Yankee Manager Girardi Makes Lemonade

While the World Series title serves as the ultimate vindication for Yankees manager Joe Girardi, I’m still amused by all of the flack he caught in the media for starting A.J. Burnett on short rest in Game 4.  What, exactly, were his options?  Those who pointed to a three games to one lead as a big enough cushion for Girardi to turn to Chad Gaudin and save A.J. Burnett acted as if starting the $16 million dollar man on three days rest was tantamount to abuse.  And what of the ridiculous idea that you can afford to give a game away rather than try to wrap up the title?  Burnett’s miserable performance had everything to do with the Phillies getting a second look at him and nothing to do with fatigue.  To crticize Girardi for a bad decision is ridiculous.  Especially when you realize that he worked his way through three series with just four pitchers on whom he could rely.  For $200 million, you’d think he’d have a few more.

Hideki Matsui Wins Series MVP

Have to admit to being slightly amused by Hideki Matsui’s selection as MVP.   Not that he was unworthy; just unexpected.  While analysts on all fronts spent most of Monday and Tuesday discussing viable candidates for the award, Matsui’s name was never mentioned.  Some pointed to Mariano Rivera in the event he saved the clincher, Johnny Damon for his eight hits and whether Chase Utley’s record setting performance would be enough if the Phillies lost.  Instead, Matsui stole the show.  I guess, that’s why they play the games.

Alex Rodriguez: A True Yankee Yet?

This was after Alex Rodriguez had given the Yankees a first inning lead over the previously unhittable Cliff Lee in Monday’s Game Four.  Cheap Seater Frank Marsala wondered how Rodriguez was now regarded by Yankee fans. “Is ARod a true Yankee yet?  I’ve always hated that phrase, it’s really stupid.”  Stupid, yes, Frank, but the perception, nonetheless. Despite winning two MVP awards in his first four years, Rodriguez has never been embraced by Bombers’ faithful; allegedly due to his continuous failure in the post season.  As if all Yankees rise to the occasion in the playoffs.  More accurately, fans have kept ARod at arm’s length due to his icy relationship with their poster boy, Derek Jeter. Older fans will remember a similar situation in the seventies when Reggie Jackson was signed.  Long before he was crowned Mr. October, Jackson was vilified not only for his feud with beloved manager Billy Martin but for his rant against Thurman Munson, team captain, in which Reggie referred to himself as the “straw that stirs the drink.” Not until that now famous three homer night in the ’77 World Series did Reggie become a fan favorite.  So much so, actually, that after returning to Yankee Stadium years later and homering as a member of the Angels, fans serenaded owner George Steinbrenner with an obscene chant for even allowing their hero to sign with California.  By then, I guess, Jackson was viewed as a true Yankee.

So, what’s been ARod’s crime?  Yes, he did take a swipe at Jeter in a magazine piece a few years ago when he signed with Texas but that was long before he donned pinstripes. It’s not the steroid issue, either, as he had the gorilla on his back for a long time prior to that revelation.  Rather, it’s that the fans have followed Jeter’s lead.  He has never publicly warmed to the idea of Rodriguez as a teammate so neither have those who worship him.  It’s interesting to note that when former Yankee Jeremy Giambi was mired in a year long slump and hearing about it from the stands on a nightly basis, Jeter stepped in and asked that the first baseman be cut a break.  However, he has chosen not to whenever ARod has been the target of their wrath.  Whatever the reason, lingering anger, resentment or simple dislike, Jeter left ARod to fend for himself when things were bad for the shortstop turned third baseman. Thus,  until these playoffs started, Rodriguez has been regarded as an outsider.

Which brings me to this question.  If post season success is the barometer for being deemed a “true Yankee”, do we include Luis Sojo but not Don Mattingly?  Hmmm.  You’re right, Frank. That phrase is really stupid.

Hey ARod. Whattaya Really Think?

There’s no arguing that, given his history, ARod needs to avoid controversy at all costs.  But, whenever I hear him give an interview, I’m reminded of the scene in Bull Durham where Crash pulls Nuke aside to work on his cliches. 

New York Sports Update

For those of you who’ve had your head under a World Series rock for the last two weeks, let me bring you up to date on the rest of the New York sports scene.  The Knicks opened this season the way they finished the last, watching opponents breeze to the basket while shooting the ball as if it was too big for the basket.  They’re 1-4 or, as Donnie Walsh would rather you think, five games closer to next summer’s free agent class.  The Giants have lost three straight as they’ve suddenly forgotten how to defend the pass and the Jets have lost four of five because, well, they’re the Jets.  The Rangers, currently second in the Atlantic division, remain the Garden’s only hope for post season action next spring.  And, somewhere in the Dominican Republic, Jose Reyes is still limping.  So, enjoy the parade tomorrow.  It might be awhile before you see another one.

By Eddie Mayrose

Yankees Have Unfinished Business

Summer officially ended for the Yankees and their fans on Sunday with the clinching of the American League Eastern Division. Despite a wonderful season that saw the opening of a beautiful new ballpark, record numbers of home runs, exciting, last-inning heroics that seemed to occur every night, two or three viable MVP and CY Young candidates as well as the best record in baseball, a playoff run that ends short of a World Series title will turn 2009 into a failure.

It’s the one downside to playing for the Bronx Bombers.  Yes, you enjoy the best that money can buy but at a price:  If you don’t win it all, the season is lost.  Just ask Manager Joe Girardi, whose status for next year is still undetermined despite this season’s success.  Or Alex Rodriguez, possibly the greatest player of his time, who has struggled mightily in the post season since joining the Bombers and has become a target of fans’ frustration because of it.

Former Mets GM Frank Cashen once said that the best team always wins the division but the playoffs are a crap shoot. While it’s true that the Yankees go into the post season with some big question marks, namely their starting rotation after C.C. Sabathia, they have markedly fewer problems than the rest of the AL’s contenders.  Now, if ARod can just get hot and A.J. Burnett can imagine that he’s pitching for a contract, maybe Joe Girardi can worry about his ring size instead of his resume.

New York Jets Might Not Be “Same Old”

Try as I might to resist, the Jets are starting to nudge me in the direction of optimism.  Not so much because of their perfect record but more for the attitude with which the defense is confounding veteran quarterbacks.  Attack, attack, attack is the modus operandi; one that couldn’t be more foreign to fans raised on the heartbreak of the Prevent Defense.  Apparently, the aggressive style is contagious, as evidenced by Mark Sanchez lowering his head and driving toward the end zone during his touchdown run on Sunday.  No sissy-boy slide for Rex Ryan’s QB.

Before I start booking a Super Bowl trip, however, I’d like to see some consistency in the running game.  Despite their 3-0 record, the Jets have only been productive on the ground in the second half of their opener in Houston.  With a rookie signal caller in Sanchez, they’ll have to establish their ground attack if they hope to keep opposing defenses out of his face as the season goes on.

Knicks Plan For Life Without LeBron James

Finally, the Knicks seem to be acknowledging that they must have an alternative plan in place should they come up empty next summer when players like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh become free agents.  While it’s true that Donnie Walsh has done a great job in ridding the Knicks of the bad contracts that left the organization no room under the salary cap, that cap space alone does not guarantee that James or Wade will be wearing a New York uniform in 2010.

In signing David Lee to a one year deal for significantly more than Lee was entitled, Walsh established some good will with his young star going forward while maintaining wiggle room under the cap.  Besides, there’s this little business of playing the 82 games on this year’s schedule first; something not all that promising to begin with but entirely more watchable with a budding star like Lee on the squad.

MLB Disabled List Doesn’t Have To Mean All Is Lost

Is it reasonable to expect a Major League team to contend for a divisional title when   its two best players miss huge chunks of the season to injury; only to be followed to the disabled list by three of the five starters in the rotation?  Even if the team survives that initial wave of injuries, it couldn’t possibly stay in the race when a second wave of bad health removes two more power hitters from the middle of the lineup; one for the remainder of the season, could it?   Well, if you’re asking that question out at CitiField,  Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel would tell you the answer is a resounding, “No”.   But, in Minnesota, where the Twins head into Detroit this week for a four game series just two behind the Tigers in spite of all the aforementioned casualties, the answer is, “Why not?”

The Twinkies spent the first month of the season without Joe Mauer, a two time batting champ about to add a third title and an MVP award to his trophy case.  Think they might have been two games better over the first five weeks with him behind the plate?  Their projected ace, Francisco Liriano, has contributed nothing while serving three different stints on the DL,  they’ll finish the season without former MVP Justin Morneau, down with a bad back, just as they’ve muddled along trying to patch the huge hole left by starter Kevin Slowey; 10-3 before saying goodbye to ’09 with a broken wrist.  Hard to believe Minnesota wouldn’t have long since iced the division with these guys all in the lineup but, even without them, they still have a shot.  It’s a tribute to the excellence of the organization, from scouting to player development, and something for Mets’ owner Fred Wilpon to consider when evaluating the job done by Minaya.  It’s also why there should be an investigation if Ron Gardenhire isn’t named AL Manager of the Year.

Florida Gators Lose Tebow For No Good Reason

Bonehead call of the week goes to Urban Meyer, Head Coach of the top ranked Florida Gators.  With under eight minutes to go in the third quarter of Florida’s matchup with Kentucky on Saturday, the Gators scored to make it 31-7.  To that point, Tim Tebow, perhaps the game’s premier player, had been directing Meyer’s spread offense even though he was sick enough to require two bags of intravenous fluids before the game just to be able to play.  Yet, despite the big lead and his superstar’s illness, Meyer chose to leave Tebow in the game; a decision that bit him on the behind when Tebow suffered a concussion. 

Now, if Meyer thought that Kentucky would rally from 24 points down in 22 minutes against his Gator defense, he was the only one in the country.  But let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.  Say there was enough time for the Wildcats to come back.  This was a football game; not baseball.  If Kentucky made it close, Tebow could always return to the lineup.  Instead, Meyer flirted with one of  the few things that could derail his team’s run to its third title in four years.  Bonehead.

It has become the standard by which fans judge their favorite teams.  In an era where sports talk radio and the internet give anyone the opportunity to publicly express an opinion by simply picking up a phone or powering up a computer, fans now assign daily accountability to players, coaches and executives.  First place team loses four out of six? Pick up the phone and scream at the radio host that the general manager has to make a trade. A bunch of close games go the other way?  Hit redial and tell the same guy that the coach’s game management skills are lacking.  Cleanup hitter hasn’t gone deep in a while?  Post a blog demanding that he be dropped in the order.  Unfortunately, in their desire for instant gratification, fans have lost sight of two things:  A season is a marathon, not a sprint and, since the other guy is also trying to win, sometimes you lose.

Here in New York, it is impossible to listen to a radio call-in show for more than ten minutes without hearing one of the local nines get clobbered.  Mets’ fans alternately call for the heads of GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel as the team has now slipped into fourth place in the NL East, six games behind the Phillies.  Despite the fact that nine players, including five all stars, two starting pitchers and the team’s top prospect, are currently on the disabled list, the onslaught gains momentum every day as outraged fans demand action.  “Hi, Junior from Flushing, how ya doin?  First time, long time.  Listen, I gotta problem with this Minaya guy.  How could he not have better guys backing up Beltran and Reyes.  And what kind of lineup is Manuel puttin’ out there?  They make me sick.  These guys gotta go.”    No acknowledgement that the total number of injuries is miles above what any GM could reasonably expect to incur and an absolutely blind eye to the fact that, despite using a batting order that, on most nights, is weaker than the last place Nats, Manuel still has his overmatched squad within spitting distance of the Phils.  If, as many bloggers would have you believe, he should no longer be the Mets’ skipper, he might enjoy a career as a magician.  Fans used to rally around underdogs.  Now, too many belittle them for being just that.

In the Bronx, the Yankees have pulled off a neat trick, managing to mathematically eliminate themselves from the AL East race three or four different times over the first half of the season; at least in the eyes of some of their less patient loyalists.  Despite having the third best record in the game and standing just three games out of first while leading the AL wild card race, they have been written off by many of their fans each time they’ve hit a bump in the road.  Back in April, during their customary slow start, the Bombers were being killed by fans upset not only with their place in the standings but the sub par performance of free agent signees C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira.  Talk show groupies wanted anyone to pay, with GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi the most popular choices.  When things turned around for both superstars as well as the team, naysayers pointed their venom at a favorite target, Alex Rodriguez.  Say what you will about the enigmatic third baseman but, since his return from hip surgery on May 8^th, only Albert Pujols has hit more HR while his RBI total has been surpassed by Pujols, Prince Fielder and no one else.  Many of ARod’s detractors point, sometimes accurately, to his failures in the clutch.  There is no disputing, however, that his return coincided with the onset of the Yankees’ success over the last two months.  Unless, of course, you turn on your radio where you’ll hear that fact disputed every hour on the hour.  Eight straight losses to Boston have also gotten a lot of play as; somehow, they seem to count as more than eight if they come at the hands of the Red Sox.  Finally, a weekend sweep by the Angels sent them into the break dealing with a ton of negative questions and headlines.  That it came on the heels of three straight wins in Minnesota was dismissed almost immediately in the new sports world of “What have you done for me lately?”

While technology and media can be blamed for a large part of this phenomenon, the teams, themselves, have fueled the fire, as well.  The ridiculous prices being charged for tickets have helped spawn a mentality among fans that something is owed them whenever they go to the park.  Irrational?  Maybe, but not without some merit.  For instance, I wouldn’t be too happy, after coughing up a few hundred bucks, to arrive at Citi Field and find that David Wright had the day off.   Be that as it may, it’d be nice to see more fans supporting their teams instead of knocking them.  Back in May, on the “perfect afternoon” referred to by Terrence Mann  in the classic, Field of Dreams, my seven year old was treated to a game at Citi Field by his three older brothers.  Wearing his Johan Santana jersey and his “real” Mets hat, Timmy was thrilled just to be at the game.  He took a few swings in the tee ball park, (before the game, of course), sampled the Pepsi Porch and was ecstatic to be included as one of “the guys”.  He saw a beauty, too, as the game went twelve innings.  When he arrived home, he was bubbling.  He couldn’t wait to tell his mom and me about sitting in left field, the grand slam hit by Fernando Tatis, two Met comebacks to tie the game, the hot dogs, popcorn, crazy people in the stands, “free baseball”, and, of course, the fun he had with his big brothers.  The last thing he said?  “Too bad the Mets lost but what a great game.”  Good man, that Tim.  I’ll have to teach him how to blog.

Sports Illustrated runs a small piece each week called, This Week’s Sign That The Apocalypse Is Upon Us.  Often funny and always eye popping; it lists incredibly bad decisions or actions from all areas of the sports world.  It’s one of the features I immediately turn to when the magazine arrives in the mail.  Every once in a while, I have my own ideas about something that should be listed, like the Little League All Star team I recently saw that had four players wearing the following numbers: 02, 05, 07, 08.  Or the marketing of a weekday afternoon game by an MLB team that encouraged students to “Play hookey from school.”  I didn’t have to wait for my SI this week, however, as FOX Sports and fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers gave early notice.

On Saturday, during steroid cheat Manny Ramirez’s second game back after serving a fifty game suspension, FOX cut away from their Mets-Phillies broadcast to show each of Manny’s at bats against the Padres.  Just as they would if a player was chasing 3,000 hits, 500 HR or some in-season record or streak.  In other words, FOX afforded Ramirez, the first big star to violate MLB’s current policy, the same treatment given the likes of Henry Aaron, Rod Carew or George Brett. That no one at the network thought this was a bad message to send is shameful.

And what of the Dodger fans that drove to San Diego to cheer their hero from underneath their Manny wigs?  This is the same guy that had no concern for his organization, teammates or fans while he was so carelessly using the PED’s that forced his suspension.  Do you think any of them experienced such strong feelings of forgiveness when Alex Rodriguez was caught?  Or Roger Clemens?  To single out the fan base of any one team is unfair, though, as steroid cheats are welcomed back by fans throughout the game as long as they are productive.  Something to keep in mind the next time someone gets his shorts in a bunch about whether any of these guys belong in the Hall of Fame.  No matter how many times fans say, “No”, their actions tell a completely different story

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Speaking of Manny, is anyone smiling more than Red Sox GM Theo Epstein?  Last year, faced with the impossible task of getting equal value for one of the game’s superstars, Epstein not only removed a problem from his clubhouse but replaced him with Jason Bay, currently the AL’s RBI leader.

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All right, I’ll admit it.  I did watch much of the fifth set of the Wimbledon Men’s (I’m sorry, Gentlemen’s) Final on Sunday.  In what turned into a marathon contest, Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick for his record setting 15^th Grand Slam title.  One thing that made no sense to me, however, was that the fifth set went thirty games as Federer finally prevailed 16-14 while, in contrast, Federer posted 7-6 victories in sets two and three via tiebreakers.  My question is, how can a championship event be governed by two sets of rules?  Some will say that a title shouldn’t be decided by a tiebreaker.  I get that.  Others point out that, without the tie breaker, sets two and three could have gone as long as the fifth.  Another valid point.  But neither explains away the silliness of two different rules being used in the same match.  Isn’t it possible that Roddick may have won one of those sets absent the tiebreaker?  Whatever your opinion, I’ve already spent entirely too much time discussing tennis.

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Many are impressed by the intensity that Jimmy Rollins brings to each of the Phillies’ matchups with the Mets.  That he is able to raise his game to such a high level during every meeting with his hated rival is amazing.  I’m wondering, however, if Philly brass is a little annoyed that he’s batting about .200 against the rest of the NL.  They’re paying him to play against every team, aren’t they?

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So, let me see if I’ve got this straight.  Despite Joba Chamberlain’s tremendous success as a reliever, the Yankees are adamant about keeping him in the starting rotation no matter how much he struggles.  But, when it comes to Philip Hughes, they refuse to return him to his natural position as a starter because of his success in the bullpen.  Huh?

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Complain all you want about MLB’s All Star selection process, and much of the griping is warranted, but every once in a while, they get one right.  Such is the case this year with Tim Wakefield, a true professional and one of baseball’s good guys.  Since bursting on the scene with the Pirates in 1991, Wakefield has fashioned a very impressive career, mostly in Boston, that has included just about everything except an All Star appearance.  That it comes to him for the first time at 42 years of age is a thrill for his many fans, one of whom, I must confess, is me.

About twelve years ago, the Hausier’s Krowedum Fantasy Baseball League’s annual junket took its members to Fenway Park.  Well, Boston actually, as more than a few of the boys never made it out of the Cask and Flagon.  Those of us that did make it to the game found that our seats were in the first row behind the Bosox bullpen in right field.  Wakefield wasn’t pitching that day and was hanging with the relief crew.   Sometime around the fourth inning he came out to get a little work in and struck up a conversation with us.  He proceeded to pull a chair up to the fence and spend the rest of the game as one of our contingent.  He went into detail about the knuckleball; how he holds it and files his cuticles for a better grip.  We laughed at his response to the question of his catchers’ opinion of the knuckler: “They hate my guts.”  There were arguments over the worth of certain players in the game as he marveled at how our team loyalties dictated how we felt about different guys.  When one of them, Bobby Bonilla, came up to bat, we bet him a hot dog that the ex-Met would strike out.  Wakefield demanded we pay up after Bonilla’s double and happily downed the dog.  I have no recollection of who won that game, but I still have the baseball he tossed me when it was over and won’t ever forget how much fun it was to watch a game while getting a big leaguer’s perspective.  Here’s hoping AL manager Joe Maddon recognizes the opportunity to do something special and gives Wakefield the ball next Tuesday.

Say this for the 109^th US Open at Bethpage; it certainly wasn’t boring.  There was Lucas Glover, the surprise winner whose steadiness belied the fact that he had but one previous Tour victory on his resume.  Ricky Barnes, another unknown who set a thirty-six hole Open scoring record, collapsed in the final round and finished tied for second.  David Duval, the best player in the world before Tiger, found some of his old magic and was one of three runners-up; his first top ten finish in seven years.  The third to finish two shots off the pace, Phil Mickelson, enjoyed a weekend long outpouring of love and support from New York fans sympathetic to his wife Amy’s battle against breast cancer.  And, then, there was the rain.  Rain that postponed play, soaked fans, diverted parking, moved tee boxes and, mostly, exposed the USGA as an organization that really doesn’t think well on its feet. 

 In sending golfers out for Thursday’s opening round in a steady downpour that was predicted to get much worse, tourney officials not only made a terrible error in judgment but also set into motion a full four days of bad decisions.  First, they informed fans who saw very little golf that their tickets would not be refunded or honored on another day, a decision they rescinded after being beaten up in the press and on the airwaves.  Then, on Friday, they stayed with the original schedule of tee times, resulting in the very strange situation where many in the field played two rounds while others, namely Tiger Woods, played just twelve holes.  Finally, late Friday and then again late on Saturday, the USGA had players start the next day’s round, even though there would only be enough light for two or three holes, at best.

 Here’s what should have happened.  Thursday’s first round never should have started.  Those that went off that morning were put at a severe disadvantage for the rest of the tournament simply because, over the first two rounds, they played a distinctly different golf course than those who played thirty six on Friday, the only day that saw decent weather.  Those golfers enjoyed a second round with soft greens and fairways; conditions that changed on Saturday.  Had the first round been postponed, officials could have sent foursomes, not threesomes, off of the front and back nines in the morning and afternoon, creating a level playing field for everyone.  As it was, not one of the more than sixty golfers who teed off early on the first day finished the tournament below par while just three were in the top twelve. 

 The allure of holding the Open at Bethpage is that it’s a public course, one played by the best in the game as well as the fans behind the ropes.  Maybe next time, they’ll take it a step further and enlist the services of a local starter, as well. 

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Did a double take while watching the Mets the other night.  During an in-game spot advertising Thursday afternoon’s game, the Mets urged kids to, “play hookey from school.”  Not such a big deal, as public schools close this week, but I couldn’t help wondering how someone in the PR Dept. thought it was a good idea.

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Kudos to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for cleaning up the mess left by the criminal justice system in Florida. Despite pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter, Cleveland Browns’ receiver Donte’ Stallworth will serve just thirty days in jail.  While Stallworth will also serve two years of house arrest, compensate the victim’s family and have his license permanently revoked, none of these sanctions would have prohibited him from resuming his career.  Goodell however would have none of it, suspending Stallworth indefinitely. 

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We may never know the actual reason behind Alex Rodriguez’s absence from the Yankee lineup in Florida.  His two game benching may have come about as a result of a conference call between ARod, Yankee brass and team doctors, been mandated by Brian Cashman or handed down by Joe Girardi after Rodriguez broke curfew.  While each version of the story was reported in some publication and debated at length, the one constant theme was that the third baseman’s poor production is a result of his being fatigued.  Funny, fatigue is the chief symptom of the withdrawal experienced by many after prolonged steroid use.  But that couldn’t be true of ARod, as he only used the juice that one time when his cousin, Sancho Panza, stuck the needle in his fanny.  Just that one time, right, Alex?

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It’s become the common belief among Knick fans that all of the team’s troubles will disappear next summer when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sign on with the team.  That the odds of that actually happening are much longer than their optimism would allow them to admit is a subject not often addressed.  The reality, however, is that it is more likely than not that neither will be in a Knicks uniform on Opening Night 2010.  To that end, team President Donnie Walsh must focus on the more traditional avenue for building a team; player development.

New York has the eighth pick in this year’s draft and many have projected that it’ll be used to select Davidson’s Stephen Curry, the best shooter in college basketball who can also play the point.  With Curry in the fold along with last year’s first rounder, Danilo Galinari and holdovers Wilson Chandler and David Lee, Walsh would accomplish two things.  Establish a core group solid enough to attract big name free agents or, if that fails, a collection of young stars capable of growing into an elite squad.  Either way, the only logical way to proceed is under the impression that the draft is significantly more important than free agency.   At least until next summer. 

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