A CHEATER IS A CHEATER AND MLB SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF ITSELF

 Alex Cora is a piece of garbage. Always has been.  

He's a guy that bought into the notion that he's a great manager and great baseball mind.  Now he might be a good baseball mind in some regards, but when you're cheating your way through life, sooner or later you are banished for bad behavior.  You would have thought that MLB would have banned Alex Cora and AJ Hinch for life after the Astros cheating scandal, but clearly a deal was struck between Jim Crane, the Astros owner and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and for that I will always frown on Manfred.  Integrity didn't matter to him... friendships and back-room deals were more important.

And so, Cora gets to come back after his suspension and tries to redeem himself. And sure, the Red Sox has had some successes, but it's just like any team... if you don't have top talent, your manager isn't going to look good because the team won't win.  It takes a really good manager to understand how to navigate a mediocre team.  And when teams are really good, it's clearly the talent pool and not the manager.  I mean, look at Aaron Boone.  

The games we lose are usually because he made a horrible decision and then tries to gaslight us in the presser after the game.  The games we win are always guys like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto and have NOTHING to do with Boone.  Same thing could apply to Cora.  While he a decent status among peers in the league, is he really that good of a manager? Nah.

Now look; when it comes to hitting players in the batter's box, it's kind of an unspoken thing.  I mean, we have seen head hunting before with the greats of Bob Gibson, or Gus Weyhing, but it was not something you talked about in the dugout. You as a team collectively knew what had to be done and sometimes you did it and sometimes you didn't.  Well, when it's talks about OUT LOUD, that's just being a dick and when Alex Cora does it, that just goes to show the MLB world that he really hasn't learned his lesson when it comes to giving his team an edge.  

He's a cheater and he'll always be someone trying to get away with whatever is unsavory.  In other words, MLB messed this one up.  MLB should look long and hard in this latest situation about Alex Cora publicly stating that he wanted to hit Aaron Judge.

Pinstripes Nation writes:

Alex Cora basically admitted that Brayan Bello tried plunking Aaron Judge on purpose. He was asked if he considered yesterday's IBB/HBP fiasco closed:

"It was closed yesterday around the sixth inning. We had our chance. It didn't happen." pic.twitter.com/x1z4iA0HfF

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) September 15, 2024

"Major League Baseball is reportedly investigating comments made by Red Sox manager Alex Cora that suggest his team intentionally targeted Aaron Judge with a pitch. As of Monday evening, the league had yet to reach a decision on the matter.

Cora hinted on Sunday that the Red Sox might have retaliated during Saturday’s game after Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole hit Rafael Devers with a pitch in the first inning and later intentionally walked him in the fourth. Cora, visibly upset, believed the walk indicated Cole’s earlier hit-by-pitch was no accident and stemmed from a desire to avoid Devers.

When asked about the situation on Sunday, Cora implied the matter was settled during the sixth inning of Saturday’s game, noting they had an opportunity but failed to take advantage of it."

Not ultimately MLB will protect Alex Cora. Crane was so far up Rob Manfred's butt back in the day there will be calls from fake folks saying "Well hitting guys in baseball, Rob.  Alex was doing what any manager would do."  But if Manfred had any balls he would look long and hard into the kind of person Alex Cora is.  He lacks character, professionalism and he's just a dick.  

While I don't think anything will happen to Alex Cora, I am a man of integrity, and I believe in common sense.  Something should be done, even if it's small.  The Red Sox have no shot this year, the Yankees do, and any baseball guy will tell you that if that ball hits Judge on the knee and he's out for the remainder of the season it would be a free for all among fans.  Thank God it didn't... but think about if it did.  My point is there is also an unspoken rule about tipping your imaginary cap to the teams that have had success and not playing dirty.  Alex Cora knows better, but Alex Cora is about himself.

A cheater is always a cheater.  Alex should be ashamed, but MLB should have nipped this in the bud a long time ago and didn't. Shame.

KINGS OF THE DIAMOND

The position that the Yankees are in right now might not be ideal, and the Buffoon of the Bronx Aaron Boone may be making some bone-head decisions, but we should not let this overshadow the fact that Masahiro Tanaka is definitely a diamond in the rough for the Yankees.

Source: NY Post

Tanaka was given the opportunity to start the Yankees on Opening Day and did not disappoint, as we know. Instead of struggling like he’s been known to, he dominated the Orioles and help the team to a 7-2 victory. By doing this, he made the most Opening Day starts of any Japanese-born pitcher.

In his start on April 2, Tanaka continued to show off by only giving one run to the Tigers over 6.2 innings. He struck out 7 and did not walk a single batter. Not only was he efficient, but he was also effective.

Source: NY Post

Then comes April 8, and Tanaka has to go against Justin Verlander, and regardless of how the game went, we have to hand it to Tanaka for the way he pitched. Across six innings, he only allowed one run and three hits. It wasn’t until Boone took out Tanaka that things really started to go downhill.

However, Tanaka was not surprised that he was taken out after only 78 pitches.

“No, it was good timing. They were starting to get the barrel on the ball,’’ he said in an interview with the Post, defending his manager's move. 

Source: The Japan Times

Right now, Tanaka really needs to be this dominant and consistent version of himself. He has been able to gracefully get himself out of some sticky situations, which is what the Yankees need. He is next scheduled to take the mound on Sunday against the White Sox, so keep your fingers crossed he can deliver another successful start. 

Source: Forbes

Jacob deGrom came back down to earth in a crushing start against the Twins on April 9. Up until this game, deGrom had not allowed a run in 26 consecutive innings, going back to last season. 

“We found out he’s human, finally,” Mets Manager Mickey Callaway said. “I didn’t think he was for a while," reported the NY Times. The loss ended his streak of quality starts to 26, tied with Bob Gibson for the longest in MLB history. deGrom racked up six earned runs and eight hits. This being deGrom’s worst start since 2017, it really hurt to watch. You could really see how disappointed he was in himself every time the Twins got a hit. 

Source: NY Post

“I just couldn’t locate anything,” deGrom said. “I was all over the place. Slider wasn’t even a factor tonight. Tonight’s on me, I was bad out there. I’ve been through it before, and hopefully I’m around long enough to have a couple more, I know there are a lot of good pitchers who have had days like this," reported the Times. Let’s just hope it was one of those very, very rare days for ace deGrom and he’ll be able to brush this loss off.  

Source: Elite Sports

deGrom and Tanaka are kings of the diamond this year and will continue to hold onto this status throughout the season.  Will they have tough starts? Yes, but they will endure and anchor their team's success in 2019.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

REFLECTING ON BASEBALL

What is both surprising and delightful is that spectators are allowed, and even expected, to join in the vocal part of the game.... There is no reason why the field should not try to put the batsman off his stroke at the critical moment by neatly timed disparagements of his wife's fidelity and his mother's respectability.

~George Bernard Shaw

From poetry and lyrics to movies and plays, baseball can be found in popular culture almost anywhere you look. Even people that think they don't know anything, everyone knows a little something.

Everybody in the country knows who Babe Ruth was. Derek Jeter's name is as well known as many Presidents. It's an amazing part of our culture.

So many things in our everyday lives refer to baseball in some way. If you fail to do something and you struck out, you need to learn from it. If you go out in the real world and try to achieve something big, like nailing an interview or making a big sales deal, it can be equated to swinging for the fences. Recently I asked a salesman how much something cost me... he told me "here's the ballpark figure...". Sometimes you "go to bat for somebody".  Sometimes you make a mistake in life, and someone will tell you "hey, this time you struck out. Get them next time."  Hell, we even refer to our sex lives in terms of baseball. Who out there remembers the first time they got to first base?

I see great things in baseball. It's our game — the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us.

~Walt Whitman

Today I was sitting around watching Baseball by Ken Burns. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it. It really got me thinking, what are the effects of baseball on America? I started looking around the Internet and found this article from 1981 from the New York Times. It was written just before the strike.

"WARS couldn't stop major league baseball, the Depression couldn't stop major league baseball; it seems the only thing that could is major league baseball itself. By the very threat of the players' strike, the idea that the great stadia would be empty this summer - and the crack of bat against ball merely an echo in the mind - gives pause to reflect on baseball and its meaning in the warp and woof of life."

Now, I was 8 years old at the time of that strike. I still remember how lost I felt that summer and the void it created. If it felt like that to a little kid, can you imagine how it felt to the country? 

With the smell of grass in the air and the excitement of the upcoming season, I ask: What does baseball mean to you?

I leave you now to read one of my favorite poems.

Baseball is grass, chalk, and dirt displayed the same yet differently

In every park that has ever heard the words play ball.

Baseball is a passion that bonds and divides all those who know it.

Baseball is a pair of hands stained with newsprint,

A set of eyes squinting to read a boxscore,

A brow creased in an attempt to recreate a three-hour game

From an inch square block of type.

Baseball is the hat I wear to mow the lawn.

Baseball is a simple game of catch

and the never-ending search for the perfect knuckleball.

Baseball is Willie vs Mickey, Gibson vs Koufax, and Buddy Biancalana vs the odds.

Baseball links Kansan and Missourian, American and Japanese,

But most of all father and son.

Baseball is the scent of spring,

The unmistakable sound of a double down the line,

And the face of a 10-year-old emerging from a pile of bodies

With a worthless yet priceless foul ball.

Baseball is a language of very simple words that tell unbelievably magic tales.

Baseball is three brothers in the same uniform on the same team for one brief summer

Captured forever in a black and white photo on a table by the couch.

Baseball is a glove on a shelf, oiled and tightly wrapped,

Slumbering through the stark winter months.

Baseball is a breast pocket bulging with a transistor radio.

Baseball is the reason there are transistor radios.

Baseball is a voice in a box describing men you've never met,

In a place you've never been,

Doing things you'll never have the chance to do.

Baseball is a dream that you never really give up on.

Baseball is precious.

Baseball is timeless.

Baseball is forever.

- Greg Hall

--Michael Carnesi
BYB Writer

FORMER YANKEE INFIELDER SUFFERS STROKE

Quick note.  Former Yankee infielder Phil Linz has suffered a stroke.

According to the New York Daily News, "suffered a stroke last week and is recovering at Stamford Hospital, according to Marty Appel, the team's former public relations chief." We love Mary Appel here at BYB.

 Anyway, Linz played 4 seasons for the Yankees, 1962 to 1965.  According to the Daily News:

"...Linz, who later played two seasons for the Mets, hit .235 and 11 home runs during his seven-season Major League Baseball career. He also hit two home runs — including one of the fierce Bob Gibson — during the Yankees' losing effort against the Cardinals in the 1964 world Series."

We wish Linz and the Linz family the best during this difficult time.

 

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KERSHAW... CY YOUNG & MVP OF THE NL

For the third time in four years, Clayton Kershaw has been named the Cy Young Award winner for the National League, and now, the guy has also won the MVP.  Mike Trout won it for the American League.

Clayton's Cy Young award was announced Wednesday by a unanimous vote as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace posted a 21-3 season record with a 1.77 ERA in the 2014 campaign. More impressive—he was able to rack up all those wins while also being on the disabled list for six weeks early in the season. With the award, the Dodger lefty becomes one of nine pitchers to earn three Cy Young Awards. At age 26, he’s also the youngest pitcher to do so.

There’s no denying that Kershaw is one of the greatest pitchers in the game today. Living in LA and following the Dodgers, I get to see Kershaw perform his magic every five days. He is a big reason the Dodgers—who were over-hyped this season IMHO—were able to hold off the Giants in the NL West and advance to the postseason.

The one blemish for Kershaw is his performance in the playoffs—the lefty has a career postseason record of 1-5 with a 5.13 ERA in 11 games. He made Dodger history this season as he became the first pitcher to lose four consecutive postseason starts (all to the Cardinals).

So yeah, the Cy Young is Kershaw's, but the next question was... could he also win the MVP? It's Kershaw... darn straight.

Before Kershaw won the National League MVP, the last time a pitcher was given that award was back in 1968 when Bob Gibson won after posting a 1.12 ERA. Many players and fans feel that only position players should be considered for the MVP award since pitchers already have the Cy Young recognition and they only play every five days. Even Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly—a 1985 AL MVP—once held the opinion that pitchers should not be considered no matter what. But it seems that Donnie Baseball may be changing his tune as he has endorsed Kershaw’s recent MVP candidacy.

As MLB.com reports, Mattingly stated that his opinion changed after he saw what a player like Kershaw could do for an organization.  "I flip-flopped from when I played, but as a manager, you just see the value of what a guy like Clayton's been able to do. I do think it needs to be one of those years where it seems like it's almost extraordinary, and it seems to be one of those years." 

I agree with Mattingly that a pitcher should be awarded MVP for extraordinary performance and shouldn’t be excluded from consideration. I think Kershaw has consistently shown in his young career that he is one of the best in baseball, but, I must say, his inability to deliver in the postseason gave me doubts as to whether he should have been awarded MVP when there are multiple players out there that have come through in the clutch.

Ultimately though, Kershaw got it. So here's the question.  Did Kershaw deserve the MVP? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments—do you think pitchers should be able to win the MVP award, or should it only apply to position players? Was there someone more worthy than Kershaw?  Let us know.

--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist
Twitter:  @heylexyg



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THE PAST CALLED THE FUTURE... IT WENT TO VOICEMAIL

With the chants of “MARI ANO!” and Metallica’s live rendition of “Enter Sandman” still ringing in our ears we watched them. For me it was almost like seeing Richard Pryor perform one more time, or catching Springsteen play an all out show for four plus hours. Both men doing what they were born to do with the same focus and control that they’ve displayed from nearly two decades. One, a self-proclaimed “grinder”, made his way to the hill first. Andrew Eugene Pettitte, Major League Baseball’s All-time leader in Post Season wins, took the ball as he had on so many Sunday afternoons in the Bronx…but this was no ordinary Sunday.

This day would be his last appearance in Yankee pinstripes. The big lefty from Baton Rouge is walking off into the sunset from the second and final time. No longer will we see his mitt held high over his face, his cap pulled down low, leaving only a set of eyes peering down at the hitter with menacing intensity. “The Stare” that defined Andy as a competitor, and will always be a reminder of what winning meant to his generation of Yankees, will be transformed into the relaxed gaze of a father watching over his family in retirement. So seeing him “grind it out” one last time at home was a must for all Yankee fans.

New York was on life support going into the final game of the series with San Francisco. But here’s the thing, Andy Pettitte is a “George Steinbrenner Yankee”, and they were taught to fight until you have nothing left. In a performance that reminded us all of how we’ve almost taken him for granted, “Lefty” hurled a last outstanding performance. He dialed up the fastball, ran his cutter in and emptied the tank before tipping his cap to fans that will never forget him. Known as one of the good guys around the game, Andy leaves behind great memories and an example of how to play baseball with fire and class.

But if you ask the always-humble Pettitte what Sunday was all about he’d certainly say. “Mo.” The Stadium buzzed for hours before, during and after the game for Mariano Rivera. The Great Sandman also bid the fans a bittersweet goodbye. He is the best closer ever to play the game and like his long time friend from “The Core 4”, Mariano’s modesty is rivaled only by his great accomplishments. Since his first days in the big leagues Mo has quietly gone about his business and perfected his craft. His delivery is machine-like, hitting the same spot over and over again, and his heart and passion to win is almost super human.

Mo gives himself, body and soul, to what he does on the mound and Sunday was no different. Rivera is one of the players I will tell my grand kids that I got to see play, the way old guard speaks of witnessing the likes of Koufax, Gibson, Mantle and Williams. Mariano is the genuine article. He is the greatest of all-time, but to me it seems his teammates feel the only honor greater than playing with Mo, is being Rivera’s friend. It is clear he has touched as many lives as he has shattered bats. That is the measure of a man in my book.

The only thing sadder than seeing these two Yankee Legends say farewell on Sunday was knowing the days ahead may be darker than any we’ve known for a long time. The heavy, sinking feeling I had as “New York, New York” played at game’s end was profound. As fans we aren’t losing just Mariano and Andy, we are losing the way the Yankees are seen on and off the field. The players of the future are not in the same class as the players of the past.

Pettitte left the game in a 1-1 tie. He’d only given up three hits as Joe Girardi called on the “Closer of Tomorrow”. In the blink of an eye David Robertson gave up the lead. Now granted, it was Andy’s runner, but in my opinion DRob isn’t ready to be the club’s closer. Yes, it is extremely unfair to expect him to be Mariano. Nobody will ever be Mo. But Robertson throws entirely too many pitches each outing to be an effective closer at this point. He tends to jam the bases before “Houdini-ing” out of trouble. That formula won’t be effective going forward. How can it be if he is called on to pitch 3 or 4 consecutive days? Look, I think David is a great guy and when he is right his stuff is electric. I am just not convinced he has the constitution to be the end game pitcher. Can he find it? Sure. Will he be discouraged and intimidated if he struggles early next year? We’ll see.

I could take Almonte to the woodshed for his ill advised break to the plate on a chopper to short…but we all saw it. He is a rookie, but man, that was tough to watch on Mariano Rivera Day. It seemed that once Andy and Mo’s work was done the “New Look Yanks” made us all that much more nostalgic for the days of the Dynasty. Even when Robbie Cano was gunned down at home trying to tie it up in the 8th it seemed he was telling us something. The soon-to-be free agent slid into Buster Posey and came up limping as if to say, “Ouch! Thanks for the bruises this year, gang. Can somebody give me a lift to JFK? I’m going to Los Angeles.”

My day ended watching a young JR Murphy, who I think will be a great catcher for the Yanks down the road, striking out weakly to conclude the contest…I sat quietly and thought. Maybe we should listen to other team’s fans who tell us, “Haven’t you guys won enough? Give others a chance.”

No. No, you can never win enough. Why play the game if not to win all the time? That’s what “George Steinbrenner Yankees” like Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera showed us…and that’s what the Yankees seemed to really lose on Sunday Afternoon.

Thank you, Andy. Thank you, Mariano. You were New York Yankees in every respect of the word.

 

--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21
"Paulie was always my favorite player."

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WHY YOU CAN'T GIVE UP ON NOVA AND HUGHES

Over the past week, New York Yankees fans have witnessed some serious carnage levied upon our promising young starters Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes.  Since July 31^st the two are a combined 2 – 3 with a 7.39 ERA and nearly a 1.68 WHIP. 

In back-to-back starts against the Tigers this week, neither of them could make it out of the sixth inning (with Hughes only going 4 1/3 innings and Nova doing him just one inning better).
 

With a lead that once was double-digits now whittled to just 5 ½ games, fans of the Bombers are getting nervous and starting to question whether Hughes or Nova should continue in starting roles.  Social media sites have lit up with suggestions as to how one or the other can be replaced. 

As a lifelong Yankee fan, as well as an avid baseball fan, my solution is simple: patience.

I know how frustrating it is to see our offense constantly jump out to early leads only to see them erased in a heartbeat the very next half inning.  Believe me, I live and die with every pitch, and like you, have experienced the sick feeling of watching Ivan Nova handed a five run lead in the first inning then surrender that lead in the top of the second.  I also struggle with the souvenir balls Phil Hughes dishes out on a start-by-start basis (he currently leads the league in HRs allowed).

But, before you grab the pitchforks and light the torches, let me throw these things at you:

• At the age of 25, Bob Gibson led all of baseball in walks issued with 119.
• At age 26, Mel Stottlemyre yielded a league leading 243 hits and 21 HRs.
• At age 25, Ron Guidry had a 5.63 ERA and gave up 20 hits in 16 innings pitched.

More recent stars have also experienced rough times early in their careers:

• Justin Verlander was 11 – 17 with a 4.84 ERA at the age of 25.
• Cole Hamels  was 10 – 11 with a 4.32 ERA as a 25 year-old.
• Finally, our own beloved Andy Pettitte at 26 years old held a 4.24 ERA and gave up 9.4 hits per nine innings.  He followed that season with a 4.70 ERA and 10.1 hits per nine innings as a 27 year-old.

Ivan Nova is 25 years old.  Phil Hughes is 26 years old.  Let’s give them a chance.

I’m not saying that either one will ever be a Bob Gibson or Ron Guidry or even a Justin Verlander , but my point is that none of those aforementioned stars were quit on by their teams.   There is a reason that Nova and Hughes are in our rotation, and that is because the baseball experts we have believe in them and know what they are capable of.  We need to believe in our baseball experts.

Before his most recent start, Phil Hughes was becoming a model of consistency for the team.  He had gone seven consecutive outings giving up three earned runs or less.  His ERA had gone from 4.94 on June 20^th to 3.96 on August 1^st.  This season he has shown the fastball that seemed lost in 2011, and never appears to let adversity rattle him.

Admittedly, Ivan Nova has struggled this year after going 16 – 4 last season.  However, he gave us a glimpse of just how good he can be in June when he was 3 – 0 with a 1.26 ERA. Saturday the “Super Nova” made an appearance, going 7 1/3 innings, giving up 2 earned runs and striking out 10 against a weakened Toronto lineup. Clearly, it’s there and just needs some tweaking.

It’s too early to panic fellow Yankee fans.  In spite of our team’s recent struggles, our offense is hitting .278 since the All-Star break, and that includes .314 with runners in scoring position.  We also have Hiroki Kuroda having some of the best starts of his career, Freddy Garcia keeping us in games when he is on the mound, and Andy Pettitte within a month of returning.  With the rest of the AL East beating each other up, and with that 5 ½ game lead still intact, we can afford to try to “weather the storm” of our still-young hurlers.  In the end, it will all pay off.

  


--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

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