-- with Mikey Stew, Doc, & Johnny B --

"You push to row upstream in a river, and you don't stop rowing once you get to where you want. You have to keep pushing, and for a short time, we've stopped rowing." -- reliever Mike Stanton

(Lunenburg, October 1, 2000) OK - Got to say it - they suck!

I have no idea what has gone wrong with them, but it is almost unreal. A couple of weeks ago they were coasting into the playoffs, making Cashman look like a genius, and sharpening their sword for the playoffs. Then, the roof fell in. It is rare to see a team collapse like this. This is not just a bad streak, it is incredibly poor. Even the Rays beat up on them! It is almost as if it were fixed. How can a team with all of thise fine players totally collapse? They were a great team in July and August. They have what should be solid pitching, and a potent offense. Who the hell knows?

Well - the only thing is that I would not count them out in the playoffs. They have certainly been a money team, and October is generally their time to shine. I doubt that they will roll over and play dead. Hopefully they will pull out of this funk and come back to go all the way again. Keep the faith.

(St. Pete, September 29, 2000) The D-Rays sure are making it uncomfortable for the World Champs. And odd as it may seem, considering the Rays are entrenched in the cellar, they're making their presence known throughout the AL East. Since the infamous Pedro-brawl a month back, the Red Sox have limped on to a 15-15 record. Last weekend the Rays pretty much ended the hopes of the Jays, taking 3 of 4 at SkyDome. Now a sweep of the Yanks, whilst the Red Sox swept the White Sox in Chicago. A round of Wolaver's Pale Ale (Certified Organic) for the Devil Rays! Now they 'entertain' the Red Sox for three, then the postseason. Well, sort of. A makeup game with the high-flyin' Oakland A's could be in the cards for Monday. So they'll have a chance to screw up things in the West as well...

While the Red Sox are still on life support, as Derek Lowe put it, the Yanks need only one win to take the division. But they are not pitching, not executing, and a bit worried it seems. Face it, this team has not had a good year. Who'd have thought the East could be had with 90 (or less!) wins. Who'd have thought the Yankees, rejuvenated after the break with a batch of new stars (Neagle, Justice, Canseco, Hill), would collapse in the final weeks. Who'd have thought a pitching staff with Clemens, El Duque, Cone, Neagle, and Pettitte would be unable to produce a pitcher with an ERA under 3.70? And who'd a thunk you could find such a rich flavorful brew (a.k.a. Wolaver's) just a stones-throw from the Trop?

After taking the first game 2-1, the D-Rays shifted into high gear, taking Wednesday's game 11-1, then crushing the Rocket (13-8, 3.70) 11-3. Last night's contest began with two Yankees getting nailed at the plate on the same play. And went downhill from there... They've got to be a little concerned. In the past they could rely on Texas and the Braves sitting down for them, but this year's playoffs will feature some tough young teams, teams like the A's and the White Sox who must be considered formidable foes. It's a fresh start in the postseason, but you want a couple of your starters in peak form. This being said, the Yankees are $130 million worth of baseball's best talent, and have earned the right to be called favorites to win it all. Hope I Die Before I Get Old...

The Sox tonight became the next D-Ray casualty, and the Yanks have the division title. Again. My fun is over... sho' glad I didn't update the Sox page - maybe a TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS page is in the offing!!!

(St. Pete, September 27, 2000) Albie Lopez, the D-Rays most effective pitcher this year, out-DUQUED El Duque 2-1 and delayed the inevitable Yankee celebration. The Jays did their part, losing to the Orioles, also by a score of 2-1. What's the deal with all this stingy pitching we're seeing lately? All around baseball, too. Must be a directive from the Commissioner. Even the Yankees couldn't bring in a crowd to the Trop this time around - 19,000, or so they said. So much baseball history in this area, hard to understand. Florida's full into football now, but for $3 you would think some folks would take a peak at the Yankee dynasty.

Gerald Williams' 21st tater stood 'til the 9th when Posada cracked #28 to tie it. In the bottom of the 9th, Fred McGriff singled in the walk-off winner. A dazzling defensive gem was turned in by Jose Guillen in the 8th when he gunned down Paul O'Neill at the plate. Yet another glorious victory for the Devil Rays, (presumedly) on the road to improvement.

Before the game, as part of a charity radio promo, I proudly exchanged my Yankee cap for a D-Rays model. "Johnny B has a Yankee cap???" FAGETTABOTTIT!!! One was bought for shock value a few years back and the other was a giveaway at Legends Field a few weeks back. It was in the outbox, heading for Lunenburg, but now it's in the hands of the Boy's Club of New York.

           g  cg   inn    h    hr   bb    k     w-l   era
Pettitte  31   3   203   213   17   76   123   19-8   3.98
Rusch     30   2   185   192   17   43   155   11-11  4.02

The biggest difference, of course, is Andy Pettitte's won-lost - he's got a chance for his second 20-win season. And understand that Pettitte has been an important starter for the Yanks the last few years. Lifetime he's now 100-54 (topshelf) with a 3.98 ERA (ehh...) This illustrates something else that baseball people know but largely ignore: getting credited with a win does not necessarily equate to pitching well. Glendon Rusch's season, in my estimation, is superior to Andy's. The difference is Rusch's excellent strikeout/walk ratio. Pettitte has reaped the reward of 7.5 runs a game, amongst the highest run-support in baseball. Lifetime is a different story, with Pettitte pitching solid ball for 6 years and Rusch really having his first decent year (after two stinkers in KC). Incidently, Rusch is 25 and Pettitte is 28. And they say southpaws mature later, so these two could prosper. Then again, I am a 46 year old lefty that has not yet shown any signs of maturity or prosperity...

Incidently, Derek Jeter has also reached a milestone tonight. More 'n likely, he ain't celebratin'. He got hit #1000 in another Yankee massacre, this time at the hands of the Tigers, and by a tally of 15-4. Gooden started and Cone fanned the flames. When it really doesn't count, the Yanks are playing horribly. I read very little into this...

The D-Rays took 3 of 4 from the B-Jays, so the Yankee magic number is now 2. Tomorrow, and without the aid of Mikey Stew to sneak into the Corporate Picnic Area, I will enter the Trop, $3 ticket in hand, and watch those same D-Rays stick another thorn into the hoof of the Mighty Bombers.

PLAYER  AVG   G  AB  R   H  TB 2B 3B  HR RBI  BB  SO

Posada .293 140 468 87 137 250 33  1  26  84 103 138

Piazza .324 126 450 83 146 275 24  0  35 104  53  66

Batting average: Yep Piazza has the higher average. Gotta give him that.

Games Played: Edge goes to Posada. Apparently he has been more durable than the Pizza man.

At Bats: Even Steven:

Runs Scored: Posada has the edge despite batting 6th and 7th in the order all year and having what has been a disappointing bottom of the order in charge of getting him in. This can be explained by the following.

Hits: Pretty even here. I do think we need to take a look at walks combined with hits though. Piazza has 9 more hits than Posada so that is really pretty even. However, Posada has 50 more walks than Piazza. I haven't done the math on Piazza but I do know that Posada is 7th in the league in OBP at .425. I couldn't get an immediate number on Piazza because MLB.com only lists the top 10. And he's not in it. Going back to the runs scored area, you get on base more and you score more.

Power stats: Home runs are not the only thing that shows how much power a player has. Those balls in the alley are also a sign of a good power hitter. As you can see, Piazza has 9 more homers than Posada. However, Posada has 9 more doubles and the only triple between them. Pretty damn close I would say.

Runs Batted In: Despite the fact that Piazza has 20 more RBI's than Posada I have to give this to Posada. Let's remember that Posada has gotten his RBI's from the 6th and 7th holes. It's a hell of a lot harder to get RBI's that far down in the lineup. Piazza bats in the premier RBI spot.

Strikeouts: Posada strikes out way more. But given the similar at bat numbers and the fact that Posada has a better OBP than Piazza I guess that means Piazza must be doing more grounding out and flying out. Pick yer poison.

Fielding: Piazza actually has less passed balls than Posada. Posada with 10 and Piazza with a mere 2. Piazza though seems to have a real problem throwing the ball. Posada has had 65 bases stolen against him compared to 105 for Piazza. Sorry but I'll take the extra 8 passed balls over an extra 40 guys advancing on a poor arm. Posada has thrown out 32 and Piazza 31. That means Posada throws out 33% of opposing base runners as opposed to Piazza throwing out 23%. maybe his arm is just tired because everyone runs against him.

Just sayin'

(St. Pete, September 14, 2000) I gots 2 words fer ya, Mikey Stew, and they ain't Merry Christmas. PUDGE RODRIGUEZ!!! Why even discuss the merits of a simple Hall of Famer and a solid journeyman when PUDGE is in the house? -- JB

(Lunenburg, September 13, 2000) I had to write something about the Yanks, as they look like they will go for everything again this year. They are showing once again that they are the best team in baseball, and this year has been a crazy one for them.

The season started off ok, if not a bit slow, through April and May. However, they died in June, having the worst month that they have had in years. Some felt that they were washed up - that they had gotten too old. Others thought that they would miraculously revive. Most of us felt that it was something in between - that they were a better team than what they were playing like, but they needed some changes. The core that held them together through '98 and '99 had eroded some, and for others age may have been a factor. While the starting team was similar, a lot of the depth was gone.

The moves the Yanks started making in June generally turned out to be brilliant. David Justice is better than Ledee or Spencer ever thought about being - the first true power hitter in years. With Cone failing, and several other (not so young) pitchers getting injured, attaining Neagle and Gooden was critical. With Neagle they get a quality left hander, and Gooden has been a very pleasant surprise. Glenallen Hill and Jose Conseco give them depth of power off of the bench, and Sojo and others lend depth in the field. Clearly this was enough to push them to the top again.

In addition to the new guys, some of the old ones have hung tough. Williams is having a career year, and Jeter is back in the groove again. O'Neill is consistent - no matter how old he gets, he will probably hit right around .300 with 100 RBI's. Posada has come into his own as one of the better catchers in the game. Clemens has been a true ace since July 1, and is now second in ERA to Pedro. Pettitte has regained his form from several years ago, and probably will win 20. El Duque seems to be coming around, and only Cone is still really questionable. What an amazing staff that probably could write off the loss of this great pitcher, and still win like crazy!

We will see what happens with the rest of the season and the post season. I will bet on the Bombers to repeat, although clearly anything can happen. Whatever goes on from here, they have given their fans a typically exciting season with a lot to be proud of. Rock on!

Can't Fight $hitty Hall

(St. Pete, September 14, 2000) THEY'RE BACK!!!!! Yeah, and don't think I haven't noticed. Whilst ranting and raving about the injustice of politics, business, and baseball, an old-timer (and I use this term respectfully, as I have been retired for a coupla months now) slapped me upside the head and clued me in.

"The Yankees have ALWAYS had more money than anyone else. The Yankee dynasty was built on the fact that no one could afford to compete with them. Gates and Clinton are rookies in this league - in baseball this has been happening since the '20s, and probably before," he said, and he slud off a perfect shot down Shuffleboard Lane #3. Well, I must admit, that shook me up. Yeah, I was now down by 4 and it was 'hail Mary' time... But that's another story.

In all honesty, it's not that I don't appreciate watching this Yankee team. I am a baseball fan, and these dudes play baseball. It's not an all-star team (like the Red Machine) though many are all-stars. They are gamers, and that is the ultimate. Bernie Williams, O'Neill and Jeter, of course, but journeymen like Brosius all get the big hits. Of course it is pitching that has defined the '90s dynasty. Many Yankee fans felt Clemens was unnecessary. Baseball people will tell you Wells has not had nearly the year Clemens has. Maybe now that's obvious. Of course, New York fans (like Boston fans) have a short memory. Being a senile New Yorker I can say with conviction that... where was I... Oh yeah, the best player in the game is Barry Bonds, who will collect his 4th MVP Award and lead the Giants to the Championship!