With Roger Clemens headed to Capitol Hill, we'll be seeing a media circus from now until the whole thing is over, which may take several months.
I agree with Buster Olney, that no matter what happens, Clemens's reputation is toast. And the way the Hall of Fame voters are treating Mark McGwire, there's a good chance that Clemens will not be voted into the HOF.
So Pettitte may get dragged into the whole mess, and who knows who else will be involved.
Although Clemens is done with baseball, it'll be interesting to see if this effects the Junkees in '08. I'm not a big believer in the idea that this off-the-field distraction will lead to Yankee losses, but one never knows.
What a way to start the Hank Steinbrenner era!
Showing posts with label Roger Clemens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roger Clemens. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2008
Friday, November 02, 2007
Hey Ca$hman, All Your PR Moves Have Been Busts!
Manny made a great point about Guidry a while back, and that is, when you get a guy for PR, it might put a few fannies in the seats, but it's usually a disaster for the team.
Come to think of it, almost all of Old York's PR moves have been horrid.
Johnny Damon: Got him because he was a star for the Red Sox who beat the Junkees with that huge Game 7 home run in the 2004 ALCS. Well, he slugged a robust .396 this year. He's got no arm, and the Junkees would love to dump him for 2008, but is any team dumb enough to pick him up? I think not.
Shemp: Okay, so you get some Japanese gelt, but the guy has not lived up to his reputation as Godzilla (except maybe to Harold Moskowitz, AKA John Sterling), save for 2004 when he smashed 31 homers. Another guy who can't field, creating a logjam at DH with he, Damon, and Giambi.
Miguel Cairo: Ca$hman loves bringing ex-Yankees back, and the fact that he played for the Mets added more to his PR value. Lucky for them Snorre gave him only 107 at bats, so that his .626 OPS didn't totally kill them. But again, he had one good year (2004 - .292 batting average in 122 games), so he's a beloved figure in the Bronx.
Doug Smith (Mientkiewicz): Ex-Met, played for Boston, funny last name - that is awesome PR. Only a September surge saved him from an otherwise abysmal season.
Roger Clemens: No comment necessary.
Well, let this be a lesson for the Junkees. Perhaps when the Mets give Ringo $15 million to hit .250 they'll learn their lesson, too.
Then again, the more PR Ca$hman does, the better it is for me.
Come to think of it, almost all of Old York's PR moves have been horrid.
Johnny Damon: Got him because he was a star for the Red Sox who beat the Junkees with that huge Game 7 home run in the 2004 ALCS. Well, he slugged a robust .396 this year. He's got no arm, and the Junkees would love to dump him for 2008, but is any team dumb enough to pick him up? I think not.
Shemp: Okay, so you get some Japanese gelt, but the guy has not lived up to his reputation as Godzilla (except maybe to Harold Moskowitz, AKA John Sterling), save for 2004 when he smashed 31 homers. Another guy who can't field, creating a logjam at DH with he, Damon, and Giambi.
Miguel Cairo: Ca$hman loves bringing ex-Yankees back, and the fact that he played for the Mets added more to his PR value. Lucky for them Snorre gave him only 107 at bats, so that his .626 OPS didn't totally kill them. But again, he had one good year (2004 - .292 batting average in 122 games), so he's a beloved figure in the Bronx.
Doug Smith (Mientkiewicz): Ex-Met, played for Boston, funny last name - that is awesome PR. Only a September surge saved him from an otherwise abysmal season.
Roger Clemens: No comment necessary.
Well, let this be a lesson for the Junkees. Perhaps when the Mets give Ringo $15 million to hit .250 they'll learn their lesson, too.
Then again, the more PR Ca$hman does, the better it is for me.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Yankee Fans Praying For Jeremy Giambi
The Yanks have been here before. In 2001, the Yanks were down 2-0 to the A's in the ALDS. Then came a Derek Jeter play for the ages, with a little help from Jeremy Giambi. Thanks to a Posada homer, the Yanks eked out a 1-0 win. After that, the Yanks won two more en route to shocking the A's.
But most fans forget that the difference-maker that game was Mike Mussina. Moose's postseason record is mostly disappointing (5-7 as a Yankee), but he pitched the game of his life that night, shutting down an A's offense featuring Tejada, Chavez, and the well-juiced duo of Jason and Jeremy Giambi.
Tomorrow night, the Yanks do not have Moose in his prime going for them. They have Roger Clemens, a Clemens way past his prime. The Yanks have no idea what they're gonna get from the guy. His career ERA in ALDS games is 4.36. The last time he pitched a must-win game in pinstripes, he did not get the job done. It was Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, and he did a lousy job (3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER), only to be redeemed by Grady Little and Aaron Boone.
But the biggest thing going for the Yankees is that ex-Yankee Jake Westbrook is a far cry from the 2001 version of Barry Zito. He got pounded by the Yanks this year (12.46 ERA in two starts), and the Indians will have to keep hitting if they want to wrap this thing up. They've batted .329 in the first two games, and if they keep that going, they should have no problem sending Joe Torre and Co. to the golf course.
- To the commenters: The 22-0 Indians win took place in 2004.
- A telltale sign that Joba still hasn't fully grasped the Yankee way:
"They bugged me, but you have to deal with it," Chamberlain said. "I will never make an excuse. I let my guys down."
I'm sure he got a good talking-to from Mike Mussina and Torre after that one. Real Yankees make excuses.
But most fans forget that the difference-maker that game was Mike Mussina. Moose's postseason record is mostly disappointing (5-7 as a Yankee), but he pitched the game of his life that night, shutting down an A's offense featuring Tejada, Chavez, and the well-juiced duo of Jason and Jeremy Giambi.
Tomorrow night, the Yanks do not have Moose in his prime going for them. They have Roger Clemens, a Clemens way past his prime. The Yanks have no idea what they're gonna get from the guy. His career ERA in ALDS games is 4.36. The last time he pitched a must-win game in pinstripes, he did not get the job done. It was Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, and he did a lousy job (3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER), only to be redeemed by Grady Little and Aaron Boone.
But the biggest thing going for the Yankees is that ex-Yankee Jake Westbrook is a far cry from the 2001 version of Barry Zito. He got pounded by the Yanks this year (12.46 ERA in two starts), and the Indians will have to keep hitting if they want to wrap this thing up. They've batted .329 in the first two games, and if they keep that going, they should have no problem sending Joe Torre and Co. to the golf course.
- To the commenters: The 22-0 Indians win took place in 2004.
- A telltale sign that Joba still hasn't fully grasped the Yankee way:
"They bugged me, but you have to deal with it," Chamberlain said. "I will never make an excuse. I let my guys down."
I'm sure he got a good talking-to from Mike Mussina and Torre after that one. Real Yankees make excuses.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Bats Slowing Down? - Mariners 7, Yankees 1
Clemens is gonna miss a start? What were the odds of that happening? After dominating the Red Sox last week, the 45-year old version of Roger Clemens came back. And Mussina didn't look much younger following him up. King Felix kept the Yankee bats at bay, and Seattle broke a losing streak with a big win.
Key here is, Seattle now can't lose much ground in the series. Even if the Yanks win the next two, they'll still be only 3 games out. Yanks now face a couple of must-win games, or else their October slot will once again be in jeopardy.
- In the past seven days, only one team has had a worse average than the Yanks (.235) - the Giants at .215. Key guys are struggling, such as Damon (4-last 24, .167), Abreu (4-25, .160), and Matsui (4-25). Cano had 2 homers in the Yanks win last Thursday, but aside from that, he's 2 for his last 21.
The Yankee bats were hot all summer, but it was inevitable that they'd slow down. And that just might doom their playoff hopes.
Key here is, Seattle now can't lose much ground in the series. Even if the Yanks win the next two, they'll still be only 3 games out. Yanks now face a couple of must-win games, or else their October slot will once again be in jeopardy.
- In the past seven days, only one team has had a worse average than the Yanks (.235) - the Giants at .215. Key guys are struggling, such as Damon (4-last 24, .167), Abreu (4-25, .160), and Matsui (4-25). Cano had 2 homers in the Yanks win last Thursday, but aside from that, he's 2 for his last 21.
The Yankee bats were hot all summer, but it was inevitable that they'd slow down. And that just might doom their playoff hopes.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Clemens Gets Hammered - White Sox 13, Yankees 9
I was watching the Red Sox game today, and Jerry Remy said, "word from New York is that Roger Clemens didn't get the same reception from the fans that he got when he announced he was coming back."
It was great to see Clem get hammered. Not sure which pitcher I most enjoy seeing get knocked out early, but this year, it's probably Clemens, especially with all the money he's making.
The Yankee offense almost bailed him out, but Karstens and Farnsworth made sure that wouldn't happen. And both the Red Sox and Indians win, pushing the Yanks back a game in each category.
Another joke series this weekend coming up against KC, followed by a quasi-joke in Toronto, and then Cleveland, Detroit, and the Angels will tell us whether the Yanks have a shot.
It was great to see Clem get hammered. Not sure which pitcher I most enjoy seeing get knocked out early, but this year, it's probably Clemens, especially with all the money he's making.
The Yankee offense almost bailed him out, but Karstens and Farnsworth made sure that wouldn't happen. And both the Red Sox and Indians win, pushing the Yanks back a game in each category.
Another joke series this weekend coming up against KC, followed by a quasi-joke in Toronto, and then Cleveland, Detroit, and the Angels will tell us whether the Yanks have a shot.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Can't Panic Yet - Yankees 6, Blue Jays 1
At the break, I was worried about the Yankees and their soft schedule. Well so far, they're 6-1 since the all-star break, and they're 7 out of the division and 6 from the wild card.
And tonight was a solid win. Clemens gave up nine hits and had only three Ks, but 1 run in 6 innings is very good. And he's gotten his ERA down from 5.32 to 3.88. A-Rod put the Yanks up front, and they didn't look back.
One positive from this game: 4 walks from the bullpen. Let's face it - nobody is reliable in the pen this year. Even Mariano is no longer Mr. Automatic - batters are hitting .247 off Rivera - not bad, but it's his highest since '95. (His career BAA is .215.) Sometimes I think I'd rather see the Yanks get a first baseman than a guy like Otsuka or Gagne - their pen is very shaky.
As I said in a comment, I'm not worrying until the Red Sox lead is cut to 4. Obviously, the past few days have stunk - the Yanks have won three against the Jays, and the Sox lost two of three to KC. But the Yanks still have their fair share of question-marks, especially the bullpen, the bench, and whether Abreu and Matsui will stay hot. And I'm hoping this streak fades as quickly as the one in May did.
And tonight was a solid win. Clemens gave up nine hits and had only three Ks, but 1 run in 6 innings is very good. And he's gotten his ERA down from 5.32 to 3.88. A-Rod put the Yanks up front, and they didn't look back.
One positive from this game: 4 walks from the bullpen. Let's face it - nobody is reliable in the pen this year. Even Mariano is no longer Mr. Automatic - batters are hitting .247 off Rivera - not bad, but it's his highest since '95. (His career BAA is .215.) Sometimes I think I'd rather see the Yanks get a first baseman than a guy like Otsuka or Gagne - their pen is very shaky.
As I said in a comment, I'm not worrying until the Red Sox lead is cut to 4. Obviously, the past few days have stunk - the Yanks have won three against the Jays, and the Sox lost two of three to KC. But the Yanks still have their fair share of question-marks, especially the bullpen, the bench, and whether Abreu and Matsui will stay hot. And I'm hoping this streak fades as quickly as the one in May did.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Lousy Pitching, Yankees Win Anyway, Beat D-Rays 7-6.
I know it's sour grapes, but the Yankees were able to fiest on lousy Tampa Bay pitching for most of this series. Sure, they couldn't pull out a win when Clemens pitched a stinker on Friday, but on Sunday they did just enough to win. But come on, Edwin Jackson was not beating the Yankees.
It's never good when the Yankees win, but Mussina was spotty as usual, and the bullpen nearly gave the D-Rays a win with Villone stinking up the joint, and Farnsworthless reverting to form.
On Saturday you had Wang do the same as Mussina, 3 earned runs in 6 innings. I don't care that people call that a quality start. A 4.50 ERA doesn't cut it.
Clemens, of course, got rocked on Friday, with 5 earned runs in 5.1 innings. Another start or two like this and he ought to go the way of Julio Franco. Ah, all those fans who got pumped about two decent outings in a row....
So out of four games, they got only one good start, and that was from Andy Pettitte. What you have to take out of this is that a team that has even mediocre pitching will eat up these type of performances. Old York was lucky that as bad as their arms were, Tampa Bay's were worse. To put things in perpective, the D-Rays are dead last in ERA in the majors with a (gulp!) 5.80 mark. The second worst? The Texas Rangers at 5.05. Wow.
If these were all 5-0 games, I'd be way more paranoid. But the way they played this weekend gives me hope.
It's never good when the Yankees win, but Mussina was spotty as usual, and the bullpen nearly gave the D-Rays a win with Villone stinking up the joint, and Farnsworthless reverting to form.
On Saturday you had Wang do the same as Mussina, 3 earned runs in 6 innings. I don't care that people call that a quality start. A 4.50 ERA doesn't cut it.
Clemens, of course, got rocked on Friday, with 5 earned runs in 5.1 innings. Another start or two like this and he ought to go the way of Julio Franco. Ah, all those fans who got pumped about two decent outings in a row....
So out of four games, they got only one good start, and that was from Andy Pettitte. What you have to take out of this is that a team that has even mediocre pitching will eat up these type of performances. Old York was lucky that as bad as their arms were, Tampa Bay's were worse. To put things in perpective, the D-Rays are dead last in ERA in the majors with a (gulp!) 5.80 mark. The second worst? The Texas Rangers at 5.05. Wow.
If these were all 5-0 games, I'd be way more paranoid. But the way they played this weekend gives me hope.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Listless Twins Lose: Junkees 5, Twins 1
Well, the Red Sox won, so the lead stays 11.
That said, the Twins were listless. They were swinging early in the count, not hitting the ball hard ... either Clemens was incredible or Minny just didn't have it.
But I'm not here to make excuses for the Twins. Yes, they played a night game in Detroit and came in late, but they could have done better.
Only thing good was Shemp going 0-4. He's been in a tremendous slump, 3 for his last 26. But they won, so today's not the day to give them a hard time about re-signing him a year ago. It's like Julio Lugo in Boston. Major bust, but with the team up 11 games, no one's going to go too crazy.
Charlie Brown gave up a pair of hits in his one inning of work. Thirty hits in 31 innings is pretty human.
But the big story is Clemens. If he pitches this well each time out, that'll be pretty scary. This could have been a fluke, and perhaps his previous two starts are more indicative of how he'll do from here on out. We'll wait and see.
So not much to get excited about. The tragic number for the AL East is 72, so we'll keep an eye on that.
That said, the Twins were listless. They were swinging early in the count, not hitting the ball hard ... either Clemens was incredible or Minny just didn't have it.
But I'm not here to make excuses for the Twins. Yes, they played a night game in Detroit and came in late, but they could have done better.
Only thing good was Shemp going 0-4. He's been in a tremendous slump, 3 for his last 26. But they won, so today's not the day to give them a hard time about re-signing him a year ago. It's like Julio Lugo in Boston. Major bust, but with the team up 11 games, no one's going to go too crazy.
Charlie Brown gave up a pair of hits in his one inning of work. Thirty hits in 31 innings is pretty human.
But the big story is Clemens. If he pitches this well each time out, that'll be pretty scary. This could have been a fluke, and perhaps his previous two starts are more indicative of how he'll do from here on out. We'll wait and see.
So not much to get excited about. The tragic number for the AL East is 72, so we'll keep an eye on that.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Bedard Shuts 'Em Down - Orioles 4, Yankees 0
Even with Boston getting swept in Seattle, it's still a good day, as the Yanks looked lousy on both the pitching and hitting ends. Clemens is looking like an $18 million bust, with the ERA now up to 5.32. Hey, Cashman, Tyler Clippard gives you the same thing for a fraction of the price.
And the hitting was horrible as well. After Abreu got the A-Rod treatment last night, he got moved to sixth tonight, and is now in a 3-25 (.120) funk. When he had a hot streak a few weeks ago, I felt like an idiot for comparing him to David Justice in '01. But after his average has dipped from the .270s to a bad .256, the guy still looks lost out there.
And Matsui is struggling too, 3-24 in the last week (.125). Between those two holes in the lineup, plus the joke at 1B and DH, it's no wonder the Yanks are a mess right now.
- In 2005, we thought the Yanks were done. But they were much closer to the playoffs than these guys. Here's a look at the standings two years ago and today:
2005: Yankees 39-37, 5.5 GB, 3 WGB
2007: Yankees 36-39, 11 GB, 8 WGB
After this date, the Yanks had the best record in the game, going 56-30 (.651 WP) the rest of the way. And even then, they were only able to tie Boston for the division.
The way this team is going, they're not playing .650 till the year's over.
And the hitting was horrible as well. After Abreu got the A-Rod treatment last night, he got moved to sixth tonight, and is now in a 3-25 (.120) funk. When he had a hot streak a few weeks ago, I felt like an idiot for comparing him to David Justice in '01. But after his average has dipped from the .270s to a bad .256, the guy still looks lost out there.
And Matsui is struggling too, 3-24 in the last week (.125). Between those two holes in the lineup, plus the joke at 1B and DH, it's no wonder the Yanks are a mess right now.
- In 2005, we thought the Yanks were done. But they were much closer to the playoffs than these guys. Here's a look at the standings two years ago and today:
2005: Yankees 39-37, 5.5 GB, 3 WGB
2007: Yankees 36-39, 11 GB, 8 WGB
After this date, the Yanks had the best record in the game, going 56-30 (.651 WP) the rest of the way. And even then, they were only able to tie Boston for the division.
The way this team is going, they're not playing .650 till the year's over.
Clemens Should Have Signed With Boston: Orioles 4, Yankees 0 - Tragic Numbers 77, 79
So far, Clemens is 1-3 with an ERA of 5.32. I told you guys he'd have issues in the AL after dominating the NL (Comedy) Central. But no, the Junkee fans didn't believe me. What can I say? This is not Ca$hman's year. So it's probably better he didn't go to Boston.
Once again, the Bronx Bombers failed to do anything offensively. Damon went 0-4, as did Abreu, and zero extra base hits for anyone.
This team is starting to remind me of the Yankees of 1989-1992, when they couldn't buy a win. But hey, I'm not complaining.
- One thing I've noticed but haven't pointed out is that Old York is issuing a lot of free passes this year. They're third in the AL in walks allowed, trailing only Texas and Baltimore. This means more baserunners, and greater pitch counts, which is why Snorre is killing the bullpen.
- They've also allowed the most stolen bases in the league.
- What makes these losses even sweeter is that it's the Orioles without Miguel Tejada. Before the series I thought, okay, what can you do? They're going to face lousy teams and beat up on them. Yet here I am a couple of days later, and the O's may take out the brooms.
- Not too upset at Boston's struggles, because Old York hasn't gained anything.
- As much as they may not be out of the wild card race, still like the fact that they have four teams to jump over. Obviously if they win 20 in a row it won't matter, but even if they pick it up, all those teams have to go in the toilet for them to get past them all.
- Wang faces Cabrera in the series finale. Wang was unimpressive in his last outing, but who knows. Could go either way. (Really insightful point, if I may say so myself.)
Once again, the Bronx Bombers failed to do anything offensively. Damon went 0-4, as did Abreu, and zero extra base hits for anyone.
This team is starting to remind me of the Yankees of 1989-1992, when they couldn't buy a win. But hey, I'm not complaining.
- One thing I've noticed but haven't pointed out is that Old York is issuing a lot of free passes this year. They're third in the AL in walks allowed, trailing only Texas and Baltimore. This means more baserunners, and greater pitch counts, which is why Snorre is killing the bullpen.
- They've also allowed the most stolen bases in the league.
- What makes these losses even sweeter is that it's the Orioles without Miguel Tejada. Before the series I thought, okay, what can you do? They're going to face lousy teams and beat up on them. Yet here I am a couple of days later, and the O's may take out the brooms.
- Not too upset at Boston's struggles, because Old York hasn't gained anything.
- As much as they may not be out of the wild card race, still like the fact that they have four teams to jump over. Obviously if they win 20 in a row it won't matter, but even if they pick it up, all those teams have to go in the toilet for them to get past them all.
- Wang faces Cabrera in the series finale. Wang was unimpressive in his last outing, but who knows. Could go either way. (Really insightful point, if I may say so myself.)
Thursday, June 21, 2007
How Sweep It Is! Rockies 4, Junkees 3: Tragic Numbers 82, 86
What a day. Roger Clemens struggled big time. I know, he didn't give up a ton of runs, but anytime you throw 90 pitches in 4.1 innings, you know you don't have your best stuff. I'm sorry, 4 earned runs in 4+ innings is not why you're getting $18 million! Seven hits and a walk in 4+ innings - he's lucky they didn't score more runs.
Props to the bullpen -- Snorre's boyfriend in particular (Scott Proctor) -- pitching a scoreless rest-of-game, but it wasn't enough as the offense, once again, faltered.
Johnny Damon is absolutely killing them. He's now batting .249 with no power, and has no business playing. As I've said a zillion times, if you're injured, go on the freakin' DL. Who knows - perhaps there's an element of PR that the guy has never been on the DL, and gosh darnit, they intend to keep it that way even if he can't move.
Abreu, ever since that 4 for 4 day is 6-28, also known as a .214 batting average. Cairo's doing nothing, and Andy Phillips can't buy a hit. Otherwise, the Yanks had opportunities but sqaundered them. In the series, they went 1-18 with runners in scoring position.
But not to worry, Snorre and Clemens had plenty of excuses: "I was taking deep breaths on the mound. My mouth got dry a couple times," Clemens said. "That was the more difficult part. Heat or cold is not a big deal. The one inning a storm blew in and the wind changed direction. The wind hit my chest and caused me to throw the ball out of the zone. But I made the adjustment. Then, the wind started to blow straight out." Can't make this stuff up.
So now it's on to San Francisco. We'll see what happens. Kei Igawa pitches Game 1, so we may as well pencil in another Yankee loss. Then Wang on Saturday and Mussina on Sunday. The Giants are a lousy team, they don't score any runs, but the pitching is not bad. In this series, they have (in order) Matt Cain, who's pitched way better than his 2-7 record, Matt Morris, who's having a really good year, and Noah Lowry, who has underachieved. I'm actually glad they don't face Zito, who stinks this year.
Because of the anemic offense of the Giants, I wouldn't be shocked if Old York takes 2 out of 3, but I wouldn't mind another series loss or sweep.
Props to the bullpen -- Snorre's boyfriend in particular (Scott Proctor) -- pitching a scoreless rest-of-game, but it wasn't enough as the offense, once again, faltered.
Johnny Damon is absolutely killing them. He's now batting .249 with no power, and has no business playing. As I've said a zillion times, if you're injured, go on the freakin' DL. Who knows - perhaps there's an element of PR that the guy has never been on the DL, and gosh darnit, they intend to keep it that way even if he can't move.
Abreu, ever since that 4 for 4 day is 6-28, also known as a .214 batting average. Cairo's doing nothing, and Andy Phillips can't buy a hit. Otherwise, the Yanks had opportunities but sqaundered them. In the series, they went 1-18 with runners in scoring position.
But not to worry, Snorre and Clemens had plenty of excuses: "I was taking deep breaths on the mound. My mouth got dry a couple times," Clemens said. "That was the more difficult part. Heat or cold is not a big deal. The one inning a storm blew in and the wind changed direction. The wind hit my chest and caused me to throw the ball out of the zone. But I made the adjustment. Then, the wind started to blow straight out." Can't make this stuff up.
So now it's on to San Francisco. We'll see what happens. Kei Igawa pitches Game 1, so we may as well pencil in another Yankee loss. Then Wang on Saturday and Mussina on Sunday. The Giants are a lousy team, they don't score any runs, but the pitching is not bad. In this series, they have (in order) Matt Cain, who's pitched way better than his 2-7 record, Matt Morris, who's having a really good year, and Noah Lowry, who has underachieved. I'm actually glad they don't face Zito, who stinks this year.
Because of the anemic offense of the Giants, I wouldn't be shocked if Old York takes 2 out of 3, but I wouldn't mind another series loss or sweep.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Sunday Roundup 6/10/07 - Drinking The Clemens Kool-Aid
Yesterday was one of those days where I hated going through the papers. Most writers had gotten caught up in the hype (this Kevin Kernan piece is simply ridiculous), and were making Clemens out to be the one who will make this year just like 1978 or 1999 or 2000.
Today, Clemens' mediocre return still made the covers of the tabloids. But surprisingly, there were a few rational pieces in the papers. Here are some:
Jack Curry of the Times points out that Clemens was facing the pitiful Pirates, and even those guys gave Clemens a rough time.
Mike Lupica gives his take on the Clemens love affair - everyone's horny about him because he reminds Yankee fans of the old times, before the annual October chokes. I guess Jeter, Pettitte, and Rivera don't have that effect.
Lupica is a week late in this piece, contrasting the Mets' inexpensive young arms with the Yankees' Clemens. Three writers discussed Minaya's moves last week, and we talked about it on this blog a few days ago. Plus, Lupica totally ignores the Rick Peterson factor. It's an old story, and Lupica does a poor job here.
One guy not drinking the Clemens-as-savior kool-aid is Newsday's Shaun Powell. He says that the timing worked out perfectly for Clemens, as he joined the team when they were on a roll, with Abreu and Damon heating up, and having won a few games in a row. Thus, there wasn't a whole lot of pressure on Clemens yesterday. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks Clemens was waiting for an opportunity when there'd be less pressure, and using the groin as a convenient excuse. But that's pure speculation.
Bob Ryan in the Globe has the obligatory Clemens piece, and doesn't add much to the above posts, but I like his last paragraph:
"If what Roger has to give is worth $4.5 million a month to the Yankees, more power to them. But Jon Lester might give the Red Sox the same thing while being somewhat more cost-effective. It's something to think about."
Now, allow me to ruin your day:
Here's some Clemens kool-aid from the New York Post.
Bill Madden tells us about some of the kool-aid drinkers, including Yankee employees and Yankee fans.
And there's a lot of kool-aid in this piece from one of my favorite writers, Bob Klapisch. Disappointing.
What I hate the most about some of these kool-aid pieces, including Klapisch's, is the idea that Clemens' presence will help every other pitcher from Mussina to Clippard improve. Please. The guy's gonna be spending more time at home that with the team. His pitching for the Yankees is merely a hobby, although an $18 million hobby at that. Clemens' impact will only be the results on the field. I don't see how he can have any off-the-field impact on the pitchers if he won't even be around.
Speaking of kool-aid drinkers, Suzyn Waldman was surprisingly subdued yesterday, writes Bob Raissman.
PICK OF THE WEEK: Joel Sherman provides the best analysis of Clemens' outing yesterday.
Sherman's pieces are either very good or very bad. Last week's pieces were awful, but this week, you can tell from the opening paragraph that Sherman is in good form:
"Clemens enjoyed his fourth and final minor-league tuneup yesterday while winning his 349th major-league game."
And a few more paragraphs:
Today, Clemens' mediocre return still made the covers of the tabloids. But surprisingly, there were a few rational pieces in the papers. Here are some:
Jack Curry of the Times points out that Clemens was facing the pitiful Pirates, and even those guys gave Clemens a rough time.
Mike Lupica gives his take on the Clemens love affair - everyone's horny about him because he reminds Yankee fans of the old times, before the annual October chokes. I guess Jeter, Pettitte, and Rivera don't have that effect.
Lupica is a week late in this piece, contrasting the Mets' inexpensive young arms with the Yankees' Clemens. Three writers discussed Minaya's moves last week, and we talked about it on this blog a few days ago. Plus, Lupica totally ignores the Rick Peterson factor. It's an old story, and Lupica does a poor job here.
One guy not drinking the Clemens-as-savior kool-aid is Newsday's Shaun Powell. He says that the timing worked out perfectly for Clemens, as he joined the team when they were on a roll, with Abreu and Damon heating up, and having won a few games in a row. Thus, there wasn't a whole lot of pressure on Clemens yesterday. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks Clemens was waiting for an opportunity when there'd be less pressure, and using the groin as a convenient excuse. But that's pure speculation.
Bob Ryan in the Globe has the obligatory Clemens piece, and doesn't add much to the above posts, but I like his last paragraph:
"If what Roger has to give is worth $4.5 million a month to the Yankees, more power to them. But Jon Lester might give the Red Sox the same thing while being somewhat more cost-effective. It's something to think about."
Now, allow me to ruin your day:
Here's some Clemens kool-aid from the New York Post.
Bill Madden tells us about some of the kool-aid drinkers, including Yankee employees and Yankee fans.
And there's a lot of kool-aid in this piece from one of my favorite writers, Bob Klapisch. Disappointing.
What I hate the most about some of these kool-aid pieces, including Klapisch's, is the idea that Clemens' presence will help every other pitcher from Mussina to Clippard improve. Please. The guy's gonna be spending more time at home that with the team. His pitching for the Yankees is merely a hobby, although an $18 million hobby at that. Clemens' impact will only be the results on the field. I don't see how he can have any off-the-field impact on the pitchers if he won't even be around.
Speaking of kool-aid drinkers, Suzyn Waldman was surprisingly subdued yesterday, writes Bob Raissman.
PICK OF THE WEEK: Joel Sherman provides the best analysis of Clemens' outing yesterday.
Sherman's pieces are either very good or very bad. Last week's pieces were awful, but this week, you can tell from the opening paragraph that Sherman is in good form:
"Clemens enjoyed his fourth and final minor-league tuneup yesterday while winning his 349th major-league game."
And a few more paragraphs:
If Clemens throws this exact way against a top-flight AL offense such as that of the Red Sox, Tigers or Indians, it is hard to imagine 54,296 at the Stadium saluting him off the field with a standing ovation after six innings, like they did yesterday. Because he would not last six innings.
“With what he had today could he compete against a good offense? No,” said a scout who attended the game.
The Pirates are a poor offensive team that is not particularly patient. Yet they forced Clemens to dispense 108 pitches to muster 18 outs. Clemens’ fastball was a hardly Rocket-esque 89-91 mph. His control was good, at best."
Medicore Clemens, Bats Lift Yanks
You can't get too excited about Clemens' start. 3 runs in 6 innings, and over 100 pitches. I'm surprised he even lasted that long. He got a lot of run support, however, as the Yanks ran all over the Pirates (5 steals for New York), and hit their awful pitching.
And you can't get too excited over the Yanks' performance this weekend. Friday night they won a close game, as the Pirates chased Pettitte. And today's game was a joke, too.
Arizona should be more of test for New York, as should the Mets, although they've struggled lately. But as long as Boston keeps playing well, the Yanks will have to keep winning and winning until Boston slumps.
- Should have the Sunday roundup ready later today.
And you can't get too excited over the Yanks' performance this weekend. Friday night they won a close game, as the Pirates chased Pettitte. And today's game was a joke, too.
Arizona should be more of test for New York, as should the Mets, although they've struggled lately. But as long as Boston keeps playing well, the Yanks will have to keep winning and winning until Boston slumps.
- Should have the Sunday roundup ready later today.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Sunday Roundup 6/3/07
- With apologies to Buster Olney, time for a new Despiser feature: links to the best Yankee-related columns in the Sunday papers, with quotes and my opinions thrown in for good measure.
Interesting performance/human interest piece in the Times about Mike Lowell; some good tidbits at the end.
Murray Chass talks about the "most expensive groin in baseball history," and how the Mussina-Nieves battery flopped. In that piece, Torre does Mussina's job for him, blaming his lousy performance on the rain delay.
Mike Vaccaro talks about the Yankees' horrible seventh inning yesterday. He does a good job pointing out how Abreu's screwing up a fly ball led to the Yanks falling apart that inning.
Typical outlandish outside-the-box piece by Joel Sherman, suggesting how the Yankees could try to opt our of Clemens' deal, considering that it's technically a minor-league deal. Sherman, do you think George would ever allow them to just drop Clemens? No way. Clemens could be out till August, and he's not going anywhere. Although if the Yanks would opt out of the contract and Clemens doesn't end up pitching for New York, it would make Suzyn Waldman's call all the more ridiculous.
Sherman does a slightly better job in this piece, quoting a bunch of scouts saying that Clemens will have a much harder time with the AL East than with the NL Central last year. But we've discussed that here, already. Not an epiphany.
Wally Matthews talks about Captain Clutch's failures yesterday, and throws in a great line about how "Joe Torre is sounding more like Art Howe every day."
Tony Massarotti believes that the Sox and Lowell played hard because they were ticked about Proctor getting a free pass for hitting Youkilis Friday night. It's Yankees-Red Sox. That's reason enough to play tough.
PICKS OF THE WEEK: I've been meaning to do a Minaya vs. Cashman comparison, and there a bunch of columns praising Minaya this week. The Record's Ian O'Connor, the Daily News' Bill Madden, and Newsday's Shaun Powell all sing Minaya's praises. O'Connor and Madden throw in the occasional dig at Cashman, too. Expect my take later this week.
Interesting performance/human interest piece in the Times about Mike Lowell; some good tidbits at the end.
Murray Chass talks about the "most expensive groin in baseball history," and how the Mussina-Nieves battery flopped. In that piece, Torre does Mussina's job for him, blaming his lousy performance on the rain delay.
Mike Vaccaro talks about the Yankees' horrible seventh inning yesterday. He does a good job pointing out how Abreu's screwing up a fly ball led to the Yanks falling apart that inning.
Typical outlandish outside-the-box piece by Joel Sherman, suggesting how the Yankees could try to opt our of Clemens' deal, considering that it's technically a minor-league deal. Sherman, do you think George would ever allow them to just drop Clemens? No way. Clemens could be out till August, and he's not going anywhere. Although if the Yanks would opt out of the contract and Clemens doesn't end up pitching for New York, it would make Suzyn Waldman's call all the more ridiculous.
Sherman does a slightly better job in this piece, quoting a bunch of scouts saying that Clemens will have a much harder time with the AL East than with the NL Central last year. But we've discussed that here, already. Not an epiphany.
Wally Matthews talks about Captain Clutch's failures yesterday, and throws in a great line about how "Joe Torre is sounding more like Art Howe every day."
Tony Massarotti believes that the Sox and Lowell played hard because they were ticked about Proctor getting a free pass for hitting Youkilis Friday night. It's Yankees-Red Sox. That's reason enough to play tough.
PICKS OF THE WEEK: I've been meaning to do a Minaya vs. Cashman comparison, and there a bunch of columns praising Minaya this week. The Record's Ian O'Connor, the Daily News' Bill Madden, and Newsday's Shaun Powell all sing Minaya's praises. O'Connor and Madden throw in the occasional dig at Cashman, too. Expect my take later this week.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Your $18 Million At Work
I know it's Yankees-Red Sox this weekend, but I'm gonna talk about Clemens first. The injury issues are already acting up, and is anyone really surprised? The guy is 44 years old, and has had the occasional groin and hammy issues. On Friday, Mike and the Mad Dog ripped the guy for not wanting to pitch in this weekend's series. I guess now we know why. So for all you Yankee fans who thought Clemens would bridge that 14.5 game gap, think again.
- I don't know what it is, but the Yankees have killed Tim Wakefield this year. Wake has a 10.93 ERA against the Yanks this year. Yanks batted .191 against him from '04-'06.
- Today's game was fun. Mussina had another lousy start, and Proctor was lousy, as he's been lately. And 19 BB in 29 IP is just awful.
But the big story today was Captain Clutch, Derek Jeter, making a couple of errors to lose the game for New York. Abreu botched a fly ball, too. Sloppy plays.
- Credit where credit is due to Joe Torre, for calling Mike Lowell's taking out Cano at second in the 4th a "clean play." Can't remember the last time I've seen Torre act like that.
- I don't know what it is, but the Yankees have killed Tim Wakefield this year. Wake has a 10.93 ERA against the Yanks this year. Yanks batted .191 against him from '04-'06.
- Today's game was fun. Mussina had another lousy start, and Proctor was lousy, as he's been lately. And 19 BB in 29 IP is just awful.
But the big story today was Captain Clutch, Derek Jeter, making a couple of errors to lose the game for New York. Abreu botched a fly ball, too. Sloppy plays.
- Credit where credit is due to Joe Torre, for calling Mike Lowell's taking out Cano at second in the 4th a "clean play." Can't remember the last time I've seen Torre act like that.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Back At .500, And More On Clemens
Another night, another win against Texas. Yankees go for the sweep tomorrow, and their starting pitching is looking great.
I'm not too frustrated with the Yankees success. Again, they'll kill teams with lousy pitching. And Texas is bad.
The good news is, there are two hot teams in the Central. The Indians have put it together following that awful series against the Yankees, and the bats of Peralta, Pronk, and Barfield have been heating up. The Tigers have been red-hot, although I wonder how the Zumaya injury will affect them. Rodney is pretty solid, too, so I wouldn't worry about them.
Why do I bring this up? Because if Boston stays hot and the wild card comes out of the Central - we've got ourselves a Yankee-free October!
- I'm tired of people talking about how the preferential treatment of Clemens goes against the Yankee way. Shut up with the aura and mystique (and I love Schilling's line back in '01 World Series). The Yankee way was gone when they replaced a warrior like O'Neill with one of the biggest jerks to ever play the game, Raul Mondesi. The Yankee way was gone when Steinbrenner wanted to ruin the game and put Montreal and Minnesota out of business. The Yankee way was gone when Kevin Brown punched the wall. So give it up already.
- And by the way, you will not see me complain about the Clemens signing ruining the parity of the game. Not when the mid-market Brewers have the best record in the game. Not after the Red Sox shelled out $100 million for Matsuzaka. Not when only 5 teams came into spring training with no shot at the playoffs. Baseball's system still needs some work, but we've come a long way since the late 90's.
I will say this: one Yankee fan told me he'd love for the Yankees to sign Johan Santana when he becomes a free agent. If that happens, I think I'll be watching the NHL playoffs this time of year.
I'm not too frustrated with the Yankees success. Again, they'll kill teams with lousy pitching. And Texas is bad.
The good news is, there are two hot teams in the Central. The Indians have put it together following that awful series against the Yankees, and the bats of Peralta, Pronk, and Barfield have been heating up. The Tigers have been red-hot, although I wonder how the Zumaya injury will affect them. Rodney is pretty solid, too, so I wouldn't worry about them.
Why do I bring this up? Because if Boston stays hot and the wild card comes out of the Central - we've got ourselves a Yankee-free October!
- I'm tired of people talking about how the preferential treatment of Clemens goes against the Yankee way. Shut up with the aura and mystique (and I love Schilling's line back in '01 World Series). The Yankee way was gone when they replaced a warrior like O'Neill with one of the biggest jerks to ever play the game, Raul Mondesi. The Yankee way was gone when Steinbrenner wanted to ruin the game and put Montreal and Minnesota out of business. The Yankee way was gone when Kevin Brown punched the wall. So give it up already.
- And by the way, you will not see me complain about the Clemens signing ruining the parity of the game. Not when the mid-market Brewers have the best record in the game. Not after the Red Sox shelled out $100 million for Matsuzaka. Not when only 5 teams came into spring training with no shot at the playoffs. Baseball's system still needs some work, but we've come a long way since the late 90's.
I will say this: one Yankee fan told me he'd love for the Yankees to sign Johan Santana when he becomes a free agent. If that happens, I think I'll be watching the NHL playoffs this time of year.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
The Yankee Version of Russ Hodges
Giants fans have Russ Hodges' "The Giants win the pennant!" following arguably the most famous homer in baseball history.
Mets fans have Bob Murphy's "Gets by Buckner! Mets Win!" Easily the best moment in Mets history.
And Dodgers fans have Vin Scully's call on the Kirk Gibson homer - just incredible.
Be jealous no more, Yankee fans - your team is now in the annals of baseball broadcasting history as well.
Mets fans have Bob Murphy's "Gets by Buckner! Mets Win!" Easily the best moment in Mets history.
And Dodgers fans have Vin Scully's call on the Kirk Gibson homer - just incredible.
Be jealous no more, Yankee fans - your team is now in the annals of baseball broadcasting history as well.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Rocket a Yankee? Not Surprising
I'm pissed about Clemens coming back to New York. Pissed, but not surprised.
You knew Houston wasn't going to happen. That team doesn't have what it takes to contend, especially if Milwaukee and the Cubs stay hot. Besides, the Astros weren't gonna pay nearly as much as the AL East teams.
And Boston, too, had no reason to shell out $28 million. They're already on the hook for Dice-K (posting fee and salary), and with Beckett, Schilling, and Wakefield doing well, they don't have a need for Clemens. And Jon Lester should be back at Fenway soon.
Throw in the Pettitte factor, and you had to figure Clemens would be back. So much for Ca$hman's youth movement.
What I'm afraid of is that this move will have the same impact as the Abreu move; a move that can galvanize the team and get them to go on a tear. And unfortunately, it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case. If Clemens can still get the job done, and Mussina, Pettitte, and Wang can keep pitching well, the Yankees rotation suddenly looks like one of the best in the league. And if Hughes comes back and pitches like he did against Texas? Not good.
The big x-factor in Clemens' case? He hasn't pitched in the AL since '03. And every team in the East can hit. I don't think it'll be a disaster as it was with, say, Javier Vazquez, but his ERA will probably go up at least a run.
One more thing to keep in mind: in the '05 WS, his hamstring acted up, and helped ruin the Astros' chances. I know he's famous for his crazy workout routines, but the guy is 45. There's no guarantee that the Yankees can call on him when they'll need him most.
You knew Houston wasn't going to happen. That team doesn't have what it takes to contend, especially if Milwaukee and the Cubs stay hot. Besides, the Astros weren't gonna pay nearly as much as the AL East teams.
And Boston, too, had no reason to shell out $28 million. They're already on the hook for Dice-K (posting fee and salary), and with Beckett, Schilling, and Wakefield doing well, they don't have a need for Clemens. And Jon Lester should be back at Fenway soon.
Throw in the Pettitte factor, and you had to figure Clemens would be back. So much for Ca$hman's youth movement.
What I'm afraid of is that this move will have the same impact as the Abreu move; a move that can galvanize the team and get them to go on a tear. And unfortunately, it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case. If Clemens can still get the job done, and Mussina, Pettitte, and Wang can keep pitching well, the Yankees rotation suddenly looks like one of the best in the league. And if Hughes comes back and pitches like he did against Texas? Not good.
The big x-factor in Clemens' case? He hasn't pitched in the AL since '03. And every team in the East can hit. I don't think it'll be a disaster as it was with, say, Javier Vazquez, but his ERA will probably go up at least a run.
One more thing to keep in mind: in the '05 WS, his hamstring acted up, and helped ruin the Astros' chances. I know he's famous for his crazy workout routines, but the guy is 45. There's no guarantee that the Yankees can call on him when they'll need him most.
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