I'M SAD TO HEAR ABOUT SINGLETON

Photo: Baltimore Sun

I have always been a fan of Kenny Singleton and I love him in the YES broadcast booth.  In fact, this is the equivalent to when Jim Kaat left the YES booth for me. I loved him too.  These are guys that have a full grasp of the game, are really in tune with our New York Yankees and they have always made me feel that as a fan, I can relate to them.  They make me feel like I'm their friend or something. Tough to explain, but I have a comfort when I hear their voices.  Now it turns out that Kenny is leaving.  Kenny tweeted this:

LOOKOUT! 👀 This will be my final season of calling baseball games. I’ve been playing or talking baseball ever since I was 4 years old. It’s time for this enjoyable ride to end. Thanks fans for allowing me into your homes & businesses. It’s been my pleasure. #Thisoneisgone

— Ken Singleton (@29alltime) March 12, 2018

And I will share the Baltimore Sun for this one...

Photo: New York Daily News

"Ken Singleton, who has been an analyst and play-by-play announcer on Yankees telecasts for MSG and the YES Network since 1997, announced Monday on Twitter that 2018 will be his final year in the booth....

'I'm finding this hard to accept,' Kay tweeted Monday about Singleton's pending retirement. 'I've known about it for awhile but I've been trying to change his mind. I'm not giving up in my quest. Twitterverse, please tell Kenny he should not step away following season. Too much more to give!'"

Gotta love Kay there.  I agree.  I'd hate to see Ken Singleton go.  I mean, who else will tell really fun stories about he and Paul Blair?

Anyway... in case you missed it, I just wanted to pass it along.  Let's enjoy this last season with Singleton.

MIKE MUSSINA BELONGS IN THE HALL

Next week, we expect to hear the final results of the Hall of Fame voting, and perhaps the announcement of the 2016 inductees. One name I do not expect to hear on the inductee list is Mike Mussina. It’s a shame because he is a guy that deserves induction when you look at his numbers and accomplishments. This is his third time on the ballot, and he received between 20% and 25% of the votes in the last two years. We expect him to get about the same this year. I cannot understand why he does not get more.

Wins seem to be the biggest determinant of awards for starters, including for Cy Youngs and Hall of Fame election. One stat determining that seems overly simplistic, but it is what it is. Still, Mussina earned 270 career wins, which is 20th on the all-time list when looking at the post-dead ball era. Only two pitchers are ahead of him that are not in the Hall or on the ballot – Jim Kaat and Tommy John. Each of them needed at least 25 seasons to do what Mussina did in 18 seasons. He averaged 17 wins per season, which means that although he only recorded 20 wins once in his career – his last, he was always pitching like a potential 20-game winner. He is 18th on the all-time strikeouts list with 2813 for the post-dead ball era, and 16 of the 17 ahead of him are in the Hall. Nine times, he came in the top six in the Cy Young voting. He was a 7-time Gold Glove winner. He was a dominant starter in the years which he pitched.

So why would he not get the votes? Good question. The Hall of Fame vote is a subjective evaluation by members of the Baseball Writers of America Association, and that is always colored by the personal perspectives of each voter as to what they each believe qualifies a Hall of Famer. There are lots of theories as to why they don’t vote for him, but I think most of it is affected by the perception that he is the quintessential “Mr. Almost”. He almost won a World Series, coming within 2 outs of it in 2001. He almost was a 20-game winner twice, once in the shortened 1995 season where he led the league in wins. He came within one strike of a perfect game in Fenway Park on September 2, 2001, before Carl Everett poked a single into left field. Somehow, this makes him look a notch below the rest of the Hall inductees.

Again, I think this is a shame. BBWAA members are journalists who should be able to ascertain baseball accomplishments within context. Every stat I cited is well-known to every BBWAA voter. At least it should be.  Some voters believe in certain traditions, like not voting for first-timer’s on the ballot because that has a higher bar. Maybe they think he’ll deserve it after he’s up for the 10th time. I like to believe that if you think he deserves it, you vote yes. If not, you vote no. The fact that there are 3-4 ballots with his name missing for each one that has his name on it is hard to understand. Maybe one of these years, they’ll come to their senses.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon







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STOP ASKING ME ABOUT PRE-SEASON, I DON'T CARE!

A lot of worry, concern, aggravation around Yankeeland right now.  I'm a fan like you, here's the difference...I don't give a crap that the Yankees lost 17-5 yesterday in a game that doesn't matter.  Is it a sign of what's coming this season? No. Are the Blue Jays more powerful? No. This is what I care about...

I care about the Yankees team looking better around the 25th of March.  I worry about them playing good ball when it matters.  I care about the Yankees being healthy, Derek Jeter's ankle and whether or not Mariano Rivera will still be the same pitcher after his injury last season.

I worry about my bills, my kids and whether or not the doors locked at night. I do not care about an exhibition game in March.  So, with all due respect to the amazing Bleeding Yankee Blue readers and fans... stop asking me.  You want to have a dialog, some banter? Let's do it.

I'm all for trying to figure out if Joba Chamberlain will really be shipped off to the Texas Rangers, read HERE.  I'm ready to tell you that I cannot stand Sabermetrics and agree with Jim Kaat, read HERE.  I'll debate you on who the better starting catcher can be this season for the Yankees.  But if you're going to tell me that the Yankees suck because they lost 17-5 in a pre-season game 3 weeks before the season starts... my eyes will gloss over.  It's a waste of breath, a waste of time and, with all due respect, I do not care... and for the record, neither should you.

Again... hit me up around March 25th, 28th, right around the time the final touches are coming together.  It's right around then the Yankees need to be in a rhythm. Not now, not February, and sure as hell not tomorrow.   If the Yankees start blowing it as soon as the season starts and lose any series to a division rival, like the Red Sox, or Blue Jays... then I'll have a problem. If they still can't get their act together when it counts... then I have a problem

But it's gotta be in April, or June... not March...

No one should care about baseball in March, especially if it doesn't matter.  Sure, you want to watch your boys compete and win, I'm with you... but root for players winning jobs, not games.  That crap's for the birds... especially now.

Now, in closing, know this.... you're all great. I have no problem with the Yankee fans, the BYB readers and clearly we have different opinions.  It's just that I don't care about the preseason... get off the ledge man.

Happy Friday... maybe.

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