MY IBWAA VOTE & WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Every year (since 2010), registered Internet baseball writers are sent their own version of a Hall of Fame ballot to be completed and returned. Once tallied, the IBWAA announces the inductees into its virtual Hall of Fame. No bronze plaques are created, and no official player speeches are given, but it’s still interesting and fun. We often see that the Internet writers induct players into their Hall of Fame that have yet to be inducted into the more well-known counterpart located in Cooperstown. 

Lately, the baseball writers who vote for the Cooperstown Hall are being challenged to be transparent with their ballots. Players who seemingly should be on everyone’s ballot are being left off or ignored, and fans (along with other writers) have called upon the voting participants to be accountable for what they’ve cast.

With that in mind, I’ve just completed my IBWAA ballot and will gladly share it with you. 

The names I highlighted in yellow are the players I am voting for. Don Mattingly is a write-in with the clear understanding that the IBWAA does not accept write-in candidates.

I did it as a matter of principal. 

Anyway, you’ll notice that some stat-worthy names have not been selected. Guys like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Magglio Ordonez, Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez did not get my vote, and probably never will. 
 

(Paul Kitagaki Jr/Sacramento Bee/MCT)

They are names commonly associated with the Steroid Era of baseball. Bonds in particular could be considered the poster child of the era – with Clemens not far behind. Other writers may look at it differently; the argument being that “everyone” during that time was using one form of PED or another. I simply don’t buy it. 

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

I cannot believe that Cal Ripken, Mattingly, or even Fred McGriff – all of which played during the height of that dark period – used anything more than their God-given talents to put up their numbers. None of them had dramatic spikes in their numbers, and none of them had dramatic physical changes. I refuse to make them collateral damage of the cheaters.

(Sept. 20, 2011 - Source: Jim Rogash/Getty Images North America)

Anyway, who did I vote for? For starters, wild-swinging Vladimir Guerrero. “Vlad the impaler” had one of the longest reaches in baseball, and used it to crush balls well outside of the strike zone. In 16 seasons he hit 449 home runs and batted .318. Most amazing to me is the fact that, in spite of being such a free-swinger at the plate, he never struck out more than 95 times in any season. Not once did he crack the 100 strikeout mark. If he was going to swing, the man made sure he connected.

(March 4, 2013 - Source: J. Meric/Getty Images North America)

Next, I voted for the “Crime Dog”, Fred McGriff. He is one of those being held accountable for the sins of his brethren by the Baseball Writers Association. How else can you explain someone with 19 years of service, 493 home runs (he missed a season due to the baseball players’ strike), a .280 batting average, and who hit 20 or more home runs in 15 of those 19 seasons being left outside the doors of the Hall of Fame? In the post season, McGriff hit .303 – including .438 in the 1995 NLCS against Cincinnati which eventually led to Atlanta’s World Championship over the Indians. During his prime, Fred McGriff was truly one of the most feared hitters in baseball. The BBWAA might ignore him, but we won’t.

(Sept. 18, 2008 - Source: Chris McGrath/Getty Images North America)

Someone else that I feel has been overlooked is “the Moose”, Mike Mussina. While pitcher Tom Glavine has his plaque hanging on the wall in upstate NY, Mussina has been given the cold shoulder. Let’s take a look at their numbers:

While Glavine played 4 more years than “Moose”, he actually averaged less wins, had fewer strikeouts, had a higher WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), had less complete games, less seasons of 17 or more wins, and for the stat geeks, had a lower WAR. Mussina managed to either put up comparable or better numbers on worse teams and in a shorter time span than Glavine, yet he remains on the outside of Cooperstown. It is my hope that we can give him some consolation with a virtual plaque in our Hall of Fame.

My last two choices are both career-long Yankees, and some of you will certainly consider them to be “homer” picks by this author, I assure you that both have very good arguments for residing alongside the immortals of baseball.

Jorge Posada was the primary backstop for one of the Yankees most “golden” of eras. He was known as one of the “Core four” that brought multiple championships back to the Bronx. Posada owns 4 rings, and put up numbers well worth consideration for entrance into Cooperstown. I’ll be writing an article later in the week explaining my reasoning. Just be aware that when placed alongside some who have already gained entrance, Posada’s numbers don’t back down. In addition, there are some intangibles like grit and heart that can’t be put into a spreadsheet. His importance to the great teams he played on is primarily why he has my vote.

Don Mattingly is one of the greatest players I have ever seen play. During the peak of his career, he was the best player in the game. I’ve written an article in the past explaining why he belongs in the Hall. If players like Kirby Puckett, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor have been voted in, then it is a crime that Mattingly has not. I’ll write his name on every one of my ballots, always.

So there you have it. I’ve voted for five players I consider worthy of baseball immortality. What do you think? Do you discount the PED users like I do, or do you think their numbers are deserving of induction – regardless of how they were achieved? We’d love to hear from you! 

By the way, if you haven't seen it already, be sure to check out a great piece about the Hall of Fame vote by newbie BYB writer Barry Millman.  Check out PLEASE DON'T BLOW THIS YEAR'S HOF VOTE. It's terrific.

 
    
--Steve Skinner
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN

I’m in a bad mood.  I wanted to put that out there before you continue reading this post.  And thank you for reading by the way, I appreciate it. 

Anyway, back to my foul mood.  It has nothing to do with the Yankees per say.  I am upset that the NCAA concluded a 10-year witch-hunt on Coach Jim Boeheim and my beloved Syracuse Orange hoops team. 

I’m a Syracuse University alum and former student athlete and know Coach a bit.  This is an over the top punishment to say the very least…but what can you do.  I hope they reinstate the wins they stole from Jimmy, and then go spend time in Calapari’s Kentucky Blue Grass backyard and see what REAL corruption looks like! But I digress... 

This is a New York Yankees fan site and I will write about the Yanks now.  Maybe it’s my mood, but when did we become Cubs fans?  I was blown away by the way everyone is celebrating over the Bronx Bombers and their landslide victory over the Braves the other night…in Orlando…in a SPRING game…that meant ZERO!   Hey, I’m happy to see that McCann and Drew went yard. That's good.  I am delighted to know Tanaka was able to throw and not have his elbow pop like the last balloon at a 5 year-old’s birthday party.  It is ALWAYS better to win than lose…but come on. It's Spring Training!

Don't forget, the Yankees have a lot of questions.  They are putting it together slow, but surely.  The veterans are starting to wind it up and get ready for Opening Day.  And there are STILL so many questions.  Stephen Drew gets into one and suddenly we're happy he will be the starting second baseman?  Nope.  Sorry folks, but the sun will shine on a dog’s ass every now and again too.  If he is hitting .285 in late May, I’ll retract that statement, but you know I won’t have to. 

I am happy with McCann’s ABs this spring.  I love the way he is taking the ball the other way to beat the shift…DO YA SEE THAT, TEX?  Wake up!

The Yankees need to put their collective heads down and just do the work.  And we can cheer like mad when they do something that matters.  We are YANKEE fans after all!  We're not supposed to get nuts over a spring 'W' against the Braves.  They didn’t throw Maddux, Smoltzie and Glavine at us the other night. 

I’m pretty sure Chipper and the Crime Dog weren’t in the batting order either.  Did Masahiro face Hammerin’ Hank?  Please.

Look, these Yankees are still a team that SHOULD compete for the big prize.  They make insane money!  The response from fans made me think the Bronx Bombers were a young, scrappy Houston Astros club.  They’re not.  Cashman has made it clear the kids aren’t part of the plan…so why get excited by what overpaid vets are SUPPOSED to do in mid-March? You know what I mean?

Again, I’m in a bad, bad mood, but save the “Baby’s first words” cheering for when Aaron Judge comes up and deposits one on the 4 train tracks to win a game against Boston in August…a game that matters…a game we should care about more than a Spring training game in March.

I’m getting a beer.

** HERE IS AN AWFUL SONG, BY AN AWFUL BAND, ON AN AWFUL DAY. A Big Spring win? Get lost. **




 
--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21






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THE TOP 12 MOMENTS IN YANKEES HISTORY: PART 1

The Yankees are often referred to as the most storied sports franchise in history. They are definitely the most well-known and the one with the longest history of success. There are many moments in its history that defined the organization, flashpoints that many of us – both young and old – remember with fondness and excitement.

We decided that it would be worth taking a stroll down memory lane, and pick out some of the greatest moments in Yankees history. One thing is for sure – you are going to think we missed a few. That is one of the problems with going through such an exercise with such a wildly successful team – there are too many great moments. So this is our view of the 12 greatest moments in Yankees history. We will present 12-7 to you here, and our next segment will have the top six.

12. David Cone, 1996 World Series, Game 3, 6th Inning

Let’s set the stage. The Yankees have made it to the World Series for the first time in 15 years, looking for their first win in a generation. They have not yet established their dominance or their playoff swagger. The Braves dominated games 1 and 2 at Yankee Stadium, and the Yankees could ill afford to go down 3-0. After taking a 2-0 lead, the Braves started to rally in the sixth. David Cone walks the pitcher to lead off the inning, and after a hit and another walk, power-hitting Fred McGriff walks to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Joe Torre quickly sprints to the mound, puts up his hands, looks Cone in the eye, and famously asks, “Can you get him?” Cone responds in the affirmative, and proceeds to induce McGriff to pop out and retire the side after allowing only a single run. It was the first time the Yankees showed the ability to shut the Braves down, and it turned the tide. It would be the first of a World Series record 14 consecutive game win streak, which stands to this day. It would also be the first of four World Series Championships in five years, which would re-establish the Yankees as the dominant team in baseball.

11. The 1927 Home Run Race

When we hear home run race, we think of 1961 or 1998. The first real race to set the single-season home run record actually took place in 1927, and the combatants were the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Ruth held the record at 59. Less than a decade removed from the dead ball era, that number was gargantuan, and these two were aiming for the 60’s. These two Yankees were going at it into September. On the morning of September 4, Ruth had 44 and Gehrig had 43 homers. Sixty was in sight, and these two were neck and neck. Inexplicably, Gehrig ran out of gas and would only hit 4 more through the end of the season. Ruth went on a tear, hitting 16 in his last 26 games, 3 of those games being multi-homer games for him. These two would anchor Murderer’s Row, and go on to win three World Series’ in the next 6 years.

10. Don Larsen’s Perfect Game

On October 8, 1956, the Yankees were locked in a 2-2 tie for the World Series against their archrivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers had beaten them the year before in seven games, and this was a must-win. Don Larsen went out and threw the only perfect game in World Series history. From a historical perspective, having a record like that just adds luster to an already brilliant history. It also clearly had an impact on the Dodgers, who prior to that game averaged six runs per game. They would only score one more run for the rest of that Series.

9. The 1961 Home Run Race

Anytime it appears that someone might break a record, especially regarding home runs, some kind of frenzy kicks in and that’s all people talk about. That was certainly the case in 1961, when the M&M boys – Mickey Mantle and the reigning AL MVP Roger Maris – went on a chase to break Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. The movie 61* documents it well, yet it is still hard to believe all the drama that surrounded that year. Between the debate over the validity of the new record because of length of the season, and the loss in perspective when some Yankee fans turned on Maris, it is hard to believe that Maris was able to maintain focus and break the record on the last game of the regular season. Ruth’s record stood for 34 years and Maris stood for 37, solidifying in a symbolic way the Yankees’ hitting dominance through the decades.

8. Bucky Dent’s Homer

The 1978 season was a storybook season, filled with heroics and epic battles that took them from deep valleys to high mountaintops. The climax clearly took place on a sunny Monday afternoon in Fenway, on the tie-breaking 163rd game. This was against the hated Boston Red Sox, with whom a bench-clearing brawl or two were not out of the question. When the game started, I was still in school, and I got home in time to see the Yankees trailing by two. I was able to watch one of the most glorious home runs of that Yankees generation – a 3-run home run over the Green Monster by Bucky Dent that put the Yankees on top and catapulted them to their 22nd World Series Championship.

7. Joe DiMaggio’s 56-Game Hitting Streak

If you ask me what one modern record of baseball will never be broken, I would have to say Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak. Since the 1920’s, only two people have ever even reached 40 – Joe DiMaggio and Pete Rose. Today, if you reach 30, it makes big news, and you are only just over the halfway mark to the record. It is a testament to how good of a hitter Joltin’ Joe really was. Between May 15 and July 16, DiMaggio kept hitting them and they couldn’t keep him off the bases. As the story goes, he had several hard hit balls on July 17, but none of them got him a hit. He did reach base on a walk, which allowed him to extend his on-base streak to 73 games. If he had gotten a hit on July 17, it would have been a 73-game hitting streak. A 73-game hitting streak??? Unreal!

There you have it - the first half of the list. Stay tuned for the top 6 - it's going to be amazing!

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row






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DERREK LEE, CHIPPER JONES OR FRED MCGRIFF?

As you all by now, or maybe you don't, the Yankees have reached out to Derrek Lee and have expressed interest in Chipper Jones as possible "fill-ins" for Mark Teixeira as he recovers from his sprained wrist. 

According to the New York Times (HERE), "Cashman confirmed to three reporters that he asked Derrek Lee to come out of retirement, and then said he would be just as happy to sign Chipper Jones, who retired last year after 19 years with the Braves.

But Cashman said he did not have a working telephone number for Jones’s agent, B.B. Abbott, so he told the reporters they could report his interest through Twitter as a way of letting Jones know, even though Cashman was almost 100 percent certain that Jones would turn him down.

'Get it out there,' Cashman said. 'I would sign him in a heartbeat. He can play third base, first base, D.H. He would be perfect.'"

All that is fine and good and I'd welcome them for a temporary replacement. I like seeing new guys in pinstripes, but there is just a few things wrong.  For 1, Chipper Jones retired because he just didn't think he could do it anymore. 2...  Derrek Lee didn't even play last season.  Cashman's really rolling the dice on this one, don't you think?  Hey, I'm not going to rip Cash, he obviously has a plan. I'll wait and see how it plays out.

But this all reminds me alot about when the Yankees were eyeing Fred McGriff back in 2004.  As reported in the Associated Press (HERE) from back then: "'It would be awesome,' McGriff said about the possibility of joining the Yankees. 'You couldn't ask for anything better.'

McGriff took batting practice and grounders in front of team officials at the Yankees' minor league complex. New York, the AL East leader, could be in the market for an extra first baseman depending on test results regarding ailing starter Jason Giambi."

McGriff never came to New York.  To be honest, I'm not sure Lee or Jones will either.  I do find it interesting though.  There are a ton of options the Yanks could go for, younger, quicker... but they always seem to go back to the veterans.  Whatever the case... we need to wait and see.

Stay tuned.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY YOUNG YANKEE FANS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT "REAL" LOSING

(In Photo: Al Leiter, left, and Mike Pagliarulo)
Not too long ago, at my day job, I was having a conversation with an intern. She was about 20 years old and somehow the conversation turned to music. In the course of this conversation it came out that she had never heard of Kurt Cobain or Nirvana. Immediately, 2 things popped in
my mind:

1. I feel old.
   
2. I’ve turned into my parents for saying things like “back in my day…” or “you kids these days….”

But I digress; this conversation got me thinking back to the late 80's and early ‘90s of Yankee baseball. In those days, the Yankees were AWFUL. I remember going to games with my dad, buying an $8 upper deck ticket and moving to the 3rd base boxes in the 2nd inning because the Stadium was empty. Watch Yankeeography or YouTube Don Mattingly clips – check out all the empty seats.Now, you kids who grew up becoming fans of the Yankees in 1994, 1995 and 1996... that's when the Yankees started getting good...you definitely missed the dark day. I’m sure some of your first memories were making the playoffs in ‘95, or winning the World Series in ‘96. Your biggest disappointments are watching the 2001 team lose Game 7 of the World Series to the Diamondbacks or choking to the Red Sox in 2004... I still have nightmares about that one.

Me? I remember some pretty horrendous years before 1996. How about watching George Steinbrenner trade away all of our young prospects in the late 80’s for over-the-hill veterans? Anyone remember Mariners star Jay Buhner? He was a Yankee; traded for Ken Phelps. How’d that work out?(In Photo: Doug Drabek)
Doug Drabek had a decent career with the Pirates but he had potential with the Yankees before that. That's OK, we traded him away for Pat Clements, Cecilio Guante, and Rick Rhoden. Terrific move that turned out to be.

This one was my favorite from the early 80's: Fred McGriff for Dale Murray. McGriff who went on to be a 5 time All-Star and Murray was 3-6 over his 3 year stint with the Yanks. This went on year after year.

When the Yanks were bounced from the playoffs last year, I heard many complaining and deciding that change was needed. You kids don’t know about change and losing. Try being a Pirates fan, or read about the Yankees when they finished in 5th place in 1988 or 7th place in 1990...and change happened... that's losing.

Finally, my message is this: Enjoy these good times, but don’t forget the bad times. Take heed when taking shots at Mets fans. Why? Because you never know when the dark days may return...let's hope they never do.

--Lem Allen, BYB Contributor

Email me at:bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com

ORDER A BYB SHIRT NOW, DROB WEARS ONE! Also, Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.