ENNUI

Two starters of the same age (through August 19): -Pitcher A:...

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 12:21:00 -0400

Two starters of the same age (through August 19):

-Pitcher A: 15-4, 2.89 ERA, 168.1 innings pitched, 54 earned runs, 16 homers allowed, 38 walks, 1.04 WHIP, 133 ERA+ and two shutouts.

-Pitcher B: 12-8, 2.96 ERA, 167 innings pitched, 55 earned runs, 17 homers allowed, 38 walks, 1.12 WHIP, 143 ERA+ and two shutouts.

They say that you can find anything and everything on the...

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 21:08:00 -0400

They say that you can find anything and everything on the internets (pour some out for Ted Stevens), but I had probably searched for this hundreds of times over the last decade-plus.

I was obsessed with the then-WWF during the early ’90s and fortunate enough to have an aunt (and future uncle) who worked there. When they needed a child to play “Little Crush” before the wrestler ~~started fighting~~ got introduced into the storyline, the choice was obvious. There were three or four of these vignettes and they aired on Saturday mornings before I had to leave for soccer.

To this day, most of my issues can be traced back to my brush with child stardom.

It has recently come to my attention that many people are still...

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:01:00 -0400

It has recently come to my attention that many people are still unaware of this and I’m on a mission to civilize. What if she was a bit fitter?

Started to vent write about Jeremy Lin and the Knicks a few...

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:34:00 -0400

Started to ~~vent~~ write about Jeremy Lin and the Knicks a few weeks ago, but I hit a mental roadblock and gave up (as is usually the case). Music is much easier. ‘Home’ > ‘Homecoming.’

So discreet. My love for Francesa is well-known.

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 08:32:00 -0500

So discreet. My love for Francesa is well-known.

Congratulations to the Texas Rangers, who have simultaneously...

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 23:47:00 -0400

Congratulations to the Texas Rangers, who have simultaneously repeated as American League champions while defying conventional wisdom. As we all know, the postseason is about starting pitching:

Number of Outs Recorded
18 (6 innings): Colby Lewis (ALDS Game 3), C.J. Wilson (ALCS Game 5)
17 (5.2 innings): Colby Lewis (ALCS Game 3)
15 (5 innings): C.J. Wilson (ALDS Game 1), Derek Holland (ALDS Game 2), Matt Harrison (ALDS Game 4 and ALCS Game 4)
14 (4.2 innings): C.J. Wilson (ALCS Game 1), Derek Holland (ALCS Game 6)
8 (2.2 innings): Derek Holland (ALCS Game 2)

Wilson, Holland, Lewis and Harrison have combined for a 5.62 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 2.54 HR/9 in 10 starts.

In tribute to Martin Scorsese’s excellent documentary on...

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:46:00 -0400

In tribute to Martin Scorsese’s excellent documentary on George Harrison, here is an early version of ‘Something.’

It’s fitting that after all of the consternation about...

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:04:00 -0400

It’s fitting that after all of the consternation about starting pitching, the offense was ultimately the Yankees’ undoing in Game 5 of the ALDS against Detroit (“You can’t predict baseball, Suzyn! You just can’t!”). The Yanks, the team that posted the best run differential in baseball since 2007, bowed out in the first round for the fourth time in their last six playoff appearances. A-Rod struck out to end another season, setting off the first unwelcomed October celebration at the new stadium.

I’ve often contended that, despite its relative simplicity, no sport is misunderstood by the masses more than baseball. It has the largest sample size, requires the most patience and usually isn’t a good fit for the 24-hour world of instantaneous analysis that we inhabit. Some stuff is generally hard to explain: late-season collapses, quality pitches that become bloopers, Enrique Wilson’s success against Pedro Martinez, random dominance by subpar pitchers, etc. Therefore, I’ve always been wary of drawing definitive conclusions when boiling 162 games down to five in October. However, that’s part of the blessing/curse of being a Yankee fan: portions of the regular season can feel like exhibition games when the playoffs have become akin to manifest destiny.

Confession: at no point during this season did I feel confident that the Yankees were going to win the World Series. Even as they claimed the AL East crown over the greatest professional team ever assembled, clinched homefield advantage and made preparations for the playoffs, it never seemed like the starting pitching was where it needed to be. While the 2006 Cardinals forever changed the way that I view October baseball, and the lineup and bullpen were definitely ring-worthy, it was mostly uncertainty beyond CC. Amazingly, even more questions surrounded the Yanks’ rotation than last postseason.

Statistically-speaking, the rotation was better than it was in 2009. Sure, Colon and Garcia tailed off to varying degrees down the stretch, but four pitchers with an ERA+ over 110 in the AL East isn’t something that can be dismissed. You could also make a case that the lineup and bullpen were better than their previous championship squad, but like many of the post-2003 Bombers, the composition of the pitching staff seemed better suited for 162 games than a short postseason series.

As a whole, there are much better metrics for measuring pitchers than quality starts. After all, the minimum (six innings, three earned runs) is equivalent to what is usually a league-average ERA. However, it’s telling when it comes to the Yankees’ recent postseasons:

1995: 0 quality starts in 5 games
1996: 5 quality starts in 15 games (Cone - 2, Pettitte - 2, Key - 1)
1997: 1 quality start in 5 games (Wells)
1998: 9 quality starts in 13 games (Wells - 3, Pettitte - 2, Cone - 2, Hernandez - 2)
1999: 10 quality starts in 12 games (Hernandez - 4, Pettitte - 2, Clemens - 2, Cone - 2)
2000: 8 quality starts in 16 games (Pettitte - 4, Hernandez - 2, Clemens - 2)
2001: 9 quality starts in 17 games (Pettitte - 3, Mussina - 3, Clemens - 2, Hernandez - 1)
2002: 0 quality starts in 4 games
2003: 13 quality starts in 17 games (Pettitte - 4, Mussina - 3, Clemens - 3, Wells - 3)
2004: 5 quality starts in 11 games (Mussina - 2, Lieber - 2, Brown - 1)
2005: 2 quality starts in 5 games (Wang - 1, Chacon - 1)
2006: 1 quality start in 4 games (Wang)
2007: 1 quality start in 4 games (Pettitte)
2009: 11 quality starts in 15 games (Sabathia - 5, Burnett - 3, Pettitte - 3)
2010: 5 quality starts in 9 games (Sabathia - 2, Pettitte - 2, Hughes - 1)
2011: 1 quality start in 5 games (Sabathia/Nova)*
(*It’s technically zero, but CC and Nova combined for a quality start in Game 1)

‘Team fares better when it has good pitching’ isn’t exactly a revolutionary notion, but it illustrates the point: aside from 2009, the Yanks have mostly failed to replicate the starts that they received from ‘96-‘03 (as an aside, I know I’m in the minority, but that’s how I define the most recent ‘dynasty’). During that eight-postseason stretch, quality starts translated to a 46-9 record for Torre’s teams (and five of those nine losses occurred in ‘03). The retirement of Pettitte, one of the most reliable clutch pitchers in team history who accounted for five quality starts over the last two Octobers, only heightened the uncertainty. In fact, the following Yankees have tabulated the most quality starts in the playoffs since 2004:

Sabathia - 7.5
Pettitte - 6
Burnett - 3
Lieber -2
Mussina - 2
Wang - 2
Brown - 1
Chacon - 1
Hughes - 1
Nova - .5

Not exactly a list that inspired confidence (aside from the top two). In terms of changes for 2012, Posada’s $13.1 million will come off of the books. Assuming this really is the end of the line for him, then he went out in a blaze of glory based upon the WPA for this series:

Posada .272
Burnett .204
Nova .189
Gardner .181
Granderson .117
Robertson .093
Soriano .090
Logan .074
Rivera .050
Hughes .043
Nunez .033
Wade .025
Montero .012
Dickerson .000
Ayala -.019
Chavez -.044
Martin -.045
Cano -.065
Teixeira -.082
Jones -.102
Garcia -.117
Rodriguez -.249
Sabathia -.262
Jeter -.433
Swisher -.464

I think Posada is the most underappreciated Yankee of my lifetime. While A-Rod is obviously deserving of criticism for another disappointing postseason performance, it is (predictably) not being applied proportionally. Though, banged up or not, WPA indicates that this was the second-worst postseason of his Yankee career:

2009: 1.664 (ALDS: .809, ALCS: .525, WS: .330)
2004: 1.268 (ALDS: 1.199, ALCS: .069)
2005: -.118
2010: -.120 (ALDS: -.093, ALCS: -.027)
2007: -.150
2011: -.249
2006: -.283
Total: 2.012

More than half of his postseason plate appearances as a Yankee have occurred in 2004 and 2009, so there is a bit of dramatization to the discussion of A-Rod’s October futility, but no one can deny that it was another underwhelming output. As for Swisher, he has now had an even 100 playoff PAs in pinstripes:

.160/.257/.330
16 hits
12 walks
28 strikeouts

Yikes. Despite that, I would be surprised if the team doesn’t pick his option up (and if Cashman isn’t the one who is making those decisions). Expect for Sabathia to opt out, but re-up and remain in the Bronx. Will Sterling and Waldman return? That is the most pressing question on all of our minds.

For the most part, the lineup should look the same. It is obvious that the organization doesn’t trust Montero behind the plate, so look for Martin to be brought back. Unless he’s dealt for a pitcher (which I really hope doesn’t happen aside from a few exceptions), Jesus will probably share time at DH with A-Rod, Jeter and other veterans who need half-days off.

But what about the rotation? It would be nice to find a true two (or 1A) this offseason. With all of the pitching depth in the system, imagine if Nova was being relied upon as a three in 2012. Also, despite a lost season, I maintain hope that Hughes’ right arm will come back to life someday. Plus, Joba can be plugged into the rotation once he recovers from Tommy John surgery (please tip your waiters).

Assuming that CC returns, Girardi currently has Sabathia, Burnett, Hughes, Nova and Noesi under contract in 2012. It’s doubtful that Banuelos, Betances or Brackman will get a serious look after Spring Training, and while Cashman might be able to find more reclamation success stories like Colon and Garcia on the scrap heap, is there anyone who will be able to separate and elevate in September and October?

Girardi’s over-managing can be frustrating, but he seems to handle New York and players’ personalities well. Plus, he is adept at not burning his bullpen out over the course of a regular season. Though he received some criticism for pulling Nova after two innings in Game 5 (especially before the injury was known), seven frames of mixing and matching only resulted in one run. I had a problem with some of his decisions in Game 2, particularly pinch-hitting for Gardner with Chavez and letting Ayala pitch the ninth. Every playoff game should be treated as a must-win. It’s easy to judge choices of this nature in hindsight, but neither move made much sense to me at the time.

When you look at the big picture, the Yanks are in much better position as an organization than they were following many of their recent early exits (I’d contend that the worst time was when A-Rod opted out of his deal on the night when the Red Sox won the World Series in ‘07). While there are undoubtedly some bad contracts on the payroll, the Yankees are able to absorb signings that would cripple other franchises. Who knows what to expect from Burnett or Soriano moving forward. While Jeter was able to rebound and have an impressive 2011 campaign (.297/.355/.388), he struggled to make much of an impact against righties (.277/.329/.338). I’d still like to see him at or near the top of the lineup against lefties (.349/.423/.523), but it’s hard to make a case for him to continue on as the automatic leadoff hitter (which was the case in 96 of his 131 starts). The idea that A-Rod’s contract is an albatross shouldn’t be anything new, but more time at DH will keep him fresh and prevent undue breaking down.

Regardless, it will be an interesting offseason. It always is when Yankeeland falls short.

"…(T)he fatiguing situation we have now with seven semi-announced candidates a year and a half..."

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:04:00 -0400

“…(T)he fatiguing situation we have now with seven semi-announced candidates a year and...

Took a ride down the street to watch Phil Hughes’ rehab...

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 10:01:00 -0400

Took a ride down the street to watch Phil Hughes’ rehab start for Double-A Trenton against the New Britain Rock Cats last night. After seeing that Hughes would be pitching here earlier in the week via Twitter, I was able to get a seat in the fourth row over the Thunder’s dugout (for $15 - got to love minor league baseball), so I had a decent vantage point (despite the shoddy picture produced by my old iPhone’s camera).

Hughes’ first: groundout to third, flyout to right (to the warning track) and lineout to left.
Hughes’ second: flyout to right (medium depth), groundout to second and strikeout (looking).
Hughes’ third: flyout to right (shallow), double in the gap in right, walk (on four pitches), strikeout (looking) and fielder’s choice (6-4).
Hughes’ fourth: walk, strikeout (looking), single (off 2b’s glove) and RBI single (ss couldn’t get the ball out of his glove).

Hughes departed with one out in the fourth (after his 70-pitch limit had been exceeded) with a line of three hits, one run (earned), two walks and three strikeouts on 72 pitches (42 strikes). Some thoughts:

-Hughes was hitting 93 and 94 on the stadium gun in the first two innings, but he consistently sat at 91 and 92 for most of the outing (which I believe is similar to what happened in his first rehab start).
-Couldn’t differentiate between cutters and two-seamers, but those were around 88-89 for most of the night.
-Hughes’ curve seemed fairly sharp, but I can only recall it getting a couple of swings and misses and he was definitely struggling to locate it. Threw much more off-speed stuff as his outing went along, even mixing in a few changeups.
-The double in the third and the long flyout in the first were the only balls that the Rock Cats hit particularly hard, but they were able to foul a lot of pitches off.

Conclusion: it’s too early to tell if Hughes’ apparent lower velocity is an indication of more fatigue issues or just a result of needing to rebuild arm strength after not pitching for so long (can’t imagine the cold and damp weather helped him get loose, either). However, I’d chalk it up as a mostly positive outing, as he was still able to get a number of swings and misses late despite lacking his best command.

Photo

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:31:00 -0400

Don’t know how I’d classify ‘Nostalgia,...

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 11:24:00 -0500

Don’t know how I’d classify ‘Nostalgia, Ultra’ in terms of a genre (I went with R&B in my iTunes library), but it’s definitely worth a listen. Simplest explanation: ‘808s & Heartbreak’ with less auto-tune and grief, and more samples of MGMT, The Eagles, Coldplay and Radiohead (albeit very briefly). Frank Ocean put the entire album online, so it’s free and not too hard to find.

Das Racist: underrated in the game like Mark Ruffalo.

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:06:00 -0500

Das Racist: underrated in the game like Mark Ruffalo.

"At Beck University, he offers a course titled “Presidents You Should Hate.” Part one..."

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:17:00 -0500

“At Beck University, he offers a course titled “Presidents You Should Hate.” Part...

“There’s one road to the morning/There’s one...

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:38:14 -0500

“There’s one road to the morning/There’s one road to the truth/There’s one road back to civilization/But there’s no road back to you.”

Listen, you can make an argument that other Christmas/holiday...

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 21:29:00 -0500

Listen, you can make an argument that other Christmas/holiday songs are on the same level as this, but I will literally fight anyone who thinks they can top it.

10 for 2010

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 21:17:30 -0500

We’re rapidly approaching the end of December. You know what that means: it’s time for...

Warning: Ben Folds’ cover of this Dr. Dre classic is rated...

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:16:00 -0500

Warning: Ben Folds’ cover of this Dr. Dre classic is rated NC-17. It’s more than five years old at this point, but it was stuck in my head when I woke up this morning, so it’s your problem now.

The fact that the Knicks aren’t embarrassing anymore warms...

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:42:00 -0500

The fact that the Knicks aren’t embarrassing anymore warms my heart. This is what I grew up with. Fun fact: I was at the dreaded Charles Smith game in the ‘93 Eastern Conference Finals. I was only eight at the time of the ‘94 Finals, so I fell asleep well before the end of Game 7, but I distinctly remember waking up during the middle of the night in Suffield, putting WFAN on, hearing that the Knicks had lost and crying myself back to sleep.

Bonus fun fact: I haven’t shed tears because of sports since Game 7 of the ‘01 World Series.

I have loved Twitter for a while. It’s a great source of...

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:54:00 -0500

I have loved Twitter for a while. It’s a great source of information if utilized properly and one of the primary reasons why I quit F-book. However, the list of things you can accomplish in 140 characters is limited. Remembering someone who has passed away does not fall into that category.

One afternoon in his Religion class during my junior year of high school, Mr. Lowe asked what the most important part of an obituary was. It seemed like a morbid question at the time and wasn’t met with much enthusiasm, so he took to the chalkboard at the front of the classroom and wrote a couple of random dates in large white letters with a thin line connecting them. Everyone was confused until Mr. Lowe circled the dash. As he explained it, that small line stood for everything the deceased had accomplished between birth and death. Friendships, graduations, marriage, children, employment - an entire existence represented by some of the smallest punctuation. I couldn’t help but be reminded of that story when I was told that Steven Smith had been killed in a car accident. Maybe it’s because we’re the same age, or because we have a lot in common, or because we spent so much time working and traveling together over four years at GW. Whatever the reason, it hits very close to home.

I don’t intend to make this about me, but there are many people who are much better suited to speak about the type of person that Steven was than I am, so I can only do his memory so much justice. I also don’t want to be disingenuous and make it sound as though we were best friends. We certainly had our differences over time, especially during the year when I was Sports Director at WRGW, but there was always a level of mutual respect that existed between the two of us. I wasn’t bothered by any of our skirmishes because they were never more than creative differences. For every time he wreaked havoc on our itinerary (like when he put us on the wrong bus in Baltimore so we ended up in New York City instead of back in D.C.), there was a time when he’d buy everyone a round of drinks on the road. For every instance when he had his webcam up and running on his computer during a basketball broadcast, there were two when he would open his apartment up to other individuals (usually strangers) from the station during winter break. For every moment when Steven lost his mind in the front row of the student section at the Smith Center, there were three when he’d volunteer his time to mentor new people in the department. He was a genuinely good guy who always meant well.

The thing I admired most about Steven was that he was always himself. He was comfortable in his own skin and what you saw was what you got. That doesn’t mean he always told you what you wanted to hear, but you at least respected him for being honest. It was refreshing. I think it’d be a better world if there were more people like that.

Anyhow, about a year after graduation, Steven sent me a message on Twitter saying that the dissolution of our friendship was one of the greatest regrets he had about his time at college. I didn’t respond. I thought it was a bit strange (especially since it was unprovoked and we hadn’t spoken in a while), I felt limited by 140 characters and was still at a point when I was settling into real life, so I was more concerned about myself than anyone else. In hindsight, he deserved more from me. His passion made me want to become a better host, broadcaster, engineer and producer. I probably wouldn’t have stuck with WRGW if it wasn’t for his encouragement, especially during the first couple of semesters when I was still getting to know everyone and everything. I can’t definitively say that I’m waking up to drive to ESPN every morning in a world in which I didn’t have him to push me. I know I’m not the only one who feels that way.

So wherever you are, Steven E., I am very sorry for never getting back to you. I’m confident that you impacted more people than you ever realized you were capable of doing, which is validated by the outpouring I’ve witnessed in various locations today. Thank you for the memories, both good and bad, and the lessons I’ve learned from all of them. I know you’ll work some magic on the Yankees if you’re able to do so. Rest well, friend.