Thoughts, lists and other compulsive bits about baseball from comedian filmmaker television producer/Red Sox fan Paul Francis Sullivan....
feel free to call him “Sully.”
So the Yankees phenom Phil Hughes has stunk so far this season.
Nothing to be alarmed about... a lot of terrific pitchers start off horribly. Greg Maddux finished up his rookie status with an 8-18 mark and a 5.59 ERA.
Between Tom Glavine's debut in August of 1987 and the end of the 1988 season, he compiled a 9-21 record and a 4.76 ERA.
And not to let their parter in titles get away Scott free... John Smoltz started his career 2-7 with a 5.48 ERA.
All three are going to the Hall of Fame.
Who knows if Hughes will join them, but right now he seems like a guy who is overwhelmed by the pressure and is 0-4 record with a 9.00 ERA and allowing 34 hits and 13 walks in 22 innings (less than 4 innings a start).
The Yankees have only 2 options:
1. Stick with him and gut it out and say "Hey, it's a transition year. There's nothing left for him to do in the minors. These are growing pains."
or
2. Send him to the minors to get his confidence back and to take him out of the glare. He WILL be an ace... he's just not ready yet.
Pretend he is hurt! Yeah... that's it. They aren't sending him down... that would make Prince Hank Steinbrenner even more angry that the Yankees didn't send Hughes to Minnesota for Johan Santana.
We didn't rush him up... he's hurt. Yeah, that's the ticket.
When I read he was being sent down (a day after saying he felt fine) all I could think of was the scene in Caddyshack when Rodney had the ball hit him on the arm while he was playing lousy. I almost expected Hughes to pause awkwardly and say "Ow my arm!"
When someone asks you anything at this point, say "No comment." Did you use 'roids? No comment. Did you have your wife use HGH to look hotter in a Sports Illustrated photo shoot? No comment. Did you have an affair with a 15 year old country singer? No comment.
I know you are a bad ass who never likes to lose, but it's got to the point where if you said "Texas is south of Canada" I'd have a hard time believing you.
And chances are someone will come out of the woodwork to prove otherwise.
I love that Roger denied having an affair with then 15 year old Mindy McCready and when asked, McCready confirmed it faster than Clemens chucked that bat at Piazza.
Rocket... dude. A 15 year old? Are you truly a combination of Nolan Ryan and Humbert Humbert?
What there weren't enough hot girls hanging around Harvard Square for you?
Good luck with that defamation of character suit.
On the plus side, I'm sure this will help Mindy McCready's record sales.
The first place Tampa Bay Rays went into Baltimore to play the Orioles, who are also in first place.
Read that sentence again. Trust me it was strange to type.
Yeah I know it is early... but not THAT early. It's April... but it's late April. If the Orioles sweep the Rays, they will go into May no worse than tied for first place.
If you told me that the Rays and Orioles would be tied for first at any point in the season, I would have assumed they were both 1-0.
Man... if both the Rays and Orioles are actually good, what would that do to the Yankees and Red Sox who need those 18 games against Tampa and 18 against Baltimore to beef up their win total.
Well, this is a clash of titans... without that strange mechanical owl.
Man I love winning 1-0 games in the bottom of the 9th. I love seeing Lester out duel Halladay and I love seeing Youk come up big in the 9th. I love seeing Lowell back in the line up. I love knowing that with a win by Dice-K, the Defending World Champion Boston Red Sox will be at worst tied for first going into May.
So naturally I was talking with some of my Red Sox pals about the team and we determined that we needed bullpen help.
Timlin has an ERA floating in the 13's, Javier Lopez is a left hander who can't get left handers out and Julian Tavarez is a human white flag.
Now keep in mind we know that the Sox have a great closer in Papelbon. And a great lefty set up man in Okajima. And we know new comer David Aardsma is doing well. And Manny DelCarmen was doing well until pitching poorly his last 3 games, but he should rebound.
Also remember that Varitek has gotten some big hits and is handling the starting staff perfectly... Youk continues to hit... Pedroia has been a spark plug and made a great defensive play last night... Lugo of all people has gotten some hits... Lowell is back... Manny might win the MVP... Ellsbury is putting some hits together after a slow start... Drew has slowed down but still is capable of some pop... Crisp is playing great D and his average is hovering around .300... Ortiz seems to be out of his slump... Cash and the kid Lowrie have given them some depth off of the bench... And the rotation of Beckett, Dice-K, Lester, Buchholz and even Wakefield have been getting the job done.
So what were we complaining about?
We were complaining that the 5th, 6th and 7th options out of the bullpen weren't to our liking.
That is being very greedy.
And we Sox fans had better get used to seeing at least Timlin and Tavarez. Timlin seems like a good clubhouse guy and with a lot of young pitchers on the staff, it pays to have a veteran in the pen... even one with a 13 ERA.
As for Tavarez... he's Manny's buddy. And with Manny hitting the way he is, I want him as happy as possible.
Oh well... maybe I can find peace thinking 22 of the 25 on the roster can contribute!
I was reading the live blog of tonight's Yankee game at my favorite Yankee blog, the Newsday Blog that is usually written by Kat O'Brien.
Well today my pals there were in rare form. They were cursing and spewing venom towards one particular Yankee in general....
A-Rod? Not today (It's not October yet.) Jeter? Please. He can do no wrong! Cashman for putting Joba in the pen? Phil Hughes and his 0-4 record? Mussina for being toast?
Nope, the anger was pointed directly at the head of Chris Stewart.
Now unless you are a member of the Stewart family, I can only guess your reaction to the previous sentence was "who?"
Well, with Posada hurt and Chad Moeller designated for assignment less than 10 days after killing the Red Sox, the Yankees needed a catcher to back up Jose Molina.
So up from Scranton came this poor schmuck with 23 games of big league experience under his belt... all with the White Sox and Rangers. He's a 26 year old catcher playing for his third team in as many seasons... clearly not the next Johnny Bench. Essentially a warm body to make sure all the pitches don't hit the ump square on the chest.
3 innings into the game, with Phil Hughes getting rocked, the buzz on the Newsday board was replacing Stewart in mid game (always a confidence booster) who could the Yankees trade for... who is available... should they sign Mike Piazza... Doug Mirabelli...
I asked if maybe they could let the guy catch a big league game before feeding him to the wolves... or at least make it to the 4th inning before declaring his career dead.
Enjoy your time in New York, Mr. Stewart. You've already become a villain and you've been there one day!
The Rays removed the Devil from their name... and next thing you know the team whose name was synonymous with a bottom dwelling fish looks like an actual team now!
Now they swept us... with pitching and timely hitting. With the Orioles playing well and a post exorcism Tampa Bay, where are the tomato cans of this division?
Look, I understand we're not supposed to stretch pitchers out. I understand young pitchers need to be treated like Fabrege Eggs.
But why the hell didn't Justin Masterson start the 7th inning? This isn't a second guess. I was yelling this at the screen inbetween the 6th and 7th.
Think about all the positives that could have happened with a win yesterday:
- A series win over the Angels... always good to beat contenders. - A series win where Varitek, Beckett, Youk and Dice-K all had to sit out with the flu. (Seriously, get some Day Quil and suit up!) - A series win where David Pauley starts one of the games. - A series win where Coco Crisp comes back and contributes to the offense. - A series win where Papi's bat has completely caught fire. - And oh yeah... a series win that includes a solid debut by rookie Justin Masterson.
Holy crap, the team is loading up on the young pitchers! Buchholz, Lester, Papelbon, DelCarmen and now Masterson!
The kid was throwing a 2 hitter and getting out of the few jams he found himself in. And yeah, anyone expecting him to do better than 6 innings 1 run is greedy... but let's be greedy?
Send him out there to face Kotchman. If he let's up a homer... fine, take him out and get a standing ovation.
But Francona has been going to the Lopez, DelCarmen and Timlin well almost every night. Let the kid pitch and see what happens! What are you saving him for? He was already back in a Portland uniform by the end of the 7th inning.
Instead Lopez comes in and does his best Mark Clear impersonation and walks the only two he faces and DelCarmen makes sure the bases are loaded with nobody out for Okajima.
Then the game falls apart and all the positives are flushed down the toilet.
Everyone talks about preserving the arms of the rotation... but what about the bullpen? I'd rather see the starter wiggle out of a jam or two and get his 5 days rest instead of expecting the pen to throw 3 to 4 innings a night.
Anyway, hope to see Masterson up again soon. I like these young arms.
I'll say it. I've missed George Steinbrenner. He made Yankee hating so easy and so much fun.
Yeah he was an arrogant A-Hole. Yeah he was guilty of shady dealings with Nixon and hiring private investigators to get dirt on Dave Winfield. Yeah I'm sure he was awful to work for.
But do you know what?
He was also fun... from a distance at least.
It was fun seeing how predictable he was. It was fun seeing how you could set your watch to when he would fire a manager... or a pitching coach... or chew out his best player. It was fun thinking about him watching Patton over and over again
And in the end he was a big kid playing with the biggest set of toys. And despite the fact the he was probably in person a repugnant human being... he also had fun with his personality.
You can never accuse George of not having a sense of humor about himself. He did those Miller Lite ads with Billy Martin (Martin's suit should be in Cooperstown)
He also appeared on SNL, he was practically the only good thing in The Scout, he seemed to get a kick out of being a character on Seinfeld and those Visa ads he did with Jeter and the other one with Torre were pretty funny.
Steinbrenner evidently was a pro wrestling fan and he understood the need to have a good villain. He seemed to relish being the bad guy and in his own logic he was helping the team with his rants, his tinkering with the manager and gobbling up super star players.
In fact during Joe Torre's run from 1996-2001 when the Yankees could do no wrong, you almost got the sense that Steinbrenner was chomping at the bit. He wanted to make big splashy moves but the team was winning... the stadium was full and the Yankee dynasty was reborn. But Torre was getting the credit.
When Rivera collapsed in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, Steinbrenner said "There are going to be some changes for next year."
And the old Steinbrenner emerged briefly with gobbling up Giambi, Matsui, Sheffield and A-Rod.
But over the last few years, George has faded into the background. George is obviously sick and fading... and chances are he is sicker than the Yankees are letting on.
The public appearances have dwindled and the only public opinions are expressed in carefully released press statements that were clearly written by subordinates. Yeah it's funny to hear Mike and the Mad Dog read them with the Patton music playing.
But I missed the rage... I missed the spontaneity. At one point after watching The Bronx is Burning I thought maybe the Yankees should just hire Oliver Platt to play Steinbrenner in press conferences.
George now stays in Tampa sheltered from the press. Some people compare the situation to Weekend at Bernies. I think it is more like the Diving Bell and the Butterfly with George watching the games but unable to do anything about it.
Like Lear, Steinbrenner's kingdom is being split up. First it was going to go to his son in law Steve Swindal, but as I said earlier, he turned out to be even stupider than Carlo in The Godfather.
He has two daughters, but King George isn't going to hand the keys over to them... this is a man's job. (Not my opinion, no angry e mails please.)
There's Hal Steinbrenner, last seen hogging the stage after the 1996 World Series from Bob Watson. He evidently isn't a big baseball guy.
And finally there is Hank. Evidently Hank watched those old clips of his dad and said "I can do that!" He's been in charge for less than one season and already he has run a Hall of Fame manager out of town.
Now he is screaming to have Joba moved from the bullpen to the rotation... now. As if making the switch from the pen to the rotation is so simple. As if the Yankees have an army of relievers who can nail down the 8th inning.
And he is saying Mike Mussina needs to pitch like Jamie Moyer. No doubt he said that because he just saw Jamie Moyer pitch and probably would recognize Jamie Moyer if he showed up in full uniform.
Rejoice Yankee haters! There's a new Steinbrenner in town! And the proud tradition of front office meddling could last for 2 more generations.
Now why do I want Hank to be the next George? Because a meddling Steinbrenner running the show is the worst thing to happen to the Yankees.
I can hear people saying "What are you talking about, Sully? The Steinbrenners sign all of those superstars and win all of those titles."
Well let me say something that will no doubt make my many Yankee friends shake their heads:
The worst thing to happen to the Yankees for nearly 20 years was winning the 1978 World Series.
This isn't left over angst from a Red Sox fan (even though I will NEVER forgive Don Zimmer.)
The Yankees won the AL Pennant in 1976 due mainly to the creative trades by GM Gabe Paul (all he did was trade for Chris Chambliss, Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles, Lou Piniella, Micky Rivers, Oscar Gamble, Ed Figeroa, Dock Ellis and Dick Tidrow... not bad.) But George got the credit for bringing in Catfish Hunter.
The Yankees won the World Series in 1977 when George brought in Reggie and rode Billy and Gabe Paul all season.
In 1978, Gabe Paul had enough and quit. And George brought in a big free agent (Goose Gossage) to replace a Cy Young award winner (Sparky Lyle). He rode Martin even harder and then fired him in midseason... and of course the Yankees went on their great run, beat the greatest Red Sox team to not make the playoffs and won the World Series again.
So what could be wrong with that? I'll tell you. Steinbrenner always looked at 1978 as the example of his meddling being productive. "It worked in 1978." So the manager position kept being changed. The coaches were moved around. The GMs were fired. Big players were trashed publically and signed and dealt with no rhyme or reason.
During the 1988 season, the Yankees had Don Mattingly at first and Jack Clark at DH. Steinbrenner dealt young Jay Buhner for another DH Ken Phelps... who literally had no position to play. Don Mattingly, the best defensive first baseman in baseball had to play games in left field.
From 1979 to 1993 the Yankees made 16 managerial changes.
From 1982 to 1993, the Yankees spent more money than any team and never once made the post season.
Yankee fans love George now... forgetting the George Must Go chants of the early 1990s when the Yankees were losing (yet still signing big free agents like Danny Tartabull) and Yankee Stadium was attracting 15,000 a night.
In fact the latest Yankee dynasty was formed when Steinbrenner was suspended from baseball allowing Gene Michael to piece together young players like Pettite, Posada, Rivera, Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter (whom Steinbrenner wanted to trade to Florida for Bryan Harvey.)
A new Steinbrenner meddling could lead to yet another decade of big priced free agents, a merry go round of managers, prospects like Willie McGee and Jose Rijo shining for other teams and who knows? Maybe another decade of quiet Octobers in the Bronx.
So I think I speak for all Yankee haters as the team moves to the new stadium next year when I ask...
Call me crazy, and I've been called worse, but I personally think Frank Thomas could play a big part in determining the AL West race.
Bear with me.
The Blue Jays determined after 16 games and 60 at bats that it was time to cut the future Hall of Famer leaving up out there to sign, almost free of charge.
Now it is true he is off to a crappy start (10 for 60 stinks for anyone in the business) and he blasted management for sitting him (and possibly costing him an option.)
Well guess what? He is available and the man who finished 4th in the 2006 AL MVP voting and got some MVP votes last season can be plugged into any line up.
And he'll have a big chip on his big shoulder! Think he'll won't want to prove Toronto wrong?
And even if he won't produce as well as he did last season, his prescence in the lineup should improve the pitches for the guy batting ahead of him
Where should he go?
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
Man, I still think that is a stupid name. Why can't they just be the California Angels? Oh well...
PROS: All last year they needed more pop in their lineup to protect Vlad Guererro. Well here's a cheap and dangerous solution. He would flourish in the relaxed California... sorry I mean Anaheim... whoops I mean Los Angeles of Anaheim sun. And playing for a team certain to be playing meaningful games in September should provide even more incentive if that is possible. Plus Gary Matthews Jr and Juan Rivera aren't exactly the most terrifying DHs in the league.
CONS: The Angels have too many outfielders as it is. They need to find at bats for Garret Anderson, Torii Hunter, Vlad Guerrero, Gary Matthews Jr, Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits... and throwing the Big Hurt in the mix means 2 of them would basically be wasting on the bench. And the Angels problem isn't necessarily their bats but their suddenly depleted and hittable bullpen.
OAKLAND A'S:
PROS The A's are off to a surprising start but have very little pop in their line up. Mike Sweeney is the every day DH and Jack Cust hasn't shown the same power from last year. Putting the Big Hurt in the line up could give the A's that potential sense of doom lurking on deck that just isn't there now. Besides, Thomas played for the A's in 2006 when they got to the ALCS and finished 4th in the AL MVP votes. Plus he will come cheap... which will suit Billy Beane just fine.
CONS Not many. Maybe he didn't leave on good terms with the A's or maybe Billy Beane is really going to rely on the DH Platoon of Jack Cust and Mike Sweeney.
SEATTLE MARINERS
PROS Jose Vidro is the Mariners' DH. Let me repeat that in case you missed it. The Mariners, a legitmate pennant contender, is using Jose Vidro as their designated hitter. Also their right fielder is Brad Wilkerson. In other words two of their power spots are being filled by automatic outs. Nobody questioned the Mariners pitching going into this season but the offense was a source of concern. Why not just plug in the Big Hurt?
CONS Nobody questioned the pitching before the season... but now new ace Eric Bedard is on the DL as is All Star closer J. J. Putz. Suddenly fixing the once strong staff has to take priority.
So there are my thoughts... Frankly (no pun intended) he needs to go to either Oakland or Seattle... unless the Angels snatch him up to keep him away from the other two.
I spent this morning with my kids playing in the playground and taking them to lunch at the terrific Palo Alto Cafe...
It is a beautiful day today, not a day to be inside listening to the XM. But I was listening to the game in the car on the way to the cafe and the Red Sox were losing 5-0 in the 7th... and like the other day, I didn't feel nervous.
After lunch and taking a nice walk with my boys we got back in the car... and of course the Red Sox scored 6 runs and won 6-5.
Maybe I'm just getting cocky... but right now I just think they are going to win every night.
I need to remember this post for later in the year when they inevitably start slumping.
As a sports fan, this is the second coolest time of the year to sit down and watch TV.
The best time will always be October and seeing playoff baseball. But watching baseball and the NBA playoffs and Stanley Cup playoffs all at once is a close second.
So today I had 3 hockey games, 4 basketball games and 3 baseball games to choose from.
Now seeing that I live in the Bay Area, you'd think one of the games I'd be able to see would be the surprising Oakland A's playing the equally surprising Kansas City Royals in Oakland at 1 PM.
If you thought that, you'd be wrong. Oh I could watch the Dodgers and Braves play... and the White Sox and Rays play (always a tradition filled game.)
But a baseball game played 40 minutes across the Bay from my house was not shown. It said right there in the schedule... No TV.
That makes no sense to me. No TV should be said to my kids when they are acting up, not to a Major League team.
I have 400 someodd channels on my cable system. Kick that replay of the poorly miked Mountain View City Council meeting off the air and show the A's!
Last year I expressed my disbelief over the lack of TV coverage. And my buddy Liam tried to do something about it on The Nosebleeds...
But the A's have nearly one game a week not on the air! Next week they have two non televised games.
And this isn't a new thing either... in 2006 the A's won a wild game against the Angels when Frankie Rodriguez missed the ball being thrown back from the catcher. And it wasn't on TV! That A's team got all the way to the ALCS and still can't get all of their games on the air.
If this was happening in Boston, there would be death on the streets. If this was happening in New York, someone would compare it to September 11th.
Where is the outrage? I need to hear it from passionate A's fans. The product is a good team so far and I know there are loyal fans out there.
What about Ken Arneson at Catfish Stew? Are you going to take being second class citizens?
There are hundreds of people posting at Athletics Nation every day... so why aren't they screaming at Comcast to show the games?
Let me hear from you. I know you fans can be passionate. I've been in the Collesium for 3 different Red Sox/A's playoff games and I know you love your A's.
I checked the scores before having dinner with my wife, kids, my parents and my cousins Josh and Julie tonight.
It was a family dinner night... not a night to be glued to the XM or the Yahoo Sports ticker, but I needed to know how my boys did before sitting down for the meal I helped cook.
Sox were losing 3-2 in the 8th inning. And no part of me was worried. I sat down for dinner thinking "We'll win it."
In years past seeing that score would make me shake my head and murmur something like "f---ing Lester. Can't you beat the Rangers?"
But now I am the product of seeing my team win 2 of the last 4 World Series. The gland that produced instant negativity is no longer as productive.
And lo and behold when I was clearing the table, I checked the scores again. Sox won.
I thought "I bet Manny hit one out." And he did.
I know it is early, but it is nice having this confidence in my team. It makes the need to check scores during family dinners less urgent.
... then you had better remember the catch Torii Hunter made to end the game last night.
Richie Sexson hit what was going to be his third homer of the game, this one giving the Mariners the lead with two outs in the 9th... and Hunter pulled it back and won the game for the Angels.
I know it isn't Red Sox-Yankees... but Angel/Mariner games this year will go a long way to determine the AL West.
Torii Hunter got into a minor car accident before the game... and went 3-4 with 3 runs batted in and a game saving catch.
If I were Mike Scoiscia I run my car into him before every game!
This is the 16th season since Sid Bream slid past Spanky LaVailliere's tag and crush the Pirates' dreams of the 1992 National League pennant.
If you were born that night you'd almost have your driver's license now. And if you factor in that your don't really follow baseball closely day to day until your turn 6 or 7, think about this:
You can be a 23 year old Pittsburgh Pirates fan and have NEVER seen your team play .500 ball!
Now as I wrote last year... there is no excuse for the 15 year slide. None. Not payroll, not market, not ownership.
If the Expos could have winning seasons in 2002 and 2003 even though they didn't even have an owner, then the Pirates could have snuck in an 82-80 season along the way.
So I have a question for you Pirates fans out there... How do you do it?
And let me say I've always liked the Pirates. My first World Series memories was watching Pops Stargell beating up the Orioles to the tune of Sister Sledge.
But that was a long time ago.
When I was a kid, the Red Sox went on a stretch where they didn't contend...
But they had exciting players like Lynn, Fisk, Rice and Evans. They had links to the past like Yaz and hope for the future like Boggs, Gedman and Clemens.
And eventually they won the 1986 AL Pennant.
What fond memories do young Pirate fans have? Forget We Are Fam-A-Lee... I'm sure young Pirate fans don't even remember Bonilla, Bonds, Van Slyke and Drabek!
Forget Dave the Cobra Parker and John Candelaria. The memories of pre hooker Denny Neagle are faint.
And be honest... do you grind your teeth knowing Marlins fans have won 2 World Series since Bream scored?
So seriously... Pirates fans 22 and younger... what are your memories? Who were your favorite players? What makes you a die hard Bucs fan?
Clearly I know you have great Steeler memories of the Super Bowl and the Penguins have a real shot at the cup... and even if they don't, you can build memories of Sidney Crosby.
But which Pirate poster did you have growing up? Jason Kendall? Kris Benson? Todd Ritchie?
Which games were your fondest baseball memories?
What I am saying is, if you are a Pirate fan who only knows the post Barry Bonds years... then you are as good and as loyal a fan as possible.
So write in... tell me your favorite memories of the post Bonds era... and tell me those of you who don't shiver at the name Francisco Cabrera why you love your team.
Manny hits two bombs, J. D. continues to hit and Beckett shows exactly what an ace is supposed to do.
Oh we lost a crappy game to the Yankees and had to wear out our bullpen? I'll just throw 8 solid innings and shut them down.
So we have a 3-2 lead in the season series with the Yankees... which is important. The Yankees won the season series 10-9 in 2005 and that's why they were the division champs that year even though they had the same record as the Red Sox.
Kudos to Kyle Farnsworth for brushing Manny back. Savor that moment, Kyle. It's the last time Yankee fans will cheer you.
Meanwhile... on April 18th of last year the Red Sox took over first place for good. This year the Red Sox are in first place on their own a day earlier... 1/2 a game ahead of Baltimore.
I know it is early...but THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 146!!!!
So the Yankees phenom Phil Hughes has stunk so far this season.
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