Subway Series Game 2: Yankees resume their rightful dominance in the universe

We're getting the band back together --
Ethan, Lisa and Jon.

I am still peeved that Squawker Jon and I were unable to get Subway Series tickets this time around, but at least we got to watch most of Game 2 together.

We also made it a mini-Daily News reunion, as we met with our old web room friend and cohort Ethan Sacks at Henry's on the Upper West Side to watch the game. We have known each other for ages, but it has been a while since I had seen Ethan -- too long! So it was great to catch up with him yesterday.

Ethan is a fellow Yankee fan, but *not* an A-Rod fan! Fortunately, there were no fisticuffs at our reunion.

Daily News readers will recognize this shirt
-- it is an Ed Murawinski cartoon from the
2000 Subway Series. Murawinski was one
of the DN staffers laid off this week.

It took my express bus forever to get to Manhattan, though, so I missed seeing Carlos Beltran's 1st inning homer, although I did listen to it via the MLB At-Bat app. (Note: I listened to Mets broadcasters Howie Rose and Josh Lewin, as opposed to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. You know, because I actually wanted to know what was happening in the game!) We did see when Michael Pineda was taken out, and wonder why Joe Girardi was doing his usual overmanaging.

I read in today's New York Post the latest bloviating from Yankees GM Brian (Fredo) Cashman. Cash, who thinks he's a badass because he rides a bicycle without a helmet (I think that makes him a moron, but I digress), “If we are world champions, I don’t care how we got there," he tells George King, sounding like he is conceding the AL East. Um, Bri, maybe it's too much bike riding without a helmet, but you do understand that the Wild Card no longer automatically entitles teams to postseason ALDS series bids, and that the Yanks will have to win a one-game playoff in order to advance? So your cockiness is moronic.

Oh, and I posted a photo of myself on Facebook yesterday holding a mimosa and toasting the Yankees' victory in the Subway Series. Unfortunately, I made a typo and spelled "Series" as "Seties." Not good for the professional proofreader!

I blame my bad typing on my iPhone, but others are blaming it on the al-al-al-al-alcohol. Two of the members of my running club's fantasy football league mocked me for this typo. Josh had this to say -- make that, to snark!: "'Seties?!' Must we correct the Proofreader?! Just say no to drinking and posting."

My response? "Josh and Mark, you got me! How embarrassing! Speaking of embarrassing, Thor wasn't much of a superhero today, eh?" Heh. (Note that I didn't attempt to spell Noah Syndergaard then! Imagine how I could have butchered that name!)

* * *

Squawker Jon was getting on me today for being tardy in my writing. Dude is like Robert DeNiro in "Awakenings" -- after years of slumbering, he is all of a sudden Squawking up a storm. Today he made Matt Harvey babying jokes. And Jon was nagging me to finish my Squawk early this afternoon.

I saw this Tyvek suit on the side of the
road today during my run. Is Jesse Pinkman
back in business -- this time on
Staten Island?

Look, I ran 10 miles (!) this morning. I am in training for the Staten Island Half-Marathon, which is happening in three weeks. And this is the first time I have ever run past nine miles, other than in my previous half-marathon. So I was exhausted, and just wanted to relax when I got home. Jon's big journey today was going to Zabar's to get a bagel!

I did make a point of picking up the Sunday New York Daily News today. I was hoping that they would allow Bill Madden, Filip Bondy, David Hinckley, et al to say farewell to their readers. After all, each of them has been at the paper for at least three decades before being laid off.

And as much as Madden drove me nuts with his anti-A-Rod crusade, I still read his baseball column every Sunday. Unfortunately, after nearly forty years at the News, they didn't even give him the courtesy of letting him write a farewell column to his readers. The closest the News gave to a Madden tribute is letting Mike Lupica, who is still on the payroll, write about him today. My eyes rolled so hard over that, they're in the back of my head now! The newspaper business is a really cruel one.

If you think A-Rod's stop, drop, and roll slide was graceless, wait until you hear about my own shenanigans!

He's safe!

I was at work yesterday afternoon when the Yankees-Orioles game was going on, so I missed seeing the final game in the Yanks' sweep. But I saw my Twitter feed blow up afterwards with talk of Alex Rodriguez's crazy successful slide to home plate in the first inning.

Instead of a traditional slide, Rodriguez did a stop, drop, and roll maneuver, with somersaults and barrel rolls and everything!

It took a while for somebody to post video of this crazy slide that only A-Rod could pull off, but it was even more glorious than I expected. Here is a GIF showing what happened. And yes, he was safe!

Speaking of crazy moves, I ended up taking not one but two dance classes yesterday, both of them way outside my comfort zone. But isn't that where the magic happens, as the saying goes? (I can picture Squawker Jon rolling his eyes at what he would call the "navel gazing" nature of this, but oh well!)

A little background: although I love music, I haven't really danced in many years, and I was never very good in the first place. Back in the day, in addition to my punk slamdancing, I used to actually go out to nightclubs and stuff and dance. You know, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth! Put it this way -- the last time I really went to the club and danced, people were doing the "Macarena." And not ironically.

So in my fitness/weight loss journey, I have been making a point as of late to get back into the modern world and take some dance-related classes at the gym, even though, as I said, they are way outside my comfort zone. I am far from a natural at it, that's for sure!

I have done Zumba a number of times (and I will do so again this weekend.) All the many moves confuse me, and my enjoyment of the class is directly related to what music they play, but I have at least been trying to get better at it!

I have also done Urban Rebounding, which features a few dance-type moves, like the Tick Tock, on a personal trampoline. That is probably my favorite of the dance-related stuff I've been doing, because of the feeling of defying gravity while doing so.

Last week, I took a PonDeFLO class. I didn't really care for that, because we had to do floor work (burpees and mountain climbers) in the middle of the class! Wait, what? I wanted to dance to Caribbean-style music, not be doing Spartan Race stuff in the middle of it! So I wasn't as impressed by that.

Anyhow, yesterday I took two dance classes at my gym, the New York Health and Racquet Club. Both of the classes were not what you would normally expect me to do.

The first was a Belly Dancing Abs class! The description says it is "a 30-minute belly dance inspired workout that targets your core muscles." And that was basically it, with Middle Eastern belly dance type-music in the background. We did a lot of hip (as in body part hip, not "cool" hip) movements around the room. I also found myself really enjoying it, to my surprise! The moves were challenging for me, but not impossible. Stephanie, the instructor, was fun and a good teacher. And yes, it was a real workout. I am sore today from it!

Then I took a Masala Bhangra class taught by the same instructor. The description for this is that the class is "a blend of traditional Bhangra dance steps and Bollywood moves" What a trip! I felt like I was in a Bollywood movie! We learned various dance moves and performed them to high-energy Indian music.Again, the moves were challenging for me, but not impossible. And man, was it fun! We did a whole routine of going around the room doing these various moves, and I can't believe how much I enjoyed it!

I will definitely be back at the Masala Bhangra class, as well as the Belly Dancing Abs class. Who knows? Maybe I will actually show some sense of rhythm on the dance floor one day!

I have joked for years with Jon that we need "Subway Squawkers: The Musical." So now I have at least one scene mapped out: we do a group dance Masala Bhangra style!  Jon said we could call the number "Slumdog Squawker!"

On the hot mess that is Masahiro Tanaka, and why pitchers can't throw at A-Rod anymore

Ladies and gentlemen: the Tanaka face!

Have you ever been in one of those tumultuous relationships in which your boyfriend or girlfriend is a hot mess? You know, where you have real passion for the other person, and you think you click with them when you go out together, but they constantly let you down? Yet just when you are ready to give up on the relationship, your boyfriend or girlfriend comes sniffing around again, doing something immensely appealing and keeping you hanging on some more, until they let you down again and the cycle continues?

That's kind of what Masahiro Tanaka is like.

Ever since he tore his elbow, he has simply awful starts, then shows flashes of brilliance. Unfortunately, he is in the "awful starts" part of his repertoire now.

In his previous start, Tanaka had tanked in every way — allowing 10 hits, seven runs and three home runs over five innings in a 12-4 loss to the Tigers. The three home runs allowed, one to Victor Martinez and two to J.D. Martinez, marked a career high. Tanaka also tied a career high in runs (7) and earned runs (5) and he has never allowed more hits in a start.


Yesterday, Tanaka was staked to a 6-0 lead, and promptly gave it back over six innings. He gave up six runs, seven hits, and only had three strikeouts. He tied the 3-homer record that he established in his last start, and gave up more earned runs (6) than he ever has before. And when he melted down in the sixth, most notably when Jose Altuve hit a homer off him to tie the game, we got to see the Tanaka Face for the first time!

As Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post puts it:

Of course, the thousand-pound rhinoceros (or, in Alex Rodriguez’s preferred parlance, the pink elephant) in the room is, and will for the foreseeable future be, whatever hidden rat traps lurk within Tanaka’s elbow.

But what if it is not his elbow?

The whole situation reminds me of a joke about the Grateful Dead: A hippie runs out of drugs before a Dead show. After he listens to the concert sober, he says, "Wow, this music really stinks." (Of course, I love the Dead, and listen to them sober, but I still think this is a funny joke!)

What if it is just that Tanaka really stinks, and it is not his elbow causing this? But if it is his elbow, when is he going to get Tommy John surgery?

The Yankees did come back and win the game yesterday, 9-6. But if they are going to make the postseason, they need Tanaka to be a good boyfriend an ace again!

* * *

I missed watching the first half of the game live, although I did later on see the clip (see below) of Astros starter Brett Oberholtzer throwing inside to Alex Rodriguez after Houston hometown hero Chris Young's homer, the pitcher promptly getting ejected for doing so, and then Oberholtzer appearing to blame his glove for the bad pitching, hurling the glove in the dugout. The Houston starter was sent to the minors after the game.

The Yankee broadcasters called Oberholtzer "bush league," said the pitch was not the mark of a true competitor and said he should "take it like a man."

A few things I noticed about this:

Remember how Boston Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster threw four times in a row at A-Rod and the umps let him get away with it? Those times are over. Thought it was telling about Rodriguez' current reputation in the game that one inside pitch to him is enough to get the pitcher ejected.


It's clear that CC Sabathia is A-Rod's BFF. When A-Rod hit #3000, one of the players he hugged was CC. Then Sabathia spent big coin on "Ace of Spades" champagne for a postgame toast.  Now the pitcher was the first out of the dugout, ready to rumble after Alex got hit. Big change from the early days of A-Rod on the team! I wish I had CC in my posse! Heck, I wish I had a posse!

Shocker! One of the Squawkers correctly guesses a John Sterling home run call!

I didn't get to watch any of the Yankee games this weekend, but I do have some opinions on a few Yankee-related things. More on that in a sec.

Instead, I ran in two road races, went out to dinner with friends, checked out the Morrison Hotel art gallery, visited the new location of the Whitney Museum of American Art in the Meatpacking District, and walked the entire High Line, including the new section. For once in my life, I actually had a life this weekend!

By the way, the Whitney is a must-see. Not only is there some remarkable art worth checking out, but the views from the building's terraces are just breathtaking. It is absolutely stunning. I will be back here. Soon!

And the new High Line section, which goes up to 34th Street towards the Hudson River, is also amazing. I used to work in that neighborhood when I was at the Daily News, and it is rapidly changing. (It was pretty much a dump when I was there!) I will also be back there. Soon!

Oh, and I saw the Staten Island leash lady with my own eyes! I was walking on Midland Avenue when I saw a man walking his dog -- and his girlfriend. And yes, she was wearing a dog collar. This was at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning! To which Squawker Jon asked 1) did I throw her a bone, and 2) if this were really the leash couple, or shameless copycats!

Anyhow, now that I have completed the "Lisa's weekend" portion of this Squawk, I can talk about two amazing things.

Jose Pirela hit his first career homer this weekend. Every time a new Yankee hits their first homer, Squawker Jon and I try to figure out what the call will be. Last night, I heard what Sterling's call was, so I made Jon guess. And after a few tries, he actually got it! It is: "Jose Pirela! The Most Happy Fella!" Jon figured given Jon's (and Suzyn)'s love of show tunes, it would be a natural! However, he is a little disgusted with himself that he could actually channel Sterling's mind here. Hang your head in shame, Jon!

Oh, and how about CC Sabathia showing such passion? Check out the clip below before somebody pulls it. You can hear a slew of curses unleashed, including the F-bomb! I was tremendously entertained by this.

Remember the Tino Martinez/Armando Benitez brawl? It happened 17 years ago today

Today, May 19, 2015 is the 90th anniversary of Malcolm X's birth, the 50th anniversary of Pete Townshend writing "My Generation" (on his 20th birthday, no less!) and the 17th anniversary of the greatest baseball brawl of my lifetime -- Yankees vs. Orioles! ESPN's Buster Olney mentioned the fight fact this morning. Here is a link to GIFs showing the best part of the fight, and I have also included video of the brawl below.

The fight started after Armando Benitez drilled Tino Martinez in the back. Tino was the next batter Benitez faced after giving up a homer to Bernie Williams, and the drilled pitch was clearly retaliation. Highlights for me include the following:

• Graeme Lloyd and Jeff Nelson running out of the bullpen to get into the fray, with Lloyd throwing haymakers against Benitez.
• Darryl Strawberry proves to be the ultimate fighter. If I have to pick ballplayers for an all-star brawl team, he would be my first choice! He gets into the fight multiple times, connecting with Benitez hard. At one point, Joe Torre has to hold Straw back.
• Future Yankee manager Joe Girardi (!) getting into the fray. Remember that Joe?
• David Wells mouthing off, and being held back by Jimmy Key.
• Paul O'Neill (!) trying to be the voice of reason with Tino Martinez, who looks completely enraged.
• How the fight looks like it is starting to end, then it heats up again.
• How the fight spills over into the dugout multiple times.
• The team spirit of the Yankees -- everybody is out there in the fray! Even a very young Derek Jeter is out there!

At one point in the video, an announcer (I think it might be Jim Kaat) says, "This is horrible." To which I say, no way! This is terrific! I never get tired of this video. (I don't know what that says about me, but there it is!)

We were talking recently about Pedro Martinez throwing Don Zimmer to the ground. It still ticks me off that nobody on the Yankees did anything to Pedro over that. Not to mention the lack of response the next year (Tanyon Sturtze, the day's starter, was one of the few Yankee fighters) after the Varitek-A-Rod fight. What happened to those fighting Yankees?

A few years ago, I heard Darryl Strawberry complain about the Yankees' lack of response in those Red Sox brawls, and how this team would not have behaved that way. I completely agree. The 1998 Yankees weren't just arguably the greatest team of all time. They were also fierce fighters!

 

Subway Series Game 3: The 659th Home Run Song (Feelin' Petty)

It's nights like this that I want to be like Eric Campbell when it comes to numbers. I want to forget how many errors the Mets made (four), how many runs Jon Niese gave up (six, four earned) and how many games the Mets lost to the Yankees (two).

However, Squawker Lisa, there is one number I am quite pleased to remember, and that is 659. I wanted A-Rod to get just shy of 660 while the Yankees were at home so media and fan attention would mushroom. After all, what else do Yankee fans have to focus on - whether Nathan Eovaldi can complete five innings with a lead?

I especially did not want to see A-Rod get to 660 on an ESPN broadcast, not just because it would have been against the Mets, but because I want to hear the Yankee broadcasters stumble through the call. Ideally, Yankee fans would demand a curtain call, leaving Michael Kay struggling to explain why the fans are cheering so much ("Kenny, I think they just announced that all concession stands will no longer have condiments!").

Best of all would be if John Sterling couldn't help spewing home run calls for A-Rod's milestone-that-must-not-be-named,  why Suzyn Waldman desperately tried to stop him:

John:It is high! It is far! It is gone! He did it! A-Rod is A-MAYS-ing!
Suzyn: You know, John, Stephen Drew is closing in on the 500-50 club - 500 RBI and 50 steals for his career.
John: Say Hey-Rod!
Suzyn: John, the Yankees sure have a lot of pitchers with two first names: Adam Warren, Justin Wilson, Chris Martin, even Esmil Rogers if you consider Rogers Hornsby.
John: A-Rod tuned his radio to 660!
Suzyn: Goodness gracious, John, give it a rest!
John: A-Rod's the Six Million Dollar Man!

Subway Series Game 2: Dark Knight rises, CC not even so-so

The Mets walloped the Yankees, 8-2, on Saturday, but Squawker Lisa has somehow only gotten around to writing about Game 1, which reminds me of the Yankeeography retelling of the 2001 World Series, which conveniently ended after Game 5. While we're waiting for Lisa's game 2 wrapup this afternoon, here are some thoughts from the game:

Matt Harvey is great. You want your ace to the a stopper. Granted, it was only a one-game losing streak, but a loss yesterday would have given the Yankees the Subway Series and could have started the Mets on a downward trend. And Lisa would have had to write about the game.

CC Sabathia is no longer great. Sabathia is now 0-4 with a 5.96 ERA. He gave up three home runs to the Mets, who had hit ten homers all season before Saturday.  Two of the homers were hit by Kevin Plawecki and Eric Campbell, who were both in the minors until recent callups as injury replacements.

I do concede that the seven-year contract the Yankees gave Sabathia before the 2009 season has turned out to be one of the better long-term deals for ace pitchers, even if this final season turns out as poorly as it appears it's going to be.

Oh, wait, the Yankees gave CC an extension - $25 million for 2016, with a $25M option for 2017 that will vest as long as Sabathia:

1) does not end 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury, 2) does not spend more than 45 days in 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury or 3) does not make more than six relief appearances in 2016 because of a left shoulder injury

Sabathia's 2014 season ended in July when he underwent knee surgery.  Adam Wainwright stumbled coming out of the batter's box yesterday and may have torn his Achilles.  Every pitcher these days seems to be at risk for Tommy John surgery. But fear not, Yankee fans - none of those injuries would prevent Sabathia's $25M option from vesting for 2017.

So Harvey is 4-0 (as is Bartolo Colon), while Sabathia is 0-4. The Mets are 14-4 (still the best record in baseball) while the Yankees are 10-8.  Take away Harvey's record and Sabathia's record and both teams are 10-4.  The way Sabathia currently looks, he's the reverse stopper - every fifth day, he gives his team a great chance to lose.

Kevin Plawecki hit his first major-league home run.  The Mets announcers mentioned this fact on the telecast. On our side of town, we are allowed to acknowledge home run milestones.

Subway Squawkers Preview: How the 2009 Subway Series sent the Mets on a downward spiral

Squawker Jon and I have been to many Yankees and Mets games together over the years, but two games stand out as being the top ones we attended together. Warning: Mets fans will not like these happy recaps!

The first was on Friday, June 12, 2009. The Mets were about to beat the Yankees, 8-7. Alex Rodriguez was up at bat with two men on and two out, and Francisco Rodriguez on the mound. I had told Jon in the previous inning that the game would come down to A-Rod, and I was right. Alex pops up to Luis Castillo, and A-Rod-hating Yankee fans are in mid-boo when Castillo drops the ball. Let me refresh you memory with this clip:

Here is what I had to say in 2009 in the blog after the game:

After I screamed "Holy Bleep" a whole bunch of times, I literally couldn't stop laughing, especially when the Yanks kept on showing the play over and over again on that gigantic video screen. I also clapped my hands so hard I thought I broke a blood vessel in my finger! ....

I wasn't taunting Jon - I was cackling while looking towards home plate, which was in the opposite direction of Jon. He was very quiet right after the play. It took him a few minutes to speak. When he did finally speak, he was about as devastated as I've ever heard him after a loss.  

Here is what Jon wrote then:

 The worst thing about being at Friday night's horrendous Met loss to the Yankees was Squawker Lisa's reaction. She couldn't stop laughing. 

 I say New York is a two-team town. Lisa says the Mets are the little brother. I want my team to show Lisa that she is wrong. That the Mets are just as good, if not better than, the Yankees. Just as deserving of respect. 

 But after tonight's debacle, even I cannot respect the Mets.

In another blog entry, he said this, about the Yankees' rallying clips before the dropped ball:

Apparently it takes a lot to rally the Yankees. You would think a clip from "Rocky" would suffice, given that the Yankees were only one run down to the Mets and playing in a bandbox where the ball could go flying out at any moment. But no, the sluggish Bombers and their fans apparently also required clips from "300" and "We Are Marshall." How desperate must you be to look for inspiration from Matthew McConaughey?

Ahem. That's now Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, Squawker Jon!

Later on that month, we showed up at Citi Field for the first Subway Series in that ballpark. And wouldn't you know it? There was another memorable game! Mariano Rivera got his 500th save -- and his first career RBI, thanks to Francisco Rodriguez walking him with the bases loaded!

Jon was so depressed after that game, which capped a sweep for the Yanks in Citi Field, that he said the loss was even worse than the Castillo game! He talked about the freeze-frame at the end of the movie "The Wrestler," and had a new wish for the way the series ended:

My highlight show of this year's Subway Series would end with a freeze frame of A-Rod's popup still in the air, A-Rod's bat slamming to the ground, K-Rod starting to pump his fist, Yankee fans starting to boo A-Rod, and Met fans starting to cheer.

If there was any moment to point when the Mets went down the drain, it was right then at the Castillo game! And we were there to see it! Isn't that cool, Squawker Jon?

You're wrong, Michael Kay: Why the Yankees' struggles are not just about this year

Here we are, nine games into the season. The Yankees have gone 1-2 in each of its first three series of the year, putting them at 3-6 -- and in last place. Meanwhile, the Red Sox (6-3) and the Mets (7-3) are in first place. Yikes!

So Yankee GM Brian Cashman was doing damage control yesterday, giving multiple interviews to the media to set the subject of the reporters' off-day articles. I noticed in particular this comment to Newsday's Erik Boland:

 "We have fumbled, whether it's running the bases, defense, starting pitching, the bullpen," he said by phone. "All of it in some form or fashion has factored in the six losses."

How about hitting, Bri? Maybe the lack of hitting might have something to do with the sorry state of the team? You know, the thing that was an issue *last* year?

I also do find it hilarious that Cashman, who has used Alex Rodriguez as the bright shiny object to distract the media for years, is now doing his best to distract the media from bringing up the obvious: that the team's best all-around hitter is the 39-year-old DH with two bad hips who Cashman didn't want on the roster!

Then there is Michael Kay, who was battling with Yankee fans yesterday on Twitter, defending the team that he ultimately draws a paycheck from:

I've covered the NYY for 29 years & have never seen a rush to judgement like this year. Disgraceful. Unfathomable. Some don't know the game.
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) April 16, 2015

A Yankee fan who pointed out that the money for Robinson Cano could have easily been found by not signing Stephen Drew, Chris Capuano, and Chase Headley got this response:

Are you going to want Cano in 8 years? And in case you forgot, NYY offered Cano 25 mil a year for 7 years. https://t.co/V6cjRLhun1
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) April 16, 2015

To which I said:

.@RealMichaelKay instead of keeping cano, yanks pay Beltran $45m for those lousy yrs, w/o great yrs. they'll also pay Ellsbury $25m in 6 yrs
— Subway Squawkers (@subwaysquawkers) April 16, 2015

Kay also criticized Yankee fans for being upset with the state of the team, since they won a World Series six years ago. He even brought up the Cubs in his argument!

And 5 in 19. And 7 appearances in the WS since 1996. Outrageous! How dare they! https://t.co/8sDlhdKkWq
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) April 16, 2015

So Cub fans should be a bit more angry, right? NYY fans haven't won a WS in 6 years! Outrageous. https://t.co/q1Oi0xD2sn
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) April 16, 2015

@RealMichaelKay are you really comparing the yankees displeasure with the cubs yankee fans should be mad this team is downright bad
— Scott Ashkenazy #23 (@scottAsh23) April 16, 2015

Of course, Kay is framing this in the best possible way for the Yankees. One World Series championship in 14 years, with sky-high payroll and ticket prices, and the so-called Core Four in their prime. One World Series appearance in the last decade, the same as the Houston Astros. I broke down the numbers a few months ago, and they are not pretty.

Yes, it's only nine games this year. (But you know darn well that the Yankees were 8-1, Kay and Cashman would be crowing about it!)  However, this team was not improved from last year, with the exception of A-Rod's bat being back in the lineup. And last year's team was worse than the 2013 team, which also didn't make the playoffs. But if we groan about the Yankees, the team's TV broadcaster brings up numbers from the 1990s and the Cubs to try to shut people up, and sez Yankee fans are "disgraceful" for being concerned. Oh, please.

Hard-hitting NYC Yankee writers pound the pavement to bring you the latest on...A-Rod

No profession is as self-congratulatory as journalism is. Too many of these writers act like they are saving the world with their deathless prose. Many sportswriters are even worse on that front than those on the news beat, especially when it comes to Alex Rodriguez. And even the most talented of the bunch have gotten Aroditis.

Ian O'Connor of ESPN New York, somebody whose work can be great, is on a dopey "compare and contrast" kick when it comes to Rodriguez. So far, he has written columns comparing him to Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia and now Brett Gardner. Who's next -- Cousin Brewski?

 Even Jeff Passan of Yahoo!, normally a level-headed writer, called baseball beat writers following A-Rod "first responders." Hey Jeff, firefighters who run into burning buildings are first responders. Policemen who battle crazed gunmen are first responders. Journalists who chased down A-Rod to get a quote? Not so much.

But I think I have now seen the dumbest thing of the week. The best and the brightest of the New York media are trying their best to see Alex Rodriguez take batting practice. They are hot on the case to let you know exactly how many times he swung the bat. Here they are, coiled and ready for action, burning up shoe leather to bring you the story:

From Twitter: The A-Rod watch gets creative @ESPNNYYankees @Buster_ESPN @MikeVacc #Yankees pic.twitter.com/YBM6wIi7EU
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) February 25, 2015

C'mon, guys, all of you have done much better work that this nonsense. Can't you write on something better? Good grief.
,

My thoughts on the All-Star Game and Adam Wainwright's pipe shot to Derek Jeter

I totally called it. I was on my way home from Manhattan in the rain, listening to last night's All-Star Game on my Nano radio. And right after some very loud fan called Derek Jeter overrated at the game, Jeter seemed to shut him up with a leadoff double against Adam Wainwright. Squawker Jon texted me that Jeter got a double, and I texted back, "I heard Wainwright got tips from Denny McLain." (Back in the day, McLain grooved one to Mickey Mantle for the Mick's 535th career homer.)

I know people will call me a hater for saying that, but given the Mantle history, as well as the history of Chan Ho Park also grooving one to Cal Ripken, Jr. in Cal's last All-Star Game so he could have a home run, I wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that yes, Adam Wainwright did indeed give Jeter a big ol' cookie. After all, this was going to be Jeter's night, no matter what, from the Bob Sheppard introduction on. And a first-inning groundout just wouldn't do.

And well whaddaya know? My suspicions were right. During the game, Wainwright confirmed the cookie suspicions, telling a group of reporters the following thing:

"I was gonna give him a couple pipe shots. He deserved it," Wainwright said. "I didn't know he was gonna hit a double or I might have changed my mind."

So, the pitcher who shouldn't have been starting the game in the first place (Clayton Kershaw should have been the NL starter), but got the nod because his St. Louis Cardinals' manager, Mike Matheny, was the NL All-Star manager, grooves some "pipe shots" to Jeter, who, with his 2014 .647 OPS, was only in the game as a career honor, not for anything he actually did this season. And people call me cynical?

Of course, once word got out on what Wainwright did, he backtracked so fast there may have been skidmarks on the Target Field turf. So after Ken Rosenthal told All-Star viewers about the pipe shots, the FOX broadcast went into full damage control mode. Wainwright, with an assist from Erin Andrews, appeared on the broadcast, blamed social media for the brouhaha and claimed he was just joking. Oh, please. Nobody misquoted you, buddy, and social media had nothing to do with it. You said it, it got reported. Deal with it.

One of the more alarming things about this story was that fact that so many members of the media wanted Wainwright to have kept his mouth shut to keep up the illusion. The Newark Star-Ledger points out what some of them said on Twitter last night. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News wrote: "Pretty classless move by Wainwright to say he was grooving pitches to Jeter. Either do it and keep quiet or don't do it at all." Eric Boland of Newsday wrote: "Don't know Wainwright's motivation in talking about grooving one to Jeter but doing ends up detracting from very moment he hoped to produce." And Kim Jones wrote "Dear Adam Wainwright: Pipe down."

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, folks, is what these media people, who should know better, seem to be saying. Gee, and here I thought reporters were supposed to, you know, actually report, and not be cheerleaders for a particular storyline. How embarrassing.

Look, either the All-Star Game counts or it doesn't. If the game doesn't count, then the likes of Wainwright can do all the WWE-type moves he wants to show "Re2pect." (And don't get me started on that self-aggrandizing and downright weird ad campaign -- why would Jeter, the guy who supposedly doesn't like all the attention, agree to have everybody kiss his tuchis in that ad?) But if it does count, and home field advantage in the World Series is riding on it, then Wainwright has to, you know, actually do his job and try to help his team win. If the Cardinals make it to the World Series again this year, I guess they can "thank" Wainwright for his gift basket to Jeter when they don't have home-field advantage.

I did like the tribute to Jeter during the game, not just the cheers before his first at-bat, but when he got taken out at shortstop and saluted the crowd and his fellow players. But most of the rest of the stuff in the coverage last night was over the top. Every single player was not interviewed on any achievement they might have, but how they related to Jeter. Even All-Star MVP Mike Trout only seems to matter because he can replace Jeter as the new "face of baseball." (And how much do you wanna bet that Jeter was all set to get that trophy until Wainwright opened his trap?)

It is more than a little sad to me that Jeter got such a gift -- back in the day, he wouldn't have needed such help. But the problem isn't that Wainwright admitted it. The problem is that he would do so in a game that is actually supposed to be real. And that too many people in the media are okay with such fakeness being used to prop up an illusion.

A-Rod provides great radio/TV watching on WFAN's Mike Francesa

I was home sick from work yesterday when I heard about Alex Rodriguez storming out of the MLB hearing on his case, throwing a hissy fit over Bud Selig not having to testify. I then heard about his appearance on Mike's On, Mike Francesa's WFAN sports radio show with the dated theme song. (Mike, it's 2013, not 1986!)

Anyhow, I ended up getting to watch the replay on the YES Network of A-Rod's appearance. (Here's a link to watch the video of it, and here's a link to text with the highlights.) It was pretty compelling radio listening and TV watching, even though I think A-Rod is not telling the truth in a lot of it. (For one thing, I don't believe that he just used Tony Bosch to get weight loss supplements and nutrition!) But here is what I agree with him on:

A-Rod said: "[Selig] hates my guts ... 100 percent this is personal. I think this is about his legacy and it's about my legacy. He's trying to destroy me....He's retiring in 2014 and to put me on his big mantle on the way out, that's a hell of a trophy."

My thoughts: True! And Bud Selig *should* be compelled to testify. Bud is the one who made this personal, getting a second investigative team after Rodriguez, and paying $$$ to get the Biogenesis records. And he was the one who has been badmouthing A-Rod for months. It was, of course, also Selig who decided to give A-Rod a suspension 161 games bigger than anybody else. If they have all their ducks in a row, then why not have Selig talk?

A-Rod said: "If I had one more year at $12 million, would someone throw 211 games at me? Or would someone be this severe at me? I don't think so." 

I agree! And I can't help but be a little cynical on this issue, when I see the Bill Maddens of the world suggest that the Mets sign Jhonny Peralta and Nelson Cruz, saying things like "there is one other added advantage in signing Cruz or Peralta. Both of them have demonstrated they know how to beat a drug test." Not to mention Cruz and Peralta (and Marlon Byrd, another PED user) getting such big interest in the free agent market. If steroids are bad, then why aren't teams shunning all of them?

A-Rod also said he was "angry" at the Yankees -- would have loved to have heard more about that, specifically about what Randy Levine said to him in emails about taking PEDs.

Anyhow, if you haven't checked out the interview, please do so. It's great theater!

MLB shoots itself in the foot with making A-Rod, Biogenesis scandal more important than baseball season

Do you have your popcorn ready? I do. If all goes well, and A-Rod doesn't wimp out and settle, tonight is going to be one of the more bizarre moments in baseball history. And I cannot wait!

Are you kidding me? Seeing A-Rod get to play *after* he has been suspended -- and after the Bill Maddens of the world said that he was trying to collect on his contract via insurance and never play again, and after the Yankees tried to get him run out of town on a rail, and after MLB threatened to ban him from the game forever -- is going to be hilarious. Not to mention that A-Rod's return will increase the Yankees' ratings -- and ticket sales when the team returns to the Bronx. As much as they hate him, and want to get his contract off the books, he is great for their business!

The media made a point of saying that Rodriguez was "delusional" for thinking that he would be back with the team, playing on Monday night in Chicago. Well, barring some unforeseen shenanigans, it looks like they were wrong.

And it couldn't have come at a more miserable time for the team. The Yanks can't score runs, they can't pitch well, they have fallen behind Kansas City (!) in the wild card race, and Derek Jeter is miserable and hurt. Look at what he said yesterday after the game. “It’s been terrible,” Jeter said. “It’s been like a nightmare. The whole season has been a nightmare. I really don’t know what to tell you.” Poor Jeter -- when he's depressed and not his usual "I'm fine," you know things are bad!

Meanwhile, the Yanks have wasted the summer praying in vain for a savior to rise from these streets, like Bruce Springsteen sings, and they now have A-Rod back. Heh!

The thing is, though, is that MLB has shot themselves in the foot repeatedly here, so it is their own fault that all things A-Rod have taken over the media coverage (if Alex invites Johnny Manziel to see him at the game tonight, I think Twitter will explode!)

Their own rules and policies were that PED cases were supposed to be kept confidential until the suspension comes down, and the person either agrees to take the suspension, or loses the appeal. Instead, baseball thought that it was a smart idea to conduct this whole thing through their minions in the media. If they hadn't done so, we would have no idea with A-Rod's return tonight that he would be appealing a suspension.

Anyhow, Squawker Jon and I noticed that MLB's time to announce the Biogenesis suspensions got pushed back -- yet again -- and is now at 3 p.m. today. Are they still trying to coax a settlement out of Rodriguez? I hope doesn't cave. He needs to keep the heel turn, and fight this every step of the way. Do you think he's licking his chops, visualizing hitting a home run in his first at bat? Do you think he wants to tell Brian Cashman and Bud Selig to shut the bleep up? I think so!

Kevin Youkilis: Biggest waste of Yankee money ever?

So much for that tough, fierce New York sports media. I haven't seen a single one of them criticize Brian Cashman for the disaster that was the Kevin Youkilis signing, so that means I have to squawk again on this subject and say something!

You would think somebody would notice that throwing a heap of money at an injury-ridden 34-year-old who had missed more time in recent years than Alex Rodriguez did, the man he was replacing, was not exactly a good idea. Now, in the least surprising move since Amanda Bynes tweeted something insane, Youk needs back surgery after playing all of 28 games for the Yankees this season. Since he will need to miss at least 10-12 weeks due to the surgery, the Kevin Youkilis Experience in pinstripes is most likely over.

Believe it or not, $12 million for one season is actually real money, even in Yankeeland. Here's how the money breaks down for what Cashman is paying Youkilis for his fabulous 2013 season, in which Kevin hit .219/.305/.343, with 2 homers and 8 RBI:

• $6,000,000 per homer
• $1,500,000 per RBI
• $1,500,000 per walk
• $521,739.13 per hit
• $101,694.92 per at bat
• $42,857.14 per game

These are Carl Pavano-esque numbers of futility. I would do the math on Vernon Wells, too, another "great" Cashman move, but I am afraid my head would explode!

Oh, and before somebody points out how much A-Rod is making, we 1) all can agree that he is vastly overpaid, but that 2) he got his own ridiculous contract the year after he had the best season for a Yankee hitter in 50 years, not after he hit .235 and spent 40 games on the disabled list.

But Gomer Cashman seems to be all "Golly!" about the fact that a player with a history of back issues would have back issues again: 

“It’s not how you draw it up, there’s no doubt about that,” GM Brian Cashman said. “Kevin is a hell of a player when healthy. He just hasn’t been in position to show what he’s capable of in-season because of the back. He looked great in the spring and we had high hopes. He obviously did so much for Boston over the years. He’s the type of player that, if you could draw it up, that’s the type of player you’d want.”

As I always say, Lindsay Lohan is a great actress when sober. But that doesn't happen very often. 

Clapping your hands and believing in fairies and thinking that a chronically injured player would miraculously be healthy just because he now wears pinstripes is more of Cashman's magical thinking. He did literally the same thing with Nick Johnson, to similar results. 

As for the idea that Youk is "the type of player that, if you could draw it up, that’s the type of player you’d want," I would want somebody who didn't spend most of his season on the disabled list, and who didn't throw temper tantrums all the time. But that's me. As for Youkilis doing "so much for Boston over the years," did Cash understand that Boston traded him because he wasn't really any good anymore? Manny Ramirez did a lot for Boston over the years, too, but I don't want him as a Yankee in 2013 either.

One of my brothers, who has a bad back, pointed out the silliness in Cashman's comment about Youkilis passing the Yankee physical with flying colors. He said that with back issues, unless you have something like a herniated disc which would show up in an x-ray or MRI, chronic back problems may not necessarily show up in a physical. That is something Cashman should have known, given that he is the supergenius GM and all.

Anyhow, don't expect that tough, fierce New York media to say boo to Cashman about any of this. Shocker.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Time for Brian Cashman to grow up

When Yankees GM Brian Cashman started his "look at me, I'm rappelling" nonsense a few years ago, I got hate mail from his minions for daring to criticize his immaturity. Apparently, if you act like a complete knucklehead, risking your life and health, but it's for charity, it's perfectly acceptable to some people. I wondered then about what would happen if something went wrong then, and he got hurt.

Now Cashman, who appears to be both bored and reckless, a bad combination, has a broken leg and a dislocated ankle thanks for his breathtaking irresponsibility. And don't tell me it's cool because it's for charity -- in this case, to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project. He could get publicity for the organization by writing them a check, too, but that wouldn't involve the "look at me and how cool I am" act.

Cashman is unrepentant about twice jumping out of a plane, saying this:

“It was an incredible experience. I’m really into doing things I haven’t done before. I always say that’s called living. I don’t want to wake up when I’m older and say, ‘I really wish I’d done X, Y, or Z.’ You get a lot of opportunities when you’re the GM of the Yankees.”

Gee, and I thought it was all about the charity. No, kids, it's all about his self-aggrandizement. What's next, trying bath salts because he hasn't done that before, either?

And really, if he wants to do something he hasn't done before, how about drafting a pitcher who becomes a long-term ace for the Yanks? Or making a good trade in which the Yankees get the better end of the deal without overpaying?

Do you remember what Derek Jeter said about undergoing similar surgery Cashman did, and the aftermath? How Jeter, who never has been known to complain about health issues, called it an "absolutely terrible" offseason, and said he had to learn how to walk again, and got around on a motor scooter for over a month?

But Jeter got hurt playing all-out to help his team, not being a dumbass to promote himself. And he also had the offseason to recover. Our idiot GM will have to do this while doing his day job, too. Good grief.

John Harper quoted Cashman saying the following:

“I made a rookie mistake,” Cashman said before leaving for Broward General. “But I have no regrets whatsover. Stuff happens. It was an amazing experience.”

Cashman laughed and said, “Hopefully I’m raising even more awareness now. I’m becoming a Wounded Warrior, I guess. I’ll be fine. I was more embarrassed than anything.”

My late father was a paratrooper in World War II, jumping out of airplanes to defend his country, not to prove how cool he was. He also was a real wounded warrior, getting a Purple Heart in the process. For Cashman to compare himself to true wounded warriors like my father and the men and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan serving their country is the height of offensiveness. And the only "awareness" Cashman is raising is of what a dolt he is.

On some Yankee fans' blatant double standard when it comes to booing

I got a variety of responses, both on Facebook and elsewhere, to my article defending Nick Swisher's complaints about Yankee fans booing him. Click here to read what people said in the comments section of Subway Squawkers. Thanks to everyone for weighing in on the subject. Anyhow, the whole thing got me thinking some more about when and where Yankee fans boo.

Since we started writing this blog way back in 2006, I have been consistent in being against Yankee boobirds. I swear, I think some fans just want to show up at the game so they can vent their frustrations in life against A-Rod/Swisher/Granderson/whoever their target du jour is. Because it's soooo much to endure being a fan of a team with 27 rings and the best record in the American League this year, still playing October baseball, y'all!

Sure, this postseason's batting struggles have been extremely frustrating. However, maybe it's because my co-Squawker is a Mets fan, but I do attempt these days to keep real fan misery in perspective. Not that Mets fans are perfect -- the way some of them scapegoated Carlos Beltran was terrible. But their season usually effectively ends in July. The fact the Yankees are still playing in October is something to be thankful for.

While I get complaining about the Yankee lineup these days -- I've done a ton of that recently! -- I don't get booing them, especially when some Yankee fans are focused on their two-minute hate against the designated Yankee scapegoats that they seem to have forgotten to boo the opponents!

Somebody brought up to me yesterday that Mickey Mantle got booed by Yankee fans. Yes, he was. So was Roger Maris, and Reggie Jackson, and Dave Winfield, and many other Yankee stars. And it was as stupid then to boo as it is now. Imagine the conversation young Yankee fans may have had with their elders over it:

"Tell me, grandpa, did you ever see Mickey Mantle play?" 
"Yes, I did, Bobby, and we booed our lungs out at him!"

Anyhow, the subject got me thinking about Yankee fans' reaction to another high-profile flop. Remember when Jorge Posada was batting .165 last May, and was 9 for his last 62, and Joe Girardi had the nerve to bat him ninth against the Boston Red Sox? Unlike Alex Rodriguez, who has yet to throw a fit over being pinch-hit for, moved down the lineup, and benched during the postseason, Posada had a sitdown snit, pulling himself from the game and throwing a hissy fit. Then, instead of putting on a happy face, he pouted in the dugout. Oh, and he had his wife spread an excuse saying that his back was bothering him, when the only thing really hurting was his ego!

So you would think that these Yankee fans who are so appalled these days at A-Rod, and Granderson, and Swisher, and Cano, for committing the crime of hitting poorly would really have been outraged over Posada's sitdown strike. After all, not only was he not performing at the plate, something that, by their logic, should automatically be grounds for booing, but he also refused to play against the Red Sox, showing that he wasn't being a team player, but a diva. Then the next day, he gave a non-apology apology, saying that he "needed a day," and that he was "trying to move on." Lovely.

You can guess where I'm going with this. Not only was Posada not booed by these Yankee fans for the "Quit, quit, Jorge" act, but the Bleacher Creatures did a special salute for him the following night, while ESPN kept on focusing on fans holding up a "We stand behind Jorge" sign during the game. To top it all off, Posada got a standing ovation from Yankee fans when he came into the game to pinch-hit the next night. Here's what I wrote back then:

Look, I am not a fan of booing your own players. But vociferously cheering Posada was flat-out ridiculous. What, exactly, was he being hailed for? Was it for quitting on his own team? Insubordination? Pretending to be injured, when he really wasn't? Getting his wife to spread that phony story on Facebook and Twitter? Making a rather lame -- and late -- apology the next day? Sitting in the dugout making the Nomar face? Sorry, but there is nothing Posada did this weekend that was worth giving him a standing ovation for.

So keep that in mind the next time you hear Yankee fans justifying booing their own players. Many of the very same people doing the catcalls now gave Jorge Posada a standing ovation after he quit on his team, as if he were a victim or something.What hypocrites they are.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Joel Sherman and Joe Girardi brouhaha: Why I am on Girardi's side

I was as peeved as anybody about the way the Yankee game ended Saturday night -- clearly Mark Teixeira was safe, although the umpire didn't see it that way. However, CC Sabathia also needs to be the CC of old; your ace can't be giving up five runs in a start.

Anyhow, I just wanted to weigh in on the hissy fit Joel Sherman had in the post-game presser. He asked Girardi if CC was hurt, acknowledging that this question may have been asked before. Girardi snapped back about it being the third time he was asked that question. Sherman sassed that it was "part of the game."

Then Girardi sez, "I know, but I was asked three times," to which Sherman says that it's "still part of the game." To which Girardi says,"I’m not lying. One time is sufficient." Then Sherman goes about how Girardi "gets the big money" as Yankee manager, and such questioning is all part of the game. (Really? Reporters needing to ask the same questions multiple times is part of the game? And having to put up with an  insufferable clown is part of the game, too? Who knew?)

You can listen to the exchange here, starting at about 3:30 into it. Reportedly, the two continued the conversation in Girardi's office, and supposedly nearly came to blows, with security needing to intervene.

Here's the thing -- I pretty much agree with Sherman's take on the Yankees in the Sunday papers here and here. But I also think that Sherman was completely out of line with the Yankee manager. You didn't hear the answer to the first two times Girardi answered the question? Tough. Listen to your tape recorder, ask one of your colleagues, or watch the YES clip later. What gives you the right to monopolize the press conference and make it about yourself, because Girardi had the nerve to point out that he had already answered the question?

Besides, I've heard Sherman do this over and over, either asking the interview subject a question that has been asked multiple times, or asking the person three or four variations on the same question. It's grandstanding, based on his position as a sports columnist. A rookie writer who asked Girardi to answer a question he had already answered would be lambasted by his colleagues for not paying attention. But since Sherman is a baseball columnist for the New York Post, he gets away with it.

As for this "part of the game" stuff, Sherman makes a lot of money, too. Does that give him the right to make the presser all about him? How does Sherman acting like Veruca Salt in "Willy Wonka" help the readers -- you know, the people he is ostensibly writing his columns for?  What did they learn from that exchange? It seemed like Sherman was picking a fight and claiming the high ground, simply so that people could say how unhinged Girardi is over losing, a la Bobby Valentine losing his mind in Boston.

Perhaps Girardi should have gritted his teeth and not said anything snappy in response. But I don't think it would have made any difference. Sherman was like a dog with a bone, and he wasn't going to let go, no matter what. That's part of Sherman's game!


What do you think? Tell us about it!

On the Yankees, Joba, and A-Rod

A few thoughts on the state of the Yankees before today's game at the House of Horrors, East Coast Edition -- aka Tropicana Field.

Yes, yesterday wasn't Joe Girardi's finest hour -- obviously, he pulled Phil Hughes too late, even though everybody and their grandmother knew that Mark Reynolds was going to go deep against him. And why he pulled Chris Dickerson -- the Yanks' star of the game -- I don't understand.

But can we talk about Joba Chamberlain for a second? I'm sick of hearing all the excuses for him. Maybe it's not that the Yankees brought him back too soon, use him in the wrong spots, or any of the other excuses. Maybe he's just not very good. And he never will be again.

If his name were John Chamberlain, Joba wouldn't have a career at this point. It's been a lifetime in baseball years since he was a difference-maker. Yet people seem still expect that he's going to turn it around and show the promise he did in 2007. Perhaps it's time to give up on that pipe dream. Whether he's a starter or reliever, he is never going to live up to that, and he's not even serviceable now as a middle reliever. I will not be surprised if the Yanks give up on him after this season.

Joba's ERA is over 10 now. He's looked terrible in pretty much every single game he is in. It's painful to watch him any more. If the Yanks bring him back next year, it will be more of the same.

* * *

Speaking of rushing people back, I see that A-Rod is returning today. If the Yanks weren't clinging on to a two-game lead, do you think he'd back today? Doubtful. Anyhow, he's obviously not in his prime, but I do think it's interesting that the Yanks have been only playing .500 ball without him. (And you know if the Yanks had gone on a run without him, it would be said that it was because he wasn't in the lineup, so I'm going to point out that the Yanks lost their AL East without having him around!)

So yeah, I am officially worried about the Yanks' lead, especially with the new wild card system this year. But I have to look on the bright side -- the Yankees aren't even close to the dysfunction, chaos, and bad baseball that the Boston Red Sox are playing!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Roger Clemens: Still a lying jerk

So let me get this straight. Now that Roger Clemens has been acquitted of all the federal charges against him involving lying to Congress, I am supposed to believe that Brian McNamee supplied Andy Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch and even Debbie Clemens with the juice, but Clemens never let McNamee, the trainer whose salary he was paying, touch him with steroids or HGH? Really? C'mon now. It's all Roger's hard work that enabled him to throw a fastball into his mid-40s? Spare me.

I am unsurprised by the verdict, and expected as much ever since Andy Pettitte backtracked on his testimony -- thanks for nothing, buddy. Not to mention that when you have not one but two people thrown off the jury for falling asleep,  the prosecution isn't exactly putting on a scintillating case. It also didn't help that the jurors were picked because they knew nothing about baseball. 


I read and watch a lot of true crime stuff, and whenever I see a trial, I am usually aware of what the great trial lawyer Gerry Spence advises attorneys: tell a story. That means to say something understandable for the jurors to ponder. That doesn't mean spending almost two months on minutia. I was on a murder trial that took less than a week. The prosecution in the Jerry Sandusky trial managed to tell eight victims' stories in four days. Yet this Roger Clemens trial dragged on for 10 weeks, much of it due to the prosecution's inability to tell a coherent story.

But the verdict isn't really a true vindication of Clemens. The thing is, my issue with Clemens at this point is more about the lying and the sanctimony than the steroids and the HGH. I think that he and Barry Bonds were both Hall of Famers before they ever touched a needle. That being said, don't give me this garbage about how it was just that hard work that enabled Clemens to pitch through 2007. Of course he worked hard -- PEDs generally don't work unless the player works out as well. But that doesn't mean he's innocent.


And I hope this verdict doesn't mean he gets invited back into the Yankee fold. It already makes me vomit that Joe Torre got such cheers at last year's Old Timers' Day. Seeing Roger Clemens get such accolades will make me just as sick.


What do you think? Tell us about it.

Oh no, Mo! Mariano Rivera tears his ACL; career in jeopardy

This is one of the saddest posts I have written for our Subway Squawkers blog since we started writing the blog in 2006.  Mariano Rivera's career may be over, thanks to a torn ACL and a torn meniscus. Geez, it's painful even to write that. I'm still in shock over what happened.

I was out for a walk last night, talking on the phone with one of my brothers, when Squawker Jon kept on trying to call me. After a few times, I finally picked up. Jon then said he wouldn't keep on calling me if it weren't important, and told me that Mariano Rivera was carted off the field after shagging flies. Yikes, talk about a punch in the stomach.

Although Jon did say that Mo was smiling on the cart while leaving the field, as soon as I saw the clip when I got home, I figured his initial reaction indicated a torn ACL, and unfortunately, that suspicion turned out to be correct. What a nightmare.

I was very tired last night, and went to bed before the game was over, so I didn't get to hear the official diagnosis. But Squawker Jon did stay up and watch the postgame, and he sent me an email about it last night, saying that "Just saw Mariano interviewed and he was teary. Even I'm upset." I also heard from some other Met fan friends, sending prayers and positive thoughts Mariano's way.

Needless to say, Mo's absence will be felt with the Yankees. He is the greatest closer of all time, and the Yankees would never have won four rings in five years without him. He is also a great human being, too. I got to meet him a few years ago, and was very impressed with him as a person.

Some in the media are trying to insinuate that him getting hurt while shagging balls was a preventable injury. Nonsense. We're not talking about him jumping on a trampoline; Mo was doing something baseball-related. This is why I have so little patience for those who get injured off the field being reckless; there is enough that can happen within baseball to hurt a career, without going out looking for things!

There will be enough time in a later blog entry to speculate about who will ultimately replace Mo. Today isn't the time for it. I'm still heartbroken over the loss of Mariano Rivera.

What do you think? Tell us about it!