Blogs By Fans

Mike D'Antoni Hired As Knicks Coach, And Nobody Is Excited?

2008-05-12T02:23:47Z

Sometimes I really hate the local media in NYC. Especially the sports media.

I haven't been writing much lately, but I did note (and comment) several times over the past week or two about how obvious it was that certain members of the local media, particularly the Daily News, were clearly pining for Mark Jackson to get hired by Donnie Walsh as the Knicks new head coach. Frank Isola must have written at least one article a day stating that "Mark Jackson was the leading candidate", and that "Mike D'Antoni has no interest in the Knicks, and is only using them to get more money from the Bulls". Why the love for Mark Jackson? Because he's an old school New Yorker, one of the few people that still answers the phone when a guy like Mike Lupica or Frank Isola call for a quote. Mike D'Antoni is an unknown quantity to the local media. And he comes with his own set of "personal" reporters, guys like Jack McCallum, who beat all the local beat writers to the scoop that D'Antoni had agreed to a $24 million, 4-year deal to coach the Knicks.

So what's the result? We get one blatant column in the Sunday Daily News, with Frank Isola ripping Donnie Walsh's "credibility", while calling the hiring "a risk". Any quotes for the article? You can always tell the writer's personal angle by the quote that he ~~makes up~~ uses for the story. What do we get today?:

"I think it's a terrible match," said one rival head coach. "I don't get it. Two of the biggest problems with the Knicks are that they don't practice and they don't play defense."

Not to pick on Isola, let's see how the rest of the local media did. Peter Vecsey took the usual Post route, which is to say the same thing as the News, but with more hyperbole. DONNIE WALSH BLEW IT. A picture of D'Antoni, with the caption "Bad choice". Thoughts from Vecsey?:

I'm stunned and baffled by the decision.

Any quotes from "rival head coaches"?

"Not only are the Knicks known to shoot themselves in the foot, they often crouch down to get a better aim," zaps column contributor Brian McGunigle.

Who? Whatever... I could keep breaking on these local beat writers/fools, but now there is someone else to do it! Check out this great post from The Palpable Masses, for the some Fire Joe Morgan style riffing on Isola.

We do all realize that the Knicks just signed one of the two most successful coaches in the NBA over the past four seasons, right? The other, Avery Johnson, has won over 70% of his games as head coach, and is the only other person available that should be considered a better candidate than D'Antoni. I personally would have preferred AJ, but Mike D'Antoni is no scrub. And as much as I liked Mark Jackson as a player, and as an announcer... when did he become the second coming of Red Auberach?

For that matter, we do realize we are talking about a guy who, as a Hall of Fame point guard, was notorious for his shabby defense?!? Was Mark Jackson really going to teach Jamal Crawford how to defend better?

Do you see how the media manipulates the discussion? Most people, most Knick fans, aren't excited that the Knicks just signed a top coach to lead their team. Not just a top coach with a winning record - check that, a stunning record over the past four years, including 232 regular season wins - but the coach and architect of the most exciting system in the NBA! Yeah, man are we unlucky or what?

This is why nobody likes NYers.

But, of course, the local media credits the entire Suns success to Steve Nash, a great point guard who plays no defense. Jamal Crawford is no Steve Nash; Stephon Marbury is no Steve Nash. But neither of them will be any worse on the defensive end than Nash is. If the Suns could win without playing defense, maybe D'Antoni really is the perfect coach for the Knicks. After all, it's not like the Knicks offense last season was effective, or efficient; they also ran almost no plays, and had no cohesive system. Those are problems that are just as important to fix as the defense (which isn't as bad as advertised - guys like Robinson, Chandler, Balkman, and Jeffries aren't terrible, and the Knicks would sometimes be able to put together good runs of defense and rebounding when they had the right personnel on the court).

Let's talk about what Mike D'Antoni brings to the table....
**********************

Good Day For A Rainout

2008-05-12T02:02:46Z

Hopefully, today's rainout in Detroit will mean we won't be subjected to another Kei Igawa start, but you never know.

One troubling thing from Joe Girardi today, even though no game was played. The lineup pasted below is what Girardi was going to trot out there to face Nate Robertson and Tigers:

Damon
Melky
Abreu
Jeter
Giambi
Duncan
Cano
Molina
Alberto Gonzalez

I swear, Girardi must wake up every morning and try figure out a way to assemble a different lineup. Is it indecision on his part? Does he like asking different things of every guy every day? Does he just have no clue? Does he think he's still managing the Marlins? Your guess is as good as mine, but I will say this, when A-Rod and Posada get back, we better see a stable lineup day in and day out. This is getting ridiculous.

The Yanks are resting well in Tampa right now, they have seven games in the next seven days, four in Tampa and 3 at home against the Mets. Is 4-3 too much to ask? Still no word on A-Rod's return, he's eligible to come off the D.L. on Wednesday.

Mother of a Game

2008-05-12T01:11:34Z

The Mets beat the Reds 8-3 Sunday, for the last Mother's Day at Shea Stadium. The Mets also took two out of three from the Reds during Cincinnati's final Shea appearance.

Plenty to remember about this weekend. The intended 2008 starting lineup (with Alou, Schneider and Castillo healthy) finally played a series in New York…until Castillo had to leave today’s games with a strained quad. Then there were the pink bats, wristbands and shoelaces. And don’t overlook the Mets getting 14 hits (Beltran 2–5, with 3 RBI’s, Reyes, 3–5).

But the most memorable moment of the game happened in the 9th, when Dusty Baker's Reds batted out of order after a double switch in the 8th. Outfielder Corey Patterson was charged with an out when backup catcher David Ross came to the plate instead of him in the No. 8 spot and flew out to Beltran. Randolph came out to complain, which resulted in at least a 15 minute delay of game while the umpires huddled, then spoke to each manager at least twice. Ross got to hit again, and he singled, then play was delayed yet again while the umps debated over how many outs there were.

The only guy in Shea who seemed to know the rules was Gary Cohen on SNY. He also smartly pointed out that Randolph had erred by complaining too early. If he had let the next batter come to the plate after Ross for one pitch, then complained, the Reds may have been charged with a second out. Randolph admitted after the game he had protested too early.

The important thing is the boys have started their homestand strong after a .500 West Coast road trip. With the bats comign to life (excluding last night’s debacle), time to feast on Nat pitching for a few days.

Tags: New+York+Mets, Shea+Stadium

Washout in Detroit Rock City

2008-05-12T00:44:50Z

Rain made it a no go in Mo Town for the Yanks and Tigers Sunday.

No makeup date was announced and the Yankees aren't scheduled to hit the Motor City again, but there are two options to make up the game. The Bombers could play in Detroit on July 24, which is an off-day following a six-game homestand at The Stadium before they head to Boston, or Sept. 1 before embarking on a nine-game road trip that will take them to Tampa, Seattle and Los Angeles. If they opt for the July date, the Yanks will be playing 27 straight games coming out of the All-Star break.

Obviously, New York would prefer a day game on the September date, but the Tigers would rather play a night game in July to capitalize on a higher attendance figure.

I'm not sure who has the final say in the matter. Time will tell.

The rainout means the Yanks can skip Kei Igawa in the rotation. Igawa is scheduled to pitch Thursday against the Rays, but the Yankees could go with Darrell Rasner on regular rest instead. It seems like a no-brainer to bump Igawa and reshuffle the rotation, but I'm not in charge.

The Yanks will head to Tampa and take on the Rays for a four-game series staring on Monday. Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.77 ERA) will take the ball and go against Matt Garza (1-1, 4.91 ERA). Pettitte was scheduled to go on Sunday and owns a sparkling 14-3 career mark against the Rays with a splendid 3.62 ERA in 23 games. This will be Pettitte's third start this season against Tampa. He's 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Garza came over from the Minnesota Twins as part of a six-player deal this past offseason. In two career games against the Yanks, the 24-year-old Garza is 0-1 with a robust 6.75 ERA.

This four-game set will be played under the roof in St. Pete so it looks like they'll be able to get the games in.

But you can never predict baseball.

Dragnet Sunday Spectacle: Sox at Twins

2008-05-11T22:00:39Z

Being the MLB Sunday game of the week has both its advantages and disadvantages. Everyone in the country gets to watch it on ESPN. That's an advantage. The ESPN announcers are completely insipid. That's a push, because when they aren't so dross that you want to poke your ears out, they tend to spread horrendously inaccurate information or names. Having the game on ESPN brings new camera angles. That's an advantage, though we're still waiting on a roof camera at the Metrodome. Couldn't they hire a high-rise window washer to rig the camera up there or something?

Last night, Jed Lowrie hit his first big league homer. This afternoon,
he was probably hitting up the Chili's in the MPS airport terminal.

Oh, but there is one horrible disadvantage: The ESPN talking heads don't talk fishing, so WMYM won't have any clearer idea about when ice fishing season opens after the game tonight than we did before it started. That's a shame.

All of that being said, we're happy to be watching it, and happy that ESPN is slotting the Sox in the 8 p.m. slot on a non-Celtics night, though those have become oddly predictable of late, haven't they (incidentally, when was the last time that you felt absolutely certain a team would win when it was playing at home and almost absolutely sure it would lose on the road in the playoffs? Yeah, we couldn't remember either).

With a late-night flight to Baltimore in the offing, Boston is tossing Tim Wakefield, he of the preposterously efficient three-hitter last Tuesday, against a Twins pitcher named Nick Blackburn. The good news is that Wake is coming off his best outing in years after his whitewash of Detroit, though everyone knows how mercurial he can be from start to start. The bad news is that the Sox have never faced Blackburn, and just as they showed last night, Boston's record against first-time starters against them is not so sterling.

Of course, there was that night last summer of the back-to-back-to-back-to-back homers off a young Yankees pitcher on ESPN Sunday baseball. Hmmmm, and the plot thickens, no?

Well, it doesn't thicken that much. Manny Ramirez is out of the lineup tonight, so any stretch of four straight homers won't include ManRam slugging No. 498. The good news is that Ramirez's injury is only being called a hamstring strain, so it shouldn't sideline him for too long. The bad news is that the injury hardly helps the team's depth tonight, particularly hours after rookie infielder fill-in extrordinaire Jed Lowrie was sent packing back to AAA Pawtucket to make room for Alex Cora, who is starting at short tonight as Julio Lugo sits out a second-straight night following a slightly scary collision. And Bryan Corey, he of the flip-flopping uniforms and waiver-wire status, is headed to the Padres. The Sox traded him after he was outrighted to Pawtucket, with San Diego sending either a player to be named or cash back to Boston. Hard to tell if they'll get the ever elusive "player to be named" out of this deal, since it was no secret that Corey was going to be on the shuttle all year, and at any time could have been scooped up by another MLB club. Still, the improved performance of Craig Hansen likely paved the way for the deal, with Hansen giving Terry Francona and Theo Epstein a little bit of breathing room when it comes to situational righties.

Now, about that Blackburn fellow ...

Rasner Impresses Again as Yanks Top Tigers

2008-05-11T06:07:03Z

It took five tries, but the Yanks finally got the best of Detroit.

Darrell Rasner spun six quality innings, Derek Jeter went deep for the first time this season and the bullpen continued to post zeros as the Yanks dropped the Tigers 5-2 at Comerica Park. The Bombers pounced on Jeremy Bonderman early and Mariano Rivera notched his 10th save in as many chances this year. The victory pulls the Yanks back to the .500 mark at 19-19.

I was at a Communion bash for this one, so my roundup will be spotty. But that's never stopped me before.

The Good:

Darrell Rasner. Second start, same as the first. Rasner gave up a homer in the first inning again, but settled down and controlled the Tiger lineup for the majority of the afternoon. I think it's safe to assume that Rasner will be hanging around if he keeps sticking to the script: trust your stuff, throw strikes and work quickly. Rasner picked up win No. 2 with this: 6+ IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.

Derek Jeter. It's been a long time coming, but The Captain finally went yard. DJ's first inning wallop gave the Yanks a quick 1-0 lead and got the ball rolling against Bonderman. Johnny Damon has been getting most of the press with his hot-hitting at the top of the Bomber offense, but Jeter is also starting to heat up. Jeet is batting .385 in his past seven games. Jeter also made a nice diving stab off the bat of Edgar Renteria in the fifth that turned into a double play and snuffed a mini Tiger rally. Jeter finished 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.

Mariano Rivera. It's expected to watch Rivera slam the door on opponents in the ninth, but The Sandman is putting up awesome numbers so far this year (even for him). Rivera disposed of the Tigers on just 10 pitches Saturday and has yet to give up a run this season (or a walk). It's still early, but Rivera check out Rivera's stats so far: 15 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K, 10 for 10 in save opportunities. Keep doin what you're doin, Mo. Rivera's line: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

The Bad:

Chad Moeller. Every Yankee regular reached base Saturday via either a hit or a walk, but Moeller has been scraping at the plate since he re-joined the Yanks at the end of April. Moeller is just 2 for 11 in the month of May. I know Chad was catching two straight days (including the dreaded day game after a night game), but I've got to keep the guys on their toes. Moeller finished 0 for 3 with a walk.

The Ugly:

Twice as nice. At some point the Yanks may want to bring in a priest (voodoo or Buddhist) to sweep out the club house. Another Bomber went down Saturday -- Wilson Betemit strained his right hamstring after booming an RBI-double to center in the fourth inning and was placed on the 15-day disabled list. It will be the second stint on the DL this season for the switch-hitting infielder. Alberto Gonzalez will take Betemit's place. I figured Gonzo would be back with the big club soon, but I didn't think it would be this soon.

The rubber game will feature Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.77 ERA) and Nate Robertson (1-4, 6.64 ERA). Pettitte pitched well in his last start against the Indians at The Stadium, but didn't factor in the decision as Joba Chamberlain self destructed in the eight inning. Pettitte has had a tough time at Comerica Park during his career -- 2-3 with a 4.65 ERA in five starts. The American League has had its way with Robertson -- 52 hits in 40 2/3 innings -- but he earned his only win this season against the Yanks on May 1.

Let's see if the Yanks can make it two in a row against the Cats.

No Fish Tale: Dice-K Delivers Again

2008-05-11T04:44:08Z

It wasn't an Instant Classic, but Daisuke Matsuzaka earned his sixth win of the season on Saturday night in Minnesota. If you were watching the game on the MLB Game Plan and were forced to listen to Minnesota play-by-play men, you might not know that. But he did.

However, the opening of fishing season is evidently a much bigger deal in Minnesoata than a matchup between the Twins, featuring a young, promising home-town pitcher making his first start, and the defending World Champion Red Sox, who threw one of the most expensive imports in sports history out on the mound.

Amazingly, the pitching lived up to the billing for the most part. Outside of a dodgy second inning that was entirely too remiscent of 2007, Matsuzaka danced around the strike zone, got some batters to hack at good pitches and some, like shortstop Adam Everett, to hack at horrendous dropping off-speed magic that left him looking like an eighth grader. All-in-all, it was a positively serviceable performance.

Luckily, it was also backed by four - count them, four - solo homers as the Sox patched together a 5-2 win. It may not have been a victory with a vintage appropriate of Bordeaux, but it had positively French wine-level moments. A pair of strikeouts were chalked up to the emergence of Matsuzaka's magical changeup dubbed the "gyroball" afterward, and Dice-K wasn't counting out that possibility. The homers from Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie in the seventh hit almost identical spots in the left field stands, and that's all Boston needed to do with Hideki Okajima and a truly, furiously pissed off Jonathan Papelbon waiting in the bullpen to close things out.

As they say in Okie and the Dice-man's homeland, that means sayonara.

Of course, all of this was overshadowed by creatures that were nowhere near the Metrodome ... fish. The Saturday morning opening of fishing season in Minnesota was first referenced in the second inning, then followed up with a strong plug for the Metrodome smoked whitefish and its role in the team's new "all you can eat seats" promotion that gets unveiled during the team's next homestand. Then, after the whole "hey, we can all go out on boats and go fishing at 5 a.m. tomorrow!" concept was fully established, the Minnesota dynamic duo officially switched over to ice fishing references in the fourth and fifth innings.

Clearly, WMYM has underestimated just how strange and solitary Minnesota can be. We'd dwell on it some more, but hey, we've got some smoked whitefish spread to get to.

STARTING PITCHING: √+
There were moments early when it looked like it was going to be a - in this slot, but as he has all season, Dice-K struck his way out of jams. He walked in the first run and gave up a second later, though that might have been avoided if Coco Crisp hadn't been in center with his pee shooter of an arm unable to throw out anyone this side of Jason Giambi when they're trying to score from second. To keep it to that point Dice-K dazzled, leaving Joe Mauer shaking his head twice and other Minnesota hitters looking truly foolish at times. Needless to say, those seven Ks helped make up for the two costly walks in the second inning and the two runs, and that paved the way to 6-0/

MIDDLE RELIEF: N/A
It's getting almost eerie that all of Boston's pitchers keep working until the eighth inning, isn't it? We're going to go ahead and pinch ourselves now so we don't ruin it before tomorrow. Yikes.

SET-UP RELIEF: √+
Okajima did it again. It's amazing. And as bad as he's made a lot of team's hitters look, Minnesota might have looked worse than any other on some of those hacks Saturday night. It was downright belittling, and that's a great thing for the Boston bullpen.

CLOSER: √+
Finally, a return to normalcy, even with the flukiest hit you'll ever see - Mike Lamb's 200-foot pop-up that hit a speaker above the infield - mixed in. And while it may have looked almost like a sigh of relief when he pumped his fist and trudged to meet Jason Varitek, there's little doubt that the game-ending strikeout helped re-establish some of Paps' luster and bluster, commodities that are as important to the Red Sox' success as anything else.

Rasner Cruises

2008-05-11T00:15:21Z

Six plus innings, two earned, zero walks. That's the type of outing we were expecting from Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes this year, instead, it's Darrell Rasner who's been picking up the Yankee rotation. Yet again, the Yanks made a solid effort from their starting pitcher stand up for a 5-2 win.

Jeter hit his first bomb of the year, Giambi and Cano both continued to look good at the plate, but the offense was not the story of this game. Even with Rasner's impressive outing, the thing we need to spend some time talking about is the back end of the Yankee bullpen. Farnsworth, Joba and Mo have effectively shortened the game to 6 innings at this point.

Today, Farnsworth struggled a little bit, but he still got the job done. In the past, you'd find yourself saying Farnsworth had dominant stuff, but still found a way to blow it. No more. Joba had his one hiccup earlier in the week, but he's back to blowing away hitters and making it look easy. Mo has been the best closer in the game through his first 14 appearances, he's yet to allow a run or a walk, and he's only allowed 6 hits. If Farnsworth continues like this, moving Joba to the rotation isn't going to be an issue. They'll have Farnsworth for the 8th, Ohlendorf or Edwar for the 7th and of course Mo at the end.

The Yanks will look to take this series from the Tigers tomorrow with Andy Pettitte facing Nate Robertson.

Vitals and updated Damon graphic after the jump.
]]> Player of The Game: Darrell Rasner
Team Record: 18-18
Damon's Broken Bats: Two magnificent split bats in his last two times to the plate. The second one died a hero.

Dragnet Climbing Horses: Sox at Twins

2008-05-10T21:21:49Z

What do you do when you blow two straight saves? You climb back on the horse.

Unlike the blurb sitting atop the boston.com Red Sox section, the Sox have NOT lost two straight. Rather, it's Jonathan Papelbon who has lost HIS last two outings, both in the bottom of the ninth, sandwiched around an efficient 5-1 victory on Thursday.

Another night, another blow save for
Papelbon. And that's the problem, isn't it?

While that makes that particular section front of boston.com look moronic, it doesn't alleviate the frustration that is the current Boston predicament: The Sox have been good enough to be absolutely undefeated on a rough midwest trip so far. Instead, they're 4-2.

That's a good start, but 6-0 would have been an EXCELLENT start. Tonight, Daisuke Matsuzaka gets another chance to try and put his stamp on the team's direction. In the process he could deliver a huge victory over a Minnesota team that is proving significantly more resilient than fans and kitchen pundits of the neverending horse race that is the MLB trade market expected after what appeared a rather one-sided trade of Johan Santana to the Mets just before the season started.

Instead, reinfused with the energy of centerfielder Carlos Gomez and fellow outfielder Delmon Young - who was gleaned from the Rays for young pitcher Matt Garza - the Twins are riding high atop the AL Central, a division in which they were supposed to compete for third. At best.

One of the reasons why has been a surprisingly deep and exuberant pitching staff, which tonight showcases the season-debut of one Glen Perkins. You've got about as good an idea of how he'll do as WMYM does, but if past precedence tells us anything, it's that Boston often A) has trouble against pitchers the first time they see them and, B) it often struggles to hit well in the Metrodome.

For what it's worth, here's the lineups heading out there in the artificially clean air of Minnesota's favorite short-lived indoor monument to Hubert H. Humphrey.

So, time for another bounce back. And perhaps a chance for Paps to try and redeem himself. Again. Otherwise these two outings will be more than just a blip ... they'll be a legitimate rough patch. That's the last thing that the Sox, let alone Papelbon himself, can afford to consider.

Pave Paradise

2008-05-10T20:20:40Z

SNY was showing a special about the 1984 Mets last night, during the Mets/Reds rain delay. Shea looked odd to me in the old clips, then I realized why: there was no Citi Field in the parking lot, just a parking lot.

Soon Shea Stadium will be just a parking lot.

Meanwhile, On opening day at Shea Stadium, I took some pictures of the view from the Upper Deck. Six months from now, this vista will be accessible only to birds and maybe a La Guardia-bound jetliner.

Tags: Shea+Stadium, New+York+Mets

Saturday's are for rap

2008-05-10T17:53:06Z

At least it is when ~~Rob Skoglund~~ Brian Scalabrine drops a beat as phat as this one. Or when Skeets does.

Update: Rats. D'Antoni to the Knicks.

Memories of Shea Stadium: The Mets Clinch, 2006

2008-05-10T11:11:49Z

On September 18, 2006, the Mets beat the Florida Marlins 4–0 and became the National League Division Champs.

And we were there. My parents, Ron Hunt and I sat in Loge13 and celebrated together. Ron Hunt just uploaded his video of that night. This is what victory looks like from Loge13:

Full disclosure: I am the bozo screaming “Rock & roll” and behaving stupidly in the background, along with 50,000 other people.

Tags: New+York+Mets, Shea+Stadium

Another Stellar Izzy Outing

2008-05-10T04:30:00Z

What's left to say?

Jason Isringhausen did it again. For the third time this week, he took victory and turned it into defeat. He has more blown saves (3) in May than saves (2). His ERA is approaching 7.50. How long will this go on?

Numerous comparisons are being made between this year and 2006, when he struggled for so long before his hip injury was finally diagnosed. But on May 9, 2006, his ERA stood at 4.77 and he only had two blown saves. He blew four in June on his way to 10 on the season.

Tonight's was particularly galling, when you note that he came in and had two outs before he threw his third pitch. Then a single by J.J. Hardy, hitting .235 on the season. A single by Gabe Kapler, a .279 hitter. A walk to Jason Kendall, who was 3 for his last 16 and was 2 for 17 lifetime against Izzy. After that, it was almost a fait accompli that he was either going to walk Rickie Weeks to force in a run or give up a hit to lose the game, and he did the latter.

If Izzy's smart, he'll avoid the game threads tonight, because there's a lot of skewering going on.

The problem is, there's a lot less of statistical backing to defend Izzy with now. The post by Larry at VEB earlier this week really opened my eyes up. I was hoping it was just a slump, but when you look at the data, it seems to be much more than that. He's not getting the ball past people. You need that in your closer, because otherwise swings become hits become losses.

He's given up 5 earned runs in 3.2 innings in May. It's not getting better, it's getting worse. Which is sad when you consider his April ERA was 6.00. And while ERA doesn't tell the whole story most of the time, it's a pretty telling stat when your closer has one in this area. And he started the year with seven scoreless innings!

With the Cubs winning today and with the Cardinals facing Ben Sheets tomorrow, they really needed this game. And they should have had it as well.

There's a good bit of blame to go around, though. The Cardinals only managed three runs, including two in a bases-loaded, no out situation. Getting two was good, but there will still no outs after that. A solid hit would have broken the game open, but instead it was a liner that doubled off Izturis and that was pretty much that. The Cardinals have done a great job lately of jumping on the opposing team early. What they've not figured out is how to keep building, to be able to score in the middle and late innings.

I think the Hero status should go to Albert Pujols, though. That was a monster home run as part of his 2-3, one walk night. 37 straight games reaching base is a nice marker. If he can get a couple more, it'll be the second-longest streak in the last few years.

Today (assuming you are not going to read this in the few minutes between now and midnight) the Cardinals have to come back and try to end their longest losing streak of the season against a pitcher that's as good as almost any out there. Ben Sheets has a nice 4-0 record and a 2.29 ERA. It's going to be a tall task.

In the past, though, the Cardinals have hit Sheets very well. Pujols has a .403 average in 65 AB against him, with 4 home runs. Chris Duncan should get off the bench, as he's got a couple of homers against Sheets as well. Izturis might get the day off, though, with his 2-22 mark. Since 2005, Sheets is 1-6 with an ERA over 4 against the Redbirds, according to the research I did for the CCH series preview.

Joel Pineiro goes for the Cardinals. Only Jason Kendall has really seen him a lot, and he's only had minor success. On paper, you'd think the Brewers would be heavy favorites, but if some personal histories hold up, this could be a closer game than you'd think.

The only question will be, who will close it out for St. Louis if it is?

Tigers Maul Igawa, Hang On For Win

2008-05-10T03:57:16Z

The bar was set low for Kei Igawa Friday night and the lefty pitcher meet those expectations.

Kei Igawa was smacked around repeatedly, Wilson Betemit had a horrible night and a ninth inning rally fell short as the Tigers edged the Yankees 6-5 in Mo Town. Jason Giambi went yard and the bullpen continued to be the backbone of the team, but it wasn't enough to keep the Yanks from falling a game under .500 for the umpteenth time this season.

The yo-yo year goes on.

The Good:

Jason Giambi. The Giambino stroked his second homer in two days in the second inning to tie the score at 1-1. The Yanks would get no closer. I was a tad surprised that Joe Girardi opted for Giambi at designated hitter and sat the hot-hitting Johnny Damon, but the move worked out. To call Jay's season disappointing so far would be a gross understatement, but the big guy never lost his confidence. Good thing, because I stopped believing in him long ago. But maybe there's some life left in his bat. Giambi finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI.

The pen. Giardi has done a nice job utilizing the bullpen recently -- everyone he trots out there seems to toss goose eggs. Jonathan Albaladejo, LaTroy Hawkins and Edwar Ramirez got the call on Friday night and all three relievers kept the Yanks in the ballgame. It's unfortunate that the damage was too great to overcome. The mighty three combined for this sparkling line: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 WP.

The Bad:

Kei Igawa. Throw a soft-tossing lefty who keeps everything up in the strike zone against a team loaded with right-handed sluggers and you got yourself a recipe for disaster. Igawa gave up a double to Ivan Rodriguez to lead off the bottom of the first and you could just smell doom in the air. The Yanks didn't play good defense behind him, but that's not the reason Igawa was sent to the showers early. Igawa is slated to make his second start on Wednesday against the Rays in Tampa, but I wouldn't be shocked if a change was made before then. Sometimes box scores don't tell the whole story, but this one delivers on all of its ugly numbers. Igawa's night: 3+ IP, 11 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

Wilson Betemit. The switch-hitting infielder was reportedly cured of the conjunctivitis that sidelined him for two weeks, but you couldn't tell by his play at third base and on the basepaths. Betemit was charged with only one error Friday night, but he looked lost at the hot corner. He also got picked off first base after reaching on an infield single in the second inning. I think it's just a matter of time before the Yanks jettison either Wil or Morgan Ensberg from the roster. And so far it looks like Betemit has one foot out the door. Betemit picked up two hits on the night, but it wasn't enough to offset his poor defense. Betemit finished 2 for 4 with a run scored.

The Ugly:

And that makes six. Reliever Chris Britton was sent down to Triple-A to make room for Igawa on Friday night, but the burly right-hander will be back with the team by Saturday. Why, you ask? That's because Jonathan Albaladejo is headed to the DL with soreness in his right elbow. He felt his elbow bark in the sixth inning. Albaladejo will fly to New York and have an MRI performed. Hopefully, it's nothing serious -- he's done a good job this year. And if you're keeping track at home, JA is the sixth Yankee to hit the disabled list this year.

Darrell Rasner (1-0, 3.00 ERA) will try and get the Yanks back in the win column on Saturday and will square off against Jeremy Bonderman (2-3, 4.17 ERA). Bonderman pitched his best game of the season in a win over the Yankees on April 30. Rasner was efficient in his only start against the Seattle Mariners and has no real numbers lifetime against Detroit (1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K).

The push toward .500 goes on.

Jose Calderon: It Would Take Some Creativity

2008-05-10T03:32:47Z

Part five of the series features Toronto PG, Jose Calderon. (Archives after the jump)

Status

Restricted free agent
2007 salary: $2,471,604

News

Calderon has said he does not want to return to Toronto unless he is guaranteed a starting spot over T.J. Ford. Good news and bad, it increases the chances that he's available, but the Sixers have a point guard. Landing Calderon would mean moving Andre Miller in a trade.

Reference

Thoughts On The Player

A point guard who shot 52% from the floor, 43% from three and had an assist/turnover ratio of 5.38? Uh, yes he'd fit here. He'd fit just about anywhere, but particularly in Philly, particularly if the plan is to move Iguodala to the two. The only problem is that he won't sign with Philly to be a backup, even for 1 season. Something else would have to happen.

Thoughts on Likelihood

Pretty close to zero. It would require trading Andre Miller, which is possible, but what kind of package could you really put together for Miller that wouldn't weaken the team and/or eat up all of the cap space? One thing that came to mind was a sign and trade with Miami, this is convoluted, so hear me out.

Miami holds the #1 pick in the draft, and they covet Elton Brand, reportedly, but I don't think they have the cap space to get him. Here's the question: Would they rather have Derrick Rose and Shawn Marion or Andre Miller and Elton Brand? The Sixers could send Andre Miller and two or even three #1 picks (their pick this year, their pick and Utah's pick next year) to Miami for Shawn Marion and the #1 pick in the draft. Essentially, this trade would give Miami the cap room to sign Brand and a back court of Wade and Miller. That's good enough to get you into the playoffs next year. The Sixers could then use the rest of their cap space to land Calderon and use the #1 pick on Beasley or Rose, whoever they value more.

It's far-fetched, and it would probably require a new contract for Marion and a sense of urgency in Miami that I'm not entirely sure exists. Just thought I'd throw that out there. For argument's sake, would you guys like the following starting lineup next year?

Calderon
Iguodala
Thad
Marion
Dalembert

See the rest of the series after the jump.
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