Good news for our mobile browsers, I figured out how to post tables again.

Out of curiosity, how did Molina do last season and where does he rank?  Perhaps he isn’t quite as bad offensively as he is being given “credit” for?  Or did he just miss the cut?

Good question, I forgot to add 2008 in here.  Molina was -8 BRAA compared to other catchers, so he should slot in around 16th.

I often wonder if Girardi’s excessive playing time in 1996-1999 may end up being the difference in Jorge Posada’s counting stats being considered Hall of Fame worthy or falling short.

Conversely, it may be that Jorge’s gradual transition to starter helped him stay immensely productive through his age, what, 34? 35? season.  Someone here pointed out recently that catchers suffer from overuse in their early twenties as pitchers do. 

Benny Bengough was the catcher who cut off part of his mask and sent it to his girlfriend, right?

Also, thank you SG!  I am so happy we have something besides that stupid book to discuss.

For those of you who find Steve Lombardi as hilarious as I do, he has taken his gloomy show on the road in a guest appearance on Pete Abraham’s blog.

Rick Cerone, the Lou Gehrig of bad Yankee catchers.

Yeah, but man did he look like a player in 1980.  I wonder how often a catcher leads his team in defensive innings.  And I wonder ho much catching 283 games in two years had to do with his cliff dive.

I wonder why I have such fondness for Rick Cerone that I was usually pleased when he played and wish the Yankees still had him when he was gone. 80 did coincide when I was starting to be aware of the team.  As well, maybe his defense shone through during the early 80 hitting woes.

Who knows.

Molina was -8 BRAA compared to other catchers, so he should slot in around 16th.

Thanks.  I guess he really was historically bad with the bat!  Though in fairness, he wouldn’t have racked up that bad of a negative if he didn’t have so much playing time.

(sigh) A question from the Olney chat on ESPN yesterday:

If the Padres want to cut 4-5 million in payroll, why wouldn’t the Yankees go after Peavy at (11 million) and send them Xavier Nady (at 6.5) with a couple strong prospects (any combo of Hughes, Kennedy, Zach McAllister or Romine…or even Betances) and move Joba back to the 8th inning?

Stuff that makes me appreciate this site more every day…

Mike Francesa was on the ESPN chat with Buster Olney?

I love these posts, if for nothing else the trip down memory lane they provide.  Rick Cerone.  Nice to know his offensive production matched his hairstyle - bad.

Bob Geren makes me giggle.  Sitting in college in 1990, surrounded by Oriole fans, I can remember pointing to Bob Geren as one of the few highlights of the Yankee team.  My how times have changed.

Ha! Awesome, SG, and a better idea than my proposed follow-up!! It’s amazing how many of those seasons were bunched together.

It’s amazing how many of those seasons were bunched together.

I kinda should be expected, because if there is a hole in a certain position, let’s say for CF right now, it just takes a long time to 1) realize it’s a problem and 2) run through all the retreads/rejects before a decent player fills to spot.  Good young players like Bernie or Posada or Jeter provide the brilliance and likely whoever comes before or after them will suck pretty hard.

“I still have fond memories of his game winning double in the July 1, 2004 Jeter Dive game.”

The link has that as a single.

I recall Sheffield going to third, forgot about A-Rod of course at short.

How does pinch-runner Crespo not score from 2nd on Damon’s single to left (Matsui) in the 12th?

The link has that as a single.

IIRC, he hit it over the left-fielder’s (who was playing shallow) head, and the winning run scored as Flaherty touched 2nd.  It had a shot to be a legitimate double (LF usually played shallow when Flash hit), but was officially a single.

How does pinch-runner Crespo not score from 2nd on Damon’s single to left (Matsui) in the 12th?

Now you’re pushing the memory too far.  Two thoughts: 1) I don’t think Matsui was that atrocious with his arm back then, mostly because of quick-release 2) ball was hit too hard/right at Matsui.

touched 2nd = touched 1st

The link has that as a single.

I thought I remember it bouncing into the stands, but maybe since it was a walk-off non-HR it automatically gets recorded as a single.

How does pinch-runner Crespo not score from 2nd on Damon’s single to left (Matsui) in the 12th?

It was actually Sierra in LF by that point, and it was a blooper that looked catchable until the very last second.  With only one out, Crespo played it safe.

was there any more predictable outcome than a Manny-Sturtze matchup?

hooray for having a plethora of young, bullpen arms.

my favorite part of that game, which i was at, was when A-Rod turned that incredible DP (lost in the annals of time once Jeter bloodied himself) my entire section briefly thought that A-Rod had turned a TRIPLE play. 

people were jumping up and down and hugging each other in joy and amazement. 

it happened so fast, that we didn’t realize that we were double counting the runner at 2B. 

A-Rod fielded the ball, tagged 3B, fired home from his knees, and then Posada (unnecessarily) threw back down to A-Rod.

A-Rod fielded the ball, tagged 3B, fired home from his knees, and then Posada (unnecessarily) threw back down to A-Rod.

I remember watching at home and was convinced he had turned the DP as well.  IIRC it was Manny on 2nd running to 3rd, and Manny kept running as if he was still alive (because he has no idea if he’s out or not), so Jorge saw a runner bearing down on third and threw.  I thought at the time that the runner on 1st was trying to go to third.

was convinced he had turned the DP as well

(sigh) triple-play as well.  I’m going home.

That play by ARod was, in fact, awesome.  I thought the run would score for sure.

Perfect throw from his knees that just cleared the runner’s head and was somehow still a strike to Posada.

I was expecting more catchers from 2000 to 2007 since we had the likes of Chris Turner, Todd Greene, Alberto Castillo, Chris Widger, Will Nieves and Kelly Stinnett. I assume that this guys didn’t played enought to cause significant harm. And then again, maybe Posada sharing time with Girardi from 1997 to 99 was what KEPT him from breaking down earlier.

You guys are reliving 2004? Can I get in on this?

No.

I was expecting more catchers from 2000 to 2007 since we had the likes of Chris Turner, Todd Greene, Alberto Castillo, Chris Widger, Will Nieves and Kelly Stinnett.

Yeah, there’s a balance here, you have to be bad AND play a certain amount, although none of these guys were really full-timers, mostly backups.

You guys are reliving 2004? Can I get in on this?

Only if you restrict it to July 1, 2004.

Did “Bootnose” have a great moustahce? If you’re going to be a punchless catcher, you might as well have a great moustache.

Wonderful stuff SG. Jerry effin Narron. I love it.
I eagerly await Danny Cater, Horace Clark,The Stick and the great Rich McKinney.
That was the infield for my first season of Yankee love.
Did I ever tell you lads about the time I got Mike Heath stoned?
Well he was in West Haven playing AA ball and I was in high school and some hippie babes…..............................

i got Mike Heath’s autograph at the first Yankee game i ever went to.  Heath was a Tiger at the time.

looking up Heath’s BB-Ref page, i noticed that trades like this:

November 10, 1978: Traded by the New York Yankees with Sparky Lyle, Larry McCall, Dave Rajsich, Domingo Ramos, and cash to the Texas Rangers for Dave Righetti, Juan Beniquez, Mike Griffin, Paul Mirabella, and Greg Jemison (minors).

just don’t happen anymore.  not enough 5 for 5 trades these days.

Hmmm, Girardi had big hits in 96 & 99 (one of the seasons listed here) for NY in the World Series, against the Braves both times.

What does this mean?

The Braves sucked.

No.

I think that’s the most I ever laughed at one word.  Just classic.

What does this mean?

That we remember big hits in critical situations more than actual worth?  After all, you can’t be a True Yankee just by winning the MVP in two out of three years.  But if you get a game winning 25-hop single through the middle-infield in the World Series…that’s what being a winning player is all about!

But if you get a game winning 25-hop single through the middle-infield in the World Series…that’s what being a winning player is all about!

Jose Vizcaino, Yankee great.

Ah, Jose Vizcaino.
Him of the career .500 OPS in the postseason.

There was a dude named Brad Gulden (late 70s-early 80s) who probably didn’t play enough to crack this list but sucked just the same.

Joel Skinner—the guy looked so impressive and imposing at the plate and then…nothing.

Cerone is one of those players whose brand was more powerful than his bat. Albeit for a short period of time.  He had a whole curly-haired pretty Italian boy thing going, with a jeans commercial I believe.  Still, as someone mentions above, his 1980 season was very strong; and it needed to be, as the need to replace Munson was fraught with emotion and a sense that the martyred captain would be impossible to replace.

I think the 25-hop single was an allusion to Sojo (Game 5, 2000 WS).  IIRC Vizcaino’s walk-off hit in Game 1 of that series, while not a bullet, was a fairly authoritative line drive.  It’s undoubtedly latent racism, but Vizcaino, Sojo and Cairo often kind of blend together as a single being in my mind. 

Girardi had big hits in 96 & 99 (one of the seasons listed here) for NY in the World Series

I certainly recall the triple off Maddux in ‘96.  Refresh my memory about the big hit in ‘99.

I think the 25-hop single was an allusion to Sojo (Game 5, 2000 WS).  IIRC Vizcaino’s walk-off hit in Game 1 of that series, while not a bullet, was a fairly authoritative line drive.

I was thinking of Vizcaino;  his hit may have been more authoritative than I’m giving it credit for.  But it was tickling my mind that Sojo had one of those in that series as well.

And if ARod this year has a big hit to win a post-season game (in a series the Yankees win of course), he’ll be remembered more for those than his 2+ MVP’s.

There was a dude named Brad Gulden (late 70s-early 80s) who probably didn’t play enough to crack this list but sucked just the same.

He’s fifteenth.  He’s also the guy who got Munson’s roster spot the day after the crash.

He’s fifteenth.

D’oh!