The Sommer Frieze

Nomar Garciaparra signed a one-day minor league deal with Boston today to retire as a Red Sock (sounds so-NFL-ish, and I for one, find it lame). Nomar, 36, had a career that petered out way too soon. He only had one decent year after the age of 29.  From 1997-2003 he was superb (he missed almost all of the 2001 season). 1997 ROY. Runnerup for the 1998 MVP. Five top-10 MVP finishes. Batting titles in 1999 and 2000, with averages of .357 and .372. A lifetime .313 hitter. OPS+ 124. Nice numbers but not enough for any HOF consideration. He didn’t reach 2000 hits. After 2003, only one decent season (2006 Dodgers, .303-20-93, OPS+ 120). He turned 30 in the summer of 2003. After 2003, he had only two seasons where he played in 100 or more games. If Mattingly gets panned for flaming out, then Nomar is in the same boat. After Boston traded him in mid-2004, he drifted from the Cubs to the Dodgers to the A’s. Great, but not for a long enough period of time. He now joins NESN (oops, I mean ESPN, but really what’s the difference sometimes?) as an analyst.

While the former all-star Nomar retires, another ex-all Star has passed away. Dodger CF of the 1960s, Willie Davis, has died at the age of 69. Davis teamed with Maury Wills to give the anemic-hitting Dodgers their speed on a team that had little power, but lots of pitching (Koufax, Drysdale and Osteen. Then along came Sutton at the time Koufax was being forced to retire). Davis was the CF on the 1963 WS Champs (.245-9-60, 25 SB), 1965 WS Champs (.238-10-57, 25 SB) and 1966 NL Pennant winners (.284-11-61, 21 SB). During his final season, 1979 (after spending 1977 and 1978 in Japan), he was a backup for the AL West winning Angels. He hit .279 in his career, OPS+ 106, and stole 398 bases. One unfortunate legacy of his happened in Game 2 of the 1966 WS, when he committed three errors in the same inning. It happened to be in the last game that Sandy Koufax ever pitched in. HIs errors contributed greatly to a 6-0 Dodger loss.

Davis was a two-time All-Star. Besides the Dodgers, he also played for the Expos, Rangers, Cardinals, Padres and Angels. One thing to remember—even though he was a decent ballplayer in the 1960s, CF on those all-star teams in the NL belonged to Willie Mays. Not only that, the Cardinals had a decent CF in Curt Flood.

Later in life Davis found two things. One was Buddhism. The other, unfortunately, was some trouble.

Speaking of trouble, Yankee front office exec Mark Newman found some as he was busted for a DUI this week.  

Greg Golson’s 2-run HR in the 9th won today’s S.T. game vs. the Tigers 9-8. JD didn’t play, but got to schmooze with some old buddies.

Curtis Granderson also got to schmooze, as he went back to his old spring training grounds in Lakeland. Granderson flashed what Yankees fans hope to see, 2 hits and a superb over-the-shoulder catch.

Mark Teixeira had a HR— off of Phil Coke.

For the Tigers, A-Jax went 1-4 and scored a run. Zach Miner gave up 2 runs. Dan Schlereth (son of ESPN’s Mark, the ex-NFLer) gave up 2 R, 1 ER.

Pitching-wise, Joba had two scoreless innings but lost it in the third when he was hammered. 2 1/3 IP, 6 R, 5 H, 3 walks and 1 K. A grand slam given up. Not good, but Sam Borden at LoHud gives his take on it.  I worry about the “Run out of gas” part. Starters shouldn’t do that in the third. Maybe it is better that Joba be the snorting bull coming out of the pen when the gates open.

Phil Hughes came in after Joba and gave up a HR. He was also saved by the Granderson catch. 2 2/3, 1 R, 3 H, 0 walks and 2 K. Borden’s take is interesting in that both pitchers were working on various things, whether it be working inside to righties (Joba) or working on the change (Hughes). Yes, there are things normal fans don’t know about in looking at the boxscores. Borden seems to think Hughes has the lead in the #5 derby.  I do wonder however, if the 2010 Yanks would be better with Aceves (18 up, 18 down) as the #5 with both Joba AND Phil in the bullpen. There are some in the Yankee front office that feel so. Then again, there is another faction that feels that with Pettitte 38, that one or the other has to be broken in as a starter. Lastly, is Aceves more valuable in long relief or as a starter? Ace was 10-1 out of the bullpen last year—leading the majors in relief wins.

Jason Hirsh had a scoreless inning with two Ks. They say not to believe what you see in March or October, but so far he’s had a nice spring. He may be SWB-bound with a chance to be a midseason callup in case of injury. Hirsh, 28, is 8-11, 5.32 for his career, but that was as a starter for Houston and Colorado. Joba and Hughes seemed to work better from the bullpen thus far. Could Hirsh be similar in that regard?

CC Sabathia struggled in his 2nd spring tuneup, giving up 5 runs in 2 1/3 (7 H, 1 walk, 2 K). The Yanks did have a 7-6 lead entering the 8th, but Boone Logan (1 1/3, 2 R) and Hector Noesi (1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER) blew the game for the Yanks as they lost 12-7.

Nick Johnson was 2 for 2, both hits solo HR. Jon Weber had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Jorge Posada had 2 hits and an RBI. 

Recently DFA’d Edwar Ramirez was dealt to Texas for $$$ considerations.

Meanwhile, it’s starting to come down.

Trouble in Twinsland: Joe Nathan has a torn elbow ligament that could cost him the 2010 season.   

One game at a time.

In one split squad game, the Yanks beat the Phils 7-5. The game didn’t start well for those who remember Javy Vazquez in the 2004 postseason. HIs first pitch was smacked for a HR by Jimmy Rollins. Vazquez settled in after that and K’d the side in the 2nd. 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H and 4 K.

Jonathan Albaladejo struggled again, but did get through a scoreless inning, albeit with 3 hits given up.

David Robertson struggled, giving up 2 R in 2/3 of an inning. Four minor leaguers closed it out.

Offensively, Robbie Cano had 2 hits, 2 RBI. Nick Swisher had 2 doubles and 3 RBI. Kevin Russo, trying to beat out Ramiro Pena for a backup infielder spot, had 2 hits, inc. a double. Pena did have a single.

Russo played 3b and ss. In the minors, Russo has played 240 at 2b, 59 at 3B and just 6 games at SS. He hit .326 (90 games) at AAA last year and .307 (71 games) at AA Trenton in 2008. He is a righty hitter, while Pena is a switch-hitter. Russo is 25, 26 in July. Pena is a year younger, and played 353 at SS in the minors, 11 at 2B and 3 games at 3B. In the majors last year, Pena had 34 at SS, 27 at 3B (despite the lack of it in the minors) and 8 games at 2B.

In the other split squad game, the Yanks shut out the Pirates 6-0. Yesterday it was Sergio Mitre, one of the “undercards” on the Phil/Joba 5th starter battle, who pitched well. Mitre has 5 scoreless innings this spring.

Today it was another undercard, Alfredo Aceves, who was superb. Perfect as a matter of fact. 4 perfect innings to go with 2 perfect innings the other day. Six perfect innings in all. 18 up, 18 down.

Are Joba and Phil looking over their shoulders?

It wound up a collective one-hitter. Ivan Nova (2), Zach McAllister(2) and Jason Hirsh completed the game, with the only Pirates hit coming off of Nova.

A-Rod drove in 2. Juan Miranda had a 2 hits and an RBI. 2 hits and 2 RBI for Jon Weber.

Give Cervelli until Friday. He’s been cleared to go.

Bad news coming in about Allen Iverson, just let go from the 76ers. He has a wife divorcing him, apparently an ill child, has gone through a bunch of teams—now word is that he has a serious drinking and gambling problem.    

1-4. At least it’s spring training.

Those that remember the great 1998 season remember that the 114-48 Yankees started that year 1-4.

But 12-7, 9-1 and 11-0 in the last three s.t. games? Ugh.

Looking for positives. So far, it is Sergio Mitre with the leg up on the #5 slot. Girardi does like him. Five scoreless innings in S.T. so far. 2 the other day, 3 today. 2 hits, 1 walk, 3 K. Mitre was just 3-3, 6.79 for the Yanks last year in coming back from an injury (and a suspension). The 29 year old is just 13-26, 5.56 for his career (ERA+ 78). He was just 1-5, 5.71 for Girardi in 2006. Whatever potential he has, we have never seen it. But a good outing today.

Then the roof fell in on the 11-0 loss. Gaudin went 2, 3 R. Igawa was well….the usual. UGH-Gawa. 1 IP, 5 R. What a waste of money. D.J. Mitchell, targeted for probably A ball, gave up 3 R in 1 ip.

As for the bats, 0 runs. Just one yesterday. Silver linings? Gardner beating out a drag bunt. Good to see. My boy Montero getting a double. 2 hits for Cano. That’s about it.

Work late tomorrow, 8 to 7, and split squad. I hate split squads. Lots to check out (good) but no time to try to check out everything. I guess over at LoHud Jennings gets one game and Borden the other? Lot of info to convey.

It’s just S.T., but hope for a sweep tomorrow. 1-4, even in S.T., looks ugly.      

I see injury problems for teams. The Twins’ Joe Nathan needs to get checked out. The 35 (!) year old had offseason surgery and the elbow bothers him.

Meanwhile, an injury for the Dodgers’ Russell Martin means he’ll miss the start of the season.  

I see a letter to the Post and different blog entries decrying Nick Johnson for getting hurt and the Yankees for not bringing back Matsui and/or Damon.

Fair enough to be wary of Johnson and his injury history. But in their outcry to bring back Matsui and/or Damon, do these people ever check out baseballreference.com or Who’s Who in Baseball and check out the ages? Matsui will be 36 this summer, Damon is 36. Do you really want (outside of icons like Jeter and Rivera) to give multi-year deals to players 35 and over? Well, do you?

The Yanks already have that with A-Rod, 35 this summer. He’s signed until age 42. They’ll have that with Jeter. Pettitte (38 this summer) has a one-year deal. Mo, 40, is at the end of a three-year deal and you figure he will go year-by-year from here on out as will Pettitte. Posada (39 in August) is in the third year of a four-year deal. After that, who knows. One thing is for sure…40 year old catchers don’t get multi-year deals.

Yes, it’s tough getting rid of a DH who hit 28 HR, 90 RBI, 131 OPS+, and was the WS MVP.  His price with the Angels is affordable. Same with Damon, whose at-bat and play in WS Game 4 turned the series in the Yankees’ favor. 24 HR, 82 HR, 126 OPS+. Hard to replace. As for Damon and Boras, they could have taken the Yanks’ offer. Probably should have. Can’t fault the Yanks for that one.  

But are you going to, just out of sentiment, let the team get old overnight? What if everyone hit the wall at the same time?

I know it sounds cruel, and I remember the cries when the Yanks didn’t bring Bernie back, despite it being obvious that Bernie’s last great season was 2002 (OPS+ numbers, 2002 to 2006: 141, 107, 108, 85, 96). When the Yanks let Bernie go, it was TIME to let him go.

As Branch Rickey said, better to let someone go one year too early than one year too late, and quite frankly, I think Damon will have trouble in Detroit. His wife wasn’t happy about Detroit, it’s a big ballpark (over/under on JD’s HR total this year is 15 for me) and I don’t think JD’s arm (or lack of) and that ballpark will be a good fit.

On another front, there are concerns about backup catcher for the Yankees, especially after the beaning Cervelli took. Cervelli is young (24) with just 45 MLB games under his belt. Should he falter or this beaning have a great effect, Mike Rivera will be the backup catcher, as the Yanks aren’t going to rush Montero and Romine. Rivera, 33, has 181 MLB games under his belt. .244 career hitter.

A lot depends on Posada. How much do you need a backup catcher? If Posada is ok, then…for example, Jose Molina was fine defensively, but his 2009 offensive stats (.217-1-11, OPS+ 51) were horrible.

Of course we remember how much was lost when Jorge missed most of the 2008 season.

But how many of you remember the backup on the 2000 WS Champion Yankee team?

Chris Turner got in 37 games, went 21 for 89. .236-1-7. OPS+ 61.

The following year? The 2001 AL Champs?

Todd Greene. 35 games. .208-1-11. 20 for 96, just 3 walks. OPS+ 36. Yup. 36.

Every year, it all comes down to Posada’s health, not the backup catcher’s.

Once again, the key for me this year is Jorge. At 38 (39 in August), how long can he hold up?

Yanks have a trip to Ft. Myers today. Pettitte will throw a simulated couple of innings and not make the two-hour trip. Mitre will go. The advantage of being a seasoned vet.

Split-squad tomorrow.  

The Cervelli beaning today brought to mind some beanings I read about or recall.

The first famous beaning I remember was the one that curtailed Tony Conigliaro’s career. Tony C. was just 22, had 100 HR already but missed the 1967 Red Sox stretch run and the WS due to his mid-August 1967 beaning. It cost him all of 1968’s season and shortened his career.

Ray Chapman of Cleveland is the only fatality. 1920 at the Polo Grounds vs. the Yankees.

Lou Gehrig got beaned in 1934 and played the next game to continue his streak. But it was in a strange way. On the road, Gehrig was pencilled in as SS, leading off. He walked and the regular SS, Frankie Crosetti, took over at SS. It was just to keep Gehrig’s streak alive.

Don Zimmer has a plate in his head after almost being killed with a few beanings.

Phil Rizzuto, I believe, was the first to wear a batting helmet in the AL—due to some beanings.

I remember a beaning Munson took in 1978, not to mention Dwight Evans and Paul Blair getting beaned.

Of course the Piazza beaning by Clemens comes to mind.

It’s a part of the game you worry about, and you never know when it may happen.

Thank goodness for the helmets.      

Today’s game is on My 9, so I get to watch some spring training baseball (in between housecleaning and laundry). Yeah!

Our LV Yankee Fan club site on Facebook posts today’s lineup vs. Toronto:  Jeter-6, Granderson-8, Posada-2, Rodriguez-5, Winn-9, Gardner-7, Cervelli-DH, Miranda-3, Pena-4, Burnett-1.

Apparently Adeiny Hechevarria has now been cleared to be signed by any MLB club. The 21 year old SS that defected from Cuba is expected to be signed by the Yankees.

Update: Shaky outing for Burnett. 1 2/3, 2 R, 5 H, 1 walk. Thank goodness for batting helmets. Cervelli got a birthday present (24) that he didn’t want—a beanball. Looks like A.J. was trying to work on that new pitch—a changeup.

Update II: Cervelli is headed to the hospital with a concussion. Thank goodness spring training is in it’s early stages and thank goodness for batting helmets. He got conked pretty good. The reporter on My 9 says the stitches of the ball are imprinted on the helmet. Ouch.

Update III: Not a good outing for Albaladejo. Gives up a 3-run dinger. 5 R, 7 H, 1 walk in just 1/3 of an inning.  Boone Logan had looked decent, 2 scoreless.  

Recap: It got a bit boring, as the Yanks lost 9-1. Mark Melancon pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, but Andrew Brackman gave up 2 runs in his one inning. Romulo Sanchez and Jason Hirsh each pitched a scoreless inning. The bats were quiet for some time. The Yanks only had one hit through the first five innings and just six for the game. Adam Lind had the 3-run HR off Albaladejo; J.P. Arencibia a 2-run shot off Brackman.

The Yanks fall to 1-3 for the spring so far.     

After having charges of sexual assault placed against him while the Steelers started camp this past summer, you would think that Big Ben Roethlisberger would mind his P’s and Q’s.

You wanted to think he was the victim of a golddigger. It’s easy for someone young, rich and famous to be placed at the hands of a blackmailer. When you have all those temptations thrown at you, you had best be careful in how you conduct yourself.

If you have one accusation against you, you would expect not to go down the same path, wouldn’t you? With a reputation already taking a beating, and one indiscretion (whether guilty in that first case or not) wouldn’t you think it’d be a wakeup call?

But no, as Big Ben faces another accusation. You hope once again that there is no truth to it, but two accusations in less than a year’s time really do make you wonder.

It’s getting hard for me to root for the guy who helped to give this Steelers fan two titles.

Even if completely innocent in both cases, you have to say to Ben, “Wake up and keep yourself out of those situations, already!”

Enough is enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if Goodell stepped in now.  

Hughes went 2 IP, giving up 1 run on a HR. 2 IP, 1 R, earned, 1 walk and 0 K. Just that one hit. 

Joba struggled. Badly. He has been fighting the flu, so you wonder if he gets a pass on today’s performance. So far the three underling amigos (Aceves, Gaudin and Mitre) have done better than Phil and Joba. Granted the underlings faced the Pirates while Hughes/Joba had the Rays.

Chad Jennings at LoHud states that Chamberlain just estimated that he was at 60 or 70 percent today.

Joba’s line?    1 1/3; 5 R, all earned. 3 H (2 triples and a double) , 3 walks. 1 K.

Kevin Whelan got no one out. He gave up a run on 2 hits and 2 walks.

Igawa, who the Yanks may try to reinvent as a LOOGY (to get something out of him) actually did well, going 1 2/3 with 0 R, 0 H and 2 K. David Robertson pitched a scoreless inning with a K.

Not much on the hitting side. A-Rod was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts. Robbie Cano had 2 hits (double) and made a great play. Francisco Cervelli had 2 hits (triple) and drove in a run.

With Posada ahead of him, and guys like Montero and Romine behind him, Cervelli may never be better than a backup catcher. But you have to love the way he handles pitchers. From LoHud, Cervelli: “Next time, they will hit my glove. Don’t worry.”

He is young himself (Cervelli turns just 24 tomorrow). But I think Cervelli has the makeup to be a good coach once his playing days are through. He seems to take charge well.

Down 8-1, the Yankees minor leaguers scored 6 in the 7th. Montero had a walk (he struck out later). Eduardo Nunez, Miranda, Russo and Jorge Vazquez all got doubles.

But Grant Duff gave up 3 in the 8th and Dustin Moseley one in the 9th.

12-7 Rays.