Red Sox / A's - Game 33
Kevin Millar hits a walk-off HR to win the game 3-2. Bronson Arroyo pitches another gem of a game. Johnny Damon continues his hot hitting by going 3-3. The A's continue their aneamic hitting by going 3-31 as a team. Take your pick as to what the top storyline was last night.
Kevin Millar hit his second HR in as many games after not hitting one in the team's first 31 games. Just to highlight how I feel about Millar's hitting note that on one of my fantasy baseball teams I dropped Kevin Millar about a week and a half ago - sick of waiting for him to finally awake from the duldrums. Yesterday I picked him back up off waivers - hoping to ride the streaky bastard for all he's worth. It should be noted that Millar's slugging percentage (.359) is still lower than his OBP (.367) - that's not a good thing for a player at a power position (1st) and in a power slot in the batting order (5th).
Arroyo went 6 2/3 inning allowing only one earned run while striking out 4. Arroyo said after the game that he was "uncomfortable" on the mound as evidenced by his 3 walks. It was probably lucky that he was "uncomfortable" against the A's who can't hit their way out of a paper bag this season. The argument can be made that since Arroyo hit A-Rod and started that scuffle last season that Arroyo has been the best pitcher in the AL. After last night - Arroyo's ERA is just 2.91 (7th best in the AL).
Damon has been a madman at the plate. He went 3-3 last night with 2 singles and a triple. His line for the season is:
Damon - .387 BA / 25 R / 1 HR / 20 RBI / .422 OBP / .511 SLG
The BA is 2nd, the runs 4th, he's 1st in hits (53), 8th in total bases, 19th in RBI (as a leadoff man!), 16th in slugging %, and 5th in OBP. At this rate the Red Sox may not be able to offer him arbitration at the end of the year because he'd get Carlos Beltran type money. Actually I'm just kidding about that last remark. I fully expect the Red Sox to offer Damon arbitration - it's a multi-year contract that I'm not so sure is in the offering. I hope I'm wrong because Damon has been worth the money these past few years and I'd like to see him stay in Boston.
As I mentioned - the A's were just 3-31 at the plate last night. They have been so bad at the plate this year that they even managed to make Kevin Brown look good.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Monkey on His Back
In my last post I used the saying "monkey on his back" and up until that point in time I had never really thought about the saying. What does "monkey on his back" really mean?
When I think about it my first thought is addiction and someone kicking a habit. Did heroin addicts at one time carry monkeys on their backs? Were organ grinders secret drug fiends? Is the monkey just an arbitrary choice? Could it have been just as easily "a koala on his back"?
My search for the origin of the phrase came up empty but left me with enough clues to make a educated guess. Back in the 1700's a small craft used to navigate canals was called a monkey boat (I don't know why it was called a monket boat - it just was) and small monkey boats could be ported out of the water to a destination on land on a person's back (with great difficulty and with much effort). So to get the monkey boat off one's back was a great relief.
Sounds good to me.
Although I couldn't find the origin of the phrase "monkey on his back" - I did find something on the phrase "tighty-whities".
Ain't the Internets great?
In my last post I used the saying "monkey on his back" and up until that point in time I had never really thought about the saying. What does "monkey on his back" really mean?
When I think about it my first thought is addiction and someone kicking a habit. Did heroin addicts at one time carry monkeys on their backs? Were organ grinders secret drug fiends? Is the monkey just an arbitrary choice? Could it have been just as easily "a koala on his back"?
My search for the origin of the phrase came up empty but left me with enough clues to make a educated guess. Back in the 1700's a small craft used to navigate canals was called a monkey boat (I don't know why it was called a monket boat - it just was) and small monkey boats could be ported out of the water to a destination on land on a person's back (with great difficulty and with much effort). So to get the monkey boat off one's back was a great relief.
Sounds good to me.
Although I couldn't find the origin of the phrase "monkey on his back" - I did find something on the phrase "tighty-whities".
Ain't the Internets great?
Red Sox / A's - Game 32
How bad has the hitting been for Oakland? Well as a team they are hitting just .236 with a measley .312 OBP. The A's used to be known for their OBP and now they are battling for last place in the category. It's not like they are making it up with power either - they rank 27th out of 30 teams in HR with just 21.
Yuk!
The Sox blasted the A's 13-5 last night and Tim Wakefield picked up the win to move into sole possession of fifth place on the Red Sox all-time wins list.
Maybe the most important thing to come out of last night's game was the fact that Kevin Millar finally hit his first HR of the season. Now that he's got that monkey off his back he can become a productive hitter out of the five hole.
Johnny Damon extended his hit streak to 15 and is now just 19 short of the team record of 34 held by Dom Dimaggio. Johnny Damon continues to be hot in his contract year and consider this - even though Damon is a leadoff hitter - his slugging percentage (.485) and RBI (19) would be tops on the A's. That shows both how good Damon is doing this year and how bad the A's are hitting.
Can anyone tell me what's up with Eric Chavez?
How bad has the hitting been for Oakland? Well as a team they are hitting just .236 with a measley .312 OBP. The A's used to be known for their OBP and now they are battling for last place in the category. It's not like they are making it up with power either - they rank 27th out of 30 teams in HR with just 21.
Yuk!
The Sox blasted the A's 13-5 last night and Tim Wakefield picked up the win to move into sole possession of fifth place on the Red Sox all-time wins list.
Maybe the most important thing to come out of last night's game was the fact that Kevin Millar finally hit his first HR of the season. Now that he's got that monkey off his back he can become a productive hitter out of the five hole.
Johnny Damon extended his hit streak to 15 and is now just 19 short of the team record of 34 held by Dom Dimaggio. Johnny Damon continues to be hot in his contract year and consider this - even though Damon is a leadoff hitter - his slugging percentage (.485) and RBI (19) would be tops on the A's. That shows both how good Damon is doing this year and how bad the A's are hitting.
Can anyone tell me what's up with Eric Chavez?
Monday, May 09, 2005
Gadzooks!
When Giacomo won the Derby on Saturday, a friend of mine exclaimed, "Gadzooks! That's going to be a huge payoff for the trifecta."
I almost peed my pants laughing because the "Gadzooks!" exlamation was so out of place from my friend from whom I've come to expect more crass exclamations like "holy f*ck!" I also found it funny because I know that the origin of "Gadzooks" is literally "God's hooks" so in my mind I had done the subconscious translation to "God's hooks! That's going to be a huge payoff for the trifecta." I then also pictured my friend wearing a pirate hat and a frilly shirt. Did I mention I almost peed myself laughing?
BTW - God's hooks refers to the nails that were used to nail Jesus to the cross. Funny the types of things you can learn by reading A Large Regular
When Giacomo won the Derby on Saturday, a friend of mine exclaimed, "Gadzooks! That's going to be a huge payoff for the trifecta."
I almost peed my pants laughing because the "Gadzooks!" exlamation was so out of place from my friend from whom I've come to expect more crass exclamations like "holy f*ck!" I also found it funny because I know that the origin of "Gadzooks" is literally "God's hooks" so in my mind I had done the subconscious translation to "God's hooks! That's going to be a huge payoff for the trifecta." I then also pictured my friend wearing a pirate hat and a frilly shirt. Did I mention I almost peed myself laughing?
BTW - God's hooks refers to the nails that were used to nail Jesus to the cross. Funny the types of things you can learn by reading A Large Regular
Credit Where Credit Is Due
The ONLY person who I saw pick Giacomo to win the Kentucky Derby was Eric McErlain's dad.
The ONLY person who I saw pick Giacomo to win the Kentucky Derby was Eric McErlain's dad.
Despite having worked as a hot walker at Belmont Park one Summer, I know next to nothing about horse racing. But my Dad loves the ponies, and offers these picks for Saturday's Kentucky Derby:
Here are my picks for the Derby. $12 Triple Box 10,15,16 $10 Win and Place on 10 $5 Place on 15
10 Giacomo
15 Bandini
16 Bellamy Road
Red Sox / Mariners - Games 30 and 31
The Red Sox split a double-header against Seattle yesterday and here are my thoughts and observations on the two games:
Game 1 - Red Sox 6 - Seattle 3
The Red Sox continue to be banged up. Johnny Damon, Edgar Renteria, Ramon Vazquez and now Manny Ramirez are all banged up. Manny had sore quads to begin with and yesterday he was hit by a pitch in the leg by Joel Pineiro and had to leave the game. Luckily Theo Epstein has built in enough depth in the roster and in AAA to weather such a rash of injuries.
I wonder if Mariner fans view the slow start by Adrian Beltre the same way Sox fans view the slow start by Kevin Millar? I know that compared to Beltre - Millar is a cheap contract but their numbers so far this year are similar.
Beltre - .242 BA / 2 HR / 18 RBI / .275 OBP / .339 SLG
Millar - .248 BA / 0 HR / 15 RBI / .362 OBP / .303 SLG
I would never suspect Millar's slow start being related to the new steroids testing but what about Beltre? Beltre hit 48 HR last year. Just saying - but how long before Beltre's slow start and the slow start of players like Eric Chavez of Oakland get attributed to the new steroids testing? Like I said - just saying. Players who hit lots of HR before and who now are showing a lack of pop will be called into question and players who had that HR success playing for California teams will face even more scrutiny.
Chavez hit a HR once every 16.4 AB last year but this year he has just 2 in 121 AB. Some things do make you say hmmm...
I know that speculation on matters like this are pattenly unfair but who is to blame for that? Who allowed steroid use to get so prevalent in the game? The players will have to learn to live with the speculation as far as I'm concerned.
Beltre can claim that he's on a new team in a new league but can't Richie Sexson say the same? Sure I know that Sexson played in the AL before but that was years ago and most of the pitchers are now different.
Like I said - just sayin'.
To be fair - none of the Mariners (with the exception of Sexson) are really hitting the cover off the ball. Sexson leads the team in slugging with a .510 mark but after him there is not a single Mariner player with a slugging percentage higher than Sox lead off man Johnny Damon's .485 mark. Damon's slugging percentage is high for a leadoff man but still you'd expect someone on the Mariner's (besides Sexson) to top it.
Game 2 - Mariners 6 - Red Sox 4
The big story for the Sox in this one was the start by Wade Miller who went 5 inning giving up 2 runs on just 3 hits while striking out 6. Very, very encouraging.
Not to be lost in the shuffle is the continued success of Kevin Youkilis who is hitting .391 with a .517 OBP and a .478 slugging mark. This is not a fluke. Youkilis is good for at least .300 BA and a .400 OBP. The Sox need to find a way to keep his bat in the line-up.
The Red Sox split a double-header against Seattle yesterday and here are my thoughts and observations on the two games:
Game 1 - Red Sox 6 - Seattle 3
The Red Sox continue to be banged up. Johnny Damon, Edgar Renteria, Ramon Vazquez and now Manny Ramirez are all banged up. Manny had sore quads to begin with and yesterday he was hit by a pitch in the leg by Joel Pineiro and had to leave the game. Luckily Theo Epstein has built in enough depth in the roster and in AAA to weather such a rash of injuries.
I wonder if Mariner fans view the slow start by Adrian Beltre the same way Sox fans view the slow start by Kevin Millar? I know that compared to Beltre - Millar is a cheap contract but their numbers so far this year are similar.
Beltre - .242 BA / 2 HR / 18 RBI / .275 OBP / .339 SLG
Millar - .248 BA / 0 HR / 15 RBI / .362 OBP / .303 SLG
I would never suspect Millar's slow start being related to the new steroids testing but what about Beltre? Beltre hit 48 HR last year. Just saying - but how long before Beltre's slow start and the slow start of players like Eric Chavez of Oakland get attributed to the new steroids testing? Like I said - just saying. Players who hit lots of HR before and who now are showing a lack of pop will be called into question and players who had that HR success playing for California teams will face even more scrutiny.
Chavez hit a HR once every 16.4 AB last year but this year he has just 2 in 121 AB. Some things do make you say hmmm...
I know that speculation on matters like this are pattenly unfair but who is to blame for that? Who allowed steroid use to get so prevalent in the game? The players will have to learn to live with the speculation as far as I'm concerned.
Beltre can claim that he's on a new team in a new league but can't Richie Sexson say the same? Sure I know that Sexson played in the AL before but that was years ago and most of the pitchers are now different.
Like I said - just sayin'.
To be fair - none of the Mariners (with the exception of Sexson) are really hitting the cover off the ball. Sexson leads the team in slugging with a .510 mark but after him there is not a single Mariner player with a slugging percentage higher than Sox lead off man Johnny Damon's .485 mark. Damon's slugging percentage is high for a leadoff man but still you'd expect someone on the Mariner's (besides Sexson) to top it.
Game 2 - Mariners 6 - Red Sox 4
The big story for the Sox in this one was the start by Wade Miller who went 5 inning giving up 2 runs on just 3 hits while striking out 6. Very, very encouraging.
Not to be lost in the shuffle is the continued success of Kevin Youkilis who is hitting .391 with a .517 OBP and a .478 slugging mark. This is not a fluke. Youkilis is good for at least .300 BA and a .400 OBP. The Sox need to find a way to keep his bat in the line-up.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Aaahhhh
This pretty much sums up how I feel after a full day and night of drinking and gambling.
I'll post some stuff later today.
This pretty much sums up how I feel after a full day and night of drinking and gambling.
I'll post some stuff later today.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Kentucky Derby Picks
I'll be off to the race track in Rhode Island this morning to watch a few races and put in my bets on the Derby. Then I'm off to Mahoney's in Worcester where they'll have a big pre-race spread and maybe a pool or two to get into. Mahoney's also has the world's coldest bottled beer.
I think the horses with the best chances are:
Bellamy Road - 5/2
Bandini - 6-1
High Fly - 8-1
Afleet Alex - 9/2
Now I know these are also the four favorites (but they are the favorites for a reason). I really like High Fly's chances to finish in the money mostly because Jerry Bailey is his jockey and Bailey is the best going right now.
What I'm leaning towards is $50 to place and $100 to show on High Fly and two $16 tri-boxes. The first would have Bellamy Road, Bandini and High Fly and the second would have Bandini, High Fly and Afleet Alex.
Two other horses worth a look are Noble Causeway (with Gary Stevens as jockey) going off at 12-1 and Flower Alley going off at 20-1.
This is what I'm leaning toward at this time but my picks might change. I'm going to the track with my buddies Tim and Paul who are real horsemen. They'll probably influence my final picks.
I'll be off to the race track in Rhode Island this morning to watch a few races and put in my bets on the Derby. Then I'm off to Mahoney's in Worcester where they'll have a big pre-race spread and maybe a pool or two to get into. Mahoney's also has the world's coldest bottled beer.
I think the horses with the best chances are:
Bellamy Road - 5/2
Bandini - 6-1
High Fly - 8-1
Afleet Alex - 9/2
Now I know these are also the four favorites (but they are the favorites for a reason). I really like High Fly's chances to finish in the money mostly because Jerry Bailey is his jockey and Bailey is the best going right now.
What I'm leaning towards is $50 to place and $100 to show on High Fly and two $16 tri-boxes. The first would have Bellamy Road, Bandini and High Fly and the second would have Bandini, High Fly and Afleet Alex.
Two other horses worth a look are Noble Causeway (with Gary Stevens as jockey) going off at 12-1 and Flower Alley going off at 20-1.
This is what I'm leaning toward at this time but my picks might change. I'm going to the track with my buddies Tim and Paul who are real horsemen. They'll probably influence my final picks.
Red Sox / Seattle - Game 29
Let me start off this post with two semi announcements:
1. I really like Jamie Moyer.
2. If you want information on the Mariners or anything to do with Seattle area sports then Sports and Bremertonians is the best stop for you.
OK - now on to last night's game. It was the best of starts (Clement) and it was the worst of starts (Moyer).
Jamie Moyer was having a fine season until he ran into the Red Sox. Moyer gave up 6 runs in 2 2/3 innings last night and that was the ballgame. Before the game his ERA was 3.53 - this morning it has ballooned up to 4.70.
I like Moyer and last year I got the feeling that he was all done. I mean 7-13 with a 5.21 ERA is a huge drop-off for a guy who went 21-7 with a 3.27 ERA the year before. I was happy for Moyer when he got off to a 4-0 start but after last night's game - I'm worried about him again. I mean he is 43 and the wheels have to come off the wagon sometime - right?
One of the little things I like about Moyer is the fact he was one of the heroes of the book Moneyball but he has gone under the radar for it. I mean Nick Swisher and Kevin Youkilis have gotten lots of pub and mileage out of the book but very little notice has been paid to Moyer's role.
Not to be overlooked was the fine job pitching turned in by Matt Clement last night. He went 7 innings only allowing one un-earned run to improve his record to 4-0 and improve his ERA to 3.35. Clement was the guy the Sox signed when they lost out on Carl Pavano to the Yankees. Take a look at how those two compare so far
Clement - 4-0 / 43 IP / 3.35 ERA / 17 BB / 34 K
Pavano - 2-2 / 41 IP / 4.17 ERA / 9 BB / 21 K
I bring up this comparison partly because I know that with the Yankees having so much trouble lately that some people will feel the wrath of Steinbrenner and that wrath may fall on pitching coach Mel Stottlemeyer. I agree that the pressure is probably more on a Yankee pitcher than on a Red Sox pitcher but isn't part of the pitching coaches job to help the pitcher deal with that pressure? All the experts agreed that Pavano had the better "stuff" than Clement but now Clement is putting up better numbers. I'm sure that the pitching coaches have something to do with the pitchers success (kudos to Dave Wallace while we are at it).
Along the same lines - the starting catcher is also usually credited when the staff does well (kudos to Jason Varitek who is proving more valuable than I ever thought possible). In New York should part of the pitching staff's woes be laid at the feet of Jorge Posada? Posada is 33 and has shown the classic deterioration in a catcher's offense. Maybe the problems at the plate have hindered Posada's ability to deal with the pitchers because Posada's mind is pre-occupied with his own woes?
Maybe a move the Yankees should make is make John Flaherty the starting catcher and have him focus just on the pitching staff. Maybe they could move Posada to DH where neither Giambi nor Bernie Williams have been any great shakes.
Back to the Red Sox.
At some point something has to be done about Kevin Millar. He's hitting just .248 with a .666 OPS in THE FIVE HOLE! Even with hitting after Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz - Millar has managed just 12 RBI (he's hitting .258 with runners in scoring position). I don't mean to keep harping on this but Millar and Blaine Neal have been the team's two biggest weaknesses so far this season.
I do feel for Millar because he has to know that the natives are getting restless.
Let me start off this post with two semi announcements:
1. I really like Jamie Moyer.
2. If you want information on the Mariners or anything to do with Seattle area sports then Sports and Bremertonians is the best stop for you.
OK - now on to last night's game. It was the best of starts (Clement) and it was the worst of starts (Moyer).
Jamie Moyer was having a fine season until he ran into the Red Sox. Moyer gave up 6 runs in 2 2/3 innings last night and that was the ballgame. Before the game his ERA was 3.53 - this morning it has ballooned up to 4.70.
I like Moyer and last year I got the feeling that he was all done. I mean 7-13 with a 5.21 ERA is a huge drop-off for a guy who went 21-7 with a 3.27 ERA the year before. I was happy for Moyer when he got off to a 4-0 start but after last night's game - I'm worried about him again. I mean he is 43 and the wheels have to come off the wagon sometime - right?
One of the little things I like about Moyer is the fact he was one of the heroes of the book Moneyball but he has gone under the radar for it. I mean Nick Swisher and Kevin Youkilis have gotten lots of pub and mileage out of the book but very little notice has been paid to Moyer's role.
Not to be overlooked was the fine job pitching turned in by Matt Clement last night. He went 7 innings only allowing one un-earned run to improve his record to 4-0 and improve his ERA to 3.35. Clement was the guy the Sox signed when they lost out on Carl Pavano to the Yankees. Take a look at how those two compare so far
Clement - 4-0 / 43 IP / 3.35 ERA / 17 BB / 34 K
Pavano - 2-2 / 41 IP / 4.17 ERA / 9 BB / 21 K
I bring up this comparison partly because I know that with the Yankees having so much trouble lately that some people will feel the wrath of Steinbrenner and that wrath may fall on pitching coach Mel Stottlemeyer. I agree that the pressure is probably more on a Yankee pitcher than on a Red Sox pitcher but isn't part of the pitching coaches job to help the pitcher deal with that pressure? All the experts agreed that Pavano had the better "stuff" than Clement but now Clement is putting up better numbers. I'm sure that the pitching coaches have something to do with the pitchers success (kudos to Dave Wallace while we are at it).
Along the same lines - the starting catcher is also usually credited when the staff does well (kudos to Jason Varitek who is proving more valuable than I ever thought possible). In New York should part of the pitching staff's woes be laid at the feet of Jorge Posada? Posada is 33 and has shown the classic deterioration in a catcher's offense. Maybe the problems at the plate have hindered Posada's ability to deal with the pitchers because Posada's mind is pre-occupied with his own woes?
Maybe a move the Yankees should make is make John Flaherty the starting catcher and have him focus just on the pitching staff. Maybe they could move Posada to DH where neither Giambi nor Bernie Williams have been any great shakes.
Back to the Red Sox.
At some point something has to be done about Kevin Millar. He's hitting just .248 with a .666 OPS in THE FIVE HOLE! Even with hitting after Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz - Millar has managed just 12 RBI (he's hitting .258 with runners in scoring position). I don't mean to keep harping on this but Millar and Blaine Neal have been the team's two biggest weaknesses so far this season.
I do feel for Millar because he has to know that the natives are getting restless.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Separated at Birth?
Baseball umpire Tim Tschida and Saddam Hussein.
Note: this is in no way a comment on Tschida as a person. Its just that he was behind the plate in the Red Sox / Seattle game and all you could see behind his mask was his eyes and his mustache. My first thought on seeing him was "Who's umpiring the game - Saddam Hussein?"
Baseball umpire Tim Tschida and Saddam Hussein.
Note: this is in no way a comment on Tschida as a person. Its just that he was behind the plate in the Red Sox / Seattle game and all you could see behind his mask was his eyes and his mustache. My first thought on seeing him was "Who's umpiring the game - Saddam Hussein?"
Red Sox / Tigers - Game 28
Bronson Arroyo was the story yesterday. He had a no-hitter going into the 7th inning and I must admit that I was worried that the Sox had only scored 1 run of support up to that point. I had visions of the Tigers scoring 2 and robbing Arroyo of a well deserved victory. For some reason, even with 8 outs to go - I didn't think I was going to see a no-no.
Luckily the Sox won 2-1 and Bronson got the win.
The final line for Arroyo was 8 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks and 8 k's. As good as David Ortiz has been - Bronson Arroyo may end up being Theo Epstein's coupe de grace. So far this season, Arroyo is 4-0 with a 3.17 ERA. Can you imagine that Pittsburgh didn't want him?
Right now Bronson is pitching better than anyone on the Yankees (faint praise - I know) and better than just a handful of starters in the AL. I mention the Yankees because I think Bronson highlights the fundamental difference in approaches the two teams have. Arroyo was acquired via the waiver wire while the Yankees starters were either free agents (Mussina, Pavano, Wright) or acquired in trades where the Yankees were giving up the prospects and taking on the big contract (Johnson, Brown).
When you look at the final 25-man rosters to start the season - you would find a bunch of low risk free agent signings for the Sox (Mantei, Miller, Halama), a couple of players picked up via Rule 5 (Stern and Neal) and a couple of players that were acquired in a trade where the Sox literally gave up nothing (Payton and Vazquez - note I'm not saying Dave Roberts is nothing but if you know the history of how Roberts was acquired you'd know that he was basically free). The Sox also had a couple of free agent signings (Wells and Clement) who I think are relatively low risk because of the way their contracts were structured.
On the Yankees - when you look at how the new players on the Yankees final 25-man roster were added, you'd find mostly free agents (Pavano, Wright, Womack, Tino Martinez, Sanchez). Martinez ($3 mil) and Womack (2-years, $4 mil) are what qualifies as low risk free agent signings in the Bronx but for their money combined the Sox signed just about everyone mentioned above - meanwhile the Yankees got two players most people think were bad baseball moves. The Yankees also got three players via trades where equal value was exchanged (Rodriguez for Lofton, Stanton for Heredia and Johnson for Vazquez, Halsey and Navarro).
I would like to remind folks that I was one of the few who didn't think Johnson would be great shakes in the Bronx (I predicted 14 wins and a 4+ ERA) but I wouldn't have thought the trade with Arizona would be so one sided for the Diamondbacks.
Halsey and Vazquez are a combined 5-2 with a 4.12 ERA and Navarro was traded to the Dodgers for Shawn Green who is hitting .264 with 3 HR and 16 RBI.
Now this was a long way to go to explain why Brian Cashman will be the fall guy for the Yankees collapse. The Red Sox position starters are about equal (I think they have a large edge but just for the sake of argument). The big difference between the two teams are the moves and extra parts Epstein gets versus the moves and spare pares Cashman gets. Compared to Epstein, Cashman was been horrible and that is why he won't last the season.
Just like Nomar was always compared to Jeter (and vice versa). Cashman is compared to Epstein by most people who follow the Yankees / Red Sox rivalry and right now Cashman is playing Bobby Bonilla to Epstein's Barry Bonds.
Bronson Arroyo was the story yesterday. He had a no-hitter going into the 7th inning and I must admit that I was worried that the Sox had only scored 1 run of support up to that point. I had visions of the Tigers scoring 2 and robbing Arroyo of a well deserved victory. For some reason, even with 8 outs to go - I didn't think I was going to see a no-no.
Luckily the Sox won 2-1 and Bronson got the win.
The final line for Arroyo was 8 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks and 8 k's. As good as David Ortiz has been - Bronson Arroyo may end up being Theo Epstein's coupe de grace. So far this season, Arroyo is 4-0 with a 3.17 ERA. Can you imagine that Pittsburgh didn't want him?
Right now Bronson is pitching better than anyone on the Yankees (faint praise - I know) and better than just a handful of starters in the AL. I mention the Yankees because I think Bronson highlights the fundamental difference in approaches the two teams have. Arroyo was acquired via the waiver wire while the Yankees starters were either free agents (Mussina, Pavano, Wright) or acquired in trades where the Yankees were giving up the prospects and taking on the big contract (Johnson, Brown).
When you look at the final 25-man rosters to start the season - you would find a bunch of low risk free agent signings for the Sox (Mantei, Miller, Halama), a couple of players picked up via Rule 5 (Stern and Neal) and a couple of players that were acquired in a trade where the Sox literally gave up nothing (Payton and Vazquez - note I'm not saying Dave Roberts is nothing but if you know the history of how Roberts was acquired you'd know that he was basically free). The Sox also had a couple of free agent signings (Wells and Clement) who I think are relatively low risk because of the way their contracts were structured.
On the Yankees - when you look at how the new players on the Yankees final 25-man roster were added, you'd find mostly free agents (Pavano, Wright, Womack, Tino Martinez, Sanchez). Martinez ($3 mil) and Womack (2-years, $4 mil) are what qualifies as low risk free agent signings in the Bronx but for their money combined the Sox signed just about everyone mentioned above - meanwhile the Yankees got two players most people think were bad baseball moves. The Yankees also got three players via trades where equal value was exchanged (Rodriguez for Lofton, Stanton for Heredia and Johnson for Vazquez, Halsey and Navarro).
I would like to remind folks that I was one of the few who didn't think Johnson would be great shakes in the Bronx (I predicted 14 wins and a 4+ ERA) but I wouldn't have thought the trade with Arizona would be so one sided for the Diamondbacks.
Halsey and Vazquez are a combined 5-2 with a 4.12 ERA and Navarro was traded to the Dodgers for Shawn Green who is hitting .264 with 3 HR and 16 RBI.
Now this was a long way to go to explain why Brian Cashman will be the fall guy for the Yankees collapse. The Red Sox position starters are about equal (I think they have a large edge but just for the sake of argument). The big difference between the two teams are the moves and extra parts Epstein gets versus the moves and spare pares Cashman gets. Compared to Epstein, Cashman was been horrible and that is why he won't last the season.
Just like Nomar was always compared to Jeter (and vice versa). Cashman is compared to Epstein by most people who follow the Yankees / Red Sox rivalry and right now Cashman is playing Bobby Bonilla to Epstein's Barry Bonds.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Bobby Sands
Have you ever seen that commercial that shows a guy walking in Ireland and he goes into a pub where the place erupts in a Cinco de Mayo celebration? It's a clever commercial but the truth is May 5th is better remembered in Ireland as the day Bobby Sands died than for a market created Mexican holiday.
24 years ago Bobby Sands died in prison. He died as the result of a hunger strike. He died protesting the fact that he was being held as a common criminal instead of as a political prisoner. Back in 1981 that was pretty powerful stuff in the Lynch household.
My brother went to see Bobby Sands' brother speak out at UMass. He came back with a poster of the event that immediately went up on the wall of our shared bedroom. I think my brother still has that poster.
You have to understand that my parents were Irish and as a first generation Irish-American I was very proud of my roots. I listened to Irish music and read Leon Uris' Trinity on a yearly basis. Bobby Sands was a hero in the Lynch household.
Today I'm not so sure how I view Bobby Sands.
The IRA was and is a terrorist organization and after 9/11 - a bombing where innocents are killed is no longer something most people who previously supported the IRA can stomach. Bobby Sands' protest hurt no-one but himself. His belief was so strong that not even a plea from the Pope could make him give up his hunger strike. I guess I still admire the passion of Bobby Sands but not his cause.
And not the IRA.
Have you ever seen that commercial that shows a guy walking in Ireland and he goes into a pub where the place erupts in a Cinco de Mayo celebration? It's a clever commercial but the truth is May 5th is better remembered in Ireland as the day Bobby Sands died than for a market created Mexican holiday.
24 years ago Bobby Sands died in prison. He died as the result of a hunger strike. He died protesting the fact that he was being held as a common criminal instead of as a political prisoner. Back in 1981 that was pretty powerful stuff in the Lynch household.
My brother went to see Bobby Sands' brother speak out at UMass. He came back with a poster of the event that immediately went up on the wall of our shared bedroom. I think my brother still has that poster.
You have to understand that my parents were Irish and as a first generation Irish-American I was very proud of my roots. I listened to Irish music and read Leon Uris' Trinity on a yearly basis. Bobby Sands was a hero in the Lynch household.
Today I'm not so sure how I view Bobby Sands.
The IRA was and is a terrorist organization and after 9/11 - a bombing where innocents are killed is no longer something most people who previously supported the IRA can stomach. Bobby Sands' protest hurt no-one but himself. His belief was so strong that not even a plea from the Pope could make him give up his hunger strike. I guess I still admire the passion of Bobby Sands but not his cause.
And not the IRA.
Sideways
My wife and I saw the movie Sideways over the weekend. We both HATED it!
The movie is categorized as a comedy but neither of us found anything funny about it. Seriously - some people view this movie as a comedy? I find that bizarre.
The words I think that best describe the film are pathetic and pretentious. The director seems to want the audience to swim in the pathos of his characters where hopefully we will find nuggets of humor and humanity but all we end up with is pathos.
The characters are all literally pathetic.
The main character played by Paul Giamati is pathetic. The guy steals money from his mother and yet feels the moral superiority to sit in judgment of his wonamizing pal? He feels that he is a failure because his novel fails to get published. Being an English teacher is not good enough for him? The only character I felt good for was his ex-wife who remarried a man with none of the baggage carried by the Giamati character.
The Thomas Hayden Church character was a "rake" in the classic sense who you could easily see scheduling sex trips to the Philippines. He starts out with the potential of humor but by the end of the film he's just an amoral pile of goo.
The most obvious manifestation of pretension comes in the discussions about wine. Yes we get it that wine acts as a metaphor for the Giamati character but the wine talk was way over done. Maybe if the Giamati character decided to write about wine he wouldn't be such a loser. That's the thought I kept having listening to him prattle on about wine and grapes.
What really gives the film away as a pretentious exercise of "look at me - I'm so witty and smart" are two things the director wove into the film.
The first bit was when the characters were hanging out in their hotel room enraptured by the movie The Grapes of Wrath starring Henry Fonda. If you ever meet anyone who puts Grapes of Wrath among their top 5 films or books - run. Seriously.
The second bit is when Giamati is teaching his class and he has a student read from John Knowles A Separate Peace. That book is the the single biggest piece of pretentious crap I have ever read in my life. That is a point I will not argue. There is nothing redeeming about having high school kids read that book.
The thing about specifically including A Separate Peace into the movie that serves as the big tip off is the fact that the book is all about self-loathing and that's what the movie Sideways is really all about. All the characters have the common flaw of self-loathing. In fact a better title for this film would have been Self-Loathing Battle Royale because that's what the audience was subjected to for 2 hours.
If you haven't seen the movie yet - save your time and money.
My wife and I saw the movie Sideways over the weekend. We both HATED it!
The movie is categorized as a comedy but neither of us found anything funny about it. Seriously - some people view this movie as a comedy? I find that bizarre.
The words I think that best describe the film are pathetic and pretentious. The director seems to want the audience to swim in the pathos of his characters where hopefully we will find nuggets of humor and humanity but all we end up with is pathos.
The characters are all literally pathetic.
The main character played by Paul Giamati is pathetic. The guy steals money from his mother and yet feels the moral superiority to sit in judgment of his wonamizing pal? He feels that he is a failure because his novel fails to get published. Being an English teacher is not good enough for him? The only character I felt good for was his ex-wife who remarried a man with none of the baggage carried by the Giamati character.
The Thomas Hayden Church character was a "rake" in the classic sense who you could easily see scheduling sex trips to the Philippines. He starts out with the potential of humor but by the end of the film he's just an amoral pile of goo.
The most obvious manifestation of pretension comes in the discussions about wine. Yes we get it that wine acts as a metaphor for the Giamati character but the wine talk was way over done. Maybe if the Giamati character decided to write about wine he wouldn't be such a loser. That's the thought I kept having listening to him prattle on about wine and grapes.
What really gives the film away as a pretentious exercise of "look at me - I'm so witty and smart" are two things the director wove into the film.
The first bit was when the characters were hanging out in their hotel room enraptured by the movie The Grapes of Wrath starring Henry Fonda. If you ever meet anyone who puts Grapes of Wrath among their top 5 films or books - run. Seriously.
The second bit is when Giamati is teaching his class and he has a student read from John Knowles A Separate Peace. That book is the the single biggest piece of pretentious crap I have ever read in my life. That is a point I will not argue. There is nothing redeeming about having high school kids read that book.
The thing about specifically including A Separate Peace into the movie that serves as the big tip off is the fact that the book is all about self-loathing and that's what the movie Sideways is really all about. All the characters have the common flaw of self-loathing. In fact a better title for this film would have been Self-Loathing Battle Royale because that's what the audience was subjected to for 2 hours.
If you haven't seen the movie yet - save your time and money.
Red Sox / Tigers - Game 27
The Red Sox beat the Tigers 4-3 last night behind the solid pitching of Tim Wakefield and the batting of Johnny Damon and Kevin Youkilis both of whom remain red hot.
Wakefield went 7 innings giving up 3 runs (all earned) to improve to 3-1 on the season. Wakefield's 2.97 ERA is 10th in the league, his 3 wins ties him for 9th in the league, and interestingly enough Wakefield is not in the top 20 in the AL in wild pitches even though he often has no cotrol where his knuckleball goes after it leaves his hand.
On the all-time Red Sox list - Wakefield's next win moves into 3rd place all by himself behind Luis Tiant (122), Mel Parnell (123) and Roger Clemens and Cy Young (both have 192 wins for the Sox). Wakefield's current 117 ties him with Pedro Martinez and Smokey Joe Wood. I think it is safe to say that Wakefield is in some pretty good company there.
Damon went 3-5 last night with 1 run scored to raise his season batting average to .371 (good for 4th in the AL). Damon is also in the top 10 in runs (tied for 9th), hits (tied for 1st), total bases (tied 10th) and times on base (tied 4th). Damon is quietly having quite a season.
Youkilis continues to be an on-base machine. Last night he went 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI. In his 5 games Kevin has a .619 OBP and the Greek God of Walks has managed 6 walks in just 5 games (that projects to 194.4 walks in a full 162 game season). Terry Francona - if you are reading this - please put Youlilis at first when Mueller is feeling at full strength. Time on the bench will do Kevin Millar good.
The Red Sox beat the Tigers 4-3 last night behind the solid pitching of Tim Wakefield and the batting of Johnny Damon and Kevin Youkilis both of whom remain red hot.
Wakefield went 7 innings giving up 3 runs (all earned) to improve to 3-1 on the season. Wakefield's 2.97 ERA is 10th in the league, his 3 wins ties him for 9th in the league, and interestingly enough Wakefield is not in the top 20 in the AL in wild pitches even though he often has no cotrol where his knuckleball goes after it leaves his hand.
On the all-time Red Sox list - Wakefield's next win moves into 3rd place all by himself behind Luis Tiant (122), Mel Parnell (123) and Roger Clemens and Cy Young (both have 192 wins for the Sox). Wakefield's current 117 ties him with Pedro Martinez and Smokey Joe Wood. I think it is safe to say that Wakefield is in some pretty good company there.
Damon went 3-5 last night with 1 run scored to raise his season batting average to .371 (good for 4th in the AL). Damon is also in the top 10 in runs (tied for 9th), hits (tied for 1st), total bases (tied 10th) and times on base (tied 4th). Damon is quietly having quite a season.
Youkilis continues to be an on-base machine. Last night he went 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI. In his 5 games Kevin has a .619 OBP and the Greek God of Walks has managed 6 walks in just 5 games (that projects to 194.4 walks in a full 162 game season). Terry Francona - if you are reading this - please put Youlilis at first when Mueller is feeling at full strength. Time on the bench will do Kevin Millar good.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Red Sox / Tigers - Game 26
Here are some thoughts from last night's game (the first game I've seen in almost a week):
1. Kevin Millar is off to an awful start. Through 26 games and 88 AB - here are Millar's numbers;
Millar - .250 BA / 0 HR / 12 RBI / .380 OBP / .307 SLG
When I look at Millar's number's I can't help but think of Jeremy Giambi. Here's what Giambi managed in the 50 games and 127 AB he had for the Sox in 2003;
Giambi - .197 BA / 5 HR / 15 RBI / .342 OBP / .354 SLG
Giambi's excuse was that he was injured (and that he sucked). What's Millar's excuse? It could be that at 33-years old (almost 34) - Millar's skills are just diminished and what we are seeing are the natural slide from his peak 2-years ago.
I think it is clear that this will be Millar's last year with the Red Sox. Millar is a free agent after this year and will be looking for $4-5 million which ain't going to happen. In fact - if he keeps up his current pace - he'll be lucky to last till the All-Star break with Boston.
While I was gone the Sox signed John Olerud to a minor league deal. I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox are also working on a trade for a 1st baseman that would put Olerud in the back-up role Mientkiewicz was in last year and Millar out of the picture completely.
As I mentioned this morning - the situation for the Yankees at 1st is a mess but it is also not much better (if at all) for the Sox. One thing I really like about the Olerud signing is it takes an option away from the Yankees.
Of course Millar has always been a streak hitter and he could get red hot and put up 5-10 HR over 10-15 games but if he's going to do that then he better do it quick because I think time is running out for him.
2. Doug Mirabelli hit a grand slam last night. That was the big hit of the night and I knew he was going to hit it. I love Mirabelli. He's the best back-up in baseball and he's a monster with the bases loaded. In his career he's hit 3 grand slams in just 30 AB with the bases loaded and his OPS in those situations is a robust 1.183. Compare that to Pudge Rodriguez who only has 5 grand slams in 149 AB's with the bases loaded (that's only 2 more HR in almost 5 times as many opportunities).
3. Keith Foulke gave up another home run last night. I blame the influence of Blaine Neal.
Seriously - I'm not worried about it. Last year Foulke looked awful in Spring Training and I didn't know until I read Johnny Damon's book that it was because his shins were all bruised up from extra fielding practice. Unlike Millar - I don't think there's anything to worry about with Foulke.
4. I would like to see Kevin Youkilis given a shot at first if Millar keeps up his slump. I really like "Jelly" and hope he gets a shot but I also really like Bill Mueller. Youk's at first would give me the best of both worlds.
Here are some thoughts from last night's game (the first game I've seen in almost a week):
1. Kevin Millar is off to an awful start. Through 26 games and 88 AB - here are Millar's numbers;
Millar - .250 BA / 0 HR / 12 RBI / .380 OBP / .307 SLG
When I look at Millar's number's I can't help but think of Jeremy Giambi. Here's what Giambi managed in the 50 games and 127 AB he had for the Sox in 2003;
Giambi - .197 BA / 5 HR / 15 RBI / .342 OBP / .354 SLG
Giambi's excuse was that he was injured (and that he sucked). What's Millar's excuse? It could be that at 33-years old (almost 34) - Millar's skills are just diminished and what we are seeing are the natural slide from his peak 2-years ago.
I think it is clear that this will be Millar's last year with the Red Sox. Millar is a free agent after this year and will be looking for $4-5 million which ain't going to happen. In fact - if he keeps up his current pace - he'll be lucky to last till the All-Star break with Boston.
While I was gone the Sox signed John Olerud to a minor league deal. I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox are also working on a trade for a 1st baseman that would put Olerud in the back-up role Mientkiewicz was in last year and Millar out of the picture completely.
As I mentioned this morning - the situation for the Yankees at 1st is a mess but it is also not much better (if at all) for the Sox. One thing I really like about the Olerud signing is it takes an option away from the Yankees.
Of course Millar has always been a streak hitter and he could get red hot and put up 5-10 HR over 10-15 games but if he's going to do that then he better do it quick because I think time is running out for him.
2. Doug Mirabelli hit a grand slam last night. That was the big hit of the night and I knew he was going to hit it. I love Mirabelli. He's the best back-up in baseball and he's a monster with the bases loaded. In his career he's hit 3 grand slams in just 30 AB with the bases loaded and his OPS in those situations is a robust 1.183. Compare that to Pudge Rodriguez who only has 5 grand slams in 149 AB's with the bases loaded (that's only 2 more HR in almost 5 times as many opportunities).
3. Keith Foulke gave up another home run last night. I blame the influence of Blaine Neal.
Seriously - I'm not worried about it. Last year Foulke looked awful in Spring Training and I didn't know until I read Johnny Damon's book that it was because his shins were all bruised up from extra fielding practice. Unlike Millar - I don't think there's anything to worry about with Foulke.
4. I would like to see Kevin Youkilis given a shot at first if Millar keeps up his slump. I really like "Jelly" and hope he gets a shot but I also really like Bill Mueller. Youk's at first would give me the best of both worlds.
Heh Heh
Hot-Hitting A-Rod Almost Feeling Confident Enough to Admit He’s Gay
Hot-Hitting A-Rod Almost Feeling Confident Enough to Admit He’s Gay
“All the fans call me a homo or ‘Gay-Rod’ the whole game anyway, so I doubt it can really get much worse,” he said. “Plus, Derek Jeter told me he’s finally going to come out of the closet later this season, so we’ll be able to go through it all together.”I just knew it!
Yankee Problems - First Base
So far these are the numbers for Tino Martinez and Jason Giambi:
Martinez - .257 BA / 3 HR / 8 RBI / .414 SLG
Giambi - .217 BA / 3 HR / 6 RBI / .362 SLG
Compare those numbers to what Tony Clark has done as a part time player in Arizona:
Clark - .342 BA / 2 HR / 15 RBI / .658 SLG
Clark has done this in just 38 AB compared to 70 for Tino and 69 for Giambi. I think they Yankees were stuck with Giambi's contract (hey nobody forced them to sign him in the first place) and bringing back Tino was more of a PR move. Clark would have been right baseball move (he fields like Tino but hits HR like Giambi) but the correct baseball personel moves are no longer being made in the Bronx it seems (see Sheffield signed instead of Vlade Guerrero as exhibit A).
Also for those who see the above numbers as too small a sample size - consider what all three players have done at Yankee Stadium over their careers - Giambi has hit a HR every 20.5 AB at Yankee Stadium, Tino a HR every 20 AB and Clark a HR every 20.6 AB at the House Ruth Built. Clark would have been cheaper than Tino and 5 years younger.
I haven't even mentioned Nick Johnson.
So far these are the numbers for Tino Martinez and Jason Giambi:
Martinez - .257 BA / 3 HR / 8 RBI / .414 SLG
Giambi - .217 BA / 3 HR / 6 RBI / .362 SLG
Compare those numbers to what Tony Clark has done as a part time player in Arizona:
Clark - .342 BA / 2 HR / 15 RBI / .658 SLG
Clark has done this in just 38 AB compared to 70 for Tino and 69 for Giambi. I think they Yankees were stuck with Giambi's contract (hey nobody forced them to sign him in the first place) and bringing back Tino was more of a PR move. Clark would have been right baseball move (he fields like Tino but hits HR like Giambi) but the correct baseball personel moves are no longer being made in the Bronx it seems (see Sheffield signed instead of Vlade Guerrero as exhibit A).
Also for those who see the above numbers as too small a sample size - consider what all three players have done at Yankee Stadium over their careers - Giambi has hit a HR every 20.5 AB at Yankee Stadium, Tino a HR every 20 AB and Clark a HR every 20.6 AB at the House Ruth Built. Clark would have been cheaper than Tino and 5 years younger.
I haven't even mentioned Nick Johnson.
Maddux and Glavine
How have Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux fared since leaving the Atlanta Braves? Just something I was curious aboutr so I checked it out.
Greg Maddux with the Atlanta Braves - 194-88 with a 2.63 ERA
Tom Glavine with the Atlanta Braves - 242-143 with a 3.37 ERA
Greg Maddux since leaving the Braves - 17-12 with a 4.04 ERA
Tom Glavine since leaving the Braves - 21-31 with a 3.92 ERA
Both Maddux and Glavine are still very servicable pitchers but neither are staff aces at this point. Of course both have gotten older and a deteriation is expected with age but what I wonder is if this deteriation would have been lessened if they stayed in Atlanta? Or did the brain trust in Atlanta know their was a diminishment of skills and thus cut the ties?
How have Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux fared since leaving the Atlanta Braves? Just something I was curious aboutr so I checked it out.
Greg Maddux with the Atlanta Braves - 194-88 with a 2.63 ERA
Tom Glavine with the Atlanta Braves - 242-143 with a 3.37 ERA
Greg Maddux since leaving the Braves - 17-12 with a 4.04 ERA
Tom Glavine since leaving the Braves - 21-31 with a 3.92 ERA
Both Maddux and Glavine are still very servicable pitchers but neither are staff aces at this point. Of course both have gotten older and a deteriation is expected with age but what I wonder is if this deteriation would have been lessened if they stayed in Atlanta? Or did the brain trust in Atlanta know their was a diminishment of skills and thus cut the ties?
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