Bookworm

Force Field of Concentration

"In a period that has brought us instant messaging, multitasking, wireless distractions and attention deficit disorder, Woods has become the exemplar of mental discipline. After watching Woods walk stone-faced through a roaring crowd, the science writer Steven Johnson, in a typical comment, wrote: “I have never in my life seen a wider chasm between the look in someone’s eye and the surrounding environment.” [NYTimes.com]

I don't watch a lot of golf, but I am fascinated by Tiger Woods.  It reminds me of when I was a Michael Jordan fan and watched the Bulls.

I loved the moment when Tiger made the putt on 18 Sunday and was able to celebrate with exuberant body language and shouts and a fist pump, like any other athlete. 

Finally! Opening Day for the Yankees

It's tempting to put too much stock in yesterday's game -- a well-pitched, low scoring game where the Chien Ming Wang handed the ball to Joba in the eighth who handed it to Mo in the ninth for the win. It reminds me of 1996, when (my faulty memory says) our starters routinely went seven innings and Mariano was setting up John Wetteland.  Our digital cable was wonky, enough so to make the game unwatchable -- everything was majorly pixelated and the audio went out for great swaths of time -- but we did watch the top of the ninth.  I'll have to make sure to find some highlights somewhere -- sounds like the Melkman was in the thick of things. 

Novice Male in Oxford American magazine

Novice Male
in Oxford American by Michael Parker, No. 59: The Sports Issue

The title of this lengthy essay could be seen to refer not only to the competitive level of fiction writer Michael Parker's first triathlon, but also to his (seemingly) limited success in romance and as a father. He details how, newly sober, he developed a laserlike focus on learning to ride a road bike -- the one leg of the triathlon in which he had no experience. The reader can vicariously ride along with the first time triathlete during his first race, the harrowing Bandits Challenge, and rejoice with him in an even more important accomplishment -- his strengthened relationship with his daughter.

More Offseason News

In other offseason news: "The Yankees offered arbitration to left-hander Al Leiter and right-hander Ramiro Mendoza, extending the negotiating window with the two free agent pitchers. The club. . . declined to offer arbitration to eight other free agents, effectively severing ties with Kevin Brown, Alan Embree, Matt Lawton, John Flaherty, Tino Martinez, Rey Sanchez, Felix Rodriguez and Ruben Sierra."  [MLB.com]

Kevin Brown made 22 starts for the Yankees in 2004 with a 10-6 record and a 4.09 ERA.  In 2005 he only made 13 starts, with a record of 4-7 and a 6.51 ERA.  [Stats from ESPN.com]  This begs the question: Did the team make the right decision trading for him?  And even if the answer to that is yes (based on what the players we traded for him have done in the intervening time -- see below), it also begs the question whether we should've made the trade for Jeff Weaver (who was traded for Brown). 

We traded Jeff Weaver, along with Yhency Brazoban and Brandon Weeden, to get Brown in the offseason between the 2003 and 2004 seasons.  That probably wasn't a bad move, considering Weaver had been pretty ineffective for us, despite all the potential people believed he had. Weaver went 14-11 with a 4.22 ERA for the Dodgers in 2005, but he might not be re-signed for 2006.  He's 27-24 in the last two seasons, making 34 starts each of those seasons.  Brazoban is developing into a setup man for the Dodgers.  2005 was his first season and he posted a record of 4-10, 21 saves, 5.33 ERA.  Weeden is still in the minors.  [Stats from ESPN.com]  So, Weaver hasn't been a blazing ball of fire (and there's no guarantees he'd have had similar numbers for the Yankees), but he did make 68 starts versus Brown's 35.  Worth isn't measured just in wins -- having someone durable to make a lot of starts would've really helped the Yankees this past season.

We'd traded for Weaver midseason 2002 in exchange for Ted Lilly and John-Ford Griffin and Jason Arnold.  Lilly is 36-32 in major league starts since leaving the Yankees; his ERA was around 4.00 in 2003-2004, but went up in 2005 to 5.56.  Griffin played in seven games this past season, hitting .308 with one homer and six RBI.  Arnold is still in the minors.

What do you think?  Just for the sake of argument, would the Yankees have been better off if they'd kept Weaver, et al and not traded for Brown?  Would the Yankees have been better off if they'd kept Lilly, et al and not traded for Weaver? 

Bernie's Fate Still Undecided

Newsday has an elegaic piece entitled "Bernie facing twilight time," written before it was known whether or not the Yankees would offer Williams arbitration.  They did, MLB.com reports:

"New York offered arbitration to Williams, extending the deadline to sign him to Jan. 8. Williams and his agent, Scott Boras, agreed to decline the arbitration offer, giving the two sides one more month to either come to an agreement or part ways. "The purpose of this mechanism is to buy some time," said general manager Brian Cashman. "In Bernie's case, for a player that deserves more time and consideration for all he's done for this franchise, we're giving him a chance to make a decision." Williams has been with the Yankees for 15 years, the past 13 as the starting center fielder, making him the longest-tenured player on the team. Should he return for a 16th season in pinstripes, it would be in a reserve role, similar to the one filled for the past two years by Ruben Sierra."

Newsday also has a speculative piece wondering in its headline, "Damon to Join Evil Empire?"  Apparently the Mets are potentially interested in signing the longtime Yankees' centerfielder.

In other offseason news: "The Yankees offered arbitration to left-hander Al Leiter and right-hander Ramiro Mendoza, extending the negotiating window with the two free agent pitchers. The club. . . declined to offer arbitration to eight other free agents, effectively severing ties with Kevin Brown, Alan Embree, Matt Lawton, John Flaherty, Tino Martinez, Rey Sanchez, Felix Rodriguez and Ruben Sierra."  [MLB.com]

Offseason Yankees Moves

"Bubba Crosby is going to be married this off-season, and Brian Cashman could get him the best present of all by simply doing nothing about center field. If Cashman continues to pass on available center fielders, Crosby would have an everyday job in the Yankees' lineup. "Center field is not easy to fill," Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, said yesterday. "That's why I continue to say that Bubba Crosby could very well be that guy. I know he's sitting at home somewhere saying, 'I hope they don't do anything.'. . . if Damon remains unsigned deep into the off-season and his price falls into the three- or four-year range, the Yankees could become involved. The presence of Crosby as a viable option gives them the luxury of waiting. . . The Yankees did find a backup catcher yesterday. They signed the veteran Kelly Stinnett to a one-year contract worth $650,000. Stinnett will replace John Flaherty, who has backed up Jorge Posada for three years.  Stinnett, who turns 36 in February, batted .248 with 6 homers in 59 games for Arizona last season. Flaherty, 38, batted .165 with 2 homers in 47 games for the Yankees. " [NY Times]

''The Yankees didn't take much time to replace Tom Gordon, signing Kyle Farnsworth to a three-year contract on Friday.  Farnsworth's deal is worth $17 million, as he takes over the role of Mariano Rivera's primary setup man. That job had been filled for the past two years by Gordon, who agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with the Phillies on Friday to become Philadelphia's closer. . . Farnsworth, who turns 30 in April, went 1-1 with 16 saves for the Tigers and Braves last season, posting a 2.19 ERA. The flamethrower, who has hit triple-digits on the radar gun, struck out 87 batters in 70 innings, holding opponents to a .180 average in 72 appearances. "  [MLB]

"A team paying its players more than $200 million to win a World Series had failed to make it out of the first round, and someone had to pay the tab. You can't fire Alex Rodriguez for dropping a Little League grounder and bouncing into ninth-inning double plays, not when you've guaranteed him a zillion Monopoly bucks. A first-base coach making $125,000? Now that's the ticket. "We didn't win," White said Thursday by phone, "so somebody had to go."  And White went as quietly as he always went, out the door with with Luis Sojo and Neil Allen, fellow coaches who apparently failed to inspire Randy Johnson to pitch better in Game 3. Allen and Sojo were 15-minute Yankees who have time to rebuild their careers.  White?  He turns 62 this month, so his time as a Yankee big-leaguer is likely done. This occasion shouldn't have just passed with a paragraph or three in your local paper, buried beneath the news on the latest pinstriped pursuit of a multimillion-dollar center fielder or setup man.  Not when Roy White played more games as a Yankee than Joe DiMaggio did. Not when White was as dignified a ballplayer as the Yankees ever dressed."  [Poughkeepsie Journal]

A-Rod, Tino, & Jorge

A-Rod won the 2005 A.L. MVP award. 

"Rodriguez narrowly beat Ortiz to capture his second Most Valuable Player award in three seasons. The smooth third baseman from the Yankees defeated the burly designated hitter from the Red Sox. . . The Yankees witnessed a more comfortable Rodriguez during his second season in New York this year. He hit .321 with a league-leading 48 homers, along with 130 runs batted in, 124 runs scored and a .421 on-base percentage to help the Yankees rebound from a dreadful start and win the A.L. East. Boston finished second, although the teams had identical 95-67 records.

Ortiz's season included a succession of splashy hits and ended with his batting .300, with 47 homers, a major-league-best 148 R.B.I., 119 runs scored and a .397 on-base percentage. Ortiz had statistics superior to Rodriguez's in clutch hitting situations, but Rodriguez was better in a majority of statistical comparisons and played strong defense, too. . . Rodriguez becomes the fourth player to win the award at two positions and the fourth to win it with two teams; he won it as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers in 2003. He received a $1 million contractual bonus."
[NY Times]

Mariano Rivera placed second in the A.L. Cy Young award race; the award was won by Bartolo Colon.

The Yankees opted to buy out Tino Martinez's contract for $250,000 rather than resign him for 2006.  Brian Cashman is quoted as saying, "Tino's been a terrific Yankeee.  But we have a kid knocking on the door in Phillips, so we should see what he can do." [MLB.com]

"Yankees GM Brian Cashman denied that the club would use catcher Jorge Posada as their first baseman, with Jason Giambi filling the designated-hitter role full time.  According to baseball executives at the general managers meetings here, the Yankees have floated Posada's name on the trade market. He does not have a no-trade provision. The Yankees, though, have no real expectations of moving Posada because of his hefty contract.  At 34, Posada is entering what traditionally has been an age of declining production for catchers; his on-base and slugging percentages have dropped two straight seasons from his career year of 2003. Posada is scheduled to earn $8 million next season, and if he catches 63 games next season his $12 million option for 2007 becomes guaranteed. (The option vests with 330 games caught from 2004-06. Posada caught 267 games over the past two seasons.)  Not even the Yankees, with all their resources, are thrilled about paying $12 million for a catcher who turns 36 that year. Of course, that clause makes a trade difficult, which explains why New York also had given some thought to using Posada, who was signed as an infielder, at first base. (Without the vested option, the Yankees hold a $4 million buyout for 2007.)  Cashman, however, said the club has no plans to play Posada at first base."
[Sports Illustrated]

[Information gathered on 11/18/05; forgot to post until now]

Midwest Series & Stottlemyre

"This October does not belong to New England, like the last one did. It does not belong to New York, like so many have. The Great Rivalry is in hiatus, and for storied and traditional enmity, we now turn to … St. Louis-Houston?  This month belongs to the chronic baseball sufferers in Chicago. A miraculous fairy tale might be taking shape, even on the unexpected side of town.  This month belongs to Texas, home to a National League team for more than four decades and an American League for more than three, and still without a pennant.  This month belongs to the Midwest, and its vast acreage of corn, wheat and Cardinals' fans. Loyal, enthusiastic citizens from Missouri and Nebraska and Iowa and Illinois, who have not seen a championship in 23 years.  This month belongs to Anaheim. With a business identity so fragile, it must name its baseball team after a city 25 miles away.  They all have a shot at the spotlight, now that the two empires in the East have fallen. [USA Today]

"I'm reasonably sure I'm not going to come back here," Stottlemyre said. "Not 100 percent. Not right now; I may. I'm not giving you anything that's 100 percent until after the season, when I have time to really think about it. But there are some options." Stottlemyre, who turns 64 next month, is interested in living at home in Issaquah, Wash., near Seattle, and the Mariners happen to have a vacancy for a pitching coach after Bryan Price resigned last week.  Stottlemyre did not mention the Mariners on Monday, but he said: "I'm not sure I'm going to retire. That's all I can say. But there's another part of that."[NY Times]

[snagged these quotes on 10/13/05 but forgot to post them until now]

In Response to an Email to Another Yankees Fan

I felt a bit bleak when I woke up this morning and remembered that they lost last night.  :-(  However, I don't think they would've gotten by Chicago in the next round.  Now I'm rooting for Chicago to sweep the Angels. 

I wonder if Bernie had been in center field whether the Yankees would have won the game last night.  Not because of his defense, but because he wouldn't have run into Sheffield at the wall on that one play.  Maybe if those two runs don't score there, Mussina settles down and stays in the game longer . . . .

I read a NY Times article that said Bernie still wants to play another year, so if Steinbrenner doesn't sign him, we'll have to see him in another uniform. 

Yeah, A-Rod was a lot of nothing.  He drew six walks, but you don't pay a guy like him solely for his on-base percentage.  I just checked his stats for the series -- he hit .133 without a single RBI.  Meanwhile Jeter, who as the leadoff hitter wouldn't normally be your RBI leader -- .333 with 5 RBI. 

Here's another "I wonder" -- I wonder what would have happened if the Yankees still had Andy Pettitte on the staff and had signed Carlos Beltran instead of Randy Johnson.  Not that Pettitte is a Johnson replacement, but he's always been incredibly solid for us.  And with Beltran in center field, we still could have DHed Bernie and had Bubba Crosby on the bench instead of at the plate (0-8 for the series) and in the field.  [Written 10/11/05; forgot to post until now]

In the Hunt

As I write this, the Yankees are 1.5 games behind the Red Sox in the A.L. East and hold the lead in the A.L. Wild Card.  Jason Giambi is showing the power that tempted Steinbrenner to sign him as a free agent a few years ago.  Sunday night he went over 1,000 RBI for his career and went over 1,500 hits for his career, numbers that are impressive but forever tainted by the steroids scandal.  Here's what happened last night:

"Giambi homered to lead off the fifth, a towering blast that just missed the neon bull's eye on the "Hit It Here Café". . . [T]he Yankees went ahead in the sixth. One-out walks to Gary Sheffield and Rodriguez drove Franklin from the game, and brought the left-hander Matt Thornton in. Giambi had homered off Thornton on May 17, and he did it again, lashing a 1-1 pitch inside the right field foul pole for his 25th homer. The Yankees had a 5-4 lead, and Giambi had a two-homer game for the second day in a row. His home runs have often come in pairs this season. Giambi has seven two-homer games, all since July 4. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Giambi is the first player in Yankees history to have consecutive multiple homer games twice in the same season. He also did it on July 20 and 21. Giambi is the first in the majors to do it since Barry Bonds in 1999."  [NY Times]