SB Nation User Blog: John Amato

Now Girardi tells us Mariano's shoulder has been bothering him

John Amato — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:11:10 -0000

In the post game show tonight on YES, Joe Girardi admitted that Mariano Rivera's surgically repaired shoulder has been bothering him for a while now. He said it wasn't a major issue, but that it just seems to be a little tired which is affecting his velocity. Say, what? Is he kidding me?

A depressed Rivera said afterwards that his shoulder isn't really hurting him, but that his velocity is down. Is it me or are their stories not quite on the same page? Even if Mo never gets back to 94 mph and he still might, Rivera has good enough stuff, fight and control to be very effective.

I do have a big problem with Girardi. I thought he was going to be more honest to us about injuries? Wasn't that the word after he was criticised for not handling the media well last year? It didn't take him long to break that promise because he misled us when he never mentioned Brian Bruney's elbow was bothering him on a Wednesday right before the Boston series in Fenway. Girardi even kept it quiet when he was interviewed by Mike Francesa I believe on that Friday afternoon before the game. We all realized something was wrong with Bruney, including the YES broadcast team when he wasn't even in the bullpen as the Yankees were trying to nail down a 4-2 victory. Rivera had to come into the eighth inning of that game after Joe told Francesa that it was too early in the season for Mo to pitch two innings up in Boston and then Mo got whacked by Jason Bay, who hit a two run bomb to center to tie the game in the ninth. That led to a loss, and a series sweep for Boston and now they have won five straight against the Yanks.

I wondered why Rivera didn't pitch the tenth inning during Wednesday's game after he dominated Tampa in the ninth until Joe admitted that he was protecting Mariano's shoulder. I was talking to my friend on the phone right after the Yanks had come back yet again to tie the score late in the game on a red hot Damon two run jack and I saw Carl Crawford standing in the box, I was trying to figure out how they would lose this game, I mean they've lost every which way possible at this point.

I said the to my friend, "the Yanks are so bad right now I bet you Carl reaches first base on a walk, steals second and third and then scores on an infield dribbler," but instead the joke was on me because Crawford hit his first HR in almost three hundred at bats.

And then it was quickly followed up by Longoria's deep bomb to make it an 8-6 game and then another painful loss. It was the first time in Rivera's career that he gave up back to back HR's. Even I couldn't have dreamt that one up.

Girardi hints that Jeter could be batting 'lead off'

John Amato — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:19:08 -0000

During his customary interviews with the Yes Network between innings of spring training games, Joe Girardi hinted that Derek Jeter could start the season as the Yankee lead off hitter. Derek has been penciled in as the #2 hitter in their line up for much of his career, but Jeter was leading off this afternoon and Girardi was asked about it. He said that he was going to tinker around with idea during the last week of the Grapefruit league and he was open to batting Derek first.

The Yankee manager said that Johnny Damon would be an excellent hitter batting second because if Jeter gets on he knows how to pull the ball really well into the hole between first and second base. DJ has been the epitome of a number two hitter, but with A-Rod's injury the Yankee manager may be thinking of new ways to generate more offense until he returns. I don't see much value in the move and I highly doubt he'll stick with that plan, but I would imagine Derek will have a voice in where he bats and If he's comfortable leading off, Girardi might actually go there.

Joba Rules with three excellent innings

John Amato — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:15:38 -0000

Joba Chamberlain has probably been hearing the idiotic talk by many sports pundits who have been questioning Joba's performance so far this spring. He's pitched a handful of innings with terrible velocity and bad mechanics, but in their minds, if he doesn't get going fast, he's in trouble. Tonight he ended all that irresponsible speculation by pitching three dominating innings with a fastball that reached 96 MPH on the gun as he snapped off a few nasty sliders and curve balls along the way as well.

You would think that the NY sports media has seen enough spring trainings to understand that a power pitcher like Joba takes at least a handful of starts to get going after the time off he's had over the winter. Apparently not. I watched the silly SNY sports talk shows Tuesday and Chamberlain was a focal point with featured writers from the NY Daily News questioning Chamberlain's start so far. A case can be made that Joba is better suited for the bullpen, but to suggest something is wrong with him this early in the process is ludicrous. He had that swagger back on the mound that has already defined his short Major League career also.

Quick Notes:

Brett Gardner continued his hot streak at the plate, driving in a run with two hits.

Cody Ransom had two hits and an RBI.

Matusi slammed a long double to center field and scored on a base hit which allowed him to test his troubled knee running around the bases.

Austin Jackson's stance reminds me of BJ Upton's, as he slashed an RBI single and made a nice running catch in center.

Juan Miranda showed off his tremendous power by hitting a monster HR to deep right. Shelly Duncan also hit a 3 run HR in his only AB.

Two young pitchers looked really good as well. Phil Coke is a lock to make the roster and pitched two strong innings while Anthony Claggett, a pitcher the Yanks got in the Sheffield trade showed off a mean fastball (91 mph) with terrific movement in his only inning of work.

All in all a good game for the Yanks.

Posada mashes in his pre-season debut

John Amato — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:19:28 -0000

After my article on how important I thought Posada is to the success of the Yankees, I was stunned with his performance yesterday. Jorge made a big splash in his first spring training game by cracking a solo HR on the first pitch he saw that landed deep into the right field bleachers. In his second AB, he scalded a deep drive to center field that the wind caught and knocked down, but it still was a long run scoring double.

Posada went 2-for-2, with a solo homer run and two RBIs. This was with a swing that wasn't there a year ago.

"I couldn't load," said Posada, who underwent right shoulder surgery on July 30. "I had no extension. Righty or lefty, the shoulder was weak and it really messed up my swing. Alex Rodriguez said he has never seen Posada's swing as sweet as it was when he homered and bounced a ball over the center-field fence from the left side. "I told him he must have been playing winter ball in Puerto Rico," Rodriguez said. Girardi said he doesn't know where he will bat Posada, who could fit into the fifth spot behind Rodriguez. All the manager understands is that a healthy Posada would be welcome behind and at the plate.

He still won't attempt to catch a game until the middle of March, but the power he displayed shows a much stronger shoulder than I thought possible at this time.

I do try and watch as many pre-season games as I can as a rule, but too many people get caught up in spring training performance. It's really for the pitchers. Robinson Cano had a monster spring last year and he was so bad that Girardi had to bench him. Spring training is pretty meaningless as it relates to the regular season except for a few players on each team, but one thing that does register is the health of a player.

Was it just adrenaline or a sign of good things to come for Posada? I'm becoming a bit more optimistic...

Does the Yankee season hinge on Posada's health?

John Amato — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:20:40 -0000

The more I look at this team and observe some of its shortcomings, the more I see Jorge Posada as being the success key. If he can catch at least 110-125 games effectively and hit around .280 with some pop, the Yanks have a great shot at the pennant. He can slip back into the fifth or sixth spot in the batting order with his switch hitting abilities and really balance out the lineup.

However, if his recently repaired shoulder does not respond then the 5-9 slots in the order could be:

Matsui, Nady (Swisher), Cano, Gardner (Melky) and Molina.

The Yanks will be hard pressed to score more than the 729 runs or 4.5 per game they put up last year and the pitching staff will not have the safety net that a healthy offense provides.

In 2006 the Yanks ranked first in the AL, scoring 930 R's (5.74 per game) as Posada went .277, 23 HR's and 93 RBI's,

In 2007, they ranked first again and scored 968 R's (5.97) as Posada went .338, 20 HR's and 90 RBI's.

In 2008, the Yanks ranked seventh in the AL, pushing in 789 or around 4.67 runs a game without Jorge for the most part.

And we still don't know if Matsui is going to show up either with his cranky knee, but with a relatively healthy Posada, it will take some of the pressure off of him also

I'm not too hopeful that Posada will be able to bounce back, but there aren't many options at catcher floating around the major leagues so the Yanks have to hope and pray that a feisty Jorge Posada can return. It's simple, with a decent Posada the Yanks still should be able to mash, without him it's going to be rough unless we get a few surprises.

Are you Ready for A-Rod Media Day?

John Amato — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:03:46 -0000

The A-Rod freak show is about to begin. Are you ready? Will he try to go Gammon's all up on us again? The press pool will pounce for sure. You know they've been licking their chops ever since Selena's piece came out.

What reporters will ask the stupidest questions? Will A-Rod tell us if he shot up or doesn't remember? Maybe he'll blame it all on Madonna. This will be an interesting presser for sure. And it looks like the Yankees will be by his side.

Joe Girardi confirmed that he would be sitting next to A-Rod under the big tent - the same spot where he sat a year ago when Andy Pettitte made his first public comments about his own performance-enhancing drug scandal.

"I will be there; I support him," Girardi said Sunday. "We understand he's going through a difficult time. I supported Andy last year and I'm here for Alex. That's part of my job. I want to see him get through this, see all of us get through this and get to what we love to do, and that's play."

Jorge Posada has stated his desire to attend the press conference to bolster his teammate as well, while Mariano Rivera said he would also be present. Derek Jeter and Pettitte are also expected to attend, a show of support from the Yankees' veteran core.

I do know that this press conference will not stop the madness that will surround A-Rod all year. It is in a way "Must See TV" for Sports fans...

Brian Cashman say he was "surprised" by Torre's book

John Amato — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:49:17 -0000

Brian Cashman talked to Mike Francesa on WFAN to talk mostly about A-Rod and I'll get to that later, but Mike turned the topic to Torre's book. Cashman says he was "surprised" about the allegations in Torre's book that said he changed as a GM and become a Bill James number cruncher and said he supported Torre every step of the way, including at the end. He called it a Hall of Fame relationship between GM and manager. (Here's the podcast)

When asked if he was hurt over Joe's book, he said that it was...(I hate transcribing)

Francesa: Are you hurt?

"...just best to focus to move forward. I'm going to do what I've always done. I'm going to try to do the best job I can for Joe Girardi and the coaching staff and the players and hopefully maybe we can find a little magic like we've done in the years past and be in a position where somebody else can decide to write a book about the perspective of what just took place maybe this year if we can find a way to be the last team standing. That's going to be my focus as we move forward. It's what it's gotta be. That's what I'm paid to do....

The one thing it sounds like I'm disappointed in on the book side of it is that all the Yankee years I've lived we're so transparent. Everybody knows what my failures were, but I've also had a lot of successes here too and it doesn't sound like any of that stuff shows up in any books in stuff like that either. We've had a lot of good and we've had bad.

Cashman is obviously upset at his portrayal in Torre's book and said they haven't spoken since Torre's initial call after the book was made public...And he hinted that if they knew A-Rod had done steroids they would not have brought him back, but he wouldn't say it outright.

A-Rod needs to come clean!

John Amato — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 07:25:43 -0000

OK, his results were supposed to be sealed, but it looks like the cat is out of the bag. I do believe in the right to privacy, but that's history now for A-Rod. Woldn't you like to know the other names on that list? He needs to get back in town, suck it up and give us the truth. No games, no lies, no complaints, only the truth. Torre's book outlines an A-Rod that was more concerned with his place in baseball's stat history rather than winning. If that's true, I'd say that legacy has hit a major road block. He was the guy that had been counted on to pass Barry Bonds and get his name off the books as the all time HR king so it wouldn't be tainted by performance enhancing drugs. Well, now what?

We all know about how hard A-Rod works, that has never been an issue so now is the time that he has to work a little bit harder and get the real deal out in the open.

The longer he waits, the worse it will get. I think he knows New York pretty well. I don't expect him to call a press conference tomorrow, but I wouldn't take too long. Most people by nature are forgiving, remember that A-Rod. I've always felt that a player should have his contract voided out if he got caught doing roids, but that's just me and not the legal world speaking. Either way, A-Rod needs to talk and talk fast. Don't pull an Andy or a Clemens with the media and the fans. You have one shot with us so please come clean.

Make it count no matter what the truth is.

SI's bombshell: A-Rod tested positive for steroids

John Amato — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:00:45 -0000

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for A-Rod, they do. SI. publishes an explosive story.

In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated.

Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.

When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."

Phone messages left by SI for players' union executive director Donald Fehr were not returned.

Wow, I didn't see this coming. I'm stunned. I wake up late on Saturday and get the phone call. Just as the pieces were beginning to come together for the 2009 Yankee season, this explodes on the scene.

PAer jeter2jeter writes:

For a guy that's worried so much about public perception, how badly do you think this is going to end up ruining his confidence. Even if this rumor turns out to be untrue, there will be an untold amount of controversy, innuendo, heckling, and etc. for A-Rod. (I guess the nickname A-Fraud has a different meaning) I bet the Yanks now wish the only media headache they have to deal with is Manny and Joe Torre. Let's see what happens.

And we thought spring training was going to get off to a rocky start for ARod because of Torre's book, but this makes that look like chump change. The Yankee fans will crucify him if he can't defend himself. Is this the straw that breaks the Camel's back?

The NY Times has this:

At various moments, including a December 2007 interview on CBS’s "60 Minutes" with Katie Couric, he flatly denied that he had ever used steroids or human growth hormone.

"For the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance?" Couric asked.

"No," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said he never felt tempted to use the substances.

"You never felt like, ‘This guy’s doing it, maybe I should look into this, too? He’s getting better numbers, playing better ball,’" Couric asked.

Just a year ago, Rodriguez was forced to confront accusations from José Canseco that he had used steroids. In Canseco’s second book on steroids in baseball, "Vindicated," Canseco wrote that in the late 1990’s he introduced Rodriguez to a trainer he identified as Max who was a "fan of steroids." Canseco said that Max, later told him that Rodriguez had "signed on."

Rodriguez denied Canseco’s assertions.

Mike Mussina didn't know Torre and Verducci were writing a book when he was being quoted!

John Amato — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:48:20 -0000

I watched Mike Francesa interview Mike Mussina yesterday about his participation in Joe Torre's new book, "The Yankee Years." Mussina admitted that he didn't even know that Verducci was writing a book when Francesa asked him about how heavily he was quoted,

Francesa: And you were prominently displayed and I guess you knew it was going on or knew that Verducci was readying something because you were obviously in the book a lot.,

Mussina: Actually no, I didn't know.

Francesa: Oh, you didn't know,

Mussina: No. I mean Tom's around all the time.

Francesa: Right, so you didn't know when this, so this wasn't like he said, I'm doing this book and let me talk to you about this, this and this?

Mussina: No, not in those terms. I mean we talk all the time about miscellaneous stuff so the stuff that he put together could have been spread out over a season or more. I don't know in particular about specifically. We talked a lot about different things and it ended up, he used quite a bit of it with Joe.

Francesa: Is that OK with you?

Mussina: Well, I'm not upset about it. I mean I've always liked Tom and I loved playing for Joe. I really don't have any problems with I guess.

You can listen to the podcast here.

I've been interviewed for books in the past and was always told by the author that what I was saying was going to be used so I didn't fell like I was being sandbagged, even if what I said was completely appropriate to use. I found this rather appalling behavior by Verducci myself. And Torre for that matter. I could sense that Mussina wanted to support Joe and when he said "I guess," it was like he was saying " What choice do I have know since it's out there." And if he did go off over it there would be more fireworks following Mussina around.

Tom is a good writer and obviously a well respected journalist or he wouldn't have been granted the unlimited access to the Yankee infrastructure like he was given, but it seems like this was a hidden project.

It doesn't sound like Mussina was all that happy about it either, but he's a pretty straight forward guy and explained his opinions openly and honestly. He wasn't attacking Mariano Rivera when he said that if The Great One had been perfect, the Yanks might have done better in 2001 and 2004. That's just fact.

When the Yanks have had the opportunity to be in as many playoffs as they were, obviously they were going to fail at times as much as they stung. Mariano isn't a robot. He's still the best ever. For comparison just look back to the great Yankee teams of the 50's and 60's. The lost a few World Series titles that they should have won in that time and they didn't have to go through the extra rounds of games to get to a title.

I'm reading the book now and it is good, but I have a long way to go. I'll let you know how I feel when I finish, but I do think this book has hurt Torre's legacy. He did break the code of the locker room that he so cherished even if he did keep a lot of stuff out of the book. I still love the guy, but feel he betrayed a trust for a few extra dollars--no matter how many times he denies it.