On the Yankees beat

Very interesting Jim B. I doubt it will change people's minds though as people seem to have made up their minds about A-Rod, one way or the other. I'm sure it's not your intention to try to sway people but we've been arguing the merits of A-Rod on this blog for what seems like months and we haven't left square one. I haven't noticed anyone who has changed their minds about him yet.
I for one think we are lucky to have one of the greatest players ever on our team and I'm really hoping he comes through in October so we can put all this to bed. I laugh when I hear the "he's selfish" argument because we're talking about a guy who was going to break every record (offensive) for a shortstop but switched positions in the prime of his career to accomodate a teammate and try to win a WS.

Jim B

My comparisons of the two were solely based on the fact that neither of them hit when we need it. But, if it's 10-2 in the eighth, they'll both hit a solo HR. Both put up great "stats" and will be HOF's. They just aren't clutch when you need it.

By the way Jim, do you know what hotel the Yanks stay at in Cleveland?

Jim-

Knicks game? Well the Nets aren't on so I can't blame you.

Jim A

Never said he was selfish or a bad person, etc. Never said he didn't pile up stats or he won't be a HOF. Never said he doesn't care or isn't trying or doesn't work hard. I like him as a person. Never said anything about his salary either.

All I say about him is he is just like Mr. May. He cannot Git-R-Done when it's needed the most. He is not a "clutch" performer. It's just a fact. He can play on my team, I just don't want him batting in the heart of the order and choking all the time in pressure situations.

I do not understand this clutch nonsense. Alex HAS Git-R-Done, but I guess 2004 is too far gone for the “I want it now” crowd.

None of the other players have hit or Git-R-Done when it counted in recent memory, so how is Alex branded with the same stamp as Mr. May and not others? It is not only insulting to him, it truly does not present you people as intelligent either. How can you, after watching this guy in 3 years believe that garbage?

Alex got more beef this past season for a slump year and a bad previous post season than Giambi got off the steroid business and equally bad previous post season, and that says more about the supposed fans than it does about Alex and his clutch-ness. Alex has not missed 2 post season games 'cause his body is breaking down over steroid use a la Giambi, YET he is the most maligned player on the team!

Not to be too hard on Giambi, but others have addressed the real issue of deplorable pitching in the previous thread.

Got to disagree on this one! I am not a big ARod fan, but, as I've said many times before , when anyone ball player puts on the Yankee uni - I'm rooting for them to have there best season ever!

I am not a stats person, but I watch/listen to 140 Yankee games each year - some at The Stadium. It's tough to define "clutch", but I have not seen ARod put many great ABs together in late inning "pressure situations". Certainly guys like Jeter, Sheffield, Posada (even Damon, Melky and Cano last year) seem to put better ABs than ARod in late inning situations. Giambi, except for an occasional homerun, would at least get on base by drawing a walk.
And its not only the lack of a big hit with ARod - he fails to advance baserunners with less than 2 outs.
That said, he IS a tremendous talent, works as h ard as anyone, and still is young enough to change at least my impressions!

A-Rod will win a World Series with the Yankees...mark it down. And he will come through finally in the clutch. When this happens will you all still hate him and want him traded?

winfield didn't play in an era where offensive stats were through the roof. and his 1981 season was shortened by the work stoppage.

i was never a big fan of winfield but did love to watch him field and run the bases. great athlete. kind of insecure, too. remember his jealousy of mattingly during the 1984 batting race?

http://boards.espn.go.com/boards/mb/mb?sport=mlb&id=bos&tid=403875&lid=7

Redsox Nation already lusting for Santana services and wants theo to sign Santana with Boston.

I have to get my 2 cents worth in on Winfield,another great player who like Mattingly played on a number of all hit no pitch teams in the 80's,did eventually play on the 1992 Blue Jays WSs winning team as a 40 yr old DH had a good regular season and an OK postseason,the 1992 Blue Jay team featured such pitchers as Jack Morris,Juan Guzman,Jimmy Key,David Cone who they picked up from the Mets for the stretch drive much like the Yanks did w/Cone in 1995...and also had a great bullpen w/Henke and Ward...see if you have the horses you can place your bets..

A-Rod has a better supporting cast.

Not so much with Winfield's 80's Yankees.

Many good comments about two gifted athletes who Yankee fans expected much. Unfortunately, for Winfield and Arod they have the label of non clutch hitters. Thus, Mr. May, Krod, names of disgrace, some Yankee fans have given them.

What is a clutch hitter? Is it David Ortiz type who seems to produce the big hit for the Red Sox's all the time or the guy who advances the runners by sacrificing his at bat and hitting behind the hitters. Ortiz does not hit two or three run homers unless there are runners on base whether by the hit or base on balls. The batters who proceeded him were they not clutch to get on base in a dire situation.

Its a team game sure one hit may stand out but if you win a game 6 to 5. The runs preceeding the sixth were important and clutch in my book.

Its not just about Arod and Winfield. Its about the 1 hole through 9. How about the pitchers performance.

Arod's our third baseman.,I wouldn't change it for anything not with a 16 million dollar price which is a discount. He has some issues on and off the field who doesn't. Lets treat him in a manner which will achieve the best results such as fan support. Its amazing how some Yankee fans want ring number 27 but will boo a player who can achieve this feat for the them.

Both Winfield and Arod tried with every ounce of talent available in my book. They are both vitims of a system which over compensates players to play a game. Those compensations are indicative of results expected. We all know in life many folks get paid for expectations or reasons but those results usually are not predicated upon the action of one person.

this is nonsense, there is no such thing as clutch. ESPN made that term up. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CLUTCH. Put down the kool-aide

Larry M

I think "clutch", as well as "IT", are alot like sexual harassment. It's almost impossible to describe, but you know it when you see it (or in A-Rod's case, don't see it).

Yes, Ortiz is clutch, Jeter is clutch, Joe Montana was clutch, Munson and Mattingly were clutch. Michael Jordan was clutch.

Winfield was NOT clutch and A-Rod is NOT clutch. If they were, the terms Mr. May and K-Rod would not exist today.

First...I will start this with my obligatory comment that I am an A-Rod fan, also a Winfield fan and this is not meant to rip either player.

Now: Comparing Winfield to A-Rod in terms of offensive production is a little misleading in that the offensive numbers of todays players all dwarf those of the players from 20 or even 10 years ago.

Winfield's numbers at the time were extraordinary but today they appear solid when you look at the numbers put up by players around the league. Just as A-Rod's numbers look extraordinary today. Who knows, maybe 10 years from now 48 homeruns will look average too.

On another note, from ESPN.com's Buster Olney:

There was some surprise that the Yankees didn't land pitching prospect Dustin Nippert in their Randy Johnson trade talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the Yankees were guided in their conversations by Kendall Carter, the former national scouting coordinator for the D-Backs; the Yankees just hired Carter last fall as a crosschecker, and based on his inside knowledge of the Arizona system, he recommended that the Yankees pursue Ross Ohlendorf, the sinkerballer who became the centerpiece of the deal. Executives with rival teams say that Nippert's stock has actually fallen in recent months, and say that at a time when organizations are hoarding their best pitching prospects, they have made it known they are willing to swap Nippert in the right deal.

Regarding A-Rod's performance at "times when it really matters" Per the stats at mlb.com, in late innings during close games, A-Rod's On Base Percentage was .361. Which was higher then Giambi (.345), Abreu (.333), Jeter (.333), and Posada (.240). Only Cano (.413) and Cabrera (.418) did better.

Of course, people's perceptions are based on what they think they see. Not on actual fact.

Because, the usual "yeah, but I'm not talking about the Royals, I'm talking about the good teams" line will usually be thought of when I mention this.

But, against the best teams in Baseball, Alex Rodriguez was one of the best players in Baseball.

Against the top teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Twins, Angels, and A's):

Rodriguez - OPS: 1.265
Ortiz - OPS: 1.250
Thomas - OPS: 1.198
Dye - OPS: 1.184
Jeter - OPS: 1.059
Jeter - OPS: 1.059

Here's RISP (for the year):

Dye - HR: 15 RBI: 83 OPS: 1.138
Guerrero - HR: 4 RBI: 72 OPS: .877
Jeter - HR: 6 RBI: 83 OPS: 1.063
Ortiz - HR: 10 RBI: 79 OPS: .967
Rodriguez - HR: 10 RBI: 85 OPS: .939
Thomas - HR: 11 RBI: 79 OPS: .947

Late innings and Close:
Dye - OPS: 1.109
Ortiz - OPS: .986
Rodriguez - OPS: .795
Guerrero - OPS: .682
Jeter - OPS: .635
Thomas - OPS: .605

He's also had big moments, that some people conveniently forget. Off the top of my head, you have

Walk off home run against the A's
Walk off home run against the Braves
Grand Slam against the Mets
A HUGE home run against Curt Schilling in 2005 & 2006
The go-ahead and game winning home run against Yankee killer Tim Wakefield to clinch the AL East in 2005
A double to win game 5 against the Twins in 2004

And, Tino Martinez didn't do squat in the post-season when he first joined the Yanks. Torre sat him down and played Cecil Fielder instead.

Chip

I whole heartedly agree that both players have great "numbers" respective of their eras. Never disputed that fact. They're just not "clutch" players...not the guy you want at the plate with the game on the line. Today, it's Jeter. In Winfields era, it was Mattingly.

Rick,

That may be true but what is also true is that those Yankee teams would not have been better without Winfield just as today's Yankee team would not be better without A-Rod.

It always boggles my mind how some fans to this day would rather have Scott Brosius at third than A-Rod. Brosius in his last year with the Yankees hit around .200. There is no scenario, not a single one, that makes the Yankees a better team if they trade Alex. There are maybe two third basemen I see as on par with him, Miguel Cabrera and Eric Chavez and Chavez has been hurt most of the last two seasons.

Again, part of me hopes A-rod opts out of his contract after the season, not because I want to see him go but because I am so frustrated with other Yankee fans ripping this guy that I want to hear all the phone calls to WFAN or 1050 about how much the fans miss having him and can't understand why the team had to overpay for Joe Crede or Mike Lowell....

First off I now see where some of you is loist in your YAnkee history,

FIrst of all the label of MR.MAY was applied in 1981 basically his first season i think as a yankee in a playoff game that even reggie struggled in (which led to him leaving) WInfield NEVER played in another Playoff game again as a YANKEE! as a con edison kid sponsored by Dave WInfield . his ripping of the padding making a catch or his then IMPOSING figure espeically when we had bench clearing brawls where he would apply severe beatings on oppositions , Clutch ?? when that stupid stat GWRBI was in effect , i think he was top 5 (gary ward was the leader) this man hit plenty of doubles and homers in the clutch when games on the line, he was a FORCE once he was comfortable as a yankee. plus he had to DEAL with a idiot , back stabbing , ruthless at the time boss. who was doing not right things to DAve. as for the mattingly batting race , yes he had issues especially when the MEDIA and majority of fans was rooting for MAttingly, (USE HOME GROWN FANS who lived around and breathed Yankee Staduim rooted for who ever they was both Yankees) Arod numbers is the best of any recent trade and damon is the best free agent offensive player we signed for a long time

Mattingly was done as soon as the 90's rolled in so where was THIS CLUTCH mess , the yankees was NEVER in last place in WInfields Time.

Does Yankees have similar type of programs like Redsox had Rookie development program and Mets had a mini-camp both held yesterday?

http://redsox.bostonherald.com/images/redS...ltp01112007.jpg

Red Sox reliever Craig Hansen (center) runs with pitchers while taking part in the club’s Rookie Development Program yesterday at BC.

I would like Yankees to have similar type of programs like Mets and Redsox have. Young rookie pitchers like Hughes and others stay in shape and work in their endurance.

The major difference betweeen Winfield and A-ROD, is that Winfield played good defense, and had an excellent arm. His biggest contribution to the Yanks was that he inadvertently got "The Boss" suspended. Mr. May's huge contract had a "cost of living" clause in it that escalated his salary every year. This infuriated Steinbrenner to the point of consorting with "un-desireable(s)" to dig up dirt on Winfield, in order to void the contract. That got Steinbrenner suspended, which allowed "Stick Michael" and the front office to grow the farm system, and lay the foundation for our 90's dynasty.

Can someone please describe what Clutch is, and please show me statistical proof that Arod isnt Clutch? Open your eyes people. We have a great player at 3rd base but you dont realize it.

Chip & Bomber : you guys blow my mind! I was listening to a Yankee -Toronto game on XM towards the end of the 2006 season,Burnett was pitching for the Jays he had shutout going and a 3-0 lead ,completely mezmerising Yankee hitters,no-hit stuff,A-Rod comes up in I believe the 6th inning,hits a 2-run homer ,breaks the spell Burnett had cast,next inning Jeter comes up and hits a 2 run homer the Yanks go ahead 4-3 Yanks eventually win 7-6,all you read about in the paper the following day is Jeter' HR,nothing about the fact A-Rod helped set the table and chase Burnett out of the game.So who is clutch in that situation?...I agree w/ Chip,Bomber,David H.,Larry...The Yanks have had continued success since 1994,playing at a level few teams in the history of baseball have experienced,if you look at most of the pivotal games the Yanks have played in the post season ,you will find time and time again it's the starting pitching that has let them down not A-Rod ,2002 against the Angels,2003 against the Marlins,2004 against the Sox,2005 against the Angels,2006 against the Tigers,all the key games came down to a Yankee pitcher getting hammered.

Buster Only Insider on RJ Trade

I was reading Buster Olney's Blog this morning and he had a little comment on the RJ trade and why the Yankees didn't take Nippert.

"There was some surprise that the Yankees didn't land pitching prospect Dustin Nippert in their Randy Johnson trade talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the Yankees were guided in their conversations by Kendall Carter, the former national scouting coordinator for the D-Backs; the Yankees just hired Carter last fall as a crosschecker, and based on his inside knowledge of the Arizona system, he recommended that the Yankees pursue Ross Ohlendorf, the sinkerballer who became the centerpiece of the deal. Executives with rival teams say that Nippert's stock has actually fallen in recent months, and say that at a time when organizations are hoarding their best pitching prospects, they have made it known they are willing to swap Nippert in the right deal."

Cashman knows what he's doing...if the D-Backs are dangling Nippert to everyone, there must be a reason for that. Good Job Cash!!!

Roy Storing:I promise I will not respond anymore to your revisionist nonsense.A-Rod has a cannon of an arm and outside of a fielding slump last yr has availed himself well at 3rd base...I give you my word!

Go Yankees!!!!!1

ruse:

I agree...I'm tired of replying to people who only want to twist the facts on A-Rod to make him look like a bum.

Look, Yankee fans have every right to dislike A-Rod. Before he came to NY all we heard was how over-rated Jeter was compared to A-Rod, Nomar, Tejada. Then A-Rod gets here and the same media members who were spinning that "controversy" decided they would spin another one by saying that if Jeter was the team-leader he was made out in NY to be, then he would accept that A-Rod is the better SS and move to third (a nonsensical argument btw, since everything that makes A-Rod a better SS (arm strength, range to the left, etc.) also would make him a better third baseman.

So there is legitimate resentment on the side of Yankee fans...that said, I have never seen a segment of a fan base so intent on running out of town a first ballot hall of fame player, arguably the best player of this generation of baseball players. It baffles me.

Chip : You said it !It baffles me two !

By the way, can't even call A-Rod the most overpaid player in the country anymore...David Beckham just signed with LA of Major League Soccer for what I think is $250 million over 5 years...double the AAV of A-Rod's contract for a sport no one watches.

How long and when was The Boss Suspended all of a year , he was aware of the 90's movement. i mean you only had bernie , really come through during this exile , JETER posada , pettite mariano* came after 94 season in full effect

* Mariano was tried as a starter which he failed at and was sent to tampa basically to be lost in the minors but was resurrected

Bomber, if you really want a fright consider this. In spring training of 1996 Tony Fernandez breaks his elbow. There was a segment of the Yankee front office that was unsure if Jeter could step in and play every day and wanted to go out and get Felix Fermin, who the M's were willing to move to make room for A-Rod. The trade on the table, Fermin for Mariano Rivera. Bob Watson was about to make the move but backed off at the last minute.

Back to A-Rod real quick...I'm willing to bet that his errors will drop by quite a bit now that he's throwing to a first baseman who can catch.

This morning I saw Jim B's post with Winfield and Arod. My mental comment was "not this issue."

I said my piece about the issue in comments above. And I feel that I'm open minded about this issue.

Yes, I get angry at Arod if he fails in the CLUTCH. Not as mad as I did when Mickey when down with a K or a pop up or whatever. I'm older now and appreciate the difficulty to perform in the arena called NY. I have watched every Yankee 3rd baseman since Gil Mc Dougal/ Andy Carey. There is no guy who proceeded Arod, who has the package of ability or who has come through more for the team than Arod.

Yankee fans are no better than employers. Its, what have you done for me lately. If Arod leaves NY after this year. It will be because of unrealistic demands by the yankee fans. Unless the guy wins a WS this year, he might as well leave. Why bust your butt for unappreciating fans then watch the train load of 3rd baseman to man the hot corner.
As Bob Shephard's voice echos in the background some name who we rather not hear on a regular basis.

A-Rod is awesome. I'm always shocked whenever a Yankee fan says that A-Rod "can't cut it in NY." The guy won the 2005 AL MVP for crying out loud! He's proven that he CAN cut it in NY.

Anyone who thinks that we should trade the greatest baseball player of his generation for an inferior third baseman simply because he might get a "clutch" hit or two in October is out of his mind.

Larry, couldn't have said it better if I tried. The only player who will face more unrealistic demands than A-Rod has is the closer who eventually replaces Mariano.

Imagine how tough some idiot fans will be on that guy, whoever it is, calls will flood the radio shows when he blows a couple of saves in a row. He'll be booed, the back pages will slam him, all because he will be mortal and not Rivera, arguably the best closer of all time.

As I said, as a Yankee fan I would love to see A-Rod succeed here, but at the same time I would love to see him walk away from this team next year and be replaced by a lesser player (because there isn't a better player out there) and watch these same fans cry about how that replacement is not as good as A-Rod.

I agree with all the ARod supporters. I am an AROd fan too and I think we are extremely lucky to have Alex and Jeter on the left side of the infield. Unfortunately the Alex haters will only realize this when Alex is gone. Thanks David H. for compiling that list. As I've mentioned before his successes are quickly forgotten. People have already decided they are going to hate him. I remember the grand slam against the Mets. They were T-ing off on Yankee pitching; it looked like we were going to be embarrassed. When Alex stepped up to the plate I said to myself, man it’d be awesome if he could get a HR now. HE DID. Then stupid LoDuca thought ARod celebrated too much after his HR. I thought the papers would focus on the HR but they focused on the fight or the words exchanged between him and LoDuca. Typical! Nothing he does will ever be enough.

If Yankees fans backed him 100% the media would too. But since the media wants to sell papers and keep you tuned in they trash Alex knowing lots of Yankee fans will be all too happy to read/hear about his missed opportunities.

Folks rip him because he seems too scripted and guarded, not real enough. And even though he is that way his interviews are still dissected to find a hidden message and innuendo. Imagine if he was up front and wore his emotions on his sleeve. Alex haters would burn his jersey in effigy.

Alex has been surrounded by reporters his entire adult life. He was successful at a young age and is always mentioned in sport news. If that doesn’t make you self-conscious you’re not human.

How ironic would it be for him to be the hero in the Yankees chase for #27 and then opt out of the contract to play somewhere else? I would love to see those headlines and hear what the Alex haters would have to say after that. One of the most ridiculous statements I read all the time is that the Yankees will never win with Alex on the team. It’s ludicrous to think that we would be better off with out Alex Rodriquez.

I’m hoping he sticks around and retires a Yankee.

Chris Russo, says It will be a mistake if Yankees sign Clemens and media circus.

Andy Pettitte's press conference reminded me of something I missed about him..his respect and honesty.

"Mr. Steinbrenner and I have a good relationship, I'm sure there were times I was here when he wanted to move me on and Mr. Torre and Mr. Stottelmyer, Mel, convinced him to keep me, and now Mr. Cashman convinced him to bring me back and I couldn't be happier or more proud."

Thanks for comparison - it's see
As of their third season in the Bronx the numbers are earily similar. (what's 7 points on BA, a couple of hits?

I's say looking into the clutch hitting comparison is exactly what this whole debate boils down to. Good luck May-Rod.

This quote syas it all "Anyone who thinks that we should trade the greatest baseball player of his generation for an inferior third baseman simply because he might get a "clutch" hit or two in October is out of his mind."

If trading ARod brings an inferior 3B who's clutch hitting gets us to meaningful games in mid October - I'm proud to be certified. This ain't fantasy baseball. It'a only about the rings.

A little off topic but something tells me that Johan Santana could be available at the July 31st trading deadline if the Twins are struggling to contend in their division. They have 6 players eligible for arbitration coming up. Two of those will be ruled heavy dollars by an arbitrator, MVP Justin Morneau and probably the best young catcher in the game with Joe Mauer. They also have Torii Hunter coming up as a free agent after this year. All of those deals will cost the Twins a bundle in payroll and that's where shedding Santana's contract could help.

Rick Keyes,
Never quoted you or attributed any of the stuff I've heard about A-Rod to you in any way. Sorry if you thought my post was directed at you, it wasn't. My post wasn't meant to slam anyone for having a negative opinion about A-Rod either, he's earned that. Some are just a little more optimistic (actually hopeful) that the guy can get it together. Check in with me next October on this because if he tanks again, my patience will have run out.

Rick-
I think the Twins will get rid of Torii Hunter before any of them because he is older and probably a little easier to replace, but if your asking if some of us think the Yanks should try to trade for Santana at the trade deadline IF he were available, my answer is hell yeah. I'd give up Hughes and another young pitcher in a NY minute for him. He's still young, LH and throws a lot of innings, I couldn't resist that.

Trade Hughes?

Thank GOD you're not making any decisions for the Yanks.

You dont trade the #1 prospect in baseball, a 21 yr old starter, with 7 yrs service time left where he basically makes the min for anyone.

Especially when you have a deep system and can entice another Team another way.

well for starters his NUMBERS help the team make the playoff's lets see our last 3b won the pennant for us . but tanked in the WS and Division series. Arod numbers are great and when he single handly BEAT the angels during the season particuly BArtolo COlon

Jim A.

I'm usually right there with you on these posts but I'm not giving up Hughes in any deal, least of all a deal that's going to bring back a player who is going to want a $200 million dollar contract (or more)

The bottom line is Santana does have a no-trade clause so that is moot anyway. I'm all for going after him as a free agent, but giving up the farm for any player is not smart baseball.

As for what the Twins will do, it is an interesting problem they'll have. On the one hand, they'll be generating revenue from their new stadium, but at the same time, the Yankees and Mets will both be opening new stadiums as well, meaning that the stream of revenue sharing money that has been flowing from the Bronx will be shut off to small market teams like the Twins.

Chip the revenue stream is getting a big hit this year with the salary dumps. Amen! small markets cry wolf all the time and pocket the money.

Yeah but Larry in 2009 it dries up completely. That's going to make things very interesting not only for teams, but also for the free agents that year. Calls of collusion and whatnot will be sounded by agents and blah blah blah.

All the media members who rip the Yankees as bad for baseball will be in for a rude awakening when skinflint owners shut down their teams because the Yankees (and Mets) are no longer footing the bill.

Bottom line...I can't think of one poor, or even only slightly rich, person who owns a major league baseball team. Every team could spend like the Yankees if they chose to.

For Santana at the BREAK THIS YEAR???? yesssssss indeed i'll make that trade.

Chip,
Until I see Hughes pitch a full season and have success in the MLB that resembles anything near what Santana has done, to me he is just a dream, which is all a prospect really is. I can think of plenty of "can't miss" or blue chip prospects who haven't panned out so I'd trade him for Santana for sure. If Santana were 32 yrs old, I wouldn't be he is still pretty young so I'd have to do it. Plus, he's LH and that weighs heavily in my thought process. I admit it's a tough call.

How many pitchers in baseball this upcoming season will try to emulate Kenny Rogers sucess and was caught cheating since regular season?

Teams like Redsox will try put pinetar on their glove and put pressure by Redsox nation to make the playoffs.

Should Cashman and Yankees
encourage their pitchers use pinetar whole regular season until they make the playoffs?

Exactly Jim A

Hughes would hope too be a half of a Santana. the Man is young and PROVEN imagine him with a stacked lineup?? Man might only lose two games haha.

Now critics may argure that wang was not that far behind in CY young votes

Return of the Rocket?

http://www.lohud.com/blogs/lohudyankees.html

I have trust on Cashman and hopefully Yankees could make a deal and bring Roger back to the bronx..

Thank goodness the topic has changed. I want to bring up a point or topic. The new prospect that the Yankees received in the RJ trade Ohlendorf with the Wang like assortment of pitches. A sinking fastball topping out at 91-93 and a couple of other pitches not plus but doable. I just described a youngerster who has some potential. Our Mr.Wang has proven over the last 1 1/2 years to be quite competitive with about 26 wins in this time frame. Some bloggers have indicated Wang isn't really a number 1. Well, I kind of like his chances to develope into a number 1. One critque mentioned his lack of K's per 9 innings that he needs a quality infield and who doesn't. My point is this. Ohlendorf could develope into a similar type pitcher which has success in the AL East. I believe BC's plan to bridge the gap with veterans such as Pettitte and Mussina is great. AP and MM may not be physically what they were but bring more to the table than just physical attributes. In the back of my mind, I often hope for RC to stay in Houston. So, we can develope a younster this year or at least have a slot for developing one throughout the season, sort of R and D.

Jim A

I know you weren't pointing at me. I just wanted to be up front on where I stand on A-Rod. I know I am clearly in the minority on this guy and wanted to explain my reasoning so some of the others might understand where I'm coming from.

Of course, most of the others all start in again about us A-Rod HATERS. I thought I explained to all that I like him and respect his ability, etc. It has nothing to do with HATING him. Anyway, I think you are where I was a year ago....one more post season bust and you to will have had enough. At least you are open minded enough to see my point.

As far as Santana, he might be available at the deadline, but it will be during 2008, not this year. And, you and Bronx Bomber are right on the money about trading Hughes for him. While Hughes has all the potential in the world, he has never thrown a pitch in the bigs. Santana is a PROVEN commodity, still very young, LH, and the best SP in the AL. There is no way Hughes is going to be BETTER than Santana. This is another one of those things that most of these guys don't get!

To all you fans that want to know the definition of what "clutch" is. I have a great idea. I can't sit here and give you a play by play example of some game that happened on July 12th last year. But, when it happens this year, I will cite the examples on this blog as they occur.

Nothing fancy, just a sentence or two giving an example of how A-Rod was un-clutch in the previous nights game. To be fair, I will also acknowledge when he IS clutch. Then, we can all track just how often these occur. Fair enough?

Ruse brought up a good point earlier when he mentioned the game against the Blue Jays where A-Rod put the first dent in Burnett's armor that night with a two run bomb.
I find the situation similar to a few other homers in Yankee History:
2003: Giambi's two solo HR's against Pedro keep the Yankees within reach and prove to the rest of the team that he can be beaten. These HR's were never really mentioned but to me they were huge.

1978: Reggie Jackson's HR against Boston in the one game "Bucky Dent" playoff. Jackson's homer was actually the winning run as Boston had scored after Dent gave the Yanks the lead but that is a forgotten HR, but was obviously the difference in the game.

Rick K: On A-Rod again- one of the things I wish the guy would do is show a little (genuine) emotion. I used to love it when Paul O'Neill looked thoroughly disgusted after striking out, like he wanted to puke. I LOVED the time that Bo Jackson broke the bat over his knee after he struck out (yes I tried it and my thigh has never been the same)and I think the Yankee fans would like to see it as well.

Maybe A-Rod can relax now that someone has blown his contract out of the water- David Beckham is signed to play for the LA Galaxy in the MLS for 6 yrs/$250M- As the late, great Peter Boyle (aka Frank Barone) might say "holy crap!".

I am a Yankee fan and I do not need to see anyone else's definition of genuine emotion from AROD. Arod is plenty real. The emotions he does show are branded weak and sensitive and when he does not show what some are looking for he is what? Fake? Scripted? Cause NY media says so? Please.

I was at plenty of Yankee games this past season and NO one, DJ, Giambi, Matsui, Damon, ANYONE showed any bat breaking, or disgust emotion when striking out, they just turned around and went back to the dug out.

Rick, why do you not read all the info of the past season already posted about Alex coming through in the clutch, its all the info you need.

If not, be sure to comment on all the other players on the team when they do not come through (position players), then we can all keep a tally (I will, nothing much, just a sentence or two), and then we'll see who is truly unclutch.

Rick, Answer this for me please. Why is it imperative for Arod to be clutch more often than the other Yankees? It can't be about the money. Their all multi-millionaires.

You have to remember all the times the Mick didn't get it done. Why do the intelligent NY fans believe its all on his shoulders. I for the life of me can't understand it.

Let me explain it this way. Arod gets up with runners in scoring position after the seventh inning 10 times. He's a .300 hitter. The probability of success is 3 times. How much more can the future Hall of Fame candidate produce for the NY fan to be happy.

Jim A : Reggie said to Bucky after the game "They'll always remember the HR you hit and completely forget about mine"...Bo Jackson greatest athlete I ever saw,do you remember the game Bo and Deion Sanders both hit inside the park HRs?,this is of course when Deion was a Yankee...unbelievable highlight,to see these 2 guys run the bases!

I completely agree with what Larry M. just said.

ruse, Ca. Yes! its a gift to see speed of this natue. Its effortlessly done. Deion could start at homeplate and Giambi at first base. I'd put my money on Deion.

Larry; Come to think of it,Deion would easily win.Easy money!

Chip was absolutely right when he said that any team can spend like the Yankees did if it wants to. There are no poor owners. In fact, this was a banner year for baseball.

What is truly bad for baseball are the welfare cheats: mega-rich owners like Twins billionaire Carl Pohlad pocketing his share of the luxury tax, whining he is in a poor market, once making backroom deals to eliminate his team and now planning to bilk taxpayers on a new stadium.

If baseball is such a losing proposition why are not more teams changing hands? Easy answer: because it is a cash cow.

The luxury tax does nothing to restore competitive balance. It merely serves to enrich the owners of the worst managed teams like Pohlad (Twins), David Glass (Royals), and Jeffrey Loria (Marlins).

These owners get paid for not spending money on their team.

This year Brian Cashman said enough was enough and is intending to cut payroll a bit leading to some long term philosophical changes.

Absent the luxury tax the revenue sharing stream still flows in coffers and pockets of the "poor" teams.

I never worked as a waiter or busboy but I know people who did. Many worked in places where tips were pooled. Personally I found that method patently unfair inasmuch it rewarded those who were goldbricking and punished those who excelled as their tips were not commensurate with their performance.

Competitive balance is truly achieved when revenue sharing is not pocketed by greedy rich men and is instead spent on their teams.

Ruse,
I remember that game. I hated Deion, still do and my favorite moment with him in baseball is when he got mouthy with Carlton Fisk at home plate and Fisk darn near strangled him. That was "old school" vs. "new school" for sure, and it was funny as hell to watch.
I say this with an unblemished record of staunch heterosexuality, but Bo Jackson was a beautiful specimen. Watching him in his prime was liking watching a champion stallion. Do you remember when he ran up the wall at Yankee Stadium? I thought he was going right over the wall and hardly broke stride. He had trouble making contact but when he did he KILLED the ball. It was truly sad to see him when he was trying to come back w/ the White Sox and had that very noticeable limp.

Jim A.:Bo Jackson was the greatest running back I ever saw ,better than Brown,Sanders,Emmitt,Sayers.I remember watching the Raiders game when Bo hurt his hip,sad day.He used to go directly from MLB to the NFL without training camp or practice and run for 100 yards,never saw anything like it.

Larry M and ruse

I will give you an explanation to your question a little later today. Don't have the time right now.

For those of you that need "numbers" to define "clutch", I think these 2 should satisfy you. (1)LIPS- Batting avg. in LATE INNING PRESSURE SITUATIONS. That is from the 6th inning on, with men in scoring position. (2) Batting avg. with men in scoring position at any point in the game. These are 2 stats that are kept by all teams. My preference is LIPS, but both are very good at defining with numbers just what "clutch" is.

Roy

Does LIPS include just BA w/RISP from 6th Inning on? What if the score is 10-1 in the eighth? If a guy hits a solo HR in that situation, I don't call that clutch. Conversley, what if nobody's in scoring position? Score is 3-3 in the 7th inning, runner on 1B and 1 out. Batter hits a double putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. I call that a clutch hit. Stats do not define "clutch" to me. It's what a guy does or doesn't do in certain situations when it's NEEDED.

LIPS is with a difference of 3 runs or less either way. I think the term "clutch is being thrown around too loosely. At least with the LIPS definition, there is nothing subject to interpretation, or perception. It is definitive.

Loose LIPS sink ships...

Sorry, had a flashback to my Navy days.

We can argue numbers from here to eternity and nobody will win. That's what is great about baseball, an agent can take a guy and make him appear to be the next Babe Ruth and a sportwriter can make shake the number tree and make the guy look like Alvaro Espinoza.

Roy

I understand completely that LIPS along with other stats are objective and everything else is subjective. I have no problems with your arguement on that point.

However, when I'm watching a game, I know what I see. That's why I said "clutch" is alot like sexual harassment, it's hard to define, but you know it when you see it. And TO ME, it's when a player does what he's NEEDED to do in certain situations.

Heck, there are times when properly executing a sac bunt, or moving runners over, or getting the man home from 3B with less than 2 out i