The Worst and Best of 2009

I think I’m going to be sick. Tiger Woods has been named Athlete of the Decade by AP. What timing, huh?

I don’t even care whether he is or not but it seems the AP is trying to get in the good graces of Tiger, amidst all the well-deserved media (and universal) criticism. If not for his good graces, the award was given to make sure he’d return to the game so that AP writers would have something to write about, as if there’re no other good candidates for a little more press.

I’m not a moralist but Tiger has lived a despicable existence for a married man, not because he fooled around but because he fooled around and took almost no pains to disguise the fact. It was okay with Woods to embarrass his wife and his kid…..over and over again.

So spare me if I spit on your award, AP. I’m happy not to be a part of it.

Speaking of despicable human beings, Bret Favre was hailed in a recent Newark Star-Ledger article that boosted him for MVP, as if there were no other candidates, as if there were nobody performing better, not Peyton Manning, not Drew Brees or Philip Rivers, to name just a few.

The writer in question also seemed to think all the criticism was unfounded, a theory that just doesn’t wash.

Let me say it one more time. Favre ruined the Jets season last year by playing hurt. He hid his arm injury to keep his consecutive games record alive. He didn’t care what he did to the Jets season. That he had a perfectly willing Jets management to assist him in that regard isn’t really the point. The man needed an arm operation LAST YEAR, not in the off-season so that he could come back totally healthy with his rocket arm working perfectly well for his old team’s biggest rival.

Favre certainly has been great this year. And he was pretty great for a lot of years. And maybe he would be a viable candidate for NFL MVP this year. But he cheated the Jets and the Jets fans. He took a playoffs season away from them. That’s my problem with Favre. The fact that he never met a camera or microphone he didn’t like has nothing to do with it.

Let’s see….who else can I pick on? Oh, I know, how about Serena Williams, the latest quasi-star to get a break from the U.S. press and the powers that be in tennis.

She deserved a suspension for her ugly emotional display (and arguably, assault upon the lineswoman) at the U.S. Open. She got a fine instead. She now has the green light to ruin everybody’s good time at another major tennis event. Along the way, we can listen to her whine that the whole ugly matter should be put to rest.

She not only ruined the Open, she also robbed the winner, Kim Clijsters of Belgium, of her victory on the court, a hard-fought and decisive victory, one for which Williams had no ready excuse. She hadn’t launched her crippled act. She hadn’t tapped into the trainers-session delays she had used in several important past matches to demoralize opponents who had finer tennis skills but couldn’t match her for gamesmanship and rules-twisting.

There is still some good in the world though. As this is the Christmas season, let me now focus on some positively good people, some people who aren’t just talented but who always seem to personify hard work and class.

How about Mark Teixeira? Teixeira did nothing but good things for the Yankees in 2009, earning every bit of his money and hustling all along the way. I’ll always remember his scoring from first base with the winning run against the Mets on a fly ball that 99.5 % of the time gets caught. But since it was Luis Castillo, the ball wasn’t caught. Teixeira stole one for his Yankees, not with his considerable talent but with his remarkable hustle.

How about Eli Manning? All Eli does is try to win. He can’t quite manage the fine sense of humor his brother has always had. And he doesn’t have his brother’s accuracy to be perfectly honest.

Eli just had exactly the confident but humble demeanor his team needed in 2007, one that he still brought to the table this year and last, no matter that he was robbed first of his wide-outs and then of his defense. You never hear a word of complaint from Eli, although I suspect his receivers hear about their route-running from time to time.

How about Drew Brees? Here’s a true man of stature who lacks only height, a guy who has been “dissed” throughout his lifetime by football experts, a guy who kept Philip Rivers on the bench in San Diego, where he started his pro career, for two full years, a guy who should have won the Heisman in 2000 but lost to the taller Chris Weinke from Florida State (but did finish ahead of LaDainian Tomlinson and a fella named Michael Vick).

When Brees was eligible for free agency in 2006, the Chargers elected to let him go with nary an unkind word from Mr. Brees, to the Saints, who Brees lead to their first NFC Championship Game in his first year.

Ever since his acquisition, Brees has been top notch offensively, starting every game for the Saints and gaining over 4400 yards in his first two years before topping the 5000 yard mark in 2008. This year, Brees is once again among the NFC leaders in yardage and touchdowns, this despite the fact that the Saints are running more than ever in their quest for that elusive Super Bowl victory.

Unlike Peyton and Brady, though, Brees throws to everyone ,usually making sure every wide-out gets his touchdown each game, making household names of Marques Colston, Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson.

He’s the best of 2009 and King of Bacchus too!

The Yanks Are the Story

So to what do Mets fans look forward in these last months of a lost season? Well, there is next year of course. Santana and K-Rod are keepers. I know that much. Wright too I suppose. Who else can we feel is indispensable?

Let’s talk disappointments. How about Sean Green? No offense but he’s been awful and I’m sure some other team would love to have him. Goodbye Sean. It’s been real. That catcher of ours, the arguable number one catcher, Brian Schneider, he can hit the dusty trail too. Other than those two, there really aren’t that many players you can point to who have had to live up to grand expectations. Well, if you don’t count the pitching side, and other than the core guys who’ve been out.

Most of the players on the field now for the Mets are reserves in the real world. Even a Pagan, who seems as if he could be a regular, doesn’t have enough of a track record in the bigs yet to inspire any kind of expectation. Cora’s a nice reserve, there’s just not enough bat there. Berroa seems like a retread. From Kansas City, hmm.

Any good performances have been surprising, from players nobody expected much from. Omir Santos, the catcher, is a nice example. Jeremy Reed, this new kid Sullivan, certainly David Murphy, these fellas just play the game hard and a fan hopes for the best, but there are really no expectations.

We need to get back to reality, a time when there were expectations of performance at every position, especially shortstop, first base and centerfield. It’s high time we looked at contract situations for Beltran, Delgado and Reyes.

Beltran got a seven-year contract for 119 million back in 2005. That takes Mr Beltran all the way out to 2011, only two years from now. I for one would love to see Carlos in centerfield for the next five years or so, but only if he could be a happy, healthy Carlos. We don’t need a guy who’s unhappy.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Delgado back at first base either but he’s 38, he’s hurt and he’s expendable if his demands become unbelievable. Reason would dictate a new first baseman though, one of the young guns that we can find in Kansas City’s Brett Butler or Pittsburgh’s kid, Garrett Jones.

Reyes should be moved if possible. He signed a 4-year back in 2006 for 23.25 million, a bargain if he plays but a bust if he sits. I’d start looking for a suitor. I’m tired of hearing about potential. He’d have great trade value. It’s almost a lock that some other team would be interested.

But this team needs big-time performance at these slots. The only other position player capable of big performance at the plate is Wright. Francoeur will be a question mark, Sheffield is too old, that centerfielder from the minors is always hurt. Murphy hasn’t shown any real consistency and, well, we need hitters badly. First base and centerfield would be good places to shop.

And then there’s the pitching. Santana is in a class by himself which he proved again yesterday, a real competitor and leader. Pelfrey, Maine and Perez have been very disappointing, for one reason or another, inconsistency or physical well-being always cropping up. But at this point, hanging on to them might make the most sense.

On the relief front, Billy Wagner can probably be traded. Putz should be better as should Green. We could maybe get a big-time position player for Wagner. Everybody needs a good closer, everybody but the Mets. K-Rod’s been a revelation when he’s not been bored to death.

“Boring” is watching this Mets team facing San Diego in San Diego. Could anything be worse? The mind boggles. Thank God for Santana.

As boring as the Mets were, the Yankees were unbelievable. As much as I dislike the whole Yankee organization, you have to give them credit for their demolition of the Red Sox head to head Thursday through Sunday. They hit when they had to hit and they pitched all the time, whether they had to or not.

What a disaster for the Red Sox! They pretty much kissed the AL East title goodbye and their quest must now be for the wildcard. Sabathia, Burnet and Pettite buried them after Joba just got by. When Joba faltered, the Yankees bats came to the fore. It was either Arod or Teixeira or Damon or Posada, it seemed but they got production from just about everybody in a striped shirt.

Teixeira went 6 for 17 with 2 homers, Arod went 4 for 18 with 2 homers, Damon had his 2 homers too, and he scored 4 times, Posada and Cano both went 8 for 18 and Posada had a homer of his own. The new Hinske and Swisher platoon seems pretty formidable too, and their infield defense, with the addition of Teixeira and the improvement in Cano, is almost scary.

Yes, I hate to say it, but the Yanks are loaded. They’re serious, very serious. While I was thinking that they might try to go forward with Mitre as a fifth starter, they picked up Chad Gaudin, a legitimate starter, who has kicked around the majors for several years with mixed success but had really shown marked improvement recently.

So while the Mets have nothing, the Yankees have everything, starters, relievers, hitters, fielders, you name it, they’ve got it. While they can and probably will look bad in certain games going forward, particularly if they get a bad start out of a starter, since their middle relievers can be somewhat compromised.

That alone should make for a livable August and September. I’d hate to have to just live and die with the Cubs or the Rangers for the rest of the season. And it’s still too early to get into football.

The Yanks are the story. The Mets are the footnote. I’ll try to wear a smile.

Holy Cow ! Winning is Risky !!

Holy Cow! Almost lost against the backdrop of NFL playoff games have been some very interesting baseball developments, not just signings but also the behind-the-scenes skullduggery among the various contenders for the talent that’s still out there.

For me, two signings take precedence. Both of them relate to the Yanks recent finalization of their humongous contract with Mark Teixeira, the wunderkind first baseman, who of course got 22.5 million dollars per year for eight long years.

First, I’m very happy for Jason Giambi, who Teixeira is replacing. Jason landed back in Oakland, the team for which he built his formidable reputation as a hitter for both average and power. That Oakland legacy was enough to inspire the Yankees to sign Giambi seven years ago for record numbers.

Sadly for Jason and Yankees fans, that signing never really bore fruit in terms of World Series victories. The prevailing remembrances for most New Yorkers of Giambi’s New York service will be steroids and a fervent wish that the Yanks had kept Tino.

But for the true baseball aficionado, Jason Giambi was a potent presence in the Yanks lineup, more than capable of knocking one over the wall or, at the very least, to draw a base on balls after coaxing about ten more pitches out of their opponent’s starter. If he had any speed on the bases, or anywhere for that matter, Jason would have been even more valuable.

Giambi will be missed in New York, I suspect, much as Tino Martinez was before him. Not because Mark Teixeira can’t play the game, but just as a Yankees presence and overall good guy and teammate. Giambi was always affable with the media, too, even after some rough nights in the field.

But his gaffes in the field and his lack of speed on the base paths severely limited his overall value and suppressed his runs scored quite severely. Surely though, he was valued by his teammates and management as a hard-nosed player who wanted to win. But in hindsight, he surely was not the player the Yanks had envisioned.

The second signing I’ve been anxiously awaiting took place yesterday. That would be the Indians signing of a true Yankees disaster, Carl Pavano, probably the biggest mistake the Yankees, or any team for that matter, has ever made in free agency except perhaps for the Albert Belle fiasco.

Pavano was beset by injuries throughout the term of his 4-year $50 million contract with the Yanks and pitched just 26 starts in four years. That’s basically 2 mill per start. Even the Roger Clemens partial-year deal doesn’t compare in sheer magnitude of loss.

But what makes this deal most intriguing is its structure. It’s for one year only at 1.5 mill, but Carl can make as much as 5.3 mill with 18 starts, not a bad deal for anyone concerned really. What makes this even better is that Pavano may be pitching against the Yankees in the middle of April, at the new stadium, as the Indians third starter behind Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona.

Those two signings typify the risk involved for teams and players in free agency. It appears that only the major league players, like New York, Boston, Philly, LA…. can even contend for the really big earners, your Teixeiras and Mannys and Sabathias. Cleveland can’t compete for Sabathia or Burnet maybe but they can wind up picking up a potentially great pitcher for fair value.

If Pavano doesn’t make his starts number, he walks away with just 1.5 million. But, if he does win 15 or more games, and as he’s already undergone the arm surgery, his chances of doing just that are quite good, he’ll make, say, 5 million. That’s just 300K per win, and, figuring 25 starts, just 200k per start.

It’s good for the game that a team such as the Indians can still pick up a bargain and actually compete. And it’s just as good, if not better, that a team such as the Yankees or Boston can make such huge mistakes. Surely a Milwaukee can’t be so colossally stupid!

That’s not to say that the signings of Sabathia and Burnet and Teixeira are stupid. But the risk is pretty large. Ask yourself what are the chances that Teixeira will put in even close to eight full seasons. He’s a big fellow, he’ll be 29 in April and he’ll be playing the lion’s share of his contract years in his thirties, the last three years in his 35’s, so to speak.

Burnet’s getting 82.5 mill for 5 years and he’s already 32. Sabathia got better money, 7 years for 161 mill. He’s another big guy but he’s only 28 and he seems to throw effortlessly most of the time. The chances are pretty good, though, that all three free agents won’t finish their contracts in one piece.

To say the very least, the Yankees will be paying 3 or 4 times the Indians rate per win, and waaaay more than that for RBI’s. Ryan Garko, Cleveland’s first baseman, had 90 rbi’s in 2008 and 14 homers in 495 at bats. Teixeira averages over 100 ribbies per year and is a career .290 hitter. Garko makes about 420K. Their best player, Grady Sizemore, makes about 3 mill and their biggest bust is Travis Hafner, who only pulls down about 8 million.

What the big teams are really paying for is the surety of winning, the percentage chances of winning it all. That’s why the New York-Boston battle is so intriguing. Only God and the Yankees know what winning the title is really worth. It must exceed the marginal cost of these players, especially if you introduce the factor that these contracts are usually insured.

In the last ten years, big-market teams have made the World Series contests 12 times. But the little guys have made it 8 times, including Tampa Bay, Colorado, St Louis twice, Houston, Florida, Arizona and Atlanta.

Money alone won’t always make the difference. Holy Cow!

Serious Likeability

While the Mets couldn't get out of their own way in Houston, playing a totally un-watchable game in managing to get swept by the middlin' till now Astros, the Yankees were locked in a death match with their most formidable foes, the Los Angeles Angels (yeah, that's right the ones of Anaheim).

From beginning to end, it was a classic. John Lackey, the Angels starter, had everything going his way early in the game, and looked much as he'd looked five days earlier when he no-hit the Red Sox for 8 1/3. Darrell Rasner, the Yankees starter, seemed to have trouble every inning, and the locals seemed lucky to be down by only 4-0 after four innings.

In the bottom of the fourth, in fact, the Bombers were embarrassingly bad. Bobby Abreu and Derek Jeter combined to erase an RBI Nady should have had after he’d hit a sacrifice fly to left field with one out. But Abreu tried to take 3^rd and was thrown out before Jeter crossed home plate. Jeter could’ve run harder and Abreu shouldn’t have tried to advance.

In the fifth though, the entire complexion of the game seemed to change, as Dan Giese struck out two of the three Angels he faced. And, in the bottom of the inning, newly acquired Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez knocked one over the left field wall. It was still 5-1 but you had the feeling the Yanks wouldn’t lie down just yet.

After Giese delivered another uneventful inning in the 6^th, the Yankees went to work, Jeter, Abreu and Arod managed to load the bases once again. After Giambi popped out to left, Nady struck again, cracking a long, seeing-eye ground rule double to deep right-center. Betemit knocked in a third run on a groundout, and now it was really a game, the Yanks down just 1 after six.

Giese set the Angels down still again in the seventh, withstanding a Garrett Anderson double, and you had the feeling the Yanks were ready to roll. And they did. Bobby Abreu knocked in Jeter with the tying run before Nady struck once again, homering to score Abreu and Arod, who had singled. So it was 8-5 Yankees after 7.

Edwar Ramirez looked like gangbusters by fanning the first two batters he faced in the eighth. But then he started to unravel, two walks and a single loading the bases for the newly acquired Angel, Mark Teixeira, who wasted no time at all in smashing one into the right field seats for a grand slam. So now the Yanks were down one yet again.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Yanks would come back once again though, and Joe Girardi showed why he’ll be a manager in this league for a long time. After Pudge had singled, and with the weak-hitting Melky Cabrera at the plate, Joe seemed to manage Melky’s at bat, pitch by pitch, until, after he had worked the count to full, Girardi sent in a pinch-runner for Pudge.

Joe became a genius after Melky bounced one to short, but with the speedy Christian running on the pitch, shortstop Eric Aybar muffed the play, and all hands were safe. Then Christian stole third and scored on the bad throw to third. The Yanks had tied it once again. After that, the Angels started unraveling, seemingly making mistakes every time there was an opportunity. The Yanks would finish the eighth inning up 14-9, which turned out to be the final score after Jose Veras set the Angels down in the ninth.

What was most remarkable about the game, besides the wild swings in fortune, were the main perpetrators of the scoring. They were the “new guys” for both teams., Xavier Nady and Mark Teixeira, and, of course, Pudge, who smacked that first home run to open the Yankees scoring and prove that John Lackey was not invincible.

In fact, it was another “new guy”, Justin Christian, the pinch-runner, who really broke the game open, not only with his speed on the hit-and-run, but also the steal of third and subsequent errors he forced. Yes, speed did kill on this afternoon, and, for once, it was the Bombers who would put it on display.

It had to be a most unnerving experience for the Angels. Hadn’t it always been the Angels who’d used speed and guile to outscore their opponents? And hadn’t it been their heavy-hitter Teixeira who should have knocked these upstarts out with his grand slam in the eighth? And wasn’t it the Angels who had the best relief pitching in the land?

Not yesterday. Dan Giese pitched three beautiful innings to keep the Yankees around. And, even though Edwar Ramirez gave up that big grand slam to Teixeira, he didn’t really look that bad doing it. By that I mean he had some trouble with his control, in part because his ball has such movement. And Veras looked great in the ninth. There would be no need for Mariano on this particular afternoon. Even their other “new guy”, the lefty specialist Marte, showed his face in the pen, perhaps just for show.

How can I be a Yankee-hater with the team they have now? What’s not to like? Nady adds zing to their lineup, in just the right spot. Pudge looks like a new man. I always liked the Giambino and Damon. And Melky, he can grow on you too. Cano’s been a hit machine.

I haven’t liked a Yankees team this much since the one I found impossible to hate, the one with Tino at first, and O’Neil in the outfield, and that clutch third-baseman Scott Brosius. Not to mention Chuck Knoblauch at second and there was even the young Alfonso Soriano. That was the year 2000. It’s been about eight years of Yankee-hating ever since.

But these guys are seriously likeable. Look out, American League East, this Yankees team is for real. They knew what they needed. They went out and got it….unlike the Mets.