Now batting the third baseman, Number ….

... Thirteen, Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez.

No, this isn’t going to be about how A-Rod is a weasel, or how his agent is a louse. Those things have been written about ad nauseum.

I was looking around the Yankee blogosphere today when I should have been working and saw something that led me to believe there’s a chance that not only will A-Rod be back at third for the Yankees next season, but that it might be for the long term AND everyone comes out saving a little face.

From Peter Abraham’s LoHud Blog:

The Yankees do in fact have the right to offer Alex Rodriguez arbitration. Cashman said they would and that they would receive compensation in the form of draft picks.

So the Yankees will have a number of picks in the first part of the draft next June.

The emphasis added there is mine.

You may be saying - yeah, and, big whoop. Well let’s hop in the Wayback Machine Mr. Peabody, back to the heady days of 2002. The Yankees have been bounced by the Angels, who went on to win the World Series and the Atlanta Braves are in the process of untangling themselves from Time Warner’s…

Well, well, what do you know?

Before the season, everybody knew the Yankees run was over as AL East Champs was over.

At the end of May, everybody knew the Yankees weren’t making the playoffs.

In mid-August, everybody knew Seattle or Detroit were going to win the Wild Card.

In mid-September, everybody knew the Yankees were going to catch the Red Sox.

In late September, everybody knew the Yankees would roll over the Indians in the playoffs.

Yesterday, everybody knew the Yankees were finished, A-Rod was opting out and Joe Torre was fired.

Tonight, all everybody knows is the Yankees swung the bats better against Cleveland’s third starter, Phil Hughes is the truth, Roger Clemens is most certainly done and, oh by the way, first pitch is 7:37 PM tomorrow at the Big Ballpark in the Bronx.

The other thing I know is, I’d give Chien-Ming Wang the ball tomorrow, with Mike Mussina ready to reprise his role from the 2003 ALCS if necessary.

Cross posted at Replacement Level Yankee Weblog

On A-Rod, Ownership and Wild Rumors

UPDATE: As several commenters pointed out, both the NY Daily News and Rob Neyer have reported it would be a violation of MLB rules for a player to be promised either a stake a club or the chance to purchase a stake in the club. Therefore, the following is pretty well useless, except for the hypothetical. - SM

Its funny that A-Rod’s contract came up over the weekend, or at least ironic. See I had been kicking around a blog entry for a while on how best to retain the services of the game’s best player and came to the same conclusion that Deadspin’s Will Leitch reports the potential, maybe future owners of the Cubs came to: Give him the keys to the kingdom.

Now, let’s first look at Rodriguez’s deal…

If he doesn’t opt out, or more to the point, if New York extends him before he opts out, the Yankees are on the hook for $50.7 million for the next three seasons (2008-10) and the balance - $21.3 million - comes from Tom Hicks’ piggy bank. For a grand total of $27 million per season.

Now, its been widely reported that superagent Scott Boras sees A-Rod as a $30+…

Jinx!

Ok, this is probably jinxing the hell out of the Yankees--for those of you who buy into that stuff, which includes me--but JC raised an interesting point:

Speaking of [Red Sox] playoff rosters… who doesn’t make the Yankees’? I’m sure eye-chart makes it, Molina makes it, Hughes probably makes it. Who’s out?

Let’s find out…

It’s been a while …

Since I have blogged about the Yankees, for obvious reasons, and after thinking about it I cannot shake the words of one of the more underappreciated philosophers of our time that I think encapsulates what has been going on with the Yankees this season:

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

Those words were, of course, spoken by none other than the immortal Mike Tyson, and they really ring true. The Bombers has spent the better part of a month now getting punched in the mouth, and I have to assume that they, like most Yankee fans, are little bruised in the ego for it.

Coming in, the plan looked solid: Cano may slip a bit, but would still be solid, Abreu would be something between New York Bobby and Philly Bobby, A-Rod would have a monster season, the bullpen, newly retooled with Luis Vizcaino and a now trusted Brian Bruney, would be better, the rotation though older would hold together; trades of old guys for young arms would get the team younger and more flexible even as they compete for another title.

The plan started to go awry when Wang got nicked in spring training, then…

That’ll do, A-Rod. That’ll do.

For the better part of three seasons, right-thinking Yankee fans felt they had to defend him. Stick up for him. Protect him.

“It takes everyone a while to get comfortable.”
“He does get big hits, they’re just early is all.”
“All the boos get into his head, but he’s still a great player.”

I think those days might be behind us.

For the second time in 12 days, Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez hit a two-out, bottom of the ninth walk-off bomb to centerfield.

So far in ‘07, the one-time most hated man in pinstripes is hitting .351/.418/.965 with 10 (TEN!) home runs and 26 RBIs.

Paces are retarded at this point in the season, but in case you were curious, A-Rod’s on pace to hit 116 home runs and drive in 301 runs.

It’s unbelievable. He’s so locked in right now, I think he could (but he won’t) go 0-fer-Boston this weekend and still feel a little soft glow from the Yankee faithful. He’s gotten a hit in all 14 games this year, and an extra-base hit in 13 of those. To co-opt Vince Carter’s description - “he’s half man, half amazing!”

Hell, just read around the blogosphere about A-Rod.

Steve @…

Count the Rings™ Looks forward to the 2007 Yankees

In typical Yankee fashion – we here at BTF and Count the Rings™ can’t develop out own talent for anything … so what do we do come preview time? We assemble a bunch of all-stars from elsewhere in the blogosphere. That’s just how we roll.

We did this last year under the premise that no team is more projected and examined than the Yankees, so why not get some completely subjective opinions on the team. If you want objective analysis, got to the old Replacement Level Yankee Weblog and look at SG’s stuff. It’s just wonderful.

As for this preview, let’s look at who’s joining me today:

First, Mike A. and Joseph P. from the new, but fabulous www.riveraveblues.com; then we have Richard Barbieri, from CTR, Replacement Level and author of the Hardball Times’ wonderful This Annotated Week in Baseball History column; the at times irascible, yet always amazing Steve Lombardi from www.waswatching.com and finally SG and Larry Mahnken from the recently redecorated Replacement Level Yankee Weblog, which can be found at www.replacementlevel.com.

So be nice to the panel, and feel free to call us fanboys, homers, haters, or whatever, just don’t call us late to first pitch. And without further…

Minor Yankee Blog

i just wanted to point out Fabian McNally’s excellent Minor Yankee Blog on Larry’s RLYW network.

It has nearly daily recaps of all levels of the Yankee minor league system, with certain prospects highlighted.  It should be a daily stop for every Yankee fan.

I hope this gets noticed, because I can’t seem to get it in the blogpen window on the front page.

The Yankees and MLB: Penny wise and Pound foolish…

... and taxing the poor too.

Now, fair warning, I’m getting on my high horse here, and not about the sorry state of the Yankees starting pitchers (plenty of other folks are already taking note, but I’m not that concerned given: its April and the games were apparently played inside a snow globe above the arctic circle).

I was sort of knocking around the office and saw a press release tinkle across the wires titled: “Scientific Games and 12 State Lotteries Launch Major League Baseball Instant Games.”

Now, leaving aside they aren’t launching, they are expanding (after a pilot last year) this abomination, I have to ask? Why aren’t more people coming out and saying “What the hell?”

Let me be upfront, I have nothing against lotteries - they are a fine thing for some people, but they are a “tax” on people who usually can ill afford it - especially the type of lotteries these games will be: instant scratchers.

So, there’s that unsavoriness, but there’s the larger picture to think of as well. Baseball posts Rule 21(d) in every clubhouse. We wag fingers about stories A-Rod and his poker. We shake our heads at what might have been with,…

Happy Yankee Day!

Well, technically, Yankee Day isn’t until tomorrow but what the hell.

What is Yankee Day?  Well, two of the most significant events in the history of the franchise occurred on Jan. 3, so if there was going to be a national holiday celebrating the franchise, this would probably be it.

What are those events?

In 1973, George Steinbrenner bought the team from CBS for $10 million - a sum that astounds me, even with inflation, which is probably the most significant event of the modern era.

Moving back a bit, in 1919, New York acquired LHP/OF George Herman Ruth for cash considerations from the Boston Red Sox - most definitely the most significant event of its time, not just for the franchise, probably for the game.

So take time out to remember Jan. 3, it’s been good to the Yankees over the years.

The date might also be significant in 2007 if the rumored Randy Johnson trade goes down tomorrow. I’m ambivalent on the deal - the Yanks paid a heavy price for the Unit before the 2005 season, and he’s been inconsistent (to put it mildly) in his time in New York. I always kinda liked Johnson, so I wanted…

The Dog Ate My Blog

No seriously… Okay, not seriously, but it makes for a better title than “Blogger’s block” or “Job” as far as excuses for not having a post up since the wreckage that was the American League Division Series.

In that time, the Yanks have done quite a bit that I like, and with the exception of some minor tweaks and fidgets, the 2007 Yankees are fairly well set.

Coming into the offseason, New York’s roster was heavy at least two outfielders – a problem the team half-rectified with the trade of Gary Sheffield to Detroit.

Now, there’s a lot of risk in dealing Sheff. He was a solid producer in the middle of the order and the prospect of Angry Gary making an appearance in the postseason with another team is not a happy one for me. Also, while I like Humberto Sanchez’s upside, his injury history makes me nervous and I’m always a bit suspect of minor league relievers, although people who pay more attention to prospects than I think Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett are pretty good, so who knows.

All I know is getting something of value to someone for a malcontented Sheffield was a neat trick.

However, it…

Tough spot

Today’s loss puts the Yankees in a tough spot, no doubt about it. And what makes things worse is they didn’t have to lose it.

Two Detroit runs were aided by balls skipping past Posada (a wild pitch in the fifth and a passed ball on the decisive run in the seventh).

Jeter handed Justin Verlander a free out in the first after a Johnny Damon single and just two days after he went 5-for-5. Sometimes being a good leader means being a bit selfish, Captain. Swing the damn bat.

All in all it was a nondescript game, where the Yanks looked pretty flat.

A lot is going to made of A-Rod’s three strikeouts today – but let’s try to take a somewhat objective look here (the speed and location features of the new MLB GameDay are sweet, by the way.).

In the first, Rodriguez took healthy cuts at a pair of 98 mph heaters from Verlander with the bases drunk with Yan-kees … and then the rookie dropped a 73 mph hammer curve on him. He just had no chance – then again, neither did any other carbon-based life form.

In the fifth, Verlander got him again – this time…

Taking Stock

I think most analysts and fans were pretty bullish on the Yankees going into tonight’s game, and there wasn’t much to dispute those feelings, however let’s take a look at what we saw tonight.

BUY

Derek Jeter
While he’s not as clutcherrific as the sycophant mediots would tell us, he does have a flair for the dramatic. Five-for-five with three extra-base hits, two doubles and a dinger, and three runs scored counts as a good day at the office.

On the defensive side, he participated in two double plays and made all the plays you hope your shortstop makes.

He did get caught stealing on a night when Jason Giambi swiped a bag, but in his defense, it appeared to be a busted hit-and-run.

Jason Giambi
Got plunked twice, but hit a bomb that McCarver believed was a “routine” flyball in the decisive five-run third.

Bobby Abreu
A pair of two-run knocks – a double and a single – in his first meaningful postseason experience.

Chien-Ming Wang
Was cruising until Joe foolishly took him out with two down in the seventh (he’d retired six in a row to that point). Four punchouts, three times as many grounders as flyouts – all…

Here kitty, kitty . . .

So here we are again, 12 straight playoff appearances and it doesn’t really ever get old.

I’ve seen the sentiment captured many places – but Alex Belth said it best in a pinch-hitting appearance on Deadspin.com:

[A]fter losing star players like Godzilla Matsui and Gary Sheffield early in the year—not to mention All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano for six weeks—the Bronx Bombers became, if not exactly underdogs, then at least not exactly the favorites anymore.

Well, I think those times are behind us now and to consider the Yankees anything but, at worst, co-favorites to win not just the American League pennant, but the World Series, is probably not wise.

To wit, just feast your eyes on the Bombers’ Game One lineup (courtesy Peter Abraham’s transcendent blog)

Johnny Damon leads off, plays center;
Derek Jeter hits second, plays short;
Bobby Abreu hits third, plays right;
Gary Sheffield cleanup, first base;
Jason Giambi five-hole, DH;
A-Rod is the greatest No. 6 hitter of all time, plays third;
Hideki Matsui hits seventh, plays left;
Jorge Posada catches, hits eighth; and
Cano, he of the .340 batting average hits last, plays second.

Anything can happen in baseball – that’s what makes it great –…

In the clinch

Though it wasn’t the way anyone wanted. The Yanks lost to Toronto - although going into the Henn-Halladay matchup, it wasn’t all that surprising.

However, in Boston, the Twins were kicking Boston while they are down giving the Bombers their ninth straight division title.

In the postgame celebration, several of the older guys - Jeter and (shockingly) Randy Johnson - gave the standard company line about not being satisfied, but it was clear from some of the pictures and video that guys like Melky and Cano who haven’t been there seemingly a million times before were reveling in the moment.

I say good, this was supposed to be the Yankee team that finally got passed by Boston, and for awhile it looked bleak. Sheffield and Matsui got hurt, Randy Johnson was ineffective for much of the season, ARod has his struggles (and recoveries) and for a while Boston looked like it might just dethrone the Bombers.

But guys like Melky and Scott Proctor emerged as huge parts of this team. Derek Jeter has had his best season since 1999. Jason Giambi, while not hitting for the high average he produced in his salad days was a terrifically productive player. Brian Cashman…

Roster Construction:  The Post Season

So, with the Yankees well on the way to their now record eleventy billionth division title in a row, lets look at the post season roster. 

Catching Up

So it’s been a week since the Yankees swept Boston to start a 10-day, 11-game road trip.

What have we learned?

Well, we learned that West Coast trips are a biatch. And a cold, hard one at that. A 2-4 trip, a slumping A-Rod, Giambi being pulled from games due to what can only be described as exhaustion, Melky’s growing pains (in his mouth, not in his game) and in general a team that needed a day off more desperately than just about anything.

The Yankees’ only saving grace this past week is that Boston was also getting its lunch handed to it on the left coast, throwing up a similarly putrid 2-4 record. Good job gaining some of that ground back, fellas!

Speaking of that Boston series, while it was great and all, let’s not forget that Yankee pitching surrendered about five runs a game (a pace they bettered in Seattle and Anaheim, Los Angeles, ugh, Southern California). So while it was nice, life is not all wine and roses.

The Tigers come into to town having dropped seven of their last 10 games for a three-game set to start a six-game home stand that also features the scalding hot…

Our Bullpen is Next

From the Elias Sports Bureau, via the Daily News, Proctor leads all relievers in baseball with 1,263 pitches this season, and Ron Villone is third on the list with 1,211.

The Yanks need an easy September, and they need to use some of those young arms a little bit more.  Beam, Karstens, that dude from Arizona, Veres.  Everyone on the 40 man should be here in September, everyone. 

Roster Gymnastics

The Yanks have made a couple minor moves in the last couple days to prepare for Armageddon.

* Lidle goes to the bereavement list to attend his grandmother’s funeral, so righty Brian Bruney comes up at least until Lidle’s scheduled start on Monday.

* Peter Abraham of the Journal News (who’s blog should be required reading), reports that Andy Phillips felt a “little tweak” during yesterday’s game and “in a stunning development” has been placed on the 15-day DL. T.J. Beam replaces him on the roster.

Phillips hadn’t played much since they acquired Craig Wilson (who is what most of us thought Phillips could grow up into) so he’s a superfluous part. By putting him on the DL, they free up a roster spot, which they would have had to DFA him to do otherwise. Phillips will be eligible to return after the Sept. 1 roster expansion, so he’ll at least finish the year as a Yankee. Beyond that though, I think we may be seeing the last of ol’ Andy.

So, with all that, here’s what the roster looks like:

SP - Wang, Ponson, Johnson, Moose, Wright (resting) (5)
RP - Villone, Myers, Bruney, Dotel, Beam, Proctor, Farnsworth, Mo (8)…

The Trenton Clippard!

Tyler Clippard, called “the most controversial Yankee prospect in all the land” by some guy with a great last name, tossed a no-hit shutout against the Harrisburg Senators tonight.

The Sens are an okay minor league team, Kory Casto might grow up to be a player, but the rest of the squad is decidedly “eh.” It is worth noting that actual major league all-star Jose Vidro was in the lineup and took and 0-for-3 with a walk, so I guess that’s something.

Clippard fanned nine and walked four. Eric Duncan drove in two, tripled and played third (guess the ongoing adventures of Yip-Rod have the brass scared). Overall good night for Yankee prospects.

Those of you expecting me to write about the Boston thing… I’m too much of a wreck too beyond these few thoughts:

* They are the living embodiment of the phrase “backing into a big series.” Right now, I’d be happy just not to be swept.
* Though sad, the death of Cory Lidle’s grandmother is a bit of a blessing because it allows the Yanks to add an arm without losing an active body.
* Posada, well really the entire roster, better remember their hitting shoes. They…

Dotel Lives!

ESPN is reporting that Octavio Dotel has been activated for tonight’s game… Jose Veras is back on his way to Columbus to continue his pursuit of Colter Bean’s record for games pitched for the Clippers.

If Dotel is say, 85% of what he was pre-surgery, this can pretty much shorten the game to five or six innings.

Get a lead after five, then go Villone, Dotel, Proctor, Farnsworth and Mo (sounds like a typical Jaret Wright start) and it gives Joe a little more flexibility to not go to his over-worked horses so much.

All hail our new VilDoProFarnsMo™! overlords!

Oh, and Pavano and Rasner both pitched well in rehab outings earlier this week, and Jeff Karstens was mysteriously pulled early from a start last night (probably to reinforce the staff going into the five-game Series of Doom).  Sheffield took infield at first and threw the other day and expects to be back within a month… Matsui? Your guess is as good as mine.

Listen to Phil Hughes

Phil Hughes is carving up the JV’s AA team today… in progress 4-0 Thunder.

LISTEN HERE

Ouchie Report

The various Yankee notebooks in the paps today had a bunch of injury updates in them, so rather than play favorites, here’s a quick rundown.

Robinson Cano: He’s scheduled to play for the GCL Yankees today, his first rehab game.  If things go well, he’ll shuttle up to Trenton for another and could rejoin the team in Chicago next week.

Carl “Remember Me” Pavano: I’ve been a bit puzzled at the YES dugout shots that show Pavano on the bench, yukking it up (and even more puzzled that he was wearing one of those short-sleeve windbreaker jacket things. Dude, its balls hot out there!). However, it appears it was with good reason. Pavano tossed 40 pitches in the bullpen yesterday and then threw 45 pitches to Bubba Crosby and Nick Green “without a screen in front of him,” according to the Daily News. Pavano and Torre differ on his progress – Carl says he wants to be back by the end of the month, Torre says rehab starts could begin then.

The curious thing to me is that Crosby and Green hit at Glass Carl without a screen to protect him. What does that say about the Yanks confidence in their…

The dog ate my blog…

Shamed by Darren and co. over at Sox Therapy I thought it was time to fire up the CTR again, mostly with some random thoughts, Gammons-style. (And Mike Crudale.)

It’s time to give some PTI-style “dap” to Chien-Ming Wang. He’s a total and complete freak of nature. He throws in the mid-90s, and tonight according to YES he was throwing in the high 90s, yet he strikes almost nobody out.

In 156 innings, Wang has just 48 strikeouts against just 39 walks. With numbers like that you’d expect him to get killed. But tonight he threw eight shutout innings (running his scoreless streak to 18 total innings), inducing 15 ground ball outs, and a couple of soft liners that were caught by infielders. That’s just crazy.

Going into tonight’s 7-2 win versus Toronto, Wang carried an ERA of 3.77 – it now stands at 3.58. He’s leading the AL in groundball percentage at 64.6%, and almost amazingly 72% of the time when the opposition puts it play against Wang, the maligned Yankee defense turns it into outs.

Now before I get accused of putting Wang on the fast track to Cooperstown, let me say that its well-documented that guys who strike…

The weird intersection of sports, politics and baseball

OK, this is a totally out-of-leftfield rumor, that I suspect there’s roughly a 5% chance of being true, but it could have some interesting ramifications on the baseball world.

Several Web sites of a conservative bent (National Review, Red State) and subsequently the gossip blog Wonkette are tossing out a rumor that former pitching prospect, and current Cuban potentate Fidel Castro is dead. One site surmising that if he were to die, relations with the island baseball factory could be normalized within days.

IF (and its a huge if) Castro is dead and IF (and even bigger if) the trade restrictions with Cuba are lifted, this potentially could be HUGE for MLB… think of it, less than a month to the trade deadline and about six weeks to the postseason roster/waiver deadline and the Yankees could be shopping for Yulieski Gourriel and friends…

Keeping in mind this is probably a complete sham - no media has yet to pick up on it - but money we got, players to trade not so much… this could potentially be a big thing for the Bombers (and other teams too).

Just for giggles, here’s the Cuban stats from the WBC. Ahhh, perchance to dream…

Due Theory

From my faded, foggy memories of playing, I remember something called to “due theory,” if you were in a slump or hitting a rough patch - eventually things turn around.

The Yanks were due for a break… 30% of what could have been a 1,000 run offense is on the shelf… two of the health bodies are dealing with serious nicks (a foot and a hand to be specific) and the most envied man in baseball (for contract and genetics-related reasons) was feeling the pressure.

Maybe all of that might turn… an off day tomorrow, the Mets coming into town after that and Alex Rodriguez announcing to the world and specifically to Jorge Sosa: I AM CLUTCH YOU SONOFABITCH!

When Jeter went through his horrible slump, my dad said something smart: “If you’re a .320 hitter and you hit .180 for a month, the league better start to chuck and duck.” Call it a hunch, but AL hurlers - consider yourselves warned.

2006 Defensive Ratings through June 22

Battle of Thermopylae v.2006?

When I was a freshmen in college I had this great professor - Dr. Anderson - who I took as many of classes as I could from, including a major course on Ancient Greece.

Now Anderson, who was a British fellow but as I recall a pretty big Orioles fan (appropos of nothing), talked about this movie The 300 Spartans all the time when talking about Thermopylae.

For those who don’t know much about history, at Thermopylae Leonidas, the king of Sparta, ordered his men to hold off the advancing Persian armies of Xerxes.

Hopelessly outmanned, the roughly 300 Spartans, backed by a few thousand other Greeks from varying polises around the pennisula held off literally millions (so writes Herodotus) of Persians for several days (most of it just waiting for the Persians to attack) before succumbing and being overtaken.

However, the week of prelude and battle gave the Athenian navy time to prepare and eventually they defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis.

I thought of that as Jeter “jump threw” from deep in the hole tonight to nail Lowell at first.

The Yankees, banged up this series (no Sheffield in the first game, no Damon tonight, Posada having…

Yankee Transactions:  DL’ed Everyone, Called up Everyone

Since all of the Clipper outfielders in the Boogie Down, what is Columbus doing?

Kevin Thompson has a sore hammy, or he would have gotten the call over Terrence Long (and Reese too).

Posada is Teh Awesome.

I can not believe there is not already a 300 post thread on this game.  I watched the replay on the mlb.tv this morning.  As impressive as the homer was, I was much more impressed with Jorge blocking the plate.