TV Options

So...still preseason football, so what should I watch other than Monday Night Football.  Well, given my Orioles are in first place in the AL East and have the best lead amongst division winners they have to be on Monday Night Baseball.  Right?

No...well, maybe this Wednesday, ESPN can find room for them on the Wednesday Night game.  No.

Well, what the heck?

Can someone please help me figure out why the Orioles - who are in first place - are not on ESPN, but the Yankees who are still trying to figure out who is playing second base, third base, right field, and left as well as in their bullpen and who are six games back are on both nights?

That's right...the Yankees who are three and a half games back in the Wild Card conversation are playing the division leading Kansas City Royals tonight and Detroit on Wednesday - another team with high hopes, but who are also not a playoff team should the season end today.

What is going on here?  I get that ESPN is enamored with the Yankees and Red Sox, but neither team has done since the All Star Break.  If MLB wants to maintain the few fans it has left, perhaps it should start talking about flexing games into time slots and avoiding the near constant rotation of Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Braves games and realize there are twenty-six other teams too.

A Gibraltar in cleats...

He was a symbol of indestructibility - a Gibraltar in cleats." -- columnist Jim Murray 

As an Orioles fan, it is always hard to like Yankees, but 2721 hits, 493 home runs, and a streak that would not be broken for generations until the next Iron Man overtook it, speaks for itself.

Today, Lou Gerhrig would be 111 and in remembering his birthday I think abut the quote from Jim Murray talking about the Iron Horse, and the irony, that he would then die from the particularly debilitating ALS.

ALS (Amyotropic Lateral Disease), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is an incurable neuromuscular disease known for the progressive muscle degeneration and weakness that occurs which ultimately causes paralysis.  The disease which attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

When my son spends quality time at the bookshelf at his school library, I am always happy when he wanders towards books on a guy like Gehrig who showed up and played hard everyday.  I know that when Dodge wears "K ALS" on his cleats like Curt Schilling did for so many years it is because he reveres a man who played the game right for so many years only to be destroyed by a horrible disease which eats away at the body at its own pace.

Somehow I suspect Lou Gehrig didn't have any issues being a role model for the boys of his generation that are like my son.  He fulfilled that second duty with the grace and honor he lived his life.  Godspeed Iron Horse.

The ALS Association is seeking cures for Lou Gehrig's Disease.  If you want to make a donation, you can do so on their website.  You can make a donation easily.  My son raised more than $150 himself setting up a fundraiser a few months ago.  Please step up and help us cure this disease.

Cano's Swing And Miss

In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned Mariano Rivera’s new book, The Closer.  In the book he talks about second base and the difference between Dustin Pedroia and Robinson Cano and that Pedroia though a former arch-enemy who plays for the Boston Red Sox would be a better second base choice that Robinson Cano.

Rivera says that while we are all aware Cano has the physical abilities to perform at a Hall of Fame caliber level, it does not appear he has to drive to do so.  Cano's answer to this was simply to note Rivera is entitled to "his opinion,"  While I get he doesn't want to engage in a he said/he said with Rivera and was smart to say he is concentrating on his new team, I am not sure he gets it.

In point of fact, he is, but he also spent several years with you Robby and happens to know a thing or two about the game.   Rivera is a first ballot Hall of Famer, or should be if I had a vote.  He pitched in seven World Series, thirteen All-Star games and holds the career record for most saves.  While we can argue the value of this statistic, you cannot argue the value of Mariano Rivera to the New York Yankees over the past nineteen years.

Cano would do well to consider Rivera's comments about drive, especially since he just left a championship caliber organization to go to Seattle that has not been in contention for the better part of a decade.  While I will begrudge no man the opportunity to follow big dollars, Cano seems to be driven less by championships than he does dollar and cents.  His retort that Rivera is entitled to his opinion indicates to me that Robbie Cano clearly swings and misses when it comes to what’s important in baseball and in life.

Rivera's Fastball

A recent article about Mariano Rivera’s book, The Closer, notes that the Sandman gets that both Robinson Cano and Dustin Pedroia are capable ballplayers, but that if he could pick one, he would take Pedroia over former teammate Cano.

This is interesting for me given the depth of the hatred between the Yankees and Red Sox over the years.  Rivera I am sure will be (and should be) inextricably linked to the Yankees for eternity by his play and the personal services contract I am sure he has, but why fire shots at Cano?   I am guessing not because the Yankees wanted him to, but because he thinks Cano isn't as great as the contract he just got.  Rivera can be an appropriate judge of character and it appears Sandman is telling us that Cano is more focused on dollars and personal things that he is on team things.

It seems to me that Mo Rivera is not seeing the effort in Robinson Cano that would make him a Hall of Famer.  As Branch Rickey noted: "I don't vsre if I was a ditch-digger at a dollar a day.  I'd rather do my job better than the fellow next to me.  I'd want to be the best at whatever I do."

I have no idea of  Cano's future plans, but when one of the greats has constructive criticism for you, you should pay attention without the chin music.

Baseball's Rules...

The New York Yankees had a surprise today when the Boston Red Sox accused Yankee pitcher Michael Pineda of using a foreign substance - possibly pine tar his glove when pitching in their game today.

What is interesting for me is baseball’s rules regarding cheating have for years held almost a double standard.  We have most recently deplored those who used steroids - which I agree with - however there is clearly a second set of rules the baseball considers okay to cheat.

For instance while you cannot use steroids to increase hitting power, you can use a corked bat and the penalties are entirely different.  Whereas a steroids infraction will earn you a 50 game suspension, a corked bat probably only gets you a five-game suspension.  Similarly the spitball or working on the ball with pine tar or sandpaper is not nearly as vilified as steroids.

While Pineda was cleared of this incident, it will be interesting to see what happens in the future with these types of incidents now that steroids have been cleaned out of the game.

O'Captain, My Captain...

Okay, so this has a bit of a personal connection.  No, I don't know Derek Jeter, but I did spend a few really great moments with him on September 11, 2011.

As usual, Mr. Jeter was a baseball gentleman and nothing but class, then and now as he announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.

Jeter's retirement may not leave the hole at short stop some might argue.  I know Brian Kenny made an argument he is the best offensive short stop of all time, but the Yankees organization will suffer a giant hole in their whole with the

loss of their Captain: Mr. November.

As Bob Nightengale noted in his USA Today column, Jeter could have hung around.  He could have continued playing and showed the indignities of age that have hobbled other greats.

If he wanted to be a designated hitter for a few years, it was his choice.

 

If he wanted to look like a stumbling Willie Mays at the end of his career, a hobbled Mickey Mantle or an old Satchel Paige, Jeter earned the privilege to inform the Yankees when he was retiring.

Instead, Jeter goes out on his terms.  While I doubt he will get to leave with one more World Series ring, perhaps the additions to the team will be enough.  Perhaps the Yankees can somehow make their way through both the AL East and the greater American League to pull it out so he can not only leave on his terms, but as a Champion one more time.

He is the last of the big three: Rivera, Posada, and Jeter.  You can argue Pettitte should be in this group too.  You can look at the numbers as Brian Kenny did, but for me, Mr. Jeter will always be about class and getting the job done.  He was Mr. Clutch, never putting up monster numbers, but always scoring a run, moving a runner, or making a play in the field that mattered to his team.  What else is there?

For me, these are some of the best demonstrations of Derek Jeter.

The flip...

Into the stands...

Tying the 2001 World Series, making him Mr. November...

Undesired Wishes Come True, Reprise

"By their fruits you will know them" - Matthew 7:16

On Saturday, independent arbitrator Fredric R. Horowitz, "lowered" Alex Rodriguez's PED suspension from 211 games to 162 including all of the 2014 regular and post season.

(While it is a separate topic, it had to send the NFL into a near apoplectic state that on their "best" weekend of football, an ongoing baseball story was eclipsing games that would determine their conference championship participants.)

For me, this isn't really a change.  When the original ruling came down he was banned for the remainder of 2013 and all of 2014 except the postseason, which I find it hard to believe the Yankees will be competing in this year with or without Mr. Rodriguez, but there is another set of issues coming up and it may portend labor strife and the solution was much simpler.

I say labor strife that was until Alex and his lawyers decided to not only sue Major League Baseball, but the Player's Association as well.  This will make for interesting testimony should this ever go to court and I guess we might find out how big and bad baseball really is.

As noted by others, this case has all the hallmarks of a problem prosecution.  First, Major League Baseball had to purchase evidence and pay witnesses.  Those two things don't normally work well in a court of law, even when the evidence and testimony is bought through confidential informants in police investigations.  That issue alone muddies the waters very quickly.

A second part though is where did the 211 game suspension number come from anyway?  The Joint Drug Agreement seems pretty straight forward on performance enhancing drugs that a first offense leads to a 50 game suspension, a second to 100 games, and a third to a lifetime ban.  To my knowledge, Rodriguez has never tested positive for a banned substance, though there is lots of circumstantial evidence in the other direction.

Finally, what evidence did Horowitz find convincing that the player deserved the 162 game suspension?  His decision is sealed though both parties have a copy and it is likely to become public should Rodriguez's suit against baseball ever become public.

The really tawdry part of all this though is Bud Selig and Major League Baseball.  For years, he and the owners prospered as players took steroids and other performance enhancing drugs to make the sport a home run derby game in and game out.  Every change in the game the past several DECADES has been to improve offensive and make the game more "exciting."

As author and blogger Tom Swyers noted recently, MLB is to Arod as Penn State was to Jerry Sandusky.  Both institutions were enablers, while looking the other way.  And in both cases they severely tarnished the images of great institutions.

Moreover, the solution to all this was far simpler.  Rodriguez didn't test positive for a banned substance, so don't suspend him for violating the drug agreement which has pretty specific penalties laid out.  WHAT?  Did I just say that Rodriguez should continue to play ad be part of the problem?

No, I said he shouldn't be suspended for violating the drug agreement.

While MLB was busy purchasing witness testimony and evidence, so was Mr. Rodriguez.  The correct course of action would have been the same that the late Bart Giamatti offered Pete Rose: "fess up or else."  Baseball doesn't need to prove Rodriguez took steroids, they only need to say he lied about it.  In doing so, Selig could avoid suspending him for the use and could ban him for a lifetime under the "good of the game" clause in baseball rules, which is not subject to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  That's right...for impugning the honor of the greatest game, Selig could simply remove ARod from the sport and be done with it.

I am sure his supporters would come to his rescue as they have done with Pete Rose all these years, but these decisions, once made, are usually final.  A nuclear option if you will.  It's too bad Selig surrounded himself with lawyers and not baseball men because the answer was right there.