Bunch Of Stiffs

The New York Yankees are in unfamiliar territory. Their own home field. Mystique and Aura no longer appearing nightly. Usually played at 161st and River the World Series will surely not be held in the Bronx this year. The Yankees just plain suck. From top to bottom they are a disaster of a team with less identity then the New York Jets. Now that is hard to do.

Nick Swisher has become a folk hero overnight. He is more of a “true yankee” than Giambi Mussina and A-Rod combined and he has been in the Bronx for 3 days. And he is doing it while the team is struggling to even get out of its own way.

Joe Girardi is not managing this team like the guy who won manager of the year in 2006. Where is the Billy Martin in him that we all heard about? You can see in his press conferences and hear it in his voice. He is not himself. You cannot manage like that and win at the major league level. PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN JOE! Step on some toes and get the zoo going man. Tell Hal and Hank to go build some ships and leave the team decisions to you. MANAGE HOW YOU WANNA MANAGE!

Joba: Give it up, you are not a starter. You have the make up of a closer. A big guy with a mean attitude that can crank it up for an inning or two and be untouchable 3 or 4 times a week. Take your place behind Mo while he keeps the seat warm for you. The transition will be seamless… like your fastball after the 3rd inning.

Derek Jeter: Just admit you do not belong in the leadoff spot and you should probably be batting closer to the bottom if not last itself. Joe DiMaggio walked away at your age instead of holding on or taking a lesser role. And those were just whispers. What you are hearing is a LOUD ROAR! You have a caddie now? WOW! That in itself speaks volumes.

Jorge Posada: Give it up man. Molina is a great defensive catcher. You have nothing to prove. You could not throw guys out before you got hurt. Not one person expects you to throw anyone out now or cares if you do. just except the role of DH and back up firstbaseman/catcher and we can move on.

Johnny Damon: Feelin the love now Johnny?

Brett Gardner: Can you have a bigger hole that lefty loop? Shorten up the bat, choke up and be a hitter and get on base. Come on man didn’t you see Major League?

Melky Cabrera: You had to know last year you were competing for your job. You are not a centerfielder. But an outfielder nonetheless. They went out and got Nady and Swisher gave your job to Gardner and offered you in at least two trades. You think you could lose a pound?

A-Rod: take your time

I could go on but it’s not worth it. If you grew up in the late 70’s and suffered through the 80’s like I did watching this team you know that this team is far from greatness. World Series? Yeah right. They wont even make the playoffs. Yes it’s April and I said it.

Prove me wrong!

HOF: Mike Mussina?

Is Mike Mussina a Hall of Famer? Perhaps, but if I may, to paraphrase Mussina himself if what he did before this year was not enough to make him a HOFer why then should a 20 win season on an underachieving team with the highest payroll in baseball, make or break that decision?

As we enter the post steroid era the players that become eligible for the Hall of Fame will clearly be judged by a new standard although perhaps the same criteria. Many that were eligible before this era may be “automatic” in hindsight. Mike Mussina’s numbers are unique yet bare comparison to a few former players that have not yet made the HOF. The bench mark for which the comparison will be made is 300 career victories. However it will not be the only factor for which Mussina is judged by the voters.

Mussina’s consistency is perhaps his best asset. He has won at least 10 games in 17 seasons. Something only five other pitchers have ever done. Four of whom are HOFers and the fifth is Greg Maddux (all are 300 game winners). Only five other pitchers (all 300 game winners) have won as many or more games than Mussina and have a higher winning percentage including Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson.

There are 31 pitchers with more career starts than Mike Mussina. Ten of which are not Hall of Famers. That number drops to 6 if you consider Clemens, Glavine, Johnson and Maddux again all 300 game winners. Of the other six, four have more wins than Mussina. Including Bobby Mathews who in 15 seasons had 297 career wins. The other 3 Jim Kaat 283, Bert Blyleven 287 and Tommy John 288.

I will leave you with this. Three of the top ten pitchers with the most post season wins do not have 300 career victories, are not hall of famers and played in the same era roughly over the same time period. Is Mike Mussina clearly better than all of these men? John Smoltz, Andy Pettitte and Curt Schilling.  So much so that he deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame and they do not?