By Eddie Mayrose
Yankees Manager Should Tell Burnett, “Shut Up and Pitch.”
I can’t believe Yanks’ manager Joe Girardi is planning to bench Jorge Posada in Game 2 
of the ALDS because of the perception that A.J. Burnett pitches better when Jose Molina is behind the plate. Now, I might give Girardi a little wiggle room here if say, C.C. Sabathia preferred Molina. But Burnett? What, exactly, has he done this year to warrant such a huge accomodation? Here’s a little perspective on A.J.’s season: He’s got 13 wins for a team with the best offense in the game at the not-so-bargain basement price of $18 million. Conversely, Minnesota’s Game 3 starter, Carl Pavano, had 14 wins while pitching most of the year for the last place Indians. See how many Yankee fans you can find that’d want Pavano in pinstripes tomorrow night. To bench Posada, a proven post season vet enjoying one of his best seasons, for such a disappointing pitcher is ludicrous. And with Girardi facing dismissal if he doesn’t bring home a ring, it’s really ill advised to alienate one of the team’s leaders. For the skipper’s sake, Burnett had better throw a gem.
Gardenhire Thumbs Nose At Robotic Managers
Despite the fact that there were really no pennant races in Major League Baseball outside of the AL Central, The Twins and Tigers certainly made up for it Tuesday night. Of all the moves and counter moves made by both managers throughout the twelve inning marathon, my favorite came in the top of the eighth. With two on and one out, Twins’ skipper Ron Gardenhire handed the ball to,(hold on to something before you read this), his closer Joe Nathan. Yes, in the most crucial part of the game and season, a manager finally decided that he needed his best pitcher to get him out of trouble, no matter what inning it was. Look for Gardenhire to have his Manager’s Union card revoked.
Jets Look To Bounce Back With Some Extra Help
While it’s true that there is no such thing as a good loss, that wasn’t such a bad one suffered by the Jets in New Orleans. It’ll have no impact on Division or Conference tie-breakers, they held one of the league’s top offensive units to just ten points and were done in by the mistakes of their rookie QB; something they knew would eventually happen. Mark Sanchez had better start tucking that ball away in the pocket, though, and the offensive line has to step it up in order to make use of RB Thomas Jones. We’ll get our first look at how Sanchez handles adversity this week. I like his chances. Especially with WR Braylon Edwards in the fold. Maybe all he needed was a change of scenery. Jet fans certainly hope so.
Give Eli A Week Off To Heal Heel
I’m not saying the Giants can win a Super Bowl without Eli Manning. But, they can absolutely beat the Raiders with David Carr under center, something I hope to see this Sunday. No sense losing sight of the big picture while facing such a bad team.
New York Mets Broadcaster At Top Of His Field
Tuesday night, during Twins-Tigers on TBS, a national audience saw first hand what Mets fans have known for a few years: Ron Darling is a superb analyst. Never too wordy, always on point, Darling had his best moment in the bottom of the seventh. With one out and one on, Orlando Cabrera stepped into the box with the Twins trailing 3-2. “Orlando Cabrera is a winning player who always seems to get a big hit when his team needs it the most”, said Darling. The Twins’ shortstop made Darling a prophet with his two tun homer just a few minutes later. And, as Cabrera rounded the bases, not one “I told you so” from Darling. A total professional.
Fifty Years? Already?
On October 10th 1959, Notre Dame traveled to Berkeley and laid a 28-6 pasting on California while LSU, the #1 team in the country, knocked off Miami 27-6. The West Wing’s Bradley Whitford was born, Pan Am announced the beginning of the first global airline service and Eileen Forsyth married Artie Mayrose at St. Anselm’s Church in Brooklyn. In the fifty years since, through four children, twelve grandchildren and all of the excitement, disappointment, triumphs, setbacks, achievements, failures, milestones and heartbreaks that make up half a century, they have been a shining example of the invincibility of two people that love each other. They created a strong family that spawned four others by living and teaching one simple rule: There is nothing that parents can give their children that is more valuable than the parents themselves. Though they never missed anything, even though our time took up all of theirs, and we never wanted for anything, despite the fact they were not wealthy, it is a simple fact that they never sacrificed anything for us. At least, that’s what they’d say. As kids, our lives didn’t take away from theirs, rather, our lives became theirs. It is a legacy of love that now benefits their grandchildren as well. So, Happy 50th, Mom and Dad. Here’s hoping the next fifty are just as much fun. Eat your heart out, Lou Kennedy.
It was the kind of weekend Yankee fans imagined when C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett 
and Mark Teixeira were signed last winter. Burnett and C.C. each turned in a dominant performance on the hill while Teixeira’s big bomb sealed the four game sweep over the hated Red Sox. Heading into the home stretch with a six game lead, the Yanks have hit their stride; getting contributions from every part of the lineup. With Phil Hughes filling what was a gaping hole in the Bombers’ pen and Mariano Rivera enjoying a career year; it’s looking like there may be a deep October run in the new stadium.
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In what may be a sign that MLB clubs are feeling the effects of the weak economy, the Blue Jays jettisoned their two time All Star outfielder, Alex Rios, for, essentially, nothing but relief from the obligation to pay the balance of his contract. Even more alarming is that, despite the fact that Rios is just 28 years old; no team other than the White Sox was interested.
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When they tee it up today in the PGA championship at Hazeltine, it’ll be the last chance in ’09 for Tiger Woods to win a major; something that hasn’t happened since 2004. He comes in on the heels of two straight wins that followed a missed cut at the British Open. The way things have gone for him this year, however, if he doesn’t get out fast, it’s not likely he’ll come back.
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Could we please cease and desist with the ridiculous notion that the Red Sox and Yankees are part of the “greatest rivalry in sports”? They play each other at least eighteen times each year, the regular season results usually mean nothing as both routinely qualify for the post season and they rarely meet each other in the playoffs. Earlier this season, New York lost eight straight to Boston and yet, found themselves six games ahead of the pack just two months later. If Michigan lost eight straight football games to Ohio State, they’d have suffered almost a decade of misery that likely included zero trips to the Rose Bowl. That’s a rivalry.
The networks and talking heads calling the games can say anything they want to hype the matchups but can’t undo the reality that the players just don’t care as much as the fans. They’re too transient and have a much larger financial stake than emotional. Head down to Philadelphia this fall and ask a Navy offensive lineman what it means to beat Army. Walk into the Duke locker room on the first day of basketball practice and ask any of the players the date of the North Carolina game. They’ll know. There was a time in baseball when Jackie Robinson retired rather than accept a trade to the hated New York Giants. Remind Johnny Damon of that little bit of history when you ask if he circles the Boston games on his schedule. Yanks-Sox is a great watch because the teams are two of the game’s most talented and each is a contender for the AL East crown, not because the outcome is a matter of life and death to the participants.
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NationalFootballPost.com reported that the Jets have spoken to an NFC West team to gauge interest in RB Thomas Jones. A Jet source claimed the report was untrue and I hope that’s the case. Heading into the season with a new coach, new QB and a scarcity of talented receivers, it’s inconceivable to consider dealing the team’s best offensive player.
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I’ve been chastised at times by Cheap Seats readers unhappy with the lack of attention given to soccer in this column. So, with the World Cup qualifying game (sorry, match) being played yesterday in Mexico City, I thought it’d be a good time to take a peek. Imagine my surprise then, when I learned that, despite the fact that the U.S. hasn’t won a game (sorry again, match) against Mexico in its last twenty three tries, its players only worked out together for two days. Two. Seems that the players have other commitments and the whole qualifying system is an inconvenience to many. Could it possibly be that this World Cup stuff isn’t as important to the players as my soccer antagonists would have me believe?
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In a season that’s become unwatchable, Johan Santana gives disappointed Mets’ fans a reason to tune in every fifth day. In an ongoing tribute to professionalism, Santana is tied for the Major League lead in wins. Each offseason, the agent for a sub .500 pitcher will make the case for a salary increase by pointing out that his client’s team averaged a paltry amount of runs during his starts. It’s a ridiculous argument as it doesn’t take into account how many runs the pitcher allowed. It doesn’t matter if his run support was bad if his ERA was worse. Anyway, think about Santana when you hear that argument next year. If a pitcher is a big, tough guy who cares more about the team’s record than his own, he’ll have plenty of wins no matter how meager the run support.
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Jerry Seinfeld made his fortune with a show that was, admittedly, about nothing. Apparently taking their cue from Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine, the NFL and ESPN combine forces this weekend to bring us the annual cattle call known as the NFL Draft. Eight hours of coverage, five analysts, hundreds of video profiles, the biggest hairdo on television and an auditorium full of self proclaimed diehard fans booing and cheering players that most of them have never seen perform. In the spirit of The Emperor’s New Clothes, they respond to selections as if they were puppets of the network. If draft expert Mel Kiper says that their team should have taken another player they boo, even if they’ve never heard of either. Then, they wrap it all up with my favorite part; The Scorecard. Despite the fact that none of these players have ever pulled on an NFL jersey, the teams are graded on how successful they were during the whole process. Sort of like figuring out which cake is the best in the bakery by looking at the boxes.
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Even though the draft coverage is tediously long, it is informative enough to give those fans that don’t follow the college game an idea of the types of players coming to their teams. A far cry from the way the draft used to be run with fans lined up on the street outside a midtown hotel hoping to get one of the available seats. Many, like my buddies and me who cut class to be there, were turned away. And give Mel Kiper some of the credit he deserves. He took a hobby and turned it into a million dollar job. The only thing missing from the marathon coverage is a Kiper scorecard. He gets to stand on a soapbox all day and criticize GM’s and entire scouting departments without fear of his own miscues being revealed to the viewers. Every once in awhile give us a glimpse at how Mel’s past picks worked out.
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With the sixth selection, the Jets are said to be considering RB Darren McFadden from Arkansas. An electric playmaker to be sure but didn’t they just throw a boatload of money at RB Thomas Jones last year? Then, in the off-season, they managed to address weaknesses on both the offensive and defensive lines. How about giving Jones a chance to run behind these high priced linemen and using the pick to establish the best young secondary in the league? Last time I Iooked, the Jets were still in the same division as Tom Brady and Randy Moss. They unearthed a hidden gem three years ago when they drafted ball hawking safety Kerry Rhodes and made a great pick last year, moving up to grab cornerback Darrelle Revis who enjoyed a sensational rookie year. Wouldn’t another shutdown cornerback on the other side make the defensive line more effective and allow Holmes the freedom to play centerfield in the deep secondary? Mike Tannenbaum and Eric Mangini; you know where to reach me.
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Like father, like son? Now we find out that, according to Yankees’ co- owner, Hank Streinbrenner, he never signed off on Joba Chamberlain’s move to the bullpen. “I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now,” Steinbrenner told the New York Times. “There is no question about it, you don’t have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don’t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.” Funny how quickly Brian Cashman, who has been the General Manager through four World Series titles and thirteen straight post-season appearances, became an idiot. You’d think that after watching Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy get knocked around early in the season Steinbrenner would understand the practicality of protecting young arms. I guess not. Do you think that Hank has already reminded Cashman that the GM was the one who staunchly opposed a trade for Johan Santana?
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Last Saturday, Mets vs. Phillies. Bottom of the 8th inning, Mets up 4-2 and facing a bases loaded jam with one out. FOX broadcaster, Tim McCarver, made what has become the unquestioned MLB logic, observing that the Mets’ Aaron Heilman would have to wriggle out of the sticky situation himself, as it was too early to go to closer Billy Wagner. Huh? How did it ever become logical to have anyone other than the best pitcher available handling a game’s most critical situation? A quick glance at the record books shows that from 1978 through 1984, Hall of Fame reliever, Goose Gossage, averaged over 100 IP per season and had at least 10 wins four times. Gossage was no stranger to multiple inning appearances and was often brought into tie games, something managers never do with their closers today. Mariano Rivera, regarded in many circles as the best reliever ever, has never had more than 80 IP or 7 wins since becoming the Yankee stopper. It seems that since Tony LaRussa had success with this system in Oakland twenty years ago, managers are more concerned with having their instincts challenged than the consequences of simply following the herd.
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Is there any single position in all of sports that is more important than a hot goalie in the NHL playoffs? Every year, no matter how the teams are seeded, upsets are the norm, generally because the weaker team’s goaltender goes on an insane streak where he stops everything sent his way. The Rangers, Avalanche and Stars have already knocked off higher seeds while three other series were going to a Game 7 as we went to press. Which begs the question; if one player can make such a difference in the way teams match up with each other, why does the regular season have to be so long? At any rate, while it hasn’t been quite as long between cups as the last two, Ranger fans are well aware that 1994 was a long time ago. Here’s hoping the Broadway Blues keep the Garden hopping well into May.
