Yankee Talk: As July looms, just how good are the Yankees?

Several weeks ago, I glanced at the schedule and spotted 23 games the Yankees had between June 6 and June 29. My conclusion was that if the team in that period went 18-5, it would vault them in a prime spot for an American League playoff berth.

I did not get the desired result I was intending, but instead a record of 14-8 with one game that is to be made up because of a rain out. Since when should one quarrel with a near .640 winning percentage? There is reason to nit-pick if I wanted to. Because of the lack of starting pitching depth and the untimely injury of ace Chien Ming-Wang, the run was going to be altered in some way.

What does Wang’s injury mean to the Yankees? Consider the fact he has had the most wins in baseball of any Major League pitcher since the start of 2006, and after a rough month of May, was rebounding into the form that was putting him on track for a 20-win season. To this point, his replacements have been Dan Giese and Sidney Ponson, whom the team had to claim off waivers from the Texas Rangers after he had an alleged incident with a member of the organization. It was amazing that he was reclaimed by the team that released him after five starts and an ERA that hovered over 10 two years ago. Add that up, and players whom you probably could not pick out of a team photo are anchoring two-fifths of the starting rotation.

That leaves the following question:

How good are the Yankees?

That is a very difficult question to answer. It is always difficult to judge a team when their key players are injured. Much as it was hard to determine how good the team was when Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada were missing from the lineup for an extended time, it is hard to gauge the team when it does not its complete pitching staff.

All that is needed for the next month is for the team to tread watch and use Band-Aid’s until reinforcements are (hopefully) brought in. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are scheduled for an August return. Wang is tentatively set for return in September, though his season might very well be over.

In discussions with other Yankee fans over the past several weeks, there seems to be this spoiled impression that General Manager Brian Cashman needs to get a top pitcher into pinstripes immediately before the season slips away. This type of talk is nonsense.

To be clear, those clamoring for soon to be Cleveland Indians free agent C.C Sabathia have to realize the landscape of the situation. The Indiana are not going to trade him right now. The AL Central, despite their horrific play to this point, is still not of reach. For whatever reason, the team that was one win away from the World Series last year has fallen on hard times. Injuries in their lineup and rotation have limited them. But with the White Sox still only a handful of games ahead, there is no reason to trade Sabathia for the near future. Now, if one month from today, the Indians are 10 games out of first and they know that Sabathia will walk; at that point, they can entertain trade discussions.

My personal suggestion is for the Yankees to contact the Seattle Mariners about Erik Bedard. He was traded to what has become ‘Hell on Earth” in the city of Starbucks. The team is in last place by 20 games and no realistic future outside of Felix Hernandez and Brandon Morrow. Bedard is a free agent after next season, so by acquiring him, you in effect are renting him for two seasons before choosing to sign him long term if you had not done so already. Last season, he was on track to win the Cy Young before missing the final month of the season with an injury. This year, he has not pitched as well, but considering the team, there is a myriad of factors working against him there. He is left handed and 29 years old. He has prospered in the American League East. Add to that, his success specifically against Boston Red Sox hitters has been off the charts.

Because you are getting him for a longer period than Sabathia, more quality prospects are going to be required. Based on some of the reports about him, he may not “love baseball”, “gut games out”, or throw more than 100 pitches. Personally, I feel most of these emotions that he is showing is based primarily due to the losing he has had to endure every year of his career. Every person is wired differently. If you were to give him a good team and a chance to win every time he took the mound, you would completely uncover his talent that we have seen.

Aside from that, no much has to be altered. The additions to the bullpen are going to come from within the minor leagues where several players have been progressing well. Adding a left-hander for the ‘pen would be ideal and Brian Fuentes of the Colorado Rockies fits that description. He makes five million this year and is a free agent, leaving the Rockies with a chance to dump his salary.

Besides that, nothing else is needed. Starting Monday, 22 of the next 28 games are going to be at home. The Yankees are always a much better offensive team at home than on the road, so this will give them a chance to flex a bit. If they can use this time at home to their advantage and go 19-9, they can surge into the trading deadline with the ability to tweak their team just enough to make another playoff appearance.

The conclusion: the team is still a work in progress trying to find itself. It appears to be a situation where if they can stay in contention into the middle of September, the full potential of the team will be uncovered.

Random Yankee Thoughts

Seeing Joba Chamberlain for the first time as a starter in person was an absolute treat. I saw him out in the bullpen warming up and he still has the baby face look to him. Barring injury, I may be watching another one of baseball’s best for years to come.

How can one not admire Jason Giambi’s mustache? Originally, it was not looking too good, but since he dyed it to black, it is a must see. Mario and Luigi have been replaced for good. Does not hurt that this has coincided with his recent hitting surge.

LaTroy Hawkins may need to find a new number to wear soon. #21 had to be changed to #22. No truth to the rumor he was consider a change to number 911.

Why do I get the feeling that Robinson Cano is the left-handed version of Alfonso Soriano? All-Star team when he is on. All-Ice Cold team when he is not. He’s been in the league for years now and I cannot figure him out. It seems as if I have the least confidence in him with there are two outs and runners on base.

I thought it was a joke when I saw the lineup that Joe Girardi was throwing out against the Mets on Sunday. When I found out it was not, I figured he was just punting the game. No way were they going to score runs with arguably the worst Yankee lineup I have seen in at least 15 years. Girardi could have gotten Matt Nokes, Randy Velarde and Kevin Maas out of retirement, they would have scraped out the same three hits the team ended up getting that day.

The market correction for Darrell Rasner is taking place now. I’m glad I praised him in advance of his impending implosion.

Perhaps Kyle Farnsworth would look more intimidating if he wore the old Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) glasses from the movie Major League. The rims he is wearing now are not cutting it.

Jose Reyes should never be compared in the same breath as Derek Jeter. Not then. Not now. Not ever. For those that even considered such a thought, smack yourself in the face and dip your head in cold water. Then come back to reality and admit how wrong you were.

Listening to games without hearing the voice of Michael Kay or John Sterling is just not the same. Perhaps because I know exactly what they are going to say before they even say it. My sister says that they need to get new material.

You know the fans have completely turned in your favor when we felt good about A-Rod coming to the plate in the 9th inning against Billy Wagner Sunday. We all thought the ball was gone with it left his bat. However, the ball died at the track. No boos given. It was a sight where even failure is met with approval. He has come a long way.

Andy Pettitte is a warrior. How did the Yankees ever let him go? I still contend they would not blown that 3-0 lead to Boston in 2004 had he been on the staff.

Jose Veras is impressing me. I will leave it at that.

Melky Cabrera is disappointing me. I will leave it that.

Mariano Rivera never ceases to amaze me. I am grateful for that.

MLB Talk: The rise of the Cardinals…and the downfall of the National League

Redbirds Rising

For all of the talk about how great the Chicago Cubs have been as we reach the midway point of the baseball season, what has gone under-reported is that there actually is a race going on in that division.

The second place team, the St. Louis Cardinals as of Monday June 30 is only two games behind Chicago in the National League Central loss column.

How could this be? In a season where the national media has been infatuated with all things Cubs, it has been the surprise of the Cardinals that has caught the division and league off guard.

What are they doing correctly? Starting pitching. However, not how the team drew it up at the beginning of the season. The team has been besieged by injuries to their top three pitchers. This has left them with a rotation consisting mostly of castoffs and failed relief pitchers that have been able to convert and become serviceable starters.

Kyle Lohse was wanted by no Major League team when spring training started. The Cardinals, who were simply looking for enough pitchers to fill out their staff, took the chance on Lohse and hoped he could be able to provide innings and be a #4 or #5 starter. They are waiting for veterans Chris Carpenter (ligament replacement) and Mark Mulder (shoulder) to return from injuries that have kept them out for most of the last 365 days. What they have gotten was much more than they ever could have expected. Now, Lohse is 10-2 with a 3.67 ERA. He has established himself as one of the primary anchors of the staff and a prime candidate for an All Star Game appearance in New York.

Whatever pitching coach Dave Duncan is doing, it is working. He is the best at his craft. The ability that he has turn pitchers that have played the role of indentured servants in baseball and turn them into success stories. One the most memorable of all was his ability to unlock the potential that Jeff Weaver always had, but never showed. In 2006, Weaver was struggling with the Los Angeles Angels and his younger brother Jered, replaced him. The Cardinals picked him up and showed slight improvement toward the end of the season. It was in the postseason where he would shine. Helping the Cardinals to a surprise trip to the World Series, Weaver pitched two outstanding games, including the clinching Game 5 to give the Cardinals their tenth world championship.

This time, with Lohse, converted relievers Braden Looper and Todd Wellemeyer, youngster Mitchell Boggs, and another journeyman, Joel Pineiro, the Cardinals have done more than stay afloat. Adam Wainwright is due to return in late July, and once all of them are healthy and pitching, they will appear to be in prime position to challenge for another World Series berth.

Offensively, they survived the loss of Albert Pujols. Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel have picked up the offensive slack creating a formidable 3-4-5 trio. Ludwick is among the NL leaders in OPS (.940), while Pujols was on his way to another “Typical Pujols year” before injuring himself two weeks ago. Also, young Skip Schumaker has made a positive contribution.

The problem currently is the bullpen. 18 times the starting staff has handed the bullpen a lead only to have it lost. It can be argued that if only half of those saves were converted, they would be in first place right now. As it stands, getting the final nine of outs of the ballgame have proved to be difficult to navigate.

Ryan Franklin has stepped up to be one of the leaders as Jason Isringhausen works through a knee injury that will appear to put him on the DL. The Cardinals feel they have people in the minors who can come up and fill the role. We will find out as the summer plays out.

As the rest of the National League flounders, it appears likely that the Cardinals and Cubs will the only two teams standing at the finish line. These two longtime rivals have never been very good at the same time to make their rivalry meaningful (which is why they should never be compared with Yankees-Red Sox), now have a chance to do just that.

Perhaps this year we will see the first Cardinals-Cubs playoff series with a World Series berth at stake.

The National League…pass the air freshener

Maybe I should ask MLB for some of my money back.

Over the last five years, I have slowly been watching the deterioration of National League baseball on my MLB Extra Innings package with the satellite.

Before, being able to watch good teams like the Cardinals, Braves, Giants, and on occasion the Astros, Mets and Dodgers, would make a night a baseball must see viewing when the Yankees game was either not on or the game was over and I needed something to watch before heading to sleep at night.

Unfortunately, over the last few years, most of the teams I mentioned are filled with mediocrity. Unable to get out of their own way on the field and littered with incompetence off it. Now when I come home and look at the schedule for the night and there is very little in terms of interesting games.

My simple conclusion is that these teams are just not any good. Perhaps that is just a knee-jerk reaction. But it is difficult not to notice the quality of play has not been the same as in recent years.

Translation: These teams stink.

The standings in the National League point that out. The Arizona Diamondbacks as of today lead their division by two and a half games despite being 41-41. In the NL East, the Phillies, who should be at least seven to ten games ahead of their nearest competitor are only one game ahead of the Florida Marlins and are only five games over .500 themselves. At least the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals have brought some respectability to the league with their records, but the rest of these teams are borderline unwatchable.

How did this happen? Where did a once competitive league turn into the competition for the tallest midget?

My theory is that it has been a combination of the financial advantage that American League teams have and a lack of ingenuity and intelligence from National League executives.

When the Yankees were dominating baseball in the late 1990’s and early into the 2000 decade, they forced competing teams to spend more money in order to compete. The Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles decided to go toe-to-toe with the men from The Bronx and failed miserably. Both of those teams would spend large sums of money on premium free agents and in the end would barely see 80 wins.

The Boston Red Sox decided they would use their resources to their advantage and started to spend, starting with dealing out 160 million for Manny Ramirez. By 2004, the Red Sox had the second highest payroll in the league.

With two teams on top, the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners decided to get in on the fun. Suddenly, the American League had seven of the top 10 payrolls in the league. Add to it, the ability of the Minnesota Twins and Oakland A’s to use their funds wisely and develop their farm systems began to tilt that advantage even further.

While this going on, teams as Atlanta and San Francisco slowly began to break down. The New York Mets would spend money, but would find themselves in the same boat the housed Texas and Baltimore years before. The Philadelphia Phillies were simply devoid of intelligence. Other major market clubs like the L.A Dodgers and Chicago Cubs chose not to spend their money despite making high revenues each season.

Only the St. Louis Cardinals have been the most consistent winning team in the NL over the last eight years. They have reached the playoffs six times. Participated in the League Championship Series five times and the World Series twice.

Because of the watered down nature of the last few years, the National League has opted not to spend big sums of money because outside of the Mets and now the Cubs, no one else is. If 85 wins can get you into the playoffs, what is the purpose in spending 125 million in payroll when you can spend 90 and take your chances on the result? This is why the NL has not won an All Star Game in the last 10 years.

The spending discrepancy shows up in the lineups that these teams present when interleague play takes place. The lack of good lower place hitters is magnified and exploited in such a way that most of the League cannot effectively compete.

If NL GM’s were smart, they would take the model from the AL and construct their lineup “one through eight” instead of “one through six”. With the lack of good offenses, it has inflated the numbers of most pitchers making them better than what they are. Because of the lack of spending, you see lesser quality players in lineups therefore making these games and teams unappealing and force you to look for other programming.

One would hope that they would eventually figure this out. Do not count on it. Adaptation is often hard for some baseball teams. It is especially true when money is involved.

Call me when the National League playoffs start. I might be interested then.

Yankee Talk: Welcome back offense...who is Darrell Rasner...and the indomitable Mariano

Knock, Knock. Who’s there? The offense.

It was funny through the first two months of the season, as the Yankees offense on most nights resembled a frozen block of ice, the idea that the team needed to acquire an additional bat to help the lineup.

What? Are you crazy?

Scoring runs was not going to be a problem on this season's team. It never has been. The last four years has seen its share of slow starts, but fast forward the calendar to around June and that is when things begin to pick up.

Why has that been happening? No one really has an answer for that. However, at the end of the season, the team ends producing at least 900 runs. Sure there is some inconsistency mixed in with those results, but that will happen with any offensive team. When you score as many runs as this team does, the percentages are that they are having more good days than bad.

The problem is that we as consumers of this stuff treat baseball games as if it were football. Excessive scrutinies of individual games do not relate to big picture and marathon that is the 162 game schedule. One player's 0 for 4 on a Monday night when he is hitting .250 becomes a referendum on overall ability.

As the last 30 games have shown, patience is a virtue. In addition, having Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada back in the lineup again makes a tremendous difference.

It was amusing to hear the idea thrown out there that the team was still supposed to produce runs at their normal clip even without those two in the order.

Again...are you insane?

You cannot take the Most Valuable Player in baseball, along with the best hitting catcher in the league and expect the same production. It is impossible. Replacing those hitters with the likes of Jose Molina and Morgan Ensberg is essentially giving up five to six outs per night in a game. This only magnifies when the other hitters in the lineup are not producing. It makes for a massive offensive shutdown.

The Yankees are 20-9 since the MVP's return to the lineup. In the month of June, he is hitting .440. Let me repeat that...440! Posada is hitting .330. They each have OPS averages of over 1.100.

Their return has allowed other hitters to flourish. Johnny Damon has reassumed his role of sparkplug. His patience at the plate and his legs on the bases has reemerged. Jason Giambi has seen as revival of his past hitting ways. After struggling and hitting .170, he has turned it on. His average is up near .270 and his OPS average is .02 shy of 1.000 as of Friday.

Currently, the team possesses four hitters in the lineup that are batting over .320. All of this is being done while Derek Jeter has yet to find his stroke at the plate as battles through some early season injuries.

With interleague play and a heavy dose of home games in the month of July, the hot bats should continue. As the pitching staff battles through some injuries and transitions, the team’s constant, which has always been its offense over the last five years, will appear to rise once again.

The Evolution of Ras

Injuries and underperformance by youngsters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy had the Yankees scrambling for a replacement starter that could maybe provide some stability. Perhaps while he was at it, get a couple of wins and stay in the rotation for as long as possible.

Enter Darrell Rasner.

Rasner came along in the first week of May for what looked to be a simple spot start against the Seattle Mariners. Over the last two years, Rasner has been used in a dual role of long reliever and occasional spot starter. His season was cut short last May in a game at Shea Stadium against the New York Mets where he was spot starting. A line drive hit him on the leg and sidelined him indefinitely.

He was back again this time, determined to make the most of his opportunity. In AAA before being called up, he was 4-0 with and 0.87 ERA. In his first start, he could continue his good pitching. Six innings and two earned runs later and Rasner’s performance would good enough to earn him another start.

What became one good start became two in Detroit. That was followed by another great outing against Baltimore.

Suddenly, this was looking like no fluke. Considering his minor league success and giving the Yankees a much-needed boost. As of Friday, he is 3-3 with a more than respectable 3.64 ERA. The consistency he has shown throwing strikes and not walking hitters has allowed him to pitch in very few high-drama situations.

How can long can he last? We may have seen a forecaster of a market-correction take shape. On Wednesday night in his start against the San Diego Padres. Facing arguably the worst hitting team in the league, Rasner walked five batters and worked into and out of trouble the entire night in his five innings of work. He was able to get the win, but it may just be only a matter of time before his limited stuff is hit hard due to overexposure.

However long it last, the Yankees have gotten more out of Darrell Rasner than they ever could have hoped.

Mariano = Damn Near Automatic

It is amazingly that I have watched the career of Mariano Rivera.

I saw his first ever game in 1995 in a game against the Chicago White Sox as a starting pitcher. No way would I have ever thought that 13 years later I would continue to watch undoubtedly the greatest relief pitcher in the history of baseball.

Even at the age of 38, Rivera might be having his season of his career. His cutter has been so accurately pinpoint it defies explanation. Pounding inside to right-handed hitters and breaking the bats of left-handed hitters with ease, his ERA this season stands at 0.70. Even more amazing than that is his WHIP (walks and hits divided by innings pitched) is 0.52. At the rate he is going, Rivera might possibly have the greatest season in the history of relief pitching.

In a world where other teams have to rely on the likes of Billy Wagner, Trevor Hoffman and Todd Jones to close games. The nightly roller coaster that you see on a night to night basis with relief pitchers having the inability to get those final three outs pales in comparison to watching The Great Mariano when he comes into the ballgame.

The opposing team 99 times out of 100 knows that when Rivera comes into the game with a lead, it is over. The Yankees players are reassured when he comes into the game. Despite having other relief pitchers that may be effective, it rises to a much different level when he comes into the game for the final three outs.

Some day very soon, we will no longer have Mariano to watch pitch and will be forced to go back to the days where getting the final outs will be heart pumping. For now, I will continue to enjoy watching number 42 in pinstripes with the interlocking “NY” on the jersey continue to pitch his way into the Hall of Fame.

It has been an honor and a privilege. We will never see another pitcher like this in our lives.

MLB Talk: The New York Mess/Mets

Very little usually takes place at three o’clock in the morning. The late night bars close and folks head home. People that have been sleeping in their beds are making that middle of the night trip to the bathroom.

Other times, teams are firing their managers and have to alert their outside world of the news. It is enough to remove the crust from the eyes in quick fashion.

The announcement of Willie Randolph dismissal as manager of the New York Mets was a culmination of a botched scheme planned to take place days prior, but put on hold when the Mets happened to win a few more games than they lost that week. The firing came after Randolph had flown with the team to Anaheim for a three game series with the Los Angeles Angels. The Mets won that night. It was not until after the game, as he had returned to his hotel room, did Minaya break the news.

Why now? There were several opportunities where this firing could have taken place. What ended up happening was a three-week charade that leaves the organization looking more foolish than they started.

On Memorial Day, the team held a press conference in to announce that they were not firing Randolph. This came after a stretch in which they went 1-6 on a road trip that featured a four game sweep to their rival Atlanta Braves and losing two of three games to the Colorado Rockies.

The second opportunity they had to let him go was last Thursday after the Mets blew a 4-0 lead to the Arizona Diamondbacks and lost in 10 innings. It was their worst loss of the season to date in a year of heartbreaking defeats. This capped another bad stretch of losing six of seven games. First, being swept four games by the San Diego Padres. Followed by losing two of three to Arizona.

The Mets brass, had they wanted to could have fired Randolph after that game and reaction would not have been brutal. However, nothing took place and he was allowed to remain in his position through the weekend.

Leaks were already coming out from sources inside the Mets stating how the situation was going to go down and who was getting The Soprano's version of the "whack". , Minaya continued to deny, going as far as to give him a vote of confidence before last weekend home series against the Texas Rangers.

Two chances were given and none of them used. What could they possibly be waiting for? Either you get rid of him then, or you do not get rid of him at all. Each day for two weeks produced nothing but "Will-ie stay or Will-ie Go" discussion. Each loss pondering the question of "Was this it?"

It certainly did not help that mixed in with all that losing was that on three occasions, closer Billy Wagner was called on to close out games and handed multiple run leads at that.

In the first game against Colorado, Wagner was nursing a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and gave it back with one pitch when Matt Holliday drilled his 99 MPH fastball to dead-center field to tie the game. The Mets would end up losing in 13 innings.

The second came in the final game of the San Diego series. Having already dropped the first three games at Petco Park, Wagner was called to get the final four outs nursing a two-run lead. Facing long time journeyman Tony Clark (who has more gray hair than hits); Wagner would yield a grand slam that was the difference in an 8-6 Mets defeat.

The final one came at home on a Thursday afternoon. Wagner had already blown a three-run lead on Tuesday, giving up another homerun. His awful inning would be covered up by the team winning in 11 innings. This time, after Johan Santana had pitched seven shutout innings, Wagner was brought in for the ninth with lead that was once four, but now two. True to form, Wagner would give up the lead once again. Arizona scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to win the game 5-4 and put the wheels in motion for the events that would unfold over the next 96 hours.

What makes it ironic is that Wagner has had the biggest mouth on the team since he arrived three years ago. Yet, he has come up very small in the biggest of situations. From the 2006 League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. A key blown save late last season against Philadelphia that boosted the Phillies confidence and allowed them to entertain thoughts over their eventual September comeback.

Early in the season, Wagner called out teammate Oliver Perez for his poor performance. Several weeks ago, he was alleged to call out teammates Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran for their lack of media availability after losses. Now, three blown saves in the course of three weeks put his manager's employment in peril.

The rumors were rising like a forest fire and the Mets were having a hard time putting it out. Word had gotten out that not only Randolph would be terminated, but also his pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Neito. The organization would give the baseball equivalent of the unintentional-intentional walk by never addressing the topic when asked directly.

The question to Minaya is this: Why not say one way or the other that Willie Randolph was going to be your manager for the remainder of the season if you support him?

It was obvious that he did not support him enough to give him that type of support. Leaving just enough room to cut the cord if needed.

After winning on Friday, their Saturday game would be postponed by rain. This left the Mets hierarchy with a problem. They either would face public degradation firing him on Father's Day in their own city, or be forced to fire him at some point during the road trip to avoid maximum ridicule. It was going to have been done as soon as possible now because public opinion was not going to be in their favor if the team went on a mini-streak. It was with that in mind that Minaya had come to his decision.

Before getting on the cross-country flight, both Minaya and Randolph had a conversation. In that dialogue, Willie would ask Omar that if he was going to make the change to do so now to avoid what would be personal humiliation of being fired 3000 miles away when it just be done in New York. Minaya would tell him that he had not made a decision, again leaving Randolph to twist and walk on eggshells.

Suddenly, Omar reconsidered the next day. He would fly out to the left coast to give him the news. What happened between Sunday night and Monday? Who knows?

The news was given to the three rumored parties at 11 PM Pacific time. When word of the dismissal was finally generated and dispersed to members of the media, it was 3:15 AM local time in New York. Past deadline for all newspapers, and past time for television stations to break in with news and non-stop coverage.

Coincidence?

Why not just fire him in the morning? Was it so urgent that it had to be done at that time? Surely, everyone in the Mets organization had to realize that the timing of such a move would be criticized severely.

Or did they?

Apparently not. It took nearly 14 hours for the Team Turmoil to get their story straight in enough time to hold a press conference to explain themselves if they could.

For the Mets, it would be another incident bringing about more mockery. Added shame for a franchise that seems to pride itself on it. Already playing the role of "second dog" in their city battle with the Yankees, they continue to find ways to look foolish. It is very odd when you consider that owner Fred Wilpon is a very intelligent man who is always trying to do the best thing for his fans and team.

However, the decisions that have been made over the last 22 years have caused more agita and embarrassment than anything else has. Perhaps he is just snake bit. How else can one explain the 1992 Mets? The Anthony Young Era? Todd Hundley in left field? The Mo Vaughn days? Art Howe? Trading Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano? Now this.

With nearly half a season remaining before moving in their new home Citi Field just yards away, the Mets appear to be in a difficult situation. They are trying to win now with a team that is most are finding to be structurally flawed, aging, and with no clear direction whatsoever.

Perhaps it was best that Willie escaped this mess. As we may soon find out, their problems go much deeper than just the manager.

Yankee Talk: A Renaissance for the Moose

When as a pitcher, you are unable to make a hitter feel uncomfortable at the plate; it makes one’s task to get that hitter very difficult.

The hitter sees your fastball and off-speed pitches at similar speeds and adjusts instantly, leading to longer at bats and more increasing the chances of making a mistake.

Pitches you were able to paint on the corners leak toward the strike zone and now are hit hard. The fastball that you once threw in the mid 90’s has lost its velocity and can barely touch 90. Your curveball that once had incredible break is now hanging in the middle of the plate on a one-way ticket to orbit.

What happened? How did it go away? Can it ever come back? Does one have to reinvent himself when they have been successful doing it this way for so long?

Welcome to the world of Mike Mussina.

Last season, Mussina was having another respectable season. But in the month of August, something happened. He was already working at reduced velocity, but now it had gotten worse. The 89 MPH fastball was dropping down to 85. Inability to hit the corners or alter speeds on his pitches presented a cavalcade of problems for him.

Four starts. All of them atrocious. It started at home against Detroit. Followed him to Anaheim on a road trip. And concluded in horrific fashion against the same Detroit team at Comerica Park. Former manager Joe Torre had no other choice but to remove him from the rotation as the Yankees were fighting for a playoff spot. Mussina could not explain what was happening to him. He continuously stated he was not injured and facial expressions during the games and afterwards projected a man who defeated mentally with his confidence at an all-time low.

There is an old saying in baseball. If you are 25 and struggling, that is attributed to youth. But when you are older (like, 39) and struggle, it is attributed to age as the reason. The game has passed you by as hitters have figured you out by now and can time you just right to inflict maximum damage.

Mussina could not believe that he just forgot how to pitch out of nowhere. The final six weeks of the season saw Mussina in the dual role of long reliever and spot starter. His success in that role was no different that his August from hell. The offseason came and it was time for Mussina to reflect on his lost season and wonder if he come to the end of his career or find a new way to extend his career and remain in the big leagues, otherwise he would be forced into retirement.

The 2008 season would begin, and after splitting his first two starts, trouble would find him in Boston. The entire Red Sox lineup would not haunt Mussina. But one man, Manny Ramirez, would.

Ramirez hit one homerun in his first at bat of Mussina. In his second, he would try to pitch around him. This time, his first pitch would leak back toward the plate and smacked for a two-run double to chase him out of the game.

Five days later, he would see the same lineup. Again, Ramirez would use Mussina as batting practice. He hit two home runs. One going faster and further than the other. It was also in those two games that he would throw 148 total pitches, and only two times a Red Sox hitter swung-and-missed. Red flags were raised and the Moose was reaching a critical mass. It was beginning (for some) to become a repeat of last season again.

Maybe it truly could be over. A decorated career was now falling victim to old age and deteriorating stuff. With the Yankees turning to young pitchers, it was very possible to see him out of the rotation on a permanent basis. Time was running out and he had to figure out something to correct this problem.

His next start would be in Chicago. The White Sox are known as a free-swinging team that lacks discipline and unlike the Red Sox, patiently grind out at-bats and foul enough pitches off to frustrate a pitcher. On this night, he would use their aggressiveness against them. Utilizing a fastball that was no more than 85 MPH, he would paint all four quadrants of the zone. When hitters were sitting on his lower class version of “The Express”, in came a curveball and a changeup as low as 65 MPH. For seven innings, he would dance and dart his way to a two run, four hit performance earning the victory in a 6-4 Yankees win that night.

As it was playing out, one could ask how the White Sox were missing at such pedestrian pitches. Later, they would credit Mussina for being a “pitcher” on this night. Putting on a classic display of being able to succeed with reduced stuff. Prior to the start, Yankees Chairman Hank Steinbrenner hoped that he would pitch like ageless veteran Jamie Moyer. Moyer, pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies at the ripe age of 45, has continued to make a living as a starter despite barely topping 80 MPH with his fastball. Now Mussina, six years younger was looking to have a similar rebirth.

The resurrection was continuing. He would go on to win his next four starts. Suddenly you looked at the season and Mussina was among the team leaders in wins. Against Baltimore at home on May 20, he could not get out of the first as he surrendered seven runs and five hits in two-thirds of that inning. Perhaps it was time for that market correction to take effect. Nothing was expected from him when the season began. If he were somehow to exceed everyone’s expectations, it could only be looked at as a bonus.

And he has rebounded. Since that game against the Orioles, Mussina has not lost since, running his record as of Saturday night to 10-4 with a 3.82 ERA and well on his way to earning a trip to the All Star Game in his home ballpark Yankee Stadium. He leads the Yankees in wins in a season where if he won 10 games, that would have been acceptable. Featuring a WHIP of 1.22 and walking less than two batters per nine innings, he not giving away at bats and is minimizing the amount base runners get on. Add to that, he is making efficient use of his pitches and not getting into deep counts that have plagued him in prior seasons. In addition, his ability to throw strike one allows him to expand and make hitters look foolish.

It is a complete turnaround. The only wonder now is how long this can last. He has never before won 20 games in a season. Even when he was the apex of his performance, the closest he came was 19. Perhaps it is this time, at this old age, where the stars align. Being able to use his pitches to continue keeping hitters off balance. Being able to pick up a victory on a day where he did not pitch his best, assisted by his offense.

To this point, it has all come together. Maybe he can end up having that magical season after all.

Welcome back Moose. It is a renaissance that no one could have seen coming.

Giants Talk: A Reflective Look Back

I started doing this blog several months after the New York Football Giants won Super Bowl XLII in the greatest upset since Super Bowl III. Prior to that victory over the New England Patriots, I had written several different stories in the days that led up to that game and I'm breaking it out of my archives.

Over the next few days, I'll bring back those pieces as I originally told them. I'll break it into several parts. I'll start with my story leading up the game. Followed up by a retrospective on Tom Coughlin. And finally, my day after recap of the memorable Super Bowl win.

MLB Talk: Tim Lincecum, the Fighting Phils, and motivational tirades

The Future of the NL is here

His frame does not overwhelm you. In fact, if he were to walk down the street, you would more than likely mistake him for someone who has a 9 to 5 job.

When he is on the mound in a set position ready to throw, everything changes. No longer does he look up to other people or feel intimidated by them. He is the intimidator. A fastball that registers close to 100 MPH in his best moment and a knee buckling curveball that is perhaps the best in baseball. Sitting on those pitches, how about his near 90 MPH changeup, which is harder than teammate Barry Zito's fastball. He may only be 22 years old, but Tim Lincecum, in his second year with the San Francisco Giants, is arguably the Major Leagues best young starting pitcher.

His numbers this season, as his look, are a throwback to an old generation of baseball. At 8-1 with an ERA of just over two, he is a near lock to start for the National League in the All Star Game. He is also the Giants new marketing attraction. After a decade and a half of Barry Bonds, he steps aside and now each home start for Lincecum is becoming an event.

His frame is limited at 5'11 and 190 pounds, and that presents doubts about how long can he maintain this level of performance over a long period. During the offseason, there was rumored discussion about perhaps making him a closer as a way of preserving his right arm. However, the Giants decided to smarten up and use him in the rotation in quartet with young Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and (the pitcher formerly known as) Barry Zito.

With the young pitching that they have, the future looks bright. Needing offensive players to compliment their staff would make them contenders in what has turned into a weak National League West, outside of the Arizona D'Backs.

For right now, Giants fans only have Lincecum to look forward to every five days. His meteoric rise through the team’s farm system after being drafted 10th in the 2006 draft brought him to The Show in April of last season. To that point, he had thrown less than 80 minor league innings. Completely dominant in his time, as he yielded an ERA of less than one.

As it appears right now, Lincecum is poised to be the new generation's version of Pedro Martinez. Barring injury, he is going to be a fun pitcher to watch over the next several years.

Phillies fighting like Rocky

Conventional thought would have been that last season's amazing comeback from a seven game deficit to the New York Mets with 17 games left was nothing but pure luck. Surely, with the talent compiled in Philadelphia, "Team Underachieve" would surely fall back in to second place while their 90-mile competitors (the Mets) would reclaim their top spot atop the National League East.

Instead, the Phillies have thrived this season and currently hold a 7.5 game lead over New York, playing with a resiliency that would remind you of that fictitious Philadelphia character from the movies. While prior MVP's Ryan Howard (.220) and Jimmy Rollins (missed 20 games to injury) have been slowed down, they have been lead by Chase Utley, who is making his bid to make it three straight years with a Phillies player winning the Most Valuable Player award.

At this moment, Utley leads all of MLB in homeruns. He has been baseball's premier second baseman for several years now, but has been overshadowed by Rollins and Howard. Along with Pat Burrell, enjoying another fine season. Add in Geoff Jenkins and Pedro Feliz, who are playing very good complimentary roles, and their offense rivals the Cubs for title of "Best in the NL".

The stumbling for them has always been their starting pitching. Cole Hamels provides dominance once every five days, but it is still the other four days in question. Jamie Moyer is still providing quality at the tender age of 45. However, the organization realizes the fragility of his left arm. Brett Myers has always shown the talent of a #1 starter when his head is right, but even the Phillies can't be 100 percent sure.

This brings up rampant speculation of GM Pat Gillick pulling off a trade in July for a high quality starter. The two people who will more than likely be on the market (Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia) are also free agents at the end of this season. With a weak National League, will the team roll the dice and sacrifice some of their high-end minor leaguers for a 2-month rental in an effort to reach the World Series?

The answer very well may be "Yes." Thinking being that if Gillick can find another #1 or #2 starter to go along with Hamels and have relievers J.C Romero, Tom Gordon and Brad Lidge to close out games, they will be favorites to win the National League. With the injuries to Atlanta, and the ineffectiveness of New York, the Phillies would have a chance to run away with the division and line up an ideal postseason rotation.

It could be 1993 all over again.

I am mad as hell and... well, I'm just mad.

Not many things are funnier than a baseball manager letting loose a profanity-laced tirade for about 5 minutes lamenting the team’s lack of pitching, hitting and overall hustle. Or lack of it.

From Tommy Lasorda, to Lee Elia. Hal McRae, to Lou Pinella. And others who have made wasteful attempts at "lighting a fire" under a team in effort to get better performance out of their players.

Personally, I believe this stuff does not work. Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren decided to add his name to this infamous list. After another loss to drop them further into last place, McLaren decided to let off a little steam during his post game media conference. During the 38-second rant, he used a "naughty" a clocked 12 times.

Perhaps he could not articulate his thoughts any other way and decided that a trip to Sailor School was needed. His veteran team, who essentially quit starting from August 1 of last season, has continued their "mail it in" style of play.

To my knowledge, no public media rant has ever fired up a team in baseball. It is the only game where motivational speeches are worth less than Abe Lincoln's penny.

One could counter by saying that Ozzie Guillen, manager of the White Sox, used such a rant recently in order to wake his team up. The team promptly won their next seven ballgames. Guillen going crazy did not raise their level of play. You know what did it? Facing mediocre pitching! Nothing will get a team out of a slump than that. Do not read anymore into it than that. Mere coincidence.

This is why I have laughed throughout this season at the assertion that Joe Girardi needed to give the team a lift by going crazy and flipping out when the Yankees were struggling mightily early in the season. Such antics like that only make for good story telling around campfires. Is Robinson Cano going to suddenly hit as his baseball card says because his manager went crazy?

No.

Is Girardi going crazy going to stop LaTroy Hawkins from pitching like normal bad self and Kyle Farnsworth from consistently giving up homeruns?

No.

So what is the point exactly? Tirades do not do anything for you if that same night, Johan Santana is pitching against you. You would think that people have actually taken the movie Major League II seriously. Folks, that is not real.

If you have talented players, 9 times out of 10 they will at the end of the season play up to their career statistics. It may not look pretty how it is accomplished, but it will be done. This is not football where you can make an instant judgment on a player or team after two games. 6 months and 162 games are a long time for final judgment to be made on a player or a team (at least until that team is eliminated).

Enjoy the ride. Keep your emotions in check.

On The Road: The long, strange, bumpy journey

An epiphany hit me while I was at the airport on Friday morning. Why not capture the moments of this trip and write about it. Surely, nothing could go wrong, could it? Well, let’s just say it was... interesting. The story is told in real time, the way I saw it and my thought at that exact moment. I started writing this in Chicago, continued in Denver, and finally concluded in Reno.

6:23 AM - It's only taken about 11 minutes of being inside O'Hare Airport to get angry, which is really an upset. Most times, I would have had to wait about 20 minutes, so they really outdid themselves this time.

Most common airports allow you to check in without the need of being in a line. Besides, what is the purpose of "self check-in?" I still have to wait among 100 people anyway! It appears the main reason is due to the new "carry on bag fee" that United is charging, which should be renamed to "airport rape tax". Not only am I giving you my business, but also then you are going to charge me not only for food (assuming it exists), but give an extra $15 each for my bags? Flying the friendly skies my ass.

I have to say...that is a genius idea! It is amazing that the airlines never thought of this gouging practice sooner. Not only do you get people to overpay for their flights, but you also get to charge $15 for each bag they want to check. I know some people that travel on vacation and bring every damn thing they have and show up with three, four or five bags. What took so long? I wonder if it’s all the airlines doing this or it’s just one or two.

(Still waiting in line.)

I'm thinking of what other stuff they could charge:

Assistance from flight attendant - $25 (Airlines are now set up where the only purpose for the airline attendant at the counter is just to put the sticker on the bag to make sure it gets to your destination and shit doesn't get crazy. That's it! You could have robots do that if they were designed and trained properly.)

Small Pillow - $1 (Within five minutes you'll be asking for the big pillow anyway)

Big Pillow - $3 (with a $2 additional charge if drool is found on it)

Small Blanket - $2.50 (This only covers you from your feet to your thigh, leaving you freezing from the waist up)

Big Blanket - $10 - (This one does it all. Think of your super winter blanket you break out at the house when the temperature dips below 30. The blanket is so big that you cover not only yourself, but also the person sitting in either the B or E seat on the plane. They will be grateful and may even slip you a few bucks.)

Headphones - $6 (I'm paying that for 3 hours of entertainment? And I'm going to use these for future use? I dont want people to know I got these from United! Besides, in three months or fewer, they wont work anyway.)

Bathroom - Free for the first minute. $3 for every additional. (You don’t think that will cut down on the amount of getting up some passengers do on planes, especially if you happen to have an aisle or middle seat? I would endorse this entirely. If you need to take a shit, either do it at home, before you get on, or once you get off the plane. It saves us all since we don’t have to enter a warzone with no air freshner.)

Breakfast - $10 (This would consist of vitamin enriched Super Donut, granola bar, fresh fruit, and your choice of either milk or juice. A breakfast of champions. What did you expect the Rooty-Tooty from IHOP?)

Lunch and Dinner: $15 (A turkey sandwich that looks like a slider, to go along with a mini bag of chips, cookie or fun size candy, and the smallest drink you can find. Straight from the summer day camp menu. No Prime Rib and lobster tail on this flight. Just be grateful for what you are getting now.)

(Waiting in line to be screened by TSA)

6:50 AM - I just got through check-in and after I checked my bag, the very nice woman at the service counter did not charge me for the bag. Unreal. I wonder if I should go out and try my luck at the casino tonight. My anger level has just gone down by 95 percent. There is no way I can be angry about anything now.)

I always like it when I watch the news and they always outwardly tell passengers that they should arrive as many as three hours early so they can get through all the checkpoints. Maybe I'm just having an unbelievable string of good luck the last few years, but I show up an hour to an hour and a half before my flights and get through my check-in and metal detectors within no more than 30 minutes.

I remember last Thanksgiving when I went from O'Hare for a 9:30 AM flight and got to the airport at 6:00. It took no more than 20 minutes to get through steps one and 2. Here I am, at 6:20 in the morning, now needing to kill three hours before flight time. The bar isn’t open to get a drink, and their is only so much newspaper one can read before the words start getting blurry. From that day forward, I'll take my chances leaving 2 hours ahead of time for my own personal health.

7:30 AM - Boarding time for the flight. I have flown to Denver several times now and for whatever reason, the flights are huge. Lines are long and the map of the aircraft showed that there were seven people to a row. Multiply that by 32 rows and that's 224 people. The aircraft is incredibly big. I have to assume that half of them are connecting flights to other locations on the west coast. There is no way in hell ALL these people are visiting Denver, can they? I have nothing against the city because it is a very nice place. But with no snow on the ground for a possible ski trip considering its June, that city does not ring as a tourist attraction.

7:55 AM - Time for takeoff. I have been going on 3 hours of sleep and I'm waiting on the first moment to say goodnight, not planning to wake up until the flight is over. No attractive women on either side of me to distract my plan for sleep, so I know I'm going to be able to sleep now. I quickly read my New York Post to get the recap of the Yankees comeback win over the Blue Jays and this person from Brooklyn who climbed the New York Times building. The pilot comes over the speaker and says that the flight will last two hours and 35 minutes. Once I heard that, it was my cue to sleep. I did not even need the requisite 5 minutes to get into the sleep. I was out in seconds. An absolute TKO situation. During the flight, I woke up several times as my right hand began to numb severely. Perhaps the flight attendants came by offering peanuts and juice, but I cannot remember.

9:15 A.M (in Denver) - I have arrived in the Rocky Mountain state and the airport is one of the best designed and free flowing in America. I did not get a chance to eat my McDonalds and Vitamin Water, but with nearly three hours to kill, I can take care of all of this.

Walking on my way to the gate, I notice different people wearing Red Sox caps and other gear. This thing has really blown up. I noticed several different people along with myself wearing Yankees caps, so perhaps we've been able to even it out. Rockies hats are no where to be found.

(One thing I've noticed is that there is stunning clarity on the TV monitors showing the arrivals and departures. A closer look shows that they are broadcasting them in spectacular high definition on their plasma TV's. How great is that? I can now see if my flight is on time along with the gate in HD! Now I see why the airlines are so broke. Incredible waste of money that no one would ever think twice about. Maybe they would not have to charge $15 a bag if they were showing it in regular def instead.)

(Sitting by the gate in Denver.)

12:01 PM - The aircraft was delayed by 20 minutes. Not that big of a deal. Boarding is taking place and I am in seating group number four. That must be low class or something. Maybe when I go to New York at the end of the month, I will upgrade my seat to first class just to see what it feels like.

(On the plane.)

12:45 PM (Reno's Pacific Time) - The flight attendant comes by for what appears to be snack time. I had been in and out of consciousness listening to my IPod and was in need for something cold. A can of Diet Coke and some pretzels I figure would do the trick. Instead, to my amazement, the only thing we receive is a cup of ice with the Diet Coke and nothing else. Seven ounces of soda! Are you kidding me? Sons of bitches! The airlines (at least United) don’t even give you a full can anymore? If I were in a reasonably conscious state, my anger level would have been increased by 200 percent. This time, I was still catching up on sleep and did not care as much. The person I should have been upset with would be me for not bringing any candy to give the sugar high I could have had at that moment. As I look at future travel plans, I am making sure that United is not included in any of them.

1:10 PM - The plane begins to have some unusual turbulence that wakes me out of my sleep. I suffer from motion sickness on occasion and when I realized that I had lacked food and only had minimal sugar to account for my intake until that point, this had potential not to end well. It seemed like many people were of the mind that we were landing as well. The problem was that we were still tens of thousands of feet in the air. Sure seems like a problem, doesn't it? Suddenly, the plane starts speeding while the turbulence continues. It was as if the pilot had an appointment he realized couldn’t be missed. Now he was going to decide to step on the gas. Had he done that earlier, this flight wouldn't last a ridiculous 2 hours. The losers in all this? Us (Well, me really.). No doubt in my mind that a few people were heaving into those bags that the airlines leave for us in the event of that "gots to go" moment. Needless to say, I survived without any loss of well...anything.

(Waiting in baggage claim as my luggage is taking too long.)

1:40 PM - I have finally arrived in Reno. This is my third visit to this city and nothing has changed. The slot machines greet you as you come out of the tunnel. Is their a better way to invite you to Nevada than the sight of instant gambling no more than 25 feet from you as you enter? As a city, it resembles too much of an older, slower style community than your normal big city. Reno is the junior varsity in relation to its big brother, Las Vegas.

As I'm getting my bag, I notice a guy wearing a shirt that I have been planning to order for a while. It's a shirt that says "18-1 PERFECT NO MORE - Super Bowl Champions New York Giants". Even on the left coast, Giants representation is in full force. What a remarkable sight. I would have went up to the guy and told him "Great shirt!", but my luggage showed up and I was trying to get out of there.

For someone who's lived two big city lifestyles, coming to Reno is a culture shock. As much as my mother would like for me to move here, I always ask myself one simple question:

Am I insane?

My head explodes after spending three days here because outside of going to the casino, there is NOTHING in terms of entertainment. And now you would expect me to live here on a permanent basis? Why don’t I just stab myself with a pencil? For many, I'm sure living in such an agita free environment would add years to their life. In my case, it would take years off. Lake Tahoe can only do so much. I would probably find myself road tripping to San Francisco at least twice a month just to regain sanity and a sense of life. What, do you think I can just stare at the mountains and pass that off? No.

I only get to stay for 24 hours before leaving. Rest assured, my going back tale will not be as interesting as my journey getting here.

Time to hit the casino. I'm doubling down on 11 and not hitting on 17.

Let the (one-day) fun begin.

Yankee Talk: A comeback starts The Sprint

Thursday's win against the Blue Jays came so far out the blue (figuratively) that even I could not believe it.

Who could have predicted that outcome? Trailing by two in the bottom of the ninth with no one on base against one of the best closers in baseball, the Yankees staged their best comeback rally of the season to date.

It started with Ryan yielding a single to Alex Rodriguez on a ball that went off third baseman Scott Rolen's glove. Shortstop David Eckstein would have had it if Rolen did not get in the way. He would take second base on a defensive indifference play.

Hideki Matsui would then single up the middle to bring home Rodriguez to make it 8-7. At this moment, the run given up by Kyle Farnsworth appeared to loom very large.

Jose Molina had substituted for Jorge Posada in the top half of the inning. With his spot in the lineup now up, Girardi choose to pinch-hit Molina with Jason Giambi, who had missed Wednesday and (to that point) Thursday's game due to foot injury he suffered in Tuesday night's game.

Giambi had terrible numbers lifetime against Ryan (2 for 14 with 7 strikeouts). The closer, who is death on left-handed hitters, got ahead of the count 0-2 before Giambi would drive the next pitch deep down the right field line.

Seeing how the Yankees were running into bad luck not only in that game, but most of this season, no Yankee fan would have been surprised to see that ball take a turn a little further right and go foul. What's the harm? It's not like that hasn't happened enough times in the 59 games played so far. This time, the team would be given some good fortune.

The ball would in fact stay fair, right into the upper deck. Ballgame over. Yankees win! 9-8 the final score. A sense of relief, but mainly joy. Giambi, who has been maligned early in the season for his lack of productivity with the bat, has come around in a big way. From an average that was dipping close to .170, and now close to .260. He is in the top 10 in the American League in OPS. If he continues his hitting, he may find himself in Yankee Stadium for the All Star Game in July.

What does this mean in terms of Yankees Long Term Outlook? Well, they still only trail the Red Sox in the loss column by five games. Seattle and Detroit are having their seasons spill out of control. Add to that, the Indians are still floundering under the .500 mark.

I had hoped that after 60 games, they would find themselves at 32-28 (30-30 is the current record) going to what I will entitle "The Sprint". 22 games are coming up against very beatable opponents. This is time to start establishing that you are here and put a foot stamp on the rest of the American League.

It has become quite apparent that parity has run rampant in the League this year. For as consistently inconsistent as they have been this season, one hot streak is all that is needed to get everything on track.

Here is a look at the Yanks next 23 games

4 vs. KC
3 at OAK
3 at HOU
3 vs. SD
3 vs. CIN
3 at PIT
1 vs. NYM
3 at NYM

An 18-5 record during this time would put them at 48-35 and near the top of the AL East standings. The opponents are there to run off a nice lengthy streak. Can it be done?

Jorge Posada made his return to the lineup today. That now allows for the complete Opening Day lineup that the Yankees can now field. If Robbie Cano can bring his bat back into the lineup at some point during this season, there will be many times where they will have big offensive games.

Chien Ming-Wang and Andy Pettitte have to correct their struggles. They have not pitched well in the last month. Perhaps some softer batting orders are what's needed.

Darrell Rasner has been a savior to this point. His first below start took place on Sunday, but he has given the team far more than they ever could have hoped for.

Joba Chamberlain is slowly trying to develop into that starter who is working with limited pitch counts, as the organization tries to build up his arm strength. His next three starts are against Kansas City, Houston and San Diego. It will give him a chance to be effective against lineups that are either not good or lack discipline.

What can be said about Mike Mussina? Now, all one could say is "Who knew?" As Manny Ramirez was using him for batting practice back in April, you had to wonder if the career of "Le Moose" had officially seen its better days. Since that last start at home against Boston, he has the most wins of any pitcher in baseball.

His control has been excellent. Using his superior intelligence and not power to get hitters out. Going from a fastball at 86 to a changeup at 66. It has been marvelous to see. Certainly, one sees a little market correction in his numbers. However, charting his next four starts it is very possible that he could have 13 wins by the end of this month. If that happens, he will find also find himself as a surprise All Star next month as well.

The bullpen remains a complete work in progress. LaTroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth continue to live up to their career performance. Joe Girardi has placed has trust of the 8th inning now that Chamberlain has moved to the rotation, in Farnsworth. Why? Who knows? Right now, a six out hold exists. Youngsters Ross Ohlendorf and Jose Veras have pure stuff, but have been inconsistent at best this season. There are some reserves down in the minor leagues that are refining their stuff, but none with the maturity, readiness along with the statistics to bring any one of those people up. So as of right now, it is a work in progress and you hope the team can be able to slug their way through that problem for the time being.

The time is now. 60 games of the season are complete and 102 are to go. The Yanks can make hay in their first fifth of these 102 games by starting it off strong.

MLB Talk: The Rays bring light; the Cubs are on top and All Star selections.

Rays of Hope

They are bunch of young, talented players who are trying to establish themselves in this game of baseball. At the same time, they are not only making noise, but their early success is illuminating around baseball. High ceiling players, drafted in the first round, coming together as a team to make the Tampa Bay Rays one of the season’s early surprises.

As of today, they stand 13 games over .500 and appear poised to stay there for a prolonged period. This is not a team getting a few lucky breaks and making the most of it. This group of Rays has the best collection of young talent anywhere in baseball. Up and down the lineup and in their starting rotation. Believe me, this is no fluke.

Led by veteran Carl Crawford, Tampa features a growing breed of horses ready to run past the league. B.J Upton and Evan Longoria are the center of the young core. Carlos Pena has finally discovered all the talent he had as a youngster in the minors. Johnny Gomes and Akinori Iwamura provide professional at bats each time at the plate.

What about the pitching? Since their existence, it was nowhere to be found. This time, Scott Kazmir leads them. He is not alone. James Shields follows behind him, developing into an All Star. Youngsters Matt Garza and Edwin Jackson are slowly starting to match intelligence with their talent. Jackson, since his start in the leagues with the Dodgers had always been an enigma. He had "20 win" stuff, but had a "20 cent" head and could never be consistent. I always said that if he ever figured out how to throw his pitches for strikes on a consistent basis, he would be tremendous. He has taken that step this season.

And the bullpen? The Rays never knew such a thing existed until this season. Last year, their bullpen ERA was the worst in the history of baseball. One year later, with the additions of Dan Wheeler and Troy Percival, they are shutting the door when they have a lead after seven innings.

How far can they take this? No one knows for sure. Their organization has made sure to lock up their core players for a prolonged period, and their farm system has several major league caliber prospects ready to contribute immediately if the Rays were not concerned about service time and having to pay them too soon.

However it ends, it appears Tampa Bay is no longer going to be bullied by Boston and New York any longer.

It Could (Maybe) Happen

There are many built in advantages when you are playing most of your games against National League opponents. It is also another thing when you have money and choose to utilize that to your advantage.

The Oakland A's called it "Moneyball" in early part of the decade. They used their limited funds to get players who could maximize productivity at minimal cost. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox called it "Moneyball: With Real Money".

The Chicago Cubs chose to play Moneyball with real money much like New York and Boston, though not to that degree. The result? They currently have baseball’s best record.

Featuring six players who possess OPS (on base plus slugging) numbers of .840 and above, they have the NL's best offense. Wearing down pitchers with newfound efficiency by drawing walks and working pitch counts, the results have been staggering. The Cubs now have the largest run differential of any team in baseball.

Compare their offensive success with that of the other National League contenders, and the only team that comes close is the Atlanta Braves, who have four players with OPS of .830 and up.

How does this translate? Consider this. The Cubs have the second highest payroll in the National League (New York Mets lead the NL) at 118 million. How do they rank in their own division? Let’s see:
St. Louis Cardinals: $100 million
Houston Astros: $88 million
Milwaukee Brewers: $81 million
Cincinnati Reds: $74 million
Pittsburgh Pirates: $49 million

The gap between the Cubs and every other team in their division ranges from 18 to 69 million. This means that they should be in control of their division. Not just this year, but on a consistent year in, year out basis if you have smart people making decisions. Only St. Louis is a serious competitor, and even they have spending limits where Chicago does not. Apparently, the people that run the Cubs have just stumbled onto this concept. Old habits die-hard.

With the lack of any viable contender, they should win their division by at least 10 games. If this race is competitive in September, there should be an investigation.

They will make the postseason again this year. But the early problem that they will have is finding a reliable second and third starter who can match up on even terms with the Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The National League team from Chicago can mask this impending problem over 162 games. However, in a best three-of-five, may find their team flawed.

They are off to a great start right now. Just don’t start printing World Series tickets yet.

Yankees/Red Sox vs. The entire National League

All Star fan balloting has always been a joke. I proved it one year on a road trip to Milwaukee. I took 100 All Star ballots and voted for my favorite Yankees regardless if they were deserving of a spot on the team or not. So it does not surprise me that looking at the current AL All Star roster shows that seven of the nine spots are currently occupied by Yankees or Red Sox players.

Its Boston and New York against the entire National League.

Actually, if you combined the two rosters, they would beat the National League. Here would be my ideal lineup.

2B - Pedroia
SS – Jeter
DH – Ortiz
LF – Ramirez
3B – Rodriguez
1B – Youkilis
RF – Matsui
C - Posada
CF – Ellsbury

P – Beckett
P – Matzusaka
P – Wang
P – Lester

RP – Okajima
RP – Papelbon

CP – Rivera

That team would beat any collection of NL stars you could put there. Maybe the fans really do know what they are doing when it comes to these votes.

On serious level though, some people need some serious consideration. Josh Hamilton (2nd in outfield voting) of the Texas Rangers and Carlos Quentin of the White Sox are having fantastic years on offense. For pitchers, Ervin Santana and the now injured Daisuke Matzusaka were having breakout seasons.

It appears another year will past where the National League will lose, and give up home field advantage in the World Series.

Lakers-Celtics: A new blast from our old past

I have been given such a treat.

My first visions of watching basketball came as kid when I was about five years old. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers dynasties were reaching its extinction as the Detroit Pistons and later the Chicago Bulls were emerging as the rulers of the NBA.

I never got the chance to remember in my mind both of these storied franchises meet for the sports biggest prize. From the old Boston Garden to the Forum in Inglewood, it was always the big game when these two teams met. The memories are long and etched into our minds forever.

Wilt Chamberlain against Bill Russell

Jerry West and Elgin Baylor against John Havlicek and Bob Cousy

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Magic Johnson against Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Larry Bird.

Chick Hearn against Johnny Most

Boston Garden against The Forum.

“Beat LA” against “Boston Sucks.”

West Coast against East Coast.

So many years have passed since those days that a generation of fans cannot remember these battles. The two franchises have combined to win 30 of the league’s 61 championships, have participated in 47 of the 59 NBA Finals, and will be meeting for the 11th time in this championship round. It is dreams come true for me to have this chance to see them play for a title.

(NOTE: Personally, I would rather have the Knicks in there instead of the Celtics. But since the NYK has decided for the last eight years to cease as a franchise, this will have to do.)

Thanks to the magic of the original Classic Sports Network and later, ESPN Classic, I have been able in the last 12 years to relive all the great games that these two teams played so many years ago. It makes me realize how great NBA basketball was in those days compared to what I see today. Seeing two teams, rosters filled with All-Stars and Hall-of-Famer’s, playing end-to-end ball with no dull moments whatsoever.

Earlier today, I happened to be flipping the channels and stumbled on NBATV, and they were showing a recap of the 1984 NBA Finals. This was the first of the three epic Lakers-Celtics series the revolutionized the league in the 80’s. The Lakers were in their third straight Finals, while the Celtics were returning there after a three-year absence.

Look at their starting lineups:

For the Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Bob McAdoo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

For the Boston Celtics: Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

Unbelievable. Eight Hall of Fame players of the 10 on the floor. Cooper was one of the most underrated players in the history of basketball. Danny Ainge was a terrific all around role player who had to be accounted for at all times.

You would figure that with all that talent in the starting lineup there would be a severe lack of it coming off the bench. However, these two teams had tremendous reserves to fill in.

Gerald Henderson, Cedric Maxwell and M.L Carr for the Celtics. Byron Scott, Kurt Rambis and Jammal Wilkes for the Lakers. Later, Mychal Thompson and Bill Walton would join in the rivalry.

Lakers-Celtics was “Yankees-Red Sox” before “Yankees-Red Sox” became a household term around the world. What many people now may not remember is that prior to their first meeting in 1984, the Celtics had beaten the Lakers in the Finals on eight occasions. Even with all the great players and teams Los Angeles had, they could never beat the team from Boston. No matter how good they were, and despite them winning two championships in the previous four seasons, when the Celtics were their opponent in that championship round, the question would come up again.

Can they beat the Celtics?

The Lakers had won two of the first three games of the ’84 series. In Game 3, they had won by 33 points. In the third quarter of Game 4, the entire series changed. After a Celtics missed shot, Kareem had outlet the ball to Magic, then to Worthy to start another Lakers fast break. Magic found Kurt Rambis who was going to cruise for another basket. Kevin McHale came in trying to foul and instead pulled a WWE clothesline sending him to the ground.

If that same play was to happen in today’s NBA, not only would McHale have given a “Flagrant 2,” and ejected, but also he would be sitting down at least two more games. Rambis would have been ejected for throwing punches after getting up from the clothesline. Every player on both teams would have been suspended for coming off the bench during an altercation. That is how much the game has changed. These great players, who had genuine respect for each other, at the peak of their performance, fighting (literally) for every loose ball, score and sometimes each other.

The series went to a decisive Game 7 on that famous parquet floor where once again the Celtics would take the Lakers down again. Magic Johnson was pressured and harassed by Dennis Johnson (DJ) into mistakes in the final five minutes that cost his team the championship.
Boston had won its 15th World Championship and had again been the hammer to the Lakers nail. Years had past and faces had changed. The result though stayed the same.

It was inevitable that these two teams would meet again in the Finals. The league had now become Boston, Los Angeles and everyone else.

One year later, they would meet again. Boston picked up right it left off. Game 1 was remembered as the “Memorial Day Massacre”. The Lakers were drubbed, giving up 148 points and losing by 34 points. They won the next two games and set up another heart stopping Game 4 in Los Angeles.

Funny moment here: In the CBS intro leading up to the Game 4, the great Brent Musburger had a funny crack about Los Angeles as a city and its wealthy, celebrity fans:

“Nothing defines Southern California quite like the automobile,” Musburger said. “In New York, there’s a subway. In Chicago, there is an Elevated (train) and you can take public transportation to a sporting event. But here in Los Angeles, you grab a limousine. If the limo drivers ever go on strike here in Los Angeles, the first three rows of the Forum would be completely empty.”

With these two teams again trading body shots, the Lakers wanted to deliver a knockout. But once again, Boston would rise and find strength when they needed it the most. Dennis Johnson’s game-winning shot tied the series at two games apiece, but would lose Game 5 and would face elimination at home.

This was the chance for Los Angeles. Not only for the Lakers to win another championship, but this time, to win the title in Boston. No Lakers team had ever done so, and much like how the Red Sox had never defeated the Yankees, no one would believe it until it happened.

On this night, they would do it.

They conquered all their demons of past Lakers teams that could never beat their long time rivals. It was made that much sweeter for them to do on the parquet floor. A building that was famous for not having air conditioning and temperatures soared over 110 on some nights.

I remember seeing the joy on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he hit a skyhook over Robert Parish to clinch the game with over a minute to go. To see the faces on the bench jumping in celebration. Coach Pat Riley, for years as a player and now as a coach carried the burden of never beating the Celtics.

In the locker room after the game when the received the championship trophy, I think back to some words that Riley said:

“All the skeletons are cleared out of our cot.”

This rivalry was now no longer one sided. Each side had won one over the other. Basketball had been given such a treat. It was easy to appreciate and become a fan of either team no matter where you were from.

This has become like two great heavyweights beating each other up for two historic, great fights. But there needed to be one more winner-take-all match. It took a year off (for everyone’s health more than anything), but came back once again in 1987. This time, it was the Lakers and not the Celtics who were favored.

Boston was banged up and had battled through two rough seven game series with both the Milwaukee
Bucks and Detroit Pistons, who were emerging as the Celtics newest rivals. Kevin McHale was playing (as later reported) with broken bones in his foot. The core of Bird, Johnson and Parish along with McHale were now showing signs of aging as the younger Lakers were at the peak of their efficiency.

Los Angeles won the first two games of the series. Boston rallied to win Game 3. It was in Game 4 (there goes that game again) where the Lakers took a firm grip on not only the series, but the rivalry as well. Down by 16 points late in the third quarter, they would rally. They would trail by six points with 90 seconds to go before again battling back.

I have seen this game at least 10 times and it never gets old. It is probably my most favorite NBA game ever. I can still recall the last few possessions of that game as if it was yesterday.

Parish gets ball stripped by Cooper and Abdul-Jabbar.

In transition, Magic finds Cooper who drills a three pointer to cut the lead to three.

Bird throws a bad pass to McHale that goes out of bounds.

James Worthy goes one on one against the slower McHale and hits a 10 foot shot inside to cut the lead to one.

Bird takes a wild off balance shot that Mychal Thompson rebounds.

Magic finds Kareem for an alley-oop to give the Lakers the lead.

Bird hits a three pointer to give the Celtics a two-point lead.

Kareem is fouled inside and goes to the line to give them the lead. He makes the first, but misses the seconds as the ball goes out of bounds of Parish with eight seconds left.

Magic gets the ball on the left wing. McHale, playing on one good leg has to switch and guard him. He takes him off the dribble into the lane and hits a Kareem style baby sky-hook with two seconds left to give the Lakers the lead.

[URL=http://youtube.com/watch?v=sKwOu0LNvTU&feature=related[/URL]

It was a symbolic shot that you see now every time they show the NBA’s greatest moments. Between now and when the Finals begin on Thursday that shot is going to be replayed about one thousand times. The game was a passing of the torch in many ways. The Lakers, now with a 3-1 lead in the series, had a firm grip on the Celtics. No longer dealing with the ghosts of Boston and the old Garden, they were able to show that they, and not the Celtics, were the better team. Kareem was now able to hand the team off to Magic and that shot was emblematic of that passing.

Byron Scott and James Worthy were able to blow past Boston defenders and could not be stopped as old age finally caught up. The Lakers would go on to win the series in six games, capturing their fourth championship in eight years, twice beating the Celtics. The trilogy had concluded.

Neither team has met each other since that time. One team (the Lakers) has gone on to win four more championships in that span while Boston has been in the cellar for most of the last 21 years.

Now, as a treat and a surprise, both of these teams have come from nowhere just 365 days ago, to face each other in the Finals. Seeing those uniforms and being reminded of basketball used to be and how great it was. Many things have changed since then, but the feelings have been rekindled.

This time, its Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom as the faces of the Lakers. For the Celtics, its their new three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Great players on each side. Phil Jackson, in search of his 10th NBA championship in the shadow of Red Auerbach. The Boston Garden and old Inglewood Forum have been replaced by the new TD BankNorth Garden and Staples Center.

Nothing much has changed. You can still take the "T" right into the new Garden, and you still have to drive to get to Staples. Jack Nicholson is still around and he has brought the same celebrity crew with him and a bunch of new friends. The "Beat LA" shirts have been dusted off and are selling again. Happy days are here again. Hopefully for seven games.

Starting Thursday night, a blast from our past comes back to the future.

I've been given a sports gift to cherish. I will not pass this one up.