August 2011
The Decline of Jeter
Nothing in sports is more depressing to watch than a modern day supertar athlete in decline. A once burning fire–fueled by a commitment to excellence, the desire to be the best and more importantly the drive to be a champion– now reduced to a few dying embers could bring anyone to tears. The superstar of today being reduced to a dying star is indeed a hard thing to see.
Today, one of those superstars that is in decline before our own very eyes is none other than the Yankees captain Derek Jeter. Jeter is having a tough year. Before injuring his calf muscle in June, Jeter’s statistics were terrible, indicative of the end of the road. His batting average was .260, a career low, which was made worse by the fact that it was compounded by his low OBP (.324) and SLG (.324), both also career lows. Jeter’s critics look at these numbers and with a twinkle in their eyes, point their fingers at us know-nothing Jeter fans, and say: “We told you so.”
Throughout Jeter’s career, I’ve heard the critics and was never convinced, until now. I can finally say that I have been convinced by their wisdom and see Jeter for what he is, a player in decline that is in someways slightly overrated.
Jeter, like some other slightly overrated players like Wade Boggs, Roberto Clement, to name a few, is a member of the 3,000 hit club. Like Boggs and Clemente, and other members of that exclusive club, Jeter got his 3,000 base hit during his decline. Clearly, is there any other mark of Jeter’s declining and overrated status as a player than his consistency as a hitter during his 16 major league seasons?
Another clear example of Jeter’s decline as a major league player has to be the lack of production since coming off the DL. Since the 4th of July, the day Jeter was activated, he has posted a terrible batting average of .342. To make matters worse, his OBP is a league worse .394, with a dysmal slugging percentage of .553. That means that Jeter’s OPS since last July 4th, is a crappy .947. During this stretch of decline, Jeter has gotten a laughable 55 hits, 10 of which were fluke doubles. He has scored 26 meaningless runs and drove in a ridiculously low 26 runners. Certainly, the decline is full steam ahead. Just compare the same stretch of games from last season and you will clearly see it. At the same time frame last season (July 4th through August 21st), Jeter had a .243 batting average, with a .307 OBP and a very solid .364 slugging percentage. Clearly, those were not the numbers of a player in decline!
After seeing the evidence, I am now with the Jeter’s critics. They were always right about him, I just failed to see it because I have been blinded by the Jeter aura since 1995. But now that I have corrected the error of my ways and see Jeter for what he truly is, I now feel better about myself. Afterall, us Jeter critics are smart. Our collective baseball IQ is between 0 and negative infinity.
Expanding Replay after the Year of the Umpire
If last season is remembered as the “Year of the Pitcher,” can we remember this season as “The Year of the Umpire”? And when I say “Year of the Umpire,” I don’t mean it in a good way. It’s no mystery to baseball fans that over the past 15 seasons the state of umpiring in the game has been nothing short of dreadful. The missed home runs by umpires forced the league to adopt a limited instant replay system a few years ago. But with the bad calls this season, it’s clear to anyone that is paying attention that this has not been a good year for the men in blue and that replay needs to be expanded.
Two weeks ago, umpire Jerry Meals made what probably has to be the most egregious decisions in the history of umpiring, when he ruled that Julio Lugo was safe at home plate with the winning run, of what was up to that point a 19 inning classic between the Braves and Pirates. You didn’t need to see a replay of Julio Lugo being tagged out at home plate to know what happened since it was clear to anyone watching at home that he was out by–not a mile–but an astronomical mile. Yet, Meals, the third closest person to the play, somehow, thought that Lugo was safe which gave the Braves a 19 inning victory, and the Pirates a crushing defeat which they haven’t recovered from. And two nights ago, Dana DeMuth committed a similar blunder of his own when he ruled a Billy Butler double, that did not clear the fence at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, a home run. These two examples, are just the epitome of the bad calls we have seen throughout the league this season, and from the looks of it, things are likely to get worse. And what could be worse for the league is another bad call that ultimately decides the World Series.
Expanding replay…
With all these bad calls by the umpires this season, I think it’s time that the League urgently consider expanding instant replay. Such a system shouldn’t eliminate the umpire’s judgment calls, but eliminate the idea that all judgment calls by them is final and irreversible and not to be questioned by other umpires. The Commissioner should also dismiss the arguments against replay, since most are ridiculous to begin with.
The length of the game, one argument goes, would be higher with expanded replay. The reality is that replay will not affect the length of the game. The League can take steps to make the games faster, and one of the ways to do that is to enforce the 12 second rule between pitches when there are no runners on base. Second, it should stop batters from stepping out of the box after every pitch. With these measures in place, a five minute review at a play (in reality most plays take less than five minutes to review) would be inconsequential to the time of the game.
The other ridiculous argument against replay is that it would take the “human element” and interest out of the game. Actually it won’t. What replay would do is correct the “human element” of the game. The game is interesting to watch when you consider the fact that umpires do make mistake on crucial plays; but consider the added increase in the interest to a ball game when controversial calls, thanks to the human element, can be reversed. What if Joe Mauer’s “foul ball” in game 2 of the ALDS in 2009, between the Yankees and Twins, had been reversed thanks to replay and ruled a double? The human element of the game wouldn’t have been eliminated, but correct. And the process to correct the call would have attracted the interest of many fans around the country, as the complexion of the game and of that series would have been different than what it ultimately turned out to be.
The fact is, most of the arguments against replay are bad. The League has ample evidence of the way technology can be used to correct calls and instead of hiding behind exploratory committees and bad arguments, the Commissioner and the rules committee should form a system of replay that will help preserve the integrity of the game.
Streakin’ Phillies
I think it’s safe to say that the Phillies sent a pretty strong message to the Giants last night: things are different this season. I understand that there are two months left in the baseball season and come October things could definately change; but no one can mistake the fact that the Phillies are sending a clear message to the rest of the National League–if not all of Major League Baseball–that they are the team to beat. After a 9-2 drubbing of the defending World Series Champions last night–a game that featured a meeting of the minds between the two teams–the Phils now sport the best record in all of baseball (73-39). Philadelphia also has the most complete pitching rotation and an offense that is red hot since the arrival of Hunter Pence.
The Phillies latest victim was Jonathan Sanchez, who is having a pretty disappointing season for the Giants. The Giants provided Sanchez with a quick run, a lead that didn’t last as the Phillies came alive in the 4th inning and scored four runs, in route to an easy blow out victory. Judging from the success of the Phillies lineup of late against San Francisco, and a stolen base by Jimmy Rollins with a six run lead in this game, Ramon Ramirez apparently had enough and decided to plunk Shane Victorino. Since last October’s NLCS, the Giants and Phillies have now developed something close to a rivalry. Last night’s get together on the infield served as a sort of coming attractions of what baseball fans could potentially see from these two teams if they meet again in October. But before getting ahead of ourselves, the question I have is whether the Phillies will retaliate tonight.
Aside from their offensive prowess, here is another impressive thing about the Phillies: the emergence of rookie Vance Worley into a reliable starter. Worley, who has been filling Roy Oswalt’s spot in the rotation, is now 8-1. With Worley’s success, an interesting dilema could develop when Oswalt comes off the disabled list, as the Phillies will have to make room for Oswalt.
I Heart Cliff Lee, part 2
Last October I wrote that Cliff Lee is the lefty version of Greg Maddux–a finesse pitcher with stuff that is not overpowering–but one who possesses incredible control of his pitches. Last night in San Francisco Cliff Lee was truly in control, as he tossed his Major League leading 5th shutout this season, holding the Giants to only 7 hits while striking out 8. In a rematch from last fall’s World Series, Lee faced Cody Ross in San Francisco, and this time Lee came out on top striking out Ross 4 times. At one point during the game, Lee set down ten Giants in a row, displaying the killer command that has made Lee a deadly post season pitcher.
Now that the run towards October has begun, I look for Lee to reassert his dominance in the last two months of the season, and hopefully he will once again shine big in baseball’s biggest stage. I know that Lee hasn’t been as great in the regular season as he is in the post season. However, he takes his game to another level when the stakes are high. His only great regular season came during his Cy Young season of 2008 when he won 22 games for an awful Cleveland Indians team. In 2009, Lee was an ordinary pitcher in the regular season again, even after being traded to the Phillies he didn’t put great numbers. But once October came, Lee began pitching in another level not seen since Bob Gibson in the late 1960′s. Last season, Lee was once again a very ordinary pitcher in the regular season, only to carry the Rangers past the favored Rays and Yankees and into the World Series in October. It took Cody Ross and the pitching of Tim Lincecum to finally hand Lee his first two post season defeats. But even though he lost game 5 of the World Series, Lee was brilliant that night and no one can deny what a weapon he is to a team in the post season. The fact that Lee will follow Halladay in the Phillies rotation, truly makes Philadelphia the team to beat in the National League.
Pirates’ losing skid hits 7
Since “losing” the 19 inning marathon to the Braves last week, the Pirates have now gone 1 and 7 in their last 8 games, and have lost seven games in a row. If there is someone out there that doesn’t think that blown call by Jerry Meals hasn’t affected the Pirates in any significant way, then they are clearly not paying attention. Last night, the Pirates lost to the Cubs 7-6.
Yadier Molina suspended.
The Office of the Commissioner has suspended Yadier Molina five games for his embarrassing overreaction to a called strike three the other night during the Cardinals/Brewers game. I think the OC should have come down harder on Molina, as his actions are completely unexcusable and should be treated with zero tolerance. Anyway, I’m sure Molina will play tonight, since he will appeal the suspension.
Now the OC has to suspend Tony LaRussa.
Turk Wendell and Shark Week
In celebration of Discovery’s Shark Week, what better way is there to honor these majestic mammals other than remembering the only Major League player that I once characterized as a shark. That player is the one and only Turk Wendell. Much beloved by Mets fans, and laughed at by Yankees Fans, Wendell was one of those players–who in all reality–was hard to root against. Like a shark, Wendell’s behavior was odd, as the eccentric reliever was named by Men’s Fitness as the most superstitious athletes of all time. Among the odd things Wendell did during his 12 year career was wearing a necklace of sharp animal teeth while he was pitching. If I’m not mistake, he had a shark tooth on the necklace, which fits perfectly well to Shark Week. He also chewed black licorice, brushed his teeth in between innings, and leaped over the baselines while walking to the mound. Wendell’s eccentricities also extended off the field, as he asked the Mets in 2000 to make his contract for $9,999,999.99 in honor of his uniform number.
But what made Turk Wendell great wasn’t his pitching on the mound (even though he was a very solid middle reliever) but his ability to speak his mind, damn the consequences. When baseball’s steroid problem was uncovered, Wendell emphatically said that Barry Bonds was guilty of using steroids. “I mean, obviously he did it,” said Wendell referring to Bonds, “(His trainer) admitted to giving steroids to baseball players. He just doesn’t want to say his name. You don’t have to. It’s clear just seeing his body.” That comment–as you might have guessed by now–did not sit well with Bonds.
Bonds wasn’t the only player Wendell irked. Vladimir Guerrero, of the then Montreal Expos in 2001, took exception to being hit by one of Wendell’s wild pitches. When Wendell heard about it, he said: “If [Guerrero] doesn’t like it, he can freakin’ go back to the Dominican and find another line of work.” But one of his best comments had to be the one in St. Louis that same year. When asked about his errant pitch to the Cardinals Mike Matheny, Wendell asked rhetorically: ”When [Rick] Ankiel is out there and he throws balls everywhere, why don’t they throw him out of the game?”
Like sharks, Wendell behaved in unpredictable ways, no one ever knowing when this man would have a good game, or implode on the mound. It would be easy for me to sit and just write about his career stats, but Wendell’s eccentric nature is far more interesting than his two seem fastball. So here is to Turk Wendell, the last shark of baseball!
The Curious Case of AJ Burnett, part 1,980
A season ago I wrote the following about AJ Burnett after the Diamondbacks had lit him up:
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with AJ Burnett. He is, and has always been, the inconsistent pitcher with great stuff; stuff that can fool a hitter any given day, or get Burnett lit up like the Christmas tree on other days (Charles Dickins would be proud). Burnett’s career so far can be described thusly: A Tale of Two Pitchers. And last night, Burnett continued his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sideshow, as he was once again a very ordinary and hittable pitcher. After getting the first two outs in the bottom of the first, the D-Backs officially started their batting practice performance, as they launch bomb after bomb (some of these bombs didn’t even leave the ballpark for crying out loud) and raced to an easy 5-0 lead and a 10-4 victory after the barrage had concluded.
In the course of that third of an inning, Burnett was once again having communication problems with Jorge Posada, as he was missing badly with his pitches, as they were being crushed by the D-Backs relatively light hitting lineup. Burnett was complaining on the mound, which seems rather strange since it wasn’t Posada who lost plate location, it was him. So whatever controversy there might be following last night’s disaster the fact of the matter is, it really doesn’t make much of a difference who catches Burnett, or whether he skips his next start. Burnett will always find a way to implode, or find a way to look like a Cy Young Award candidate. To put it in other words, the side show will continue no matter what the Yankees do with Burnett. As far as I’m concerned, my Sense and Sensibility towards Burnett has been all but lost.
But I will praise Burnett on something. His $82.5 million contract makes him the richest batting practice pitcher of all time. Gee, maybe there is a future for me in the big leagues…..on second thought, I shouldn’t quit my day job.
Things are a bit different this season. Burnett has been able to contain himself and not implode in games the way he did last season. But my goodness, a pitcher with his stuff and a 12 run lead should be able to last more than 5 innings. I guess the side show continues…
Yadier Molina’s meltdown and Tony LaRussa
Let me first say that I don’t have a problem with Yadier Molina. I think Molina is one of the best, if not the best catchers in the Majors today. I have mostly positive things to say about him except for now. Molina’s meltdown at the plate last night after striking out has to be one of the most embarrassing overreactions I have seen from a player in quite sometime. Molina clearly took a pitch that was in the strike zone (from my point of view anyway), a pitch he should have at least attempted to swing at and not take. Home plate umpire Rob Drake was calling the inside pitch all night long, and yet Molina thought this one pitch, a pitch that frankly was way too close to take, was a ball? Are you serious Yadier? Getting on Drake’s face and barking at him wasn’t going to change things either. And the fact that spit flew out of his mouth and onto Drake’s face really makes Molina look bad. Whether or not Molina spat at Drake intentionally is irrelevant, as spit clearly landed on the umpire’s face. Molina should face a stiff suspension in my opinion.
As for Tony LaRussa, I really hope the Commissioner heard what the Cardinals skipper had to say after the game. The fact that LaRussa admitted what most of us knew about him is refreshing, but the League now has to step in and reign in this mad-man before someone ends up injured or dead. LaRussa has been known for years to take exception to the location of an inside pitch, any inside pitch, that is above the letters. The intent of the pitcher is of no concern to the Cardinals’ manager; what bothers him the most is the location of the pitch. So no one should have been surprised that LaRussa was upset with Takashi Saito’s pitch that hit Albert Pujols. Anyone watching the game last night, however, knows that Saito wasn’t throwing at Pujols intentionally when the Cardinals slugger was hit by the pitch. Yet the location of the pitch in LaRussa’s mind required retaliation, retaliation that came when Ryan Braun was plunked by Cardinals reliever Jason Motte. It’s necessary, I believe, that the League sends LaRussa a message of its own and suspend the Cardinals manager.
Where is his Field of Dreams?
One of the most awful baseball movies to ever come out of Hollywood has to be Field of Dreams (Yeah I said it, want to make something of it?). The movie is an adaptation of W.P Kinsella’s novel Shoeless Joe, the story that centers around an Iowa farmer, Ray Kinsella, who, while clearing his crops, hears a voice in the wind that commands him to build a baseball field. In the process, Kinsella helps redeem the lives of old forgotten baseball players and the life of the reclusive author JD Salinger. Of course the movie is different from the novel. JD Salinger is not in the movie for obvious reasons, and Kevin Costner is just so annoying playing the role of Ray Kinsella. Whatever a person might think about the movie or novel, however, one would have to agree that the most interesting part of the both the novel and movie, has to be the story of Archibald Wright Graham better known as Moonlight Graham. Graham’s story, thanks to the Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia and Kinsella’s novel, and the movie, has a tragic quality to it. On June 29th, 1905 Graham made his Major League debut for the New York Giants, and in that game, he only played two innings, never having an official at-bat. Thus his entry in the Encyclopedia reads, 1 game, 0 hits, 0 AB’s. Graham, who was also a student at the time, went on to earn his medical degree three years later and then went on to practice medicine in Chisholm, Minnesota for the rest of his life.
Just the fact that he only played one game, and then lived the rest of his life as a small town doctor, is a story that begs to be fictionalized. But upon thinking about Graham’s brief baseball career while watching Field of Dreams this past Sunday, I began thinking to myself: Graham’s story is really not that fascinating. Yes, he only played in one game, not getting an official at-bat, but so what? It’s not like he did something during the game that merits attention, the attention he received in the novel and movie. If there truly is a one game career that is worth talking about and remembering in baseball history, Moonlight Graham’s story wouldn’t be it.
Instead, the story Bert Shepard would be much more fascinating to fictionalized. Not only did Shepard played in only one game, but he made the most of it. On August 4th, 1945 Shepard got the call to enter in the fourth inning of a home game in which the Senators were well behind the Boston Red Sox. It was the second game of a doubleheader, and Shepard pitched 5 1/3 innings of effective relief, striking out one batter, while allowing only 1 run on three hits. You might ask, what makes Shepard’s story remarkable? The fact that it was his only appearance in a Major League game isn’t enough. What makes his story remarkable is that Shepard’s one game career made him the only player in MLB history to play with a prosthetic limb. During the War, Shepard lost his right leg after being shut down over Germany. After surviving his injuries in a POW camp, Shepard came home from Europe and taught himself how to pitch with an artificial leg. His handicap created one of the most amazing if not the most inspirational moments in the game’s history, as the one-legged pitcher not only pitch in one game, he certainly made the most of it. Can you say the same about Moonlight Graham?
David Veloz
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