I know it's December.  I know the offseason isn't over.  I know that there have already been 370 projected starting lineups for 2010.  Here are my thoughts anyway.

My opinions: Holliday is to be too expensive, Bay can't hit sliders.  If I were a bettin' man, I'd put it at about 60% odds that we see Johnny Damon back in the Bronx, probably with a 2 year deal (with a 1 year player option because Scott Boras is his agent). As such, I've thought up a possible starting lineup that includes Johnny.  If that doesn't happen, we get to roundly mock Omar Minaya for giving him a 4 year deal.

1. Derek Jeter - (Righty) SS. You may have heard of him.  I loved the move last year of putting Jeter in the lead off spot.  Jeter increased his stolen base total from 11 in 2008 to 30 in 2009, while being caught only 5 times in both years.  I don't have the number for GIDP, but I would imagine that it also less.  Get the guy as many at-bats as possible.

2. Johnny Damon -  (Lefty) DH.  Yeah so he's still fast enough to make up for his bad jumps, stone hands, and female arm, but if he comes back, he will most likely DH a fair amount of times.  The beautiful new qualities of Yankee stadium have added greatly to his power value, meaning that keeping him in the 2 hole is a no-brainer.  Jeter opens up the hole on the right side and is on base for the sky high pop that reaches the first row.  (This is not stadium bashing by the way, New Yankee Stadium is beautiful and both teams have to play in the same field.)

3. Alex Rodriguez - (Righty) 3B.  I've been on the rooftop to move Alex to 3rd in the order for a while now.  ARod is a guess hitter who loves to extend his arms.  The scouting report that EVERY team has for him is to bust him inside with fastballs and throw him breaking balls low and away.  The reason that he sometimes looks bad on breaking pitches low and away is that he guessed fastball and started his swing early.  Putting him in front of Tex probably ups the number of fastballs that he sees.  Also, I'm of the belief that the 3-hole is where you put your best all around hitter, and that's A-Rod.  He could put up MVP numbers in this spot.  My only question about this is does anyone have the balls to ask him to give up the glory of being the "clean-up hitter", and does he have the balls to do it?

4. Mark Teixeira - (Switch) 1B.  A switch hitter with a perfect swing for Yankee Stadium who led the American League in home runs and RBI last year.  I don't think anyone is going to cry their eyes out about seeing him batting clean-up.  Also, hitting behind A-Rod's .402 OBP instead of Damon's .365 OBP means it is less likely he will see a defensive shift.

5. Curtis Granderson - (Lefty) CF.  And here's where I put the new guy.  Another hitter with a perfect New Yankee Stadium swing.  Definitely has the potential to have a 35-20 year.  I think that Granderson's power threat will be enough to keep pitchers from throwing Tex nothing but junk; however, this is probably the biggest question mark of my lineup: whether or not Granderson can perform up to the task of batting 5th.  I think he can.  Oh and there is the idea that putting him in between slow runners will create a "log jam" and that he won't be able to steal or get an extra base.  I will gladly give up the few bases that might be lost to get his bat in the middle of the lineup.  He will have plenty of chances to run.

6. Jorge Posada - (Switch) C.  I like Jorge in this spot to stagger the switch-hitters.  A lot has been said on this site about Granderson's inability to hit lefties.  There aren't a lot of great left handed starters in the AL East not named Sabathia or Lester.  Although the right side is definitely Jorge's weaker side, and we can expect regression from last season's numbers, I think that an opposing manager is less likely to call in a lefty to face Granderson if Posada is batting behind him instead of Cano.

7. Nick Swisher - (Switch) RF.  Swish had a great year last year.  He is an OBP machine, has plenty of pop, and the amount of walks that he draws would probably help a station-to-station runner like Posada.  I know that he struggled in the World Series and I know that this was Cano's spot for a lot of the playoffs, but I think that Swisher is better suited for it.  Also, with the glut of switch hitters that we can put in the middle of our lineup, this becomes an impossible task for an opposing manager to negotiate around by changing relievers.

8. Robinson Cano - (Lefty) 2B.  OK, I don't hate on Cano.  I'm not going to quote you his batting average with runners in scoring position.  I'm not demoting him.  I LOVE Cano at the bottom of the lineup.  I think that when pitchers bear down (with runners on base, for example), they are less likely to begin at-bats with good pitches to hit.  However, at the bottom of the lineup, pitchers tend to try and pump through strikes one and two to get ahead.  Cano devours that type of pitching.  The year that he hit .342 was done primarily from the 9-spot in the lineup.  Batting Cano here would be huge in starting rallies and turning the lineup over.

9. Melky Cabrera - (Switch) LF.  Melky is faster, a better base stealer, and a better bunter than Cano, and for those reasons, gets the honor of batting last.  Cano getting on, Melky moving him over, and Jeter slapping through a single to get him in could be something I could get VERY used to seeing.  Also, Melky is arguably the weakest hitter in the lineup, so it makes sense to drop him down to 9th.  As a caveat, I am also of the opinion that every single game that Brett Gardner starts should see him in the 9-hole for similar reasons.

Your thoughts Pinstripe Alley?

Wow.  This is the best I have ever felt about sports in my whole life (possibly looking past '07 Giants).  This was my first year of participating in Pinstripe Alley, and I became addicted immediately.

While we celebrate, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the posters here, and especially Ed, Travis, Jscape, and CYC.  Being here and being a part of this was the most fun I've ever had watching baseball and discussing (read: arguing) about the Yankees.

I hope to see all of you back next season, and hopefully keep it going as much as possible in the off-season.

There has been a lot of talk this postseason about the possible advantages of using some type of instant replay.  While most of the posters here would quibble about which calls would be reviewable, how many calls may be reviewed, etc., 73% of us voted "Yes" on Travis's post asking "Should MLB widen the use of video review?"  I would expect that these results would be typical of any fan base.  Most baseball fans (excluding hard core traditionalists) would at least be open to an attempt to get as many calls correct as possible.  At this point, I would also think that most players and umpires would be for it.

But none of that matters.

For the same reason that there are a ridiculous amount of off-days in the playoffs, and the World Series of a summer sport is played in November on the East Coast at 8 PM.  Bud Selig and his lackeys would gladly trade the desires of their most devoted fans for an extra point of ratings.

By American standards, baseball is considered a "slow" game.  It is synonymous with the "national pass-time" and lazily sipping beer, eating hot dogs, and relaxing on a summer day.  The idea exists that if coaches are allowed to use replay, an already slow game gets painfully slower.

Now, I think that I speak for all of us in saying that if A-Rod rips a double down the line in the World Series, any one of us would gladly wait an hour for the call to be corrected.  But we would be watching the game anyways.  We like baseball too much.  We're already in Bud Selig's pocket. 

He's more concerned about the casual fans, who may or may not be inclined to watch the World Series.  And for them, if there's no action on the field, they're even more inclined to flip to something else.  And that is more important to MLB than getting calls right, making the game fair, or giving the true fans what they want.

Not to pile on in a time of questioning Yankee brass, but I think that we made a serious roster error in leaving Eric Hinske off of our ALCS roster.  As it stands right now, the Yankees have absolutely no one to come in late in games in pinch hitting circumstances.  In yesterday's game, A-Rod drew an IBB with the bases empty, and then Hairston struck out on three pitches, because we had used a pinch runner for Matsui.

I understand that we are keeping Cervelli so that AJ can have his man juices flowing properly by starting Molina.  Gardner and Hairston are both excellent utility/bench players, but neither is a pinch hitting threat.

In addition, it seems to me as if some of the weapon of pinch running Brett Gardner is lost without having a reasonably powerful bat on the bench.  Gardner is often pinch run for Posada or Matsui, and as a result, without Hinske, there ends up being an easy out in the middle of our lineup if the game does not end right away.

The only conclusion that I can draw is that the best candidate to get the axe should we make it to the World Series is Freddy Guzman.  He seems to be nothing more than a less good Brett Gardner.  Especially if we are playing in a National League park, having Hinske off the bench could be a serious weapon for the Yankees.

Well now that I've gotten some of my feelings on steroids off of my chest, I hope that Pinstripe Alley has room for me to discourse on a completely unrelated topic.

I have never, ever, in my life of following baseball, of pestering Mets fans on this subject, heard one reasonable argument as to why the pitcher should be required to hit in the game of baseball.

Here are some of the feebler ideas that I have heard presented in the absence of any logical presentation:

It's the way it's always been. To which I respond "SO?" As the times and athletes change, I would like to think that the rules of the game change as well. Imagine basketball without the 3 point-line, or hockey goalies without masks, or football with the uprights in the middle of the end-zone. The idea that the manner in which sports are played shouldn't be modified based solely on tradition just isn't enough.

It enhances the strategy of the game. I have never seen fans of entertainment celebrate something as boring as a sacrifice bunt as much as NL fans when this subject is brought up. Strategy should be used throughout the game based on your position, and the strengths and weaknesses of your players, not because you're sending up an .070 batter so you'd be a fool not to bunt.

Pitchers should be able to hit. Oh really? And Peyton Manning should be able to play linebacker too, then? Pitching and hitting have NOTHING to do with each other, require a completely different skill set, and the idea that because you do one, you should be required to participate in the other is absurd.

With the way that baseball is played today, the DH allows for more circular lineups, avoids the "automatic outs" that are recorded at the bottom of NL lineups, and prevents pitchers from being on the base paths (see Wang, Chien-Ming). There are many other advantages to playing American League style baseball:

-Enables players with injuries to still contribute, example: Matsui.
-Enables players to be given "half a day off" example: A-Rod
-Enables utility players to be platooned more effectively.
-Allows for more exciting play, read: more ticket sales.
-Results in a higher level of competition.


With these advantages, since the advent of the DH in 1973, the American League has enjoyed a commanding lead in all aspects of play. Since 1973, the AL has won 20 of 35 World Series. The AL has only lost the All Star Game 3 times since 1988, and is unbeaten since 1997. The AL overall interleague play record from 2004-2009 is 839-671, which is a .556 winning percentage. This season, the AL was 90-72 in interleague play, a .546 winning percentage.

So, since 2004, if American League teams did nothing but play against National League competition for an entire season, AL teams would average a 90-72 record, while NL teams would average a 72-90 record. For this season, AL teams would average 88-74 while NL teams would average 74-88.

Maybe in the early days of baseball, before steroids, sluggers, lighter bats, and smaller parks, National League style baseball made sense. Now however, it's time for them to join the 21st Century, or continue down their stubborn path towards becoming a JV league.

In the aftermath of the revelation that Boston sluggers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were on baseball's black list, I found myself to be experiencing many different emotions.  I know this will seem unnatural for many of us burly sports fans, but I'm going to try to get in touch with them, and find my true position on PED use in baseball.

Joy - This was the first and most obvious. FINALLY a star player for the Red Sox is exposed as a steroid user. Hopefully we can begin to put to bed the ridiculous ideas being spewed from Red Sox Nation that they have the only clean team in baseball.

Frustration - Again we only get a very brief glimpse of the mysterious 104 names. It's become painfully obvious that eventually, every important name on that list is going to come out. Can't we just do that already?

Anger - Now this was the least easily definable. There is something about this entire saga that just makes my blood boil, and in an entirely different way than is usually portrayed. I just can't stand the stance that Major League Baseball has taken on this entire issue. I will try and flesh this out.



Fact: According to various pieces of research, the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs was widespread in what is now considered the "Steroid Era" of baseball.

My Conclusion Either a) those in charge of the league (Selig, Fehr, etc.) were aware of this, and allowed it to continue, or b) those in charge of the league were not aware of this, and can therefore be labeled as hopelessly incompetent.

Fact: In 2003, MLB conducted anonymous testing, with the intention that if a certain quota of positive results were found, a penalty system would be implemented in 2004. The quota was met, and a confidential list of 104 positive test results was created, but not immediately destroyed.

My Conclusion: After many years of steroids being used in baseball, MLB finally decides to make an attempt to diagnose the growing issue.

Fact: Since the beginning of MLB administering punishments to those who test positive for PEDs, many players have been damned in an ever growing witch-hunt to "clean up the game."

My Conclusion In accordance to the outrages of many "holier than thou" sports writers and sports fans, Bud Selig has been at the head of the attempt to prevent the use of steroids in the game. So, the same administrators who allowed the game to develop in such a way (as we have already established with fact 1) through either their consent or incompetence, are now leading the charge to defame the players who took advantage of the system.

Now don't get me wrong, Bud Selig did not march up to Barry Bonds and demand that he start to take "the clear" so that the Giants could sell some more tickets. However, the idea that Bonds is being held accountable for the failings of an entire ERA of baseball by the purists is outrageous.

Imagine the following scenario. Two competing engineering firms are competing for one contract. Engineering Company A works entirely with tools made in the United States, at standard cost and quality. Engineering Company B is able to import tools from China. Now it has been made clear by those in the engineering profession that although a competitive edge can be gained from using the Chinese tools, it undermines American business, and they don't want any part of it. However, there is no punishment for using Chinese tools, and there is no way to check whether or not they are being used. If you're running an engineering company, and you begin to see many of your competitors use Chinese tools to gain considerable profits with no administrative consequences, how can you justify to your employees the business that you are losing by continuing to buy American?

Bringing the analogy back to baseball. Imagine that you are an 18 year old prospect from the Dominican Republic in the early 90s. There is no policy against using steroids in Major League Baseball. You're not terribly well off, and baseball seems like your one real chance to escape your situation. Can anyone honestly say that they wouldn't give themselves that advantage because of the integrity of the game? What if using steroids is the difference between making it on a roster and staying in the Dominican Republic?

Now I'm not condoning what was done by the players. I think that it would be great if baseball was played on an even field. I think that there are plenty of players who have never used PEDs, and are wrongfully slighted because of it. My position is that the wide use of steroids was spawned, not by individual players, but by a flawed system.

And now the creators of that system are out to find out what has "ruined" our beloved game so much.

First of all, I'd like to apologize for reengaging this somewhat tired debate.  If you've already had your fill of Halladay speculation, then feel free to skip this post and enjoy the following slice of happiness.   Enjoy

Welcome back.  And now, to get down to Halladay.

For the sake of argument, let's say that before the trade deadline, the following deal goes down:

I AM NOT ADVOCATING THIS TRADE, I KNOW IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE YANKS

Yankees get:  Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells

Jays get: Joba Chamberlain, Jesus Montero, Austin Jackson, Dellin Betances, Melky Cabrera.

Now there has been a lot of speculation that the Jays would be unwilling to trade Halladay to a division rival.  This may be true, but I think that the Yankees should be more unwilling.  Imagine the team that the Jays could field in 3-5 years after receiving all of that young talent and cutting a sizable amount of payroll.

The Jays would have young pitchers in Joba, Romero, Cecil, Rzepczynski, Betances, Richmond, Litsch, Marcum, and McGowan.  In addition, they would keep any prospects they had been developing, and free up money to pursue free agents.

As far as hitting is concerned, they would keep Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, and Alex Rios, while gaining Jackson, Montero, and Melky. Frankly, I'd be very disappointed to watch the Yankees spend the time to scout, draft, and develop these prospects, only to allow them all to play for a division rival.

The AL East is tough enough already.  With the way that the Rays have improved, and the Sox are showing no signs of slowing down, can we really afford to make the future this bright for the Jays?

If even some of these prospects pan out, my crystal ball says no.

As we have seen (in limited numbers) from the poll on the PA homepage, most people are at least open to the idea of some type of instant replay.  In most major sports, including baseball, there is some use of replay; however, I feel like the system could easily be expanded. The tougher question has always been, "How can it be reasonably applied in baseball?"  Well, I mulled it around a bit, and here's what I've come up with.  Let me know if you think this is reasonable.

Up until a few days ago, of course, we simply would have asked Francisco Cervelli what the correct call on the field was.  Unfortunately, Cervelli has taken his thunderous bat, his rocket arm, and his rattlesnakes down to Scranton.  While he is away, I would like to see the following challenge system:

-Each team will get two challenges to use in innings 1-7.  If the challenge is a success, the team will not be punished.  If the challenge is not a success, the challenge will count as the official "mound visit" in their pitching half of the inning.  Meaning, if the pitcher is visited again during the half-inning, he must be removed from the game.

- In the 8th, 9th, and any extra innings, all review will be initiated by a replay official.  This is very similar to footballs "last two minute and overtime" rule.

-Challenges may be used to overturn the following:

     -Fair or foul (on any ball, not just a home run)

     -Safe or out (on any base)

     -If a catch has been made, or if the ball has hit the ground

     -If a player missed a base

     -If a player left a base tagging up too soon

-Challenges may NOT be used to overturn the following:

      -Strikes or balls

      -Balks

      -To overturn any official scoring (error vs. infield hit etc.)

I have probably forgotten to mention a couple of situations, but I think that sums up most of the reasons why we would need replay.  I think that this could be a great improvement to the game.  For those of you who claim that "replay would slow down the game", most of those situations are pretty clear.

With a freeze frame instant replay, it would be easy for umpires to make sure they make the correct safe/out call.  As such, they may spend 45 seconds reviewing the play, then come up with the correct call.  Without replay, the player and manager argue for 2 minutes, someone gets ejected, and the call is still wrong.

Maybe in 10 years after he has put together 48 committees to discuss the problem, I can only hope that Bud Selig puts in place something like this.

One of the hottest debates on Pinstripe Alley over the past few weeks has been centered around the catcher position.  Should the Yankees give more playing time to the young, up and coming, defensive, youngster, Francisco Cervelli; or, should the Yankees continue to favor the bigger bat of wily veteran, Jorge Posada.  Now some of the fans in the pro-Posada camp have leveled some skepticism about how quickly the fans in the pro-Cervelli camp have attached to this kid.  I thought that I could share some little known facts about Cervelli to show why some of us have gotten so excited.

All of the following facts have been confirmed by Selena Roberts, with assistance from various anonymous sources.

• 100 of the 112 home runs hit this season by the Yankees have been hit by Cervelli in various disguises.  The last 12 by Cano, because no one can possibly impersonate Robbie.
• After a game, Cervelli has been known to go out on the town with Derek Jeter.  At this point, Jeter begs to be the wingman.
• If you attempt to steal a base off of Cervelli, you are out, as are every member of your extended family.
• Sammy Sosa was recently busted for injecting small portions of Cervelli DNA.
• Cervelli can get a Jose Veras pitch called a strike.  This is too far.
• Many of the recent delays in Yankee games can be attributed to Cervelli.  He alone can TRULY make it rain.
• Cervelli has been banned from every bowling alley in America because of his obscene ability to facilitate strikes.
• When the story of his life is put to the silver screen, Cervelli will bend the space time continuum so that he may be played by a 25 year old Al Pacino.
• The only way to truly feel like Cervelli is to ask a hooker for a "frame job."

I think that is most of them, but I may have forgotten a few.  Feel free to contribute, I think the more we know about this guy the better.

Now that we have heard that A-Rod will get Friday and Saturday off to combat his "fatigue" and 3-36 slump, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on how the polarizing third baseman affects our team.  There is no doubt that this is a complicated, many layered issue, but the fact of the matter is that if the Yankees have any plans for October, they need number 13 between the lines.

Firstly, there is no question that A-Rod hasn't performed up to his or our standards so far this season.  However, he seems to be making solid contact, has a serviceable amount of home runs and RBI, and the Yankees have played to the tune of 24-14 while he has been playing.

Unfortunately so far this year for A-Rod, the stars have not aligned in the form of impressive personal statistics.  I think that some of that can definitely be attributed to the organizations handling of his hip injury.  First of all, immediately following the surgery, A-Rod's targeted return date was May 15.  But the Yankees, after struggling in the first month of the season, brought him back on May 8th instead, forgoing a longer rehab stint in the minor leagues.

After his sooner than expected return to the Yankees, June 19th will be the first full game off that A-Rod receives, having spent a few games at DH.  Although I have been a supporter of Girardi and the recent management of the club, you have to question the decision to play A-Rod every day at third on a mending hip.

While healthy, A-Rod, along with other Yankee hitters, has taken the brunt of a lot of criticism about his "clutch" performances.  It has been said that Alex only puts up impressive numbers in blow out games.  First of all, I don't think that its possible to rack up the amount of RBI that A-Rod gets every year without being clutch.  I know that we would all like him, with the amount of money he makes and his persona, to come through every time, but in baseball that just isn't realistic.  Secondly, as A-Rod has always batted in the middle of our lineup, his at bats are likely to take place in rallies.  Thus, if he has a big game offensively, the Yankees will most likely put up a lot of runs.  It seems to me that the blowouts are caused by A-Rod having a big game, not the other way around.

The fact of the matter is, as A-Rod takes a few days to rest and try and get his head right, the Yankees are going to need his big bat in the middle of their lineup.  I know that he will never truly be embraced by Yankee fans, but if you need any more proof of his value, ask Mark Teixeira and his .192 batting average before A-Rod turned up.

Oh and just as an afterthought, am I the only one who thinks that A-Rod should bat third and Tex fourth?  Alex is a much better base runner, walks a lot, and as a right handed batter would stagger the lineup better at the top behind Damon.