DESTROYING THE IMAGE OF GREATNESS

I never saw Joe DiMaggio play the game, but the stories and old films give me such a feeling of Pride for the way he played and the love he had for this great game of baseball. He was one of the greatest and being an Italian American myself, the idea that guys like DiMaggio, Tony Lazzeri, Phil Rizzuto and many other Italians were part of the Yankees makes me proud.

I once wrote a piece called WHEN HONORING BASEBALL HEROES GOES REALLY WRONG   and in it, I questioned the way we as Americans treat our heroes long after they’ve passed.  I gave you 2 pretty good examples about the West Side Highway which was changed to the Joe DiMaggio Highway by Rudy Guiliani in 1999 and the Larry Doby Highway over in the back roads of Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Larry Doby Highway sign now stands on the side of a broken down road in dirty snow and weeds near a strip joint.  Sure, the idea was great I'm  paper I'm sure, but the execution and upkeep is horrendous.  We’ve forgotten these greats and  it’s sad really. Are we forgetting that Larry Doby was the second African American to play in the major leagues (1st in the American League) behind the great Jackie Robinson? Next time I'm over that way, I'll take a picture. You won't believe it.

The other day I walked into a bodega and went to grab a Snapple.  My heart sank as a saw an energy drink with Joe DiMaggio’s face on it.  It was some Joltin’ Joe Espresso drink.  I mean, is this what we’ve become?  Is this how we want our Yankees to connect to our youth that have never seen these players but just heard of them?  Disgraceful. Sure, I know, back in the day there were tobacco baseball cards, I got that. The difference was adults bought those, not kids.

But more importantly, what the hell are we doing with our heroes? Again, Larry Doby was the first African American to play in the American League. Jackie Robinson is honored when every baseball player in Major League baseball wearing #42 for 1 day.  A brilliant move.  But then Larry Doby gets a sign on a broken down street in Jersey and Joe DiMaggio gets an energy drink.  Sure, I understand the impact of Jackie, all I'm saying is, maybe a sign on the side of a road isn't the great placement, you know what I mean?

Hey look, I appreciate the honoring of the greats, but instead of just plopping a sign up and being done with it… can we think it through first?  It’s freaking pathetic.  We’re better than that.

That’s my take anyway.

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ROBINSON CANO IS YOUR FAVORITE YANKEE SECOND BASEMAN

As I’ve stated time and time before, doing these polls on your All-Time favorite Yankee players is always a personal choice and there is no wrong answer.  We also usually get the more recent players in baseball history chosen because they are constantly in our minds, on TV, the Internet and the highlights are plastered all over the place.  Is it fair? Not for the old time greats, but it’s still fun to vote.  It’s funny though, in our 1^st baseman poll a few weeks back, ya’ll chose Don Mattingly first, not as recent, but still in the public eye for many of us.  Anyway, no biggie, just wanted to point that out. On to the poll:

Robinson Cano was the clear winner in this poll, getting 40 votes from the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers, that was 38% of the vote.  A no-brainer honestly. The guy is truly a terrific 2^nd baseman and one of the best the Yankees have ever had and like I said, the highlights are constant.

(In Photo: Bobby Richardson)

He was followed by Willie Randolph who received 26 votes, or 24% of the voted in this poll and then finally, Bobby Richardson, another Yankee favorite who snuck in at 16 votes.  Everyone loves Richardson. I actually expected him to come in higher in the voting, maybe even higher than Randolph, but like I’ve stated, recent history helps the recent players in this poll.

(In Photo: Billy Martin)

After those 3 guys, there’s a distant separation.  Guys like Billy Martin received 5 votes and Horace Clarke…yeah that’s right, Clarke, received 4 votes…he was tight with the late great Tony Lazzeri.  I was surprised by that.I expect Lazzeri much higher.

Chuck Knoblauch and Steve Sax both received 2 votes each…must have been the throwing problem that grouped them together. I’m joking, but it’s ironic.    And who could forget Alfonso Soriano. He received 2 votes as well.

Mariano Duncan, our second baseman for the 1996 championship New York Yankees received zero votes.  Alittle surprised by that, but he wasn’t with us very long.  Mariano isn’t exactly considered a New York Yankee, he had a career before he came to us and retired soon after that championship team.

Look, this exercise is just for fun, like I’ve said, there is no wrong answer, it’s a personal choice.  I’m thrilled that you participated.  

Next up… your favorite New York Yankee shortstop of all time.  Clearly Derek Jeter will crush everyone… but hey, let’s see what happens. Look for it soon.

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WHO IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE YANKEES 2ND BASEMAN?

(In Photo: Bobby Richardson)

Over the years, I’ve always rooted for all my New York Yankees.  Some of them stunk up the joint, but, they are our team, they wear the pinstripes and we love that about our guys.  When it comes to second basemen in Yankees history, there were truly athletic guys that I saw play and then of course, there were some that just couldn’t hack it. 

I loved Willie Randolph manning second base and as the Co-Captain with Ron Guidry back in the day, there wasn’t a better dude out there that played the position.  I always felt like Willie Randolph was so underrated.  He wasn’t a .350 hitter or anything, but his career numbers were impressive but more than that, his talent in the field was fantastic.

There were guys like Steve Sax and Chuck Knoblauch that I always appreciated there, but as you know, sometimes that throw to first for them became difficult.  I never understood that, it just seems so easy, but the theory is sometimes that gets in your head, whatever the case, I'm not being critical becasue truth be told, I dug those guys there.  Sax was a guy I loved more when he was with the Dodgers even before the Yankees...I loved his speed.

Tony Lazzeri and Joe Gordon were guys that I never got to see play, I was too young, but everything you read about these guys is incredible.  They handled themselves quite well all the while playing with the top Yankees ever.  You have to love that. 

Then of course, there was Alfonso Soriano, Mariano Duncan, Bobby Richardson and of course, the greatest of our time, Robinson Cano.  There may not be a better second baseman in the game right now.  Cano is on fire and in control.  I’ve said it plenty of times and I’ll say it again, he’s the making of a future Yankee captain. I firmly believe that.

So, who’s your favorite Yankees second baseman of all time? It’s your chance to vote in our BYB poll.  Take a minute, look to the right of this post and vote for your favorite now.  At the end of the poll, we’ll post the results and we’ll chat about it in another piece. It’s fun stuff.

Look, there is no wrong answer, it's your favorite. I just like to gauge how you guys feel about some of the players that put on the pinstripes over the years.  After second base, we’ll do shortstop and so on.  Once we finish all the voting, Bleeding Yankee Blue will put together our team based on all the results. 

Vote now, and if there’s someone I missed, put their name in the comments section of this post.  Thanks guys! Enjoy this.

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WHAT IF DEREK JETER & BABE RUTH SWITCHED PLACES?

Ridiculous, I know, but think about it for a second. How much different would the lives of Jeter and Ruth be if they changed places in Yankee history? I mean look, I know, the pitchers were different back in the 1920’s… they're different now. The playoffs are longer, the season is longer, sure, there are plenty of factors to consider, but let's try to keep it simple. What if their statistics were exactly the same, but just in a different era? How would they stack up and would their lives be different? I would venture to say… they would be...maybe, but it would be interested, especially with the way things are today and the way the game was played then.

Now in fairness, this is my scenario, so, while your opinions are welcome, don’t crucify me. Everyone will have different opinions on this no doubt. Just leave your comments in the comments section below and keep it clean.

Derek Jeter: Well, right off the bat, I see Jeter having very similar popularity as he does today. Being a New York Yankee, it comes with the territory. Lou Gehrig would most likely still be the Captain of the Yankees, but it would be a tough call. Jeter would have been known as a team leader, and one of the best Yankees ever, plus, he'd be considered one of the nicest Yankee players of this era. He would almost be considered to be unorthodox because of the atmosphere around him, meaning, in the 1920's, the game was tougher, the season was shorter, the times were different and you heard all sorts of crazy stories about off-field antics. Jeter would have stayed on the straight and narrow and I base that solely on his personality and upbringing... a “tight ass” so to speak, especially when you read about the craziness of Babe Ruth and his rumored drinking HERE and guys like Ty Cobb and his rumored nastiness (HERE).I would even suspect Jeter would have been very close to Lou Gehrig personally; much closer than the Babe and Lou were. Lou Gehrig would have been Derek’s Jorge Posada.

Sure, I believe that Derek Jeter would have went down in the record books as a great ballplayer, like Joe DiMaggio and much later Don Mattingly and no doubt he would have been a part of those winning championship teams in 1923, 1927, 1928 and 1932. But I do wonder if Babe Ruth's talent's really would have contributed more to those championships than Jeter would have. I'm just asking...I don't know. Would Ruth's power have made a difference? Looking at 2 of Ruth's World Series' performances, it's a toss up. For example, in 1928, Babe Ruth batted .628 with 10 hits and 3 home runs and scored 9 runs. In 1927, Ruth batted .400 with 7 RBIs. Could Jeter have done that? I would say yes, knowing what we know about Derek and the post season.

You'd have to also think about the bigger question when comparing Jeter to Ruth. If Jeter played on the Yankees from 1920 to 1934, would he perform like he was larger than life like Ruth? I'm not so sure. Ruth was iconic because of his big personality and power...he was like a God because he hit more home runs than entire teams. Jeter's iconic because of his Yankee professionalism and talent. It's different... That's what I think anyway.

If you look at Jeter’s numbers, he would have blended in nicely as a team leader, but he would have been more well rounded so to speak. Look, Jeter at this point has over 9800 at bats, a .313 average, 3088 hits and 24o home runs. Clearly that's a man who plays in a longer season. The Yankees in the 20's had guys like Tony Lazzeri who had 6297 career at bats, 178 homers and a .292 average. Bill Dickey had 6300 at bats, 202 home runs and a .313 average. Earle Combs... he had 5746 at bats, a .325 average and only 58 home runs. Teams played less games, they would have had less at bats and I would conclude that Jeter's number would have been similar to guys like these. Yes, he would have still maintained that over .300 average, but he may not have reached the 3000 hit mark.

And look, if he did hit 3000 in the 1920's, today it would be a story legends are made of... "Grandpa, tell me about how Jeter hit his 3000th hit and it was home run again!" It would be Jeter's claim to fame. Jeter would have made the Hall of Fame easily and his number would have been retired relatively quickly too I believe.

Babe Ruth: Well, sure this is a tough one because if you get too technical, the Red Sox would have never sold the Yankees Babe Ruth in this day and age. But for argument sake, say they did and say Ruth started his pro career when Jeter did...1995. Ruth would have been apart of the 5 Yankees championships and I would venture to say they may have even won more because of Babe Ruth’s raw power. Jeter contributed well to in the playoffs, but don't forget, the playoffs are longer than they were in the 1920's. More games, more rounds. But let's make it simpler...let's just look at the World Series numbers:

• In 10 years of World Series games, Ruth had 129 at bats, had a .325 average, 15 home runs, 33 RBIs and an OBP of .467.
  

• In 7 years of World Series games, Jeter calculated 156 At Bats, 3 home runs, a .321 average, 9 RBIs and a OBP of .384.
  

I ask quite simply, would Babe have helped bring more championships because of of his raw power alone? Ruth would have been a monster in this age, but I suspect he would constantly be surrounded by PEDs accusations as well as probably getting fined for drinking and excessive eating... all stemming from team rules. I would also bet David Wells and he would have been best friends in the late 1990's because of their same interests but I almost see the Yankees eventually trading Wells to keep them separated to focus Ruth. The Boss would have loved the Babe like he loved Jeter, because he loved winning, but in the end, he probably wouldn’t have tolerated the bad diet and drinking issues. That being said, you know that the Yankees would have kept Ruth around as long as possible because of his talent and star power. Ruth in this day and age would keep Yankee Stadium sold out, no doubt everyone would want a ticket.

Look, this was clearly more difficult that I originally dreamed, but fun. Both Jeter and Ruth would have probably led the same lives in my opinion, but would have been subjected to different elements of the times they visited. Looking through this, I realize that God does things for a reason. Ruth belonged where he did as does Jeet today. To think of it the other way is almost nuts... or is it?

 

WHY BOSTON GOT SERVED HUMBLE PIE

OK, I've been waiting to do this piece for months now. On January 2nd, a NESN.com writer wrote a piece on why the 2011 Red Sox could unseat the 1927 Yankees as the greatest team in the history of Major League Baseball. You can read the comedic gold HERE. Mind you, it was written before 1 pitch was thrown in spring training or even the season itself.

Casey was immediately outraged as well, and wrote WHY BOSTON SUCKS: PART II. Read it.

I saved the NESN piece the moment I read it. I knew at the time that this prediction would backfire on them easily and now, the season is over, the Red Sox didn't make the playoffs and, I just have to laugh. Who would dare suggest something so silly? Let's break it down. The piece started off saying: "The Red Sox have won 100 or more games three times in their 110-year existence. They will make it four in 2011."

We all know by now that he was way off in this prediction. The Red Sox finished with a 90-72 record and finished 3rd in the American League East. Meanwhile, the 1927 Yankees finished with an astounding 110-44 record. Can you say, EPIC fail? I can...oh, I did.

Next, the writer showcased the Red Sox lineup which looks like this:

CF. Jacoby Ellsbury- .321/.376/.552/.928 (BA/OBP/SLG/OPS), 32 Hrs, 105 RBI, 39 SBs
2B. Dustin Pedroia- .307/.387/.474/.861, 21 Hrs, 91 RBI, 26 SBsLF. Carl Crawford- .255/.289/.405/.694, 11 Hrs, 56 RBI, 18 SBs
1B. Adrian Gonzalez- .338/.410/.548/.957, 27 Hrs, 117 RBI
3B. Kevin Youkilis- .258/.373/.459/.833, 17 Hrs, 80 RBI
DH. David Ortiz- .309/.398/.554/.953, 29 Hrs, 96 RBI
RF. JD Drew- .222/.315/.302/.617, 4 Hrs, 22 RBI, 81 games
C. Jarrod Saltalamacchia- .235/.288/.450/.737, 16 Hrs, 56 RBI
SS. Marco Scutaro- .299/.358/.423/.781, 7 Hrs, 54 RBI
SS. Jed Lowrie- .252/.303/.382/.685, 6 Hrs, 36 RBI

That lineup looks pretty good, I mean, this team lead the majors in runs scored with 875, that's 8 runs ahead of the Yankees, but they're NOT the 1927 Yankees who scored 976 runs, 131 more runs than the second place Detroit Tigers... astounding. Also keep in mind that the 1927 Yankees had four Hall of Famers, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, and Earle Combs, in their lineup.Speaking of the 1927 Yankees lineup, let's take a look at how each individual fared that season:

CF. Earle Combs- .356/.414/.511/.925, 6 HRs, 64 RBI
SS. Mark Koenig- .285/.320/.382/.702, 3 HRs, 62 RBI
RF. Babe Ruth- .356/.486/.772/1.258, 60 HRs, 164 RBI...WOW
1B. Lou Gehrig- .373/.474/.765/1.240, 47 HRs, 175 RBI... WOW
LF. Bob Meusel- .337/.393/.510/.902, 8 HRs, 103 RBI, 24 SBs
2B. Tony Lazzeri- .309/.383/.482/.866, 18 HRs, 102 RBI, 22 SBs
3B. Joe Dugan- .269/.321/.362/.683, 2 HRs, 43 RBI
C. Pat Collins- .275/.407/.418/.825, 7 HRs, 36 RBI

Pretty good, huh? A couple of things...One, the writer of the NESN piece had us look at the Boston bench. It looks like this:

OF. Mike Cameron- He got DFA'd from the team in late June after hitting .149/.212/.266/.477 in 33 games with the Sox.
OF. Darnell McDonald- He hit .236/.303/.401/.704 in 79 games. Certainly doesn't strike fear to me.
INF. Marco Scutaro- .299/.358/.423/.781 (above)
INF. Jed Lowrie- .252/.303/.382/.685 (above)
C. Jason Varitek- Hit .221/.300/.423/.723 in 68 games, but he's the Captain of the team and wears that "C" on his jersey!

Now, in all fairness, the Red Sox improved their bench with the call up of outfielder Josh Reddick (.280/.327/.457/.784) and trading for utility man Mike Aviles (.317/.340/.436/.775 in 38 games for Boston).

And finally, I just wanted to say this before we conclude this piece. It is very hard, if not impossible, to compare different players performances between two completely different eras, not to mention that that 2011 season hadn't started yet. Baseball was an entirely different game way back when, and a lot of changed. But, the writer for that NESN piece brought it up in the first place, so it's his own fault.

Next we'll try and break down the pitching for you, comparing the 2011 Red Sox and 1927 Yankees. Stay tuned.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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WHY I ROOT FOR THE ITALIANS

(in photo: Mike Pagliarulo)
I remember 1987 like it was yesterday. The Yankees weren’t too good finishing in 4th place in the American League, yet, as an Italian American kid who loved the Yankees, there was always a connection between me and the Italian Yankee ballplayers and this goes all the way back to my dad’s days in the Bronx and my grandfather before him.

Phil Rizzuto was huge to many of us in my family and before that, it was Tony Lazzeri. These 2 guys defined Italian. Joe DiMaggio was the the biggest guinea of them all and for good reason, he was a God and my grandfather loved that he represented Italians and played for the greatest baseball team in the world.Rick Cerone was around when I watched the Yankees play. I remember the old Yankee Stadium and Eddie Layton, the organist, playing his best Italian music as Cerone came up to the plate. You just got into it.

(in photo: Danny Pasqua)

Then came the mid 80's and 1987. That was when I became seriously attached to 2 other Yankee players, Danny Pasqua and Mike Pagliarulo. For 1, they could hit home runs, which was always a fan favorite, but besides that, they were Italian Americans playing in pinstripes and at the time, I didn't really have what my father and his father before him had, true legends. Instead, I had guys you hoped could be legends. Following and rooting for a 4th place Yankee team all season, you really wanted them to shine, it was really all you had.

As a kid in the 80’s, you couldn’t help but love these guys. Let’s not forget, the Yankees were about to take a dive to 7th place in the American League East. That happened in 1990, so we were on our way to empty stands and forgotten games. In 1987, you really felt bad for players like Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield and Ron Guidry. We had players like Bobby Meacham, and Joel Skinner and Lenn Sakata and we had no real decent pitching with guys like Steve Trout. We were going no where fast, but it didn’t matter, as a kid, I wanted my guys to do well; Danny Pasqua and Mike Pagliarulo. I remember lining my baseball cards up according to the order of the lineup and just crossing my fingers.

Danny Pasqua was a William Paterson University graduate and he was local and for us, he was a symbol of life in the Yankees lineup with 17 home runs that year. Yes, Mattingly was on this team and we all loved Donnie, but Danny was the new young stud with something to prove and you just wanted him to do well. I remember being at one batting practice at Yankee Stadium, standing with my family on the right field side and Danny Pasqua cranked one and it accidentally hit a poor woman in foul territory and she fell right to the ground in pain. It was devastating for me to see, but you just knew how much power was in that swing. Pasqua went to the White Sox after that season and then retired, but to this day, I still think of him and smile.

Mike Pagliarulo was destined to be the leader on the Yankees around that time, at least to me he was. A third baseman with great athleticism and great power. No, he wasn’t among home run leaders each year, but he hit them enough so people would take notice. Pags later moved on to the San Diego Padres in 1989, then the Twins and then he eventually vanished. But one thing's for sure, if you ever want to see the best shrine of Mike Pagliarulo in all of New Jersey, you need to go to Lina’s Restaurant in Bloomingdale, NJ. As you walk in the door, there are photos, and autograph’s with the former Yankee great there. It just goes to show the Italian roots run deep and Mike Pagliarulo is still remembered fondly.

Danny Pasqua and Mike Pagliarulo were stars for some of us Italian Americans in the 80’s, long retired but definitely not forgotten. A salute to Danny and Pags. You represented the pinstripes well guys, carry on.

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WHY LAZZERI IS A BRONX LEGEND

SECOND BASE

"How about 'Once a Yankee, always a Yankee'... There never was anything better than that. You never get over it." --Tony Lazzeri

In continuing the countdown of the top 3 Yankees in each position, we now come to the second best second baseman. It’s Tony Lazzeri. Now many may be surprised to see him at number two. He’s probably the player most fans would name as the best Yankee second baseman. However, there is someone even better for number 1. But before I get ahead of myself, let’s get to "Poosh ‘Em Up Tony".

#2- Tony Lazzeri was Italian and came from San Francisco. He played in the Pacific Coast League. Sound like another famous player? (Yeah, he’ll be on the list, but you’ll need to wait until center field.) But before Joe DiMaggio took over the Bronx, Poosh ‘Em Up Tony was the first Yankee hero for Italian-Americans and helped introduce many to the game of baseball.

Lazzeri was a fan favorite of Italians all over the country, but especially in the Bronx. His nickname, Poosh ‘Em Up Tony, is actually an improper translation of an Italian phrase meaning, to hit it out. The name followed him from his days in the Pacific Coast League. While in the PCL, Tony put up some unreal numbers. How’s this for an unbelievable season? I don’t care what league these numbers are from, these numbers are insane!

• In 1925 with the Salt Lake City Bees, Lazzeri hit .355 with 60 homers, 222 RBIs, 252 hits, 52 doubles, and scored 202 runs. (That was 192 games. Still sick though)

Now, you’d think with those statistics he’d be a lock for the Major Leagues. But unfortunately for Tony, he suffered from epilepsy. The Bees had an agreement with the Chicago Cubs, but the Cubbies thought Tony wasn’t worth the risk. As it turned out, he never suffered epileptic seizures on the playing field, so the public never knew about his condition. The Bombers thought he was worth it and bought his contract for $50,000 plus two players, Frank Zoeller and Mack
Hillis. Lazzeri was well worth it indeed.PLAYING IN THE BRONX: Tony played for what many consider the best baseball team ever, the 1927 Yankees. He batted 6th in the famous ‘27 Murder’s Row line up and is probably the third most well-known player on the team, after Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Tony also played with Joe DiMaggio. With such legendary teammates, it’s easy to understand how Tony can sometimes be forgotten in the list of Yankee greats.

He played with the Yankees from 1926-37 and played sparingly for the Cubs, Dodgers, and Giants for his last two seasons of 1938-39. While with the Yanks, he was considered one of the best second basemen of the era. His 11 RBI in one game is still the American League record.
He was the first player to hit 2 grand slams in one game. Lazzeri is one of only 14 players to ever hit for the natural cycle—hitting a single, double, triple, and homer in that order. He also won 5 World Series with the Yanks.

Lazzeri's numbers have been discussed suggesting they may not be Hall of Fame numbers, but in 1991, he was finally voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran’s Committee. Over a 14-year career, Lazzeri hit .292 and averaged 111 RBIs per season. 7 of those years were truly outstanding years. However, his longevity as well, was often the debate for whether or not he should get into the Hall.

Lazzeri was known for his clutch hitting, but had 1 bad moment in the 1926 World Series when he left bases full of Yankees loaded against Grover Cleveland Alexander of the St. Louis Cardinals. Lazzeri struck out and eventually the Cards won the World Series when Babe Ruth made the third out in the 9th trying to steal second base.

FACT: That strike out was put on Grover Cleveland Alexander’s Hall of Fame plaque, making Lazzeri the only player, at that time, 1938, to have his name on a Hall of Fame plaque without actually being a Hall of Fame player.

Tony Lazzeri died in 1946 at the age of 42. Some think it was a heart attack. Others think it may
have been an epileptic seizure. Either way, it was tragic.

The New York Times’ Arthur Daley wrote in his column, "Tony was never able to live down that incident. Even in death it's the first thing that comes to mind. His slugging records and home-run achievements invariably are forgotten. No one ever bothered asking him to tell of his sixty homers in the Pacific Coast League the season before he came to the Yankees. Few inquired about his achievement of twice slashing three homers in one game or of walloping jackpot homers at crucial moments, including the World Series. No. Always was his one failure. Never was his brilliant successes."

(Photo: Corbis)
Remember Yankee fans, and all baseball fans, the players you cheer and boo are professional ballplayers, but they are also people. When you’re at the park, cheer and boo. But if you ever meet a former player, try to focus on all the times the player made you cheer. Fortunately for Poosh ‘Em Up Tony, it seems as time has passed, more people remember the cheers and call Tony Lazzeri the greatest Yankee second baseman... probably because he was.



--Moonlight Graham, BYB Staff Writer