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Will be Starting for Tampa in September

What is it with pitchers the Yankees have never seen and their inability to get any type of offense.  Max Scherzer can be very good, but this continual poor performance against unknown pitchers is extremely frustrating.  And captain clutch is quickly downward negotiating his salary.  As much as he is loved in New York, baseball is a ruthless business and you can’t fall in love with your players.  It leads to irrational decisions.  If Jeter continues his ground ball trend (his GB/FB ratio is up to 2.06 highest in the league) and his speed continues to slow, his production and value decline immensely.

Now on to the soap opera Mets.  I have remained silent on the K-Rod fiasco from the start.  But the Mets handled this completely wrong.  The team is not going anywhere this year; K-Rod’s actions reflected badly on the organization; AND K-Rod’s contract is outrageous.  If he “finishes” out 100 games between 2010 and 2011 or he “finishes” 55 games in 2011, his fourth year at $17.5 M becomes guaranteed.

Since the team is in the tank and the Mets are supposedly so afraid of salary implications, they should have immediately suspended K-Rod for 30 days at a minimum, if not the whole season, without pay.  This would have really hit him in the pocket and make it extremely difficult for him to reach the contract guarantees. Let the Union fight it out for him.  Let them defend his actions.  Have Wilpon step up and say, this is unacceptable.  The fans would back this.

Instead, they suspend him for 2 games  (whoopee) and Manuel actually let him pitch in a game that was not a save (another game finished).  Jon Heyman reported that the Mets were only able to get a 2 game suspension because of the “powerful baseball union.”  However, I never heard anything about the Union fighting the Mets’ attempt at a longer suspension.  This franchise is inept.  Now that it has come out that he injured his thumb in the fight - I guess he never watched Bull Durham – the Mets are apparently exploring whether to void the contract.  The Yankees were able to do that with Aaron Boone.  I don’t see why the Mets couldn’t do this with K-Rod.  Of course this is the Mets, so they will likely end up stuck with this nutcase.

I didn’t watch the last three innings last night — but because of all the sports news being dominated by K-Rod today I never heard that the Yanks won until I got to work.

Great rally, Thames is good clutch hitter. Why he wants his name pronounced as if it has a “i” in it baffles me though. That’s not even the London river pronunciation.

I really think that the Madoff thing has thrown the Wilpons into some depressive catatonia. They don’t appear to care that their major asset, a MLB club in a major market with a great fan base and new stadium is going down the toilet. Deploy the slide and grab the beers, the Wilpons are a joke.

That is the Yankees record in the 2nd half so far.  13-11 since the All-Star break and 3-6 in August. The test vs Tam, Tor, Boston and Tex (4-7 so far) has been a failure.  And today they face Cliff Lee.   Good Luck.  I place most of the blame for this on the offense, which has been maddeningly inconsistent in doing the “little things.”  Failing to move runners, get fly balls with men on third etc.

Starting on Thursday, the Yankees have 11 games against Kansas City, a depleted Detroit team and Seattle.  Time to rebuild some confidence.  On July 21, I wrote down what I think the standings will be on Sept 1:

1. NYY 83-49
2. TAM 79-53
3. BOS 76-56

The Yankees have some work to do to meet my prediction (14-6) but its  possible with the rest of the August Schedule (@KC, DET, SEA, @TOR, @CWS, OAK).  Tampa need only go 10-9 to meet my original prediction but face a tougher schedule resurgent-Showalter inspired BAL, TEX, @ OAK, @LAA, BOS and TOR).

What’s with Granderson  –you can’t have a Centerfielder batting .206 in a pennant race, Austin Jackson is batting 99 POINTS HIGHER then that, .305 for a team going nowhere. It was just last year I was in the stands in Scranton admiring Austin’s play. Sure, Jackson has only one HR but he has 7 triples. So what if Granderson hit 30 HR’s  last year, that’s not helping us this year. At least get on base, for cripes sake.

Those are good points with the medical technology especially the one about bionic or prosthetic limbs.  I always come back to this however.  But using medical technology under the care of a medical doctor (Tommy John surgery or the example of robotic limbs) is for the most part safe and accepted by society and our government.  Progress is progress, legitimate technology and fitness techniques are a different matter.  Back in the 50’s and 60’s it was said that lifting weights was detrimental to playing baseball.  Obviously – through time and fitness management that has been proven wrong., but as John Sterling would say: “That’s progress.”

Steroids are illegal and dangerous.  Everyone is  aware of the high profile deaths of athletes who were known steroid users.

If someone wants to enlighten me about anphetamines, I’m willing to listen, but I’m not sure if taking anphetamines is more dangerous than drinking 12 cups of coffee (something players used to do as well) or drinking several cans of Red Bull.  Yes, procuring anphetamines through pretense in a prescription is wrong, but I equate to the more potentially dangerous cocaine use of the 1980’s when Tim Raines testified that he would slide into second base and vials of cocaine would be falling out of his uniform.  Coffee, anphetamines, cocaine were all ways of “getting up” for a game when long road trips would take their toll.  Besides, I’m not sure if taking cocaine or anphetamines actually enhances performance.  Everyone acknowledges the unmistakable difference in Barry Bonds when he first came up and later on in his career.

Simply put, to me, steroids combine both illegality and artificial enhancement of performance.  Cocaine or anphetamines do not have both attributes.  While cocaine is illegal and anphetamines are potentially illegal – I do not perceive that they enhance performance.  I do concede that both are dangerous.  Cocaine in all respects, anphetamines if taken inconsistent with a doctor’s instructions.

Steroids are dangerous and enhance performance.  I’m convinced of that.  The Major Leagues needs blood testing to detect HGH.  If players find bad doctors to get around the testing, then they are taking the risk of being caught later when MLB can develop testing to catch up.  The “bad” doctors certainly take the risk as evidenced by the fact that the government is going after them without mercy.

There is also an element of fairness to this.  How is any of this fair to Griffey?  I’ve never heard Griffey being connected to steroids even a rumor.  He’s not in the Mitchell Report, he was not “outed” by any of the trainers.  Nothing.  It’s Griffey’s misfortune that he’s lumped in with Bonds and A-Rod even though he hit 600 HRs cleanly?

That’s at least how I distinguish it all.  Although I concede there’s nothing we should do about the record books.  Which is why I’m so adamant about the HOF.  This is where a statement can be made.  This is where “punishment” if you will can take place.

Right now….the real home run champ is Barry Bonds. Not Hank Aaron.

Look, I don’t like the fact that Bonds took steroids. But it isn’t his fault….Major League Baseball is to blame. The leadership in the Major League Baseball commissioner’s office turned a blind eye to performance enhancing drugs in favor of a surge in the popularity of the game on the heels of towering homers, home run races, and shattered records.

This is a fact.

Baseball spans more history than any other popular sport. And with the passage of time, comes change. It’s a generational game – and always will be. There was a dead ball era, an era where pitchers reined, the steroid era, and there will be many more eras to follow.

Should we put an asterisk next to hall of fame pitchers whose careers were saved by Tommy John surgery? Well, maybe those pitchers wouldn’t have had HOF worthy careers if the surgery wasn’t performed. Since the surgery wasn’t invented when the game began – it simply isn’t fair. It’s a slippery slope…

• Medical, nutritional, training advances: Would Mickey Mantle have been on the field more often if he played today?
• How many players in the 1930s would have benefited from a pair of contact lenses?
• TV/video analysis: Would Babe Ruth have hit 150 home runs in a single season if he could memorize the delivery and approach of all the pitchers he faced (which, by the way, would have been far fewer than the number of pitchers playing today) or study his swing?
• Better equipment: What would Joe Dimaggio have done with a modern glove or today’s bats that are as dense as the core of the sun? How about some Adidas cleats?
• What about the playing surfaces, batter’s eye, and smaller ballparks?
• What about the body armor and lighter, more comfortable uniforms?
• What about all the statistics? All the spreadsheets, databases, the provide information to pitching and hitting coaches to better inform their players?

What’s next?

• Bionic limbs? Why should the 8 year old kid who lost his leg in a freak accident in the year 2025 be allowed to play the game and break the stolen base record?
• What about the new contact lenses they invented in the year 2031 the give people the vision of a bald eagle?

Agreed.  I think everyone knows how I feel about this.  I still like Alex.  I’m glad he owned up to his mistake.  But let’s be clear about something: Everyone needs to stop referring to the Hall of Fame as an entitlement.  It’s not.  Just because you play great doesn’t mean you should be in the Hall of Fame.  It’s an honor, a privilege, it is a prize that someone else bestows upon you. 

All of the new 600 HR club guys are linked to steroids except for Griffey. 

Aaron, Ruth, Mays, Griffey.

Bonds, Sosa, A-Rod linked to steroids.  Bonds in “Game of Shadows”, Sosa in the Mitchell Report, and A-Rod by his own admission.

You can include McGwire too.  But his admission-non admission.  I can’t remember if he’s in the Mitchell Report. 

I can’t make a distinction between how many HRs were hit legitimately so for those who say that Bonds should be in the HOF because he was great anyway, I don’t know.  I don’t know if you can say that.  I can’t apportion how many home runs were hit under the influence and not.  Sorry. 

I also don’t know about anphetamines.  I know guys took them for energy to “get up” for a game.  I didn’t watch the game when they were prevalent.  I know they are not as dangerous as steroids.  But again, I can’t comment, I can comment on steroids.  I don’t know if anphetamines alters someone’s chemistry the way steroids does.  I’m not even sure who took them.  These players, I am reasonably sure took steroids – give me a guy.  Manny?  He was suspended.  Thome?  I don’t know.  I’ve never heard him connected to steroids like Griffey. 

So… I give an emphatic “no” to all of those guys – A-Rod included.  I thought it was nice that he hit it.  It is an accomplishment, but to put it on the same level as Aaron is just wrong on many levels.  I can’t do that.  It’s different I’m sorry.  They can put him in the Hall of Fame – I’m sure lots of guys subscribe to the “he’s great anyway” put him in.  I look at it differently.  It’s not the same.  

And for those who think like me – we know who the guys are.

With A-Rod in the news, NYTimes.com today has a fine article on Hank Aaron. Late in his career his annual HR production actually picked up – he had a great off season training regimen I never knew about, and Hank studied pitchers’ release points by looking at them from the bench though one of the tiny air holes on the top of his cap, a nice concentration aid.

I wish Aaron had been a Yankee, I love the guy. He played vs. NYY in my first game at Stadium, in 1958 World Series. Eight Hall of Famers played that day, four from each team (Mantle, Berra, Ford, Enos Slaughter (pinch-hitter) vs. Aaron, Mathews, Spahn, Schoendienst.)

Lost in the hoopla of A-Rod’s historic asterisk yesterday was the fact that the Captain went 4 for 4 yesterday, with 3 runs scored, and 2 doubles.  This was a good sign, and he is hitting over .300 since the All-Star break.

ESPN had some nice Jeter tidbits concerning yesterday’s game:

• With his 4-4 day, he passed Joe Dimaggio on the Yankee list with 35 4-4 performances.
• With 2 doubles he now has 460 doubles, passing HOF Jimmie Foxx with 458 doubles.
• With 3 Runs scored, he now has 1652 Runs scored, passing HOF Joe Morgan (1650).

Not a bad day for the Captain.  Oh and Rivera pitched another perfect inning in relief (lowering his ERA to 0.91).   Do you realize of the 40 appearances he has made this year, in 23 of them No one has even reached base?  Of the remaining 17 appearances, 11 times only one man got on base via Hit or BB. The man is unbeleivable.

Now on to more important point.  The series against Boston lines up well pitching-wise for Boston:

• Friday - Vazquez vs. Buchholz (advantage Bos)
• Saturday - Sabathia vs. Lackey (advantage Yankees)
• Sunday – Burnett vs. Beckett (advantage Bos)
• Monday – Moseley vs. Lester (advantage Bos)

The Boston lineup has been decimated by injuries (Youkilis, Pedroia, Cameron and Varitek are on the DL, and Martinez just came off it last week and Elsbury came off yesterday).  So the Yankees pitchers need to take advantage of this lineup and the Yankees batters need to beat up on Boston pitching.  You can’t let Boston back into this race.

Now that we know how A-Rod reacts to the pressure of these “historic” home runs and how long it takes him to pass these milesones imagine if he is tied with Bonds some day…… it will take him 2 years to hit that final HR and he’ll have to have a shrink sit next to him in the dugout the whole time.

I see he will get a bonus for passing Ruth, Aaron, and finally Bonds. It’s in his contract. Them that has, gets.