2007 Baseball Season is about to start--talk about anything you want

[faldor]

i was 2-2 with my predictions. i think the rockies are unstoppable right now. not sure what to think about the sox-indians series. the indians played a longer series, but their rotation is set up perfectly for the next round and they now know they can win with their #4.

it's strange that the yankees strength all year is what let them down in the end - their offense. i really don't think Byrd pitched that well last night. just like in games 1 and 2, the yankees did not come through with the big hits with RISP. it seemed like it was one double-play after another. whereas the indians were total clutch. their at-bats were just amazing - very few easy outs.

That's what's held the Yankees back the last 3 years, their offense.  Most often, great pitching beats great hitting in October.  Of course, like you said, I don't think Byrd pitched great and either did Sabathia really.  Carmona was on point but other than that the Yankee bats just didn't come through in the clutch.  And the younger, inexperienced Indians did against an inferior pitching staff.

Both the Sox and Tribe will have their rotations set.  I wonder if the Sox will switch Schilling to game 2, Dice K to game 3.  Obviously Schill is the better pitcher right now.  I believe I saw a stat yesterday that Schilling has the lowest ERA among starters in post-season history.  I could be wrong, but it was below 2, it may have been more current, but regardless he amps it up for the big games.  But they're gonna need to pitch Dice K at least once in the series, so will it be against Carmona or Westbrook (at Cleveland)?

[sandman]

There's no joy in the journey for Yankees fans anymore   

By Jeff Pearlman
Special to Page 2

Once, not all that long ago, Pete Ottone was a die-hard New York Yankees fan. He could tell you that Hensley Meulens' full name was Hensley Filemon Acasio Meulens; that Ken Griffey Sr. was traded for Claudell Washington and Paul Zuvella; that Ron Guidry struck out 248 batters in 1978; that Roy Smalley had an almond-shaped mole on his left calf.

When the Yankees won their first World Series in 18 years in 1996, Ottone was euphoric. When they won the World Series again in '98, he was ecstatic. When they won it yet again in '99 and 2000, he was pretty happy.

Now he just doesn't give a damn.

"Winning at all costs," he says, "is boring."

Ottone -- a Brick, N.J.-based chiropractor -- and I go back 17 years, to when we were neighbors in a freshman residence hall at the University of Delaware. At the time, Ottone was Exhibit A of the Annoying Yankees Fan. He spoke giddily of this prospect and that prospect ? wore Bronx Bomber T-shirts ? raved excitedly about his Yankees allegiance for life.

"Back then, you never knew whether the Yanks would make the World Series or finish third," he says. "Sure, I wanted them to win every game. But the truth is, I love not knowing what's going to happen in baseball. There's something fun about entering a season and not being sure how your team will do."

The past few years, Ottone -- like many other reasonable, intelligent Yankees fans -- has had the fun smacked out of him. Such is the byproduct of watching your team purchase so many high-priced free agents, then watching them beat up on the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays en route to the inevitable -- and joyless -- postseason berth. Hence, when George Steinbrenner came out the other day with "[Joe Torre is] the highest-paid manager in baseball. So I don't think we'd bring him back if we don't win this series," Ottone neither laughed nor cried. He merely shrugged.

Quite frankly, Ottone no longer feels it.

Quite frankly, neither do I.

When did a baseball season in New York become solely about the finish line, and not about the journey? How can a team that clawed its way out of a 14?-game hole be deemed a failure for falling to a team -- the Cleveland Indians -- that features two of the league's top five starting pitchers? Do the memories of Alex Rodriguez's 54 home runs and Chien-Ming Wang's 19 wins and Derek Jeter's steely determination and Joba Chamberlain's meteoric rise fade to ashes without a diamond-studded ring?

Is this who we are?

Is this what we've become?

It had to have been cosmically designed that, shortly before Steinbrenner issued his decree, Marion Jones stood outside the United States District Courthouse in White Plains, N.Y., and admitted that her career as a legendary Olympian had been nothing but a big fat lie.

"You have a right to be angry with me," she told the assembled media. "I have let my country down and I have let myself down."

Like the Yankees, Jones had invested heavily in the modern American way of thinking -- that nothing but first place can be considered a success. That's why Barry Bonds allegedly broke the rules to snap the single-season and career home run records, why Floyd Landis and dozens of others apparently wouldn't mind winning the Tour de France with cheater's gold flowing through their veins, why Shawne Merriman can be suspended for using steroids and named a Pro Bowler in the same season and we're not shocked. It's why, whenever I pass a Little League ball field or a Pop Warner scrimmage or a gymnastics meet for 7-year-olds, there is inevitably a parent (or 10) chewing out his/her kid, not for a lack of effort, but for a lack of results.

From a journalistic/mediocre collegiate runner/father of two young children standpoint, it's hard for me to fully understand. If you're Jones or Bonds or Landis or Merriman, how can there be any satisfaction in knowing -- absolutely, positively knowing -- that you won via unfair advantage? And if you're a Yankees fan, how can there be any enjoyment in supporting a team that only celebrates if the season ends one specific, long-shot way?

"I hate it," Ottone says. "The first thing I ask my 6-year-old son after hockey games isn't about winning or losing -- it's whether he had fun. If you're a die-hard Yankee backer these days, fun means absolutely nothing. Fun is for failures."

But, beautifully, Joe Torre will be having fun again soon. Assuming Steinbrenner keeps his word, next year at this time the ex-Yankees manager will likely be sitting in a broadcast booth, snug and cozy and sipping a cup of green tea. And as his former team drops yet another playoff series, he will pick up a copy of a New York newspaper and read the inevitable "The New York Yankees apologize to the fans ?" Big Stein-sponsored decree.

And, finally free of strife, Joe Torre will laugh his head off.

Jeff Pearlman is a former Sports Illustrated senior writer and the author of "Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero," now available in paperback. You can reach him at anngold22@gmail.com.

[freedom78]

Nice article. ^

[The Dog]

^^ agreed.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

I think the Colorado/Arizona series might go 7 games.

They faced each other 18 times and both teams know each other pretty well.

[pilferk]

It's not even about Game 2, Pilferk.

If the Yankees weren't spending like crazy, the Red Sox wouldn't have to spend either.  They are only trying to keep up.

A team that spends so much shouldn't have to struggle for a wild card berth.

Spending $$$$$$$ on Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens is pretty damning in my opinion.  Why spend so much on a pair of tired, old arms?

Yankee fans get so defensive. 

Oh, and I only drink top-shelf 2% milk. 

It wasn't ALL about game 2, no.  It WAS a pivital loss, though.  If the yanks hold on, we've got game 5 going tonight.  In the end, though, it was all about Wang's pitching.....when your ace has a 19.0 ERA in 2 games, you're pretty much sunk.

On "the Sox are only keeping up"...I call bullshit. You're not "keeping up" by offering double (50 million) simply to TALK to an unproven Japanese pitcher.   You're going all out, spending all your resources, to field a winning team so you can put buts in seats and make $$....exactly what the Yanks do.

 Other teams are competitive and don't spend what the Yanks and Sox do.  "Blaming" the entire situation on the Yanks is a cop out.  They're one team going about things one way.  If you're going to "bag" them for buying wins, you have to bag on the Sox too...and probably the mets, White Sox, Angels and Dodgers.

Oh, wait..those are the largest markets too...with some of the largest revenue streams.

On struggling for the wild card, that actually proves my point.  $$ doesn't buy you wins.  It might buy you talent, which helps you get wins, but you can be competitive and NOT spend 195 million, too.  Witness Cleveland, Arizona, and the Rockies...who's COMBINED payroll for '07 is less than the Yanks OR the Sox.  Yet there they are.

On Randy, I agree.  You were buying a guy who had a history of back problems, who'd been injured, and who wasn't pitching like he had been, and didn't show one iota of willingness to try to change his style to match his abilities.  Thank Steinbrenner (who has been "hot" on Randy since Arizona beat the Yanks in the WS) for that deal.  Many Yanks fans (me among them) cried foul when that deal was done.  But every team makes bad deals....

On Clemens, I disagree.  Because last season (and the season before) he was effective...VERY effective actually.  No, he wasn't the fireball throwing Clemens of the late 80's and 90's.  But he had morphed into an actual PITCHER (rather than a hurler), and had a pretty good ERA...even if it was against the NL.  He had NOT been injured.  He was NOT broken down.  And if the Astros had actually scored RUNS for him, is W-L would have been pretty good, too.  He was a good gamble.  Yes, you can argue that he didn't produce as much as they would have liked, in hindsight.  But knowing only what you knew back in May, it wasn't a bad deal to make.....and it was also one the Red Sox were willing to make, too, remember.  They just couldn't get the deal done.

Yanks fans aren't defensive.  I'm not being defensive.  But the point being made makes absolutely no sense in the context of BASEBALL.  And blaming the root of all evil on the Yanks is a popular myth, IMHO, perpetuated, largely, by those that are either a) jealous of their success and wish their team would (could) do what the Yanks do or b) don't understand what the game has become (a business) or the way the game works.

[pilferk]

I love how quiet it is outside right now.  not a god damn peep.  Its like christmas.

seriously though, is this the end of an era?  Is Torre gone? A-rod gone? Clemens done?

I'd go 50-50 on the first 2.  And 90% on the last one.

Everyone EXCEPT "The Boss" wants Torre to stay.  They talked George out of it last year.  Looks like they're gonna try to do the same this year. I hope they do, because I do NOT want to see Tony LaRussa managing the Yanks next year.

A-rod.....we'll see.  I suspect they'll resign him, but if Boras is a bitch and insists that Arod opt out (I still think his line yesterday was more posturing than anything else), all bets are off. 

Clemens, I think, is done.  This is the first season his body has really betrayed him, and I suspect he'll take that as a sign it's time to hang up the cleats....but it would NOT surprise me to see him in either the Yanks or Houston organization doing some coaching.  He seemed to really enjoy that part of his time with the Yanks, and the younger guys seemed to really benefit from it.

[pilferk]

Ok so the LCS' are set. Who does everyone like to get to the series? I have to root for the Indians in the AL cause of my disdain for Boston. In The NL i have to say the rockies. They are absolutely frightening to play right now.

I agree: Indians and Rockies.

So, if my last round of predictions is any indications, we should see Boston and Arizona playing in the WS.

[sandman]

phillies extended Charlie for 2 years. alot (maybe most) fans are really pissed he's coming back.

i'm a little disappointed, but not surprised. hopefully he learns the double switch and other obvious in-game moves. he needs to rely on his coaches a little more, cause he makes alot of mistakes.


Larry - that's a good point about rockies-arizona. should be interesting.

[pilferk]

i was 2-2 with my predictions. i think the rockies are unstoppable right now. not sure what to think about the sox-indians series. the indians played a longer series, but their rotation is set up perfectly for the next round and they now know they can win with their #4.

it's strange that the yankees strength all year is what let them down in the end - their offense. i really don't think Byrd pitched that well last night. just like in games 1 and 2, the yankees did not come through with the big hits with RISP. it seemed like it was one double-play after another. whereas the indians were total clutch. their at-bats were just amazing - very few easy outs.

Yup, the situational hitting really hurt the Yanks.  Jeter was AWFUL, Posada was awful, Arod was "average" at best, and they couldn't buy a hit (or even a sac fly, at times) with RISP.

Wang's 19.0 ERA hurt, too, because they just couldn't dig themselves out of the holes he put them in.

[pilferk]

  And the younger, inexperienced Indians did against an inferior pitching staff.

Lets be completely honest here: Not "inferior pitching staff".  Wang....and MAYBE Clemens (unless you give him an "injury" pass).

Pettite gave up 0 earned runs. Mussina gave up only 2 runs.  Hughes gave up 0 runs.

The Bullpen gave up, in the last 3 games, 5 runs (and pitched MOST of game 3 and 4...FYI, I'm including Mussina in that total).

Oh, and it looks like the Sox did exactly what you suspected they would.  Shill in game 2, Dice in game 3.

[pilferk]

Sandman,

Nice article!

I agree (though don't feel the same way the people in the article do).  For too many fans, and execs in the Yankee organization, it's about the way the season ends.  For cripes sake, we just made the playoffs for the 13th straight time!  People have gotten "spoiled" by the late 90's. 

I take away from this season the fact they scratched and clawed their way back from being decimated in the early season.  I take away the fact they were a fun team to watch, and I got to witness one of the (if not the) best seasons EVER put together by an individual player with A-rod.

Yes, it's a bitter pill to swallow losing....but the loss doesn't define the season to me.

What I think is a bit amusing is that SOME teams make the playoffs, and their managers have their contracts extended, and their execs are ecstatic...the season is considered a HUGE success.  For the yanks, people consider this season an abject, complete, and utter failure and their manager is on the chopping block.  That's AFTER they won 94 games, broke their home attendance record, and saw an MVP season from one of their players.

I remember back in the 80's when we, as Yanks fans, DREAMED of having a season like that.

[sandman]

i work with a bunch of lifelong yankees and red sox fans. luckily i'm not in the office cause it seems like things are getting nasty in there. 

but the yankee fans i know don't have that same bleak feeling described in that article either. they are disappointed in the team cause they think the offense should have done more (much like phillies fans right now). these guys hate the red sox and are pulling for the indians now big time. but one guy just e-mailed me that maybe worse than the red sox winning another WS, would be the red sox signing A-Rod for 10+ years.

Charlie Manuel and Joe Torre had similar seasons, yet Charlie just got resigned and Torre is waiting to be fired. it's kinda funny when you think about who the better manager is, AND who has the better resume, AND who would find work quicker.   

[tim_m]

It's not even about Game 2, Pilferk.

If the Yankees weren't spending like crazy, the Red Sox wouldn't have to spend either.  They are only trying to keep up.

A team that spends so much shouldn't have to struggle for a wild card berth.

Spending $$$$$$$ on Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens is pretty damning in my opinion.  Why spend so much on a pair of tired, old arms?

Yankee fans get so defensive. 

Oh, and I only drink top-shelf 2% milk. 

It wasn't ALL about game 2, no.  It WAS a pivital loss, though.  If the yanks hold on, we've got game 5 going tonight.  In the end, though, it was all about Wang's pitching.....when your ace has a 19.0 ERA in 2 games, you're pretty much sunk.

On "the Sox are only keeping up"...I call bullshit. You're not "keeping up" by offering double (50 million) simply to TALK to an unproven Japanese pitcher.   You're going all out, spending all your resources, to field a winning team so you can put buts in seats and make $$....exactly what the Yanks do.

 Other teams are competitive and don't spend what the Yanks and Sox do.  "Blaming" the entire situation on the Yanks is a cop out.  They're one team going about things one way.  If you're going to "bag" them for buying wins, you have to bag on the Sox too...and probably the mets, White Sox, Angels and Dodgers.

Oh, wait..those are the largest markets too...with some of the largest revenue streams.

On struggling for the wild card, that actually proves my point.  $$ doesn't buy you wins.  It might buy you talent, which helps you get wins, but you can be competitive and NOT spend 195 million, too.  Witness Cleveland, Arizona, and the Rockies...who's COMBINED payroll for '07 is less than the Yanks OR the Sox.  Yet there they are.

On Randy, I agree.  You were buying a guy who had a history of back problems, who'd been injured, and who wasn't pitching like he had been, and didn't show one iota of willingness to try to change his style to match his abilities.  Thank Steinbrenner (who has been "hot" on Randy since Arizona beat the Yanks in the WS) for that deal.  Many Yanks fans (me among them) cried foul when that deal was done.  But every team makes bad deals....

On Clemens, I disagree.  Because last season (and the season before) he was effective...VERY effective actually.  No, he wasn't the fireball throwing Clemens of the late 80's and 90's.  But he had morphed into an actual PITCHER (rather than a hurler), and had a pretty good ERA...even if it was against the NL.  He had NOT been injured.  He was NOT broken down.  And if the Astros had actually scored RUNS for him, is W-L would have been pretty good, too.  He was a good gamble.  Yes, you can argue that he didn't produce as much as they would have liked, in hindsight.  But knowing only what you knew back in May, it wasn't a bad deal to make.....and it was also one the Red Sox were willing to make, too, remember.  They just couldn't get the deal done.

Yanks fans aren't defensive.  I'm not being defensive.  But the point being made makes absolutely no sense in the context of BASEBALL.  And blaming the root of all evil on the Yanks is a popular myth, IMHO, perpetuated, largely, by those that are either a) jealous of their success and wish their team would (could) do what the Yanks do or b) don't understand what the game has become (a business) or the way the game works.

Thank you for backing me up with this!

[tim_m]

I love how quiet it is outside right now.  not a god damn peep.  Its like christmas.

seriously though, is this the end of an era?  Is Torre gone? A-rod gone? Clemens done?

I'd go 50-50 on the first 2.  And 90% on the last one.

Everyone EXCEPT "The Boss" wants Torre to stay.  They talked George out of it last year.  Looks like they're gonna try to do the same this year. I hope they do, because I do NOT want to see Tony LaRussa managing the Yanks next year.

A-rod.....we'll see.  I suspect they'll resign him, but if Boras is a bitch and insists that Arod opt out (I still think his line yesterday was more posturing than anything else), all bets are off. 

Clemens, I think, is done.  This is the first season his body has really betrayed him, and I suspect he'll take that as a sign it's time to hang up the cleats....but it would NOT surprise me to see him in either the Yanks or Houston organization doing some coaching.  He seemed to really enjoy that part of his time with the Yanks, and the younger guys seemed to really benefit from it.

I would love to see Torre return. I hope they can talk george out of it. This is not in the least bit joe's fault. I think you're right about a-rod unless he opts out. I think your right about clemens but i don't think he'll be allowed to be any kinda coach for us. He has that 10 yr service contract with houston.

[faldor]

I think Torre, Clemens, and A-Rod are all gone next season.  Clemens should hang'em up once and for all.  Never should've left the pitching friendly NL, but who could turn down that amount of coin?  I think A-Rod will opt out, the Yanks would offer him just about anything but I think some teams would be willing to wine and dine him and he won't pass that up.  As for Torre, clearly not his fault that the Yanks haven't won a World Series since 2000, BUT it might be time for a change.  It's a business, sometimes you need to shake things up even if it means bumping guys who have meant so much to the organization in recent past.  And it's obvious Joe still has the passion to manage and he loves his team, BUT with that being said, I remember hearing interviews with him after the monumental collapse against the Sox in 2004 and he sounded drained.  Now true, it's been 3 years, maybe he's re-energized.  But he made comments about how well balanced the Sox team was that year and alluding to the fact that the Yankee teams of recent years were built much different than the glory years.  Instead of having dominant pitching and a lineup conducive to small ball and situational hitting they became a team filled with high powered bats and their offense consisted of waiting for 3 run homers.  Again, maybe he's gotten used to the makeup of the team since 2004 but it seemed at the time that he wasn't in agreement with the organizational philosophy.

[tim_m]

Rivera: Torre's return a factor in whether he stays in N.Y.
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- If the Yankees plan to keep calling on Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning, they might want to think carefully about who would be handing him the ball.

Rivera isn't happy that Joe Torre could be out as manager in New York and said the team's decision will be factored into whether he returns.

"I don't feel good about it," Rivera said Wednesday, two days after the Yankees' third straight exit in the first round of the playoffs. "I don't see why they're even thinking [about letting Torre go]. I wish he's back, definitely. If you ask me what I would want, I want him back."

Rivera's contract also is expiring and he is eligible to become a free agent. He said whether Torre returns will help determine whether he remains with the Yankees, the only major league club he's pitched for.

"It might do a lot of it," he said. "I mean, I've been with Joe for so many years, and the kind of person he has been for me and for my teammates, it's been great. The thing is that I don't see why they have to put him in this position."

Meetings on the manager's future won't start until Friday at the earliest and might not even begin until next week. Even the site of the sessions hasn't been definitely set, although they probably will take place at the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Fla.

New York was eliminated Monday by the Cleveland Indians, the Yankees' third straight exit in the first round. Owner George Steinbrenner's flight home to Tampa on Tuesday was delayed by weather, and he didn't arrive until late. He was not seen at Legends Field on Wednesday.

Since Steinbrenner said last weekend that he didn't think Torre would remain if the Yankees failed to advance, players have urged the 77-year-old owner to retain the manager who helped New York overcome a 21-29 start and reach the playoffs for the 13th straight year.

Rivera, who turns 38 next month, plans to speak with Torre soon.

"I'm an optimist, so hopefully nothing happens and he stays here," Rivera said.

The pitcher, regarded by many as baseball's greatest closer, wanted to negotiate an extension during spring training, but the Yankees decided to delay talks until after the season. He made $10.5 million this year.

"I'm going to be open to hear all offers," said Rivera, who wants a multiyear contract. "The Yankees had the opportunity and didn't do nothing with it."

A baseball official with knowledge of the team's intentions said the Yankees plan to make contract offers to Rivera, catcher Jorge Posada and slugger Alex Rodriguez before they are allowed to negotiate with other clubs.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Yankees haven't commented publicly on their plans.

Like Rivera, Posada is eligible to become a free agent. Rodriguez can opt out of his record $252 million, 10-year contract to seek another deal. Starting pitcher Andy Pettitte has a player option for $16 million, and New York has a $16 million option on right fielder Bobby Abreu.

Rivera was asked if the Yankees would be his first choice regardless of Torre's status.

"Right now, I can't tell you that," he said. "During spring training a lot of things happened, and I realized then, definitely, this is a business."

Still, it's tough to imagine Rivera in a different uniform.

Headed to the Hall of Fame, the right-hander ranks third on the career list with 443 saves. He got off to a slow start this season but finished 3-4 with a 3.15 ERA and 30 saves. He also holds the postseason record with 34 saves.

Rivera isn't sure how much longer he wants to pitch, but he's certainly not thinking about retirement yet. He joked that he'll stick around until he can't throw anymore.

"I will tell you this, that I won't stay, I won't play baseball if I won't be able to compete at the level that In know how compete," he said.

If Rivera were to leave, the Yankees might already have his successor in pinstripes: Joba Chamberlain.

Problem is, the rookie sensation with the 99 mph fastball and nasty slider is projected as a starting pitcher, even though he went 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 19 relief appearances after he was called up in early August.

Chamberlain was a starter in the minors and college, and New York could definitely use help in its rotation.

"It's kind of hard for me to look back right now and see myself as a starter just because I haven't done it in so long," Chamberlain said. "There's not one that's better than the other and there's not one that's more important than the other. So it's just going to come down to what's better for the team and what's better for me."

Chamberlain said the only big difference between starting and relieving is that he would throw more changeups as a starter.

He'd like to know what his role will be next year as early as possible.

"Just for the mind-set," he said. "Physically, I'm not going to prepare any different."

Rivera said he loved having young teammates like Chamberlain around this season, and the rookie said he learned a lot out in that bullpen.

"I tried to do as much as I could to pick his brain, not about baseball as much as how to handle things," Chamberlain said.

"He's been a staple for a long time. He left a lot of big footsteps to fill, not only as a baseball player so much, but also mostly as a friend."

[sandman]

predictions...

Rockies in 5.

Indians in 6.

[freedom78]

predictions...

Rockies in 5.

Indians in 6.

Rockies in 6, Indians in 7.  I fully expect Arizona to win tonight, behind Webb, but their other starters won't compete with those Rockies' bats.  My Indians prediction is just wishful thinking, I'm afraid, but I'd really love to see them make the series, and not because they're not the Sox, which is a compelling reason, but because this team has had a miserable few decades and won a very tough division.

[pilferk]

Rockies in 6, Indians in 7.  I fully expect Arizona to win tonight, behind Webb, but their other starters won't compete with those Rockies' bats.  My Indians prediction is just wishful thinking, I'm afraid, but I'd really love to see them make the series, and not because they're not the Sox, which is a compelling reason, but because this team has had a miserable few decades and won a very tough division.

Ditto on pretty much everything you said.  I'm rooting for the Indians NOT because they're "not the Sox" (though, as you said, that's compelling enough) but because they haven't won in so long....sorta like why lots of people "adopt" the Cubbies when their team is out of it.