Daily Archives: January 28, 2004

Rob Neyer and Steven Goldman add their takes on what the Yankees will do to fix the sudden problem at third base. Cliff Corcoran is back for more, and Shawn Bernard rates the defense of some of the possible candidates to replace Aaron Boone.

Meanwhile, Tom Boswell joins the chorus of critics who think the Yankees’ front office have made some suspect decisions this winter:

What odds could you have gotten last fall that Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, David Wells and Jeff Weaver — four-fifths of the New York rotation last year with 120 starts among them — would all be pitching for other teams? It’s unparalleled and almost incomprehensible.

Losing Pettitte, largely because George Steinbrenner snubbed him with offseason indifference, may haunt New York for years. Pettitte was penciled in for five more fine seasons and a place next to Whitey Ford. The Yankees can talk all they want about their rebuilt staff, but it’s a bluff. This team is gut-shot. You don’t win titles at Yankee Stadium without a quality southpaw starter. Kevin Brown will be 39 in March and missed half his starts in 2001 and ’02. Pitching depth has always been Joe Torre’s hole card. Now he can’t name his fourth or fifth starter.

At the same time, Boswell likes the boys from Boston:

Hard as it is to accept (without smelling salts), the AL favorite is clearly the Red Sox. Curse or no curse, you can’t get around it. The Red Sox are now the overdogs. They’re so loaded and rich that they might as well wear pinstripes this season.

I have a feeling that the Red Sox will be the favorites in many a pre-season prognostication. Don’t you?

Mark Feinsand at mlb.com confirms the story that Gary Sheffield has offered to play third for the Bombers, and offers his suggestions about what the Yankees’ options are. Obviously, Sheffield wouldn’t help the Yankees defensively, but I’m sure management appreciates the offer all the same. It’s the kind of move that you would expect from a team-player like Derek Jeter (though it remains to be seen if Jeter would be any better at third than he is at short). Rich Lederer e-mailed me from the west coast this morning and added, “I was thinking how odd it was that Sheffield, a newcomer, had volunteered to plug the gap but that the team’s leader and captain hadn’t stepped forward with a similar offer.”

Meanwhile, John Heyman reports in Newsday that New York has signed Larry Bowa’s favorite son, Tyler Houston to a minor-league contract, so Sheff and Jeter may not have to worry about moving anywhere anytime soon.

Alan Schwarz has an intriguing piece over at Primer about the future of defensive statistics. Don’t look now, but the future is closer than we think:

This spring, Major League Baseballís Internet portal, mlb.com, will install in select parks a three-camera set-up to measure pitch speeds, locations and breaks

SOMETHING LIKE CRATE DIGGIN’

Over at Baseball Primer’s “Clutch Hits,” my man Repoz searches the Internet and finds choice stories like Lord Finesse and Diamond D dig in the crates and find ill beats. Yesterday, Repoz linked a little gem on Mudcat Grant. The article is about the influence Grant’s mother had on his life:

Grant learned forgiveness from Viola. Thatís also where he learned religious tolerance. Before beginning to play pro ball in Fargo, N.D., his mother had a request. Although a Baptist, she wanted him to attend other services. Episcopalian. Jewish. Catholic. Mormon.

“I was the laughingstock of Fargo,” Grant said. “They said, ‘Did that ballplayer come by your church yet?í ”

After the season, Grant returned home and told his mother about the other churches.

“She said, ‘Do you know why I sent you to do that?í ” Grant said. “I said, ‘No.í She said, ‘When you die and go to heaven, if you think that the only people youíre going to see is Baptist, God is going to slap you upside the head.í “

Mother knows best.

Here is an e-mail I received from reader Adam Birbrower today, listing his Bottom 10 Gay Icons:

10. Pete Rose
9. Al Harbosky
8. Greg Luzinski
7. Billy Martin
6. Yogi Berra
5. Ralph Kiner
4. Chad Curtis
3. Tom Lasorda
2. John Rocker
1. Popeye Zimmer

Speaking of Gay porn and Gay Icons, here is my vote for potential Gay Icon most likely to be be a Gay porn star (or something like that): Pete LaCock.

Alex Ciepley is an openly gay baseball blogger who doesn’t often write about gay issues, regardless of his provocatively titled blog, “Ball Talk.” He follows the Cubs, has a succinct and crisp writing style, and is a shrewd analyst. But today he offers us some fluff: “Baseball’s Top Ten Gay Icons.” You might be surprised at some of the guys who made the list. Anyway, this is a fun article, and Ciepley’s comments are both enlightening (for this straight fan) as well as amusing. I hope to see more of this kind of writing from Ciepley as the season unfolds.

There is a very interesting story coming out of Cleveland today. Dig the AP report:

Indians minor league pitcher Kazuhito Tadano is asking for forgiveness for what he called a one-time mistake — his appearance in a gay porn video in which he engaged in a homosexual act.

Tadano took part in the video three years ago when he was a college student. Sitting in Cleveland’s clubhouse Tuesday, he said he hoped to put his actions in the past.

“All of us have made mistakes in our lives,” Tadano said, reading a statement in English. “Hopefully, you learn from them and move on.”

Shunned by Japanese baseball teams, the 23-year-old Tadano signed with the Indians last March. They think he can make their club this spring.

I likeDavid Pinto’s take on this over at Baseball Musings:

It seems to me an openly gay ballplayer can’t be too far into the future. A team with young players, like Cleveland, may be the right place for the first homosexual ballplayer. After all, these young men have grown up in a much more tolerant society than I did (I was born in 1960), and may not think it’s such a big deal.

Last year, Buster Olney shared his feelings about this subject with me:

It’s interesting cause when I covered the Padres Billy Bean was on the that team…I really believe that if any team would have been able to handle that situation, it would have been that team. Because the best player, Tony Gwynn, is a very tolerant person, he’s very broad-minded. It was a very young team, that had stripped it down and they had all these young players, and Billy was very well liked. Some of the other leaders on the team like [Brad] Ausmus, were very bright guys. Trevor Hoffman, very accepting personality. If it was going to work, it would’ve worked on that team. But there is no doubt veteran teams like the Yankees I covered, or the Mets now: no chance. There is no chance.

The young Indians have more in common with that Padres team than they do with the big market squads in New York:

If he pitches well during spring training, Tadano could win a spot in Cleveland’s bullpen. Whenever he joins the Indians, pitcher C.C. Sabathia says Tadano will be welcomed.

“This is the right team and the right organization for him,” Sabathia said. “We have good guys here. Everybody has done something that they regret in their lives. He’s a person just like everyone else.”

Homosexuality is one of the last great taboos in American team sports. Let’s hope it doesn’t remain that way for too much longer.

YANKS GET THE GAS FACE

Baseball Prospectus offered two stellar articles on the Aaron Boone situation yesterday. The first was written by Andrew Baharlias, a lawyer who worked as staff counsel to the Yankees from 1997-02 (subscription is required). Baharlias reviews the technicalities of the case, and offers an insiders take on what the Yankees will do now. The second piece “Bye, Bye Boonie,” features the kind of irreverent humor and insight that we’ve come to expect from Derek Zumsteg (again, subscription is required).

Zumsteg confirms what Bob Klapisch, Tyler Kepner, Mark Hale, and Sam Borden have written: There is no desirable bodies out there to play third for the Yanks. Nobody. According to Kepner:

“It’s thin,” Cashman said yesterday, referring to the third base market. “This is not the time of year and definitely not the position you want to be looking for. I don’t anticipate finding one externally for quite some time.”

Boone would most likely have been the No. 9 hitter in a loaded lineup. The Yankees can get by without his bat, but they will greatly miss his defense. “The biggest issue for me is defense and support for our pitching staff,” Cashman said. “Boone is a tremendous defensive player with a lot of range. That’s going to hurt more than losing his offense. But we’re not there yet.”

And Bob Klapisch reports:

Of course, no one has yet concluded that Boone’s season is over, at least not until the medical tests are complete. Cashman indicated the third baseman would likely “fly all over the country” to see a number of specialists in the next two weeks. That explains why the Yankees never formally announced Boone’s injury to the public…

Privately, though, executives were startled that Boone was so forthcoming about how he tore his anterior cruciate ligament. Considering he was injured in a pick-up basketball game, a clear violation of his contract, Boone is in danger of being released by the Yankees and having his $5.75 million salary voided. In this case, Boone’s honesty could prove to be expensive.

Said one Yankee executive, “do you know how often GMs hear from a player, “I hurt myself on the treadmill?” And you’re like, “right.” But when a guy says that, there’s nothing you can do.”

After thinking about it some, I have to give Boone some credit for being honest. A cynic will call him a sucker, but it shows that he’s got a conscience. However, as Baharlias surmised, “Unfortunately, New York is the place where contract language trumps contrition every time out; truth is no defense when you’ve signed on the dotted line.”

Looks like the Yankees, and their fans will have to sit on this one for a minute. Unless of course you believe that the Bombers would seriously consider Gary Sheffield’s offer to man the hot corner (hmmm). In the meantime, thanks to Rich Lederer (whose latest piece examines the career of Lefty Grove), here is an excerpt of classic comedy to keep you laughing, or keep you from crying, depending on where you sit…

Costello: What’s the guy’s name on first base?

Abbott: No. What is on second.

Costello: I’m not asking you who’s on second.

Abbott: Who’s on first.

Costello: I don’t know.

Abbott: He’s on third, we’re not talking about him.

Costello: Now how did I get on third base?

Abbott: Why you mentioned his name.

Costello: If I mentioned the third baseman’s name, who did I say is playing third?

Abbott: No. Who’s playing first.

Who is on third? Heck, isn’t that MC Serch I see? Or is it the Prime Minister, Pete Nice?