Package from Night Owl

I am not exactly sure why Night Owl sent a package to me. I may be one up on him, although he was just the beneficiary of a productive search of a discount box a month or so ago. This was entirely unecessary, but totally appreciated.

So, what did he send?

Like NO, I am not much for Bowman. The modern variant, at least. This 2007 Bowman's Best, however, is a nice card. Thicker than normal and shiny, it has a classic design that I like. Somewhat reminiscent of 2003 Topps Tribute.

This card is special as it is likely the last Topps card issued during Mo's career. I am quite sure that he will be all over 2014 products (mark my word, especially that final scene where Andy Pettite and Derek Jeter come out to pull him from his last game), but this is the last one issued while he was still playing.  I'm not much for modern cards anymore, but this one is dear to me for that reason. It will be a long time before MLB sees another man like Mo.

Night Owl, knowing I have been focusing on vintage, sent along a couple cards of that variety:

Not one, but two cards from 1956, a set we are both slowly working on.  I am pleased beyond measure with these. Not only did I need both, but they are in far better condition than the rest of my 1956 cards.

Thanks, Night Owl.

Yankees Look Ahead - Outfield

Nowhere is the Yankees tendency to pick up aged players more evident than the outfield.  After the injuries to Curtis Granderson, the  2013 Yankee outfield was Brett Gardner in center, Ichiro in right, and a combination of Vernon Wells and Alfonso Soriano in left.

2014 looked to be more of the same, although I would have liked to see Zoilo Almonte a crack at right field. However, the Yankees signing Jacoby Ellsbury changed all that. Although, to be honest, I am not sure if it raises more questions that it answers. 

The talk around the blogs is that Ellsbury will man center and Brett Gardner will slide back over to left field.  This leaves open what to do about right field. Neither Vernon Wells or Ichiro have much pop left offensively, even though they are still solid defenders.  Alfonso Soriano, displaced from left, still seems to have some offensive utility, but has never played right. I suppose Soriano could be the DH, although the Yankees use that spot in the lineup as a place to put aging regulars to give them a day off defensively.  So I am not really sure what they plan to do.

My suggestion is to try Soriano in right. It is a small enough field that his limited defensive skills won't be that much of a liability, particularly with Ellsbury in center.  I would also release Vernon Wells, especially since the Angels are still picking up $18.6M of his $21M salary, and keep Ichiro. Wells might bring more power and OBP to the team, but Ichiro would be good to have around if the Yankees are successful in signing Masahiro Tanaka.  Lastly, I'd look to Amonte and Melky Mesa as my back up outfielders.

So, there you have it.  The last of my looks at the Yankees 2014 season.  I'll need to check back in at the end of spring training to see whether New York took my advice.

Yankees Look Ahead - Infield

2013 was a nightmare year for the Yankees infield.  We came into Spring Training expecting a solid lineup of Mark Tiexiera (1B), Robinson Cano (2B), Derek Jeter (SS) and Kevin Youkilis holding down the hot corner (at least until A-Rod came back from hip surgery.)  It turned out to be something different altogether.

Tiexiera injured himself in the World Baseball Classic before the regular season opened, came back on May 31, only to see a reinjury end his season after 15 lackluster games. Jeter never really recovered from his 2012 post season ankle injury and only got into 17 games over the second half of the season.  Youkilis started off well enough in April, went down in May, was back for the first half of June (but didn't produce) and was gone. Alex Rodriquez came back in August and played out the season at about replacement level* on the field and as a reality TV All-Star off.  The only stable presence in the Yankee infield was Robinson Cano who put up another outstanding set of numbers.

Beyond that? Flotsam and jetsam. 10 different players made a showing at first, 8 at short, and 11 at third.  I'm not even going to run it down by player.  It was like an America's Got Talent audition.  Whole lotta nuthin.  In fairness, Lyle Overbay filled in adequately and utility men Eduardo Nunez and Jayson Nix did what they could.  But, apart from Cano, it was a wasteland.

So, whither 2014?  Well, as you likely know, Cano is gone after signing at 10 year, $240M contract with Seattle. You might think I'd be upset, but I am all "Good riddance and don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya."  That isn't to say I wouldn't like to have him remain a Yankee, but his terms were too steep.  The contract Seattle gave him is crazy and will, in my estimation, compare favorably with contracts given to A-Rod, Albert Pujols, and Josh Hamilton. If you know what I mean, and I think you do.

The 7 years, $175M the Yankees offered was still a year too long for my comfort level, so I am somewhat relieved that he is gone.  Honestly, he wasn't a franchise player like a Derek Jeter or a Dustin Pedroia.  He was a great player and has been injury free his entire career.  But, he lacks the charisma and fire that those others bring.  I can forgive a lack of charisma, but Cano drove me nuts when he wouldn't run out groundballs or would play the field half-heartedly. He is a more talented player (by far) than Pedroia, but I would take Pedroia every day and twice on Sunday.

So, where do we go?  Well, with any luck Tiexiera and Jeter will be back and will produce like they did in 2012. I am ambivalent about Jeter in the field. He has some flashy moves, but lacks the range of a younger man. But, I will be glad to have his bat and his leadership back. Having signed Brendan Ryan was a good move, as his defensive skills at short make up for his lack of offensive punch.

If A-Rod suspension is overturned or stayed, I would expect to see him at third. If it isn't, I'd like the Yankees to give Eduardo Nunez a crack at it. Nuney is seen as a poor fielder and, certainly, the stats bear it out.  But, my observation is that his fielding miscues come in bunches. This indicates to me that he struggles to shake off errors and tends to lose confidence in himself easily.  After an error, you can pretty much see his fearful approach to subsequent defensive chances. He did get some reps at third last year and, while he did get handcuffed a few times, he looked better playing there than he did at short.  Mark Reynolds is another option for third, although he is limited as a defender, and strikes out way too much at the plate.

So, coming full circle, what about second?  Well, the Yankees have signed Kelly Johnson, who is a decent defender and has enough pop in his bat to benefit from the short right porch in Yankee Stadium. There is talk in the blogs about going after Omar Infante, but I don't see him as enough of an upgrade over Johnson to pursue him.

For the utility men, obviously Brendan Ryan is there.  Myself, I would have kept Jayson Nix, but the Yankees non-tendered him. It wouldn't surprise me, if he doesn't catch on somewhere else, they bring him back to Spring Training on a minor league contract and, if/when he makes the major league roster, give him a salary less than he would have gotten in arbitration.


Up Next: The outfield and DH

* A-Rod did provide one of my favorite moments of the 2013 season when he took Ryan Dempster deep after Dempster threw at him.  Don't get me wrong, I'll be glad to see the last of A-Rod, but it was a bush league move on Dempster's part.  And the situation was made worse by piss-poor umpiring when Dempster got to stay in the game after the HBP, but Joe Girardi got bounced for arguing about it. But, the circus was continued, when MLB Comissioner Selig gave Dempster a suspension short enough that he didn't even miss a start.


What I am watching:  A-Rod showing up Dempster.

Yankees Look Ahead - Bullpen

2013 was a hard year to characterize when it comes to the Yankees bullpen.  There was 21 different players that made at least one relief appearance for the Yankees. Yet, there was a core set of relievers that were the models of consistency. Overall, I think the bullpen performed admirably. Very little went wrong, though what did go wrong, did so spectacularly.

What went right? Clearly closer Mariano Rivera and setup man David Robertson.   While Mo did show some signs of fallibility (with 7 blown saves throughout the year,) he was still basically the same pitcher we have spent nearly 20 years watching. Robertson was also outstanding.  While he has something of a reputation for getting himself into jams, I am not sure it is entirely deserved.  His peripheral stats (WHIP, ERA+, BA against) are quite similar to Rivera's.  The only major concern is his walk rate, which is still pretty high at around 2.6/9 innings. Although, to be fair, that is down significantly since 2011.

Boone Logan was also solid throughout the year as the main lefty out of the pen.  He is mainly a LOOGY, but can be pressed into service as a "regular" reliever, should the need arise.  Adam Warren also had good results in a partial season as a long man.  Preston Claiborne and Shawn Kelley were fine, though not particularly noteworthy as two of the remaining three main relievers.

Which brings us to what went wrong? In short, Joba Chamberlain. Joba still has good velocity, but had troubles finding the strike zone in any consistent manner.  By the end of the season, he was relegated to low leverage, mop-up duty.  As a free agent this offseason, it is safe to say he is gone.

So, what are my recommendations for 2014?  Well, it is given that David Robertson takes over the closer role.  Some folks aren't sure he is cut out for it, given he performed poorly as the closer in early 2012, after Mo went down with an injury.  I don't buy it. First, he was thrust suddenly into an unexpected role with no time to mentally prepare. Further, he ended up injured shortly afterwards. I think, with all of 2013 to prepare and learn at the feet of the master, he will fine as a closer.  Not sure who I would give the set up role to, Although Shawn Kelley does have some flashy K/9 stats, his BB/9 is a bit worriesome and his HR/9 numbers are not good given he is a righty in a stadium that favors lefthanded hitters.

Myself, I would resign Boone Logan and give him a crack at the setup role.  He has been the main lefty out of the pen since 2010 and is still only 28. There is absolutely no talk on the Yankees blogs about resigning him and I don't get it. If Logan was setup man (and even if he wasn't) I would give Cesar Cabral a long look at being a second lefty reliever.

The rest of the pen would focus on Adam Warren as long man, Vidal Nuno as the swing man, and  Preston Claiborne as the generic middle reliever. I'd also give Dellin Betances a hard look to see what he can do. He has been singularly unimpressive in what little I have seen him, but he did put together a decent 2013 as a swing man in AAA.

There are a few other slots that need to be filled, but let's be honest, who really pays attention to the middle reliever market?  They are like groceries.  If one gallon of milk goes bad, run down to the store and get another.  I really don't have much in the way of knowledge to opine about who the Yankees should look to in order to round out the 2014 pen.

Up next: The infield.

What I am listening to: Fist City by Eilen Jewell

Yankees Look Ahead - Starting Pitching

When 2012 opened, starting pitching appeared to be the Yankees strength.  With a starting rotation of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, and Ivan Nova, GM Brian Cashman had set the team up well for success.  Further, with Michael Pineda expected to come back during the course of the season any holes that opened up seemed to have a ready solution.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.  Sabathia, coming off an injury plagued 2012 and off-season surgery, was awful. It was the worst season of his career and barely, ever so barely, above replacement player level.  11-13 record notwithstanding, Kuroda was the ace of the staff.  At least until mid August, when fatigue got the better of him and he slumped badly.  Andy Pettitte was solid, if not flashy.  Hughes stunk, not to put too fine a point on it.  He had flashes of brilliance, but a right handed flyball pitcher is never going to play well in Yankee Stadium (he was solid on the road.)  Nova was up and down. He sucked in April, was sent down to AAA for over a month, but was nearly lights out on his return.

Also, making starting appearances for New York was David Phelps, Adam Warren, David Huff and Vidal Nuno.  Phelpsie was better during the season than his stats would imply. He had one horrendous start (9 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings.)  Without that game his ERA drops from 4.98 to 4.16.  Warren and Nuno also looked good in the small handful of times they got the ball to start a game.

So, what does 2014 look like.  Well, let's start off by acknowledging the retirement of Andy Pettitte and that Phil Hughes will not be back.  Further, Hiroki Kuroda is a free agent and it isn't entirely clear what his plans are.

That said, here is what I would do.  The elephant in the room, so to speak, is CC Sabathia.  He is under contract for three more years and we will need him to return to form. Whether his 2013 turd was due to his inability to prepare as normal during the off-season or is more indicative of wear and tear after his years eating innings (also so to speak) remains to be seen.  At the very least, I think pitching coach Larry Rothschild needs to recognize that CC may not be a power hurler any more and begin transitioning him to a more finesse pitcher (like Andy Pettitte.)  It may be worth it to enter the season not expecting Sabathia to pitch 220 to 230 innings.

I think the Yankees should try to bring Kuroda back for a third year.  As mentioned above, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball throughout most of 2013.  Bring him back, but limit his innings in order to get a full season from him.  200 innings is too many for a 39 year old pitcher.

Ivan Nova is a given as the number 2 or 3 starter.  He struggled through 2012 and in April of 2013.  From my personal observation, it was during this time he tried to become a strikeout pitcher. He has a vicious curveball and I think he does much better when he tries to be a groundball pitcher.

So, that is three (with only 2 under contract.)  What else? Well, I think it is time to bring Michael Pineda into the mix.  Maybe stretch him out a bit in AAA through April, but I think it is time to see what he can do up top.  David Phelps, Adam Warren, and Vidal Nuno have also earned the opportunity to compete for a starting job in Spring Training. Phelps would be my odds on favorite, with Warren as the dark horse.  While I liked what little I saw of Nuno, he just hasn't ever had a serious workload thus far in his career. He probably would better fit in as the long man.

Lastly, the word on the street is that the Yankees are interested in JPPL pitching phenom Masahiro Tanaka.  Without a revised posting system in place, this may never come to fruition.  But, his numbers in Japan are mindboggling.  Check it out.  I think New York should go all out in their pursuit of Tanaka. His Japanese stats are nearly as good as Yu Darvish's.

So, here it is, my 2014 starting rotation:

1. Masahiro Tanaka
2. CC Sabathia
3. Hiroki Kuroda
4. Ivan Nova
5. David Phelps
6. Adam Warren as the swing man.

Yankees Look Ahead - Catcher

Catcher has been a position the Yankees have struggled at since Jorge Posada's move to DH and subsequent retirement.   In 2011 and 2012, Russell Martin was the main backstop and did a creditable job behind the plate.  And, while he did put up some decent power numbers, his offensive production dropped off precipitously from his days as a Dodger.

Martin moved to Pittsburgh last off-season and 2013 opened with Francisco Cervelli as the starting shortstop with Chris Stewart filling in as backup. 

Frankie started of the season well enough, but a broken hand on a HBP sent him to the DL before April was out.  A subsequent 50 game suspension due to being caught up in the Biogenesis scandal was enough to put paid to his season.

The Yankees promoted Chris Stewart to the starting catcher with Austin Romine being called up to back him up.  And there ended the offensive production.  That isn't entirely fair as both did have some game winning hits during the season.  But, for the most part, catcher was an offensive desert for the Yankees last year.  Stewart is your quintessential defense first, light hitting player.  He is fine for occasional starts and  perfect as a late inning defensive substitution.  But that is the limit of his abilities.  Romine has been a solid producer offensively and defensively in the low minors, but with a history of injury  and only 35 games at AAA before his call up, he wasn't ready to make a show of it offensively yet.

A late season call up of J.R. Murphy, just behind Romine on the organizational depth chart, didn't show us anything great. He looks to me like a carbon copy of Romine just a bit younger.  Both could use more time in the minors to season.

Waiting even further in the wings, behind Murphy, is Gary Sanchez, who appears to be a solid  defender and wields a more productive bat than anyone ahead of him on the depth chart.

So what is the plan for 2014?  Well, I guess I don't have to opine on that one as the Yankees have already revealed their plan when they signed Brian McCann to a 5 year, $85M contract.  I am torn on the contract.  I am glad to see New York sign a potent left handed bat, what with the short right field porch in Yankee Stadium.  But, I am also concerned some about McCann's durability given that his games caught has dropped off the last few years.  I also am not happy about the length of the contract.  With the anticipated talent down on the farm, I'd rather see McCann signed for 3 to 4 years.  But, I get that they probably needed to give him 5 years to get him to sign.  Further, the speculation is that McCann could move to 1B or DH in the latter years, which would open up the catching position for Murphy or Sanchez.

But, what about the backup?  I don't know what the Yankees will do. They seem high on Chris Stewart (having signed him as a free agent in 2008 and trading for him in 2009 and again in 2012.)  But the lack of offensive punch is hard to overcome.  The better bet, and my preference, is to make Cervelli the backup.  As it stands, Frankie has good offensive splits against left handed pitching. Good enough that I would platoon him with McCann behind the plate. McCann catches against right handed pitchers, which would be good for about 100-110 games. When the Yankees face a left handed starter, move McCann to DH and let Cervelli catch.  It keeps Mac's bat in the line up while limiting the wear and tear he would suffer behind the dish.

I'd release Stewart, or offer him a minor league coaching position, depending on whether he wants to try to continue playing or not. Further, I'd shop Romine and continue to groom JR Murphy and Gary Sanchez to take over catching duties in 3-4 years.

So there you have it, my brilliant plan for catcher for 2014.

Next up:  The starting rotation

Yankees Look Ahead - Strategy

I had hoped to have this done before the Yankees started their offseason moves, but with work being busy I have delayed too long.Alas, the Bombers decided not to wait for my advice and went ahead and signed Brian McCann (more on that later.)

The Yankees overall strategy is always win this year.  Certainly, it was always like that during the George Steinbrenner era because George wanted to win.  I am not sure what the impetus is since the team was taken over by his heirs, who seem a bit more business oriented.   It may be honoring their fathers strategy and the franchise history, or it may be just that due to the fickleness of the teams fans that they have to contend to fill the seats.  I don't see any macro trends in their attendance history, but would note that home attendance in 2013, when they didn't make the post-season, was 7.5% lower than 2012, when they did.

That being said, the franchise strategy can be summarized thusly: sign premium players to big dollar, long term contracts and fill out roster  mainly with over the hill role players in the hopes of catching lightning in a bottle.  It is a strategy that works in the short term (see 2009) but not in the long run (see post 2009.)

I get the notion that you have to sign premium players and those players are going to demand long term, high dollar contracts.  I don't like it, but I at least acknowledge there is a logic to it. The problem is that most of the premium players are hovering around 30 years of age and the contract is only going to pay off for a while at the outset of the term.

Case 1 Mark Teixeira - At the time Tex signed with New York, he sported a .290 BA, .377 OBP, and.541 slugging average.  He achieved about that same level of performance in 2009, but has had a steady decline every year since.

Case 2 Alex Rodriguez - Coming off his 2007 MVP year, the Yankees signed him to a 10 year contract averaging 27.5M a year.  He has neither produced at the same level since nor had an injury free year. While you could argue that his 2008 and 2009 seasons were worthy of the contract, since then his production has declined precipitously and he certainly hasn't been worth the money since 2011.  Yet the Yankees are stuck with him for 4 more seasons.

I also question the idea of taking on formerly star players long term to fill out specific roles on the team.  The idea is to bring some maturity to the team in a pennant race and, hopefully some good production.  There has been some good examples of this (Andruw Jones in 2011 and Ichiro in 2012.)  The problem is that the Yankees tend to bring them back and subsequent production can be minimal (Andruw Jones in 2012 and Ichiro in 2013.)

I think the net result here is an under-developed farm system.  Certainly, there have been key players that have come up through the system. Robinson Cano is the best example today, but you can also add Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Brett Gardner, and Ivan Nova to the list. The problem, of course, is for the 2013 team, that is the list.

I would like to see the Yankees spend more time developing young talent. Not only down on the farm, but with the big club.  There was a fair number of rookies that got into games this year, but that was mainly due to the injury situation, and none of them really got to stay in a role of any significance.  The Yankees need to drop the notion that they need a proven major leaguer at every position and bring along some of the talent they have waiting in the wings.

I would also like to see them, if they chose to sign a marquee player to not go beyond 5 of 6 years, and maybe less in some circumstances.  And for goodness sake, please stop trawling the scrap heap for reclamation projects.  Sure you get a mature player for cheap, but you only get marginal production in return.  If you are going to get mediocre performance from a role player, why not use the role to develop a young player rather than giving some over-the-hill warhorse a last season (or, God help us, two) in the sun?

Coming up:  The Backstop

What I am listening to:  Antiphon by Midlake

Best Mail Day Ever!

My 21st wedding anniversary was at the end of September.  I asked my wife for Anthony Causi's iconic photograph "Mariano Entering the Game" as a gift.  Not surprisingly, as Mo was winding down his final season, it was back ordered.

Well, it arrived today.

I love this photograph as I think, as a (very) amateur photographer, that it stands on it's own merits as art.

But, the story gets better.  My wife asked for, and I got her, tickets for the Pearl Jam concert when they played OKC.  And, in quite the coincidence, that concert is tonight.

What I am listening to: Better Man by Pearl Jam

A Sad Day

Great News!

So, it seems like a done deal that the Yankees have traded with the Cubs for Alfonso Soriano. This is great news for a number of reasons:

1. Now every day will be Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium
2. It will help the Yankees lock up the one category where they lead the league: number of players eligible for Social Security.
3. His .287 OBP is a whole .002 improvement over current Yankee leftfielder Vernon Wells.
4. He provides a vital link back to the Casey Stengel era Yankees.  He can teach the under 35 set how the Bombers won back in the day!
5. He and Andy Pettitte can combine forces and buy Metamucil in bulk.
6. He'll have a better chance in NY of getting signed up to appear in a Cialis commercial.
7. In 2004, the Yankees traded him to the Rangers for A-Rod.  Now that he is back *and* A-Rod is still around, it should be blindingly obvious NY won that trade!
8. With Curtis Granderson out of the lineup, the Yankees don't strike out nearly enough.

Mo

My local Fox station, which was broadcasting the All-Star Game, went off the air sometime around the fourth inning.  After 45 minutes, it was still not back on line, so I went to bed. Unfortunately, I missed seeing Mariano Rivera. I think it was an awesome tribute that the position players stayed in the dugout and let Mo take his warm up pitches as the only player on the field (save the catcher.) I have seen the video and it appears to me that he was having a hard time keeping his emotions under control.

My disappointment, however, is lessened by the fact that I saw Rivera close out the Royals-Yankees game I went to in Kansas City back in May. I have been woefully behind on sorting through and posting some of the pictures I took at the game, but here is one of Rivera taking his warm ups.

Do Not Want

Now if the Yankees sign A.J. Pierzynski, my 2013 season will be completely ruined.  It is bad enough that the Yankees are stuck getting little commensurate return out of their contracts with A-Rod and Mark Tiexiera.  But, I am really getting annoyed with their tendency to fill out the roster with over-the-hill once-stars.  Granted, I like the Ichiro signing. But, beyond that, I am not sure they got much return from such scrap heap picks.  I may rant more about the Yankees in the future, but for right now I am just going to sulk.

WAIT! THIS JUST IN!  YOUKILIS HAS RESPONDED TO ME!

Need I say more? We're going to give this yutz the equivalent of over 20% of the Oakland A's payroll? 

A New Approach

So, I was somewhat accurate on my prediction about Game 2 of the ALCS.  I said Kuroda would give up 3 to 4 runs in 6 to 7 innings of workmanlike pitching.  In the end, he gave up 3 runs in 7.2 innings, but it was anything but workmanlike. He carried a perfect game into the 6th inning, struck out 11 and walked none before getting yanked in the eighth.  Indeed, if it wasn't for some poor work by the bullpen, and a lousy call at second, he probably wouldn't have been charged with 3 runs.  The offense, however, remains anemic.  The supposed big boppers in the lineup (A-Rod, Granderson, Swisher, and Cano) have only managed 12 hits in 107 cumulative at bats this postseason.  I am pretty sure you could run any random sample of 4 AAA ballplayers out there and get more production than that.

Tuesday will see Phil Hughes take the mound against Justin Verlander.  Hughes is a good young arm but is prone to giving up home runs. In fact, only Ervin Santana threw more taters in 2012 than Phil. But, he is a gamer and while I expect he'll get tagged for one or two long balls, he'll keep the game close enough that the Yankees will have a chance if the offense wakes up.

But, the title of this post refers to something different.  I have never been really happy with my approach to blogging and have been wanting to make it more satisfying for myself and for my several readers.  I have fallen into the trap of my posts being all of the "look at what I got" variety.  Nothing wrong with that. I like seeing what you got.  But, I just don't get a lot of joy out of writing them.  And, having mostly eschewed most modern sets, my trading activity has dwindled to almost nothing. For several reasons, time is at a premium and if I am going to continue blogging, I need to make it more fun.

So, that is what I am going to try and do starting with the 2011 Tristar Obak box I got a while back. One of the things I like about Obak is that it is a quirky little set, of a manageable size, that is put together with some careful thought. Oh, it does do some of the up-and-coming minor leaguers, but generally never more than a handful.  What is unique about Obak, and why I love it so, is that it highlights noteworthy people in baseball history who, for the most part, are obscured by the bigger names.

Take for example, Cal Hubbard.

Hubbard is the only person to be a inductee of both the Baseball Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.  And, for good measure, he is also a member of the College Football of Hall of Fame.  A significant achievement. Yet, I never heard of him until I pulled this card from a pack.

As a football player in the early days of the NFL, he was a top defensive player, making first team All Pro 4 times, while helping his team win 4 championships (NY Giants in 1927 and the Green Bay Packers in each year between 1929 and 1931.  He was among the inaugrual inductees when the Football HOF opened in Canton, Ohio in 1963.

While he was playing pro football, he began umpiring in the minor leagues during the off-season and and advanced to the major leagues by 1936, where he quickly became recognized as one of the best umpires.  His major innovation was to design, based on his football experience, a comprehensive system of positioning and responsibilities for umpires that is still used today. He was inducted into the Baseball HOF in 1976, about a year before his death in 1977.

What I am listening to:  The Passenger by Siouxsie and The Banshees.

Is the Yankee's Season Over?

I have to think so.  The Yankees pitching has been superb but, offensively, they are utterly pathetic. Derek Jeter, Mark Tiexiera, and Raul Ibanez are the only players showing any sign of a pulse offensively, and Jeter is now gone with a fractured ankle.  A-Rod, Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, and Robinson Cano all look completely lost at the plate.  Cano I can forgive given he almost singlehandedly held off the Orioles in the last week of the regular season.  The others? Not so much. Granderson looks so lost, I half expect him to swing at pickoff moves to first. 

So, I am not expecting much today. Hiroki Kuroda has been the ace of the staff this year, far better than his 16-11 record would imply. In 8 of those 11 losses, he held the opposing team to 3 or less runs.  In short, he should've been a 20 game winner this season.  How will he do today?  Well, he is going on short rest, so I expect he will grind out a workmanlike effort. I don't expect him to shut Detroit down, but I don't expect him to get blown out either.  I see him allowing 3 to 4 runs in 6 to 7 innings of work.  With this Yankees team that should be enough for Detroit to head home with a 2-0 lead in the ALCS.

A Great Sunday

Wow, what a great Sunday it was.  Did you watch that Yankees-Orioles game last night?  CC was fantastic and what a ninth inning!

But, that wasn't the highlight of my day.  My wife and I went to see a small airshow by the Commemorative Air Force and splurged on a ride in a C45 Expeditor personal transport plane.

The flight was $65 per person for a 20 minute flight and it was well worth it. Right up there with the ride we took on one of the wooden boats at the Antique Boat Museum up in Night Owl Country.  There was also a B29 Superfortress there as well, but at $595 and up for a flight, we decided to just admire it from terra firma.

A Chance Encounter

So, I had to run up north to buy horse feed today.    After finishing at the feed store, I suddenly realized I was close to one of the local card shops.  And, wouldn't you know, that shop has a small show the first Saturday of every month. Why, what an amazing coincidence, today is the first Saturday of the month!  Can you believe it?

But, the weirdness didn't end there.  When I grabbed the grocery list on my way out of the house, I somehow (I don't know how) grabbed my 1971 Topps want list. Can you believe that stream of coincidences?

Yeah, me neither.  My wife was going to a mall up in the same neighborhood and could have gotten the feed, but I volunteered to get it so I could slip over to the show.

So, anyways, I went to the show and was looking around a bit (only 6 or 7 tables) and there was a card table set up in the back of the shop. Come to find out (and this part I truly didn't know about) they were having an autograph signing with Ty Hensley, who was the Yankees Number 1 pick in the 2012 amateur draft.  So, after letting a few little kids in front of me, I paid my money and got an autographed picture.

It felt a little weird being a 46 year old man in line to get an autograph from a 19 year old kid. But, I felt a bit better seeing a fellow that was at least 75 also in line.

Ty made 5 appearances in the Gulf Coast League this year, had just gotten back from the Instructional League, and was going to be going soon to the Dominican Winter League. He is unsure where he will end up next season.  Low A Staten Island is possible, although he was hoping to get assigned to High A Charleston (or get promoted there during the season.)

Here is a scouting report on Hensley.

Quick Thoughts on the Pettite Signing

Over the last few days, the Yankees blogoverse has lost it's collective shit over the signing of Andy Pettite to a contract. I suppose, since I have just gotten back into following baseball over the last couple years, I don't have the long history with Pettite that others do. And, I suppose that is the point. I will grant that he had a pretty nice, if abbreviated, year in 2010. But you have to go back to 2005 to find the previous year that he pitched really well.

From my perspective, the reaction to the signing is nothing more than an irrational outpouring of sentimentality for the years of 1998 to 2000 when the Yankees were last a dynastic team. Pettite is 39 years old, has been out of the game for over a year, and was effectively done with his 2010 season by mid-July. I suppose I could be wrong, and I hope I am, but I don't see much good coming from this.

The Yankees came into Spring Training with a pretty solid starting rotation. C.C. Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Michael Pineda, and Ivan Nova are all solid. Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia were expected to fight it out for the fifth spot. Hughes is coming off a horrid 2011, but still is a talented young arm. Plus, he should be pretty cheap through 2013. Garcia is the odd man out. I would expect him to be a steady, if unspectacular, pitcher this year. But, the Pettite signing makes him expendable.

My best guess is Andy will be handed a rotation spot sometime in mid to late May and will hold it down all season despite putting up A.J. Burnett-like numbers. In the mean time, Hughes or Nova will be reduced to being the long man and Garcia will be traded to some other team, where he will continue to do a workmanlike job all season. In the end, Yankees fans will be able to wallow in nostalgia for the heady days of the late 20th century while handing away games down the stretch to the always competitive Red Sox and Rays.

Again, I hope I am wrong, but I think this will end poorly.

Random Thoughts for a Saturday Morning

1. Leftover Chicken Jalfrazi is an awesome breakfast


2. Would you trade 660 cards for 3? I am in the process of closing a deal to trade my 2011 Topps 60th Anniversary commemorative set for three cards from 1971: Luis Aparicio, Willie Mays, and Roberto Clemente.


3. I'm still a little ticked that the Yankees left Bartolo Colon off their roster for the ALDS against Detroit


4. The Yankees-Tigers game tonight better not get rained out. I was able to get out of going to the OU-Ball State football game with my wife in order to stay home and watch it.


5. I'm going to smoke some ribs and chill down some Bridgeport Cafe Negro coffee infused porter to feast on during the game tonight.


6. I really need to get organized. I know I have a Justin Verlander relic around here somewhere, but can't seem to find it. After the monster season he had, I really need to throw it up on EBay and see what I can get for it.


7. Despite really being tickled over getting a nice copy of the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken card, this is my favorite pickup from two weekends ago.

That is all. Enjoy your weekend.

My Week in Review

Sunday, May 8
This was only the second major league baseball game I have been to. The first was in 1991.


The view from our seats.


CC Sabathia pitching in the bottom of the first. CC was not sharp against the Rangers, but he battled through to get the win.


Brett Gardner stealing second.


Alex Rodriguez about to be hit by a pitch.


Alex Rodriguez having just been hit by a pitch.



Derek Jeter hitting his first home run of the 2011 season and the first of two in the game, both into the Rangers bullpen in right-center.


The Yankees had a 6 run eighth inning built around a grand slam by catcher Francisco Cervelli. I missed the eighth and ninth innings, so this is a picture of Cervelli batting earlier in the game.


Why I left the game after the seventh inning.

Coming Tomorrow: A week without baseball.

Arriving in the Dark of Night

A short time ago, I had sent some cards off to Night Owl, including the 2011 Heritage Dodger Stadium card. Most of the rest of the cards I sent were obscure crap. They were primarily crap, like a 1989 Topps Bazooka Shining Star Kirk Gibson. But, they seemed obscure enough that maybe he didn't have any of them. What other hope would a new collector like me have in sending cards to an established presence like Night Owl? Anyways, his end of the deal arrived in the mail, including a good number of cards off my Heritage want list. Let's take a look at some of what I got:



I was admiring this card over on Night Owl's blog because Hooton is the pitching coach for the Oklahoma City Redhawks this year. He had a duplicate and was good enough to send it to me. I also have to admit a growing fondness for these Kellogg's 3D cards. It might be fun to start collecting them in earnest some day. But, I have my plate full now with the Topp's sets from the 1970s and the 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game, so it will have to be some day rather than today.



As a kid, I followed the Yankees pretty closely, but never more closely than 1978. And what a year it was for Ron Guidry. He was practically invincible at 25-3, with a 1.74 ERA and a phenomenal 18 K performance against the Angels on June 17. This card came out in 1986, the year after his third, and final, 20 win season.



Pikachu Ichiro!




The Bambino!



The middle infielders for my Yankees. Jeter is sucking pretty badly right now with a .221 BA, with only 1 extra base hit, through 17 games. But Cano seems to have picked right up where he left off last year.

This was definitely a great trade from my end. I still feel a little embarassed about what I sent, so I have set aside the Jackie Robinson chrome refractor card from the Topps Value Pack I bought the other day for him.