LOL HOF

If I may interrupt the awesomeness of a Giants playoff week...Barry Larkin was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 86% of the vote. Okay, fine, 86% seems super high for a guy who, while good, wasn't a superstar, but whatever, he's in...

And Bernie Williams received just 10% of the vote? And still no Don Mattingly? Really? I have vowed to no longer give Halls of Fame the time of day in the past, but this seems especially ridiculous and anti-Yankee. Larkin was pretty good with his career 116 OPS+, played good defense at an important position, and has a ring. But then to mostly ignore Williams with his career 125 OPS+, also good defense at an important position, and 4 rings? And if the voters think Larkin's 3 gold gloves are meaningful...Williams had 4.

But then I guess I'm sleeping on Larkin for his 1995 MVP award. Williams never won one. Larkin's MVP season: .319/394/492, 133 OPS+, gold glove. Williams' best year, 1998: .339/422/575, 160 OPS+, gold glove. He finished 7th in the MVP voting that year.

Also, while Larkin didn't have control over playing on teams as good as Williams did...not for nothing, just look at where Williams ranks in the following lists for all-time playoff numbers:

Runs - 2nd

Hits - 2nd

Total bases - 2nd

Doubles - 2nd

HR - 2nd

RBI - 1st

Walks - 3rd

Halls of Fame don't really matter, we know this. But come on baseball, if you're going to pretend your Hall of Fame is important, at least try to get it right.

The single dumbest thing ever said about baseball

Mariano Rivera recorded his 600th career save yesterday. He now trails current record holder Trevor Hoffman by 1. Saves are one of the least important stats in baseball, but some people think they are important. Rivera is the greatest pitcher who ever lived, but when he breaks the record for saves, that will not be the reason why.

Anyway, I don't know how I missed this a couple weeks ago, but better late than never...

Ted Leitner, San Diego Padres' radio play-by-play announcer, on August 22, at the ceremony to retire Trevor Hoffman's number:

"And I know baseball fans...baseball broadcasters...we love to argue. So we argue who's better, who's the best. But there is no argument. This is not a Padre broadcast bias, it's not a Padre fan bias. We know this. The only true measure of a closer is how many saves did you get. So today without any fear of argument I tell you that today the San Diego Padres retire the number of truly by that benchmark - the only benchmark - the greatest closer in the history of major league baseball."

Stare. Blink. Stare. I don't even know where to begin. This statement has already been torn apart, and this is one of those times I wish FJM was still around because no one did it better...but it would be kind of lazy for me to say absolutely nothing, so here goes...

But there is no argument.

NO ONE DENIES THIS!

This is not a Padre broadcast bias, it's not a Padre fan bias.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

We know this.

Have you seen Mariano Rivera pitch?

The only true measure of a closer is how many saves did you get.

Some might offer up that ERA, or WHIP, among other things, might be a better measure. How about postseason performance?

Hoffman: 13 innings, 3.46 ERA, with 4 precious, only-measure-being saves.

Rivera: 139 2/3 innings, 0.71 ERA, 42 saves. And 5 championship rings.

Is that cherry picking? How about just leaving it at regular season performance then...over their entire careers, Rivera's ERA has been greater than half a run less than Hoffman's (2.22 to 2.87). Hoffman pitched his entire career in the National League. ERA+: Hoffman, 141. That's really good. 14th all-time, in fact. Rivera, 205. That's highest of any pitcher who ever lived. To put it in perspective just how far and away Rivera is the best, Pedro Martinez is 2nd in ERA+, at 154. But by all means go on, Mr. Saves...

So today without any fear of argument

Again with the "No one dare argue with me, the subject is closed" gambit. Always a secure move. "Vin Diesel is the best actor ever and I fear no challenge because there is no other way to measure this other than how many cars blew up in his movies."

I tell you that today the San Diego Padres retire the number of truly by that benchmark - the only benchmark - the greatest closer in the history of major league baseball."

The sad thing is that Mo is about to pass Hoffman on the all-time saves list - the one metric Leitner thought was safe, and could use to call Hoffman "the best." What, like Mo wasn't going to get another 10 saves or so in his career at that point in August?

Look, I know you were there to honor Trevor Hoffman, but you could have done that by talking about his longevity, how he was beloved by the fans of San Diego for so many years, or how he's among the best of his generation. But you can't just say whatever and not expect to be called on it.

Moneyball

One of my favorite books was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt that opens September 23. While the book was great, I wonder how they'll give it the kind of story arc one would expect from Hollywood. Unnecessary love story for Billy Beane?

I'm going with a Fight Club type twist...BILLY BEANE AND PAUL DEPODESTA WERE THE SAME GUY ALL ALONG!

Also, I wonder if Joe Morgan will pan it without having seen it.

The unease of dealing with aging stars

Things are getting ugly with two Yankee legends, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter. Posada is hitting .183 (with a .672 OPS) as of today, and Jeter is hitting .257 (.636 OPS). These two are the last remaining parts of the Yankee dynasty - along with Mariano Rivera of course - but Mo is as good as ever so doesn’t belong in this discussion.

So, what to do about Posada and Jeter? In a way, the Yanks are in danger of becoming victims of their own success. You can’t just boot a legend out the door, can you? To what point do you let them dictate their final years? As South Park's Funnybot said..."Awkward."

Posada and Jeter gave the Yankees many great seasons that will never be forgotten. But no one owes anybody here - they were paid handsomely for those years, and no one is above the team. I forgot who I first heard say it, but I'll repeat it here: If a legend, rather than a team, was the one to choose when it's time to go, Reggie Jackson would still be playing left field for the Yankees.

I’ve almost accepted the fate that the Yankees are going to miss the playoffs this year, thanks largely in part to Jeter and Posada being so subpar that they’re going to cost the Yankees several wins this season that “league average” players would not have lost in their place. And if these two suddenly go on a tear and play like it’s 1998 again, I’ll be happy to be wrong. But if they don’t recapture their career averages or anything close to them by the end of the season, I hope they’ll do the right thing and retire.

Thanks for the memories guys. But it’s almost time to go.

Side note: Whenever I hear the term “Core Four” used in reference to Rivera, Jeter, Posada, and Andy Pettitte, even now that Pettitte is retired, I always feel like they’re overlooking Bernie Williams. Williams also came up through the Yankees minor league system, was present for all four championships between 1996 and 2000, and played as big a part in winning them as anybody. But unlike Pettitte, Williams didn’t run off to Houston for 3 years with his buddy Roger Clemens (who was totally NAWT a true Yankee).

Colin Curtis: A reminder of why we love sports

A special moment in Phoenix last night, as Yankees rookie Colin Curtis, just called up two days ago, got his first major league hit - an 8th inning two-run double to deep center - in a 9-3 win over Arizona. Curtis is a 2006 4th round pick from Arizona State University who overcame testicular cancer at age 15.

Seeing him earn a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with his family in attendance, just made me think that this is the kind of heartwarming feeling sports can deliver sometimes.

It's good to keep stories like that of Curtis in mind, when hearing about how Albert Haynesworth and his $21 million signing bonus didn't report to Redskins minicamp because they couldn't lure him with a big enough bacon and cheese cart.

Here's to this being the start of a long and prosperous career for Colin Curtis.

Sometimes, you just don't get to gloat, revisited again

Last year, I talked here and here about how the very nature of something slowly fading away, rather than ending with a singular win/loss type of event, robs us of that "gotcha" moment where you'd get to gloat about it to those whose prediction was incorrect.

Well, remember all that panic over how home runs were flying out of the new Yankee Stadium at an alarming pace...like after one week...and how much hand-wringing was done over it? How did that turn out?

On silly baseball superstitions

I've heard about some Yankees fans getting miffed at Joe Buck and Tim McCarver for "jinxing" C.C. Sabathia's no-hitter by mentioning it while it was still going on (before being broken up in the 8th inning). These people aren't serious, are they?

We all know it's not just Yankee fans who follow ridiculous superstitions like this, and not all Yankee fans think alike, just like no other fan base in any sport thinks alike. But still, I have to admit I'm embarrassed. I really hope those who complained were just trying to be cute, ironic, or pay some sort of homage to the game's silly, traditional past. And if they were just joking, well then, as our beloved FJM once said, "I've taken the bait, and it's delicious."

So, if any of these people were indeed serious in thinking announcers can somehow jinx what's happening on the field, I'll offer them this plea: Please stop it. You're making Yankee fans look bad, and you're making yourself look like some 17th century dumbass who would also believe that a sneeze means your spirit is trying to escape, and that left-handed people are evil, and that we need to set people on fire to find out if they're witches.

Long overdue

It was about time they finally made a movie about the life and times of David Eckstein.

No word on when the sequel, entitiled "Grinder," will be released.

Dawson's Creek*

Former Expo, Cub, Red Sox, and Marlin Andre Dawson was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today. With seven seasons of an under .305 OBP (.323 OBP for his career), I'm lukewarm on his selection. Though I think it does give hope to fans of two superior position players of the same era, Tim Raines and Don Mattingly, on their future chances.

*Yes, I realize Dawson's Creek makes no sense in relation to Andre Dawson and is not a clever pun. But really, when am I going to get another chance to title a post thusly?

World Champs!

It is wonderful to see the Yankees win the championship - their 27th - and their first in nine years. It seemed fitting that Pettitte started the game, Rivera came on in relief, and Jeter and Posada played prominent roles, just as it went for many playoff games as this version of the Yankees' dynasty began some 13 years ago.

It was a great series and the Phillies were worthy adversaries, but it was clear that the Yankees were the dominant team. Maybe this team will turn into another branch of the Yankee dynasty, and maybe it won't, but either way I will sure enjoy this one on its own merits.

Regarding the series itself, it is easy to second-guess a manager for decisions or moves that did not work out, but rarely do you hear praise for moves that do. So, a job well done by Joe Girardi on the Yanks' 3-man rotation working out perfectly for the duration of the playoffs.

Also, a tip of the cap to Fox for their excellent coverage. Particularly the isolation on each Yankee player with a different camera, for the final out. I thought that was a really neat touch.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to listening to We Are The Champions on a loop...what was the name of the band who recorded that song again?

Jumping the gun

At about noon yesterday during the Vikings-Steelers game on Fox, the local Phoenix affiliate, Fox 10, ran a promo for their sports show, featuring Jude LaCava.

LaCava: "Coming up on Sports Wrap Up Tonight (or whatever the exact title of the show), it's the Yankees and the Phillies in the World Series. We'll preview the matchup, and blah blah blah..."

Nice and accurate, except for one problem...this was a good five hours before the first pitch of Angels-Yanks ALCS Game 6 was scheduled to be thrown.

So either someone at Fox 10 has a sports almanac telling him the participants of the next 50 World Series that he traveled back in time to give himself, or Jude LaCava didn't want to come in on a Sunday so he recorded recaps of several different versions of things that could happen.

I'm reminded of the old SNL skit where Dana Carvey plays Tom Brokaw, and Brokaw wants to go away for the summer and has to record all kinds of news stories with crazy scenarios, just in case. "Former President Gerald Ford dead today...mauled by a circus lion in a convenience store."

Whew!

What a relief, as the Yankees escaped last night with a 2-0 series lead over the Twins. I think Joe Girardi made a couple of questionable managerial decisions in the game (waiting too long to bring in Rivera, and letting Damaso Marte anywhere near the mound in the playoffs), but those were masked by the dramatic, clutch homers by Rodriguez in the 9th and Teixeira in the 11th.

A sweep sure would be nice. It would remind me of the kind of confidence I had in this team in the late 90s when they'd match up with Texas in the first round and I'd say, "Yeah, they'll take care of these chumps, no problem." In first rounds since, they've either had to sweat it out (Oakland 2001, Minnesota 2004), or were outright upset by a lesser team (Anaheim 2002, Anaheim 2005, Detroit 2006, Cleveland 2007).

Of course, the Angels concern me bigtime, as the Yanks can't seem to beat them even when they are the better team, and the Angels are leading Boston 2-0.

So maybe this newfound Yankee playoff confidence will be short-lived. But, that's what makes playoff baseball so exciting - as Czabe says, it's more random than a game of plinko.

Cheapskates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have cliched their 17th consecutive losing season, setting a record that applies to all major sports. What rubs me the wrong way, is how Pirates' ownership continues to allow the Yankees, and perhaps the Red Sox, Cubs, and Mets as well (I wasn't able to find the official 2009 luxury tax threshold), to subsidize them, while they simply pocket the cash rather than spending it on their team. The Pirates have been "rebuilding" for 17 years now, and make no effort to put a good product on the field. The fans of Pittsburgh really deserve better than this - better than an ownership group that are essentially the welfare queens of sports. It's so blatant it's almost like they're flaunting it. "We're going to take this handout every year, and there's nothing you can do about it." The Marlins and Padres are also notoriously cheap, but at least they make a calculated run at the postseason every 10 years or so.

About a month ago I mentioned what should be done for the next NBA collective bargaining agreement. Here, I'll plead for both the abolition of the luxury tax (as clearly it isn't working - unless you consider making pennypinching owners who don't care about winning rich, working), and the institution of a salary floor. This won't be easy of course - it looks like a maximum of 4 teams pay the luxury tax, while the rest benefit, and most owners would agree to a team salary minimum.

And Hamilton doesn't even have the Chinese following of Yao Ming...

Josh Hamilton, TEX: .298 OBP, .428 SLG, 6 HR, 24 RBI (152 AB), voted to start all-star game.
Alex Rodriguez, NYY: .411 OBP, .548 SLG, 17 HR, 50 RBI (199 AB), not voted into all-star game.

Now, I'm no fool...I know all-star voting is not based solely on statistics. But apparently it's way better to have done cocaine than steroids.

Mariano Rivera Appreciation Day

I would like to take a moment to mention just how awesome Mariano Rivera is. He is so awesome that in the very few times he was not perfect, he was almost a victim of his own awesomeness, due to the fact that we expect him to be perfect.

Rivera recorded his 500th career save (and 1st career RBI) on Sunday against the Mets. But nice, round number aside, we should marvel at him any time, not just when he hits a milestone.

His career statistics are staggering. As of this moment, he has thrown 1054 1/3 innings, with a 2.30 ERA. His dominance of this, a hitters' era, is shown in his career ERA+ of 197. For non stat lovers, this means that over the course of his entire career, his ERA has been about half of the American League average ERA. He has 973 career strikeouts to just 247 walks, and has allowed just 828 hits. (Career WHIP: 1.01.)

It's not out of the question to say that inning-for-inning, in Mariano Rivera we are watching the best pitcher who ever lived. But I'll get into those comparisons another time. The Yankees have won 4 championships during his career. His postseason ERA is 0.77, and if not for his mere three playoff blown saves - 1997 vs. Cleveland, 2001 vs. Arizona, and 2004 vs. Boston (the very fact that I can remember all of them without looking them up also means something) - the Yankees might have 7 rings instead of 4. So, thanks for your awesomeness, Mo.

The best baseball card ever

I visited a sports card store for the first time in about a decade last weekend, and found my new favorite card. Naturally, I took it to an expert, my friend Mike, and he explains everything you need to know about why Upper Deck decided to include Alex Rodriguez in a series called "World Series Heroes" in 2004.

31 other GMs can't be wrong

We've seen several interesting examples this season of players that no one else wanted, signing on for one last chance with the one team who thought they still had something left. So far, Ty Law is looking to be a non-factor with the Jets. Shaun Alexander hung on for just weeks with the Redskins. And Richie Sexson spent about a month with the Yankees. All were examples of low-risk, scrap heap pickups of guys appeared to be nearing the end...who, as it turns out, really are near the end. I guess if nothing else, it's a lesson that often the masses are correct. Sure, sometimes you're the only one who believes in something, and you turn out to be right. But the majority of the time, you can just save yourself the effort, and take cues from others.

Coming up next week: My long awaited (by no one) NFL Season in Review.

Mussina: Lacking in championships, but...

Mike Mussina retired today. I'm going to jump way ahead here and say he should be in the Hall of Fame someday. He never won a championship, and doesn't have 300 wins, two things that will hurt him in the "shortcut" department, but he's still worthy. I don't like to cherry-pick arguments, but I'll compare him to a pitcher who is generally cited as the next pitcher who should be inducted, Jack Morris. Neither were truly dominant for an extended period of time, or won a Cy Young. But Mussina is better than Morris any way you slice it. Morris, the winningest pitcher of the 80s, had a 254-186 record in 18 seasons. Mussina was 270-153, in 18 seasons. 61 percentage points higher, and 16 more wins (sure, Mussina had the Yankee offense behind him for 8 of these seasons, but Morris played for several championship teams.) And obviously wins are overrated for pitchers, but that's what the voters judge by. So, I have to speak their language. You know, "When in Rome..."

Now, in career ERAs, I see as the biggest difference. Morris: 3.90. League average ERA during his career: 4.08. That's a career ERA+ of 105. In other words, Morris was barely better than the league average pitcher for his career. Mussina's career ERA: 3.68. League average ERA: 4.51. ERA+: 123. I'd even go back now and say that Morris played for better teams than Mussina, evident in Morris's .577 winning percentage with a barely above league-average ERA. Of course you can point to the postseason for Morris. He has the 1991 World Series, Game 7, the 10 scoreless innings. That is a great performance in a big spot, that I can't take away. But to put it inperspective, it was one game. His career postseason stats, evenincluding this game, are pedestrian. 3.80 ERA. And his signature game is balanced out by his going 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in thefollowing season's World Series with Toronto. The Jays won in spite of him! Again, Mussina is ringless, but it's no fault of his own. Career postseason ERA: 3.42. And how about his own signature postseason game? 2003 ALCS game 7, when he came in against Boston with the bases loaded and no one out (after that worm Clemens left in the 4th) and threw 3 scoreless innings, keeping the Yanks in the game, and we know what happened from there (thanks Aaron Boone). The next series, against the Marlins, he allowed 1 run in his only start of the series, beating Josh Beckett in game 3. Then in 2004, he left game 5 of the ALCS after 6 innings with a 4-2 lead before the bullpen lost it. Moose's postseason resume is definitely there. Plus, he closed out his career with a 20-win season, another overrated benchmark that sportswriters love.

Anyway, Mike Mussina was really good, and the Yankees have a tough job ahead in replacing him. I'm sure they'll be frugal and responsible about it, and not throw a bunch of money at someone who's not that good...

Pennant race!

What an exciting race between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks for the NL West title! If these teams were in the AL East, they would be in 5th and 6th place, respectively. But whatever, Joe Torre is a genius. The playoffs are the playoffs. (And it is what it is.)

Carl Pavano is awesome

Carl Pavano yesterday won his first start for the Yankees in 16 months. Is it time yet to take back everything I said here? All right, maybe it's still a bit early for that. With the hole the Yanks are in, he's going to have to win a lot more games this season to make a difference.

Yes, I just linked to myself above. And yes, I stole the Yes I just linked to myself concept from my friend Mike.