There is no metric like a field
Of grass between two lines
Nor any VORPies like a coach
A-flashing stealing signs.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without great mental strain;
How simple is the chariot
That bears a baseball brain!

{Forgive me, ED.}

Metric! You’re kidding, right?

I know thats a hackneyed cliche, but I really think its true.

I believe now you have to get the commissioner’s approval, and he’s supposed to make sure you’ve exhausted all the other possibilities before allowing it.

Or maybe the rules have changed yet again.

I would feel better about losing Claggett if Guzman can help in the post-season. Though I suppose Claggett was slated to be released anyway, to make room for Ajax or someone else the Yanks needed to protect.

There is no metric that you can use that shows that Melky is a better player than Matsui or Sheffield. Melky is a nice player, but there was no reason for him to be starting ahead of Sheffield, Matsui or Abreu. That would rank right up there with Enrique Wilson batting leadoff against Pedro in the 2003 ALCS.

I’m a big believer in dancing with who brung ya.

I’m a big believer in putting the best players in the lineup, as you alluded to in the rest of your entry.

I think they’ve changed the post-season roster rules since then. It’s still possible, but it’s become quite difficult, since Freddy wasn’t even on the 40-man Aug. 31.

K-Rod wasn’t on the 40-man. I believe the rule is that as long as the player is in the organization, they’re eligible. Neat little trick, and a shrewd move by Cashman if that’s the case, given that Guzman was acquired on 8/31, the last day a player would’ve been eligible.

I can’t say I don’t see the logic in trying to force Matsui and Sheff into the lineup during the last week of the season and heading into Detroit, but I feel like it screwed with the balance/chemistry of a team that had been doing just fine without them for the majority of the year.

Of course that was far from the only thing that went wrong in ’06.

A third catcher sounds extravagant. Jorge’s going to be doing all the catching, unless there’s a blowout or Girardi absolutely needs to shut down the Angels’ running game with Molina. In which case Posada is the late inning PH/C. And then you cross your fingers nothing bad happens to him.

I wouldn’t mind Guzman, as having an extra set of wheels to score the tie breaking run is nice, but he would need more playing time to get ready.

I would go with the 8 man bullpen and look to end each series early. And at this point I think I’d rather see Boston than LAA in the ALCS.