Tuesday, April 21, 2015

AROUND THE HORN

## Good field, no hit
A terrific effort by CC Sabathia was wasted yesterday when the Yanks couldn't put any kind of rally together. If it wasn't for Teixeira's homer, if would have been a totally futile effort for the NY offense. So I guess it's fair to say their offense was "offensive." 

## Who was that masked man?
Okay, we're 13 games into the season . Does anyone know the name of the Yankee hitting coach. They have one, honest. Actually, they have two. They must be honorary titles, because, other than A-Rod, I don't see the Yankee lineup striking fear into the hearts of anyone but Joe Girardi. Michael Kay talked yesterday about Didi Gregorius' "loopy" swing. Last year, a mention of a hitters swing would be followed by Michael mentioning hitting coach Kevin Long's marvelous contribution to the hitters. This year, I don't remember him mentioning either of the new ones at all. Just for the record, their names are Jeff Pentland and Alan Cockrell. Remember those names, folks. (I have no idea why.)

## A-rod (again)
A friend asked me the other day why A-Rod was being walked so much. I said because he was the only one hitting, so why pitch to him? You're better off walking him and trying for a double play - and it's working. As Al Leiter likes to tell us over and over, a pitcher should find the batter in the line up that could beat you and pitch around him. Al also mentioned that he usually had 4 or 5 that he pitched around in a line up.
Speaking of hitting - and I use the term loosely - when are these "professional" hitters going to start slapping balls to the opposite field and beat these shifts. I see other teams doing it, yet the Yanks continually hit into the teeth the shift. Teixeira says he can't because it screws up his swing, so other than the occasional home run OVER the shift, he'd rather pull the ball right at the many fielders on the right side.....but his swing looks good doing it.

## And the fielding is good
Both Ellsbury and Gardner made terrific plays in the field last night. Ellsbury gets his well-deserved recognition, but Gardner, while regarded as an excellent fielder always gets a lower rating when left fielders are compared. Any time there is a rating of left fielders in terms of hitting, Gardner is never in the top ten. When you include fielding, he usually slips in at 9th or 10th. Doesn't seem right.

## I don't understand this one
How often do you see a steal of home? I think I've personally seen it only 4 or 5 times. Since about 1950, there are only 3 players who have stolen home 10 or more times. Paul Molitor (10), Rod Carew (17) and Jackie Robinson (19). Altogether, there are 38 players with 10 or more, starting with Ty Cobb, who has 54. 54, can you believe it? Apparently back in the early years, stealing home was a much more common event. Even Babe Ruth has 10 and Lou Gehrig had 15. Can you imagine how long it would take to revive manager Mike Scioscia if Mike Trout attempted to steal home?
With all the scouting and media available, don't you think if a player had a reputation for stealing home, teams would be on the lookout for it and take precautions? Maybe the media coverage wasn't quite that good back in the 40's and 50's, but after stealing home 18 times, wouldn't a team take steps to stop Jackie Robinson from chalking up #19? Geez, after #nine, why didn't they try to prevent #10?  Robinson even stole home in a World Series game. Maybe everyone's just gotten smarter. Yeah, I don't think so either.

***THEY SAID IT***
"Tim Tebow has formally signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Let’s hope Tim didn’t take that “City of Brotherly Love” nickname too seriously."  -- Janice Hough
"N.Y. Mets manager Terry Collins called Bartolo Colon an ageless wonder. Hey, it’s not like he could call him a weightless wonder."  -- RJ Currie
"New York Knicks fans are accused of hoarding free food at fan appreciation night. That has to hurt the players’ psyche. “Our fans are just here to steal sausages and popcorn."  -- Brad Dickson
"The New York Knicks promised free food on Fan Appreciation Night. Too little too late: Fans had their fill of the Knicks about 75 games ago."  -- Dwight Perry
"Tough break for the San Jose Earthquakes with one-named midfielder, Innocent, being suspended one game for throwing an elbow. It’s also a whiff for Bay Area headline writers, who missed: ‘Innocent Guilty.’ -- Scott Ostler
"Note to those who laughed at Tom Brady after his ceremonial pitch: Four Super Bowl rings; wife Gisele Bundchen; wife’s 2014 earnings, $47 million. Who’s laughing now?"  -- RJ Currie
"Last week, Gisele Bundchen retired from runway modeling. With her duties as GM of the New England Patriots, there simply isn’t time."   -- Brad Dickson

CP-
 




























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