To date, Alex Rodriguez is really, really hot, but the Boston Red Sox are even hotter, and the hometown Blue Jays are frigidly cold. The Jays have turtled since suffering some injuries a few days ago, and the past two days have suffered the humiliation of twice getting beaten by Kevin Millar in clutch situations. Today, they will try to avoid the Ultimate humiliation of losing to Steve Trachsel and being swept by the Orioles.

aside: most of the focus here in T.O. has been on the bullpen, which has blown a couple of saves since B.J. Ryan went on the DL, though the hitters have been much worse than the relievers. And the manager, John Gibbons, has twice broken both of Brett's Rules for Bullpen Management. The first is Don't Take Guys out of the Game when they're Throwing Well (he removed Scotty Downs on Thursday after Downs had struck out David Ortiz); the second is Don't Leave Guys in when they're Throwing Like Crap (he left Victor Zambrano in to fend for himself on Friday, on a night when the Big Z was throwing a combination of puke and snot).

Really, they're good rules! And I offer them free of charge...

For myself, the first revelation of this season was the Papelbon Stare. I was watching the Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball a couple of weeks ago, and was struck by the Stare, which Papelbon now has down to Dave Stewart-like perfection. I was wondering whether it was new, or whether I had just somehow failed to notice it in the past; then the Red Sox came to Toronto, and I realized that the local TV broadcaster didn't have the right angle and you couldn't really see it. Papelbon also came into Saturday's game against the Yankees, but again, Fox didn't have the right angle and you couldn't see it.

I haven't seen any NESN games this year, so I don't know if it is something then focus in on (I let my MLB.TV subscription expire, as I was only using it a few times per year, and realistically I need a new computer with twice the memory to run anything on mlb.com. With 100-something Jay games on the tube this year, plus Fox Saturday games and ESPN Sunday night games... I figure that's plenty of games for one summer). In any case, I'm looking for a picture of The Stare, and will post it as soon as I find one. As a lifelong Blue Jay fan, I'm obligated to hate the Red Sox - but I've always liked Papelbon since he was a rookie, and now I think he's my second favourite pitcher to watch next to Greg Maddux.

aside: when I was watching the Sox a few days ago, one of the announcers (can't remember who) stated that the Sox wanted him to remain the closer because he only throws two pitches. But are Papelbon's first-strike pitch (95-mph fastball at the knees and on the corner) and third-strike pitch (98-mph fastball at the letters) really the same pitch? I know they're both fastballs, but they serve entirely different purposes... it seems to me that calling Jon Papelbon a two-pitch pitcher is like called Roger Clemens a two-pitch pitcher...

Speaking of mlb.com, one of the biggest disappointments of the new year has been the new, not-so-improved GameDay, which used to be far-and-away the best PBP tracker on the web. The old GameDay was like the iPod, a stunning example of great design that blew the competition away; it's iconic 'Ball in play, no out recorded' kept many of us office types waiting on edge just to see what the outcome was (and, on occasion, waiting... and waiting... but usually worth the wait!)

The new one is a bloated mess that (i) is really ugly, and (ii) hogs so much memory, that after a few minutes it just slows to a crawl and stops working. I mean, really; white text on a light-grey background? Who thought that up? The new gee-whiz factor is a graphic that displays the release point and path of pitch - a potentially useful piece information, to be sure, but not something that NEEDS to be part of GameDay.

Like I said, for us poor office workers... we just want something that works. That won't crash our browser every five minutes. Bring back the old GameDay! (favourite GameDay moments: both back in 2004, when I was working a regular night shift, both involving the Angels. This game, which was scoreless through 16 innings, and this game, which you probably remember...)

Anyways, taking a quick peek around the league... you probably know that Alex Rodriguez has hit 12 homers in 16 games, that Mark Buehrle threw a no-hitter, that Barry Bonds has been the best hitter in the NL and that Felix Rodriguez made two spectacular starts before twinging his elbow. Also: Jim Thome has already drawn 22 walks, Rich Hill has allowed eight hits in 22 innings, Cole Hamels struck out 15 batters last night and leads the majors with 33, Jimmy Rollins and J.J. Hardy are the current homer kings of the NL, Josh Hamilton is the early Rookie of the Year favourite, the Red Sox have an incredible team ERA of 2.94, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are second in the league run scoring (after finishing dead last in 2006) and Jeff Francoeur has walked seven times.

Here in Toronto, the news has been mostly bad of late, but (i) Roy Halladay, whom everyone seems to think is made of glass, leads the league in innings and threw a 10-inning complete game, and (ii) Gustavo Chacin, who starts in an hour, has walked one batter in 17 innings, giving him the best control in baseball to date. (UPDATE: D'oh! Gus walked Melvin Mora twice, dropping him to third in the AL; still, three walks in 22 innings is impressive for a guy who could desperately use better control...)

* * *

About 18 months ago, I decided that I wanted to write less about silly stuff like who the starting third baseman on the All-Star team should be, and try to get closer to the heart of what it means to be a fan, and why teams and sports and their players become such an important part of our lives. I haven't been writing as much as I would have liked, but the task continues... I work for a news organization that's making an effort to be a leader at delivering online news, and this week was a particularly stressful one. I've spent a bit of time outside in the gorgeous weather, cleaning up my balcony and whatnot, but most of the weekend has been spent chilling out and watching baseball, and I can't really think of too many other things I would rather be doing.

Why that is, I still have no idea. But there is something comforting about the rhythm of a baseball game; on one hand, it is ridiculously predictable. We know that each inning has three outs, that each at bat has maximum of either three strikes or four balls, that the runner on first has to touch second before he can go to third, that on a grounder to short, the ball must be thrown to first base to get the out, and cannot be thrown into centre field or spiked into the ground in a burst of spontaneous creativity.

I wonder if, to some degree, this mind-numbing repetitiveness and predictability has a calming effect, like watching waves repeatedly slosh against the shore, and a certain degree of comfort in knowing what's coming next. Many people, I know, just think it's boring - but for those of us who are fans, the game throws enough curves at us to keep us interested. Almost every game has a moment where we sit up and say, "Whoa, that was unexpected"; and even those us who have watched thousands of games will see a few things every season that we've NEVER seen before (or haven't seen in a couple of decades).

(One example already: a game is called with two outs and two strikes in the fifth inning, and is to be entirely replayed at a later date. Whazzup with that?)

(MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: four straight homers!)

Anyways, as I mentioned earlier, I hope that wherever you are, the weather is nice and that you are enjoying the season. And that the combination of comforting familiarity - and occasional unpredictability - continues to make baseball on a Sunday afternoon an important part of our lives.

* * *

I still haven't found a picture of the Papelbon Stare, so in the mean time all I can offer is this really terrible sketch. The Sox are on ESPN again tonight, so hopefully I will get my hands on the real thing soon enough. Thanks for visiting!

MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: Thanks to Mike Lowell and company, Papelbon got into last night's game and picked up a save. ESPN, to their credit, had the camera angle that Fox didn't. Here are a pair of snapshots to illustrate what my sketch could not. Papelbon doesn't really look angry, like Dave Stewart did, but he does look confident that he is going to get you out.

Spring is almost here!!

(MARCH UPDATE: the meteorologists were... imprecise. We got the freezing rain, and some snow, but they failed to mention that it would be a storm of Biblical proportions that even prompted our local architecture to turn against us. Happily, the roof of the Rogers Centre did not collapse, and it looks as though spring is finally here, for real, so we're still on track for Opening Day.)

(APRIL UPDATE: it's still cold, dammit)

Various season previews and spring notes and mailbags and whatnot have begun to sprout up all over the web; I've been doing preseason previews every year since 2000, and have managed to cobble another together for this year - less ambitious and time consuming than in past years. The idea was to take 18 or so spots on each roster, and do a comparison for each to other teams in their division.

An example of one such entry is this:

DH Thomas 39
96 (87)

The player is Frank Thomas, of the Blue Jays. The green part is his age. The blue part is the number of runs that big Frank created in 2006 (using Bill James' Runs Created); the red part is the number of Runs Created that the Blue Jays received from their DH's in 2006 (all 17 of them, including John McDonald in one game). Frank Thomas created nine more runs in 137 games than the Jays' DH's did in 162 games.

ESPN.com, happily, records the number of RC that each team received from each position in 2006; I also used baseball-reference.com as a source, though their calculations are slightly different.

A starting pitcher entry looks like this:

S1 Santana 28
62.2 (62.2)

S2 Bonser 25
50.6 (56.2)

For starting pitchers, I used Average Game Score, which is admittedly far from perfect (Randy Johnson and Chien-Ming Wang had an almost identical AGS, for obvious reasons) but I wanted to use just one stat and I've always kind of liked this one (and it helps that it is also readily available). Again, the sources were ESPN.com and baseball-reference.com.

In this case, The Twins' #1 starters had an AGS of 62.2 - which of course was all Johan Santana. Their #2 starters - whom I determined to be Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser - had a combined AGS of 56.2 in 32 starts, while Bonser himself was at 50.6. I readily admit that this was a highly subjective process, trying to determine who Minnesota's #2 starters were last year, or Toronto's #3 starters or any slot in the Royals' rotation.

Finally, for relievers, I decided to try something different - again, I wanted to use just one stat, so I picked WPA (Win Probability Added):

CL Ryan 31
4.75 (4.75)

R1 Frasor 29
0.46 (0.23)

LO Tallet 28
0.96 (0.45)

The Blue Jays' closer was BJ Ryan and no one else, and he delivered a WPA of 4.75. I subjectively determined that the Jays' #1 setup men were Justin Speier and Vinnie Chulk, who combined for 78 games, 75 innings pitched and a 0.23 WPA; the role, supposedly, is to be inherited by Jason Frasor. The LOOGY's were Brian Tallet and Scott Schoeneweis, who combined for a 0.45 WPA - Tallet did most of the heavy lifting in that regard.

I don't claim to be a WPA expert, but it has been around in various forms for awhile and is an intriguing concept that seems suitable for relievers. It probably doesn't do a good job of predicting future success (sorry Mr. Tallet) but that's true of almost anything bullpen-related.

The source for all of these numbers was Fangraphs.com.

So thanks again for dropping by; this has been a fun little exercise for me during some dark and dreary days of February and some just plain dreary days of March. Both leagues are done - well, sort of, I never really finished but it's opening day so what the heck. Thanks, and enjoy the season!.

I won't, however, go as far as MLB.com, who have labelled the past three weeks as "Shocktober", claiming that the "entire '06 postseason full of surprises, chills and thrills". The '06 postseason was... it was what it was. I may remember a couple of things from it, but not much more than that. When I'm 85 years old, I will probably reminisce about Albert Pujols' walk-off home run that sent the Cardinals into the Series... only to be reminded by my smart-ass grandson that he hit it the year before.

(Bill James once wrote that the problem with Andre Dawson is that he won the MVP Award in the wrong year; the Cardinals are the same story, a great team that won in the wrong year).

David Eckstein will likely join Scott Brosius, Pat Borders and Steve Yeager among the more forgettable World Series MVP's in recent memory. With all due respect to the Little Eck, the only guy who's going to be remembered a couple of decades from now is Kenny Rogers, for both good and bad (or good and funny, depending on your point of view). I am thinking that baseball needs to do what hockey does, and give out one award for the entire postseason - no one could possibly remember the "MVP" of every playoff hockey series played every year, and in baseball it's becoming increasingly difficult to remember who did what in which series.

Let's just give out an award for the whole shebang - in honour of the Cardinals, we'll even call it the Brock Gibson Award for Postseason Excellence. This year's winner is Kenny Rogers, who gave a heck of a performance in all three series, even though his team fell short in the end.

"Careful, it's a little sticky"

* * *

With the season over, MLB is already into full awards mode. The big ones are still a few weeks away, but the Hank Aaron Award, the Roberto Clemente Award and the Comeback Player of the Year Award have all been issued; next up is the Hutch Award.

Also up for grabs is the Holiday Inn Look Again Player of the Year, which will be voted on by the fans. According to the blurb, this award is for "role players who sacrifice for their team in often unrecognized effort". The field has been narrowed down to 30 names; as has been pointed out elsewhere, 28 of the nominees are white. Since I have ranted on previous occasions on this site about the talent paradigm that has pervaded baseball for years, I may as well do so one more time. It generally goes like this:

In the past I have solely blamed the media for perpetuating this paradigm over the years, but apparently MLB believes in it as well, so mea culpa on that one. I voted for my favourite Johnson's, Reed and Nick, but it looks as though David Eckstein is going to win this one as well. However, just in case baseball's sizable number of black, latin, Inuit and Kazakh players are feeling left out, I offer the Doubleswitch.com Look Back in Anger Award for players who apparently don't offer much in terms of effort or sacrifice and who should probably remain unrecognized:

As I type I am watching the Cardinals-Padres. A few random points:

- this is about the fourth straight hour that I've listened to Miller and Morgan, who were in Detroit last night...

- I am staunchly opposed to instant replay in all forms - but it makes it hard to argue the point when the third base umpire sucks as badly as he did last night. That ball that hit the chalk... Jon Miller called it fair right away; myself and thousands of other fans could tell it was fair; the Tigers and Yankees both thought it was fair. Not sure what Larry Vanover was looking at...

- I like Jon Miller, but he really should know by now which umpires make which calls...

- Joe Morgan knew that it was the third baseman's call, but couldn't articulate the point because... well, he's Joe Morgan

- Ernie Harwell sounded great last nice, a very nice change of pace from the BermanHorn...

- Ernie is getting like my grandmother (who turns 90 in December); he could accurately recall the 1921 Detroit Tigers' team batting average, but couldn't remember Justin Verlander's name. Maybe the secret to memory retention is telling an audience the same story 8,000 times...

- assuming that I get there, I wonder what story I'll be telling over and over again when I'm 88 years old? I almost never repeat myself; I may not remember a goddamned thing when I'm old...

I will refrain from saying anything really nasty about any broadcasters, even Rick Sutcliffe. All I'll say is that in the past six months, I've invested in a new hi-definition TV and subscribed to the local service. It looks real nice, but it's past time for multiple audio streams - in particular, one with ambient noise only. You know, the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd - and nothing else. It's not that broadcasters don't serve a useful purpose, it's that with all the money we're paying for this technology, consumers deserve a choice.

(BTW, I'm a little surprised by the kerfuffle caused by Thom Brennaman's claim that Jeff Kent is "arguably" baseball's greatest offensive second baseman. It's a little like saying that Neptune is "arguably" the largest planet in the solar system; Neptune is a big-ass planet that deserves respect, but the statement is so obviously not true that you just shake your head and move on. It's a little strange that anyone would make such a statement, but... there are lots of things in this world that perplex me.)

Here in Toronto, it's hockey hockey hockey all the time - I haven't checked out any hockey in hi-definition yet, I'm sure I'll get around to it sometime this winter. But baseball-reference.com already has the 2006 stats up, which lets us do a post-mortem on the Jays. Before the season I expected about 85 wins from the home team, and they won 87, so I'm generally happy. But the numbers that stick out:

                  AB    AVG   OBP   SLG   OPS+
John McDonald    260   .223  .271  .308    48
Russ Adams       251   .219  .282  .319    54

                W   L   IP      ERA
Josh Towers     2  10   62.0   8.42

Shortstops/fifth starters, they weren't so good. One of my biggest criticisms of J.P. Ricciardi is that his benches have been pretty awful since he came to Toronto. This year was better, thanks to depth in the outfield and at catcher; but the infield - you know that when you have Edgardo Alfonso and Troy Glaus as your starting middle infielders for two weeks, and end up playing John McDonald every day for the final two months, you really didn't plan ahead very well.

The funny thing about Josh Towers is that he could easily have gone 6-14 with a 6.50 ERA, and we'd all be talking about what a horrible season he had, and the Jays would still have won at least 90 games (and when I write 'funny' I don't mean so much that he's a clown, just so much that it fuckin' amuses me).

Anyways, I'm staying optimistic - I wrote at the beginning of the season that 2007 was the year to go for it, and that's still what I believe. Regardless of how much money they spend, the Red Sox will still be in a transition year, and the Yankees... well, yaneverknow. The Yankees, of course, played the 2005 season with a black hole in centre field, and this year filled it up nicely with Johnny Damon. The Jays obviously had a black hole of their own at shortstop, and fixing it will sure make a difference in 2007.

3-0 Padres in the seventh inning. Chris Young strikes out Pujols with two runners on. I just realized that if the Padres win, two ex-Blue Jays meet up tomorrow: Woody Williams and Chris Carpenter. I also just realized that Woody turned 40 in August, which (1) gives the Padres two 40-something ex-Blue Jay pitchers, and (2) makes me feel kinda old, as I remember him as an old rookie trying to prove the doubters wrong.

And I also just realized that Woody was 12-5 this season with a 3.65 ERA. Jesus, I thought he had retired...

Huh. Mike Piazza's not too smooth on those popups behind the plate, is he?

So last night I received an email from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame; that happens from time to time, as I gave them money once and probably should do so again. Anyways, it starts:

Well, doesn't that warm the cockles of my heart. A story of baseball, politicians, money and photo-ops - that can't possibly have a good ending, can it? After a stiff drink, I read on, and discover that the Hall has a bunch of memorabilia in storage and needs money to expand. So a contigent of lobbyists, Fergie Jenkins, and a baseball hit by Babe Ruth made the trek to Ottawa, schmoozed a bit, and... well, it doesn't really say what happened after that. Fergie Jenkins, the Hall's ambassador, summed up the case thusly:

That was mostly harmless, after all. In principle, I'm opposed to places like the CBHF getting any financial help beyond tax breaks on donations - but we all know that a pie exists to be eaten, and if the CBHF folks manage to get a small piece of it then so be it. I really do like the place very much, which brings me to my real pet peeve in this story: St. Mary's has a gorgeous old train station that almost never gets used, ever since Canada's rail system was gutted a few years ago. I would have loved to attend the induction ceremonies this year, except that the one fucking train that stops there during the day arrives hours too late (1:06pm, to be exact), and I couldn't invest the entire weekend in the trip.

In the final scene of Field of Dreams, the little realizes the answers to her father's financial problems - people will come to visit the field he has built, and PAY ADMISSION. There's no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; it's a good, solid piece of capitalism that doesn't rely on supernatural providence (apart from the dead ballplayers taking batting practice). "People will come," booms James Earl Jones, and who knows, maybe more people will come if, you know, there's a train to take them there.

Ontario - Yours to discover. But if you don't drive a car, fuck you.

(Speaking of Justin Morneau, I've never seen a player look as disgusted with himself as he did after hitting a postseason home run. I mean, I know it was meaningless and his team was about to be eliminated, but man, that was one sour puss. Morneau might be the right guy to appeal to the Prime Minister who, nine months after winning the election, has yet to crack a smile and looks absolutely pissed about everything. )

(sandwich break. 15 minutes later)

Game over. Padres live to see another day; Yankees and Tigers are back at it. Josh Lewin sounds like a took a bunch of greenies before the game; I wonder if broadcasters are given random urine tests during games...

Two quick homers; 3-0. Jaret Wright is probably my least favourite pitcher in baseball, for purely aesthetic reasons: that is one disgusting chaw of tobacco he has.

(bus ride break. 3 hours later)

Yankees are done. I'll amend my above statement to suggest that both the Red Sox and Yankees are heading into a transition year. Of course, every year for the past five years they've talked about changing managers and rebuilding and instead they just stay the course and bring in more free agents. (SUNDAY UPDATE: the vultures are circling around Joe Torre. I'll believe it when it happens, but changes may be in the air...)

I don't know if anyone will actually read this, as I have been updating my site this year about as often as I clean my balcony - which is to say, pretty much never. It's just been one of those years. But the time for action is drawing nigh; the pigeon poop is starting to pile up and get a little disgusting. But if you ignore the pigeon poop and focus on the skyline, you can see the CN Tower, and beside it, the Rogers Centre, where my home town team, the Toronto Blue Jays, have been making a few headlines the past month.

As for what to do about John Gibbons, I confess that I am conflicted. My thoughts, in somewhat random order, are:

I think that Gibbons should stay as on manager for the remainder of the year. And for 2007, assuming that the team doesn't go 10-25 the rest of the season. My general philosophy is that if you are going to hire a rookie manager, you should willing to be patient with him (as you should with a player); the team has improved in each season under Gibbons' reign, and is in decent shape to take another small step forward next year (though I grant that they had nowhere to go but up).

* * *

Another reason for keeping Gibbons is that I do think that this team can make a run in 2007; and if he is fired... well, I appear to be in the minority, but I'm just skeptical over whether this can be a seamless transition. In five years as GM, J.P. Ricciardi has fired two managers in midseason; when Carlos Tosca was turfed in 2004, I wrote:

"...I suspect that Ricciardi has fired his last Blue Jay manager. If the next guy doesn't work out, I can't imagine that J.P. would be allowed to start over again with another manager. Of course, I would have said the same thing five years ago about Bobby Clarke and the Flyers, and...well, you know."

Things change, time moves on... and my guess is that Ricciardi still has a free hand make changes if he so chooses. But I stand by what I wrote two years ago; if Gibbons goes, it's time to blow up the whole management structure, with Ricciardi going as well. It may not be a bad idea a year from now, if next season is a disappointment - but as a fan, I want to see these guys get another chance in 2007.

* * *

The dog days of August are, indeed, pretty boring. It's the dog days; everybody is just going through the motions, either looking ahead to a playoff race in September, looking ahead to next March. Here at work, we have a whole bunch projects lined up for the fall, but everyone's taking time off and just trying to take it easy before it gets really busy. If nothing else, I thank the Jays and their cantankerous manager for breaking into the humidity-drenched boredom and giving me something to prattle on about before I go on vacation next week.

The Jays took the next game in the series, but on Wednesday were waxed 6-0. They are fighting for nothing more than second place, meaningless except that they haven't done it in about a decade. Things could be worse; also on Wednesday, Kansas City scored ten runs in the first inning against Cleveland, more salt in the open wound that is the Indians' horribly disappointing season (and they can get even worse than that: Cleveland came back and won the game 15-13, more salt in the open wound that is the Royals' past 15 years). Jays play the Royals tonight... if the team has indeed quit on the manager, then I guess we'll find out real soon.

I'm still following the season closely, still enjoying the games - just taking a break from writing about the game lately and working on other stuff. I'm also enjoying playing in a fantasy baseball league - not leading, but still in the hunt. I used to avoid rotisserie baseball because it's not very realistic - though I now realize that that is where the 'fantasy' part comes in. Francisco Cordero couldn't hold the lead last night, but vultured the win - woohoo! Every bit helps before I cut him.

On the field, the Tigers still have the best record in baseball. They recently survived a tough stretch against the Yankees, Red Sox and White Sox, and this weekend just kicked the snot out of the Cubs. I'm not a true believer, yet - at this point last season, both the Nationals and Orioles were still in first place. The White Sox will win the division, but the way things are going, 90 wins (or even less) might be enough to grab the wild card.

For my 31st birthday, I bought a new LCD television in the spring and have been watching games in Hi-Definition. That means I've spending a lot more time on the sofa than I have at the actual ballpark - but who the hell wants to go outside anyways? I spent last weekend at my parents farm, took their dogs for some long walks, covered several miles each day... then after returning to the city, was completely winded after walking two blocks, thanks to the heat, humidity and that soupy haze that has descended on us.

Oh well; here in Toronto, folks have been optimistic that the Jays will be the team to grab that spot. And they still might - if Towers doesn't destroy the world tomorrow, then A.J. Burnett will start on Thursday, and is reportedly "100%" (though in A.J.'s case, he's either 100% or 0%, and nothing in between). But they got their asses handed to them this weekend by the Marlins - it's been awhile since I turned the TV off in disgust three days in a row. A grand new opera house opened in the city last week, but hopefully it will be a little while yet before the fat tenor starts to sing.

(Unfortunately, he has likely already sung for my preseason favourites, the Indians, who also got swept this weekend. Stubborn as I am, I still expect them to eke out a winning record - but so far this year has been a disaster. Or, if you prefer, a 'character-building' year.)

Off the field, the controversy over PEDs - steroids, amphetamines, and now, HGH specifically - continues to rage on. L'affair Grimsley has briefly taken the focus off of Barry Bonds, and placed it on... well, we're not sure, though we think his name has six letters, and begins with a J (or maybe a D - no wait, it's a Q). And in a few weeks, the Mitchell Report will try to become the new Dowd Report - if you can imagine that John Dowd, over the course of his investigation into Pete Rose, discovered that MLB was running a 1-800 line with insider tips for gamblers.

Back to the playing field - some award winners, for the first 40% of the season:

Most Valuable Pokémon Award

Miguel Cabrera... well, he's not such a good defensive player, making it tough to take him ahead of Rolen. When he homered on Friday, it was his first RBI in 13 games - I hadn't noticed, and he's on my fantasy team! He hasn't been slumping - he's batting .342, and has similar numbers with runners on base and in scoring position. But there haven't been many opportunities, and teams have been pitching around him - strange thing, though. During that streak without any RBI, the Marlins went 9-4; after he homered on Friday, they went on to sweep the Blue Jays. It's still a team game, as always.

I've ranted about this before, but I may as well again: I hate, I hate, I HATE the intentional walk. In today's game, Cabrera was intentionally walked by Roy Halladay with two out and a runner on third; two hits later, Cabrera crossed the plate to make the score 4-1. My hatred of the intentional walk began in 2001, when Jays' manager Buck Martinez was handing them out like Hershey Kisses on Halloween. And they always came to kill him. When teams were pitching around Barry Bonds, lots of ideas were floated around about how to combat the strategy. I don't understand why any that's necessary; teams keep doing it, and it keeps blowing up in their faces.

Denton True Young Award

Rookie of the Trip around the Sun Award

Manimal of the Year

* * *

Here are the current vote leaders at each position:

American League

C - Jason Varitek. Joe Mauer is the MVP to this point, but I'm going to try to stick to what I wrote above about unproven guys who have been hot for two months. I'd prefer to see Posada start; he's a great player having a outstanding comeback season. Mauer has lots of time to start future All-Star Games.

1B - David Ortiz. Not a first baseman, and not having his best season, but he still has to be in the starting lineup.

2B - Robinson Cano. Fine by me. Just a kid, but improving on his fine rookie season. Nobody else in the league qualifies as a 'star'.

3B - Alex Rodriguez. Reigning MVP, greatest player of his generation, choker in the clutch, yadda yadda yadda.

SS - Derek Jeter. There isn't a heck of a lot of difference between him and Miguel Tejada, but Tejada is a better defensive player and probably should be starting.

OF - Manny Ramirez
OF - Johnny Damon
OF - Vladimir Guerrero

Ichiro Suzuki is fourth, surprisingly, and he actually may be one of the top three outfielders in the league this year. Damon and Vernon Wells are a bit of a wash in centre field; Wells has been better this year, Damon the past couple. Neither Ramirez nor Guerrero is having his best season, but I'd still rather see them start than Jermaine Dye or Gary Matthews Jr.

National League

C - Paul LoDuca. I guess.

1B - Pujols. But wait, he's hurt, and Nomar Garciaparra is leading the league in hitting. And then there's Nick Johnson. Man, few things are better than watching Nick the Stick beat up the Yankees... and then leave the game with a lower back strain.

2B - Chase Utley. Pretty clearly the best second baseman in baseball at this point.

3B - David Wright. As mentioned above, the NL is stacked with outstanding third basemen, but Wright may be the best.

SS - David Eckstein. Well, he's batting .322... and there's not much competition. Renteria, I guess, is having a solid comeback season. Felipe Lopez, an all-star last year, also does a lot of things well.

OF - Alfonso Soriano
OF - Carlos Beltran
OF - Jason Bay

I bit of a surprise; Griffey and Andruw Jones were leading a few hours ago but have been passed by. And it's a good thing; Bay has been the NL's best outfielder for a year-and-a-half now. Beltran is having a magnificent comeback season; Soriano is having a strikingly similar season to the one that Jones had in 2005.

* * *

Something I enjoyed recently...

Charles Grodin: If you want, I'll outline a complete balanced diet for you.
Robert De Niro (eating fried chicken): You can mail it to me from C-block.
Grodin: Why would you eat that?
De Niro: Why? Because it tastes good.
G: But it's not good for you.
D: I'm aware of that.
G: Why would you do something that you know is not good for you?
D: Because I don't think about it.
G: Well that's living in denial.
D: Living in denial?
G: Yeah.
D: I'm aware of that.
G: So you're aware of all your behaviour yet you continue to do things that aren't good for you. That sounds sort of foolish, don't you think so, John?
D: No. Stealing 15 million dollars from Jimmy Serano sounds foolish.
G: I didn't think I'd get caught.
D: Now that's living in denial.
G: I'm aware of that.
D: Oh, so you're aware of your behaviour, and yet you continue to do things that aren't good for you. Sounds kind of foolish to me, don't you think, John?
G: It was foolish. But taking 15 million of mob money and giving it to charity was good for a lot of people.
D: Oh, so you pissed off a mafioso killer just to be loved by a bunch of fucking strangers. That makes a lot of sense.
G: Don't you want to be loved?
D: (pause) I got lots of people who love me.
G: Really?.... who?

- George Gallo, screenwriter, Midnight Run

That's pretty much all I have to say tonight, except to add that MLB Mosaic looks like one of the coolest things ever - if only I could get it to work on my computer. Anyone else getting just sound and no video? Not that I'm complaining about getting nothing but a blank screen accompanied by the dulcet tones of Michael Kay, but...

UPDATE: OK, so I updated my video drivers and it's working. I don't know if it's one of the coolest things ever, but it is cool. A couple of days ago, I tuned into a Cardinals game - and within two minutes, Joe Buck was pondering whether today's players are Matlock fans. See you in October, Joe.

But hey, I watched some baseball yesterday. One of my favourite games from the 2005 season, which I had been meaning to revisit for some time. Well, "favourite" is probably a bad word, since the Jays coughed up the lead and lost the game. It was actually horrifically awful. But I loved what the bullpens for both teams were doing over the last three innings - namely, throwing the ball exactly where I expected them to.

I am going to muse on something that sounds pretty simple - the pitcher pitching the ball, and the catcher catching it. It's one of baseball's murkiest relationships: what kind of influence, if any, does the catcher have on a pitcher's performance? Baseball men are always quick to stress the importance of a catcher's game-calling ability - a little too quick, if you ask me, as if they are afraid of committing heresy or something.

The game in question was on September 29. The Jays were in Fenway Park. The Red Sox had four games left in the season, and were trailing both the Yankees and Indians by a game. You could say that it was must-win game. The Jays had lefty Scotty Downs on the mound and Gregg Zaun behind the plate, while the Sox countered with Matt Clement and Jason Varitek.

* * *

It started well; the Jays led 4-1 after five innings. David Ortiz led off the 6th with an infield hit to short. Actually, it was a ground ball pulled towards right field; shortstop Russ Adams, playing the shift, cut in front of the second baseman, fielded the ball, fell down, rolled over, tried to throw the ball, fell down again and eventually rolled to a stop near the first base line. It was a final exclamation point on Adams' inglorious rookie season, in which he managed to discover (and rediscover) every possible way to muck up a play.

Jason Frasor was called into the game, and promptly gave up a two-run homer to Manny Ramirez, making the score 4-3. Frasor got out of the inning, and the game moved into the 7th. This is where I started to take a closer interest; Mike Myers got the first out, and then was lifted for a new pitcher, Jon Papelbon. It was the first time I had ever seen Papelbon pitch.

* * *

Catchers get their reputation for working with pitchers in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways. Jason Varitek developed an outstanding reputation during the Red Sox run in 2004 - and what the hell, they won their first World Series in 86 years. But you know, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke were all great pitchers before they came to Boston. And with those three all M.I.A. last season, the Sox pitching staff was, um, ordinary.

Ivan Rodriguez' game-calling reputation went into the crapper during his final years in Texas. It got worse in his first year in Florida, when the Marlins struggled, A.J. Burnett blew out his elbow and Josh Beckett complained to the media about his crappy new catcher. Six months later, the Marlins won the World Series, Beckett and Pudge were both heroes, and that put and end to that.

Likewise, A.J. Pierzynski was released from his contract by the Giants because of his poor defence, then 12 months later won a World Series with the White Sox. Either the Giants are biggest dunces in baseball, or... maybe it's just really hard to tell which pitchers and catchers (and coaches) are going to work well together.

* * *

When I watched the game live, I started an experiment in the 7th inning by guessing the type and location of each pitch. I got about twelve in a row and was feeling pretty good about myself until Vinny Chulk threw a pitch I never expected him to throw.

Watching the replay, I tried guessing the type and location of each pitch - but I didn't do so well the second time around, even though I had seen the game before. I missed about ten pitches; I must be out of practice.

Papelbon came into the game to face Gregg Zaun, who grounded out on a fastball over the plate.

Next batter, Alex Rios.
Pitch 1: Fastball down the middle, taken for a strike 0-1
Pitch 2: Varitek sets an inside target, but Papelbon misses high and over the plate. Rios doubles.

Gabe Gross
Pitch 1: A splitter over the plate, swung and missed 0-1
Pitch 2: Again misses an inside target, but Gross swings and misses 0-2
Pitch 3: Splitter outside 1-2
Pitch 4 (guess: high fastball) Fastball down the middle of the plate, swung and missed.

BOTTOM OF THE 7th (Frasor pitching)

Trot Nixon
Pitch 1: Fastball called strike 0-1
Pitch 2 (guess: fastball away) Low fastball, swung and missed 0-2
Pitch 3 (guess: low curve) Check. Missed in the dirt 1-2
Pitch 4 (guess: fastball inside) Another curveball down, groundball out.

Jason Frasor has a real good fastball, and a curve that breaks very sharply. His control is getting better, but he has a lot of trouble spotting the curve and doesn't get as many strikeouts with it as he should.

At the moment, he appears to have been spooked by Manny's home run, and is throwing the curve more than usual.

Tony Graffanino
Pitch 1: High curveball 1-0
Pitch 2 (guess: fastball inside) Fastball down the middle, fouled off 1-1
Pitch 3 (guess: curveball outside) Lousy camera angle, can't tell what he threw.
Ground ball to short, booted by Adams for his 26th error of the season.

NESN shows a graphic on errors. Edgar Renteria leads the majors, while Adams is second, and Troy Glaus is third.

Johnny Damon
Pitch 1 (guess: fastball down the middle) Check. Taken for strike one 0-1
Pitch 2 (guess: fastball outside) Fastball high. Fouled off 0-2
Pitch 3 (guess: low curve) Check. Swinging strike three.

Edgar Renteria
Pitch 1 (guess: fastball down the middle) Curveball outside 1-0. Blech.
Pitch 2 (guess: c'mon you gotta overpower Renteria. Fastball inside) Check. Zaun actually set up outside, but got the call on the inside corner 1-1
Pitch 3 (guess: fastball low) Fastball down the middle, swinging strike 1-2. I like it
Pitch 4 (guess: everyone in the park knows it's going to be a curve in dirt) Check. Renteria takes, Graffanino steals second base 2-2
Pitch 5 (guess: fastball inside) Fastball low and in, ground out.

* * *

There is an unwritten code among pitchers that you always praise your catcher when you pitch well and never criticize when you pitch poorly. It occasionally gets broken, but in the two years since Josh Beckett's outburst in 2003, I have not heard a pitcher blame his catcher for a bad outing.

Statistics haven't shed much light on the question, one way or the other. Media analysts put too much weight on the quality of the pitching staff, while even GMs and managers also seem confused. Maybe Bobby Cox knows which catchers call good games, but he's not talking. In fact, Bobby seems to prefer catchers who can rake the ball at the plate, as opposed to the Mike Matheny/Joe Girardi type.

All that we're left with are the clichés of your average baseball player/manager/broadcaster, lots of contradictory evidence, our own eyes and (hopefully) our own good sense.

* * *

Vinny Chulk had a nice little year for the Jays. He's a gamer... but his stuff isn't very good. It's hard to imagine that he will throw a strike to Ortiz.

Pitch 3 (guess: slider outside) Fastball up and on the outside corner. HOME RUN, game tied at four.

I don't know what they were trying to do here. I know it's not a good idea to walk the leadoff batter, but Vinny Chulk vs. David Ortiz is a ridiculous mismatch, plus Ortiz had been killing the Jays all month. Walk him and try to get Manny to hit into the DP.

Manny Ramirez
Pitch 1: Slider on outside corner, taken for a strike 0-1
Pitch 2 (guess: fastball down) Hangs a curveball over the plate, taken for strike two. Manny stomps around the plate, angry that he didn't swing 0-2
Pitch 3 (guess: slider low and outside) Slider in the dirt 1-2
Pitch 4 (guess: fastball down) Check. Manny takes 2-2
Pitch 5 (guess: curve in the dirt) Check. 3-2

Even ahead in the count 0-2, he's not throwing a strike to Manny.

Pitch 6 (guess: slider outside) Fastball down, fouled off
Pitch 7 (guess: challenge time. Curveball in the strike zone) Nope, slider outside. Walked him.

Jason Varitek
Pitch 1 (guess: slider outside) It was something outside, can't tell what. Single to centre, runners at 1st and 3rd with nobody out. They seem to be excited at Fenway.

Now comes one of my favourite memories of 2005, Vinny Chulk's Houdini act.

John Olerud
Pitch 1 (guess: slider outside) Check. 0-1
Pitch 2 (guess: fastball down) Fastball down the middle, taken. Vinny showing some balls 0-2
Pitch 3 (guess: slider outside) Something way inside. Taken 1-2
Pitch 4 (guess: back to the slider outside) He threw something outside, hard to tell what. Popped up to shallow centre, Manny holds at third.

Bill Mueller

I remember this at bat well, because Vinny ended it with the greatest pitch of his career. But first...

Pitch 1 (guess: slider over the plate) Nope, fastball down, fouled off 0-1
Pitch 2 (guess: low curve inside) Another fastball down the middle, fouled 0-2
Pitch 3 (guess: um, fastball?) Curveball down, fouled off

I'm all out of sync with this at bat, but Chulk and Zaun appear to know what they are doing.

Pitch 4 (guess: fastball outside) Check. Fouled off.
Pitch 5 (guess: drops the hammer) Check. Swung and missed. No one, not even Vinny Chulk's mother, can believe that he just threw that pitch

Trot Nixon
Pitch 1 (guess: fastball outside) Well, Zaun set up outside, but Vinny hung a curve over the plate. Nixon smashes a line drive to the warning track, Vernon Wells makes a sliding catch to end the inning. Houdini leaves the field.

* * *

While doing some research recently on Carlton Fisk, I came across this quote: "If the pitchers don't want the responsibility of guys getting ticked off because we move them off the plate, then I'll take it."

I have developed a theory that pitchers and catchers, in most cases, should really dislike each other. If I hear a pitcher talk about his catcher, and use words like "enjoy", "great", "love", "comfortable", "admire", then I assume that he's either lying, or the catcher isn't doing enough to piss him off.

(an exception might be a Maddux-type pitcher, who is really just looking for a caddy to think along with him. I suspect that this is what most pitchers want, a yes-man to tell them that what they're doing is fine. But most pitchers aren't Greg Maddux)

Most pitchers work inside a very narrow box, where they throw the same pitches in the same locations in the same counts to every batter. A good catcher should be able to persuade a pitcher into throwing a pitch that he doesn't want to throw (see the bottom of the 9th).

Getting back to the original question, of how much influence a catcher has over a pitcher's performance. The frustrating answer, I think, is that it depends on the persistence of the catcher and the stubbornness of the pitcher.

* * *

Nine pitches, nine fastballs. Every one of them has been either over the plate or outside. Papeltek appears to be content to keep it simple.

Erik Hinske
Pitch 1 (guess: fastball) NOW he throws the splitter. Hinske waves helplessly 0-1
Pitch 2 (guess: high fastball) He comes inside but misses 1-1
Pitch 3 (guess: high outside fastball) Check. Fouled off 1-2
Pitch 4 (guess: it's Hinske, keep pounding him high and outside) What the hell was that? A splitter hung over the plate that Hinske smashes for his third double of the game. Papeltek, what were you thinking? It's Hinske!

Gregg Zaun
Pitch 1 (guess: let's get back to basics. fastball) Check 0-1
Pitch 2 (guess: fastball up) Check, popped up.

BOTTOM OF THE 9th (Miguel Batista comes in to pitch with the game tied)

Batista supposedly throws six different pitches. The Good Batista will challenge the hitter with fastballs up in the zone, and is almost unhittable. The Bad Batista will just pound the dirt with his sinker/splitter/spitball or whatever the hell it is that he likes to throw. They all look the same.

Tony Graffanino
Pitch 1 (guess: the Good Batista starts with a fastball strike) Fastball on inside corner, popped up. Great sign!

Johnny Damon
Pitch 1: Fastball high and outside. Taken but a very good sign 1-0
Pitch 2 (guess: low fastball) Check. Grounded into right field for a single. Tough luck, Hinske was playing the line or he could have fielded it.

Edgar Renteria
Pitch 1 (guess: high fastball) Bounced in the dirt 1-0
Pitch 2 (guess: it's Renteria. Overpower him) Bounced in the dirt. Uh-oh 2-0
Pitch 3 (guess: throw a fastball!) slider low and outside, Damon steals second base 3-0
Pitch 4 (guess: THROW A FASTBALL!!) Bounced in the dirt, ball four

Well that's just grand. After a good start, the Bad Batista makes an appearance and bounces four straight pitches to Renteria. Now, Big Papi.

David Ortiz
Pitch 1 (guess: please throw a fastball) Low curve, fouled off 0-1
Pitch 2 (guess: HIGH fastball) Bounced in the dirt 1-1
Pitch 3 (guess: again, HIGH fastball) Low curve, fouled off. Ortiz is visibly upset at swinging at two pitches at his shoetops. 1-2
Pitch 4 (guess: ok, he's angry, he's looking for something up. Throw it WAY up) Bounced in the dirt 2-2
Pitch 5 (guess: spitball?) Some sort of slider that hung over the plate, Ortiz beats the shift and smashes a single to left-centre, Damon scores. Game Over.

* * *

Lots of things struck me about these three innings. More than anything, the utter simplicity of Papelbon's approach, throwing his mid-90's fastball over the plate, occasionally mixing in the splitter but rarely coming inside.

I wonder what kind of conversation Papeltek would have during the game.

Varitek: "Well, son, it appears that you have an electrifying fastball that no one can hit. Let's just keep throwing it over the middle of the plate."

Papelbon: "Yes sir."

Or something to that effect. Anyways, it worked against a Jays offence that, quite frankly, could be easily overpowered. I assume that he can work inside when necessary, but we will see.

Vinny Chulk is Houdini. He can't afford to walk anybody, but he also gets killed when he throws strikes. His approach appears to be a cat-and-mouse game - he knows he has to throw a strike, it's just a matter of picking a count. He also has one real good curveball in him every inning, plus a bunch of hangers.

Zaun: "What do you want to throw?"

Chulk: "I wanna throw the curve."

Zaun: "Jesus Christ, to this guy? Now? Are you sure?"

Chulk: "This is the one. I've got a good feeling."

Zaun: "All right, all right, we'll try the curve. Jesus Christ."

I thought that Jason Frasor could have been the Jays' closer in 2006. His control was quite a bit better last season, and his curveball is inching closer to being a really effective pitch. The Jays decided not to wait, and instead handed $50 million to B.J. Ryan. Ryan is, of course, a much better pitcher right now and a safer bet in 2006... but unfortunately I still half-expect to see Frasor closing games in August.

Miguel Batista is now an ex-Jay, and I doubt that I will see much of him in 2006. He was frustrating to watch in his two years in Toronto, but given how bad the DBacks' bullpen was last year I guess he will help them. He either can't, or won't, change the hitters' eye level - and apparently there was nothing that Gregg Zaun could do about it, short of knocking him over the head with a crowbar.

Anyways, when the season starts (only three months away) I encourage to try to guess along with the battery. If you're an experienced fan, then you might surprise yourself with how often you are right.

For the first half of the 20th century, the Dodgers were the weakling of the New York litter, beside their mighty NL rivals, the New York Giants, and their even mightier AL rivals, the New York Yankees. That changed; they won their first World Series in 1955, and for the next 40 years they went toe-to-toe with the Yankees and left the Giants in the dust.

The scorecard, from 1955-1994:

Yankees: six World Series and 13 pennants, plus one division title
Dodgers: six World Series and 11 pennants, plus two division titles
Giants: zero World Series, two pennants and two division titles

Since 1994, the scorecard has been:

Yankees: four World Series and six pennants, plus three division titles and a wild card
Dodgers: two division titles and a wild card
Giants: one pennant, plus three division titles

It didn't have to be this way; from 1992-1996, the Dodgers had five consecutive Rookie of the Year Award winners. The 1993 Dodgers had two budding Hall of Famers; Mike Piazza, 24 years old, was Rookie of the Year, while 21-year-old Pedro Martinez was 10-5 in the bullpen. Raul Mondesi was 22, Eric Karros was 25. Hideo Nomo would explode on the scene two years later. Somehow, it never amounted to anything.

In 2005, they lost 91 games and failed to win one of the worst divisions in baseball history. Manager Jim Tracy got the axe; a few days ago, so did GM Paul DePodesta, bringing to an abrupt end an experiment that pissed off a whole bunch of people in the city of Los Angeles.

* * *

Owner Frank McCourt, on the Dodgers:

"This is a very important time. I'm mindful of this historic franchise and its tradition of greatness. I'll be satisfied with nothing less."

On Orel Hershiser:

"Orel keenly understands what it means to be a Dodger... to restore the glory. It's important to bring everything together and restore the great tradition."

All of the original teams have their own tradition and identity, but I think that the Dodgers take theirs more seriously than anyone else. Thinking about the changes in L.A. these past few days, I decided to take a short trip through the archives of the Sporting News. My quarry was the phrase "Dodger blue", which became a popular catchphrase in the late 1970's, usually to describe some sort of body fluid.

* * *

August 12, 1967

An article by James Enright on Don Drysdale's successful foray into horse racing:

"Don hasn't forgotten his baseball background in selecting the colors of Hickory Hills Farm. The Drysdale silks are Dodger blue with his D.D. initials centered in a white diamond and the monogram of a baseball on each shoulder."

June 28, 1969

Maury Wills makes his triumphant return to Los Angeles. After quitting on his team in Japan, then crapping out for 47 games with the expansion Montreal Expos, Wills was dealt to the Dodgers in exchange for Ron Fairly on June 11. He hit .297 the rest of the season.

Wills also announced that he was going to franchise "Maury Wills Stolen Base Cleaners" throughout the country; Don Newcombe was the company's national sales director, and they soon planned to offer a public stock issue. According to Bob Hunter's article, Wills was "once again back home in business and also in Dodger blue."

June 27, 1970

A surreal article by Chuck Stewart on the Spokane Indians of the PCL. The article focused on two "can't miss" prospects, Bill Russell and Steve Garvey. Russell, 21 years old, had been converted from the outfield to third base and was batting .358. Garvey was also 21 and was also a third baseman; he had begun the season with the Dodgers after making the jump from Albuquerque, but was sent down to Spokane for more seasoning, and was batting .320.

The article observed that both players "would prefer wearing Dodger blue to Tribal dress right now" but needed to play every day. Unfortunately, the article doesn't have any clear pictures of what exactly Tribal dress looked like.

"These fellows are down here because we want them to swing the bat," explained the team's manager, Tom Lasorda. "They could both be in the major leagues right now, but if they weren't playing regularly, it would hurt them as well as the organization."

April 24, 1971

Another article by Bob Hunter, this time focusing on a trio of deals that the Dodgers made during the winter, hoping to revitalize the club. The deals brought to Los Angeles Duke Sims, Al Downing and Dick Allen.

"'I want to be known as the complete player,' (Allen) said when first pulling on the Dodger blue. 'Not just a slugger. I like to hit and run, bunt, and contribute defensively, too.'"

Duke Sims, the new catcher, was convinced by Walter Alston to get his hair cut. Downing, recovering from injury, won a spot in the starting rotation; Alston opined that he could be the surprise of the staff.

To get these three players, the Dodgers gave up Andy Kosko, Alan Foster, Ray Lamb, Ted Sizemore and Bob Stinson. Downing was indeed a surprise, going 20-9 in his first season in Los Angeles. Sims didn't play much. Allen had 23 homers and 95 RBI in his one season in L.A., then was traded to the White Sox for Tommy John.

March 25, 1972

Bob Hunter reported from spring training, where the Dodgers came to camp with two generations of infielders. At first base they had veteran Wes Parker and 22-year-old Bill Buckner; at second they had veteran Jim Lefebrve and 22-year-old Bobby Valentine; at short they finally decided to replace Maury Wills with Bill Russell. At third, Billy Grabarkewitz was returning from a shoulder injury, and had to battle for a job with Steve Garvey.

According to the article, in Los Angeles "the fans, busy gobbling up season tickets, were chanting 'It's the Dodger Blue in '72!'" The Dodgers had a pretty good year, winning 85 games but finishing in third place.

May 27, 1972

THIS is the article I was looking for. Two months later; Bob Hunter is again the author. The bulk of the article focuses on the kid, Steve Garvey, who has been compared to a young Harmon Killebrew, and whose defence at third base was rapidly improving.

Up until now, all of these articles have referred to "Dodger blue" in the context of the team's actual colours. After the Garvey profile, Hunter ends with some random notes, including one about the team's new teenage organist:

"It didn't take long for 16-year-old Donna Parker, the new ball park organist, to become a real fan. She cried Dodger blue tears when the team lost a 2-1 decision to the Phils May 1."

October 29, 1977

OK, jump ahead five years; in between, there are just a few references to players wearing the Dodger blue uniform. In this issue, there are profiles of the duelling World Series managers, Tom Lasorda and Billy Martin.

The reference that we are looking for actually comes from the Martin article, written by Phil Pepe. Says Martin:

"'Tom Lasorda says if you cut him, his blood will run Dodger blue. If you cut me open, you'll see the 'N.Y.' on my heart. And when I die, there will be pin-stripes on my coffin.'"

In the same issue, Joe Falls writes a humourous column on sports personalities he would like to have dinner with. One of his choices is Tom Lasorda, "to see if he really orders Dodger Blue cheese."

The Lasorda article, by Gordon Verrell, also has its moments. When asked whether it was difficult to replace Walter Alston, Tommy responds: "Don't worry about me. Worry about the guy who follows me. He's the guy who'll have a tough act to follow."

1978

So far we've seen the term Dodger blue used to describe blood, tears and cheese - which conjures up a very British image of both Winston Churchill and Wallace & Gromit. In 1978, with the Dodgers on their way to another pennant, the Sporting News used the term "Dodger Blue" about 10,000 times.

In the spring, March 11 issue, Melvin Durslag observes that Lasorda had to prove to his critics in 1977 that it was OK to hug and kiss your ballplayers. Also:

"A second tender area developed for Lasorda with what was known as the Dodger Blue Schtik - the professing of deathless loyalty to the home office and the minions of it's empire.

'When I said I bled Dodger Blue,' said Tommy, 'a lot of cynics laughed and said the act would go sour by June... that the players would get sick of it... that the front office would, too. But I bled Dodger Blue all year - and we did pretty well.'"

A week later, on March 18, there is an article by Greta and Larry Stewart, about a junior high school in Los Angeles that had renamed itself Steve Garvey Junior High.

"Classroom doors are now blue - Dodger blue - as are the construction beams and baseboards."

Two weeks later, there is an article by Furman Bisher about the "Blue Fog", the hypnotic spell that Tommy Lasorda casts over visitors to the Dodgers' camp. According to Lasorda, the whole thing started when he was a pitcher at Greenville.

"The Dodgers lent me $500 to get married, an Italian Catholic to a Southern Baptist. You must admit, those were tough odds, but I've told you about my wife. God made her to order for me. Besides, the Dodgers like longshots."

And on it goes for the rest of the year. During the height of "Dodger blue" hysteria, some folks perhaps got a little carried away, including writer Ross Newham, who made this delicate observation of Lasorda:

"He is in a sense a bigamist, a man married to the game, as loyal to Dodger blue as to his family."

Others kept some perspective, like new Dodger Jerry Reuss, who made this prophetic statement: "I don't know if I'll bleed Dodger blue, but I'm going to have some fun."

In the spring of 1980, Jim Lefebrve punched Lasorda, and split Tommy's lip. Tommy's blood, as it turned out, was not Dodger blue (but was, curiously enough, Vulcan green).

By the time that Lasorda won his first World Series in 1981, the term "Dodger blue" had already become a tired cliché. Writers only tended to wheel it out on special occasions, such as Tommy's White House Adventure, where he dined and sang with Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and the president of Italy.

When Lasorda won his second World Series in 1988, the writers were going through the motions; they just threw the "Dodger blue" term into their articles in the lamest ways imaginable (Dave Nightingale refered to Lasorda as "that Dodger Blue-bleeding institution").

On August 14, 1989, Art Spander wrote: "Remember when Lasorda used to bleed Dodger Blue? Now he's bleeding Ultra Slim-Fast. He has given up fattening foods for a liquid supplement. At least you can't say that it's a season gone to waist..."

And so, the 1980's came to a close.

* * *

The Dodgers have an owner in Frank McCourt who keeps changing his mind every few months, as novice owners are wont to do. When he first took over, McCourt wanted to be like Oakland, and hired Oakland's young assistant G.M. Despite some success in his first year, McCourt realized that the other new owner in the area, Arte Moreno, has much bigger balls than he does, and had to open up his wallet accordingly.

Now, after two years, it appears that a revitalized Tommy Lasorda has convinced McCourt that he shouldn't try to be like Oakland and he shouldn't try to be like Anaheim; these are the Los Angeles Dodgers, goddammit, and should act as such. At this writing, it is unclear whether McCourt will take this advice and stock management with former Dodgers, or will decide to make an offer to the now-unemployed Theo Epstein.

Added McCourt: "I've learned a tremendous amount over the last couple of years." I doubt that he has learned nearly as much as he thinks he has, but we will see.

* * *

Here in Toronto, there is a phrase, "Toronto the Good" that dates back more than a century; it originally refered to the city's disdain for alcohol and Sunday labour, but in recent years the context has changes, and now refers to a city that is cleaner, safer and more polite and more tolerant than your typical big city.

I would like to think that there are some kernels of truth to all of that, even if the city also has its share of glaring counterexamples as well. Two or three decades of weak mayors occupying a weak mayoral office have not helped the city live up this ideal. Nevertheless, the phrase has helped the city as far as tourism goes, and creating an idea of what the city should be like even if it falls a little short.

I hate to dismiss "Dodger blue" as just a sales pitch. I understand that a lot of it is tradition, pride, brotherhood and continuity. It's about a tradition of winning on the field. Of breaking the colour barrier. Of giving Catholic Tommy Lasorda $500 so that he can marry his southern Baptist wife. A lot of it is Lasorda, but it existed before Tommy and will be around when he's gone.

But I also understand that this is the team that traded Jackie Robinson for Dave Littlefield, Ron Cey for Vance Lovelace and Pedro Guerrero for John Tudor; that had an ugly parting of ways with Dusty Baker, an ugly parting of ways with Branch Rickey and an ugly parting of ways with the entire city of Brooklyn. Tradition and pride are an essential influence on how the ballclub operates - except, of course, when they're not.

It comes down to people. Moneyball was not a manual on how to build a ball club, but even if it was, it would be about as useful as any book that has ever been written about Warren Buffett's investment strategies. People buy them, but don't get rich. Warren Buffett's investment strategies are only useful in the hands of Warren Buffett, just like Billy Beane's statistics only work for Billy Beane, and Tommy Lasorda's bloodletting only works for Tommy Lasorda.

Whether the Dodgers hire a "sabermetric" GM, or whether they hire Steve Garvey and paint all the streets in Los Angeles blue, it's the same thing; they're buying into an idea rather than a person. Here in Toronto, J.P. Ricciardi does have a forceful personality; his intuition will either lead the team to success or into the gutter. Whether or not he follows some vague philosophy is meaningless.

I have had blogs on my brain lately. In the real world I have a job; one of my new duties is to act as a caretaker for other people's blogs. I have never considered myself a blogger; when I launched Doubleswitch.com in March 2000, I had never even heard of the word. Anyways, this year the front page didn't get updated a whole lot, partly because of lack of time, partly because I really wasn't happy with what I was writing (about a half-dozen rough drafts are still sitting unfinished on my hard drive). And I also consider the historical pages (which are still being updated and written) to be the most important part of the site.

Going forward, I want to try something slightly different (though still related to baseball of course). But I may as well finish this season with a few quick comments, starting with the obvious:

YANKEES CLINCH DIVISION

The first major development of the weekend was a victory by New York over Boston on Saturday. Randy Johnson won the game; Alex Rodriguez had four hits, including his 48th home run of the year. Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui also hit home runs. Mariah Carey threw out the first pitch, while Robert Redford sang the National Anthem. A squadron of F-16's flew over Yankee Stadium, only to discover later that the game was played in Fenway Park. All in all, a nice day of baseball.

My "official" prediction before the season was that Boston would win the division; New York and Oakland would battle for the wild card, with Oakland winning in the end. I'm happy to say that I wasn't that far from wrong; Aaron Small foiled my prediction, but that's baseball. As hard as you try to expect the unexpected, something always comes along.

The Yankees took a lot of criticism, from myself and others, for their performance during the winter. The strange thing is, we were almost 100% correct. Many people expected Tony Womack to be a disaster, and he was even worse than the most pessimistic expectations. Jaret Wright was a disaster, as was Carl Pavano. Randy Johnson was good, but not great. Centre field, widely viewed as the team's greatest weakness, was a total disaster (and still is).

But this team has an unbelievable core of talent. The Big Six - Jeter, Rodriguez, Sheffield, Matsui, Posada, Rivera - were spectacular, despite a bit of an off-year from Posada. Toss in a solid year from the Unit, and terrific comeback seasons from Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina, and the durable Flash Gordon, and this team still had the best front-line talent in baseball.

Some fine rookie seasons from Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang, and a pair of terrific midseason additions (Small, Shawn Chacon) also helped make up for the offseason blunders, as well as the Al Leiter Experiment and various other follies that this team had to survive to get to where they are.

* * *

As I mentioned earlier with regards to Aaron Small, sometimes you can never expect the unexpected. On the other hand, baseball can also be absurdly predictable at times. Here is Roger Clemens' last season in New York, at age 40, compared to Randy Johnson's first, at age 41:

         W  L  GS  CG  SH   IP     HT  HR  BB   SO   ERA
CLEMENS 17  9  33   1   1  211.7  199  24  58  190  3.91
JOHNSON 17  8  34   4   0  226.2  207  32  47  211  3.79

* * *

Elsewhere on this site, I have given out awards to players dating back to 1871. I have already given Alex Rodriguez four Stargell Awards, and you can probably guess that he will win another this year. It appears, though, that David Ortiz might win the MVP.

So it goes; it's a debate that I have tried to avoid. I have given a combined 18 Stargell Awards to Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, who in real life combined to win six MVP Awards. Sometimes, you just have to accept that your own philosophy differs widely from that of the baseball writers, and leave it at that.

* * *

After the end of the Yankees/Red Sox game, I watched the boys here in Toronto play the Royals, in quite possibly the worst game ever played. The Jays did everything horribly, but still managed to take a 6-5 lead thanks to some atrocious defence by the Royals. But the bullpen blew up, and the Jays lost a chance at a .500 record, officially giving GM J.P. Ricciardi three losing seasons in four years.

On the other hand, it's a heck of an improvement over 2004. The Yankees and Jays managed to reassert the natural order of the AL East, finishing first and third as is normal. According to this article, baseball was back in a big way in Toronto, at least on television. The key quote is from Sportsnet President Doug Beeforth, who observes that "The Jays have come back as a team that hustles and can beat anybody on any given night."

As a Torontonian, my own opinion is that the Jays were a mixed package on the field, but did a brilliant job of marketing themselves. In the spring, they announced that they were a young team with plenty of hustle, and kept repeating the mantra over and over for the entire season. I'm not convinced that they had any more "hustle" than half of the other teams in the league, but you repeat yourself 8,000 times over the course of the summer, people begin to believe you.

* * *

Speaking of Clemens, he pitched today and won, keeping Houston out in front in the wild card race. It's hard to believe, but Rocket's remarkable regular season is now over. No more guessing about how it will end up. The final totals, at age 42:

             W  L  GS  CG  SH   IP     HT  HR  BB   SO   ERA
ROCKET 05   13  8  32   1   0  211.1  151  11  62  185  1.87

And of course, the Astros were shut out nine times when Clemens took the hill - he was 0-4 in those starts, with five no-decisions. He won't win the Cy Young Award, but dude, that was some kind of season.

* * *

And speaking once again of Clemens, the NL Cy Young Award race presents a bit of a conundrum. Looking at the pitching stats of the top candidates (Clemens, Willis, Carpenter, Pettitte, Martinez, Oswalt) there isn't a heck of a lot of difference. With careful analysis, you can probably sort them out, but then consider the hitting stats:

           GM  AB HT  D  T HR  RN RBI BB  SO   AVG   OBA   SLG   OPS
CLEMENS    31  58 12  2  0  0   2   4  5  18  .207  .281  .241  .522
PETTITTE   32  62  5  0  0  0   1   3  1  19  .081  .094  .081  .175
OSWALT     32  71 12  0  0  0   1   1  2  19  .169  .203  .169  .372
MARTINEZ   29  69  6  0  0  0   2   1  1  26  .087  .100  .087  .187
CARPENTER  32  77  5  2  0  0   2   7  5  23  .065  .120  .091  .211
WILLIS     38  89 23  4  0  1  14  11  3  13  .258  .287  .337  .624

The conundrum is, when you vote for the Cy Young Award, what are you taking into consideration? The performance on the mound, or the total (pitching, hitting, fielding) package? If the answer is the latter, then Dontrelle Willis kicks ass. A .624 OPS, and 24 runs produced? In a pitcher's park? That's some nice hitting. Clemens also had a nice year.

The correct answer is, well, I really don't know. It's one of those things I've been putting off making a decision about, like marriage and vegetarianism. For my own awards, I have considered only pitching stats - but that has more to do with lack of time and patience than anything else. Perhaps one day I will revisit those selections, and look at what those pitchers did with the bat in their hand as well.

* * *

And I wake up Sunday morning to discover that the San Diego Padres... were shut down by Edwin Jackson and the Dodgers' bullpen, unable to clinch a winning record.

There has been some scattered bitching about the Padres going to the postseason while more deserving teams sit out. The obvious solution is to have one 16-team division, with the top four teams going to the playoffs. That will guarantee that the best teams go in.

But nobody wants that. I don't want that. So we start splitting the teams up, and... no matter how you sort it out, once in a generation a team like the Padres will get in. The current three-division setup means that it will probably happen two or three times a generation. It sucks if you are the Philadelphia Phillies (or Houston Astros) - but who knows, maybe one day it will be your turn to sneak in.

* * *

The last day of the season is in the books. I didn't watch a single minute of baseball today, choosing instead to pass the afternoon outdoors. And that's OK, because there are about a billion minutes of postseason baseball coming up, especially when the Red Sox and Yankees finally get around to playing a 32-inning playoff game.

As you know by now, something rather unexpected happened today - all of the playoff spots were settled. No ties for the wild card, no one-game playoffs. Another thing - the Padres won, finishing with an 82-80 record. Proving again that it is extremely difficult to get into the playoffs with a losing record. Since divisional play began in 1969, it hasn't been done. Since three divisions and the wild card came into play in 1995, it hasn't been done. The unbalanced schedule makes it even tougher; the Padres played 73 games against the other teams of the NL West, all of whom had a losing record.

So yeah, it's hard to do. The fact that the Padres came so close is quite, um, remarkable.

* * *

Here in Toronto, the main television broadcaster of Jays games introduced text messaging polls during the season (note that the owner of this station also owns the ball team and a vast cellular network). During each game, they asked a question with three possible responses; typical questions included "Who is the best third baseman in Blue Jay history?", "What is the best season ever by a Blue Jay pitcher?" and "What former Blue Jay players do you think were gay?" So you get on your cellphone, text message your answer, pay your 50 cents and feel silly afterwards.

So on Saturday, they asked "What is the best rivalry in baseball?" The possible responses were (a) Dodgers-Giants, (b) Yankees-Red Sox and (c) Athletics-Angels. Needless to say, (b) won in a rout.

When I think of the elements needed for a great rivalry, I think of the following:

1) long-term sustainability. Many years, many games, many different faces

2) white-hot "peak" periods

3) competitiveness from both teams

The Red Sox/Yankees rivalry, which many consider the best in professional sports, qualifies in all three categories. But I'm not sure if, historically, it's really been as great as many people think. You can trace the rivalry as far back as 1904... but how many classic New York/Boston games can you think of from before 1978? There aren't very many.

And though the two teams have been very competitive for the past five years, it usually hasn't been the case. From 1901-1919, Boston won five World Series, while New York won zero pennants. From 1920-2000, the Yankees won 26 World Series, while the Red Sox won only three pennants and zero championships. That's one hell of a lopsided rivalry.

The Dodgers and Giants have had a great historical rivalry, which unfortunately has gone cold in recent years. The Dodgers have won six championships, while the Giants have won five. The Giants were a much better team until 1940, though the Dodgers dealt them a serious blow in 1934 after Bill Terry asked "Is Brooklyn still in the league?" They had a famous playoff race in 1951 that ended with Bobby Thomson's home run; that was followed by a series of beanball wars over the next few seasons.

They moved to the west coast in the late 1950's, then had another epic pennant race in 1962 that ended with a deciding playoff game. Tensions also rose when Juan Marichal clubbed Johnny Roseboro over the head with a baseball bat. They remained heated rivals until the late 1960's, when the Giants fell into a coma for 20 years. The Dodgers won the pennant in 1988, followed by the Giants in 1989, and both teams have usually been competitive in recent years. But they just haven't gotten the edge back.

Historically, I think they are comparable to New York/Boston, though the latter is clearly more prominent right now.

* * *

I just realized that Jason Bay was thrown out trying to steal on Friday. Perhaps not an earth-shattering event, except that Bay had been successful on his first 21 attempts. His final numbers:

        GM  AB  HT DB TP HT  RN  RB BB  SO SB CS  AVG  OBA  SLG  OPS
BAY05  161 598 182 43  6 32 110 101 95 142 21  1 .304 .401 .557 .958

It was a dismal year in Pittsburgh, but the young man from Trail, British Columbia, Canada, Planet Earth had one heck of a sophomore season. As a Canadian who spends too much time looking at numbers, I am likely biased - but Bay was a better player than Andruw Jones, even if the latter wins the MVP.

In the National League, the Cardinals are cooling their heels, having all but clinched their division long ago. The Braves have a six-game lead, and aren't giving any ground. The Padres also have a six game lead; they're not a good team, but it looks unlikely that they will fall back, not unless Barry Bonds is planning to come back and hit ten home runs in three weeks. The wild-card race is still crowded, though Houston and Florida helped clarify matters by thrashing Philadelphia and Washington.

Last year, the Red Sox ended an 86-year drought without a championship. Will lightning strike twice? Here are the postseason contenders, and the amount of time that they have been waiting for a championship:

Chicago White Sox (88 years, 1917 champs)
Cleveland Indians (57 years, 1948 champs)
Oakland Athletics (16 years, 1989 champs)
New York Yankees  (5 years, 2000 champs)
Anaheim Angels    (3 years, 2002 champs)
Boston Red Sox    (1 year, 2004 champs)

And the National League:

Houston Astros        (43 years, 1962 expansion)
San Diego Padres      (36 years, 1969 expansion)
Washington Nationals  (36 years, 1969 expansion)
Philadelphia Phillies (25 years, 1980 champs)
St. Louis Cardinals   (23 years, 1982 champs)
Atlanta Braves        (10 years, 1995 champs)
Florida Marlins       (2 years, 2003 champs)

It's hard to believe that the Cardinals have not won in 23 years... hell, it's hard to believe that the Braves haven't won in ten years. As a fan of an expansion team (Toronto) I tend to root for other expansion teams to finally win their first championship - it's been a long time coming for the Astros, Padres and Exnats. But I'll probably be pulling for the Cardinals - they won the pennant last year without Chris Carpenter, it's time to see what they can do with him.

As for the American League... I wrote a long article earlier in the season about the White Sox, and this is still their year. They have holes, of course - they don't score many runs, they don't have much playoff experience and Dustin Hermanson in still their closer. But the Angels score even fewer runs, and the Athletics are just as inexperienced. The Red Sox have a horrific bullpen, while the Yankees choose to field only eight players per game, leaving a gaping hole in centre field.

The Indians are good, but both Aaron Boone and Bob Wickman bring them down to earth pretty quickly. It will be awfully disappointing if the White Sox don't go a long way this season.

* * *

I don't want to leave the playoff contenders for too long, but I want to briefly praise the season that Derrek Lee has had. He's being left out of some MVP discussions because his team has had a disappointing season; without arguing that point, I just want to present Lee's performance in the Big Three clutch situations.

                        AVG  OBA  SLG   OPS
Leading off an inning  .426 .477 .950 1.427
Batting with RISP      .348 .484 .696 1.180
Close and late games   .444 .535 .889 1.424

I tend to focus on these three splits, just because your odds of winning go up if you get hits with runners in scoring position, in close and late games, and if you get the leadoff man on each inning. It's a simplistic view of clutch hitting - but not as simplistic as just looking at batting with RISP, which itself is not as simplistic as Game-Winning RBI, which is not as simplistic as just RBI, and so on.

Some other MVP candidates, and their splits:

Albert Pujols

                        AVG  OBA  SLG   OPS
Leading off an inning  .323 .388 .570  .958
Batting with RISP      .339 .506 .612 1.118
Close and late games   .261 .381 .536  .917

Andruw Jones

                        AVG  OBA  SLG   OPS
Leading off an inning  .281 .333 .702 1.035
Batting with RISP      .218 .330 .394  .724
Close and late games   .295 .371 .705 1.076

Alex Rodriguez

                        AVG  OBA  SLG   OPS
Leading off an inning  .373 .477 .655 1.132
Batting with RISP      .271 .401 .439  .840
Close and late games   .318 .444 .576 1.020

David Ortiz

                        AVG  OBA  SLG   OPS
Leading off an inning  .323 .391 .586  .977
Batting with RISP      .353 .467 .604 1.071
Close and late games   .313 .405 .701 1.106

Miguel Tejada

                        AVG  OBA  SLG   OPS
Leading off an inning  .346 .397 .626 1.023
Batting with RISP      .311 .371 .588  .959
Close and late games   .338 .382 .662 1.044

Derrek Lee... has been a monster. Taking his numbers at face value, he has perhaps been the best hitter in baseball. Then, throw in his devastating performance in "clutch" situations... I've been expecting all year that Pujols will win the MVP Award, and he still might (he hit two home runs last night). But with three weeks left in the season, I would vote for Derrek Lee, and I wouldn't even think twice about it.

* * *

Well, OK, I'll probably think two or three times about it, as far as the MVP goes. But the Hank Aaron Award? Lee's got to be the front-runner for that right? That's just about hitting and nothing else.

At least, I think so. In this article, Hank Aaron himself says that the award should honour the "player that has done the most not only for his team, but has done most to help his team win baseball games. Not only for home runs, runs batted in and batting average, but also in the clubhouse."

The article then reasserts, sort of, that the award should go to the best hitter. Fans are directed to "just think about offense and nothing else".

The voting for the award is in its last stage. Of course, legitimacy for an award is not derived from its name, or the fact that it honours a great player; it comes from the electoral system used. The HAA takes its inspiration from the league MVP Awards of the 1920's, when only one player per team was eligible. There's Alex Rodriguez, but no Gary Sheffield. David Ortiz, but no Manny Ramirez.

Mark Teixeira, but no Travis Hafner... hey, what the hell, they're not teammates. Anyways, I went ahead and voted for Alex Rodriguez and Derrek Lee. I strongly suggest that you do the same, or risk the consequences.

* * *

So, what is with the Yankees and centre field?

This is the second year in a row that our friends in New York have decided to buck tradition. Yankee Stadium's key features are a short porch in right field and a huge amount of space in left-centre. Historically, this has called for (1) left-handed sluggers, (2) left-handed pitchers and (3) fast centre fielders.

Last year, the Yankees decided to try their luck without a left-handed starting pitcher. They did OK, winning over 100 games during the season before imploding in the playoffs. This year, they got themselves a 41-year-old left-hander, but didn't get a centre fielder. And on September 9, incredibly, they STILL don't have a centre fielder. They've tried Bernie Williams, who has no range and no arm and not much left at the plate; they've tried Tony Womack, who's been a horrific disaster.

They've also used Hideki Matsui, who appears to have decent fundamentals but can't run nearly fast enough to cover Yankee Stadium. Bubba Crosby has gotten into a few games, as has Melky Cabrera and someone named Kevin Reese. The lack of a centre fielder has meant that their pitchers have been hurt by hits falling in that shouldn't have, and more at bats for Tony Womack, both very bad things.

I don't want to make too much of it - they still have a decent shot of making the playoffs, thanks to the Big Six (ARod, Sheffield, Jeter, Matsui, Rivera, Giambi). That's still the best core of talent in baseball, good enough to almost overcome a black hole in their roster. My question is, when was the last time that a championship team had a hole in their lineup as big as the Yankees have had all year in centre? I don't know the answer - I'm going to keep looking, but I haven't found one yet.

Second base for the 1987 Blue Jays always comes to mind. The players:

                 AB   AVG   OBA   SLG  OPS+
Garth Iorg      310  .210  .262  .284   44
Nelson Liriano  158  .241  .310  .342   72
Manny Lee       121  .256  .289  .347   67
Mike Sharperson  96  .208  .269  .271   43

None of these players was a Gold Glove candidate, needless to say. The Jays still managed to win 96 games and almost won the division, but fell apart in the final week. A collapse that would never have mattered if they had gotten anything out of second base during the season.

But I've been pretty lazy with keeping the front index fresh, and I still don't have anything to add today before I head off for the weekend. But I'm tired of seeing "July 22" on the front so I've added a quickie, with help from MLB.com.

Boston Red Sox

Notes: Olerud bats cleanup in return

Yup, it's true.

- "This was because left fielder Manny Ramirez was in need of a day off" because he had been unable to stop sneezing for seven weeks.

"Ramirez had some snafus in left field over the last few days, something Francona felt could have been the result of mental and/or physical fatigue" but was more likely the result of too much rock and not enough roll.

- "Olerud's slick glove and clutch bat were missed during his 16-day stint" on the underground poker tour. Olerud was hustled for $360,000 dollars and needs to boost his MLB pension.

"It's good, he's our best defensive first baseman, on top of everything else," said Francona. "And also our best defensive shortstop, and our best third base coach, and our best groundskeeper."

- "The Red Sox now have three first basemen on the roster", not including Roberto Petagine, who doesn't qualify as a first baseman because he doesn't have U.S. citizenship. The Red Sox can expand their roster on Sept. 1, at which point third baseman Kevin Youkilis will be asked to play himself in the new movie version of Freakonomics.

- "Francona is in an awkward position when it comes to fielding inquiries on second baseman Mark Bellhorn" because they're both in love with the same woman. "After Bellhorn went on the DL, the Red Sox acquired Tony Graffanino from the Royals. Graffanino has solidified himself" as the new bass player for the Rolling Stones.

- "It should be interesting to watch Nixon face Foulke", as Foulke is expected to retaliate in response to Nixon's hard slide that took out Alex Cora at second base on June 21. 'Cora's one of us now,' explained Francona. 'We just can't let anyone take liberties with him.'

Los Angeles Angels of Angmar

- Vladimir Guerrero is player of the week that ended August 15, during which he hit .500 and solved nine Sudoku puzzles.

- Barry Bloom of MLB.com reports that Guerrero gets Bonds treatment. Guerrero has been intentionally walked an excessive number of times recently; Bloom argues that "In no other sport can the opposing coach take the ball or stick out of a superstar's hand when the game is on the line. You can't nullify Brett Hull unless his own coach pulls him off the ice."

He does acknowledge, however, that the NHL allows opposing players to grab and hold Brett Hull, trip Brett Hull, punch Brett Hull repeatedly in the face, club Brett Hull over the head with their stick, spear Brett Hull in the groin, run Brett Hull over with the zamboni and attack Brett Hull in bed with an ice pick.

Bloom then adds that we should "demand that the pitcher throw the ball in some proximity to the plate" and force him to pitch without any pants if he doesn't.

Milwaukee Brewers

Lot'so injuries in Milwaukee, as noted in Notes: Hamstring keeps Weeks out

- Rickie Weeks reveals that he "didn't tweak his right hamstring running out a ground ball or making a play in the field" and doesn't understand the headline of the article.

- "Veteran infielder Jeff Cirillo, working his way back from a fractured finger on his glove", hopes to have the glove repaired before it is eligible to return on August 24. Cirillo's glove was shifted to the 60-day disabled list, and will begin rehabilitation in Nashville. "We'll see how it goes," said manager Ned Yost.

- "(Brady) Clark did cardiovascular work after feeling some pain in his bruised right rib cage. Yost declined to categorize the development as a setback" but did categorize it as a Class 2 tropical storm that threatened the coast of Cuba. The FDA are investigating.

- "Right-handed reliever Matt Wise has not begun throwing" but he has begun thinking about becoming a veterinarian.

- "Julio Santana did not travel with the team on its current trip. He is back in Milwaukee" where the Brewers are scheduled to play the Reds, and Santana will face them by himself.

- There was also a report that Weeks had been placed on waivers and pulled back. "Assistant general manager Gord Ash, who is barred from discussing specific claims and non-claims" because of his ties to the Russian mafia, hinted strongly that he was the source of the Weeks rumour, but said that most published waiver reports contain numerous ecumenical errors.

New York Mets

Q. Now that Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron are going to miss games, can't Willie Randolph finally use David Wright as a No. 3 starter? Even when they come back, can't Beltran play second? -- Dustin Hermanson

A. Yes, with Wright's ability to work hitters, make contact with bats, give up extra-base hits, he is an ideal no. 3 starter for the Mets. Moving Beltran to second base and Kaz Matsui lower in the order will give the Mets more speed up the middle.

Q. Didn't the Mets play a game in the last six or seven decades or so when they didn't wear their names on their backs? Was I in it? -- Paul Wilson

A. Yes, during their interleague games in 1999, the Mets wore only numbers on the backs, an idea suggested by part-owner Nelson Steinbrenner. It prompted Robin Ventura to call his teammates "a bunch of nameless freaks".

Q. I've heard that Lee Mazzilli is not George Steinbrenner's favorite ex-wife, so he probably won't end up back with the Yankees. Would the Mets consider marrying him now that he's free? He has Mets ties and also looks good in a corset. -- Patsy Dougherty

A. The Mets already have a manager with Brooklyn ties who played with the Yankees, Mets and Pirates and worked over Joe Torre. His name is Lee Mazzili, and he has murdered Willie Randolph and assumed his identity.

Q. I read that Piazza is the best-looking catcher in the game again, now that he has his shaving stroke back. Do you think that will make the Mets reconsider him for next season? -- Ray Davies

A. No. Piazza is aging gracefully, but the Mets will look for a catcher who is younger, cheaper and a woman to replace him in 2006.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers are losing, but there is hope in the past for the future.

- Justin Thompson, who hasn't pitched in the bigs since 1999, is back. He replaces James Baldwin, who replaced Ryan Drese, who replaced Hidecki Irabu, who replaced Darren Oliver, who originally replaced Justin Thompson in 2000, thus completing the Rangers' Circle of Life

- meanwhile, Aaron Sele, whom Thompson replaced way back in 2000, asked for his release. The Rangers agreed to his request, then held a roast in his honour emceed by Dean Martin.

- right fielder Richard Hidalgo is slowly recovering from a wrist injury and won't be ready for activation when he's eligible on Aug. 20. The Rangers will attempt to push his eligibility for return back to Aug. 20, 2008.

- RHP R.A. Dickey continues to have encouraging results with his knuckleball. It is the sixth new pitch that he has tried to learn, following the "Thang", "Wild Thang", "Real Thang", "Swamp Thang" and the "Thangamajang". The knuckler has been dubbed "That Thang You Do".

- RHP Doug Brocail boomed a few punts at Jacobs Field on Tuesday afternoon, bringing back memories of his high school football punting days in Colorado. He graduated in June.

Kansas City Royals

Sigh. I guess we should visit KC, where the Royals have lost 18 straight. Royals notes: KC ready for a change

- writer Dick Kaegel of MLB.com takes a look inside the clubhouse

- "Just inside the door, a whack-whack-whack echoes from the batting cage" where hitting coach Andre David has just finished hacking John Buck to pieces with an axe.

- "Down the hallway, the lineup has been posted by bench coach Bob Schaefer." The lineup was missing both a leadoff hitter and a third baseman. "We need to try something different," said Schaefer. The players then took down the lineup and put up their own, which included Everybody Loves Raymond.

- "There are no new names among the reserves and pitchers on the right side of the card." Among the old names are Phil Hiatt and Jerry Don Gleaton.

- "Plopped down in leather couches, pitchers Runelvys Hernandez and Ambiorix Burgos and shortstop Angel Berroa are watching the big screen and chuckling" at August 6, 2005 starring the Kansas City Royals.

- "Soon the hitters emerge. Batting practice begins." A family of raccoons chases them off the field and back into the clubhouse.

Los Angeles Dodgers

In LA, the Dodgers' injury woes continue. Jason Repko scored a game-winning run with a dangerous head-first slide into home plate.

- "After the game, trainers took precautionary X-rays on Repko, but results were negative for any damage to his fingers" but were positive for three cavities and a missing gall bladder

- "the head-first slide into all bases has become routine for players", who experience a euphoric feeling caused by vibrations in the prostate gland

- "Others, like Tracy, see negative effects of the head-first slide", particularly when sliding into the dugout, a taxi cab or a bathtub.

- there are also notes on Jayson Werth, "who has not been the same player statistically that he was just a year ago." Last season, Werth batted .262, hit 16 home runs, was 27 years old, stood 6'4", had an I.Q. of 107. Those numbers have declined in 2005; he is batting .245 with six home runs, is 25 years old, stands 6'1" and has an IQ of only 78.

- Werth has, however, experienced a rise in sperm count and body hair growth. "I think I've made an adjustment for the better."

New York Yankees

These days in the BRonz, they're talking about pitching. The return of Jaret Wright was the big story this week, as well as Aaron Small's move to the bullpen.

- "Derek Jeter was not at shortstop when the Yankees took the field on Monday night", because he noticed that both Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield were already there. He looked to third, but Tino Martinez was there; Jorge Posada was at second, Randy Johnson was at first, Hideki Matsui was catching, while Robinson Cano, Jason Giambi and Rickey Henderson were in the outfield. Jeter finally settled in No Man's Land, a 3,500-sq.ft region in Yankee Stadium where balls are never caught, until the 6th inning when the practical joke was revealed and he returned to short.

- "Torre said he wants to give Alex Rodriguez a turn as the DH this week as well", and threatens to start Tony Womack in his place if Rodriguez refuses. "There is no 'I' in team and there is no 'I' in Yankees and there is no 'I' in Torre and there is no 'I' in Jeter and there is no 'I' in Rivera but there is an 'I' in Rodriguez so that's a problem."

- "Wright felt no unusual soreness in his shoulder on Tuesday", adding that he felt like a jigsaw was slowly tearing through his muscles, a normal feeling for him.

- "As for Small's move to the bullpen, Torre believes that the 33-year-old" stonemason has the perfect attitude to make the move work, noting that Small has been laughing hysterically since being told that he had been replaced by Al Leiter.

Philadelphia Phillies

The big news in Philadelphia is Phils win, tied for NL Wild Card lead

"PHILADELPHIA -- No champagne. No blaring music. No celebration. Instead, the Phillies clubhouse" was filled with pot, bowling and cheap vodka.

"'Now we have the bulls-eye on our back,' added Billy Wagner", who then began to drink heavily while he continued to write the third act of Lohengrin.

"'It's way too early to be thinking that everything's OK,' said winning pitcher Jon Lieber". 'We have plenty of games left to prove that we are a morally bankrupt society."

"Wednesday's game began in the same fashion as Tuesday's rain-shortened affair, with Jimmy Rollins" again singing the national anthem and once again forgetting the words halfway through.

"Giving up a run [is fucking disgraceful], but as long as I got out of it with my dignity, I was happy," said Ryan Madson.

Toronto Blue Jays

I can't forget about the home team. The Jays issued a Press Release titled Blue Jays prepare for 2006 in midst of successful '05 campaign, in which they announced that they will, in fact, sell tickets in 2006.

They were also excited to announce that attendance is up 18% from this point last year. That includes 27% more hot babes aged 18-22, 4% more males who refuse to wear deodorant, 9% more children who can name Canada's first Prime Minister, 2% more Canadian Idol contestants and 15% more bedouins.

Also:

- traffic on the bluejays.com website has doubled, thanks to the popularity of the new "shower cam"

- the team agreed to pay a $120 billion fine for their part in the Enron collapse, but denied any wrongdoing

- the team mascot has a cameo appearance in the new Wallace & Gromit movie

- television audiences are up 76% from last year, while television screens have increased 32% in size

- television audiences are reporting 25% more sexual activity following tense games

- play-by-play man Jamie Campbell has "a voice like butter"

I still have an old yearbook from that year, that I read dozens of times that winter. It contains the final results of every game from that year (not complete boxscores, unfortunately, though Retrosheet has filled that void). One game that always fascinated me was from April 24, in Toronto; the Jays beat the Royals (whom they would later face in the ALCS that year). The winning pitcher was Luis Leal; the loser was Bret Saberhagen.

I was reminded of that box score earlier this year, when the Roy Halladay was beaten by Sergio Mitre. Halladay is/was having a magnificent season, at least until his leg was broken by a line drive. Mitre is a young pitcher with the Cubs who has been pretty awful to this point in his career, though he beat the Doc 2-0, and a week later threw a shutout against the Marlins. Since then, he's gone back to being awful. But it got me thinking about the Leal game, and other unlikely victories throughout the years.

(Note: this is an article that was started several weeks ago, was postponed and then never really completed, but I had fun looking stuff up so I'll post what I've got. Since then, something even more improbable has happened: the Jays lost a matchup of Roy Halladay vs "Way Back" John Wasdin. That was the game in which Doc had his shin cracked, and the bullpen... it wasn't so good).

Getting back to the Leal game...

The result wasn't that surprising at the time. Leal was a veteran who had won 13 games the previous year; Saberhagen was 20 years old, in his second season. The Jays put ten runs on the board and won 10-2. Leal pitched great in his next start and won again; after that, his career went downhill fast. He got hammered in his next few starts; he won one more game before he was cut by the Jays in June, and never pitched in the majors again. Saberhagen won 20 games, the Cy Young and the World Series MVP that season.

In his other Cy Young season in 1989, Saberhagen was again victimized by a veteran (and another member of the 1985 Jays) in his final season. Doyle Alexander had an ugly 6-18 record with the Tigers in 1989, but beat Saberhagen twice. The first time, a May 19 matchup, Alexander didn't get the decision; the game between Detroit and Kansas City was scoreless until the bottom of the 9th when Lou Whitaker hit a walk-off home run against Saberhagen. They met again on September 4; the Tigers won 5-1. Saberhagen dropped to 17-6, but won his last six decisions; Alexander improved to 6-16. but had recorded his last major league victory.

Entering his start against the Blue Jays on September 20, 1978, Ron Guidry had a 22-2 record for the Yankees. The Jays lost 102 games that season; Guidry's opponent was Mike Willis, a relief pitcher who had worked in 42 games out of the bullpen and was making his first start of the year. Willis pitched in the majors for five years, all with Toronto, and had a career record of 7-21. This season he was 3-7 with 7 saves and a 4.59 ERA.

Willis' first start of the year was a sensation; he threw a complete game against the defending World Champions, who were engaged in a desperate pennant race with the Red Sox. Willis gave up just one run on six hits; Guidry lasted just 1 2/3 innings, giving up five runs. Two runs scored in the first inning, thanks to two singles and a sacrifice bunt attempt that Guidry threw away. In the second inning, Guidry gave up two singles and a triple to Bob Bailor before hitting the showers.

The game was the first of a doubleheader; the Yankees won the second game, while Guidry would rebound to win his last three starts. The Yankees tied the Red Sox for the division lead and eventually won the World Series.

In his first truly great season, Sandy Koufax was 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA for the Dodgers in 1963. Koufax was 16-3 with a 1.75 ERA on July 25 when he faced the Pirates. He had nasty stuff, striking out 12 batters in six innings. But he also made some mistakes; the worst was a three-run home run to Roberto Clemente in the third inning.

Pirates starter Joe Gibbon, in the midst of a 5-12 season, threw four shutout innings despite four walks and three hits. In the 5th inning his luck turned south, as another walk and two more hits resulted in two runs. Rookie Tommie Sisk came in to pitch; he got a double play and the third out, then finished the game with five no-hit innings to secure the win and Koufax' fourth loss of the season.

Incredibly, almost the exact same thing happened two years later. Entering his start on September 1, 1965, Koufax was 21-6. His opponent was Tommie Sisk, now in his third year; Sisk had spent most of the season in the bullpen, but then was given a chance at starting and was making his sixth start of the year.

The Dodgers jumped to a 2-0 lead, but the Pirates tied the games with single runs in the 5th and 6th. Sisk threw five innings, and then was replaced by, sure enough, Joe Gibbon. Gibbon shut down the Dodgers on three hits for the next six innings, as the game remained tied. Koufax threw a scoreless 10th, then came out to start the bottom of the 11th; Willie Stargell walked with two outs, and scored on a double by Jim Pagliaroni.

Roger Clemens rocketed to stardom with his 24-4 season in 1986. He began the year 14-0, before he lost on July 2 to Toronto starter Jimmy Key. He then lost his next start to Oakland's Dave Stewart - not a great surprise, perhaps, except that Stewart was making only his second start in an Oakland uniform after he had been acquired from the Phillies. Stewart's victory over Clemens ended an ugly personal streak of 12 consecutive losses.

For his third loss of the season, Clemens was defeated by another midseason pickup - Jose deLeon, who was making his second start of the year for the White Sox. DeLeon was a promising young pitcher who had posted an infamous 2-19 record with the Pirates in 1985; he began the next season 1-3 with a 8.27 ERA when Pittsburgh lost patience and traded him.

DeLeon beat Clemens on July 30 by a 7-2 score. Five days later, on August 4, deLeon beat Clemens again, this time 1-0. The only run against Clemens came in the 8th inning, after an error by Wade Boggs and another error by Clemens while fielding a sac bunt attempt. Clemens didn't lose again that season until the playoffs.

In 1931, Lefty Grove posted a remarkable 31-4 record, and tied the American League record with 16 consecutive victories. He had a chance to break Rube Marquard's major league record of 19 straight wins, but on August 23 ran into Dick Coffman and the St. Louis Browns. The Browns were a bad team that lost 91 games; Coffman was 24 years old and had been banished to the bullpen after losing 18 games in 1930. He made a return to the rotation in early August, throwing a shutout in his first start and winning his next two, then asking his manager for the opportunity to take his turn early and face Grove.

Grove pitched a good game, giving up just one run over nine innings. But Coffman was better, throwing a three-hit shutout. Coffman ended up having a decent season, then bounced between the bullpen and the rotation in limited roles for the rest of his career.

Before the 1934 season, Dizzy Dean predicted that he and his brother Paul would win over 40 games for the Cardinals. Dizzy, at age 24, had never won more than 20 in a season, while Paul had never thrown a pitch in the big leagues.

But entering a June series against the Phillies, Dizzy was 8-2 while Paul was a sensational 8-0. On June 16, the Phillies beat Dizzy 8-3; the winner was George Darrow, a rookie was 2-6 that year and then never pitched in the majors afterwards. The next day, in a first game of a doubleheader, Paul won his 9th game, while in the second game Dizzy won his 9th game pitching in relief.

Paul faded after his hot start, finishing the year at 19-11. Dizzy ended the season with a 30-7 record; he started only 33 games that year but appeared in 17 more in relief.

Looking ahead to this weekend... Pedro Martinez vs. D.J. Houlton appears to be the biggest mismatch. Pedro is in the running for another Cy Young Award, as is Roger Clemens, who faces Ryan Drese and the fading Nationals tonight. I guess we'll see how they fare.

Note to Retrosheet: please get well soon.

We're a third of the way through the season; this morning I voted online for the All-Star Game. Here were my picks, along with the actual leaders:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Vote leader: Tino Martinez - he had a heck of a May, crunching eight home runs in eight days. But he was poor in April and has been invisible in June, and his batting average has dropped to .237.

2B: Brian Roberts - he was unbelievably great in April and May before an injury knocked him out of the lineup for a few games. He just came back; currently one of the top-three MVP candidates in the AL.

Vote leader: Roberts - his home/road stats:

       G  AB HT DB TP HR  RN RBI  BB  SO   AVG   OBA   SLG    OPS
HOME  30 116 42  5  3  6  20  15  18  16  .362  .452  .612  1.064
AWAY  23  95 35  9  2  5  19  18  10  16  .368  .434  .663  1.097

Vote leader: Rodriguez - he is hitting .380 with 12 home runs at Yankee Stadium, giving the home fans lots to cheer about.

SS: Miguel Tejada - the Orioles' other MVP candidate. An incredibly durable player who has outclassed some other fine shortstops.

Vote leader: Tejada - in six games against the Yankees, he is batting .481 with 13 RBI.

CA: Jason Varitek - there are lots of good catchers in the AL this year, but Varitek has clearly been the best with the bat. No one questions his contributions with the glove or in the clubhouse.

Vote leader: Varitek - the fans aren't doing too bad this year. Or maybe I've hacked the MLB database. It can't be that hard, can it?

OF #1: Gary Sheffield - it should be noted that almost all of the best outfielders in baseball are in the National League this year. Coco Crisp, for crying out loud, is leading AL left fielders in VORP.

Sheffield and Vlad Guerrero have been the slugging stars among AL outfielders, but the latter dislocated his shoulder. Sheff has slumped badly in June, though, batting only .138 so far this month.

OF #2: Johnny Damon - second in the league in batting average, also a fine defensive player. Clearly the best of a weak group of centre fielders. Like Sheffield, he has slumped in June.

OF #3: Ichiro Suzuki - he's not having his best season, is just 13th in the league in batting average. Hit .356 in April, .288 in May and so far only .182 in June. But who the hell else are you going to vote for? Damon Hollins? Guerrero will probably deserve this spot if he can stay healthy.

Vote leaders: Manny Ramirez - a great star, but he just can't get on track. Is batting a mind-boggling .127 against left-handed pitching.

Ichiro Suzuki - no surprise, obviously.

Vladimir Guerrero - just returned to the lineup last night. The Angels nicely survived his absence.

DH: David Ortiz - had a slow start but has just ripped the ball the past six weeks. Are we sure that Ortiz is a real person, and not the product of a computer simulation?

             G   AB  HT  DB TP  HR  RN RBI  BB  SO   AVG   OBA   SLG   OPS
2004  BOS  150  582 175  47  3  41  94 139  75 133  .301  .380  .603  .983
2005  BOS   60  231  70  17  0  16  41  50  31  46  .303  .383  .584  .968

PROJECTED  162  623 189  46  0  43 111 135  84 124  .303  .383  .584  .968

Vote leader: Ortiz - the other good DHs have been Raul Ibanez, Travis Hafner and the remarkable Dave Dellucci. Jason Giambi has more votes than any of them.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Vote leader: Pujols - There's a DH, right? Lee can fill that role.

2B: Jeff Kent - had a great April, a horrible May but has caught fire again in June.

Vote leader: Kent - the best hitter among NL second basemen, and also the biggest star; I don't think that any of the other candidates (Counsell, Grudzielanek, Biggio, Utley) is going to win the Gold Glove (though admittedly I haven't seen much of Utley in the field, so maybe Phillies fans will make his case).

3B: David Wright - remember when the NL was deep with great third basemen? That was, like, nine months ago. But Rolen is hurt, Chipper is hurt, Beltre has gone missing. Aramis Ramirez and Troy Glaus have been OK but not great; Rob Mackowiak and Morgan Ensberg have been good but I will stick with the kid.

Vote leader: Rolen - out of action.

SS: Cesar Izturis - one of two former Blue Jays who are kicking ass and taking names in the NL. Felipe Lopez has been the better hitter but Izturis is more established and has the great glove. But he's also batting just .091 in June.

Vote leader: Nomar Garciaparra - he won't play, obviously. David Eckstein is close and may win the vote, and he's had a good year, too. Rookie Clint Barmes was in the mix but is now hurt.

CA: Ramon Hernandez - a good hitter and very good defensive player. But he's yet another player who is slumping in June (.188).

Vote leader: Mike Piazza - you know you're a future Hall-of-Famer when you get voted as a starter every year, no matter how useless you are.

OF #1: Bobby Abreu - a great player who is finally getting credit for being one. Has carried the Phillies back into contention for both the division and wild card.

OF #2: Miguel Cabrera - the best of some wonderful left fielders in the NL, including Jason Bay, Cliff Floyd, Adam Dunn, Luis Gonzalez, Pat Burrell and Carlos Lee. Has gone strangely missing during the Marlins' recent swoon.

OF #3: Brian Giles - is having a terrific comeback season for the Padres, helping to make the trade with Pittsburgh look not-so-bad. He still doesn't like the Pet Shop (.210 average, 2 homers) but has been a monster on the road.

Vote leaders: Carlos Beltran - has been OK, but hasn't found his power stroke. Has stolen only one base, which obviously raises questions about his physical condition. His teammates, Floyd and Mike Cameron, are both better candidates.

Jim Edmonds - has been pretty good; I won't knock his selection. Edmonds and the surprising Brady Clark have been the best centre fielders in the NL. Actually, Mike Cameron has been the best, though he hasn't played centre this year.

Bobby Abreu - that's not a typo; the man who has only played in one All-Star game (as an injury replacement, no less) is actually third in voting. But watch out; Ken Griffey Jr. is close behind.

Barry Bonds is 15th in voting among NL outfielders, which is kinda surprising; for some reason, people are voting for Nomar Garciaparra but not Bonds. Obviously, there has been A LOT of publicity surrounding Bonds' inactivity, among other things.

The fans don't vote on pitchers, of course; the current VORP leaders in each league are Roy Halladay and Roger Clemens, and if the All-Star game was held tomorrow, my guess is that they would be the starters. Two young pitchers in the NL, Dontrelle Willis and Brett Myers, have been extremely impressive, while old Kenny Rogers just keeps getting better. Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez have both had good starts, and both are obviously capable of going on a streak where they just stop giving up runs completely.

* * *

- I like umpires who wear old-fashioned uniforms and make quick, decisive calls

- a conversation between Joe Garagiola and Pete Rose is not must-see television

- whatever happened to the Winged Victory Chorus? they weren't bad

- I'm not a fashion maven, but that was one heck of a sports jacket that Tony Kubek was wearing

- according to Curt Gowdy, there was a full moon out

- Gowdy twice called Don Gullett "one of the four best pitchers in baseball" without saying who the other three were. OK, Seaver and Palmer... then Hunter? Perry? Carlton? Randy Jones?

- Gullett's pitching motion lived up (down?) to its reputation - short, violent and over-the-top. Looked like he was throwing pretty hard, though.

- Bill Lee's slow curve was a thing of beauty

- but don't throw it twice to Tony Perez

- Lee only committed one balk in his 14-year career, which is almost impossible to believe. His complete stops weren't very complete

- if you think that Joe Morgan looks like a great player on paper, then you really need to see him in action

- after the game, Morgan cried out "I'm so happy, man" then went on a rambling stream of consciousness. Funny, in the booth, Jon Miller always comes across as the more relaxed of the two

- Pete Rose may be a douchebag, but he was a force of nature at the plate and on the bases. Played an awfully deep third base, but made a couple of nice plays

- the World Football League folded earlier in the day

- Allan Roth was NBC's statistician

- Clay Carroll was nicknamed "the Hawk"

- knowing what the final score was, I nodded off a bit in the bottom of the 9th... but did a double-take when Bob Montgomery pinch-hit, and didn't wear a batting helmet. A quick Google search reveals that Montgomery was the last player in baseball to wear a hard liner inside his hat instead of a helmet. You learn something new every day

- anyone over 30 knows this already, but power hitters in the 1970's were really, really thin. I think that Adam Dunn weighs more than Tony Perez, George Foster and Cecil Cooper - combined

All of this raises an interesting question: how improbable would it be, a year after the Red Sox ended an 86-year championship drought, that the ChiSox would end an 89-year drought?

The answer hardly matters. In baseball, even the most improbable things happen on a regular basis.

THE PALE HOSE: VITAL STATS

The White Sox are in their 105th season. They were one of the original eight American League teams that debuted in 1901. They were the first AL pennant winners; they won 83 games in their first year, finishing a comfortable four games ahead of the Boston Americans.

Including that first season, they have won five American League pennants: 1901, 1906, 1917, 1919 and 1959. They have won two World Series: the 1906 and 1917 teams were both champions. No World Series was played in 1901.

They had to wait a while to win their first MVP Award. Even if you go back to the Chalmers Award in the teens, or the league MVP awards in the 1920's, the Sox did not get their first winner until 1959, when Nellie Fox won the award. They have had three more winners since then: Dick Allen in 1972, then Frank Thomas in both 1993 and 1994.

Three White Sox hurlers have won a Cy Young Award. Early Wynn was the first winner in 1959; LaMarr Hoyt won the award in 1983, and then Black Jack McDowell in 1993.

Five players have been Rookie of the Year: Luis Aparicio (1956), Gary Peters (1963), Tommie Agee (1966), Ron Kittle (1983) and Ozzie Guillen (1985).

Tony LaRussa won the inaugural Manager of the Year award in 1983; he has been followed by Jeff Torborg (1990), Gene Lamont (1993) and Jerry Manuel (2000).

Ballparks: South Side Park (1901-1910); Comiskey Park (1910-1990); New Comiskey Park/U.S. Cellular Field/The Cell (1991-present).

The Sox' all-time leader in games played is Luke Appling, with 2422. He and Nellie Fox are the only two players to play over 2000 games in a White Sox uniform, though Frank Thomas will be the third if he returns from injury. Appling is also the hits leader with 2749. Among active players, Thomas is the leader with 2113 hits. Thomas is also the Sox' all-time home run hitter, with 436 to date.

Ted Lyons is the wins leader with 260. Red Faber is next, with 254. Ed Walsh is third, with 195. Faber is the franchise leader in games pitched, while he and Lyons shared the team record for games started.

To my knowledge, the Sox do not hold any significant hitting records. On the pitching side, Ed Walsh holds several distinguished records, including a career 1.82 ERA. Walsh set a modern record with 464 innings pitched in a 1908, and he was the last pitcher to win 40 games in a season. More recently, Bobby Thigpen set the single season save record, with 57 in 1990.

1901-2004: A BRIEF HISTORY OF CLEAN SOCKS

Let's face it: the White Sox have had a really depressing history.

In 104 years, they have won two World Series championships; the last one was in 1917. They haven't even played in a World Series since 1959. In 1919, eight of their players committed the worst trangression in baseball history: intentionally throwing the World Series for gamblers' money.

They are not the most popular team in their own city; that distinction belongs to their cross-town rival, the Cubs. The Cubs also play in one of baseball's greatest parks, Wrigley Field. Old Comiskey Park was never as popular a destination as Fenway or Wrigley, while The Cell, built a couple of years before Camden Yards popularized the retro trend, has never won the hearts of the fans, either .

To make matters worse, a few Chicago "fans" recently gave the team and city a black eye; two bozos attacked and seriously injured Royals coach Tom Gamboa in 2002, and in early 2003 another attacked umpire Laz Diaz.

Even when they're trying to have fun, they're not very good at it. Bill Veeck bought the team in 1975 (his second term as owner) and for the next six years promoted the hell of it. He put the players in shorts, brought back Minnie Minoso to play a game at age 57, and orchestrated Disco Demolition Night (a night of mayhem that grew so intense, the second game of a doubleheader had to be cancelled). He put bums in the seats... but made the rest of us all cringe a little.

The Sox also have the worst broadcaster I have ever heard for any team in any sport, the insufferable Ken Harrelson. It is possible, I suppose, that the Hawk is an acquired taste that I haven't acquired yet, but if you ever needed yet another reason not to watch the White Sox...

So, enough with the bad stuff; here are my top ten reasons to love the White Sox:

    10. Big Ed Walsh and the spitter
     9. Hoyt Wilhelm and Wilbur Wood: knuckleball mayhem!
     8. Ted Lyons, the Sunday pitcher
     7. The 1977 White Sox: Oscar Gamble, Richie Zisk and Eric Soderholm
     6. Minnie Minoso
     5. Luke Appling
     4. Ozzie Guillen
     3. Al Lopez, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio and the Go-Go Sox
     2. Frank Thomas
     1. Carlton Fisk

THE HITLESS WONDERS

Their first owner was Charles Comiskey, a former player and manager who became an owner when he bought the Sioux City franchise of the Western League. They were moved to St. Paul; when the Western League became the American League, he took over the Chicago franchise. They won the first AL pennant in 1901; the star of that team was pitching ace/manager Clark Griffith, a future Hall-of-Famer.

The 1906 Hitless Wonders were exactly that. They finished last in the league in team batting average (.230), slugging percentage (.286) and home runs (7). Led by centre fielder/manager Fielder Jones, they started the year slowly, but were propelled to the pennant by a 19-game win streak in August. In the World Series they defeated their crosstown rivals, the Cubs, who had won a record 116 games in the National League.

The Wonders had way good pitching and defence. And despite the lack of offensive punch, they were still fourth in the league in runs scored. How? For starters, they drew 453 walks, by far the most in the league. Otherwise, the details are kind of sketchy, but they managed to push enough runs across.

But they couldn't repeat. Even in 1908, when Ed Walsh was 40-15, threw 464 innings and had a 1.42 ERA, they could only manage third place. Walsh gave them everything he had over the next six years, but the Sox sank into mediocrity. Walsh burned out, and in 1914 the Sox finished 30 games out of first place.

BUILDING A CHAMPION, PART ONE

On July 22, 1912, the White Sox purchased pitcher Eddie Cicotte from the Boston Red Sox.

Cicotte was 28 years old, and had a 52-47 career record, but was only 1-3 at the time of the sale. The Red Sox, who would win the World Series in 1912, had five starting pitchers that they liked better.

After the sale, Cicotte went 9-7 the rest of the year. In 1913, he was 18-12. After scuffling for two years, he rebounded in 1916 with a 15-7 record.

In 1917, Cicotte went 28-12 while throwing 356 innings. The next year was a disappointment, but in 1919 he went 29-7, and was the best pitcher in the American League. A master of the shine ball, Cicotte finished his career with a 21-10 record in 1920.

BUILDING A CHAMPION, PART TWO

On December 8, 1914, the White Sox purchased Eddie Collins from the Philadelphia Athletics.

Collins was only 28 years old, but had been in the league for nine years, and had been the greatest star on an Athletics team that won three championships in four years. The rise of the Federal League in 1914 had created bidding wars for the best players. Athletics owner Connie Mack, unable to keep up with the rising salaries, was forced to sell Collins.

Collins spent the next 12 years in a White Sox uniform. Now recognized as one of the greatest players of his era, Collins played for 25 years, recorded 3315 hits, scored 1812 runs and stole 744 bases, while batting .333 lifetime.

Ironically, 1917 and 1919 were two of Collins' weaker seasons. His best season in a White Sox uniform was 1920, when he batted .372 with 224 hits.

In 1924, with the team at rock bottom, Collins took over as player-manager. The Sox finished the season with a 14-13 record, then had a winning record in both 1925 and 1926 with Collins as manager. In 1927 he returned to Philadelphia, and never managed again. The Sox returned to their losing ways for the next decade.

BUILDING A CHAMPION, PART THREE

The Cleveland Naps had a tough year in 1914, losing 102 games. Their best pitcher, Cy Falkenborg, had jumped to the Federal League before the season, and the rest of the pitching staff just collapsed. In 1915, they made some curious moves; first, they sold 40-year-old star Nap Lajoie, after whom they were named, to Philadelphia. They then changed their name to the Indians.

In August, they were well on their way to another losing season, and ownership was losing money. So they traded their outfield star, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, to the White Sox for three players and $31,500 cash. Jackson had just turned 25 years old, and had established himself, with Cobb and Speaker, as one of the best hitters in the league.

The Sox already had a terrific nucleus of young players that included two future Hall-of-Famers, catcher Ray Schalk and pitcher Red Faber. Centre fielder Happy Felsch also was developing into a fine player, as did Buck Weaver after he was moved from shortstop to third base. Now, armed with two of the greatest players of the deadball era, the White Sox won the World Series in 1917.

They almost won again in 1919, except that eight of their players were paid by gamblers to throw the Series. All eight players, including Jackson and Cicotte, were then banned for life. The End.

THE TED LYONS/LUKE APPLING YEARS: 1923-1950

Almost. The Black Sox first had to go through a trial in which their confessions mysteriously disappeared. They then had to play the 1920 season, winning 96 games and just missing another pennant. Comiskey, who had built his powerhouse by buying players from other teams, was branded as a cheapskate who shirked players on their meal money and reneged on promised bonuses.

In 1921, they declined by 36 games. Total disaster was averted because of the right arm of Faber; like Walsh, Faber relied on the spitball and carried a heavy workload. The spitter had been banned in 1919, but the ban was grandfathered so that pitchers who relied on it could continue throwing it. Faber began the 1920's with three dominant seasons, and remained a a quality pitcher until his retirement in 1933.

Another right-hander, Ted Lyons, picked up the heavy workload after Faber couldn't carry it any more. He was a very good and durable pitcher from 1925-31, when his arm gave out as well. Lyons learned to throw the knuckleball and resumed his career; he also established a practice of only pitching once a week, on Sundays. For nine straight seasons, 1934-42, Lyons had between 20 and 24 starts every year. At age 41, he joined the army and served for three years.

When he came back at age 45 he proved that he could still pitch. But six weeks into the season, Lyons retired from pitching and become the Sox' manager. He spent his entire career in Chicago, pitching for 21 years and winning 260 games.

The White Sox were in bad shape in the early 30's. After five straight losing seasons, Charles Comiskey died in 1931. The next year the team lost 102 games. In 1934, in the midst of another disastrous season, they hired a new manager, veteran third baseman Jimmie Dykes. He would manage the team for the next decade; under Dykes, the Sox won more than they lost, but never finished higher than third.

In 1936, they ended a nine-year losing streak. Their star shortstop, Luke Appling, had a monster season, batting .388 with 204 hits and 128 RBI. Appling had debuted with the White Sox in 1930. He too spent his entire career in Chicago, playing 20 years and banging out 2749 hits. He also lost all of 1944 and most of 1945 to war service.

Now, Ted Lyons wasn't Lefty Grove, and Luke Appling wasn't Honus Wagner, but they were both pretty damned good players. Both are in the Hall of Fame, and hold a number of White Sox records. The Sox, from 1923-1950, never finished higher than third place; they were a consistently mediocre team, but Luke and Ted at least saved them being the doormats of the league.

17 CONSECUTIVE WINNING SEASONS

Appling retired after the 1950 season; they lost 94 games that year, their seventh consecutive losing season. Paul Richards took over as manager, his first managing job in the majors; in his first year, the Sox improved by 21 games to an 81-73 record. 23-year-old second baseman Nellie Fox took a major stride forward as a hitter, while lefty Billy Pierce emerged as a legitimate ace. On April 30, the Sox, Indians and Athletics agreed on a blockbuster three-team deal that brought Minnie Minoso to Chicago.

In 1952, they again won 81 games again, and finished in third place. In 1953, they jumped up to 89 wins, but again finished in third place. They improved to 94 wins in 1954... and again finished in third place. Late in the 1954 season, Paul Richards resigned and took over as the manager in Baltimore, where the St. Louis Browns had recently moved. Marty Marion was his replacement.

They continued to thrive under Marion. They won 91 games in 1955... and finished in third place. In 1956 they fell to 85 wins, and finished in third place. Despite Marion's success, management decided on a change after Al Lopez resigned his job in Cleveland.

* * *

Lopez took over in 1957, and won 91 games - good enough for second place. After the season, he engineered an unpopular deal that sent outfielder Minnie Minoso to Cleveland, in exchange for Lopez' former workhorse, Early Wynn, now 37 years old and coming off of a poor season. They had another second-place finish in 1958; the Yankees again finished first, giving Casey Stengel nine pennants in ten seasons as New York's manager. In 1954, Lopez' Indians had to win 111 games to beat Stengel's Yankees; entering the 1959, it appeared that a similar performance would be necessary to defeat the Stengel juggarnaut.

In the spring of 1959, the Comiskey family sold the team to a group of investors led by Bill Veeck. Al Lopez was greeted with skepticism by the entire country when he suggested that his team could dethrone the World Champs. In the first half of the season, the Yankees floundered, while Chicago and Cleveland battled for first place. On June, the Sox hit their low point; they were swept in a doubleheader by Boston, and fell to fourth. On July 19, they again lost both ends of a doubleheader, this time to New York, and fell into a tie for first with the Indians.

They won their next five games, and never looked back. On July 25, Veeck gave free tickets to over 7000 striking steel workers, who watched the Sox win 3-2 in 17 innings. They went 21-9 in August, and pulled away from the rest of the league. They earned the nickname the "Go-Go Sox"; they were last in the league in home runs, but led the league in stolen bases. With Fox and Aparicio at second and short, and with Jim Landis in centre, they had peerless defence up the middle. Fox won the MVP Award after the season, while Aparicio was runner-up.

Explained Lopez: "The team is constructed for effectiveness at Comiskey Park. We have speed, defense and the accent is on line drive hitters rather than the sluggers who hit long fly balls."

They still struggled to score runs at times. Landis was strong with both the bat and glove in centre field, but the corner outfield positions were weak. Veterans Al Smith and Larry Doby failed to produce as they had for Lopez in Cleveland, and rookie Johnny Callison also struggled. They also tried out veterans Harry Simpson, Del Ennis, Jim Rivera, Ted Kluszewski and Ray Boone, but no one could hit home runs.

But the pitching was great, led by 39-year-old Wynn (who won 22 games and the Cy Young Award) and young Bob Shaw, who was 18-6 and led the team with a 2.69 ERA. Dick Donovan and Billy Pierce also had quality seasons in the rotation, while Gerry Staley and Turk Lown were standouts in relief. The Sox won 35 games by one run, just short of the record; said Lopez: "After a game, it's usually an hour or two before I am able to eat."

On August, the Sox and Orioles hooked up for an 18-innings marathon that ended in 1-1 tie when the midnight curfew hit (the two teams had already played two 17-inning games against each other, both won by Chicago). It was a season highlight for ace left-hander Billy Pierce, who threw 16 innings in the game. Pierce had been one of the best pitchers of the past decade; from 1956-58 he had won 57 games in three seasons. He pitched most of his career with the White Sox, winning 211 games; though not a Hall Of Famer, a good case can be made that Pierce is the best pitcher that Chicago has had since Ted Lyons.

In 1959 he had a bit of an off-year, going 14-15 but with an above-average ERA. He missed two starts in late August with a pulled muscle in his hip. Late in the year, Lopez announced that Wynn, Donovan and Pierce would be his starters in the World Series, but Pierce struggled in his final two starts. He was pulled from the starting rotation in favour of young Bob Shaw (another factor in the decision may have been the short right-field screen at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, not a friendly place for left-handers).

They came up short in the World Series, losing in six games to the Dodgers. Wynn was outstanding in the opening game, but was hit hard in Game Four, then was brought back to pitch Game Six in Chicago on two days' rest. Early was pounded, and the series was lost. Lopez called Wynn, "the man I wanted pitching for me in any key game."

Lopez, who had caught more games than any catcher in history, prided himself on knowing his pitchers; he certainly had some good reasons for not starting Pierce. The kid, Bob Shaw, pitched fine, including a 1-0 victory in Game Five. But Lopez' decision to start the 39-year-old Wynn three times in eight days, while keeping one of the franchise's greatest pitchers in the pen, will always remain a puzzle. He had a choice between Pierce (who had thrown three scoreless innings in relief) in Game Six and Wynn in Game Seven, or Wynn in Game Six and Donovan (or Shaw, on two days' rest) in Game Seven. He made the wrong choice.

Lopez signed a new contract after the season, and the Go-Go Sox kept on winning. Over the next six years, the Sox won between 85 and 98 games each season, but never finished higher than second place. In the winter of 1963, both Fox and Aparicio were traded. In 1965, Lopez resigned for health reasons; his replacement, Eddie Stanky, and had two more winning seasons, but finished in fourth place both years. Then, the losing began.

CRASH LANDING

From 1968-71, the White Sox had four straight losing seasons, including an ugly 106-loss season in 1970. That year, Roland Hemond became the new GM, and Chuck Tanner took over as manager in midseason. In 1971, Tanner's first full year as manager, they improved by 23 games, though they still had a losing record. Relief pitcher Wilbur Wood was moved into the starting rotation; a knuckleballer, Wood won 22 games, threw 334 innings and had a 1.91 ERA.

In 1972, the White Sox won 87 games, finishing in second place behind the World Champion Athletics. It was a nice little year - and yet, the 1972 White Sox are one of the most famous teams of the decade. Wood picked up where he left off, starting 49 games, winning 24 of them and throwing 376 innings. Another pitcher, Stan Bahnsen, was acquired from the Yankees (for Rich McKinney) and won 21 games.

On the same day that he acquired Bahnsen, Hemond also took a risk, and traded Tommy John to the Dodgers for Dick Allen. The White Sox were Allen's fourth team in four years. He was one of the most talented hitters in baseball history, but he was prone to injuries, had a drinking problem and battled with his managers. But everything clicked in his first year in Chicago; Allen comfortably led the league in home runs, RBI, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and missed the batting title (and Triple Crown) by 10 percentage points. He was the MVP.

They returned to losing in 1973. Allen missed half the season with an ankle injury. Wood and Bahnsen started to burn out under the heavy workload. In 1974, Jim Kaat had a great comeback season and won 21 games, while Allen returned to hit 32 home runs before retiring in September to look after his horses. The Sox managed to play .500 ball.

Allen didn't return; they had a losing season in 1975, despite the continued excellence of Kaat, and a stunning season from 23-year-old reliever Rich Gossage. Chuck Tanner was fired after the season.

"YOU KNOW, I THINK BILL VEECK HAS SOLD HIS SOUL TO THE DEVIL."

Everything old was new again. Former owner Bill Veeck bought the team again in 1975. After Tanner departed, former manager Paul Richards was brought back to manage. Minnie Minoso, at age 53, played in three games and batted eight times.

Richards was a disaster. The team lost 97 games. Gossage was moved to the starting rotation, and lost 17 games. The team wore goofy uniforms, and played like goofs.

Hemond, still the GM, made some bold changes after the season. Richards was replaced in the dugout by Bob Lemon. Gossage was traded to Pittsburgh for Richie Zisk (author of the above quote). Bucky Dent was dealt to the Yankees for Oscar Gamble and LaMarr Hoyt. Clay Carroll was dealt to the Cardinals for Lerrin LaGrow. Eric Soderholm and Steve Stone were signed as free agents.

The Sox had a fun year in 1977. They won 90 games, a 26-game improvement that was good for third place. Gamble was fun, and he hit home runs; so did Zisk and Soderholm. The Sox were second in the league in home runs, with 192; they had hit 73 the year before. They were last in the league in stolen bases; the Go-Go Sox were no more. "We are awesome," Soderholm was forced to admit.

Chet Lemon, no relation to the manager, blossomed in centre field. LaGrow saved 25 games. The starting rotation (Stone, Francisco Barrios, Chris Knapp, Ken Kravec) was remarkably mediocre but won more than they lost. Off the field, Veeck continued to conjure up new promotions; attendance rose by 80% in one year.

And thanks to their horrible season in 1976, the White Sox had the #1 pick in the baseball draft.

They didn't get the best player in the draft; that was the #3 pick, Paul Molitor. But the Sox did pretty well, choosing high school outfielder Harold Douglas Baines. In 1980, at age 21, Baines made his debut with the Sox. Two year later, Baines had his first 100-RBI season. He played for the White Sox for nine full seasons; at the July trading deadline in 1989, he was traded to Texas for Scott Fletcher, Wilson Alvarez and Sammy Sosa.

The team returned to its losing ways in 1978. Bob Lemon was fired and replaced by Larry Doby (and won a World Series later in the season as manager of the Yankees). Don Kessinger was hired as player/manager in 1979; he hit .200 and was fired in August (but lasted long enough to witness Disco Demolition Night). His replacement was a 35-year-old rookie manager, Tony LaRussa.

* * *

In LaRussa's first full season, the team continued to lose, dropping 90 games in 1980. They played better in 1981, thanks to the development of Baines, and the acquisitions of Carlton Fisk and Greg Luzinski. Bill Veeck sold the team to a group led by Jerry Reinsdorf, unable to pay for the rising cost of free agency.

In 1982, LaRussa moved a young relief pitcher, LaMarr Hoyt, into the starting rotation. Hoyt led the league with 19 wins. By now, LaRussa was gaining a reputation for his use of a computer to track and analyze statistics.

In 1983, the White Sox won 99 games, the most of any team in baseball. They won the AL West by twenty games; they were the only team in the division with a winning record. They led the league in runs scored, and were third in team ERA. LaRussa made an unusual decision to bat his 35-year-old catcher, Carlton Fisk, second in the lineup; Fisk had one of his best years and was third in the MVP vote.

In left field, Ron Kittle was Rookie of the Year, mashing 35 home runs and driving in 100 RBI. But he also struck out 150 times (against 39 walks), an omen of the direction that his career would take. Baines played right field; at age 25 and with healthy knees, he looked like the Natural, a smooth hitter with line drive power who did everything well.

The Sox won the first game of the ALCS, but lost the next three. The potent offence scored only three runs in four games. In the final game, they played nine scoreless innings before losing in the 10th.

In 1984, they fell to 74-88, an astonishing decline of 25 games. Baines had his best season, but Kittle's batting average fell to .215. Fisk and Luzinski both got old (although Fisk would later rediscover his bat after he turned 40). There had been concerns entering the season about LaMarr Hoyt's weight, but the decline was faster than expected, as he fell from 24 wins to 18 losses (unknown at the time, he had also developed a drug abuse problem). The Sox were only able to salvage the season in December, when they traded Hoyt to the Padres for Ozzie Guillen.

They rebounded to win 85 games in 1985, thanks to Guillen's rookie year, and a terrific performance from a new kid pitcher, Tom Seaver. Actually, Seaver was 40 years old and won his 300th game during the season, but was still a very good pitcher.

After the season, ownership decided to go in a different direction; after 16 years, Hemond's term as General Manager came to an end. He was replaced by popular broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson.

FOUR GREAT DRAFTS: 1987-1990

I'm not going to dwell too much on the 1986 season, which has already been chronicled extensively by people who were much closer to the team than I was. The important points:

1) They moved the fences back
2) Carlton Fisk was moved to the outfield, and wasn't happy about it
3) Tony LaRussa was fired, and replaced by Jim Fregosi
4) Bobby Bonilla was selected in the Rule V draft, then was traded back to Pittsburgh
5) Ivan Calderon was acquired from Seattle in return for Scott Bradley
6) The team lost 90 games
7) Hawk Harrelson returned to the booth, and was replaced by Larry Himes

With Himes and Fregosi in charge, strange things continued to happen. In 1987, beer was banned in the clubhouse; Carlton Fisk, once again the catcher and still the most popular player on the team, declared (perhaps jokingly) that he would attempt to smuggle beer into his locker. Himes ordered security to frisk Fisk.

In 1988, the Sox decided that Ken Williams, their centre fielder from the previous year, would be the new third baseman. Williams committed 14 errors in 32 games, and the experiment ended. Williams, who was 24 years old, also hit .159; he never hit again. But for a few weeks, the Sox had Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen playing on the left side of the infield together.

The Sox began the 1989 season with a new manager, Jeff Torborg. They had another losing season. Of all the players who had formed the backbone of the 1983 team, only Fisk, now 41 years old, was still producing. Harold Baines was traded; Ron Kittle was traded, reacquired, then traded again. Rich Dotson struggled and departed. Greg Walker was released. But behind the scenes, Larry Himes was rebuilding the future.

In 1987, the White Sox used their first round draft pick to take Jack McDowell, the future 1993 Cy Young winner.

They used their first round pick in 1988 to choose Robin Ventura, their third baseman for the next decade.

In 1989, they used the 7th overall pick to take a slugger from Auburn University, Frank Thomas, now a two-time MVP and probably the greatest player in franchise history.

In 1990, they used their first round pick to take pitcher Alex Fernandez.

And then, in 1990, something unexpected happened: in Comiskey Park's final season, the White Sox went out and won 94 games.

ENTER THE BIG HURT

They did it mostly with pitching. Jack McDowell had the first outstanding year of his career. Two young pitchers, Melido Perez and Greg Hibbard, combined for 27 wins; both had been acquired from the Royals three years earlier in a trade for Floyd Bannister. Alex Fernandez was drafted on June 4, and two months later made his debut with the Sox at age 20.

The starting rotation was good, but the bullpen was ridiculous. Bobby Thigpen saved 57 games, a record that still stands. Barry Jones was an excellent setup man; the Sox also got over 200 quality relief innings from Donn Pall, Ken Patterson and Wayne Edwards. I'm trying, really trying, to stretch my memory back 15 years... but I have absolutely no recollection of Wayne Edwards.

The Sox hitters weren't so good; they were even no-hit by Andy Hawkins, in a game that the White Sox won 4-0. Their best player was Carlton Fisk, who was 42 years old. The first basemen were particularly horrible, at least until August 2:

                  AB   H   D  T  HR   RN  RB  BB  SO   AVG   OBA   SLG  OPS+
Carlos Martinez  272  61   6  5   4   18  24  10  40  .224  .252  .327   63
Steve Lyons      146  28   6  1   1   22  11  10  41  .192  .245  .267   45
Frank Thomas     191  63  11  3   7   39  31  44  54  .330  .454  .529  177

Even with 94 wins, the Sox finished nine games behind the powerhouse Athletics. Now, if they had had a real first baseman for the first four months... oh well, that's the way it goes.

The Sox won 87 games in 1991, again finishing in second place. Wilson Alvarez threw a no-hitter in his first career start. After the season, Torborg and Himes left to take jobs with the Mets and Cubs; Gene Lamont took over as manager, while Ron Schueler was the new GM. The new GM hooked up with the old GM to swing a deal that brought George Bell to the south side in exchange for young slugger Sammy Sosa. It was a lopsided deal, but the Sox wouldn't miss Sosa for a few more years.

Under Lamont, the Sox won 86 games in 1992, then in 1993 won 94 games and the division title. The pitching was outstanding, the best in the league. Jack McDowell won 22 games and the Cy Young Award; Fernandez and Alvarez, each only 23 years old, were terrific. Rookie phenom Jason Bere made an impressive debut. Roberto Hernandez was an outstanding closer.

The lineup wasn't so impressive. They were 7th in the league in runs scored, despite Thomas' awesome MVP season. Ventura, Tim Raines and Ellis Burks all had solid seasons; Bo Jackson returned from hip replacement surgery and hit 16 home runs as the DH. In the ALCS, they fell to the Blue Jays in six games.

They kept winning in 1994; at the time of the strike they had the second-best record in the league (behind the Yankees), though they were only one game ahead of the upstart Indans. They had a disappointing losing season in 1995; Gene Lamont was fired and replaced by Terry Bevington. They rebounded to win 85 games in 1996, but missed the playoffs. It was their last winning season of the 20th century.

In 1997 they signed Albert Belle, with the expectation that he and Thomas would combine to form one of the most formidable power combos in baseball. Thomas had a great year in 1997, but Belle struggled; Belle rebounded with a monster 1998 campaign, but Thomas struggled. Belle left for free agency after the 1998 season.

The 1997 team actually finished in second place in the Central Division, only six games behind Cleveland, despite an 80-81 record. But any chance of making the playoffs was punted at the trade deadline, when three regulars - Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin - were dealt to San Francisco.

The White Sox received six young players in the deal, including a 24-year-old pitcher named Keith Foulke.

2000-2004: HOW TO NOT MEET EXPECTATIONS

I live in the city of Toronto; honestly, I'm not really sure where Ken Williams is more controversial, in my city or in Chicago, where he actually works.

He's controversial in Chicago because one (1) in four years, he has yet to make the playoffs with a talented team playing in a weak division, and (2) he traded Keith Foulke for Billy Koch.

In Toronto, Williams is controversial because (1) as a player in 1988, he tried to score a run but instead collided with the third base coach, and (2) as the Sox GM, he traded Mike Sirotka to the Blue Jays for David Wells.

Let's close our eyes for a moment, and think back to the 2000 season, one of the sweetest years in White Sox history. After three straight losing seasons, the early promise of the Frank Thomas Era appeared to have been frittered away. Thomas himself, at age 31, appeared to be a star in steep decline.

The White Sox in 2000 won 95 games, the best record in the American League. Thomas had a monster comeback season, batting .328 with 43 homers and 143 RBI. He was surrounded by young talent; 26-year-old outfielder Magglio Ordonez hit .315 with 32 homers, 126 RBI; 24-year-old outfielder Carlos Lee had 24 homers and 92 RBI, and 24-year-old first baseman Paul Konerko had 24 homers, 97 RBI. They led the league in runs scored.

The pitching was also good. Foulke had his first outstanding year as closer; Bobby Howry, who had also arrived in the Foulke deal, was a fine setup man. The starting rotation was good, though it didn't inspire confidence. Sirotka was dealt after the season, while Jim Parque, James Baldwin and Cal Eldred would all need to be replaced in another year. In the first round of the playoffs, they were swept by Seattle.

But it was all OK, because the White Sox had the best minor league system in baseball, according to Baseball America. They had some great pitching prospects, including Jon Rauch, Mark Buehrle, Rocky Biddle, Matt Ginter, Kip Wells and others. After the season, GM Schueler moved into semi-retirement, replaced as GM by former player Kenny Williams.

Williams took over a team that had won 95 games, had some great young sluggers, some outstanding pitching prospects, and was playing in a very weak division. In his four years as GM, they have not had a losing season - but they have also yet to win more than 86 games, and have not returned to the playoffs.

Disaster struck in 2002, when Foulke was stripped of the closer's job after a poor April, which led to the Koch deal. Of all those pitching prospects, only Buehrle is helping the team. Jon Garland, at the end of the 2004 season, was still trying to establish himself. The others were spread around the league, having varying degrees of success.

Jerry Manuel, the 2000 Manager of the Year, was let go after the 2003 season, and was replaced by former star Ozzie Guillen. Ozzie's first year had all the requisite growing pains of a rookie manager; he finished with a winning record, but another playoff drive fell short.

2005: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The team of the 80's and 90's, the one that never quite arrived, is now in charge. Kenny Williams is the GM, Ozzie Guillen the manager. Harold Baines is the bench coach; Tim Raines and Joey Cora are the first and third base coaches. Greg Walker is the hitting coach. I'm not sure what Don Cooper is doing there, he never played for the Sox - but given the performance of the pitching staff in the early part of this season, he's obviously fitting in well.

In my spring previews, I was unimpressed with the White Sox; actually, I was pissed off because I picked them to win the division four years in a row, and was wrong all four times. So I bailed on them. I still think that Minnesota will win the Central this season, but the Sox have put themselves in a very nice position.

Some random thoughts about this team, having watched them sweep my Blue Jays:

1) A.J. Pierzynski can't handle a pitching staff - A.J., of course, was dumped by the Giants during the winter because of his defensive shortcomings, and was replaced by Mike Matheny. In Chicago, it has become obvious that he can't work with pitchers.

2) Aaron Rowand is struggling - but thankfully, Guillen has resisted the urge to bench him in favour of Timo Perez. With Frank Thomas coming back, either Rowand or Jermaine Dye will hit the bench; come on, Ozzie, you can make this decision.

3) Kenny Williams knows Japan - two years, two good signings.

4) There are two Dustin Hermanson's in the league - the one with the White Sox isn't the same one I watched pitch for the Giants last season

5) Scott Podsednik is fast

My concerns about the team going forward:

1) Despite his brilliant April, Jon Garland still throws like my sister. Now, my sister's a pretty good ballplayer, but still...

2) Last Friday, Orlando Hernandez threw 120 pitches in seven innings against the Blue Jays. El Duque is 30-40-something years old and wasn't able to throw a pitch in last year's postseason; maybe Guillen is trying to get everything he can out of him before he breaks down, but it would sure be nice if Hernandez could pitch in October.

3) With Takatsu struggling early in the season, Guillen seems to be using, effectively, a bullpen-by-committee that includes Cliff Politte, Damaso Marte and The Dustman. As any fan or sportswriter in Boston will tell you, a bullpen-by-committee is not only a failed strategy, it also defies the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

4) Podsednik is a demon, but the rest of the team likes to run into outs on the basepaths.

5) With due respect to Timo Perez and Willie Harris, I'm not convinced that Raines and Cora would not be better options coming off the bench.

On the other hand, things I like:

1) Watching Mark Buehrle pitch is better than chocolate.

2) Pierzynski, Rowand and Konerko are all capable of hitting better than they are now.

3) The Big Hurt is on the mend.

4) According to ESPN, the Sox have had the second-easiest schedule in the league to date. But they still have 12 games left against Kansas City, so I guess that's gonna be a year-long thing.

5) Kenny Williams has been unafraid to swing bold deals in the past. His trading record is all over the place, but I have no doubt that he really, seriously, wants to win.

Last year, the Sox had a .512 winning percentage, which is also roughly their winning percentage over the past four seasons. If they play at that level the rest of the year, they will win 90-91 games.

The Yankees will have to play .600 ball the rest of the year to beat that; not impossible for that team, but they've got work to do. The Orioles are obviously in good shape as well, but they're in a tough division, and they still have Bruce Chen in their starting rotation. Oakland and Cleveland have put themselves in a very difficult position; Texas, Toronto and Detroit are hanging in, but are going to have a tough time winning 90 games.

This is Kenny Williams' year. His team has had the great start, they have a great schedule and they have real talent. I'm rooting for them - I mean, they're gonna get swept by the Blue Jays August 2-4, but otherwise I'm rooting for them. I'm not a Chicago fan, but everyone deserves a chance at a championship in their lifetime, and the Sox are overdue.

Also, I saw Bob Dole on The Daily Show a few nights ago, talking about his extraordinary experiences as a soldier in Italy. And on the home front, we had a six degrees of separation moment, when my mother's cousin and her housekeeper discovered that they were related by marriage. The marriage in question was a brief one, between my mother's aunt, and a man who was killed in action about six weeks before VE-Day.

The 1945 season was the last of baseball's war years; though the war in Europe ended in May, the war in the Pacific continued until August. It is best remembered as the year that the Cubs made their last appearance in the World Series. Hank Borowy was traded from the Yankees to the Cubs in midseason, and went 11-2 with Chicago to lead them to the pennant.

Chicago's first baseman, Phil Cavaretta, won the National MVP Award, even though Braves outfielder Tommy Holmes had a Willie Mays-type season, leading the league in slugging, OPS, home runs, hits, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, runs created, power/speed number - and barely missing the batting title by three points.

In the American League, the Tigers won the pennant by 1.5 games over the Senators, thanks to Hal Newhouser's 25 wins and pitching Triple Crown. The Tigers also received a boost from the return of Hank Greenberg, who slugged the heck out of the ball for 78 games after he returned during the summer. Greenberg had been one of the first players to be drafted, and returned following more than four years of service.

* * *

The Sporting News published every Thursday, and during the spring and summer was devoted to baseball. Thanks to their online archives, we can take a peek into what was happening in baseball in the weeks leading up to VE-Day. TSN published on April 12, and reported that MLB owners had set April 24 as a date to meet and choose a new commissioner to replace Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who had died the previous December. A few hours after the paper hit the stands, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt died from a stroke.

TSN also reported that two Negro League players had shown up at the Brooklyn Dodgers' camp and demanded a tryout. The players were Terris McDuffie and Showboat Thomas, and they were sponsored by three black sportswriters. Branch Rickey granted a private tryout, then publicly lashed out at the attempts to "pressure him into an immediate trial", also stating that neither player could compete in the majors.

Explained Rickey: "I'm more for your cause than anybody else you know, but you are making a mistake using force, dictating in this manner. Like prohibition, it will fail, because this is a matter of evolution, not revolution. It is a matter of education. You are defeating your own aims."

There was also a season to play, which began on April 17. TSN predicted a World Series repeat between the St. Louis teams, the Browns and the Cardinals, apparently unconcerned that Stan Musial had been drafted overseas, and that the Brownies were, well, the Brownies. The future champs in Detroit were written off because their star slugger, Dick Wakefield, had been drafted. The struggle to replace Wakefield's bat proved to be an early-season soap opera in Detroit, until their real star slugger, Greenberg, returned.

There was also an article about Ira Houck, a 20-year-old slugger with the Athletics who was apparently rejected by the army because his lower jaw didn't align with his upper one. According to the article, Ira's entire body was discombobulated; the various parts only worked together when he was hitting. Unfortunately for Connie Mack, it didn't work out; Ira never played in the majors.

More on Rickey, who was preparing his team for the new season. First, a cartoon titled "The erudite, pontifical and highly articulate Mr. Branch Rickey, B.S. (baseball sage) holds forth each evening at Bear Mountain in a series of baseball lectures to his hired hands." The cartoon shows Rickey speaking to some dimwitted players, and is accompanied by a pair of articles on Rickey's lectures, described as being "sprinkled with wit and baseball science".

A week later, the Sporting News published on April 19, and celebrated Roosevelt as baseball's "most powerful ally". An editorial asserted that "no other Chief Executive concerned himself so much about the life and welfare of the national pastime", and that Roosevelt "was the saviour of baseball" because of the letter he wrote to Commissioner Landis, urging baseball to keep playing during the war. TSN also made sure to pointed out Harry Truman was just a big a baseball fan as FDR had been.

Another article recalled some of more memorable opening day games played to that point. Bob Feller's no-hitter four years earlier topped the list; another pitching gem was April 13, 1926, when Walter Johnson beat Eddie Rommel 1-0 in 15 innings. A not-so-great contest was between Cleveland and St. Louis in 1924, in which the Indians won 21-14 and the Browns committed 10 errors.

There was a report about Pvt. Ken Hicks, 18 years old, who was discharged from the army after fracturing his skull. In his first start for the Los Angeles Angels of the PCL, he beat the San Francisco Seals 3-2 in 15 innings. According to the report, he displayed a blinding fastball, sharp curve and easy delivery; he also threw 281 pitches in the game. Private Hicks never pitched in the majors.

The April 26 edition reported that fans in Pittsburgh were unhappy with their team losing a double-header at home, and responded by throwing thousands of cushions onto the field. Dain Clay of the Reds was the first player to hit a grand slam in 1945; an article reported that Clay had twice been rejected by the army, because of migraine headaches that often left him temporarily blind. It was Clay's only home run in 656 at bats that year.

The rest of the edition was just the usual stats and stuff; TSN correctedly predicted that Joe Cronin's playing career was over, after he broke his leg sliding into second base. There's an interview with Art Fletcher, who discusses the mechanics of playing shortstop, and an article about Cubs catcher Mickey Livingstone, who received an honourable discharge from the army because he was unable to wear a metal helmet. And as always, the PCL and the other minor leagues had an endless supply of 19-year-old phenoms.

The April 19 edition had surveyed 35 writers from around the league about who would be chosen commissioner at the April 24 meeting. Many of them predicted that the committee would merely draw up a list of candidates to be considered after the war. Others predicted that a commissioner would be chosen, without naming names. Five predicted (or wished) that James A. Farley would be selected, while two more suggested Ford Frick. Fred Lieb of TSN suggested that the short list of candidates would include J. Edgar Hoover.

No one predicted what actually happened. The May 3 edition announced that Kentucky Senator A.B. (Happy) Chandler had been selected as the new commissioner. It was reported that Chandler quickly met with the NL President, Frick, to discuss league business, then with International League President Francis J. Shaughnessy, to discuss minor league business, then paid a visit to another President, Harry Truman, just to chew the fat about baseball.

TSN published an interview with Chandler, which contained questions about gambling, and about players returning from the war; nothing about the colour barrier. The interview was accompanied by five pages worth of pictures and articles about Chandler and his life. TSN, in its editorial, described Chandler as the "perfect choice", then eloquently stated that "baseball is all squared away for the glorious future which lies just beyond the horizon, out there where war ends and peace begins."

Also noteworthy: the Veterans Committee, which had been appointed by Judge Landis the previous August, met for the first time, and elected ten players to the Hall of Fame: Roger Bresnahan, Dan Brouthers, Fred Clarke, Jimmy Collins, Ed Delahanty, Hugh Duffy, Hugh Jennings, King Kelly, Jim O'Rourke and Wilbert Robinson. TSN approved of the choices; however, its publisher, J. G. Taylor Spink, was pissed off because the committee had not inducted his pet choice, Franklin Roosevelt. A week later, he wrote an impassioned letter to the committee, pleading FDR's case for Cooperstown; he was ignored.

The May 10 edition celebrated VE Day to a small degree - but remained on-topic and discussed the implications for the game. Two million soldiers were to be sent home within a year of VE Day, while the drafting of current players was expected to slacken off. There was also a small stink made about discrimination against major league players who had been classed 4-F after their initial examination, then drafted by a review board in Washington. Apparently, the folks in Washington felt that if you can play baseball, you can fight in the war, regardless of what your medical tests say.

The game moved on; on the field, the White Sox and Giants were the frontrunners early in the season. Fred Lieb wrote an article about the decline of home runs during the war years, and speculated that maybe they would be going back up with the war over. The article discusses home rates since 1901, and is accompanied by a nice graph superimposed on a picture of Babe Ruth. Lieb was puzzled about why home run rates had fallen; he was apparently unaware at the time about the use of balata in war-time baseballs.

And finally, a baseball quiz sponsored by Beech Nut Chewing Tobacco.

Q1: What is a "can of corn"? (never heard of that one)

Q2: What brand of chewing tobacco's the most popular with many big league ball players? Why? (um, Beech Nut? Because... it chews better?)

Q3: What is a guesser? (another I haven't heard before)

Q4: A runner charging from second, and another returning from home reach third together. Both are tagged. Who's out? (a good one... I believe it's an ownership issue)

Q5: What does a Major Leaguer carry in his pocket? (do I really want to know?)

A1: A lazy fly. (a can of corn... now I know)

A2: Beech Nut, because it's better tasting and longer lasting

A3: An umpire (a guesser? I've heard worse...)

A4: The player returning from home has a prior right to third, so the runner from second is out.

A5: Beech Nut. See question #2.

As the Yankees entered the 2004 season, they had a lineup that was stacked with outstanding players, but were lacking one curious asset — a left-handed starting pitcher. Most great Yankee teams have had plentiful left-handed pitching and power — Yankee Stadium is, after all, a park built for left-handers.

GM Brian Cashman was defiant; he wanted good pitchers, and he didn't care what arm they threw with. And he was true to his word; over the course of the season, the Yankees received only 11 starts from left-handed pitching, most (7) from Brad Halsey. Even when some of his starters broke down, he replaced them with more right-handers (Ed Duque, Sturtze, Loaiza). And it worked out, mostly; they led the league with 101 wins, though it was perhaps symbolic that they were twice beaten in the ALCS by left-handed slugger David Ortiz.

This year, the southpaw thing has been worked out, with the addition of über-lefty Randy Johnson. But concerns remain about their starting rotation; Johnson will be 41 years old; he, and fellow starters Kevin Brown and Mike Mussina, have both injury and age concerns. Two other additions, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, are coming off of good years, but have a long history of injuries and a short history of success.

A month ago, I gave the Yankees a 50/50 chance of making the playoffs, based on the very real possibility that the starting pitching (and even the bullpen, which also has serious age and injury questions) will implode. But I now realize that, while these concerns are very real, I was also ignoring the past 85 years of Yankee history.

There is a cliché in baseball that winning starts with pitching. The Yankees have won 26 World Series, so you might think that they have been a pitching-heavy franchise. Remarkably, they have had only true Hall-of-Fame pitcher, Whitey Ford, spend the bulk of his career in a Yankee uniform.

I know, Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock are both in the Hall of Fame. But both are among the weakest pitchers ever inducted. Hoyt and Pennock were mirror images of each other; Hoyt, a righty, Pennock, a lefty; according to Similarity Scores, the most similar pitcher to Hoyt is Pennock, and the most similar pitcher to Pennock is... you guessed it. They were both good pitchers, but there's nothing to distinguish them from contemporaries such as Jack Quinn, Freddie Fitzsimmons, Mel Harder and Wilbur Cooper, except that Hoyt and Pennock pitched for a team with Babe Ruth on it.

In the 1930's, two more Hall of Famers: Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing. Gomez had a pair of knockout seasons, plus some other good years, but had nothing left after age 30. He was real good, but he wasn't Sandy Koufax, maybe not even Ron Guidry. The other guy, Ruffing... he has an argument. He won 273 games in his career, and pitched awfully well for the Yankees, after a horrible start to his career with Boston. Still, Ruffing is one of only two pitchers in the Hall whose career winning percentage is worse than that of his team's.

And that's it. The Chairman was the last Yankee starter to be inducted into the Hall. The only other Yankee pitchers to put together Hall-of-Fame credentials have been relievers, Gossage and Rivera. Some great pitchers have passed through New York for a time, notably Roger Clemens but also Catfish Hunter and Phil Niekro, but they didn't have their best years with the Yankees.

So how have the Yankees won 26 World Series? Yes, they've usually been able to score runs, but they've usually had good pitching, too. Yankee pitching staffs of the past have always had the good-not-great guys, plus additional help from the guys who weren't around long, but left an impression while they were there.

Here's a brief survey of the hurlers who have passed through the Bronx since 1920, doing their bit to make the Yankees the most dominant team in baseball:

The Horses:

               WIN  LOSS   GS  SH    IP    ERA   ERA+
Whitey Ford    236   106  438  45  3171   2.74   140
Red Ruffing    231   124  391  40  3168   3.47   128

Ford and Ruffing are the only two pitchers to win 200 games in a Yankee uniform, and are also the only pitchers to throw 3000 innings.

Ruffing arrived in New York at age 25, with a career record of 39-96. He had debuted with the Red Sox at age 19; in 1928, he lost 25 games.

The Good-not-Great Guys, Group 1:

                   WIN  LOSS   GS  SH     IP     ERA   ERA+
Lefty Gomez        189   101  319  28   2498.2  3.34   135
Ron Guidry         170    91  323  26   2392    3.29   123
Bob Shawkey        168   131  274  26   2488.2  3.12   118
Herb Pennock       162    90  268  19   2189    3.56   119
Waite Hoyt         157    98  275  15   2273    3.48   119
Mel Stottlemyre    164   139  356  40   2662    2.97   116
Allie Reynolds     131    60  209  27   1700    3.30   122
Andy Pettitte      149    78  276   3   1792.2  3.94   119

In addition to his regular season exploits, Lefty Gomez started seven games in the World Series, and had a 6-0 record. His only misstep was in Game Three of the 1939 series, when he lasted only one inning.

The Yankees in 1978 won 100 games, led by four pitchers:

Guidry    25-3
Figueroa  20-9
Hunter    12-6
Lyle       9-3

The rest of the staff was 34-42. Guidry was, ummm, way good.

Bob Shawkey suffered from some bad timing. He was the Yankees' best pitcher from 1916-1922, but started to decline just as the team won its first championship. He won 197 games in his career, despite missing almost the entire 1918 season while serving in the Navy. There's not much to separate Shawkey from either Hoyt or Pennock, except timing.

Herb Pennock joined the Yankees in 1923 at age 29, after a modest career with the Athletics and Red Sox. He won 19 games that season, plus two more in the World Series, as the Yanks won their first championship. He was the team's best pitcher in 1924, but they finished second; Pennock was never again the staff leader of a champion team.

Waite Hoyt was the team's best pitcher, and maybe the best in the league, in 1927, the year of Murderer's Row. Again, that was the only year that he was the staff leader of a champion.

Ford and Ruffing are 1-2 all time in innings pitched for the Yankees. Quick, who's number three? That's right, it's Mel Stottlemyre. Mel began his careeer in 1964, just as the glory years were ending, and ended in 1974, just as a new dynasty was forming. In between, he had three 20-win seasons, and nine straight years with over 250 innings pitched.

Allie Reynolds arrived in New York in 1947, and carried the pitching staff that season. He was the only Yankee with 200 innings pitched and led the team with 19 wins. The next four seasons, he shared the spotlight with Raschi and Lopat, but in 1952 he again carried the team with 20 wins, 244 innings pitched and a .2.06 ERA. He lost the opening game of the World Series, then threw a shutout in Game Four, picked up a save in Game Six and was the winning pitcher in Game Seven after he came on in relief in the fourth inning.

Andy Pettitte, you probably know about. His career in New York was similar to Pennock's; he was clearly their best pitcher in 1996, the first year of the Torre dynasty, but otherwise was not the staff ace.

When I first saw it, I thought it was an error — but Pettitte really did throw only three shutouts during his years with New York.

The Good-not-Great Guys, Group 2:

                   WIN  LOSS   GS  SH     IP     ERA   ERA+
Ed Lopat           113    59  202  20   1496.2  3.19   129
Vic Raschi         120    50  207  24   1538    3.47   119
Spud Chandler      109    43  184  26   1485    2.84   138
Tiny Bonham         79    50  141  17   1178    2.73   132
David Cone          64    40  144   1    922    3.91   122
Carl Mays           79    39  124   9   1090    3.25   121
Roger Clemens       77    36  157   2   1004    3.99   117
Tommy John          91    60  203  12   1367    3.59   114
Ralph Terry         78    59  161  14   1197.2  3.44   112
Fritz Peterson     109   106  265  18   1855.2  3.10   110
Al Downing          72    57  175  12   1236    3.23   108
Bob Turley          82    52  175  21   1268    3.62   108
George Pipgras      93    64  170  14   1351.1  4.04   106
Jack Quinn          81    65  144   6   1278.1  3.14   104

Ed Lopat had a terrific start to his career with the White Sox, then in 1948 was traded to the Yankees for Bill Wight. He had a winning season in his first seven years with New York, peaking with 21 wins in 1951. That same year, he threw two complete game victories against Brooklyn in the World Series, giving up just one earned run. He was 4-1 in seven career postseason starts.

Vic Raschi was a rock in the Yankee rotation from 1948-1951, winning 82 games over those four years. In the first game of the 1950 World Series, he threw a two-hit shutout, winning 1-0. In 1952 he won 16 games, then had his greatest postseason, winning two games against the Dodgers. His decline was quick after that.

Spud Chandler's reputation as a great pitcher rests on his 1946 season, when at age 38 he won 20 games and threw 257 innings. It was a great performance against tough competition, including a Red Sox team that had Ted Williams and its other stars back from the war, and won the pennant.

But Chandler is always remembered for his 1943 season, which copped him the MVP Award. Yes, it was a war year; the Red Sox, in particular, had their lineup decimated. Chandler started 30 games; he went 20-4 with 20 complete games, five shutouts, 253 innings pitched and a sparkling 1.64 ERA. He won Game One of the World Series 4-2, throwing a complete game, then clinched the World Series with a shutout in Game Five.

In his first six years with in the majors, Tiny Bonham pitched outstanding ball with the Yankees. In his rookie year in 1940, he was 9-3 with a 1.90 ERA. He peaked in 1942, going 21-5 with a 2.27 ERA. After that, his effectiveness and durability began to decline during the war years. He clinched the 1941 World Series with a complete game victory in Game Five, but struggled in his other postseason starts.

David Cone pitched for the Yankees for 5 1/2 years and won four World Series rings. He didn't pitch a heck of a lot in that time, and didn't win many games; but when he was able to pitch he was excellent (except for his rotten 2000 season), and he was 6-1 in the postseason.

Carl Mays was a great pitcher for New York from 1919-1922; he was also am outstanding pitcher for the Red Sox and for the Reds. He won 26 games in 1920, then 27 the next year. He won the first game of the 1921 World Series with a shutout, then was beaten 4-2 in Game Four and 2-1 in Game Seven. He was a terrific pitcher, but never factored into a championship.

One of these is not like the others. Roger Clemens' years in New York were far from the best of his career, but he pitched well; it is hard to imagine them winning the 2000 World Series without him.

Tommy John signed with the Yankees in 1979 at age 35, five years after having "Tommy John surgery" on his elbow. He went 21-9 in his first year and 22-9 in his second, throwing, incredibly, 276 and 265 innings in those two seasons. He went 9-8 in 1981, and was 10-10 in 1982 when he was traded to California.

John's numbers from the 1981 World Series look great — 13 innings and a 0.69 ERA. The results were not so good. In Game Two, he threw seven shutout innings and picked up the win; things got bizarre after that. In Game Four, John was brought in to pitch in the seventh inning, with the bases loaded and nobody out, and the score tied. John surrendered a sacrifice fly and a single, giving up two runs; the Yankees lost the game 8-7.

Fast forward to Game Six, and the Dodgers leading the series 3-2. The game was a rematch between John and Hooton; after four innings, the score was tied 1-1. In bottom of the 4th, manager Bob Lemon pinch hit for John. He then brought George Frazier into the game; Frazier, who had already lost two games in the series, was hit hard, and lost his third game.

John returned to New York for an encore in 1986, at age 43. He spent his last four seasons with the Yankees, won 13 games in 1987 and lasted long enough to see George H.W. Bush elected President (the record 7th President he had pitched under). But he fell 12 wins short of 300.

Ralph Terry began his career with the Yankees in 1956 at age 20. They shipped him to Kansas City the next year to get some experience, and as soon as he was ready, returned to the Yankees (yes, the Athletics were a major league club). He was 16-3 in 1961, and was the horse of the 1962 staff, winning 23 games and throwing 298 innings.

He was 2-4 in his postseason career, but with a solid 2.93 ERA. In 1960, he served up Bill Mazeroski's famous home run that won the series. In 1962, Terry lost Game Two, but came back and won Game Five. He then clinched the championship with a brilliant 1-0 shutout in Game Seven — with a little help from lady luck in the bottom of the 9th. With Matty Alou on third base and Willie Mays on second, Willie McCovey just needed a single to win the series. He lined the ball, hard, right at Bobby Richardson for the final out.

Fritz Peterson is the guy who swapped wives with Mike Kekich. He also pitched for the Yankees from 1966-1972, winning 20 games in 1970.

Al Downing is best known for his Dodgers days, but he joined the Yankees in 1961 at age 20, and spent parts of nine years with them. He pitched well, especially in 1967 when the rest of the team was horrible. But he struggled in both of his postseason starts in 1963 and 1964.

Bullet Bob Turley was one of the first modern power pitchers. In his first year as starter with the Orioles in 1954, the 23-year-old Turley went 14-15 and struck out 195 batters, while also walking 181. After the season, he was dealt to the Yankees, though the O's got Gus Triandos in return. Turley won 17 games in 1955, striking out 210 batters but also walking 177. He struggled in 1956, but was better the next year, and in 1958 he went 21-7 and won the Cy Young Award.

Turley was 4-3 with a 3.19 ERA in his postseason career with New York. In the 1958 World Series, he was trounced by the Braves in Game Two, but threw a shutout in Game Five. In Game Six, he got the final out in the bottom of the 10th, getting Frank Torre to line out with the tying run on third base. In Game Seven, he threw 6 2/3 innings in relief, giving up one run and picking up the win as Yankees came back.

It was an amazing four-day span for Turley, but he was pretty much done after that.

George Pipgras joined the Yankee rotation in 1927, then was the horse in 1928, winning 24 games and throwing 300 innings. After that, he was an inconsistent performer until he was sold to the Red Sox in 1933. He won his three World Series starts, one each in 1927, 1928 and 1932, all Yankee sweeps.

Jack Quinn was a spitballer who pitched until he was 49 years old and won 247 games. He began his career with New York in 1909, went to Boston and then the Federal League and then found his way back to New York in 1919 for three years. He made only one postseason appearance for the Yankees, in relief in 1921.

The Thanks-for-Dropping-By Guys:

                   WIN  LOSS   GS  SH     IP     ERA  ERA+
Orlando Hernandez   61    40  136   2    876.1  3.96  119
Urban Shocker       61    37  112   5    931.1  3.14  122
David Wells         68    28  123   9    851.2  3.90  117
Monte Pearson       63    28  114   4    826    3.81  124
Hank Borowy         56    30   96  11    780    2.75  125
Joe Bush            62    38   91   6    783    3.44  119
Johnny Allen        50    19   78   6    616    3.78  117
Atley Donald        65    33  115   5    933    3.52  111
Marius Russo        45    34   84   6    681    3.13  131
Jimmy Key           48    23   94   2    604.1  3.68  127
Art Ditmar          47    32   85   2    723.1  3.24  119
Tom Sturdivant      36    25   59   4    524    3.19  123
Ed Figueroa         62    39  126   9    911.2  3.53  109
Wilcy Moore         36    21   15   1    422    3.31  126
Tommy Byrne         72    40  118  10    994    3.93  106
Jim Bouton          55    51  131  11   1012    3.36  106
Catfish Hunter      63    53  136  11    993    3.58  106
Rudy May            54    46  102   5    841.2  3.12  122
Bill Bevens         40    36   84   6    643    3.08  114
Sad Sam Jones       67    56  130   8   1090    4.06  102
Bobby Shantz        30    18   38   3    462    2.73  140
Bill Stafford       43    35   96   6    730    3.48  110
Don Larsen          45    24   90   7    656    3.50  112
Bob Grim            45    21   37   2    454.1  3.35  115
Spec Shea           29    21   59   8    483    3.67  110
Johnny Sain         33    20   39   1    456.1  3.31  116
Dick Tidrow         41    33   59   0    711.1  3.61  105
Phil Niekro         32    20   64   2    435.2  3.59  113
Dwight Gooden       24    14   53   1    341.1  4.67  104

Orlando Hernandez has never pitched for any team except the Yankees, though he hasn't pitched much since 2000. He won his first eight postseason decisions; his record currently stands at 9-3 with a 2.65 ERA.

Urban Shocker began his career with the Yankees in 1916, then was traded to the Browns in 1918. His glory years came in St. Louis; he had four straight 20-win seasons, including 27 wins in 1921. He returned to New York in 1925, and had three good seasons. He was probably their best pitcher in 1926, but did not pitch well in the World Series. In 1927, he went 18-6, but was unable to pitch in the World Series due to injury. His career ended abruptly after that.

David Wells has had a pair of two-year stints with the Yankees. He had a 7-2 postseason record in pinstripes, though he won only one World Series ring.

Monte Pearson was acquired by the Yankees in 1936 in exchange for Johnny Allen. He pitched in New York for five years, and pitched well. His first year was his best; Pearson was 19-7 with a good ERA, picking up the slack while Lefty Gomez had an off year.

Pearson's postseason record was brilliant. He made four starts, one each from 1936-39, He was 4-0 with a 1.01 ERA; in 35 2/3 innings, he gave up 19 hits, struck out 28 batters and walked just seven.

Hank Borowy is famous as the guy who went 11-2 for the Cubs in 1945, leading them to the pennant. His career began with the Yankees in 1942; he had three excellent seasons, and was 10-5 when he was sold to the Cubs in midsummer of 1945. The year before, Borowy had started strong but faded in the final two months; after Hank's strong start in 1945, GM Larry MacPhail cut bait and sold him to the Cubs for almost $100,000. Borowy kept right on winning for the Cubbies.

Joe Bush was a journeyman who had three of his best years for New York. He led the team with 26 wins in 1922, but lost both of his World Series starts. He won his only Series start in 1923.

Johnny Allen went 17-4 in his rookie year with the Yankees in 1932. He was inconsistent over the next three seasons, then was traded to the Indians for Monte Pearson. His best years then came with Cleveland. He made one postseason start with the Yankees, in 1932, but left with an unseemly 40.50 ERA.

From 1939-45, Atley "Swampy" Donald had seven straight winning seasons with the Yankees, winning between 5 and 13 games while making between 11-20 starts. He wasn't a factor in the postseason.

Marius Ugo Russo pitched brilliantly in his first four years with the Yankees. He won 14 games in both 1940 and 1941, and was their best pitcher in '41. He made two postseason starts, one in 1941 and another in 1943; both were brilliant, complete game wins. In his game against the Cardinals in 1943, which he won 2-1, he even had to drive in the winning run with a double. He joined the army in 1944, and wasn't able to stick when he returned.

Jimmy Key pitched for 15 years and won 186 games, against only 117 losses. After winning two games for the Blue Jays in the 1992 World Series, he signed as a free agent with the Yankees, and posted records of 18-6 and 17-4 in his first two seasons. He struggled with injuries after that, but won 12 games in 1996, and beat Greg Maddux in Game Six of the World Series.

In 1957, the Kansas City Athletics sent both Bobby Shantz and Art Ditmar (and Clete Boyer) in a deal to the Yankees. Ditmar had lost 22 games in 1956, despite not pitching all that badly. He gave the Yankees four good seasons, working mainly as a reliever in his first two seasons, then getting more starts in his last two. He led the Yankees with 15 wins in 1960, but was whupped in his two World Series starts.

Tom Sturdivant had a solid rookie year in the Yankees bullpen in 1955, then won 16 games in both 1956 and 1957. He struggled after that, and was shipped to Kansas City. He won his only start in the 1956 World Series, but couldn't help the team in 1957.

Ed Figueroa was acquired in 1976 by the Yankees in exchange for Bobby Bonds. He won 19 games in his first year; he tied for the team lead with 16 wins in 1977, then 20 more in 1978. His latter performance was, of course, essential to the Yankees' comeback that year, as he and Guidry were pretty much all they had. Figueroa made eight starts in September, and went 7-0.

His regular season contributions were vital to the team's success. But in 31 postseason innings, Figueroa was 0-4 with a 7.47 ERA. The Yanks still managed to win three pennants and two World Series.

Wilcy Moore had one of the most famous rookie years in baseball history. In 1927, he was 19-7 with the Yankees, appearing in 50 games and making 12 starts, and leading the AL with a 2.28 ERA. HE made two appearances in the 1927 World Series, picking up a win as a starter and a save in relief.

He struggled the next two seasons, and was sent to Boston. But amazing things happen in the Bronx. In 1932, he was traded back to New York. In Game Four of the World Series, he came on to pitch in the 2nd inning after the Cubs jumped to a 4-1 lead. The Yankees came back and scored 13 runs, giving Moore the win.

Tommy Byrne's 1949 and 1950 seasons with the Yankees are the stuff of legend. In 1949, he went 15-7 with a solid ERA, despite walking 179 batters in 196 innings. He was 15-9 in 1950, but walked 160 batters in 203 innings, and had a poor 4.74 ERA. In 1951, he walked 36 batters in his first 21 innings, and was given a ticket to St. Louis.

He returned to the Yankees in 1954, and spent his last four seasons as a bit part of Casey Stengel's pitching staff. His greatest triumph was in 1955; he went 16-5, throwing 160 innings and "only" walking 87 batters. He had a complete game victory in Game Two of the World Series; he also started Game Seven, and pitched well, but was beaten by Johnny Podres shutout.

Before he became an author, Jim Bouton had a pair of good years in the Yankee rotation. In 1963, at age 24, he went 21-7. In the World Series, he was beaten 1-0 by Don Drysdale in Game Three. Bouton pitched well again in 1964, going 18-13 and throwing 273 innings; he won both of his World Series starts against the Cardinals, including a 2-1 complete game victory in Game Three, though the Yanks lost the series. After that, injuries wrecked his career — his pitching career, that is.

Catfish Hunter signed with the Yankees in 1975; at the time of the signing, Hunter was 29 years old, had won 20 games in four straight seasons, had won three World Series rings and the 1974 Cy Young Award. In his first year with New York, Hunter won 23 games; he also threw 328 innings, and was the last pitcher in baseball history to throw 30 complete games in a season. He was just an average pitcher in 1976, finishing with a 17-15 record; after that he was almost finished. His last great contribution was a 12-6 record in 1978; his career ended at age 33.

Rudy May was having an awful year in 1974 when the Angels sold him to the Yankees; with New York, he went 8-4 with a 2.28 ERA. He won 14 games in 1975, and then in 1976 was traded to the Orioles, along with Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor and Tippy Martinez, in exchange for Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander and Grant Jackson.

When he was 34 years old, May went 10-3 with a 2.31 ERA while pitching with the Expos. He signed with the Yankees after the season, and kept on doing it — he was 15-5 and won the AL ERA title with 2.46 ERA. He lost his ALCS start to Dennis Leonard, 3-2; May struggled in 1981, but pitched well out of the bullpen during the World Series.

Bill Bevens career lasted only four years, all with New York. He had a great year in 1946; his record was only 16-13 but he threw 249 innings and had a 2.23 ERA. In 1947, he lost his only postseason start — that was the game in which he gave up only one hit, Cookie Lavagetto's game-winning double in the bottom of the 9th. He made a relief appearnace in Game Seven, then never pitched in the majors again.

The original Sad Sam Jones pitched for 22 years and won 229 games. He spent five years with the Yankees. He led the team with 21 wins in 1923, but was beaten 1-0 in his only World Series start. He struggled badly in his last two years with New York, but his career caught a second wind after he joined the Senators in his mid-30's.

Bobby Shantz was a little lefty who won the AL MVP Award in 1952; he was 24-7 with the Philadelphia Athletics. The next four seasons, he struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness; by 1957, however, the Athletics had practically become a minor league team for the Yankees, and Shantz got on the bus to New York. He pitched great for four years, making 21 starts in 1957 but pitching solely in relief by 1960. He lost his only World Series start for the Yankees, and otherwise pitched out of the bullpen.

When they won back-to-back titles in 1961 and 1962, the Yankees had three solid starters: Whitey Ford, Ralph Terry and Bill Stafford. Stafford went 14-9 each year, and won his only start in the 1962 World Series. He was only 23 years old, but injuries ruined his career.

Don Larsen had a 3-21 record with the Orioles in 1954, then had the good fortune to be traded to New York. He gave Casey Stengel five solid years at the back end of the rotation, then was shipped to KC when he started to struggle. His greatest year was, of course, 1956; he was 11-5, threw 179 innings with a solid 3.26 ERA, and threw a perfect game in the World Series.

Bob Grim was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1954, when he went 20-6. The Yankees won 103 games that year — but the Indians won 111. Grim struggled in 1955, then had two outstanding years in the Yankee bullpen before he was exiled to Kansas City. He made one World Series start, in 1955, but did not pitch well.

In his rookie year in 1947, Spec Shea went 14-5; he was the Yankees' #2 starter behind Allie Reynolds. In the World Series, he made three starts and won the first two. He also started Game Seven, but was pulled in the second inning after giving up three straight hits; the Yankees came back and won the game. He was OK in 1948, but otherwise had nothing left to offer the Yankees.

Johnny Sain had a sensational career with the Boston Braves in the late 40's, winning 20 games four times. But he appeared to be done when he was traded to the Yankees in 1951. The good news: he still had something left, going 14-7 in 1953 and saving 22 games in 1954. He also won Game One of the 1953 World Series in relief.

The bad news: the Yankees traded Lew Burdette to get him.

Dick Tidrow spent six seasons with the Yankees, both in the bullpen and in relief. His best year was 1977, when he went 11-4, saved five games, and threw 151 innings with a 3.16 ERA. In the postseason, he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen, and did not have a decision.

Phil Niekro joined the Yankees at age 45 and pitched with them for two seasons, winning 16 games each year and also his 300th game.

Dwight Gooden came to the Yankees in 1956 after starring for 11 years with the Mets. He went 11-7 that year and threw a no-hitter, but did not pitch in the postseason due to a tired arm. He struggled in 1997, then returned in 2000, giving the Yankees some important innings in what was a struggle to make the playoffs.

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After going through all that, I'm not sure that I have any better idea about what the Yankees pitching staff will do in 2005. Randy Johnson turns 41 this year; the Yankees in their history have received five good years from 40+ starting pitchers: Clemens and Wells in 2003, Tommy John in 1987 and Phil Niekro in 1984-85. If Johnson can duplicate Clemens' 2003 numbers — a 17-9 record, 211 innings — they should be happy.

Kevin Brown also turns 40 this year. A good scenario could be Red Ruffing at age 40: a 7-3 record in 89 innings pitched.

Speaking of Ruffing, he might also be the best comp for Mike Mussina; Red was 15-6 at age 36, then 14-7 at age 37.

The best case scenario for Carl Pavano is that he is the second coming of Allie Reynolds. Pavano will turn 29, having won 18 games last year with Florida. Reynolds joined the Yankees at age 30; he also had an 18-win season at age 28, with Cleveland.

The opposite scenario is Andy Hawkins, who joined the Yankees at age 29 after a good year with San Diego. He went 15-15 in his first year (but with a terrible ERA) and then fell off the map. The median between Reynolds and Hawkins could be Ed Figueroa, who came to New York at age 27 after a breakthrough season with the Angels.

And Jaret Wright? He also turns 29 this year, and is obviously a major wild card. I"m sure that the Yankees would hope to get a Tiny Bonham-like performance out of Wright — 15 wins, 225 innings pitched. But how about Richard Dotson, who joined the Yankees at age 29 in 1988; he went 12-9 in 171 innings pitched (but again, with a weak ERA) and was out of baseball a couple of years later.

A lot of pitchers have contributed to Yankee pennants and championships over the years; many of them, the average fan has never heard of. I think that this year's Yankees have a high-risk, high-reward rotation — but if things break right, we'll be adding five more names to the above lists.