Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1255 of 1503)

Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News is subtly suggesting that Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi is already on the hot seat following the Bronx Bomber’s poor effort against in state rivals the Mets.

More to the point, the Yanks are doing almost nothing well. They entered this game batting .258 and stood 11th in runs scored in the AL. Their team ERA of 4.32 placed them 10th. The only bright spots were old dependables Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, a depressing notion. The Yanks are still relying heavily on their heroes from the ’90s, after all these years of revolving rosters and transactions.

Despite all of Girardi’s announced plans for more aggressive play on the bases, for building runs, the Yankees have stolen only 14 bases all season, while opponents have swiped 45 against a quartet of catchers. Girardi, it turns out, is no more aggressive than Torre.

“We’ve tried to do things,” Girardi said. “You have to have the opportunity to be aggressive. We don’t have the guys who can fly. We’re not going to outrun the baseball. We have to try to take advantage of situations when they’re there. Sometimes, they don’t present themselves.”

Then again, it looked Sunday night a lot like disaster.

The media (and Hank Steinbrenner for that matter) need to give Girardi a chance, here. The Yankees look bad, but they’ve had injuries and nobody should be surprised that the pitching has struggled with a blend of aging arms and inexperienced youth. The panic button should not be pushed yet on Girardi with it only being May 19.

Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman writes that MLB has become the new “No Fun” league with the way players like Joba Chamberlain are berated for showing too much emotion on the field.

All three high crimes occurred in recent days. The high court of baseball has charged each with violating the game’s unwritten rules, all of which can be boiled down to this.
No fun allowed. Whatever you do, don’t have a good time on the diamond. There’s no joy in Mudville and there’s no joy in any burg that houses baseball.

But little boys don’t act like monastery monks. To pass muster in baseball, apparently you’ve got to be an iceman. A stoic. To meet the baseball standard, you’ve got to play with all the passion of celery.
In the clubhouse, act as goofy and juvenile as you wish, as the White Sox and their infamous blowup doll proved. Act like a 12-year-old there and that’s baseball.

Tramel makes an interesting point. Aren’t sporting events supposed to be about emotion? As long as you’re not purposely trying to upstage your opponent, what’s wrong with a fist pump on the mound after a strikeout? What happens when a batter hits a walk off to win the game? His teammates jump up and down on him at home plate like he just won the lottery. How is that type of tradition acceptable, but a fist pump by a pitcher isn’t?

Look, fans don’t want to see planned celebrations like in the NFL, but I don’t think players like Chamberlain need to be crucified by guys like Goose Gossage just because he showed emotion after a good play.

Jon Heyman of SI.com ranked the top 10 baseball signings of all time.

4. Barry Bonds, Giants outfielder, 1993; $43.75 million, six years. The deal was a record at the time, but Bonds proved to be worth every penny, winning the NL MVP award in his debut season in San Francisco. Even before he and his head got so big, he was the best there was. He wound up staying 15 years, breaking baseball’s biggest record, making everyone a lot of money, and eventually upsetting enough folks that no one wanted to employ him. But that part came later. A lot later.

1. David Ortiz, Red Sox designated hitter, 2003; $1.25 million, one year. When Ortiz was signed just weeks before the start of spring training, newly hired and 29-year-old Red Sox GM Theo Epstein claimed that one day Ortiz could emerge as a key middle-of-the-order hitter. Some might have scoffed, but as it turns out, Ortiz has done much more than that, and is probably a Hall of Famer based only on the half a career he’s spent in Boston. Later, the Red Sox signed Ortiz to two more team-friendly deals (though not nearly this team friendly).

With what he’s meant to Boston over the years, it’s easy to forget that Ortiz once played for the Twins. And Heyman is right – Bonds was worth every penny for the Giants. While that pesky steroids thing turned out to be quite the issue, fans always packed the stands to see Bonds and Giants’ owner Peter McGowan reaped the benefits.

Chicago signed former Cardinals’ centerfield Jim Edmonds Thursday and there’s at least one Cub that’s not giddy about the acquisition.

Starter Carlos Zambrano apparently replied with “no comment” when asked about the signing of Edmonds.

The two players have a history dating back to a Cubs-Cardinals game at Wrigley Field on July 19, 2004, when Zambrano was ejected from a game for throwing at Edmonds.

Earlier in the game, Edmonds watched a home run off Zambrano land on Sheffield Avenue, causing Zambrano to shout at the outfielder as he rounded the bases.

“I told him, ‘Run the bases, don’t try to be cocky.’ ” Zambrano said afterward.

Zambrano struck Edmonds out his next at-bat, and wagged his finger at him.

Zambrano then hit Edmonds with the first pitch after a Scott Rolen home run in the eighth inning, causing the ejection.

Zambrano refused to apologize, saying: “I don’t have to apologize to anybody. This is not a baby’s game. This is a man’s game.”

I know Felix Pie hasn’t set the world on fire in center this year for the Cubs, but Edmonds was brutal the first month of the season for San Diego. He looked completely lost at the plate and his defense – which was once a strength – looked below average as well. Can you imagine what will happen if Edmonds boots one in center when Zambrano is on the mound? Awesome.