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Listen: May 19th, 2012 NY Baseball Podcast
Tonight I return to the airwaves after a week hiatus.
Evan Roberts of WFAN will be judging the return of the Mets banner day next Sunday. Evan will be joined by Rusty Staub, Dwight Gooden and Howie Rose as they decide who has the most creative 50th anniversary tribute to the Amazin’s. What are the judging looking for? Listen in and find out.
Evan and I will talk about the Mets surprising start and what to make of the Yankees uneven season to date.
Award-winning author Marty Appel will join me in the backhalf to discuss his new book “Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss.”
This book will perhaps go down as the most definitive narrative of the Yankees. Hear Marty talk about how he went about the project, some of his fun memories running the PR department under Steinbrenner, how he was Phil Rizzuto‘s “boss” and what era of Yankees history intrigued him the most.
I will also discuss the emerging leadership of David Wright, how Eduardo Nunez could haunt the Yankees, the job Terry Collins has done to date and why the 9th inning is different.
You can listen live at 8pm or the replay whenever you like.
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Kerry Wood: What If?
Kerry Wood announced his retirement this past weekend. It’s more of a Chicago story, although Wood briefly played for the Yankees in 2010. The news didn’t created a ripple here in New York, but its interesting how Wood symbolizes such a promising, yet frustrating era in Cubs history. The lessons learned from it can be applied to any sport in any town.
Everyone remembers the 20-strikeout game against the Astros in 1998. Twenty K’s is remarkable, but the fact he was able to do it against that lineup is amazing. Houston had Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Derek Bell and Moises Alou all in their prime. This was a team that averaged 5.5 runs a game that season with the pitcher batting. They combined to strike out nine times, six by Bagwell and Alou. Truly an accomplishment for any pitcher; much less a 21-year old kid making his fifth big league start.
Wood would not only become the second pitcher in history to strike out 20 that day (Roger Clemens is the other), but he would tie Clemens and Nolan Ryan for most strikeouts over a two game span when he fanned another 13 against the Diamondbacks five days later. The Cubs finally had their ace and were entering a new era. Even elbow problems that led to Tommy John surgery couldn’t dampen their hopes. Wood had a 100 mph fastball and a nasty curve and slider as secondary pitches. He wasn’t just a fireballer, he had the tools to be a pitcher. Even Ryan didn’t possess that at the same age.
Wood was teamed with Mark Prior in 2001. In a three year span the Cubs possessed the two most talked about young pitchers in the game. How could anyone beat them in a 7-game series? If they didn’t blow a 3-1 lead to the Marlins in that ’03 NLCS they had a great shot at defeating the Yankees. An inferior Miami team did, so why not the Cubbies?
I know what you are thinking: Steve Bartman. Regardless, the pitching foundation was in place for the Cubs to rebound from that tough loss. The Red Sox lost an equally crushing series that October and rebounded the following season.
You could blame the Billy Goat curse or Dusty Baker pushing both Wood and Prior too hard, too soon. The reality is Wood, just like Prior, didn’t have the mechanics to sustain health for any period of time. Former Cy Young Award winner and Cubs broadcaster, Steve Stone, pointed how Wood throwing across his body put extreme pressure on his arm. The window for Wood, Prior and the Cubs came and went in 2003. They squeezed another year of contention the following season, but both pitchers already were breaking down.
Could you imagine how baseball would be in the city of Chicago if both these pitchers stayed healthy? With Wood and Prior at the top of the rotation it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t be contenders on a yearly basis. Perhaps it would be the Cubs, not the Cardinals that have two World Series championships the last five years. Maybe they could have gone on a “Red Sox type” yearly playoff run in the National League.
The lesson learned from Wood and Prior is you could never prevent injuries to young pitchers. No innings limit would help these two kids. Science dictated they were bound to get hurt, and it was only a matter of time before it happened. You have to be responsible and put young kids in a position to stay as healthy as possible. You can’t, however treat them like glass china that could break at any moment. That’s because they can, and will, regardless of planning. When you have an opportunity to win you go for it.
The Cubs did that with their two young hurlers and it didn’t work out. Wood started Game 7 in 2003 and didn’t get it done. There is nothing you can do about it. That’s why the Nationals treatment of Stephen Strasberg is laughable. He also suffers from poor mechanics. He will also get hurt- how often or serious we don’t know- and keeping him parked in the driveway won’t change a thing. The Nationals are only hurting themselves.
The fact that Wood was able to stick around for 14 seasons is remarkable. Prior is a true “flash in the pan,” but Wood excelled as a starter and reliever. Want to know how good his first season was? Since 1901 only Pedro Martinez (’99) and Randy Johnson (’01) had a better K/9 rate than Wood’s 12.6. His rookie campaign was better than anything Dwight Gooden produced in his heyday of 1984 and ’85. Stephen Strasburg produced a 12.2 in 2010, but unlike Wood, he didn’t come close to qualifying for the ERA title.
Kerry Wood seemed content after he struck out Dayan Viciedo to finish his inning of work and cap off his career. “I had a blast. I wouldn’t trade it in. I learned from the injuries, I learned about my body and what it takes to compete and go out and play every day, ‘he said to reporters after his Friday appearance, ironically against the Cubs cross-town rivals, the White Sox.
What if? No use thinking about it today. It’s better to enjoy what you have when it’s in front of you. Sounds like Kerry Wood did that and is leaving the game fulfilled, even though he never lived up to the promises of 1998.
Wood and the Cubs gave it their best shot. They came up short.
Are the Yanks All That Good?
I always get a laugh at prognosticators in spring training. There seems to be “crushes” on teams where you get ridiculous narratives written about how good they appear. Organizations that spend freely in the offseason tend to get that type of love. See the Angels, Tigers and Marlins, for example, this past March.
You also have the opposite. When a team has an inactive offseason or is going through a rebuilding mode, there tend to field players without resumes. It leads to the opposite type of meme about how “bad” they are going to be. See the media mob mentality about the Mets and the Astros, where some predicted they could lose as many as 110 games.
The Yankees seem to fall in the middle when it comes to prognostication. Like death and taxes, you can count on them for 95 wins and the playoffs. This year was no different, especially after the acquisition of Hiroki Kuroda, Michael Pineda and the un-retirement of Andy Pettitte. The Yanks were deeper in the rotation than a year ago and still had an offense that could score 5+ runs a game.
We are just 39 games into the season, but it’s fair to ask if the Yankees are as good as we thought?
Betting against the Yankees is historically a losing proposition. Their current 21-18 record is actually a game better than at this time a year ago. In 2005 they started 11-19 and wound up winning 95 games and the American League East. Two years later they were 21-29 after 50 games and 14.5 behind the Red Sox. I declared the Yankees “done” during my Memorial Day Weekend radio program on Long Island’s 1240 AM WGBB. They would roar back in the second half, finish with 94 wins and take the Wild Card.
I believe this current Yankees team is better than the ’05 and ’07 versions I just cited. They have a better rotation and deeper bullpen (albeit minus Mariano Rivera), but I think age and the economics of the game have caught up to them.
On the positive front you have seen Derek Jeter and Raul Ibanez return to their peak offensive forms. Curtis Granderson has become the middle-of-the-order slugger that lessens the blow of dealing Ian Kennedy. Robinson Cano hasn’t rounded into form, but there is no reason to believe he won’t.
With that said, the continued decline in production from Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez is a huge problem. Both have been on this road for three years so you can’t say it’s an anomaly. Nick Swisher, a great complementary player, tends to be streaky. This is especially true in the postseason where he’s yet to excel. Russell Martin does great things behind the dish, but offensively he is an automatic out. They also miss the speed and defense that Brett Gardner brought to the table. He appears to be, at least, another two weeks from returning. The Yankees, once nine deep in their lineup, have some holes. That won’t change until performances from the veterans improve.
The good news is they are still averaging 4.7 runs a game, good for fourth in the American League. They do, however, appear to be that can be handled offensively. They will bludgeon backend starters and poor bullpens, but you can navigate the soft spots in their order. On days where A-Rod and Teixeira aren’t hitting, they are like everyone else.
So what about the pitching? First, they lost their aura of invincibility in the late innings when Mariano Rivera tore his ACL in Kansas City. The bullpen is still deep, but Rafael Soriano and David Robertson (when he returns) are not “lockdown” closers. There will be sweaty late-game moments.
The starting rotation has been the biggest disappointment. To date, they have produced a 4.89 ERA, which puts them in the bottom part of the American League. Only Boston, Kansas City and Minnesota are worse. Of particular concern are Kuroda and Ivan Nova. I thought Kuroda – a veteran groundball pitcher – would profile well in the American League. Thus far he’s had a couple of good starts but mostly been a 5-inning pitcher. I have always loved Nova’s moxie, but he does pitch to contact which has led to skepticism about the sustainability of his 2011 success. Before his sprained ankle he was 4-1, but with a ghastly 5.44 ERA and a well below league average ERA+ of 78. Even CC Sabathia (ERA+ of 113) hasn’t been his vintage self to date.
But the Yankees have depth, right? Some of that was damaged when Michael Pineda hurt his shoulder this spring. Andy Pettitte came up big last night against the Reds. A good sign, but can he do it against a powerful AL East lineups? I think the jury is still out on that. Even so, Pettitte is here for October, not to be the regular season savior. Phil Hughes is pitching better but is no sure thing. Freddy Garcia, who may step in for Nova, appears to have reached his expiration date. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention David Phelps, but the rookie was not able to get past the fifth inning in either of this starts. Can you honestly rely on him? None of the kids in Triple-A appear ready to contribute on a consistent basis. A surplus has become thin very quickly.
The American League is better. Forget the Rangers; they are in another league than the Yankees. Forget the paper favorites like Anaheim and Detroit. Just look at the improved American League East. Toronto appears to have finally figured it out for the first time since Joe Carter was in town. After years of misery, Buck Showalter has the Orioles playing inspired baseball. We all know that Tampa will be right there all season. I also wouldn’t discount the Red Sox, who have pitched terribly but still are not a pushover. Could it be possible the Yankees are in a four or five team dogfight?
I am not discounting the Yankees, nor suggesting they are a second division club. With a second Wild Card team it’s hard to imagine any scenario where they don’t at least participate in a play-in game. The problem is that fixing roster shortfalls isn’t as easy as it was just a few years ago.
Look at the 2000 World Championship team. They needed an arm and plucked Denny Neagle from Cincinnati. They needed a bat and they took David Justice off Cleveland’s hands. Not bad mid-season reinforcements. You can’t do something like that today without giving up multiple top prospects. It’s not something that Brian Cashman will do, nor are teams lining up to dump payroll in the Yankees lap. The Yankees aren’t willing to take on payroll like they use to, either. Their goal is to cap themselves at $189 million in two years; something that will be difficult with the pending free agency of Cano and Granderson. That’s why you can forget big acquisitions in the middle of the season.
I am not about to make another Memorial Day proclamation about the Yankees. I do think there is reason to believe this group isn’t as good as we thought. It’s not likely, but not out of the question they could miss the playoffs.
The Double-Edged Sword of John Tortorella
I don’t think anyone can question that John Tortorella is a top-notch coach. He changed the culture of a perennial last place team in Tampa and won the Stanley Cup in 2004. He came to the Rangers mid-season in 2009 and has transformed the Blueshirts into a hardworking blue collar defensive team. The kind of scrappy group that wins on guts and grit. The kind that New York loves to embrace.
Historically Tortorella has been known to be outspoken and criticize his players. He isn’t afraid to make unpopular decisions (see the benching of the team’s leading scorer, Marian Gaborik, for not clearing the puck properly in Game 2). His passion and no-nonsense approach, however, doesn’t appear to bother his current team. Back in April, defenseman Ryan McDonagh and center Mike Rupp praised their coaches’ passion to Katie Strang of ESPN NY.
“It just shows his passion for the team and his passion for winning,” McDonagh said. “He’s been intense with us and honest the whole time. What he’s saying to us, he’s saying to you guys. There’s no games with him.”
“I like the fact that he is passionate about the players on this team. I think it goes a long way in this room,” Rupp Added.
The key to leading a group in any sport is managing stakeholders. I don’t think coaches are all that different in terms of effectively implementing a playbook and style. Their main role is to get their group to buy into a system, motivate and hold everyone accountable. Clearly Tortorella is doing that with the Rangers, with the Gaborik incident being a perfect recent example.
Not all stakeholders, however, are happy with Tortorella. The media has begun to grumble due to his short, uninformative and curt postgame press conferences. At the beginning of the postseason they were annoying but funny. Now that we are 16 games into this run, the answers are getting shorter and more abrupt. Most last less than 50 words, involve yes or no answers, and he refuses to expand on any of his decisions. He tells everyone he is going to “keep it in the (locker) room.” It basically adds another layer to the already thick wall that exists between media and players. It becomes difficult for the writers and analyst to do their jobs.
Many media members finally had enough after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday. Neil Best of Newsday, former center Ray Ferraro (now with TSN), and Mike Milbury, a former coach who now works for NBC, had some of the more interesting things to say.
Ferraro, who worked with Tortorella at TSN tweeted he’s “better than this.” “I’m tired of the act. Just ridiculous,” Milbury added. Best tweeted that Tortorella’s playoff non-interviews were “amusing shtick for a while. Now they have become annoying and unprofessional.” He went on to say that Patriots coach Bill Belichick is more cooperative. That is quite a statement.
A coach can take on the media in this town without repercussion when they are winning. Writers are easy to please. Give them a good team that allows them the ability to write poetic narratives and they will let most egregious behavior slide. Jerry Manuel was a disaster during his Mets tenure, but it wasn’t until he started to grow edgy with the media did they acknowledge the obvious issues he had on the field and in the clubhouse. Joe Girardi isn’t rude in the mold of Tortorella, but you rarely get an honest answer out of him. He even made a fool of himself last August when he lied to Jack Curry of the YES Network after being questioned about a dispute with his pitcher in the dugout the cameras caught. The Yankees make the postseason and win so Girardi’s gaffes usually blow over.
The media can be a huge nuisance. There are far too many instances where writers ask redundant and poorly constructed questions. There is also tons of lazy analysis thanks to the need to feed page views in a 24/7/365 internet sports landscape. New York adds complexity because of the size of the market. I understand the frustration showed by a Tortorella, especially after a tough playoff loss.
With that said, the media is a stakeholder that needs to be addressed. Unless the NHL or Rangers are banning them from covering the team the rest of the postseason (some would argue that MSG would like that!), these postgame news conferences aren’t going away. By behaving this way Tortorella is creating an unnecessary distraction for his club. The talk on Thursday was more about the postgame conference than anything that happened on the ice. In some ways it puts the focus on the coach and takes pressure off the players. On the other hand it could become an unnecessary distraction. Taking a contentious relationship with the media is a double-edged sword. It could work or could be disastrous. You just can’t predict how it’s going to end up.
To be fair, it appears that Tortorella does open up during his conference calls. He went into detail about the Gaborick situation with reporters yesterday. “I think a pretty important play last night is really a defensive play,” he said during the call. “I thought the second goal they scored at the end of the (second) period to tie it up was a really big play in that game. And that’s not an offensive play, that’s a defensive play. And we get hurt there.”
The reporters got their answer, just 24-hours later. Couldn’t he say that during the postgame?
Tortorella’s first and most important job is to keep his players focused on the goal of winning the Stanley Cup. How he handles the media is the least of their concerns right now. Where this could become problematic is down the road. The media will allow this behavior to continue without repercussion as long as the Rangers are winning. Once they don’t, you can bet they will fish for an anonymous quote disparaging Tortorella’s style. That’s when they get their pound of flesh.
Remember, he burnt out his Tampa club very quickly after the ’04 Stanley Cup. He’s in his third season in New York so the clock is ticking. I don’t see Tortorella’s style lasting a decade or longer here. He’s not Mike Keenan in terms of burnout, but I don’t see him doing an Al Arbour-type tenure with the Rangers.
Tortorella is going to manage his team and the media his own way. No one is going to change him. It’s working, as the Rangers are 7 wins away from their Stanley Cup goal. If this magical season ends in disappointment, you can bet the media will use it as an opportunity to get their revenge on the shoddy treatment. Their pen always has the last laugh.
You always know where you stand with him. You shouldn’t be surprised by his behavior in news conferences. The problem is the reporters can fight back, as well. When they do it’s usually a mob mentality. There are four major newspapers and various internet sites that can hack away 24/7. They will if John Tortorella and his club doesn’t come through.
It’s a double-edged sword. Eventually it does come back and get you.
David Wright and Leadership
Even after last night’s disappointing lost to Cincinnati, the Mets are a surprising 20-17 on the season. Considering their lack of depth, the loss of Mike Pelfrey and the slow start by Ike Davis, this is a fantastic job by Terry Collins and company.
I have been saying since before the season the Mets have three areas of examination this year, but none involve a certain win-loss record.
1- The development of the young players such as Lucas Duda, Ike Davis, Kurt Nieuwenhuis, Josh Thole, Ruben Tejada, Jonathon Niese and Daniel Murphy.
2- The development of the young minor league arms.
3- David Wright
You would think the most tenured Met wouldn’t be considered a question mark after playing well over a thousand games in the uniform. Wright went from arguably the best third baseman in baseball and potential Hall of Famer, to lost and confused and many questioning how good he really is.
His leadership qualities were also questioned. It appeared he was at his best when part of a four-prong offensive attack that included Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado. The move to Citi Field made him more of a focal point of the offense as the old guard was transitioned out. His results indicated that perhaps Wright was better when he was part of the gang versus leading the offensive attack.
His struggles since 2009 have been well documented. There were too many nights where he looked confused, struggled with his offensive personality and regressed severely on defense. We saw a high average/low power player in the inaugural season at Citi Field. In 2010 he became a high-strikeout slugger. Last year he was a hybrid of both those versions. Everyone rightfully wondered if we would ever see the player of 2005-2008 that put up numbers at third base comparable to future Hall of Famers Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez. Off the field it seemed like the weight of the organization was wearing him down. Logic dictated he would either be traded or elect to sign elsewhere when becoming a free agent after 2013.
Something funny happened in 2012. The real David Wright returned and was a better version of his prior form.
Thus far we have seen a different player. Offensively he is as good as ever. Entering this afternoon’s action, he is hitting .402 with 4 HRs, 25 RBI and more walks than strikeouts.
Off the field he continues to be the team spokesman and provides great leadership by example. When he fractured his pinky in April he surprisingly returned just days later. His presence in the lineup helped fuel an important early season series win in Philadelphia. David has always said the right (no pun intended) thing, but you could tell he wanted everyone to know this was his team and he was going to play through pain for them. It was about action, not words.
Anyone who follows Wright knows how much he respects the manager and the organization. Even in the darkest days you would see Wright take the company line, sometimes looking ridiculous in the process. That is why it was so surprising to see him argue publically with Terry Collins on Tuesday night when the manager elected to remove him after D.J. Carrasco beaned Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun. Collins rightfully didn’t want his best player to be target practice in a potential retaliation during a blowout.
Wright and Collins had a “serious” conversation in the dugout for all to see. It was clear from his body language that Wright was upset with the verdict. He wanted to stay in, despite the score, and take the heat. Instead of one of his teammates going down he wanted Collins to know this was his team and he is fine with absorbing the consequences.
Collins made the proper move by protecting his star hitter. The Mets margin of error is so thin that any extended time missed by Wright could be disastrous. Despite that reality, it was important that Wright’s teammates saw he wasn’t about to back down. He sent a message to everyone that he understands his responsibility as the de facto captain of this club. It was an act that may be looked at as a turning point when he become the official captain one day, provided he signs a long-term extension in the next few months.
Neither side was wrong in this scenario. Collins did what he had to do, communicated it to Wright and handled the dialogue superbly. I can complain about a lot of Collins’ in-game management, but never the handling of player personalities and communication. Wright needed to show his teammates and the public what he was all about. It was out of character to air grievances in public, but if he didn’t you can bet the talk radio and media blowhards would be calling him cowardly, soft and once again questioning his leadership and value to the team.
There is a calmness and maturity to Wright’s game this season. He is playing like someone that wants to stay in New York and be part of the long-term solution. Perhaps it’s the energy and hunger of the young Mets who are not too far removed from minor leagues. Maybe Wright grew tired of the fans and media questioning his leadership and how important he was to the team. He even appears more relaxed and comfortable during his radio and television interviews. This was not always the case in the past.
Perhaps this was who David Wright has been all along. We forget- fans and media alike- that we only get a small sample of what goes on in that clubhouse. There is an iron curtain that separates the manager, coaches and 25 players. It creates illusions that may not always be an accurate picture of reality.
The Mets are going to have to make at least a $100 million dollar commitment to David Wright in the near future. There is no doubt they are getting a great offensive player, but perhaps they have the leader that is right for this group of players.
If and when the organization commits to such a deal, this will officially be Wright’s team. Any veteran import must follow his lead. The way he conducts himself on and off the field must be followed by the young players. It’s up to Wright to help Collins maintain a clean clubhouse. Wright will also continue to have the responsibility of being the face of the franchise for the public.
There isn’t a superstar that I would want to root for more. I have met David a few times and found him to be down to earth and humble. He never puts himself above the team or game, perhaps to a fault. Yes, he is hard on himself, but that is because he wants to succeed and win.
Maybe the Mets finally found their leader. Or perhaps he was there all along and we just didn’t know it.
The 9th Inning is Different, Here’s Why
When Mariano Rivera’s ACL blew out in Kansas City earlier this month it signaled the biggest blow to Yankees’ dominance since their World Series victory in 1996. Instead of having a guarantee equivalent to death and taxes in the ninth inning, the Yanks were now forced to be like “everyone else” and wonder if their closer could secure the final three outs.
Or were they?
Enter David Robertson.
Logic states there shouldn’t be any concern about Robertson taking over the reins from Rivera. Robertson was the best reliever in baseball in 2011. Some argued (including me) that his ‘11 season was better than Rivera’s breakout campaign in 1996 when he setup John Wetteland and finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting. During that 2011 campaign, Robertson pitched 66.2 innings, struck out 100, held opponents to a .170 batting average, posted a miniscule 1.08 ERA and a ridiculous ERA+ of 407. Robertson was four times better than your average reliever, and more than two times better than Rivera, who posted an ERA+ of 233.
He’d yet to give up a run this season when he entered the game on May 8th against Tampa for the save. That kind of success coming off last year should have him beaming with confidence, right?
“Tonight I was thinking, ‘Geez, better not blow your first one,’” Robertson told reporters after allowing 2 walks and a hit in that inning. “Better not blow your first opportunity or Mo might come in here and smack me around.”
That sounds more like a pitcher that is relieved to get through an inning. The same individual that had an ERA under 1.00 over the last year was glad to get through the final three outs. To be fair, he is replacing the Babe Ruth of closers, but his numbers still profile him as one of the better closers in baseball.
Robertson wasn’t so lucky 24-hours later. Brought in to protect a 1-0 lead, Tampa scored 4 runs in the ninth and beat the Yankees.
“It’s the worst feeling in the world,” Robertson said. “When Mo does it, he comes back the next day, he’s the same guy, goes right back out there, takes the mound and does his thing. I’m going to have to do that tomorrow.”
Momentum is only as good as the next day’s pitcher. But I believe closers can get momentum- positive or negative. Many say you should use your best pitcher in the highest leverage situations, whether it be in the 6th, 7th or 8th inning. Why leave those key situations to your second, third or worst reliever? It’s a fair point, but even if you worm through that scenario there still is the final three outs.
Former Royals closer Jeff Montgomery knows a bit about the difference. He collected 304 saves during his career, including a league leading 45 in 1993. During a 2009 interview with me he articulated his transition from setup man to closer.
“Being a closer is like being on a high wire without a safety net,” Montgomery explained. “I think the biggest difference is, as a closer, you’re the guy who is the last opportunity to seal the game up. If you’re going to go in after a guy or a team, an array of pitchers have battled for 6, 7, 8 innings. You’re the guy the manager is giving the faith in to say ‘I want to see you get the last out. I want to be shaking your hand in about, hopefully, 10 or 15 minutes.’”
So why would a pitcher with a high level of success setting up feel the pressure of the ninth? “Often guys don’t want the responsibility,” Montgomery added. “You have to mentally be on the high wire knowing that, if you fall, it’s over. Fortunately, for me, it brought the best out in me.”
Across town, the Mets are experiencing that with their mercurial closer, Frank Francisco. Despite blowing two saves over the weekend in Miami, manager Terry Collins stuck with Francisco last night. He was rewarded with Francisco closing the game, but it was a shaky ninth inning that saw Milwaukee put the tying runs on base and hit quite a few balls hard.
The fans are calling for Francisco to be replaced. Jon Rauch has experience closing for Washington, Toronto and Minnesota. He’s having one of the better seasons out of all the arms in the pen. The most electric arm, Bobby Parnell, probably is the most logical candidate. Last season he saved 6 games, but struggled with his command. He rarely navigated any ninth inning turmoil, leading Sandy Alderson to committing nearly $10 million dollars to two closers this offseason. That investment doesn’t come close to guaranteeing he will see improved performance. Even worse, it’s possible that Francisco might turn out to be the Mets best option.
All you could do is hope the numbers produced in the 6th through 8th innings hold up. Will a pitcher embrace the role and provide reliability. Everyone will blow saves, but will they be there more times than not. Can you trust them to get trough difficult terrain during those games a team “must have.” Collins Mets are 20-15, but could be nearly 10 games over .500 if not for Francisco. If they miss a Wild Card spot at the end of the season, they will remember those blown saves in South Beach.
There is plenty of analysis that disciples of Bill James will cite when discussing the closer situation. Having the responsibility of the final outs throws all the numbers away. It’s the process, not the outcome, which managers need to evaluate when it comes to bestowing the ninth inning on someone. Terry Collins clearly has some work to do. Joe Girardi has gone with Rafael Soriano, an experienced closer, for 2 of the last 3 saves. Robertson appeared as a setup man against Seattle and extended his scoreless streak. An injury may also make Robertson’s brief foray into the ninth inning be his last for a while.
Throw all the math out the window. It’s clear the ninth inning is different. How you come to understand who can handle it is a matter of trial and error. It requires you knowing their makeup and how they are going to handle falling from that “high wire” that Montgomery described.
There is no secret formula, but I do know there is a difference between the 9th inning and every other.
ESPN 30 For 30 Expands While Francesa Takes on Twitter
ESPN announced that it will continue of its “30 for 30″ series in October. In case you aren’t aware of the original 30 for 30 (and if you are reading this I doubt that’s the case), it celebrated ESPN’s 30th anniversary in 2009 by chronicling 30 stories that transformed the sports landscape since the network was founded in 1979.
In addition to the second round of 30 feature-length documentaries, ESPN Films will also be creating 30 digital shorts that will debut monthly on Grantland.com beginning in September. The first of these types of features has been already published. It’s called “Here Now”and it’s about Pete Rose. The best way to describe these shorts is a blog post transformed into a short internet film.
Grantland editor-in-chief Bill Simmons will also be doing filmmaker podcasts with directors, and Grantland will feature editorial background on the stories in each film. A win/win since the films provide content to ESPN and the filmmakers get their work publicized in the mainstream.
I am a huge critic of ESPN and their corporate news mill mentality. This does not, however, include their work on the 30 for 30 series. These films provide the kind of thought-provoking sports content that generally is missing on television and radio. It’s exactly what ESPN was created to do. It was what they used to be all about until they became a characterture of themselves and focused on becoming a PR extension to the major sports leagues.
I am also impressed how ESPN was able to expand the concept into these internet short films that examine topics that may not be deep enough for a full hour feature. I have been an “on and off” reader of Grantland since its inception last year. Sometimes I think they try to be too smart for their own good, but in general they give you something different to read. It’s a break from the stat-based fantasy writing that has become too pervasive in sports. When I read about sports I want stories, historical perspective and something to think about. I don’t want a term paper or to solve an algorithm. Grantland doesn’t subject me to that.
Now that they are including an expanded version of the 30 for 30, I will be giving them my business on a more frequent basis.
***
My top five favorite 30 for 30 films, in no particular order, are:
1. ”Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?”- Examines the life and demise of the United States Football League
2. ”Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks”- Looks at the Knicks-Pacers rivalry from the mid-90s.
3. ”No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson”- The 1993 trial in which Allen Iverson was convicted for his role in a racially motivated brawl.
4. ”Once Brothers”- The story of Croatian Dražen Petrović and Serbian Vlade Divac, NBA players and Yugoslavian national teammates, and how upheaval in their homeland adversely and irretrievably affected their friendship.
5. ”Catching Hell”- The relationship between Chicago Cubs fans and Steve Bartman following Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series. This one is a much watch.
I would also give honorable mention to “Unguarded,” (Chris Herren’s battle with substance abuse), “Guru of Go “(Paul Westhead coaching Loyola Marymount), “Without Bias“(Len Bias story) and “The Fab Five” (Chris Webber’s University of Michigan Team).
If you can see the list of each of the original 30 for 30 episodes over here.
***
Meanwhile, over at the WFAN Studios on Hudson Street, Mike Francesa and company continued their assault on progress, change and technology. The exact opposite of what I just described at ESPN.
During yesterday afternoon’s show, Francesa said it “should be against the law” for broadcasters and athletes to tweet. He asked a caller whether Twitter is a “pay service” and railed about the inane and inaccurate stories on the social network site.
Say what?
Inane and inaccurate statements are a staple of WFAN. With the exception of Evan Roberts and Boomer Esiason, there is more lazy analysis (Francesa), uninformed opinion (Joe Benigno) and fake outrage (Craig Carton) in the building it makes Twitter look like the halls of Harvard.
Twitter and Facebook are necessary tools for any media personality. I predict that people in the future won’t tune into “stations” but will follow personalities. It’s already happening. I personally like Evan Roberts and would listen to him whether or not he’s on WFAN. Same goes for Mad Dog Russo, who I listen to quite often on Sirius/XM. Some other radio personalities that I admire are Dino Costa, Brandon Tierney and Sid Rosenberg. The call letters for these individuals do not matter. It’s their passion, knowledge and personality. They also all use Twitter as a way to build their individual following and brand.
Athletes can also brand themselves and create a connection that fans crave. The Mets have done an excellent job using Twitter to sell tickets, create awareness and generate two-way dialogue between the fans and players. Jon Rauch, Tim Byrdak and Justin Turner are some of the most active players on Twitter.
At WFAN you have two individuals (Esiason/Roberts) that effectively use Twitter to complement their show by interacting with fans.
Ironically, Francesa came out with a Smartphone app in mid-February that he called “revolutionary.” I reviewed the app at the time and my big takeaway was that it was a nice tool that fueled fan interaction with polls and audio. After engaging in the technology for the first month, Mike now is ignoring it and the app has become useless. That is, unless, you want listen to the WFAN stream (other apps allow this) and see what guests are coming up on the program (moderately useful). Certainly, none of that is revolutionary.
No two-way dialogue, no forward thinking and no embracing of social media. Happy 25-year anniversary WFAN!
Personally, I believe this rant was staged. Francesa struggles when there isn’t a polarizing topic to drive calls for five-and-a-half hours. The WFAN Twitter account (how funny is that irony) asked for feedback on Mike’s comments seconds after he made it. The YES Network made a point to promote the video of Francesa ranting on their website.
This was the same playbook used back in October when Francesa took on Darrelle Revis of the Jets. Revis was so angered by Francesa’s boorish line of questioning he and a PR representative hung up on him. It created national news and brought attention to the program. A source inside the FAN told me at the time this was planned by Francesa and his producer, Ray Martel, at the beginning of the show. This story was also reported by Bob’s Blitz.
The twitter rant is too coincidentally similar for my taste.
The station (specifically Francesa) is not interested in engaging its customers. If they were, they would have better coverage of the NHL, incorporating popular blogs into their show format and do feature-driven shows on growing sports such as Mixed Martial Arts.
Instead, they create false controversies to light up the phone lines with the same 15 uneducated callers that allow Francesa, Carton and others to get through multiple hours of their show.
WFAN used to be the place where you got breaking news and intelligent sports discourse. For all its warts, Twitter has replaced the FAN in that regard. Younger fans are going to Twitter, Facebook, blogs and internet sites for their commentary. WFAN is not even last on that list. I bet a majority of their listeners have the station on in the car, where choices (for now) are still limited. With better internet connectivity in a vehicle that could change in the near future.
WFAN’s ratings may be strong, but the future is bleak. They continue to clobber a shrinking field. You can’t grow the next wave of the beloved 25 to 54 demographic by shunning the mediums in which future listeners enjoy talking sports. College kids are on SNY’s blog network, read Deadspin, Bleacher Report and follow independent media types, like me. These entities should be a huge part of WFAN’s daily sports coverage. They are more concerned about a smooth 20/20 updates (that nobody listens to) than improving their content. Window dressing on a car with a sick engine. Don’t get me started on how they punt their weekend content by making a rock radio DJ their star sports host.
Trouble is on the horizon. Francesa knows this, VP Sports Programming CBS Radio, VP Programming CBS Radio New York and WFAN Operations Manager Mark Chernoff knows this and the suits at CBS know it, as well.
They don’t have the ability vision or ability to change so they attack new mediums to delegitimize and hope it goes away.
The funny part is most of the up-and-coming listeners have already done that to WFAN.