George Steinbrenner Passed Away Today at 80

The news has come down from the New York Daily News that George M. Steinbrenner III has passed away at 80 years old after suffering a massive heart attack. The Boss recently celebrated his 80th birthday on July 4th and despite word of failing health, he seemed to always fight through. But the warrior's battle came to an end this morning. What this means for the Yankees, baseball, or sports in general is tough to put into words. After the death of Bob Sheppard and now Steinbrenner, this has been a really tough week for the Yankees. Let's hope Yankees deaths don't come in threes.

I'll leave the post open for comments. Please feel free to share your thoughts on The Boss. I'll go first and say that as a Yankee fan, I loved him. No owner cared more about winning and was willing to put all of his money behind it. The Big Stein could have pocketed so much of the money but he chose to reinvest more of it on the team than any owner in the history of sports. He put winners on the field and for that I am extremely grateful. Without him, the Yankees would also probably never have gotten a new ballpark.

Share your feelings below on the man who hopefully will be Cooperstown bound at some point.

Update 2:45 PM: I figured I'd update this post with thoughts by writers and other people as well:

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Trivia Tuesday: Home Run Futility

A day after the Home Run Derby, I figured it was a good time to look at those that haven't quite left the park.

Since 2000, only 5 guys have finished an entire season with no homeruns while qualifying for the batting title. One of those guys, Juan Pierre in 2007, also has none in a league-leading 384 plate appearances in 2010. There are 6 other players who qualify for the batting title but are yet to knock one out of the park. Can you name them?

Bonus Question: Besides Juan Pierre, there is one other player who has zero home runs this year as well as in another full season they qualified for the batting title. Who is this person?

Put your answers in the comments below and I'll reveal the correct answers later on

Picture from LAist

A Quick Story About The Late, Great Bob Sheppard

Like many Yankees fans, I was saddened to hear that Bob Sheppard had passed away this weekend. I never met the man and knew little of him outside of the stories that I've heard from baseball writers and people in baseball. But I will always remember his voice and no matter how many times my friends and I tried to imitate him, none of us could come close. I will also remember one story in particular involving Sheppard.

It was about 10 years ago when my distant Israeli cousin, Yitzhak (who was in his mid-50's), came to stay with my family and I for a few weeks during the summer. One of the things we decided to do with him is take him to a Yankee game. Although he had no interest in baseball, I convinced him that it would be a fun experience (or at least convinced him that if he was going to be in New York, it was one of the more memorable places to visit).

My family  headed down to the Old Stadium with Yizthak and we took our seats just before game time in the Tier Box. As I was trying to explain the rules of the game to Yitzhak (which was pretty much a failure with a cultural and language gap separating us), suddenly Bob Sheppard's voice came on and said "Good evening, ladies and Gentlemen... and welcome to Yankee Stadium"

My cousins eyes turned wide at the voice, he looked around at the speakers and then he looked at me and he said "WOW!" I smiled back at him and all I could say was "yup!" My cousin wasn't excited by much at the game that night, but that voice got to him like it did to so many others.

Most of the time I would take Sheppard's PA announcing for granted, but that was one night I listened extra carefully to it. I'm happy Sheppard's voice will always live on in Yankee Stadium and will follow Derek Jeter whenever he comes to bat as a home player (though I'm sad that Sheppard never got to work the last game of the Old Stadium or any game of the New Stadium). Yitzhak didn't care much about the game that night but he couldn't get over Sheppard's voice (nor the fact that they played Hava Nagila on the organ) for the rest of the trip. I will certainly remember that voice as well.

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Doc Halladay at Citizens Bank Park

Yesterday I got to spend a lovely afternoon at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park (thanks to $4 Stubhub tickets). I got there early for batting practice and watched Roy Halladay (pictured) and fellow Brandeis alum, Nelson Figueroa spend quite a bit of time signing autographs for all the kids lined up against the outfield wall.

Although it was a 1-0 snoozefest in The City of Brotherly Love, the awesome Citizens Bank Park made it a lovely afternoon. I'm still convinced that the Philly Phanatic is the best mascot in sports--though I'm still trying to figure out their hot dog giveaway where he launches hot dogs into the stands from the same gun that shoots out T-shirts in many other ballparks. It was a fun afternoon of baseball, though.

-Andrew

Putting Together An All Star Lineup

Putting together a lineup is one of skills that a manager must demonstrate throughout the course of a season. He must balance all of his hitters while ensuring that the players hitting both in front of a player and behind a player each serve a role in doing so. The task is traditionally made easier by the fact that most teams have at least a few weaker hitters who will naturally hit towards the bottom of the lineup. So how does a manager put together a lineup for an all star game in which there are no "token" hitters for any spot in the lineup? With that said, I will attempt to put together the starting lineups for tomorrow night's All Star Game, taking into account both skill and managerial preference/loyalty. (Note - I'm trying to keep up to date on all of the injury updates).

NL:
SS Ramirez - No longer Florida's leadoff hitter but on a team of All Stars he best serves this role.
3B Wright - High OBP and SB potential make him ideal for this spot
1B Pujols - No explanation needed.
DH Votto - He won the final vote, but should have made the team on account of his peers.
RF Holliday - Should be Charlie Manuel's pick to fill in for Jason Heyward.
CF Ethier -
LF Braun - Not a great year for Braun but certainly still productive.
2B Prado - No Chase Utley, but a surprise performer this year.
C Molina - By far the weakest hitter. The Molina brothers' father apparently only gave hitting lessons to Bengie and I have a feeling those lessons were not as thorough as they could have been.

AL:
CF Ichiro - As if there was anyone else who would hit lead off. I could be wrong but he has probably lead off every single All Star Game that he has started (which means every All Star Game dating back to 2001).
SS Jeter - Not statistically deserving of this spot this year but he's the Yankee captain, a former All Star Game MVP, and his manager is writing out the lineup.
RF Hamilton - He's back to his 2008 form, as he is among league leaders in average, homers, and rbis. A strong second half could push him into triple crown contention.
DH Guerrero - In a left-handed heavy lineup he breaks up the left-handed hitters.
1B Cabrera - He's filling in for the injured Justin Morneau but could easily have been voted in as the starter. Phenomenal hitter and rbi machine.
2B Cano - Breaks up the string of righty hitters.
3B Longoria -Really wouldn't hit him any lower.
C Mauer - Crazy, I know, but he's not hitting for power this year.
LF Crawford - Should probably be hitting second but as I said, with Jeter on the team and Girardi managing, not a chance Jeter is hitting down in the lineup.

So that's my lineup. What's yours?

View from the Seats: Mets vs. Braves 7/10/10

It has emptied out a little bit here at Citi Field, what with the
Braves holding a 4-0 lead over the Mets in the 9th inning. Tim Hudson
was spectacular, giving up just 4 hits and 0 runs in 7 innings. Mike
Pelfrey was unspectacular, getting rocked for 12 hits, 3 walks, and 4
earned runs in just 4 innings. Tough (soon to be) loss for the Mets,
as they will fall 5 GB of Atlanta in the NL East.

(HT to Broadway Ben Wolinsky for the ticket connection)

Cliff Lee traded to the Yankees? Deal is "almost done"

ESPN New York, citing one of its ubiquitous "unnamed sources," has announced that a trade sending Cliff Lee to the Yankees is "just about done."  The Mariners look to acquire the Yankees' best catching prospect, 20-year-old Jesus Montero, whom the Yankees consider an excellent hitter but a subpar defensive catcher.  Montero, of course, could always bring his big bat to first base or third base on the Mariners, options that don't exist on a Yankees team that features Mark Teixeira at 1B and Alex Rodriguez at 3B.

The Yankees could absorb this loss with catching prospect Austin Romine, who they believe could become a .275 hitter with 20 HR power.  (Sound familiar?)

Personally, I have mixed feelings about this.  For the most part, I feel that the Yankees should not pull the trigger on this for two reasons.  First, they'll almost certainly have to give up Montero, who will almost certainly be a very successful major league hitter at whatever position he plays.  Ouch.  Why give up such a blue chip prospect when the Yankees are clearly the front runner to sign Lee when he becomes a free agent this offseason?  This is exactly why the Yankees resisted trading for Johan Santana and CC Sabathia at the trading deadline in previous seasons.

Second, the Yankees already have a deep starting pitching rotation.  I mean, they are sending three of their starters to the All-Star Game!  So common sense tells you that this team can win without adding Lee.  (Photo Credit: AP)

But after the jump, I'll tell you why 40% of my gut is telling me that the Yankees should trade for Lee.

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How to Become a Hated Athlete: From LeBron to A-Rod

Before "The Announcement" comes tonight, the animosity towards LeBron James is thicker than the humid air in Greenwich, Connecticut where "The King" will make "The Announcement". So why has LeBron entered this level of hatred unseen by many in sports? Well let's look at the levels of sports hatred and see how LeBron (of the recently launched blog--with the picture on the right--and Twitter account) has become the A-Rod of basketball, because for as much hatred as LeBron has had come his way, no professional athlete has seemed to endure as much hatred as Alex Rodriguez.

The Carl Pavanos: No Yankee player has drawn as much animosity between fans, the media and the team in the past few decades as "The American Idle", Carl Pavano. Huge contract, huge expectations, and no production. Not bad production. No production. An unwillingness to pitch hurt and to put himself out there for the Yankees has made Pavano a hated man in New York. The worst part? He's left the Yankees and found a way to stay healthy and pitch well in the American League for the Minnesota Twins, even facing the Yankees in the playoffs last season. Players like David Beckham, JaMarcus Russell, Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, Darren Dreifort, and Manny Ramirez at the end of his Boston days, fit into this category, but for all of LeBron and A-Rod's faults, they don't fit here.

The Barry Bondses: America hates cheaters who either get caught or at least get accused of being cheaters. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire fit the bill in baseball but there are a handful of athletes in other sports especially cycling and the Olympics who fit this bill as well. I wrote before that we all hate Carl Pavano for not trying, but if he would have cheated, had success and been caught later, would he have been more or less hated? I think less, sadly. I'm not apologizing for Pavano, but I think that sometimes cheaters get a second look depending on how many other times they show up on the "hate scale". A-Rod qualifies for this after his steroids revelation, but LeBron--so far--has been clean.

The Art Modells: Teams switch cities all the time but few names have as much animosity associated with them as Art Modell who moved the Browns out of Cleveland and to Baltimore. When they won a Super Bowl in Baltimore, he was hated even more. This also applies to players who leave a team bare to chase the money and surrounds A-Rod when he visits Cleveland. This would also apply to Robert Irsay (who moved the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis) and could apply to LeBron James as well if he leaves Cleveland.

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Robinson Cano's troubling decision to participate in the 2010 Home Run Derby

MLB recently announced that the Yankees' All-Star second baseman, Robinson Cano, will be participating in the 2010 Home Run Derby.  He will be joined by Miguel Cabrera (20 HRs), Corey Hart (19 HRs), Vernon Wells (19 HRs), David Ortiz (17 HRs), and Matt Holliday (11 HRs).  In case you're wondering, Cano is currently 10th in the AL with 16 homers.

I am concerned about Cano's decision to participate, and I'm not the only one who feels this way.  Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News agrees with me, and so does Yankees' hitting coach Kevin Long.

Honestly, who could blame them?  Baseball history is rife with players whose power numbers dropped off dramatically after trying their best to purposely crush homer after homer in this exhibition contest.  Two of the best known examples of this phenomenon are players we know quite well.  Bobby Abreu launched a record-setting 41 home runs in 2005.  Before the Derby he had hit 18 HRs.  Afterwards, he hit only 6 homers the rest of the way.  In 2006, David Wright hit 20 homers before launching 22 in the Derby.  Then, like Abreu, he hit only 6 more in the second half.  (Photo Credit: NY Daily News)

Sure, there are players who kept their swing intact after the Derby.  Ryan Howard won the 2006 Derby with 23 dingers, but still managed to revert back to his old plate approach once the regular season resumed.  In fact, Howard hit more homers in the second half (30) than he did in the first half (28).  But there is a real risk that Cano might not be so fortunate.  His own teammate, A-Rod, participated in 3 Derbys (1998, 2001, 2002) and says he has declined invitations since then, believing that his participation took a toll.  "The effect in the second half might be more mechanics and potentially developing bad habits," A-Rod stated.

I just don't see what Cano has to win.  A trophy and some national attention?  Come on.  The guy is already an All-Star, he's 4th in the AL with a .337 BA, 5th in the AL with a .948 OPS, and 2nd in the AL with 110 hits.  People know he's a stud having a career year.  So clearly, he has a lot to lose.  His average has already dropped from .371 to .342 in his last 15 games.  Does he really want to take the (real, tangible) risk of declining further?

My All-Star Team: The Best of the Rest

We tried to fill out the rosters for the All-Star Game. I picked the hitters from the American League, the hitters from the National League, and the American League pitchers, and the National League pitchers, but still we had 5 teams without a representative. And since Major League Baseball has a silly rule that every team has to have a representative, we'll comply as well by listing the best of the rest from the 5 teams without a clear All-Star:

Baltimore Orioles: Ty Wigginton got an honorable mention at 2nd base for us and in a year of infield injuries (especially with Dustin Pedroia down), he may be a good a pick as any from the struggling Os. His .262/.347/.473 line with a .356 wOBA doesn't scream out "All Star", but 14 HR and 42 RBIs may put him over the hump. This is not a good team and it shows that a guy with a WAR of 0.7 is their best candidate for the All-Star Game. ESPN also goes with Wigginton. Counting Stats: .262 avg, 30 runs, 14 HR, 42 RBI. Photo from SNY

Honorable Mentions: Luke Scott (.274/.348/.520, .376 wOBA, 12 HR, 30 RBI) could certainly slot in as an OF/DH type on the team as well, though there are plenty of good candidates for the role and Scott just hit the DL. Brian Matusz is about as close as the Os come to having a pitching candidate but although it's a good start for the rookie, 2-9 with a 4.90 ERA isn't enough to play in the Mid-Summer Classic. Nick Markakis leads the team with a WAR of 1.7 and his slash line looks great at .303/.399/.425, but with only 3 HR and 24 RBI, he's going to have a hard time beating out a lot of good candidates in the OF.

Cleveland Indians: With Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez and CC Sabathia traded away and Grady Sizemore hurt, the Tribe is without most of their most reliable all- candidates but that doesn't mean that Shin-Soo Choo doesn't deserve to play in the All-Star Game. Choo's .289/.391/.480 line, 13 HR, 12 SB, and good defense add up to a 3.1 WAR so far which is certainly All-Star material (the only OFs in baseball with a higher WAR are Carl Crawford, Josh Hamilton, Matt Holliday, and Alex Rios). ESPN and The Cleveland Plain Dealer agree with my Choo suggestion. Counting Stats: .281 avg, 47 runs, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 12 SB. Picture from The Cleveland Plain Dealer

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