The House that Ruth Built

Yesterday's news was that Bernie Williams would accept a minor league contract and battle for a job in spring training. Last night, the Yankee legend threw cold water on that theory, meaning his days as a Yankee are over. I can't say that I blame Williams for rejecting the offer. It was an insult to an all-time team great who has been nothing but a class act during his entire tenure with the club. The end of his career here is a sad day.

Part of me doesn't fault the Yankees. Their mission is to put the best product on the field and to win. If they don't feel that a player is part of the equation, their prerogative is to move on and use players who they feel can contribute the most.

But Bernie Williams gave the Yankees so much during his 16-year tenure. He was a star performer for most of his career and a linchpin when they won four titles in five years. He is one of the teams legends, ranking high in the club's record books. More to the point is his class. Bernie played with a quiet, dignified air, never once acting the part of a star, even though he was one and had every right to. After all he has meant to the team and to New York, combined with the fact he can still play, he should be allowed to leave on his terms, when he is ready. The Yankees owe him more than a minor league contract and only the thread of a chance to make the team.

I can understand carrying twelve pitchers on the team, but I can't understand putting three first basemen on the roster at the expense of Bernie. The Yankees are choosing Josh Phelps, Andy Phillips, and Doug Mientkiewicz over him. Maybe Bernie deserves a shot at the right-handed component of the first base job. Neither Phelps nor Phillips are anything special. Nor, for that matter, is Mientkiewicz.

Last year, Bernie showed he can still be a productive player, more productive than Phillips. He helped keep the Yankees afloat when they were decimated by injuries. The Yankees could have and should have found a way to keep him on the team for one more year or even two if that's what Bernie wanted. There is also the practical matter that they really should carry five outfielders and give up one of the first basemen. All around it is a bad, heartless decision.

All I can hope for at this point is that Bernie retires. He should only be a Yankee. To seem him finishing his career in some other uniform would be sadly wrong. A retirement, no matter how forced, seems to be the best choice now that his time here is over.

Posted by Jon at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I didn't know until yesterday that Bobby Murcer had brain surgery. A colleague told me that it was for an aneurysm, but I learned this morning that it was for a brain tumor. There's no report yet on whether it was benign or malignant or on his prognosis. I wish the same for Bobby Murcer that I would wish for anyone who's just had a brain tumor removed. That he recover completely, that the tumor is benign, and that the tumor doesn't grow back. Yet this one hits a little closer to home since it's someone who while I don't know personally do know in a way. I watched him as a player growing up, remember his heroics in the Yankees first game after the death of Thurman Munson, and have known him all these years as an announcer. I don't think much of him as an announcer; still, he comes across as a gentleman and a genuinely nice man. Of course, I would still root for his recovery if he weren't a good person. But the fact that he is makes me root and care a little bit more. Best wishes for a full and complete recovery Bobby.

Cross posted on Plum Crazy.

Posted by Jon at 06:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yankees fans are nothing if not loyal. Once a player worms his way into our heart, it's hard to dislodge him. Scott Brosius was a mediocre ballplayer, yet he will always be loved by today's fans for his big homeruns in the 1998 and 2001 World Series. Three words: Scotty Brosius, MVP! Paul O'Neill was serenaded like few players are serenaded in Game 5 of the 2001 World Series, and on the downside of his career, Bernie Williams is more beloved than ever, as fans realize his playing days are coming to an end.

Thus, I am sure that most Yankees fans are like me pumped that Andy Pettitte is coming back. Not only was he a key cog during the 1996-2003 run of excellence - he pitched the game of a lifetime in Game 5 of the 1996 World Series - but he was an easy guy to like. A good citizen, hardworking, and humble. There was a period early in his career when the sentiment was that he lost it, but he rebounded and showed a heart of stone as he came through time and time again during the regular season and big playoff moments. Sure, he had his clunkers in the post-season, but he came up big in several clutch situations.

Bringing Pettitte back brings back someone who is beloved and someone who should round out the rotation nicely. He still seems to have plenty left, even if there is a question mark about his elbow. He should slot in nicely behind Chien-Ming Wang in the rotation and give them another arm they can count on in the playoffs. With a front three of Wang, Pettitte, and Mussina, they have the type of staff good enough to carry them through post-season series. Pettitte also gives the Yankees depth. They now can keep Jeff Karstens, Daryl Rasner, and the not-quite-ready-yet Philip Hughes at Triple A, along with newly acquired Humberto Sanchez, giving the Yankees numerous options if someone - hello Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano - is hurt.

The Yankees made a good off season potentially great with the signing of Pettitte. Welcome back Andy!

Posted by Jon at 07:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Joel Sherman opines today that Mark McGwire doesn't deserve to in the Hall of Fame because steroids made him into the "great" ballplayer he turned out to be:

For the first 990 games of his career, a period from 1986-94, McGwire was an injury-prone first baseman who produced an offensive performance roughly equivalent to that of [Jay] Buhner. . . Then, suddenly, McGwire's career swerved toward greatness. His body broadened and his success soared.

Sherman has a compelling point. From 1996-1999, McGwire's batting average spiked to .289 and his median number of homeruns was 62. Contrast that to the pre-1995 McGwire. Tossing out 1993-1995, in which he missed considerable time, leaves us with dramatically different numbers for McGwire earlier in his career. His batting average was .248 and median number of homeruns was 36 between 1987 and 1992.

Granted, neither Sherman nor I have proof that McGwire started injecting steroids after 1994, but the circumstantial evidence is hard to ignore. Based on these numbers, I'd have to agree with Sherman that McGwire does not belong in the Hall of Fame.

Cross posted on Plum Crazy.

Posted by Jon at 07:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Predictably, there was major fallout in today's news following Derek Jeter's second-place finish in the A.L. MVP balloting. The N.Y. Post blamed it on anti-New-York bias, with the headline Jeeted. Mike Lupica agrees that Jeter was probably the right choice, but didn't blame it on any bias against New York. In the meantime, Chicago Sun Times writer Joe Cowley is taking serious heat for placing Jeter sixth on the ballot. I think Lupica has it right and that Cowley has no right voting for the MVP.

Continue reading "Jeter: The Fallout" »

Posted by Jon at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Glad to hear that the Moose will be back. He's still got some juice left in the tank. More moves are necessary to flesh out the rotation or at least give the Yanks some depth. Who knows whether Johnson can give anything after back surgery or what Pavano can provide. Though I'm not nuts about some of the names being tossed around. Miguel Batista. Ted Lilly. I'd rather see Humberto Sanchez get a shot along with Jeff Karstens and Daryl Rasner. Maybe even more so I'm intrigued by the prospect of seeing Proctor in the rotation. In Brian Bruney and Chris Britton, the Yanks have a couple of arms who could fill in ably for Proctor.

Posted by Jon at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A-Rod can opt of his bombshell contract at the end of next season. He will have two years left on the contract at that point and will have minimum another 5 good years left in him. Do you think he and Scott Boras aren't paying attention to the mad money being thrown around this off-season - see Alfonsio Soriano, Juan Pierre, Sarge Jr. - and aren't drooling at what he will fetch? Sure, he won't snag the same $25 million per, but he's looking at another long-term deal. Six years is my guess at $20 million per. No way he doesn't opt out or negotiate an extension with the Yankees.

Posted by Jon at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am both disappointed and puzzled by the news that Derek Jeter finished second in this year's AL MVP voting. I had assumed all along it would be Jeter. He was the best player on the best team in baseball. He's been outstanding for so long that you think writers would have given him the award partially as a lifetime achievement award rather than given the award to a relative newcomer on some obscure team in the hinterlands. The NY tabloids will rip the results to shreds, claiming bias against NY. As much as I'd like to use that argument, it falls short because A-Rod took home the trophy last year. I guess it's just that Jeter doesn't put up prototypical MVP numbers. Still, does that make him less valuable than a slugger like Morneau? Jeter is captain clutch, actually I believe the most clutch player in baseball this year. He carried the Yankees through the absences of three cornerstone players. Should have won it. Probably never will.

Cross posted on Plum Crazy.

Posted by Jon at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yanks are set to pull off the same move with Jaret Wright as they did with Sheff. They've got a deal in the works to exercise his option, pick up $4 million of his salary, and ship him off to Baltimore. Remains to be seen what they can get, but the Yankees may be on the cutting edge of a new trend in baseball.

Posted by Jon at 07:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Mets have sold the naming rights to their new ballpark to Citigroup. The stadium will be know as Citifield. What a slap in the face to Bill Shea, who had Shea Stadium named after him because of his role in bringing N.L. baseball back to New York. This deal makes me quite nervous about the name of the new Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is an iconic name. There is no way the Yankees should sell the naming rights. It would be a travesty.

Posted by Jon at 06:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ESPN reporter Buster Olney is reporting that the Boston Red Sox have posted the top bid for Japanese stud right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, in the range of $38-$45 million. The Seibu Lions have until Tuesday to accept or reject the bid, though I can't see why the would reject. Now, I was never fired up about the Yankees getting this guy - his price tag at a $45 million posting fee could be $120 million for five years, a $24 million annual bill that rivals A-Rod's pact - and I have visions of Hideki "The Toad" Irabu, aka Hideki I Rob You. Still, if this guy's the real deal, the Yanks have lost out on two fronts. A) They don't have him, and B) the Red Sox might, depending on whether they can reach a deal. There's the possibility that the Red Sox are merely trying to keep Matsuzaka away from the Yanks and will make a half-hearted attempt to sign him. In a bit of good news, though, the Yanks did land a top pitching prospect, Humberto Sanchez, in the Gary Sheffield trade, someone who might be able to front the rotation for them capably, if not as well as Matsuzaka. Curious to see what other plays the Yanks might make this off-season. Can they woo the hard-tossing, 33-year-old right Jason Schmidt away from the West Coast, for example. Time will tell, but the Hot Stove league is heating up.

Posted by Jon at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The theory went that the Yankees would be able to get middle-level players for Gary Sheffield. Perhaps some prospects, but no one special. The reality is that the Yankees did very well in trading Sheffield yesterday to the Detroit Tigers. They received three pitching prospects, two of whom I know nothing about, save that they look like hard throwers based on their strikeout numbers, but one of whom I had heard of. He's Humberto Sanchez, who first came to my attention when he pitched in the Futures Game this past summer. He threw one scoreless inning, but the more important data is that he was touted as one of the Tigers' top pitching prospects, if not the top, and that he had put up some impressive numbers at Double A. There was talk that he could join the Tigers later in the season. He didn't, but he got a call up to Triple A, where he got off to a good start before tailing off and suffering an arm problem. The arm problem bit gets me nervous, but it sounds like the Yankees got exactly what they needed. A young hard-throwing pitcher who's Major League ready. Expect to see Sanchez in the rotation this season. Hope that he becomes a solid member of the staff, joining Wang and eventually Philip Hughes in a triumvirate of young studs who can front the rotation for a long time.

Cross-posted on Plum Crazy.

Posted by Jon at 09:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In today's news, the Yanks are expected to pick up Sheffield's option and are working on a two-year deal to bring back the Moose. Granted, the Sheff story is not breaking news, as it's been reported for a while, but there are six teams said to be interested in him. It doesn't look like the Yankees will be able to get A-list talent for him, but hopefully, they can get a solid chip or two in return to plug some minor gaps on the team. Moose is still a solid pitcher coming off a solid season and can still help the Yankees. Two years seems the right length, though the reported price of $12 million per year is a bit steep for a graying pitcher. Still, that's the going rate these days for someone of his caliber, and it should be a good investment. If Johnson is healthy, the signing would give the Yankees three strong pitchers. Hopefully, they can land a top young talent, such as Matsuzaka, to front the rotation and turn the fifth slot over to someone like Daryl Rasner or Jeff Karstens, both of whom impressed in brief stints this past season.

Posted by Jon at 07:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What do you think about the idea of Matsui becoming the everyday first baseman? Gets Giambi out of the field and frees up a slot for the Melk Man. Hopefully, the Yanks consider this one.

Posted by Jon at 09:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's hoping you feel better.

Posted by Jon at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Gary Sheffield is one unhappy camper. What's new? He's blustering how he doesn't want to play first base for the Yankees on a one-year deal or go to another team without a contract extension. Now in fairness to Sheff, the critics who say his position on the Yankees picking up his option has been inconsistent - he fumed in spring training when they didn't pick it up and is fuming now when they're ready to pick it up - his situation has changed. He thought he would be the right fielder next year, not the first baseman. The Abreu trade shifted the landscape. Still, Gary the Mouth should shut his. You have no leverage, Gary. None. You signed this contract without a no-trade clause and with a fourth-year team option. Your choice. Now you threaten to cause problems if it's picked up without additional years added to the end or you're forced to play first base? Tough noogies! You have no choice. It's either play or don't play. Cause problems and you kill your chances for a new contract. Cause problems and don't produce, and you kill your chances at 500 homeruns and a ticket to Cooperstown. So really, Gary, what I'd like to see more of from you is less. Go away and be a headache somewhere else.

Cross posted at Plum Crazy.

Posted by Jon at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lesley and I have a bet. The other day it was reported that the Yankees have no plans to trade A-Rod this off-season. Lesley believes he will still be traded. I don't. I offered her the following bet, provided that Judy agreed: if A-Rod is traded, we treat her and Alan to a game next year, concessions included. Otherwise, they treat us to a game next year. Judy has agreed.

Personally, I would like to see A-Rod traded. Not so much because I believe he can't produce in New York, which I do, but more because I'm sick of the drama. Sick of the stories, of the fans booing him every time he fails to come through for the Yankees. I find it stressful, and I'm just a fan. Imagine how A-Rod must feel.

Cross-posted at Plum Crazy.

Posted by Jon at 06:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Way back in 2004, Lesley angered the baseball gods with her hubris after the Yankees took a 3-0 lead over the Red Sox in the ALCS. She declared the series over, annointed Hideki Matsui MVP, and went out and bought a Hideki Matsui shirt. Since then? The Yanks dropped dead against the Red Sox, lost to the Angels in round 1 last year, and folded against the Tigers this year. I have urged her on numerous occasions to burn that shirt. She refuses. The Yankees will not win another World Series championship until she does. It's the Curse of Godzilla.

Cross posted on Plum Crazy.

Posted by Jon at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Scooter turns 89 or 90 (there's some question) today. Happy Birthday!

Posted by Jon at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hooray! The Yanks clinched the A.L. East crown last night and whooped it up in the clubhouse. I watched the celebration and am left wondering if they weren't a bit overzealous. After all, it's only the division title - true, a trip to the post-season - and that's not the Yankees goal. If you're the Detroit Tigers, coming off a 119-loss season in recent years, then you can trip the light fantastic. But if you're the Bronx Bombers and you're expected not just to make the playoffs but contend for the whole shooting match, then maybe you tone it down a tad. The time to let it loose is when you make it to the World Series.

Cross posted on Plum Crazy.

Posted by Jon at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's even more than I dared to hope for - The Yankees took all 5 games against Boston. At Fenway. Sweeeet!

Posted by Lesley at 07:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok, I don't really mean the headline, it's just a sensational eye-grabber and clever play on words. Still, after being one of A-Rod's strongest defenders, I can't really support him these days. It's not that he sucks - though in the field he does - but just that he's not having an A-Rod-type season. Batting under .300 with just 25 homeruns and 91 RBIs. Fine numbers for just about anyone else. Not for him. He should have 35 homeruns, 110 to 115 RBIs, and a batting average in the .300s. And I'd like to see more clutch play out him. Some lights out moments in big situations. Not eh moments like a sacrifice fly or a lucky double or a walk. A boom! moment. A grand slam homerun when he's up in the first inning and one out, not a lousy double play. Manny corked a three-run shot in the 4th today, a moment you could see coming a mile away when Johnson lost his control. Why not A-Rod? He's having a decent series so far, but unless he's bigger, fans will remember this as another opportunity when he wasn't truly clutch and will torment him some more. Does he deserve boos? Sure, when he makes another lame error, but otherwise, no. But he doesn't deserve any cheers either.

Posted by Jon at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Dear those of my fellow Yankees fans who have spent the last 3 years booing A-Rod at practically every turn,

Although I've refused to join you, I think you've finally won me over. A-Rod does, indeed, suck. Really, what else can you say about a player who has just become the youngest ever to hit 450 career home runs and one of eight to get 2,000 career hits before his 31st birthday?

On second thought, the words "first-ballot Hall-of-Famer" and "one of the best players ever" come to mind. But don't let little things like facts dissuade you.

Hugs and kisses.

Lesley

Cross-posted at Plum Crazy

Posted by Lesley at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A fed-up A-Rod finally speaks the truth about what’s on his mind:

I’m doing the best I can. The fans have some great expectations from me, and I expect a lot from myself. But this game is not that easy. I’m having a nice year. I’m busting my ass. I know all these guys are behind me. And if it is, it is. If we win, we win, and if we don’t, we don’t. It’s not the end of the world.

Ok, Alex, I’m with you all the way until the end. I agree that the fans expectations are unreasonable and that you are having an excellent season. You are being unfairly treated. Without naming names, if you ask any fan of any team if they could have a player with 20 homeruns, 65 RBIs, and a .280 batting average at the half-way mark, they’d jump. A-Rod is on pace for 40 homeruns and 130+ RBIs. The batting average could be higher, but other than that, there should be no gripes about his production this year.

As for the stuff at the end, you’re going to get roasted, Alex. Sure, it’s not the end of the world if the Yankees don’t win, but you were brought to New York and are being paid $25 million a year to win. You don’t just get to shrug it off. Sorry.

Posted by Jon at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

John Sterling has finally changed his call on Melky Cabrera heroics. It was the sad "The Melk Man Always Knocks Twice." Last night it was "The Melk Man Delivers" when Cabrera won the game with a walk-off shot. That's good, but not good enough. Allow me to repeat: it's "The Melk Man Always Delivers." It has a certain flair, a certain je ne sais quoi.

Posted by Jon at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Harold Reynolds on A-Rod:

No matter what he does he doesn’t fit in. It’s a shame. The guy wins an MVP, they boo him. He’s got 20 homeruns, they boo him. Everything Alex does, he’s getting booed, and it’s just not fair.

Perfectly sums up the unjust way Yankees fans treat A-Rod. I agree 100% and need add no more.

Posted by Jon at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I never bought the talk that the Yankees only chance to make the playoffs is to win the division. There's a lot of time left in the season and plenty of opportunities to make up ground against the Tigers and White Sox. This three-game set against Chicago is the perfect example. With a win today, the Yankees sweep the series and pull within 3 games of the Wild Card lead. Making up that ground over 73 games is realistic. Making up even 5 games is realistic.

Posted by Jon at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees signing of Sydney Ponson underscores just how fallow their farm system is at the upper levels. They need a fifth starter to shore up the back end of the rotation and their solution is to sign the underachieving and out-of-shape Ponson, who has a long litany of alcohol-related misdeeds. He says he's sobor now, and I believe him, but that doesn't change the fact that he's shown an incredible lack of maturity up to this point and is an awful pitcher. I guess he's no different than David Wells in his problems, save that Wells as far as I know has never been arrested for DUI or for punching a judge and that Wells can actually pitch. Ponson had one solid season in 2003 and even then was mediocre for the last two months following a trade to the Giants. True, the Yankees got him on the cheap and have nothing to lose, but I'd rather see a Paul Byrd or Mark Redman at the back end of the rotation. Not some characterless yutz like Ponson.

Posted by Jon at 08:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An article on the Yankees web site says the team is pondering swapping Melky Cabrera for Jeromy Burnitz and Craig Wilson of the Pirates. I really hope that it's nothing more than mere rumor and speculation. It would be a horrible trade. Giving up a 21-year-old star in the making, a 4-tool player for two aging mediocre players who wouldn't add more to the Yankees than they have already? Don't get me wrong, I would take the versatile Wilson in a minute, but not for Cabrera. It's the kind of stupid and short-sighted trade - the Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps swaps - that sank the Yankees in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The move would set the Yankees back for years to come. The team needs more youth and more players like Cabrera not less. They have a barren farm system - witness the Sidney Ponson pick-up - and need whatever legit young talent they have. One can only pray that the deal doesn't go down.

Update: the Daily News tells a different story:

The Yanks have had dialogue with the Pirates about Craig Wilson and/or Jeromy Burnitz, but weren't interested in dealing Melky Cabrera for both players when the subject came up recently.

Much better.

Posted by Jon at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From the AP recap of last night's game:

After a shaky start, Jaret Wright called on an old ally to shut down the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The New York Yankees' right-hander changed the grip on his slider after giving up hits to the first two batters he faced Friday night, reverting to the way he threw the pitch two years ago and going on to beat the Devil Rays 1-0.

"I was throwing the one I've been working on. It was always up, always getting hit," Wright said. "I just figured, I'll try to change something to get through it. I went back to the old one and it worked out pretty well."

Who the hell suggested he change the grip in the first place? Probably was Mel Stottlemyere's idea. Not too bright if going back to the old grip turns out to be the panacea for the struggling Wright. Why change something that had clearly worked in the past? As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Posted by Jon at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I doubt this will be the only post about you or some of the other announcers for the Yankees. That is why I have created a category for you and your cohorts.

Your silly little Sterlingisms - the Giambino, Robby Cano, Don't You Know - are, well, silly but also somewhat creative. The latest one, however, I just don't get. The Melk Man always knocks twice? Yeah, I understand the reference, but come on man, it should be the Melk Man Always Delivers. After all, that's why they called Karl Malone the Mailman.

Yours Truly,

Jon

Posted by Jon at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Please don't be seriously injured. The Yankees can't afford to have another outfielder out on the disabled list.

Yours in the bond of baseball,

Lesley

P.S. It still feels weird to applaud you, you former Red Sox, you.

Posted by Lesley at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A-Rod is not the only who tenses whenever he comes to bat, especially in a clutch situation. I tense, awaiting the fan reaction should he make an out. Every at-bat has become a referendum on A-Rod. He hit a game-winning homerun on Wednesday, and the honeymoon wasn't even a honeymoon. He was booed the next game. He slugged two homeruns last night, including a clutch go-ahead grand slam in the third inning, but will that buy him some slack from fans? Doubt it. Jorge Posada grounds into a double play with the bases loaded and no one out and no one blinks an eye. A-Rod does the same and the boos rain down. The misperception is that he fails to come through in the clutch - the numbers show that he actually does produce in the clutch, including thirteen career grand slams - and the fans expect him to do something on every at-bat and every time he comes up in a meaningful situation. These are absurd expectations. The best players fail seven out of ten times. A-Rod is no different. I am no huge fan of A-Rod, but the abuse he has taken has put me in his corner now. Fans need to cut him a break.

Posted by Jon at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I kind of figured A-Rod got the monkey off his back when he hit his two-run game winner on Wednesday, that fans would give him some peace. No such luck. After going nada for 4 last night, fans were right back to booing him. You think people would cut him some slack, especially since he actually does produce when it matters. Check out the stats:

Since Matsui fractured his left wrist May 11 - and keep in mind, Sheffield hasn't played since May 29 with a wrist injury - A-Rod is batting .294 with eight homers and 29 RBIs and hitting .327 (16-for-49) with runners in scoring position

Pretty healthy production if you ask me. But when you're raking in $25 million per year and fans have a bug in their head, the perception is going to last and last until he leads the Yanks to a World Series win and has some memorable clutch moments along the way.

Posted by Jon at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This piece of brilliant insight from Don Mattingly, courtesy of the NY Post:

After Williams returned to the dugout, Don Mattingly went to the ice-cold Alex Rodriguez and said it was time to discuss the reason A-Rod looked awful in the clutch twice and is mired in a 7-for-45 (.156) slide that includes 18 Ks.

"Tonight I saw enough," Mattingly said after watching A-Rod strike out looking in the seventh with runners on second and third, and swinging to leave the bases jammed in the eighth. "At that point we needed to have an intervention."

Either Mattingly had no clue what was wrong with A-Rod up until now or just didn't do a damn thing about it until now. Either way it doesn't say much about Mattingly as a hitting coach. Waiting two weeks before stepping in? Watching A-Rod strike out at a pace that rivals Soriano's futility in the 2003 post-season. Nice going Don. Glad to know you're on top of things. Let's just hope that you're right. The Yanks need A-Rod back desperately.

Posted by Jon at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)