Story Lines In The Yankees-Dodgers Series

With the long-awaited series between the Yankees and Joe Torre's Dodgers beginnning tonight in LA, I am very much intrigued by the number of story lines that will play out this weekend.  Torre tenure in pinstripes makes for one big 3-day soap opera in Cali:

1) The Core 4 and Joe Torre. Expect this reunion to be more love story than soap opera. It's nothing more than a mutual admiration society between Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera and Torre.

2) A-Rod vs Torre. There is no love lost between these two. It has been this way ever since Torre batted A-Rod 8th in that playoff series a few years back.

3) Larry Bowa and Robinson Cano. This will be a chance for Cano to show off in front of his former mentor. Bowa has a lot to be proud of when it comes to the now MVP candidate Robinson Cano.

4) Manny Ramirez vs the Yankees. Will the Yankees be able to control Manny in this series, or will he have his way with Yankee pitching, as he has done so often in the past? I can't wait to see what happens during his at-bats.

5) Don Mattingly. Seeing him in a Dodgers uniform will have many people asking "What if?" Where would the Yankees be had he been hired as Yankee manager a few year ago?

6) Vincente Padilla vs Mark Teixeira. For me this is the most intriguing part of the weekend. Padilla has a history of drilling Teixeira. Will he do it again, or will Joe Torre's beliefs have gotten into him? It'll be interesting to see what happens here.

The Dodgers are terrible this season. Story lines or not, the Yankees should have no problem taking at least 2 out of 3 from them. Go Yankees!



Note: I'd like to apologize for the lack of posts here this month. I've been extremely busy and have not been able to find the time. I hope to start posting more often next month. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.

Subway Series Or Weekend At Fenway (Manny)?

Round two of the Subway Series begins tonight at the Stadium. There will be three big games this weekend, high on intensity and low on boredom. Are you excited about it? I'm not. I'm more excited about what will be going on in Boston this weekend: Manny Ramirez returns to Fenway Park.

Manny gave the Red Sox some great years but left Boston on a sour note. The big question as he returns: Will he be cheered or will he be booed. I think that's a silly question. Of course he'll be booed. Fans have short memories. They only remember the last thing(s) a player does. Take Javier Vazquez as an example. In his first tour of duty with the Yankees, Javy had a pretty decent year, but all anyone chooses to dwell on is his meltdown in the playoffs. Javy has begun to redeem himself lately with the turnaround he's making. Manny won't have that chance, since he's playing for the opposing team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. He'll be booed loudly and soundly during all three games this weekend.

I wish I could be there to witness it in person. If I were, I'd boo right along with everyone else, because he deserves it. Here's hoping Manny Ramirez has a miserable weekend at Fenway Park!

Guest Post: An Englishman's Take On Stephen Strasburg

With the World Cup going on right now I thought it would be interesting to note that there are still people overseas who enjoy our National Pastime. Here's a guest post written by George E., an English baseball fan:

Number 37 on your scorecards and number 1 in your hearts, Stephen Strasburg is an amazingly talented rookie pitcher for the Washington Nationals who, in his major league debut, struck out 14 in 7 innings of work while only giving up 2 runs.
For all intents and purposes, with petty grievances aside, it was the best debut by a starting pitcher of all time, and even exceeded the massive amount of hype leading up to Strasburg’s first pitch.

The 21 year old Californian kid is already profoundly admired and favored to win a slew of Cy Young awards and to be the next great pitcher. He has Nolan Ryan’s swagger and a similar pitch selection, Roger Clemens’ arm strength, and the ability to command corners like Tom Glavine while throwing at tremendous speeds with movement, ala Pedro.

In terms of a big league pitcher, Strasburg has the kind of stuff naturally that guys like Beckett have to consistently work out or else they’ll lose it. It’s really a shame that Strasburg will be playing—at least the next few years—in the National League with the Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Braves and the like.

How great would it be if this kid was in the AL East instead of the NL East and facing off against the Boston Red Sox or, even more dangerous, the New York Yankees?

With interleague play, Strasburg will eventually see the Yankees. And he’ll undoubtedly face off against the AL’s best once he becomes a habitual starting All Star. But folks want to see it now.

If you enjoy gambling, lay down your money on Strasburg to best the Yankees’ lineup. Put the list of online slots sites away and hit up a sportsbook. Why? Well, it has to do with command first and foremost.

Strasburg can consistently hit tripe digits on the gun, and get in the high 90s as the innings progress without showing any fluster. And while you might be thinking that the Yankees’ batters can get around the ball—and you’d be right—you still have to remember that Strasburg’s fastball isn’t like a country heater. It’s moving and is deadly accurate.

Strasburg has the gift of long fingers and a powerful shoulder. This allows even his four-seam fastball to legitimately move. Imagine swinging at something coming at you 100mph. Then imagine that what you’re swinging for isn’t even there.

Oh, you’re still not ready to bet on Strasburg vs. the Yankees? You’re checking out that huge list of websites to play roulette at instead, aren’t you? Shame on you! We haven’t even broached the changeup yet.

Stephen’s change is a fastball for corner painters. He switches from mid to high 90s and then comes back with the same movement, same location, and same motion but with a ball in the mid 80s. Yankees’ players are in the lineup to hit the ball, not to draw walks. They’re going to come around on his changeup early and put the ball in play.

Strasburg might not earn 14 strikeouts against a lineup like New York’s, but his changeup will cause a string of weak pop flies and ground outs. And it’s the same thing with his sinker ball coming in nearly as quick as his fastball. He commands his sinker so well that it acts like Clemens’ split finger mixed with Johnson’s slider. Yes, it’s that vicious. And yes, it actually sinks. Batters are lucky to put this in play past the infield.

The only real iffy pitch vs. the Yankees would be Strasburg’s curveball. Good hitters are said to make a living off of poorly located fastballs that weren’t fast enough, but their real bread and butter is the hanging curve.

However, Strasburg has a curve that makes Nolan Ryan’s look like a two-seam fastball. It breaks off 12 to 6 right on top of the plate, and he can actually move it out to the corners to cause knee-breaking whiffs. But since this is the hardest of all pitches to command, it’s no sure thing that Stephen could work this into his repertoire effectively.

One thing’s for certain, though. It’s going to be great to watch when Strasburg finally faces the Yankees.

Isn't Cramping Painful?

Last night, after the Yankees lost the finale of their series in Baltimore, Alex Rodriguez met with reporters to talk about his right groin. According to Mark Feinsand of the Daily News, A-Rod said he felt cramps in the groin but no pain. Am I the only one who thinks this is odd?

Isn't cramping painful? I thought it was. Well, I know that the cramps women get once a month are. I probably shouldn't compare the two. But, then again, why not? They're in the same general area. (Just kidding.)

The cramps probably are not painful to A-Rod because he's A-Rod. His threshold for pain is better than that of a lot of males, let alone all females. I would not want to have what he calls a cramp!

A doctor will look at the crampy groin today. Let's hope all goes well. Good luck, Alex.

When Does Mark Teixeira's Slow Start Become A Bad Year?

Today is June 7th. Mark Teixeira is batting .211 with 8HR, 34 RBI and a .326 OBP. Everyone in the know says there is nothing to worry about. Teixeira will hit. He's done it before. He's a proven Major Leaguer.

I was inclined to believe "everyone in the know" until last Saturday's game in Toronto, in which Teixeira struck out five times. (Five times! I'm still shocked at it.) Now I'm not so sure.

He looks lost at the plate. Pitchers are getting him out easily. Yet, Joe Girardi professes complete loyalty to him. Hitting coach Kevin Long doesn't want to change anything in his swing. He'll come around, they say. When, next season?

How much longer is everyone going to "not worry" about Mark Teixeira? When does this slow start that everyone keeps calling it turn into a bad year? As it is now, he'd have to have a monster batting average for the rest of the season to end up with a respectable overall average. Does he have that in him? I don't know.

The Yankees need to do something about Mark Teixeira. Change his swing, move him down in the lineup, bench him.  Something.  And whatever they do, if they don't do it soon, it'll be too late.

Jim Joyce: Model Of Accountability

Years ago I attended an umpires school. I learned all the ins and outs of officiating a baseball game, including what you should do if you blow a call. What I was taught to do and what Jim Joyce did this week are two very different things.

I was taught to never admit any wrongdoing. No matter what happened I was to stick to my guns and say that the call I made was the right one. There was no place for accountability in umpiring.

I don't know what Jim Joyce was taught in umpries school. He may very well have been taught the same thing. But what he did after blowing that call in Armando Galarraga's perfect game was absolutely the right thing. He stood up and took responsibility for his wrongdoing.

Personally speaking, being accountable is a very hard thing to do. I was thinking about it this morning and realized that I don't have the guts to do what Jim Joyce did. If it were me in that situation, I'd be making all kinds of excuses and, as a result, would be making a complete fool of myself.  Thank God I didn't get past little league in my umpiring career!

I tip my cap to you,  Jim Joyce, model of accountability.