Let's get this out of the way: I believe, and still believe, that Joba Chamberlain should remain in the starting rotation. I have written about it a few times on this mighty blog and I ultimately believe it to be the best option. But, instead of arguing one way or the other, I have decided to give my best impersonation of Cybil (multi-personality) and argue BOTH sides of this debate with passion. The "Joba should stay in the rotation" side will be argued by me, John Rook, genius of the sporting world, while the "Joba should be in the pen" side will be argued by a new addition to this blog, who will be called Fike Mancesa, a 350 pound, bespectacled blowhard who, from time to time, can make a good point or two.
So, without further adieu, let's get down to the debate:
John Rook: "First, let me just say what a thrill and honor it is to be invited to participate in this debate on the best sports blog in America. Some will say that I was only invited because I run the blog, but I still consider it an honor.
So, the reason I am here is to debate, once again, the Joba Chamberlain question. I can't get enough of this arguement. I mean, how much fun is it to debate the same topic, with no new insight, no new evidence, no new information, and no new interest, over and over again? This debate is proof positive that the best things in life stem from talk radio, where dead issues are resurected like Jason Vorhees in another Friday the 13th movie.
Why should Joba remain in the rotation? For all the reasons that have already been mentioned one trillion, eight hundred million times before. Instead of getting indepth, let me simply list them for you: Joba has four major league quality pitches, with a fastball and slider that, on most nights, are A++ pitches, a very good curveball, and a changeup that is quickly getting to be a major weapon; he is 23-years old, has made only 22 starts in his career, and has an ERA in that time under 4 and a strikeout to inning's pitched ratio that is terrific; for the majority of this season, Joba has been the second best pitcher on the team, with his last start (4 innings, 4 runs) being the only time he hasn't given the Yankees a legitimate chance to win; starting pitching is the most important asset to any major league team and your best pitchers should be used where they can make the most impact (please, Fike, don't bring up Mariano. Mo is the BEST releiver in the history of the game, but he is FAR from being one of the best pitchers on the team. Mo could NEVER start, nor could he go through a lineup two or three times with only one pitch. He is a great RELIEVER, but it is the only role he could have on a team); you can always move Joba to the pen a year or two down the road without repercussions but moving him from the pen to the rotation would be virtually impossible if you essentially "skipped" this year as a starter; bridging the gap between the starter and Mo is not the impossible task some have made it out to be, illustrated by the fact that the likes of Brian Bruney and, more recently, Alfredo Aceves, have done the job quite admirably (and no offense to either one of those pitchers, both of whom are very good, but neither have electric stuff or special talent. You can find those types of pitchers around baseball. You can't find Joba's around at all); and, finally, you don't steal from one part of your team - the most important part of your team - because you either can't handle the pen effectively or can't handle the pen properly. Brian Cashman, with his rebuilt farm system and almost infinite cash revenues, should be able to build a pen that is productive without putting Joba in.
I have said this before and I will say it again, you have more of an arguement turning Phil Hughes into your eighth inning, future closer guy than Joba. Hughes has only two major-league ready pitches while Joba has four. Hughes has been much more injury prone in his young career than Joba. Hughes seems to lose something as the game goes on while Joba's problems have been early in games (forget what he did in 07. That was two years ago now. Joba would not be a candidate for late-inning work because his biggest struggles come early in games. To assume that somehow he will simply channel 2007 and become that short-inning dominant force is naive at best). And, flat out, Joba's stuff is flat out better. He has the chance to be a superstar starter, something Hughes has shown only flashes of being as a major leaguer.
Finally, I don't think that there is much of a discussion to be had in regards to where Joba helps the team best. Only baseball ignorant people honestly believe that relievers are more important than starters. But this "debate" has become so patently unfair to Joba it is hard to imagine. It has almost taken on the feel of a political debate, where being winning the arguement ends up being more important than being right. Those wh advocate Joba going back to the pen have all but ignored his good starts and his obvious improvements in order to create this narrative where the Joba "experiment" as a starter is breaking down all around the team. Little real coversation was had before Joba's last start because, aside from his first inning troubles, he had pitched well (and at times brilliantly) as a starter. The "back to the pen" crowd treated that as if it really wasn't happening, then waited for a bad outing and pounced.
So, Joba is expected to be good EVERY time, in every circumstance, or his time as a starter will be useless and unproductive for the team? Who is held to that kind of standard?
Certainly not Phil Hughes, who has been allowed to fail time after time, but once he pitches two games that are pretty good, he is annointed as being solid enough to solidify the rotation and move Joba to the pen? Hughes still has far more bad games to his name than good ones, and assuming that he would be as valuable in the rotation as Joba just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. As I am writing this, Hughes, in the fifth inning, has given up 3 runs, thrown close to 90 pitches, and has runners on first and third with no one out. If this were Joba, it wouldn't be treated as "taking his lumps" but rather as evidence that he can't be a starter.
Jba Chamberlain has the stuff and the makeup to be a dominate starter in this league. Moving him to the pen would be an absolute waste.
Fight me off, Fike. Do your best."
Fike Mancesa: "Alright, let's just say I am not happy at all right now because, when I walked in for this debate, someone had gotten me a diet Coke instead of a diet Pepsi. Not happy, my friends, not happy at all.
Joba should be in the pen, case closed. It's the only way the Yankees will win this year, no question. I don't know why I have to debate this. I told everyne how things should be and my word should be law. I saw Mickey Mantle play baseball, for God sakes. Joe Torre sends me tea every week, in cases. I don't even HAVE to pay for the good seats at Yankees Stadium, they give them to me because I am such a genius (even though, trust me, if I had to pay for them, I could afford it. I like people to know I am super rich).
Considering I haven't made a decent point as to why Joba should go back to the pen as of yet (mostly, I've embarrased myself by saying that the Yankees can't "wait" to develop a pitcher or that the eighth inning is more important than being a starter) let me bring up the only real arguement that holds any water: Mariano Rivera is a human being. That is a hard truth to come to grips with, but it's true. Mo will, eventually, not be able to pitch at the highest possible level. It is also possible that Rivera, a family man who has other interests outside of baseball, might very well decide to step away from the game, even while he is on top. Either way, the Mariano Rivera era is coming to a close sooner rather than later.
Put the blame anywhere you would like, but the Yankees do NOT have an heir apparent ready to go. Mark Melancon has the stuff, but he continues to wait for his chance in the minors, having gotten a shot in late April, early May with shaky results at best. It would be hard to imagine Brian Bruney as a top-notch closer, Phil Coke gives up too many homers at this point, and the trade/free agent closer market never seems to deliver good results for team.
Joba's 2007 season in the pen would make you think he could easily take over the roll of closer when Rivera decides to call it a career. His high-90's fastball, coupled with his devastating slider, could make him one of the more unhittable closers in the game. It would give the Yankees their end-of-the-game guy for years to come - their answer to Jonathan Paplebon.
If Phil Hughes can continue to improve, and Chien Mien Wang can come back and return to form, the Yankees would have (going forward) a solid rotation of Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, and Hughes, with Joba in the pen. Then, you could either go get a veteran pitcher to fill the gap in the rotation, or hope that one of your other young guns (a healthy Kennedy or Andrew Brackman) could take the reins.
Joba to the pen isn't about the eighth inning this year as it is about the ninth inning the next 10 years. The young man has the stuff and, most importantly, the make up, to be the closer of the future for the Yankees. For now, he can be an impressive 1-2 punch with Mo, lenghtening the bullpen and making that part of the team a strength. In the long run, he can move into the role and be dominate.
Joba needs to move to the pen now. Case closed."
Thanks to both our guests for coming out to participate in this debate tonight. For my money, I side with John Rook (shocker there) and HOPE the Yankees stay smart and keep Joba in the rotation. If the Yankees are so concerned about the closer spot AFTER Rivera retires, move Hughes into that role right now and have him be the eighth inning guy, eventually taking over as your closer. Hughes can still be a good pitcher in the rotation, but Joba can simply be special, and I would always rather have an ace than a top closer, even Mo. The Yankees have had Mo for the last 8 years and they haven't won a thing. That's because their starting pitching has simply been mediocre to terrible. A closer is NEVER as valuable if the rotation isn't top notch.
Sunday, May 17
Let the new debate begin: Franchise to the bullpen?
Good win for the Yankees. Yes, it is not a good sign that the Yankee hitters couldn't figure out a jiggsaw puzzle like Kevin Slowey and ended up in another do-or-die game with a midling pitcher, but a win is a win, and their ability to come back and win late in games has been impressive. While they might not have gotten AJ Burnett a win, they got a very good performance out of him and didn't squander the performance.
But the trio of Michael Kay, Paul O'Neill, and David Cone (mostly Cone and O'Neill) raised a fascinating question during the broadcast, one I would like to address right now.
With Wang seemingly ready to rejoin the team after a very good performance at Scranton on Sunday, what do the Yankees do with Phil Hughes?
Both Cone and O'Neill suggested the Yankees put him in the bullpen and, I have to say, I completely agree.
What is gained by sticking Phil Franchise back down in the minors? Does he need to prove yet again that, against minor leaguers, he is a dominate starter? Please!!!!! In the immortal words of Mr. Watori from Joe Versus The Volcano (top ten in underrated movies of all time) "I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
So what are the arguements against a Hughes move to the pen? I'll take the liberty of addressing what I believe would be their best arguements.
It will stunt Hughes' growth.
This is the most tiring arguement of all. Hughes apologists.........ahmmm............supporters protest that the young man cannot be expected to perform at the major league level because he has had such limited professional work. But the truth is that Hughes has, by comparison with many other top pitchers, had more than enough time to hone his skills at the minor league level. Phil Hughes has had, to date, 329 innings at the minor league level. By comparison, Chad Billingsley had 404 innings in the minors, CC Sabathia had 232 innings in the minors before going to the majors at 19, Josh Beckett had 216 innings in the minors, King Felix Hernandez, 306 innings, Barry Zito, 170 innings, Cole Hamels, 201 innings, Ben Sheets (not counting rehab starts) 179 innings, Tim Lincecum, 62 innings.
The idea that 600+ innings is essential for any major league pitcher to be decent is just a myth. All of those pitchers were able to come to the majors, learn their trade, and flourish without much experience at the bottom levels. If Hughes is truly going to be a "special" pitcher, he learns how to apply his craft to major leaguers, not just build up innings at the minor league level for the sake of doing so.
Hughes has no experience in the pen. How could you be sure he would be successful in such a role?
There is no guarantee that he will take to such a role, but it might be just what he needs. The two most impressive professional appearances Phil Hughes has made in his career were the almost no-hitter against Texas when he was injured in 07 and then, later in that year, the relief appearances he made against the Indians. In fact, one could make the case that his "stuff" was more impressive out of the pen than when he was in the rotation.
The young man needs to learn how to get major league hitters out. True, it would be in a different role than as a starter, but getting guys out is the same no matter what. There is nothing else to learn at the minor league level for him.
Plus, while there is no way to know whether he will take to the pen, one can deduce that it might actually be the perfect place for him. One of the reasons why the arguement for Joba to go back to being a reliever is suppose moronic is because he has four plus pitches. His fastball and slider at A+ pitches, his curve is a A pitch, and his changeup is at least B+ and getting better. He can mix and match throughout a start, showing different looks to batters throughout the course of a game. Hughes, however, has yet to perfect even a third pitch. He has an average fastball and an above average curveball. After that, he has been working on a cutter which isn't there just yet, and his changeup hasn't improved at all. As a reliever, he can simply rely on his fastball and curve, and won't have to worry about conserving on either pitch. For Joba, cutting back on velocity means going from 98 to 95. For Hughes, pacing himself through a game means the difference between throwing 95 to 90 or 91. That's a big difference. It also makes a difference to his curve, which isn't as nasty when the hitter can simply foul it away and wait on the average fastball coming in.
What happens if and when another starter goes down? Who do you turn to then?
You can still turn to Hughes. Why not? If, God forbid, one of the five went down with a serious injury, Hughes would simply move into the rotation. If someone had to miss a start, you could still use him in that role or spot start Alfredo Aceves. And, it would be more beneficial to the Yankees because you would be turning to guys who were already in the majors. They wouldn't have to worry about the game, and the pace of the game, being a shock to the system.
You're wasting Hughes in the pen.
This is the arguement used by people like myself for why Joba shouldn't be in the pen. It doesn't apply to Hughes. So far, despite his numbers in the minors, Hughes has shown little if any signs that he is destined to be a special pitcher in the majors. Joba has shown time and again that his talent and his makeup is unique. This is all about what is best for the team, not what is best for one player or another. Right now, with Wang coming back, the place where Hughes makes the most sense and can best help the team is in the pen. The place where Joba makes the most sense and is best to help the team is in the rotation. That's it. If Hughes doesn't like it, he should have pitched better over the last year when given a chance in the rotation. He hasn't just had growing pains, he has been non-competitive in many of his starts. Right now, at best, you could say Hughes is an average major league starter. Maybe he could be more in the pen.
He needs to pitch more innings to build up arm strength.
So, is the point help the team or further Phil Hughes' career? Right now, the Yankees NEED quality pitchers in their pen. They have gone too long with Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez. Would you rather those two or Hughes and Aceves? Which tandem gives the team a better chance to win on a day in and day out basis? It would be hard for anyone to convince me that Phil Hughes helps this team more by pitching every 5 days in Scranton at this point. He is what he is against minor leaguers. No more growth is necessary.
The fact is, I don't expect the Yankees to make this move because they care more about "development" and "growth" than helping the team win. But the truth is Hughes' true value might end up being in the pen. As I wrote about before, Hughes, right now, is a two-pitch pitcher. He can get by with that out of the pen, not starting. Shuttling him up and down does nothing for him and it does nothing for the team.
Let him see what he can do. Let him take over as potentially a bridge to Rivera. Let him help solidify the pen. If he is needed in the rotation, the move can always be made in season. If not, he can help the club win and he can learn at this level. There is no baseball excuse for sending him down and keeping Veras and Ramirez up, none at all.
But the trio of Michael Kay, Paul O'Neill, and David Cone (mostly Cone and O'Neill) raised a fascinating question during the broadcast, one I would like to address right now.
With Wang seemingly ready to rejoin the team after a very good performance at Scranton on Sunday, what do the Yankees do with Phil Hughes?
Both Cone and O'Neill suggested the Yankees put him in the bullpen and, I have to say, I completely agree.
What is gained by sticking Phil Franchise back down in the minors? Does he need to prove yet again that, against minor leaguers, he is a dominate starter? Please!!!!! In the immortal words of Mr. Watori from Joe Versus The Volcano (top ten in underrated movies of all time) "I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
So what are the arguements against a Hughes move to the pen? I'll take the liberty of addressing what I believe would be their best arguements.
It will stunt Hughes' growth.
This is the most tiring arguement of all. Hughes apologists.........ahmmm............supporters protest that the young man cannot be expected to perform at the major league level because he has had such limited professional work. But the truth is that Hughes has, by comparison with many other top pitchers, had more than enough time to hone his skills at the minor league level. Phil Hughes has had, to date, 329 innings at the minor league level. By comparison, Chad Billingsley had 404 innings in the minors, CC Sabathia had 232 innings in the minors before going to the majors at 19, Josh Beckett had 216 innings in the minors, King Felix Hernandez, 306 innings, Barry Zito, 170 innings, Cole Hamels, 201 innings, Ben Sheets (not counting rehab starts) 179 innings, Tim Lincecum, 62 innings.
The idea that 600+ innings is essential for any major league pitcher to be decent is just a myth. All of those pitchers were able to come to the majors, learn their trade, and flourish without much experience at the bottom levels. If Hughes is truly going to be a "special" pitcher, he learns how to apply his craft to major leaguers, not just build up innings at the minor league level for the sake of doing so.
Hughes has no experience in the pen. How could you be sure he would be successful in such a role?
There is no guarantee that he will take to such a role, but it might be just what he needs. The two most impressive professional appearances Phil Hughes has made in his career were the almost no-hitter against Texas when he was injured in 07 and then, later in that year, the relief appearances he made against the Indians. In fact, one could make the case that his "stuff" was more impressive out of the pen than when he was in the rotation.
The young man needs to learn how to get major league hitters out. True, it would be in a different role than as a starter, but getting guys out is the same no matter what. There is nothing else to learn at the minor league level for him.
Plus, while there is no way to know whether he will take to the pen, one can deduce that it might actually be the perfect place for him. One of the reasons why the arguement for Joba to go back to being a reliever is suppose moronic is because he has four plus pitches. His fastball and slider at A+ pitches, his curve is a A pitch, and his changeup is at least B+ and getting better. He can mix and match throughout a start, showing different looks to batters throughout the course of a game. Hughes, however, has yet to perfect even a third pitch. He has an average fastball and an above average curveball. After that, he has been working on a cutter which isn't there just yet, and his changeup hasn't improved at all. As a reliever, he can simply rely on his fastball and curve, and won't have to worry about conserving on either pitch. For Joba, cutting back on velocity means going from 98 to 95. For Hughes, pacing himself through a game means the difference between throwing 95 to 90 or 91. That's a big difference. It also makes a difference to his curve, which isn't as nasty when the hitter can simply foul it away and wait on the average fastball coming in.
What happens if and when another starter goes down? Who do you turn to then?
You can still turn to Hughes. Why not? If, God forbid, one of the five went down with a serious injury, Hughes would simply move into the rotation. If someone had to miss a start, you could still use him in that role or spot start Alfredo Aceves. And, it would be more beneficial to the Yankees because you would be turning to guys who were already in the majors. They wouldn't have to worry about the game, and the pace of the game, being a shock to the system.
You're wasting Hughes in the pen.
This is the arguement used by people like myself for why Joba shouldn't be in the pen. It doesn't apply to Hughes. So far, despite his numbers in the minors, Hughes has shown little if any signs that he is destined to be a special pitcher in the majors. Joba has shown time and again that his talent and his makeup is unique. This is all about what is best for the team, not what is best for one player or another. Right now, with Wang coming back, the place where Hughes makes the most sense and can best help the team is in the pen. The place where Joba makes the most sense and is best to help the team is in the rotation. That's it. If Hughes doesn't like it, he should have pitched better over the last year when given a chance in the rotation. He hasn't just had growing pains, he has been non-competitive in many of his starts. Right now, at best, you could say Hughes is an average major league starter. Maybe he could be more in the pen.
He needs to pitch more innings to build up arm strength.
So, is the point help the team or further Phil Hughes' career? Right now, the Yankees NEED quality pitchers in their pen. They have gone too long with Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez. Would you rather those two or Hughes and Aceves? Which tandem gives the team a better chance to win on a day in and day out basis? It would be hard for anyone to convince me that Phil Hughes helps this team more by pitching every 5 days in Scranton at this point. He is what he is against minor leaguers. No more growth is necessary.
The fact is, I don't expect the Yankees to make this move because they care more about "development" and "growth" than helping the team win. But the truth is Hughes' true value might end up being in the pen. As I wrote about before, Hughes, right now, is a two-pitch pitcher. He can get by with that out of the pen, not starting. Shuttling him up and down does nothing for him and it does nothing for the team.
Let him see what he can do. Let him take over as potentially a bridge to Rivera. Let him help solidify the pen. If he is needed in the rotation, the move can always be made in season. If not, he can help the club win and he can learn at this level. There is no baseball excuse for sending him down and keeping Veras and Ramirez up, none at all.
Big game for Burnett and Yankees
One of these days the weekend here in the Northeast is going to bring with it some good weather. There is nothing more depressing than watching the sun shine through the window of your office at work for five days and then get to Saturday and not be able to leave your house because of the gale force winds threatening to blow your roof to another county.
Maybe that's why I'm not in a good mood this weekend. Maybe it's because of the weather, the long hours at work, or the fact that I have five days of work before the long weekend for Memorial Day comes up. Let's face it, I need a vacation (or that winning powerball ticket, whichever one comes first).
That bad mood has prevented me from truly enjoying the recent good play of the Yanks. I don't know what it is but it just seems like there is still something missing from this club. Do you honestly have confidence in this group to string together a big stretch of good baseball? The bullpen is still shaky at best, the starting rotation seems to be coming around but they always seem to throw a stinker in the middle, and the offense continues to leave a small third world country on base through every game. When is the last time you looked up in the fourth or fifth inning and saw the Yankees with a 4 or 5 run lead?
And maybe I am not being fair to Mr. Joe Girardi, but the man seems to be absolutely intent on trying to clutch defeat from the hands of victory in every game. The fact that he still uses Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez in games that count is grounds for immediate firing, in my opinion. But GI Joe has as good a job security as possible because his owners probably haven't seen a full game of baseball all year long.
But this game today, with Burnett on the mound, will go along way to brightening my blues and making me a believer in the team. First, AJ "pie in the face" Burnett needs a good game. His tough-guy, biker attitude is starting to really get on my nerves when, in each game, you see him fall apart when he isn't dominating the opposition (just like the flaky, step to the beat of his own drum Nick Swisher is rubbing me the wrong way now that he has become a strikeout machine).
Burnett was paid to be at least a number 2 pitcher for this team, and this is the type of game a top-end of the rotation pitcher wins. You don't want to see him out of this game after 6 giving up 4 or 5 runs, walking 5, striking out 7. That's not a line you need.
In addition, the team is facing Kevin Slowey. Have you seen this man's numbers? Forget the 5-1 record. The guy has pitched 40 innings, given up 58 hits, and opponents are batting .337. I mean, Phil Hughes looks like Satchel Paige compared to that disaster of a season. If the Yankees don't have 5 or 6 runs within the first half of the game, there needs to be an investigation. Or, at the very least, we can begin to rethink the "modern-day genius" label people have attached to Kevin Long over the last two years, right?
If I have to watch one more below-average pitcher throw like a superstar against this team, I am turning off the TV, throwing on some Jazz, and beginning the process of picking my favorite MLS soccer team because I am finished with baseball. Kevin Slowey better not be in the sixth inning of this game, that's all I am saying.
And while I am in a bad mood, let me throw a few more bombs at Joe Girardi. Robinson Cano gets the day off today. He gets the day off against Kevin Slowey, a man who has been absolutely KILLED by lefty batters. A guy who is always around the plate. A guy who has given up 18 more hits than innings pitched. Tomorrow (Monday) the Yankees go against lefty Glen Perkins, who doesn't do a tremendous amount right except get lefties out. Why not play him today to try and get him back on track? Why rest him today against a guy he SHOULD be able to handle and then, if needed, rest him against Perkins, the lefty, tomorrow? And why is Cano getting the day off but Swisher, who looks like a poor-man's Mark Whitten up there right now, is in the lineup? He is 1 for his last 19. I would bet my life that, of those 19 at bats, 16 have been strikeouts. He is on track to obliterate Ryan Howard's homerun totals for the season, without any of those pesky homerun or RBI numbers the big Philly firstbaseman puts up each year.
And why isn't Gardner playing today? He needs a rest? Why is this lineup always changing? Why does everyone need a rest? Why is Joe Girardi still managing this team? I swear to God, someone needs to send the man a memo and let him know this isn't a 12 and under soccer team he is coaching where everyone needs to play. Set a freakin lineup and GO WITH IT!!!!! The man is insistent on NOT getting the best out of players. He consistently puts his players in positions where it is more difficult to succeed. Simply put, he's a terrible manager - great guy, terrible manager.
Okay, now that I have that out of my system, let's hope that Burnett steps up and that the Yankee bats don't go asleep against this joke of a pitcher.
Maybe that's why I'm not in a good mood this weekend. Maybe it's because of the weather, the long hours at work, or the fact that I have five days of work before the long weekend for Memorial Day comes up. Let's face it, I need a vacation (or that winning powerball ticket, whichever one comes first).
That bad mood has prevented me from truly enjoying the recent good play of the Yanks. I don't know what it is but it just seems like there is still something missing from this club. Do you honestly have confidence in this group to string together a big stretch of good baseball? The bullpen is still shaky at best, the starting rotation seems to be coming around but they always seem to throw a stinker in the middle, and the offense continues to leave a small third world country on base through every game. When is the last time you looked up in the fourth or fifth inning and saw the Yankees with a 4 or 5 run lead?
And maybe I am not being fair to Mr. Joe Girardi, but the man seems to be absolutely intent on trying to clutch defeat from the hands of victory in every game. The fact that he still uses Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez in games that count is grounds for immediate firing, in my opinion. But GI Joe has as good a job security as possible because his owners probably haven't seen a full game of baseball all year long.
But this game today, with Burnett on the mound, will go along way to brightening my blues and making me a believer in the team. First, AJ "pie in the face" Burnett needs a good game. His tough-guy, biker attitude is starting to really get on my nerves when, in each game, you see him fall apart when he isn't dominating the opposition (just like the flaky, step to the beat of his own drum Nick Swisher is rubbing me the wrong way now that he has become a strikeout machine).
Burnett was paid to be at least a number 2 pitcher for this team, and this is the type of game a top-end of the rotation pitcher wins. You don't want to see him out of this game after 6 giving up 4 or 5 runs, walking 5, striking out 7. That's not a line you need.
In addition, the team is facing Kevin Slowey. Have you seen this man's numbers? Forget the 5-1 record. The guy has pitched 40 innings, given up 58 hits, and opponents are batting .337. I mean, Phil Hughes looks like Satchel Paige compared to that disaster of a season. If the Yankees don't have 5 or 6 runs within the first half of the game, there needs to be an investigation. Or, at the very least, we can begin to rethink the "modern-day genius" label people have attached to Kevin Long over the last two years, right?
If I have to watch one more below-average pitcher throw like a superstar against this team, I am turning off the TV, throwing on some Jazz, and beginning the process of picking my favorite MLS soccer team because I am finished with baseball. Kevin Slowey better not be in the sixth inning of this game, that's all I am saying.
And while I am in a bad mood, let me throw a few more bombs at Joe Girardi. Robinson Cano gets the day off today. He gets the day off against Kevin Slowey, a man who has been absolutely KILLED by lefty batters. A guy who is always around the plate. A guy who has given up 18 more hits than innings pitched. Tomorrow (Monday) the Yankees go against lefty Glen Perkins, who doesn't do a tremendous amount right except get lefties out. Why not play him today to try and get him back on track? Why rest him today against a guy he SHOULD be able to handle and then, if needed, rest him against Perkins, the lefty, tomorrow? And why is Cano getting the day off but Swisher, who looks like a poor-man's Mark Whitten up there right now, is in the lineup? He is 1 for his last 19. I would bet my life that, of those 19 at bats, 16 have been strikeouts. He is on track to obliterate Ryan Howard's homerun totals for the season, without any of those pesky homerun or RBI numbers the big Philly firstbaseman puts up each year.
And why isn't Gardner playing today? He needs a rest? Why is this lineup always changing? Why does everyone need a rest? Why is Joe Girardi still managing this team? I swear to God, someone needs to send the man a memo and let him know this isn't a 12 and under soccer team he is coaching where everyone needs to play. Set a freakin lineup and GO WITH IT!!!!! The man is insistent on NOT getting the best out of players. He consistently puts his players in positions where it is more difficult to succeed. Simply put, he's a terrible manager - great guy, terrible manager.
Okay, now that I have that out of my system, let's hope that Burnett steps up and that the Yankee bats don't go asleep against this joke of a pitcher.
Sunday, May 10
And I was all ready to be positive here............Thanks Phil Hughes
I was ready to turn the page, I really, really was. I had written the beginning of my blog post entitled "Time for a little Yankee optomism" and planned on finishing it up last night after Phil Hughes pitched a solid game and the Yankee bats smacked the incredibly mediocre Adam Eaton around all night long.
That..............did not happen.
So now I am writing a very different post because the problems that have plagued this team aren't going away. Let's forget about Phil Hughes for a second. I think we have enough evidence in all ready to suggest that Franchise is NEVER going to be the pitcher he was promised to be a few years ago. This isn't even so much about results as it is about stuff. When you watch special pitchers, they jump out at you. Their "stuff" is electric and impossible to ignore. They might hang a breaking ball or give up runs, but you see the promise in their ability. Hughes has none of that.
His fastball shows itself to be mediocre time after time. The velocity is no where near what it was advertised to be (remember when the Yankees told everyone he pitched consistently in the mid to uppser 90's?) and it is as straight as an arrow. Hitters tee off on heater on a regular basis. His slider is, again, mediocre at best, his changeup isn't a quality pitch, and his cutter is okay but certainly not earth shattering. When the only pitch you have that is top quality is you curve, that just isn't going to be enough.
Maybe Hughes shows himself to be better than what he has looked like through the majority of his career to this point, but he is never gonna be a top of the rotation guy, in my opinion, and we have enough evidence to make that pretty obvious at this point.
No, the problem with this team is beyond the overhyped and extremely mediocre Hughes. When Wang is healthy, he will be relegated to the minors where he can dominate triple A players yet again. The problems this team faces are far more serious.
Their defense has been terrible, and there is no excuse. Nick Swisher is a decent corner outfielder and, despite the "statistics" in regards to Jeter, there really isn't a woeful defender in the bunch, yet collectively this team makes a lot of bone head defense plays, whether it be throws off line, missing the cutoff man, always coming up short on the nice play, never making the great play, and seemingly out of position on a lot of routine plays. Last night, Mark Teixeira broke towards first base on a ball that seemed well within his grasp. One can only assume that a terrific defensive player like Tex didn't go after the ball because he thought Robbie Cano was nearest to the play. Then, in that faithful second inning, Nick Swisher inexplicably airmails a throw, after the runner at third had already stopped, over the cutoff man, catcher, and all the way to the back stop. Making the play even worse, Phil Hughes, who was running to back up the play, didn't even notice the ball flying over his head. He looked as if he was simply running to a position rather than, you know, backing up the play. Hughes didn't turn his head until it was already past him. Those two plays show a lack of fundamentals that has existed with this team for the last two years.
Then, you have the story of Mark Teixeira. The man is hitting below .190 right now. Think about that for a second. The man is hitting below .190. That isn't a slow start. That is a scuffle. That is a detriment to the team. I still believe that Tex will end up with a nice year, but at this point leaving him in the three hole when it's obvious he just can't get the job done is killing the offense. He needs to temporarily be dropped in the lineup, case closed. The Yankees are already 5.5 games out, staring up at Toronto, Sox, and Tampa. It is obviously way too early to worry about standings, but Boston and Tampa are obviously going to be in the race all season and Toronto may be good enough to hang in contention for much of the season. Being behind three quality teams by multiple games is never a good thing.
The bullpen continues to be an issue and the fact that certain guys still have a place on this team is unacceptable. How the HELL is Edwar Ramirez up right now? WHat does he bring to the team? How can he possibly help? What about Jose Veras? He was good for one month last year. He has been putrid this year. Why is he on the team?
The lack of hitting with runners in scoring position is a two year problem now and it is hard to believe it is going to turn around any time soon. This team just doesn't do the little things very well. They don't move runners, get runners in from third with less than two outs, or get two-out hits. There is never, ever a rally. What can possibly account for that, considering the talented offensive players they have?
Finally, I am convinced now more than ever that Joe Girardi is just not a good manager. PERIOD! First, we have the tangible evidence in that his teams have now spent the last year plus well behind the better teams in his league. His training staff has misdiagnosed how many players now?- failures that have resulted in players spending more time on the DL than originally imagined. His handling of the pen this year, a strength last year, has been horrific. Look at last night. The Yankees call up Brett Tomko to be a long man/middle reliever. Phil Hughes is knocked out in the second. Time for Tomko, brought up specifically for these types of situations, right? Nope. Instead, we get Edwar Ramirez, who lets an 7-0 lead explode into an 11-1 lead. Ramirez, who had been used for an inning or two at the most all year, was extended to 3.1 innings. Then, in a game completely out of reach, he brings in Jonathan Albaladejo, one of the few relievers who has shown an ability to pitch in tight games and get outs. So now, Johnny Abba is wasted in a game already outta reach. Why? What could the reason possibly be? Then, to complicate matters even more, he brings in Tomko at the end of the game. Why not use him in the long relief role if you were planning on using him in the game? Why waste him in the ninth in a blow out?
But the real problem to me isn't the strategy but the tenor of the team. All the errors and miscues wreack of a team not well coached or prepared. The young pitchers have either stagnated or declined under the guidance of the supposed young-player gurus Girardi and Dave Eiland. And the soccer-mom mentality of this team is mind-boggling. Last night, Phil Hughes put together another bad outing for this team. If you look at his starts in the majors, it is incredible how many of those starts gave the team no chance to actually win, getting knocked out between the second or fourth inning. Yet Hughes got the little leaguer treatment yet again on the mound, with a pep talk and a pat on the back. It's the same treatment almost everyone on the team gets no matter how putrid their performance.
Last season we watched as Robinson Cano slept walked through the year and made bonehead play after bonehead play, yet it wasn't until September, when the season was pretty much over, that he was sat down for poor play.
Mark Teixeira isn't even hitting .200 yet he won't be moved out of the three hole or sat a day to collect his thoughts. Phil Hughes pitches poorly against the Red Sox and it is the umpires fault, then can't get out of the second inning and he gets a pat on the back.
These are professionals and each and every one of them (yes, Phil Hughes included) is a man. Maybe it's time to kick someone in the ass, not coddle them and make excuses. In three injury-plagued seasons, Phil Hughes has had three good performances. The rest have been either been generously labeled mediocre or outright horrid. Maybe the time to pat him on the back is over. Maybe he could use someone saying "hey, kid, when can we take the training wheels off? Any time soon or no?"
I don't know what has to happen, and Girardi seems like an exceptionally nice man, but there is something missing with this team, pure and simple. Something just isn't right with this team and the always-positive Girardi doesn't seem to be pushing the right buttons. His stock "we believe he'll come out of it" and "he'll work hard and make the adjustment" or "we know how good he can be" answers scream of a guy who refuses to take the rose colored glasses off for any reason.
This team has played poorly and has been coached poorly. I don't know what the answer is, but the equation has to be changed. If there was a Steinbrenner who actually cared about baseball still in charge, something would have been done already.
That..............did not happen.
So now I am writing a very different post because the problems that have plagued this team aren't going away. Let's forget about Phil Hughes for a second. I think we have enough evidence in all ready to suggest that Franchise is NEVER going to be the pitcher he was promised to be a few years ago. This isn't even so much about results as it is about stuff. When you watch special pitchers, they jump out at you. Their "stuff" is electric and impossible to ignore. They might hang a breaking ball or give up runs, but you see the promise in their ability. Hughes has none of that.
His fastball shows itself to be mediocre time after time. The velocity is no where near what it was advertised to be (remember when the Yankees told everyone he pitched consistently in the mid to uppser 90's?) and it is as straight as an arrow. Hitters tee off on heater on a regular basis. His slider is, again, mediocre at best, his changeup isn't a quality pitch, and his cutter is okay but certainly not earth shattering. When the only pitch you have that is top quality is you curve, that just isn't going to be enough.
Maybe Hughes shows himself to be better than what he has looked like through the majority of his career to this point, but he is never gonna be a top of the rotation guy, in my opinion, and we have enough evidence to make that pretty obvious at this point.
No, the problem with this team is beyond the overhyped and extremely mediocre Hughes. When Wang is healthy, he will be relegated to the minors where he can dominate triple A players yet again. The problems this team faces are far more serious.
Their defense has been terrible, and there is no excuse. Nick Swisher is a decent corner outfielder and, despite the "statistics" in regards to Jeter, there really isn't a woeful defender in the bunch, yet collectively this team makes a lot of bone head defense plays, whether it be throws off line, missing the cutoff man, always coming up short on the nice play, never making the great play, and seemingly out of position on a lot of routine plays. Last night, Mark Teixeira broke towards first base on a ball that seemed well within his grasp. One can only assume that a terrific defensive player like Tex didn't go after the ball because he thought Robbie Cano was nearest to the play. Then, in that faithful second inning, Nick Swisher inexplicably airmails a throw, after the runner at third had already stopped, over the cutoff man, catcher, and all the way to the back stop. Making the play even worse, Phil Hughes, who was running to back up the play, didn't even notice the ball flying over his head. He looked as if he was simply running to a position rather than, you know, backing up the play. Hughes didn't turn his head until it was already past him. Those two plays show a lack of fundamentals that has existed with this team for the last two years.
Then, you have the story of Mark Teixeira. The man is hitting below .190 right now. Think about that for a second. The man is hitting below .190. That isn't a slow start. That is a scuffle. That is a detriment to the team. I still believe that Tex will end up with a nice year, but at this point leaving him in the three hole when it's obvious he just can't get the job done is killing the offense. He needs to temporarily be dropped in the lineup, case closed. The Yankees are already 5.5 games out, staring up at Toronto, Sox, and Tampa. It is obviously way too early to worry about standings, but Boston and Tampa are obviously going to be in the race all season and Toronto may be good enough to hang in contention for much of the season. Being behind three quality teams by multiple games is never a good thing.
The bullpen continues to be an issue and the fact that certain guys still have a place on this team is unacceptable. How the HELL is Edwar Ramirez up right now? WHat does he bring to the team? How can he possibly help? What about Jose Veras? He was good for one month last year. He has been putrid this year. Why is he on the team?
The lack of hitting with runners in scoring position is a two year problem now and it is hard to believe it is going to turn around any time soon. This team just doesn't do the little things very well. They don't move runners, get runners in from third with less than two outs, or get two-out hits. There is never, ever a rally. What can possibly account for that, considering the talented offensive players they have?
Finally, I am convinced now more than ever that Joe Girardi is just not a good manager. PERIOD! First, we have the tangible evidence in that his teams have now spent the last year plus well behind the better teams in his league. His training staff has misdiagnosed how many players now?- failures that have resulted in players spending more time on the DL than originally imagined. His handling of the pen this year, a strength last year, has been horrific. Look at last night. The Yankees call up Brett Tomko to be a long man/middle reliever. Phil Hughes is knocked out in the second. Time for Tomko, brought up specifically for these types of situations, right? Nope. Instead, we get Edwar Ramirez, who lets an 7-0 lead explode into an 11-1 lead. Ramirez, who had been used for an inning or two at the most all year, was extended to 3.1 innings. Then, in a game completely out of reach, he brings in Jonathan Albaladejo, one of the few relievers who has shown an ability to pitch in tight games and get outs. So now, Johnny Abba is wasted in a game already outta reach. Why? What could the reason possibly be? Then, to complicate matters even more, he brings in Tomko at the end of the game. Why not use him in the long relief role if you were planning on using him in the game? Why waste him in the ninth in a blow out?
But the real problem to me isn't the strategy but the tenor of the team. All the errors and miscues wreack of a team not well coached or prepared. The young pitchers have either stagnated or declined under the guidance of the supposed young-player gurus Girardi and Dave Eiland. And the soccer-mom mentality of this team is mind-boggling. Last night, Phil Hughes put together another bad outing for this team. If you look at his starts in the majors, it is incredible how many of those starts gave the team no chance to actually win, getting knocked out between the second or fourth inning. Yet Hughes got the little leaguer treatment yet again on the mound, with a pep talk and a pat on the back. It's the same treatment almost everyone on the team gets no matter how putrid their performance.
Last season we watched as Robinson Cano slept walked through the year and made bonehead play after bonehead play, yet it wasn't until September, when the season was pretty much over, that he was sat down for poor play.
Mark Teixeira isn't even hitting .200 yet he won't be moved out of the three hole or sat a day to collect his thoughts. Phil Hughes pitches poorly against the Red Sox and it is the umpires fault, then can't get out of the second inning and he gets a pat on the back.
These are professionals and each and every one of them (yes, Phil Hughes included) is a man. Maybe it's time to kick someone in the ass, not coddle them and make excuses. In three injury-plagued seasons, Phil Hughes has had three good performances. The rest have been either been generously labeled mediocre or outright horrid. Maybe the time to pat him on the back is over. Maybe he could use someone saying "hey, kid, when can we take the training wheels off? Any time soon or no?"
I don't know what has to happen, and Girardi seems like an exceptionally nice man, but there is something missing with this team, pure and simple. Something just isn't right with this team and the always-positive Girardi doesn't seem to be pushing the right buttons. His stock "we believe he'll come out of it" and "he'll work hard and make the adjustment" or "we know how good he can be" answers scream of a guy who refuses to take the rose colored glasses off for any reason.
This team has played poorly and has been coached poorly. I don't know what the answer is, but the equation has to be changed. If there was a Steinbrenner who actually cared about baseball still in charge, something would have been done already.
Sunday, May 3
A-Rod, Selena Roberts, Joe Girardi, and maybe even something about baseball
I like tooting my own horn, so let me play the trumpet a little bit and remind folks new to the blog what I wrote about A-Rod the day after he decided to opt out of his contract with the Yankees: "Alex Rodriguez informed the New York Yankees last night - via text message by the way - that he is officially opting out of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent when the offseason begins in the next few weeks. It was a classless, lowlife act by a prima donna, whiny, pretty boy who still believes that being booed at Yankee Stadium is this generation's version of being fired on at Bastogne.Now comes the hard part. The Yanks have said there is NO chance they will get back involved with the mega-talented anchor and they HAVE to stick to their guns. Why? Will the Yanks, on the field, be better off without him? Of course not, but the truth is that, eventually, someone has to yell ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Instead, the Yankees resigned the man to a 10-year, $300 million contract that will take him through the age of 40 and essentially my 30's as a Yankee fan (I'm 31 right now).
Now, I'll admit, I did have a change of heart somewhat when the Yankees began to throw around replacement names at third base, but what that post proves is that first impressions are usually right.
Alex, two years into his new contract, is already an utter nightmare. He is officially a steroid user, meaning his future pursuit of all-time records will be more Barry Bonds-eian in feel than inclusionary and redeeming. Did I mention A-Rod will be paid millions each time her tarnishes.......um, I mean passes another homerun record in the dust? Great marketing Yanks.
His health has to be a concern at this point. A former steroid user experiencing a cyst on his hip that will require two surgeries? No chance this is just the beginning of his medical condition as he gets older, right? I didn't think so.
And as much as you might want to blame the media for the neauseating coverage he receives, only the most maddeningly blind A-Rod fan would refuse to place much of the ownous on the man himself. As Peter Abraham pointed out on his blog today, while A-Rod was dating the Material Girl, Madonna (while still married by the way) one of his seven publicists would routinely contact the media to "tip them off" as to where the couple might be that night.
That isn't the actions of a man looking for peace and quite outside the public limelight.
And if he is acting this way at 32, why would anyone believe that he is due for an infusion of maturity anytime soon? Nope, you can expect some sort of Page Six story popping up at least twice a year for the next nine years, no question.
But all of this might be overlooked if A-Rod can perform at a level worthy of his obscene contract. That, of course, has to be called into question at this point.
Forget the injury issues, which could turn A-Rod from a 158-game mainstay at third into a "he needs a few days off a week and at least one stint on the DL a year" type of player very quickly. How, in all that is holy, can anyone expect that A-Rod's lofty numbers weren't very much influenced by his drug use?
Only the most naive would have believed that Alex gave up roids when coming over to the Yankees. Would it stand to reason that, perhaps, A-Rod's best season, 2007, was influenced by a return to the drugs which had helped him so obviously while in Texas? And, if that is the case, would it also be out of the realm of possibility that, now forced off the drug because of the intense scrutiny he will receive, his production will fall off dramatically? What if the Yankees, starting this year, realize they are paying $27 million a year for Joe Crede?
And unlike other contracts that have seemed impossible to move, this on will be a conversation stopper. NO ONE is taking A-Rod. NO ONE!!!!!. That means, good, bad, ugly, the Yankees have this man for the next decade.
Now on to Selena Roberts.
As you could tell from the above comments, I am not exactly erecting a shrine to A-Rod any time soon. But that doesn't mean I think Roberts is innocent of any wrongdoing here. The woman, to me, is everything wrong with the media, and I am saying that as a member of the media. Let's not forget that Roberts is the same classless reporter who soiled the reputations of the Duke lacrosse players years ago and still refuses to apologize. Imagine that level of arrogance and simple lack of conscience where you can help to destroy a group of young mens' lives and, when you are proven abslutely wrong, still find a way to justify your actions. To me, that SHOULD call everything she has to say into question.
I haven't read the book, and I don't plan to. Besides some accusations that A-Rod's steroid use was more pervasive than first reported and that he might have tipped pitches to opposing batters in the hope they would do the same for him (the most serious accusation to come from this tell-all) the rest of the book seems filled with stories about his bad tipping at Hooters and his affairs with strippers. Wow!! Let me get my money ready.
But the problem have with the book is not just that the information seems silly and selacious, it also seems to be based solely on accusations made by people unwilling to go on the record.
Much of what Roberts reports seems to have stemmed directly from people who refused to lend their name to the rumors.
Some fellow reporters have made the claim that Roberts has the "right" to write any kind of book she wants and that, as evidenced by the Sports Illustrated story, written by Roberts, that outed A-Rod as having failed a drug test in 2003, she has gotten it right about the slugger in the past. But just because she got it right once doesn't mean she got it right this time. Not to beat a dead horse, but she couldn't have gotten the Duke case more wrong, yet that hasn't seemed to signal a problem with her credibility in some people's eyes.
And even if all of these accusations are true, why would a truly professional journalist report such scandalous rumors without demanding people put their names out there for scrutiny? How can she, as a person, feel comfortable leveling such scathing stories with nothing to back it up other than a journalistic promise that, "I really trust my sources, even though I won't tell you who they are."
The idea that no one within the media has questioned Roberts' motivations and techniques is beyond me. Some, including my favorite blogger Abraham, have ways to excuse Roberts. The fact that she has written a tell-all book about a seemingly uninteresting athlete is explained away as being her "right," as if simply having the right to do something means it is excuseable. Then, the fact that the book's release date was moved up to coincide with A-Rod returning from the DL is excused as simply a "money-making tactic" that, again, is justfied on the premise that greed is understandable.
I guess it comes down to the fact that some of us expect people to be as decent as possible and not simply take the low road because it is unobstructed.
And then we come to Joe Girardi.
Today, GI Joe evidently became very, very emotional when talking about Alex. His defense of his slugging star is expected and, in many ways, noble. I give him credit. But Girardi, first, needs to be smarter when addressing the media. Just say "we are moving forward" and let it stand at that. Would some members of the media try and make a story even out of that? Sure, but what is a juicier story, the one that is obviously contrived out of think air or the one that centers on the manager's overly emotional reponse to a question about A-Rod?
Joe, just worry about managing the game and try and diminish the attention a story gets, not inflate that story.
Instead, the Yankees resigned the man to a 10-year, $300 million contract that will take him through the age of 40 and essentially my 30's as a Yankee fan (I'm 31 right now).
Now, I'll admit, I did have a change of heart somewhat when the Yankees began to throw around replacement names at third base, but what that post proves is that first impressions are usually right.
Alex, two years into his new contract, is already an utter nightmare. He is officially a steroid user, meaning his future pursuit of all-time records will be more Barry Bonds-eian in feel than inclusionary and redeeming. Did I mention A-Rod will be paid millions each time her tarnishes.......um, I mean passes another homerun record in the dust? Great marketing Yanks.
His health has to be a concern at this point. A former steroid user experiencing a cyst on his hip that will require two surgeries? No chance this is just the beginning of his medical condition as he gets older, right? I didn't think so.
And as much as you might want to blame the media for the neauseating coverage he receives, only the most maddeningly blind A-Rod fan would refuse to place much of the ownous on the man himself. As Peter Abraham pointed out on his blog today, while A-Rod was dating the Material Girl, Madonna (while still married by the way) one of his seven publicists would routinely contact the media to "tip them off" as to where the couple might be that night.
That isn't the actions of a man looking for peace and quite outside the public limelight.
And if he is acting this way at 32, why would anyone believe that he is due for an infusion of maturity anytime soon? Nope, you can expect some sort of Page Six story popping up at least twice a year for the next nine years, no question.
But all of this might be overlooked if A-Rod can perform at a level worthy of his obscene contract. That, of course, has to be called into question at this point.
Forget the injury issues, which could turn A-Rod from a 158-game mainstay at third into a "he needs a few days off a week and at least one stint on the DL a year" type of player very quickly. How, in all that is holy, can anyone expect that A-Rod's lofty numbers weren't very much influenced by his drug use?
Only the most naive would have believed that Alex gave up roids when coming over to the Yankees. Would it stand to reason that, perhaps, A-Rod's best season, 2007, was influenced by a return to the drugs which had helped him so obviously while in Texas? And, if that is the case, would it also be out of the realm of possibility that, now forced off the drug because of the intense scrutiny he will receive, his production will fall off dramatically? What if the Yankees, starting this year, realize they are paying $27 million a year for Joe Crede?
And unlike other contracts that have seemed impossible to move, this on will be a conversation stopper. NO ONE is taking A-Rod. NO ONE!!!!!. That means, good, bad, ugly, the Yankees have this man for the next decade.
Now on to Selena Roberts.
As you could tell from the above comments, I am not exactly erecting a shrine to A-Rod any time soon. But that doesn't mean I think Roberts is innocent of any wrongdoing here. The woman, to me, is everything wrong with the media, and I am saying that as a member of the media. Let's not forget that Roberts is the same classless reporter who soiled the reputations of the Duke lacrosse players years ago and still refuses to apologize. Imagine that level of arrogance and simple lack of conscience where you can help to destroy a group of young mens' lives and, when you are proven abslutely wrong, still find a way to justify your actions. To me, that SHOULD call everything she has to say into question.
I haven't read the book, and I don't plan to. Besides some accusations that A-Rod's steroid use was more pervasive than first reported and that he might have tipped pitches to opposing batters in the hope they would do the same for him (the most serious accusation to come from this tell-all) the rest of the book seems filled with stories about his bad tipping at Hooters and his affairs with strippers. Wow!! Let me get my money ready.
But the problem have with the book is not just that the information seems silly and selacious, it also seems to be based solely on accusations made by people unwilling to go on the record.
Much of what Roberts reports seems to have stemmed directly from people who refused to lend their name to the rumors.
Some fellow reporters have made the claim that Roberts has the "right" to write any kind of book she wants and that, as evidenced by the Sports Illustrated story, written by Roberts, that outed A-Rod as having failed a drug test in 2003, she has gotten it right about the slugger in the past. But just because she got it right once doesn't mean she got it right this time. Not to beat a dead horse, but she couldn't have gotten the Duke case more wrong, yet that hasn't seemed to signal a problem with her credibility in some people's eyes.
And even if all of these accusations are true, why would a truly professional journalist report such scandalous rumors without demanding people put their names out there for scrutiny? How can she, as a person, feel comfortable leveling such scathing stories with nothing to back it up other than a journalistic promise that, "I really trust my sources, even though I won't tell you who they are."
The idea that no one within the media has questioned Roberts' motivations and techniques is beyond me. Some, including my favorite blogger Abraham, have ways to excuse Roberts. The fact that she has written a tell-all book about a seemingly uninteresting athlete is explained away as being her "right," as if simply having the right to do something means it is excuseable. Then, the fact that the book's release date was moved up to coincide with A-Rod returning from the DL is excused as simply a "money-making tactic" that, again, is justfied on the premise that greed is understandable.
I guess it comes down to the fact that some of us expect people to be as decent as possible and not simply take the low road because it is unobstructed.
And then we come to Joe Girardi.
Today, GI Joe evidently became very, very emotional when talking about Alex. His defense of his slugging star is expected and, in many ways, noble. I give him credit. But Girardi, first, needs to be smarter when addressing the media. Just say "we are moving forward" and let it stand at that. Would some members of the media try and make a story even out of that? Sure, but what is a juicier story, the one that is obviously contrived out of think air or the one that centers on the manager's overly emotional reponse to a question about A-Rod?
Joe, just worry about managing the game and try and diminish the attention a story gets, not inflate that story.
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