention to this blog through the years, you would know that I’m a big fan of the Bill James Baseball Handbook. And, the Bill James Baseball Handbook 2010 is due to be released at the end of next week.

Related, the good folks at ACTA Publications recently were kind enough to share a “sneak peek” of the Hitter and Pitcher Projections from the Bill James Handbook 2010.

Checking those out, I found it interesting to see that they have the following AB totals and BA/OBA/SLG projections for some young Yankees outfielders in 2010:

Melky Cabrera: .278/.341/.406 in 471 AB
Brett Gardner: .277/.368/.375 in 325 AB
Austin Jackson: .294/.356/.411 in 282 AB

Granted, Jackson’s major league projection is based on his minor league numbers. But, it’s fun stuff to look at these projections and wonder who the Yankees should play in center field next season: Melky, Gardner or A-Jax? Then again, with Johnny Damon being a free agent and Nick Swisher playing his way out of town this post-season, maybe all three of these players will be manning the Yankees outfield in 2010?

That’s the beauty of a book like the Bill James Handbook 2010 – lots of great stats and the like which lead to some fun thoughts, questions, debates, etc. I’m sincerely looking forward to seeing this years edition when it comes out on November 1st.

Via Tom Verducci -

CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez have been here before: one win away from the World Series. Actually, between the two of them they have been here seven times before. And in seven games in which a victory would have put them in the World Series, their teams are 0-7.

Along the way, both players gained unflattering reputations for how they handled the pressure of October — Sabathia with his 7.71 ERA in five postseason starts and Rodriguez with his .138 batting average in 58 postseason at-bats since the Yankees, up three games to none against Boston, lost a ninth-inning lead in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.

Since their high-profile failures, each of them signed free-agent contracts with the Yankees, contracts that made Sabathia the highest-paid pitcher in baseball and Rodriguez the highest-paid player. Between the two of them they pull down $50.5 million a year, more than three teams (the Pirates, Padres and Marlins) pay their entire roster.

On Thursday night in ALCS Game 5, Sabathia and Rodriguez get another crack at the Fall Classic. This time is totally different. Both of them have blown away their notorious October reputations. They have not just been good this postseason; they have been historically great. Sabathia is 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA, and going all the way back to Aug. 2, he is 12-1 with a 2.24 ERA in 15 starts, 14 of them Yankees wins in which he has left the bullpen with no more than seven outs to clean up.

So go ahead and call Sabathia and Rodriguez money players, but this time it has nothing to do with their contracts. On Thursday night, after the collapses of Rodriguez’s 2004 Yankees and Sabathia’s 2007 Indians, the highest-paid pitcher and the highest-paid player are again one win away from playing in their first World Series. It is the eighth time they have been here, one win away. And yet it is unlike any other time.

• Rodriguez has made contact on 41 of his 46 swings this postseason, an 89 percent contact rate. In the regular season he made contact 78 percent of the time.

• Dating to his last two at-bats of the regular season, Rodriguez has put the ball in play 26 times. He has homered on seven of those 26 times. That means that one out of every three or four balls he hits fair is going out of the park. He is batting .500 on balls he puts in play in that span.

• Rodriguez has not gone more than seven at-bats this postseason without hitting a home run.

• Rodriguez is outhomering the competition by himself. He has five home runs in 27 at-bats this postseason. Opposing hitters against the Yankees this postseason have combined for three home runs in 262 at-bats.

I wonder if Hank Steinbrenner has called up Brian Cashman in the last few days and said “See, you wanted to let this guy walk. Good thing I stepped in and signed him to come back!” Nah, stuff like that doesn’t happen, does it?

In any event, I can’t imagine anyone being better with the bat than A-Rod’s been in these last seven post-season games…it’s almost super-natural…

…and, because of that, there is a very, very, small part of me that’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. Yeah, I know, that makes me a terrible person…shame on me, etc. But, am I the only one wondering about this?

Today, for no reason, I found myself thinking about people like Inside The Stadium Phil, Count The Rings Sean, 10th Inning Journal Phil, Canyon of Heroes Mike, Depressed Fan Brian, Yankees Chick, Scott Proctor Andrew, Baseball Savior Nick, and No Sense Worrying Jen…and sundry others who used to write about the Yankees on the internet.

You know, sometimes things happen and we hear about it – like Pete Abe getting a new gig, or, Kat O’Brien making a career change, or, the sad news about Todd Drew. But, sometimes, others who have spent a fair about of time writing about the Yankees just stop, for the most part, without it being big news.

Now, I happen to know some of the stories behind those who have elected to stop writing about the Yanks. Most times it’s family or work that’s taking up more of their time and not allowing them to “play” around with this stuff. And, I can appreciate that…very much so, in fact.

But, it does not change the fact that I miss their contribution to the Yankees Blogosphere…or whatever you want to call this medium of people adding Yankees content to the internet. So, of those who have moved on, who do you miss the most? Or, are there enough Yankees bloggers, etc., out there now that it’s no big deal if a few drop off the rolls? Heck, would you even miss me if I decided to hang it up? (That last one is a rhetorical question. I know that a few would miss me. Many others would throw a party. And, some wouldn’t even notice at all.)

Back to the main point…who do you miss among those who are no longer doing what they did on the internet with respect to covering the Yankees?

The other day, I was in a waiting area – one that I anticipated being in – reading Mike Vaccaro’ new book. (Since I knew I was going to be there, and had to wait, I brought the book along with me.)

A woman there asked me “What are you reading?” So, I told her that it was a book about the 1912 World Series.

Man, you had to see the look back she gave me…it was as if I had told her that everything in her life that she had believed to be true was a lie, and, in reality, she was just a figment in a dream playing out in the head of a platypus sleeping by a river in Tasmania…

So, I offered: “I guess it’s an acquired taste?” And, she just nodded back at me.

Shoot, baseball is such a wonderful sport – and it’s history is so robust. It’s a shame more people don’t get it. As I have mentioned in the past, everything there is to the history of baseball, and I use “everything” in the purest definition of the word, has a quicksand nature to it. Just when you believe that you have made some progress digging into it, along comes the realization that there is just as much still out there as when you first started. Heck, it’s a party. I wonder if those who don’t get it know what they are missing?

Joe Torre is in a living hell and may not return as manager next year?

Sounds like October 2007, right? Nope, it’s present day…how’bout that?

Jerry Manuel might be hearing footsteps…right…about…now.

If “Mr. T” hits the open market, you have to think the Mets would be interested, right? And, of course, Joe would love to come back to New York…no doubt…

Maury Brown has the story. (H/T to BBTF.)

Back in 1977, when I was a kid, I attended a baseball camp held at Wagner College. It was a great time – lots of instruction, played two games everyday, got to meet Ted Simmons and Claude Osteen. But, on days that it rained, we would work indoors, taking BP, etc. – and we would also watch old baseball films…the official ones from MLB…on a projector…such as the 1966 and 1971 World Series, and assorted All-Star Games. That was so much fun…back in the day.

This collection sounds like a wonderful holiday gift…too bad it has the 2004 and 2007 World Series in it…then again, that’s what the skip button on the remote is for…

I suppose…

Suzyn Waldman writes about the scene in Yankeeland after Game 3 of the 2009 ALDS -

The celebration on the field was pretty tasteful, considering they were not in their own “house.” The champagne celebration in the clubhouse was more subdued than the first one, as if, it was only a step towards much bigger champagne celebrations. The Yankees held a wonderful party in the hotel after the game…what struck me (besides the Dom Perignon) was how much this group actually likes each other, how the families like each other. I have never seen wives taking group pictures, players sitting together going over the game, watching the Philly-Rockies game, including everyone, at least not in THIS decade. Sing alongs at the piano…can you imagine…SING ALONGS at the piano!! Joe Girardi has built something very special in that clubhouse. By the way, if you read Page 6..(and what are you doing reading Page 6?) the stories of discord are “hooey!” Pure fiction.

So, does this mean: 2009 Yankees = 1979 Pirates?

And, if so, why was this not happening before “THIS decade”? (Still not sure I agree with that one, by the way. The Yankees seemed pretty close-knit in 2001 and 2003, no? Maybe Suzyn should have said “since 2004″ and not “THIS decade”?)

Brian Cashman introduces his Yankees who have a message for the Angels…

Continue reading »

Via Marc Carig -

“I think this team is one of our better teams we’ve had in awhile,” [Brian] Cashman said. “But I also think Anaheim is running out a much improved team too. Clearly, they were able to beat Boston and they haven’t been able to do that before. They’re more equipped. We’re more equipped.”

The Yankees used a three-game sweep of the Twins to differentiate themselves from the flawed teams that were responsible for five years of October agony. Simply by advancing — and doing so in convincing fashion — these Yankees have proved that they have awoken from a first-round slumber that Cashman called “a real nightmare.”

“This team is deeper in pitching,” Cashman said. “This team’s deeper on the bench. This team’s deeper in the bullpen, this team’s deeper offensively and we’re healthy right now…. We’re just stronger and deeper.”

Up against the wall in the clubhouse on Sunday night, Cashman maintained that the Yankees teams of recent playoff past were also good enough to win the World Series. His stance is not surprise: he was responsible for constructing those teams.

But even Cashman admitted that this time, there’s a difference.

“There’s no perfect team that we had,” Cashman said. “Those teams in the past had chances to run the table too. But you’ve got to recognize that this team is deeper, that’s all.”

Hey, Cash has a new song, and it’s “deep!”

Nobody gonna take my car…I’m gonna race it to the ground…Nobody gonna beat my car…it’s gonna break the speed of sound…oooh it’s a killing machine…it’s got everything…

Some comments from Tino Martinez on the present and recent former Yankees, via Ian O’Connor -

“They had gotten away from being the Yankees for a little while,” Martinez said Saturday by phone, “but now I think they’re back.”

The Yankees are back in Minnesota with a 2-0 ALDS lead, because their A-Rods, Teixeiras and Jeters of today are as comfortable with the stakes as the Tinos, Bernies, Brosiuses and Jeters of yesterday.

“I still believe this team has more talent on paper than we had when we won those championships,” said Martinez, who first made that concession in spring.

“But the thing I was concerned about was whether they would come together. Would they play together? Would they develop that attitude we had when we were winning in October?

“And I think they’ve answered those questions. You can’t get tested any more than they were [Friday] night. They had to have that game. That was as close to a must-win game as you’ll see, because you can’t let Minnesota go back to their place with momentum and a chance to close out the series.”

The Yankee teams of the recent past?

“Those teams probably would’ve folded in the ninth,” Martinez said. “They would’ve packed it in. And it’s been demoralizing to a former player to see other teams celebrating at our expense the last few years, especially when you know how Jeter and Mariano [Rivera] are feeling.

“But this team never quits. It’s reminiscent of what we did.”

The 2009 Yankees have players working on a $305 million deal (A-Rod), a $189 million deal (Jeter), a $180 million deal (Teixeira) and a $161 million deal (CC Sabathia). A.J. Burnett had to settle for eight-figure crumbs at $82.5 million.

“But once those guys signed the big contracts,” Martinez said, “they put that away and made their whole focus about winning. I don’t think some of the guys they brought in the last few years had that same feeling.

“A lot of guys are just happy to get the money, and then whatever happens on the field happens. Not these guys. You take CC and A.J. and Teixeira, and throw in [Nick] Swisher, and put them with the four guys who were there when I played; that’s a great combination.”

Well, back in May of 2005 and January 2007, I wrote that:

After the Yankees won four rings in five years (from 1996 to 2000), free agent players (or players with the ability to demand a trade) who had great resumes started lining up to come play in New York – because they wanted the money and they wanted a ring. However, many of these players came here (as I wrote back in May 2005) with the expectation that it was “some sort of birthright that you would win the World Series once you were on the Yankees. And, ‘just showing up’ was all they had to do.”

Basically, these players jumped on the bus looking for a free ride to a ring instead of being someone who was going to drive the bus for the team. On the whole, these are the types of players who have joined the Yankees, made almost unfathomable amounts of money in the process, and who had chances to carry the team to a ring (at one time or another) and failed miserably.

So, I sort of see where Tino Martinez is coming from…but, I’m still surprised to see him come out and say it in public…

Former Yankees skipper Joe Torre has now led his Los Angeles Dodgers to sweep-victories in the LDS for the last two years in a row. Where that magic was in 2005, 2006, and 2007, well, I dunno…

Via Richard Griffin –

What’s most important to Yankee fans is that A-Rod has had a stunning season on the field and deserves serious consideration for AL MVP. After missing the first 28 games while recovering from hip surgery, he returned on May 8 as New York sat third in the AL East with a record of 13-15. The rest of the way the Bombers went 90-44.

Consider that in the sixth inning of the season’s final game, he hit a three-run homer and a grand slam to finish with 30 homers and 100 RBIs for the 12th straight season. In the dugout as the inning was unfolding, he told teammates he would need a slam in order to do it. Then he went out and hit one.

A-Rod hit 15 homers and had 50 RBIs that either tied a game or put the Yankees in the lead. He has had six walk-off homers in his Yankee career. While A-Rod was out of action rehabbing his hip, prized free-agent acquisition Mark Teixeira struggled. As soon as Rodriguez returned, Teixeira took off and ended the season tied for the AL lead in homers with 39 and leading the league in RBIs with 122.

A-Rod’s image turnaround started with his mea culpa press conference at the start of spring training in which he confessed to limited steroid use, much as Andy Pettitte had the spring before. If fans forgave Pettitte, and they did, it would have been hypocritical not to cut A-Rod some slack, even though his confession was full of holes.

The exclamation point to his personal reclamation came in Game 1 against the Twins. Riding a 29-at-bat hitless streak with runners on base and with just one post-season RBI in 13 games since 2004, Rodriguez lined a two-out single into the gap in left-centre. As he rounded first, he gave a huge fist-pump of relief and the crowd, in turn, gave him a thunderous ovation.

“The only person who can change you is you,” Mr. October said in wrapping up his evaluation of A-Rod’s turnaround. “He’s signed up. If you evolve in New York, you become a hero. The people want him to be a hero – it’s that simple.”

Here’s what I don’t get…

In 2007, his “opt-out” season, A-Rod had one of the best seasons that a big league batter could hope to ever post. And, that season, he was huge in the clutch, winning games with big hits, left and right…

And, in Game 1 of the 2007 ALDS, Rodriguez wasn’t terrible – walking twice in four plate appearances…

So, to date, what’s the difference between 2007 and 2009 for A-Rod. Both clutch seasons, both decent starts in the ALDS, etc. And, this leads to this question: Should we have been saying, after Game 1 of the 2007 ALDS, that Alex had “evolved” and had become a “hero”?

If “no,” then why are we hearing it now? If “yes,” then, why are we saying it again now? This is either a non-story or a repeated story, when you consider 2007, etc., and do the compare…

Some good stuff from Mike Lupica today -

Here was Derek Jeter standing next to Reggie Jackson behind home plate, nine World Series titles between them, six with the Yankees, two of the greatest winners the old Stadium ever saw.

They were in the new Yankee Stadium with the same kind of red-white-and-blue bunting we always expected on the other side of the street; trimmings for a sports pageant – Yankees postseason baseball – that seems as old as the game, almost as old as the city.

Jackson, who hit three home runs to close out the 1977 Series, back when hitting home runs at Yankee Stadium was a bit more challenging, put it this way before another baseball October officially begins for the Yankees:

“Par here is making it to the World Series.”

The Yankees are never just happy to be here. They are not just happy to be one of the eight teams in the tournament. The Yankees are supposed to make it back to the World Series this year for the first time since 2003, win it for the first time since they beat the Mets in 2000.

The Yankees sell two things on 161st St., no matter on which side of 161st St. they’re playing: They sell history with both hands and they sell winning. But you can only sell so much history. And when the Yankees and their fans talk about winning, they don’t just mean the 103 games they won in the regular season.

“It’s not how they keep score here,” Jackson said.

As one Yankee said yesterday, “Maybe the real MVPs in the American League are Hal and Hank Steinbrenner for letting (general manager Brian) Cashman spend nearly half a billion on those three players last winter.”

They have been the best team before over the first 162. And somehow, even spending $200 million on talent every year, the only team in their sport to spend that way, always nearly $50 million clear of the field, they haven’t made it out of the first round of the playoffs since 2004.

The money is different here, the talent level is different, so is the history, so are the expectations.

So, if the Yankees don’t make it to the World Series this year, will it be open season on the team and/or front office? What do you think?

Rob Neyer highlights Ian O’Connor’s feature on this today. A snip:

On the recommendation of [Derek] Jeter’s agent, Casey Close, [performance trainer Jason] Riley pieced together a program of drills, and the shortstop started performing them in the first week of January 2008. Cone drills. Shuffle drills. Resistance drills.

Well, it’s not up there with having nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills, etc.

But, it seems that these drills have done Jeter good, no?

Mike Mussina, Paul O’Neill, Moose Skowron, Mel Stottlemyre, Ralph Terry, and Roy White talked to TSN about our currnet Yankees. Here are some highlights:

Alex Rodriguez’s Yankee playoff batting average is .245. Think he’ll top .300 this postseason?

Terry: “Probably not, because he’ll be facing premier pitchers in the playoffs. However, he seems to be hitting the hard throwers better. I’m sure he’ll be eager to do well. Never underestimate great players.”

Skowron: “No way.”

Robinson Cano is a dangerous — but underrated — hitter in the Yankees’ lineup. Who’s the Yankee you want up with two outs in the ninth in a big playoff game?

Stottlemyre: “Derek Jeter. He still has the ability to get the job done, and his desire and attitude are the best.”

O’Neill: “I’m still very confident with Derek Jeter in those situations. Some things never change.”

Mussina: “Mark Teixeira.”

White: “Robinson Cano.”

What’s the one area that worries you most about these Yankees?

Stottlemyre: “Can the pitching staff step up to allow the offense to score runs? Pitching must carry them in the playoffs.”

O’Neill: “The pressure of winning this many games and not finishing with a World Series win. The season becomes sort of a failure.”

Terry: “Catching. (Jorge) Posada is a big key. I hope he’s healthy. Him being in the lineup really makes them more dangerous.”

Skowron: “Nick Swisher.”

Who’s the most underrated Yankee?

Stottlemyre: “Mark Teixeira. He has lived up to the big contract and has played great defense along with his hitting.”

O’Neill: “Tie — Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano.”

Mussina: “Either Melky or Phil Hughes.”

Skowron: “Cano.”

Interest stuff, eh? How about you? What would be your answers to these questions?

David Schoenfield, at ESPN.com, has an interesting look at what works when you want a ring. Some snips:

Since 1969 (the start of the division-play era) only three teams have won a World Series with their closer owning an ERA over 3.00. That’s three out of 39 World Series champions. Your odds aren’t good if your ninth-inning guy isn’t great.

Of the 56 teams to make the playoffs since the Division Series began in 1995, 30 had a closer with an ERA over 3.00 (and two more had no set closer entering the playoffs).

Only five of those 32 teams reached the World Series: the 1996 Braves (Mark Wohlers, 3.03); the 1997 Marlins (Robb Nen, 3.89); the 2006 Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 3.12); the 2006 Tigers (Todd Jones, 3.94); and the 2008 Rays (no set closer).

So, while more than 50 percent of all playoff teams since 1995 had a closer with an ERA over 3.00, only 15 percent of them made the World Series.

Still not convinced that this 3.00 threshold is important?

During Division Series play, the team with the better regular-season record actually has a losing record, at 26-28. The team that scored more runs per game in the regular season has gone just 22-32. Meanwhile, the team with the closer who had a better ERA has gone 29-24 and the team with the better cumulative bullpen ERA has gone 33-23. Those series records are even slightly better than teams that had the better ERA from their starters.

A few caveats: The more sabermetrically inclined will protest at the simplicity of the study, that adjustments should be made for home park or that cause and effect hasn’t been proved. Also, it’s possible that over time these comparisons will even out (maybe the higher-scoring teams will win their next 10 series, for example).

But 14 years of results indicate — arguably — that a good bullpen is a better predictor of playoff success than a team’s win-loss record or its offense.

What’s perhaps even more surprising is that the bullpen numbers have been a slightly better predictor than a team’s starting rotation.

So, how do the A.L. bullpens look, right now, with only one more game outstanding in the league (between the Twins and Tigers)? Here are the stats:

TEAM	W	L	ERA	G	SV	IP	WHIP	SO/9	SO/BB
OAK	24	23	3.54	488	38	559.1	1.26	8.3	2.64
BOS	27	17	3.80	463	41	479.0	1.40	8.2	2.08
SEA	27	30	3.83	410	49	491.1	1.34	6.8	1.87
MIN	24	20	3.88	473	48	512.1	1.36	7.1	1.95
NYY	40	17	3.91	461	51	515.0	1.25	8.4	2.43
TEX	19	19	3.95	436	45	485.0	1.32	7.8	2.15
TBR	26	23	3.98	510	41	457.1	1.33	7.1	2.04
CHW	22	22	4.06	415	36	469.2	1.44	8.3	2.29
TOR	17	30	4.08	445	25	487.0	1.36	7.5	2.07
DET	26	21	4.32	435	42	485.1	1.45	7.0	1.53
LAA	27	23	4.49	434	51	483.1	1.46	7.4	1.92
CLE	20	24	4.66	445	25	519.0	1.43	7.7	1.85
BAL	20	29	4.83	484	31	551.1	1.53	6.5	1.72
KCR	16	26	5.02	426	34	477.0	1.55	7.8	1.69

It’s pretty close there between the pens for the Bosox, Twins and Yankees, no? Prittay, prittay, close…

Via Bryan Hoch:

For at least one day, the Yankees are putting Joba Chamberlain back in the bullpen.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that the club has reconsidered its stance and plans to take a look at Chamberlain for one inning of relief in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Rays, in what could be an audition for a playoff roster spot.

“I think it can give you a better idea of what you’re going to get,” Girardi said. “Will it be necessarily what you’re going to get during a series? It may not tell you that. But I think it will give you a better idea.”

“It’s not something new, so I have a plan on what I’m going to do to get ready, because I’ve done it before,” Chamberlain said. “That’s the advantage that I have. It’s just coming to the ballpark and having the idea that you’re probably going to pitch in the game.”

His recent track record has made it a near-lock that the Yankees will select the longer ALDS schedule, providing an off-day that will keep Chamberlain from needing to start. Girardi said that Chamberlain could be used as either a long reliever or for a shorter burst in the playoffs.

“We might use him for a couple of hitters tomorrow just to see how he reacts,” Girardi said. “He feels good right now. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He’s in that mix and that’s something that we’re going to take a look at.”

Girardi said that he would be paying attention to how quickly Chamberlain warms up, as well as the results of the short stint and his approach on the mound.

“Everything that you would want to know if we were going to bring him in for an inning, what he would do,” Girardi said.

My first reaction when I heard this news? A clear flashback to this game. And, that was followed by a flashback to this game.

In case you missed it – “IIATMS” has some big news about their Yankees blog. Great to hear…well deserved…and I know they’ll do great.

Via Bill Madden today -

There’s an old saying in baseball – “you can’t scout desire” – and most general managers will tell you the same applies to “makeup.” And when you’re the GM of the Yankees, you have to add yet another uncertainty to those intangibles and that is the “New York factor.”

Such was Brian Cashman’s double challenge when he went about trying to restructure a Yankee team that had finished out of the playoff money for the first time in 15 years. Even though he had the financial flexibility to secure most any free agent he wanted, he knew he couldn’t afford to make another mistake on the intangibles. He couldn’t afford another Carl Pavano. Heck, he couldn’t even afford another Jason Giambi.

Cashman knew he had to bring in players who were not just talented but who could also make the quick adjustment to New York and also change the clubhouse chemistry. In that respect, I have to believe even Cashman could never have envisioned the grand slam he’s hit with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher – especially since there were questions about each of them being able to handle the fishbowl existence of being a Yankee.

Between Sabathia’s and Burnett’s influence with the pitchers, Teixeira’s subtle leadership and Swisher’s clubhouse effervescence, Cashman wound up going 4-for-4 in the makeup and chemistry department. Undoubtedly, if the Yankees go all the way this year, there are those critics who will scoff that Cashman bought himself a World Series. In fact, they already are doing so, as evidenced by Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi’s bitter assessment of the AL East the other day in which he said, “The Yankees could take their payroll to $300 million if they want to.”

Yeah, but look what $200 million bought them last year. Cashman took his deserved share of criticism for that, as well as for the Pavano, Kei Igawa and Kyle Farnsworth signings in recent years. Which just goes to show it’s not how much money you spend. It’s how you spend it.

Yes, let’s build a statue of Brian Cashman for the job he’s done this season – bringing in Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira and Swisher – because that’s the reason why the Yankees are playing so well this season…and let’s place the statue in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium…

Pull-ease.

Yeah, let’s forget why Brian Cashman had to go out and spend a half-billion dollars to acquire Sabathia, Burnett and Teixeira…

Let’s forget that it was Cashman’s failure to develop any talent to place in his starting rotation and first base…and that he didn’t have the chips and/or smarts to trade for players to fill a need…like when Gene Michael and Bob Watson traded for David Cone and Tino Martinez…that brought cause for the need to dip into the Steinbrenner Brothers change purse for a cool half-billion bucks…

Giving credit to Brian Cashman for bringing in Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira and Swisher this season is like giving Harry Truman credit for establishing the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission…after he dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The only good thing Cashman has done in the last 12 months is take out the Steinbrenner Family Checkbook and spend more money than any other team in baseball was capable of spending in one off-season…to acquire the best talent on the free agent market…and plug the holes on his team that were the result of his own inability to produce or acquire quality players (outside of spending hundreds of millions to get it done).

They don’t really build statues for spending money, do they?

Wasn’t it just like yesterday where the big crisis among many Yankees fans was the fact was that Chris Britton and/or Kevin Thompson were “stuck” at AAA – and the big league team wouldn’t call them up?

It all seems silly now, eh?