22 and The Rookie Pitchers

22, that's the number of regular season games the Yankees have left. It's like seeing the finish line but you still have half a mile to run. You need to pace when you start your sprint otherwise everyone else will pass you before the tape.

The NY Daily News has a piece on all of the rookie pitchers that we've used this year. It's really pretty astonishing that we even have a prayer of making the post season considering its September and we really still don't have our rotation set. Here is what the article says about the performance by the rookies followed by my prediction about each pitcher in italics:

Phil Hughes
Allowed four runs in 4.1 innings in losing debut, but threw 6.1 no-hit innings in his second start before hurting a hamstring.

It will take Hughes another season to fully mature as a starting pitcher, but once he does he has the potential to be number 1 or 2 starter for years to come. He will just keep getting better and will eventually be an all-star.

Kei Igawa
Gave up seven runs in five innings the first time, three runs (two earned) in No. 2. Both were no-decisions.

We couldn't get rid of him this year, but we will try again in the off season. If we can't get rid of him then we'll try to use him again next year but I don't see him ever being a starter for the Yankees. Most likely he'll wind up fizzling out in triple A or he'll be designated for assignment.

Chase Wright
Got a win by allowing three runs in five innings in debut, but gave up four consecutive homers at Fenway in follow-up.

There is some potential here, but Wright still needs a lot of work. I see him as middle relief in the future, but even that is going to take another half season of development in the minors.

Darrell Rasner
Five earned runs in 4.1 innings in first start, a loss; three runs (none earned) in 5.1 innings in a no-decision in second start.

Rasner will most likely never be heard from again.

Matt DeSalvo
Two good ones - no decision in debut, allowing one run in seven innings, and a win over the Mariners in his second start when he went 6.2 innings and allowed two runs.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if DeSalvo was part of a trade deal to acquire Santana in the off season. Aside from that he is a big question mark for me.

Jeff Karstens
Seven runs and a loss in his first start; a broken leg in his second when he faced two batters and gave up two hits, including a comebacker that hit his shin.

Karstens like Hughes has potential. It will be interesting to see how his recovery comes along, but I see him as a future number 5 man.

Tyler Clippard
Sunday night win over Mets at Shea, allowing one run in six innings. Second start was a loss when he gave up three runs in four innings.

I have to say that I like Tyler, he had a rocky second start but I think that had more to do with the fact that he just wasn't ready for prime time. I think that it's 50/50 on if he makes the rotation or gets traded away. Either way he'll be a solid number 4 or 5 man.

The article doesn't mention these guys, but I will:

Joba Chamberlin

This kid is going to be great, probably even better than Hughes. It's hard to predict how he'll do as a starter but if his relief performances are any guide he will be a hall of fame pitcher.

Ian Kennedy

He has only started one game for us, but man what a game it was. Again, its hard to predict after only one start, but I think that he will continue to develop into a Mike Mussina type pitcher (the effective Mussina type pitcher that is) and will be an all star in a few short years.

As for my prediction for next years rotation, I think it will look something like this:

1. Wang

2. Pettitte (Possibly Santana)

3. Hughes

4. Chamberlin

5. Kennedy

Squirrel Power

I told you there was something to that Squirrel! He came out again last night and climbed the right field pole prompting chants of "let's go squirrel." Now I don't want to wear the guy out, so I am going to use him sparingly going forward.

The Yankees need all the help they can get right now. Even with last nights thrashing there were some scary moments. Wang's back seems to be ok, but I'm glad they pulled the plug when they did. He has been the only consistent pitcher for us all year and to lose him now would be a disaster. A-Rod apparently is also doing fine after rolling his ankle. But then again A-Rod is kind of a hypochondriac. Every time he so much as gets a scratch on his forearm he checks in for an MRI.

It pains me to say this but I have officially given up hope on winning the division. Frankly we can't focus on two things at once right now so the Yankees just need to make sure that they are in the post season. Of course my biggest fear is that we face the Angles in the first round which historically has been a disaster for the Yankees. But how great would it be to meet Boston and take them out in the ALCS!

Switching gears here if I may, last night I had the chance to sit three rows behind the dugout for the Nationals 4-3 victory over the Marlins. Since I was a kid I have had a few things that I have always wanted to do at a baseball game. Last night I was able to check another one off my list, that's right, I finally made it onto the jumbotron. In case you are wondering, here is my list in no particular order (its pretty standard really):

1. Catch a foul ball (done)

2. Catch another foul ball and give it to a kid (done)

3. Go to the World Series at Yankee Stadium (done)

4. See the Yankees Win the World Series at Yankee Stadium (Pending)

5. Sit in the seats right behind the dugout (done)

6. Make it on the Jumbotron (done)

7. Punch Curt Schilling in the face (pending)

You've Got to Be Kidding Me

I took a little break over the labor day weekend from writing. Mostly because of pure frustration. Just when I say that I think the Yankees can catch the Sox look what happens. I am banning myself from making predictions on the Red Sox until further notice.

It is well known that the Yankees have a history of hard times with some bad teams, the Orioles for example. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are not one of these teams and there is no reason that they should be. So someone please tell me why the D-Rays were able to beat up the Yanks for a series win this past weekend. The only bright spot was that Ian Kennedy preformed as promised....unfortunately that was the only bright spot.

Then Seattle rolls into town. A good team that we have done well against historically. What happens? Another spanking. Not to mention that Clemens is going to miss his next start. I had heard blisters on his feet was the cause for his awful performance yesterday, but apparently his elbow needs an x-ray too. I suppose that means that Mussina will take Clemens place in the rotation, but who knows, maybe in the words of Yoda...there is another.*

With the Yankees most recent down turn it must be time for ESPN to call Torres future into question. Sometimes I swear that they pay extra for a column that rips them apart. So imagine my surprise when fellow Vermonter Buster Olney writes this about Joe Torre. He actually makes a good point about what will happen if/when Torre is gone. I don't think that will make too much of a difference with A-Rod, but Posada could be one to jump ship if Torre leaves. He is also right about the new philosophy about pitching. So for once I have to agree with ESPN.

So here we are in the final month of baseball and the roller coaster Yankees are on their way down again at the worst possible time. If the Yankees can at least take one I'll feel a bit more comfortable considering we play Kansas city this weekend while Seattle plays Detroit. But hell, the way this season is going we'll probably destroy the Mariners in the next two games only to be out scored by 20 runs this weekend.

*Please note that was a Star Wars quote and not a Star Trek quote....i.e. completely acceptable.

** The lucky squirrel makes a reappearance today to help out with tonight's game.

The Home Stretch

Tomorrow is September 1st which means the push for the post season is in full gear. No more excuses, no more slip ups, it is do or die time for the Yankees.

I have to say that I do feel the Yankees can catch the Sox. Especially considering that the last month of the regular season gives us a chance to beat up on Tampa Bay (twice), Kansas City, Toronto (no fights this time guys) and Baltimore. It by no means will be easy, but if we keep playing the way we did in the series SWEEP against Boston then there is no reason why the last series at Fenway wont be a key match up. Of course before we get to Fenway we are going to have to play Seattle.

Unfortunately Boston has a similarly easy schedule up to the end. The Twins might give them some troubles, but they wont face Bedard in their series against Baltimore this weekend so I'm not too confident the O's can help us out much. As for Seattle, they will match up against the Sox and the Angles. It would be nice if for once the Angels could help out the Yankees. Of course you can't count out Detroit, but a look at their calendar for the month of September has them facing the White Sox twice, Seattle, and Cleveland. They are going to have to really battle it out if they hope to get back to October.

A Brief Note on Yesterday's Game

Unfortunately I have to work for a living so I could only watch the MLB.com gamecast instead of watching the game live. I missed the news that Joba was ejected because I was busy plastering my buddy's office with pictures of brooms (he's a red sox fan). I have to say that while I do think that he should have been warned, I think the umpire was probably right to throw him out of the game. The last thing anyone needs right now are injuries or suspensions from fighting. Given the history of bad blood between these two teams I can see how the umpire was worried about things escalating quickly. Admittedly, if the Yankees had not been winning at the time I may have a different opinion.

It Is Now Officially Moose Hunting Season

This has been such a disappointing year for the Yankees it seems fitting that we get spanked by the Tigers 16-0 right before a series with the Sox. The only ray of light I see is that Seattle also lost so at the very least we stay 2.5 games out of the wild card.

I've said this previously, but I think now there is an increased sense of urgency surrounding Mussina. I really like Moose, and when his stuff is on he can paint the black like no ones business, but I think that its time for him to take a seat. He has allowed 19 earned runs in 9 2/3 innings and has an ERA of 17.69 in his last three starts. That's just unacceptable. But that begs the question who do we replace him with? I'm guessing Torre will go with Chamberlin which I have mixed emotions about. Don't get me wrong, he certainly has the attitude and ability that it takes to be a starting rotation pitcher, but it would be nice to give him a bit more time in the relief position. Unfortunately we don't have that luxury right now.

So now we go into a three game set against a Boston team who is surging with a Yankees team who is again slumping and full of question marks. In any other year this series would have me on pins and needles and I would be analysing every pitcher based on if he could pitch well given the weather conditions or even depending on the strength of the Japanese Yen. This season is different though. I'm not going to say that I have chalked the series (or the season) to a loss yet but to be honest here, that is getting to be something all Yankees fans may have to deal with sooner or later.

Oh well here's what I'm thinking for tonight:

Dice-K vs. Pettitte - advantage Matsuzaka (man that hurt)

Game time forecast - mid 70's, 50% humidity - advantage NY, but only because they are playing at home.

Japanese Yen - Buying of Yen likely to accelerate - advantage Matsuzaka

Final Score prediction - Yankees 10,000 Red Sox negative 30 (they lose points because Ortiz eats an umpire)

Real Final Score Prediction - Yankees 6 Red Sox 8 (ok that REALLY hurt)

Series Prediction - Sox take two out of three (I'm headed toward the light)

Little League World Series

Every year I try to catch the Little League World Series if I can. Considering the Yankees slipped to 7.5 games out of first this weekend it was a welcome distraction. It's amazing how good these kids are.

Both Japan and Georgia's starting pitchers were throwing in the high 60 / low 70's and had some movement on their pitches. Keep in mind these kids are only 12 years old. According the ESPN conversion that would be the equivalent of a 90 mph pitch in the Majors. I remember when I played little league there was one pitcher who could throw in the low 50's. Every time you faced him you feared for your life, closed your eyes, and just prayed that the ball made contact with the bat and not your face. These kids didn't even flinch at a 70 mph slider coming down the inside corner of the plate.

But really the greatest thing about watching the LLWC is seeing just how excited the kids get playing the game. There are no Barry Bonds type attitudes, no head hunting, just fundamentals and pure enthusiasm. In fact, when Dalton Carriker hit his game winning home run last night I was almost as thrilled as when Aaron Boone hit his 11th inning shot in game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. That kid is now an instant hometown hero. It was also nice to see that after the game Georgia went over and hugged the Japanese players, including the pitcher who after giving up the game winning home run collapsed to the mound in tears.* It was the kind of thing that reminds us why we love sports so much.

I did a quick Wikipedia and Baseball almanac search and came up with a list of Major Leaguers who had their own shot at prepubescent glory. Here is what I came up with:

Dwight Gooden - (1979 World Series)

Gary Sheffield - (1980 World Series)

Jason Varitek - (1984 World Series)

Derek Bell - (1980, 1981 World Series)

None of the following former Little League players appeared in the Little League World Series, but they are the only former little leaguers who are also members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame: George Brett, Steve Carlton, Rollie Fingers, Catfish Hunter, Jim Palmer, Nolan Ryan, Mike Schmidt, Tom Seaver, Don Sutton, Carl Yastrzemski & Robin Yount.

*I am really resisting the urge to point out that there is no crying in baseball. I suppose it is ok when you are 12. Or maybe there is crying in baseball in Japan, I'm not sure.

30-3

Wow!!! Yesterday I had my daily baseball email conversation with my friends, one of whom is an Orioles fan. We all agreed that the O's needed to plug a few holes, but that their starting rotation was actually pretty good. I caught a bit of the game after work while playing some pool at my favorite watering hole. To the shagrin of the bartender who had bet on the game, the O's were beating the Rangers 3-0. Imagine my surprise when I tuned in a few hours later and the score was 27-3 soon to be 30-3. That got me thinking, what are some other huge lopsided wins worthy of note. I only had time to come up with three, but I welcome commenters to add some more.

• June 8, 1950. The Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Browns 29-4

• June 19, 2000. At Fenway Park, the Yankees beat the Red Sox 22-1, handing Boston its most lopsided home loss ever.

and the most lopsided game goes to:

• On June 29, 1897, the Chicago Cubs beat the Louisville Colonels by the astonishing score of 36-7

Needless to say it's a pretty rough day to be an O's fan. Everyone and their mother is commenting on it today. Just to add insult to injury ESPN leads with the top 100 worst beatdowns of all time. All I can say is I'm glad it wasn't the Yankees otherwise I would never hear the end of it.

In other news the Yankees won and the Red Sox lost. We are still 1.5 out of the wild card, but at least we picked one up from Boston.

*Picture courtesy of Matthew Bourque

Damn Angels

Ever since 2002 I have to admit that I have been worried every time the Yankees play the Angels. Well, here we go again. Last nights loss puts us 6 games out of first and 2.5 out of the wild card. Sure A-Rod blasted two home runs, but that isn't enough when the score turns out 18-9.


In my opinion Mike Mussina is starting to become a liability. He just hasn't preformed to the level he is capable of in a year when the Yankees need him to be on top of his game. Now I don't see him being designated for assignment or anything like that in the near future, but I can't think of a single argument for extending his contract. I do feel kind of bad for the guy though, he came to New York (well Angelos gave him to New York) to win a ring and ever since he arrived the Yankees have been in a World Series drought.



Speaking of droughts, a number of my non Yankee fan friends ride me for being upset that we haven't won it all since 2000. They say look at all the other teams that have either never won it, or haven't won it since Regan was in office.....or Taft for that matter. I agree to an extent with that. I do think some teams could be due in the coming years. Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee to name a few (Chicago winning would take away the teams mystique of lovable losers and they would become annoying just like after the Red Sox won it). But lets be honest here, Yankees fans expect a little more out of their team. That isn't just because we are greedy, but rather the Yankees have a history of legendary players and championships that leave a lot to live up to. The past couple of years have been filled with horrific disappointments that any other fan wouldn't understand. Case in point 2004....you know what I am talking about and that is all I have to say about that. I think I have written on this before, but personally my angst is tied to the 2003 World Series. I was at Yankee Stadium for game 6, I watched a team win it all at my favorite ball park...the problem was it wasn't the Yankees.

There is still plenty of baseball left to play, but I guess the crux of this whole thing is that I am frustrated. I admit that the Yankees are not as due for a championship as some of the other teams, but every year the Yankees fall apart late in the season the fire for a ring echos louder and louder. I'm tired of saying "we'll get em next year."

Ugly

It isn't that often that I actually have the opportunity to watch the Yankees on anything other than MLB game cast. So when I do get that chance to watch them on tv I'm always hoping that I get to see a good game. I got to watch them yesterday, but it sure wasn't a good game.

I just don't understand why the Yankees have had so much trouble with the Orioles this season. Granted Bedard is an amazing pitcher and is going to be one of the best in the Majors for years to come, but the Bombers didn't bring their A game at all yesterday, or the day before. In fact yesterday was just so sloppy it was hard to watch. Hughes couldn't seem to find his control, but even for what was clearly an off day for him he preformed well. That is with the exception of his booted ball on a routine play at first...oh the agony. Jeter had one of the worst games he's had in a long time. He was slipping all over the place and making errors on routine plays. My heart stopped when he stepped on a broken bat and appeared to twist his ankle. He was fine, but I get scared if Jeter so much as gets a planters wart. The only real highlight for the Yankees came when Shelley Duncan smashed a three run shot with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, his 6th of the year. This kid is going to be great. But then, more agony. Mariano of all people blew the game for us. His cutter was hanging like a shirt on a hanger and he just didn't seem to have his normal intensity. I've said this before but I really think that Torre needs to play him more often, including situations where the Yankees are not in the lead. It's getting to be late in the season, and if Rivera is looking that rusty now its going to spell disaster come late September / October.

Somehow Tampa Bay managed to squeeze one out of Boston saving us from dropping down a game, but wow, the Yankees need to regroup and not slide down the slippery slope of mediocrity again.

*Karstens has been optioned off. That's good news, that kid just isn't ready for prime time.

Very Superstitious

Its the 13th of August and that got me thinking about superstitions. Baseball of course is one of the most superstitious sports there is. Superstition instills a sense of confidence that you just can't get from Balco. That's true for the fans and the players. Lately I have been blogging a lot more and the Yankees have been winning. Of course that is only the latest of the traditions I use when watching the Yanks. I've been known to not watch entire at bats (actually I closed my eyes for the entire 11th inning of game 7 of the 2003 ALCS), not finish my beer until the inning is over, or not wear certain boxer shorts during important games. We are all familiar with some of the more universal baseball superstitions, not talking to a pitcher in the midst of a no hitter, not stepping on the foul line, or Nomar's wrist hand wrists action for example. But that got me thinking what are some of the quirkier superstitions the players have. Here are some interesting ones I came up with after doing a quick Internet search.*

Former Red Sox and Yankees’ player Wade Boggs was often referred to as the “Chicken Man” because he ate chicken habitually before every game and would also start wind sprints exactly 16 minutes before each game.

Frank Viola, a three-time MLB all-star and former Cy Young winner had a secret to his success on the mound. He would clean the mound before every inning, kicking up dirt exactly four times. However, if something bad happened, he couldn't do it in repetition of four’s any more, instead he would try three or five.

Roger Clemens always visited Monument Park to touch the head of the Babe Ruth statue before he pitched in Yankee Stadium. Roger Clemens gave each of his children names that began with the letter K.

Joe DiMaggio and Willie Mays would always touch second base on their way to the outfield.

Reggie Jackson had such a great World Series in 1973 that he decided to retain his newly grown moustache in 1974. Rollie Fingers and a few of the other A's players decided to grow mustaches to mock Jackson. As a promotion, A's owner Charles O. Finley offered $300 to any player who grew a moustache.

Jackie Robinson would never step into the batters box until the catcher was in position.

So what are some of your superstitions? I would be interested to know. Hopefully talking about them wont jinx anyone....that is unless you are a Red Sox fan. In that case I've got some black cats, ladders, and broken mirrors for you.

*Full disclosure, I just copied and pasted the ones I found interesting.

http://www.psychologyofsports.com/guest/superstitions2.htm

http://www.thebaseballgod.com/baseball_superstitions.htm

Suddenly It's Not Looking So Bad

The Yankees have pulled to within 6 of the red sox and half a game of the wild card thanks to yesterdays win over the Blue Jays. It was a pretty active day for the roster which gave the boot to Mike Myers (designated for assignment), picked up Jim Brower, and optioned off Jeff Karstens to Triple A Scranton to make room for Joba Chamberlin.

It's a good sign to see things so active. The Yankees can't afford to sit on their hands and wait for players to come around at this point in the season. The next three weeks will determine whether the Yankees make the playoffs. With the exception of Baltimore, the Bombers face off against all plus .500 teams....Cleveland, Detroit, Anaheim (fine, the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim) and of course Boston at the end of the month. If the Yankees play .550 baseball in these next few series our chances at the wild card are on the up and up, especially considering Seattle and Detroit don't have it so easy in the month of September.

Assuming we play well in through the rest of August, the red sox should be afraid.....very afraid. Both teams get to coast it in through September, but that last meeting between the Yanks and the Sox could be very interesting.


~~Giambi should be back this week and sharing DH duty with Johnny Damon who will see limited time in the outfield~~

Knocking on the Door of 756*

This weekend Barry Bonds tied Hank Aaron's career home run record. Anyone who has ready this blog with any sort of consistency, or knows me at all for that matter, knows how I feel about the guy. So what I am about to write may shock some of you......Barry Bonds breaking the home run record is actually good for the game.

Lets flash back to 1994. The focus of the entire season was on if the players and owners would come to their collective senses and realize that the game of baseball belongs to the fans just as much as the share holders. They didn't, and the World Series was cancelled and scores of fans, even die hard life long fans felt cheated and left the game in large droves. I include myself in this group. My childhood best friend being an Expos fan, and I a Yankees fan (of course) had dreamed of a day when those two teams would meet in the fall classic. 1994 would have been the year. No doubt ever baseball fan felt a similar sort of heartbreak.

Baseball was in big trouble, until along came Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Ken Griffey Jr. had toyed with the home run record in previous seasons, but in 1997 these two were actually going to do it. For the first time since before the strike fans had something that they were excited about. Regardless of if you were a St. Louis fan, hated the Cubs, or had never watched baseball until that season....everyone wanted to see #62. I remember that night well. I had a date but cancelled it to watch the game. I still don't regret that decision. It was a Renaissance for baseball at a time when it needed it the most.

So we come to today, Barry Bonds, and how he is helping the game just like McGwire and Sosa did a decade ago. Like it or not a run at a record drives huge interest in the game. fair weather fans who might not usually watch anything other than the playoffs or the World Series (and only then if their team is playing) are watching to see what happens. More visibility will inevitably drive more interest in the game, and hopefully help seed a new generation of fans.

Bonds is also making a contribution by throwing steroid use to the forefront of what we consider to be an acceptable trade off. Do we really want to see true athleticism, or are we more excited by seeing chemically enhanced record breaking ? I think that this is a personal question, but morally we all know the answer. We want natural athletes like Griffey, or even A-Rod to own these titles, and not athletes who claim that they never "knowingly" used steroids. Let's hope that when Bonds breaks the record this week the negative example that he has set serves to end what will be known as the steroid era. That would be an even bigger contribution to the game than #756.

Igawa is a Bum....ok Not a bum but he stinks (AND BONUS AC EDITION)

Now I am not saying that he is as worthless as say Carl Pavano, but Igawa just can't seem to get his act together. Every time he does a stint in the minors its like Torre is sending him to the corner for a time out. He comes back full of promise, but then disappoints all over again. There is no question that once Phil Hughes returns (which should be next week or the week after) Igawa will be sent down for the rest of the season. I think the problem is that he thinks too much. You can't try to fine tune each and everyone of your pitches, you just have to feel it. Igawa may benefit by watching a little movie called Bull Durham. How funny would that be if he actually tried wearing ladies underwear when he pitched. Funnier still if it worked for him.

In other news I am off to Sin City tonight.....no not Vegas, but Vegas' red headed stepchild that is hidden in the basement and chained to a wall every time guests come over. That's right, you guessed it....ATLANTIC CITY NEW JERSEY BABY. For those of you who have never been to Atlantic City (lovingly referred to as AC) let me paint a picture using the Monopoly board, which in fact is based on the city.

Mediterranean Avenue - Rent $2 dollars, with hotel $60 - The real Mediterranean avenue is actually a lot like the Monopoly one. There really are no buildings there both because the ones that had been there are crumbling, or just because no one wants to buy a property that is hardly ever landed on and when it is, doesn't pay that much.

Jail - Cost to get out $50 or Rolling Doubles. In both Monopoly and the real AC your chances of winding up there are about the same, but getting out will probably cost you more than $50 dollars and rolling doubles wont get you out since that is probably what got you in there in the first place.

Free Parking - Rent, Free of course. A favorite for "house rules" we used to play that if you landed here you would win money from the middle of the board. In AC there is no free parking unless you car has been stolen, or you are playing at a Casino. House rules apply at the Casinos of course, but chances are you aren't going to win any money.

Water Works - Rent Determined by a roll of the dice - Atlantic City doesn't actually have a Water Works, instead its water is piped in from the New Jersey "mainland" through two pipes. Given that fun fact, you are rolling the dice so to speak every time you dare drink the water.

Community Chest - There are plenty of "Community Chests" in AC, however they are not little yellow cards (I think you can see where I am going with this here). If you choose a community chest in AC you might wind up turning yellow but you certainly are not going to get second place in a beauty contest.

Illinois Avenue - Rent $18 dollars, with hotel 1,100. One of the Reds, Illinois Avenue is a sought after property for both its high rent value, and high probability of landing there. The real Illinois Avenue however was renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in the 1980s. If you find yourself here you're in trouble...just trust me on that one.

Boardwalk - Rent $50, with Hotel $2,000 - The gem of the Monopoly board boardwalk is the most valuable property there is. The rents being so high one would expect the real boardwalk to be just as glamours....nope! The real boardwalk is a mixture of depressing music being pumped from the casinos, cheesy two bit "massage parlors" and fortune teller stands, crazies, homeless, and the occasional tourist who didn't realize what they were getting themselves into when they hailed one of those bike taxis. Throw in a few empty syringes on the beach and your advanced token to Boardwalk may not draw the same level of excitement as your used to.

So anyway wish me luck, and if you happen to find yourself there tonight I'll be at the 1/2 poker tables somewhere on the boardwalk.

Back In Black

The all-star break is over, and now I finally have a computer to call my own (yes I know I know make fun all you want). So as we begin the second half of the baseball season here are the first set of topics that are either bugging me, or I just feel like writing about.

BACK IN BLACK (hopefully):

The Yankees managed to take two from the Devil Ray's this weekend, normally I would say big deal but considering the fact that the Yankees need to win every game they can (especially against teams under .500) I'll take what I can get.

THE 30 MILLION DOLLAR MAN:

It has been widely reported that A-Rod's agent feels that he is worth $30 million dollars a year. Excuse me Mr. Rod....but NO PLAYER is worth that much money unless he comes with 8 other players. Of course the only team aside from the Yankees who could even foot a salary that high is the red sox. While they have expressed interest I have a hard time believing that Theo Epstein would pay one player 20% of Boston's entire payroll, or believing that A-Rod and Jason Varitek could ever be teammates. Frankly it is disgusting. His salary (already the highest ever in the majors) is an example of greed and goes miles to help justify the argument that only big market teams can afford to pay for top talent. Keep in mind that this is the same guy who at the beginning of the season said he wanted to retire a Yankee. Of course team loyalty has never been all that important to Rodriquez as we all saw first in Seattle, and then again in Texas (although I suppose I should tread lightly here for obvious reasons).

JORGE SAY IT ISN'T SO:

Jorge Posada is interested in exploring free agency at the end of his contract. I have to say I am a little surprised by this. Posada like Jeter is one of those players who you just assume will retire in pinstripes. While I can't see paying much more for a catcher who is entering his last years, still, the Yankees should have some loyalty to the guy (within reason) and not do to him what they did to Bernie Williams.

DEREK JETER ISN'T BLACK THAT'S WHY TORRE LIKES HIM:

Gary Sheffield claims that Joe Torre doesn't treat his black players fairly, and the Derek Jeter isn't black because his mother is white. When asked if he thought Torre is a racist he answered no. So he treats black players unfairly but isn't a racist.....hmmm. Sounds to me that Torre, just like a lot of other guys in MLB just don't like Sheffield regardless of his race.

Halfway There (almost)

The all-star break is looming and the Yankees are now 12 games out of first and 8.5 games out of the wild card. In short, do or die time is a week away. So what needs to happen for the Yankees to make the post season. I'll break it down by the key players with their mid season statistics:

Derek Jeter - .341 (BA) 5 (HR) 43 (RBI) 54 (R) .886 (OPS): No rest for the weary. Jeter is set to play in his 8th all-star game next week. The problem his knee has been bothering him for a few weeks. Torre should give him a few days of rest so that he can stay strong. Jeter going down would be a disaster right now especially given the monster season he is having that is going undetected because of the guy to his right. For the rest of the season we need more of the same from Jeter if we want to make the playoffs.

Alex Rodriguez - .314 (BA) 28 (HR) 80 (RBI) 74 (R) 1.065 (OPS): No doubt about it, A-Rod is having an unbelievable season. While the staff here at 567mfh have varying opinions about his personality, A-Rod is another guy the Yankees can't afford to lose. It would be smart for him to sit out of the all-star game to rest his hamstring. Hopefully his pride doesn't get the better of him. Just like Jeter we need a healthy A-Rod to keep working on a record setting season through the second half.

Roger Clemens - 2-3 (Rec) 4.26 (ERA) 1.20 (WHIP): Clemens needs to earn his money. Although he has shown moments of grandeur, the Rocket has been shaky from the get go. Clemens needs to keep his legs healthy and work on alternate pitches. He can't throw a high 90's fastball anymore, but his splitter is looking better. Despite the clause in his contract, Roger should also spend more time with the team not only to boost morale, but also to show the young guys some of his stuff.

Bobby Abreu - .261 (BA) 5 (HR) 39 (RBI) 58 (R) .722 (OPS): Abreu needs to get the monkey off his back and start hitting like Bobby Abreu. He's having a terrible season of mediocre highs, and terrible lows. The move down in the batting order should take some of the pressure off, but he needs to think about it less. Hopefully the all-star break should give him a chance to readjust and shake off the first half of the season.

Mariano Rivera - 10 (SV) 3.77 (ERA) 1.13 (WHIP): Rivera needs to plead with Torre to play in more games, even if the Yankees are not in a winning situation.

Phil Hughes - 1-1 (REC) 3.38 (ERA) 1.03 (WHIP): Hughes needs to be smart about his comeback. Everyone was impressed with his last game before going down to a hamstring injury, but if the Yankees are going to make the playoffs this year, and in the years to come, Hughes should make sure he is strong enough to be a starter and not risk more time on the DL.

There's still a lot of baseball left to play so I'm still cautiously optimistic that the Yankees can exorcise their demons of the first half and pull it together.

Even The Weather Hates The Yankees

The good thing about the Yankees playing the O's is that I can watch all of the games on MASN (the Mid Atlantic Sports Network). The bad thing is when the Yankees drop two games and then just as they retake the lead in the third game the rain sets in and the game is suspended.

You don't see a lot of games called mid inning, in fact I can't remember the last time it happened. I checked out the rule about this and found something eerie. According to ESPN:

Before 1980, the score would have reverted to the start of the inning,
giving the Orioles a 6-4 win. But the rule was changed after a game on Aug.
13, 1978, when Baltimore led 3-0 after six innings and the Yankees scored
five runs in the top of the seventh.

That means that the rule was changed the night my mother went into labor with me....because of the same situation with the Yankees against the Orioles. Of course that is the storied '78 season that I have written about previously. Is this an omen of things to come? I certainly hope so.

I Just Don't Get It

Just as quickly as the Yankees turned around their bad start, they have slid right back into the hole they had so desperately tried to dig themselves out of. There are still reasons to be optimistic, but the dream of catching the red sox is quickly slipping away. I hate to say this but the sox simply won't lose on a regular basis. True, they haven't been plagued by injuries the way that the Yankees have, and that could still happen, but one gets the sense that this new slide the Yankees are on has stolen the momentum away from the team.

I only saw the highlight reel of Clemens relief role last night, but I'm not quite sure what to make of it. He's certainly had a bit of a shaky comeback so far and it seems that Torre wants to get him some more time on the mound to settle in. What I'm afraid of is what I thought from the beginning, that he is just to old. He does have some gas left in the tank but I don't know if it is enough.

I don't want to give up on the season yet, I'll reserve that disgrace for a few weeks after the all-star break. But pretty soon it's going to be time for a little session of loving honesty if we don't start getting some consistent wins. If we finish out July more than 8 games behind the red sox I'm afraid we'll have to concede that our long and glorious string of division wins has come to an end, and that the playoffs may not be in our future. But wouldn't it be great if Phil Hughes comes back strong, the red sox suffer a string of injuries, and the Yankees mount a historic comeback to not only win the division, but win the whole thing despite everything? Well, here's hoping.

On Being a Real Fan

I get annoyed when people say that they are fans of a team and then can't name a single player. This most recently happened to me last night when I was having a discussion with one of my friends who claims to cheer for the Red Sox. I realized that he had no idea what he was talking about (kind of like some of the commenter's on this blog) so I asked him to name a single player....well he did name Curt Schilling, but that came after a mental wrestling match. This mentality is especially frustrating when wannabe fans claim to hate the Yankees. Any true Red Sox fan has a list of reasons to hate the Yankees (somehow even Billy Buckner was the Yankees fault) and vice versa. But for those fair weathers the excuse is always either that they hate the Yankees "because they win all the time" or because "they spend too much money." Any baseball true baseball fan knows that the Yankees don't win all the time, and there are plenty of other clubs around the league that spend, or could spend a ton of money on their pay roll.

Personally, I have been a Yankees fan for as long as I can remember what baseball was (and that was during the 80's). Since I am sure that fair weathers don't remember the Yankee teams of the '80's, to put it plainly....we stunk. Poor Donny Baseball played throughout that era and retired just as the Yankees were beginning their new dynasty of the '90's. But that is what it takes to be a true fan. You have to watch the team year after year, disappointment after disappointment, but refuse to ever give up on them no matter how many times they miss the playoffs. There are always a ton of people who jump on a winning teams bandwagon after they win a championship, (and the Yankees certainly had their share before they became the team everyone loves to hate) but I swear the fair weather red sox fans are the worst. In contrast the real red sox fans, even though I hate them, at least are knowledgeable about the game and have the memory of suffering year after year. But the new brood encompasses all of the bad things about cheering for Boston. They wear pink hats, know nothing about the team (most still think that Jonny Damon plays for Boston), and ignorantly yell Yankees suck at the drop of their aforementioned pink hats.

I could rant on about this forever, but the main point is this....before you yell something stupid about the Yankees, or tell me how much you love whatever team you pretend to love...at least have the common decency to be able to name more than one player. I'm not asking you to know who played second base in 1942 for the Giants, just a basic common knowledge and a little respect for the game.

The Spirit of '78

I could be jinxing the Yankees (I feel like I am every time I say things are turning around) but it certainly feels like the Yankees are back in the race now. Half way through June they are poised to repeat (actually better by half a game) the accomplishment of the 1978 Bombers who came back from a 14 game deficit to win the whole thing. You get the sense that something special is finally starting to take hold in the Bronx. I don't know if A-rod is more relaxed because he is thinking about strippers, if the return of the Rocket gives the rotation a sense that they are not under quite as much pressure, or just the fact that everyone is having a lot more fun now that Paris Hilton is in jail. One thing is for sure, it is starting to get exciting.

But is this really like 1978? Yes and no. In '78 The Yankees didn't begin their comeback until mid July, by that time the Red Sox record was 62-28. The Sox have had an incredible start this year just like in '78, but everyone knows that can't last forever. Traditionally the Red Sox have been great (or at least in the race) right up until August. Maybe it's something about how the August sun sets over Fenway but that is always when they have traditionally collapsed. This year the Yankees started their comeback a full month earlier than they did in '78 giving them more time to catch up, and giving them a big jump on when the calender flips from 7/31 to 8/01. Another similarity is that in 1978 Goose Gossage didn't save a single game in April, eerily similar to Rivera's start. One thing that is really different this year is that no one has been fired (yet). In '78 things started to turn once Billy Martin saw the door. The Yankees also have the wild card possibility which gives them an added option that the '78 team didn't have.

The Yankees are making their comeback with a lot of untested pitching, Tyler Clippard for example. I have to believe based on what I have seen that as the summer progresses they will only get better. The Rocket may not be the Rocket of old, but last Saturday's performance against Pittsburgh proved he still has some gas in the tank. Not to mention Phil Hughes will be returning in a few weeks and there is no reason to believe that he won't come off the DL ready to prove himself.

So here is to the Spirit of '78, why not, it would certainly make for a year when no one could say we didn't earn it.

On the Nationals

A commenter on my blog "King of All Whites" seems to think that Montreal was robbed of its team and that giving baseball back to the Nations Capitol is a bad idea. I have written on this subject in the past, but since much of baseball is all about statistics lets really look at his arguments and compare them to actual numbers.

King of all Whites writes

"People [in Montreal] are starting to wake up to what happened to them. And don't be so smug and so sure. DC has lost the Senators not once but twice and look at how attendance and performance has been in DC.

Ok, so then the King is arguing that attendance Washington's declining attendance marks the death bell for the team and that they never should have left. But how bad is the attendance really? Let's look at the average for the Expos over their final four seasons at Olympic Stadium:

2001 - 7,935 - Rank 30 out of 30
2002 - 10,025 -Rank 30 out of 30
2003 - 12,662 -Rank 30 out of 30
2004 - 9,356 -Rank 30 out of 30

Comparatively let's look at average attendance at RFK stadium since the Nationals have been in existence:

2005 - 33,651 -Rank 11 out of 30
2006 - 26,582 -Rank 21 out of 30
2007 - 21,966 -Rank 26 out of 30

So the average attendance is going down, but that is to be expected since the team is in the process of settling in to its new ownership, rebuilding its player depth, and also building a new stadium. Even taking that into account, the nationals have double the average attendance than the Expos had at the end of their run. One would think that if Montreal was really a city that cared about baseball then at the very least their last season in existence would have seen a sharp increase in attendance. It didn't. Which leads one to believe that if people are "waking up to what happened to them" in Montreal, they are waking up and realising that they never really cared much for baseball and it took them this long to even notice that they were gone.

While it is true that DC has had a shaky relationship in the past with baseball, the area is one of the fastest growing in the country. The potential market was enough to scare Orioles owner Peter Angelos into robbing viewers of Nat's games for two years. There is no question that Washington's market potential is much stronger than that of Montreal.

Incidentally, average attendance at a Nationals games is just behind Baltimore and better than Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Granted those teams are awful this year, but surely no one would suggest that the cities they represent don't deserve to have a team.

Finally, I was unaware that Caucasians were ruled by a monarch, maybe I should be careful lest I am beheaded.