Sunday, May 03, 2009

Random Thoughts

Melkey Sucks? - The last three or so years, Crash and I must have sent that text to one another, maybe 2 to 3 hundred times. Well guess what? He doesn't suck any longer. Getting sent to the minors last year might have saved this kid's career. He got his wake up call, and is now playing with an intensity on a daily basis that in the past we only saw glimpses of. His batting line: .321, 4HRs, 10 RBIs, OBP .397 (Gardner: .222, 0HRs, 4 RBIs, OBP .286)

Matsui is back - last 7 games he's hitting .333 and running what appears to be full bore.

Ramiro Pena is the real deal - if he keeps developing, what are the implications for DJ when his contract is up in a few?

Tex is feeling the pressure - while his batting average is a Crash-like .189, his OBP is still solid at .354. It's like we have a younger version of Giambi that can actually field. He'll turn it around.

Old Prof is Older. - birthday at the end of April

Concerned about CC - not his recent performance, but Girardi keeping in him for long outings - makes me wonder if he'll have any gas left down the stretch.

BullPen Beatings - I"m glad the lumps are coming now and not in September. Phil Coke seems to have found his way, I think I like what I see out of Melancon. Edwar and Marte are a waste in my view, and would like to see a trade engineered to add to some help in this area.

.500 - If we can be above .500 by the time A-Rod and Wang come back, I'll consider it a huge positive.


Non-Yankees


Triple Crown - Outside of injury, it is happening this year, and it is happening in the NL. Albert Pujols (projected at: 58 HRs, 187 RBI, .356) leads the NL in HRs and RBIs and is 4th in Avg - those above him avg will fade (Beltran, Votto, and Ibanez). He is the best - period end of story.

Dodgers - Joe Torre has that club playing ball. At 18-8, they have the best record in the league with a +41 run differential. I remember there were times I was screaming to have him fired - multiple times, when he was the skipper for us. However, this is turning out to be a case of not knowing what you have until it is gone. I want him back!!!

-------------------------

An opportunity to make some hay in the division this week. Upcoming schedule: A pair of two game series, first the Sox, then Rays, then a 3 gamer in Baltimore.


.....

67 comments:

old professor said...

Mid, still to early to say that Melky is the real deal. The intangible is he could be looking over his shoulder knowing that Gardner is still on the bench and Jackson is performing well in SWB.

Matsui is back and apparently pain free. He should contemplate retiring after the season. Both knees are bad and won't get any better.

Pena is a work in progress, but improving rapidly. Playing time has helped. It will be interesting to see when A-Rod comes back does Pena stay with the club or go back to the minors where he can play everyday. The kid plays the game the way it should be played.

Bullpen is a mess. Marte now gone, Claggett up. No word on Bruney and when he will be back. The team cannot continue to run relievers out who are going to give up one or two runs every time out. It will be interesting to see how long they go before there is a trade or Tomko comes up.

old professor said...

Oh mid, thanks for the birthday wish. Yes, I am getting older and I am starting to feel the age. Golden parachute looms in the offing.

Crash said...

Should be a good match-up tonight, Lester vs. Hughes.

If Hughes has a good start then the bullpen may work itself out bcz Joba could be back in the Pen by next week. I don't think they'll have any other choice if injuries keep on coming. Old Prof you had me all excited when you said Marte was gone...he's not gone gone, just DL gone. Albaladejo hasn't proven he can get people out consistently. Same with Veras. Maybe Robertson can step up and be that guy. Right now I think the 8th inning has to be Melancon.

Teixeira's start is very reminiscent of Tino's start in pinstripes. I have no doubt Teixeira is trying to live up to the big contract. As soon as he forgets about that, he'll start hitting.

The Scooter said...

I hope Melky doesn't wake up. I still think he is a solid fourth outfielder at best....but Girardi is doing the right (only) thing by riding the hot hand.

Matsui is a true professional. He's been a good Yankee. See you in San Francisco next year.

I kind of like this Pena kid too. I think he sticks around so that Alex can DH once or twice per week and Jeets can get a day off from time to time too. I do think the Yankees hope he is the heir apparent at SS. I can see Jeter moving to left field after the 2010 season (he can't do any worse than Damon out there).

This is par for the course for Tex. He'll heat up with the weather. Plus he is a joy to watch with the leather.

Can we now call him Old Old Prof? All kidding aside, Happy Birthday, my friend.

CC is a horse. he doesn't wear down. He was dominant for most of his last start. He's about to go on a major roll.

As for the bullpen....Is Farnsworth available? The fact of the matter is NO ONE'S bullpen is any good outside of their closer. Starters have to give seven strong innings or the odds of winning go down dramatically.

As for Torre.....You know I'm not one to say "I told you so"....oh wait, yes I am...."I told you so"

57 said...

Well, Billy Wagner is under contract and WILL be back with The Mets this year... will be the best bullpen in MLB.

My question is, you need a pen and we really dont need Wagner.

What would you be willing to give up for him?

The Scooter said...

"My question is, you need a pen and we really dont need Wagner.

What would you be willing to give up for him?"



IGAWA

old professor said...

Having watched all of the Boston/NY games this season there seems to be a definite difference in the talent on the teams. Defensively, Boston seems stronger, their starters are more consistent and pound the strike zone, and their hitters seem to take advantage of the situation when there are runners in scoring position. (I won't even talk about the differential in the bullpens).

On a positive note, Aceves was not bad.

Crash said...

Didn't Aceves give up the HR that was the difference in the game? I know he didn't get the L, but come on that pitch was FAT.

The sad part about the Yanks/Sox series is that I think the talent level is pretty close, and the Sox just have the will to win. It's almost as if the roles have been reversed. Up until 2004 you could almost see there was always doubt in the Red Sox players' mind about how they will loose to the Yankees. Since 2004 that doubt has been with the Yankees. It seems as if they are just waiting to see how they game will get away from them. They are choking in big situations. They had opportunity last night in the 8th and 9th inning to win that game and no one came through. If this was pre-2004, you know someone would have stepped up, Brosius, O'Neil, Tino, Bernie...they would have been fighting to get to the plate in that situation. Now everyone has that scared look. Even Cano, the Yankees hottest hitter, didn't want to be in that spot last night. And please anyone in the bullpen feel free not to give up a run when you come in.

All that being said...I can't wait for Joba vs. Beckett tonight. I think Beckett gets rocked and Joba goes 8 strong. I think the velocity concern is mental on the part of Joba. He thinks he has to hold back, I think he comes out blazing tonight. Look for the return of that 98 MPH fastball.

57 I would certainly look at a trade for Wagner if he was going to be able to come back this year relatively close to the All-Star break. Unfortunately I don't think that's the case since he had TJS in September. He would lucky to be back by September 1. That coupled with he has nothing left on his contract means 0 trade value for the Mets. Maybe a low level minor league prospect.

Crash said...

Another very positive note from last night was Teixeira. 2 big HRs in an effort to get the team back in the game. Hopefully that was the breakout he needed and will continue to produce from here on out.

old professor said...

Crash, I said Aceves was not bad, (he wasn't great). He struck out seven in 4 and 1/3 innings. The bottom line - Yankees can't get it done with RISP. Bases loaded and Melky strikes out. Runners on first and third with one out and they can't get a run in. This seems to be a replay of last season offensively.

Regarding Joba - he may be somewhat distracted with the headlines blaring that his mother was just arrested for selling meth. Hey at least that takes the spotlight and questions off of A-Rod for awhile.

The only solace one can take so far this season is (a) the Yankees are only 3.5 out of first and (b) the Mets pitching issues are even worse.

Crash said...

This just in Yankees place Jorge Posada on the 15 day DL, related to the hamstring injury he suffered last night.

Kevin Cash will be called up, Molina is your everyday catcher.

THIS SUCKS!!!

old professor said...

Like I said, this is season is starting to resemble last year all over again.

Crash said...

Think about it for a second...A-Rod out, Nady out, Posada out, Matsui probably should have been out and will most likely be out at some point, Damon was rested because of a bad back, even Teixeira had a wrist injury that hampered his production. Not to mention Bruney and Marte.

I'm ready to say everyone over 30 should be cut for younger healthier more athletic players.

The Yankees are lucky to be above .500.

old professor said...

Crash, let's look at the age issue: Tex is under 30, Cano is under 30, Swisher is under 30, as is Cabrera, Gardner and Pena (that would be the utility infielder, not the coach). In the bullpen, Aceves, Coke, Ramerez, Bruney, and Malanchon are all under 30 as is Hughes, Chamberlain, Sabathia and Wang. Okay Aceves may be under 30 in Mexican years and with a Cuban birth certificate, but overall, this is not an old team. A-Rod, Posada, Rivera, Jeter, Damon and Matsui are in the Twilight of their careers.

And speaking on behalf of the senior citizens in the country, let me remind you that there have been some very successful players who played well beyond 30: Clemens,with an *, Nolan Ryan, Satchel Paige (who by the way pitched for the A's against the Yankees at age 70; helped qualify him for the MLB Pension and he did strike out two of the three batters he faced), Julio Franco (of recent Mets and Braves fame) Minnie Minnoso played into his fifties. We just need a little more rest than younger counterparts plus there is a little bit less flexability so don't ask us to stretch quads or hammies.

The problem would appear that the Yankees really have not done well in the draft to stock their farm system there are very few major league ready prospects in the system. Think about Boston and the players that are producing: Ellsbury, Predoria, Masterson, Papelbon, Youkles and the lefty that pitched last night are all from their system and producing at the major league level. Even some of their retreads are producing (like Nick Green).

Crash said...

Originally it was reported that Kevin Cash would be called up to serve as the back-up catcher, but ESPN is reporting "Cervelli has been recalled from AAA". Last I knew Cervelli was batting .198 in AA Trenton has not played at AAA yet this year. So I'm not sure who has been called up...

Crash said...

After the first inning I was ready to post the usual "Joba to pen" comment, but he really showed what he could do as a starter after that first inning. The bullpen is just horrific. On the way in this morning Steve Phillips made the point for putting Phil Hughes in the pen (recall the 2007 playoffs). Don't know if I agree with that but no one else can seem to get an out. The offense continues to struggle in big spots. More than a couple times they had RISP and were unable to drive in runs.

The Scooter said...

I'm willing to give Joba a pass on the first inning. I mean last time my mom was busted selling crystal meth to a federal agent, I couldn't function for a week...never mind one inning.

The Posada injury is a KILLER.

At some point I think you have to put Dave Eiland's head on the chopping block. Billy Connors is checking flights to NY.

old professor said...

Chamberlain has had issues every first inning of every game he has pitched this season. Maybe, he doesn't have the makeup to be a starter and should be in the pen. I still maintain he would have an effect on sixty-five games versus maybe twenty-five. The Yankees were unable to digout of the four run hole after the first inning. And as usual the bullpen came in and did not do the job. I was impressed with Robertson coming in with a no out bases loaded situation and getting out of it with only one run scoring. Malachon had the deer in the headlight look from his first pitch.

The Scooter said...

What do you mean "makeup" to be a starter, Prof? He's not thirty years old....his "makeup" is still being developed. Michael Kay had as great stat last night....Over the 15 or so games that Joba has started, he has an ERA of UNDER 3.00

Sounds like the beginning of a starter's "makeup" to me.

Crash said...

Good point Scooter. Here's an even better stat on Joba...if you look at just his starts over the last 2 seasons, he has the 5th best starter's ERA in the league. As a starter he has an ERA of 3.06, has 103 K's in 94 IP. If he gets run support that's a lot of W's and puts him in the conversation for the CY Young award.

I'm not yet convinced he isn't a better fit for the pen, especially right now. It's obvious he's still developing as a pitcher, his pitch count is way too high, he's trying to strike everyone out, etc. but I may be coming around to keeping him in the rotation if that's the type of production the Yankees can expect.

old professor said...

Scooter, Crash, let me try and move beyond assumptions. The issue of whether he has the makeup to be a starter versus a reliever. When he was in the pen, he knew it was going to be a one inning appearance. He didn't have to pace himself and could go all out and blow people away. Result close games stayed close, no tack on runs allowed and he was the perfect bridge to Rivera. As a starter, he has to learn to pace himself, BUT he must still carry the aggressive nature that he had in the pen. Pitchers who learn how to pace themselves and conserve energy but still pitch effectively do well as starters. Chamberlain seems to have a bulldog mentality and expends a lot of energy - this may not be the necessary makeup for a starter. You need to also take into consideration the number of quality starts (that would be six complete or more innings) he has turned in. Answer - He hasn't. Chamberlain, in most instances, has not lasted beyond the sixth or has been taken out in the sixth. That puts the reliance for a win on the bullpen, in particular, the CURRENT bullpen and that is like walking through a minefield.

Take into consideration, if Joba had been in the pen since the start of the year, how many games could have turned out differently rather than the game ending with a lose because the pen could not preserve the lead or keep the game close.

Girardi indicates he has faith in the young arms coming out of the pen and believes they can succeed. Loyalty will only go so far and based on the pens performance (ranked 29th out of 30 teams) the Yankees could be out of the running by the All Star Game. And if that happens, Girardi will find himself in the broadcast booth for the Mets.

JOBA said...

Ummm....I have 2 quality starts this year...and had 7 last year. Yeah I can start.

old professor said...

Interesting Joel Sherman Hardball article in NY Post comparing every aspect of Yankees to Boston. Starting pitching, bullpen, trades/signings, front office and managers. Intesting to look at and some very accurate assessments regarding the state of the two teams.

Oh and Joba - two quality starts this year with a 1-1 record out of how many starts to this point of the season?

Crash said...

Rick Reily has an article on ESPN.com about Yankees minor league pitcher Pat Venditte, he is the ambidextrous "switch-pitcher". Decent article. Even better for the Yankees the kid is pitching real well. Last year in Staten Island (NY-P league) in 32.2 IP he had a 0.83 ERA, 42 K's, and a WHIP of 0.73. This year at Charleston in 11.2 IP his ERA is 0.00 with 21 Ks.

Is this kid just a novelty freak show or can he pitch? He's 23 years old and stuck in A ball right now. I would guess he's getting a call up to Trenton if he keeps it up.

old professor said...

Crash, regarding Venditte, the Yankees are not sure what they have. They were contemplating whether to convince him to throw only one way. He is the rare college player - he graduated and from a good school (Vanderbuilt).

Let's be realistic, he can't do much worse than the current rookies in the pen.

One more run at statistical data since you seem to like that. Chamberlain this year has thrown at total of 28.2 innings in five starts that is an average under six innings. He has given up 28 hits and 15 walks in those innings which amounts to 43 base runners in twenty-eight innings. His WHIP is 1.50 (Sabathia 1.38, Pettitte 1.30, Burnett 1.33). Teams are batting .267 with a slg percentage of .419. Do those stats translate to quality starts. He is a young strong pitcher and will have a great career (hopefully), but right now, how can he best help the TEAM versus individual preference?

old professor said...

Correction, Venditte played his college ball at Creighton.

Crash said...

Old Prof, when looking at Joba's stats for this season you're taking an average over a very small sample. So one bad inning like last night will skew those results, both in terms of ERA and WHIP. He has essentially had 2 poor innings. Yesterday giving up 4 in the first and back on April 17th when he gave up 3 in the 5th. Other than those 2 starts he has only given up 1 ER in each of his other starts. That's quality. I agree he needs to work on pitch count, but he is on the path to being a dominant starter.

57 said...

Prof, you are incorrect. The Mets have the best ERA in baseball.

old professor said...

57, the Mets ERA is better because of one person - Santana whose ERA is 0.93. Factor that out and the Muts rotation is less than ordinary.

Crash based on your rationalization, when the Yankees got destroyed by Cleveland (22-4) they can take some satisfaction that if it wasn't for a ten+ run inning they would have been in the game. And yes he MAY be on the way to being a dominant starter - however, on the way may mean he could never get there. Reference: Eric Milton, Bryan Taylor, Wade Taylor, Jeff Johnson, and Ken Patterson.

The Scooter said...

Prof, "...on the way" could also mean Roger Clemens, Tom Seaver, Josh Beckett, Doc Haliday.....When someone has the potential to be a dominant starter, you run with it and pray for the best.

The best argument for switching him back to the bullpen is NOT whether or not he may be a dominant starter at some point, it's the fact that the bullpen is PUTRID and is the number one cause of the Yankees being under .500

You know I want Joba in the rotation, I'm just not sure how long you can keep handing the ball to these guys and expect to win.

To me, Veras is the biggest disappointment. He has an electric arm should be adequate at the very least. Maybe he's a head case like Ollie Perez.

I still have faith in the kids (Coke, Melancon, Robertson) they are still finding there way.

I said it yesterday, the Posada injury is a killer.

Crash said...

Old Prof. I wasn't saying forget about the bad inning, I'm saying that 1 or 2 bad spots in a small sample skew the results. Similar to a batter that gets hot or cold for a week his avg could easily swing .100 points.

Funny how I think we would all agree Eric Milton never lived up to expectations yet he was an All-Star and had a no hitter...when did that become a disappointing pro career. Please correct me if I'm wrong with any of these other guys: Patterson was a career bullpen guy only started a handful of games games, Wade Taylor was in the big leagues for 1 or 2 years, Brien Taylor never made it higher than AA ball, I can't remember Jeff Johnson (maybe had a cup of coffee with the Yankees in 1990?), anyways my point is, as usual you pick obscure names for comparison that make little to no sense. Joba is already better than all of those guys combined. They never even came close to displaying that kind of talent at the big league level.

I agree about Coke, Melancon, and Robertson. They each have had big outings, but with kids (much like Joba) you have to expect bumps in the road. Veras is what he is at this point. He has given up as many walks as hits. His ERA is approaching 8. Right now he serves as a warm body for the bullpen and nothing more. Not sure if he can be sent down or more likely given his outright release. Girardi needs to kick these guys in the a$$.

Crash said...

I just read that Bruney will be out at least another 2 weeks, he was scheduled to come off today, but had a set back.

It looks more and more like A-Rod will rejoin the team on Friday.

Girardi has said their roster "could change dramatically" real soon.

Be interested to see who's coming or going. Is he talking releases, trades, new signings, call ups, sends downs...

The Scooter said...

HUGE NEWS:

Verducci is reporting that MANNY RAMIREZ has been suspended by MLB for 50 games for a positive drug test.

More info to follow

Crash said...

The statement from Manny is that it was a prescribed medication. I hope that's the case and it wasn't PEDs.

At least this takes some of the focus off A-Rod. On a semi-related note to A-Rod, I heard Collin Cowherd say Selena Roberts' book debuted at #61 on Monday then slipped to #131 now it's at #2,811. And after the Manny news it will fall even further faster. I'm surprised it did that well.

old professor said...

Crash, you may be to young to remember, but when Wade Taylor, Patterson, and Jeff Johnson came up to the Yankees, they came up together because of injuries to the rotation and all were toted as the Yankee saviors to come. They all washed out. Johnson may have been around the longest and was traded to San Diego for are you ready for this Dennis Rasmussen.

Manny apparently has come out and apologized - let's see if there will be an appeal and if the suspension will be rolled back. The Yankees have a reliever who is serving 50 games for using an over the counter drug. Prescription for what??

Crash said...

Manny has already said he will not appeal. He accepts responsibility for taking whatever it was he took. I think the JC Romero case set the precedent here. I think it is accepted, even by MLB, that Romero truly unknowingly took something that resulted in a positive test. In his case he actually had a tainted supplement that was previously on the "approved" list. Even in that instance the arbitrator upheld the suspension in the appeal.

57 said...

there should be NO pitcher ever referred to as 'Doc' other then THE 'Doc' DOC GOODEN! Please leave the Doc Halliday comments at home.

old professor said...

Allegedly, the drug that Manny was prescribed has been linked with masking steroid use.

The Yankees are beginning to look like a hospital critical care unit: Wang, Bruney, Ransom, Posada, Marte are all on the DL. Molina strains a quad and could go on an extended DL and now it is announced that Rivera is still feeling the effects of his shoulder surgery.

The catching question could be significant - if Molina goes on the DL, the Yankees do not have another catcher on the 40 man roster which means someone has to be released or someone has to be placed on the 60 day DL (Berroa could be the odd man out).

The other question is how significant is the issue with Rivera. If he needs time to recover or go on the DL to rebuild strength (since he didn't throw that much in Spring Training) who goes into the temporary closers role. Dare I say it - Joba.

Crash said...

If Mo goes on the DL, Joba is the only option you have for the closer role. And depending on the job Joba does, I would say when he comes back, Mo should be the bridge to Joba.

As for the PEDs and Manny...I keep hearing a lot of media people sy this hurts the game, it hurts the clean players, players are mad at the union, etc. Why can't a group of "powerful" clean guys, and when I say powerful I don't mean HR power I mean high integrity faces of the game type players, like Jeter, Pedrioa, Wright, Pujols, Yukillis, Oswalt, Berkman, etc. get together and hold a joint press conference and publicly call out their union to increase testing, go to a zero tolerance, have stricter testing, you test positive you are gone for 2 years, give teams the right to void a contract if you test positive (Yankees could get out of $270M to A-Rod, Dodgers could void the rest of Manny's contract), etc. The union has been protecting the %10, not the 90%. Last I checked the union was to protect the best interest of the players not to protect the minority of players, while sacrificing the majority. If the "clean" players want to truly clean up the game and don't want to live under consistent doubt and a dirty cloud, why would they not do that. I'm tired of the clean guys saying the other guys cheated, they took the game away...hey clean guy do something about it, take it back.

Crash said...

And 57 Dwight Gooden couldn't hold Doc Halladay's jock.

The Scooter said...

"The union has been protecting the %10, not the 90%"

What makes you so sure about that, Crash.....the way it's looking, I would say it's more like 50-50

Dwight Gooden couldn't hold Doc Ellis' Jock

old professor said...

Couple of points to follow up on. The banned substance that Manny allegedly took is used primarily as a female hormone. And in this area of NY State, our farmers use the same substance to clear up infections on the ovaries of their cows. Maybe Manny has other issues that we are not aware of!!

What do known PEDs users: A-Rod, Kevin Brown, and Manny have in common - their agent.

Crash, as long as players have the payday potential that is out there in baseball, don't expect the union to clean up anything. The owners can protest publically, but realistically, those players on juice are putting people in the stadium seats with their performance.

And 57, Gooden, Strawberry and Hernandez were among the first players to be associated with drug use - the white powderly type.

57 said...

ok.. the Doctor 'K' bashing needs to stop.

Prof, Gooden, Straw and Hernandez were just having a good time...Clemens, Manny, A-Rod and the rest were cheating their profession...

No Mets were on the list...nor will ever be on the list.

Piazza was too busy with his Playboy cover model wife.

57 said...

Johan Santana update:

4-1 0.92 ERA.

Anyone?

Crash said...

The money will always be there with or with out the PEDs.

Scooter I refuse to believe it is anywhere close to 50-50. If we believe the data from A-Rod list there were 104 MLB players that tested positive from about a 1,000 player sample. I would agree some were/are using HGH and other non-detectable drugs, but not 400 players.

The Scooter said...

Crash, I'm just saying that nothing would surprise me anymore. Maybe the 104 on the list were just the guys who didn't get away with it. I don't think it is safe to assume that some guys were/are one step ahead of the testing procedures.

Crash said...

Molina officially on the DL, Kevin Cash called up. Melancon was sent down for A-Rod coming off. A move is still needed to clear space on the 40 man, no word on that yet.

The Scooter said...

Ransom to the 60 day DL

The Scooter said...

Prof, to reiterate you point:

Manny, Brown, A-Rod...Boras clients...as were/are:

Ankiel
Pudge
Schoeneweis
Villone
Scheffield
Gagne

Every last one of them tied to the use of PED's by the Mitchel Report.

Crash said...

Ian Kennedy will have surgery for an aneurysm near the shoulder. Sounds similar to Cone back in '96. If so he's done for most of the year.


Unrelated note Strasburg throws a no-hitter striking out 17, reaching 100+ MPH with his fastball. Wow.

57 said...

A little frustrated this morning when SNY leads with A-Rod as their first story.

Delgado passes Mickey Mantle in RBIs last night.

old professor said...

To make the roster moves the team needed to make, Steven Jackson (the pitcher who was called up for two weeks and just sat in the pen) and Eric Hacker (RH pitcher, third round pick in the last draft and the only one of the top three to sign with the Yankees) were both designated for assignment. Some how I believe Jackson would have been a better choice to bring up other than Tomko. Younger, had a great spring training.

Tomko gives up homerun to the first batter he faces in Baltimore. Different name, different face, same bullpen results.

Crash said...

If Joba can get through the first inning he's a hell of a pitcher. Just don't know how many times the Yankees can afford to put in a hole right from the start when he's on the mound.

How about tonight's match-up Burnett vs. Doc Halladay. Should be pretty good. If Burnett likes the big game spotlight, this is a pretty good test.

The Scooter said...

Off Night tonight, Crash....Burnett vs. DOC Halliday tomorrow night.


TOTALLY OFF TOPICS (bear with me):

CBS Golf analyst David Feherty was bashed this weekend and forced to issue an apology for a joke that he wrote in A Dallas Magazine recently. Here's the joke:

"If you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Osama Bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and Bin Laden would be strangled to death."

Not an incredibly funny joke, and pretty old joke at that....But Feherty has gotten CRUCIFIED in the Media.

Now, at the White House Correspondents' dinner, "comedian" Wanda Sykes tells these two jokes:

"You know, you might want to look into this, [President Obama], because I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker, but he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight. ...

"Rush Limbaugh hopes the country fails? I hope his kidneys fail, how 'bout that?"

Media reaction to Sykes? Absolutely NOTHING. She get's an almost universal pass, as well as a few healthy guffaws from our esteemed President, who was of course in attendance.

Now you guys know how I feel about most sportswriters and how I feel about Lupica, specifically. I think he is a left-wing apologist who is usually best served keeping his mouth shut about the important stuff and sticking to wishing his family a Happy Birthday/Mother's Day/Anniversary etc etc etc.

But....BUT, I have to give him credit for pointing out the hypocrisy of the Feherty/Sykes thing. I was shocked that he not only wrote about it, but that he actually did a good job with it.

Here's the article if anyone's interested.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/05/11/2009-05-11_a_red_herring
_called_wanda.html?page=0

old professor said...

Scooter, the President also cracked a joke about grounding his daughters because they have to learn not to take Air Force One for a spin over Manhatten. Not many people in the city are laughing.

57 said...

Two items:

GREAT matchup tonight between Santana vs. Lowe.

#2: It is a disgrace that Wanda Sykes can pull that BS and get away with it. How many jokes about 9/11 is this country 'allowed' to stomach right on the heels of the fly-over, right on the heels of the actual day... and our President jokes about it? I don't understand where our country is going if attitudes like this prevail. To me, it was more than a joke by Pres about the fly over, it was an attitude...

Crash said...

This is typical of the Mets...Santana has 2 losses this year. In those 2 losses he has pitched 13.1 innings, allowed only 12 base runners (10H & 2BB) with 19Ks. Did I fail to mention he did not give up an earned run. That's right in his 2 losses Santana has an ERA of 0.00. Have they ever hear of run support??? WOW, the Mets suck.

57 said...

Hey Crash, last time i checked I think the Mets have a better record than the Yankees... but that's just me.

The Scooter said...

Hey 57, the last time I checked it was MAY! The Mets are ALWAYS the best team from from April to August...but ummmmm we KNOW what happens in September, don't we?

Let me help you with that....In September, they see the big bad Phillies, or Marlins, or Brewers and Wright and Beltran hit about .093 with runners in scoring position.

I think the Mets should teach the Heimlich Maneuver to all their coaches so when the inevitable "choke" (thanks Cole Hammels) comes at least they have a fighting chance.

DO NOT DISS THE YANKEES on Pinstripe Postings, or face the consequences.

Crash said...

It's mid-May now...can't say it's early any more. What I can say is this team is really frustrating to watch. I know Halladay is one of the best pitchers in the game, but they were in this until the 8th inning. Girardi again mis-manages the game by leaving Burnett in too long. He was afraid to go to the pen even after everyone had at least 1 day off and most were on 2 days rest.

Teixeira takes another 0-4 with 2Ks. The Yankees are paying $20MM for a .190 hitter...who would have thought Teixeira would be a downgrade over Giambi? Matsui leaves the game with a hamstring injury, Jeter is out with an oblique strain...THIS SUCKS!!!

The Scooter said...

I'm with you, Crash.

I'm incredibly frustrated ALREADY and we are only in mid-May.

I can not believe that Teixiera has not started to hit yet. I would give him maybe another week hitting in front of A-Rod before I move him down in the order.

The injuries are just unbelievable. I never remember obliques and hamstrings being such issues up until about 2 years ago.

Prof, do you have any word on how Wang is looking?

old professor said...

Scooter, Wang may be getting close to returning. On May 12th, he pitched six innings gave up three hits no runs and struck out six. Don't know if they want him to have another rehab start or not. My guess is one more and he will come up. The game on the 12th was at AAA.

The number of injuries, more specifically quad and hamstring injuries, calls once again into question the training that goes on during the pre-season. On a positive side, the Yankees are getting a chance to get a good look at Pena both at short and third. His defense has never been a question - the most used comment has been: defensively he is major league ready. He is hitting .280 which for a player his age in the show is not bad. He has little power, but hustles and does the little things to help the team.

The Scooter said...

Thanks for the Wang update, Prof. I knew we could count on you.

And where's Mid? Is he pulling a "57" and neglecting his blog?

Time for a new thread, Mid.

57 said...

Huge west coast trip for the Metsies...

Just for anyone that is going to argue that Doc Gooden had one of the best years in the history of MLB in 1984.

24-4
1.56 ERA
268 strikeouts
69 BB

I mean, give me stats like that in the modern ERA and i'll show you a cheater.

Doc Gooden forever the true Dr. K!! Roy Halliday is a joke compared to Doc Gooden.

Thought you would all appreciate this link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikM8VCN43cw

Crash said...

Scary thing is Gooden didn't have a decent season after the old age of 25. He is the poster child for "could have been".

The Scooter said...

25-3
1.74 ERA
16 complete games
9 shutouts
248 strikeouts
72 walks

57, if you consider 1978 the "modern era" then I'll fill you in as to whose stats these were.

Crash said...

Very nice reference Scooter. Gooden also had 16 CG, but fewer shutouts and a higher WHIP. I would also say that your reference is a much better selection because he did it under the pressure of a championship team.

Here's an odd stat when I saw it I just went wow...Gossage has always said he came in for 2 and 3 inning saves and I thought yeah I remember that and would think that today's closers are spoiled and babied. But for some reason I actually looked at Gossage's line for that year (1978), 27 saves, with a W-L record of 10-11, an ERA of 2.07 and a WHIP of 1.087...and 134.1 IP!!! He had more innings pitched than both the #4 and 5 starters that year (Jim Beattie and Catfish Hunter). That is unreal when you look at it. For comparison, Mo has never had more than 8 W's, and never pitched more than 107.2 IP (and that was 1996 when he was the 2 inning bridge to Wettland). Since Mo moved into the closer role he's only hit 80 innings once.

New respect for Gossage, and closers in general for that era like Sutter and Fingers.

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