My Thoughts On Off-Season Job Number 1: CC Sabathia

Now that the World Series is over and the congratulatory remarks have been made to those comeback kids in St Louis, the Cardinals, the off-season is ready to begin.  For the New York Yankees, that means several things, first and foremost, the contract of CC Sabathia.

In case you have been living under a rock, Sabathia can opt out of his 7-year, $161 million contract next week. He has just completed the 3rd year of the deal and, if he opts out, he will be looking to add to his status as the highest paid pitcher in baseball. News outlets are reporting that Sabathia and his agent are spending the weekend in talks with the Yankees, trying to come up with an extension, thereby avoiding an opt out.

I would love for the Yankees to avoid a CC opt out. However, the idea of an extension does not sit well
with me at all. I know, I can't have my cake and eat it, too. But at more than 290 pounds, CC Sabathia just does not inspire much confidence in me right now, especially with the weight he put on during the season. No one is saying how much he gained, but rumor has it that he gained back all the weight he lost last off-season and then some. I believe the weight gain was one reason, if not the main one, that his second half performance did not equal what he did in the first half of the season. Also, Sabathia is 31 years old. Everyone knows that the older you get, the harder it is to lose weight and keep it off. It is also harder to carry around extra weight as you get older. I am finding that out first hand right now.

Sabathia has four years left on this current deal. That alone scares me, let alone an extension. If it were up to me I would offer him a 1-year extension. He'd probably turn that down and opt out, but I'd feel confident that I'd done the right thing for the organization. After that, I'd give Hector Noesi and some of the other kids in the system a chance to make the rotation.

So what will happen? I have no idea, but here's hoping the Yankees don't go overboard and get dragged under by--no offense, CC-- a 290 plus pound whale.

Memories Of Reggie After Three By Pujols

This year's World Series hasn't been at the top of my list of things to do.  In fact, it hasn't been on the list at all. My continuing  heartache over the Yankees' elimination a few weeks ago has pretty much assured my obliviousness to this year's Fall classic. Anyone claiming that baseball is just a regional sport will get no argument out of me.

Unless, of course, you mention the name Albert Pujols. His 3 home run performance last night in Game 3 was enough to pique my interest in this series again. Maybe I'll watch Game 4! Well, maybe not. Anyway, it was cool that Pujols became the third player to hit three home runs in a World Series game. The last player to do it was, of course, Reggie Jackson. If you don't remember Reggie doing it back in 1977, or, you weren't alive yet, take a look at the video below, from the YES Network:



If memory serves, this was the game that earned Reggie that nickname: Mr October. The back page of today's New York Daily News  channels Reggie with this tribute to Pujols:

Good job, Daily News and, congratulations, Sr Pujols.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End Of Season Awards: Stan Musial Award (AL)

This year's American League MVP race was more interesting than it has been in a long time. Many candidates emerged as the season progressed, and the old debate about whether a pitcher should be considered was taken up again, thanks to Justin Verlander's outstanding year. I don't envy the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). They had a tough job in front of them and it will be interesting to see who they picked as the winner next month.

By the end of this month, however, the Baseball Bloggers Alliance will announce its choice for the Stan Musial Award for Top Player. I worked on my ballot for the award this morning and, let me tell you, it was not easy by any means. It was also depressing. As a Yankee fan I was disappointed that none of the candidates on my team had stats worthy enough to win them the award (in my opinion). I had to settle for them being in third and fourth place, respectively. So, the following is my ballot for the award:

1st Place, Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
2nd Place, Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
3rd Place, Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees
4th Place, Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
5th Place, Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox
6th Place, Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
7th Place, Michael Young, Texas Rangers
8th Place, Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers
9th Place, David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
10th Place, Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

There you have it. This is the last of the BBA awards this season. It is always interesting to compare our organization's votes with those of the BBWAA. They are usually the same or similar. That makes me feel pretty good about the baseball blogosphere.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End Of Season Awards: Walter Johnson Award (AL)

The Detroit Tigers lost the 2011 American League Championship Series in 6 games. Had their ace, Justin Verlander, pitched more than once in the series, it's possible that Motown would be headed to either St Louis or Milwaukee for the World Series. But, there will be no chance at a ring for Verlander.

What Verlander does have a chance at is the American league Cy Young Award. Did I say "chance?" Silly me. The man is a shoe-in for the award. He's also a shoe-in for the BBA's Walter Johnson Award for Best Pitcher (AL). It is not even worth a discussion, so I will simply list the names on my ballot and leave it at that:

1st Place, Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
2nd Place, Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3rd Place, James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays
4th Place, Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox
5th Place, Ricky Romero, Toronto Blue Jays

Congratulations Mr Verlander.

The last BBA award of the season is the Stan Musial Award for Best Player. I'll post my ballot by this afternoon.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End Of Season Awards: Goose Gossage Award (AL)

The next BBA award I get the pleasure of voting for is the Goose Gossage Award for Top Reliever. As a Yankee fan it is so tempting to vote for Mariano Rivera to win it, especially after he became the all-time saves leader. However, the award is for the 2011 season only, not for a lifetime of work. With that in mind, here are my votes:

1st Place: Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers. After the guarantee this guy made against the Yankees in the ALDS, I am in no mood to give him any votes. But I must be an honest, responsible blogger and pick him as the winner. Valverde converted 49 of 49 save opportunities, pitching to a 2.24 ERA and getting a .198 batting average against. Congratulations to him.

2nd Place: Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees.  Rivera did convert 44 of 49 save opportunities, pitched to a 1.91 ERA and had a .215 batting average against.  He also continued to set the example of how someone who's been there and done that is supposed to act on the mound. Valverde, are you listening...ah forget it.

3rd Place: Brandon League, Seattle Mariners.  League was on a terrible team but compiled 37 saves against 42 opportunities, with a 2.79 ERA and a .239 batting average against. League has always been a tough pitcher to hit, going back to his days as a reliever with the Toronto Blue Jays. Put him on a better team and he could have challenged Valverde for the win.

Two more awards to vote for. I'll post my selections for them later this week.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End Of Season Awards: Willie Mays Award (AL)

Last week I posted my ballot for the first BBA award of the season, the Connie Mack award for Top Manager. Today I make my choice for the top rookie in the American League, The Willie Mays Award.

Like the previous award I have to put three names on the ballot. Here are my three:

1st Place: Jeremy Hellickson, Pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays. Hellickson is my choice to win the award because, although he had only a 13-10 won-loss record, his ERA was a sparkling 2.95. He also struck out 117 batters and waked 72. Hellickson is another in a long line of Rays pitchers that continue to keep that team in the running to make the playoffs. Too bad they can't afford to keep any of them long term.

2nd Place: Eric Hosmer, First Base, Kansas City Royals. This kid made his debut for the Royals early in the season against my Yankees. I was impressed with him them and I'm still impressed with him now. He led all rookies with 153 hits and was second among them with a .293 average. He is probably the best thing to come along for the Royals since Carlos Beltran.

3rd Place: Ivan Nova, Pitcher, New York Yankees. Ivan Nova led all rookie pitchers with 16 wins and was second only to Hellickson in ERA (3.70). He didn't lose a game after mid-June, and didn't let a mid-season demotion set him back. Nova was so good down the stretch that he earned a spot in the postseason rotation as the number two starter. He truly earned his nickname: Super Nova.

Okay, then. Next award: The Rich Gossage Award for Top Reliever. Hopefully I will be able to post my votes for it later this week.

Lady At The Bat Has Been Nominated For An Award!

I am very pleased to announce that this blog has been nominated for Shape Magazine's Best Blogger Award!

The award nominees are divided into six categories, and Lady At The Bat (LATB) is one of 20 sports blogs (all written by women) to be nominated. There will be six finalists and one grand prize winner.

I'm not sure who did the nominating but, thank you very much, whoever you are!

Now comes the fun part. Help LATB win the award, by voting, as often as you can (and tell your friends to do the same). To vote, click here, or click on the badge on the blog's right sidebar. Once the page loads, click on "Vote for this blog!" to the right of my picture. You'll be taken to another page where you can scroll down to see the ballot. Voting ends October 28th.

Thanks for voting and thank you all for your continuing support.

A First Round Yankee Exit Really Stirs Up My Emotions!

I won't lie. First-round exits are no fun. They're sickening, frustrating, and downright embarrassing, and I'm speaking as a fan. Imagine how the members of the 2011 New York Yankees feel.

There is another emotion to add to the list: Anger. I'm not angry with the Yankees, per se. I'm angry with two other populations that have ties to the team.

First, I'm angry with the media. Throughout this entire series, and even more so when it ended, the media could talk of little else besides the fact that the Yankees offense was anemic.  It was so anemic, according to them, that it, more than anything else, lost the Yankees the series. Wrong. Saying that is not only irresponsible, it is disrespectful.  It is disrespectful to the Detroit Tigers pitching staff, who made all the right pitches to keep the Yankee lineup in check. It is as if the men and women of the New York sports media forgot (or never heard of) the classic truism, Good Pitching Stops Good Hitting. Instead of criticizing the Yankee bats, we should all be tipping our caps to Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Max Scherzer, their setup guys, and, albeit grudgingly, their closer Jose Valverde.

Second, I'm angry with some of my fellow Yankee fans. Why is it that, every time this team is eliminated or is in trouble of any kind, the first and practically only person that gets blamed is Alex Rodriguez? You would think that A-Rod was hitting in every spot in the order and pitching nine innings, and that guys like Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and Ivan Nova weren't even on the team. Don't get me wrong. I am well aware of Alex Rodriguez's history, all the troubles that he has brought on himself. But that is no reason to use him as a scapegoat.

I know, I'm talking to a wall (or, should I say, writing on one?).  As long as the Yankees continue to have the highest payroll in baseball, and, as long as Alex Rodriguez continues to wear Yankee pinstripes, nothing is going to change, and that makes me sad.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End of Season Awards: Connie Mack Award (AL)

With no Yankees playoff action tonight, I thought it would be a good time to start working on my ballots for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End of Season Awards.  First up: The Connie Mack Award for Top Manager.

As a Yankee blogger I am only required to put together a ballot for the American League winner, along with a second and third place finisher. So, here is my ballot:

1st Place: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays went into the 2011 season with no one expecting them to compete, having lost several key players from the previous few seasons. When they got off to that dreadful start, those low expectations seemed to be confirmed. However, as the season went on, so did the Rays, until they found themselves in the ALDS.  Why did they get there? Joe Madden, that's why.

2nd Place: Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers. In the AL Central this year, the Minnesota Twins were the sexy pick. Until injuries knocked the bloom off their rose. Enter Jim Leyland and his Detroit Tigers. The Tigers soon established themselves as the clear division favorite, In addition to Justin Verlander, they have Leyland to thank for it.

3rd Place: Joe Girardi, New York Yankees.  The manager of the team with the highest payroll getting votes for this award? Why not? He knows how to manage an older team, how to handle his bullpen, and how to get the most out of starters who were previously left for dead. Great job, Joe!

And there you have it. The next ballot I post will be for the Willie Mays Award for Top Rookie. Look for my choices sometime next week.