Ball or Nuthin' » Yankees

Should Cliff Lee Get ‘the LeBron Treatment?’

T Lamont — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:27:03 +0000

Cliff Lee entered this baseball offseason as one of the biggest free-agent pitching attractions in recent memory.

He’s been most popular in his role as the “trade deadline acquisition that will put our team over the top” player. Lee has played up to his standing as, arguably, the most dominant hurler in the game – particularly during key (postseason) contests.

For those who didn’t catch the news, Lee agreed to a 5-year, $120 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

One who is not knowledgeable about baseball might think that Lee did the noble thing by not joining the New York Yankees who, along with the Texas Rangers, were grabbing headlines as the most viable teams to potentially sign the lefty. Yes, that unknowledgeable one would be fooled indeed, because in reality, the Phillies are the best ‘paper’ team in the majors.

So, why isn’t the public up in arms about Lee’s ‘decision’ like it was regarding a certain young basketball player from Akron, Ohio?

That’s easy, right? Lee didn’t go on television to announce his decision on a grand stage, appearing as if he were royalty and breaking the hearts of Cavaliers fans worldwide. But let’s remove that portion of James’ poorly executed campaign, and focus on the other thorn in everyone’s side – the fact that he was joining with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form a “loaded team.”

LeBron came out and publicly told us that the reason for his decision was that he wanted to win championships. Fans, and even former players, ripped James for his honesty, claiming that he was “taking the easy way out”. Surely, fans wanted James to continue to toil on a nightly basis to attempt to bring the Cavaliers’ franchise a title. While success would have proven to be the icing on the cake, James would have been considered heroic even if he wasn’t successful in such a quest. The public would have acknowledged his diligence more than his results.

But instead James chose to join with a team that housed two perennial All-Stars, and he seemed to be unashamed about it. Immediately, he was showered with a villainous role in the NBA – one that he has seemed to embrace.

Now, back to Lee. Much like James, Lee decided to forego some money to become a part of a franchise that has won its division each of the last four seasons, including two National League pennants in the process. His new team featured three .300 batters last season, of which none of them were habitual clutch-hitting All-Stars Ryan Howard, Chase Utley or Jimmy Rollins. Philly was also the seventh-best fielding team in the majors last year. But what truly sets the Phillies apart from the rest of the pack is their pitching.

Based on wins above replacement, Roy Halladay - next to Lee - is the most valuable pitcher in the majors.

Philadelphia had the most regular season wins in 2010, and that can be directly traced to the top-notch starting rotation that was in place. Roy Halladay (21 wins, 2.44 ERA), Roy Oswalt (2.76 ERA) and Cole Hamels (3.06 ERA) represent pitching upper fraternity. They combined to log over 670 innings last year, yielding a 6.8 inning-average length of start. Each pitcher has had experience being the ace of his own rotation, but they have united in Philadelphia via trades. And now Lee joins them – not by trade, but by choice.

But does baseball differ from basketball in the impact that one player can make? In some ways, yes. However, the most telling statistic regarding Lee’s decision to join the Phillies is the staff members’ value to the team based on their individual wins above replacement, or WAR. This sabremetric measures a player’s worth by calculating the additional number of team wins he would provide compared to an average player at his position. Consider the WAR values for these current Philadelphia starting pitchers:

Roy Halladay – 6.6

Roy Oswalt – 4.7

Cole Hamels – 3.8

Add to them Cliff Lee’s 7.1 WAR rating, and these four guys form a rotation that can account for 22 more victories than if they had been replaced by regular, run-of-the-mill starters. That’s right – 22 games. That was the exact difference between the wildcard-clinching Atlanta Braves and the last place Nationals in the National League East.

For anyone who thinks that the existing Philadelphia rotation was not a factor has to be kidding. But Lee won’t get booed whenever he takes the mound in Arlington, and he won’t hear old-timers like Nolan Ryan or Steve Carlton claiming that they would have never teamed up with one another. Everyone knows how good Philly’s existing rotation was in 2010, but now it could get downright frightening.

But the ridicule and torment that hounded James – and his desire to play alongside established superstars - will not even make an appearance in Lee’s neighborhood.

And that lack of consistency, my friends, is certainly the most frightening piece of it all.

George Steinbrenner Dies at Age 80

T Lamont — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:57:02 +0000

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The recent backbone of perhaps the most enduring legacy in professional sports has died.

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has passed away at the age of 80. He had been of declining health over the past few years, and his death came at the hands of a massive heart attack suffered at his home in Tampa, Florida.

For more than three decades, Steinbrenner has undoubtedly proven to be the most defining forces behind the success of the Yankees and, to a further extent, major league baseball. Under Steinbrenner’s tenure, the Yankees won 11 American League pennants and 7 World Series titles.

Steinbrenner’s stubborn during his earlier years rubbed his staff and the general public the wrong way – and in the process, he lost many fans and followers. But after hitting rock bottom – including a suspension from the day-to-day involvement with his club, Steinbrenner became forced to trust his specialists. And that ultimately culminated in more championships over the last 15 years.

Bernie Williams and Steinbrenner - two of New York's biggest winners.

A great deal of the success of Steinbrenner’s teams was unquestionably due to the owner’s penchant for opening his checkbook. The Yankees have been noted for instituting a no-holds-barred approach when it comes to signing superstars – and that has contributed greatly to the team’s ability to win.

That philosophy has made him, and the Yankees, the most polarizing figures in sports. New York became a team that is either loved or despised by the vast majority of baseball fans. But an undeniable truth is that the Yankees have since been a financial kingpin in major league baseball. During a time where baseball experienced a black eye through the effects of performance enhancing drugs, Steinbrenner’s dedication to winning gave fans something else to focus. Ticket sales in opposing ballparks spiked when the Yankees visit (and still do), thanks to the impact that Steinbrenner has had.

Steinbrenner:

As I have said many times – my father was a great fan of Bill Dickey’s and he certainly loved the Yankees. I hope that he would be pleased.

The Yankees’ success speaks for itself…and it speaks for volumes for Steinbrenner.

Yankees Show Their Toughness in Win Against Twins

T Lamont — Thu, 27 May 2010 03:18:38 +0000

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Minnesota catcher Drew Butera had doubled to center. Then, New York third baseman Alex Rodriguez muffed a sacrifice bunt by Minnesota Denard Span.

With no one out and runners on the corners in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees and the Twins were tied at 2-2. And they had the look of a team that was able to fold in to what looked like a compromising situation.

But in typical New York fashion, the ball started to bounce their way.

Twins’ second baseman Orlando Hudson hit a sharp liner back through the box. Only it didn’t make it through. Andy Pettitte snatched it before it could sail over his head, securing the first out in the inning.

But coming to the plate was the reigning AL MVP Joe Mauer. Mauer, who entered the game batting over .340, already had an RBI-single to his credit. But you got the feeling that this at-bat was going to be one that decided the outcome of the contest.

Siwsher's solo shot in the ninth won the game for the Yankees.

Mauer displayed great discipline in this plate appearance, working Pettitie to get the count in his favor three balls to one strike. But the crafty lefty hurled a pitch that sailed away from Mauer. It got enough of the plate that made it appear enticing, and Mauer was induced to ground into the 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.

In the top of the ninth, the Twins brought in 6’11″ reliever Jon Rauch to keep the Yankees at bay. However, with one out in the inning, Nick Swisher swatted his eighth home run of the season over the right field wall. New York takes the lead on the solo shot, 3-2.

So, of course, it’s now Mariano Rivera time. The 40-year-old set down the Twins in order by getting three groundouts to record his tenth save (after recording his ninth in the first game of the doubleheader earlier today).

It’s games like these that explain why Minnesota has come up short against New York in 11 of their last 12 meetings. It was the kind of victory that couldn’t be any more typical of the New York Yankees.

Is A-Rod the New American Hero?

T Lamont — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:55:50 +0000

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About 9 months…roughly 270 days…

That’s how long ago reports surfaced that New York Yankees’ superstar slugger Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids back in 2003. We all recall that shaky interview in which Rodriguez “came clean” about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. He claimed that it occured during a 3-year span after he had signed a mega-deal with the Texas Rangers (10 years, $252 million) – and that he felt immense pressure to live up to his own hype.

At that point, he pretty much handed in his “I am an All-American Golden Boy” badge. This badge, formerly held by Mark McGwire and, more recently, Michael Phelps, is generally a one-way proposition. You get the badge from a career of seemingly doing everything the right way.

Looking at Rodriguez’ career, it seemed as if the super-talented New York native hadn’t taken a misstep at any particular point. A-Rod had his share of haters, just like any other superstar…but what could they really hold against him as a player and a person?

Well, during his Rangers’ years, Alex stats were phenomenal. His three-year averages were a batting average of around .310 and 52 HRs. Now his previous stats weren’t that far off from these numbers (a .300 BA and 40 HRs was routine for him) - so the increase in productivity seemed fairly natural from a player that was universally regarded as one of the best in baseball. But, of course, in hindsight the increase is more reasonably explained now that the cat is out of the bag.

So, as we entered 2009, we were welcomed to A-Rod’s surprise coming-out party. And we expected to see him leave our network television and move off into some oblivious regional access programming.

Rodriguez broke into the league as part of a formidable Mariners' tandem with Ken Griffey, Jr.

But guess what? It didn’t work out that way. After a productive 2009 season that witnessed Rodriguez post 30 HRs and 100 RBI in 124 regular season games (totals that project out to 39 HRs and 131 RBI), Rodriguez was right back into the spotlight of a Yankees postseason run.

And this postseason run was a much different one for A-Rod. Unlike in past postseason appearances, Rodriguez was extremely productive in the 2009 ALDS and the 2009 ALCS…adding even more fuel to the fire of his haters. He batted .438 with 5 HRs and 12 RBI. In this year’s World Series versus the Philadelphia Phillies, Rodriguez went deep in Game Three and provided a clutch game winning 2-out RBI-double in the top of the ninth inning to place the Yankees on the brink of winning their first championship since 2000.

Pending a breakdown of historic proportions by the Yankees, it looks like Alex Rodriguez will have the last laugh in a season which appeared bleak. While athletes like Rodriguez are held in very high esteem, they are human at their core. Heroes that aren’t celebrities or athletes seem to be held to a different standard of expectation when it comes to deceit and impure intentions. This debate won’t be one that is easily settled. But with all of the hidden agendas and general dishonesty from athletes these days, we may be left to ask ourselves…

Is A-Rod the new American hero?

L.A. Angels Throw Away Another Game

T Lamont — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:36:27 +0000

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After 5 hours and 10 minutes of game time, the Los Angeles Angels committed another error which resulted in the New York Yankees scoring the game winning run in the 13th inning – and taking Game Two of the ALCS, 4-3.

With runners on first and second and 1 out in the bottom of the 13th, Melky Cabrera hit a ground ball to the left of Angels’ second baseman Maicer Izturis. Itzuris attempted to turn a double play to end the inning, but his throw was wide of the bag at second base, allowing Jerry Hairston Jr. to score on the play.

The loss puts the Angels in an 0-2 deficit in the best of seven series. Game Three is scheduled for Monday at Angel Stadium.