My Take On ARod, Yankees
With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report in a couple of weeks, it is a good time to look at the upcoming season for the New York Yankees. Tied to that is the blockbuster story that has come out linking Alex Rodriguez, once again, with performance enhancing drugs. When the Yankees acquired ARod in 2004, it was believed that the Yanks were set up for another run of multiple championships. But here we are in 2013 and the boys from the Bronx have only added one championship and along the way ARod has caused plenty of controversy.
We all remember the reported feud between ARod and Derek Jeter. But that paled in comparison when it was reported in 2009 that ARod had used performance enhancing drugs. ARod, at the time, admitted using steroids but indicated that it was during the time period of 2001 through 2003. He stated that he was clean since then. At the time, I wasn't enraged at ARod. In fact, I felt like he was singled out because of who he was as there were a number of players who were named in the report but their names were never published. He was contrite and was committed to educating young baseball players about the ill-effects of steroids.
The Yankees won the World Series in 2009 and ARod seemed to be on his way to having a place in Yankee history as he led the team, particularly in the division series against the Minnesota Twins. However, if last week's reports are true, as far as I'm concerned ARod will go down as one of the biggest embarassments in the history of this storied franchise. You see, as long as Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association refuse to police itself, the whole argument about these guys being cheaters doesn't fire me up. But what does have me boiling is if these allegations are true, then ARod flat out lied to all of us. He said his use of PEDs was between 2001-2003. The recent reports allege that he was using PEDs in 2009 and beyond. In essence, he was taking us all for suckers.
How much more can this franchise take from ARod? The feud with Jeter, flirting with women in the stands during the playoffs and his much publicized dalliances with a stripper in Toronto are all incidents that the team has had to put up with but are not situations that were earth shattering. After all, there are many stories about teammates not getting along and players' extracurricular activities. But if you lie about taking a substance that enhances your ability to perform then you not only make yourself look bad but it also looks bad for the organization you work for. One has to wonder, what did the Yankees know and if they knew anything, when did they know it.
What makes it worse for the Yankees is the amount of money that they have tied up with ARod. With Hal Steinbrenner's self-imposed $189 million salary cap, the ARod contract is a killer particularly in that they don't know how he is going to recover from the recent hip surgery and if these allegations are true will he be suspended and for how long. As has been mentioned before on this blog, what compounds the problem is that the Yankee farm system is probably 2 to 3 years away before it will bear any fruit for the big club. And at the end of the 2013 season, the Yankees will have to decide what they are going to do with free agents Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson.
The Yankees still don't have a legitimate right handed hitting outfielder unless you consider Matt Diaz the answer. The signing of Travis Hafner as your left handed DH is questionable based upon Hafner's health status over the past several years. The pitching staff needs to hope that over 35 year olds, such as Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera, stay healthy.
The 2013 season looks to be a very difficult one for the Pinstripers. Many question marks and the never ending soap opera surrounding ARod. It will all begin soon enough and I can hardly wait.
Yankee Fans Deserve Answers
Yankee fans typically know that their team is committed to getting better in the off season. The team's organizational goal is to win the World Series. This has been the Yankee mission statement since George Steinbrenner bought the team 40 years ago. But this winter has been different. While the Yankee brass mouth the mission statement, their actions give fans cause for concern. So my question to Hal Steinbrenner, Lonn Trost, Randy Levine and Brian Cashman is: what's the long-term plan for this franchise??
You see for the first time since the Steinbrenner family has owned the Yankees, the team will place its own salary cap on its payroll. As Joel Sherman reported first many months ago, the Yankees have stated that they will get their payroll down to $189 million by 2014. As a result, Brian Cashman has only signed free agents to one year deals (with exception of Ichiro) thus excluding them from many outfield and third base options. This has led to the Yankees being one of the oldest teams in baseball and still having questions at catcher and who will be their right-handed hitting outfielder. Not to mention who will be their everyday DH.
Would the Yankees under George Steinbrenner be content with either Francisco Cervelli or Chris Stewart as their starting catcher. Would Matt Diaz be their right-hand hitting outfielder?? Would Russ Canzler be the answer to replace Nick Swisher?? Would Eduardo Nunez be the everyday designated hitter?? My answer to all of those questions is probably not.
New York is the toughest media market in the world. That being the case, I am asking Mike Francesa, Joel Sherman, Jack Curry, Ken Davidoff, Anthony McCarron, Mark Feinsand, George King III or Bill Madden to begin asking the question: What is the long-term plan for this franchise?? If payroll reduction is the answer, what is the plan as far as re-signing Robinson Cano? Will Curtis Granderson be re-signed or will he be traded?? When the contracts of the following players expire who will replace Hiroki Kuroda, Mariano Rivera, Kevin Youkilis, and Andy Pettite. And finally, has the Yankee mission statement changed??
As Yankee fans who have supported this team, making it the richest professional sports organization in the world, we deserve answers. We deserve to know what the long-range plan is for this team. We deserve to know what the timetable is for Mike Montgomery, Austin Romine, Gary Sanchez, Manny Banuelos and whoever else Cashman & Company want to sell us as being the next young group to lead us to the Canyon of Heroes. In my mind, its the least they can do.
Yanks Have No Choice: Sign Youkilis
With free agent third basemen going off the board and their self-imposed salary cap for 2014 on the horizon, the New York Yankees made a move that they had to make by signing former Boston Red Sox Kevin Youkilis to a one year deal for $12 million dollars. The 34 year old, who has had a history of back issues, is very familiar with playing in the pressure-filled American League East and the hope is that he will continue to perform as he did in the second half of the season for the Chicago White Sox.
We need to remember that Youkilis is a stop-gap signing. This goes beyond keeping the hot corner warm for ARod because the truth be told is that we really don't know when ARod will be back this year and what his condition will be for the remaining years of his contract. Youkilis may very well be a stop-gap fill until the Yankees are able to make a trade for a young player or bring up someone from their farm system to play third base.
An examination of Yankee prospects make it highly questionable that the likes of David Adams or Tyler Austin would be ready by 2014. In fact, when looking at positional players, the potential for homegrown kids coming to the Bronx is probably closer to 2015 which probably means that we will see more geriatric one year signings through 2014. For me, the most important thing to be watching this year won't be the AL East standings but will be following the progress of kids like Austin, Adams, Gary Sanchez, Slade Heathcott, Jose Pirela and Zolio Almonte. It would be great if one or two of these kids were able to make it to the big club at some point in 2013.
With Youkilis on the roster and the signing of Ichiro imminent, the Yankees will be one of the oldest teams in baseball. They may have enough to make the playoffs this year but I have a hard time thinking that they will have enough left in the tank to win it all. That's why I will be watching what's going on in places like Scranton and Trenton this summer as much as the Bronx.
Martin To Pirates….Now What??
Last night it was announced that Russell Martin signed a two year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for a contract worth $17 million dollars or $8.5 million dollars a year. This all happening as it was being reported that Mariano Rivera and the Yankees had agreed to a deal for the 2013 season. Interestingly enough, it was also reported that the Yankees never made an offer to Martin.
While many will say, "good let him go", the fact remains that the Yankees are now stuck with the option of using Chris Stewart, Austin Romine or Francisco Cervelli as your starting catcher. The free agent market is not conducive to where the Yankees want to be in 2014 because both Mike Napoli and AJ Pierzynski will be looking for more than a two year deal and Napoli will definitely want more than $8.5 million a year. Both of these free agents have issues as far as I'm concerned. Napoli is not an every day catcher and the Yanks have enough available DHs lying around. He also seems to fit into the current Yankee mold of hitters: home run or bust. Pierzynski is 36 years old. In my mind, even a 2 year contract for a 36 year old catcher seems to be a stretch. One also has to wonder how AJ's personality would fit in the Yankee clubhouse.
While Martin had a terrible first half of the season at the plate, he was one of the Yankees better hitters down the stretch, defensively he was solid and he could handle the pitchers well. On top of the fact that he turns 30 years old next year. This is why based upon Hal Steinbrenner's payroll edict, re-signing Martin made sense while the Yankees wait for somebody from their farm system to be ready, whether that's Romine or Sanchez.
It will now be interesting to see what the Boy Wonder Cashman will do now to fill this position. If we are to believe what the Yankees were saying that they wanted Martin back, why in the world would this have happened. $8.5 million dollars a year for 2 years for a soon to be 30 year old catcher is not unrealistic. Maybe it's because Cashman can only do one thing at a time as evidenced by his methodical signings of Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte and Rivera. Or maybe it's because the Boy Wonder is too busy preparing for once again rappelling down a building.
Ken Davidoff's article (listed below) outlines that the Yankees will need to be creative to meet Steinbrenner's edict while carrying the contracts of ARod, Teixiera and Sabathia. How the Boy Wonder handles the catching position will be the first sign of whether he has the ability to be creative. My gut tells me that he doesn't.
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/bombers_badly_need_creativity_on_OC1Bt1Pn4q8KK0VG4F10JN
All-Star Game Is Tonight: Who Cares
There was a time when the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was something special. That is why it was called the Midsummer Classic. Seeing Roberto Clemente face Jim Palmer or Mickey Mantle step in against Bob Gibson was special because unless their teams were in the World Series, you would never see these match-ups. Of course, with interleague play, its quite possible you would have seen Derek Jeter face R.A.Dickey or Joey Votto step in against Justin Verlander this year. So much for being special.
I have not watched all of the All-Star Game for years. To me it means nothing anymore. There was a time when there was a ton of pride playing for your league. Why do you think Pete Rose slams in to Ray Fosse at a play at the plate?? (Fosse was never the same after that collision). Could you see that happening tonight??
With free agency, you could be in the NL tonight and in the AL next season. Case in point: Prince Fielder. You didn't see that before as players stayed with the same team their entire career. There was pride in your league and you wanted to win the game just for that reason.
Of course, Bud Selig has tried to give the players soemthing to play for (and a reason for fans to watch) by giving the league that wins the game home-field advantage in the World Series. What a joke. In a sport with the longest schedule, excellence throughout a 162 game season means nothing. The other sports give the advantage to the team with the best record, with the exception being the Super Bowl which is played on a neutral site. Even the alternating year home-field advantage for the World Series was better that the current farce that Selig has created.
As you can tell, I won't be watching much if any of tonight's game. It really doesn't excite me and the whole home-field gimmick pisses me off. The Midsummer Classic is no more. It's just another exhibition game that has fallen into the same category as the Pro Bowl, NHL & NBA All-Star games. Too Bad.
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By the way, the fans in Kansas City are morons for booing Robbie Cano and cheering every time he didn't hit a home run. Once again, Selig screws things up. Have each league pick who will be in the Home Run Derby.
Yanks Split And Lose No Ground
The New York Yankees got a good pitching performance from Freddy Garcia in Game 1 of the split doubleheader but self-destructed in Game 2 and ended the night with a split of the twin-bill with the Red Sox. You would have thought the Yankees got swept based upon some Yankee fans after the 9-5 loss. Quite frankly, it's very difficult to win a doubleheader and you had to think that Boston was due to breakout. In fact, tonight will be a tough one as teams that usually break a losing streak win a few in a row.
With all the issues that the Yankees have had, it is impressive that they are in first place in the AL East and have the best record in baseball. All of this without their staff ace, their second best pitcher, the all-time best relief pitcher and no regular positional player having a career year. None of this means that a trip down the Canyon of Heroes is guaranteed. Plenty of things can happen between now and the end of October and regular season performances mean nothing in the playoffs. The key for the Yankees will be to win their division, have no more injuries and hopefully be firing on all cylinders heading into October. So until then, let's enjoy where the Yanks are sitting right now as we head into the All-Star break and take a chill pill if they happen not to win this evening. Remember, baseball is a marathon not a sprint.
Yankees Draw First Blood With 10-8 Win
The New York Yankees erupted for four runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Boston Red Sox 10-8 at Fenway Park. In a game that has become familiar when these two teams meet, especially at Fenway, the Yanks blew a 5-run lead and and fell behind 7-6 heading into the 7th. After Robinson Cano was called out on strikes, Mark Teixiera delivered with a long triple to center field which put the Yankees ahead 8-7. Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez added to the lead with RBI's and the team of David Robertson and Rafael Soriano held the fort to secure the victory.
The Yankee victory gives them an 8 1/2 game lead over Boston and a 5 1/2 game lead over second place Baltimore. As a fan, the length of Red Sox - Yankee games is borderline ridiculous. It makes it pretty difficult to watch. The hype build-up for these games is over the top and you really need to take a step back and realize that this is not a playoff series. The criticism of Hiroki Kuroda by some Yankee fans is not justified. Kuroda has pitched well up to last night and it was evident that he did not have his best stuff. However, he did give the Yankees nearly 6 innings which allowed Joe "The Binder" Girardi to conserve his bullpen with a doubleheader today.
A split today would be great ensuring that the Yanks could be in the same position as they were on Thursday, 7 1/2 games ahead of Boston. The key for the Yankees is to get ready for the second half of the season and not worry about their blood rivals. Freddy Garcia will start Game One and Phil Hughes will go in Game Two. Of course the late game is on FOX which means we will have to endure the authoritative duo of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.
End Of An Era
The New York Yankees suffered more than a 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals last night. They lost the one constant they have had for the last 15 years. The one advantage they have had over every team in major league baseball. When Mariano Rivera crashed into the outfield wall at Kaufmann Stadium, the greatest closer in the history of baseball probably ended his career. It shouldn't end this way but it is hard to imagine that the 42 year old first ballot hall of famer will ever pitch again. A torn ACL and meniscus is hard to overcome for a younger man let alone a 42 year old.
Rivera had it all: class and excellence. He is respected by teammates and opponents. The Yankees will never be the same and now the heat will be on to find his replacement. The obvious choice will be David Robertson. Robertson has been outstanding as the Yankees main set-up guy, a similar spot that Rivera held back in 1996 for John Wetteland. The pressure will be on this young man from Alabama. It will be his job to replace a legend, not an easy task.
This Yankee team is floundering now. The middle of the line-up, particularly Robinson Cano and Mark Teixiera, are struggling. The starting pitching is in disarray. And now the bullpen will be put to the test as their main constant is gone for the season and possibly for good. We will learn a lot about this Yankee team. Will they be able to overcome this devastating blow?? Or with an aging line-up and inconsistent starting pitching will they fade away? The way things look now, this team is in trouble and someone will need to step up and start producing.
Big Comeback Masks Yankee Pitching Problem
Twitter world was exploding around 6pm yesterday as Yankee fans were screaming for General Manager Brian Cashman's head. You see word just came out that Michael Pineda was experiencing shoulder soreness after his latest bullpen session. It is such a problem that Pineda has been shut down and was sent back to New York for an MRI to determine if he needs shoulder surgery. The news coupled with another terrible start from Freddy Garcia had Yankee fans in an uproar. As the Yankees mounted an improbable comeback, fans' attention were now focused on the big days of Mark Teixiera and Nick Swisher and the continual descent of the Boston Red Sox and their loud-mouth manager, Bobby Valentine. However, the problem still exists: the Yankee rotation is in trouble.
For those of you who have read this blog, I have continually said that with the new playoff format if you end up being a wild card team it is going to be essential that you have a deep rotation. When Cashman acquired Pineda and signed Hiroki Kuroda, I thought it was a good move. Suddenly, the Yankees had six potential starters. Then with the news that Andy Pettite was coming back, things really looked good. Well, the Yanks suddenly find themselves with major rotation problems. CC Sabathia has not been his typical self but I believe that as the weather heats up so will CC. Ivan Nova has been a saviour. The kid is a gamer and is able to get outs when he needs them. Kuroda has been up and down and one would think he will right himself based upon history. But after that, there is nothing but trouble.
Phil Hughes has not been good. His last outing gave some hope and one has to wonder if Joe "The Binder" Girardi shouldn't have taken him out of the game after he walked the leadoff batter in the sixth inning. He also was done in by a Eduardo Nunez error in the 1st inning. However, a pitcher needs to pick up a teammate in a situation like that. Freddy Garcia has been a mess since the season has started. Reports indicate that his fastball is in the low 80's and that's not going to cut it.
Yankee fans are upset with Cashman because of what is going on with Pineda. The common belief is that Pineda was damaged goods. The Yankees maintain that Pineda passed their physical and they were satisfied that he was in good shape. But we do know that like Hughes last season, Pineda came into camp out of shape. You would think that going to a new team that Pineda would want to make sure that he made a good impression and come into camp ready to go. That was not the case and now the Yankees have pitching problems.
One can only imagine what would be going on right now if The Boss were still around. There is no doubt in my mind that Cashman would be getting ripped. One has to wonder if these developments will mean that Cashman will finally allow a youngster within the Yankee farm system to have an opportunity to make it into the rotation, similar to Ivan Nova a couple of years ago and Chien-Ming Wang back in 2005.
The comeback was nice, particularly against Boston in Fenway. But it happened during a game in April against a team that is in disarray, with a bullpen that is a joke. In October, the pitching is much better and I can't remember teams in the playoffs coming back from a 9-run deficit. The Yankees have set the bar that winning it all is all that matters. Unless something turns around with the starting rotation, there will be no parade down the Canyon of Heroes this October.
2012 Yankees – Red Sox Begins Today
This afternoon at 3pm the Blood Rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will have its opening act for 2012 at 100 year old Fenway Park. In fact, today marks the actual date 100 years ago that the first game was played at Fenway. The Yankees roll into Boston with a 7-6 record after holding on last night for a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox are 4-8 and in last place in the AL East.
Like with most rivalries, records don't matter particularly this early in a long season. The scary thing for the Yankees is that they could be just what Boston needs to get on track. Tonight's pitching match-up is Ivan Nova versus Clay Buchholz. The Red Sox will be without Carl Crawford and Jacob Ellsbury and are reeling under the watchful eye of Bobby Valentine. Valentine has caused an uproar with his criticism of Kevin Youkilis.
There will be plenty of hype for this series as there usually is when these two teams meet. What you can also bank on are games lasting for four hours. I for one am not going to buy into the hype. There are 19 games between these two teams. It is too exhausting to make these games life and death. At the end of the day it's about qualifying to play in October. So everyone needs to take a chill pill. This is one series in April and the Yankees need to play well just like they need to play well in a series against Kansas City in May.
Here's hoping these games could be played under four hours.
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