Usually I’m a believer that there are two sides to every issue. But not with Kei Igawa. Anyone who believes that this guy belongs in the big leagues is a certifiable moron. In his first major league start of the season, he threw an absolute stinker, allowing 6 earned runs in 3+ innings of work. He faced 20 batters and gave up 11 hits. And of those 11 hits, most of them were smoked. Even many of the outs were hit hard. The only upside to his outing tonight was that he didn’t walk any batters, but that’s a minor consolation. He proved once again that he cannot pitch effectively at the major league level. In 14 games last season, he posted an atrocious 6.25 ERA and a WHIP of 1.67. Those numbers are unacceptable. I don’t care how bad Ian Kennedy has been this year, at least he has upside. Igawa’s got nothing but a fat paycheck.
Fact is, Kei Igawa has no place on any big league team, particularly a winning franchise like the New York Yankees. Even watching him pitch, he has well below-average stuff. At least when some guys struggle, you can say to yourself, “Well, he’s got good stuff, he just needs to put it all together.” Not Kei Igawa, he’s just plain bad. What in God’s name made the Yankees think this guy was worth $46 million??? (A $26 million posting fee followed by a 5-year $20 million contract.) It’s time for the Yankees to cut their losses and get rid of this guy. I know it will turn out to be an extremely costly investment for absolutely minimal return. But right now he has no trade value; they’d be lucky to get a bucket of balls in exchange for him right about now. They should have dumped him on the Padres last season when they had the chance.
His next scheduled start is for Wednesday at Tampa Bay. The Yankees can’t possibly throw this guy out there anymore. I’ve said on this blog for a long time that I never wanted to see Kei Igawa in a Yankee uniform ever again. Let’s hope I get my wish real soon.
Happy Birthday to Ed Barrow, Fred Astaire, Pat Summerall, Chris Berman, Sid Vicious, Rick Santorum, Danny Schayes, Bono, Helio Castroneves and Keenan Thompson
After having his appeal heard by Major League Baseball, Kyle Farnsworth’s suspension has been cut from three games to one game. You might recall that Krazy Kyle was suspended last month after throwing at Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez. The issue was that the pitch was behind Manny’s head, which is a big no-no in baseball. Farnsworth, who was not ejected after the pitch, claimed that the pitch slipped and he was not trying to hit Manny. I’m not sure if I believe that, but I guess whoever heard his appeal believes it to some extent. He will serve his suspension for tonight’s game in Detroit.
According to ESPN, the New York Knicks are making a serious push for current Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni to come to New York in the same capacity. In the report, the Knicks have outlined the parameters of a 5 year deal, which is apparently extremely lucrative. D’Antoni is clearly the Knicks top choice for their head coaching vacancy, but they face serious competition from the Chicago Bulls who also covet D’Antoni.
I expect the Mike D’Antoni sweepstakes to end some time in the next few days. While he is certainly a very qualified coach (and obviously a major upgrade over Isiah Thomas) I’m not convinced that he’s the best fit for the Knicks. He’s a renowned offensive genius and his teams are always fun to watch. Knick fans would love the run and gun offense that D’Antoni would bring to Madison Square Garden. But the Knicks biggest problem is on the defensive side of the ball, where the me-first attitude of most of their players allows other teams to put up major points on the Knickerbockers. D’Antoni has never been known as a defensive guru, and I think that’s what the Knicks should be looking for. (See Johnson, Avery) Don’t get me wrong, D’Antoni is a very good coach and the Knicks would be lucky to have him manning their sidelines. I’m just not sure that he’s the best fit.
Happy Birthday to John Brown, Mike Wallace, John Ashcroft, Candice Bergen, Billy Joel, Tony Gwynn, John Corbett, Ghostface Killah, Maggie Dixon, Brandon Webb, Bill Murphy, Prince Fielder and Jake Long
Tonight I made my long-awaited return to the best place in the world: The Right Field Bleachers. Some of my favorite times and best memories have come while sitting amongst the Bleacher Creatures. Those guys are the best of the best. Yankee fans are the best fans in all of sports and the Bleacher Creatures are the best of the Yankee fans. Their trademark “Roll Call” has garnered national attention, and their chants and taunts (usually directed at opposing fans, opposing outfielders and people in the box seats) are legendary.
It’s been a long time since I’ve sat out in right field, because tickets out there are very hard to come by these days. Ever since Filip Bondy wrote the classic book Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season With the Bleacher Creatures at Yankee Stadium, the popularity of right field has exploded. So as you can imagine, I was eagerly awaiting tonight’s game.
Well, it was a colossal letdown as the Yankees offense threw out a complete stinker, getting shut out by Cliff Lee and the Cleveland Indians by a score of 3-0. The Yankees only managed to get 7 hits during the game, and then were unable to bring the runners home. They never gave the fans a chance to get in the game, as it looked like one of those nights from the very beginning. Chien-Ming Wang was solid tonight, allowing 3 runs in 7 innings while taking the loss. The Creatures were very tame tonight. There were some scattered boos directed at Indian fans and some taunts at Cleveland centerfielder Grady Sizemore, but nothing compared to their usual legendary antics.
Either way, it was great to be back in right field tonight. I have so many great memories from out there, I’ll always enjoy sitting there. And if you ask me, dollar for dollar there’s no better seat in the house than in right field. It’s as close to a dead-center view as you can get at Yankee Stadium, you can get a great view of every single pitch and you can get very good reads on balls hit into play. While tonight wasn’t as great as I hoped it would be, it was still a good time and luckily it won’t be the last time I sit in right field this year. In the meantime, enjoy the video I took of the Roll Call and some pictures I took from out there.
Happy Birthday to President Harry S. Truman, Edd Roush, Don Rickles, Sonny Liston, Mike Cuellar, Alex Van Halen, Bill Cowher, Ronnie Lott, Korey Stringer, Speedy Claxton, John Maine and Adrian Gonzalez
One of my most memorable posts on this blog was reporting that former NY Mets pitcher (and legendary nut case), Jose Lima, was signed by the Kia Tigers. The Tigers are a Korean baseball club.
It has come to my attention that Lima’s stint in Korea has been pretty awful.
According to the East Windup Chronicle, Lima’s stats (as of April 16) were as follows:
0-1, 21.2 IP, 28 hits, 15 ER, 7K, 6BB, 6.23 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 2.91 K/9, OBA .322
The story doesn’t end there.
Apparently, a Korean newspaper then reported that Lima had been released by the club. This story, which was easy to believe, traveled everywhere. In fact, Jose Lima’s Wikipedia biography currently lists Lima as unemployed.
That story, however, has since been refuted. Lima is in fact still under contract, and will be given a few more starts to prove himself.
Ohh Thank God, I can sleep well tonight.
By the way, today, May 7, marks the two year anniversary of Lima pitching for the Mets.
Ian Kennedy was dominant in his first start in AAA after his recent demotion. In 7.1 innings for the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees, Kennedy gave up just one hit, no runs and no walks while striking out eight batters. He was very efficient, throwing just 90 pitches in those 7.1 innings. He faced just 24 batters, two over the minimum (he hit one batter) to get the win.
This is all very encouraging, but it makes me wonder. Where was this in the major leagues this year? Sure I like to see our AAA ballclub do well but I could care less in comparison to the real Yankees. Either way, nice to see Ikky sort of getting back on track. Hopefully this will build his confidence in himself and the organization’s confidence in him. I really hope things work out for Kennedy for three main reasons:
His success is vital to the Yankees success.
I like to see our young guys do well.
His replacement is Kei Igawa, and I would be the happiest man alive if I never saw him in Pinstripes again (although that doesn’t appear to be the case).
Hopefully this is the start of the Ian Kennedy turnaround. We know he can pitch well in the Show because he’s done it before.
Happy Birthday to Commodore William Bainbridge (for whom Bainbridge Avenue in the Bronx is named), Gary Cooper, Dick Williams, Johnny Unitas, Tim Russert, Owen Hart, Eagle Eye Cherry, Breckin Meyer, Shawn Marion, Alex Smith, Drew Stanton, James Loney and Drew Neitzel
Several media outlets are now reporting that Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will be awarded the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award later today. Bryant, arguably the league’s most popular player, will be receiving this distinction for the first time in his career.
There is no debate that Kobe “qualifies” for the award. Some fans however, are annoyed that the award may have been conferred as a kind of lifetime achievement. Always a deserving candidate, an MVP award was the missing piece to Kobe’s prolific profile. Some cogent arguments against Kobe winning the award include the following:
The Lakers had their best stretch this season after acquiring F Pau Gasol. They went 5-5 in the ten games he (Gasol) could not play.
Kevin Garnett deserved the award because he is the defining player of the greatest one year turn around in NBA History.
The Hornets, the league’s biggest surprise, beat to the drum of superstar PG Chris Paul.
Lebron James. Period.
All good arguments, indeed. But this issue leads to an even bigger one…
Every year, the MLB, the NFL, the NHL, and NBA designate most valuable players. It is a longtime tradition. But what exactly constitutes the league’s most valuable player? What are the qualifications? Here lies the crux of the debate:
1. Should it be a title given to the best player in the sport? If that’s the case, Alex Rodriguez should have roughly twice the American League MVP awards he already possesses.
2. Should it be given to the best player on the team with the league’s best record? Well, then Kevin Garnett should be having a press conference today and not Bryant.
3. Should it be given to the player who statistically had the best season? What if the player’s statistics were contributing to a last place team? Can/Should we award mediocrity? Which stats are more important?
I mentioned those specifically because they are usually the interpretations that sports writers have when voting on a certain player. While I hate the subjectivity of the interpretations, I am not suggesting there should be some algorithm to identify the award winner either. The dehumanization of sports (e.g. the BCS computer system) is an issue that could be an entire post itself.
My conclusion is trivial. I have no idea what an MVP award really means. I guess it’s like being voted class president in high school. Sure, it looks good on paper, but all it really means is that you’re popular.
Not that this has any relevance to sports, but the New York Post apparently got a preview of Cynthia Rodriguez’s interview with YES on the show YESterday’s, and she relayed a story that A-Rod had passed out during the birth of his first daughter. Some quotable stuff right here:
“The one nurse had a cold cloth on his head. The other nurse had the blood pressure on his arm. And my mother was like rubbing his back. And he is passed out on a couch. And I am there, in the middle of labor,” Cynthia Rodriguez, wife of the New York Yankees star, said on an episode of the YES Network’s “YESterdays” that is scheduled to be broadcast Wednesday night.
“And really, I am not being paid much attention to besides the doctor and a couple of nurses,” she said. “And he is there moaning. In between pushing, I am going, `Honey, are you OK?’ and `Are you breathing? Are you OK?’ “
Later on in the story:
“As tough and big as he seems, he is real wimpy around doctors or any type of medical situation,” Cynthia Rodriguez said, according to excerpts released Tuesday by YES. “I don’t know why I thought the birth of our child would be different. In the middle of the night, I realized that I needed to go to the hospital. I wake him up. The first thing that comes out of his mouth, `Can we call your mother?’ … A few hours later, I said, `I think you can call my mom now.’ Uh, and the color came back to his face when I told him he could call my mom.”
Now, if you ask our resident Yankee fan Bill Slattery about A-Rod, he will probably tell you about his tirade via Instant Messenger Away Messages, featuring such classics as “A-Rod drinks wine coolers”. And while I understand that a lot of men probably pass out during child labor, it just adds to A-Rod’s not so manly demeanor that he carries. I also love how badly his wife sold him out about the whole ordeal. Now that is true love. I guess the pay back was due after A-Rod got caught with that blond stripper.
Willie Randolph doesn’t think it was an accident that the Mets New York Mets looked so relaxed while taking two of three from the Diamondbacks in Arizona over the weekend.
Randolph admitted yesterday that the constant negativity from the fans at Shea Stadium so far this year - an obvious carryover from last September’s epic collapse - has turned the road into a welcome refuge.
“In our mind, we moved on,” Randolph said of last season’s historic meltdown. “Obviously, the fans are having a tough time moving past that.”
Met players and officials were struck by how supportive and mild-mannered the fans were in Arizona, even when the hometown Diamondbacks struggled. It was a far cry from Shea in April, when even 2-1 counts on opposing hitters drew boos.
This is a tough thing, because their are valid arguments in favor of both the fans and the team. Being born and raised in New York, I believe that it’s every fans God-given right to boo whenever they want. There is obviously still a huge carryover from last year’s collapse, especially in the eyes of the fans. The fans are still angry at this team for their historic meltdown, and they are letting them know it by booing. However, while I believe that fans can boo at any time, that does not mean that they should boo. I went to a lot of Yankee games in April 2005, the first season after our unfortunate series of events the previous October. The fans were very supportive of the team, and if anything they cheered for the Yankees more than they had before October 2004.
I’ll admit that I don’t watch many Met games. I watch the Yankees just about every night, and that doesn’t leave me much time to watch the Mets, so I can’t really comment on the extent of the booing at Shea. But what I do know is this: The fans booed Johan Santana after his first start at home, a game in which he wasn’t spectacular but was far from bad. (His final line was 6.2 innings pitched, 6 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned runs, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts.) Like I said, not great but not Lima-esque. Booing that kind of performance is way out of line, especially when weeks earlier he was hailed as the savior of the franchise and this was his first start at Shea. And if Willie Randolph (who has a long history and good understanding of baseball and fans in New York) feels that it’s necessary to comment on the negative impact the fans have had on his team, then the booing must be out of line.
Happy Birthday to Sigmund Freud, Toots Shor, Orson Welles, Willie Mays, Bob Seger, Tony Blair, John Abraham and Chris Paul
In his ESPN Insider column, Peter Gammons notes that this past off season, the Texas Rangers asked the Mets for Aaron Heilman, Mike Pelfrey, and Deolis Guerra in exchange for Vincente Padilla.
Ummmmmmmmmmmm. So basically we got Johan Santana for cheaper then Vincente Padilla. Is Jon Daniels on crack? The only GM who would be stupid enough to take that trade would be Jim Duquette. Yeah I just went there. Vincente Padilla. HA!
looked so relaxed while taking two of three from the Diamondbacks in Arizona over the weekend.