Guys. I found it. This shit needs to be mocked desperately, so... I'll do it. Wooo.
For the record, the entire basis of the article is absolutely awful and pretty clearly why everyone hates Yankee fans. It's basically "let's get all the best players in sports!" Also, really awesome players would be really awesome on the Yankees, news at 11.
Now, on to the awfulness.
10. Prince Fielder
Putting Fielder and his massive home run swing in Yankee Stadium would be like allowing LeBron James to play on a nine-foot hoop. Fielder’s blasts over the right-field fence would be more than massive, they would be laboratory experiments.
You can never have enough metaphors, I guess (also the first one makes no sense to me, since I know nothing about basketball other than that Michael Jordan was really good, and LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are really good).
The images are too powerful to ignore;
What images?
with Fielder headed for free agency this winter, coming off a modest, two-year, $18 million deal, he’s clearly looking at a pay-off worthy of his stature.
Ha ha he is fat.
Who better than the Steinbrenner family to finance that new revenue stream?
This sentence doesn't really make sense, if you think about it. And, I dunno, maybe a team that needs a 1B because they don't have one wrapped up for six or seven years? (For the record, if Prince Fielder came to the Yankees, I would absolutely weep in happiness. I love him. Come be our DH, Prince!!!!)
Fielder, whose father played in the Bronx from 1996-97, has the Yankee blood lines,
Cecil Fielder was the balls but he's not a TRUE YANKEE LEGEND (tm) (c) like, I dunno, Scott Brosius. Also, Cecil and Prince Fielder are estranged, so I don't know if Prince wants to do what his dad did. At any rate, Prince also has the "blood lines" of the Blue Jays, Tigers, Indians, and Angels. Oh, and some team in freaking Japan. Therefore, Prince Fielder should go to Japan. I feel like that's a sitcom in the making.
he has the swagger
Remember when the Yankees were "boring" and "corporate" before they started kicking ass and taking names again, 2009-style?
and, goodness, he has the home run gene. At the age of 25, Fielder has already hit 160 HRs, which makes him larger than life, if not slightly larger than his uniform.
Ha ha he is still fat.
9. Tim Lincecum
Negotiations between the Giants and their ace are going poorly; it’s a near certainty that Lincecum will end up across the table from his bosses at an arbitration hearing.
Chances are he'll prevail, walk away with the $13 million he’s asking for and all will be forgotten. Right? Not so fast. The arguments during arbitration often create hard feelings. Sometimes they last. Lincecum might not be so fond of the Giants for failing to offer what (he thinks) was a fair raise after his second consecutive Cy Young Award.
So maybe Lincecum will go year to year with the Giants until free agency in 2013. Maybe he’ll think about the biggest paycheck of all that’ll be waiting for him — where else? — in New York. The Yankees would gladly welcome Lincecum as a successor to A.J. Burnett, who’ll be nearing the end of his contract. This is a longshot, but not altogether impossible.
Pathetic as it is, this is probably the best write-up Klapisch has here. But again, it's shocking to imagine that the Yankees would want the Cy Young winner of the past two years. Shocking.
8. Albert Pujols
AHAHAHHAHAHHAAHHA
Before we go any further, let us assure panicked (and understandably outraged) Cardinals fans that Pujols isn’t going anywhere. The chances of him leaving the Cardinals are negligible.
But …
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU????
He’s in his walk year, and the Cardinals have just plunked down $120 million for Matt Holliday. In all likelihood, they wrote this massive check to convince Pujols they’re serious about winning. Then again, the Cardinals might’ve been safe-guarding themselves against the possibility that Pujols decides he’s worth more than GM John Mozeliak can pay.
Yeah, um, no. It's not like Pujols said he'd happily take a hometown discount or anything. Yeah, I know players lie about that kind of stuff all the time. I, however, choose not to fuck with El Hombre. I'll take him at his word until he proves otherwise.
If Pujols wants Alex Rodriguez-like money — and everyone knows he’s worth it and then some — the Yankees would be his best option. No one in the Bombers’ front office is counting on this as a realistic outcome, but as the old New York Lottery slogan used to say, “hey, you never know.”
I hope you get lynched by some Cardinals fans. (Except they're all way too nice to do that. I know it's a cliche that Cardinals fans are THE BEST IN BASEBALL but they really are. But they'd still be upset if teh Pooholes left. Understandably so.)
7. Joe Mauer
Another pipe dream here, because baseball really needs Mauer and the Twins to stay married for a long, long time. His hypothetical defection to the Yankees would be enough to hand a generation of fans over to MMA, or the WWE, or bowling. It would start an insurgency that Bud Selig could never quell.
Whoah. Calm down. Okay, sure, Twins fans would be upset. You know who would be really fucking happy? YANKEE FANS! And there are a lot of us! If any Yankee fans start complaining about how getting Mauer would be "unfair" for baseball, well, um, they should not talk again, ever, because we spent like a mrazillion dollars to get CC, Tex, and AJ and we have the largest payroll by far. No, money doesn't guarantee championships, but to wet yourself over the 2008-2009 offseason then get all demure when the possibility of Mauer on the Yankees comes up is just dumb.
That said, it's just not happening. For some reason, I can see Mauer leaving Minnesota more than I can see Pujols leaving St. Louis. But I think there's like a 1-2% chance Pujols leaves the Cards, and a 5% chance Mauer leaves the Twins. Not. Happening.
But similar to the Pujols scenario, it’s impossible to completely extinguish the Yankee pipe dream as long as Mauer remains unsigned beyond 2010. They’ve got the money, the need (as Posada transitions toward DH status) and the near-guarantee of putting Mauer in the postseason every year.
One place where the Yankees have a shitton of prospects is at the catcher position. Jesus Montero's minor league power numbers are ridiculous, and scouts have compared him to Manny Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera. He's not a very good defensive catcher, but a. he's only 19, b. neither was Posada, c. definitely neither was Piazza.
And can you imagine what the game’s best hitting catcher would do in home run-friendly Yankee Stadium? It’s enough to make a Yankee dreamer perspire in anticipation
STOP IT YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME IMAGINE HIM ON THE YANKEES AND THEN IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AND I'M GOING TO BE UPSET
and enough to make a Twins fans wake up in a cold sweat, thankful that Mauer isn’t leaving the Twin Cities anytime soon.
So ... why the fuck did you write this? Also, "a Twins fans," ha ha.
6. Dustin Pedroia
Pedroia > Pujols, Mauer, Lincecum, apparently
Yes, we know the Yankees have the more talented second baseman in Robinson Cano. The Bronx incumbent is smooth, super-cool and has a hitting DNA to die for. But Pedroia plays harder and has a greater emotional investment in the day-to-day outcome of his team. In other words, he cares more than Cano.
This paragraph. This was the paragraph that made me go from "this is a bad and dumb article" to "HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWFUL!" That's... well... let's give Klapisch the benefit of the doubt and just say it's very, very racially insensitive. The good-looking Dominican guy on the Yankees does not care about his team as much as the short, weird-looking white guy with a gritbeard on the Red Sox.
In an alternate reality, Pedroia’s intensity would blend perfectly in a tapestry created by Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada. It was no surprise that Pedroia and Jeter got along so well as teammates during the World Baseball Classic; they run on the same type of engine.
Yay I love talking about intangibles, nothing makes me want to tear my hair out more. AAARGH. (Though I do think it's adorable that Jeets and Pedroia get along so well, and Pedroia is one of the Red Sox that, for whatever reason, I actually don't mind.)
It’s true Pedroia swings like he’s auditioning for the Home Run Derby, but his contact ratio is astounding: 93 percent over the course of his career.
Uhhhh what does this have to do with anything?
5. John Lackey
While we’re on the topic of sleeping with the enemy, don’t let the Yankees fool you — they were sorely tempted to take a run at John Lackey before he ended up in Boston.
The Yankees wanted the best available free agents, news at 11.
The right-hander has the make-up and the postseason experience to have been a perfect fit in Pinstripes. The Yankees ultimately devoted their resources toward Granderson and Javier Vazquez; for public consumption they say they were concerned about the long-term durability of Lackey’s arm.
Again: yay, intangible talk. Woooo. I'm not going to lie, I really would have liked Lackey on the Yankees, but we do already have a pitcher who is in his 30s and has been injury-prone throughout his career in AJ Burnett. I understand the front office not wanting two of those guys.
But in a big game or big series, we’d put our money on Lackey before Vazquez.
Oh hey. Clutch talk. That's almost as awesome as talking about intangibles. And this very good write-up says hello.
The Mets were crazy not to pursue Lackey in earnest
They're the Omar Minaya Mets, were you expecting them to do anything that made sense at all?
and although the Yankees’ rotation is strong enough to live without Lackey,
LIVE? I'm glad you feel that way.
lining him up behind Josh Beckett and Jon Lester gives the Sox the best front-line rotation in the American League.
It's a very good rotation to be sure, but o hai.
4. Carl Crawford
Another lay-up for the architects of the 2011 Yankee roster. Making room for Crawford is one reason the Yankees were so obviously lukewarm in their pursuit of Johnny Damon; they’re ready to give left field to the younger, more athletic Crawford, who, like Lee, will be a free agent after this season.
Between Crawford and Curtis Granderson, the Yankees’ outfield would be remarkably fleet and would make fans forget about the era of the unsteady Damon and the lumbering Hideki Matsui.
It’s all part of the Yankees’ wish to field a more athletic team in this decade. Crawford certainly fits that profile, having already stolen 50 or more bases five times while hitting .300 four of the last five seasons.
Black guys = athletic. This isn't terrible other than raving about batting average (but how many RBIs did he have, Bob?!), and I wouldn't mind Carl on the Yankees, but I hope they don't overpay him.
3. Cliff Lee
The Phillies had their chance to sign Lee to a long-term contract this winter, but trading him to the Mariners officially started the clock on his free agency. And guess who’s counting the days until Lee files: the Yankees, who covet the left-hander for a million reasons.
NAME THEM ALL. I DEMAND IT.
They love Lee’s 4-0 record and 1.56 ERA in last year’s postseason, including his two wins over the Yankees in the World Series.
I am not trying to degrade what Cliff Lee did during the 2009 postseason, because it was all kinds of awesome. But Andy Pettitte went 4-0 too, and one of Cliff Lee's wins against the Yankees in the World Series was during the game where he gave up five runs in seven innings when the bottom third of the Yankee lineup was Brett Gardner, Jose Molina, and the pitcher.
Lee has proved he’s October-tough, is American League-tested
What is he, a Toyota?
and will be awarding himself to the highest bidder in a few months.
Errr, maybe he's a prostitute? And, well, how do you know that? I can't speak personally to Cliff Lee because I've never met him, but he seems like a pretty down-to-earth guy. Maybe he wants to be near his family; he seemed pretty upset when Philly shipped him out to Seattle. Maybe he's not just seeking the highest bidder, but a team that will give him a pretty payday, though not necessarily the highest, while letting him go where he wants to go.
The heavy breathing you hear is coming directly from GM Brian Cashman’s office.
GROSS
2. Carlos Beltran
Oh what up, is it 2005 again?
The Mets center fielder has never been entirely comfortable in Flushing, and the relationship with ownership has further deteriorated in a recent public relations war over the surgery on his right knee.
It's the Mets. None of this is surprising. Though, honestly, how do you know he's uncomfortable in Flushing? He's put up some damn fine numbers there, even if dumb Mets fans hate him irrationally for striking out looking on an incredibly nasty pitch to end the 2006 NLCS. And honestly, this is a team that accused a beat writer of getting a batshit crazy guy in charge of the minors (or whatever he was) fired in order to get that job, so really, a PR war over knee surgery, not so bad.
Beltran says the Mets green-lighted the operation, which will keep him on the DL until June; the front office says Beltran went rogue and did it on his own. The slugger is probably thinking life would’ve been simpler if the Yankees had pursued him as a free agent in 2006.
Baseball hindsight is awesome. I am going to go back in time and make Mariano Rivera not accidentally throw a cutter to second base in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series (that hurt to write :( ). Also, I'll force Theo Epstein to pay David Ortiz like a billion dollars because he was going to turn from a scrub into A WORLD SERIES HERO ZOMG.
Beltran would’ve taken less than $119 million he ultimately got from the Mets, and the Yankees would’ve had the perfect successor to Bernie Williams.
Please don't remind me. :( (I really wanted Beltran.)
Instead, George Steinbrenner preferred Randy Johnson, which everyone now realizes was the wrong horse to pick.
Again, baseball hindsight is awesome. And honestly... the mid-2000s Yankees needed pitching a whole lot more than they needed hitting, and Randy Johnson was really good in 2005. In the 2000s, off the top of my head, it's probably one of the five best starting pitching seasons by a Yankee. That's kind of sad, but whatever. He was still really good.
1. Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon?
Johnny Damon.
Johnny Damon. Really? Johnny Damon?? On a list that has Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols, among many others, you think the best guy the Yankees could possibly acquire out of this group is 36-year-old Johnny Damon? I really like JD and all but COME ON.
This is a sentimental pick,
OMG I wouldn't have ever guessed
because the Yankees and Damon have obviously moved in opposite directions. Both sides should’ve thought more carefully about that break-up.
*sniff* Also, the Yankees offered him more money than any other team did. What the hell else were they supposed to do?
Damon and agent Scott Boras badly misread the market for a 36-year-old left fielder with declining defensive skills. That the Yankees didn’t offer Damon arbitration should’ve been a wake-up call that last year’s $13 million contract wasn't going to be duplicated. Hunting for similar money guaranteed the end of his Yankee career.
Awesome. So you're gonna stop here, right?
But the Bombers needed to be more aware of what Damon did for the clubhouse; how he helped change the climate around Alex Rodriguez.
Oh nooooooo. Look, for the record, I think Johnny was probably a great clubhouse guy. I also think that you could have a team full of great clubhouse guys and if they're not as good at baseball as some other guys that aren't as great at being clubhouse guys, that's not very good. Also, according to The Yankee Years, during the 2007 season, a bunch of Yankees came to Torre in tears about how having Damon on the team was hurting them, because they thought he a. wasn't in shape and b. wasn't trying. To be honest, I don't know how truthful The Yankee Years was about the clubhouse, because it clearly went out of its way to attack certain players - oh, I'm sorry, I meant tell unbelievably unflattering stories about these guys, then claim the stories "humanize" them - and lionize others, but it's in there.
And, as he proved in the postseason, Damon could be counted on under duress.
I know, it was totally awesome when he single-handedly led them to winning the World Series in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Damon was pretty awesome in the ALCS and World Series, but he had a gross .237 OPS in the LDS in 2009. And his grand slam in the 2004 ALCS hides the fact that he had a .559 OPS against the Yankees in that series - equivalent to Willy Taveras' in 2009 - and it was .265 (OPS, not BA) prior to his two-HR Game 7. Teixeira had a better OPS than .559 in the 2009 World Series, and he had three hits in 27 plate appearances.
He was pretty much the only guy to show up for the series against Cleveland in 2007, though.
That might not have been worth $13 million a year or even $10 million, but the fact that a compromise wasn’t reached was a failure that Damon and the Yankees will ultimately regret.
You can see the future? That's freaking awesome. What are the lottery numbers I should play?
Also, Yankee team WAR:
Derek Jeter 7.4
CC Sabathia 6.0
Mark Teixeira 5.1*
Alex Rodriguez 4.4* (in a limited number of games)
Robinson Cano 4.4*
Jorge Posada 4.0
Nick Swisher 3.5
Andy Pettitte 3.3
AJ Burnett 3.1
Mariano Rivera 2.0 **
Johnny Damon 3.0
That crappy Brett Gardner? 2.1. Curtis Granderson last year? 3.4 (in the years before, it was 3.7, an awesome 7.3, and 3.9).
Johnny Damon was a good guy and he did well in his time with the Yankees. I wish him well when he plays anyone but the Yankees. But the idea that the one guy the team NEEDS is him is just silly.
* and this considering WAR overrates defense and UZR did not like these guys this year, when I wouldn't say any of them is a bad defender
** This is an impressive number as a relief pitcher.
Bob Klapisch, you suck.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
wow
The Big Love commercial that uses "Hot and Cold" is pretty darn brilliant and sort of makes me want to watch Big Love.
don't fuck with A-Rod
Gene Wojciechowski did and he paid the price for it.
I will Fire Joe Morgan this shit later but let me just say...
A-Rod, 2009 WS, Games 1 and 2:
0 for 8, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 6 K, .000/.000/.000/.000
A-Rod, 2009 WS, Games 3, 4, 5, and 6:
5 for 12, 1 HR, 3 2B, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 3 HBP, 2 K,* 1 SB, .417/.611/.917/1.528
* one of which was that bullshit called third strike with the bases loaded in Game 6 against Pedro that was absolutely nowhere near a strike
I will Fire Joe Morgan this shit later but let me just say...
A-Rod, 2009 WS, Games 1 and 2:
0 for 8, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 6 K, .000/.000/.000/.000
A-Rod, 2009 WS, Games 3, 4, 5, and 6:
5 for 12, 1 HR, 3 2B, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 3 HBP, 2 K,* 1 SB, .417/.611/.917/1.528
* one of which was that bullshit called third strike with the bases loaded in Game 6 against Pedro that was absolutely nowhere near a strike
oh my goooosh
baby (and by "baby" I mean, like, when he was with the Royals and the early days with the Mets) David Cone so adorable :}
Monday, February 08, 2010
Sorry, Andy. :(
You're still totally hot:
He's 24 here. I'm 23 right now. I am going to go invent a time machine and... oh dammit he was already married with at least one kid back then, wasn't he. BOOOOO!
Also, I would not be opposed to the Yankees retiring #2, #20, #42*, #46, and #51.
(True story: When he picks off the guy in this video and he has that little grin on his face at around twenty seconds... that's pretty much the minute I came to love baseball. My nine-year-old self was all like *_*)
He's 24 here. I'm 23 right now. I am going to go invent a time machine and... oh dammit he was already married with at least one kid back then, wasn't he. BOOOOO!
Also, I would not be opposed to the Yankees retiring #2, #20, #42*, #46, and #51.
(True story: When he picks off the guy in this video and he has that little grin on his face at around twenty seconds... that's pretty much the minute I came to love baseball. My nine-year-old self was all like *_*)
* Well 42 is obviously retired baseball-wide, but it's obvious the Yankees will retire it on their own, too. #2 and #42 are locks to be retired, the others maybe not. And I think, instead of a plaque in Monument Park, they should have a bronze statue made of when Mariano broke like four of Ryan Klesko's bats in one at-bat during I think the 1999 World Series, and Chipper Jones was just sitting there cracking up on the bench. Get it done, Yankees.
Is Andy Pettitte Hall of Fame Material?
In a word, no.
(Oh God it's gonna make me so so so sad when a. Andy retires; b. five or whatever years after he retires, people start writing "hey he should be in the Hall of Fame" articles. Because, unless he sticks around for like three or four more years and he's just out-and-out awesome during those years, he really, really shouldn't. And it breaks my heart to say even slightly bad things about Andy Pettitte.)
In a word, no.
(Oh God it's gonna make me so so so sad when a. Andy retires; b. five or whatever years after he retires, people start writing "hey he should be in the Hall of Fame" articles. Because, unless he sticks around for like three or four more years and he's just out-and-out awesome during those years, he really, really shouldn't. And it breaks my heart to say even slightly bad things about Andy Pettitte.)
post-Super Bowl stuffs
I can't get this to embed, but watch and enjoy.
I'm a really big Peyton Manning fan, so it was a little sad for me, especially now that all the Boston fans that have been reaaaaally quiet the past couple of weeks are all "BRADY IS SO MUCH BET-TAH THAN THAT CHOKAH PEYTON!!!!", but it was still exciting to see the Saints win. I know the Katrina thing was overblown but, well, I definitely know what it's like to irrationally pin yourself to a sports team after a tragedy.
I'm a really big Peyton Manning fan, so it was a little sad for me, especially now that all the Boston fans that have been reaaaaally quiet the past couple of weeks are all "BRADY IS SO MUCH BET-TAH THAN THAT CHOKAH PEYTON!!!!", but it was still exciting to see the Saints win. I know the Katrina thing was overblown but, well, I definitely know what it's like to irrationally pin yourself to a sports team after a tragedy.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
HAH!!!!
So if you can't tell, I'm inside on a Saturday night because I don't want to go out and deal with Snowtorious B.I.G. (thanks local news!!!), So I'm reading old articles because I'm bored and getting very annoyed with various idiots. Anyway, I have MLB Network on in the background because they've got this "bloopers" show, and they were talking about players using cliches ("it's a long season," "you gotta play all 27 outs," etc.) and, shocker, they had a whole mini-section on Derek Jeter. But then they had this pretty awesome quote:
"We're just not playing well at all. Right now, we're playing like that part in Space Jam when they took away everyone's super powers."
He is the greatest. Derek, please don't marry that Minka lady. You should marry me. K thnx bye.
"We're just not playing well at all. Right now, we're playing like that part in Space Jam when they took away everyone's super powers."
He is the greatest. Derek, please don't marry that Minka lady. You should marry me. K thnx bye.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
you might be dumb when.
You say: "Gee, why would I think Trevor Hoffman is better than Mariano Rivera? It's not like the stats say that!"
Durrr hurrr
Mariano Rivera, closing career (since 1997):
58-46, 521 SV, 2.04 ERA, 220 ERA+, 837 G, 915.1 IP, 6.9 H/9, 0.5 HR/9, 1.9 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, 4.30 K/BB, 0.979 WHIP
Trevor Hoffman, closing career (since 1994):
55-62, 586 SV, 2.62 ERA, 153 ERA+, 918 G, 952 IP, 6.8 H/9, 0.8 HR/9, 2.4 BB/9, 9.7 K/9, 4.11 K/BB, 1.015 WHIP
Mariano Rivera did what he did entirely in the AL East. Trevor Hoffman did what he did entirely in the NL, usually the NL West.
Trevor Hoffman is an elite reliever and has been for many, many years, but he is not Mariano Rivera. No one is. Acting like this is blatant homerism on my part is actually kind of blatant homerism on your part. I absolutely love Derek Jeter, but if I said "Derek Jeter is the greatest shortstop of all time and there's no one that can really compare to him," that would be blatant homerism. It's not a stretch to say "Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher of all time and there's no one that can really compare to him." Hating Mariano Rivera is Yankee hating for no good goddamn reason. I'm not gonna hate Ted Williams just because he was a member of the Red Sox.
Durrr hurrr
Mariano Rivera, closing career (since 1997):
58-46, 521 SV, 2.04 ERA, 220 ERA+, 837 G, 915.1 IP, 6.9 H/9, 0.5 HR/9, 1.9 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, 4.30 K/BB, 0.979 WHIP
Trevor Hoffman, closing career (since 1994):
55-62, 586 SV, 2.62 ERA, 153 ERA+, 918 G, 952 IP, 6.8 H/9, 0.8 HR/9, 2.4 BB/9, 9.7 K/9, 4.11 K/BB, 1.015 WHIP
Mariano Rivera did what he did entirely in the AL East. Trevor Hoffman did what he did entirely in the NL, usually the NL West.
Trevor Hoffman is an elite reliever and has been for many, many years, but he is not Mariano Rivera. No one is. Acting like this is blatant homerism on my part is actually kind of blatant homerism on your part. I absolutely love Derek Jeter, but if I said "Derek Jeter is the greatest shortstop of all time and there's no one that can really compare to him," that would be blatant homerism. It's not a stretch to say "Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher of all time and there's no one that can really compare to him." Hating Mariano Rivera is Yankee hating for no good goddamn reason. I'm not gonna hate Ted Williams just because he was a member of the Red Sox.
mediots, con't.
Once Linked By Greatness, A-Rod, Junior Have Gone Separate Ways
In the case of Rodriguez, however, there is no gift wrap. He is fading to black because (as opposed to Griffey) the skills haven't abandoned the man -- the man has abandoned the skills. At 34 and preparing to return from the disabled list, Rodriguez is still one of the game's two or three most-feared hitters. And yet, whether he plays for another season or another decade, Rodriguez is done. Finished. Kaput. Over. Gary Coleman.
A-Rod's done?! To quote A-Rod himself, HA! Somewhere in Miami or wherever, I hope he is reading this while polishing his ring and giggling to himself.*
According to the material leaked from Selena Roberts' new book, A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez, he is not merely a liar, a fraud and an egoist, but a cheater of the first degree, whose remorseful "confession" during spring training was little more than a well-choreographed one-man interpretation of Justin Timberlake's Cry Me a River. Turns out A-Rod might have been using steroids since high school, and that he was involved with HGH after becoming a Yankee. In other words, like Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds before him, the glowing awe that once accompanied Rodriguez has -- poof! -- vanished.
I know he had to support Selena Roberts because she wrote for Sports Illustrated and so did he, but come on. That book was horribly researched and way more theories and innuendo than facts. And honestly, not for anything, it pisses me off when people overanalyze the shit out of press conferences or interviews or whatever of players admitting to steroid use. How many on that list of 104 (and no, I don't for a second think that those were the only people using steroids) have actually admitted it? Not too many. A-Rod has a totally weird, to be fair, press conference, and everyone won't shut up about the faces he was making and how he wasn't being genuine or whatever. David Ortiz gets his name leaked, has a press conference where he denies ever doing anything illegal, and everyone's like "oh he was so genuine." It's bullshit. No, I don't think it's a Yankee/Red Sox thing, either, because people pretty much don't care about Brian Roberts' admission or Pettitte's HGH use (except for the classy Philly fans chanting "YOU DID STEROIDS!" early on in Game 3 of the World Series); it's a "nice guy"/"bad guy" thing. Which brings me to...
Less than a year ago, people were not merely speculating how many career home runs he would hit (800? 850? 900? 950?), but also how his name atop the all-time list would return Aaron-esque decency to a record book poisoned by Bonds' regrettable presence. Rodriguez was the Brad Pitt of baseball -- the pretty boy with chops who could carry a big-budget adventure through the summer.
This is pretty much the dumbest part of the article, other than the "A-Rod's done" thing. Why the hell are you pretending A-Rod was some golden boy before this whole steroid thing? Pretty much everyone hated him. The media loved to portray him as a nancy-boy diva fraud who choked in every big situation and only hit home runs when his team was leading or trailing by ten runs. Stop pretending it's like Jeter got caught.
Oh, and Hank Aaron was on greenies.
Jeff Pearlman is a really, really good sportswriter. Just not when it comes to the Yankees. Why the hell are you trying to put logic on fandom, Jeff? You're a Mets fan. You should know this!
* Yes I know they hand out the rings at the home opener, allow me my snark.
In the case of Rodriguez, however, there is no gift wrap. He is fading to black because (as opposed to Griffey) the skills haven't abandoned the man -- the man has abandoned the skills. At 34 and preparing to return from the disabled list, Rodriguez is still one of the game's two or three most-feared hitters. And yet, whether he plays for another season or another decade, Rodriguez is done. Finished. Kaput. Over. Gary Coleman.
A-Rod's done?! To quote A-Rod himself, HA! Somewhere in Miami or wherever, I hope he is reading this while polishing his ring and giggling to himself.*
According to the material leaked from Selena Roberts' new book, A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez, he is not merely a liar, a fraud and an egoist, but a cheater of the first degree, whose remorseful "confession" during spring training was little more than a well-choreographed one-man interpretation of Justin Timberlake's Cry Me a River. Turns out A-Rod might have been using steroids since high school, and that he was involved with HGH after becoming a Yankee. In other words, like Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds before him, the glowing awe that once accompanied Rodriguez has -- poof! -- vanished.
I know he had to support Selena Roberts because she wrote for Sports Illustrated and so did he, but come on. That book was horribly researched and way more theories and innuendo than facts. And honestly, not for anything, it pisses me off when people overanalyze the shit out of press conferences or interviews or whatever of players admitting to steroid use. How many on that list of 104 (and no, I don't for a second think that those were the only people using steroids) have actually admitted it? Not too many. A-Rod has a totally weird, to be fair, press conference, and everyone won't shut up about the faces he was making and how he wasn't being genuine or whatever. David Ortiz gets his name leaked, has a press conference where he denies ever doing anything illegal, and everyone's like "oh he was so genuine." It's bullshit. No, I don't think it's a Yankee/Red Sox thing, either, because people pretty much don't care about Brian Roberts' admission or Pettitte's HGH use (except for the classy Philly fans chanting "YOU DID STEROIDS!" early on in Game 3 of the World Series); it's a "nice guy"/"bad guy" thing. Which brings me to...
Less than a year ago, people were not merely speculating how many career home runs he would hit (800? 850? 900? 950?), but also how his name atop the all-time list would return Aaron-esque decency to a record book poisoned by Bonds' regrettable presence. Rodriguez was the Brad Pitt of baseball -- the pretty boy with chops who could carry a big-budget adventure through the summer.
This is pretty much the dumbest part of the article, other than the "A-Rod's done" thing. Why the hell are you pretending A-Rod was some golden boy before this whole steroid thing? Pretty much everyone hated him. The media loved to portray him as a nancy-boy diva fraud who choked in every big situation and only hit home runs when his team was leading or trailing by ten runs. Stop pretending it's like Jeter got caught.
Oh, and Hank Aaron was on greenies.
Jeff Pearlman is a really, really good sportswriter. Just not when it comes to the Yankees. Why the hell are you trying to put logic on fandom, Jeff? You're a Mets fan. You should know this!
* Yes I know they hand out the rings at the home opener, allow me my snark.
a note
In the commercial for Baseball's Seasons: 2004, which I assume focuses on the truly tragic volcano eruptions that canceled the playoffs after the various Division Series, they talk about the Sox "reversing the curse."
The New York Yankees: so awesome, our "curses" last less than ten years.
The New York Yankees: so awesome, our "curses" last less than ten years.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Nolan Ryan = badass
Thank you, MLBN, for showing that clip of him when he hit Robin Ventura with a pitch and Robin charged the mound, and Nolan PUT HIM IN A NOOGIE HOLD. That was amazing.
Also, heh, Clemens' ridiculous start against Seattle from the 2000 playoffs. CG SHO, 15 K, 2 BB, 1 H. I'm not a big fan of that dumb "Game Score" thing but he's got the highest Game Score of all time in the postseason... yes, higher than Larsen's perfect game (which is why I'm not a fan of the Game Score. Both were awesome, but how is anything better than a perfect game?). Heh, I still remember him buzzing A-Rod like three times the first time he was up. Poor pretty Seattle-era A-Rod.
Whoah I get the feeling Clemens didn't really have a very good ALDS because a CG SHO lowered his postseason ERA in that year to... 4.50. Eek!
Heh, Edgar Martinez in the 2000 and 2001 ALCSes...
2000: 25 AB, 5 H, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, .238/.333/.429/.761*
2001: 20 AB, 3 H, 1 2B, 1 R, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K, .150/.190/.200/.390**
Both were while batting cleanup. Delicious. TEH YANKEE KILLAR!!1!!!1!*** (I have all the respect for and fear of Edgar Martinez in the world and he should be a Hall of Famer.**** I'm just saying.)
* not bad, but not what you'd expect from him, especially given his rep. In case you're wondering, that choker Alex Rodriguez batted .409/.480/.773/1.253 in that series, including a HR that single-handedly won Game 1 of that series.
** This, however, is an awful line.
*** Edgar Martinez, 1995 ALDS: .571/.667/1.000/1.667, 2 HR, 3 2B, 10 RBI, 6 BB, 2 K
Edgar Martinez, 1995 ALCS: .087/.192/.087/.279, 0 HR, 0 2B, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Thanks for nothing, Edgar.
**** Here are some fun facts about Edgar Martinez. Edgar Martinez' lifetime BB/K: 1202 K, 1283 BB (whoah, Pujols is at 811 BB, 570 K. The only year when he had more strikeouts than walks was in 2001, his rookie year. When he was twenty-one. That's RIDICULOUS. I hear a lot of Philly fans trying to tell me that Ryan Howard is equal to or better than Pujols. Yeah, no. 406 BB, 878 K. That's not a knock on Howard, he's an excellent player. But he's not Albert Pujols; no one is. Except, like, Babe Ruth.). 147 OPS+ lifetime. He's unquestionably the best DH in history, despite what Sawx might try to tell you about David Ortiz. There are awards named after him. This guy was really, really good. But sure let's not put him in the Hall of Fame because he didn't stand around with a glove at 1B like they do with about 85% of guys that murder the ball but can't field to save their life. And he didn't hit 30 kagillion home runs, either!!! He only hit, like, 90 kagillion doubles!!!!
Also, heh, Clemens' ridiculous start against Seattle from the 2000 playoffs. CG SHO, 15 K, 2 BB, 1 H. I'm not a big fan of that dumb "Game Score" thing but he's got the highest Game Score of all time in the postseason... yes, higher than Larsen's perfect game (which is why I'm not a fan of the Game Score. Both were awesome, but how is anything better than a perfect game?). Heh, I still remember him buzzing A-Rod like three times the first time he was up. Poor pretty Seattle-era A-Rod.
Whoah I get the feeling Clemens didn't really have a very good ALDS because a CG SHO lowered his postseason ERA in that year to... 4.50. Eek!
Heh, Edgar Martinez in the 2000 and 2001 ALCSes...
2000: 25 AB, 5 H, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, .238/.333/.429/.761*
2001: 20 AB, 3 H, 1 2B, 1 R, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K, .150/.190/.200/.390**
Both were while batting cleanup. Delicious. TEH YANKEE KILLAR!!1!!!1!*** (I have all the respect for and fear of Edgar Martinez in the world and he should be a Hall of Famer.**** I'm just saying.)
* not bad, but not what you'd expect from him, especially given his rep. In case you're wondering, that choker Alex Rodriguez batted .409/.480/.773/1.253 in that series, including a HR that single-handedly won Game 1 of that series.
** This, however, is an awful line.
*** Edgar Martinez, 1995 ALDS: .571/.667/1.000/1.667, 2 HR, 3 2B, 10 RBI, 6 BB, 2 K
Edgar Martinez, 1995 ALCS: .087/.192/.087/.279, 0 HR, 0 2B, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Thanks for nothing, Edgar.
**** Here are some fun facts about Edgar Martinez. Edgar Martinez' lifetime BB/K: 1202 K, 1283 BB (whoah, Pujols is at 811 BB, 570 K. The only year when he had more strikeouts than walks was in 2001, his rookie year. When he was twenty-one. That's RIDICULOUS. I hear a lot of Philly fans trying to tell me that Ryan Howard is equal to or better than Pujols. Yeah, no. 406 BB, 878 K. That's not a knock on Howard, he's an excellent player. But he's not Albert Pujols; no one is. Except, like, Babe Ruth.). 147 OPS+ lifetime. He's unquestionably the best DH in history, despite what Sawx might try to tell you about David Ortiz. There are awards named after him. This guy was really, really good. But sure let's not put him in the Hall of Fame because he didn't stand around with a glove at 1B like they do with about 85% of guys that murder the ball but can't field to save their life. And he didn't hit 30 kagillion home runs, either!!! He only hit, like, 90 kagillion doubles!!!!
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
OSCARS!!!!
I told y'all I'd talk about them and I meant it!!
Best Picture
'Avatar'
'The Blind Side'
'District 9'
'An Education'
'The Hurt Locker'
'Inglourious Basterds'
'Precious'
'A Serious Man'
'Up'
'Up in the Air'
So... many... movies... anyway, like I said, I told you The Hangover wasn't getting nominated. From what I've heard, The Blind Side definitely didn't deserve it, though, which pretty much makes me think Sandra Bullock is a lock for the Best Actress trophy. Nine and The Lovely Bones must have really sucked not to get nominated here with ten freakin' movies. I can't believe I still haven't seen Up. I suck. Anyway, the few movies I did see here are excellent.
Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow 'The Hurt Locker'
James Cameron 'Avatar'
Lee Daniels 'Precious'
Jason Reitman 'Up in the Air'
Quentin Tarantino 'Inglourious Basterds'
Hey look, a lady!!! Also, I think the whole "do a WWII film, get nominated for an Oscar" thing is totally true. Inglorious Bastards was great, but the Kill Bills were better, and neither of those sniffed the nominations.
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges 'Crazy Heart'
George Clooney 'Up in the Air'
Colin Firth 'A Single Man'
Morgan Freeman 'Invictus'
Jeremy Renner 'The Hurt Locker'
The Academy really liked The Hurt Locker. And, as ever, they love Morgan Freeman. Is this Colin Firth's first Oscar nomination?!?!?! Yayayayay!!! I'm pretty sure this is Bridges' to lose, though. I mean, I'm barely paying attention this awards season and I know the winners are gonna be Bridges, Bullock, Waltz, and Mo'Nique.
Best Actress
Sandra Bullock 'The Blind Side'
Helen Mirren 'The Last Station'
Carey Mulligan 'An Education'
Gabourey Sidibe 'Precious'
Meryl Streep 'Julie and Julia'
I only saw Meryl, but I've heard great things about all of these ladies. Though I'm kind of annoyed that Sandra Bullock is gonna win an Oscar for (what seems like) a Nice White Lady movie.
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon 'Invictus'
Woody Harrelson 'The Messenger'
Christopher Plummer 'The Last Station'
Stanley Tucci 'The Lovely Bones'
Christoph Waltz 'Inglourious Basterds'
MAAAAATT DAAAAAMON. Anyway. Kinda cool to see pretty much small movies being nominated here, all the way.
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz 'Nine'
Vera Farmiga 'Up in the Air'
Maggie Gyllenhaal 'Crazy Heart'
Anna Kendrick 'Up in the Air'
Mo'nique 'Precious'
Is Penelope Cruz gonna get nominated for everything now? Ewwww
Best Original Screenplay
Mark Boal 'The Hurt Locker'
Quentin Tarantino 'Inglourious Basterds'
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman 'The Messenger'
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen 'A Serious Man'
Peter Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy 'Up'
Sure. Quentin Tarantino should basically be nominated for anything he writes. That guy is good.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell 'District 9'
Nick Hornby 'An Education'
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche 'In the Loop'
Geoffrey Fletcher 'Precious'
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner 'Up in the Air'
I've never heard of In the Loop. Like, at all. This is what happens when you stop paying attention to movies. Like, Avatar passed Titanic?! What?! That's crazy talk. Anyway, District 9 had pretty much the most obvious metaphor ever serving as its main plot device. Booo. Up in the Air was damn awesome, though.
Best Picture
'Avatar'
'The Blind Side'
'District 9'
'An Education'
'The Hurt Locker'
'Inglourious Basterds'
'Precious'
'A Serious Man'
'Up'
'Up in the Air'
So... many... movies... anyway, like I said, I told you The Hangover wasn't getting nominated. From what I've heard, The Blind Side definitely didn't deserve it, though, which pretty much makes me think Sandra Bullock is a lock for the Best Actress trophy. Nine and The Lovely Bones must have really sucked not to get nominated here with ten freakin' movies. I can't believe I still haven't seen Up. I suck. Anyway, the few movies I did see here are excellent.
Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow 'The Hurt Locker'
James Cameron 'Avatar'
Lee Daniels 'Precious'
Jason Reitman 'Up in the Air'
Quentin Tarantino 'Inglourious Basterds'
Hey look, a lady!!! Also, I think the whole "do a WWII film, get nominated for an Oscar" thing is totally true. Inglorious Bastards was great, but the Kill Bills were better, and neither of those sniffed the nominations.
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges 'Crazy Heart'
George Clooney 'Up in the Air'
Colin Firth 'A Single Man'
Morgan Freeman 'Invictus'
Jeremy Renner 'The Hurt Locker'
The Academy really liked The Hurt Locker. And, as ever, they love Morgan Freeman. Is this Colin Firth's first Oscar nomination?!?!?! Yayayayay!!! I'm pretty sure this is Bridges' to lose, though. I mean, I'm barely paying attention this awards season and I know the winners are gonna be Bridges, Bullock, Waltz, and Mo'Nique.
Best Actress
Sandra Bullock 'The Blind Side'
Helen Mirren 'The Last Station'
Carey Mulligan 'An Education'
Gabourey Sidibe 'Precious'
Meryl Streep 'Julie and Julia'
I only saw Meryl, but I've heard great things about all of these ladies. Though I'm kind of annoyed that Sandra Bullock is gonna win an Oscar for (what seems like) a Nice White Lady movie.
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon 'Invictus'
Woody Harrelson 'The Messenger'
Christopher Plummer 'The Last Station'
Stanley Tucci 'The Lovely Bones'
Christoph Waltz 'Inglourious Basterds'
MAAAAATT DAAAAAMON. Anyway. Kinda cool to see pretty much small movies being nominated here, all the way.
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz 'Nine'
Vera Farmiga 'Up in the Air'
Maggie Gyllenhaal 'Crazy Heart'
Anna Kendrick 'Up in the Air'
Mo'nique 'Precious'
Is Penelope Cruz gonna get nominated for everything now? Ewwww
Best Original Screenplay
Mark Boal 'The Hurt Locker'
Quentin Tarantino 'Inglourious Basterds'
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman 'The Messenger'
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen 'A Serious Man'
Peter Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy 'Up'
Sure. Quentin Tarantino should basically be nominated for anything he writes. That guy is good.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell 'District 9'
Nick Hornby 'An Education'
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche 'In the Loop'
Geoffrey Fletcher 'Precious'
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner 'Up in the Air'
I've never heard of In the Loop. Like, at all. This is what happens when you stop paying attention to movies. Like, Avatar passed Titanic?! What?! That's crazy talk. Anyway, District 9 had pretty much the most obvious metaphor ever serving as its main plot device. Booo. Up in the Air was damn awesome, though.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
but first...
I told y'all they wouldn't nominate The Hangover for Best Picture, even with 2068042860 Best Picture nominees.
Monday, February 01, 2010
I wish...
I still lived in the time when fans ran on the field after big baseball games.
Also, Reggie Jackson, cockiest dork ever, y/y?
Also, Reggie Jackson, cockiest dork ever, y/y?
ooh...
You know, if you got me in a room alone with him, something to lie on, and a camera (ehhhh, I wouldn't so much want the camera there, actually. But whatever.), I... would not interview him.
Unless "You like that? Mmm. How about that?" counts as an interview.
I *ahem* enjoy this picture a great deal
God Andy Pettitte is so fucking hot and just... mmm, A-Rod.
(A little more than two weeks til pitchers and catchers aaahhhhh)
(A little more than two weeks til pitchers and catchers aaahhhhh)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
UNCLUTCH.
Okay, it's an EXTREMELY small sample size (8 PA, so it kind of doesn't count), but in 2009, A-Rod had an OPS of 2.225 in extra innings. Lulz
OPS versus certain teams in 2009, keep in mind that these are generally pretty small sample sizes:
LAA 1.393, with a 1.466 OPS at Anaheim (we were still 2-4 there. ANNOYING)
BOS 1.027
NYM 1.167
PHI 1.141
TBR 1.107
A-Rod knows what's up.
On the other hand, LOL:
CLE .688
KCR .452
OAK .412
WAS .167
Was he not trying against the crappy opponents? Choker!!!!!! (Not that the Mets weren't crappy but c'mon, we have to beat the Mets.)
OPS versus certain teams in 2009, keep in mind that these are generally pretty small sample sizes:
LAA 1.393, with a 1.466 OPS at Anaheim (we were still 2-4 there. ANNOYING)
BOS 1.027
NYM 1.167
PHI 1.141
TBR 1.107
A-Rod knows what's up.
On the other hand, LOL:
CLE .688
KCR .452
OAK .412
WAS .167
Was he not trying against the crappy opponents? Choker!!!!!! (Not that the Mets weren't crappy but c'mon, we have to beat the Mets.)
there's really nothing to write about
MLB Network is doing "Baseball's Seasons: 2004"? GROSS. This also adds to my paranoia that they're only doing Baseball's Seasons: Recent Terrible Yankee Losses to go along with 2001 and 1995. I will not let go of this until they do Baseball's Seasons: 1998.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
I know you all care.
My thoughts on the Randy Winn signing: it SCREAMS of "oh hey we just have this $2M left in the budget, let's spend it." But, yeah. Honestly, if the Yankees' biggest problem in 2010 is "our #9 hitter isn't TEH AWSUM!!!!" as opposed to the rest of the offense (including the guys that are supposed to produce, like Jeter, Tex, and A-Rod), the starting pitching, the bullpen, lackluster defense, or losing guys to injury, I will take that. Happily.
Also, I saw this on a message board:
Dear this person,
I hope you search for this post online and find me writing about you, because you're a goddamn moron and you should really know it.
No love, me.
You know who had really good chemistry? My intramural volleyball team from second semester senior year back in college. Because it was my friends and I just kinda needing something to do to relieve our stress, we signed up to do this. We were awesome! We had the best chemistry ever! But we probably couldn't beat the Yankees at baseball. There's the whole "talent" thing. The Angels seemed to get along really well and have a lot of fun, and they were certainly motivated enough to win the whole thing for Adenhart, especially after they beat that Red Sox team that tortured them in recent years. But they couldn't beat the Yankees because the Yankees were just that damn good.
The 1996-2001 and 2009 Yankees got along great, sure, and it does my heart really good to see things like that Tex/A-Rod epic man-hug after A-Rod's walk-off home run in the 15-inning Yankees/Red Sox affair, but they did not hug each other to all those pennants and World Series wins (and of course, the 1977-1978 Yankees kind of hated each other, but funnily enough, a lot of that bullshit with Jackson, Munson, and Martin went away when they won the World Series. Weird how that happens!). The Yankees did not win in 2009 because Swisher and Damon were doing that dumb "rock out" thing. Heck, maybe this is the year Posada pulls the stick out of his ass and does that with Swisher. Nah, that'll never happen. (I love you, Georgie.) And no, random idiot I saw on Twitter, Alex Rodriguez does not hit as well as he does because of Melky Cabrera being on his team. I can't believe you would say something so stupid, but you did. Shame on you. A-Rod's numbers, pre-Yankees: .311/.387/.590/.977, 148 OPS+. Yeah, he did a pretty fucking good job of hitting before he ever met Melky. (Fun fact I learned while looking those stats up on Baseball Reference: A-Rod hasn't bunted since 1999. He sucks and doesn't know how to move the runners over!!!11!!!1!)
Also, in 2006, 2007, and 2008, Johnny was part of a LOSER CHEMISTRY. Joe Torre has a whole whiny section in his book about how much, in the offseason between 2006 and 2007, Damon had spent time with his family and was badly out of shape during spring training and the beginning of the season. I hated this entire section of the book because I felt it was so, so intrusive and unnecessary and Johnny Damon seems like a nice guy who didn't deserve Torre basically shitting on him, but there it is.
I am going to miss Johnny Damon. I'd rather have him than Randy Winn, that's for sure. But it's obvious he just wasn't in the budget (though they offered him 2 years/$14M, which he should have accepted) and I think Cashman and Hal just don't want to deal with Boras any more unless it's for a Teixeira-level talent. And the crazy/annoying thing is that a lot of these people who are like "noooo we can't get rid of Damon and Melky nooooo" would have gotten rid of A-Rod in a hot second before this year. Heck, they probably still would. Agahgljsalgjasg.
If you really care about chemistry, Granderson is widely regarded as one of the great clubhouse guys in baseball, Johnson is a former Yankee who's from their farm system and seems pretty chill, Winn is supposedly a good clubhouse guy too, and Vazquez is all excited to work with Pettitte because Andy wasn't there when Javy was previously.
PS. Put Gardner in CF, Cash.
Also, I saw this on a message board:
It's all about CHEMISTRY! And Johnny was an integral part of that WINNING
CHEMISTRY that will be lacking come this season. Mark my words!
Dear this person,
I hope you search for this post online and find me writing about you, because you're a goddamn moron and you should really know it.
No love, me.
You know who had really good chemistry? My intramural volleyball team from second semester senior year back in college. Because it was my friends and I just kinda needing something to do to relieve our stress, we signed up to do this. We were awesome! We had the best chemistry ever! But we probably couldn't beat the Yankees at baseball. There's the whole "talent" thing. The Angels seemed to get along really well and have a lot of fun, and they were certainly motivated enough to win the whole thing for Adenhart, especially after they beat that Red Sox team that tortured them in recent years. But they couldn't beat the Yankees because the Yankees were just that damn good.
The 1996-2001 and 2009 Yankees got along great, sure, and it does my heart really good to see things like that Tex/A-Rod epic man-hug after A-Rod's walk-off home run in the 15-inning Yankees/Red Sox affair, but they did not hug each other to all those pennants and World Series wins (and of course, the 1977-1978 Yankees kind of hated each other, but funnily enough, a lot of that bullshit with Jackson, Munson, and Martin went away when they won the World Series. Weird how that happens!). The Yankees did not win in 2009 because Swisher and Damon were doing that dumb "rock out" thing. Heck, maybe this is the year Posada pulls the stick out of his ass and does that with Swisher. Nah, that'll never happen. (I love you, Georgie.) And no, random idiot I saw on Twitter, Alex Rodriguez does not hit as well as he does because of Melky Cabrera being on his team. I can't believe you would say something so stupid, but you did. Shame on you. A-Rod's numbers, pre-Yankees: .311/.387/.590/.977, 148 OPS+. Yeah, he did a pretty fucking good job of hitting before he ever met Melky. (Fun fact I learned while looking those stats up on Baseball Reference: A-Rod hasn't bunted since 1999. He sucks and doesn't know how to move the runners over!!!11!!!1!)
Also, in 2006, 2007, and 2008, Johnny was part of a LOSER CHEMISTRY. Joe Torre has a whole whiny section in his book about how much, in the offseason between 2006 and 2007, Damon had spent time with his family and was badly out of shape during spring training and the beginning of the season. I hated this entire section of the book because I felt it was so, so intrusive and unnecessary and Johnny Damon seems like a nice guy who didn't deserve Torre basically shitting on him, but there it is.
I am going to miss Johnny Damon. I'd rather have him than Randy Winn, that's for sure. But it's obvious he just wasn't in the budget (though they offered him 2 years/$14M, which he should have accepted) and I think Cashman and Hal just don't want to deal with Boras any more unless it's for a Teixeira-level talent. And the crazy/annoying thing is that a lot of these people who are like "noooo we can't get rid of Damon and Melky nooooo" would have gotten rid of A-Rod in a hot second before this year. Heck, they probably still would. Agahgljsalgjasg.
If you really care about chemistry, Granderson is widely regarded as one of the great clubhouse guys in baseball, Johnson is a former Yankee who's from their farm system and seems pretty chill, Winn is supposedly a good clubhouse guy too, and Vazquez is all excited to work with Pettitte because Andy wasn't there when Javy was previously.
PS. Put Gardner in CF, Cash.
Monday, January 25, 2010
WHAT THE HELL
I am watching the last game of the 1996 World Series on YES and both Mariano Rivera and Greg Maddux walked someone in the past inning. What - ??? The world is scary enough as it is, I don't want to contemplate these things happening ever.
I'm gonna complain about The Yankee Years some more!
Predictably, Tom Verducci spends a lot of The Yankee Years skewering Steinbrenner and Cashman for not having a very good farm system, spending money unwisely on free agents, and bad trades, while he goes on about how AWSUM the Red Sox were in these departments. I see his point (and the farm system, while not totally great, is lightyears better than what it was a few years ago), but he's ignoring what might be the most important part of baseball: luck.
For one thing, primarily, it's hard to have an awesome spot in the draft when you finish in first place pretty much every year. Oh noes the Yankees aren't willing to throw away some years!!! Anyway. In 1991, the Yankees were sixth in the draft. Ahead of them were the Astros, and the Astros had their sights on this skinny kid named Derek Jeter. For whatever reason, though, the Astros decided, at the last minute, not to sign Jeter; they signed Phil Nevin instead, which meant the Yankees got Jeter. Luck.
IIRC, Mariano Rivera wasn't considered a real gem at all. His cousin, Ruben, was the guy the Yankees were really after. Well, Ruben's legacy pretty much consists of stealing Jeter's glove and getting kicked off the Yankees for it, and this, whereas his cousin is a not-half-bad pitcher. Luck.
Andy Pettitte was supposed to be in the bullpen until he was forced into a starting role in 1995 because the Yankees didn't have enough starting pitchers. Turns out he was pretty darn decent there, who knew. Luck.
The Red Sox signed David Ortiz for peanuts because he wasn't really great with the Twins and there were no indications he was going to become the incredibly scary hitter he was in 2003-2007.Steroids Luck.
Prior to 2004, both the Yankees and Red Sox wanted Javier Vazquez as he was a young pitching stud (you know, what Verducci slams the Yankees for not having throughout the entire book). The Yankees got him. Then, they both wanted Curt Schilling, who was an older pitcher but one with a pretty damn good track record of success. Schilling actually wanted to go to the Yankees (ugh). The Diamondbacks were still very bitter from the fact that Wells had gone to the Yankees after he had supposedly agreed to go to the Diamondbacks, so, out of spite, they asked for the moon and stars from the Yankees, who didn't want to get rid of some of their better minor league pieces. On the other hand, they asked for crap from the Red Sox, who happily gave them what they wanted. Luck. (This still actually worked out for the Yankees because, if we got Schilling, we probably would have never gotten A-Rod.) Verducci makes a big deal out of the AL/NL thing to say how dumb the Yankees were for getting Vazquez. It's a fair point, but the last time Schilling had pitched in the AL before 2004 was 1990; he'd appeared in a total of 44 games, pitched 69.1 innings, and started only 5 games. He had an ERA of 4.54 for an ERA+ of 85. The fact that he was so ZOMG TOUGH AND HE HAD A GREAT ATTITUDE ABOUT THE WHOLE THING doesn't really have to do with anything, Tom. I could have the best attitude in the entire world about baseball, and I'm not going to be able to hit Roy Halladay.
After the 2004 debacle, it was pretty obvious the Yankees needed pitching and badly. They panic-traded away Vazquez, then, like most people, turned to the best pitcher available on the free agent market, Carl Pavano. Most of the competitive teams, the Red Sox included, were going after him, but Pavano went to the Yankees for less money because he really wanted to be a Yankee. Luck.
As for the Hanley Ramirez trade, hmmm. I think it was a pretty good trade for the Red Sox, because Beckett really helped to bring them a World Series in 2007. But you could make the argument that it wasn't all that great because the Red Sox obviously had an issue in 2008 and 2009 with both offense and the shortstop position. Hanley's probably the best shortstop in the game right now, plus he affects the game every day, not just every five days like Beckett. IIRC this wasn't Theo's decision, but whatever.
And so far, after falling all over themselves to praise Theo for his "smart" signings prior to the 2009 season, some suggesting that the Red Sox had a better offseason than the Yankees (lol), nobody in the media has called him out after how incredibly shitty they turned out to be. If Cashman did that, you know that would be the reaction.
Finally, the playoffs, which most use - not unfairly - to determine the best team, are among the biggest result of luck ever. It's not surprising when really really really good teams win, like the 2009 Yankees, but it's also not surprising when lesser teams win, like the 2006 Cardinals. Look at the poor 1990-2005 Atlanta Braves. All that awesomeness and only one World Series ring? The 1996 Yankees should have simply been happy to be there in that World Series. The 2000 Yankees were not nearly as good as the 1998 and 1999 versions. Those guys both got lucky. Some others didn't... (the 2001 and 2003 Yankees were better than the teams who beat them, IMO.)
In The Yankee Years, Torre talks about Mariano Rivera throwing over to 1B a lot before Dave Roberts stole second in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, and pretty much blames Mo for warming up Roberts. Torre then claims that he/everyone knew Roberts was going to steal (and yeah, everyone did). Why didn't you call for a pitchout then, idiot?! Posada's throw almost got him anyway and it wasn't a pitchout. It almost certainly would have gotten him with a pitchout. If they get Roberts, Mo probably shuts the door without anyone scoring, and woooo the Yankees are on to the World Series. In a regular season game against a really good pitcher, it's generally not a horrible thing if your best hitter goes 0-4 because the next day, you're probably gonna face a pitcher that's not as good. That doesn't really happen in the playoffs and having two bad games in a best-of-seven and especially best-of-five series can put your team in a pretty big hole.
The 2004 Yankees weren't better than the 2004 Red Sox, but they experienced some pretty bad luck. So did the 2005 Yankees (I don't think there's any way they would have beaten the White Sox if they got to the ALCS, but eh). The entire offense had a pretty shitty three games against a Tigers pitching staff that caught fire in 2006. In the regular season, three bad games against great pitching isn't that big a deal. In the postseason? It's huge. A freak cloud of bugs that rattled a barely 22-year-old right out of the minors pretty much doomed the Yankees in 2007. If luck goes the Yankees' way in any of those years, are the Yankees still essentially failures who did everything wrong as opposed to the teams of the late 90s and early 00s, who did everything right and were truly united or whatever BS?
For one thing, primarily, it's hard to have an awesome spot in the draft when you finish in first place pretty much every year. Oh noes the Yankees aren't willing to throw away some years!!! Anyway. In 1991, the Yankees were sixth in the draft. Ahead of them were the Astros, and the Astros had their sights on this skinny kid named Derek Jeter. For whatever reason, though, the Astros decided, at the last minute, not to sign Jeter; they signed Phil Nevin instead, which meant the Yankees got Jeter. Luck.
IIRC, Mariano Rivera wasn't considered a real gem at all. His cousin, Ruben, was the guy the Yankees were really after. Well, Ruben's legacy pretty much consists of stealing Jeter's glove and getting kicked off the Yankees for it, and this, whereas his cousin is a not-half-bad pitcher. Luck.
Andy Pettitte was supposed to be in the bullpen until he was forced into a starting role in 1995 because the Yankees didn't have enough starting pitchers. Turns out he was pretty darn decent there, who knew. Luck.
The Red Sox signed David Ortiz for peanuts because he wasn't really great with the Twins and there were no indications he was going to become the incredibly scary hitter he was in 2003-2007.
Prior to 2004, both the Yankees and Red Sox wanted Javier Vazquez as he was a young pitching stud (you know, what Verducci slams the Yankees for not having throughout the entire book). The Yankees got him. Then, they both wanted Curt Schilling, who was an older pitcher but one with a pretty damn good track record of success. Schilling actually wanted to go to the Yankees (ugh). The Diamondbacks were still very bitter from the fact that Wells had gone to the Yankees after he had supposedly agreed to go to the Diamondbacks, so, out of spite, they asked for the moon and stars from the Yankees, who didn't want to get rid of some of their better minor league pieces. On the other hand, they asked for crap from the Red Sox, who happily gave them what they wanted. Luck. (This still actually worked out for the Yankees because, if we got Schilling, we probably would have never gotten A-Rod.) Verducci makes a big deal out of the AL/NL thing to say how dumb the Yankees were for getting Vazquez. It's a fair point, but the last time Schilling had pitched in the AL before 2004 was 1990; he'd appeared in a total of 44 games, pitched 69.1 innings, and started only 5 games. He had an ERA of 4.54 for an ERA+ of 85. The fact that he was so ZOMG TOUGH AND HE HAD A GREAT ATTITUDE ABOUT THE WHOLE THING doesn't really have to do with anything, Tom. I could have the best attitude in the entire world about baseball, and I'm not going to be able to hit Roy Halladay.
After the 2004 debacle, it was pretty obvious the Yankees needed pitching and badly. They panic-traded away Vazquez, then, like most people, turned to the best pitcher available on the free agent market, Carl Pavano. Most of the competitive teams, the Red Sox included, were going after him, but Pavano went to the Yankees for less money because he really wanted to be a Yankee. Luck.
As for the Hanley Ramirez trade, hmmm. I think it was a pretty good trade for the Red Sox, because Beckett really helped to bring them a World Series in 2007. But you could make the argument that it wasn't all that great because the Red Sox obviously had an issue in 2008 and 2009 with both offense and the shortstop position. Hanley's probably the best shortstop in the game right now, plus he affects the game every day, not just every five days like Beckett. IIRC this wasn't Theo's decision, but whatever.
And so far, after falling all over themselves to praise Theo for his "smart" signings prior to the 2009 season, some suggesting that the Red Sox had a better offseason than the Yankees (lol), nobody in the media has called him out after how incredibly shitty they turned out to be. If Cashman did that, you know that would be the reaction.
Finally, the playoffs, which most use - not unfairly - to determine the best team, are among the biggest result of luck ever. It's not surprising when really really really good teams win, like the 2009 Yankees, but it's also not surprising when lesser teams win, like the 2006 Cardinals. Look at the poor 1990-2005 Atlanta Braves. All that awesomeness and only one World Series ring? The 1996 Yankees should have simply been happy to be there in that World Series. The 2000 Yankees were not nearly as good as the 1998 and 1999 versions. Those guys both got lucky. Some others didn't... (the 2001 and 2003 Yankees were better than the teams who beat them, IMO.)
In The Yankee Years, Torre talks about Mariano Rivera throwing over to 1B a lot before Dave Roberts stole second in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, and pretty much blames Mo for warming up Roberts. Torre then claims that he/everyone knew Roberts was going to steal (and yeah, everyone did). Why didn't you call for a pitchout then, idiot?! Posada's throw almost got him anyway and it wasn't a pitchout. It almost certainly would have gotten him with a pitchout. If they get Roberts, Mo probably shuts the door without anyone scoring, and woooo the Yankees are on to the World Series. In a regular season game against a really good pitcher, it's generally not a horrible thing if your best hitter goes 0-4 because the next day, you're probably gonna face a pitcher that's not as good. That doesn't really happen in the playoffs and having two bad games in a best-of-seven and especially best-of-five series can put your team in a pretty big hole.
The 2004 Yankees weren't better than the 2004 Red Sox, but they experienced some pretty bad luck. So did the 2005 Yankees (I don't think there's any way they would have beaten the White Sox if they got to the ALCS, but eh). The entire offense had a pretty shitty three games against a Tigers pitching staff that caught fire in 2006. In the regular season, three bad games against great pitching isn't that big a deal. In the postseason? It's huge. A freak cloud of bugs that rattled a barely 22-year-old right out of the minors pretty much doomed the Yankees in 2007. If luck goes the Yankees' way in any of those years, are the Yankees still essentially failures who did everything wrong as opposed to the teams of the late 90s and early 00s, who did everything right and were truly united or whatever BS?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
the SAG awards
Is Sandra Bullock really that pretty? Whoah. And it's kinda nice to see 30 Rock not winning everything, though Tina Fey never should have been winning "actress" awards in the first place, honestly.
Also, I've seen that "I'll be waiting for you with my legs open" clip of Penelope Cruz from Nine way too many times, gross.
Also, I've seen that "I'll be waiting for you with my legs open" clip of Penelope Cruz from Nine way too many times, gross.
Friday, January 22, 2010
there's something severely wrong with WAR
Ben Zobrist > Albert Pujols??
And somehow Derek Jeter was underpaid this year.
And somehow Derek Jeter was underpaid this year.
oh, Fire Joe Morgan.
For the record, I really love Fire Joe Morgan. They're amazing. But yeesh, what did Derek Jeter ever do to them? Yes I know they're Red Sox fans and some articles praising Jeter are downright ridiculous, but seriously. File it under shortstop envy?
Sorry, you cannot point out how much higher Joe Mauer's VORP is than Derek Jeter's to say how much better Joe Mauer is (please note that there is absolutely no doubt that Mauer was the best choice for MVP this year with an absolute bullet and if anyone didn't vote him in at #1 they are incredibly silly), then offer Jason Bartlett as Derek Jeter's equal or superior, without pointing out the following.
Mauer VORP: 91.0
Jeter VORP: 72.8
Bartlett VORP: 58.3
I've noticed this a lot with the FJM crew, that when it comes to Jeter, they pretty much just point to his OPS and OPS+, ignoring the more complex stats they usually go to (WAR and VORP) and the fact that he's, you know, a shortstop, so his offense is more valuable. I know the media is all over Jeter and it's annoying, but Jeter is good. Really, guys.
Sorry, you cannot point out how much higher Joe Mauer's VORP is than Derek Jeter's to say how much better Joe Mauer is (please note that there is absolutely no doubt that Mauer was the best choice for MVP this year with an absolute bullet and if anyone didn't vote him in at #1 they are incredibly silly), then offer Jason Bartlett as Derek Jeter's equal or superior, without pointing out the following.
Mauer VORP: 91.0
Jeter VORP: 72.8
Bartlett VORP: 58.3
I've noticed this a lot with the FJM crew, that when it comes to Jeter, they pretty much just point to his OPS and OPS+, ignoring the more complex stats they usually go to (WAR and VORP) and the fact that he's, you know, a shortstop, so his offense is more valuable. I know the media is all over Jeter and it's annoying, but Jeter is good. Really, guys.
hey Phillies fan that I've been talking to lately on this baseball board.
You're pretty cool and have been for the entire time I've been talking to you since like late November-ish. But telling me the Yankees' 2009 championship is "tainted" because Alex Rodriguez did steroids? That's... not the way to go.
Derrek Lee is pretty underrated.
He's quite good. But I guess I can think of some reasons why he's not considered so awesome.
a. he plays for the Cubs. LOL Cubs
b. he seems to be a little uneven. Some years he'll be awesome and others he'll be not, especially because he's a first baseman. In 2008 when the Cubs dominated the NL Central, he actually had a not-great year (108 OPS+ when he averages 124, 130 when you cut out his first three crappy years when he was 21, 22, and 23 and played 22, 141, and 70 games.).
c. he plays in the NL Central and he's a 1B. Who do you think of first when you think of NL Central first basemen??? Yeah, this guy. Lately, hey, I'd think of this guy too before I'd think of Lee in the NL Central 1B hierarchy. That said, Lee should have won the NL MVP in 2005, not Pujols, but the Cardinals were first in their division while the Cubs were in fourth place. That's really the only reason I can think of why they didn't award Lee.
a. he plays for the Cubs. LOL Cubs
b. he seems to be a little uneven. Some years he'll be awesome and others he'll be not, especially because he's a first baseman. In 2008 when the Cubs dominated the NL Central, he actually had a not-great year (108 OPS+ when he averages 124, 130 when you cut out his first three crappy years when he was 21, 22, and 23 and played 22, 141, and 70 games.).
c. he plays in the NL Central and he's a 1B. Who do you think of first when you think of NL Central first basemen??? Yeah, this guy. Lately, hey, I'd think of this guy too before I'd think of Lee in the NL Central 1B hierarchy. That said, Lee should have won the NL MVP in 2005, not Pujols, but the Cardinals were first in their division while the Cubs were in fourth place. That's really the only reason I can think of why they didn't award Lee.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
SO TRUE
Spotted online: "Making fun of Jersey Shore is like trying to make a joke about a joke that's already funnier than the one you were going to tell."
baaahahaaaa what the fuck
This scene where Snookie and The Situation are making out is really awkward and I feel like a dirty pervert for watching it.
Julianne Moore has a TERRIBLE Boston accent
It sounds like she's British or Australian. Awful. I could honestly be better at this and I just say things like "PAHHHHK the CAHHHHH in HAHHHHHVAHHHHD YAHHHHHD" and the like.
YESSSSSSSSSS
They are showing Lazy Scranton. YES!!!!! It is way too funny when Michael and Dwight can't match up on "parking spot... spot... spot..."
hey, The Office is still on the air!!!
Yeah, I really don't miss Pam's S1-S3 hair.
And was that a Jim/Pam montage, like, YouTube-style? That's kind of awesome!
And was that a Jim/Pam montage, like, YouTube-style? That's kind of awesome!
Curt Schilling owes Mariano Rivera dinner.
Today my mom was complaining about Curt Schilling for some reason or other. We were able to come up with the conclusion that, without the two most notorious BS'es of Mariano's career, Curt Schilling would be, in no way, as well-regarded as he is.
2001 - If Mariano saves Game 7, Schilling is just the guy who lost a pitchers' duel to Roger Clemens. Johnson and Schilling were so so so good in that Series, but I don't see whoever votes on the World Series MVP giving the award to two guys on a losing team. It probably goes to, yup, Mariano.
2004 - This one is especially fun to play the "what if" game (and it doesn't make me want to punch a wall now that we actually won a World Series, yay!). If Mo completes that save in Game 4 or Tom Gordon doesn't shit the bed in Game 5, things are very different...
A-Rod probably takes ALCS MVP and the Yankees, however flawed they were that season, likely beat the Cardinals in the World Series. Most NY fans worship Alex for pretty much single-handedly ripping through the Twins and Red Sox in the postseason, and for bringing them a World Series in his first year there.
On the other hand, to Boston fans, Curt Schilling becomes the mercenary who came to Boston and sure, he won 20+ games in the regular season, but in the postseason, when it really counts, all he did was get injured and then pitch terribly against the Yankees. We never see the bullshit bloody sock.* Schilling pitches well for the Red Sox when he's healthy, but he can't stay healthy all the time and it becomes obvious he's getting really out-of-shape. A lot of Sox fans complain that, for what they're paying for him, he shouldn't be in the bullpen or not pitching at all. The Sox win it all in 2007, but his contributions get dismissed because after all, wasn't it really Beckett that led them to a World Series?
So basically, Schilling becomes A-Rod, and A-Rod becomes Schilling, except A-Rod probably doesn't start a fucking blog just to talk about how awesome George Bush is and make snide comments toward Schilling. Did I just blow your mind? Yeah, probably not.
In conclusion, I shake my fist at Mariano for not blowing one save in the 1998 postseason and the 2002 postseason as opposed to the 2001 and 2004 postseasons. Not really, because Mo is totally awesome. But you know what I mean.
* While complaining today, my mom brought up the fact that she went to Cooperstown about a year ago, while I was in college, and saw the sock there and the blood on it is still quite red. Of course, she pointed out, if it was actual blood, it would have faded to brownish by now. I'm not saying Curt wasn't actually injured and that I don't tip my hat to him for pitching hurt (though honestly, if you're that hurt...), I'm just saying there's no way that was actual goddamn blood and you're never going to convince me otherwise.
2001 - If Mariano saves Game 7, Schilling is just the guy who lost a pitchers' duel to Roger Clemens. Johnson and Schilling were so so so good in that Series, but I don't see whoever votes on the World Series MVP giving the award to two guys on a losing team. It probably goes to, yup, Mariano.
2004 - This one is especially fun to play the "what if" game (and it doesn't make me want to punch a wall now that we actually won a World Series, yay!). If Mo completes that save in Game 4 or Tom Gordon doesn't shit the bed in Game 5, things are very different...
A-Rod probably takes ALCS MVP and the Yankees, however flawed they were that season, likely beat the Cardinals in the World Series. Most NY fans worship Alex for pretty much single-handedly ripping through the Twins and Red Sox in the postseason, and for bringing them a World Series in his first year there.
On the other hand, to Boston fans, Curt Schilling becomes the mercenary who came to Boston and sure, he won 20+ games in the regular season, but in the postseason, when it really counts, all he did was get injured and then pitch terribly against the Yankees. We never see the bullshit bloody sock.* Schilling pitches well for the Red Sox when he's healthy, but he can't stay healthy all the time and it becomes obvious he's getting really out-of-shape. A lot of Sox fans complain that, for what they're paying for him, he shouldn't be in the bullpen or not pitching at all. The Sox win it all in 2007, but his contributions get dismissed because after all, wasn't it really Beckett that led them to a World Series?
So basically, Schilling becomes A-Rod, and A-Rod becomes Schilling, except A-Rod probably doesn't start a fucking blog just to talk about how awesome George Bush is and make snide comments toward Schilling. Did I just blow your mind? Yeah, probably not.
In conclusion, I shake my fist at Mariano for not blowing one save in the 1998 postseason and the 2002 postseason as opposed to the 2001 and 2004 postseasons. Not really, because Mo is totally awesome. But you know what I mean.
* While complaining today, my mom brought up the fact that she went to Cooperstown about a year ago, while I was in college, and saw the sock there and the blood on it is still quite red. Of course, she pointed out, if it was actual blood, it would have faded to brownish by now. I'm not saying Curt wasn't actually injured and that I don't tip my hat to him for pitching hurt (though honestly, if you're that hurt...), I'm just saying there's no way that was actual goddamn blood and you're never going to convince me otherwise.
NOOOOOOOOOOO for like the fifteenth time
Jersey Shore finale is... tomorrow!!! ;_; And Snookie and The Situation are gonna hook up?!?! Why does this show have to end????
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
time flies
A year ago, Obama was sworn in as president.
(For the record, I still love him to death, I just want to murder Congress and the Senate and it's hard to pay attention to politics now because it's soooo depressing.)
(For the record, I still love him to death, I just want to murder Congress and the Senate and it's hard to pay attention to politics now because it's soooo depressing.)
BAHAHHA
This is from like months ago, but anyway, from Respect Jeter's Gangster, a really amusing Yankee blog:
Oakland fans could care less if their team wins or loses. They're Cali fans, and Cali fans are nothing like AL East fans. In Cali you could go 0-1 Million in the post-season, single-handedly blow the World Series by yelling out what pitch was coming to the opposing players during every at bat, and the average Cali fan would still be like, "oh well, maybe next year. Ooh, it's sunny again." An AL East fan will threaten you with violence if he notices you're not shifting your weight efficiently with your new leg kick.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
a cool random "stat"
On August 1, after the Yankees had lost the first three games of a four-game series in Chicago and were still 0-8 against the Red Sox, the Yankees were 0-11 against all varieties of Sox in the league.
From that date on, they went 13-1 against the various Sox.
From that date on, they went 13-1 against the various Sox.
on the Viagra commercials that run on TV all the time
If you're having a conversation with your reflection in a store window, Viagra may not be the medication you need.
Monday, January 18, 2010
let's talk about something happy!!
Chloe Sevigny looked dumb at the Golden Globes and I love Go Fug Yourself.
my dad should not talk ever
He was going on and on and on about how "disrespectful" Michael C. Hall was for wearing a beanie-type hat at the Globes and then I reminded him that the guy has cancer.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
My thoughts on the Globes
- They were boring
- Everyone was drunk
- Somebody please punch Ricky Gervais in the nuts, he's an asshole
- WTF was Chloe Sevigny wearing
- The Hangover for Best Picture!!!!!
- Everyone was drunk
- Somebody please punch Ricky Gervais in the nuts, he's an asshole
- WTF was Chloe Sevigny wearing
- The Hangover for Best Picture!!!!!
in honor/defense of A-Rod, who I am very lucky to see play baseball for my favorite team.
Hahaha is that Roger Clemens in the Red Sox dugout? Also, while A-Rod is still tremendously good-looking, it kind of shocks me how good-looking he was when he was still just some cute kid and not overly groomed and whatnot.
He had his first major league at-bat at Fenway and he grew up a tremendous Met fan? Well no wonder he was such bad luck. ;)
reading is fun... or not
This may surprise some of you, but I never read The Yankee Years. I got it from the library when it first came out, but I just like, dreaded reading about 2001 and 2004 so I never even started reading it. I'm pathetic and irrational like that. Well, now that we won, I finally read the thing. And all I gotta say, other than that I massively enjoy David Cone...
Holy fuck Joe Torre and Tom Verducci get off your GD high horse. Is it weird of me to say "fuck" and then use "GD"? Yes? Okay. Verducci, I think you're a really talented writer. You have a way with words, of describing how awesome the game of baseball can be at its greatest moments, that I envy tremendously. But wow, you just love going on and on about steroids when it totally had nothing to do with the Yankees (okay, it didn't have nothing to do with the Yankees, but going on about Ken Caminiti for like 25 pages has nothing to do with the Yankees). You also have an obvious and shockingly controversial love for Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, and disdain for Alex Rodriguez.
And honestly, you're completely hypocritical throughout the book. Paul O'Neill freaking out and cursing at himself in the locker room when he left guys on base? He just wanted to win, he hated losing! Kevin Brown freaking out and cursing at himself in the locker room when he pitched a terrible game? He's a headcase that represents everything that's wrong with the Yankees since 2001! George Steinbrenner saying to the media that the 2006 season was a failure because the Yankees didn't win the World Series? That's putting unfair pressure on Torre and diminishing everything he did! Derek Jeter saying to the media that the 2006 season was a failure because the Yankees didn't win the World Series? He hates losing and that's a great mentality to have! Theo Epstein and the rest of the Red Sox front office are awesome because they're unsentimental, oh and they invented the term on-base percentage! But Brian Cashman is a terrible terrible terrible person because when Bernie Williams was totally done, based on, you know, stats, he wasn't bending over backwards to let him on the team! And how dare he suggest Torre make his batting order with the high on-base percentage guys toward the top, instead of just letting him go on crazy whims!
As for you, Torre, aaargh @ this "I never wanted Giambi and A-Rod! It was so awful to have them on my team!!!" bullshit.
Jason Giambi, career with Yankees (2002-2008):
.260/.404 (!)/.521 (!)/.925, 143 OPS+, avg. 38 HR/162 g.
Tino Martinez, career with Yankees (1996-2001):
.279/.348/.488/.837, 114 OPS+, avg. 31 HR/162 g.
Alex Rodriguez, career with Yankees (2004-present):
.300/.401/.567/.968, 152 OPS+, avg. 44 HR/162 g.
Scott Brosius, career with Yankees (1998-2001):
.267/.331/.428/.759, 96 OPS+, 65 HR, avg. 20 HR/162 g.
Brosius's career year, 1998, gave him an .843 OPS for a 121 OPS+. That's very good; he'd never have a year like that again and his OPS+ in the years after was 86. In Alex Rodriguez's worst year ever (other than 1994 and 1995), he had an .846 OPS and a 120 OPS+. That was... 1997. He was 21 years old.* I don't need to tell you what he did in the years after that (but I will anyway. A-Rod in 1999, 2000, and 2001, when Brosius was posting an 86 OPS+: 148 OPS+.).
There's a few reasons the Yankees weren't winning championships with Giambi and Rodriguez on the team but they didn't really have to do with Giambi and Rodriguez. I am not trying to diminish what Martinez or Brosius and their roles on those amazing dynasty teams still mean to me today, but they're just inferior players compared to Giambi and Rodriguez. It probably would have been smart to keep Tino on the team after 2001 while grooming Nick Johnson to be the 1B of the future, and gone after Johnny Damon instead of Giambi, but let's not pretend Giambi wasn't an excellent hitter, even if he could barely manage fitting a glove on his hand. I would never in a gazillion years take Brosius over Rodriguez. At any rate, if you're a manager, you should want Giambi and Rodriguez on your team because they are (or were, in the case of Giambi) excellent players.
I don't want to hear about, "Well, it was Verducci's book, really." Sure, it's got a lot of Verducci in it, but Torre was the one who provided all the behind-the-scenes stuff. And if Verducci really wanted to tell the full story of those years, why did he just go to Torre? Why not get interviews with Cashman or Alex Rodriguez? It's obvious that Verducci wanted to tell one very slanted version of those years, Torre's. I don't know whose idea it was, but they were both frankly wrong to do it, almost disgustingly so considering that Torre is still managing and many of the players he talks about in the book are still playing. If I'm a player on the Dodgers, I don't want to talk to that guy or do anything around him; it could end up in a book some day, after all.
Oh and that conversation between Pettitte and Torre after Pettitte was named in the Mitchell Report so did not happen because it read like part of a terrible screenplay.
* insert "holy crap I'm 23 I have not accomplished anything in my life ;_;" panic here
Holy fuck Joe Torre and Tom Verducci get off your GD high horse. Is it weird of me to say "fuck" and then use "GD"? Yes? Okay. Verducci, I think you're a really talented writer. You have a way with words, of describing how awesome the game of baseball can be at its greatest moments, that I envy tremendously. But wow, you just love going on and on about steroids when it totally had nothing to do with the Yankees (okay, it didn't have nothing to do with the Yankees, but going on about Ken Caminiti for like 25 pages has nothing to do with the Yankees). You also have an obvious and shockingly controversial love for Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, and disdain for Alex Rodriguez.
And honestly, you're completely hypocritical throughout the book. Paul O'Neill freaking out and cursing at himself in the locker room when he left guys on base? He just wanted to win, he hated losing! Kevin Brown freaking out and cursing at himself in the locker room when he pitched a terrible game? He's a headcase that represents everything that's wrong with the Yankees since 2001! George Steinbrenner saying to the media that the 2006 season was a failure because the Yankees didn't win the World Series? That's putting unfair pressure on Torre and diminishing everything he did! Derek Jeter saying to the media that the 2006 season was a failure because the Yankees didn't win the World Series? He hates losing and that's a great mentality to have! Theo Epstein and the rest of the Red Sox front office are awesome because they're unsentimental, oh and they invented the term on-base percentage! But Brian Cashman is a terrible terrible terrible person because when Bernie Williams was totally done, based on, you know, stats, he wasn't bending over backwards to let him on the team! And how dare he suggest Torre make his batting order with the high on-base percentage guys toward the top, instead of just letting him go on crazy whims!
As for you, Torre, aaargh @ this "I never wanted Giambi and A-Rod! It was so awful to have them on my team!!!" bullshit.
Jason Giambi, career with Yankees (2002-2008):
.260/.404 (!)/.521 (!)/.925, 143 OPS+, avg. 38 HR/162 g.
Tino Martinez, career with Yankees (1996-2001):
.279/.348/.488/.837, 114 OPS+, avg. 31 HR/162 g.
Alex Rodriguez, career with Yankees (2004-present):
.300/.401/.567/.968, 152 OPS+, avg. 44 HR/162 g.
Scott Brosius, career with Yankees (1998-2001):
.267/.331/.428/.759, 96 OPS+, 65 HR, avg. 20 HR/162 g.
Brosius's career year, 1998, gave him an .843 OPS for a 121 OPS+. That's very good; he'd never have a year like that again and his OPS+ in the years after was 86. In Alex Rodriguez's worst year ever (other than 1994 and 1995), he had an .846 OPS and a 120 OPS+. That was... 1997. He was 21 years old.* I don't need to tell you what he did in the years after that (but I will anyway. A-Rod in 1999, 2000, and 2001, when Brosius was posting an 86 OPS+: 148 OPS+.).
There's a few reasons the Yankees weren't winning championships with Giambi and Rodriguez on the team but they didn't really have to do with Giambi and Rodriguez. I am not trying to diminish what Martinez or Brosius and their roles on those amazing dynasty teams still mean to me today, but they're just inferior players compared to Giambi and Rodriguez. It probably would have been smart to keep Tino on the team after 2001 while grooming Nick Johnson to be the 1B of the future, and gone after Johnny Damon instead of Giambi, but let's not pretend Giambi wasn't an excellent hitter, even if he could barely manage fitting a glove on his hand. I would never in a gazillion years take Brosius over Rodriguez. At any rate, if you're a manager, you should want Giambi and Rodriguez on your team because they are (or were, in the case of Giambi) excellent players.
I don't want to hear about, "Well, it was Verducci's book, really." Sure, it's got a lot of Verducci in it, but Torre was the one who provided all the behind-the-scenes stuff. And if Verducci really wanted to tell the full story of those years, why did he just go to Torre? Why not get interviews with Cashman or Alex Rodriguez? It's obvious that Verducci wanted to tell one very slanted version of those years, Torre's. I don't know whose idea it was, but they were both frankly wrong to do it, almost disgustingly so considering that Torre is still managing and many of the players he talks about in the book are still playing. If I'm a player on the Dodgers, I don't want to talk to that guy or do anything around him; it could end up in a book some day, after all.
Oh and that conversation between Pettitte and Torre after Pettitte was named in the Mitchell Report so did not happen because it read like part of a terrible screenplay.
* insert "holy crap I'm 23 I have not accomplished anything in my life ;_;" panic here
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
* whoah *
The Critics' Choice Awards are introducing their nominees for Best Picture with the music they use on MLBN's commercials all the time and it's weirding me out.
The Hurt Locker? Really? Wow.
The Hurt Locker? Really? Wow.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
there's a new Project Runway?
Already? Well, the other one had been in the books for like years before it aired, so that makes sense. I guess I'll watch it........ I'm fully expecting awfulness though :(
MLBN's Prime 9s of the Decade.
So MLBN had their "Prime 9" lists of the decade for every position, franchise, and individual team. This is a little old but here they are, with my comments on them.
Remember when I used to do stuff like this for movies? Thank you, home, for getting me re-obsessed with baseball.
FRANCHISES
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
8. Chicago White Sox
7. Minnesota Twins
6. Atlanta Braves
5. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Los Angeles Angels
3. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Boston Red Sox
1. New York Yankees
I think they are very high on the Phillies, but I guess that's what happens when you go to two World Series in a row. I was like, "Diamondbacks, guh?!" but then I remembered they had the best record in the NL as recently as 2007. How times have changed, huh? I hope they stay cellar dwellers forever. /bitter I'd put the Twins a little higher, but the top four is perfect. I love how they said "If the Angels hadn't lost in earlier rounds of the playoffs, they would have been in more World Series." Uh thank you for that, genius.
MLBN's discussion of this was hilarious because they said it should be the Twins because of their farm system. Hahaha. They won the Central five times, which is impressive, but they won one postseason series, often playing really uninspired ball in the postseason (Joe Nathan blowing save after save, Torii Hunter's dumbass dive in the 2006 ALDS that led to an inside-the-park home run, all the awful baserunning gaffes in the 2009 ALDS and leaving approximately 35 men on base in that second game). I know the Twins play in a relatively weak division, but the Tigers got to the World Series, absolutely rolling over the Yankees and Oakland along the way, and the White Sox won the whole shebang. Also, the Twins' GM or whoever traded away Johan Santana for a bag of crap and let Torii Hunter walk. They were both considered the face of the franchise. Makes me wonder what will happen to Joe Mauer (though I do think he'll stay with the new stadium)...
Oakland and Colorado were probably snubbed here. Well, maybe Colorado wasn't, as I don't think they won their division ever and that's really pathetic in the NL West. The As are like the Twins - limited resources producing good teams that make it to the playoffs often but get bumped out early - but stuff like Moneyball changed the way a lot of people look at the game.
INDIVIDUAL TEAMS
9. 2001 Mariners
8. 2000 Yankees
7. 2003 Marlins
6. 2007 Red Sox
5. 2005 White Sox
4. 2008 Phillies
3. 2001 Diamondbacks
2. 2009 Yankees
1. 2004 Red Sox
Hmm. I think this list is a little too skewed toward teams that won the World Series; they weren't necessarily the best teams. It's hard to think of non-Yankee teams (other than that bazillion-win 2001 Mariners team) that were excellent, but didn't win or make it to the World Series. In my list of the top nine individual teams of the decade, I wouldn't include the 2003 Mariners, 2000 Yankees, or 2008 Phillies, no way. I think the oddly snubbed 2002 Angels were better than any of those teams. The 2001 Diamondbacks are borderline and certainly shouldn't be that high. Remember, they won the World Series with two pitchers getting 58% of the outs. I don't think we should place emphasis on the regular season, necessarily, but it should count somewhat and in a regular season format, they wouldn't have done as well as the 2001 Mariners or Yankees. 2004 Red Sox were a really excellent team and are probably my #2 or 3 after the 2007 Red Sox, but they didn't even win their division. It's not too much to ask for to ask for that from the #1 team of the decade, right? 2009 Yankees, bitches. The 2001, 2002, and 2003 Yankees were also excellent.
The 2005 White Sox are very underrated, so I'm glad they're on here. Other than Konerko their offense was pretty much pathetic but their pitching was just insanely good. Buerhle (my one true love) 236.2 IP, 3.12 ERA, 144 ERA+. Garcia 228 IP, 3.87 ERA, 116 ERA+. Garland 221 IP, 3.50 ERA, 128 ERA+. Contreras 204.2 IP, 3.61 ERA, 125 ERA+. Awesome. They also had a very solid bullpen, oh and they moved El Duque there just to be extra badass. There's gotta be some kind of place where you can combine the pitching staff of one team with the offense of another, right? What would the 2009 Yankees' record be like with that pitching staff? The 2005 Astros were also pretty good... save the excellent Berkman and Ensberg they had little offense, but their top three starters - Oswalt, Clemens, and Pettitte ;_; - were probably the best 1-2-3 punch in baseball. 241.2 IP, 2.94 ERA, 144 ERA+ for Oswalt. 211.1 IP, 1.87 ERA, 226 ERA+ for Clemens. 222.1 IP, 2.39 ERA, 177 ERA+ for Pettitte. That's just, like, gross. Clemens' WHIP was 1.008 and Pettitte's was 1.030. Disgusting. 2005 was just a very good year for pitching - it's fitting that the World Series came down to those two teams - and oh hey the Yankees didn't really have any of it that year.
PLAYERS
9. Jeff Kent
8. Chipper Jones
7. Mariano Rivera
6. Ichiro Suzuki
5. Derek Jeter
4. Manny Ramirez
3. Alex Rodriguez
2. Barry Bonds
1. Albert Pujols
I think Ichiro is overrated and Bonds should probably be #1, not Pujols, but this is a very solid list. I think everyone forgot how crazy good Giambi was, but whatever. I would try and put a non-Mariano pitcher on there, but I can't think of who it would be. Randy Johnson hasn't been as insanely dominant since 2005 and Johan Santana and Roy Halladay didn't come around until 2003-ish.
FIRST BASEMEN
9. Jim Thome
8. Mark Teixeira
7. Justin Morneau
6. Prince Fielder
5. Ryan Howard
4. Carlos Delgado
3. Jason Giambi
2. Todd Helton
1. Albert Pujols
Sure. I think Tex should be over Fielder and Howard, but I'm biased and they're all excellent. Morneau winning that 2006 MVP was silly; hell, Mauer was a better choice than Morneau in 2006, nevermind Jeter, but OMG Morneau had more HOME RUNS (at 1B) and RBI!!!!! But he's a very good player and I was quite happy he was out for the ALDS. Maybe Paul Konerko?
SECOND BASEMEN
9. Robinson Cano
8. Craig Biggio
7. Luis Castillo
6. Jose Vidro
5. Brian Roberts
4. Dustin Pedroia
3. Alfonso Soriano
2. Chase Utley
1. Jeff Kent
No arguments. There haven't really been a lot of dominant 2B this decade. Heck, maybe Robbie Cano should be higher. I know Castillo is a good player and all but let's face it, the only thing I will ever remember him for is HE DROPPED THE BALL!!!! Thank you, Luis Castillo. Heh, isn't Soriano in left field now?
SHORTSTOPS
9. Omar Vizquel
8. Edgar Renteria
7. Michael Young
6. Hanley Ramirez
5. Nomar Garciaparra
4. Alex Rodriguez
3. Jimmy Rollins
2. Miguel Tejada
1. Derek Jeter
A-Rod should be #2, no doubt. I pretty much consider him the best shortstop of all time. It's not like I ever saw Honus Wagner, but he blew Cal Ripken Jr. out of the water. Jimmy Rollins is incredibly overrated and not that good but at least he's been notable and has an MVP and whatnot. I was looking for something to seriously nitpick here but I don't think I can. There's been about as many dominant SS as there have been 2Bmen. NOMAHHHHH was crazy good in like 2000, then fell off a cliff. Remember the dumb "Nomar's better!" chants? Heh. Not too many people saying those any more. Maybe Jose Reyes should be on here? Troy Tulowitzski?
THIRD BASEMEN
9. Ryan Zimmerman
8. Mike Lowell
7. Eric Chavez
6. Aramis Ramirez
5. Scott Rolen
4. David Wright
3. Troy Glaus
2. Chipper Jones
1. Alex Rodriguez
Eric Chavez, when he was good, was really terrific. No arguments here, except that Glaus seems a little high.
CATCHERS
9. Bengie Molina
8. AJ Pierzynski
7. Jason Kendall
6. Jason Varitek
5. Victor Martinez
4. Mike Piazza
3. Jorge Posada
2. Joe Mauer
1. Ivan Rodriguez
I think of Yadier Molina more than Bengie, but... whatever. Maybe that's just the Cardinal lovefest of the last couple of years. Posada should be #1; everyone is wayyyy too high on Mauer right now, frankly, and Ivan Rodriguez just isn't that great. Heh, how do you think Varitek feels? He played the whole decade and was on two WS-winning teams and he can't crack the top five. And that's how it should be!
OUTFIELDERS
9. Johnny Damon
8. Andruw Jones
7. Torii Hunter
6. Carlos Beltran
5. Bobby Abreu
4. Vladimir Guerrero
3. Ichiro Suzuki
2. Manny Ramirez
1. Barry Bonds
Yup. Again, Ichiro is overrated, but very good. I think Beltran and Hunter are significantly better than Abreu, especially factoring in defense, but Abreu has been pretty underrated throughout his career.
STARTING PITCHERS
9. Javier Vazquez
8. CC Sabathia
7. Roy Oswalt
6. Roy Halladay
5. Andy Pettitte
4. Roger Clemens
3. Johan Santana
2. Pedro Martinez
1. Randy Johnson
Roy Halladay should be higher than Pedro and Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, and Mark Buerhle could be on here, but otherwise, yup. Andy!!!! (I took screencaps because I am crazy and semi-pathetic.)
RELIEF PITCHERS
9. Troy Percival
8. Eric Gagne
7. Jason Isringhausen
6. Jonathan Papelbon
5. Francisco Rodriguez
4. Billy Wagner
3. Joe Nathan
2. Trevor Hoffman
1. Mariano Rivera
Good list. Gagne should be higher, probably over Isringhausen and Papelbon, because people forget how INSANELY dominant he was there from 2002-2005, especially 2003. Yeah, that's a short period of time (and he was on all kinds of God only knows what) but that's more time and quality than most relievers get. Bahaha I forgot that he struck out 137 guys in 82.1 IP, that's just video game numbers. I think Nathan is better than Hoffman, but I understand why you'd have Hoffman over Nathan. And yeah - Lidge should be on here. People forget how absurdly dominant he was when he was on. And they forgot Smoltz, because he was an awesome closer for a few years. Uh okay, maybe this wasn't a "very good list." But at least #1 was a serious no-brainer, right? 2.08 ERA, 214 ERA+, 651 games, 713.1 IP, average 40 saves per season, 4.88 SO/BB ratio, 0.960 WHIP. Awesome. Oh and the guy has thrown 12 wild pitches in his entire career and hasn't had a balk since 2002. He is silly. Is there some way I can get Baseball Reference to sum up his career totals, excluding one year in the middle? Because 2007 was pretty much an outlier year for him and I'd be interested to see what his stats look like without that...
Guys, Mariano is really awesome.
Remember when I used to do stuff like this for movies? Thank you, home, for getting me re-obsessed with baseball.
FRANCHISES
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
8. Chicago White Sox
7. Minnesota Twins
6. Atlanta Braves
5. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Los Angeles Angels
3. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Boston Red Sox
1. New York Yankees
I think they are very high on the Phillies, but I guess that's what happens when you go to two World Series in a row. I was like, "Diamondbacks, guh?!" but then I remembered they had the best record in the NL as recently as 2007. How times have changed, huh? I hope they stay cellar dwellers forever. /bitter I'd put the Twins a little higher, but the top four is perfect. I love how they said "If the Angels hadn't lost in earlier rounds of the playoffs, they would have been in more World Series." Uh thank you for that, genius.
MLBN's discussion of this was hilarious because they said it should be the Twins because of their farm system. Hahaha. They won the Central five times, which is impressive, but they won one postseason series, often playing really uninspired ball in the postseason (Joe Nathan blowing save after save, Torii Hunter's dumbass dive in the 2006 ALDS that led to an inside-the-park home run, all the awful baserunning gaffes in the 2009 ALDS and leaving approximately 35 men on base in that second game). I know the Twins play in a relatively weak division, but the Tigers got to the World Series, absolutely rolling over the Yankees and Oakland along the way, and the White Sox won the whole shebang. Also, the Twins' GM or whoever traded away Johan Santana for a bag of crap and let Torii Hunter walk. They were both considered the face of the franchise. Makes me wonder what will happen to Joe Mauer (though I do think he'll stay with the new stadium)...
Oakland and Colorado were probably snubbed here. Well, maybe Colorado wasn't, as I don't think they won their division ever and that's really pathetic in the NL West. The As are like the Twins - limited resources producing good teams that make it to the playoffs often but get bumped out early - but stuff like Moneyball changed the way a lot of people look at the game.
INDIVIDUAL TEAMS
9. 2001 Mariners
8. 2000 Yankees
7. 2003 Marlins
6. 2007 Red Sox
5. 2005 White Sox
4. 2008 Phillies
3. 2001 Diamondbacks
2. 2009 Yankees
1. 2004 Red Sox
Hmm. I think this list is a little too skewed toward teams that won the World Series; they weren't necessarily the best teams. It's hard to think of non-Yankee teams (other than that bazillion-win 2001 Mariners team) that were excellent, but didn't win or make it to the World Series. In my list of the top nine individual teams of the decade, I wouldn't include the 2003 Mariners, 2000 Yankees, or 2008 Phillies, no way. I think the oddly snubbed 2002 Angels were better than any of those teams. The 2001 Diamondbacks are borderline and certainly shouldn't be that high. Remember, they won the World Series with two pitchers getting 58% of the outs. I don't think we should place emphasis on the regular season, necessarily, but it should count somewhat and in a regular season format, they wouldn't have done as well as the 2001 Mariners or Yankees. 2004 Red Sox were a really excellent team and are probably my #2 or 3 after the 2007 Red Sox, but they didn't even win their division. It's not too much to ask for to ask for that from the #1 team of the decade, right? 2009 Yankees, bitches. The 2001, 2002, and 2003 Yankees were also excellent.
The 2005 White Sox are very underrated, so I'm glad they're on here. Other than Konerko their offense was pretty much pathetic but their pitching was just insanely good. Buerhle (my one true love) 236.2 IP, 3.12 ERA, 144 ERA+. Garcia 228 IP, 3.87 ERA, 116 ERA+. Garland 221 IP, 3.50 ERA, 128 ERA+. Contreras 204.2 IP, 3.61 ERA, 125 ERA+. Awesome. They also had a very solid bullpen, oh and they moved El Duque there just to be extra badass. There's gotta be some kind of place where you can combine the pitching staff of one team with the offense of another, right? What would the 2009 Yankees' record be like with that pitching staff? The 2005 Astros were also pretty good... save the excellent Berkman and Ensberg they had little offense, but their top three starters - Oswalt, Clemens, and Pettitte ;_; - were probably the best 1-2-3 punch in baseball. 241.2 IP, 2.94 ERA, 144 ERA+ for Oswalt. 211.1 IP, 1.87 ERA, 226 ERA+ for Clemens. 222.1 IP, 2.39 ERA, 177 ERA+ for Pettitte. That's just, like, gross. Clemens' WHIP was 1.008 and Pettitte's was 1.030. Disgusting. 2005 was just a very good year for pitching - it's fitting that the World Series came down to those two teams - and oh hey the Yankees didn't really have any of it that year.
PLAYERS
9. Jeff Kent
8. Chipper Jones
7. Mariano Rivera
6. Ichiro Suzuki
5. Derek Jeter
4. Manny Ramirez
3. Alex Rodriguez
2. Barry Bonds
1. Albert Pujols
I think Ichiro is overrated and Bonds should probably be #1, not Pujols, but this is a very solid list. I think everyone forgot how crazy good Giambi was, but whatever. I would try and put a non-Mariano pitcher on there, but I can't think of who it would be. Randy Johnson hasn't been as insanely dominant since 2005 and Johan Santana and Roy Halladay didn't come around until 2003-ish.
FIRST BASEMEN
9. Jim Thome
8. Mark Teixeira
7. Justin Morneau
6. Prince Fielder
5. Ryan Howard
4. Carlos Delgado
3. Jason Giambi
2. Todd Helton
1. Albert Pujols
Sure. I think Tex should be over Fielder and Howard, but I'm biased and they're all excellent. Morneau winning that 2006 MVP was silly; hell, Mauer was a better choice than Morneau in 2006, nevermind Jeter, but OMG Morneau had more HOME RUNS (at 1B) and RBI!!!!! But he's a very good player and I was quite happy he was out for the ALDS. Maybe Paul Konerko?
SECOND BASEMEN
9. Robinson Cano
8. Craig Biggio
7. Luis Castillo
6. Jose Vidro
5. Brian Roberts
4. Dustin Pedroia
3. Alfonso Soriano
2. Chase Utley
1. Jeff Kent
No arguments. There haven't really been a lot of dominant 2B this decade. Heck, maybe Robbie Cano should be higher. I know Castillo is a good player and all but let's face it, the only thing I will ever remember him for is HE DROPPED THE BALL!!!! Thank you, Luis Castillo. Heh, isn't Soriano in left field now?
SHORTSTOPS
9. Omar Vizquel
8. Edgar Renteria
7. Michael Young
6. Hanley Ramirez
5. Nomar Garciaparra
4. Alex Rodriguez
3. Jimmy Rollins
2. Miguel Tejada
1. Derek Jeter
A-Rod should be #2, no doubt. I pretty much consider him the best shortstop of all time. It's not like I ever saw Honus Wagner, but he blew Cal Ripken Jr. out of the water. Jimmy Rollins is incredibly overrated and not that good but at least he's been notable and has an MVP and whatnot. I was looking for something to seriously nitpick here but I don't think I can. There's been about as many dominant SS as there have been 2Bmen. NOMAHHHHH was crazy good in like 2000, then fell off a cliff. Remember the dumb "Nomar's better!" chants? Heh. Not too many people saying those any more. Maybe Jose Reyes should be on here? Troy Tulowitzski?
THIRD BASEMEN
9. Ryan Zimmerman
8. Mike Lowell
7. Eric Chavez
6. Aramis Ramirez
5. Scott Rolen
4. David Wright
3. Troy Glaus
2. Chipper Jones
1. Alex Rodriguez
Eric Chavez, when he was good, was really terrific. No arguments here, except that Glaus seems a little high.
CATCHERS
9. Bengie Molina
8. AJ Pierzynski
7. Jason Kendall
6. Jason Varitek
5. Victor Martinez
4. Mike Piazza
3. Jorge Posada
2. Joe Mauer
1. Ivan Rodriguez
I think of Yadier Molina more than Bengie, but... whatever. Maybe that's just the Cardinal lovefest of the last couple of years. Posada should be #1; everyone is wayyyy too high on Mauer right now, frankly, and Ivan Rodriguez just isn't that great. Heh, how do you think Varitek feels? He played the whole decade and was on two WS-winning teams and he can't crack the top five. And that's how it should be!
OUTFIELDERS
9. Johnny Damon
8. Andruw Jones
7. Torii Hunter
6. Carlos Beltran
5. Bobby Abreu
4. Vladimir Guerrero
3. Ichiro Suzuki
2. Manny Ramirez
1. Barry Bonds
Yup. Again, Ichiro is overrated, but very good. I think Beltran and Hunter are significantly better than Abreu, especially factoring in defense, but Abreu has been pretty underrated throughout his career.
STARTING PITCHERS
9. Javier Vazquez
8. CC Sabathia
7. Roy Oswalt
6. Roy Halladay
5. Andy Pettitte
4. Roger Clemens
3. Johan Santana
2. Pedro Martinez
1. Randy Johnson
Roy Halladay should be higher than Pedro and Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, and Mark Buerhle could be on here, but otherwise, yup. Andy!!!! (I took screencaps because I am crazy and semi-pathetic.)
RELIEF PITCHERS
9. Troy Percival
8. Eric Gagne
7. Jason Isringhausen
6. Jonathan Papelbon
5. Francisco Rodriguez
4. Billy Wagner
3. Joe Nathan
2. Trevor Hoffman
1. Mariano Rivera
Good list. Gagne should be higher, probably over Isringhausen and Papelbon, because people forget how INSANELY dominant he was there from 2002-2005, especially 2003. Yeah, that's a short period of time (and he was on all kinds of God only knows what) but that's more time and quality than most relievers get. Bahaha I forgot that he struck out 137 guys in 82.1 IP, that's just video game numbers. I think Nathan is better than Hoffman, but I understand why you'd have Hoffman over Nathan. And yeah - Lidge should be on here. People forget how absurdly dominant he was when he was on. And they forgot Smoltz, because he was an awesome closer for a few years. Uh okay, maybe this wasn't a "very good list." But at least #1 was a serious no-brainer, right? 2.08 ERA, 214 ERA+, 651 games, 713.1 IP, average 40 saves per season, 4.88 SO/BB ratio, 0.960 WHIP. Awesome. Oh and the guy has thrown 12 wild pitches in his entire career and hasn't had a balk since 2002. He is silly. Is there some way I can get Baseball Reference to sum up his career totals, excluding one year in the middle? Because 2007 was pretty much an outlier year for him and I'd be interested to see what his stats look like without that...
Guys, Mariano is really awesome.
it's all A-Rod's fault!!!!!
I realize this topic is like 80 years old but I've heard a lot of "A-Rod is The Cooler and his teams do awesome after he leaves them and are bad when he's there" blah blah blah. Yes, it has everything to do with the fact that A-Rod is a terrible person and nothing to do with pitching.
2000 Seattle Mariners (91-71, Wild Card champions)
SP Aaron Sele (34 GS): 211.2 IP, 4.51 ERA, 102 ERA+
SP Paul Abbott (27 GS): 179 IP, 4.22 ERA, 108 ERA+
SP John Halama (30 GS): 166.2 IP, 5.08 ERA, 90 ERA+
SP Jamie Moyer (26 GS): 154 IP, 5.49 ERA, 83 ERA+
SP Freddy Garcia (20 GS): 124.1 IP, 3.91 ERA, 117 ERA+
SP Gil Meche (15 GS): 85.2 IP, 3.78 ERA, 121 ERA+
In the ALCS, they used, in order: Garcia, Halama, Sele, and Abbott. Moyer and Meche weren't used at all.
2001 Seattle Mariners (116-46, American League West champions)
SP Freddy Garcia (34 GS): 238.2 IP, 3.05 ERA, 136 ERA+
SP Aaron Sele (33 GS): 215 IP, 3.60 ERA, 116 ERA+
SP Jamie Moyer (33 GS): 209.2 IP, 3.43 ERA, 121 ERA+
SP Paul Abbott (27 GS): 163 IP, 4.25 ERA, 98 ERA+
SP John Halama (17 GS): 110.1 IP, 4.73 ERA, 88 ERA+
SP Joel Piniero (11 GS): 75.1 IP, 2.03 ERA, 205 ERA+
In the ALCS, they used, in order: Sele, Garcia, Moyer, and Abbott. Halama was in the bullpen and Piniero didn't pitch at all.
The 2001 Mariners also had a much better season from their catcher Dan Wilson (62 OPS+ in 2000, 90 OPS+ in 2001), center fielder Mike Cameron (107 OPS+ in 2000, 123 OPS+ in 2001), and first baseman John Olerud (116 OPS+ in 2000, 136 OPS+ in 2001), and they replaced Mark McLemore (76 OPS+) with Bret Boone (153 OPS+) at second base. I'll give you that losing A-Rod probably hurt their offense a lot, but they made it up there, plus they got a new shiny superstar to play with prior to 2001. But sure, it was all A-Rod's fault.
2003 Texas Rangers (71-91, last in AL West)
SP John Thomson (35 GS): 217 IP, 4.85 ERA, 104 ERA+
SP Colby Lewis (26 GS): 127 IP, 7.30 ERA, 69 ERA+
SP Ismael Valez (22 GS): 115 IP, 6.10 ERA, 82 ERA+
SP Joaquin Benoit (17 GS): 105 IP, 5.49 ERA, 92 ERA+
SP Tony Mounce (11 GS): 50.2 IP, 7.11 ERA, 71 ERA+
SP R.A. Dickey (13 GS): 116.2 IP, 5.09 ERA, 99 ERA+
Their closer Ugueth Urbina also had a 4.19 ERA before he got traded to - ugh - the Florida Marlins.
2004 Texas Rangers (89-73, third in AL West)
SP Kenny Rogers (35 GS): 211.2 IP, 4.76 ERA, 106 ERA+
SP Ryan Drese (34 GS): 207.2 IP, 4.20 ERA, 120 ERA+
SP R.A. Dickey (15 GS): 104.1 IP, 5.61 ERA, 90 ERA+*
SP Joaquin Benoit (15 GS): 103 IP, 5.68 ERA, 89 ERA+
And a bunch of other guys.
Now, granted, A-Rod "hurt" the Rangers more than he "hurt" the Mariners or Yankees, because the Rangers couldn't afford to have his contract and then also spend money anywhere else. But the pitching from the 2003 Rangers was flat-out embarrassing whereas the pitching from the 2004 Rangers was just not very good.
I don't feel like talking about the dumb 2004 Yankees, but here are the 2003 Yankees in terms of pitching:
SP Mike Mussina (31 GS): 214.2 IP, 3.40 ERA, 129 ERA+
SP David Wells (30 GS): 213 IP, 4.14 ERA, 106 ERA+
SP Roger Clemens (33 GS): 211.2 IP, 3.91 ERA, 112 ERA+
SP Andy Pettitte (33 GS): 208.1 IP, 4.02 ERA, 109 ERA+
SP Jeff Weaver (24 GS): 159.1 IP, 5.99 ERA, 73 ERA+
Okay obviously Weaver wasn't very good but he was the fifth starter. The rest of this rotation is extremely impressive, especially that it was so productive and constant throughout the year. Jose Contreras started nine games and had a 2.34 ERA during those games. Only Jorge DePaula, Sterling Hitchcock, and Brandon Claussen started any other games for the Yankees, and it was each only one game. These guys got extremely unlucky in the World Series, but there was really no doubt they were the best team in baseball to me. And hey - replacing Robin Ventura/Aaron Boone/Enrique Wilson/whoever the heck else was playing 3B with Alex Rodriguez would have made them a whole heck of a lot better! In 2004 Wells, Clemens, Pettitte, and Weaver were all gone, as was Contreras at the trade deadline.
But yeah. IT'S ALL A-ROD'S FAULT!!!!!!
* was the pitching in 2004 as a whole so bad that an ERA over 5.50 was as "good" as a 90 ERA+??? o_O
2000 Seattle Mariners (91-71, Wild Card champions)
SP Aaron Sele (34 GS): 211.2 IP, 4.51 ERA, 102 ERA+
SP Paul Abbott (27 GS): 179 IP, 4.22 ERA, 108 ERA+
SP John Halama (30 GS): 166.2 IP, 5.08 ERA, 90 ERA+
SP Jamie Moyer (26 GS): 154 IP, 5.49 ERA, 83 ERA+
SP Freddy Garcia (20 GS): 124.1 IP, 3.91 ERA, 117 ERA+
SP Gil Meche (15 GS): 85.2 IP, 3.78 ERA, 121 ERA+
In the ALCS, they used, in order: Garcia, Halama, Sele, and Abbott. Moyer and Meche weren't used at all.
2001 Seattle Mariners (116-46, American League West champions)
SP Freddy Garcia (34 GS): 238.2 IP, 3.05 ERA, 136 ERA+
SP Aaron Sele (33 GS): 215 IP, 3.60 ERA, 116 ERA+
SP Jamie Moyer (33 GS): 209.2 IP, 3.43 ERA, 121 ERA+
SP Paul Abbott (27 GS): 163 IP, 4.25 ERA, 98 ERA+
SP John Halama (17 GS): 110.1 IP, 4.73 ERA, 88 ERA+
SP Joel Piniero (11 GS): 75.1 IP, 2.03 ERA, 205 ERA+
In the ALCS, they used, in order: Sele, Garcia, Moyer, and Abbott. Halama was in the bullpen and Piniero didn't pitch at all.
The 2001 Mariners also had a much better season from their catcher Dan Wilson (62 OPS+ in 2000, 90 OPS+ in 2001), center fielder Mike Cameron (107 OPS+ in 2000, 123 OPS+ in 2001), and first baseman John Olerud (116 OPS+ in 2000, 136 OPS+ in 2001), and they replaced Mark McLemore (76 OPS+) with Bret Boone (153 OPS+) at second base. I'll give you that losing A-Rod probably hurt their offense a lot, but they made it up there, plus they got a new shiny superstar to play with prior to 2001. But sure, it was all A-Rod's fault.
2003 Texas Rangers (71-91, last in AL West)
SP John Thomson (35 GS): 217 IP, 4.85 ERA, 104 ERA+
SP Colby Lewis (26 GS): 127 IP, 7.30 ERA, 69 ERA+
SP Ismael Valez (22 GS): 115 IP, 6.10 ERA, 82 ERA+
SP Joaquin Benoit (17 GS): 105 IP, 5.49 ERA, 92 ERA+
SP Tony Mounce (11 GS): 50.2 IP, 7.11 ERA, 71 ERA+
SP R.A. Dickey (13 GS): 116.2 IP, 5.09 ERA, 99 ERA+
Their closer Ugueth Urbina also had a 4.19 ERA before he got traded to - ugh - the Florida Marlins.
2004 Texas Rangers (89-73, third in AL West)
SP Kenny Rogers (35 GS): 211.2 IP, 4.76 ERA, 106 ERA+
SP Ryan Drese (34 GS): 207.2 IP, 4.20 ERA, 120 ERA+
SP R.A. Dickey (15 GS): 104.1 IP, 5.61 ERA, 90 ERA+*
SP Joaquin Benoit (15 GS): 103 IP, 5.68 ERA, 89 ERA+
And a bunch of other guys.
Now, granted, A-Rod "hurt" the Rangers more than he "hurt" the Mariners or Yankees, because the Rangers couldn't afford to have his contract and then also spend money anywhere else. But the pitching from the 2003 Rangers was flat-out embarrassing whereas the pitching from the 2004 Rangers was just not very good.
I don't feel like talking about the dumb 2004 Yankees, but here are the 2003 Yankees in terms of pitching:
SP Mike Mussina (31 GS): 214.2 IP, 3.40 ERA, 129 ERA+
SP David Wells (30 GS): 213 IP, 4.14 ERA, 106 ERA+
SP Roger Clemens (33 GS): 211.2 IP, 3.91 ERA, 112 ERA+
SP Andy Pettitte (33 GS): 208.1 IP, 4.02 ERA, 109 ERA+
SP Jeff Weaver (24 GS): 159.1 IP, 5.99 ERA, 73 ERA+
Okay obviously Weaver wasn't very good but he was the fifth starter. The rest of this rotation is extremely impressive, especially that it was so productive and constant throughout the year. Jose Contreras started nine games and had a 2.34 ERA during those games. Only Jorge DePaula, Sterling Hitchcock, and Brandon Claussen started any other games for the Yankees, and it was each only one game. These guys got extremely unlucky in the World Series, but there was really no doubt they were the best team in baseball to me. And hey - replacing Robin Ventura/Aaron Boone/Enrique Wilson/whoever the heck else was playing 3B with Alex Rodriguez would have made them a whole heck of a lot better! In 2004 Wells, Clemens, Pettitte, and Weaver were all gone, as was Contreras at the trade deadline.
But yeah. IT'S ALL A-ROD'S FAULT!!!!!!
* was the pitching in 2004 as a whole so bad that an ERA over 5.50 was as "good" as a 90 ERA+??? o_O
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
teehee
This looks like a little-leaguer and his coach/dad. Then again, if someone on the opposing team got hit by a pitch by a rookie with serious control problems, and needed to be calmed down by someone on my team so he could walk to the plate... I am pretty sure Jorge Posada, as much as I love him to DEATH, would be my last choice.
And remember the time Mariano got mad at the bullpen catcher or something?
How long until pitchers and catchers? ;_;
Monday, January 11, 2010
I should really get a Twitter
EOM.
Why the hell is ESPN talking about Derek Jeter and not Mark McGwire???
Why the hell is ESPN talking about Derek Jeter and not Mark McGwire???
I shall miss you, Melky Cabrera
I love that this is one of the pictures they have of him on Wikipedia (in case they take it down, it's him scratching his ass or picking a wedgie out or something).
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Valentine's Day
Everyone who has ever been in a movie is in this movie. I am actually in this movie.
Fun fact!!!
Prior to the 2009 World Series, Derek Jeter played in 132 postseason games in 14 seasons.
The entire Phillies franchise (I want to type "phranchise" here very very very badly) played in 83 postseason games in 127 seasons.
Holy crap.
The entire Phillies franchise (I want to type "phranchise" here very very very badly) played in 83 postseason games in 127 seasons.
Holy crap.
Friday, January 08, 2010
agh
So the Hall of Fame voting results were revealed yesterday or whatever and everyone was very outraged. I don't think a guy with a lifetime .328 OBP should really be in the HoF, but it's not like it was a terrible choice. You know what is a terrible reason to vote for someone, which I saw being cited for a few voters? "They made the All-Star Game."
Here are some people that have started in the All-Star Game since 1999 alone (arbitrary 10-year cutoff):
Matt Williams
Jeromy Burnitz
Jay Bell
Kenny Lofton
Carl Everett
Travis Fryman
Rich Aurilia
Bret Boone
Juan Gonzalez
Shea Hillenbrand
Jose Vidro
Edgar Renteria
Javy Lopez
Alfonso Soriano
Garret Anderson
Troy Glaus
Esteban Loaiza
Jason Schmidt
Mark Mulder
Aramis Ramirez
David Eckstein
Jason Varitek
Brian Roberts
Vernon Wells
Mark Loretta
Kenny Rogers
Paul Lo Duca
Brad Penny
Russell Martin
Jake Peavy
Kosuke Fukudome
Geovany Soto
Ben Sheets
Milton Bradley
Raul Ibanez
Yadier Molina
Don't get me wrong, they don't suck or anything (well... a couple of these guys suck, actually), and obviously a lot of guys who ARE future Hall of Famers and/or consistently excellent players have gone to the All-Star Game a ton of times,* but a lot of these are "Wow, remember that one good half-year that guy had?" It's pretty safe that none of these guys are ever heading to the Hall of Fame (though with the Red Sawx Propaganda Machine in full gear, it will probably be my luck that Varitek gets into the HoF and Posada doesn't).
And remember that Tim Wakefield went to the All-Star Game for the first time in a crazy long career this year because at the All-Star Game, he ZOMG led the league in WINS!
* Again, since 1999:
Barry Larkin
Mark McGwire
Jeff Bagwell
Mike Piazza
Pedro Martinez
Ken Griffey Jr.
Manny Ramirez
Jim Thome (you forget how awesome he was)
Cal Ripken Jr.
Ivan Rodriguez (can't hit any more, but he sure could)
Roberto Alomar
Curt Schilling (gag)
Derek Jeter
Bernie Williams
Chipper Jones
Vladimir Guerrero
Randy Johnson
Todd Helton
Barry Bonds
Jeff Kent
Ichiro Suzuki
Alex Rodriguez
Edgar Martinez
Roger Clemens
Jason Giambi
Jorge Posada
Albert Pujols
Carlos Delgado
Bobby Abreu
Carlos Beltran
Mark Teixeira
David Wright
Jason Bay
Chase Utley
Prince Fielder
Hanley Ramirez
Kevin Youkilis
Joe Mauer
Again, just like I didn't think the other guys necessarily sucked or whatever, these guys are definitely not like, all first-ballot HOFers (though a bunch of these guys are more or less locks, and hey Cal Ripken Jr. is already there with 98.5% of the vote on the first ballot). A lot of them probably aren't going to make it to the HOF at all, but that doesn't change the fact that I think of them as consistently very good players throughout their careers, though obviously some of them are newer to the game than others.
I don't know what the point of this giant list was, I guess just to show that excellent players make it sometimes and non-excellent players make it sometimes so "they went to the All-Star Game!!!" is a dumb reason to vote for someone.
Here are some people that have started in the All-Star Game since 1999 alone (arbitrary 10-year cutoff):
Matt Williams
Jeromy Burnitz
Jay Bell
Kenny Lofton
Carl Everett
Travis Fryman
Rich Aurilia
Bret Boone
Juan Gonzalez
Shea Hillenbrand
Jose Vidro
Edgar Renteria
Javy Lopez
Alfonso Soriano
Garret Anderson
Troy Glaus
Esteban Loaiza
Jason Schmidt
Mark Mulder
Aramis Ramirez
David Eckstein
Jason Varitek
Brian Roberts
Vernon Wells
Mark Loretta
Kenny Rogers
Paul Lo Duca
Brad Penny
Russell Martin
Jake Peavy
Kosuke Fukudome
Geovany Soto
Ben Sheets
Milton Bradley
Raul Ibanez
Yadier Molina
Don't get me wrong, they don't suck or anything (well... a couple of these guys suck, actually), and obviously a lot of guys who ARE future Hall of Famers and/or consistently excellent players have gone to the All-Star Game a ton of times,* but a lot of these are "Wow, remember that one good half-year that guy had?" It's pretty safe that none of these guys are ever heading to the Hall of Fame (though with the Red Sawx Propaganda Machine in full gear, it will probably be my luck that Varitek gets into the HoF and Posada doesn't).
And remember that Tim Wakefield went to the All-Star Game for the first time in a crazy long career this year because at the All-Star Game, he ZOMG led the league in WINS!
* Again, since 1999:
Barry Larkin
Mark McGwire
Jeff Bagwell
Mike Piazza
Pedro Martinez
Ken Griffey Jr.
Manny Ramirez
Jim Thome (you forget how awesome he was)
Cal Ripken Jr.
Ivan Rodriguez (can't hit any more, but he sure could)
Roberto Alomar
Curt Schilling (gag)
Derek Jeter
Bernie Williams
Chipper Jones
Vladimir Guerrero
Randy Johnson
Todd Helton
Barry Bonds
Jeff Kent
Ichiro Suzuki
Alex Rodriguez
Edgar Martinez
Roger Clemens
Jason Giambi
Jorge Posada
Albert Pujols
Carlos Delgado
Bobby Abreu
Carlos Beltran
Mark Teixeira
David Wright
Jason Bay
Chase Utley
Prince Fielder
Hanley Ramirez
Kevin Youkilis
Joe Mauer
Again, just like I didn't think the other guys necessarily sucked or whatever, these guys are definitely not like, all first-ballot HOFers (though a bunch of these guys are more or less locks, and hey Cal Ripken Jr. is already there with 98.5% of the vote on the first ballot). A lot of them probably aren't going to make it to the HOF at all, but that doesn't change the fact that I think of them as consistently very good players throughout their careers, though obviously some of them are newer to the game than others.
I don't know what the point of this giant list was, I guess just to show that excellent players make it sometimes and non-excellent players make it sometimes so "they went to the All-Star Game!!!" is a dumb reason to vote for someone.
on that movie I saw!
It was It's Complicated. It was cute. If it got nominated for Best Picture or whatever over The Hangover I would not be pleased, but yeah. Meryl Streep is pretty awesome, but Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin aren't getting the attention they should be from this movie. Also, oh goodness, John Krasinski... but can he not play the same character in every movie he's in? And it was gross to think about Meryl Streep's vagina. Ew. No thanks for that, screenwriters.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAH (again)
I was reading a blog of a Mets' fan and I was thinking about how smart and informed this person was and then I read that Posada was going to be a trade chip to other teams because "the Yankees pitchers hate him and the team no longer values him." HAHAHAH WHAT?!
Look, Posada is a bad defensive catcher. There's no doubt. He sucks catching balls in the dirt and whatnot. Generally, he can actually throw people out, though; it's not like watching Texas or Tampa Bay run wild on Boston. I absolutely cannot speak to his game-calling ability, and I don't think anyone really could. I do notice that Joba tends to give up the big hit whenever he shakes Posada off, and the same happened with Hughes in the postseason (or when either of them missed the location Jorge was calling for, sometimes badly). For all the "wahhh he can't catch Burnett" crap, he caught Burnett's seven-and-two-thirds inning, one-hit shutout performance against the Red Sox, and quite a few other gems of Burnett's earlier in the season. Burnett is just kind of crazy, so... who knows. Posada's been the primary catcher for some really damn good pitchers and if you're into freaking out over this, he even called a perfect game! Mariano Rivera, who is, you know, only one of the greatest pitchers of all time, doesn't seem to hate him. Clemens said Posada was the best catcher he ever had (after he'd left the Yankees). Etc.
Also, "the team no longer values him"? Doesn't he have some ridiculous contract for the next two years? Is any other team going to want to pay that much for a catcher who's nearing 40? No. I mean, the guy is really overpaid for his age, but do people really not realize how valuable Jorge Posada is? It makes me angry. Without him, our team just isn't what it is with him - see 2008. Or sure, stick Jose Molina in the lineup every day. And have my eyes bleed as I watch him attempt and totally fail to hit. I've said this a million times, but having a catcher who can absolutely mash and a shortstop who is a very good hitter has been a tremendous advantage for the Yankees throughout the years.
In conclusion, Jorge Posada is a badass and my third-favorite Yankee (after Mo and Andy - Jeter is fourth. I am very original.) and this person is dumb and I'm never taking their blog seriously again. I should have known better than to trust a Met fan. ;)
Look, Posada is a bad defensive catcher. There's no doubt. He sucks catching balls in the dirt and whatnot. Generally, he can actually throw people out, though; it's not like watching Texas or Tampa Bay run wild on Boston. I absolutely cannot speak to his game-calling ability, and I don't think anyone really could. I do notice that Joba tends to give up the big hit whenever he shakes Posada off, and the same happened with Hughes in the postseason (or when either of them missed the location Jorge was calling for, sometimes badly). For all the "wahhh he can't catch Burnett" crap, he caught Burnett's seven-and-two-thirds inning, one-hit shutout performance against the Red Sox, and quite a few other gems of Burnett's earlier in the season. Burnett is just kind of crazy, so... who knows. Posada's been the primary catcher for some really damn good pitchers and if you're into freaking out over this, he even called a perfect game! Mariano Rivera, who is, you know, only one of the greatest pitchers of all time, doesn't seem to hate him. Clemens said Posada was the best catcher he ever had (after he'd left the Yankees). Etc.
Also, "the team no longer values him"? Doesn't he have some ridiculous contract for the next two years? Is any other team going to want to pay that much for a catcher who's nearing 40? No. I mean, the guy is really overpaid for his age, but do people really not realize how valuable Jorge Posada is? It makes me angry. Without him, our team just isn't what it is with him - see 2008. Or sure, stick Jose Molina in the lineup every day. And have my eyes bleed as I watch him attempt and totally fail to hit. I've said this a million times, but having a catcher who can absolutely mash and a shortstop who is a very good hitter has been a tremendous advantage for the Yankees throughout the years.
In conclusion, Jorge Posada is a badass and my third-favorite Yankee (after Mo and Andy - Jeter is fourth. I am very original.) and this person is dumb and I'm never taking their blog seriously again. I should have known better than to trust a Met fan. ;)
hey guys, just in case you forgot
Clive Owen is really terrific in Closer and though I can't fault the Oscar voters for giving Morgan Freeman his long-deserved Oscar, it's kind of embarrassing that he didn't win.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
ooookay
This preview on the People's Choice Awards (my dad is making me watch it what can I say?) for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains is SO DRAMATIC. Oh and Russell has already gotten too much attention and I've seen him saying "I'm the best player to ever play this game" aaargh
f-ing amazing. I am in awe.
This more or less made me cry. I hate on ESPN a whole lot and rightfully so, but damn, they are really good at putting together an awesome montage of sports moments to music. And yes, I know what more or less every baseball moment was. The baseball fights at 1:10-1:16ish or so I can't recognize, but I sure as heck recognize that Pedro shoving thing, heh. And there needed to be more baseball moments!!!
Oh and I saw ANOTHER MOVIE guys! You will have to wait to find out what movie it was, though.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Golden Globes!!!!
Guys, look! I'm really doing it!!!!! Keep in mind, my predictions are total guesses.
Best Motion Picture, Drama
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Bastards
Precious
Up in the Air
I only saw Up in the Air and Inglorious Bastards, but I really liked both movies and I've heard wonderful things about all of these. I can't believe Avatar is going to make a billion dollars... that's insane. And I still have absolutely no desire to see that movie, at least until it's on TV or something. Just not my type of movie.
Will win: Up in the Air
Backup: Precious
Best Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical
500 Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
Hey, I've seen three of these (hopefully I'll see the other two soon because I really want to!). They were all pretty good to very good, but The Hangover might have been the funniest movie I ever saw. Seriously, it's hilarious. That said, normally I'd think Nine would be a lock here despite the lukewarm reviews because the Globes are obsessed with musicals, but It's Complicated got a screenplay nomination so... hmm. I wouldn't be surprised if either of those won, really.
Will win: It's Complicated
Backup: Nine
Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Bastards
Quentin Tarantino is a badass, the Globes (and Oscars) are in love with Clint Eastwood, Up in the Air is terrific, and hey look a girl!
Will win: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker (a girl!!!!)
Backup: Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Best Motion Picture, Drama
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Bastards
Precious
Up in the Air
I only saw Up in the Air and Inglorious Bastards, but I really liked both movies and I've heard wonderful things about all of these. I can't believe Avatar is going to make a billion dollars... that's insane. And I still have absolutely no desire to see that movie, at least until it's on TV or something. Just not my type of movie.
Will win: Up in the Air
Backup: Precious
Best Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical
500 Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
Hey, I've seen three of these (hopefully I'll see the other two soon because I really want to!). They were all pretty good to very good, but The Hangover might have been the funniest movie I ever saw. Seriously, it's hilarious. That said, normally I'd think Nine would be a lock here despite the lukewarm reviews because the Globes are obsessed with musicals, but It's Complicated got a screenplay nomination so... hmm. I wouldn't be surprised if either of those won, really.
Will win: It's Complicated
Backup: Nine
Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Bastards
Quentin Tarantino is a badass, the Globes (and Oscars) are in love with Clint Eastwood, Up in the Air is terrific, and hey look a girl!
Will win: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker (a girl!!!!)
Backup: Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Best Screenplay
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Bastards
It's Complicated
Up in the Air
When I saw Up in the Air, I was really impressed with the screenplay. Inglorious Bastards had the usual Tarantino awesomeness. District 9's screenplay was wayyyyy too obvious with the apartheid thing.
Will win: Up in the Air
Backup: It's Complicated
Best Actor, Drama
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Tobey Maguire, Brothers
Clooney rocked but I didn't see any of the others. I feel like I've heard the best things about Bridges and Firth but they're not the usual winners the starfucking Globes go for.
Will win: Clooney
Backup: Firth
Best Actor, Musical/Comedy
Matt Damon, The Informant!
Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine
Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 500 Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man
No idea who's going to win this. Eh, let's go with the living legend. Who sings!
Will win: Day-Lewis
Backup: Downey Jr.
Best Actress, Drama
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Ewwwww Emily Blunt. I get the feeling that a lot of people have been waiting forever to hand Bullock an award of some kind. It's the Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich thing.
Will win: Bullock
Backup: Sidibe
Best Actress, Musical/Comedy
Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
Marion Cotillard, Nine
Julia Roberts, Duplicity
Meryl Streep, It's Complicated
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
How many Globe nominations does Meryl Streep have?! And did anyone actually see Duplicity?
Will win: Meryl Streep, It's Complicated
Backup: the other Streep nomination
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Bastards
I only saw one of these movies... but Waltz has been getting hype since Cannes. Awesome.
Will win: Waltz
Backup: Damon?
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo'Nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Correct me if I'm wrong but I get the feeling that Mo'Nique is gonna win this (and piss everyone off because how dare a larger-than-average-Hollywood-size black woman win anything!!! See Jennifer Hudson, 2006) and everyone else shouldn't even bother to show up.
Will win: Mo'Nique
Backup: Cruz?
That was just an awful prediction list because I've seen like three of these movies, apologies.
dead Texy
I really miss baseball, guys. (I also love how Matsui was just chillin' there while the rest of the Yankees were freaking out about A-Rod getting to 30/100.)
Look at this adorable 12-year-old.
Post-Game 5 of the 1996 World Series. (And hey, look who's in the background on the right there)
V-Mart!
Grrr why did you have to go to the Sox, I like/d you SO MUCH, you adorable little Venezuelan. And look what a nice moment he had with Mo at the ASG. Though the weirdest ASG moment of all time is when Jonathan Papelbon and Jorge Posada were having a meeting on the mound in 2007. WEIRDAlso I have Game 6 of the 2009 World Series on because MLBN is playing it again and oh God we should all get some kind of medals for dealing with Joe goddamn Buck and could he have wanted Utley to hit that home run with two guys on in the seventh any more?!?!?! (Need I remind you, he struck out on THREE PITCHES. Dama-so nasty.)
Sunday, January 03, 2010
confirmed woot.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains cast. I will definitely watch it... well... at least until I go insane because of the excessive Evil!Russell coverage. COLBY!!!!
Sandra is on the "Villains" tribe?
Also haha it's funny to me that Boston Rob's last name (you know, the one with the Red Sox hat) is Mariano.
Sandra is on the "Villains" tribe?
Also haha it's funny to me that Boston Rob's last name (you know, the one with the Red Sox hat) is Mariano.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
today in "blasts from the past that'll make ya laugh"
This article. Note the date.
Also, remember when the Twins' manager said Mariano should be "illegal" and it was "unfair" that they had to face him because he was just on a higher level? In 1996? That was awesome.
But Torre, who vowed that he will avoid the temptation of starting Rivera evenJoba to the bullpen! Mariano to the starting rotation! (I hope, in ten years, we're all laughing about how putting Joba in the pen permanently would have been just as stupid as keeping Mariano a starter. Though this was a nice game.)
after Scott Kamieniecki was pounded again for six runs in the Yankees' 10-4 loss
to Seattle on Friday night...
Also, remember when the Twins' manager said Mariano should be "illegal" and it was "unfair" that they had to face him because he was just on a higher level? In 1996? That was awesome.
Friday, January 01, 2010
well this has been a productive New Years' Day
I have been hungover and watching Yankees Classics all day. Woooooooooo
Oh God this 15-inning scoreless game is so epic. We just finished the bottom of the 14th so I got to see JD Drew make a crazy catch on Eric Hinske's screaming liner that would have won the game, Melky miss winning the game by a ball about an inch foul, Tex and A-Rod in the dugout giggling like schoolgirls over God only knows what (seriously!), and Jorge Posada laughing when Melky's hit ball went foul in a sort of "if I don't laugh I think I might cry, please Jesus make this game be over soon" way.
Also, damn, Derek. I love you, but you were terrible this game! The opportunity to win the game against Papelbon and you strike out?! Booooo!
And now Paul O'Neill is eatin' some yogurt. You know things are getting crazy when O'Neill goes to the yogurt! But hey, bottom of the fifteenth, here we come... :)
Oh God this 15-inning scoreless game is so epic. We just finished the bottom of the 14th so I got to see JD Drew make a crazy catch on Eric Hinske's screaming liner that would have won the game, Melky miss winning the game by a ball about an inch foul, Tex and A-Rod in the dugout giggling like schoolgirls over God only knows what (seriously!), and Jorge Posada laughing when Melky's hit ball went foul in a sort of "if I don't laugh I think I might cry, please Jesus make this game be over soon" way.
Also, damn, Derek. I love you, but you were terrible this game! The opportunity to win the game against Papelbon and you strike out?! Booooo!
And now Paul O'Neill is eatin' some yogurt. You know things are getting crazy when O'Neill goes to the yogurt! But hey, bottom of the fifteenth, here we come... :)
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