Rivalries

I’m going to go out on a limb here and officially shoot myself in the foot regarding my readers. This entry is inspired by a recent post over on River Ave Blues which asked the question of how we (as Yankee fans) wanted the Red Sox to lose.

I never quite got into the “hate” part of a good rivalry. If you are a Yankee fan, it is commonly expected that you hate the Red Sox. A few crazed fans take this hatred to an extreme and once or twice a year you’ll read a story in the news about a fight or assault happening where the motive was trash talking by fans of either the Yankees or the Sox. Earlier this year a person was actually run over by a car in a Yankees/Sox related incident.

When the Yankees play the Red Sox, I root for the Yankees. I get on the phone and call up a good friend who is a die-hard Red Sox fan and frequently taunt him. During the regular season, if the Yanks and Sox are vying for first place or a wild card, I’ll cheer for any team that beats the Sox, improving New York’s standings.

If the Yankees get eliminated, or if the Sox play some one other than NY in the playoffs, I’ll usually root for our long-time rivals, the Red Sox. I’ll even join my friend (who makes a wicked home-brew) to watch the game. That’s right. On occasion I’ll root for the Red Sox (but only if it does not adversely affect the Yankees in any way).

Here are two reasons: First, I lived in Boston (and very close to Fenway) for about two years and have some connection with the area.

Secondly, and most importantly, If two teams have a rivalry and one team completely stinks, it’s not much of a rivalry. If the Red Sox never make the playoffs or always exit early, the rivalry starts to lose some of it’s luster. When both teams are competitive in the regular season and in the post-season, then the rivalry really starts to take on meaning and have some history. Some of the greatest NY-Boston games have happened in the playoffs. If Boston never makes it there, after a while the rivalry becomes an afterthought.

Also, if teams in your division do well, it makes you look better. The Yankees 2008 season isn’t quite as bad in retrospect when you consider that Tampa and Boston were two of the best teams in the league.

This theory doesn’t apply just to my favorite baseball team. In college hoops, I’m always 100% behind my alma mater Syracuse University. In the NCAA tournament, I’ll frequently root for other Big East teams, even Georgetown, when they are not playing SU. As far as hoops rivalries go, SU-Georgetown is about as big as Yankees-Red Sox.

There’s nothing better than seeing my team beat our rivals, but when a game doesn’t involve my team, I give the rivals a little love. College football is a classic sport where you definitely should root for your competition to do well. Many of the polls and rankings consider strength of schedule directly or indirectly and having the teams you play win a lot of their games can have a big impact on your team’s ranking.

I’ve been called out by a few people who claim that “I’m not a true fan” and have heard other, cruder replies as well. I can somewhat understand those who root against a team’s biggest rival, but I don’t necessarily agree with it. Oftentimes, having a rival do well makes my team look better and as a true fan, it’s always about having my team on top. If you want to disagree with me that’s fine, but if you think I’m not a “true fan”, then you’ve got a lot to learn.

Yanks Eliminated Despite Win

The Yankees didn't lose, but with Boston winning, ended up eliminated from post season play regardless. The good news is that Mike Mussina collected his 19th win of the season and should have a shot at number 20 before things wrap up for good. As a matter of pride, the Yankees now have a few games lead on Toronto for 3rd place in the AL East. It's not much, but these days you take all you can get.

Phil Coke and Damaso Marte had troubles in the bullpen again last night, but Bruney, Chamberlain and Rivera were solid. Bruney has sure been something of late and should be a big contributor next year. If Chamberlain moves to the starting rotation, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bruney get a shot as the set up man.

Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom got a few at bats and some quality playing time. Both could make the roster as utility guys or defensive players next year, but I, not too certain either has what it takes to be a full time guy.

Should Andy Pettitte Come Back

Pettitte has been a staple of the Yankees rotation for many years, and an important part of the team. He returned to NY after a stint in Houston and this year hasn't been one of his best. He had a few impressive games, still has one of the best pick up moves in baseball, but just isn't the same player he was in the past.

The Yankees are in desperate need of starting pitching and need to have a major shakeup next year. Do they take a chance on older, veteran pitchers like Pettitte and Mussina? Moose had a phenomenal year this year but Andy has struggled. Could he do some work in the offseason and turn things around completely like Mussina did? Somehow I doubt it. Mussina's steallar performance this year was the exception rather than the rule. Most likely Andy pitching next year would look an awful lot like this year.

The real issue to me is whether or not the Yankees are going to be able to get enough starting pitchers to fill out the rotation if they let Pettitte go or if Andy decides to retire. Yanks fans will have plenty of time to mull over these issues this October.

The Yankees lost to Los Angelas, helping LA clinch a share of the divisi0n title. Chamberlain pitched two innings while only giving up a hit. Tampa beat Boston to maintain it's lead in the East while the Bombers remain 11 games out of first.

Yanks Throw BP for Angels

There was a brawl, pitching coach Dave Eiland passed out, and every Yankee pitcher to take the mound did their best to help LA score some runs. Carl Pavano got his ERA up over 5 and the bullpen was atrocious. The Yankees offense was largely inept, scoring only one run all night. Just when you think the team couldn't possibly look any worse, they do.

In other news, Yankee owership confirmed that manager Joe Girardi will be back next year, a move we all expected. Maybe over the offseason Joe will have a chance to stop by Barnes and Noble and pick up a book on coaching baseball. I know, probably not, but one can hope.

Meanwhile the Boston Red Sox beat the Rays, leaving themselves only a half game outside of first while the Yankees fell to ten back.

Another Win for Sir Sidney

The Yankees managed a win against the hapless Seattle Mariners late last night, with a decent outing from Ponson and some mixed action in the bullpen. Brian Bruney was strong but then Joba Chamberlain struggled resulting in Mariano Rivera getting called in early. The Yankees have said that they are keeping Joba in the pen for the rest of the year and would like to get him back into the rotation next year. If he can handle it, Joba is unquestionably a valuable starter. If injuries continue to creep up, the bullpen it is.

Thanks to some offense from Abreu, Giambi and Matsui, the Yanks tacked enough runs on the board to secure the win. With both Boston and Tampa losing, the Yanks inched  slightly closer and are now 10 games out of first and 7.5 behind Boston.

In other news, Alfredo Aceves will be replacing Rasner in the rotation. Darrel did everything we could have asked of a replacement pitcher at the beginning, but as the season wore on hitters had him figured out and at the end, he was just abysmal.

Tampa has looked a little shaky lately and I'm sticking with my earlier predictions that Boston will finish in first. If the Yankees could play some serious ball at the end, it's not out of the question to make the post-season. This Yankee team, however, doesn't have the stuff to put together the necessary late season charge.

Instant Replay Works!

Alex Rodriguez added an important home run at the end of the game that solidified the Yankees lead and allowed them to not have to bring in Rivera. The ball looked pretty foul to me and most everyone else watching, but the play was reviewed and a quick decision ruled it a home run. The replays being shown on ESPN afterward look like the call was the correct one, and the most impressive aspect of the process was that it didn't take much time at all. From start to finish the whole endeaver was under 2 minutes.

As to the game itself, Carl Pavano looked good early and then got tired out in the 4th inning, giving up a double, homer, and a hit batter. He came back out for the 5th but was quickly relieved. The Yankee bullpen did the job the rest of the way, and the offense made the most of it's opportunities with key hits and aggressive baserunning.

A-Rod was the offensive star of the game, and his late-game homer was important. Sure the Yankees had a 3 run lead already but having watched the team play recently, was anyone really feeling overly secure?

Tonight's win puts the Yankees 10 games out of first and puts Boston only 3 games out. Tampa has a tough schedule coming up and will have their work cut out for them if they are going to hold off the charging Red Sox. I don't see much hope for the Yanks, but it's good to see them winning again.

Nine Games Out

The Yankees continued their losing ways yesterday afternoon with a struggling offense that couldn't do any better than two runs.  Darrel Rasner was serviceable and Robertson, Traber and Bruney were on target. Dan Giese had some discomfort in his arm and was taken out.

With Boston winning the Yankees fell six games back in the wild card chase. Thankfully this road trip is at an end and the Bombers will be coming home for a day off and then will resume play tomorrow.

At this point it would be nice to see some young guys get a promotion to the major league just to see what they can do. There isn't much hope for post-season play, so why not bring up a few prospects and get some big league scouting?

Tampa and Boston continue their winning ways. I predicted that Tampa would have a good season and have 85 wins or more but I'm still surprised every time I read the box scores. There is a team that is getting things done.  Boston seems to be plagued by the Manny turmoil and recurrent injuries to the pitching staff. I have expected them to overtake the Rays most of the season but little by little things seem to be unraveling a bit in Beantown. The Angels get my vote as the best team in the AL right now and I'm anticipating an Angels-Cubs series.

Yanks Close to 4 1/2 Games

Despite an extremely poor offensive effort yesterday, the Yankees managed to win by getting hit by a pitch. Today, Andy Pettitte threw eight impressive innings and the offense was just barely good enough to beat the A's.

At the end of the weekend, a win is a win and a sweep is a sweep. It hasn't been pretty, but the Yankees have managed to win. The team still needs a lot of work and could use some better hitting. Robbie Cano is officially off my "shouldn't be on the roster" list, but Cabrera, Molina, Gardner and Betemit aren't scaring any pitchers at the back end of the order.

Let's take a look at Gardner,  he hasn't done much of anything offensively, but if he does get on base, he can sure run. Has he had enough time to prove himself at the big league level? No. But has he really shown anything offensively, even in the minor leagues, to make you think he's going to be a star? Not in my book. Granted, the Yankees don't have any better options at this point, but I hope were not clinging to Gardner as a protected prospect we shouldn't be putting on the table for trade negotiations.

The last two wins certainly haven't been overly impressive, but they've been timely, coupled with Boston and Tampa losses, now have the Bombers only 4.5 games out of first and certainly within striking range.

Yanks Drop Another Before the Break

Andy Pettitte summed it up best by saying that "We stink right now for the most part". Tampa dropped another game opening a door for the Yanks to move up but the Bombers were unable to capitalize.

Cano, Cabrera, Betemit and Gardner combined to provide one of the poorest hitting back ends in baseball. The Yankees desperately need to get guys like Damon and Matsui back from the DL.

The all star break will hopefully give the guys on the team time to reflect and figure out what they want to do with this year. They've got the potential, just not the drive so far this season. Only six games out of first means that the Pinstripers are definitely in the hunt. There has been talk of picking up another starting pitcher and another closer. At least one team out there is interested in Ian Kennedy, and I can't imagine the Yankees being overly committed to keeping Ike. There are moves the organization could make to turn them into legitimate contenders, but that won't do any good if the current stars continue to wallow in mediocrity.

I think Cashman will make some moves.  The question is will they be moves for the future or moves for right now. The answer, given any New York sports team, especially one run by a Steinbrenner, is that it will be a move for right now. The New York Yankees will never have a fire sale. Those over-paid, underproducing players on the team won't be let go during the season. Off-season, perhaps, but they're here for the duration of this season. Young prospects and struggling guys with potential are fair game, as other teams can get them cheap.

It will be interesting to watch the second half of the season. The Yankees are by no means out of it according to the standings, but anyone who has watched them play might think otherwise. Maybe the Yankees, like the Tin Man, can finally find their heart.

Abreu Grand Slam Propels Yanks to Win

Chien-Ming Wang was getting hit frequently Tuesday night in Chicago, but Bobby Abreu came through with a 2 out grand slam home run.

Wang gave up 10 hits in 6 innings and allowed 3 runs. Many of Wang's pitches that were put into play went deep and were caught on the warning track. In a different ballpark the results could have been much uglier for the Yankees. Chien-Ming's win was the 50th of his career, reached in only 85 games. Dwight Gooden and Ron Guidry reached the 50 mark after 82 games.

The Bullpen was less than stellar today. Billy Traber was only allowed to face one batter, which he walked. Brian Bruney came on and proceeded to load the bases while only getting one out. Finally the Yanks called in Joba Chamberlain to get out of the bases loaded, one out jam. Struck out one batter, walked in a run, and then got the final out on a pop fly fielded by Posada.

To keep things interesting, New York manager Joe Girardi gave every fan watching a scare by brining in Kyle Farnsworth to close out the game. With the Yankees up 5 in the the bottom of the ninth, Farney walked one, gave up a hit, and allowed a run to score before getting the third out of the inning and ending the game.

Bobby Abreu had the biggest clutch hit of the night and put the Yankees on top in the seventh inning. Johnny Damon went 3 for 5 with a home run of his own. Jason Giambi was removed from the game with a swollen thumb after a horrible defensive play at first that should have been scored an error. While Giambi did hit a solo home run, his offensive production is still poor and he remains a huge defensive liability.

Surprisingly there were no stolen bases with Posada behind the plate, and no runners were caught stealing. Yankee pitchers did a good job of keeping runners close to first, but the one or two times runners went early, balls were put into play. I'm surprised that there weren't more attempts to steal, given the vulnerable arm that Jorge has.

The team LOB tonight was 6, a respectable number. If the Yankee bats can get on base and drive runners home like they did tonight, they'll be able to overcome their problems with pitching. Up until now it's mostly been starting pitching, but tonight the bullpen looked particularly vulnerable.

Congratulations to Alex Rodriguez and his wife on the birth of their second daughter.

Competition Notes: The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-6, and are showing no signs of letting up. This is troubling to Yankee fans because the Sox ace Josh Beckett was scratched from the game. Instead, David Pauley was called up from the minors for the start. Pauley was shelled, giving up 7 hits and 5 runs in 4.1 innings of work. The Boston bullpen held strong, and even Mike Timlin got a batter out as they waited for the offense to come alive in later innings and secure the win. Even with their best starter out, this team finds a way to win. The Yanks will have to wait another day to try and close the gap.

Jays Cut Big Hurt

Frank Thomas has been released by the Toronto Blue Jays. Thomas has been in a slump all season long and recently has been complaining about a lack of playing time. The disgruntled DH further added that the limited plate appearances he's had this year aren't enough to judge his productivity by, but manager John Gibbons had seen enough.

Who's next to fall? Big Papi?

The DH is a tricky spot, if you don't hit, you don't have value to your team. A top-notch defensive player or utility infielder can have value despite poor hitting but a slumping DH is nothing but dead weight.

There are options out there for teams. Barry Bonds is available, Mike Piazza is also ready to step in. The Yankees have too many players who are best suited as a DH and might entertain offers. I wouldn't be surprised to see another team try to pick up Thomas for a one year deal or try to get him cheaply.

There seems to be a trend to move away from aging veteran power hitters and focus on young talent for many teams. If a younger guy (who may have other utility as well) is ready to step in and DH when called upon, guys like Frank Thomas are on a short leash.

AL East Roundup - Baltimore On Top

Yes, that's right the Baltimore Orioles, pre-season favorites to finish last in the division, are sitting alone at the top of the standings. The Boston Red Sox, who many thought would finish first, are in last place. It's still early and things will settle down as the season wears on, but still, it's quite amusing.

The Yankees offense will definitely start scoring a lot more runs before long. The big question is will it be enough to keep their pitching staff afloat. I think what you've seen is what you'll get from the Yankees rotation the rest of the year. Pettitte will have better days, but he'll also have bad days and will miss starts due to injury. Wang will once again pitch consistently well. Kennedy will certainly have better days but will bomb frequently in his first full season as a starter. Phil the franchise will throw masterpieces from time to time, but expect him to get roughed up as well. Mussina will give up 4-5 runs or every outing and will need help from the offense. Joba will work his way into the rotation eventually. Farnsworth and Hawkins will continue to give up runs.

The Red Sox have hit well, but haven't been able to put together sequences to give them runs. They'll start tacking more points up on the board and will right the ship. It seemed to me they were the victim of some uncharacteristic errors and poor fielding this week. Toronto has been playing very well and definitely served the Sox a harsh wake up call. Beckett will get back into form and start lasting longer, giving Sox fans the quality starts they've been expencting. Lester will have his ups and downs. Dice-K continues to show he's the real deal Buchholz is going to have some growing pains. MDC might just be Boston's version of Kyle Farnsworth. The good news for the Sox is that they are playing winless Detroit next. Maybe Kenny Rogers will help the BoSox bats get hot.

Toronto has been on their game. Starting pitching has looked solid and their bats have delivered in the clutch. I'm thinking that they're going to give someone quite a battle for second place in the East.

Tampa had some strong outings against the Yankees, taking advantage of sloppy pitching and throwing some great games themselves. Despite their impressive start, I'm not buying into the hype or the few predictions that they're going to win 90+ games this year.

I don't have any explanation for Baltimore's success so far, other than to say somehow they score more runs than the other guy. It won't take long for them to find their place back at the bottom of the standings.