Monthly Archives: August 2003

The Baseball Prospectus-Pete Rose story caused quite a stir yesterday. Both Jay Jaffe and Jon Weisman have thoughtful, and measured columns today (Jay has full complement of links as well). Lee Sinins’ take may be less objective, but it’s convincing and funny. Here is what he wrote in his latest ATM report:

MLB has strongly denied Baseball Prospectus’s report on the return of Pete Rose.

With MLB’s credibility, this statement is just as good as a confirmation of Will’s story. With their track record, MLB is on my list of at least 3 entities, of which I believe nothing from them until as the events prove the statement to be correct. Occasionally it does happen, but until it does, I don’t believe it.

Actually, my first reaction to MLB’s denial was, if Pete Rose was mentioned in their statement, then there is the possibility that Rose doesn’t even exist. But, as recently as a day or two ago, I was watching an old episode of Baseball Magazine on ESPN Classic (which, as an aside, is a show I’d like to see returned to the air) and Sparky Anderson was discussing Pete Rose’s reaction to Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. So, since independent evidence of Rose’s existence exists, at least that part of MLB’s statement is believable.

I won’t even insult Will Carroll by including any discussion of his credibility in the same sentence.

I sure would like to know what the two other entities that Lee doesn’t trust are, though the Oval Office and the MTA rank high on my list.

The Mets, Giants game was interesting last night because it marked the return of Edgardo Alfonso to Queens. But Fonzie, and even the visiting former President, Bill Clinton, took a back seat to the great Barry Bonds. (You were expecting J.T. Snow maybe?) Bonds, who has historically not hit well at Shea Stadium, was masterful. He walked on four pitches in the first. The Mets had the lead when he came up again, and promptly lined Aaron Heilman’s first pitch into the bullpen. There were smiles all around—it was hard to resist, even for Johnny Franco—and plenty of cheers for Mr. Bonds. (Hey, the fans aren’t stupid; the realize they are catching history here.) He doubled in a run in his following at bat, and was finally retired by Grant Roberts his fourth time up (he whiffed on a fastball up and out of the strike zone).

The Mets led 5-3 in the ninth. David Weathers got the first out, so he was able to pitch to Bonds. He got two quick strikes, and then threw three-straight balls. The 2-2 pitch was close, and Weathers thought he had a strike out, but it was a ball. Bonds creamed the 3-2 pitch to right for another homer, and I nearly fell off the couch I was laughing so hard. Bonds now has 650 career homers, just ten shy of Willie Mays on the all-time list. Amazing.

Weathers got the next two outs, the Mets won, and (almost) everybody went home happy.

The Yankees got just what the doctor ordered last night: a fine performance from both Mike Mussina and the offense. It was a well-balanced effort as the Yanks defeated the Royals, 6-0. Mussina pitched eight innings, allowed four hits and walked four; Mariano pitched a scoreless ninth. The Yankees’ dubious bullpen was essentially given the night off.

Jorge Posada went 4-5, and Soriano and Bernie Williams both looked impressive too. Jason Giambi, who has a bum knee which may require surgery, walked twice, added two hits, and is looking mighty locked-in right now. Hey even Aaron Boone picked up a hit, after a 0-17 streak (he is 5-41 as a Yankee).

I was talking with Christian Ruzich, The Cub Reporter, yesterday, and he had the opportunity to land a press pass in Oakland a few weeks ago when the Yankees were in town. There was a fan appreciation ceremony that day, so the players took bp in an under-ground facility. Ruz said that Giambi wasn’t as huge as he was several years back, but he did note several sizable tatoos on the sluggers’ arms. In fact, he pointed out that Giambi wears a 3/4 sleeve on his right arm to cover one of his pieces. I noticed it last night. Thanks for the fashion tip, Ruz.

David Wells, who is back in New York and will have an MRI on his ailing back today, will miss at least one start, and there is some concern that he could miss more than that. Sterling Hitchcok will likely start in his place on Saturday against the Orioles.

The Yankees gained a game on the Red Sox, who lost in Oakland last night, 5-3. The A’s scored five runs early and held off a late surge by Boston. Oakland is now one game up in the wild card race; the Yankees lead the Sox by four, five in the loss column. The Red Sox are 13-13 since the All-Star break.

Speaking of the Sox, the morbid saga of Ted Williams continues:

Hall of Famer Ted Williams’ head and body are being stored in separate containers at an Arizona cryonics lab that is still trying to collect a $111,000 bill from Williams’ son, according to a story by Tom Verducci in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated.

You can’t make this kind of creepy stuff up. Sheesh.

Last Sunday morning, I found myself walking from east to west on 125th street in Harlem. Just a few blocks away from the Apollo theater I spotted a Japanese kid with an Ichiro/Godzilla t-shirt. He was with two friends (also Japanese I presumed), so I stopped them to chat about baseball and Matsui. I asked if they were going to The Stadium that afternoon, and they said they were. They had also been to the first two games of the series and were pulling for the Mariners. The kid with the Godzilla shirt was named Hidi (I hope I got that right), and one of his friends’ name was Hideki (the third guy’s name escapes me, but he didn’t talk much anyhow). They were very amused with how much I like Hurricaine Hideki Irabu, and they assured me that he was pitching quite well in Japan this season.

The guys told me that Ichiro was slightly more popular in Japan than Godzilla, but that they are really two very different types of personalities and players. They were eager to know who I thought Kaz Matsui would sign with next year. I told them that I didn’t think the Yanks would get him, but that stranger things have happened. The guys really enjoyed the passion and excitement of Yankee Stadium, which made me feel proud to be a New Yorker. We enjoyed a nice conversation for about ten minutes when I discovered that these guys are students who live in St. Louis. So I asked them what Cardinals fans were like since I’ve never visited the midwest.

It just goes to show, you never know where you’ll meet great baseball fans.

Speaking of Godzilla, Allen Barra is clearly a fan of the stocky Japanese import, who is enjoying a fine, if not sensational rookie campaign in the majors. Barra makes a case for Godzilla as the hands-down cherce for Rookie of the Year.

Hall of Fame historian Bruce Markusen catches up with the ’73 A’s and the ’78 Yanks in his two latest Cooperstown Confidential columns. Both are well worth checking out. Here is a bit that is unrelated to the main features that caught my eye:

I have to confess that Iíve never seen his television show, but Bernie Mac has nonetheless become one of my favorite comedians. Thatís because he recently told Sports Illustrated that his idol was Roberto Clemente. Mac, by the way, is currently filming a baseball movie called Mr. 3000. Itís not about Clemente, but about a fictional character who decides to make a belated comeback when he realizes that he actually fell short of reaching the 3,000-hit club.

I have seen the Bernie Mac show and I think it’s pretty good. I don’t know how much longer than can keep it fresh, but thus far it has been able to be clever and hip, without compromising Mac’s persona. I’ve also read and seen several interviews with Bernie and I think he’s a stand-up guy. There is no pretense or B.S. with Mac, and he’s very thoughtful. The fact that he’s making a baseball flick makes me like him all the more. I’m hopeful that this movie—which co-stars the talented Angela Bassett—could in fact be decent. I’m rooting for it all the way.

Bob DuPuy, the President and Chief Operating Officer of MLB has issued a statement regarding Baseball Prospectus’ Pete Rose story:

“The story that appeared on the Baseball Prospectus website today regarding the return of Pete Rose to baseball in 2004 and the alleged written agreement that had been reached by Rose and Commissioner Selig is unsubstantiated and totally unfounded. The report is wholly inaccurate.

“As has been reported many times by the Commissioner and as recently as one week ago, Commissioner Selig and Mr. Rose have met regarding his pending application for reinstatement, which originally was filed in 1997. The Commissioner has not made a decision and no agreement with Mr. Rose has been reached or signed. When a decision is made, it will be reported through the appropriate channels. Any unnamed source to the contrary or any report suggesting otherwise is both unfortunate and journalistically irresponsible.”

As you can well imagine, this story has caused a veritable shit storm in the on-line baseball community. Check out the thread running at Baseball Primer for the gory details.

Pat Jordan was a bonus baby for the Braves in the late ’50s and early ’60s. He threw gas, but never made it to the majors; eventually, he became an accomplished journalist. His first memoir, “A False Spring” is considered a baseball classic. I think that the sequel, “A Nice Tuesday,” is a better book, even if it is more about Jordan’s personal life than it is about baseball.

Jordan still writes for The New York Times magazine, and it is always a treat to read his work, especially if it is about a pitcher. Before “A False Spring” was released in 1974, Jordan published a collection of stories he had written for Sports Illustrated called, “The Suitors of Spring.” All of the articles in this collection are about pitchers, including the likes of Tom Seaver, Bo Belinksky, Bruce Kison, Steve Dalkowski and Sudden Sam McDowell.

I buried myelf in the book last night after suffering through the Yankees game, hoping to take my mind off the pain of the here-and-now. Jordan describes McDowell and Dalkowski as young men who were possessed by their talented; Seaver, on the other hand, was a late-bloomer with less natural talent. Of course, Seaver became on the great pitchers of all time. Dalkowski never made it passed triple A and McDowell never became the great pitcher he was expected to become.

Here is a healthy excerpt from the article on Sudden Sam, “A Talent for Refusing Greatness:”

Like many extremely talented people, Sam McDowell does not judge his accomplishments by conventional standards. His challenges, and their eventual resolution, are very private affairs independent of either the approval or disapproval of anyone else.

…”The only thing I get satisfaction from,” he says, “is accomplishing something I’m not supposed to be able to do. I live for challenges, and once I overcome them I have to go on to something new.”

…It is obvious that McDowell takes great delight in watching his pitches behave even when he’s only warming up. And he admits to often concentrating so much on his individual pitches and their perfection that he loses sight of everything else. His individual pitches then become his goal rather than simply the means of attaining some larger goal–a victory, for instance.

“I try and break things down to their simplest element,” he says, “and sometimes I guess I do it to an extreme. For instance, a game to me is just a series of individual challenges–Me against Reggie Jackson or Me againt Don Mincher. If I find I can get a guy out with a fastball it takes all the challenge away, so next time I throw him all curveballs. If I don’t have a challenge I create one. It makes the game interesting.”

…”No, I wouldn’t say Sudden is the toughest pitcher I ever faced,” says Reggie Jackson. “Now, don’t get me wrong. I like Sudden and I think he’s got the greatest fastball, curveball, slider and change-up of any pitcher I ever saw. I call him ‘Instant Heat.’ But still, I don’t mind facing him. That’s not because I hit him so easy, either, because I don’t. It’s just that Sudden simplifies things out there. He makes it like it used to be when we were kids. You know he’s going to challenge you, his strength against yours, and either you beat him or he beats you. And if you do beat him with a home run or something, hell, it don’t bother him that much. He’s not greedy. He lets you have a little, too. And he won’t throw at you, either, because he’s too nice a guy. He knows that with his fastball he could kill you if he ever hit you. You see, baseball’s still a game to Sudden, the way it should be to all of us. Hell, I’d pay to see him pitch because I know he enjoys himself so much. Do you know he’s got 12 differenet moves to first base? That’s a fact! When he was going for his 1500th strikeout he was trying so hard he fell down on a pitch to me. I took it for a third strike. I loved that, though. That’s why I look forward to facing him even if I don’t hit him a helluva lot. But someday I will. Me and Sudden will be around for a long time, and one of these days I’m going to connect with one of his sudden pitches and watch out! But still, I have to say that Sam McDowell isn’t the toughest pitcher I ever faced. As a matter of fact, I think he’d be tougher if he had less ability. Sounds crazy, huh? But it’s true. Sudden’s just go too much stuff.”

I don’t think that Jeff Weaver is nearly as gifted as McDowell was, and perhaps he isn’t even as interesting a person. But I thought about Weaver after reading this article last night, because he’s a pitcher with great stuff who hasn’t been able to put it together. Of course, you can replace Jeff Weaver with your favorite talent who hasn’t lived up to expectations. The point is, all the talent in the world doesn’t mean spit if you don’t thrive as a competitor.

Anyhow, there isn’t a baseball writer I enjoy more than Pat Jordan. Next time you happen upon one of his books, pick it up and give him a try.

Will Carroll and Derek Zumsteg of Baseball Prospectus are reporting that Pete Rose will be allowed to return to baseball next year:

Pete Rose and Major League Baseball have reached an agreement that would allow him to return to baseball in 2004, and includes no admission of wrongdoing by Rose, Baseball Prospectus has learned. According to several sources, Rose signed the agreement after a series of pre-season meetings between Rose, Hall of Fame member Mike Schmidt, and at different times, high-level representatives of Major League Baseball, including Bob DuPuy, Major League Baseball’s Chief Operating Officer, and Allan H. “Bud” Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

The agreement includes removal of Rose from baseball’s permanently ineligible list. This would allow Rose to appear on ballots for baseball’s Hall of Fame, which bars such banned players from consideration. The agreement allows Rose to be employed by a team in the 2004 season, as long as that position does not involve the day to day operations. That employment restriction would be removed after a year, allowing Rose to return to managing a team as early as the 2005 season if a position is offered to him.

Wow. Nice scoop, fellas. Think this will generate a stir? Duck and cover.

As expected, things went from bad to worse for the Yanks last night, as the spirited Royals pounded the Bombers’ bullpen into submission in front of their largest crowd of the season. (Remember, Bill James told Mark McGrath that they hate New York even more in Kansas City than they do in Boston.) The Royals hit 11 doubles, and the Yanks added 8 to set a major league single-game record.

It was another infuriating loss for Yankee fans. (If you want to feel worse, read Mike Lupica’s “I-told-you-so” rant in today’s Daily News.) This was definitely one of those games that cost me some sleep, I won’t lie. Even though the Yanks cranked out nine runs, it wasn’t enough (the final score: Royals 12, Yanks 9). Looks like those baserunning blunders were costly after all. As bad as the Yanks were, I’d be remiss if I didn’t credit the Royals, who lived up to their scrappy reputation. They are not unlike the Angels were last year: aggresive, opportunistic, and essentially likable.

Hey, at least Buck O’Neil and Bill James and Rob Neyer had a good night.

Brett Prinz made his Yankee debut in the 8th and was touched up pretty good. Antonio Osuna left the team to be with his ailing mother. There is no word yet as to whether David Wells will miss any time with his creaky back.

Again, the silver lining was that the Red Sox lost. Tim Hudson, the A’s hard luck ace, pitched a two-hitter, and Oakland beat Boston, 4-0. (Both hits didn’t leave the infield.) Pedro Martinez threw 101 pitches in just five innings, allowing two runs. Boston still trails New York by three games.

Boomer Wells tried pitching through back pain tonight, but couldn’t hold the 5-1 lead his offense staked him to, and didn’t make it into the fourth inning. A trip to the DL could be looming for Boomer. Sterling Hitchcock is coming on to pitch, and that never spells good things for New York. Paul Abbott, recently acquired in a trade with Arizona, is either throwing the ball in the dirt or six feet over the Yankees heads, for KC.

The Yankees baserunning has been awful thus far, and further demonstrates how shaky this team is fundamentally. They are a good team, but not the scary air-tight team of 97-2000. (This may be unfair, as that Yankee team will go down as a great team.) In the first, Jorge Posada was thrown out at second, trying to stretch a single into a double for no good reason, to end the inning. In the third, with runners on second and third and just one out, Bernie Williams didn’t score from third on a slow ground ball to first base.

Sure, the Yanks were up 5-1 at the time, but by the bottom of the inning the score was tied. Posada and Bernie have always been lousy on the bases: Posada thinks like Raul Mondesi and runs like John Riggins; Bernie is just a flat-out ditz. Alfonso Soriano had a one-out double in the fourth and then was thrown out trying to steal third. The score was tied. Why steal?

Oy veh. This should promise to be a long, drawn-out affair. I expect the lead to change hands several more times. After a long fly out from Giambi in the fifth (he already hit a two-run blast), Matsui cranked a solo shot to straight-away center to give the Yanks the lead, 6-5. Aaron Boone hasn’t had a base hit since Christ was a Cowboy.

Going to be a long night. Tim Hudson squares off against Pedro later tonight in Oakland. What a gem that promises to be. Aesthetically speaking, it doesn’t get much better than Pedro vs. Hudson, man.

My good friend, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus, sent me some interesting observations on Mariano Rivera over the weekend:

Rivera … watch his elbow for two things to see if he’s going to be
good or crappy on a given day. If it gets up, almost even with his
shoulder in the “power T” position as he begins his trunk rotation,
he’s good. If it stays up as his trunk rotates and is even with his
shoulder or slightly higher as he releases, even better.

He’s dipping it lately, indicating fatigue. Brantley had a pretty
good breakdown on BBTN, but only covered the release point.

OK, cool. The only question I had was: What is the “power T” position? Will responded:

Oops … ok, let’s give the quick course on pitching mechanics. I
should do an article on this.

Pretend you’re pitching. As you stride, your glove hand comes up and your back arm lifts and rotates. At the point where your front foot strikes, your arms should be straight out, putting both elbows on level with your shoulders. That’s “power T”.

From the power T, you will rotate your trunk – turn your body-bending slightly, pulling your arm through as fast as possible.

If he dips his elbow, the plane of his cutter gets flatter, rather than going in and down, it just goes in. It also puts more stress on his shoulder.

Will is right, he should do an article on pitching mechanics. I know I learned something I didn’t know. It is part of what makes Carroll such a great guy. Like many other baseball writers and bloggers, he loves to share information. After all, what fun is there in knowing everything and keeping it all to yourself? I feel like I learn something new about baseball each and every day of the year. It’s why I keep coming back for more.

Raul Mondesi made the papers this weekend talking trash about his former employers in the Bronx. Needless to say, Mondesi proved why the Yanks (and the Jays and the Dodgers before them) didn’t want him around anymore. The story doesn’t merit serious consideration, it only goes to show that Raul is a first class sucka.

The Yankee bullpen coughed up a 4-1 lead against the Mariners on Sunday, and the Bombers lost to Seattle, 8-6. There are all different kinds of losses. The best way to describe how I felt after this one can be summed up in one word: fury. Derek Jeter told The Times:

“I just felt it was a game that we should have won,” Derek Jeter said. “I’m sure if you ask anybody, they would have said the same thing.”

At the end of the game, YES announcer Michael Kay correctly stated that the game was “odiously unmanageable.” (Am I the only one who thinks that Kay himself has become odiously unmanageable too?) Even though neither starter, Jamie Moyer nor Roger Clemens were at the top of their game, they weren’t terrible either and the game moved along at a reasonable pace. (The game marked the first time two 40-year old pitchers ever started against each other.) It’s only when the bullpens took over that the game slowed down to what Kitty Kaat characterized as a “taffy pull.”

My “loveable and huggable” collection of relievers, Jeff Nelson, Jesse Orosco, Osuna, and Chris Hammond got their tits lit but good. The M’s pen faired better, and showed why the Benitez trade makes sense for them: they didn’t even need to go to him.

For the third consecutive weekend, the Yanks have dropped 2 of 3 games when they should have won at least 2 of 3. About the only thing that made it bearable was the fact that the O’s beat the Sox again in Boston (Nomar Garciaparra, who has been smoking hot, whiffed with the bases loaded to end the game). The Yanks lead remains three. But Joel Sherman thinks this is a disturbing sign for a team that is expected to go deep into October:

“This loss – like the other five during the past three weekends – was emblematic about why the Yanks should have October worries: Because they lost yet another close game due to missed opportunities on offense, missed outs on defense, misadventures on the bases and miserable relief pitching, especially miserable relief pitching.”

…July and August may not be October, but the past three weekends have shown how the games will be played in the postseason and the Yankees have failed the test.”
While the Red Sox begin a difficult two-week stretch, where they play 14 consecutive games against the A’s and M’s, the Yanks head to K.C. tonight to play the surprising Royals for the first time all year. The Sox were expected to make a dent into the Yankees’ lead during the past few weeks and failed; but the Bombers have also failed to create any distance themselves. While it is easy to think the Sox will tank against the best of the west, I think they will hold their own. By the time the Yanks and Sox face off again at the end of the month, I bet the lead is still around three or four games in the east.

Andy Pettitte pitched a complete-game and lost 2-1 to Gil Meche and the Mariners on humid and damp Saturday afternoon in the Boogie Down. I was at my mom’s for lunch with Emily and mercifully missed the vexing affair. The baby-faced Meche pitched well earlier in the season at The Stadium, and he was nasty again this time. According to The New York Times:

Before this season, Meche, 24, had 12 career victories. Now, he is the first pitcher in more than a decade to miss two seasons and rebound to win at least 10 games, which is not that surprising since he throws 98-mile-an-hour four-seam fastballs, 94-m.p.h. two-seam fastballs, nifty changeups and nasty sliders. For most of the day, the Yankees were baffled.

“It’s got to be huge for them,” Derek Jeter said. “I knew he had great stuff. I didn’t know he threw that hard. When you have a guy like that, I don’t want to say he came out of the blue, but we really didn’t expect it.”

After Pettitte returned to the clubhouse to cool off in the bottom of the first, he watched on television as Meche tossed robust fastballs to strike out Johnson and Jeter. Meche looked even more dominant in that inning than he did in stifling the Yankees, 6-0, on April 29.

“After I saw him in the first inning, I said, `Surely he can’t keep that up,’ ” Pettitte said. “But he did.”

This is Pettitte’s second hard-luck outing in a row. (Remember last Sunday’s gem against Mulder in Oakland?) Dem’s da breaks, but Andy’s been the best pitcher on the Yankees staff for well over a month now. The Bombers lose ground as the Red Sox hit a bunch of historic homers up in Boston to drill the O’s, 6-4. The Yanks lead is back to three, the same as it was when Ed Cossette left for vacation. The more things change, the more the stay the same. Welcome home, Edward.

Yankee fans stewed two nights ago when Mariano Rivera threw away a lead against Texas while Pedro Martinez was busting out a complete game beauty vs. the World Champs; tonight, the shoe is on the other foot. The Sox lost both games of a double-header at home against the Orioles, while the Yankees outlasted the Mariners, 9-7. The Yanks now lead Boston by four games.

Neither Jeff Weaver or Ryan Franklin were particularly effective. Hideki Matsui hit a home run early, but The Mariners rallied down 3-1 in the fifth and went ahead 5-3. (Edgar singled home two runs with the bases full to put the M’s ahead.) The bases were still loaded when Dave Dellucci made a terrific diving catch that saved at least two more runs. It’s not often a Yankee makes a play that could be nominated for a “web gem,” but this was certainly one of them.

One inning later, Nick Johnson hit a grand slam which put the Yankees ahead for good. It was the first grande salami of Nicky’s career. Mazel, papi.

Just to make things exciting, Jeff Nelson came on to face the top of the order in the eighth, with the Yanks leading 8-7. He struck out all three batters he faced and pumped and jumped off the mound. It was a nasty outing. Armando Benitez pitched the bottom of the inning, and gave up a single and a stolen base to Alfonso Soriano (who looked much better tonight). Nick Johnson then rolled a seeing-eye single between short and third to give the Yanks an insurance run.

Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 ninth; a sight for sore eyes, indeed. (He struck out Edgar, who is now 9-15 lifetime against Rivera.)

I didn’t think the Sox would drop two at home. Every time I see them trailing by three, four, or five runs early, I assume they are going to come back and win. And if they lose, it will be 11-10 in extra innings. Looks like this Red Sox team is intent on keeping things dramatic. Tonight, it’s Red Sox Nation turn to pass the pepto.

Aaron Gleeman, the Irving Thalberg of baseball bloggers, weighs in on the Nellie-Benitez deal, while Ben Jacobs has some nice things to say about Rocket Clemens.

David Pinto has a good take on Jeter’s defense over at Baseball Musings (he uses the win shares method to make his case):

“Jeter is the worst regular shortstop in terms of defense over the last five years. And it’s not just that he’s at the bottom; he’s way below the level that keeps shortstops playing. Long time readers of this site know that I’ve pointed out specific plays where I’ve seen the ball come off the bat, expected an out, and Jeter doesn’t get to it. I have advocated moving Jeter to another position. His lack of defense (and Soriano’s, for that matter) cost the Yankees against the Angels last year. Most of the time it doesn’t matter because he makes up for his defense with his bat. But against a team that puts the ball in play a lot, I don’t want Jeter playing shortstop.”

Derek Jeter’s defensive flaws have been widely discussed in the alternative-baseball media for over a year now. The Newark Star Ledger has a piece this morning about Jeter’s fatal flaw. Michael Hoban, a 67-year old mathematics professor at Monmouth University, conducted a study ranking shortstops defense and Jeter finsihed dead last:

“I’m the worst?” Jeter said when confronted with the numbers. “I don’t think I would say that. But I couldn’t really care less what some mathematical equation comes out with.”

…”How to you rank defensive shortstops?” Jeter said. “I don’t see how a formula can evaluate how somebody plays.

“You get a strikeout pitcher on the mound as opposed to a ground-ball pitcher, it’s going to affect the statistics you use to evaluate defense. So I don’t really think you can.”

What did you expect Jeter to say? “You’re right, I am the worst defensive shortstop in baseball.” Like Ralph Kramden once declaired: “I got my pride.” Regardless, Jete’s comments should be fodder for his detractors. Let the bashing continue.

When Rafael Palmeiro hit a 3-run dinger off of Mike Mussina in the top of the first yesterday afternoon, it looked like it could be another long day for the Yankees. But Enrique Wilson answered with a grand slam in the bottom of the second, and the Yanks went on to beat Texas, 7-5. Alex Rodriguez, who is on a homer tear, tied the game at 4 with a solo homer, but Jorge Posada had the go-ahead hit—a slow dribbler that made it’s way through the infield—and the bullpen held on for the win.

Jeff Nelson received a rousing ovation from the Stadium crowd when he appeared in the 8th. According to The Times:

“Nelson, a 36-year-old veteran of almost 700 major league games, tried to compose himself when he reached the mound. Surrounded by Manager Joe Torre and the infielders, Nelson stared at the ground.

‘I couldn’t look up,” he said, “because I didn’t want them to see the water in my eyes.'”

Nelson didn’t pitch particularly well, but he escaped a bases-loaded jam without allowing a run. Mariano Rivera, however, did give up a run in the 9th. Rivera’s pitches are catching too much of the strike zone, and they are not breaking with their usual sharpness.

The Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the World Champs in Boston to remain just 2.5 games back. The Sox play the O’s this weekend, including a double header today.

Again, it’s damp and drizzling in New York. The Mariners, who are just percentage points behind the Yanks for best record in the league, come to The Stadium for a big weekend series. It should be extra special if Benitez or Nellie get to pitch. Speaking of which, the boys over at U.S.S. Mariner think the M’s got the better of the deal. They also think there is no doubt that Nellie’s mouth precipitated the move:

“This is the rarest of trades; two contenders, in the same league, with a good chance of facing each other in the playoffs (and a matchup against each other this weekend), swapping players who are both likely to play fairly prominant roles in that potential playoff series. Make no mistake, this is a message trade. Had Jeff Nelson not criticized Mariners ownership last week, he would still be a Mariner. This would not a trade that was explored because of on-field performance (more on that below), but simply one to show the players who was in charge. Criticize the boss and you’ll be shown the door. This is a power play by ownership/management.”

Jay Jaffe, The Futility Infielder, is happy with the trade:

“What’s suprising is that both players slipped through waivers. As I understand it, the transaction rules that govern this time of year require each player to pass through waivers, in which every team gets a crack at the player with the worst teams in the player’s same league getting first dibs. The player claimed can then either be dealt to the team claiming him or withdrawn, closing the window on any trade opportunity for the season. For both Benitez and Nelson to have made it through means that the two teams chasing the M’s and the Yanks, Oakland and Boston, respectively, passed up the opportunity to claim the player either as a means of aiding their own bullpens, or at the very least of blocking a trade to their rivals.”

The Yanks will try and warsh the awful taste of last night’s loss out of their systems this afternoon at The Stadium, weather providing. It’s a damp morning in New York, and I have to go to a funeral today, so I won’t be around to blog.

Here is some of the reaction to the Nellie-Benitez deal:

Tyler Kepner and Jack Curry in the Times.

Vic Ziegel and Mike Lupica in the News.

Joel Sherman in The Post.

John Heyman in Newsday.

Larry Stone in The Seattle Times.

And finally—for now—Jim Moore and John Levesque in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.