Man, Jack Clark was a huge bust as a Yankee.

And I think they’re STILL improving!  Best thing of course would be if they can virtually sew up homefield by early September, get the veterans some rest for the PS.  I think it’s possible.  This may be the best team they’ve had since 1998.

I like the fact that Kelly is described as Jeter’s longtime squeeze, and they’ve been dating for about a year. Jeterian.

A team is never as good as they look during a winning streak or as bad as they look during a losing streak.

This is a very good team but there are a lot of other good teams currently in line for a playoff spot with good front of the rotation starting.  I’d feel much better about this team with a healthy Wang as the #3.  A first year starter in Joba and a 97 year old Pettitte (who has always been a feast of famine type pitcher) is not invincible. 

But I like our chances more than any team in years.

Thanks SG on the dh. I surprised myself by recalling Baylor. He is the best everyday dh according to your list. Yes Jack Clark was a major disappointment in 88. He was kind of an all or nothing guy. He could hit a ball a long way, just not often enough. Those late 80’s team really lacked a number one starter though they had some talent. The trade of Drabek for Rhoden, was probably one of the dumbest moves they made that decade. Getting in a hurry to run Henderson and Winfield out also cost them some bad years.  Of course had the Yanks not tanked they wouldn’t have had the pick to get Jeter a few years later. As I recall, they let Drabek stay in the rotation for his rookie year, then after he showed promise traded him for a guy who was probably a better golfer than pitcher.  Seems like I remember Rhoden and Whitson both as being busts.  Perhaps we should never deal with Pittsburgh again. Look at what happened with Nady and Marte. I know Whitson came from SD, but my memory tells me he pitched with Pirates before that. Am I wrong?

And I think they�re STILL improving!

1) Cano’s ability to hit with RISP.
2) Gardner playing CF more often, especially in the playoffs.
3) Robertson gaining confidence to fill the 7th inning role.
4) Bruney becoming at least somewhat dependable.
5) Coke as a LOOGY, Gaudin as a ROOGY.

I�d feel much better about this team with a healthy Wang

you and Beltre would agree

A first year starter in Joba and a 97 year old Pettitte (who has always been a feast of famine type pitcher) is not invincible. 

Good points you make.  I believe until we go out and convincingly beat up the Angels, I can’t get overly excited.  But, really hasn’t this been fun to date?

Are the following players really as good as they seem?

Chone Figgins, Aybar, Kendrick, Morales?  BTW, is
Guerrero done after this year in LA?

I don’t think it’s about beating the Angels. If they win a playoff round against any team, I will be very confident that they will be nearly unstoppable.

A first year starter in Joba and a 97 year old Pettitte (who has always been a feast of famine type pitcher) is not invincible.

I guess I’m just more optimistic.  CC matches up well w/ any other team’s #1, and Burnett the same for any other team’s #2.  Joba and Pettitte?  I’d take my chances w/ them against any other team’s #3/#4 starters.  Sure, anything can happen in a short-series.  But this really IS a good team, not just a team playing well.

I guess I�m just more optimistic.  CC matches up well w/ any other team�s #1, and Burnett the same for any other team�s #2.  Joba and Pettitte?  I�d take my chances w/ them against any other team�s #3/#4 starters.  Sure, anything can happen in a short-series.  But this really IS a good team, not just a team playing well.
Oh I agree completely.  This is a really good team and they have been hell of a lot of fun to watch but being a very good team doesn’t guarantee you anything.  As we all know the best team doesn’t always win.  Typically the best team has a far less than 50% chance of winning it all and while they are very good they aren’t that much better than every other team that a World Series is a given or even likely. 

I’m a realist and have realistic expectations.  I’m not one of those spoiled Yankees fans that think if we don’t win a World Series the season was a disappointment.  I watch them for entertainment and I’ve had a lot of fun following this team.  They’ve kept me believing in them all year and that’s really all I ask for.

I know this was addressed in the last thread, but it seems appropriate for this topic as well.  Lombardi is now entertaining in a sad sort of way.  I only check over there when someone mentions it here, but the post before the road trip started was absurd.  I wish he would just root for another team at this point.  The Yankees are nearly 30 games over .500, have the best record and largest division lead in baseball and are on pace for 100+ wins.  Yet he finds plenty things to complain/worry about.  It’s unbelievable.

Girardi said, �It�s entirely too risky to ask him to pitch 200 innings� in explaining why the Bombers are limiting him to 160.

I thought the ‘Bombers’ weren’t saying how many innings Joba was going to be limited to…

3) Robertson gaining confidence to fill the 7th inning role.

Any chance Robertson closes if Mo’s shoulder continues to be “cranky”

I�m not one of those spoiled Yankees fans that think if we don�t win a World Series the season was a disappointment.

Ha. I’m one of those spoiled Yankees fans. This century so far has sucked big time. And I’d be miserable with anything less than them winning the whole thing.

It also has been quite fun now too.

Not Hughes?

“I�d feel much better about this team with a healthy Wang as the #3”

Wang’s playoff performance has been nothing to write home about.  Even if he were 100% healthy and in 2006-7 form, I’d much prefer Joba, and would probably prefer Pettitte also.

I gotta think Hughes would be in line to pick up the saves.

Wang�s playoff performance has been nothing to write home about.  Even if he were 100% healthy and in 2006-7 form, I�d much prefer Joba, and would probably prefer Pettitte also.

C.C. doesn’t have a great track record in the playoffs either but I’d take my chances with him.  I’ll go with the most talented every time regardless of playoff performance and I’ll take a healthy Wang over a healthy Pettitte at this stage in their careers.

Ha. I�m one of those spoiled Yankees fans. This century so far has sucked big time. And I�d be miserable with anything less than them winning the whole thing.

I don’t disagree.  Just because I don’t expect to win in a particular year doesn’t mean that I didn’t expect to win at least one or two since 2000. 

But for the first time since 2003 I think the team is moving in the right direction so even if they don’t win it all in 2009 I’m satisfied and optimistic for the next 3-5 years.

Why are people questioning what the BattleCat will bring come playoff time? He has been preparing for October all year by having runners on base seemingly every inning and being in Battle Mode as much as humanly possible.

Oh, and I agree with the sentiment that this team has been uber-enjoyable to watch so far.

On an unrelated note, Jayson Stark, who had a moral epiphany and took his readers for a ride onto the high-horse following Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez steroid revelations, has not let a word slip in the aftermath of David Ortiz revelations. He is holding court today at 1 pm to answer questions in a chat on ESPN.

I think he will keep ignoring the issue, and probably censor questions that bring up this topic.

I’ll add another echo to the sentiment that it’s been a very good year to watch the Yankees they deserve their status as the best team in baseball and have also played slightly above it in a way that created many memorable moments.

MUCH easier to be a Yankees fan in New England these days.  Most of the local chatter is now about Brady and the Patriots.

The Yankees swept an injury-plagued Red Sox, including a couple of close games.  I’ll feel better after the Yankees win at Fenway.

Still have six games left with Boston and three or four away games at Halos.  Let’s hold off on the cigar.

Still have six games left with Boston and three or four away games at Halos.  Let�s hold off on the cigar.

4, one in NY 3 in California.  I’m certainly not lighting a cigar (as I don’t smoke).  But I’m confident they can take 2 from Boston and one from Anaheim.

I�ll take a healthy Wang over a healthy Pettitte at this stage in their careers.

Based on what?  We really don’t know how well Wang would be pitching right now if he hadn’t hurt himself last year.  We’re also seeing healthy Andy Pettitte for the first time in a while and that looks pretty good.  And either way, since we don’t have a healthy, um, CMW, I’m glad we WILL (knock on wood) healthy Pettitte in the playoffs.  He’ll match up just fine with any other team’s #3…and Pettitte may be the #4 in the post-season!

Don’t you love the smell of desparation in the New England air?

I think he will keep ignoring the issue, and probably censor questions that bring up this topic.

Reading through the transcript, this appears to be the case.  Not a mention of steroids to be found…

Let’s just go with the classic “the fans are getting tired of hearing about it” meme and call it a season.

Remind me why anyone would care about what Jayson Stark thinks.

Lombardi is now entertaining in a sad sort of way.

There’s nothing entertaining about chronic depression.  The man needs professional help.  I’m not really joking, either.

I thought the �Bombers� weren�t saying how many innings Joba was going to be limited to�

They’re not.  Klapisch is.

http://webusers.npl.illinois.edu/~a-nathan/pob/carry/carry.html

PeteAbe linked to it.  It’s a study about the “carrying” of fly balls and NYS.  Really interesting and informative.

There�s nothing entertaining about chronic depression.  The man needs professional help.  I�m not really joking, either.

Seconded. Also, he needs professional help on more than chronic depression; he has delusions of grandeur as well. His topic titles are hilarious, particularly the one called “Math Class”. It is as if he is teaching people the mathematical sides of baseball analysis. The analysis, of course is as misguided as possible.

Also, his propensity to use any topic to somehow bash Brian Cashman’s leadership is amazing. A CUNY grad student working for the Mets front office presented a recent paper on defensive metrics at a seminar, perhaps as part of his PhD work. He posts a link to that, cursorily mentions “excellent read” without going in depth (which I think he is incapable of doing: the thing contained probit regressions and Bayesian updating with Gibbs sampling) about it, and uses that to take a cheap shot at the head of Yankees statistical guy.

[33] my favorite posts are the ones where he recalls one of the countless predictions he makes and says “see I told you.” Do you think SNY drops him if his readership continues to drop?

[32] Interesting.  The individual stadium plots look rather SSS to me.  And I wonder about biases due to e.g. the power of the home team at NYS or to the Monster in Boston.

I don’t understand this piece from the Klapisch article:

“If the Yankees are right in projecting Austin Jackson as ready for the majors next season, it�s conceivable Damon and his made-for-Yankee-Stadium swing could start in left and could be the center fielder, with Melky Cabrera shifting to right.”

Do you think SNY drops him if his readership continues to drop?

Not that I care about SNY, but we can only hope.

They already have Bronx Banter, a quality blog on the Yankees. Plus they are more Mets centric. Why they need to carry that hack is beyond me.

[36] I hope AJax is not in the starting lineup on opening day. He’s been decent this year but he’s striking out way too much and barely showing power. I’d like to see at least another 1/2 season in AAA.

[36] It’s supposed to say that Jackson could be the CF.  Of course, in reality the idea of AJax as the opening day CF and Cabrera moving to RF is about as likely to come to fruition as Damon playing two positions at the same time.

The individual stadium plots look rather SSS to me.  And I wonder about biases due to e.g. the power of the home team at NYS or to the Monster in Boston.

Off-hand, shouldn’t that be taken into account by the R-factor?  Velocity off the bat of Pujols is probably different than that of Brett Gardner, but the regression he’s running is distance versus initial velocity.  Now, if there are systematic differences in the amounts of backspin and therefore Magnus force for each team, that would probably not be accounted for in the regression.

The individual stadium plots look rather SSS to me.

Yeah.  First six weeks of the season.  It will be interesting to see if things change with more data.

“First six weeks of the season.”

Ah yes.  Hmm, can’t exactly lump in the later data though as the wind and temperature will be very different.

But the wind and temperature are different every day:

Third game at NYS (4/18)—75 degrees, wind right to left at 13 mph
Sixteenth game (5/17)—58 degrees, wind left to right at 18 mph

These are “lumped in” in the early season data in the study.  Is that a flaw?

One of the people I like to read on here is yup.  Has yup been around lately?

“Of course, in reality the idea of AJax as the opening day CF and Cabrera moving to RF is about as likely to come to fruition as Damon playing two positions at the same time.”

Couldn’t agree more. We have a manageable outfield right now, but it certainly has some flaws.  Would like to see a power bat added that doesn’t sacrifice defense. My gut feeling is that Rays will trade Crawford over the winter if he doesn’t accept their terms for an extension.  They won’t trade him to Boston or NY. Yanks could get a crack at him at conclusion of 2010 only if he refuses another team’s offer for an extension.  That’s a lot of if’s. What is the consensus out there as to Holiday? Will he do a contract in-season with Cards?  If not, doesn’t it appear he would test the market?

What is the consensus out there as to Holiday? Will he do a contract in-season with Cards?  If not, doesn�t it appear he would test the market?

No, he isn’t likely to do in-season.  Yes, he’ll likely test the market, BUT there’s still a good chance he won’t fit into the Yankees’ budget.  Supposedly they borrowed off of next year’s budget to get Teix this year, because Cashman argued he was unique among FA for the next several years.  Don’t think you can argue that w/ Holliday (other than claiming each player is unique).  CW says it will take an overpay to get him to NY.

Me personally, I’d be happy to have him, but not at the expense of tieing Cashman’s hands for making other moves that might have more bang-for-the-buck.

But the wind and temperature are different every day…

I thought that’s what the study was trying to measure, using batted ball velocity and trajectory data.  Taking velocity and trajectory data, the study determines how far the ball would be expected to travel in a vacuum, then compares that to how far the balls actually traveled, presumably revealing the degree to which the stadium environment - wind, temperature, altitude, whatever - affects how far batted balls “carry.”

One of the people I like to read on here is yup.

[46] - Yeah.  But I think the point brought up was that those things aren’t nearly stable enough over 6 weeks to glean good data.

I do concede my contribution is pretty slight. Usually mojo/reverse mojo that gets confused for being played straight.

You know who I miss also?  Keith R.A. DeCandido.  He used to do some sick liveblogging.

[49] - Were you the one who kept posting “I just want to see the Yankees get back to .500, and then we’ll see from there” or something like that?  I honestly thought you were a bot for a long time, I was impressed you kept that up. I liked it a lot.

I thought that�s what the study was trying to measure…the degree to which the stadium environment - wind, temperature, altitude, whatever - affects how far batted balls �carry.�

Yes, of course, but my point was that it has to be trying to measure the effect of the prevailing environment.  Rilke seemed to argue that you can’t combine data from April with data from August because the conditions will be too different.  If that’s true, then how can you combine data from April 18 with data from May 17, given the size of that game-time temperature difference and the fact that the wind was blowing in opposite directions on those two days?

Did you guys see this? Beanballs are WAY up since the 60’s. Who would have thunk it? I certainly didn’t know.
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4398786&name=olney_buster

Also, argues that maybe hitting guys is actually a sign that maybe you are doing something right. I don’t need to tell you guys about how this doesn’t prove causality, but it is at least something to think about…

But everyone who has every pitched knows that you have to keep the hitters a little uncomfortable to succeed.

It is member blocked. Here is the info:

Sal D’Agostino of the Elias Sports Bureau sent along this list of how teams have fared in hitting batters and getting hit; a plus-minus, if you will. And I’m guessing after reading this there might have been some tension between the pitchers and the hitters in the clubhouse of the Cleveland Indians, who are a stunning minus-35 in this stat this year. Here are the total hit-by-pitch stats from the season so far:

The Plunk Index
Team   Give   Receive   +/-
Arizona Diamondbacks   31   27   4
Atlanta Braves   37   29   8
Baltimore Orioles   37   31   6
Boston Red Sox   51   51   0
LAA Angels   47   26   21
Chicago Cubs   46   40   6
Chicago White Sox   30   45   -15
Cincinnati Reds   47   40   7
Cleveland Indians   33   68   -35
Colorado Rockies   30   33   -3
Detroit Tigers   25   47   -22
Florida Marlins   32   39   -7
Houston Astros   35   33   2
Kansas City Royals   37   32   5
Los Angeles Dodgers   47   43   4
Milwaukee Brewers   45   51   -6
Minnesota Twins   39   28   11
New York Yankees   52   38   14
New York Mets   39   31   8
Oakland Athletics   18   34   -18
Philadelphia Phillies   49   54   -5
Pittsburgh Pirates   35   38   -3
St. Louis Cardinals   41   38   3
San Diego Padres   31   41   -10
San Francisco Giants   25   38   -13
Seattle Mariners   37   29   -8
Tampa Bay Rays   35   37   -2
Texas Rangers   48   29   19
Toronto Blue Jays   41   23   18
Washington Nationals   36   43   -7
Sal had this very interesting note, as well, something you can show your grandfather the next time he tells you how tough the pitchers were back in the day and how they knocked down hitters all the time and how there were all kinds of beanball wars. It’s the hit batters per game since expansion:

Not Your Father’s Plunk-fest
Year   Per Game   Total
1961   .40   572
1962   .44   709
1963   .44   714
1964   .43   694
1965   .44   720
1966   .42   682
1967   .46   751
1968   .48   778
1969   .45   882
1970   .42   825
1971   .42   821
1972   .40   751
1972   .40   751
1973   .39   755
1974   .40   751
1975   .39   761
1976   .35   684
1977   .38   791
1978   .37   772
1979   .36   754
1980   .31   657
1981   .33   464
1982   .32   668
1983   .34   1984
1984   .32   668
1985   .33   699
1986   .39   812
1987   .40   842
1988   .44   918
1989   .38   801
1990   .41   861
1991   .43   905
1992   .47   980
1993   .53   1,200
1994   .55   876
1995   .60   1,219
1996   .62   1,404
1997   .64   1,449
1998   .65   1,587
1999   .65   1,579
2000   .65   1,573
2001   .78   1,890
2002   .72   1,746
2003   .76   1,849
2004   .76   1,850
2005   .74   1,797
2006   .75   1,817
2007   .72   1,755
2008   .69   1,672
2009   .66   1,136

Did you guys see this? Beanballs are WAY up since the 60�s. Who would have thunk it? I certainly didn�t know.

That doesn’t suprise me at all, especially with the advent of the DH.  Pitchers in the AL can go head-hunting - or at the minimum, pitch more aggressively inside - all they want and never face retribution (whether deserved or not) when they step up to the plate.

Looking at that one, Texas Rangers are leaders in plunking; maybe they are taking Ryan’s instructions seriously; or just have Vicente Padilla. Cleveland Indians, on the other hand, wants no part of retaliation.

[43] Depends - maybe there are outlier events in the subsamples one would like to exclude if doing time averages - or maybe it makes sense to say I’ve got configuration c0 +/- delta0 at time t0 and c1 etc with abs(c1-c2) > max(deltai)/rootn.

I honestly thought you were a bot for a long time

Yep, bot like.

Lots of players crowd the plate now, or dive toward the zone.  And armor is now tolerated, or anyway it’s now common.  And perhaps if the batter’s jersey is brushed it’s a HBP whereas that didn’t get called before.

Obviously, players of yesteryear aren’t nearly as tough or manly as today’s players.

Phil Hughes should start.

(Not a bot)

[59] Basically correct.

The stupid armor, thanks Selig, is a disgrace and should be (have been) banned.

The “late” Barry Bonds wore massive armor and had his elbow over the plate. It is supposed to be a strike called if the elbow is hit over the plate. But umpires were intimidated by the swollen-headed monster as much as pitchers.

And Selig was loving it the whole time.

If Hughes starts starting this season, who is finishing for him?

With Joba in the rotation, do the Yankees really need another under six inning starter? Will they then carry 14 pitchers?

As for post season, I don’t trust AJ.

[63] Girardi only using 4 of his relievers anyway. Hughes seems like a better option than Mitre or Gaudin.

[61] - Or a really clever one?

Congratulations champions of August!

I admit the Yankees are excellent, but we will see who’s healthy and hot in October…

Damn it, you got me. As a bot I should start spamming links so here it goes. Check out my films at YouTube or Flickr!

[67] hot girls, sexy singles and what not!!!!!!!

SSF, I was thinking about the Sox injuries, but other than Bay, who do you expect to be less banged up in a couple months than right now?  Is Matsuzaka expected back and pitching?  What about Wakefield?  Does Lowell have something identifiable and healable, or is he just kind of perma-banged right now like ARod, and going to take a full offseason + maybe surgery to fully fix?  Just curious.

Matsuzaka - maybe. He’s throwing but not close. I look forward to him doing spring training in the pennant stretch.
Wake - in AAA doing rehab start. Tonight maybe? Anyway, he’s back soon, which should send Tazawa to the pen for Sept/Oct(? Playoffs?!?)
Lowell is what he is now. It may be that over time he’ll regain mobility, but I don’t see any reason why I should believe this. Or a more factual answer is, nobody is citing any temporary condition that’s holding him back.
Lowrie - might be back soon, which could bring down the curtain on the Nick Green era.

Nobody else has a health-related excuse as far as I am aware. The bullpen is in decent shape, and the rest of the rotation is solid enough. I think the question going forward for the Sox is whether they can hit really good pitching enough to win a playoff game. Based on recent auditions against playoff teams, it’s a huge question. You can get to 90 wins with pitching and clobbering the league-average (or worse) guys, but it’s not about getting to October anymore.

... of course, the Yankees didn’t score much off our aces either, so maybe I shouldn’t fret about the shutouts just yet.

That doesn�t suprise me at all, especially with the advent of the DH.  Pitchers in the AL can go head-hunting - or at the minimum, pitch more aggressively inside - all they want and never face retribution (whether deserved or not) when they step up to the plate.

Then why are the Reds, Dodgers,, Phillies, Brewers, and Cubs all near the top of the list in hitting batters? I never bought this argument, mostly because I have heard it spewed by the likes of Kay, Sterling, and Waldman ad nauseum for years.  Of course, they would also mention in the same half inning that Drysdale and Gibson were both notorius for throwing at people, not even realizing the irony that both those guys had to step in the box, too.

The idea that a pitcher won’t throw at somebody because he has to bat and may get hit is nonsense.  You know why? Because the *other* pitcher has to bat too.  What happens then? God, I despise Kay & Sterling for never realizing this.

In my 30 years of watching baseball on a regular basis, I have never heard a single TV announcer question this conventional nonsense. Announcers are sheep. [Except the Eck!]

Michael Young goes yard… Texas leasd 2-0 in top of the first…

How often do pitchers get hit anyway?  I’d guess that pitchers are relatively worse batters than they used to be, given half overall almost never bat, so the free base is more of a penalty now.

Good thread lads, good thread. I miss yup also.
Love me some Vill just the same.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez cleared waivers and was traded by the Reds to the Red Sox on Friday for Minor League shortstop Kris Negron. Cincinnati also included cash in the deal.

“The Red Sox had interest in Gonzo and have had problems at shortstop,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “We viewed this as an opportunity for him to play for a contender in a possible playoff situation.”

So… what… Jocketty feels bad(?) for the Red Sox and practically gives them a quality SS so they can be a contender? Are Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and Cleveland primarily the new ‘farm’ systems for the ‘contenders’?

WTF?

And, how does the dialogue go?

“Hey Walt…”

“Hi Theo, what’s up?

“We need a SS otherwise we’re not gonna be a contender much longer”

“You want Gonzo?”

“Sure”

“No prob”

“Hey, can you throw in some cash?”

“No problemo”...

“Walt, you da man!”

“Awwww Theo… you da contender”

Of course, in reality the idea of AJax as the opening day CF and Cabrera moving to RF is about as likely to come to fruition as Damon playing two positions at the same time.

Gardner is capable of playing two positions at the same time, he covers CF and LF every time they start him and Damon.

Either way, they HAVE to sign at least one OFer this off-season (they can’t go into next season with only Swisher, Gardner, Melky, and AJax as the OF). Damon could be that OFer they sign, but I would hope it would not be on anything more than a one year deal with a club option tacked on.

Frank Viola is the guest ‘color man’ for the night on NESN…

He is presently trashing the Yankees decision for resting Joba, saying that the decision to rest him shows that the Yankees have no confidence in him… said he never missed a start in 12+ seasons typically throwing 120+ pitches per start…

So� what� Jocketty feels bad(?) for the Red Sox and practically gives them a quality SS so they can be a contender?
Who is this quality SS you are referring to? His line for the year is .210/.258/.296
That’s not just bad, it’s horrific even for a SS.

[55]
If this were true, you’d expect the increase in HBP/game to begin if not in 1973, then at least within a few years.
It doesn’t.

[68]

Sexy anabaptist singles.

[69]
Perma-banged just has to become another RLYW trademark.

Also, how do you guys go about putting pictures into posts?  How is that done?