SB Nation - Roger Clemens

Top Moments '09: No. 9 - The Roller Coaster Ride At Fenway

ltrain2 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:00:18 -0000

Mike Lowell celebrating his game winning 3-run home run against the New York Yankees 04/25/09.

OTM COVERAGE: 0157H7's postgame recap of the Red Sox's memorable moment #9 of 2009
GAME RECAP: 4/25/09: New York Yankees 11 Boston Red Sox 16

What list of this nature would be complete without a good old fashioned Yankees vs. Red Sox matchup? And how can it get any better than a game featuring 27 total runs scored, a six-RBI night from the recently departed Mike Lowell, five lead changes (the last of course being the best), and a battering of newly acquired Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett?

Yes this game had it all, ultimately resulting in what was Boston's ninth straight win at the time -- second straight over the struggling Yankees (Boston would go on to sweep New York in the 3-game set at Fenway).

The Yankees began a night that was initially billed as a pitcher's duel between former Florida Marlins teammates Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett by jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the top half of the 4th inning, thanks in large part to Robinson Cano, who blasted a 2-run home run in the third frame and followed that up with a 2-run double in the fourth (both at the hands of Beckett) to produce the Sox's 6-run deficit.

However, the Sox's bats wouldn't let the Yankees off the hook that easy, something that became the theme of the night when everything was said and done.

Boston's offense awoke from their early game slumber in a big way during their half of the fourth inning. After Pedroia, Youkilis, and Drew filled up the bases, Jason Bay got the scoring started with an RBI single. Varitek wasted no time in continuing the onslaught slugging a grand-slam off of a now visably shaken Burnett.

Beckett settled, albiet temporarily, in the fifth by tossing a scoreless frame (quite the feat on this particular night). Burnett's half of the inning, however, failed to go as smoothly. Jacoby Ellsbury homered to right field to erase the once six run lead even quicker than it was created. With the score knotted at six runs a piece, Bay again came through big, this time knocking a double that plated both David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis. Somehow, after being down 6-0, the Sox found themselves up 8-6 heading into the sixth inning. Believe it or not, it gets even more ridiculous from here.

In possibly the worst way possible, the Yankees managed to tie the game at 8-8 in the top half of the sixth. Once iconic Red Sox outfielder Johnny Damon homered scoring Yankees captain Derek Jeter, quickly destroying the small lead that Boston had worked so hard for. Without recording an out in the sixth, Beckett's night was finished. Final line: Ugly.

Boston would again grab hold of the lead in their half of the sixth following a David Ortiz sacrifice fly that scored Nick Green. Heading into the seventh inning: Yankees 8 Red Sox 9.

By this point, you should be able to guess what happens next. If you guessed that there would be yet another lead change, then it's safe to assume that you've been doing a bang-up job paying attention so far. Good work. This time, the Yankees' runs came via a rare error from second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Berroa and Gardner both scored as a result of the play as the Sox handed the lead back to New York, 10-9.

With the star of the previous game Jason Bay standing at the plate in the seventh, the Yankees decided to intentionally walk him and take their chances with Mike Lowell. Not the right move on this night. Lowell proceded to hit a 3-run blast Over The Monster (a little self-promoting there, forgive me) giving the Red Sox a 12-10 lead. A lead that, despite the trend leading up to this point in the game, actually managed to hold up.

Cano made things interesting in the eighth by cutting the lead to one with a solo home run, his second long ball of the game, but that would be all the runs that New York would accrue on this night. Pedroia added and RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, subsequently followed by Mike Lowell's bases-clearing double, bringing us to our final score of 16-11.

Just writing this game summary has given me a splitting headache.

After the game, Bay put it best:

"It was one of the more unbelievable games I've been involved in as far as back and forth," said Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay. "It was a little bit of everything, and the bullpen again held and we got some timely hits."

Interesting facts from the Red Sox's victory over the Yankees

The six run comeback was the largest since 1968, when Boston came back after being down 9-3 to beat New York by a final score of 11-10.
Lowell started the game 0-3 with two strikeouts, stranding five baserunners, only to finish with six RBIs (the most for any Red Sox player against the Yankees since Carlton Fisk circa 1973).
The 27 total runs was tied for the fourth most scored in this rivalry at the time.
The game's two starting pitchers, Beckett and Burnett, both surrendered eight runs. The first time since 1987 that both starters in a Yankee-Red Sox matchup allowed eight or more runs. The two that accomplished the feat prior to this game? Tommy John and Roger Clemens.
Mark Teixeira became the first Yankee to register five walks in a game since Roger Maris did it back in 1962.
A total of twelve pitchers threw a combined 385 pitches, managing to retire the side in order just twice (once for each team).
The 4 hours and 21 minutes that it took to complete this game is tied for the sixth-longest non-extra inning affair in baseball history. The top two on that list belonging to, of course, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.

Red Sox re-sign Tim Wakefield

Eli Greenspan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:18:23 -0000

More photos » by Eric Shelton - ASSOCIATED PRESS

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WEEI.com's Rob Bradford is reporting that the Red Sox have come to terms on a two-year deal with pitcher Tim Wakefield.

The new contract will pay the 43-year-old a guaranteed $5 million — $3.5 million in ‘10 and $1.5 million in ‘11 — with the opportunity to earn various incentives that could bring the package’s total worth to approximately $7 million over the two years.

The signing comes after the Red Sox declined his 4 million dollar club option for the 2010 season. Wakefield, who underwent surgery on a herniated disk, is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

He is just three wins away from tying the record for most wins by a pitcher in a Red Sox uniform, currently shared by Roger Clemens and Cy Young at 192.

Curt Schilling: Be A Man, Pitch On Three Days Rest

Randy Booth — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:38:38 -0000

More photos » by Steven Senne - AP

3 months ago: FILE - In a Feb. 24, 2008, file photo, then-Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schiling poses for a photo in Fort Meyers, Fla. Schilling won't run for Edward M. Kennedy's seat in the U.S. Senate. Schilling made the announcement on "Joe Buck Live" on HBO on Tuesday night, Sept. 22, 2009. Earlier this month, the 42-year-old Schilling expressed interest in running for the seat held by the Massachusetts Democrat for almost 50 years before he died in August. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

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If Curt Schilling was still playing, he'd be pitching on three days rest tonight. Why? Because that was the man Curt Schilling was:

From a starting pitcher’s standpoint, three days’ rest in October was never an issue, because from the time you’re 5 years old, doing that "World Series" replay in your back yard, it’s the game, the innings, the at-bats you’ve always dreamed about having the ball in your hand for.

I’ve always appreciated the respect pitching on three days’ rest in October got you, but go back to 2001, go to 2004 and beyond, and when you look at anyone pitching on three days’ rest you realize there were far bigger goings-on.

[...]

I always felt the other teams thought that they were going to be getting a "lesser version" of me on three days’ rest. The Yankees said as much after the 2001 World Series. I thought that gave me a huge advantage. Before they could figure out I wasn’t "less," and didn’t have diminished stuff, we’d be in the third or fourth inning.

I guess for me it comes back to the player. I always felt the need to make sure the manager KNEW I wanted to do it, and ya, I’d put up a fight to get the shot to be able to do it. If as a player you don’t assert this, you leave the manager sitting there in a no-win, really. If he does it, and you don’t do well, it’s his fault for pushing you. If he doesn’t do it, and you lose, it’s not your fault because he didn’t ask. That’s the easy way, I think, and I’ve watched guys take it more than once. Being the "quiet type," I never could. You may never be there again, and the belief that in October I could not be outpitched, regardless of whether it was true or not, made me push to get the ball in my hands if at all possible.

Some gems from Mr. Schilling in his post. It's nice to get an inside look at a Hall of Fame pitcher (yes, he is. Should we have that conversation, too?) when it comes to the postseason. I'd like to see Schilling on these damn Fox pregame shows. Now that would be fun to watch.

Here's my favorite part of the story, though, which gave me goosebumps:

Sitting on the bench before heading to the bullpen to start warming up for Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, I was sitting next to Brian Matuzas, our bullpen catcher and a good friend. In my head I’d just had a conversation with my Dad, who passed away suddenly when I was 21. I was nervous, scared as hell, really, and I can remember his voice popping into my head.

"What the hell are you afraid of? You’ve worked your ass off, you’re going to go down, get loose, and then you’re going to take the mound in front of billions of people for Game 7 of the World Series against Clemens and the Yankees. All that fluff aside, after the first pitch you are doing what you’ve loved, what you’ve done your whole life. You’ll bust your ass, give it everything you have, and hopefully you win, but at the end of this night you’ll have nothing left to give."

When I finished the thought I was smiling, sort of laughing at how casual he was about what many consider high-stress situations.

Tooz’ looks at me, he’s literally sweating, "Dude, what the hell! How can you be smiling right now?"

"What? What’s not to smile about, man? I am starting Game 7 of the fricking World Series against Roger Clemens and the New York Yankees? How cool is that?"

He replies, "Schill, I’m the f-ing bullpen catcher and I can’t breathe."

Six for Six

dajafi — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:26:33 -0000

More photos » by Jason DeCrow - AP

The man who gave us Game Six. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

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We have exactly six hours, as I write this, before the scheduled first pitch of World Series Game Six. Below, a half-dozen thoughts, most of which have been bubbling for a few days now, to pass at least a bit of that time:

Tonight's pitching matchup, in which future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez (age 38) goes for the Phillies against all-time postseason wins leader Andy Pettitte (37) for the Yankees, is the first time two starters with a combined age of 75 or older have faced off in the Series since Game One of the 2005 Fall Classic between the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox, when two ex-Yankees, Roger Clemens (then 43) and Jose Contreras (allegedly 33) went at it. Pettitte's on three days' rest, Pedro is facing an augmented lineup compared to the one he saw in Game Two (when weak-hitting Jose Molina, not slugger Jorge Posada, was behind the plate), and it's gonna be cold. The game easily could become a battle of the bullpens, a scary prospect for both managers.
Phils second baseman Chase Utley has tied Reggie Jackson's World Series record with five home runs in the five games thus far. As several pundits have noted, there's a real chance that Utley could be named the Most Valuable Player of the Series even if the Yankees win: no one player has stood out for New York other than perhaps Johnny Damon, who's batting .381 and has scored five runs, including the Game Four winner; and closer Mariano Rivera, who has finished off all three Yankee wins to this point. (Hideki Matsui is batting .556 with two homers, but he was reduced to pinch-hitting for the three games in Philly; he has just nine at-bats.) Meanwhile, Utley hit two homers in each of the Phils' wins, has scored six times, leads all batters with eight RBIs, and is basically the only reason the Phils have generated any offense in light of Ryan Howard's epic slump and overall subpar hitting from Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez. If Pettitte pitches a great game tonight and gets the win, he'll be MVP with two victories in the Series--but if, say, the Yankees win a high-scoring game in which someone like Mark Teixeira (2 for 19 thus far) or Robinson Cano (3 for 18) is the big hitting star, while Utley goes 4 for 5 with another homer and a bunch of RBI, he'll probably by the MVP. This would be, at best, terribly awkward: for Chase Utley, the one downside of greatness is having to be recognized for his greatness. Imagine Fox's Ken Rosenthal saying, "Congratulations Chase, but your team lost--how do you feel?" You'll get either nothing or a response they'd better have on at least a five-second delay.

Neither manager has covered himself in glory this Series. As I've written here many times, I think Charlie Manuel is easily the greatest manager in Phillies history--but his in-game decisions hurt the team in each of the last four games. He went with Martinez too long in Game Two, made an inexplicable decision to pinch-hit helpless Eric Bruntlett in a big spot in Game Three and then left reliever Chad Durbin in too long when he obviously had no command, did the same with Brad Lidge in the nightmarish Game Four, and then futzed around with the outfield defensive alignment late in Game Five to near-disastrous effect. Maybe worse, he has a dead spot on his roster in the person of rookie lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo, who hasn't yet pitched in the Series and almost certainly won't unless the Phils are getting blown out; meanwhile, with Victorino hurting after getting hit on the hand early in Game Five, there's a chance he'll have to use Bruntlett, among the worst hitters in baseball, as his DH or left fielder in a win-or-die game tonight. I'd seriously rather see Cliff Lee or Hamels--both lefties, mind you--in the lineup against Pettitte.
Meanwhile, Yankee manager Joe Girardi failed to leverage the advantage he earned by his team winning three of the first four games, starting talented but erratic righty A.J. Burnett on short rest for the house-money Game Five, watching him get pummeled, and now having to sweat out the 37 year-old Pettitte doing the same tonight. If he falls short, Game Seven would go to ace CC Sabathia, on double-short rest--a situation in which the Phillies knocked him around in the 2008 National League Division Series. Girardi's bullpen management has been questionable as well: heading toward the end of the Series, he really only can trust Rivera (who, distressingly for the Phils, probably is good for two innings tonight) and perhaps veteran lefty Damaso Marte and rookie righty David Robertson.
It hurts to admit this, but if the Yankees go on to win, the big turning point in the Series will have been the role reversals of Cole Hamels and Pettite in Game Three. Hamels took a 3-0 lead into the fourth inning, got a tough call on a full-count pitch to Teixiera that went for a walk, and then fell to pieces, allowing a controversial home run to Rodriguez that made it 3-2 and surrendering three more runs before getting pulled the next inning. It was Hamels' whole season writ small: bad luck or bad karma followed by bad pitching and a downward spiral he couldn't escape. (To be clear: I'm not slagging Hamels here. The guy was the single biggest reason we won it all last year; for that, from me, he has a lifetime pass.) Pettitte, by contrast, escaped near-disaster early on: he'd thrown 51 pitches and allowed three runs through two innings, but held the Phillies to one run over the next four on a night when, as he reportedly later told teammates, he had "nothing." I kind of hate the guy, as I do most ostentatiously religious athletes, but I can't deny that he pitched like a champion Saturday night.
There's a lot about the Yankees that baseball fans find irritating, from the eternal sense of entitlement among their fan base to the whining about balls and strikes and the innumerable, interminable mound conferences and other delaying tactics they've used in this Series. But what really turns my stomach about their push for a 27th world championship is the notion that they need to "win it for the Boss," ailing owner/tyrant George Steinbrenner. To put it mildly, this isn't a sympathetic guy: he's a convicted felon (for illegal campaign contributions to kindred spirit Richard Nixon) and a confirmed sexist--and this is even before you think about his depredations among team employees or his contributions to worsening baseball's competitive imbalance. As even Yankee great Don Mattingly acknowledged, he's less likable than Monty Burns. The Yankees, and their fans, should have enough reasons to crave victory beyond wanting to provide still more ego validation to a world-class asshole like Steinbrenner, who's probably too unwell to enjoy it anyway.

Meanwhile, the clock continues to wind toward 7:57pm and at least one more baseball game for the highest stakes.

What a game

Travis G — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:00:45 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

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CC Sabathia threw the best game by a Yankee in the playoffs since Andy Pettitte in 2003 (by 'Game Score'). He pitched eight innings, allowed four hits and one walk, and struck out seven.

His fastball was incredible, averaging 94 MPH and reaching 96. It actually increased in speed as the game went on. Of Sabathia's 113 pitches, 79 were fastballs. 67% of all his pitches went for strikes. He threw first pitch strikes to 17 of 29 batters. Anaheim got just two runners into scoring position.

What a treat it was to watch. May it happen again this series.

Scrapbook Memories 1989, Chapter 8

67MARQUEZ — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:54:53 -0000

Scrapbook Memories celebrates the 20th anniversary of Oakland's last World Series triumph. Since the day they set foot in Arizona some seven months prior, the A's mission for 1989 was clear; a wildly successful 1988 season had ended with a thud, leaving a sour taste in their collective mouths, and a sense of unfinished business.

But a not-so-funny thing happened on the way to Redemption City. The A's began the '89 campaign sans the services of reigning MVP Jose Canseco, who would miss the team's first 88 games. Fellow Rookies-of-the-Year Mark McGwire and Walt Weiss also spent considerable time on the disabled list. And Dennis Eckersley, who of all the A's had the most to prove, was lost for 40 contests. As a bullpen by committee kept Oakland in the hunt, Eck would later say all the injuries turned out to be a blessing in disguise:

"You really don't know what you have until you're forced to depend on it."

Indeed.

But it wasn't just the casualties that made for a tougher-than-expected run to the American League West crown, it was the season-long push by the California Angels and Kansas City Royals.

All summer long the A's were neck-and-neck with their division rivals, but as the calendar turned to September, Tony La Russa understood the luxury that comes with having a roster full of players who get a certain itch this time of year:

"The expression in our clubhouse is ‘for the money'. There's no doubt that one of the advantages of being in contention is, whether it's late August or September, you come to the ballpark and get that extra juice. When you get close to the end, you smell it. You get some extra pop."

The A's had "extra pop" to compensate for an injured Canseco.

After dropping an extra-inning affair to Milwaukee to open the month, the A's bashed the Brew Crew by scores of 7-2 and 5-0 to conclude an 8-5 trip, and looked to the comforts of home to bring them, well, home. La Russa cautioned against the idea that his club was in the driver's seat, not with the Royals looming just 2.5 games back:

"I think it comes down to a series of challenges. That's why you can't point at one or another will get you. Now we've got Boston. What we've got to do is get home and keep playing good baseball."

The Red Sox got the jump on the three-game series with an 8-5 win, and sent out Roger Clemens in the second contest, who entered with a 1-5 lifetime record against the A's. Opportunistic as ever, Oakland struck for four unearned runs in the second inning, with the only hit a two-run, two-bagger off the bat of Carney Lansford. The Rocket left after seven innings having allowed only three hits, but found himself down 5-1, a victim of shoddy defense and uncharacteristic wildness (five walks). While Clemens showered, the A's put the game out of reach with an 8-run eighth, as the first eight batters reached base. The next day, a Dave Parker grand slam highlighted a 7-5 victory that pushed the A's division lead to a season-high 4.5 games, and reduced their magic number to 19.

Up next were the New York Yankees, and a curious September trend was taking shape. Once again an Oakland opponent gained the upper hand with a victory in the first of a three-game set. And as they had done against Milwaukee and Boston, the A's came back to win the series. Mike Moore spun a complete-game, four-hit shutout while three of his teammates (Rickey, Jose, and Dave Henderson) homered in a 7-0 win, and in the finale, Dave Parker played the hitting hero once more with a first-inning, two-run blast that sent the A's on their way to a 6-2 triumph.

The A's split a two-game set with the Brewers by identical 7-6 scores, but their win felt more like a loss, at least to the man who ended up with the "W" next to his name. Before embarking on a ten-game road trip, La Russa sent Dave Stewart to the mound, in search of his 20th victory. Stew was less than stellar but still left after seven with a 6-4 lead. In came Eck for a two-inning save. He retired future Hall-of-Famers Paul Molitor and Robin Yount in a 1-2-3 eighth. Eckersley struck out Rob Deer to start the ninth. B.J. Surhoff singled to bring up Greg Vaughn, who homered to tie the game. Gone was the lead and Stewart's milestone. Stunned, Eck bore down to get the next two batters, and Dave Henderson saved the savior with a walk-off homerun leading off the bottom half. In the winning clubhouse afterwards, the two local boys took turns feeling sorry for each other:

"This is the absolute worst you can feel after a win", Eckersley said. "I'd give it back in a second. It hasn't sunk in yet, but I feel horrible."

"As far as I'm concerned, Eck's saved me 1,000 times", Stewart said. "I told him that."

In retrospect the A's may have let the bittersweet victory linger a little longer than they should have, and it showed in an ugly three-game sweep at Fenway Park. Even Roger Clemens beat them, as Oakland fell by scores of 7-2, 5-2, and 7-6, and committed seven errors in the process.

Next stop was Cleveland, and Stew was back on the hill for his second attempt at Number 20. He left after eight, with the A's ahead 2-1, having allowed just four hits. And then it happened. Again. Brook Jacoby took Eckersley deep for a game-tying homerun. Better now than in October, eh? The resilient A's rebounded again, with tenth-inning RBI knocks by Dave Henderson (who else?) and Tony Phillips to win it 4-2. The post-game mood was jovial compared to the first time, perhaps because the A's were happy to escape with a victory after the Boston Massacre.

"I think Eck is just trying to get to 20 before Stew", said Henderson through his famous gap-toothed grin that broke up all listeners in the A's clubhouse.

Mike Moore needed no late-game heroics from Hendu (or any other "A") as he tossed eight shutout innings at the Indians, and the A's finished off the sweep with an 8-6 win the next night.

Wins were suddenly coming in bunches as the A's eked out a 2-1 decision in Minnesota to open a four-game series, and Stewart- finally- got his 20th victory to run Oakland's streak to five games.

All that was left to put the finishing touches on a trying- but ultimately successful- season was to get home and clinch the division in front of friendly faces. The A's split their remaining two games in Minnesota and boarded a plane for Oakland with the title theirs for the taking. A 3-2 loss to Texas merely delayed the inevitable as a hard-fought 3-2 win the following night left their magic number at 1.

On September 27, I took my cousin Scott to the game. We arrived late; in fact we missed a Canseco missile in the first inning. We didn't miss much else. Neither did the A's. On display was the underrated part of this juggernaut: its defense. All season long, when player after player went down, two guys rose up: Tony Phillips and Mike Gallego. Yeah, you're saying "who?" if you're not an A's fan, but we knew how important they were. So did their teammates. That night, my second clincher in as many years, Phillips and Gallego, along with Mark McGwire and Walt Weiss, put together a highlight reel of defensive gems, all of which led to Oakland's 20th shutout of the season, and a second straight AL West crown. La Russa spoke in a reverent tone afterwards:

"There are three things that figure in this: the repeat factor, the injuries, and more importantly, the quality of competition this year. This club feels very good about itself. If you win with all those things, that's a hell of an accomplishment."

"We got a hell of a team."

Indeed.

Bloody Sox Laundry, 9/20 - The "UF Didn't Beat The Spread", Ells Beats the 0-2 Count Edition

bs.uf15bosox9bears23 — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 09:01:02 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

Get ready to see these two for a while.

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Let's get the Sox stuff out of the way first:

Jacoby Ellsbury and 0-2 counts - Extra Bases

VERY interesting stuff. I wonder if this is why his OBP has risen this season?

Roger Clemens* Keeps Digging Via Twitter - Fenway West

Poor Rogah. Just apologize already, man.

Team WAR vs Actual Wins - Beyond the Box Score
Graphs are fun. No breaking news here, but just good info to have.

After the jump, I pay up on the bet with Brad West.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Rocky Top lyrics

Wish that I was on ole rocky top,
Down in the tennessee hills.
Aint no smoggy smoke on rocky top,
Aint no telephone bills.

Once there was a girl on rocky top,
Half bear the other half cat.
Wild as a mink, sweet as soda pop,
I still dream about that.

Rocky top, youll always be
Home sweet home to me.
Good ole rocky top,
Rocky top tennessee, rocky top tennessee.

Once two strangers climbed on rocky top,
Lookin for a moonshine still.
Strangers aint come back from rocky top,
Guess they never will.

Corn wont grow at all on rocky top,
Dirts too rocky by far.
Thats why all the folks on rocky top
Get their corn from a jar.

Rocky top, youll always be
Home sweet home to me.
Good ole rocky top,
Rocky top tennessee, rocky top tennessee.

Now Ive had years of cramped up city life,
Trapped like a duck in a pen.
Now all I know is its a pity life
Cant be simple again.

Rocky top, youll always be
Home sweet home to me.
Good ole rocky top,
Rocky top tennessee, rocky top tennessee.

Rocky top tennessee, rocky top tennessee.
Yeah rocky top tennesee eee eee eee.

Brad West, you SOB. At least UF shouldn't drop in the polls - oh, and we finally got the lead in the series. So there's that.

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The '98 Yankees laugh at 50 losses

Travis G — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:38:30 -0000

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So the 2009 Yankees have the best record in baseball at 91-50. It struck me that 50 losses was the total for the 1998 team throughout the playoffs! At this point, the 'Greatest Team of the Post-Free Agency Era' was 100-41, nine games ahead of the current Yankee squad. They proceeded to go 25-9 the rest of the way, including 11-2 in the playoffs.

I remember listening to 770 WABC during that season, and Michael Kay (back when he shared the airwaves with John Sterling) was expounding the virtues of the Yankees, saying how a baseball team doing that was a once in a generation occurrence. Being only in high school, I naively thought it wouldn't be that seldom. After all, why couldn't the '99 Yankees do similar, as long as they fielded virtually the same team?

The 1999 Yanks were not as good (though they did have an even better playoff record of 11-1) despite trading for future first ballot (at the time) Hall of Famer Roger Clemens.

What was it that made the '98 team so special? The only major personnel difference was trading David Wells for Clemens, who was coming off consecutive Cy Young winning seasons in Toronto. But for whatever reason, he didn't match Wells' '98 year (18-4, 3.49 ERA) or live up to his lofty expectations (14-10, 4.60).

But it was more than just one pitching change. The lineup lacked a superstar but was solid all the way through. 10 players hit 10 or more homers; eight hit 17 or more, yet none topped 30.

The '09 squad has a chance to put up similar numbers. Through 141 games, nine players have at least 10 homers (Eric Hinske is sitting on seven), and a ridiculous seven have at least 20 homers. Unlike the 1998 team, the current lineup does have a legitimate superstar (guess who) and a border-liner in Tex.

On the pitching side, there's no contest - of the '98 team's six starters, not one had an ERA over 4.24; of '09's six main starters, only one has an ERA under 4.10.

Do the '09 Yankees have a touch of the '98 team in them? Yes, but we should hope for more than a touch.

Youk the Douche

jscape2000 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:30:16 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Let's wrestle!

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I watched Kevin Youkilis charge the mound last night, and I just nodded my head.

I know what's happening here: he's an ass.

The sports media should reevaluate the way it reported the Joba-Youk showdowns of the past few years.

Youk has always taken exceptional issue when pitches come near him:

Chamberlain threw inside, barely missing the Boston first baseman with a pitch that went behind his legs.

Youkilis took several steps toward the mound...

It all has to do with expectations. I remember a few seasons ago, Roger Clemens was pitching against Manny Ramirez, and everyone was expecting Rocket to buzz Ramirez. There was a pitch up, but hardly in, and Manny started toward the mound with the bat in his hand.

Maybe Youkilis is especially jumpy against young fireballers. Maybe he's trying to get in the head of a rookie, or maybe he's agitated because he doesn't want to be embarrassed by a pitcher with great stuff. Maybe he's jealous of players who were able to make the show before age 25.

He had been hit the night before, and Miguel Cabrera had been hit in the hand earlier in the game (he's been hit Monday, too). But why would Rich Porcello intentionally hit the first batter of the second inning? If you're going to drill someone, you do it late in the game, preferably with a big lead and two out.

I've seen Youkilis enough to be familiar with his behavior, but so far I haven't heard enough condemnation of charging the mound. It will be very, very interesting to see what his suspension will look like. AJ Burnett got 6 days for throwing a pitching that didn't hit anyone while counterpart was unsuspended for twice drilling Mark Teixeira.

This will be an interesting one to watch.

Clayton Kershaw is not for sale at any price

Phil Gurnee — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:13:56 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

The Dodgers best young LHP since Fernandomania is being offered as a sacrifice for a World Champion by the local media. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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via minos-the-minotaur-comic.dumbbum.net

The Minotaur is in the house today, can the best young Los Angeles Dodger LHP since Fernandomania break the Dodgers first three game losing streak of 2009? Only if the Dodgers oblige with a few runs of their own as he can't win the game on his own. If Clayton does what he normally does he will give us 5-6 innings of brilliant pitching. In his last eight starts he's shut out the opponent five times, given up one run once, and two runs twice, dropping his ERA from 4.13 to 2.96. Only twice has he not gone at least six innings. With this kind of performance and the subsequent struggles of Chad he may have moved into the number one spot in the rotation, a spot he may never relinquish.

Some scribes in Los Angeles may not have noticed but Clayton Kershaw is having a historic season given his age and southpawness. For more on this, turn the page.

Earlier this year Clayton Kershaw threw a special game but I didn't realize how special it was until reading a column by Joe Posnanski yesterday in which he mentioned this Bill James rule.

Bill James once wrote about how, if a big league pitchers strikes out 15 or more in a game while not walking anyone, you can conclude that he probably will be an outstanding big league pitcher. It’s one of those persuasive achievements. Look: Twenty-one pitchers have pulled it off since 1954 …

Dominant, Hall-of-Fame-type pitchers (9): Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Luis Tiant*, John Smoltz, Curt Schilling*, Johan Santana, Nolan Ryan, Mike Mussina*.

*These pitchers may or may not get into the Hall of Fame … but they have a case. Clemens is a whole other thing.

Pitchers seemingly on their way to dominant careers who were derailed by injury or some other issue (8): Dwight Gooden, Kerry Wood, Frank Tanana (who still had an excellent career), Mark Prior, Gary Nolan, Sam McDowell, Vida Blue, Erik Bedard.

Darned good pitchers (3): Mark Langston, Mario Soto, Sid Fernandez.

Anomaly: Sterling Hitchcock.

The day after Joe wrote the above quote Luke Hochevar struck out 13 and walked none, so Joe wondered how many pitchers had done that and what that might mean for the future of Luke Hochevar, which got me to wondering where Clayton Kershaw's April 15th masterpiece placed him. In that game Clayton struck out 13 and walked one which changed the dynamics of Hochevar's game, since Luke didn't walk anyone.

Part of the reason I was interested was the irritating comment from Tom Hoffarth in Monday's Daily News in which he advocated trading Kershaw for Halladay.

Someday, sure, he might throw a complete-game shutout, strike out 15 and walk just eight. But for now, he's unremarkably become the No. 2 bullet in an L.A. five-shooter that lacks anything to put fear into a playoff opponent. And don't even get us started on the bullpen.

Whatever description you want to place on Clayton's season so far unremarkable is the last adjective I'd use. Evidently Tom, was unaware that Clayton at the tender age of 21 on April 15th had already almost accomplished the above feat but he did it as a Dodger and he did it while only walking one. Now it is very possible that Tom andPlaschke are completely unaware of this game because the Lakers were still playing and the local media doesn't pay attention to the Dodgers until the Laker's close their doors for the summer. It might also explain why they have been oblivious to the great beginning that Chad Billingsley had to the season.

Tom and the other media guys would have traded 20 year old Fernando Valenzuela for Vida Blue thinking we needed an established "ace" to win a world series. Funny thing happened in 1981, we won a World Championship and it was Fernando who led us to that World Series.

So I looked into how many lefthanded pitchers had struck out 13 and walked one since 1954 since that is as far back at baseball reference goes for their play index on individual performances. The list is very impressive and even more impressive is that ClaytonKershaw is the youngest LH pitcher to have managed the feat. Only 20 southpaws have managed the feat in 55 years of baseball and of those 20 you have some of the greatest LH pitchers to ever pitch in the post integrated era. Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, Vida Blue, Ron Guidry, Johan Santana, and Mickey Lolich are names that anyone familiar with the history of baseball knows about. This doesn't prove anything but I was just curious how many southpaws had done this feat and how they stack up in history.

Every-time I do something like this I'm always reminded just how awesome Sandy Koufax was. He did this trick six times, with Randy Johnson pulling down four entries. Carlton, Hamels, Higuera, and Baylor Moore were able to do it twice.

Pitcher	Earliest Age	One	Two	Three	Four	Five	Six
Koufax, Sandy	24.225	9/29/65	8/11/60	7/12/63	9/29/66	8/16/64	6/26/62
Johnson, Randy	29.36	9/26/93	9/5/93	5/10/00	9/5/99
Carlton, Steve	27.13	10/3/82	5/7/72
Hamels, Cole	23.275	9/28/07	6/11/08
Higuera, Teddy	28.23	5/19/87	6/28/87
Moore, Baylor	21.18	8/23/72	7/23/72
Abbott, Jim	24.005	9/24/91
Blue, Vida	26.36	7/23/76
Downing, Al	22.058	8/25/63
Guidry, Ron	28.26	5/16/79
Hurst, Bruce	31.017	4/10/89
Kershaw, Clayton	21.027	4/15/09
Langston, Mark	32.043	10/2/92
Leibrandt, Charlie	34.327	8/27/91
Lolich, Mickey	27.007	9/19/67
Norman, Fred	31.26	5/7/74
O'Dell, Billy	29.14	7/4/61
Santana, Johan	30.03	4/12/09
Short, Chris	28.28	6/30/66
Wolf, Randy	26.03	9/21/02

According to game score the Kershaw April 15th game was not that special other then for the age at which he accomplished the task. Given time I expect him to move up the list and I'm much rather see him do it as a Dodger then as a Blue Jay. I've watched the Dodgers since 1969 and this is the best young arm I've ever seen come out of our system, not seeing him mature as a Dodger would break many a Dodger fans heart.

Many a good young lefthander has peaked early and ended with a mediocre or shortened career, even the hard throwing ones. So now I'm curious, just how good does the 21 year old Clayton compare to the other young lefthanders in the history of the game since integration. The ERA+ numbers don't make me comfortable, 34 LHP under the age of 23 have had a season like Kershaw is having and barely a HOF among them with quite a few pitchers who never reached the heights they reached at that young age again. While looking at the pitchers and those who were strike out artists likeKershaw it is even more uncomfortable viewing. Is Kershaw the next Kazmir , Sudden Sam McDowell, Herb Score, or god forbid Oliver Perez? I hope not, I hope he writes his own chapter and does not follow the path of anyone on the list. I hope for more, I hope that is not a false hope.

Face it, the Dodgers had baserunners against Carpenter and Wainwright but these are two of the best RHP in the NL right now. The bullpen imploded against a now potent Cardinal offense with the addition of DeRosa and Holliday to the lineup.

I can't really talk about Billingsley's game. I turned it on in bottom of the sixth so all the waxing about his brilliant five innings meant nothing to me as I saw him fail to finish the sixth in a fiasco of an inning. Not exactly the way to go about silencing the critics.

I'd also like Tripon to quit showing tweets from the idiots. If I wanted to know what the idiots were tweeting I'd follow them.

We like to see the big picture here but in the short picture the scribes from hell have been telling us we need an "ace", we need to upgrade our bullpen, and the first two games of this road trip only gave these scribes all sorts of ammunition for a big trade.

Over the next two games it would be nice if we came back with a statement of our own. Kershaw and Kuroda can show the doubters that they can compete against the tough Cardinals, and the offense needs to remember how to drive in a run. Two games into this road trip this is starting to smell like the awful road trip in August last year when the Dodgers forget how hit with runners in scoring position. Let us stop the carnage now so we don't start comparing this road trip to that road trip from hell. It is alot to ask of a 21 year old to be a stopper, but we didn't ask any less of Fernando in 1981.