SB Nation User Blog: BacktimeTV

Moving Forward

BacktimeTV — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:16:11 -0000

It's a busy life, but I had appointment viewing here in SE Georgia. What do I get? Bernie Williams Moving Forward for the 51st time. Anyway it's a great chance to take the Yanks temperature, which is of course very hot. Moving Forward indeed.

Today I took my son for a bike ride in the park in Savannah GA, and even the locals on park benches know the Pinstripes have taken 6 straight and are now 2 games up in the division. And I think it's cause the Pros are in for the Joes.

Don't get me wrong, Ramiro Pena and Francisco Cervelli became fan favorites because they hustled and over-achieved. Molina, Ransom, and Hinske are just achievers. A top-notch backstop and a couple of multi-purpose explosive hitters. Every time these guys are out there they make a difference.

The time off makes me think about all the topics I've embraced from the beginning of the year:

1) Melky instead of Gardner - Melky's got the edge in ABs (263 to 194), but the production has been similar. It's clear that Gardner is more Girardi's kind of guy (better on D, 19 SB) and has shown more power than we expected (3 HR, 5 3B), but Melky's been clutch. He was a "center"piece in '07, but doesn't look like he's got that next level like the aforementioned #51.

2) Molina is the C, Posada is the DH - Girardi seems to have worked out a pretty good 3-man rotation with Posada, Molina, and Matsui in the two spots. Posada looks a little less flawed out there, and is still deadly at the plate.

3) Is Joba a starter or reliever? - I say starter, but who knows? The Yanks have played 94 games, and he's pitched 95 innings - that sounds on about pace what the baseball people had in mind. I love how his whole future still rides start-by-start. I don't know if keeping him in the rotation is the right move, but it's definitely not the wrong one. But I do know that...

4) The Yankee bullpen is great - None of us were saying that in May. You can argue thus far that Hughes has been effective as Joba in '07. Aceves is a godsend. Coke's been pretty good. And Damaso Marte's coming back!

5) Mark Texeira for AL MVP - Still very much alive. But I'll take the Gold Glove if he doesn't get the top slot. The best defensive 1B in the game. And a big time bat.

6) Bad OF defense - I like that they're subbing out for Damon now instead of Swisher. Not that Swisher's anything great, but he's got some great to go with the bad. Unlike Damon, who's just got a very reliable bat to go with the bad. This is where having Melky AND Gardner is extremely important.

7) Tight Manager - He looks like a genius now that the team's healthy and pitching well.

Meet Your 2009 American League MVP?

BacktimeTV — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:44:22 -0000

Meet Your 2009 American League MVP?

Mangini, Belichick disciples alienating employees

BacktimeTV — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:23:37 -0000

Mangini, Belichick disciples alienating employees

Wo needs people skills?

Go Ahead, Mess With Success

BacktimeTV — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:04:15 -0000

You don't mess with a 9-game win streak, right? While I don't want to be a jinx, it is always best to do your re-evaluating from a position of strength rather than from relative weakness.

This streak didn't just start nine games ago. It began in 2003, in Arlington, Texas. It is the year A-Rod won his first MVP (as well as a Gold Glove) and helped mentor rookie phenom First Baseman Mark Teixeira.

Alex Rodriguez needed a friend and an ally on this team considering the mess (much self-created) that surrounds him. And since his return from injury, Alex has paid him back in a big way.

A-Rod has been back for 13 games and the Bombers are 11-2. You look at his numbers and they aren't eye-popping: .171 BA, but 5 HR, 10 RBI, and 12 BB. His presence in the middle of the order, and the protection he provides for Teixeira is exactly what the Yankees lineup needed.

Teixeira's numbers in those 13 games: .354 BA, 6 HR, 17 RBI.

All of a sudden, all the issues seem to be sorting themselves out.

>The Bullpen.

Naturally, the pen hasn't been taxed as much with the rotation churning out quality starts (until Joba's bad break last night).

Alfredo Aceves has been as much a key to this winning streak as anyone. He has 5 appearances in that stretch with 9.1 scoreless IP, 3 Wins and 1 Hold.

Brian Bruney is back and Mariano looks like himself again.

>The Catching

There are two schools of thought here.

1) The catcher position is an art. How you handle a pitching staff is far more important than any productivity at the plate or percentage of runners caught stealing. Crash Davis and Joe Girardi know this. Or...

2) The best help a catcher can provide a pitcher is a 3-Run Home Run.

I believe the former, especially when you have a lineup full of high-priced lumber. I thought Molina should have been the starter before Posada went down. Francisco Cervelli has come on and played the position beautifully. But not everyone agrees, and that's fine.

One of the Molina-haters on this site posted right after Jorge went on the DL "It's good to know that we won't have any blowout losses until Posada comes back." Actually, there's been one, a 12-5 loss to Baltimore on May 9. Which was caught by Cervelli. Molina still has no marks next to his name in that regard this season.

When the Yankees have a full deck, I think they need to carry all 3 catchers on their roster. When Jorge shakes the wear and tear of being the regular backstop, his production at the DH spot is sure to skyrocket.

>The Top of the Order

Leave it to the last year of his deal for Johnny Damon to have his best stretch in Pinstripes. He's 2nd on the team in HR and RBI, and 1st in Runs and Slugging. He even threw out a runner trying to stretch a single to a double a couple of days ago.

Not only is he in a big-time groove, but his swing is perfect for the New House, and you know he will be clutch in October.

I always thought you bat your best hitter in the #3 slot, and that's what he is right now. Not just a power hitter, a terror on the bases for the guys behind him to knock home.

I favored Melky for the #2 hole, a spray hitter who works counts and will make the opposing starter show everything he's got. But Cano had quite the auspicious debut there last night.

Suddenly Joe Girardi looks like he's making all the right moves. See what happens when big money comes off the DL?

BACKTIME

A Wing and a Prayer: Buyer Beware

BacktimeTV — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:16:12 -0000

A Wing and a Prayer: Buyer Beware

Brett Favre's imminent return

Which Job For Joba? We're Still Buzzin' About It

BacktimeTV — Sun, 10 May 2009 04:57:25 -0000

Starter or reliever? Where should Joba Chamberlain pitch? The question still bugs the Yankee organization and their fans.

Let's try to look at this as objectively as possible:

1. He was a starter (and ace) on a Nebraska team that went to the College World Series in 2005. He was drafted in the 1st Round as a starter and burned through three levels of the Yankee farm system in one season (2007) as a starter. That year Joba struck out 135 in 88 Innings.

2. Out of necessity, he was called up in the middle of a divisional race in August of 2007, and assigned the role of set-up man for Mariano Rivera, even though he had never been a reliever before. Lights out. One of the most electrifying debut stretches ever. As a reliever. But even then, there were rules in place so the team could protect their investment in him as a starter.

3. The Yankees moved him into a starting role and the results have been good, though nobody has even approached his late-inning domination. Here are some of the trends so far with Joba as a starter.

>His last start, May 5th vs Boston was by most accounts his most spectacular. He mixed all his pitches and struck out 12 in 5.2 IP, but allowed 9 runners (6 hits, 2 BB, 1 HBP) including a 3-run HR. He threw 108 pitches, and took the loss.

>In his 17 career starts, he has only 4 wins. Wins are not the be all/end all for a starting pitcher. But it's tough to be involved in the decision when you've only pitched into the 7th inning 4 times.

4. Starting pitchers just don't wear #62.

I mean it's cool for my 5-year old to tool around town in it, but when you're at the game and checking the out-of-town scores, what starting pitcher wears #62?

ESPN.com's Page 2 did their "ultimate scorecard" with the most famous jersey numbers 1-99 in all of sports. 62 was Dolphins Center Jim Langer. Pretty weak.

5. Ultimately, everything the Yankees have done with Joba to this point is to prepare him to be a starting pitcher. It's a long-term investment, both for the Yankees, and for Joba's future.

That said, Mariano Rivera was a starter when the Yanks brought him up. He started 10 games his rookie year. The next year he was John Wetteland's caddy. The year after, he embarked on an unprecedented run as history's best closer. So it's not as clear cut as one might think.

6. Bottom line. Yankee management sees him as a starter, which is what he's always been. The question becomes, do we still trust that they know what they're doing?

BACKTIME

A-Rod's Return Calls For Lineup Shake-up

BacktimeTV — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:25:50 -0000

Even though the Yanks have been inconsistent offensively, and haven't hit in the clutch, I didn't see a reason to really mess with the batting order until the Bombers' 3B returns. So, we'll go from there:

1. Jeter - though the .336 OBP is very pedestrian in this spot, he has historically been the team's clutchest player. And when the lineup turns over late in a game, he's the first guy to get his cuts.

2. Melky - works counts, doesn't strike out much - a good guy to tax the opponents' starter early in a game, slap the ball around and keep the line moving.

3. Damon - very quietly, he's been the team's most complete offensive player thus far. I cringe when he's in the outfield, but not when he's at the plate. He does damage on the bases, and is providing plenty of keepsakes for the RF ticket-holders. He's providing too much pop to move back to leadoff.

4. A-Rod - no explanation neccesary.

5. Tex - proven RBI guy will get plenty of chances. May not be reliable enough to hit in #3 slot. Plus he'll get strong protection from...

6. Cano - 600 games into his career he's got a .304 lifetime AVG and averaging almost 40 doubles per season. He's only 26 and could be hitting #2 or #3 someday soon.

7. Matsui - 4x 100-RBI guy for Yanks seems like he's getting older faster. Still there will be plenty of opportunities in this slot.

8. Swisher - too early to say "flash in the pan" after all he is the Yanks' leader in runs scored and OPS. But has a lot of highs and lows. Throughout it all he will still draw plenty of walks, and clearly has a team-first type of ego where he won't be insulted to bat 8th.

9. Molina - He's hitting .262 so it hasn't been a total disaster. He's started some rallies, even if he hasn't finished them, and he'll lay down a sac bunt when needed. Just don't hit into any DPs and we'll be OK.

When Posada comes back, we'll re-work this. But even without him, I feel good about this.

Come On A-Rod, Join The Human Race

BacktimeTV — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:38:48 -0000

Come On A-Rod, Join The Human Race

Thinking Outside The (Batter's) Box

BacktimeTV — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 02:41:11 -0000

In a tough game, in a rough series, there's just one guy who can crack a smile out of the Majors' tighest skipper.

Let's flash back to the 1996 season. The Yankees didn't start winning championships until they replaced bona fide slugging catcher Mike Stanley with the less productive, more cerebral, more intense Girardi.

Now let's flash back to 2008. With Posada on the shelf for the season, Jose Molina had become a fixture in the lineup. Though he was often a hole in the order, he handled the pitchers superbly and gunned down a ton of runners. And the 3rd place Yanks began a second-half surge.

Then they made the MLB GM 101 move of picking up Pudge Rodriguez before the trade deadline. The pitching staff lost its cohesion, and the team lost momentum. And Pudge didn't even produce with the stick.

I think to shake things up a little in this losing streak, to right the pitching staff, I want Jose Molina as the "A" catcher and to make Jorge Posada the "B" catcher, and the "A" DH.

BacktimeTV

Jets fans are all Marks

BacktimeTV — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:12:38 -0000

Jets fans are all Marks

Gang Green has caved in to public pressure once again. Ownership is now about pleasing the fan base and creating buzz. But not winning championships.