Yankees worst loss ever

Wow! The Yankees gave new meaning to the name of our website tonight, by suffering the worst defeat in their storied history.

Cleveland  333 061 006 - 22 22  1
Yankees    000 000 000 -  0  5  0

Their old record for "runs lost by" was 18, losing to Cleveland 24-6 on July 29, 1928. The Yankees went on to win the World Series that year, however, by beating the St. Louis Cardinals. They also lost to Detroit by 18 runs on June 17, 1925 by a score of 19-1. But the Pirates won the Series that year over the Washington Senators, so there does not seem to be a pattern forming.

Or is there?

The Yankees' most embarassing shutout loss also occurred at Yankee Stadium. On May 4, 1950 they lost to the Chicago White Sox by a score of 15-0. So who won the 1950 World Series? The Yankees beat the Phillies.

So I guess the moral of this blog is, "One loss does not make a season." But it sure makes for pleasant dreams.

Click here for some fun bed time reading by AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum. I especially liked this line, "Yankees owner George Steinbrenner watched his team fall in record fashion, then refused to answer questions as he left the ballpark."

They can Lose big, too.

Today’s game consisted of record-breaking ineptitude for the New York Yankees as the Cleveland Indians walked all over the Yankee pitchers, tallying up a score of 22-0. Wow. This breaks the American League previous record of WLS or worst lost shutout. Also, tying the record of most hits in a 9-inning game was Omar Visquel, who went 6 for 7 with 4 RBI’s. His batting average rose eight points this game. Also with RBI’s for the Indians were Coco Crisp, Lawton, Martinez, Hafner, Blake, Broussard, Gerut, and Belliard. Almost the entire team!

Since there wasn’t much offense today for the Yankees, let’s focus on their pitching. Vasquez started it on the mound, but only lasted for 1.1 innings as he gave up 5 hits, 6 runs, and 2 BB. Tanyon Sturtz allowed 6 hits, 7 runs, and 2 BB in 3 innings. For CJ Nitkowski it was 3 hits, 3 runs, and 3 BB in 1.2 innings. Also in relief was Esteban Loazia, trying to turn things around for himself before the post season. Unfortunately his night didn’t go so well either as he allowed, 8 hits, 6 runs, and 2 BB, in 2.2 innings. Not very impressive when measured up against the Indians pitchers 0 ER.

With the Yankees loss today, and Boston’s win, the standings now have shifted to 3 1/2 games back for the Red Sox.

RED HOT SOX KEEP PRESSURE ON

The bandwagon is officially nearing capacity.

Red Sox Nation is reveling in Boston’s torrid play during the month of August, and with good reason. The team has gone 20-7 this month, taking a 1 game lead in the Wild Card race and making the A.L. East a race again, climbing within 4 games of New York. With six straight victories and 12 in their last 13 outings, the Sox are making winning look easier than Jennifer Lopez. Their terrific play can be attributed primarily to two factors, clutch hitting and starting pitching. Excelling in these areas can transform a team from average to dominant in a short time, which is what has happened with Boston (76-53).

Despite the absences of Trot Nixon, Pokey Reese, Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis, Mark Bellhorn, Bill Mueller, Keith Foulke, and even Manny Ramirez for all or part of this month, the Red Sox haven’t missed a beat on offense. Two-out rallies and clutch performances are now as common as the lineup changes Terry Francona is forced to make each night. From Doug Mirabelli’s decisive home run last Tuesday to Ricky Gutierrez’s three hits on Friday, everyone is playing a role and making the most of it.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Ramirez (34 HR, 104 RBI, 1.024 OPS) and David Ortiz (33 HR, 114 RBI, .980 OPS), the American League’s deadliest duo, have everyone’s back. Or that three other guys – Varitek (.426 average in August), Mueller (.355) and Bellhorn (.325) – are on fire of late.

Boston’s starting rotation has been hotter than the recent New England weather, and has played an even greater role in the team’s success. All five starters went seven innings or more in their last outings and earned victories. It doesn’t get better than that. Tim Wakefield (11-7) just won for the fifth time this month, while Bronson Arroyo (7-9) has become a viable dependable starter and Derek Lowe (12-10) is showing sporadic signs of life after his four-month warmup period.

This is all well and good, but keeping up the pace in the next two weeks will be a different matter. Boston will take on the three A.L. West powers, beginning with a three-game series against Anaheim (75-55) tonight at Fenway Park. The Sox will then face Texas (73-56) three times in Kenmore Square before traveling to Oakland (77-53). Only one of these clubs will win its division, leaving the other two to battle Boston for the Wild Card. The Sox have done a fine job positioning themselves for a playoff run, but these next nine games will make or break their 2004 campaign. Fasten your seat belts.

Curt Schilling (16-6) will take the hill tonight against John Lackey (11-10), followed by Arroyo against Ramon Ortiz (5-7), and Lowe taking on Aaron Sele (8-1). Combining power, speed and defense, Anaheim is one of the league’s most balanced and exciting squads. No one embodies all three elements into his game like right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, who has anchored this team all season. Garrett Anderson and Jose Guillen provide nice protection for Vlad, and the Angels may be further boosted by the return of 2002 World Series MVP Troy Glaus from shoulder surgery.

The Anaheim bullpen, in which closer Troy Percival (309 career saves) may actually be the weak link, is also one of the best in the business. Scott Shields, Brendan Donnelly and Francisco Rodriguez (remember him?) are a formidable trio should the team’s starters falter. Rodriguez, or "K-Rod," who emerged from nowhere to record five playoff wins en route to the 2002 World Series title, has become the Angels’ primary setup guy this season. Now an established veteran at age 22, K-Rod has fanned 102 batters in 68 innings, picked up 10 saves with Percival on the DL, and posted an ERA of 1.85.

Best Visiting Player Name to Appear at Fenway This Week: Chone Figgins. Apparently, the Anaheim third baseman’s first name rhymes with "John." How does that work? And what is a Chone anyway?

Best Former Sox Player to Appear at Fenway This Week: John Wasdin (1997-2000). Not the best in terms of talent (the Angels’ Aaron Sele would take that one), but potentially the most entertaining. Give Texas a lot of credit, because competing for a playoff spot on August 31 with this man pitching regularly is an impressive feat. The former Sox pitcher, a.k.a. "Way Back" Wasdin, a.k.a. the Blair Wasdin Project (slogan: Breaking Windows on Landsdowne Street since 1997!) has surfaced in Texas’ clubhouse, and one can only hope that the Red Sox get a shot at him and his 5.22 career ERA later this week.

Best New Mark Bellhorn Stat: This one courtesy of NESN’s Jerry Remy, and relayed to me via longtime fan Chuck Bourne of Boston’s North End. When Bellhorn, the walking statistical anomaly, puts the ball in play, his average is a Ted Williams-like .384. Of course, his 130 strikeouts this season bring it back down to .264. Interestingly, the most Williams ever fanned in two seasons combined was 118, during his first two years in the league (1939-1940).

Yankees .444 vs. Good teams

During some spare time this past All-Star break, I took a few minutes and tallied up the Yankees performance against teams with a .500 winning percentage. I found that the Yankees played .532 ball against good teams during the first half of the season. Not bad, but also not the kind of numbers that send shivers down the opposing teams' backs. Well, Monday’s off day provided a little more spare time, so I went at it again, and it was a lot more fun this time.

Since the All-Star break, the Yankees have a winning percentage of .445 against teams with winning percentage of .500 or above. Of the 44 games they’ve played the second half of the season, only 18 have been against teams with a winning record. Of those 18, the $185,000 million team has won 8 and lost 10.

But take heart Yankee fans, the Yankees have an easy schedule the rest of the year. In their final 32 games, only 12 will be against a team with a winning record. And that’s counting three games against Cleveland who weighs in at .500 exactly. Six of the 12 games will be against Boston. Three at Fenway, and the other three are part of their 20 remaining games played at the “House That George Broke.”

The Red Sox have 33 games left, of which 15 are against teams with a .500 winning percentage or better. And none of those teams is Cleveland. 16 of their final 33 games are at home. So it looks like Boston will have an uphill battle to catch the Yankees for the division title.

According to my shaky math, this is the way other teams play against .500 teams.

Oakland .643
Anaheim .591
Minnesota .538
Boston .500

Click here for the All-Star break blog.

Crybabies

I’ve said it before on this site and I’ll continue to say it until I’m blue in the face- the Yankees are the biggest bunch of crybabies in sports when things don’t go their way.

The latest example of this occurred after yesterday’s loss to Toronto, which dropped the Yankee’s lead to only 4 1/2 games over Boston. After the game, we all got to hear the musings of losing pitcher Mike Mussina, the biggest Yankee crybaby of them all.

Mussina was complaining that part of the reason for his ineffectiveness was that Toronto had delayed the start of the game for a ceremony honoring their long-time broadcaster, Tom Cheek. He said the Blue Jays went 15 minutes longer than they promised with the ceremony and that it contributed to him being a little off.

Of course, this ceremony followed a delay right before that when Skydome experienced a power outage, delaying even that pre-game ceremony. I suppose Mussina blames the Jays for the thunderstorms that caused the outage too.

I mean if Mussina isn’t a case of the pot calling the kettle black I don’t know what is. He has the nerve to say the Blue Jays went too long with the ceremony when he plays for a team that is famous for making seventh inning stretch breaks longer than some football half times. Yankee Stadium seventh innings have more singing than some Broadway musicals.

The fact is that Mussina just wasn’t that good yesterday. And don’t try to tell me that the delay at the start of the game threw him off. He pitched pretty well until the seventh inning when Carlos Delgado hit that titanic home run to start Mussina on his downward spiral. That was long after the pre-game festivities.

To me it’s just more Yankee excuses as the Red Sox close in on them. Hey, Yankee fans, Boston is 24-9 since Varitek punched A-Rod in the face. I guess I was right. That’s the moment that woke the Red Sox up. 4 1/2 games and the clock is ticking. Can’t you just feel George’s turtleneck tightening?

Invaders In The North

Imagine this: You are in a baseball stadium, almost filled to capacity. The building is rumbling, you can literally feel the ground shake. Fans around you screaming "Let’s Go Yankees", the majority screaming, clapping and yelling throughout the chant. A-Rod comes to the plate, the crack of the bat is heard around the stadium, the ball flies through the air and over the wall for a home run to tie the game. The fans are ecstatic, jumping around, waving Yankee flags. Where are you? Alumni Weekend at SkyDome, of course.

That was the scene yesterday, and the 3 days prior, as the Yankees and company invaded SkyDome in Toronto, each day with more re-enforcements then before. It started with a come-from-behind win, and ended in similar fashion.

It was my first real major interaction with Yankee fans, having only been to a handful of Blue Jay-Yankee games previously, and mostly concentrated on the game, not the people around it. Coming after a series with Boston, the Yankee fans are an interesting bunch, to say the least. Unfortunately, as the days since Boston left grew greater, the Boston fans grew less.

It didn't take long for the Yankee fans to make their presence known here in Toronto on a balmy Thursday night. As I settled into my lower-deck seat to see the Jays take on the Evil Ones, an out-of-control little kid charged in front of me, knocking my legs over in his futile attempt to rush the field. Looking around, I saw his Yankee-fan parents and immediately understood. Ignoring their bulldozer son's rudeness, they were more upset that he had failed to score the autograph of some no-name NY pitching coach. Yankee fans: this is where we get the expression "ugly Americans".

As I thought things were going well with a Jays’ four-run lead, the Yankees, once again, came back. That was hard for me to swallow, as it would be for any fan of any team,. However, when you have a bullpen similar to the Blue Jays, you tend to get used to it…Phoenix knows what I am talking about.

The second game of the series was rather exciting at times. Delgado and friends made a late charge, Carlos smacking a 3-run shot in the seventh that got the Toronto faithful in to the game, only down by a run. It was then that not only me, but also the fans around me (Jays and Yankees) realized that Joe Torre was in town, having been graced by his presence only briefly in game 1. A four-some of Toronto fans said it best "Oh, Joe’s in town, he made the trip." I truly believe these 4 guys affected the outcome of the game. Since the wonderful Esteban Loaiza was on the mound, they felt it necessary to remind him of his last name every time he was in the wind-up, which was eventually a chant by the 3rd inning. So loud were they, A-Rod kept looking over and said something to Jeter. They were not Jeter fans either, every time a ball went foul that landed in the playing surface, they asked Jeter where he was on that one, and wanted to see more hustle out of him next time. They also asked the eternal question. "What do you call a slow roller to Jeter’s left?" Answer. "A base hit up the middle."

Game 3, believe or not, Toronto was actually winning at one point. Even though Lilly gave up 7 runs, any chance of salvaging a victory hit the showers with him. It was the worst display of baseball I have ever personally witnessed. It was so bad, after about the third home run in the 9-run 9th, by New York, I rose to my feet and started applauding. Not the Yankees, but the skill of Kerry Ligtenberg to pitch the perfect Home Run Derby pitch in a real game. Frank Menechino’s appearance in to record the final out was rewarded by a half stadium of "ME-NE-CHI-NO" originated by Loaiza’s friends from the previous night. They had now moved from the 3rd baseline to the fifth deck to accompany a gentleman with a drum. They started the first legitimate "Yankees Suck" chant, which was ended quickly by the overwhelming "Let’s Go Yankees". As well they started the first "Jeter Swallows" chant, which was not stopped by Yankee fans, probably because Jeter went 1 for 4. When the bad guys out-number you, and out-chant you, there is not much that can be done. This also marked the third night in a row that during a pitching change, an attempted "wave" by the in-game host, ended up hitting itself. He said to start a wave in the right field corner and go around SkyDome; naturally it would be in the direction that the mascot with the flag was running. This was not the case; it went in one direction around the outfield wall, and in another around the infield. Somewhere around the other side of the stadium it merged, and everyone stopped. Following the game, which begun at 4:05, a large number of Yankee fans decided to hang around Toronto for a Saturday night of fun. I hope they avoided the elderly crack-head homeless man that seemed to be stalking me.

The final game of the four-game set: Toronto and its fans just wishing to salvage one win, since it had been close two of the previous 3 games (they would have been close all 3 games if Maurer and Ligtenberg didn’t pitch like Rick Ankiel). Then there was darkness. Fortunately for me I was on the outside, at approximately 12:06 EST, when there was a problem at the power station, caused either by the heavy thunderstorms, or a raccoon.

Around 10, 000 fans were already inside watching the Yankees batting practice. However, for security reasons, the doors were shut until the power came back on. Fans outside kept an up-beat spirit, Jays fans decided to show up for this one, for the small "Let’s Go Yankee" chants, which I have had enough of; "Yankees Suck!" was the quick reply. At about 1:19 the power was restored and somewhere in the neighbourhood of 30, 000 fans bottlenecked into the few entrances SkyDome has opened, even in games they know will have a big draw. The game was further delayed by the great Tom Cheek, the "voice" of the Blue Jays for 27 years, or 4306 straight games, until the death of his father in June, followed by a brain tumor which was removed. A number of former Blue Jay greats including George Bell, Cecil Fielder and Cito Gaston were present with his colleagues to unveil his name upon the Level of Excellence (Blue Jay version of retiring a number).

This game had the second highest attendance total of the year, 44, 072. Even the bullpen couldn’t mess this game up, to the dismay of many of the people there. I was blessed with sitting in front of 4 of the loudest Yankee fans in the building; they did know something about baseball, as incomprehensible as they sounded. They didn’t seem to want to make friends with Kenny Lofton, taunting him as he was only playing due to Sheffield’s injury. Although they didn’t seem to like Alex Rios either, but I jumped on his case after a dismal effort, pertaining to A-Rod’s home run. Which, he at 6’5, could have caught, or at least knocked down, similar to what Reed Johnson (5’10) did on Saturday. I reminded Rios to stop being lazy and that he was a bum and put more effort in, this reminder was intensified after I witnessed him yawning. These gentlemen did provide me some interesting information on the math department of the educational system however. Upon the appearance of a vendor of memorabilia that came up and down the aisles, they asked how many Yankee flags he sold compared to Blue Jay flags. He replied 80 Yankees and 24 Blue Jays. After the vendor left, one speculated the man made 1$ off every flag sold, another said, and I quote "Yeah, he made $114 today"…. wow.

Overall, it was a series to be remembered, or forgotten, depending on how you look at it. The excess of Yankee fans was to be expected, however the memorabilia being sold was something that did not sit well with me. As I heard in Boston, "Yankees Suck" items were banned from Fenway Park for supposedly supporting the Yankees; no matter how contradictory that may be. Then to come to SkyDome and find a stadium full of Yankee flags and hats, bought at SkyDome! That is absolutely heinous. There is no other word to adequately describe that. Hopefully in one capacity or another that will be fixed. The Yankees only have a 5 1/2 game lead on the Red Sox in the AL East, and Toronto is 5 games behind Baltimore in the race for last. 4 Games, 158,731 people, 1 good result.

Power Back On For Jays

Start popping the popcorn, it’s time for game four as field attendants and vendors alike prepare for the finale of the Yankees/Jays series. But what is this, a Power Outage!

Due to storming and power outage in the Toronto area, the game was put on hold for a good hour and a half. Then, after they finally got the lights on in the dome, things started off with an appreciation ceremony for Tom Cheek, radio announcer for the Jays. He was awarded a place on the Toronto "Wall of Fame" and a complimentary picture for his towering streak of 4306 consecutive games. All hail the Cal Ripken of announcers!

On the mound for the Yankees was Mike Mussina, who is yet to record a win since coming off the DL. In the lead off position for the Jays was Reed Johnson, and he did his duty, with not only getting a hit, but a homerun. Jays take an early 1-0 lead. The game went by pretty slow after that, until the bottom of the 8th when Carlos Delgado took Moose deep to tie the game, his 23rd. Then later that inning it was rookie Gabe Gross, Reed Johnson, and Orlando Hudson — all with RBI singles.

Starting off on the mound for the Jays was Miguel Batista. Batista’s last few starts have not been very good, so today he was looking for a win. In the third the Yankees tied it up with an A-rod solo homer, and then it’s A-rod again in the fifth when he knocked in Kenny Lofton with a RBI single. In the 7th Bernie Williams tried to stir things up with a RBI single. In the 9th it was Posada, with a pinch-hit homerun to bring the Yankees within two. But that was all as they couldn’t push the comeback, and the Jays won the game 6-4. Batista receives the win, and Mussina is given the loss.

The Red Sox also picked up a win today, so they advance ever closer to the division title, only 4 and 1/2 games back.

Sources- www.yankees.com
www.mlb.com
YESNetwork

Four and a Half Games

The Yankees lost today 6-4 while the Red Sox swept the Tigers underneath the carpet.

The Yankees lead in the AL East has now been shortened to 4.5 games.

The Yankees will play Clevelend, Baltimore and Tampa Bay in the next three series. While the Red Sox will face the three contending teams in the AL West; Anaheim, Oakland and Texas.

"Mr. 300" shoots down Jays

Well, the Yankees win again. Yesterday’s game belonged to Ruben Sierra aka "Mr. 300." In the top of the ninth Sierra cashes in with his 300th homerun — a grand slam! Also having a big game was Tony Clark who showed his stuff with THREE jacks, a three-run shot, and two solo homers. Gary Sheffield also homered and had a two run triple, A-rod had a solo shot, and Jorge Posada, Ruben Sierra, and Hideki Matsui also collected RBI’s. Blue Jay starter Ted Lilly was taken out after allowing 7 runs on 5 hits in 5.1 innings. Frasor and Chulk also pitched, but neither had a "memorable performance". But it was the doomed Kerry Ligtenberg who pitched the ninth, who was truly destroyed. It was a nine run 9th, the highest scoring inning for the Yankees this year. Ten hits, nine runs, and eleven base runners.

For the Jays, it was Delgado with a RBI sac fly in the 1st, Reed Johnson with a two-run double in the 2nd, and sac fly for Gregg Zaun in the 3rd. This was it for a while, but then in late innings they were pushing for a comeback. Bottom of the 8th was rally time. Hinske single! Zaun walk! Chris Woodard RBI single! Reed Johnson RBI single! But then Torre brings in star closer Mariano Rivera, and he ends the inning before too much damage can be done, and also closes it out in the 9th.

The final, badly lopsided score: 18-6 giving the Yankees another for the "Win" column. For the pitching, Kevin Brown collects the win, Mariano Rivera with the save, his league leading 45th, and Ted Lilly is handed the loss, his 9th of the year. Frank Menechino — that’s right — the back up third-basemen for the Jays comes in to replace Ligtenberg, and he gets the final out of the 9th after giving up two hits. This was his second pitching performance in the majors. A milestone game for Ruben Sierra, and yet another comeback victory for the Yanks.

Today, it's the Yankees v. The Jays one more time before they head home to the Bronx.

With Boston’s win over the Detroit Tigers yesterday, the Yankees maintain their 5 1/2 game lead. The Red Sox are looking great lately but need to be in top condition if they want to take the division title over the Yankees.

We're back!

Editors note: Our server experienced some technical difficulties for most of Saturday and Sunday morning. But the problems have been fixed, and the Yankee gremlins have been exorcised from our system. Thanks for your patience.

Secret Decoder Ring

Editor's note: According to the latest reports, Yankee first baseman Jason Giambi has returned to his training in Tampa - after suffering through treatment of a benign tumor, a groin injury, and a chest cold.

In my last box of Lucky Charms I found a secret Jason Giambi decoder ring. We all know decoder rings aren't worth the 3-cents-an-hour Taiwanese labor that are put into them... but this ring was different. When I held it up to Jason's quotes to Sam Borden in the New York Daily News it deciphered a special message from Jason:

"This is absolutely not related to steroids at all and that's all I can really say about that." "During those last few weeks, I was a lab rat,""The not knowing, that was the worst part of it. You start to go, 'Why am I not getting better? It's mine. That's why I'm going to go through this with just me and my family." "It's already been traumatic enough with everything we've gone through, so we're just going to stop this right here and (be) excited that I'm going forward." "Everybody, I don't care what you do, what profession you're in, you're a human being first," "This has been a pretty traumatic experience," he said. "My goal is to be back on the field before the end of the year, there's no doubt about that." " I'm excited to get down here, get back playing again (and get) a chance to start over. It's been a tough two months."

Translated: Coming Down Off Roids Sucks

Wow! This thing really works!

Yanks Take Another One

It seems that the Yankees have taken another one against the Jays, this time with an 8-7 outcome. The scoring started off against Jay pitcher Justin Miller in the first with a one-run shot from Derek Jeter. This was followed up in the second with a Matsui solo homer, and then in the fifth it was Bernie taking a pitch yard off of Miller with a man on. Matsui again contributes with a RBI sac fly, and Olerud with an RBI single. Also receiving RBI’s are Ruben Sierra and Kenny Lofton on bases-loaded walks.

Eight runs should be a big enough lead to close out a game, shouldn’t it? But then again, it was Loaiza starting on the mound for the Yanks. Now Loaiza hasn’t really been shutting down the opposition like the Yankee management has hoped, and this day was no exception. Loaiza was sent to the showers after allowing four runs on seven hits in 4 and 1/3 innings. Joe Torre made the decision and replaced Loaiza with former Jay, Tanyon Sturtz, and it paid off. Sturtz did an amazing job, K-ing three, and allowing two runners on base in 2.1 innings. CJ Nitkowski came in and faced one batter, Carlos Delgado, who hit a three-run shot to bring the Jay’s within one run. Then in the ninth Gordon closed it out with the save, his 4th of the year. Mariano had the night off.

Final score 8-7, with Sturtz getting the win. Justin Miller is given the loss and his record drops to 2-3. Tom Gordon receives the save, his fourth. With the Yankees and the Red Sox both winning, the standings stay the same; only 5-1/2 games back for the Sox.

Sources- www.yankees.com
YESNetwork

"Clamp his Mouth" and "Get a Team"

The bitter battle between right and wrong is getting stronger in Chicago. Mayor "Vote Early and Often" Daley and The "What Safety Issues?" Tribune Company have been embarking on a terrific sissy fight over the stability issues at Wrigley Field. Luckily for us both sides have left us with tremendously quotable one-liners:

Commissioner Stan Kaderbek on a new claim of falling concrete chunks:
"It's really bogus"

Andy MacPhail on Wrigley Field Inspections:
"The city has conducted enough inspections of Wrigley Field by now that they should be satisfied we are not printing a newspaper here."

Mayor Daley to Cubs President Andy MacPhail:
"If a piece of concrete fell on your head . . . and your child, what would you do? You'd be yelling at the city every day"

Chester Lobodzinski on not turning in the chunk of Wrigley he claims landed on his head:
"They're not taking it," "All they've got to do is come to the house and they can examine it. But they're not getting it. I mean, 25 years from now, who else can say they have their own piece of Wrigley Field? Say I'm wrong, that's fine, but I've got the evidence right here, don't I?" -- well, do you?

Commisssioner Stan Kaderbek on the new claim by Chester Lobodzinski:
"It's kind of what I suspected might happen. Somebody might come up with pieces of concrete" and bring them into the ballpark to make a bogus claim.

Mayor Daley in regards to Cubs President Andy MacPhail:
"They [the Cubs] should get a team."

Mayor Daley one-upping his last comment to Andy MacPhail:
"Poor guy. He should really put a clamp on his mouth."

Cubs Manager Dusty Baker on the fued:
"Hey, man, you all handle it. That's not a topic on my list. My name is Les, and I don't like mess. Or my name is Bennett, and I ain't in it. I got a whole bunch of those."

What???

Sources:
Daily Southtown "Cubs Notebook"
Chicago Sun Times "Daley, Tribune skeptical about fallen chunk claim" - This link may have expired.

Give It Up For The Kids

Ok, YankeesSuck.com fans — all kidding aside for a moment — here's a really good thing you can do today - for yourself and for the kids fighting cancer and their families. We here at YankeesSuck.com happen to be huge fans of The Jimmy Fund.

Today until midnight, NESN and WEEI 850am in Boston along with The Red Sox are hosting a Radiothon to benefit The Jimmy Fund. Check out the broadcast on NESN or at http://www.jimmyfund.org/.

Now YankeesSuck.com is not affiliated with any of these fine organizations - but just to encourage you to participate, here's an incentive: Donate over $100 and we'll say a special thanks by sending you a free YankeesSuck.com t-shirt. For a $50. donation, we'll send you one of our bumper sticker. Just be one of the first 10 people to send us a copy of your donation receipt and we'll send you our thanks.

You can e-mail your receipt to admin@yankeessuck.com.

Thanks! This helps the Sox to generate good winning karma - so pay if forward!

Sheffield Confirms: He's Still a Jag

Gary Sheffield told the Hartford Courant "No," an MVP title would not "be an honor" or "mean anything" to him. Oh really? I guess that's why you whined like a little schoolgirl when you only placed 3rd in the 1992 NL MVP race. Gary has been a jag since his inception in the league. Let's gaze back in the history of his jag-dom:

1988 -
Gary calls the Brewer's pitchers a bunch of "girls" for not throwing at opposing batters when the opposing pitchers brushed him back. He also accused Bud Selig of forcing him to play hurt, thus eliminating his chance for a big contract. He then said he acted like a "loudmouth" on purpose just to get traded.

1993 -
The Shef calls the Padres "cheap" and says "I figure if you can't afford a team, you should sell it and not use it as bait." (NY Daily News) He went on "Basically, that's what they're doing, and that's what I feel like - bait." Jag.

1998 -
Gary refuses to play in the All-Star Game unless the Dodgers pay for his family to fly there.

2002 -
Demands to be traded from L.A., tells the press that the Dodger's team chairman is "a liar."

Conclusion: Sheffield sticking his thumb of the eyes of those who will vote him MVP confirms he is still a Jag. His arrogance is only outpaced by Barry Bonds - one of the men who beat him in the 1992 NL MVP race.

How To Fix the Toronto Blue Jays

Originally this was to be titled "How To Fix the Montreal Expos", however Bud Selig and the rest of the executives at Major League Baseball are more interested in saving 0’s then saving a team. The Expos are basically done, it was a great run, but when the stadium only draws 14,000 fans when tickets are only $5, there is more hope in Rick Ankiel throwing a strike, or Juan Pierre hitting a Home Run.

The Blue Jays are another story, they have a hope, a great fan base was created at SkyDome following the World Series wins in 1992 and 1993. The Stadium is easily accessible from any modes of transportation and in a great location. The four winning seasons in the last six years and what seemed to be a lock in the number 3 spot of the division, got fans excited about a potential Wild Card run.

What the fans did not know, was the ability, or lack there-of concerning J.P. Riccardi. He was hired November 14th 2001, "useful" players acquired since- 3 (still with team),"useful" players parted with- 20.

Here is a look at those acquired in no particular order:

Eric Hinske- for Billy Koch, 2002 AL Rookie of the year, struggling since.
Frank Catalanotto- Free Agent, decent OBP
Ted Lilly- for Bobby Kielty, average year

Here is who they have let go in one capacity or another, how they were obtained, and what they got in return:

Tony Batista, MTL –
Gave- Dan Plesac
Return-claimed off waivers by Baltimore
About- Pretty good power numbers in Toronto and since leaving Toronto. Enough that the Jays should have gotten something in return.

Alex Gonzalez, MTL-
Gave- Drafted
Return- Felix Heredia and James Deschaine
About- Always decent, 20 HR’s last year, not the best, but worth more then received.

Shannon Stewart, MIN-
Gave- Drafted
Return- for Bobby Kielty
About- consistent Lead-off man. Kielty was horrible and Stewart is still thriving.

Jose Cruz Jr., TB-
Gave- Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric
Return-Signed as a free agent
About- was fairly good at driving in runs with Toronto, could have been traded for something, anything would have been better then nothing.

Raul Mondesi ANA-
Gave- Shawn Green and Jorge Nunez
Return- Scott Wiggins
About- One of Toronto’s best power hitters, got rid of him in exchange for a AA player.

Brad Fullmer, SD-
Gave- David Segui
Return-Brian Cooper
About- Better then average hitter, Solid DH, gave him up for nothing

Cesar Izturis, LA-
Gave- Signed as free agent
Return- Luke Prokopec and Chris Ricketts
About-A top defensive SS in the NL, improving offensively every year

Billy Koch, FLA-
Gave-Drafted
Return-Justin Miller and Eric Hinske
About- At a time was solid closer, career high in saves after he left. One move that might have been beneficial, but the jury is still out considering Hinske’s slump.

Paul Quantrill, NYY-
Gave-Howard Battle and Ricardo Jordan
Return-Luke Prokopec and Chris Ricketts
About-Decent relief man at times, always a low ERA, was second half of Izturis deal, both for essentially nothing, again.

Esteban Loaiza, NYY-
Gave- Darwin Cubillan and Mike Young
Return-Free Agent
About- one of Toronto’s best pitchers at the time, won 20 games, after he left.

Chris Carpenter, STL-
Gave-Drafted
Return-Free Agent
About-Another solid pitcher that produced wins, just given away…

Josh Phelps, CLE-
Gave-Drafted
Return-Eric Crozier
About-Toronto’s best hitting prospect, good average and power. Who is Eric Crozier? Maybe his mother knows.

Jayson Werth, LA-
Gave-Jason Bale
Return-Jason Fraser
About-Another high-ranked prospect, another who? Producing relatively well in LA.

Kelvim Escobar, ANA-
Gave-Signed
Return-Free Agent
About- Toronto’s most valuable pitcher. Saved 38 games one year, double digits in wins 3 times. Following tradition, he was let go for nothing.

Felipe Lopez, CIN-
Gave-Drafted
Return-Player to be named later
About-Young prospect, improving in Cincinnati offensively, at least they got something in return, just not too sure what that is…

Bobby Kielty, OAK-
Gave-Shannon Stewart and Dave Gassner
Return-Ted Lilly
About- Gave up one of there best hitters, for him. At least in return they got a decent pitcher, trading him was probably the best deal Riccardi has made.

Cory Lidle, PHI-
Gave- Mike Rouse and Chris Mowday
Return-Free Agent
About- Double digits in wins, triple digits in K’s, and let go…

Tanyon Sturtze, NYY-
Gave-Free Agent
Return-Free Agent
About-Dramatic improvement with the Jays after consecutive 12+ loss seasons, had a winning record., never given a chance to improve.

Mark Hendrickson, TB-
Gave-Drafted
Return-Justin Speier
About-12-9 in 2 seasons, decent pitcher at times, better then the 3-6 Speier.

Giving away decent, performing players for either nothing, or minor leaguers who are worse, is not a winning strategy. Pat Gillick had a way of building teams through all aspects, the draft, trades and free agency. 3 seasons later, a decent player has yet to emerge from the draft, successfully. As seen above, trades are not the way to go, unless you are looking for the short end of the stick. As for Free Agency, there is Chris Gomez, .285 average, and 11 Errors in an important defensive position, which leads the team. When you have 2 other Shortstops, Why spend $750, 000 on Gomez? They could have spent an extra $250,000 on Eric Young and got a more consistent infielder, who can play more then one position, and start. Well let us see Riccardi’s free agent misses and missed signings this past winter.

Deivi Cruz, SF-Riccardi must have missed the memo on Deivi Cruz (.300, 6 errors) Signed to a minor league deal which would have been much more productive use of money then Terry Adams and his $1.7 million (who was 4-4 before being traded for John Hattig). Cruz would have been a big boost to the middle-infield with Orlando Hudson, but instead, there is shared playing time between Chris Woodward and Chris Gomez.

Paul Quantrill, NY- Available for 2 years $6.4 million, has a 6-2 record. Although considering he should have never been traded with a solid young prospect (Izturis) for nothing following an 11-2 season, that would have shown the man who traded him made a big mistake. Kerry Ligtenberg, TOR- 4-2 record, in 2003 with a 3.34 ERA. 4.5 Million over 2 years was signed instead.

Mike Myers, BOS- Signed on with the Mariners for $550, 000 and posted a 4-1 record, before being traded to Boston. Would have put experience and a relief into an erratic bullpen.

Glendon Rusch, Cubs- Had a horrible year in 2003, but was given a chance and $750, 000 for a year, has produced a 5-1 record.

Ismael Valdez, FLA – 10-7 this year combined in San Diego and Florida, was a steal at $800,000 for one year. Again, would have given Toronto some experience in their rotation. They did end up getting experience in Pat Hentgen, he was given $2.2 million for a year he didn’t even complete, and a 2-9 record with an ERA of almost 7. Hentgen was good back in the day, however he hasn’t had a winning season since 2000.

Good news however, Greg Myers was re-signed, then sprained his ankle in May, with 18 AB’s and 4 hits, good use of money. Miguel Batista was signed for 3 years and $13.1 million (about $4 million a year) and responded with a 9-9 record and an ERA of over 4. Kelvin Escobar signed with Anaheim, 3 years and $18.75 million (about $6 million) following a 13-9 season, that followed a 38 save season. He would have been worth the extra $2 million a year.

At least the young outfield hasn’t been tampered with, although you never know these days, Vernon Wells better watch out before he goes to Arizona for Quinton McCracken.

This brings us to pitching…Miguel Batista, Pat Hentgen, Terry Adams and Kerry Ligtenberg were signed in the off-season for a combined $21.5 million. They have produced a total 16-27 record with a combined 5.32 ERA. Those 4 players have been credited for 38% of the team’s loses. Letting go Cory Lidle may have been acceptable; he has been struggling, even though he did get 12 wins last year, almost as much as those 4 combined, and he could have stayed for under $3 million. Roy Halladay has been injured for a big portion of the season, that left a big void to fill, Josh Towers has stepped up his game with a 9-5 record, 6-1 in his last 7 starts. Hope he doesn’t get too comfortable, a record like that might land him in St. Louis in exchange for Rick Ankiel. Inability to make decent, fair trades will haunt any team, and signing free agents that don’t produce is a waste of money.

The Blue Jays have finished in third place in the AL East for the past six years, their last place finish in 1997, two years after another last place finish, which was their worst since 1982, when they were last in Bobby Cox’s first season. Bobby Cox then improved the team every year until 1985 when he won the division, but did not return the following year. Jimy Williams took over, and eventually led them to a division win in 1989, then did not return. Cito Gaston took his try and won the division in his second season, followed by consecutive World Series Championships. Losing is not prominent for the Blue Jays, at the moment they are 25 games under, yes, under, .500. The last time they were there record was this bad was 1995, even the last place finish in 1997, they were only 10 games under an even record. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were becoming accustomed to last place in the AL East, but unless the Blue Jays can make up about 7 games in the final 40 or so games left, it will be the basement for Toronto. It seems like that will be the inevitable, following Carlos Tosca’s firing as manager, and John Gibbons taking over in lieu of a permanent replacement. That is assuming the management will be looking for another Manager, if not, they should be looking for another General Manager. Next year should be a huge rebuilding step for the club, they will either get back on there winning ways, and show this is a just a fluke year plagued by injuries. Or, they will flounder and go in to a full nosedive, and be the bases of jokes usually reserved for the L.A. Clippers and Arizona Cardinals (or Diamondbacks for that matter). The next few months will dictate the next few years for the ball club, it is time J.P. Riccardi used the skills he learned under Billy Beane, or he can go mess up another team (preferably the Yankees). It would be a shame for Canada to go from two teams to zero, because of incompetence and ignorance.

The Blue Jays now open a 4-game series against the division leading Yankees, who they are 2-8 against this season. Looking at the Blue Jays current pattern, they went 1-2 against Baltimore at SkyDome, and then swept them at home. The Jays then managed one win in three chances against the Red Sox, are they just preparing for another sweep? Let’s hope so, for the sake of baseball fans everywhere. The mighty Dave Bush (a Riccardi draft pick, 3-2 with a 3.69 ERA, one of the "better" pitchers J.P. has acquired) is scheduled to start against the $185 million payroll and Jon Lieber (Personally, if I was on a team with a $185 million payroll, and Jon Lieber was the starter, I would kick the crap out of the owner. However, knowing the owner is George Steinbrenner, I am kind of biased). The Blue Jays bats have seem to come alive in the past week, not including when they faced Pedro, but most teams bats are silenced by him. If the Jays can keep up what they did in the 8th and 9th innings of last nights game, and what they did against Baltimore, the Yankees will be in for a tough series.

Why the Yanks Will Lose

Suddenly, first place in the AL East is becoming all too real for Boston. And with a little help from the Blue Jays, it could easily be theirs.

I know when you read that last sentence you probably laughed, but here's why I think Toronto will take at least two, maybe three, games of their four-game series with New York:

Game 1:
Starting right-hander David Bush will make his tenth major league start. He's one of Toronto's more gifted prospects, and in his first season he is showing why. He‚s tossing a 3.69 ERA with a 2-3 record in just 9 games; may not seem strong, but this is the Blue Jays we're talking about. On the offensive end, the Jays face Yanks starter Jon Lieber who has a 4.67 ERA and a 9-8 record (greatly influenced by New York's big bats). Toronto should be able to hang on to win a close one.

Winner: Jays

Game 2:
Loaiza. Enough said.

Winner: Jays

Game 3:
Jays‚ All-Star Ted Lilly will try to throw for his tenth win. Unfortunately it comes against Kevin Brown and an angry Yankees team, mad for losing their last two games (hopefully). Despite the resurgent Jays‚ offense, defensive hustle, and home-field advantage, New York will probably notch this game as a win, probably as another one of their classic "comeback-with-one-out-left-and-down-by-three‚.

Winner: Yankees

Game 4:
In this game the Jays need to capitalize on a weak Mussina. They won't get much help from their starter, Miguel Batista, who has been showing signs of "slumpness"‚ losing his last four starts. If youngsters 2B Hudson and RF Rios, and 1B Carlos Delgado continue their hitting ways, the Jays could top the Yanks. But (and by but‚ I really mean "more likely"‚) the Yankees will come out swinging, giving souvenirs to a dozen or so ten-year-olds sitting in the upper right deck.

Winner: Toss-up, Yankees favored.

Now you may say, "Derek, there's no way the Blue Jays will win two, and even if they do, how is two out of four much help?"

Because the Blue Jays are expected to lose all four to the Yankees. Because the Red Sox can inch two games closer if they do their job. Because it feels good to have hope.

1st place AL East: Boston Red Sox

Wild Card: Anaheim Angels

Caution: Squirrel Crossing

This game was nuts.

The New York Yankees were beat by the Clevelend Indians Wednesday night as they lost 4-3.

Coco Crisp layed down a bunt single in the 8th inning with 2 outs and a runner on third. The runner scored and proved to be the winning run.

The game ended the Indians' 9 game losing streak.

``It was the Rally Squirrel. He was our secret weapon,'' Crisp said. ``They've got the Rally Monkey in Anaheim and we've got our guy.''-Joe Milicia's AP Story.

The squirrel visited Gary Sheffield in right field and made a run in the infield. He weaved in and out of the players and went in between Derek Jeter and A-Rod.

This was Orlando Hernandez's first loss in his 9 starts ( — the first time the Yankees lost with El Duque pitching).

Kenny Lofton got his 2,000th career hit. Lofton, who played 9 years in Clevelend, got a standing ovation.

The Red Sox gained a game on the Yankees to pull to 5 1/2 games in the AL East.

The Yankees will begin a four game series with the Blue Jays Thursday night.

How About A Little Love For Beltran?

I am taking this way too far, but I have to represent.

He's 30/30, on his way to 40/40. Yes his home/away split is bad and his average is bad, but he is the ultimate fantasy roto player.

Sadly, Beltran can't get MVP, but just wait for next year. The chances of him signing with Houston grow by the day.

Yeah........... that's all I got.

Not Without Controversy

I know how this is going. I am a sore loser, etc., but of course the Olympic Baseball final can't be without controversy. The Australians lost to Cuba 6-2. I am very glad that they got silver. I would have been happy with 4th. The Cubans deserve it. They're clearly a great team, but a decision in the 4th could have made it a completely different result. A 2-out hit that would have scored 2 runs (at the time it was 2-0 in favour of Cuba) was called out — despite being bobbled on the wall and then caught again by Cuban CF Carlos Tabares.

Australia manager Jon Deeble was ejected for excessively arguing with home plate umpire Willie Rodriguez over the play.

I know that talking about this is useless and I think that Cuba may have still won the game. But it can't not be said that had the game had a different result, if the correct ruling was made.

On a lighter note — going back to my previous blog about the tournament — I successfully picked exactly what would happen. Don't be too surprised. I 've always known I was a clairvoyant (despite my a 6 divisional picks at the start of the year being way off. You can go to the blog by clicking here.

How about a little love For Beltre?

Adrian Beltre became the first person in the Majors this year to hit 40 home runs on Tuesday. He's also batting .334 and has driven in 94 runs.

He's a possible MVP candidate and he's having his breakout season.

Here's Olney's recent report at ESPN.com http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=1867291

How About A Little Love for Bellhorn

I’d like to send belated birthday greetings to Red Sox infielder Mark Bellhorn, who turned 30 on Monday and recently returned from a stint on the disabled list. Despite enjoying a fine season, Bellhorn rarely gets the recognition he deserves. With the notable exception of my girlfriend Liz, who frequently cites him as her favorite Boston player in part because no one else does, he lacks a significant following. Everywhere you look, players’ replica jersey t-shirts are sported by fans young and old, male and female. Nearly every player is represented – backups, relief pitchers, even blasts from the past like Mike Greenwell – but #12 shirts are scarcer than sightings of Byung-Hyun Kim. That should change.

What’s not to like about Bellhorn? Born right here in Boston, Mass., he is a working-class hero on a team full of stars. The former Oakland Athletic and Chicago Cub is just a drifter trying to get by in this world like the rest of us, an average major league journeyman making a paltry $490,000 this season. Like myself, he has apparently forgotten to stop by Supercuts this calendar year. His hirsute, not-particularly-athletic-looking appearance (which resembles Rob Schneider’s character in the 1999 classic "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo") is in line with Fenway favorites past and present. Brought in primarily as a backup second baseman, injuries to others have given Bellhorn playing time all over the infield and he has put together consistently strong numbers, replete with statistical anomalies.

A friend of mine described his own performance on our softball team one night as Bellhorn-esque, having gone 1-for-4 with a walk. This assessment is more than a little accurate. Despite hitting a pedestrian .256 for the season, Bellhorn was among the league leaders in walks and runs scored before a fractured thumb forced him onto the DL. He has managed a solid on-base percentage of .374, while slugging out 13 home runs and 56 RBI. Yet his true distinction lies in his number of whiffs – 122 – good for fourth in the league, despite a 16-game absence. This is a player the common man can identify with. I haven’t seen a greater display of striking out since myself on the high school dating scene. My theory is that NESN has a pre-recorded sound byte of Don Orsillo saying "Bellhorn strikes out," and simply cues it up every ninth batter. It’s good to have him back. Hopefully by the end of the season, he will be able to look into the Fenway stands and see shirts bearing his name.

In Boston’s first two contests against Toronto this week, Bellhorn was a combined 1-for-5 with a triple, two walks and two strikeouts. His hit was one of only three registered by the Sox on Monday as Toronto prevailed 3-0 thanks to a complete-game, 13-strikeout performance by Ted Lilly. The Blue Jays jumped to a 3-0 lead again yesterday, but Boston rallied on a two-run single by Manny Ramirez in the fifth and a three-run home run by Doug "MassPike" Mirabelli in the sixth. Serving as the team’s regular catcher in place of the suspended Jason Varitek, Mirabelli freed the beast for the eighth time this year after a single from Orlando Cabrera and a walk by Bill Mueller. Mike Timlin rescued Boston from a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half of the sixth, and Keith Foulke registered the final four outs for his 23rd save, preserving a 5-4 win for Boston.

The teams meet again in the series finale tonight at SkyDome, with Curt Schilling (15-6) taking the mound against Josh Towers (9-4). The Red Sox (71-53) remain tied in the wild card race and 6 — behind New York in the A.L. East.

THE WORLD SERIES OF SUFFERING

When Nomar Garciaparra was dealt from Boston to the Chicago Cubs three weeks ago, Yankeessuck.com General Manager Lefty briefly posed an interesting comparison of the two franchises. Clearly they have more in common than the aforementioned shortstop who wears #5, but which team has suffered more over the past century? To determine this, I offer an examination of several key factors.

1. Overall Futility
Cubs – Few can hold a candle to them in this department. The Cubs’ respectable lifetime winning percentage of .514 can be attributed largely to strong play around the turn of the century. The 20th century.

Their most recent appearance in the World Series was 1945, and last year’s N.L. Division Series win over Atlanta marked the Cubs’ first playoff series victory of any kind in 95 years.
Red Sox – Boston has known heartbreak like no other, but is always in the running. The Sox have come within one game of the championship four times, with Game Seven losses in the World Series in 1946, 1967, 1975 and 1986. Boston has been competitive for the last four decades, with only five losing seasons since 1966. Recently, the team has registered six consecutive finishes (and counting) in the A.L. East, with trips to the ALCS in 1999 and 2003.
Edge: Cubs.

2. External Forces
Cubs – The "Curse of the Billy Goat" legend states that local tavern owner and Cubs fan Sam Sianis had two box seats to Game Four of the 1945 World Series, and brought his goat to sit with him to the game. Outraged at his subsequent ejection by management, Sianis declared that the Cubs would never win another pennant or play in the World Series at Wrigley Field again. We may never know why the strange pair were allowed into the game only to be tossed later, or why Sianis opted to give a World Series ticket to his goat instead of a friend or family member. Regardless, the Cubs haven’t been back to the Series since.
Red Sox – Generations of Boston fans consider the team’s trade of Babe Ruth to New York after the 1919 to be the downturn of the franchise. Ruth became the greatest hitter of his generation and one of the game’s most iconic players ever. The Yankees have won the World Series 26 times after acquiring the portly slugger, while the Red Sox are still chasing their first since he left. There is no doubt that much of Boston’s subsequent misfortune can be attributed to the Babe’s departure, but there is no documentation of an actual "Curse of the Bambino." This was simply a terrible business decision, in which Boston provided the catalyst of New York’s 86-year dynasty for the price of $100,000. Still, this category goes to Boston, because the goat didn’t go on to help another team win 26 titles upon its dismissal from Wrigley Field.
Edge: Sox.

3. The Agony of 2003
Cubs – They were just five outs away from the World Series when it all fell apart. Leading by three runs in the 8th inning in Game Six of last year’s NLCS against Florida, the Cubs looked poised to wrap up the pennant and ignite the wildest party in Wrigley Field history. That was until Cubs fan Steve Bartman interfered with a foul ball that was apparently within reach of outfielder Moises Alou, taking away the second out of the inning. After a walk, a single, and a costly fielding error by shortstop Alex Gonzalez, the Cubs unraveled and went on to lose 8-3. The following night, Chicago squandered a 5-3 lead and dropped Game Seven as well.
Red Sox – They were just five outs away from the World Series when it all fell apart. In Game Seven of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium, manager Grady Little sent a tiring Pedro Martinez back to the mound with a 5-2 lead in the 8th inning, then elected to leave him in as New York rallied. Clutch hits from Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada tied the game, and the Yankees eventually prevailed on Aaron Boone’s home run leading off the 11th frame. The loss was epic, and it was apparently obvious to everyone in New England that Little, who immediately became the region’s pariah and left town unceremoniously, kept Martinez in too long. The Cubs take this category, though, for the sheer absurdity of the events leading to their downfall.
Edge: Cubs.

4. The Agony of 2004 (?)
Cubs – Widely considered a World Series contender after making several key additions in the offseason, the Cubs have underachieved at times, falling into distant second in their division and battling for the Wild Card spot.
Red Sox – Widely considered a World Series contender after making several key additions in the offseason, the Sox have underachieved at times, falling into distant second in their division and battling for the Wild Card spot.
Edge: Even (stay tuned).

5. Don Zimmer’s Legacy
Cubs – Zim managed at Wrigley for a little more than three seasons (1988-1991), compiling a record of 265-258. He was named the league’s Manager of the Year in 1989, but Chicago lost the NLCS to San Francisco in five games.
Red Sox – Don took the reins in the middle of the 1976 season and managed the team through 1980. Boston posted three 90-win seasons under his tutelage, including a 99-63 campaign in 1978, when the team finished tied with New York for first place in the A.L. East and lost a one-game playoff to New York on Bucky Dent’s infamous home run. Red Sox Nation’s rage over that contest is, to this day, primarily directed at Dent, but we can’t ignore that Zim was Boston’s manager. A quarter-century later, while serving as Joe Torre’s bench coach with the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS, Zimmer took exception to Pedro Martinez throwing at one of his players and charged out of the dugout toward the Boston ace, only to be tossed to the ground by his sizable cranium. Zimmer’s surprising, albeit justifiable role in this altercation will go down in the annals of Red Sox-Yankees lore.
Edge: Sox.

6. The Bill Buckner Connection
Cubs – Billy Buck played seven-plus seasons with Chicago before being traded to Boston in 1984. During his tenure with the Cubs, he collected 1,136 hits and batted exactly .300. Buckner won the N.L. batting title in 1980 and was named to the All-Star team in 1981.
Red Sox – No comment.
Edge: Sox.

7. Fan Bitterness
Cubs – Moderate.
Red Sox – "Yankees Suck" chants at Devil Rays games, an entire line of anti-Yankees merchandise, websites like this one.
Edge: Sox.

So there you have it. My apologies to Cubs fans, but the Sox win this series, 4-2.

A Midwesterner's Perspective

Why would a Brewers fan find himself captivated with hatred for a team that 1) is not in the Brewers conference/division, 2) doesn't ever play the Brewers, 3) would have no bearing on the Brew Crew unless Bud's daughter somehow found a way to get them into the World Series? I asked myself this question and came up with a few reasons:

1. Money - Quite simply, we don't have any. Sure, we get some from the Yankees thanks to Bud's 'super' revenue-sharing plan, but that doesn't go towards funding a better team - that goes to make sure the Selig-Prieb's rims are shiny. I was never in favor of revenue sharing. An NFL-style salary cap, now that is more like it. Thanks to the Yankees, this will never happen. 'Big Stein' will never allow MLB to cap his precious team's potential, thus keeping the Brewers a minor-league stepping stone, for stars like Gary Sheffield, forever.

2. Prestige - Since the Brewers are not a winning team, even if an owner came in with loads of money, they wouldn't be able to bring in marquee stars. Why would a Giambi or an A-Rod ever want to live in Milwaukee? Our great new stadium? That's about all we offer - no nightlife, no other big named celebrities, no high-end growth and genetics labs. Besides, runway models don't quite rush to your doorstep when you say you play in Milwaukee.

3. History - Sure, the Crew had Hank Aaron, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and 1982, but that's all they've ever had. New York and those damned pinstripes have been everywhere, done everything, won everything... sure, one could call this petty jealousy - but isn't that where most hatred comes from?

Until MLB becomes a sport where you cannot buy your championships, I will continue to hate the 'Evil Empire.' Until the sport allows small-income teams to play ball with the rest of the league, I will hate Bud Selig (our once cherished hero) as well.

This Week's Top Ten

Top Ten Words Of Advice For The Newest Members Of The Yankees

10. Don't eat the sushi. (marxx3888)

9. No cigars; A-Rod goes nuts when he can't get the smell out of his mink. (stlouisfan02)

8. Don't feel bad when your teammates accidentally call you Randy. It's just wishful thinking. (WhoGirl17)

7. If you screw up, you will be replaced by another overpaid, washed-up player. (aerickson1982)

6. Shave your beard; it tickles the boss's cheeks. (srvs35chains)

5. Don't even think about sharing needles with Giambi. (EddieD)

4. You will be expected to uphold the great Yankees tradition of mediocre rent-a-players. (RubenSierraOnRye).

3. Team parking is for Bentleys and Mercedes only; leave your crappy Escalade at home. (stlouisfan02)

2. Don't bother unpacking. (marxx3888)

1. Yes, you will have to shave your legs. (Goblindeath22)

CAUTION, FALLING OBJECTS

When does tradition trump fan safety? Apparently it does at right now at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Due to the hard-headed Illinitian drive to keep Wrigley Field as time-honored as an Amish farmstead, they would rather allow chunks of concrete to crush the skulls of ill-fated fans than fix-up the barely inhabitable ballpark.

Today (Monday) the Chicago Buildings Commission said there is "no evidence of shoddy repairs," and allowed play to go on at the stadium. There was no word, however, on any "evidence of correctly made repairs" which leads me to believe that the thick-brained Chicago Buildings Commission is more worried about the Cubs playing in their darling stadium than the safety of those who attend the games.

Of course, they did put up 'netting' to catch any falling concrete that may harm the fans, but c'mon - NETTING??? What are you going to do when enough chunks fall that Wrigley is no longer structurally sound? I'm not even saying that it is 'sound' now, but what happens when it collapses and kills a dozen or so families?

Let's get it together, Chicago, it's time for some repairs - after all, you have lights now, Wrigley has already been queered. We fixed up Lambeau in Green Bay, and it has never looked better!

SOX STILL IN NEED OF SOME WORLD-CLASS HELP

Boston has cut New York’s lead to 5 1/2 games in the A.L. East and is in the lead in the Wild Card standings. Finally, this is the team we expected in 2004.

Please. Save your breath. How many times have you heard a Boston fan utter some variation of that speech this season? The Sox are playing better than in months past, but forgive me if two weeks of dominating the Devil Rays, Tigers and Blue Jays hasn’t won me over. This team is still in need of a true catalyst, someone who can make an impact, not just fill a hole. Playoff rosters must be set by September 1, and General Manager Theo Epstein is undoubtedly manning the phones in the Sox war room as we speak. My advice to the GM is to think outside the box a little. Instead of scouring the waiver wire for some washed-up journeyman, why not look to the Olympic Games in Athens for some real prospects. Here are some candidates:

Michael Phelps – The swimmer has ruled the pool in Greece, but his much-touted "long torso" and wingspan could be put to even greater use in the Red Sox bullpen. If Billy Wagner can throw 100 m.p.h., one can only imagine the speed at which this 19-year old freak of nature tops out. By shunning girls and parties to concentrate solely on swimming, Phelps has clearly lost his mind – yet such an unwavering commitment to his craft will serve him well as he enters the Major Leagues. He is accustomed to, and can handle the pressure of being over-hyped, as his haul of eight Olympic medals has proven, so late-inning appearances at Fenway Park shouldn’t rattle him.

Phelps, who may be the only athlete to appear in more commercials than Curt Schilling over the past week, would also give the front office the marketable face it craves. If he isn’t serving as the primary setup man for Keith Foulke by the end of the month, something is wrong here.

Jennie Finch – The former University of Arizona softball standout brings killer good looks and a fastball that’s even more lethal. What better combination to paralyze opposing hitters? Finch has already thrown two shutouts for the U.S. team, which is dominating the Olympics. She has excelled as a pitcher on the college and international levels, making Major League Baseball her next logical stop. Although the 6’1" blonde’s mechanics will require some adjustment (with the ball being a different size, the mound farther away, etc.), I’m sure Boston’s pitching staff will line up to show her the ropes. Her unorthodox, underhanded delivery will give the team a menacing long reliever or spot starter. Finch appeared on "This Week in Baseball" alongside Alex Rodriguez last year – clearly foreshadowing a meeting in the 2004 ALCS – so even the best hitters in the game won’t intimidate her.

Carlos Arroyo – Rarely is an athlete’s performance so scintillating that you find yourself rooting against your home country. That was the case last weekend in Athens when Arroyo carried his native Puerto Rico to a shocking upset of the U.S. basketball team with an overall performance so brilliant that his 24 points seemed like an afterthought. With countless slashing moves to the basket and lightning-quick passes to open teammates, Arroyo tore through the U.S. defense like a parasite through Jason Giambi’s intestinal tract. Already an established point guard with the NBA’s Utah Jazz, Arroyo became a giant killer Sunday in handing the U.S. its first Olympic loss since 1988. This type of leadership will be invaluable in the Red Sox clubhouse, and his agility will make him a perfect fit in Boston’s injury-plagued infield. It’s no secret that the Sox are feeling the need for speed, and with Pokey Reese, Mark Bellhorn and Kevin Youkilis on the disabled list, the time is right for Arroyo’s entry into the lineup. With Puerto Rico’s upset of the Dream Team, Arroyo has already orchestrated the demise of one empire. Next on the agenda will be Steinbrenner’s Yankees.

Paul Hamm – Due to his unbelievably high voice, the first American gymnast to win the all-around Olympic gold medal may find it hard to be taken seriously. At least until his upper-body strength does the talking for him. After years of trying to stick those triple-somersault dismounts, clearing Fenway’s left field wall will feel like a walk in the park. No question that Hamm would be a valuable bat off the bench for Boston, but his biggest attribute may be his mental toughness. After a tumble in the vault portion of the all-around competition, Hamm’s medal hopes looked bleak and NBC referred to him as if he had just died. He was such a great guy, that Paul Hamm. Too bad it all had to end this way. But after his South Korean competitors failed to lock up the crown, Hamm turned in the greatest high bar performance in recent memory to claim the gold by a fraction of a point. If there’s anything the Red Sox need to dethrone the Yankees and end their 85-year title drought, it’s the poise and resilience that Hamm brings to the table.

Howard Lederer – While not technically an Olympian, or even an athlete, this cagey veteran would serve the Sox well. One of the best poker players on the professional circuit, Lederer has been nicknamed "The Professor" for the calculating manner in which he dissects opponents. At least year’s World Series of Poker, in which he made it to the final day, an icy glare from Lederer made a cowering competitor bury himself inside his pullover. While baseball games are won and lost on the field, one cannot underestimate the power wielded by the human mind. You can’t bluff a Queen-high off-suited draw on Lederer in Vegas, and you can be sure that he will be two steps ahead of the opposition when serving as Terry Francona’s bench coach in Boston. The Sox skipper needs a right-hand man, one who can break down Kevin Millar’s batting average against lefties, who knows when to the call to the bullpen if the starter is in a tight spot, and who can occasionally steal (or just read) signals from the opposing coaches. Who better than the Professor?

Objects in mirror are closer then they appear

I took a look at the remaining schedule for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees today.

If the Red Sox can stay on their hot streak they really have a chance at the playoffs. However, the Yankees have a far much easier schedule.

Here's a look at the Red Sox schedule:

6 games against the Yankees- I think the Red Sox could take 4 out of 6 depending on pitching matchups.

3 games versus Anaheim- 1 out of 3 games at least.

3 games at Oakland- Their crowd isn't very intense and the Red Sox own the A's this year. So either 2 out of 3 games or a sweep.

3 games vs Texas in Boston- The Red Sox want revenge for the sweep earlier in the year. I expect them to take 2 out of 3 or even a sweep.

3 games vs Detroit - Detroit can only beat Boston in basketball, so 2 out of 3 or a sweep.

4 games vs Seattle - Seattle is a pushover, however they are a very important team. More than 75 percent of their games for the rest of the year are versus contenders. They are the make or break team for the Wild Card and AL West contenders. I can see the Red Sox taking 2 out of 3 games.

6 games vs Tampa Bay - The Red Sox will need to ignite off of these young pitchers and will need to take 5 out of 6 or sweep.

Finally, the most important team in East for the Red Sox, the 7 games vs the Baltimore Orioles - The Orioles own the Red Sox this year and the Sox need to take 4 out of 7 at least.

The Orioles and the Mariners are my pick as the must beat teams for the Red Sox. They give the Red Sox troubles and will need to overcome them.

I won't get into the Yankee schedule. But let's just say their schedule is loaded up with teams like Toronto, Tampa Bay, Clevelend, Kansas City, and Baltimore.

Their toughest opponents will be the Red Sox and the Twins, who are fighting for playoff contention.

All I have to say is, it's not going to be easy for the Red Sox. They can't afford to struggle and if they do, they aren't going to make the playoffs. The Yankees have room to work with their easy schedule. Let's just hope the opponents won't be pushed over so easily. If they play sloppy, the Red Sox will be that car riding your bumper on the highway. If you don't speed up, they will pass you.

Escape From Vacationland

We’ve returned from our harrowing adventure. A Desperate Yankee Fan Family, (DYFF) plied us away from our computers with visions of rest and relaxation in the scenic and laid back islands of Down East Maine. The DYFF infiltrated with a cunning attack at YankeesSuck.com's weakest link — our 10-year-old first-born son — and, sorrowfully, a Yankee sympathizer.

Brought to a desolate island with no cell phone or Internet access, the editors were forced to go on a retrieval mission. At first lulled into a false sense of security by all the friendly and familiar Red Sox caps signifying the heart of Red Sox Nation, the DYFF plot became obvious a few days into the scheme when access to update YankeesSuck.com became impossible and even keeping track of the scoreboard was too difficult.

Their plot seemed to center on distraction. Fresh caught lobster dinners, mountainside hikes, and ocean kayak adventures searching for seals worked to tempt the usually diligent editors away from their duties. (The DYFF no doubt was aware of the impending Yankee collapse in which the Boston Red Sox closed the gap to 5 1/2 games with a six game winning streak. Meanwhile, we were ignorant, without even a television or daily newspaper to connect us. We suspect they may have somehow arranged for the unrelenting fog as well.)

A brave young boat builder and fisherman finally foiled the plot however. Realizing where this was heading, the 16 year-old Red Sox fan, with ties to the legendary “Andre the Seal,” came to the rescue. Using the boat he crafted last year by his own hands, he brought our boy to shore safely, and even untangled ”the worst tangled line in I’ve seen in my life.”

The DYFF plot ended in failure however, because the backbone of the YankeesSuck.com staff is rejuvenated and refreshed and stronger than ever in their quest of watchdog status through the remainder of the season.

GASP! Yankee Fans Begin to Panic!

As the Yankees hit their first real swoon of the season, I’ve been poking around the different Yankees’ fan sites on the web to see what their fans are saying. I wanted to amuse myself by seeing how close the Red Sox have to get to the Yankees in order for Yankee fans to panic and say ridiculous things.

It didn’t take long to find out how spoiled and overdramatic Yankee fans really are. When I went to nyyfans.com, one of the main Yankee chat sites, I actually saw a thread discussing whether or not Joe Torre should be fired.

I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Fire Joe Torre? Are these fans serious? To hear them talk about Torre since 1996, he is God. So does that mean they want to fire God? Now I’m not saying I think Torre is the genius he’s made out to be, but the man has won four World Series in his tenure. That must count for something, doesn’t it? I’m quite certain if he were in Boston he’d be manager for the rest of his life if he wanted to be.

MEMO TO ALL YANKEE FANS SURFING THIS SITE: Give me a break with your whining will you please? This is a prime example of why every non-Yankee baseball fan hates your team. It’s never enough for you people. YOU’VE WON 26 RINGS FOR PETE’S SAKE!!! (Four in the last eight years with 2 other losing World Series appearances mixed in) How many do you need to be happy?

As a group, your capacity to be the sorest of losers is incredible. (And the team hasn’t even lost yet this season!). Every year you fans think it is your divine birthright to have your team in the playoffs and World Series.

Here’s some advice: try being a fan of one of the other 29 teams for a year to experience what it feels like to lose once in a while. I mean lose as in not make the playoffs. Losing in the playoffs or World Series doesn’t count.

Yankee fans are legendary as the biggest bunch of front runners in the history of sports. As long as you win, everything is good. But as soon as there is a little bit of trouble or uneasiness you, like your buffoon of an owner, want to fire everybody from here to California.

It really is sad that you actually are so insecure about your team that you would even suggest firing a man with four World Series rings. It shows how as front-running fans you cannot ever put the problems your team is facing into perspective. You don’t know how to lose gracefully so you over-react to any problem no matter how small. YOU’RE STILL 6 GAMES AHEAD GOING INTO SUNDAY!! I wish the Red Sox had the Yankees’ problems.

The Sweep Taste of Victory

The pain, the agony!

Such is the life of a Red Sox fan...Or is it?

I see the light! Five and a half games! It's a miracle.

The Anaheim Angels completed the sweep against the New York Yankees today. In Chicago, the Boston Red Sox led by Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz hit back to back home runs to boost their lead to 1 in the 8th inning. Alas, the White Sox were swept.

Both series were key series. A Yankees' loss helped the Red Sox. However, a Yankees win would help them as well.

The White Sox who were recently tested on David Lettermen's "Will It Float?" sank. They fell behind the Cleveland Indians and continue to trail the Minnesota Twins by 7.5 games.

The Angels and Red Sox prevailed. Sweeping their opponents. The Angels are now second in the Wild Card standings tied with Texas. The Red Sox remain at the top.

But the Angels winning brought the Yankees down three games in the standings. Pushing the Red Sox ever closer to regaining the AL East Division. It's only 5 and a half games now.

Georgie Porgie as we speak is covered with sweat waking up from his sleep. He dreamed the Red Sox were catching up to the Yankees. He quickly turned on his 60" HDTV to see it was true. The horror!

What will he do now? His Yankees have lost 6 out of the last 7 and the Red Sox continue on their hot streak.

Now is the time for redemption, and to slay the Yankee beast.

Beware Attack Bloggers

Wednesday night's NESN Sports Extra featured Bob Lobel, Gordon Edes, Kevin Dupont, and John Valentin. These geniuses drew the following conclusions regarding Red Sox blog sites:

1. We are all between 16 and 35.
2. We are both knowledgeable and angry.
3. We are willing to attack anybody, including the precious media.

I can’t argue the first point. I’m 33. But I’m sure there must be people of all ages who are pissed about the fact it’s been 86 years since the last title. And, yes, one of the reasons that we’re angry is because we are so damn knowledgeable. Trying to slide something past us is a waste of time. When they do we just get that much more aggravated. And the media? Oh, I’m sorry, the bashing monopoly is no longer yours. I thought Lobel was actually going to cry.

The best part was Valentin. He just shrugged the whole thing off and called it comical. So, in honor of Johnny Pop up, I am going to dedicate this blog to him. He was a classic Sox player. Was here a while, collected a lot of money, and in the end didn’t accomplish a whole lot. Want to see something comical? Check out Valentin’s declining numbers in his career.

These sites offer us, the fans, a voice. We can decide amongst ourselves and no longer need to rely on the media or the Red Sox to form our opinions of the old town team. Once this blog gets posted, millions of people can read it. Lobel is probably jealous because we as bloggers have greater exposure. Relax, Bob. It’s life in 2004. And it’s not going anywhere.

On The Flip Side - With Mr. Opposite

Olympic Baseball

The Olympic Baseball tournament has so far turned out to be an absolute cracker, so now that the final four have been finalised, I thought I would give a round-up so far.

I know that the comments section is going to be flooded with comments about this being an anti-Yankees site blah, blah, blah. Wise up please sir, this is a baseball site. Furthermore, saying that in order to get me to stop won't work. If anything, it will encourage me more to write blogs not involving the Yankees or the Red Sox.

The standings, after 6 games:

So the top 4 are Cuba, Japan, Australia and Canada. Semi-finals will be determined by the last set of games.

( Editors' note: For the uninitiated, Mr. Opposite is the YankeesSuck.com blogger whose passionate writings on baseball come to us all the way from Australia.)

I need to start off with bragging about Australia thumping The Netherlands 22-2, in seven innings (mercy rule). 19 runs were scored in the 1st 3 innings. It set an Olympic record for most runs scored in a game and tied the Olympic record for most run differential (Taiwan 20-0 Vs Spain in Barcelona). This was a must-win match for Australia, as Japan beat Taiwan before this game, so winning this game would send them into the semis for the first time ever. SS Rodney van Buizen hit the tournaments first Grand Slam, also batting in 6 RBI, which is tied for the second highest total of RBI in a game at the Olympics. The mercy rule went into effect into the seventh. (In Olympic competition, games are stopped if a team is leading by 10 or more runs after the seventh inning). After having a bad start, losing their first two games (against Cuba and Taiwan), Australia has won its last four and is now looking good to get its first Olympic Baseball medal. Having only won one game in Sydney, that is a major improvement.

Cuba, favourites for the gold medal have performed as expected, only losing against Japan.

Japan was shocked to be beaten by Australia. They have gone all out for the gold this time around, using players from their professional league for the first time (only 2 from each club are allowed). And, so far, it has paid off. They are looking very good for a gold medal.

Taiwan shut down their professional league for two weeks while the games are on. So far it's not working out as expected.

The Greeks won their first game, beating Italy 12-7 in a game filled with bad defense.

The Netherlands started out well but their pitching fell through, so far giving up a total of 43 earned runs, the most among all teams.

Canada had an amazing start. Going 4 and 0, they were beaten by Japan 9-1. Until that game Canada had only given up 3 earned runs. The Canadians have outdone expectations and have performed well considering their best batter (Justin Morneau, MIN) and pitcher (Jeff Francis, COL), were not granted permission to play in the games.

The less said about Italy the better, no one expected them to go far, but winning at least one game is better then none at all, depending on today's results, they could finish tied for 6th. In order to do that they have to go through Cuba.

I think Japan will meet Australia in the semis and be beaten. Australia has a good record against Japan 2-1 in Olympics. Australia wins a close one.

Canada will play Cuba in the other semi and be beaten.

Australia will continue its good run and will be tough for Cuba. As much as I would like to say I think Australia will win, I don't think anyone can beat Cuba from here on in.

Japan will beat Canada for the Bronze.

Those picks may be way off, as that is what I would like to happen. No offense to all Americans, but I think not having them in the comp this time around is a plus, as it gives other countries a chance to prove themselves (whoa, I just picked up an extra 50 hate comments).

Yankees Suck Slogan Banned In Fenway

Lucchino and the Boston Red Sox have decided to ban the phrase that the Red Sox fans coined. "Yankees Suck" and/or any anti-Yankee slogans from Fenway Park are now banned.

Ticket holders wearing the "Yankees Suck" shirts will have to be turned inside out will have to change their shirts before entering the ballpark.

They believe the phrase promotes the Yankees more than the Red Sox.

This is a sad sad day in the history of this web site.

Long live YankeesSuck.com!

P.S. Lucchino do you remember signing that YankeesSuck.com bumper sticker (viewable in the Picture This! gallery located on YankeesSuck.com)?

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UPDATE!

Sign the Yankees Suck Slogan Petition

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Yanks Get Spanked Part 2.

In game 2 of the three game series, the Twins started the offense early in the bottom of the 1st batter of the game(Shannon Stewart) hit a home run. It was the start of a 7-2 win.

Mike Mussina, who just came off the DL since July 7th, gave up that home run. In the bottom of the 4th, he gave up two doubles to Christian Guzman and Shannon Stewart, allowing three runs to score.

Mussina who got the loss, is now 9-7. He went 4 innings (throwing 68 pitches), gave up five hits, four runs (all earned), walked two and struck out two. His ERA is now 5.34.

It wasn't what the front office wanted to see from Mussina after coming off the DL.

The Yankees are hoping Kevin Brown and Mike Mussina will be healthy then. Both have taken trips to the DL this season.

After Mussina left, Tanyon Sturtze came into the game. He pitched 4 innings, gave up five hits, three runs (all earned), two walks, two strikeouts and gave up one home run.

In the top of the 8th, the Yankees got their only runs. Ruben Sierra scored on a wild pitch by Johan Santana. Miguel Cairo, 1-4 , drove in John Olerud on a ground out.

Johan Santana who leads the AL in strikeouts (196), struck out 6 Yankees to go over Jason Schmidt for the second most strikeouts in the Major Leagues.

Santana pitched 7 innings, gave up five hits, allowed two runs (both earned), walked one, and struck out six.

Grant Balfour (who's autograph I got in Kansas City) came into the game to finish the 8th inning.

Joe Nathan finished the game.

The final game of the series is on Thursday, August 19th. Orlando Hernandez is scheduled to pitch against Carlos Silva.

With the loss, the Yankees drop another game to the Red Sox. The lead is now 8 games.

With the win, the Twins could move up a game on the Cleveland Indians who currently are losing 5-2. The Twins lead the division over the Indians by 3.5 games.

Yanks Get Spanked

The Minnesota Twins crushed the Yankees tonight 8-2. Corey Koskie led the Twins with a home run and 3 RBI while going 3-4. Justin Morneau added a home run. Both homeruns were off Javier Vazquez who falls to 13-7 after allowing 6 earned runs and raising his ERA to 4.29.

This was the Minnesota Twins' first win against the Yankees in the regular season since 2001.

Brad Radke won his first game in four starts since July 26th. He allowed 6 hits, one included a solo home run to Gary Sheffield. This was Sheffield's 28th home run of the season. Earlier in the season, Sheffield wasn't putting up the homeruns that Georgie thought. But recently he has gone on a home run tear. 17 of his 28 homeruns have been since the All Star break. Sheffield along with A-Rod seem to be the only Yankees consistently producing lately.

Even with Sheffield's offense he could not carry the Yankees to the victory tonight.

With the loss, the Yankees lead over the Red Sox in the division by 9 games as the Red Sox picked up a game today (WooHoo!).

With the win, it is a sigh of relief for the Twins. This is only the 4th game they have won in the last 12 games. They still lead over the Indians by 3 and a half games.

A Letter From the Center for Disease Control

Dear Mr. Steinbrenner,

We are writing to inform you that the Yankees Stadium Clubhouse is nearing condemned status. Our inspectors have informed us that due to numerous violations, outlined below, the Yankees Clubhouse may be closed for quarantine as soon as next week.

Please see to it that the following infractions are remedied immediately:

1. Influenza - It is noted that a flu-like illness has been making the rounds in your locker room. It is important that those lockers which adjoin that of Mr. Rodriquez and Mr. Posada are disinfected without delay. Simple household cleaners such as Lysol Disinfectant Spray work wonderfully, and should be used on a regular basis.

2. Conjunctiva - Commonly known as 'Pink Eye.' Our report shows Mr. Javier Vazquez as the sole sufferer of Pink Eye, but please realize that Conjunctiva is very contagious. Due to the obvious lack of hygiene in your locker room, we ask that Mr. Vazquez refrain from contact with any members of the Yankees organization until he has finished his bottle of antibiotics.

3. Entamoeba Histolytica - Staff doctors informed us that Mr. Jason Giambi is suffering from a potentially deadly parasite known as Entamoeba Histolytica. Please note that this parasite exists only in the host and in fresh feces. When swallowed it causes infections by excysting (becoming active) in the digestive tract. Entamoeba Histolytica is prominent and deadly in third world countries, which has the whole CDC scratching our heads over where Mr. Giambi contracted this parasite. Our remedy for this situation consists of two steps. First, make sure you clean your locker rooms, bathrooms and kitchens thoroughly. Also, require all Yankees Clubhouse chefs to wash their hands after using the facilities.

4. Leptospirosis - While no member of the Yankees has been formally diagnosed with Leptospirosis, we warn you that an infection is imminent. Leptospirosis is a disease spread by contact with urine. As our report informs us, Mr. Posada is partial to urinating on his own hands. Please take note that Leptospirosis' symptoms include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches and vomiting and may include abdominal pain, diarrhea or a rash. These symptoms have been observed in Mr. Rodriquez, Mr. Posada, and Mr. Giambi. Please have these gentlemen, as well as the rest of your team, tested for Leptospirosis at once. Also see to it that Mr. Posada refrains from unecessary urination.

Please note that if the above infractions are not remedied immediately, we will be forced to close your facilities.

Sincerely,
Heywood U. Vashup
New York Representative
Center for Disease Control

King George Blocks Wells

The New York Post is reporting that the Yankees blocked David Wells from pitching for anyone other than the Padres this season. The Post's George King describes how the Yankees' King George forced his trusted minion, GM Brian Cashman, to claim Wells when the Padres put him on waivers last week. “He’s cleared waivers and been blocked,” King — the writer not the shipbuilder, says an “industry source,” told him. Apparently the Yankees aren’t interested in a third date with Wells, but want to make sure that the veteran southpaw — who has a 7-7 record with a 3.59 ERA this year — stays on the west coast. Our questions are these: Which "industry" did King get this info from? The ship building industry, big tobacco, big oil, big deodorant? And who did the King — the shipbuilder not the writer — want to keep Wells from signing with? Hmmmm…

Here’s the whole story that "The Post" headlined Bombers blocked Boomer

Goodbye, Baseball!

The Yankees’ 11-3 Friday night demolition of the Seattle Mariners was just the latest in a series of harrowing and humiliating reversals of fortune for the Emerald City’s baseball club. Ex-Mariner John Olerud’s 2-run single, which was the deciding factor in the Yanks’ 6-4 win on Saturday, didn’t really help either. While Yankee fans prepare for another greased bobsled run to the postseason and Red Sox fans confidently await wild-card status, Seattle sports fans have much less to keep them occupied these days.

Unless you’re a Seahawks diehard, in which case you’re spending more time reading training camp reports than you are paying attention to a team which has been dismantled by what is quite possibly the stupidest, most arrogant, most inexcusably clueless front office in the history of baseball.

How bad is it in Seattle? Well, if you look at the numbers, you see that in both 2002 and 2003, the M’s finished the season with identical 93-69 records, not good enough for the playoffs in either year due to the brutal division they play in, but certainly nothing to sneeze at. In 2004, the Mariners (who stand at 43-73 as I write this) are on pace to lose over 100 games (actually, they’ll probably lose more than that, as they’ll finish off this disaster of a season with the rest of the AL West beating the living snot out of them while fighting for postseason berths). It will be one of the worst (and most likely the least excusable and most avoidable) collapses in the history of major league baseball.

How bad is it in Seattle, I ask again? Let’s look at some of the worst single season collapses in MLB history, and the reasons behind them:

1915 Philadelphia Athletics, 43-109 (-56). After winning four pennants and three World Series in five years, the Athletics set the standard for misery. Connie Mack's decision to dismantle his famed $100,000 infield as well as his pitching staff cemented their demise. The A’s finished in last place for seven straight seasons, five of them with at least 100 losses. Mack rebuilt the Athletics in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, only to dismantle them yet again for as much cash as his players would bring.

1998 Florida Marlins, 54-108 (-38). The largest of the recent declines, the Marlins were gutted after their 1997 World Series victory. The departures of Charles Johnson, Jeff Conine, Bobby Bonilla, Gary Sheffield, Moises Alou, Devon White, Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, and Robb Nen virtually assured a last-place finish in 1998. The youthful Marlins improved by 10 games to 64-98 in 1999. Their resurgence to World Champion status in 2003 is made all the more amazing when you consider the fact that they’re owned by noted Expo-killer Jeff Loria.

1921 Chicago White Sox, 62-92 (-34). When eight of your players are banned for life after throwing the World Series, your team tends to suffer.

In the cases of the Athletics and Marlins, you’re dealing with salary dumps on a colossal scale (explain to me again how Bowie Kuhn was allowed to overrule Charlie Finley’s sale of Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi and Vida Blue???). In the case of the ’21 Sox, you’re dealing with the banning for life of eight players, including your best pitcher (Eddie Cicotte) and your best hitter (Shoeless Joe!). Now, THAT’S an excuse for tanking a season.

But when you’ve basically kept your payroll the same, you didn’t lose too many major players in the offseason and you’re one of the richest franchises in the sport…well, somebody has to be screwing things up on a truly colossal scale. The 2004 Seattle Mariners are on pace for a single season plummet anywhere from 35 to 45 games in one season. Who’s responsible?

Howard Lincoln (CEO)
Seattle’s Public Enemy Number One, and with good reason. Since asserting control of the team in the late 1990’s. Lincoln, in concert with longtime team president Chuck Armstrong, has endeavored to build the Mariners in his image. Problem? Howard Lincoln has no more business deciding what is good or bad for a baseball team than your grandmother. Actually, if your grandmother ever played any slow-pitch softball, she’d do a better job.

Lincoln was brought in by the M’s mostly absentee Nintendo-led Japanese ownership. His “qualifications” were that he had enjoyed a distinguished career in corporate law and that he had been large and in charge at Nintendo for a number of years. Impressive, but not exactly what you want in a guy making actual baseball decisions.

Lincoln has proven to have a number of major flaws in his personality. He is arrogant, closed-minded, autocratic, and seems to have a true gift for making a bad situation worse every time he opens his mouth. When Lincoln and former manager Lou Piniella couldn’t get along and Piniella asked to be let out of his contract in 2002, it was the beginning of the establishment of The Lincoln Way – shut your mouth and don’t EVER argue with management (the Yankees regained Jeff Nelson in 2003 solely because Nellie busted M’s management in the press for their chronic inability to act at the trade deadline). Lincoln can only handle working with malleable “yes-men”. As you can imagine, that policy leaves the most talented baseball men out of the loop.

While perceived as “cheap”, Lincoln’s real trouble is that he is not savvy enough to understand the value of true and intelligent diversity –in the front office or on the field. The M’s currently have a payroll of anywhere from $80 - $95 million, depending on who you believe. Lincoln himself would like the fanbase to believe that the organization is doing everything it can to acquire and keep talented players. Problem is, the proof is in the one variable he can’t control – the baseball diamond.

Even if the M’s payroll is actually south of $80 million, that shouldn’t matter. The last two World Champions had payrolls of approximately $60 million (Angels) and $50 million (Marlins). And since I’m writing this for a website called “YankeesSuck.com”, I’m assuming that you readers know that no matter HOW much money you sink into a team, it doesn’t really guarantee anything. If you’re just under $200 million in payroll scratch and your primary starter is Tanyon Sturtze for a time…well, you just aren’t too damn smart. With intelligent baseball men making the decisions, a third of the Yankees’ payroll is more than enough to field a competitive team on a consistent basis. What do the Mariners have in their “braintrust”?

Pat Gillick (Former GM, Current Consultant), Bill Bavasi (Current GM)
When he stayed home in Toronto during the 2003 trade deadline and didn’t even work the phones, Pat Gillick was in for an earful from local fans and sportswriters. What we didn’t know at the time was that Gillick had been ordered by Lincoln not to pursue any deals of merit. There was a chance that Seattle might have acquired Aaron Boone, but the Yankees…well, you guys know that story.

In truth, Gillick was the primary architect of the team that won 116 games in 2001, pulling off skilled deals for Aaron Sele, Paul Abbott, Mark McLemore, Bret Boone, Arthur Rhodes and others. While Jim Coburn was primarily responsible for the M’s wresting Ichiro away from the Orix Blue Wave (and the Yankees, heh heh heh…), Gillick did his job well as long as he was allowed to.

When Gillick stepped down in 2003 (no doubt frustrated by the front office’s lack of anything resembling intelligence or aggressiveness), the M’s hired Bill Bavasi, formerly of the Angels and Dodgers. While Bavasi is sometimes given credit for assembling the Angels team that won the 2002 World Series, it was just as much the bush-beating of Whitey Herzog in the early 90’s that put that team together. In any case, Bavasi came on and immediately transacted some business that had many scratching their heads.

Bavasi let shortstop Carlos Guillen go to the Detroit Tigers.To replace him, Bavasi attempted to acquire the horrifically overrated and overpaid Omar Vizquel. Fortunately for all involved, Vizquel failed his physical. Unfortunately for all involved, the M’s took a pass on Miguel Tejada and signed Rich Aurilia of the Giants instead. History will show that Aurilia was so bad in Seattle that the M’s recently traded him to the Padres for a bag of Red Man Chewing Tobacco and three Mizuno bats. Now, Guillen, Vizquel AND the National League version of Aurilia are all out-producing 20 year-old Jose Lopez, the supposed wunderkind who currently mans the shortstop position.

Aurilia, Scott Spiezio, Dave Hansen, Raul Ibanez…every offseason signing by the team had a few factors in common. The Mariners seem to want to field a team with 25 interchangeable “bench guys”, believing that the intrinsic value of the collective will outweigh the excellence of the individual. Wrong answer! Chuck Armstrong’s incredible assertion that Dan Wilson and Ben Davis combined would equal the production of Ivan Rodriguez (another free agent the M’s passed on) is but the dumbest example of this. The Mariners do not want “boat-rockers” – they value what they call “veteran clubhouse presence” over all else, and it had better come cheap and without a long contract. The “nice-guy” factor outweighs a high OPS or a low ERA just about every time in Marinerland.

While Bavasi did score big in the Freddy Garcia deal, there’s little to suggest that he has what it takes to rebuild this team – and even if he does have the skills, there is absolutely no guarantee whatsoever that this front office will give him what he needs to do so. You have to wonder about the intelligence of a man who would accept this position when the M’s FO is notorious nationwide.

Even if Bavasi is nothing more than a “yes-man”, there’s no doubt where the REAL problem is here on a day-to-day basis…it’s the manager who makes Terry Francona look like Casey Stengel.

Bob Melvin (Reputed “Manager”)
Put simply, Bob Melvin couldn’t win a game of “Strat-O-Matic Baseball” if he was playing against himself with a pair of loaded dice. Bob Melvin couldn’t win a game of “MVP Baseball 2005” if he had the AL All-Star team WITHOUT Derek Jeter and he was playing the Kansas City Royals on the “Rookie” setting. Put simply, Bob Melvin is the worst manager in the history of the Seattle Mariners, and for a team that has called Maury Wills and the mummified version of Dick Williams “Skipper”, that’s saying something.

When Melvin (the bench coach of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, quite possibly the most fundamentally incompetent team ever to win the World Series) was named the M’s manager before the 2003 season, I figured that either the team was also planning to get Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling from the D-Backs as well, or that Lincoln and Armstrong were a mite confused and had actually intended to hire DOUG Melvin.

Alas. We soon found that the M’s had indeed hired “The Brains Behind Bob Brenly” (HA!!!) on purpose. Why? Because Melvin is what is known as a “consensus-builder”. In other words, he knows what to kiss, whose to kiss and where to kiss it. He has absolutely no other qualifications to manage a big-league baseball team. If I had a young son, I’d start a riot if Melvin was made manager of his Little League team. He can’t manage veterans because he doesn’t command respect, and he can’t manage kids because he doesn’t know more than they know. Other than that, he’s great!

Melvin has two speeds – fast in the wrong direction, and asleep at the wheel. While he seems to be blissfully unaware of things like pitch counts and matchups, he does enjoy being proactive when doing things like insisting that Ichiro Suzuki take more first pitches. Right, Bob! Take the single most dangerous first-ball-fastball hitter since I Don’t Know Who and make him wait. Why? Beats me. But until Melvin rescinded his ridiculous edict and let Ichi-san go his own way, Suzuki was mired in a horrific “slump”.

What do you call a man who tries to destroy the greatest leadoff hitter since Rickey Henderson? You call him many things, and none of them are useable on this fine family website.

Paul Molitor (Reputed “Hitting Coach”)
Well, I thought this was a good idea at first. How could it not be? You bring on one of the best hitters of the last 50 years, a first-ballot Hall-Of-Famer in 2004, a man with gap power to teach players how to exploit the pitchers’ park that Safeco Field is. Unfortunately, this is either a situation where the man’s too busy heading off to Cooperstown and getting things named after him in Milwaukee, Toronto and Minnesota…or perhaps it’s a case of “Those who can do, can’t teach”. The Mariner hitters Molitor inherited were never going to be mistaken for Murderers’ Row, but what is truly worrisome here is the instant success enjoyed by any Ex-Mariner.

Next week: Goodbye, Baseball, Part Two. How do you, as a group of players, tank it so spectacularly all at once?

Yankees Notes

John Olerud may not have been out for revenge last night when he hit a two-run eighth inning single to lede the Yankees to a 6-4 win against his former team. But the hit had to hurt Seattle, who released him in July after Olerud declined a trade to the San Francisco Giants. Olerud had been having a poor season, but the trade to the Yankees has lit a spark in this former All Star and he’s been on a streak to lead the Yankees to a couple of victories since his acquisition. "I always felt I would be able to get it turned around," Olerud said in this AP story by Jim Cour. "Fortunately, I've been able to get some big hits here. But I'm just up there today trying to get a hit and score the run.''

Esteban Loaiza, (pronounced Lose-ah) gave up 7 hits, 4 runs and 3 walks in an unimpressive 5.1innings, but was saved by all the wood the Yankees put on the ball. Joe Torre said he is going to go to a six man rotation when Mike Mussina returns, which must have been music to the ears of a few Yankee pitchers.

Also on the Yankee front, our good friend and instigator Alex Rodriguez did not play Saturday because of a viral infection. Since he was going to miss Sunday as well, he dropped his appeal of his four-game suspension, which was awarded to him for his part in the July 24 brawl with the Boston Red Sox. He won't be eligible to play until Thursday at Minnesota. A-Rod was upset with the length of the suspension because Boston’s Jason Varitek received the same penalty. Here’s an inspiring picture for your desktop offered on the site of Boston.com.

Joe's Excellent Red Sox Adventure

It’s Don Zimmer bobblehead night at Tropicana Field – and I’m there! What luck!

Just kidding. The real luck was the timing of last month’s trip to visit relatives in Fort Meyers, Florida that was parlayed into an opportunity to see my Red Sox face the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Adding to that luck – we ended up staying at the same hotel as the team. With that proximity, my family of Sox fans was able to shamelessly oggle our heroes at meals, in the pool, in the elevator. You couldn’t swing a baseball bat without hitting a Boston player or one of their entourage. We overheard (not intentionally, of course!) conversations and collected autographs and got up-close and (kind of) personal with several of the Sox.

So, here’s my official giddy-fan chronology of "Run-ins With The Red Sox, 2004"

(And – dare I say — with any MORE luck I’ll be telling my grandchildren about the time I met the World Champion ’04 Red Sox.)

Saturday & Sunday are weird baseball days. I find out that the rumors are true and my dear Nomar has been traded to the Cubs for Doug Mientkewicz and Orlando Cabrera. I immediately thought, "What about pitching?" I don't understand how the Red Sox could have traded Nomar for absolutely no pitching. I'm not pleased for the whole night. On Sunday I watch Greg Maddux's bid for 300 wins, and Garciaparra's debut as a Chicago Cubbie. Strange, indeed.

Monday, August 2:
We arrive at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort to see Gabe Kapler, Doug Mirabelli and David McCarty standing outside waiting for a shuttle bus.

We leave for Tropicana field. I get my Zimmer doll and go straight to the field. The Red Sox are taking batting practice. I wait for a ball to be thrown to me, or for autographs. Nothing special happens. Ellis Burks comes over to talk to some of his friends. He tells them in two weeks that he can start doing stuff. You heard it from me first. Ellis will be able to start playing baseball in two weeks. I’m guessing he will most likely join the roster when they expand it to 40 people.

As you know the Red Sox won.

Tuesday, August 3rd:
At the pool after breakfast, my parents spot Doug Mirabelli and Kevin Millar just putting on their shirts from sun bathing, swimming, etc. Millar read something about Nomar from the newspaper. They both laughed, got up and left.

Later, I get on the elevator to hit the pool myself and on comes Terry Francona. At first, I was stunned. He asked me to press the lobby button, I did. I looked at his reflection in the mirror and I knew it was him. We got down to the lobby, I said "It's your stop," he replied, "Nah, I'm going down where you are." He got off and went down the hall.

Later on Johnny Damon stopped by the pool and everyone seemed to stop and watch him go by. He brought his two kids in the pool. He waved to people who waved to him. People came by, shook hands with him. He was very friendly. Later on, David Ortiz came out. He talked to Johnny but didn't go in the pool because he was wearing the clothes he was gonna wear to the park.

It started to rain. Johnny held his hands in the air. The rain stopped.
Ok, well maybe that didn't happen...but that was my Jesus, err Johnny Damon experience.

4:30 P.M.- As we left for the park, Theo Epstein walked behind us. We got into the elevator.

Theo said, "How are you?"

We responded, "al right"

"How is your visit so far?"

"Good."

"Going to the games?"

"Yes, we went last night and are going tonight. Not Wednesday, though."

"We miss Number Five," said my dad.

"I'm sorry," Theo replied, "It had to be done."

Theo's stop had arrived. He hurried out of the elevator, briefcase in hand.

5:15- Gates opened at the park and, again, I sprinted down to the field. This time, I went to the bullpen. Everyone was warming up in the outfield. Manny waved to everyone.

Batting practice for the Red Sox began. Manny got two ground balls to him. He threw one back in for BP, and he threw the other one to my left. I stuck out my glove as far as I could. It tipped off the end of my glove, dammit. It bounced around in peoples' hands then it dropped into my glove.

Success!

I began talking to a man from Youngstown, Ohio. This is where Mark Malaska, a Red Sox reliever is from. He had a sign that said he was from Youngstown, Ohio. He came over to talk to the man I had been talking to. They talked about their parents, etc. The man next to me asked for my sharpie so Malaska could sign his sign. I gave him the sharpie and asked the man if he could get me Malaska's autograph. Malaska said he'd be back in a few minutes.

15 minutes later, Doug Mirabelli began to sign autographs. I got Mirabelli to sign my ball. Malaska came by, signed the ball. Then Bronson Arroyo came by. I thought, "I'll get him to sign my YankeesSuck.com bumper sticker (Thanks Beth and Lefty)."

I gave him the sticker. He signed it. I knew he was laughing inside. He smiled at the sticker and handed it back to me.

Curt Schilling came over the bullpen. He meant business and had his head down. He only said two words, "Not today," when he answered to his 10 year old fans begging for autographs.

I went back to my seat. And I watched Jason Varitek hit a home run, and Curt Schilling throw his 3rd complete game of the year. This was the second complete game I've seen Curt pitching this year (May 8th). Not to mention, Manny Ramirez's awesome catch in left field.

We went back to the hotel and ordered late-night pizza. While going to the front desk, I passed Manny Ramirez. He was smiling and laughing as usual. Everyone called out "nice catch!"

While at the desk, Millar and Kapler walked by as did Don Orsillo and Terry Francona. Bronson Arroyo went to go get drinks for his family. Arroyo was raised in Key West, Florida. Tim Wakefield was cradling his baby in the lobby. Wakefield, who resides in Florida now, was also born and raised in Florida.

Wednesday, August 3rd:

After finishing breakfast, I was walking back to the room. I had brought a sharpie and items for signing just in case I saw someone. Good thing I did, as Gabe Kapler was walking down from the pool. I called out "GABE!" He stopped turned and I asked him to sign the YankeesSuck.com bumper sticker. He laughed and I told him that I wrote for the site. I said thank you and walked away.

While we were checking out, in walked Jason Varitek. I was stunned. He was on his cellphone. I waited until he got off and I rummaged through my bag and got my Ted Williams biography out. I took out the YankeesSuck.com bumper sticker and asked him to sign. He accepted. I said thank you and he got in the elevator. My dad said, "Next time, hit A-Rod a little harder so he can miss some time." He laughed and he was gone.

I was excited because my souvenir was complete: I had the Trio! Arroyo, Varitek, and Kapler: the bad boys of brawling against A-Rod and his posse. I’m getting it framed.

After we checked out, we went to Dan Marino's restaurant. Who did we happen to see on the balcony of Marino's? Who else, but Jason Varitek. He was on the cell again. We walked inside and got seated. I looked over to the HD TV, and not one but 5 members of the Red Sox were dining. At one table: Kevin Millar, Doug Mirabelli, Gabe Kapler, and Orlando Cabrera. At the other, Andy Dominique, later joined by Jason Varitek. It also looked like Jason had brought friends along ,too.

I didn't bother them however. I didn't want to ask Kapler, Varitek and Mirabelli to sign when I had already gotten their autographs. I really don't like Kevin Millar, and Dominique and Cabrera I didn't really care for.

I had a couple bad experiences. On the Monday night game, there were a bunch of Tampa Bay fans who started a 1918 chant with the other 15 Devil Ray fans. They then proceded to try to call the "Brett" Boone ALCS Game 7 home run. If you saw the game, these were the people that were in hats and had Devil Rays written across their chests.

Some fan had 1918 signs...How original. I doubt they were really Devil Ray fans. They were just disguised - and they were Yankee fans. That would explain the fight in picnic area on the 3rd base side. Proceded with a classic version of "Yankees Suck."

It was neat, however. I'd suggest this trip to any Red Sox fan or any fan of baseball to see their team play in Tampa Bay.

Well, that is my trip. If you want to see my snapshots, go to the photo page on this site: http://community.webshots.com/album/171554808KSSbha?148

Cheered and Jeered

The Yankees newly acquired first baseman, John Olerud, should get a warm reception tonight when the Evil Empire takes on his former team of the Seattle Mariners, even though he’s given Yankee fans more to cheer about this season. David Anderson predicted the warm reception in his story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Click here to read his story.

In Olerud's short time with the Yankees, the three-time Gold Glove winner, (2000,2002,2003) and owner of two World Series rings has awoken his sleepy bat. The Seattle Mariners released him July 27 in the midst of a slumping season, and after he turned down a trade to the San Francisco Giants. With Seattle, Olerud was batting .245 with 22 RBI’s in 78 games. In eight games as a Yankee Olerud is batting .345 and has 9 RBI’s.

The lefthander is well known in New York for riding the subway to games when he played for the New York Mets in 97,98,99. Olerud won the 1993 AL batting champion with an average of .363 while playing for Toronto.

The reception Alex Rodriguez gets will be a little bit different however. According to this story by reporter David Anderson of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, A-Rod can expect about 45,000 boos.

Shot in the Arm

After two losses in a row, the Yankees are in grave need of a shot in the arm — or shoulder as the case may be. Gary Sheffield was removed from last night's 7-1 loss to the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning because of bursitis in his left shoulder. Sheffield winced in pain almost every time he swung the bat and the problem got worse when he struck out reaching for a pitch in the sixth inning.

Is another shot of cortisone needed to keep this slugger in the lineup? "I have to think about it. The last shot didn't help. Maybe they have to up the dosage," he said in this story by AP Sports Writer Joel Anderson. The loss of Sheffield would be hard on the Yankees since he is having another strong year.

The Tuesday night loss highlighted some of the Yankees' other injury woes. Kevin Brown was brought back to reality with his first terrible outing since coming off the disabled list on July 30. Another outing or two like that and he may be challenging Esteban Loaiza, pronounced "Lose-Ah," for the rights to be taken out of the rotation when Mike Mussina returns. Brown, 9-2, said he felt terrible before the game, so the problem may be with his back injury or the intestinal parasite that has taken home inside the steroid-rich environment of the Yankee clubhouse. "I was drained. I never had any energy," Brown was quoted as saying in that same article. "It's not the first time I've felt cruddy and it probably won't be the last." But the burly right-hander didn’t strike out a batter in five innings while giving up five runs and eight hits. Both of Brown's losses this year have been to the Rangers.

On the positive side for Yankee Haters, ex-Yankee, Alfonso Soriano, had another strong game against his former club with two doubles, two walks, and three runs.

A Jays Fan Suffers. Part 3: The End

To the Yankees, playing the Blue Jays is just an opportunity to raise their BA. Well, on Monday, the New York Bombers got a bomb of their own.

In just the third game of his major league career, RF Gabe Gross connected off Esteban Loaiza for a two-run shot, and the Blue Jays went on to beat the bad boys 5-4. Jays‚ starter Josh Towers took a three-hitter into the seventh as he increased his win total to seven (7-4). This was Towers‚ fifth win in six starts (he lost to Cleveland on August 4th).

Loaiza, in his second start with the Yankees, displayed yet another dismal performance. While Jose Contreras, who New York traded for Loaiza, is 1-0 with the White Sox, Esteban is 0-1 with his new team. With NY pitcher Mussina about to return to the lineup, Loaiza's spot is in question. I mean, if he can't beat Toronto, who can he beat, right?

As Loaiza was struggling in the sixth, New York fans gave him an encouraging boo. In fact, the fans were so supportive that they continued booing until he was finally taken out of the game. Boy, if I only had fans like that.

On another satisfying note, John Gibbons, Toronto interim manager, notched the win for a career record of 4-0 as manager (Gibbons replaced former Jays manager Carlos Tosca for three games last season, winning all of them), although this was considered his major league debut.

Note: Concerning Loaiza's start in Seattle, New York manager Joe Torre gave us these few words of wisdom: "He's going to start Saturday and we'll see what we see."

We'll see what we see. Ladies and gentlemen, we'll see what we see.

This Week's Top Ten

Top Ten Yogi Berra Quotes About The '04 Yankees

10. It ain't over 'til it's October. (RubenSierraOnRye)

9. If Randy Johnson wants to come here, you can't make him. (MrAcadoodie)

8. Mussina pitched a lot better before he sucked. (eddieD)

7. Ninety percent of their game is the money; the other half is steroids.(marxx3888)

6. Well, you can't get all the players you want all of the time, but man can you bitch when Pedro throws inside. (stlouisfan02)

5. It's like déjà vu all over again - except for the part where we win. (kozycat04)

4. We wanted Randy, but we couldn't afford to trade away all of the Marlins' best prospects. (parrick)

3. Nobody likes them because they're too popular. (marxx3888)

2. Tanyon Sturtze is in the game? It's over. (ehermans)

1. When you come to a fork in the road, just overpay for another superstar. (irishmandan)

Mount Steinbrenner Erupts

There he goes again. Upset with Joe Torre’s decision to play Kenny Lofton in right field yesterday, Mount Steinbrenner was rumbling and spewing. “I don’t want to see Lofton in right field. I think two things: the error wouldn’t have been made out there had Sheffield been out there, and I think he might have caught that home run. That home run [to Gabe Gross in the 6th] barely got in!” he was quoted in this story by Evan Grossman of the New York Post. Lofton used a modified version of the old standby excuse that the sun got in his eyes, to explain the error.

Even thought the Yankees enjoy the best record in the American League and hold a 10 1/2 game lead over Boston in their division, the Boss is not satisfied.

Are Speed & Defense That Important?

After the recent trade of Nomar to the Cubs, there has been a great deal of discussion regarding the need for the Sox to improve the speed and defense on the team. But is it really important? I decided to take a look at a team that had both those things and the worst infield in baseball as well. The 1981 Oakland A’s.

The 1981 A’s are an interesting case. They had probably the best defensive outfield at the time. Rickey Henderson could run down anything (as well as steal on anybody- 56 SB in 108 games). Dwayne Murphy was a perennial Gold Glover in center. Tony Armas had a very good arm in right and great instincts. All could hit for power. The only one that couldn’t run was Armas, but his game was power anyway. He ended up tied for the league lead in HR. The infield, though, was a far different story.

Their infield of 1B Jeff Newman, 2B Shooty Babitt, SS Rob Picciolo, and 3B Wayne Gross would make any manager resort to drinking. Luckily, they had Billy Martin for a manager, so that part was tragically already covered. What wasn’t covered was the infield. Talk about 4 stone gloves. The funny thing is that their catcher, Mike Heath, was solid defensively. It’s funny because he didn’t really play catcher until he got to the majors. The only one of the four that could remotely hit was Gross. Picciolo has the worst walk rate in baseball at the time. Anyone who saw Newman play for the Sox later knows what he could do (very little). And Babitt? He hit a whopping .256 that year.

How did this all translate? It translated into the playoffs. As many may remember, 1981 was a strike year. The strike was mid-year, going from June 10th to August 10th. The season ended up being broken down into two halves. The team with the best record in the first half would play the team with the best record in the second half within the division. The A’s finished with the best record in the first half and played Kansas City in the playoff. They not only won the series, but with a sweep and held KC to only 2 runs. They then were swept by our pals the Yanks in the ALCS.

They were able to get that far for two reasons. One was their starting pitching, which was Rick Langford, Mike Norris, Steve McCatty, and Matt Keough. Those guys were rock solid all year. The other reason was Billy Martin. He was to MLB what Bill Parcells is to the NFL. He was a master of utilizing what he had and generating great results. He was a motivator, master strategist, and leader. Think the Ortiz suspension was big? Try having your manager suspended for 7 games for throwing dirt on an umpire. That happened on 5/29/81. Did they fall apart? Not even close. They even experienced an 8 game losing streak after starting 25-8. How did they respond? With a 5 game win streak to stay in first place. Rollie Fingers won the AL CY Young and the AL MVP that year. Two A’s, Rickey Henderson and Steve McCatty, finshed in second place for those two awards. We all know Rickey, but who was Steve McCatty? My point exactly.

The fact is that I would gladly take a week of a drunk Billy Martin over a season of Terry Francona any day. Don’t believe me? Read Kevin Millar’s comments in the newest Sunday Globe. I think he shares my sentiments. The two games on 8/4 and 8/6 were the definition of ugly. Two one run losses that could have been avoided if the manager had a clue on how to handle a pitching staff and generate runs. So the problem isn’t so much the speed and defense. It’s about having someone to guide the $120 million ship and keep it from sinking.

Sources:
Big Book of Baseball Lineups – Rob Neyer
Baseballlibrary.com
Baseball-reference.com

A Jays Fan Suffers. Part 2.

The Blue Jays faithful have been in heartache this past week for their Bostonian friends as they cope with the loss of Nomar. But now, Toronto fans have their own reason to grieve — manager Carlos Tosca was fired nearly an hour after Toronto's defeat by — you guessed it — the New York Yankees.

Carlos Tosca — a 189-191 career as manager of Toronto — was replaced by first base coach John Gibbons, who has been with Toronto since 2002. The Blue Jays are 191-191 under Tosca (Gibbons was in charge for two games while Tosca was absent), although this season they post a depressing 47-64 record and are 24.5 games behind first place New York.

Anyone can see that the Blue Jays are not the best team (if we were talking about skill compared to salary, it's a different story), but, darn-tootin‚ they are fun to watch. The Blue Jays are good for baseball. Why? They're old school. They don't need eight-figure paychecks to play. Most of them are Triple-A caliber, but who cares! They hustle their dang butts off! They love the game.

What makes the Blue Jays play as if it's still Little League? Well, many reasons — but one was Carlos Tosca. He said, "One thing I've always prided myself on is that the players have given a good effort."

Don't get me wrong. I think this was the right move, but it sure is hard to say goodbye to a man who loved what he was doing, and who spread that same love throughout his team. I'm excited to see how John Gibbons does, as he has that same passion. All we can do is hope for the best, for both the Blue Jays and Carlos Tosca, wherever he spreads his love.

Carlos Tosca you're my hero!

A Jays Fan Suffers: Part 1

The Yankees. So much to say, but not enough swear-words to explain it. Whenever they play the Blue Jays I make sure to stop by Ralph's and grab Advil, two bottles of Coke, and Jeremy's Throat Solution. Advil for the headache caused by anything Yankee-ish, Coke to wash it down, and Jeremy's for my rant (the other Coke is to throw at my poor TV when Fox interviews their glorious Yankees). Friday came, same thing.

It was ridiculous. The Blue Jays, down to chump-change pitchers from injuries, fatigue, etc., send relief pitcher Sean Douglass to start against New York. Down 5-3 in the third inning, the Blue Jays' pitcher tossed a 1-2 pitch into C John Flaherty's knees. Without a warning and without a second thought, plate umpire Chris Guccione gave him the boot.

Halfway through muttering under my breath, "That a boy, Sean!" I realize what has just happened and quickly conclude with an indignant, "What the (bleep)?!" Are you kiddin‚ me? Sean 'Friendly-Giant' Douglass?"

What was Guccione really thinking? Did he really think that Douglass decided to take out his frustration on a backup catcher? Or that Sean felt threatened by a batter with an important .163 BA?

After gagging down the Advil (about my only friend at that point), swearing to anonymously send a life-threatening letter (and a little bit of unmarked sugar) to Chris Guccione, and opening the Jeremy's three innings early, I chose to instead spend the next hour watching the re-broadcast of the Andre Agassi match. Don't worry, Blue Jay faithful, I did return to the game in the eighth. And yes, I watched the Blue Jays lose 11-4 in the same bad mood.

As the post-game interviews were taking place, I started looking for the other Coke bottle (my living room was hit by a crazed lunatic). After much sweat and grumbling (of course, it was the Yankees' fault that I could not find the 20 oz.), I happened upon it. But as I was winding up, the Advil kicked in; I felt like a new man. I set the bottle down, cleaned the room, and for the first time in a long time looked into Torre's eyes without so much as a "You big sack of (bleep)."

I decided, while listening to NY manager Joe Torre, I had a new respect for Sean Douglass. I mean, he went 2 1-3 innings without hitting a single Yankee. In light of this, I made my own chart to rank pitchers who face the Yankees and how many batters they hit:

Derek Bunker's Authentic Pitching Test

One Inning without Hitting a Yankee: You are no worse than any other person
Two-Four Innings without Hitting a Yankee: How'd you do it?
Five-Eight Innings without Hitting a Yankee: Jesus Christ is most likely jealous.
Nine+ Innings without Hitting a Yankee: There was an accident. Twice.

In the end I deemed myself a better man.

Trading The Big Apple for Beantown?

Imagine the idea of the current Yankee General Manager, Brian Cashman, leaving his current position to take over as GM of the Red Sox. Sound preposterous? Maybe not as much as you think, according to the New York Post.

Now I’m not sure how seriously to take this idea - and Cashman is accusing a New York Magazine reporter of ambushing his wife, Mary - and leading her to make a statement that can be misconstrued. And, after all, The Post has been known to "exaggerate" about such things in the past. (The recent bogus front page Post headline declaring Dick Gephardt as Kerry's running mate choice is selling for upwards of $40 on Ebay...)

In fact, I personally think that Cashman moving to Boston would never happen. But the story was written and it’s worth discussing in a forum such as this.

Read Chris Smith's New York Magazine Article.

For what it’s worth, as a Red Sox fan I don’t want to change GMs and even if I wanted Theo Epstein out, I wouldn’t look to the Evil Empire to replace him. It’s the same idea as Joe Torre coming to manage the Red Sox someday — it makes my skin crawl. I’d rather beat the Yankees with people of my own as opposed to the old "if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em" idea. Besides, what has Cashman done? All he is doing as a foot soldier for Georgie is carrying out the Boss’ orders. And spare me the "brilliance" he showed in obtaining Javier Vasquez and Tony Clark. Vasquez was a no-brainer as I and many other Sox fans would have taken him over Curt Schilling for the long haul because of the age difference and upside, and Tony Clark was pure luck. If Jason Giambi were healthy Clark probably would have been released by now. He spent a lifeless year in Boston and then the Mets didn’t even want him, so to me, the Clark thing is a fluke. But I’d be interested to hear what people think about all this.

Here are excerpts from the Post article, "NO RED SOX FOR GM," written by George King and Joel Sherman, of August 6, 2004:

...According to this coming Monday's New York Magazine, Cashman's wife, Mary, says that's not out of the realm of possibility, although she admits it's a long shot and isn't happy about how her comments were presented.