Yankee Talk: Discount shopping continues with Pudge

Something must be going on that I am not aware of.

Maybe there is a discount card that Brian Cashman has and simply getting 50 percent off on opposing players at the Trade Deadline Store while supplies last.

For years I had been of the belief that team were trying to enact a “Yankee Tax” on the team and charge them more in terms of talent in a trade than they would other teams.

Looks like I am wrong.

Who knows if the Yankees have incriminating evidence against some of these teams and are using it against them.

For the second time in four days, Cashman and the Yankees went shopping and came away with a useful player at a critical position for nothing more than a (for this season) overachieving setup reliever.

Are these markdowns being taken off the register? No one really knows. The discount is certainly not being shown on the store rack.

Maybe most team executives do lack intelligence. Perhaps we are just seeing cases of smart executives just pick-pocketing the really dumb ones. It is the only explanation I can provide.

In dealing Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers straight up for catcher Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez, the GM dealt from a source of his strength and was able to turn that into a catcher, who despite being 37, can still hit and provides a strong arm behind the plate.

Tell me this is a joke.

My first thought upon hearing this trade was absolute shock. Farnsworth had rebounded from two previous poor seasons and was flourishing, albeit while walking a tightrope. Before Jed Lowrie singled off him in the eighth inning in Friday’s game with the Red Sox, opposing hitters were 0 for their last 29. The fact that Joe Girardi pulled him with men on first and second and one out for Mariano Rivera, should have set off a warning signs that despite his success, the team, and more importantly, the manager still did not completely trust him.

Evolution of the trade

Perhaps Cashman heard some rumblings that Rodriguez was available. Though Jose Molina was doing an admiral job behind the plate in the time that Jorge Posada had been away, I will mention once again that he was nothing more than a backup catcher. Too many more games started by him would ultimately hurt the team and not help it.

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and Cashman had done business before. Last season, they out a trade that moved Gary Sheffield from New York to Detroit. One more time, they would be trade partners. The Tigers have had numerous injuries to their bullpen and the Yankees still had a need for a catcher who would not amount to a near automatic out whenever he came to the plate.

Both had what the other needed.

Each player is a free agent and was near even on financial cost. Farnsworth, who once pitched for Detroit would be headed back there. Rodriguez, still producing at his extended age, would come to the Bronx.

Last year, you could not trade Farnsworth unless you were willing to pay all of his salary, and even then, a team probably would not take him. One season later, having a good season with a deep bullpen, he is expendable enough that another team would covet him and give a good useful player back. It was the ultimate in “selling high” before what was possibly going to be an inevitable market correction.

Wow.

Pudgie Boy

Adding Rodriguez to the eighth spot in the lineup lengthens the team immensely. Though he is way past his prime when he was one of the generations best all-around catchers, he doing respectable. Right now, he is hitting .295 with OPS (on base plus slugging) over .750. It is an over .150 increase from what Molina was providing. In the last two months, he has hitting .381 (42 for 110 with four homeruns) with OPS over .920. You don’t think the Red Sox would take him in their lineup over Jason Varitek (.653 OPS) right this second?

Translation: he has hit like an All Star.

He will split time with Molina, who has become a favorite of starters Mike Mussina and Joba Chamberlain. Both veterans can still get playing time while not wearing down through the final two months of the season.

Trading Farnsworth opens up a bullpen spot that has numerous candidates. Brian Bruney is due back from injury in the next few weeks. In the minors, two pitchers, Alfredo Aceves and J. Brent Cox are making waves with their impressive pitching and may warrant a call up.

While he was pitching the high leverage eighth inning most of the time, the emergence of Jose Veras and new acquisition of Damaso Marte squeezes out his importance in that situation.

Ever so slightly, the Yankees are gathering their troops and building up their forces for battle. With a little help from a few teams who decided to give Cashman "clearance sale prices" on players.

One more bullet

The final piece to this entire puzzle is acquiring a starting pitcher. Jarrod Washburn of the Seattle Mariners has been the target the organization has zeroed in on. For the last week, both teams have discussing a move, but have reached a stalemate.

Seattle wants the Yankees to take on the remaining 14 million owed to Washburn AND surrender an above average prospect in order to complete the transaction. This is craziness and Cashman has balked. Apparently miffed by how it is playing out in the media, the Mariners have been trying to drum up interest by shopping him to other teams. So far, no other team executive is picking up the phone to answer the call.

The Yankees position is simple and I agree with it completely. If I am going to take this enormous contract off your hands, why I should give you anything of value for essentially a fourth or fifth starter? He is of no real use to you because you are the worst team in the American League WITH HIM on your roster. It is not like Seattle cannot do any worse.

Plugging him into the rotation is a clear upgrade over either Darrell Rasner or Sidney Ponson. Though the Yanks may be back in the race, I still contend that true “contention” will only take place one both Rasner and Ponson are not in the same rotation pitching two-fifths of the teams’ games.

Adding Washburn, who has pitched tremendous since the middle of May, would give the team the stability it needs in the backend of the rotation. No one know if Mike Mussina his going to flame out at any point after his spectacular season to date. The fort just has to be held down just enough to allow Chien-Ming Wang to return sometime in September.

For the moment, we all wait for the Mariners to come to their senses and cave in. By Thursday at three o’clock, they will have more than likely capitulated and the Yankees will get their man.

In the mean time, Cashman has decided to build up his other forces to have them uniquely equipped for the less than 60 game battle that they are about to embark on.

With the steals of Nady, Marte and now Pudge Rodriguez, he has been able to add ammunition at the cost of almost nothing.

Hopefully he has one purchase left he can get a discount.

On The Road: Spending a Sunday at Wrigley

The time was eleven in the morning and I had just awakened from a nice sleep after going out partying just hours prior. I sat back for a moment and asked myself the following question:

“What I am going to do today?”

I did not know how to answer. Perhaps taking a nap to rid myself of the mini-hangover I had the night before, but eating some breakfast alleviated that bad feeling. The Yankees game was not coming on until seven at night, so there was nothing specific to do.

I then said to myself:

“Let me take in a game at Wrigley”.

Surely most people do not get to make these last minute decisions. Most that decide to go to games planned this outing and they look at it as an event. “I’m going to the Cubs game today!” is something that the person may announce to their family and friends as a sense of excitement fill them.

Not me.

Being at Wrigley so many times living in Chicago, I look at it as just another place. Very few people will ever be able to understand this. The place has an odd odor, the bathrooms are hideous (taking a leak with five other guys together in a family stall is not fun), and the food selection is lacking. Besides that, everything is fine.

I went online to the Cubs website to see if tickets were available. I had messed up when I did not go to their last Sunday home game and I missed seeing Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitching. This time, I would make up for it.

Besides, I needed to now. My good friend Nicole has a small lead on me in "games seen in person”. By unofficial count, she is leading nine to seven. Stacy, my other friend, has been to her share as well this season; including the last three games (she is Cubs fan, so that really does not count). Like the Yankees, I too needed to make up some ground in the standings and close the gap. Certainly, I will be making up for in the next two weeks when I go Yankee Stadium for the weekend, but why not cut into the deficit.

A seat was available right in the infield in section 213 on the infield for $36. Good deal. An hour later, I was out of the door and making the short ten-minute trip to the park.

I left the Yankees cap at home for the game. My feeling has always been that you never wear your favorite baseball teams’ gear to a park when your team is not playing. Why some fans deem it acceptable to purposely pimp their team gear at opposing stadiums is something I will never understand. Whenever I go to Yankees games on the road, my two brown eyes will see denizens sporting Red Sox or Mets caps as they are representing their “Yankees Suck” mentality (or as I refer to them “mental midgets”) by accentuating that fact that they are a fan of that specific team.

I think the idea to do it goes like this:

Idiot Red Sox/Mets fan: Yeah guys, I going to the Yankee game tonight. You know I'm going to do? I am going to wear my Red Sox (or Mets) gear so I can let them know what fan I am as I chant “Yankees Suck!” I'm going to look great!

No, you look like a moron.

This is not some isolated incident. It happens ALL the time. Not to sound like a snob, but I look down on these people. There has to be a sense of personal insecurity to do that. Maybe a visit to the doctor may help.

(SIDE NOTE – Cubs fans are just as guilty as well of doing this at White Sox games whenever I am at that park to see the Yankees. It as if they want to attract attention and be “that guy”. To be fair, they look like fools too.)

There was still about 40 minutes before game time and I took in the view from my seat. As I waited for the game, I decided to pick up a scorecard and pencil along with some food. Unreal to find that the beer is only $6.25 there. What a deal! Go to Shea and Yankee Stadium and it is running you $8.50 (It was $9.50 if you went to the All Star Game two weeks ago). Perhaps I should tell the beer vendor that, but I think that will make him upset that he is undercharging.

As the game was getting underway, my mind was still on the Yankee win from Saturday against the Red Sox. The trade that they had made on Friday was still on my brain and so I decided to use the “Documents to Go” on my Treo to jot down a few thoughts that I would use for a story I would work on during the game.

In the first inning, starter Jason Marquis gave up a three-run homer to Mike Jacobs to give the Marlins a quick 3-0 lead. The fans in the crowd quickly began to groan. Losing their last two and seeing the Milwaukee Brewers now tied with them in the standings were making them a bit antsy.

Rarely do you see the Cubs fan in this dynamic. They rarely win, so they have very few “big games” or “agita moments” in a season. This time it is different and “Cubs angst” appears to be in full effect.

Looking around, I happen to be sitting next to a season ticket holder of over 20 years to my right. And a man who was tipping the scales above 400 pounds to my left. My arm was feeling numb because I could not stretch it out due to his girth. It reminded me of the policy one of the airlines wanted to enforce where if you weighed over a certain limit; you had to purchase an additional ticket. You could have implemented that rule in this instance.

A strange thing I saw was in the bottom half of the inning after Alfonso Soriano singled and was followed by a sacrifice bunt by Ryan Theriot. The crowd applauded in acceptance of the play. I was stunned. Perhaps none of the Cub fans have studied Bill James and sabermetrics correctly. I asked the fan next to me why they are cheering and he told that it was because he (Theriot) gave himself up for the team. Does he realize that you do NOT use a .320 hitter to bunt and give up an out in the first inning? It is stupid. Who cares if you are having problems scoring runs? The game is not going to end 1-0 with the bad pitching both teams had on the mound, so it was pointless. They ended up not scoring in the inning anyway which made the decision even crazier.

Jacobs hit another homerun in the second to make it 5-0. The crowd was in full riot mode now. People around me were asking why he (Marquis) was even in the rotation and why isn’t the bullpen warming up. Apparently, they do not realize that Marquis, despite the fact he is horrible, is not any worse than your normal fifth starter.

Would you rather have Sidney Ponson starting? He is pitching for the Yankees tonight and I am scared to death. Believe me, it CAN be worse.

I know the Cubs wasted 20 million on his sorry self (Marquis was bad before they signed him, so this is no surprise), but try looking for a pitcher on the market that will duplicate his numbers and I bet you that you will not.

At this point, even though I was keeping score and tracking the pitches, like Manny Ramirez, I had mentally checked out. I started blogging away on this story for about three innings. The big man sitting to my left was checking in to see what I could be writing that would take close to an hour.

If I were wearing Cubs gear, I would have fit the stereotype of the fan that is there to just take in the atmosphere and playing with the cell phone. The thing I would have been lacking would have been the pink hat. Only my activity had a much different purpose.

Marquis was still being booed in the fourth inning as he pitched into trouble again. These were not normal boos, these were “Dammit, you suck. Why are you still in the game pitching like crap” boos. Fans kept asking why manager Lou Piniella had yet to take him out of the game. If they had been watching the last two games, they probably would have realized that the bullpen had thrown about 12 innings and needed a rest in the worst way. Are they not paying attention? He needed to get as far as he could with him without getting completely killed.

For some strange reason, the Marlins starter walked Marquis in the bottom half of the inning. Babe Ruth he is not. Unbelievable. I predicted the next hitter would go deep just to make the pitcher pay. Soriano came up and promptly drilled a three-run homer to tie the game at five. Surprised? No. Karma is a bitch. The crowd, that was ready to riot earlier was now alive and back in the game.
One thing their fans have to work on is their chants. It seemed as if they were trying too hard to be “East Coast” and simply lacked creativity. A Cubs fan went as far as to add “Marlins Suck” to their “Let’s go Cubbies,” cheer. I am sure that in ballparks all over baseball, the chant “Marlins Suck” has never been chanted. Their fans have been forced to be quiet for so long because of all the losing and now that they have a chance to break out and start talking, intelligence and creativity is lacking.

(SIDE NOTE – It may appear as if I have something against Cubs fans, but I do not. Nothing against Cubs fans personally, but they do annoy me. Maybe I am just reading it wrong, but all their losing and talking up of “curses” and “goats” are nothing more than excuses to justify losing. It is my view that many fans of theirs believe that they are somehow owed World Series championship because of how long they have “suffered”. You are not owed anything. This is why in some way it would be better if they did not win a title. Dealing with insufferable Red Sox fans over the last four year has been bad enough, but it will be even worse if it ever happened to the Cubs. You don’t believe me? Wait until that day comes.)

As I was finishing my Yankees trade story, my friend Stacy texted me wondering who the New York Giants kicker was (answer: Lawrence Tynes). When I saw the question, I was stunned she did not know considering she is probably one of the two biggest football fans that I know who are not guys. She knows just about everything Giants (and probably everything else – though she gets a little homer when it comes to the U of Arizona), but came up with a brain cramp that usually crops up around the offseason.

(SIDE NOTE: Stacy was able to take my mind off the game and back on football for a moment as I continued to blog. It hit me that training camp was really happening and the season was not too far away. Just counting the days until September 4 against the Redskins.)

In the bottom of the seventh, the Cubs took the lead 9-6 when pinch hitter Mike Fontenot hit a three run double to the left field corner. The crowd went crazy as they could exhale and now feel good about their chances of winning. Even better was the fact that the Brewers were losing to the Astros.

Newcomer Jeff Samardzija (he used to play wide receiver at Notre Dame) came in to pitch the final two innings to close the game as the Cubs went on to win. Samardzija was blowing hitters away with his 99 MPH stuff, reminding me slightly of when Joba Chamberlain came up as a novice with the Yankees last year.

As customary during wins at home, the fans begin to sing the lyrics to the song “Go Cubs Go”. By far, it is the cheesiest, most annoying song I have ever heard, worthy of Mitch Albom’s “Bad Song Prison”. Less than 30 seconds in, I was looking for earplugs as the only thing I could do was roll my eyes as I heard people acting as if it was karaoke night. Give me “I Love LA”, “New York State of Mind” or “Dirty Water” (which I cannot stand either, but it’s workable) any day over this song.

I also noticed two signs. One was a white flag with a “W” on it. After each win, the crew at Wrigley Field will hang that up for all to see. Well, let’s just say there have been many instances where that “W” has sat in a box in one of their closets. The other was a sign that read “It’s Gonna Happen”. Maybe that is some code language I am not aware of, but that needs explaining. Unless I am just naïve and not implying its meaning.

In all, it was a great day at Wrigley and even better game to enjoy. The people sitting next me were great people after all and we shared baseball stories and the like. No craziness took place and it was a family atmosphere. My evaluation of their fans is that they are still a little wet behind the ears. Their "in game" knowledge is still lacking and they are a bit when it comes to the opinion they have of their own players.

The experience was still fun, and I plan to make several more appearances before the end the season.

As long they do not conflict with any Yankees games.

Yankee Talk - Rivalry Edition: Joba Rules a weekend of success for the Yanks at Fenway

Hold on just one minute.

Cancel the half-written obituaries.

Perhaps the Yankees are really going to make this a race after all.

Anyone who was of the mind the previous six wins the team had going into this past weekend's edition of The Rivalry got a good glimpse of whether or not the streak was real or a byproduct of slightly above average American League competition.

Make no mistake now.

Despite losing the finally to the Red Sox on Sunday night, the weekend at Fenway Park was a tremendous success. Taking two of three from a team with baseball's best home record is very difficult to do. Add to that the heist...err...trade for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte that came down on Friday during the game. In addition, there is the sudden appearance that Boston appears to be vulnerable in one key area (and that is before we get to the latest Manny episode, which I will get to). Suddenly, in what has been a season of starting...stopping...stumbling and bumbling, the Yankees have begun to firmly plant their tentacles in the American League East race.

Make no mistake, the Yankees are picking up steam and have the Red Sox on the run.

Friday – Yankees 1, Red Sox 0

What will be remembered for this season at least will be Friday night’s classic. Josh Beckett, the established championship ace, and Joba Chamberlain, a future ace in training going head to head in a great pitchers duel.

The only run of the game came on a softly hit groundball of the bat of Jason Giambi that found a vacated hole because of the exaggerated shift the Red Sox employed. While Beckett gave up nine hits, he was never in any real danger. Yankee hitters were getting on base, but many of their rallies would happen with two outs as the team struggled to string multiple hits together.

Chamberlain was magnificent. No amount of adjectives could illustrate his performance. From the first inning, you could see he was a man in control. No hesitation. No lack of confidence. Throwing his fastball for strikes and getting great movement on his slider and curveball. He was getting stronger as the game went on. In all, he went seven innings, giving up just three hits and no runs, while striking out nine.

As Red Sox hitters continue to flail away at Joba’s stuff, it vindicated the organization who believed in him as a starting pitcher. Hank Steinbrenner felt that he could be “The Yankees Josh Beckett”. On the road, in Fenway Park, Joba left an impression on the minds of both teams.

The most controversial play came in the bottom of the 7th inning. With a 2-0 count, Chamberlain’s pitch found the direction of Kevin Youkilis’ head. It was the third pitch he had thrown in less than a year in that direction. Youk was upset, but I still contend that there was no intent. Why would Joba intentionally try to hit a batter with a 1-0 lead and pitching great? It makes no sense. The ironic part was that the pitch actually hit part of his bat, just missing his head and the umpire called a strike. Clearly intimidated, Youk waved weakly at two successive sliders and struck out.

Mariano Rivera came on for a five out save after Kyle Farnsworth left him runners on first and second and one out. If Girardi really had confidence in Farnsworth, he would have entrusted him to get out of the jam. When you have the greatest relief pitcher in reserve, those decisions are easier to make.

Rivera struck out Jacoby Ellsbury looking and got Dustin Pedroia to hit a comebacker to the immortal reliever to end the eighth. In the ninth, he got Ortiz to fly out and struck out both Mike Lowell (debatable call) and J.D Drew looking to end the game. It was another dominant performance.

Saturday – Yankees 10, Red Sox 3

Consider this game to the best all around Yankees performance of the season.

Offensively, after trailing 2-0 against Tim Wakefield, the Yanks rallied. Robinson Cano (the hottest hitter in baseball) homered to dead center to tie the game in the fourth. In the sixth, with Wakefield taken out of the game, the team hammered rookie Justin Masterson for three more runs.

Andy Pettitte grinded out one his more satisfying victories. He struggled in the first three innings with his control, but once the Red Sox were unable to take advantage, he settled in. Six strong innings of two earned run ball later, Pettitte was en route to notching his 12th win of the season.

The bullpen pitched three scoreless innings. Damaso Marte got his first taste of The Rivalry when he came on to face David Ortiz with first and second with one out. Four pitches later, Marte won the battle by striking him out and making him look uncomfortable in the process. Edwar Ramirez pitched 1 1/3 innings of dominant relief.

Coming from this game was another controversial hits batsman. With the Yankees comfortably ahead in the eighth inning, Red Sox reliever Craig Hansen chose to carry over the lingering anger over Youkilis being “thrown at” (he was not) on Friday. On a 1-0 pitch, Alex Rodriguez was drilled in the left shoulder and was in pain for short period. He took his base, and Boston felt as if they (somehow) got retribution. For the Red Sox to feel as they are now being thrown at is to simply ignore the last five years of history where the statistics are lopsided in their side in terms of the amount of batters hit. Apparently, they feel as if Chamberlain has decided to use Youkilis as his personal punching bag. Oh well, too bad.

Sunday – Red Sox 9, Yankees 2

After taking the first two, the team was playing with house money with Sidney Ponson on the mound. His numbers against Red Sox hitters and pitching at Fenway Park screamed “Death to Sidney”.

It was.

Three runs in the first inning followed by two more runs in both the third and fourth chased him from the game. With the way Jon Lester was pitching, it was going to be a difficult game to come back and win. Lester created an opening in the fifth inning giving up two runs and the bases loaded with nobody out. Unfortunately, that was all the Yankees could get. After that, the game took on the feel of an extended spring training game.

Gone was the winning streak, but the weekend was not a disappointment. Many positives to go around and very little to complain about.

The Good:

Joba Chamberlain showing that he has “future ace” written on him.

Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon at the top of the lineup sparking the offense is great. The team comes and goes depending on what those two along with Derek Jeter do as the front three.

Andy Pettitte. Clutch.

The Bad:

Joe Girardi still does not fully trust Kyle Farnsworth in a big situation. The quickness he showed with the hook on Friday despite giving up a base hit and a slow ground ball that by luck he could not handle signals that when times get tough, he will not be on the mound to get the big out.

Sidney Ponson. He has used up his value to the team. The Yankees needed him to hold the fort down for one month and not pitch like a disaster while reinforcements were found. It worked out. Now get rid of him.

The Weird:

All weekend we were introduced to another yearly installment of “As Manny Turns”. Must we go through this again?

Manny Ramirez chose to “sit out” Friday nights game (depending on what you believe) with a knee injury one hour before the game. Saturday, the Red Sox placed him in the lineup in hopes of suspending him if he asked out. On Sunday, he announced that he and the management had fallen out of favor and if they wanted to trade him, they can feel free. Watching the ESPN telecast, you got the impression “The Manny Show” on as opposed to the game itself.

Here is the bottom line: The Red Sox are not trading Ramirez. Not before. Not now. Not ever. Any idea that they would do it is ridiculous. Boston is not winning a World Series without him in the lineup batting fourth behind Ortiz. Trading him essentially concedes that you are not winning this year. As Ramirez said, “the Red Sox are not stupid”. He is right, the Red Sox are not stupid. They know what they have and know that he cannot be replaced unless you plan to bring A-Rod or Albert Pujols back in a trade. Every year this crap takes place and people in Boston eat this stuff up and are now “offended” by his antics. Please, stop it. You enabled this crap for the last eight years and justified it because he hit and won two world championships. Do not come back and play the moral high ground card now. You turned in that card long ago.

Next meeting: August 26-28 at Yankee Stadium

Bring it on.

Yankee Talk: Cashman pulls a heist

A couple of weeks ago, I gave GM Brian Cashman some free advice on what he should do in terms of making any additions to spark what then a unresponsive, lackluster team that was injury racked and giving the appearance that this season would end weakly without a playoff appearance.

I told him: "Do nothing".

But now, with the Yankees just minuscule percentage points behind both the Red Sox and Rays as they continue this torrid roll, maybe I should have altered the message.

What I should have said was the following:

"If another team is going to give you valuable players that will help your team at the virtual cost of nothing, then sure, go right ahead."

Certainly now, after winning eight games in a row to begin the second half and looking like a team that may have a promising future after all despite looking a dead raccoon on the road just a few weeks ago.

As word began to leak of the Yankees trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates during Friday night’s game with the Red Sox, a sense of curiosity perked up. When the announcement came down that the Yankees acquired both outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte, it was looked at as a stunner.

The talent Cashman sent back to Pittsburgh in return looks, on the surface, like one his biggest heists.

Getting those two players for no one on the current roster, in addition to any prospects the team has deemed "untouchable" has made the trade an absolute win-win all around.

When you examined the needs of the team prior to the All Star break, you would have a checklist of these three areas:

1. Corner outfielder that can hit.
2. Left handed reliever.
3. Starting pitcher

In one trade, they were able to address two of the three. Nady is having a career year this season with a .330 average and power numbers that as of right now are better than Manny Ramirez. While it is doubtful Nady will replicate that performance, he provides a steady bat with good patience and a great ability to hit left-handed pitchers that has been a bugaboo this season for the Yankees

In Marte, the team has its best left-handed reliever since Mike Stanton in the championship days.

Over the last few years, he has been one of baseball's premier setup and situational men. In 2007, lefties were six for 64 against Marte. While not duplicating that same success this season (he has been better against righties -.200), he provides more than capable competency at a position that has deficient to an extreme the last seven years.

Marte got his first indoctrination to The Rivalry on Saturday as he was brought into the game with runners on first and second with one out to face David Ortiz. In the past, this was where bad relief pitchers have gone to die. Not this time. With his mid 90's fastball, he had Ortiz uncomfortable. Marte struck him out on a slider for the second out and he was lifted. His mission had been accomplished impeccably.

Adding him to a core that features Veras, Farnsworth, Ramirez and Robertson, gives the team ample flexibility and inventory to work with late in games.

Here is the other good part of this trade is the financial aspect. Both players are cost controlled through next season. Nady is being paid less than 6 million next year and is insurance in the event the Yankees choose not to re-up Bobby Abreu's contract (standing at 16 million). Marte has an option also for 6 million for the 2009 season. The team can simply choose to exercise it, while losing Farnsworth’s salary, which expires.

Of the prospects the team gave up, the only real player of note that was given up was outfielder Jose Tabata. Two years ago, he was looked as having "Manny Ramirez-type" potential even though he was only 17 years old. This season however, his power has yet to develop and he has been seen to have several character issues. He was made expendable because of the development of rising prospect Austin Jackson.

Daniel McCutchen was having a good season in AA-Trenton, but was projected at best to be fourth or fifth starter. Jeff Karstens never had any real success on the Major League level to keep on the roster. Ross Ohlendorf pitched for most of the first half of the season. While he had good stuff, it was hittable and teams had very comfortable at bats against him. He was sent down to the minors to be re-converted into a starting pitcher. Perhaps the Pirates see a future in him with that role, but the currently the Yankees have no spot for him.

In all, it is a trade that fis great for the present. It also provides a good base for the future as well, at the cost of relatively nothing.

Great job.

Yankee Talk Update

My most recent edition of Yankee Talk was written mostly prior to Friday night's game with the Red Sox. This came before news that the Yankees had acquired both Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates. I slightly edited part the story to include Marte's addition. For Yankees-Red Sox weekend, I am providing expanded thoughts and coverage as The Rivalry continues.

Yankee Talk: Bullpen has been a pleasant 2008 surprise

It was not that long ago (just go back to last season) that when calling upon a relief pitcher for the Yankees whose name was not Mariano Rivera, was enough to cover the eyes and run into the medicine cabinet for a pack of “Tums”.

Whether it has been poor player evaluation or just plain bad luck, finding enough competent relief pitchers has been very difficult. In some cases, it has been nearly impossible to find.

This season has been a much different story. Good relief pitching has made its long awaited return to The Bronx and the results have been an unmitigated success.

In the years that have passed since the last World Series championship back in 2000, finding good relievers like the Yankees had back during the mid to late 1990’s has been like a revolving door at a store with pitchers coming in, staying for a period, and then leaving out. Only two pitchers since 2002 have lasted at least three seasons with the club and logged a representative amount of innings.

Some have been better than others have over most of this decade.

Tanyon Sturtze, Paul Quantrill, Ron Villone, Scott Proctor and most recent Luis Vizcaino, all overachieved in single years for the Yankees. However, all would eventually fall victim to either overuse or a simple market correction. One lasting image of these relievers was a stick figure caricature of them with their right (or left) arm dangling from their socket all the way to floor, as it appeared they were nearing their expiration dates as pitchers.

Tom Gordon was a fighter who mostly had a successful run with the team. However, even he had his down moments. Not being able to preserve a two-run lead in Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS I still contend, was one of the main reasons the Red Sox were able to complete the 0-3 comeback.

Some have just been dreadful.

Who can forget the (not so) memorable appearances by the likes of Felix Rodriguez, Juan Acevedo and Buddy Groom?

Sprinkle in a T.J Beam and Sean Henn here and there.

I would be remising if I did not mention memorable “cup of coffee” appearances by Alan Embree, Scott Erickson and Donovan Osborne.

Oh, and who can forget the Felix “The Run Fairy” Heredia era, which appeared to last longer than your normal Energizer battery.

Most games that should have been agita free, now took on an “edge of your seat”, “vomit inducing” feel.

It never used to be that way. Consider that back in what has to (looking back) be “the good old days”, getting the last six to nine outs were not filled with such tension. The championship teams had an indomitable core featuring Jeff Nelson, Ramiro Mendoza and Mike Stanton. The opposing team knew that if did not have the lead after six innings, it was essentially “game over” or “season over”, and look ahead to the next day (assuming their was one).

Could those days be reappearing? The performance of the bullpen over the course of this 2008 season has been nothing short of an unexpected surprise. A once mapped out two-headed monster before the season was broken up in June and has been replaced by a quartet that has not only been good, but at times overpowering and dominant.

The original game plan was for the pitching staff to get the ball into the hands of Joba Chamberlain to pitch the eighth inning and Rivera to close it out in the ninth. Plans were altered when both Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes were not only ineffective (zero wins), but also injured. Neither man has pitched for the team since early May. This forced the hands of the organization to move up their (then secret) timetable for converting Chamberlain into a starting pitcher. While this was going on, the questions began to be asked as to who would be able to replace his dominance in the bullpen.

As it has turned out, a collection of relievers have stepped up and together have turned the relief pitching of the Yankees into the unquestionable strength of the team as its offense struggles along and two-fifths of the starting rotation is being held by chewing gum.

The combination of Jose Veras (2.97 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 8.3 K/9), Edwar Ramirez (2.48 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 10.66 K/9) along with the resurgence (aka – Walk Year) of Kyle Farnsworth (3.35 ERA, opponents are 0 for their last 27), have quality and dependability.

Last month, the Yankees called up David Robertson to its relief core. Since his arrival, he has been very impressive. In just over 11 innings, he is yielding a WHIP of less than 1.00 and striking out a remarkable 11.15 batters per nine innings. Most of strikeouts come from his beautiful “nose to toes” breaking ball that freezes hitters.

The ability for the bullpen to lock down these late innings has lessened the burden that is placed on the golden right arm of Rivera, who is enjoying the best season of his career. In prior years, the inability of the pen to get outs in the eighth forced Joe Torre and (for a time) Joe Girardi to call on him for a save of more than three outs. Not having Mo to get those extra outs are going to be invaluable if the Yankees are to push forward in their chase for the playoffs down the stretch of the season.

How good has the bullpen been? Over the last 22 games (through Wednesday against the Twins), they have thrown 22 innings and has an ERA of 1.60.

Domination.

To add depth to the pen, on Friday night the Yankees acquired left hander Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Over his career, he has shown the ability to lockdown left handed hitters. He who can be called upon to get out David Ortiz and J.D Drew of the Red Sox and Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena of the Rays. An interesting thing about him is that he is more than a left handed "specialist". This season, right handed hitters are doing worse against him than lefties. While currently stacked with good relievers, you can never have enough. The fluctuating nature of the position alerts you that success and failure is very small, and that any one of these pitchers can have a sudden downfall in performance. Having insurance is always a good thing and Marte is an excellent addition.

Give Girardi credit for his managerialization of the ‘pen this season. Critics of Joe Torre argued that this was one of his worst characteristics as a manager. Torre would rely on one or two relievers outside of Rivera and solely put his trust in those pitchers, to the extent where he would severely overwork tem over the course of the season, even when the team was leading games by non-save margins. The end result? Either a drop in performance later in the season, ineffectiveness upon returning the next year, or an eventual trip to the disabled list.

To that I pose the following question…if Torre had this many quality relief pitchers at his disposal, do you think he would have a need to overwork certain people? Go back and look at some of the sorry pitchers he had out there. Would you not go to Scott Proctor (2006 season) over anyone else? When Jose Veras was a Yankee in 2006 and 2007, he showed an inability to throw strikes and keep consistent mechanics. Rather than allow him to work his way out of it, he was used sparingly, then sent back to the minor leagues.

Ramirez showed very good talent as well when he came up with the team last season. His problem was that when hitters were not fooled by changeup when they were behind in the count. This year, he is throwing more consistently, which has lead to great success this season.

Farnsworth has always been an enigma. A right arm with a 100 MPH fastball, great slider and at times a ten-cent head. Over the last two years, there has been about eight different times in which he stated that he was unavailable to pitch because of injuries (mainly a lock up in his back) and his ineffectiveness in pitching back-to-back games.

You think if Torre had that many guys to work from that are as effective as this group so far this season, he would not have to overwork his best relievers?

The way baseball is played in this era, having a good bullpen most times is the difference between winning and losing. A football or basketball equivalent for this would be its special teams and/or free throw shooting. More games are won and lost now after the sixth inning. Not having pitchers who can get those outs can be demoralizing to a team that gets a well pitched game from its starter only to see it wasted as the team goes down to defeat with it.

High monetary investment, overprotection, pitch counts, persistent over managing and "specialization" has led to starting pitchers no longer completing games they would start 20 or 30 years ago. Pitching 250 to 270 innings as recent as ten years ago has dropped nearly 20 percent. If a pitcher gives you more then 220 innings, you praise the heavens.

Closers (back then, known as "fireman") in those days would record two and sometimes three inning saves. However, since the initialization of the "setup role" made famous by Tony LaRussa in the late 1980's with the Oakland Athletics, the role of bullpens have evolved into what you see today.

These days, a six or seven inning performance is (somehow) deemed acceptable as the "specialists" are called upon to nail down those precious final outs.

Having men that can get those outs are invaluable and rarely available for trade unless your willing to pay a hefty price. Going out and buying them in free agency (if they are good) come at steep price tag. The Yankees have found this out the hard way over the last seven years, but this season, things have changed for the better at a much cheaper cost.

One can only hope that the success continues.

Random Yankee Thoughts

I do NOT want to see Barry Bonds on my team. Period. End of sentence.

Robinson Cano has been on fire since the All Star break. Perhaps that will be his thing for his career. Essentially take off the first three months of the season and then turn into Ted Williams after game 80.

Hey, it worked for Ryne Sandberg.

Sad to see that Jorge Posada’s shoulder injury is possibly going to keep him out the rest of the season. I knew something was still wrong when even his power numbers were falling precipitously.

That being said, Jose Molina (the Latin Johnny Bench – minus the offense) is going to have to take on most of the catching duties.

All I ask is that you hit a fly ball with a man on third and get an occasional hit. Please avoid the double play at all costs.

Melky Cabrera is one more idiotic play away from finding a nice spot on the bench.

Playing that single into an error and man on second while acknowledging the Bleacher Creature denizens in right field is definitely making it way to the blooper reel.

Is Brett Gardner is different way of saying Willie Mays Hayes?

Richie Sexson is baseball’s version of (former NBA center) Chris Dudley. Both give you tough, gritty defense. However, neither is going to anything in terms of offense.

Mike Mussina is just continuing his amazing season. I do not know how he is getting hitters out with that 86 MPH gas, and frankly, I do not care.

He is seven wins away from 20 and currently sports a 3.26 ERA. There is no question he should get consideration for the Hall of Fame.

When you take into account his pitching the American League. Particularly the American League East. Then, take into account the steroid era and the fact that he is over 100 games over .500 for his career. He should not need 300 wins to be a lock.

Am I really gaining confidence in Kyle Farnsworth? Tell me the sky is not falling. Bring me back to reality please. Oh wait, I saw the eighth inning in Boston on Friday.

Alex Rodriguez is hitting less than .240 with runners in scoring position this year. Can Madonna fix that?

Jason Giambi slightly dyed his mustache brown. I, for one, am disappointed.

Nothing is better than seeing the Yankees play a road game at Fenway Park. It is the most hostile environment to be a Yankees fan.

Also the most fun.

I thought I was getting tired of The Rivalry. Something about it though always brings me back.

Nothing in any sport can top it.

MLB Talk: The Halos are shining...when to buy or sell...and random thoughts

All is well in the OC

They are not flashy or spectacular. Bullying you with high-powered offense is not their identity. No one outside of Vladimir Guerrero is someone you would consider a "superstar" player.

In the truest sense, they are a "team".

Every night the Los Angeles Angels go out and try to beat you their way. Very cerebral in the nature in which they score runs, they neglect to stand idly by and wait for the three-run homer. Pressure is what they pride themselves on. The Angels look to force the action on almost every play. Each pitch. Each at bat. Each time a runner is on base is another moment to put pressure on the opposing team. Relax for a split second and you may miss a runner trying to take an extra base and eventually scoring.

The Angels live by an old-school baseball philosophy:

Get them on.
Get them over.
Get them in.

No other team in baseball does it better or more efficient than they do. It is the reason why they have played so many close games this season and have won a large percentage of them as they sit with Major League Baseball’s best record.

With a pitching staff that nearly every night starts a more than competent starter, they can afford to play their style without compromise.

John Lackey still remains its main anchor. After missing the start of the year with an injury, he is amassing perhaps his finest season. Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders, both All Stars, are on pace for 20-win seasons apiece.

Jon Garland, brought over from the White Sox in an offseason trade for shortstop Orlando Cabrera, has added a quality innings eater with a championship pedigree. Jered Weaver rounds out the five-some and on any given night can shut down an opposition.

When it gets late and the Angels have the lead, the starters turn it over to quality bullpen arms Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo. Still don’t have the lead by then? Try your luck as the Angels hand the ball to their potential record setting closer. Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) has total 41 saves to this point and is on pace for over 60 (MLB record is 57). With free agency looming for him after the season, Rodriguez is making a case for himself to receive a similar contract to Mariano Rivera. He is one of those handfuls of closers in baseball you place your confidence in getting those final three outs no matter where the game is played.

For all their great play, their season will again be ultimately judged on how they perform in October. The Red Sox have been their kryptonite in two of the last four years. Will this be the year they finally break through?

They certainly have a great chance.

We're going for it! No, let's sell. Wait, what should we do?

It is one of the toughest decisions that an organization has to make every season at the trade deadline.

Knowing that your team could possibly win, but probably will not and having several commodities that other team's value if you chose to make them available.

If you are hopelessly out of the race, then you are already (or should be) in full "sell mode". Try to peddle as many high salary players as you can as a measure of shedding payroll, adding prospects and looking forward to the next season.

Teams that are serious contenders need only to tinker to properly position their team not only for the playoffs, but to win the World Series. (See: Harden, Rich)

Some teams need to make that one big move to change the complexion of their team. (See: Sabathia, CC)

However, in between lays a conundrum that many teams face. They are not bad enough to stay out of the playoff chase. Yet, they are not good enough to compete with the upper echelon clubs to considerably close the gap. Deluding themselves into thinking they are better than what they are, said team will make moves that on the surface look like quality. It is a means of giving their fans (false) hope. By September though, the team still has not made any progress and the only accomplishment is the additional money made in ticket sales that the owner will be pocketing.

By July 31, there will be a team that will have this thinking and will attempt to bolster their roster only to fail miserably.

Other teams choose to cut their losses and not even give their fans the option of having false hope. In the case of the Oakland A's, they were only five games behind the LA Angels before they decided to trade it best pitcher, Rich Harden, to the Chicago Cubs. One week later, Beane followed it up by trading innings workhorse Joe Blanton to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Beane knew his team was not going to be good enough over the remaining games of the season, so why even bother?

The business practice seems sound in nature (personally, I approved of it), but for a team like the A’s, who on a yearly basis have difficulty developing a fan base to come to games even when they were successful, it would strike one as odd that they would be so cavalier in their execution.

While the nature of a fan is always to think there is a chance, sometimes, a little hard reality is needed.

A few random thoughts...ok, more than a few

After seeing a terrific start by Johan Santana wasted by the Mets bullpen in the ninth inning on Tuesday against the Phillies, fans were asking that Santana, who had already thrown 105 pitches in eight inning, to pitch (or at least start) the ninth inning with closer Billy Wagner unavailable.

Listen, if you cannot trust a good, competent relief pitcher with a three run lead (5-2 at the time), at home, against the bottom of a lineup (who to that point was anemic scoring runs) to get the final three outs, then he should not be on the team.

The percentages of saves converted with a three-run lead are so astronomical it is not even worth discussing. STATS INC last year showed the percentage of three run leads blown in the ninth inning are 1%. Yes, you read that right. One percent! What happened at Shea Tuesday night was simply that percentage making an appearance.

You think the Chicago Cubs really want to see the Arizona Diamondbacks in the playoffs again? That is the last team they would want to face if they could help it.

Before the Cubs think about the playoffs, they might want to think about the Milwaukee Brewers first.

Seeing them play for the last week has shown me that they have closed the gap. There are rumors of them pursuing Oakland A's closer Huston Street to be their closer.

Good thing. No team with Salomon Torres as its closer is ever going to win a close postseason game, especially on the road.

Teams are going to find out that they had better win the games not started by that CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets. If they do not, they essentially have no chance considering how both of them have pitched this season.

Just ask the St. Louis Cardinals.

Something is clearly wrong when your team is double digits under the .500 mark, yet is still in contention for the division.

As of this moment, the Colorado Rockies are 13 games under (45-58), but are only 6.5 out of first place.

That is the National League West for you.

Justin Duchscherer is currently sporting a healthy 1.87 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .182 against him, and yet he doesn’t throw harder than 88 MPH. How is this possible?

Bob Gibson he is not. But the numbers are Gibson-esque.

I wonder how much teams are going to read into Matt Holiday’s road splits before they realize he is two different players, yet still pay him 20 million a year.

Ryan Howard is showing how much batting average is meaningless. He leads the NL in home runs and runs batted in despite hitting less than .240. Just think if he actually hit .300.

Dustin Pedroia (aka – Little Gnat) amazes me a hitter. For a player of his midget stature to be able generate the power he does off his bat is amazing. I have to tip my cap to him.

Why is there an extreme shortage of good hitting catchers in baseball?

Fred Wilpon now admits that he screwed the Willie Randolph firing and should have thought about how it would look when it was done.

He is just figuring this out now? It is a little late for a mea culpa Fred.

Yankee Talk: A shaky first half leaves many questions for the second half

The first three and a half months of the season has seen the Yankees playing much like a Yo-Yo, up and down. I have uncovered the source(s) for the problems. Here, we will break down how this quandary affects the rest of the season.



On the surface, it would be easy to simply look at the American League East standings and see that the Yankees are only five and a half games behind the first place Boston Red Sox and Wild Card leading Tampa Bay Rays.

You could take the opinion that despite everything that has happened to the team (injuries, old age, poor production, lack of quality starting pitching) and come to the conclusion that over 162 games, everything will work themselves out because well, it always has.

This time around though, we have a much different scenario. It is a fear that has been almost three years in the making. We have a situation where all mitigating factors have come together to play a significant role as to why the Yankees find themselves where they are at this moment, 95 games into the 2008 season.

Offensive offense

Statistics can be manipulated to draw any conclusion one would want to make. However, in the case of this team, the stats do not lie. An offense constructed to score at least 900 runs (930 and 968 the last two years) is currently on pace to score over 200 less than a season ago. A starting staff and bullpen that was asked to be "just good enough", now has to pitch exemplary just to keep the team in the ballgame on most nights.

While scoring may be down around all of baseball, the mysterious lack of runs being scored in the Bronx amounts to a full-fledged drought.

What happened? Did someone shut off the power and not tell anyone? Everyone involved with the Yankees would like to know the answer to that question.

Pinpointing where the downfall started is very difficult to answer. As records show, injuries and other assorted reasons have only allowed the team's Opening Day lineup available for only ten games of the season. While every team has its share of bumps and falls during a season, this is insane. However, one could simply counter that the Yankees decided to roll the dice on this aging roster. Electing to make no moves in the off-season to get younger and more athletic and allow for the possibility of disintegration to occur at any moment.

Added to that, last year, the offense received career years were had by both Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada. A slender market correction to those numbers was certainly in order. Even so, that drop-off in production would be made up for by the emergence of both Robinson Cano as a superstar, and Melky Cabrera as a relatively useful offensive player that would put up OPS (on base plus slugging) averages that would justify his bat in the lineup.

Not only have they both regressed, they have been so bad to the point where if one weren't recently given 30 million or the other played good enough defense, they both would not see the field. Both players have OPS numbers of less than .700. For those not familiar with that term, think of having an upgraded version of Tony Womack (remember him) in your lineup hitting eighth AND ninth.

When Jorge Posada missed 25 games with an injury, it induced Jose Molina into a full-time spot in the batting order. Molina is great defensively, but there is a reason he is a backup catcher. My running gag about him is that if Molina could ever hit, he would be Johnny Bench because of his incredible defensive ability. Unfortunately, Molina is no Bench. He is a career .220 hitter with the occasional ability to hit a double into the gap.

Add that up so far...Molina, Cano and Cabrera making up the bottom half of your lineup. You may as well consider the Yankees playing with a glorified National League lineup. Three near automatic outs each time they come up. This was of course not considering the loss of A-Rod for nearly 30 games and being replaced by Morgan Ensberg, who had no business being on the Yankees or in baseball in general.

Four players...Ensberg, Cano, Molina and Cabrera. Over 40 percent of your lineup being inhabited by this group of inepititude. It was no secret that the offense in late April and through the middle of May had the appearance of an elevated Triple-A squad.

Both Rodriguez and Posada would return and the offense for a short time had its spark. Now, other wheels began to snap off, noticeably Bobby Abreu.

His decline was easy to predict if you investigated and found each of the last three years saw declines in both his on base, slugging percentage, and ratio of line drives to ground balls hit. The Yankees had no choice to pick up his option for 16 million because of the trash available in free agency. With an OPS of just under .800 (.781 to be precise), he is giving below average production for a premium position at an exorbitant price. He is driving in runs when giving the opportunity. When that is not happening, he is not doing much of anything.

Translation: Waste of money.

Only Jason Giambi was overmatching his production in a way that no one could have expected. He was hitting .170 early on, but the balls off his bat were hit hard and he was coming up a bit unlucky. Since then, he has rebounded and putting up one of his finer seasons as a Yankee.

While the individual numbers on certain players look respectable, the sum of the parts is not greater than the whole. Collectively as a team, they have not hit together. More concerting is their inability to hit with runners in scoring position. Once a strength, it has turned into a mysterious weakness. A runner on second base with no one out and runners on second and third with less than two out are no longer sure things for runs.

Let us review:

Damon is injured.
Jeter's OPS is down 50 points from last year.
Abreu, despite the RBI's, is in clear decline.
A-Rod is having a numbers correction.
Matsui is seriously injured and return is doubtful.
Posada is not hitting for power.
Cano and Cabrera are automatic outs.

Now add in these statistical American League rankings:

Ninth in walks taken
Eighth in homeruns
Seventh in extra base hits
Seventh in total bases
Sixth in slugging percentage

These individual and collective failures have marred this entire season. Dragging the entire hopes of a 14th consecutive playoff appearance with it.

Starting Pitching: Living on a Prayer

When the year started, the term that was used to describe the starting rotation was "transition". Using both Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy was risky proposition considering that never before have two rookies started on a perennial playoff team for a full season and pitched successfully.

Not only did the duo not pitch well while they were here, neither starter won a game in eleven combined starts. More to the fact that they did not pitch well was the fact that neither of them showed any type of progression while they were at the major league level. To go a step further, it was if they were scared at times. Both pitchers fearful of the strike zone and what results the bat hitting the ball may do. Adding insult was the fact that both pitchers found their way to the disabled list. Hughes has yet to return from a cracked rib that he suffered sneezing. Kennedy is back from injury and currently rehabbing in the minor leagues.

I have to believe that the Yankees came to the conclusion if the worst-case scenario ever happened, it would be crippling to their season.

Well, it happened.

This failure created a two-prong problem. It put heavy emphasis on the games started by both Chien Ming-Wang and Andy Pettitte. In May, the team did not know that Mike Mussina, at the age of 39, would emerge as the team’s best pitcher with 11 wins and an ERA under four.

From an organization standpoint, the Yankees were put in a very difficult position. While never mentioning it publicly, the plan was to migrate then-setup man Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation before the middle of July. The injuries in the rotation sped up the process and by the start of June; he was officially a full time member of the staff.

Lucky for them.

In June, the team got an unfortunate break when Wang severely sprained his foot rounding third base in an interleague game at Houston. Having perhaps his best season, Wang is out at least until September and perhaps the season. Chamberlain’s early success as a starter has lessened the blow of Wang to this point.

Now here comes the problem.

The other two-fifths of the rotation (yes, other people do have to pitch) have been taken up by pitchers who are also-rans that should not be in the rotation of any team vying for a playoff berth or even thinks of having aspirations of winning a World Series.

Darrell Rasner had his "One (or two, or three) Shining Moment", but now is having the fully expected "market correction. Out of extreme desperation (it could not be for any other reason), Sidney Ponson is back for a Yankees second tour, several returns short of approaching Steve Howe status. Though he has pitched well in two of his first three starts, one can hope that he can make it through three more starts before he is jettisoned elsewhere. Anyone putting their trust him over the long haul is setting themselves up for disappointment. We even saw the return of Kei Igawa for one start. Four innings later, we (one would hope) saw the last of him.

No other pitchers in the minor leagues have established themselves as worthy of a chance at the big league level. This creates a situation where two out of every five games, you are hoping the starter can at least give you five innings without being killed. A team cannot win consistently under such a formula. If games are not won by Pettitte, Chamberlain and Mussina, fingers are crossed. Currently, the Yankees rotation is like a firecracker just waiting to explode.


Final Judgment

Can all of these problems be corrected in order to save this season?

My conclusion is no.

The inevitable has finally appeared. All of the factors have merged like a storm and getting out of it this season does not appear to be possible.

Going out into the trade market to add another big bat is not going to do anything if the current roster does not produce, as they have not shown to this point.

Another belief is that the Yankees are having internal discussions as they approach the trading deadline as to how good they really are. One would have to think that there are some in the inner circle who feel that moves made for the purposes of saving this season will go for nothing. Using the belief that this team has reached its cap and cannot go any further.

Would I attempt to make any wholesale changes before July 31 if I were running the Yankees?

No. My unsolicited advice to Brian Cashman would be this:

"Do nothing".

The team is too structurally flawed this season to where just adding one player will turn everything around. A quick shopping list of needs for the team would include help in the outfield, bench, starting pitcher and left-handed reliever. However, to acquire all of those players, you are going to have to give up a plethora of the minor league prospects (assuming you are looking to import quality as opposed to has beens) you are trying to keep in your organization now and have been touting for the last two years. Changing course now for the sake of this one season would look duplicitous and stupid. While not "punting" the season, it is a realistic take you play out this year and you give your team a greater chance to improve the roster by getting rid of bad contracts that expire in each of the next two years. As long your willing to sacrifice a little pride in 2008, the team will be much better off in 2009 and beyond.

Before the year started, I felt that not only would the Yankees not win the World Series, but that they would not make the playoffs. While I still hold that position now, it is clear that to make the postseason this year, either the Tampa Bay Rays or Minnesota Twins will have to choke it away as opposed to the Yankees reaching out and grabbing it themselves. 92 wins is still attainable for this team (which is what I feel will take to gain a playoff berth), and that total is only based on if Tampa Bay or Minnesota play down to that level, allowing a backdoor entry.

While the standings may read that the Yankees are close to the division lead, the reality is that they are further away from the lead that it appears.

One can only hope they will turn it around, unlikely as it may seem.

MLB Talk: The Indians fall hard...The White Sox rise up...and random first half thoughts

Tribe Blues

It seemed like so long ago when CC Sabathia took the mound in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at (then named) Jacobs Field against the Boston Red Sox.

The Cleveland Indians carried a 3-1 series lead, looking to clinch their first World Series appearance since 1997. Boston was on the ropes, on the run and the Indians had three chances to reel them in.

They did not.

Losing Game 5, and then routed in Game 6 and 7 at Fenway Park was a liver shot to the Tribe. Coming so close, and now having to try to work even harder to get back to that same point again.

Not only did the Indians fall, they fell faster and harder then they ever could have imagined.

From injuries to their lineup and rotation and to inconsistent play from the rest of the team, it has been an “off year” in the truest sense. The Indians this year have found themselves going from American League Central Division Champions last season, to last place in less than one calendar year.

While Grady Sizemore has development into one of baseballs best all around players, outside of Grady, no offensive help is to be found. Travis Hafner’s continuous (and mysterious – dare I suggest PED’s?) decline coincided with an injury to catcher Victor Martinez that has him out indefinitely. Add in Johnny Peralta not providing much and you have a lineup that has gone from one of the leagues most balanced in 2007 to many uncertainties in 2008.

Pitching wise, after struggling mightily in his first five starts, Sabathia rebounded to pitch back to his CY Young standard. The rest of the staff though found either injuries or poor performance.

Fausto Carmona and Rafael Betancourt found their way to the disabled list. Closer Joe Borowski found his velocity decreased from last year. These falters have wasted an incredible comeback season effort from Cliff Lee (11-2 and AL starter for the All Star Game).

Cleveland fell into the trap that all bad teams get into during a year. When pitching well, the offense would show impotency. On the few days when the offense would hit, it would be negated by either a bad start or failure by the bullpen.

They would further and further down in the standings. Officially, they reached critical mass after being swept by the White Sox in Chicago. Cleveland, just one win from the World Series just 10 months ago, was now 12.5 games out of first place with no hope in sight.

Seeing now that the postseason was a pipedream, GM Mark Shapiro decided to open up his phone line to any team looking to acquire their ace pitcher. The Milwaukee Brewers were on the other line inquiring on the price.

After a few days, both teams liked the deal and decided to agree to the trade. Sabathia would become a member of the Brewers and the Indians would get several Major League ready prospects. The white flag had been raised. Cleveland had officially surrendered.

It just goes to show you how quickly success comes and goes in baseball. Unless you are a great organization, it does not happen often. Other times, you have to capitalize on the chance that you have when it is presented. For the Indians, non-winners of a world championship since 1948, it is going to take a while to get back to that night when they were one win away from a World Series appearance.

They never fully recovered from that night just over 10 years when they were three defensive outs away from winning the whole thing. After last year's heartbreak and this year's struggles, it is just another chapter that can be written in the Indians history book.

White Sox find their way back

A season and a half ago, the Chicago White Sox had baseball’s best record at the All Star Break. Everything was clicking and it appeared the team from the South Side was going to attempt to make a successful attempt at defending their world championship.

However, it would be their pitching, a strength in their 2005 title run, that broke down in the remaining three months of the season. The offense, though scoring more runs, was not as consistent as the previous season. All of this culminated in a disappointing finish and the Sox missing the playoffs.

Everything officially broke down the next season. A combination of bad pitching, horrific hitting and “cover your eyes” defense led to a near last place finish in the AL Central. From a world championship to the world of the cellar in just two seasons, left for irrelevance as the Cubs once again wrestled control of the baseball scene away from their neighbors to the south.

Instead, here we are at the mid-way point and they have rebounded to find the same success that aided them just three years earlier. Each night, they throw out a starting pitcher who gives them a chance to win and they are delivering. Young Gavin Floyd (acquired in a deal for former 2005 hero Freddy Garcia) and John Danks have helped stabilize a rotation still anchored by veterans Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez.

Their biggest surprise of the season has come from Carlos “Hard Hittin” Quentin. Originally part of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, Quentin was squeezed out due to the talent logjam that existed and made expendable. General Manager Kenny Williams decided to take a chance after reviewing the medical reports. Quentin always had the talent, but just needed to get enough at bats to display his potential. 22 homeruns and 70 RBI’s later, it appears to have been the right move.

Best of all has been their bullpen. Statistically number one in the league in earned run average. Lefty Matt Thornton and righty Octavio Dotel hold down sixth and seventh innings to get the ball to setup man Scott Linebrink. After struggling last year, Linebrink has rebounded to post one of his better seasons. Closer Bobby Jenks has effortless in his performance, amassing a 1.95 ERA and 18 saves.

While their offense has not been among baseball’s elite, it has been effective. Utilizing their home field to their advantage, they are among the team leaders in homeruns and home winning percentage (32-13). Although the Minnesota Twins are right in pursuit (only 1.5 games back), it is very difficult to see them keeping pace with Chicago over the course of the summer.

Strong starting pitching, a deep bullpen, along with the resources to make a trade to attain more offense makes the Sox favored to get back to the playoffs again. While certainly not an expert choice to return to the World Series, the ability to put out a competent starter on a mound in each game will give them a chance.


Interesting Tidbits from the first half of the season

Commemorative
Perhaps it is a coincidence, but of the teams with the five best records in baseball, only one of them (Los Angeles Angels) has a winning road record.

Take a look:

LA Angels
26-20 home – 31-18 road

Chicago Cubs
37-12 home – 20-26 road

Boston Red Sox
36-11 home – 21-29 road

Tampa Bay Rays
36-14 home – 19-25 road

There is no explainable reason for this. If these are the best teams, why are they having problems winning on the road?

Very unusual.

Scoring is down all over baseball. It appears that the crackdown on performance enhancing drugs and amphetamines has been working. The pitching has not necessarily improved to make that much of a difference.

If you do not think the greenies had an effect on many of these players and (older) teams in general, you are kidding yourself.

The Detroit Tigers have shown that having the best offense in baseball on paper does not equate to victories in the standings.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are one game under .500 and in first place in the National League West. If they win the division only end up at 81-81, can an asterisk be put on their season? Awards are not given for who the tallest midget is.

Yet, they are still a dangerous team in a five game series.

Josh Hamilton has been baseball’s best story. Drugs and alcohol nearly took the man’s life several years ago. Now, he has an outside chance to win baseball’s Triple Crown.

He has come so far. You just hope that he is able to keep his life in order because there a bundle of talent waiting to take over the league.

Edinson Volquez and Tim Lincecum are the future of National League pitching for the next ten years barring injury.

Mike Pelfrey may not be very far behind.

How are the St. Louis Cardinals even remotely competitive with a rotation featuring three former relief pitchers who have converted to starters? Incredible.

Rich Harden was not traded to the Cubs from the Oakland A’s because the players Oakland received were great. GM Billy Beane knows that Harden is a ticking time bomb and has an inevitable trip to the disabled list coming.

You don’t think so? Ask yourself how many pitchers that Beane has traded have gone on to do better elsewhere than in Oakland? Is that a coincidence? Add to that report that Harden’s velocity has been slowly dropping in recent starts before he was traded and it’s easy to conclude that Beane is selling high.

The Philadelphia Phillies are one of baseball biggest teases. Always looking on the surface as if they should dominate their division each year. Yet, at the end of the season, amassing no more than 89 wins.

Jonathan Papelbon got exactly what he deserved at the All Star Game. Did he really think he was going to be able to diss Mariano Rivera and Yankees fans over the course of two days and not receive a payback?

If you thought any Boston Red Sox players (and managers) were going to get applause in Yankee Stadium, even for an exhibition such as this, you are kidding yourself.

I have never heard a player booed so vociferously at a midsummer classic in my life when he came into the game and gave off a leadoff single.

The “Ma-ri-ano” chant was great.

“Over-rated” was even better.

Giving up that run (though aided by bad defense) on a sacrifice fly was the ultimate indignity. Even Billy Wagner blowing the lead in the bottom half of the inning could not top this.

It was a fun and fitting way to conclude the first half of the baseball season.