The Circus Has Come To Town

Costly outfield miscue showcases Yankees’ weak outfield




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
July 20, 2004

What in the world is going on with the Yankees’ outfield? Tonight in the sixth inning of the game between the Bombers and the Devil Rays I witnessed something right out of the Keystone Kops. With the game tied at five and two runners on base Devil Rays’ pinch-hitter Robert Fick sent Tanyon Sturtze’s offering into left-centerfield. The hit, later described by Fick as a “routine fly ball,” fell behind both Yankees’ leftfielder Hideki Matsui and centerfielder Kenny Lofton. Both apparently thought the other was going to catch the ball.

The fly ball hit by Fick was generously scored as a double by the hometown scorekeeper. What else could he do? The ball most certainly should have been caught, but who do you give an error to? The play earned Fick a hit and two RBI as both Matsui and Lofton played a classic example of, “I’ve got it. You take it.”

After the game Matsui said, “I heard Kenny. That's why I stopped. At first I didn't hear him, but toward the end I heard him. ... Those plays just happen sometimes.” Manager Joe Torre, ever the diplomat, was not happy. “I know it was loud out there, but you still need to get the job done.'' Lofton, who also went 0-4 for the game, was lifted in the eighth inning for Ruben Sierra. Sierra got the Yankees close with a 2-run home run to make the score 8-7. The Devil Rays added an insurance run in the bottom of the frame to make the final score 9-7.

The Yankees’ outfield has to be a great concern for Torre and his staff. It is obvious that perennial centerfielder Bernie Williams can’t patrol his area as in years past. Balls that Bernie could once glide to or overtake now become hits, often going for extra bases. Even Gary Sheffield has been prone to dropping or misplaying balls. Additionally, both Lofton and Matsui have had their share of problems this year. Dropped fly balls, grounders through the wickets, getting late jumps on balls and misreading the ball off the bat have dogged the Yankees’ outfield from time to time all season long.

Although not counted as errors in the box score mistakes in the outfield have helped bloat the pitching staff’s ERA to 4.45, which is 17th among the 30 major league teams and 5th among AL teams. This is not to say the Yankees’ pitching staff has been sterling, because it hasn’t. But, plays, like the one I saw tonight drive up ERA’s and manager’s blood pressures. If you were watching the YES network tonight and saw Torre’s reaction to Matsui’s and Lofton’s lack of communication you would know Joe was ready to chew the head off of nails.

Neither the Yankees nor their fans are used to this. They and we expect a totally professional team to take the field. The play we saw tonight isn’t in the Yankees’ playbook. It might have been in the 1962 New York Mets playbook, but not the Yankees’. We’re used to seeing Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Dave Winfield, Paul O’Neill and a younger Bernie Williams. If I were Joe Torre I’d hit fly balls and grounders to these guys until their tongues were hanging on the ground. Maybe then they’d get an idea of how to play the outfield.

PLAY BALL!



© 2004 Yankees Talk Shop @ ezboard.com

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All About the Arms, Again

Pitching woes could cast a shadow over the postseason

By: Akino Yamashita
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
Saturday, July 17, 2004

Speculation about the possibility of the Yankees acquiring Randy Johnson from the Diamondbacks has heated up since the All-Star Break.  While the Yankees have made it no secret that they'd love to add the Big Unit to the rotation, and Johnson himself seems ready if not eager to leave the last-place Snakes for a chance at another WS ring, at this point the deal is far from done.  Although current rumors suggest that Johnson, who has a no-trade clause, considers the Yankees the first or even the only team he's willing to be traded to, there is still ample time for him to be persuaded to accept a deal to another team, such as the Angels.  Arizona might decide that the Yankees can't offer them prospects to make a deal worth their while, and elect to keep Johnson rather than risk a P.R. backlash from their fans.
 
The trade talk has spurred much controversy and debate regarding the financial state of the game,  as did the Alex Rodruiguez trade in April.  However, one aspect of the situation that I find disturbing from a Yankees standpoint is this -- that the team might actually need, not just want, Johnson to bolster their pitching rotation.

How did the Yankees get to this point?  It seemed at the end of June that the Yankees were on their way to another AL East title and well-placed for the playoffs, having finished the month with a 19-7 record.  But after sweeping the Red Sox in a 3 game series at the end of June, in early July the Yankees lost all 3 games at Shea Stadium to the Mets, and lost the season series, 4-2, for the first time since interleague play began.   The Yankees then lost 2 out of 3 to the Detroit Tigers, although they entered the All-Star Break on a high note with a 4-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.   Now, as the Yankees are in the midst of another series with the Tigers, a look at the pitching rotation reveals definite problems.
 
Kevin Brown remains on the DL since landing there with a back injury on June 10th.  His recovery has been complicated by an intestinal parasite, and he was recently rocked in a minor-league rehab start.   When Brown eventually returns, will he be the same pitcher he was before he was injured?  Mike Mussina, after  rebounding from his bad start to the season with eight straight wins, gave up 7 runs in the Yankees 2-11 loss to the Mets, and another 7 runs in a 1-9 loss to the Tigers.  Mussina was officially placed on the DL yesterday with elbow stiffness, and is expected to miss at least one start. 
 
Javier Vazquez, with a 10-6 record, has been a consistent performer and was the only Yankee starter to go to the All-Star Game, but was shelled by the Tigers in an 8-0 Yankee loss yesterday to raise his ERA to 3.95.   John Lieber has been good, but not great, with a 4.77 ERA and a 7-5 record.  Jose Contreras has a 6-3 record and a after two consecutive quality starts, in a 7-1 Yankees win against the Devil Rays before the All-Star Break, and a 5-1 win against the Tigers.  However, Contreras still has an ERA of 5.17, and his ability to pitch well in high-pressure or high-profile games is still in doubt, as he had a subpar outing in his last such game, against the Mets at Shea.  Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez shined in his return to the Yankees in a 10-3 win over the Devil Rays on Sunday before the All-Star Break, and led the Yankees to a 5-3 win against the Tigers tonight.   However, one possible issue with El Duque is his (unknown) age and durability; in both his starts, he went only 5 innings.
 
The recent Yankee losses, and the Yankees' solid but unexciting 8-6 record so far in July, can be attributed mostly to the pitching staff, which has given up at least 6 runs in each Yankee loss.  The Yankees offense has kept up the pace, scoring an average of about 6 runs per game (and that includes the 8-0 shutout by the Tigers), but haven't always been able to make up for subpar pitching outings, such as in the Yankees 10-9 loss to the Mets or the 8-10 loss to the Tigers.
 
So, Randy Johnson, and good caliber pitching in general, is not merely a high-priced luxury for the Yankees.   While the Yankees' bats might be enough to lead the team into the postseason, pitching becomes even more important in October, and the current rotation is far from certain to measure up.  Even the addition of Johnson might not be enough to win the big prize, if the other starters falter.  After all, the 2001 Diamondbacks championship run rested on the arms of both Johnson and Curt Schilling, who shared the World Series MVP trophy.  If the Yankees do land the Big Unit, who will play the role of Schilling?
 

 
© 2004 Yankees Talk Shop @ ezboard.com

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Captain Courageous

The Yankees finally belong to Jeter




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
July 2, 2004

Never have I witnessed a play where a player sacrificed his health and possibly his playing career as I did when I watched Derek Jeter sprint after Boston Red Sox Trot Nixon’s 12th inning pop fly. Jeter ran full bore into foul territory and snagged Nixon’s ball before momentum carried him into the stands where he went crashing, face first, into the seats.

As Jeter landed the numerous fans that scurried to get out of the shortstop’s way huddled back around him, attempting to help him up. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who followed the play, climbed into the stands and as the Yankees’ captain stood up Rodriguez began waving for help to the Yankees’ dugout.

Jeter, in all of this pandemonium, managed to hang onto Nixon’s ball and the out was recorded. As he climbed out of the stands everyone could see he was bleeding from his chin and he had a nasty abrasion below his right eye. Even before Jeter reached the dugout the area below the eye began to swell up like a helium filled balloon. Jeter’s heroics turned the Yankees’ fortunes around, yet, again. On a night where the offense was marginal and defense costly that one play energized Jeter’s teammates to will themselves to a hard earned 13 inning victory. While Jeter was being carried by ambulance to the local cut and sew for an examination, Ruben Sierra, Miguel Cairo and John Flaherty carried the team to a morale crushing win over the Sox.

At the beginning of the year the Sox beat the Yankees six out of seven times and everyone, including yours truly, was wondering where the heart of this team was. Where was the leadership? It was a floundering team. Everyone in and around Boston was already dialing up their World Series ring orders. As it has been said time and again, a baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint.

Slowly, but surely, the Yankees climbed the ladder while the Sox began to slide down it. Coming into this series the Sox trailed the Yankees by 5-1/2 games. They now trail by 8-1/2 games. This was a demoralizing defeat for the Yankees’ arch rival. But keep in mind, it’s only July and there is still half a season of baseball left. Yogi said it best. “It ain’t over until it’s over.” Last night the Yankees proved that.

Last night, too, Derek Jeter made the New York Yankees his and his alone. Even all-world Alex Rodriguez said that was the greatest catch he has ever seen. I can’t think of one better. Last night’s game was a game for the ages. It was a game that has come to exemplify the tradition of the Yankees. All the ghosts were in the house last night. Mystique and Aura were in the stands. It is a game that will carry the Yankees throughout the remainder of this season. One more thing. Move over Lou Gehrig, there’s a new “Pride of the Yankees” occupying space at Yankee Stadium and his name is Derek Jeter.

PLAY BALL!



© 2004 Yankees Talk Shop @ ezboard.com

Redistribution, rewriting, rebroadcast, or republication of this story is prohibited without the prior written consent of Yankees Talk Shop and it's affilitates