Hey Boras, Stop Your Bluffing

The Alex Rodriguez opt-out happened sooner than most people thought it would and shocked just about everyone. Should it have? No.

The Yankees have steadfastly said they would not negotiate with A-Rod if he opts out of his contract. They've said it so many times that it has become hard not to believe them. Even Scott Boras has commented on how unprecedented the Yankees actions are. The Yankees, it seems, have the upper hand. What else was Boras supposed to do? This was the only way he could wrest control of the situation back to himself: Announcing A-Rod's opt out at the earliest possible moment, during Game 4 of a World Series in which the arch-rival Red Sox were about to sweep.

Boras claimed that not knowing the contract status of key Yankees like Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte contributed to A-Rod's decision to opt out. He also focused on the fact that Hank Steinbrenner said the team was in a "transitional" phase and referred to the Steinbrenner Brothers as "the new owners."

This is transparency to the hilt. Boras knows Hank's comments about transition were just a shot at Joe Torre. He also knows that the Yankees always put a competitive team on the field, year after year. No matter what happens to Rivera, Posada and Pettitte, the Yankees will have a contending team next year. They're always willing to do what it takes for that to happen.

So, stop your bluffing, Scott Boras, and good luck getting A-Rod the contract you want from another team.

The Lady

Eric Gagne: Bullpen Woah!

It was the Best Of The Bullpen again last night at Fenway Park. After Curt Schilling pitched 5 and one-third effective innings, Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon took over and closed things out, giving Boston a 2-1 win and a 2-0 edge in the 2007 World Series.

At one point, Okajima retired seven Rockies in a row. Both he and Papelbon pitched in innings most people in Red Sox Nation thought would be pitched by would-be set up man Eric Gagne. Instead, Gagne is only being used in blow-outs this Series, after proving in Boston's stretch run and in the first two rounds of the playoffs that he was a bad pick-up, one of the worst acquisitions by a team this season. Well, I guess that's what happens when you acquire a player just to keep other teams from getting him.

The Lady

[Photo: Elsa/Getty Images]

History At Fenway?

It took only two pitches from Jeff Francis and the Red Sox were off to the races. Dustin Pedroia, the AL's probable 2007 Rookie Of The Year, sent the third pitch from Francis out of Fenway, giving the Red Sox the first of their 13 runs last night. Pedroia became the first rookie in history to lead off a World Series with the long ball.

The first rookie in history to lead off a World Series with the long ball. Woo-hoo! Break out the champagne! Honestly, I love how baseball is built around records and how hallowed so many of those records are, but sometimes things just go too far. Who cares if a rookie leads off a World Series with a home-run? Five years from now no one except Red Sox fans will even remember it, and that'll only be because of incessant airings on NESN. It would be the same thing with YES if, say, Shelley Duncan had done it.

In other World Series News: I loves me some Josh Beckett! The new Mr October had another spectacular outing, giving up just one run in seven innings of work last night. His performance, along with Boston's 12 run cushion, made it safe for Terry Francona to bring Eric Gagne in to close things out. Good job, Eric (laughter)!

The Lady

Red Beans & Rocks

It was close for the first six innings. Then came a lucky 7th. (And an even luckier 8th.) Seventh inning luck in the 7th game of the ALCS means a trip to the '07 World Series for the Boston Red Sox.

JD Drew wears no. 7, and had he saved his game 6 heroics for this game, things would really be complete.

Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched two scoreless innings. Two innings a piece. There was no way Terry Francona was going to take a chance on Eric Gagne in an elimination game.

So the Fall Classic begins Wednesday night in Boston. How will the Rockies fare after such a long layoff? How will the Red Sox look if they go through the entire Series without using Eric Gagne? We'll see. Should be an interesting Series!

The Lady

The New York Yankees: Gutless

After yesterday's stunning turn of events, it became obvious that the Yankees did not want Joe Torre to return next year as manager. A $5 million 1-year offer laden with incentives adds up to an insulting pay cut for Torre. How transparent can you get?

If the Yankees had any cajones at all they'd have announced they weren't bringing Joe Torre back the day after the team was eliminated from the ALDS, or at least a few days after that. But they were afraid of looking bad, afraid of receiving disapproval from Yankees Universe. They thought that by doing this Torre would look bad in the eyes of all the hardworking people of New York City (myself included) that will probably never come close to making $5 million. They thought they would come off looking like the good guys. Well, they were wrong.

I am now more convinced than ever that George Steinbrenner is no longer in control of that team. If he were, he'd have made good on his promise to the Bergen Record. My guess is that Steinbrenner was alone when the call from the Record came in and there was no one around to intercept it. Some scenario like that occurred and it led to the series of events that ended in their low-ball offer to Torre.

So the Joe Torre Story is over. What will the new story be about? Who will the central character be? I can't wait to find out!

The Lady


[Image: MLB.com]

Did Something Happen In Cleveland Last Night?

Oh! Was there a baseball game last night? Geez, it completely slipped my mind, what with the Yankees and Joe Torre being the more interesting baseball story right now. I think a team was trying to stay alive, right?

Okay, all kidding aside, I have to hand it to Josh Beckett. MLB.com is calling him the new Mr October and they're absolutely right. Injury? What injury? Beckett went 8 innings last night, striking out 11 en route to Boston's 7-1 victory. So Red Sox Nation is breathing easier right now.

Let's see what Curt "I Care So Much" Schilling has up his sleeve tomorrow night in Boston. Last time it was The Bloody Sock. What'll it be this time?

The Lady

Is Manny Really Being Manny?

Did Manny Ramirez really say he didn't care if the Red Sox lost the ALCS? Does he really understand what he did when he raised his arms after hitting that home-run the other night? Well, here are his comments in full, according to Boston.com:

"Man, I'm just happy to do something special like that. I'm not trying to show up anybody out there. I'm just trying to go have fun. If somebody strikes me out and shows me up, that's part of the game. I love it. I like that. I like to compete, and when people strike me out or whatever and they show me up, it's all good. There's no hard feelings. I'm not trying to show anybody up.

"We're just going to go have fun and play the game. That's it. If we go play hard and the thing doesn't come like it's supposed to come, we'll move on. We'll come next year. Why should we panic? We've got a great team. If it doesn't happen, good. We'll come next year and try to do it again.

"We're confident every day. It doesn't matter how things go for you. We're not going to give up. We're just going to go and play the game, like I've said, and move on. If it doesn't happen, so who cares? There's always next year. It's not like the end of the world or something."

Did anyone else get sucked into thinking he only spoke the last three sentences? When will we ever learn? Do big outfits like ESPN really need to do this? Do they really need the ratings so badly that they take things out of context like that? They don't need to but, apparently they think they need to.

The Lady

[Photo: Amy Sancetta/AP]

So, What?

The Red Sox are down 3-1 and are on the brink of elimination now.

So, what?

I'm not being a bitter Yankee fan here. Okay yeah, I am. But what I really mean by "so what" is that we've seen this story before. The Red Sox were down 3-1 in 2004, remember? Plus, they have Josh Beckett pitching for them tomorrow. Beckett has established himself as one of the best, if not the best, postseason pitcher in baseball history.

On the other hand, there are rumors that Beckett is nursing some kind of injury (according to WFAN's Mike & The Mad Dog), and, for that reason, didn't pitch in last night's game. If he's really hurt, the Jacobs Field grounds crew can start painting the World Series logo behind home plate.

The Lady

Look! The Rockies Are In The Big Show!

A little over a week ago I asked if you were looking yet. If you weren't, you know now that you have no choice but to check out the Colorado Rockies. Going undefeated in the postseason has earned them a trip to the 2007 World Series.

Veteran Todd Helton (above) celebrated after he caught the final out of the game, but guys like Matt Holliday and Seth Smith might have been too numb with shock to do the same. Holliday seemed almost embarrased to receive his NLCS MVP. Smith, the college back-up to Giants QB Eli Manning, had no RBI's all season but had two big ones last night. All the guys on this team are the stars of the postseason. I said it before and I'll keep saying it: Rock On!

In other postseason news: The Cleveland Indians have the edge in the ALCS right now, thanks, in part, to that ornery kvetch , Kenny Lofton. Lofton played head games with Daisuke Matsuzaka, successfully taking him out of his pitching rhythm and successfully taking a Dice-K pitch out of the ballpark. If you didn't understand before why teams continue to want Lofton for their pennant runs, you do now.

The Lady

[Photo: David Zalubowski/AP]

Kenny Lofton: All Over The Dang Place!

You've seen that DHL commercial featuring Kenny Lofton's equipment, right? Both Lofton and the equipment are mentioned but Lofton isn't actually in the commercial. I've always wondered whether or not he was paid for the commercial, since all they do in it is talk about him. I still don't know the answer to that, but I do know that he's been in the postseason 11 times, the latest being with the Cleveland Indians, his third tour of duty with them.

If I've counted right, Lofton has played in the Big Leagues for 12 organizations and has worn out his welcome on just about all of them. However, the man can play. He's a good hitter and fielder and an absolute pest on the base paths. While he can be an ornery kevetch, he's still valuable enough that teams want him on their rosters for their stretch runs.

Lofton spoke to Jack Curry of the New York Times about the DHL commercial: “I looked at it as they’re just showing this guy has been all over the place. The worst part about it, I mean, not the worst part about it. But the bad thing, or not the bad thing, but it’s true. That’s what makes it not a bad thing. I mean, shoot, I’ve been all over the dang place.” Great comment!

Lofton's Indians didn't look so good against the Red Sox last night. I have a feeling he'll miss out, once again, on getting that elusive World Series Ring.

The Lady

[Photo: Amy Sancetta/AP]

Tickets, Tickets, Get Your Diamondback Playoff Tickets!

With the NLCS starting tonight comes news that Games 1 and 2 (being played at Arizona) have not sold out. This isn't a big deal in Arizona. It's happened before. But, why?

Managing general partner Ken Kendrick thinks tonight's game will sell out, but he claims that one of the reasons for slow ticket sales is that Arizona's market ranks last in per-capita income in Major League Baseball. Arizona? I can't believe this is true! I've never spent any substantial time in Arizona, aside from a walk around the rim of the Grand Canyon, but from what I've heard, it can hardly be classified as one of the poorer states. Where is Kendrick getting his information?

As for the series itself, I really love the feel-good story that is the Colorado Rockies. Brandon Webb should beat them tonight, but I think they'll prevail by series end. Rock on!

The Lady

The Joe Torre Watch Officially Begins

We heard the question earlier this year. It was too early to hear it at that point but now it's not: Will Joe Torre be fired?

Technically, the answer is no. His contract expires at the end of this month. If the Yankees don't want him anymore they just won't offer him a new contract.

So, why wouldn't they offer him a new contract? There are several factors, of course, that I need not detail here. However, there is one factor that just might trump all the others: Alex Rodriguez. If the Yankees really want to bring A-Rod back next season, they might be forced to bring Torre back. Or, they might not be.

In post-game interviews last night, A-Rod said that whether or not Torre stays will definitely help him decide whether he, himself, will stay with the Yankees. He had this to say about Joe Torre: "Torre and I, we've had a funny relationship for four years. It's definitely come full circle, and I have the utmost respect for that man in there. I feel disappointed, because I feel like we let him down, as well as the city of New York." He continued: "It takes time to get to know people. For me, this year, I think we really got to understand each other and he really made it easy for me and very comfortable for me to play."

It's obvious that Alex Rodriguez doesn't have the same loving relationship with Joe Torre that a lot of his other teammates have. I think the potential is there for a scenario that has A-Rod telling the Yankees, "It's either Joe Torre or me." Who knows, maybe he's already told them that. All we can do at this point is wait and see how this whole thing turns out.

The Lady

[Photo: Jim McIssac/Getty Images]

Living For Another Day

It turns out I was wrong about Roger Clemens. He didn't pitch the best game of his season. His hamstring prevented it. But the Yankees are still alive and not because of anything George Steinbrenner said, or was attributed to have said. Fair weather fans and non-baseball fans, listen up (or, read up): Just because a baseball owner tells his team they have to win does not mean they will win. Baseball is not football or basketball. You're only as good as that day's pitcher. I'm so tired of hearing otherwise. Put a lid on it, already!

Chien-Ming Wang will face Paul Byrd tonight in game 4. Why Eric Wedge is not using CC Sabathia is a mystery to me. But then again, you're only as good as that day's pitcher, and maybe tonight Byrd will fly high.

In other playoff news: Curt "I Care So Much" Schilling came through again in a postseason game yesterday. Why wouldn't he? He loves it when he gets all the attention, and what better way to get it all than by pitching in a series clinching game? Afterward, the Red Sox celebrated as if they'd just won the World Series. I didn't know champagne was part of a Division Series celebration. Totally ridiculous.

The Lady

Kings, Diamond(back)s & Other Rock(ie)s

King George has spoken again. Or, has he? These days I'm never sure if George Steinbrenner is really healthy enough to be making the edicts he was famous for many years ago, the ones re-inacted so well by Oliver Platt in The Bronx Is Burning. Back then there'd be actual footage and sound bites in which you could see and hear Steinbrenner holding forth. Now we just get newspaper articles and prepared statements.

Today it's a newspaper article. The Bergen Record quotes The Boss as saying, "His job is on the line, I think we're paying him a lot of money. He's the highest-paid manager in baseball, so I don't think we'd take him back if we don't win this series."

Will it actually happen this time? Though other teams would gladly accept what this team has done in the last few years, the Yankees, by their own account, have been absolutely dreadful in the postseason since 2004 and the Yankees have done virtually nothing about it. I don't know if the Record has its facts straight or not, but I would be surprised if, assuming the Yankees are eliminated in this series, there wasn't a major shakeup of the front office.

In other playoff news: A Diamondbacks-Rockies NLCS. If anyone told me that last month, I'd have asked, "Are you kidding me?" It's beginning to look more and more like Rock-tober. Will Colorado go all the way? Will they be able to take Denver away from the Broncos? Clint Hurdle doesn't think so. Neither do I, but I think they've already grabbed more than a little attention away from the end zone. Rock on!

The Lady

Breaking News: Bugs Attack Lion!

Joba Chamberlain must have been wishing he were wearing his Cowardly Lion Costume last night. It just might have provided some protection from the swarm of midges that attacked him in the 8th inning.

I can't even get off this bug thing long enough to be bummed out about the Yankees going down 0-2 in the series. Midges? I've never even heard of them before! Well, at least they weren't chiggers. While a midge is really just a nuisance (unless it's a biting midge and so far, I've not heard anything about Joba being bitten), chiggers, on the other hand, are very dangerous, and if you don't take action as soon as you've been bitten, there's very, very little you can do for relief. How do I know all of this? A friend of mine was bitten by chiggers a few months ago during a hike we were on. She still has not completely recovered.

In other playoff news: If things keep going the way they're going in this first playoff round, we'll know the ALCS matchups by the end of the night tomorrow. They won't, though. The Cubs will be eliminated today but I think the Phillies will live for another day. I can't see the Angels being swept either and I think Roger Clemens will pitch his best game of the year tomorrow night.

The Lady

[Photo: Amy Sancetta/AP]

Are You Looking, Yet?

A few weeks ago I placed them in my Don't Look Now File. No one except the Colorado Rockies themselves seemed to believe they could get into the playoffs, much less go up 2-0 on their first-round opponent. (Two days ago I actually said they just got lucky .) Surprise, surprise! With Kaz Matsui's grand slam last night, they're in position to complete a three-game sweep of the best-of-five series when they return to Colorado this weekend. So, are you looking yet? If not, I think you'd better start.

In other playoff news: I worked a swing shift yesterday, so I missed the entire Yankees-Indians game. However, as the night shift people began to arrive at the office I began to feel the relief of missing it. They filled me in on all the gory details of the Indians' rout. As for the Cubs, they have no fans at my job, so I didn't find out about their loss until I got home. Have we seen the last of Big Z for the season?

The Lady

[Photo: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images]

Lou Piniella: The Next Steve Bartman?

If the Cubs end up losing the 2007 NLDS, their fans will have yet another receptacle to place their blame into: Lou Piniella. Granted, it's not the same as Steve Bartman or a goat, but it'll be hell for the Cub manager all the same.

Thinking ahead to game 4, in which Carlos Zambrano will pitch on short rest, Piniella removed Zambrano after 6 innings and fewer than 90 pitches. Shortly after that the Cubs lost the game. Short rest? It's the postseason, Lou. Who cares about short rest? I'm sure Big Z doesn't care.

Piniella had better hope Zambrano comes through in game 4 or, that there even is a game 4. Otherwise Steve Bartman's nightmare will finally be over.

The Lady

Lady, You Are Crazy!

This past Spring, shortly after I started this blog, I predicted this season's division winners and wild card representatives. I dutifully posted links to the entire series of posts, entitled Lady's Choice, on Yardbarker.com. A die-hard Mets fan saw my prediction that the Mets would finish fourth in the division and in the Yardbarker comments section, he declared: "Lady, you are crazy!" He went on to "prove" how ridiculous all my predictions were, confidently explaining why the New York Mets would finish first and go on to win the World Series.

Well, who's crazy now? I guess we both are, because while I did pick the Mets to miss the playoffs, they didn't finish fourth. In fact, as far as division winners and wild cards go, I only got one pick right. Here's how it all breaks down (my original picks are in parentheses):

AL East: Red Sox (Yankees)
AL Central: Indians (Tigers)
AL West: Angels (ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!)

AL Wild Card: Yankees (Red Sox)

NL East: Phillies (Braves)

NL Central: Cubs (Cardinals)

NL West: Diamondbacks (Giants)

NL Wild Card: Rockies (Phillies)

So, the second season begins today. Who will advance to the LCS? The Angels are banged up and, I hate to say it but, Sabathia and Carmona scare me. Arizona is not for real and the Rockies just got lucky. It will be the Red Sox and Indians in the ALCS and the Phillies and Cubs in the NLCS.

The Lady

AL Playoff Rotations Scouting Report

Courtesy of ESPN First Take:

(Removed by the blogger)

The Lady

NL Playoff Rotations Scouting Report

Courtesy of ESPN First Take:

(Removed by the blogger)

The Lady