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HE’S A KEEPER

The Red Sox have picked up Pedro Martinez’s $17.5 million option for 2004, which ends a good deal of speculation regarding Prince P’s future in Boston. At least until November. Dan Shaughnessy reports that the new Red Sox owners are in the business of people-pleasing, and you’d be hard pressed to find a Red Sox fan who wasn’t thrilled and delighted to have Pedro back for at least one more season:

Historically, owner John Henry has been soft on players, eager to please. Lucchino has been a hard-liner. On paper, this is a risky business decision, but fans don’t care about that. It’s not their $17 million, and if Pedro is happy, the Nation is happy. And ultimately, ownership came to the same conclusion.

These are not Tom Yawkey’s Red Sox.

DAT QUIET GUY

Each and every baseball season has its share of satisfactions and disillusionment, its thrills and despair…The professional life, moreover, grinds and polishes the emotions to a fine, hard core—of athletic spirit. The professional player has more skill and needs no false hustle to do his job. A player who loves his craft and has the patient determination to do the best job he can creates a personal efficiency that is as much a pleasure to watch as it is a help in winning ball games. Running full speed with his mouth open does not always contribute to a player’s success. The professional stores up, treasures, that wining spirit, for there are many long days in the baseball year.

Jim Brosnan, from “The Long Season.” (1960)

I came along this passage recently, and one sentence particularly struck me as a fitting description of Bernie Williams: “A player who loves his craft and has the patient determination to do the best job he can creates a personal efficiency that is as much a pleasure to watch as it is a help in winning ball games.” Bernie does love his craft I think, even though I’ve always gotten the sense from him that there is something he does even better than playing baseball. Baseball is just how he happens to make a living. The game doesn’t seem natural for him, and that’s part of what has made his career rewarding to follow. He’s become a terrific player, though his baseball instincts have never been much to write home about, through his dedication to improvement, and an impressive work ethic.

I think Bernie is a musician by nature. Watching him do just about anything on the ballfield, from swinging a bat, to tracking a ball down, to hitting the cut-off man, is like watching a musician, let’s say a guitarist in this case, practicing his scales. Discipline is very important to Williams’ game. My cousin and I were talking about this over the weekend and he said, “Bernie always looks like he’s practicing. Which isn’t to say he isn’t trying hard, or competing.”

I agree. But there is a rhythm to his movements, a gracefulness, that has always been aesthetically pleasing, but I never lose sight of the fact that baseball looks like hard work for him. Watch Williams in an at-bat. Watch how he follows through on a pitch. He goes through the same routine no matter what the results are. The long-follow through, skipping back out of the box, with a comic gesture. I’m always aware of the game-within-the-game with Williams. There is always something going on upstairs with him, the wheels are always turning, even though Bernie usally appears placid and emotionless. If you watch him throughout an entire season, you can witness the small pleasures he seems to take when he makes a nifty slide into second. There is an extra flourish, almost like something out of a Buster Keaton movie, that distinguishes Bernie from his teammates. It is his stillness, I think. I also think Bernie likes running as much as anything else in baseball. Again, his intincts aren’t the greatest, but you can see that loves stretching those legs and turning it on (he was a track star as a kid).

It may not show up in the boxscore, but if you look closely enough, you too can share the enjoyment of Bernie’s private ballet.

Williams’ has achieved far more in his career than I ever expected he would when he came up in the early ’90s. It is great to hear that he hasn’t stopped busting his ass. Peter Gammons reports in his latest column:

“[The Yankees] are better than they were last year,” Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. “They’re so deep. And (Jason) Giambi and Bernie Williams seem to get better every year. It’s good for young teams like ours to play them because they are an example as to how to win.”

FRANK-LEE SPEAKING

Lee Sinns, the man behind the sabermetric encyclopedia, and the free daily ATM reports, is interviewed at length by the good people at NetShrine. Everything you always wanted to know about one of the internet’s baseball stars, and more.

THE KID IS ALRIGHT

Derek Jeter and the Yankees got the answers they were looking for from Dr. James Andrews, the noted orthopedic surgeon, yesterday. Andrews agreed with the diagnosis Yankee doctors gave Jeter last week: he will not need surgery. Jeter will likely need a minimum of six weeks of rehabilitation before he can return to the team. So let’s conservatively say that Jeter returns in at some point in June. That’s about as good as anyone could have expected.

According to the Times:

The Yankees said the treatment would begin immediately. “The risk is always there,” General Manager Brian Cashman said, referring to reinjuring the shoulder. “To what degree no one can really measure. I’m not confident this won’t happen again, because it can, but we’re very confident in the fact that he hasn’t done surgery now.”

Somewhat ominously, Cashman added, “If he dislocates it again, he’ll need surgery, no doubt about that.”

ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS

It was fun to watch Tampa Bay’s young rookies Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli play agains the Yanks this past weekend. Baldelli is a very tall kid, and has exceptional speed for a right-handed hitter. He actually looks a bit like a giant version of Chris “Maddog” Russo, the manic-New York-radio personality (the fact that his name is Rocco only makes the comparison more fitting). Baldelli looked good in the field, and at the plate, if you discount his four-strikeout performance vs. Rocket Clemens yesterday (he did come back with an RBI single in his 5th at-bat).

Way t’go, Rocco.

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

Derek Jeter and now Junior Griffey. Damn. Last night on “Baseball Tonight,” Bobby Valentine warned that bad things happen in 3’s, and gave fair warning to the rest of players in the Majors. Griffey dislocated his right shoulder attempting to make a diving catch against the Cubs over the weekend, and is out for at least a few months. Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has a linkable column for all of you who do not subscribe to the Premium package. See what you’ve been missing.

Carroll reports:

Griffey’s injury is much more reminiscent of Phil Nevin’s injury than Derek Jeter’s, both in mechanism and result. Reports from Cincinnati indicate that, like Nevin, Griffey is likely out for something in the order of months rather than weeks.

…Mechanism is a fancy way of saying how an injury occurred and what forces acted on someone’s anatomy in a way that caused damage. Some injuries have such clear, repeatable mechanisms that they become predictable; watch a football player collapse after a dead stop on turf and you can quickly say to everyone “oooh, ACL tear,” and be right nine times out of 10. For Griffey and Nevin, the shoulder was forced from the glenoid fossa (the shoulder socket) to the rear after force was applied to the arm due to dives and amplified by the weight of the body. For Jeter, his humerus (upper arm) was forced forward from the fossa by the weight of a foreign body (Ken Huckaby). While seemingly a small difference, it is the likely explanation of why Jeter has escaped with a much less serious injury.

Jeter is scheduled to recieve a second opinion on his status from Dr. James Andrews today. On Friday, Yankee doctors determined that Jeter would not need surgery and could return in 4-6 weeks. Carroll thinks that is overly optimistic but could see Jeter returning before the All-Star game.

MASHIN’

The Yankees bullpen blew a 5-3 lead on Saturday evening, which resulted in the Bombers first loss of the season, but the team regrouped yesterday and continued mashing just about everything in sight. Jeff Weaver wasn’t particularly sharp on Saturday night, but he pitched good enough to win. Yesterday, Roger Clemens earned career win #295.

Alfonso Soriano should officially have his named changed to Superfreak. The Yankees lead-off hitter has had two or more hits in the first six games of the year. On Saturday, the kid actually Cadillac’ed his way into a triple. If the fat bastard had been hustling out of the box it would have been an inside-the-park homer, easily.

Raul Mondesi has been as hot as Johnny Blaze. On Saturday the two outs he made were hit as hard as his two hits (a double and a spectacular triple). What’s been impressive is that Mondesi has been patient, taking a strike and working deep into the count. Mondesi was held hitless yesterday, until late in the game. He fouled a ball off of his foot and after hobbling around for a few moments, rocketed a double into the left field corner.

Hideki Matsui has been interesting to watch. Godzilla has a six game hitting streak to start the season, which should put him in good graces with the Opening Day crowd at the Stadium tomorrow (the Opener, originally scheduled for this afternoon was post-poned due to a freakin’ snow storm that is supposed to hit later today). He reminds me a bit of Wade Boggs at the plate. He is poised and patient, and though he has hit the ball on the nose several times, it looks as if he’s simply going with the pitch, trying to put it in play. He doesn’t look like a home run hitter. Matsui also made a couple of good plays in the field. He has played the ball well off the wall, and he makes a quick, accurate relay throw.

Bernie Williams and Nick Johnson are also swinging good sticks right now (Bernie made a say-hey, over-the-shoulder catch on Saturday night too). About the only Yankee who isn’t locked in is Jason Giambi, who continues to draw walks all the same, and oh by the way, does have 3 home runs.

We’ll see if the Yankees offense stays this hot when they return to the cold weather up north (they have played their first six games indoors).

CHUTZPAH

Chutzpah. That’s what New York fans were treated to on Friday night by two old buddies, David Cone and Boomer Wells. Cone started against the Expos out at Shea. My boss offered me two tickets at the end of the day on Friday. “You want to go to the Mets game?”

I looked at him incredulously and said, “Talk to me in the middle of May, thank you very much.”

It was a cold, rainy and generally miserable night for baseball in Queens. Boomer Wells was pitching in Tampa Bay, in a domed stadium, if that’s what you want to call it. It looks like a glorified indoor stickball court. I assume the temperature in a place like that is 75 and comfy. Cone was the story of the night, but since I’m a Yankee fan, I flipped back and forth between the two games.

Wells looked like ass in the first inning, but escaped only allowing 1 run home. But I mean he literally looked like a man’s ass out there. Cold and clamy. I was watching the game with my brother Benny Eggs, who turned to me and said, “Hey, how come Wells gets to have a mustache?”

7 innings later, when Wells left the game with a 12-1 cushion, we had our answer. Cause that bum can pitch. He’s funny to watch because he throws strikes, so guys put the ball in play. Especially a young, aggresive team like Tampa Bay. But these guys are popping up to right all night.

Wells looks like he should be getting rocked and all of a sudden it’s the 7th inning and hardly anyone has scored.

Meanwhile, Cone was his old dramatic self at Shea. Cone struck out Vlad Guerrero on a splitter in the dirt in the first inning, and then faced the Expos slugger again with the bases loaded in the third. Cone had walked Jose VIdro to get to Vlad, and it was as if Cone said, ‘Let’s make this really interesting.’ Guerrero, taking enormous hacks, worked the cout to 2-2, when Cone dropped a breaking ball right passed him. Vlad swung and missed and my brother and I both jumped up from our seats. Onions!

THE GOOD BOOK

Here is another fine edition of Steve Goldman’s Pinstriped Bible column. Goldman joins Lee Sinns in questioning Joe Torre’s choice in back-up catchers (this means you John Flaherty):

One of Torre’s stated managerial goals for this season is to rest Jorge Posada more often. In the past he has had to push Posada to the limits of his endurance because, it has been said, he did not have a backup catcher he trusted enough. Mr. Torre must have a very specific picture of what he’s looking for in his head, because he’s passed on some very useful reserves over the years.
John Flaherty replaces Chris Widger in the latest in a long line of Yankees backup catchers. The Blue Jays have found Tom Wilson to be a useful part-time player. The Rangers got a .580 slugging percentage out of Todd Greene last year. As my quill pen scratches these words onto the parchment, Bobby Estalella is enjoying a two-homer game for the Colorado Rockies. Chris Widger was a serviceable backup with the Yankees last year, and a passable starter with the Expos and Mariners before that. In place of these players the Yankees have had Alberto Castillo, Joe Oliver, and Chris Turner.

There are several goodies relating to Jeter’s injury as well, but why spoil it? Best to get your ass over to what is undoubtedly the best weekly Yankee column available.

PATIENCE…

The Yankees won’t know the results of Derek Jeter’s MRI until later this afternoon, and even then, they will likely consult another opinion before they decide how to proceed. There are rumblings this morning that Jete will not need surgery, but that could just be wishful thinking. All we can do is sit tight and wait.

At least three former teammates who have dislocated their shoulders have called or plan to call Jeter: Gerald Williams of the Marlins, Rondell White of the Padres and the Mets’ David Cone. On a conference call with reporters yesterday, Cone said he planned to call Jeter to wish him well.

Cone dislocated his left shoulder while pitching for the Yankees in Kansas City on Sept. 5, 2000. He writhed on the field in excruciating pain but returned before the season ended. Cone said Jeter has more use for his left arm than he did, but he seemed optimistic about a quick recovery.

“If there’s one arm you’d like to dislocate, it’d be the left arm,” Cone said. “He’s going to need it more than I needed mine in terms of pitching or hitting. One of the things you’re going to have to guard against is re-injuring it if he comes back too soon, or moving his left arm for any live drives that might come his way. That may present a problem down the road.

“As long as it’s safe to play and it doesn’t pop out again, I think he’s going to be fine, probably a lot quicker than people think.”

THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE

Lee Sinns is the man behind the sabermetric baseball encyclopedia. Sinns also distributes a daily news e-mail that is remarkable on two counts: 1) for it’s wealth of information, and 2) for it’s price—it’s free! Any serious baseball fan should not waste another moment before signing up for Sinns’ ATM report here.

Two nights ago, Bernie Williams collected the 1000th RBI of his career. Sinns paid tribute to my most favorite Yankee in yesterday’s ATM Report:

Yankees CF Bernie Williams reached 1000 career RBI.

Williams became the 10th player to reach 1000 with the Yankees–

RBI
1 Lou Gehrig 1995
2 Babe Ruth 1968
3 Joe DiMaggio 1537
4 Mickey Mantle 1509
5 Yogi Berra 1430
6 Bill Dickey 1209
7 Tony Lazzeri 1154
8 Don Mattingly 1099
9 Bob Meusel 1005
10 Bernie Williams 1000

Despite the disinformation campaign being waged by the NY media to declare
Derek Jeter to be the most important offensive player during the Yankees
run of success, Williams has dominated the comparison between the 2, during
the time they’ve been teammates–

SLG OBA OPS RCAA OWP RC/G
Williams .538 .409 .947 315 .698 8.16
Jeter .464 .390 .854 217 .634 6.97

The only significant area where Jeter wins the comparison is outs, where he
holds a 364 out edge, in 461 extra PA. Jeter’s OBA is the equivalent of
having the same .409 OBA as Williams in Williams’s number of PA and then
having a .182 OBA (which would even make Neifi Perez look like a star by
comparison) in an amount of playing time that many starting players don’t
get over the course of a season.

If Bernie can manage to stay healthy, he has a shot to beat out Yogi, and break into the top 5. Pretty good company, wouldn’t you say?

SPORTIN’ WOOD

There was an interesting feature in the Times the other day, titled “Going Against the Grain,” by Bill Pennington, which chronicled the efforts of the Massachusetts high school system to banish metal bats in favor of wood bats. Opinion is split, and the debates are heated, but I like the concept behind the move. I grew up playing with metal bats, and I appreciated how they were easier on the hands, and how they gave me an inflated sense of myself as a hitter.

Some high school coaches are complaining that using wood bats will ruin the chances of their kids to compete for scholarships. While this may be true, anyone who is worth their salt is eventually going to have to use a wood bat if they make the minor leagues, let alone the majors, anyway. Why not get ’em started early?

Besides, who prefers the ping of a metal bat over the crack of an old fashioned wooden one?

“I’m worried about the future,” said Frank Carey, the baseball coach at North Redding High School, who made an impassioned plea at the hearings. “Kids have trouble with failure and metal makes it easier to hit. Nobody likes to hit .200.”

Alex Campea, the baseball coach at Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, suggested that wood bats would improve the quality of games. “Those kids will also become better fielders and better bunters,” Campea said. “We will have 2-1 games with speed and strategy. It’s not supposed to be about who hits it farthest. We had too many 15-12 games. Those are football scores.”

LIFE LESSONS

Last month Barry Bonds was talking about how much he picked up watching David Eckstein play when they toured Japan together last fall. Today, Peter Gammons has a column on the story:

“He’s one of my favorite players ever,” Bonds said. “I told him that he’s a gift from God. Everything is difficult for him, yet he gets it done and done well.”

…”He sat around with me and a lot of the guys for hours almost every day, talking baseball and teaching,” Eckstein said. “He never stops learning.”

Like Buck O’Neil recently told Bronx Banter: “When you stop learning, you’re through.”

And they say Barry Bonds isn’t a role model.

Bullshit.

BOW DOWN TO A PLAYER THAT’S GREATER THAN YOU…

Alex Rodriguez became the youngest man to hit 300 home runs yesterday, crushing the mark set by Jimmie Foxx. Lordy.

Don’t throw rocks at the throne, man.

Meanwhile, old man winter threw a gust of wind at Sammy Sosa in the 6th inning of the Mets 4-1 win over the Cubs last night at Shea, and knocked down what looked like was going to be Slammin’ Sammy’s 500th career home run. Sammy thought it was gone, and so did Al Leiter. In August, that ball easily reaches the bullpen. The blast would have tied the game. Instead it was a long out. But you should have heard the buzz at Shea after the ball landed safely in Cliff Floyd’s glove. Anybody would can generate that kind of excitement when he makes an out is a player to remember.

A real superstar.

CHARMED

It has often been said—and rightfully so, that Derek Jeter has led a charmed baseball career. Even though Jeter’s famous luck ran out on opening day in a collision with Toronto catcher Ken Huckaby, the Yankees future captain must have sprinkled his last batch of gold dust on rookie Erick Almonte, who had a spalshy debut last night, with 2 hits, including a home run in the Yankees 9-7 victory over the Blue Jays.

The game itself was a bloated, tedious affair. The Yankees jumped out to a 9-1 lead, and then watched the Jays slowly chip their way back into the game. No lead is safe these days. Mike Mussina was not sharp, and Jose Contreras was awful in relief. But Chris Hammond came in and recorded a big strike out, before Juan Acevedo closed the door in the 9th and helped the Yankees gain their first sweep of a series on the road to start a season since the World War II.

Todd Ziele started at third base, batted in the 2-hole, and collected 3 hits including a homer in his first at bat. Hideki Matsui narrowly missed his first home run on American soil, and wound up with 2 hits, and an RBI.

Derek Jeter was on the Yankee bench during the game, arm in a sling, smile on his face. Jeter goofed around in his usual sunny manner, which must have come as a welcome sight for Yankee fans. At a time when he should be at his lowest, Jeter put on a good face, and brought his optimism and good cheer to his teammates.

Jeter is scheduled to have an MRI later this afternoon in Tampa. Phil Nevin, the Padres slugger who will miss the entire 2003 season because of a dislocated shoulder offered his empathy to Jeter.

Jeter’s disposition may have alleviated any undue pressure Almonte may have put on himself. Almonte is a big kid, and gasp, may even be prettier than Jeter. Lil’ Sexy was welcomed by his Yankee teammates, especially by fellow countryman Enrique Wilson, who will share duties at short for the time being with Almonte. Wilson, who looks more like a Dominican Hobbit, took Almonte out to lunch and bought him a pair of shoes earlier in the day, taking care of the rookie just like Manny Ramirez had once looked out for the young Wilson when he came up with the Indians:

“I don’t make much money ($700,000 this season), but he makes less,” Wilson said, about his Dominican soulmate from Santo Domingo. “We come from a poor city. We stay together. It’s the same thing when American players come to our country. It’s kind of hard.”

…”He did everything as good as you can do it,” JoeTorre said. “He doesn’t say anything. He’s really tough to read, but he certainly had a smile on his face when he hit the home run.”

Joel Sherman reported in the Post:

“It doesn’t surprise me [about Wilson],” said manager Joe Torre. “It’s a real sign of class for Enrique to do what he did today. I’m real happy he did it.”

Wilson felt he was just honoring his own heritage. Breaking in with the Indians in 1997-98, Wilson was prevented from reaching into his pocket by Manny Ramirez, who took care of food, clothes and housing, “Because he told me, ‘Rookies don’t pay.’ “

As for Jeter, we should know something by the end of the day, or early tomorrow about his immediate future. Reports around New York have been overly optimistic I think, but then again, I always dwell on the worst-case scenerio.

Travis Nelson, over at Boy of Summer, makes a convincing case for Mike Bordick as a possible replacement at short.

And Jay Jaffe, The Futility Infielder, has an excellent write-up on the entire Jeter story too.

Check ’em out.

JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?

According to Lee Sinn’s ATM report today:

Indians GM Mark Shapiro says if the Yankees are interested in Omar Vizquel, he “ha[s] no intention of trading him.” Meanwhile, Vizquel has no trade rights, by virtue of being a 10 and 5 year man and has said he doesn’t want to go anywhere, except he’ll consider returning to the Mariners.

Harumpf.

YANKS ROLL; BOSOX BEAT D-RAYS IN 16

Led by Jason Giambi’s 2 homers, and a decent outing from Andy Pettitte, the Yankees rolled over the Blue Jays 10-1 last night in Toronto. Each Yankee regular had at least one hit. Erick Almonte, who joined the team prior to the game will get his first start tonight.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox survived a late home run from Rey Ordonez, got some good pitching from their bullpen and eventually beat Tampa, 9-8 in 16 innings.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO NEYER

Rob Neyer is probably the most famous popular sabermetrican not named Bill James. Although I value his insights as much as the next guy, what I enjoy most about Neyer is his unpretentious and self-depricating writing style. Neyer has a trio of columns this week that are worth checking out: one, one the fate of the Yanks now that DJ is down, another on the next revolution in baseball, and finally Rob’s prediction that the Red Sox will win the World Serious this fall.

Here is Neyer’s take on the Yankees’ shortstop situation:

Do the Yankees have an alternative at shortstop? Not at hand, no. They have nobody in the minors who even remotely resembles a major-league shortstop. Minor leaguer Erick Almonte might become a decent player someday, but at this moment he’s no better than Wilson. And platooning isn’t in order, because Almonte bats right-handed and the switch-hitting Wilson has fared significantly better against left-handed pitchers.

So if the Yankees want a good shortstop, they’re going to have look elsewhere.

Why the Sox? And why now? Does this have anything to do with the fact that Neyer’s old boss, Mr. James now works for Boston?

Because I can, and because I want to.

…But the truth is that winning the World Series isn’t about being the best, it’s about being the luckiest. Yes, I know the 1998 Yankees were the best team, and of course they won the World Series. But weren’t the 2001 Mariners also the best team? Well, they nearly lost their Division Series before getting crunched in the ALCS. I thought the Angels and Giants might actually have been the best teams in their leagues last year, but they both needed a bit of luck to get where they got.

So if you make me pick a World Series winner, then I might as well have some fun. I think the Red Sox are going to win something like 100 games, and I’m not going to not have fun just because it’s been 85 years since the Sox got lucky.

And what of the next revolution in baseball? Neyer thinks it concerns the new generation of general managers coming into the game:

There are, today, baseball executives who are actively seeking guidance from brilliant men from other disciplines and professions. This is happening, in large part, because the new breed of baseball executives is both incredibly bright and incredibly educated, and so they’re not intimidated by other people who are incredibly bright and incredibly educated.

I’m not suggesting that the “traditional baseball man” isn’t bright. Of course he’s bright. I’ve spoken to a dozen traditional baseball men in the last year, and I can report that not one of them wasn’t bright.

…Most baseball executives, even the bright ones, don’t want to try anything new, because new is hard. Instead, their goal is to do things the way they’ve always been done … but better. And that can work. Both of 2002’s World Series teams were (and are) run by men who have little use for this newfangled objective analysis that everybody’s writing about, and it’s hard to argue with their results. If you do it well enough and you get lucky enough, it can work.

Which is, of course, true of just about any approach. But everybody can’t be the best and the luckiest, and there’s an advantage to being among the first to figure this out.

In case you missed it, don’t forget to check out Michael Lewis’ lengthy profile on Billy Beane, adapted from ”Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,” which will be published in May.

FRESH, FOR APRIL FOOL’S, YOU SUCKAS!

Looks like the story about Miguel Tejada signing an extension with the A’s was a practical joke from the good folks over at Baseball Prospectus. This is how you get got, huh? Thank goodness I’m not an Oakland fan. And here I was worried about phoney reports concerning Jeter yesterday.

At least I wasn’t the only chump out there. John Perricone, who after a month of technical difficulties, has returned with full force to his terrific site, “Only Baseball Matters,” was duped too.

If a sucker is born every minute, then I guess I’m only tree-an-a-half-years-old.

NOW, THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN BOUT

During the course of the afternoon today, I came to grips with the fact that the Yankees will likely play the entire season without the services of one Derek Jeter. Erick Almonte and Enrique Wilson are all good and fine in a pinch, but this is George Steinbrenner’s universe, and they are not the type of players who start for a long stretch of time—like a full season, for this kind of Yankee team. This is not Horace Clarke’s Yankees.

Who is out there? Freakin’ Rey Sanchez is playing in Queens for cryin out loud. Mike Bordick? Gulp. Melvin Mora? It would be the end for my cousin Gabe. Nah, fuck all that shit, what about Omar Vizquel? He’s the last man standing in Cleveland, and his contract is up next year.

Wouldn’t Vizquel be the perfect fit?

I called my cousin Gabe and told him what I was thinking.

“You Yankee fans have to learn how to control your id somehow,” he said.

But that’s the thing about being a Yankee fan. We do live in a universe where we know the owner to going to spend the money and grab the ‘name’ player; it’s only natural when our fantasies are greedy too. We know they can come true. You can’t help being greedy. (You just have to balance it out with humility and respect.)

So why not Vizquel?

I wasn’t the only guy thinking about the Tribe’s most controversial author/player today either. I wrote to Aaron Gleeman, and asked him if he had John Sickels’ scouting report on Erick Almonte. I also asked him what he made of Almonte.

Here is Gleeman’s repsonse:

I got my Sickels book out and was all set to tell you what Sickels said about Almonte when I realized that Almonte isn’t in the book! Which should tell you all you need to know about him (there are like 800+ guys in the book).

As for my take…

He’s young (25 in Feb) and I actually think he could be a decent starting shortstop. However, he isn’t the type of guy that could start for the Yankees and keep his job for very long. I’d say his true level of performance in the majors, in a good year, would be something like .260/.315/.410, which would put him as a pretty much “average” shortstop (shortstops hit .265/.324/.398 as a group last year).

I really think the best fit would be Vizquel, who would make a nice 1 year replacement and who the Indians are almost certainly willing to give up pretty cheaply.

See ya
Aaron

If the Yankees improve defensively at short with Jeter out—which is entirely likely, they will be hard pressed to duplicate Jeter’s offense. The man from Cleveland is as good a fit as you can imagine. The Yankees need a defensive short stop more than they need an offensive one. The Yankees offense can take the hit. But Omar has a little bit of O and a whole lot of D…

Boy, Jeter is going to drive himself mad rehabing all summer. He’s never had to deal with anything remotely like this before. In a couple of days, when he knows for sure what’s going to happen, some of his fear will subside and then that kid is going to start getting pissed. And he’s going to be pissed all summer too. Yeeeesh.