Spring Training Calls for Another Chapter of Yankees-Red Sox

(Originally published 2/16/11 in "The Montclarion" -- online only)

The Yankees' weakness may be at the back of the rotation, where they are banking on arms like Freddy Garcia to come through.

The biggest free-agent signing the New York Yankees made this 2010-2011 off-season was the $35 million setup-man Rafael Soriano, a move made to tighten up their bullpen as well as give the team an outlet to a future closer if he holds up in the New York spotlight and follows up with the great year he had last season. But other than Soriano, and other than having to retain their own (Jeter, Rivera), the Yankees’ only big move was the signing of catcher Russell Martin to a one-year contract, and bringing in Pedro Feliciano on a two-year deal to be their lefty specialist.


Their rivals, on the other hand, have taken a more aggressive approach and have recruited a couple of superstars. The Boston Red Sox traded a few prospects for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, a lefty that’s bound to take advantage of Fenway Park. Boston also signed Carl Crawford, the most coveted position player in the free-agent market with a tremendous amount of speed, agility, and power. Boston was also more conventional than the Yankees with their signing of ex-White Sox closer, Bobby Jenks, to a $12 million contract over two years – half the price, per-season, than Rafael Soriano.

So did the Boston Red Sox surpass the Yankees and Tampa Bay this season as the top team in the American League East?

Games aren’t decided on paper, but if they were, the Red Sox would have the early edge. Sure, they lost stars Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez, but Beltre only produced during his contract year (again) and is invisible every other season, and Martinez’s future is either as a first baseman or a designated hitter, something Boston has covered.

The Yankees’ only significant loss was the retirement of Andy Pettitte, but with that came the revelation that the Yankees’ starting rotation is only a notch above the New York Mets and probably of equal caliber if Johan Santana was healthy – not a good thing for Yankee fans.

C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes, AJ Burnett and two unidentified yet unnerving back-end rotation pitchers is being compared to Boston’s rotation that consists of Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester, a rotation that has a few aces and number two-caliber pitchers. Sabathia can only pitch so much, and the Yankees are hoping recently-acquired Bartolo Calon and Freddy Garcia can pitch like it was 2005.

Boston’s first six lineup spots tops the Yankees’ lineup through the same order, but tails off with the bottom three projected lineup spots, which is where the Yankees’ lineup remains solid and reliable. But which heart of the order would you rather face?

Boston is projected to have Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis batting 3-4-5 while the Yankees are projected to have Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano as their 3-4-5 hitters. I’d give it a push, at this point, before the season begins; either lineup could produce just as well as the other, though Teixeira is known to not show up until one month of the baseball season has passed.

The first two projected lineup spots are what give Boston the lead. The Yankees have Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher as the 1-2 hitters while Boston has a much younger and leaner top two hitters with Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia. If Derek Jeter were a few years younger I would give it to the Yankees, but he isn’t as quick as Ellsbury is in center field, and loses some flare when it comes to attempting to steal a base. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Granderson batting leadoff with Jeter hitting two if Jeter doesn’t get off to a fast start; at this point in his career he‘s more of a contact hitter than a speed threat.*

When the season ends Boston may be the division champion, but there’s no disputing that the Yankees will be close behind and should definitely secure a wild card spot. From there the Evil Empire can topple Red Sox Nation in the playoffs, because regardless of the year, importance of the game or timing of the series, the Yankees and Red Sox always play each other well, and if it comes down a New York/Boston series – as it seems like it does every season – it can go either way.

*Projected lineups were referenced from rotochamp.com as of Feb. 13, 2011; lineups this early are never permanent and are based off of pure speculation.

Big Names in Sports Make Big News in 2010

(Originally published 12/8/10 in "The Montclarion")

2010 has brought us another exciting, drama-filled year in sports. Locally, the Jets are running their mouths as the best team in sports and hold a 9-3 record, yet they have only beaten one team with a record above .500.

The Giants were outmatched by a quarterback who hasn’t started since 2006 and has served jail time in between.

Oakland pitcher Dallas Braden and his catcher, Landon Powell, share a hug after Braden’s perfect game in April. It was the first of two perfect games during the 2010 baseball season.

The Yankees just ended the circus free agency signing with Derek Jeter that was about as exciting as Ben Stein’s voice.


The Mets have added a Terry and a Sandy to their front office; and I don’t mean the ladies that appeared in Grease.

The Islanders and the Nets seem a little lost, which isn’t a surprise.

The Devils sit just above the Islanders, which is a surprise.

The only team that hasn’t given us anything to talk about are the New York Rangers … and that’s probably a good thing.

This year brought us a lot of positive things as well. The New Orleans ‘Aints helped a city stand on its feet with an unlikely victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. The San Francisco Giants won their first World Series since they departed New York. The LA Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in a rematch similar to the days of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The Red Bulls came close to winning the MLS championship, but fell in the semi-finals to the San Jose Earthquakes. In an attempt to bring some excitement to the MLS the Red Bulls signed international French star Thierry Henry, a contract that cost less and provided a better turnout than the David Beckham signing that happened a few years back. Beckham’s career to Americans can be compared to Carmen San Diego or Waldo; where has it gone?

Baseball saw three perfect games in a season. Well, technically, there were only two: Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics and Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies. Armando Galarraga came close to being the third, but was denied a chance at history by umpire Jim Joyce. It was a game that’s sure to live in infamy with not only the players involved, but fans of the sport as well. It was a game that’s sure to lead to further use of instant replay in baseball, another thing that will be remembered by sports fans for years to come.

USC seemed on top of the college football world, but their coach bolted to the NFL and joined the Seattle Seahawks, and their starting player during that era was revoked of his Heisman Trophy. This led to the likes of Auburn, Oregon and TCU rounding out the top three teams respectively. The only classic powerhouse college team in the top ten is Ohio State.

What we didn’t see this year was the implementation of a playoff system for college football. But when every college football team plays in a bowl game there probably isn’t a need for a playoff system.

2010 also saw the rise of MMA, a fiercer form of boxing that lets fighters use every part of their body that isn’t just below the belt. Boxing’s biggest headline is their loss of fans and funds — the people that decided MMA was more exciting to watch. Maybe it’s because the most exciting thing to happen in boxing this year was the Manny Pacquiao/Floyd Mayweather fight that never happened.

2011 is sure to be as exciting as 2010 and the drama that will ensue will surpass that of all the MTV “reality” shows. Maybe Jimmie Johnson will win his sixth straight NASCAR title, or Tiger Woods will regain his number one ranking. Maybe Roger Federer will retake the number one tennis ranking from Rafael Nadal. At this point, everything is just speculation. There is always uncertainty heading into a new year. Something new and exciting is bound to happen soon after the ball drops. Until then, we still have the rest of 2010.

It's Time for Jeter and Rivera to Get Their Money

(Originally published 11/17/10 in "The Montclarion")

Just how much are the Yankees willing to give away to keep notorious icons Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera on their team, and to make these life-long legends a staple in the Yankee pinstripes for their entire careers?

Even at the age of 41, the Yankees owe it to Mariano Rivera to pay him the money that he wants.

Since mid-1995, when both players climbed up from the minor league and joined the major leagues roster, they’ve won five World Series titles and seven American Leagues Pennants. They’ve grown up and adopted the demeanor Joe Torre presented them: calm, collect, professional and gracious. When was the last time you heard either of these players in the middle of a controversy?


Jeter and Rivera have reached the end of their contracts and face free agency. Not the first time for either of them, but this time it’s different. The conscious choice around the Yankee organization, its players and its fans is to keep the future hall-of-famers on for another go-around with the team. Opposing teams understand they aren’t going to land either of them and probably aren’t even trying to. Their baseball stories will stay here in New York City. People assumed the same last time their contracts ran out, but they were younger then and in the prime of their careers and their championship runs. Now, each is creeping a little bit closer towards retirement, and in terms of baseball years, they’re eligible to collect social security in the next year or two.

Jeter is coming off a below-average year (according to his standards) and Rivera is no longer automatic. Reasonably, they should be getting contracts that range from seven to 10 million dollars a year, at most. But they know their value to this organization as well as everyone else. It would be a perfect end and a great feel-good story to have the two most influential players of this Yankee era arise from their farm system and end their tenure as a Yankee. The Yankee organization recognizes the importance of retaining these players and has publicly announced that they are willing to give a little extra to make sure they’re happy.

But do they deserve it?

Their skills show otherwise, and even the great Babe Ruth was left off the Yankees during his final years as a player, and no one is more influential to the game than the Great Bambino. Jeter is a model most shortstops wish to be like, and most closers wish they could be as lights-out as Rivera. It would be stupid not to pay up for their talents. Paying them the extra money is like giving them a tip thanking them for the dynasty they helped build from the mid-1990’s, a dynasty that hasn’t fallen.

If the Yankees didn’t have so many numbers retired already, they might have added number two to the list. They still might, and probably should. And if Jackie Robinson hadn’t worn number 42, Rivera would have been following in Jeter’s footsteps. They both deserve a monument in Yankee stadium, monuments bigger than George Steinbrener’s when all is said and done. Their names will remain in infamy when spoken in New York City. Pay them their dues. They might not match the money they’ll earn for the future, but for all the money they helped bring to the Yankee organization, I’m sure they deserve a little reward.