Baseball is hard

There is, most definitely, crying in baseball.

General Manager Brian Cashman, seeking more catching depth, traded the right-handed pitcher George Kontos to the San Francisco Giants for their backup catcher, Chris Stewart, and optioned Cervelli to Class AAA Empire State.

Cashman explained that he made the trade to reinforce the Yankees’ catching because the minor leaguer Austin Romine’s back injury has not healed. Cervelli, his eyes watery and red after the meeting, was gutted by the news.

“I’m disappointed with it, but that’s not going to change anything,” Cervelli said. “In my life I’ve had to do things double and triple, and if they want me to prove I can catch in the big leagues, then I’ll go there and prove that I have to be here. That’s it.”

The trade and the demotion of Cervelli were the only unexpected roster moves the Yankees made Wednesday. 

They also added the left-hander Clay Rapada to their bullpen, where he will join another left-hander, Boone Logan, and promoted David Phelps to be the long reliever. To make room, the Yankees placed starter Michael Pineda on the disabled list and designated outfielder Justin Maxwell for assignment.

“This was as tough as I’ve had to do,” Girardi said.

Cervelli was sent to the minors because he still has options left and Stewart does not. If the Yankees wanted to send Stewart down, he would have had to clear waivers. 

George Steinbrenner, RIP

He's been a sort of spectral presence around Yankee Universe the last few years, a stark contrast from earlier years when he provoked his managers and some players into stark raving madness. And it's been notable how little drama has been in evidence around a team once known as the Bronx Zoo.

Coincidentally, I just began reading Steinbrenner -- I hadn't been aware of just how successful he'd been during his formative Cleveland years...nor just how venal and dishonest he could be with the people around him. The more involved he was with building teams, the less successful were those teams (the best teams were built while he was banished from the game, for illegal campaign contributions to CREEP in the early 70s and, in the early 90s, for "consorting with a gambler" in a pathetic effort to get dirt on the Dave Winfield foundation during a contract dispute with his right fielder).

But he knew the value of the brand that he owned, and he was the first owner to really understand the power of free agency -- he knew the latter would enhance baseball rather than destroy it, the position of most of his fellow owners. And he has been proven right. He saw that if you put quality on the field -- if the fans know the organization demands winning -- the fans will come to the Stadium. He wasn't the first to recognize the power of a super-regional TV network, but under his ownership the Yankees took it further, faster than any other organization, turning "super-regional" into "nationwide."

Mostly, though, I will miss "the missives."

UPDATE: More from the Pinstriped Blogger on George and Bob.

UPDATE: Fixed link

Elvis is in the building

On tonight's Yankees broadcast, Ken Singleton, noting that the Rangers's SS Elvis Andrus turned 21 yesterday, asked David Cone if he remembers his 21st birthday. "Oh yeah," says Cone, "that was the night I lost my fake ID."

Jack Nicholson and Paul McCartney (with Nancy Shevell) are in the "Legends Seats" behind the plate, but it's Elvis who just made an amazing play to snag a grounder up the middle 15 feet behind 2nd then make a throw to nail A-Rod at the plate by ten feet. Texas has them a keeper.

And while we're on the subject of the Yankees....yes, the Town Hall nuts are crazyinfuriatingwhackos, but people like this take stoopid to a whole 'nother level.

What the hell is ANSKY?

Via the always delightful, informative, and linklicious Diane Firstman

C.C. and M.C.

Looks like Sabathia's dream of pitching nearer his Vallejo, CA home town won't come true due to the complete lack of offers from any team west of the Hudson (I'm not counting the Brewers), and he'll have to settle for the Yankees' 7 year/$160 million offer.

Two things come to mind:

1. We can only hope that his arm won't fall off after the workload the Brewers subjected him to (with his enthusiastic support) last September; and

2. Teixiera, now, please. As good as Sabathia is -- and he's really very good -- he only takes the mound every five days. In between those starts the team's infield defense is woeful and the offense, as currently built, is anemic.

UPDATED to fix a typo

Well played, Mr. Cashman. Well played.

A very good week for the Yankees GM, basically getting Ivan Rodriguez, Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte for four middling "prospects" and two expensive, combustible relievers. Future H of Fer Ivan probably doesn't have much left, but he's an upgrade offensively over Molina and may well rise to the pennant chasing occasion. And Nady -- though he's yet to deliver much -- is also an upgrade in left since Damon can barely reach the cutoff man with his arm and the speedy Gardner wasn't even Replacement Level.

And Cash still has about four hours to go before the trading deadline (a misnomer, by the way, teams can still trade; only difference is the tradees must clear waivers after 4:00 this afternoon).

UPDATE: WOW! I thought this was the annual "Yes, Manny, we're really trying to trade you" Kabuki the Sox have engaged in for the last seventy-five trading deadlines. I know Manny being Manny was getting old, but shit, a future H of Fer for Jason Bay? We'll have to see, but isn't that cutting off your nose to spite your face? I think the Yankees' chances got a little bit better today.

Damn Yankees

For those who have claimed that Jorge Posada is overrated and A-Rod sucks, well, now you get to see what the team looks like without them. And it ain't fun to watch.

The left-hander

All I can say is, whew.

Patience

Hank Steinbrenner, fresh from refusing to negotiate with Joe Torre because he'd failed to get the Yankees to the World Series:

“I think the most important thing is, whoever we hire, give him a chance. Because he’s not getting the ’96 Yankees. He’s getting a younger team, and for the most part, it’s a transition period, so give him a little while.”

An insult

It's been a hard day to be a Yankees fan today.

Torre, in is news conference and in a subsequent interview, was blunt in saying the Yankees offer was bullshit. He was set up to turn them down, or if he didn't, his future with the Yankees would always be in doubt. He said that he would have preferred to have been told right away they didn't want him back instead of trying to embarrass him publicly by trying to make it seem he needs additional motivation to win the World Series.

Funny, I'm pretty sure he won four in his first five years managing the Yankees.

Blowing off the Yankees earned Torre even more admiration, and the way he handled the media today -- with respect, humor...yes, class -- was in keeping with his long, successful tenure in New York.

We were spoiled by Joe Torre. We're going to find that out in a big way when the Yankees lose seven in a row in May and Torre's calm demeanor and confidence in his guys isn't in the dugout.

I know, the Torre talk must get boring to people who don't follow baseball or don't much care for the Yankees (though most fans of other teams I've heard from are pretty thrilled that the Yankees may have fucked up hugely), and certainly for those who wanted Torre to go in the first place. But the number of reporters -- including non-sportswriters -- who showed up at his news conference indicated the impact Torre has had in the New York region.

It's not just the end of the Torre Era. It's also the end of the George Steinbrenner Era. If George had been fully in charge, he would not have handled it like this. He may very well have acted impetuously and fired Torre two weeks ago. But he wouldn't have acted so deceitfully as Randy Levine and Hal/Hank Steinbrenner have. It was a sad day listening to Joe today. I'm afraid it may only get worse as we watch George fade away.

Mr. Torre

Torre, as usual, comes out of this with his dignity intact, while the Yankees organization just looks rudderless. Madam Cura and I agree that there was no way Torre would have accepted a cut in pay and a one year deal. And an incentive-laden contract wouldn't have appealed to him. That's just not the way he operates. His teams have won because they win, not because they get an additional million if they make the playoffs.

Don't be surprised, though, if after the Yankees look around the field of possible replacements, they come back to Joe.

But right now, the Yankees don't have a manager, a third baseman, a catcher, or a closer. It's going to be an interesting off-season. It's going to be an interesting 2008 season.

Curse of the Idiots

And I thought it was "The Idiots" in Boston who have mostly derailed the Yankees dominance this century, but TNR's Alex Massie goes further, saying it's really the curse of the idiot in the White House.

In the circles I move in, it's considered poor form to admit to a fascination with, let a alone a liking for, the Bronx Bombers. Doing so is akin to supporting the school bully or admitting that you voted for George W. Bush in both the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections. It's not the sort of thing you mention in polite society. The Yankees are my sordid little American League secret and, to borrow from Yeats, my own "terrible beauty."

Now, you'll say that seven years without a title is not so very long. And if, say, you follow the Chicago Cubs, it certainly doesn't seem so harsh. But Yankee fans, like the Yankees' owner, are different: a single year without a title in the Bronx equates to something like seven years of ineptitude from other, lesser, franchises. In Yankee Years it's been nearly half a century since the Bombers last savored victory. At least it feels that way.

But perhaps it isn't just Bush's fault. Maybe the Republican Party itself is bad for the Yankees. After all, the Bronx Bombers haven't won a World Series under a Republican president since the Eisenhower administration. Just seven of their 26 titles have been won while the GOP possessed the White House. Perhaps someone should point this out to Rudy Giuliani. Is Hizzoner really prepared to sacrifice future Yankee victories upon the altar of his Presidential ambition?

Ahh, 2009. A new president. A new stadium. Interesting.

Fire Joe Torre

After all, when you're given all this talent, you oughta win:

Kevin Brown
Randy Johnson
Javier Vazquez
Kyle Farnsworth
Jaret Wright
Carl Pavano
Carl Pavano
Carl Pavano
Jose Contreras
The $40 million man
and The Lone Ranger, Roger Clemens Redux

"They have a bright future"

"Whatever the hell happens here on out, I'll look back on these 12 years with great, great pleasure."

Me too, Mr. Torre.

May 13 be a charm

13 in a row, but it never gets old. The Yankees will be playing in October once again. And you could feel Scott Boras cringe listening to his client after the game.

Alex Rodriguez, who seemed to be at odds with Torre after flaming out in the playoffs last fall, found him as the celebration broke up. He hugged him, and Torre leaned in close. “You took on every responsibility with eyes wide open,” Torre told him, and Rodriguez seemed moved.

“This feels like home,” said Rodriguez, who can opt out of his contract after the World Series. “It’s hard to believe that I played for another two organizations. So much has happened to me — adversity, some success — I feel like anything but New York would feel kind of weird for me now.”

Now, go win a pennant for New York, Alex.

Hard to believe that Carl Pavano was the opening day starter.

Joba rules

Really, he does.

Rules may be made to be broken, but it seemed there was no chance Joba Chamberlain would pitch yesterday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

For starters, Manager Joe Torre indicated before the game that Chamberlain was not available. Also, Chamberlain had thrown two innings Friday. According to the rules formulated by the Yankees, he would not pitch the next two days.

But with two outs in the eighth inning yesterday, Chamberlain emerged from the bullpen at Yankee Stadium. And just like that, one of the Joba Rules came tumbling down. A capacity crowd howled in delight.

Chamberlain ended the Blue Jays’ rally with a five-pitch strikeout and returned to toss a perfect ninth inning for his first major league save as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays, 7-5.

On top of all that, it was his 22nd birthday.

“It’s all fun,” Chamberlain said. “It’s all new experiences, every time I get out there.”

It has been one weird, great season this year, and Joba Chamberlain has certainly been one of the great highlights. When he got up to warm up yesterday it turned the electricity up in the Stadium...he's a genuinely exciting pitcher. Using him yesterday with two runners on, it almost felt like Joe Torre was trying to recapture the mojo of 1996, when a youngster named Mariano Rivera became the set-up guy for John Wettland. It's certainly clear how Torre intends to use him in October.

If the Yankees are able to rally to overcome a two-run early deficit this afternoon, their magic number against the Tigers will be one, and the Yankees will trail the Red Sox by a game. Winning the division would be sweet, but the Wild Card is just fine and if it means coasting for the remainder and letting Jeter, Rodriguez, Posada, and Damon get some days to heal up, all the better.

Make that a three-run deficit. Pettitt is getting knocked around this afternoon.

UPDATE: Boston fans won't be feeling quit so sweaty this evening as the Yankees fall another half game behind (two more losses than the Sox) and the magic number for clinching the WC remains at two.

Enter Sandman, again and again

Each Spring it seems, they write his epitaph.

“He’s just a freak of nature,” the Toronto Blue Jays’ Frank Thomas said. “He’s mastered a pitch. People say he’s going to lose it. He’s not going to lose it.”

Rivera struck out the side to end Monday’s game, plowing through three fearsome hitters — Alex Rios, Vernon Wells and Thomas — with pitches that reached 97 miles an hour.

Thomas knows how Rivera will pitch him, but he is still almost helpless, with just 3 hits in 20 career at-bats. The cutter — “To me, he’s the inventor of it,” Thomas said — is just that good.

“It’s effortless, and when the ball’s 96 with late movement like that, it’s unheard of,” Thomas said. “He gets better and better and better. When he’s fully rested, it’s a truly amazing pitch.”

Rivera has evolved a bit, throwing a tailing two-seamer sometimes, or a straight four-seam fastball to back a hitter off the cutter. Every spring, he toys with a changeup. But the cutter acts for him the way it does for no one else.

Rivera has converted his last 18 save opportunities, allowing only two earned runs in 21 1/3 innings in those games, with no walks and 22 strikeouts. The Yankees are 57-1 when leading after eight, the loss coming in Oakland on April 15, when Marco Scutaro pulled a two-out, three-run homer to beat Rivera by a run.

It's been a wild year. In April and May, Yankee fans (and we weren't the only ones) were scratching our heads and wondering if and how the team got so old so fast. If it weren't for Rodriguez, supported by Jeter and Posada, the team would have been even more buried than it was by the end of May. Now, it's amazing just how young the team is, with Melky (23 tomorrow), Cano (24), Andy Phillips (though "young" may be stretching it in his case), Phil Hughes (21 and pitching tonight against Carmona), and Joba Chamberlain (aka "Superchief") all starting to make important contributions.

But that doesn't mean the Yankees are prepared to see the venerable Mariano Rivera drift off into senescence.

The Yankees did not negotiate an extension with Rivera this spring because they wanted to see how his elbow held up. The elbow is fine now, Rivera said, and both sides hope to reach an agreement soon after the season.

“I’ve said from the beginning, we have every intention of signing him,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “At the appropriate time, we will have that conversation.”

I'm pretty sure Rivera will be wearing the inter-locking N-Y for the remainder of his career.

Stalinist baseball aesthetics

A comment I left over at LGM:

Why is it stoopid to claim that one movie is more "Republican" than another, but quite alright to make the same claim about various baseball teams?

The Yankees are no longer "U.S. Steel," dammit! And it's been 35 years since The Boss got caught giving money to CREEP.

Oh, and about those 1/2 News ads on Yankeejazeera. Weird thing is, I seem to only see them when the Yankees are losing in a blow-out. Talk about your counterintuitive ad strategy!

The Yankees in August

The Yankees are in the midst of a return to playing +.500 teams after an enjoyable July best exemplified by the 100 some odd runs they scored in 10 games against Baltimore, ChiSox, and KC. They now play Toronto (winning a 5-4 nail biter yesterday), followed by Cleveland, a surprisingly tough Baltimore, Detroit, arch-nemesis Angels, more Detroit, finally finishing up the month against Boston.

This is the month that will test whether the resurgent Yankees are for real. If they can win the majority of those series, they should be poised to lead the Wild Card standings going into September. And, lately, there have been very few negatives coming from Yankeeland.

After striking out in his first two at-bats, Canó doubled to left-center on a curveball from the left-handed reliever Scott Downs. The Yankees had been trailing by a run, but Canó ’s hit gave them a 4-3 lead. When Cabrera singled him home, it was his third hit of the game.

Jason Giambi is about to rejoin the Yankees, which could nudge an outfielder like Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui out of the designated hitter role. But Cabrera is not losing his starting job in center. He has a 12-game hitting streak, with a .412 average in those games.

“I’m not saying we won’t give him a day off here and there,” Manager Joe Torre said, “but it would really be tough to replace what he does for us.”

Part of what makes Cabrera tough to replace is that he gives the Yankees a switch-hitter with pop at the bottom of the order and a strong arm on defense that runners rarely challenge. Another part is intangible, but possibly as important.

“You’ll see guys sort of dragging, and they see them bouncing around and say, ‘Shoot, I can do that, too,’ ” said the third-base coach Larry Bowa, referring to Canó and Cabrera.

“There’s no question it helps. They’re still going to make some mistakes, but what they bring to the table outnumbers what they do wrong.”

Canó said he and Cabrera only talked baseball after losses, so they can find ways to improve. After a game in Chicago in June, when the Yankees were well under .500, Canó and Cabrera resolved to get on base more often. Canó said they decided to be realistic about what the team needed.

“We’re not here to hit home runs,” Canó said. “We’re not going to prove that we’re Babe Ruth or anything. Just go out there, get on base for A-Rod and Posada and Matsui, let them hit the home runs. Just swing at pitches we can drive, not like we were at the beginning, when we were swinging at everything and trying to hit the ball out of the park.”

Canó is batting .456 (41 for 90) in his last 23 games, coming on strong in the second half the way he did last season. He and Cabrera are playing with the boundless energy of teenagers, Alex Rodriguez said, as they compete against each other and the opposition.

The good news even extends to manager Joe Torre. A man not known for shaking up the establishment in seasons' past, he's begun to think different.

Fortunately, the solution just may be on his way. Peter Abraham reports that Joba Chamberlain has been sent to Toronto and will likely be activated for today's game. Word is that Jeff Karstens will be demoted to make room for him. That supports what Joe Torre said prior to yesterdays game about no longer trying to force lefty-on-lefty matchups now that Myers is gone. Karstens continued presence would have suggested that Torre intended to rely on him as a long man while using Villone as a matchup lefty, but without Karstens, Villone remains the long man, and Chamberlain and Vizcaino become the final pieces of this team's long awaited Big Three without a lefty in the picture to muck things up. I like it. Now if they'd only swap out Brower and Farnsworth for Ramirez and Britton (and dump Miguel Cairo when activating Jason Giambi, who is due to arrive in Toronto today as well).

And guess what, the Drama Queen lost last night.

This fellow is looking for advice in all the wrong places.

And the Pinstriped guy bids farewell to the Loogy, then goes off.

AND IN THE REAL WORLD...
This latest capitulation by the so-called opposition in Congress is spectacularly frustrating. If the loyal opposition cannot defy a president who is arguably the least-popular in history, what is their purpose? One can comfort one's self with the fact that the key presidential candidates voted against the provision, but it's cold comfort when the Constitution is being shredded. There is no putting the genie back in that bottle. Our system has become so debauched as to become unfixable. In any case, the opposition has demonstrated that the fear of defending itself that has afflicted it ever since it was charged with "losing" China in the 1940s still holds sway. We went into Vietnam because of that fear, and we invaded Iraq because of it as well. Could we please turn the page already? Joe McCarthy is dead, and so is Owen Lattimore, and LBJ. I eagerly await the politician brave enough to face down the propagandists and say, "I'm smart enough and brave enough to fight the bad guys without eviscerating the Bill of Rights or plowing under our own sons and daughters. In my administration, in my party, we'll keep America safe, but we'll respect those things that make us Americans in the first place-our open society with its respect for individual freedoms -- and we'll do it while purchasing far fewer body bags."

I don't really care what party that guy comes from, so long as he arrives. Is there a rock somewhere with a sword sticking out of it? It seems like it might take that level of miracle for it to happen.

Had to get that off my chest.

Glad you did.

May-Rod

Last night, the Yankees bludgeoned the ChiSox 8-1 and moved to 2 back in the Wild Card race, and this is the headline on the back page of the NY Post:

MAY-ROD
ALEX HITLESS AGAIN IN YANK WIN

I'm sure Rupert Murdoch will bring the same kind of editorial judgment to the Wall Street Journal.

This afternoon's game isn't going quite so swimmingly as the Yankees take their last licks losing 13-9. Worse, Jorge Posada ominously left the game in the seventh.