For a story I thought was dead, did SI pick a grand time to release it or what? In the doldrums of the pennant without Yankees-Sox to fan the flames. No doubt they sat on it for the last three weeks to get maximum exposure. Then every one will be talking again about the sma enonsense even as the story of the 2006 Yanks is NOT A-Rod. Gotta love the media - they'll sell their magazines. A-Rod: the story that keeps on giving long after its dead.

Amen brotha!

To continue on a thought from the previous game thread, it seems that the most likely scenario is that we clinch on Thursday -- the off day. Kind of strange.

It's not like we can't get to Halladay tomorrow, but making up the number of runs Henn is likely to give up seems pretty optimistic.

Boston has a decent matchup with Schilling tomorrow against Bonser, but Santana agsinst Beckett on Thursday may be the game that clinches it for us.

1 Many will remember that Verducci did a similar story on Gary Sheffield published on the eve of the Yankees-Sox series in 2004. My favorite quote, in light of what has happened in 2005 and 2006:

The MVP? "If it was A-Rod [having the year I'm having], it would be unanimous. If it was someone else, it would be unanimous. But why isn't it? Because it's Gary Sheffield. And I'm supposed to be flattered [by being mentioned]? My uncle [Gooden] said, 'Man, don't say anything' or 'Do this or do that' to get it. If I have to kiss your behind to get an award, guess what? I won't win it."

Jesus Crist, it's like little girl, middle school gossip and nonsense; who gives a crap?

1 By the way, is it any wonder why SI is a dying brand. I remember when I used to read it cover to cover as a kid three or four times each week before the next one came out. Now, this is their best attempt at an interesting story? Like it's somehow a fresh perspective? The quotes are interesting and all especially as they rarely escape Yankeeland, as Alex notes. I especially liked the bit about Donnie B having to order him into the cage. But puh-leze - I'd rather read all that stuff after the season's played out in a fuller Olney-style treatment. This smacks of Verducci thinking he'd lost his story - Word, he did.

Good point, Jim Dean. If the Yanks and Sox were battling it out, or A Rod was still slumping, the story would have more bite. As it stands, Barra's cover article in the Voice last month was more timely. But there was no way SI was going to bury a juicy story like this one. Plus, everyone loves to bash A Rod. But what if people just passed on this and moved on...interesting.

This season would (will?) make for a great book some day.

When you have this kind of view into the Yankee clubhouse, with these types of quotes...too good to pass up. Might not be timely, but it's still good reporting...I enjoyed reading the story. And what little we've heard of the "denials" doesn't exactly sound strenuous.

I don't understand why Giambi, Joe, et al. talked so frankly to Verducci about A-Rod. Jeter obviously refused to cooperate beyond giving his standard answer to the "why he didn't intervene on A-Rod's behalf" question. Someone in the Yankees organization authorized the team/coaches to talk to Verducci. I wonder who and why.

If anyone expects this story to die...it may be a few days. Tyler Kepner's recap in the NY Times barely talks about last night's game or the magic number, but instead summarizes the highlights of the article and the "professional" relationships A-Rod has with Giambi and Jeter.

"Jeter obviously refused to cooperate beyond giving his standard answer to the "why he didn't intervene on A-Rod's behalf" question"

I'm not so sure about that. The anonymous quote about A-Rod being used to only the numbers mattering in Seattle and Texas seems like Jeter. He always talks about winning being the only thing that matters and he probably still holds a grudge over the esquire article

It wasn't very pretty, but Karstens pitched decently again. Hopefully this means when the Yanks need an emergency start next year, Torre will be happy to have Karstens come up and make it. Instead of us seeing someone like Scott Erickson!

I also hope Sean Henn pitches well tonight. Its good to have pitching depth, as any Red Sox fan would tell you, and a nice performance out of Henn could enhance his value. Young lefties who can pitch are always desirable.

Agree that the most interesting thing about that article is the detailed and attributed quotes, particularly from Giambi. It's just not what you expect from the Yankees.

The only part of that article I read (mostly because I'm lazy like that...a 10 page article? yeesh) was Giambi's quote on the cover.

Giambi is a dolt for saying any such thing about Arod considering his current slump (though I'm sure he gave the quote before the slump took place) and what was it? Oh yeah, 2004 and 2005. I don't think Giambi has any right to tell anyone to "man up" when he sucked so thoroughly himself for so long. Especially when said person won an MVP here.

I was asked recently "True or False: Arod will have an OPS of over 1.000 in September" My answer was "true, but no one would notice."

So far, I couldn't have been more right.

One consistent theme from all the reporting on the Yanks since the late 1990s is that Mariano Rivera sounds like a true mensch. I wonder if there's a word in Panama that means the same thing, because he's the real deal!

By the way, I have to agree this was excellent reporting. Maybe now the other journalists can let it die, but I doubt it.

Verducci was on ESPN's Mike & Mike a few minutes ago. He was defending A-Rod from the negative spin that Greenberg was putting on some of A-Rod's comments. Even Greenberg said that he thought that this whole A-Rod thing was in the past, but now it is back. He called A-Rod, "lightning rod."

12 Giambi, Posada, Joe, and Jeter all spoke on the record so the anonymous quotes are most likely from other players who don't want to get embroiled in this mess.

The Yankees; Torre, Giambi, A-Rod, even the anonymous quoters, granted Verducci rare access, and allowed the secret in-house mechanisms to be exposed because THERE'S NO STORY HERE.

If the Yanks didn't discuss A-Rod's slump among themselves, and to the media, that MIGHT BE A STORY. But THIS IS NO STORY.

Despite how the sports radio hosts, NY rag writers, Yankee-haters, and even the Yankee broadcasters themselves want to portray Verducci's "intriguing expose," THERE'S NO STORY HERE.

A great player, who's had image issues for years, forever it seems, went into a slump and got booed by thousands of NY fans who want him to somehow be Derek Four Rings, or Scott Brosius, or someone else he is not. Actually, I don't know what the booers want.

I figure for every booer, there was a silent supporter wishing the booers would shut their yaps. Verducci validates the booers, referring to them as "Yankees traditionalists" who question A-Rod's pinstripe worthiness. Silly notion.

Now, the booers are cheering his game again, waiting to see how he'll do in October, when they'll cheer or boo him mostly depending on how the team does.

This is a national baseball sensation worthy of ten pages, regurtitation and analysis, as the playoffs are about to begin?

Verducci compares A-Rod to a pretty girl. Fine. I'll take that silly analogy a step further. A-Rod is a Playboy pinup. Some appreciate what they see. Some say, "Eh, does nothing for me." But does anybody want to read ten pages about how the Playboy pinup had a bad month, confidence issues? Care to delve into her relationships with her fellow Playmates, or with Hugh Hefner? That might be a story, but not to me.

Would you rather watch A-Rod and the Yanks play ball, or keep analyzing the third baseman's psyche? Me too. END OF NON STORY.

11 Why write a detailed story about what makes an actual baseball game interesting and how the action unfolded when you can write your story about non-game "issues," during the game, file it for the bulldog edition the minute after Joe's post-game press conference ends, and head off to the hotel bar before midnight?

I think jeter said it best when asked about it yesterday: Derek Jeter: "That's all over with. Let it go. You're bringing up old stuff."

18 Well said, Sliced. You'd make a wonderful columnist.

I'd say we end this here on the Banter.

Maybe we can be the ones who focus on the fact that after all this, the Yankees are playing 30-games-over-.500 baseball. And that we have another month and a half to go.

I figured there may be a bit more people here, can someone please explain how the Toaster.TV works? (Please see sidebar, under Fairpole)

18 Amen, Sliced Bread.
Great news for the Yankees:
Magic # is 1.
Peter Abraham reporting that Mo is ready to go.
Yankees in the driver seat for HFA
Matsui's back and swinging well.
Shef's been activated.
Yanks have the opportunity to rest guys.
Karstens and Rasner look like they may be competing for the #5 slot coming out of spring training next year, possibly allowing the Yankees to flip Lidle and/or Wright (plus cash) for, um, let's see. Ah, middle relievers (so Torre can milk their arms for a year).

"The Yankee announcers spent a good deal of the broadcast talking about Verducci's cover story on Alex Rodriguez, which will be on the stands tomorrow..."

I didn't watch most of last night's game but I'm curious, what were Singleton, Kay and Leiter saying about the article? Anyone care to paraphrase in a few sentences?

BTW, I have really grown to appreciate Leiter's contribution to the talking heads on YES. During Monday night's game, Leiter was very, very candid when discussing AJ Burnett. He spoke from his prespective as Burnett's teammate in Florida and essentially called Burnett stubborn and immature. He said that Burnett has great stuff but his fastball is straight, and no matter how much the veteran pitchers and coaches have tried to get AJ to change his style, Burnett has resisted. And Leiter went so far as to say that Burnett's mediocre career stats are a result of this stubborness. This was all on the air, no less!!!

If someone wants to be amused by provocative quotes, they could do worse than to check out today's story about the war of words between Kevin Towers and Doug Mirabelli:

http://tinyurl.com/jwenv

Mirabelli refers to himself in the third person no less than six times in defending himself. Sample excerpt:

`Like I said, there are things he said that I don't think were totally accurate. It was unprovoked and it had nothing to do with anything except taking a whack at Doug Mirabelli.

``Hopefully I won't get crucified over one person's opinion of Doug Mirabelli. "

I actually thought I had stumbled upon an Onion parody, but Mirabelli is so crushingly insignificant that I knew it had to be the real thing.

21 23 Thanks.

The magic number will disappear soon enough regardless of who the Yanks trot out there. For the sake of rest, and risking further injury, here's the lineup I hope the Yanks mostly deploy between now and Sept. 26th when the Yanks come home for their final postseason tune up.

Sheff and Matsui should bat 3rd/4th and I don't care how they stack the rest.

Green 3B
Cannizaro SS
Cano/Cairo 2B
Phillips/Wilson/Sheff 1B
Fasano/Wilson (let's see what he can do) C

Guiel, Thompson should share CF/RF.

Give Bernie a little LF/DH duty. Matsui LF when he's ready.

Posada, Giambi, Damon, Melky, Jeter, A-Rod shouldn't play until the Yanks come home next week, and very little after that.

24 The big surprise for me this year is how good John Flaherty is in the broadcast booth. I know there is a lot of Leiter love around here, and I like him too, but he stumbles over his words quite a bit. He has a lot of great things to say, but he needs more practice in getting those things out of his mouth. Flaherty seems made for the job. He has insight, has a good sense of humor, especially about his own career, knows the players, knows the game, and is quite a smooth talker. I hope they sign him for a long term deal.

Boo not letting this s#%! die. Hooray Sliced Bread!

Chyll Will said this yesterday and Chyll Will says it today. Hit the ball. Throw the ball. Eat the ball. Tell them to kiss your behind if necessary. Win games and have a nice warm cup of STFU.

Pretty please, with a cherry on top???

27 I like Flaherty too, even if I keep thinking he's Paul O'Neill until he pops up on screen.

29 How do you get Flaherty confused with O'Neill? Flaherty is very good in the broadcast booth, while O'Neill doesn't appear to prepare. As much as I disliked Leiter being on the Yanks last year, I am surprised how much I like him in the booth.

Why not DH Sheff tonight? Give Matsui the night off. The earlier he gets his hacks in the better off he will be, IMHO.

30 I think their voices are very similar, to my ear anyway.

4 Ah yes, the Sheffield selflessness. As renowned as Tholian punctuality.

I believe Sheffield was still ticked off at being "snubbed" in 1992, when he campaigned for it pretty actively. He had a great season that year, but I guess Barry Bonds kissed a lot of writers' behinds. Either that, or he just had a better season.

That was also the year that Sheffield talked to the LA Times about tanking on his team the year before, in Milwaukee. I can't imagine that won him a lot of votes.

To quote one of my favorite bloggers...

"Remember when SI was relevant? Neither do I."

I was going to add my 2 cents but 6 and 18 said it better than I ever could have.

Ok, well one last thing which I believe somebody previously touched on: Kay pumping the story in the booth last night. At the time, not having read the story yet, I couldn't help but get the feeling that this was Michael Kay, the ESPN radio host, doing a segment on his show and not Michael Kay, the YES play-by-play guy. It sounded like Verducci's column would overwhelmingly read as high on style and little substance. Well, I just read the article and my Spidey senses were confirmed.

Nothing to see here, move along...

34 Ah the Tholians, that's a tangled web you weave.

I wish we would just sit Giambi for the next ten days and give him the shot if he needs it. Maybe he needs a couple of months for the inflamation to disapear but could the 10 days rest hurt?

Giambi has two years remaining on his contract. He's no spring chicken and he seems to be breaking down. That might be the best reason i can think of to hang on to Shef. If he really can play first he might form a deadly 1b/DH combo with Giambi next year; the righty lefty dynamic would be impressive. Shef then also becomes an extreamly versitile and valuable player as he could also play the outfield to spell Abreu and who ever is starting in left on days when we face tough lefties.

I really think Ca$hman and Co. should give hanging on to Shef. a long hard look.

Why don't we leave the dissection of this article to people who have nothing better to do, like the Red Sox and their fans?

I'm interested in talking about more pressing issues:
- clinching the AL East
- securing home field advantage
- getting Sheff (and Matsui) back into the swing of things
- ID'ing the postseason roster
- seeing what we can get out of the young arms, which will enable Cash to accurately address needs this Winter
- figuring out how much of a delay there is between 880 and the TV broadcast so we don't have to listen to BuckCarver
- deciding who we want to face in the first round (I say Detroit: fading fast Polanco injured, young pitchers, free swingers, rather than a short series against Minny, seeing Santana twice, and a couple games in that quirky dome)
- figuring out which Mets fans in your office are for real vs bandwagon, so you know which ones to needle once they get bounced in the NLDS or swept by the Bombers

33 Easy on the Star Trek references, so early in the morning...

Just wanted to stop by with Random Stat of the Day, courtesy of MLB.com's sortable players stats:

Guess who leads the 2006 New York Yankees in "RBIs with runners on 1st and 3rd"?

Give up?

It's Bernie Williams, with 12! Just ahead of Cano, Posada, and A-Rod, who all have ten. You could look it up.

Just because some of you don't want to talk about the story any more and deem it a non-story doesn't make it your opinion the one that rules the day. The article is very interesting not because it analyzes A-Rod's psyche, but rather because it provides a window into the Yankee clubhouse that we rarely see as fans. A point that Alex made in his comments on the article several times. He felt that the article was so significant that he devoted a whole post to the topic and has even commented on it several times the thread.

When I first started posting BP's Postseason Odds, someone said I should let them know when the odds for the Yanks hit 100%, because it ain't over 'til its over, 2004 and all that.

Well, I guess its over.

BP Postseason Odds
Generated Wed Sep 20 08:56:52 EDT 2006

Yanks:
AL East: 100.00000
Wildcard: 0
Overall: 100.00000

Red Sox:
AL East: 0
Wildcard: .00263
Overall: .00263

Look, I understand he's always been a lightning rod, his dazzling talent draws all eyes to him; I understand that his huge salary is a target on his back; and sure, his under-performance this year naturally draws the ire of the fan base... But in the name of all that is baseball, please, please 25, just leave Doug Mirabelli in peace and let the story die.

37 I listen to 880 every chance I get since I don't have cable, and when the game is on My9 or Fox, I do what you do. I do believe that they have gotten much better in closing the gap; if there's much of a delay, it's down to split-second and even so, it's tolerable. Last year it was around 1.5 seconds and the year before 2 seconds. This year is much better.

I won't comment on Sheff until I see him. If the Yanks fall behind late in the game, I anticipate seeing him. If they clinch tonight, I expect to see him from hear on out. Point is, he needs real at-bats and with Giambi gurting, he'll get the long look we thirst for (apparently).

Dotel + 4R Lead = 3R HR. No mas.

A lefty long reliever would be nice. Who? We have to have somebody in the system, anybody?

My friend upstate claims her two supervisors are rabid Mets fans originally from the Bronx. Eh?? Is that like Yankees/Jets in reverse? I told her to go to work today with a Yankee cap on backwards, but she says there'd be funeral arrangements made if she did. I'm rounding up the posse as we speak, heh-heh...

Did anyone read the "Secret Sauce" article at BP today? Essentially, based on normalized strikout rate, closer quality, and defense, the article predicts the Twins will beat the Yankees in a five game series 3-1.

24 I heard Suzyn Waldman uncharacteristically annoyed at Yankee player (ARod) because ARod whined about other Yankee players (Mussina, Giambi, etc.). Waldman and Sterling both agreed that ARod said some things he shouldn't have said and, instead, he should just say, "Let's win a World Series."

For all of Torre's strengths, I've thought for a long time that he is ... errr ... inflexible ... in his managing style. Of course I am not complaining about the results and maybe a high-strung manager would lead the '06 Yankees into last place. But, in this context, it's intersting to me that Jason Giambi, of all people, has to take the bull by the horns and kick a little butt.

In short: Torre is completely convinced that every player will play better if they relax. I disagree.

42 Giambi gurting, whaddya suppose that means?

Why not start Sheff tonight at DH? Two words: Doc Halladay. I don't think Joe wants to throw Sheff back against such a devastating pitcher to start...

43 Then they should put a lot of money on that series should it happen. Go ahead, bet against the Yankees.

40 Since the 5 game sweep I never worried about the division, I just thought the Ghost Sox had a chance to rally for the wild card. Beautiful numbers you post today.

On to the playoffs:
Because, as they say, you should be careful what you wish for, I don't wish for a Yanks playoff opponent.

But I'll tell you who I least want them to face: The A's.

I don't care how the Yanks have defeated the A's in postseasons past. That would be meaningless next month.

As noted in a piece I read in the NY Sun yesterday: Kotsay, Kendall, & Thomas are patient enough that they would make our pitchers work, even without the help of a tight umpire.

Eric Chavez can be tough. Swisher crushes mistakes. That team can rally.

They sort of remind me of, when they were still alive, the Red Sox, (minus) Manny, but with better overall pitching (even with Papelbon).

The Yanks will probably have to mash their way through every series, but for some reason, in addition to the inexpliciable West Coast "mystique" that sometimes unravels the Yanks, I hope to avoid the A's more than the other potential opponents.

That said, the Yanks can beat them if they have to.

Here's an e-mail from my buddy who is a White Sox fan. Hadn't heard from him since the beginning of summer, and without mentioning the Yanks, I briefly asked him "what the f?" with his GoGo Sox? Why can't they take the Twins and Tigers? This was his entire reply:

"I have so much more respect now for the yankees than ever before. To repeat
is a very hard thing. These bums have quit. It's sad."

Perhaps he's feeling a little better about his team today, but probably not much.

Technically haven't the Yanks already clinched the division? If the impossible happened and the Yanks lost the rest of their games this season and the Sox won the rest of theirs (yeah right) they would end up tied. The Yanks would then win the division due to a better record in the head to head games. Am I wrong here?

41 Bwahahaha. :-) No fair picking on poor Dougie...I mean, just listen to how eloquent he is:

"I don't apologize for wanting to come back here to Boston. I do apologize for the fact that if he has that strong of an opinion of Doug Mirabelli over a month or two months of time, I didn't do my job as a player or a person. I wouldn't want that opinion of me by anybody. That's not the perception of Doug Mirabelli that I would want anywhere."

40 MFD, Wa Hoo. Thanks for keeping that running.

I guess we can all go home now! I'll get the lights. Hey who left this pile of SI mags in here?

47 The A's are tough, but their defense is average at best, and Zito is a walk machine.

48 In that case, since there isn't the wild card to fall back on this year, there would be a one-game playoff.

48 The head to head record only comes into play when the loser of that run-off would then qualify for the wild card - as happened last year. If the Yanks and Sox tie and the loser is not the wild card team, they would play a one game playoff for the division.

48 The head to head record only comes into play when the loser of that run-off would then qualify for the wild card - as happened last year. If the Yanks and Sox tie and the loser is not the wild card team, they would play a one game playoff for the division.

48 No, because in that case the Wild Card would certainly be from the Central. Tie-breakers can't determine who's in and who's out; they can only determine which of two "in" teams is the division winner and which is the Wild Card. (As last year.)

49 I apologize for bad opinions people have of me, too.

36 I totally agree, and posted a similar case for retaining Sheff yesterday.

No doubt, there will be a lot more discussion here re: Sheff's future, but I figure if the guy can still hit, even if he can't play first, the Yanks can afford his bat for another year, and can't afford to let Mr. Gammons orchestrate Sheff into the Red Sox lineup.

At any given moment at least five BBanterers are poised, prepared to explain the nuances of tie-breaking play-off scenarios to confused on-lookers.

57 Damn right.

The only words I will write on SI-Gate:

"Don't care, don't care, don't care. We just want our Ocama GameSphere back." -Stan Marsh

And by Ocama GameSphere, Stan clearly means "World Series Trophy."

Alex, I had to google today's title. I thought it might be from "Lebowsky" given your connection to the bowling flick. "Easy Money." Damn. Classic Dangerfield.

59

"you wanna get high?"

60 Lebowski.

All I can say about that SI piece is that Giambi really comes off as seriously unimpressive to me. He comes across as someone who is saying "Alex should be more like me". Well, just maybe dumbass, Alex is NOT you and just maybe, given your own issues, being more like you is not something to aspire to. In the end, I'd rather not know about who gets a long with who in the clubhouse but pull for the guys on my team to win,

57 Yeah, but can anyone tell me the answer to this:
If a chicken and a half could lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many days would it take Karim Garcia to kick all the seeds out of a dill pickle??

Forty-Two

63 Can't they all just get along?

64 Now I have a headache.

65 Thanks.

66 Sorry.

64 That's one dilly of a pickle. Can't they all just get along?

68 With apologies to 66

I don't think Giambi's comments were at all meant to be malicious toward A-Rod. Having been through a horrible slump himself in the past, he seems like he was just trying to get A-Rod to acknowledge it and do something about it. If he didn't care about the team and winning, he could have easily just sat back and watch A-Rod continue to flail. There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving teammates some tough love when they need it. If anything, Giambi at least had the guts to say something to him instead of talking behind his back like some of his other teammates.

70 That said, what do you make of Jeter's apparent silence on the matter, and how does that translate in a clubhouse where he's supposed to be the leader?

69 None needed Chill. You see, we can get along fine.

56 I came in late and took a quick look at the game thread last night but didn't see your post. I saw the SI thread, read it, got pissed and left. That'll teach me not to get my full daily dose of Banter. I will say though; "If we both came to it independently then IT MUST BE THE TRUTH."

Since
-Alex has a 600+ SLG from late July to the present
-He also has a higher VORP than Giambi
-and the #1 rule in all MLB clubhouses is not to talk to the press
Jason is way out of line in this instance.
Why is it OK for teammates to throw Alex under the bus? Because it's Arod and starting when he went to Texas and continuing to the present, the sporting press says Arod's a selfish jerk.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-yankeestadiumjumper&prov=ap&type=lgns

Remember the fan who decided to test the strength of the screen behind home plate by jumping onto it last season? Well, he just got sentenced ... 3 years probation AND a LIFETIME BAN from Yankee Stadium.

71 This may be a stretch but if Jeter jumped to A-Rod's defense A-Rod might never be able to emerge from Jeter's shadow and be a "player" here in his own right. I don't know that Jeter actually considered that but maybe he did. I'd like to think there is more behind the Captain's silence than simple malice or indifference to the plight of a teammate. It could well be that as the Captain he recognizes that in order for A-Rod to help this team in October he will have to learn to deal with the pressure and the spotlight on his own, as his own man. Additionally maybe he thought A-Rod needed to have his ass kicked to focus on what he needs to do to improve in October. It's just a thought and a thin theory. Again I'd like to think as well of Jeter as possible and give him the benefit of the doubt. From my POV he's shown himself to be far to selfless in matters concerning the team over the years not to have earned at least the benefit of the doubt in this matter.

74 Verducci has his next assignment. Ten pages, please. Mid-October controversy. Cover story!

"The Bonzai Bomber! Did He Jump, Or Did A-Rod Push Him?!

76

LOL ...

Perhaps the fan was juicing too!

Go get'im Tom!

39 Simone, it's weird. Alex did indeed cover it in a post yesterday and again today, but later in the comments he said something like, (PARAPHRASE)"What if people just ignored this story and let it die?" {/PARAPHRASE.)

Well it won't die until people stop writing about it, and here we sit 1 game away from the AL East Crown and we're sitting around gossiping like old hens about people we don't know. It's really aggravating.

There is beautiful, meaningful baseball being played. The Yanks are good but not infallible, this post season could be a hell of an adventure. It could be the stage on which Giambi and Moose and A-Rod and Abreu and Matsui all get their rings. Let's talk about that and forget about this he said he said, "Oh no he di'int!" mudslinging.

Just my two cents.

Oh and one other thing on Jeter and his leadership. Last week I was embroiled in a very stick situation at work, where a person who works for my company was refusing to comply with requests I made of them. I knew that if I made the same refusal I'd get my ass handed to me, but for reasons too complicated to get into here the other person seemed to have a get out of jail free card. My attitude was getting really bad, and was starting to show up in my work. I realized it was a problem, and you know who inspired me to suck it up and find an alternate solution to the problem, Derek Jeter.

I consciously thought to myself, "if this were a baseball game, how would Jeter handle it?"

That's leadership by example when you can inspire someone who doesn't even know you to do your job the right way and act like a professional. So I don't think Jeter really needs to say a whole lot, just watching him go about his business on the field should be all the leadership anyone needs.

I just want Alex to STFU about comparing his plight to anyone else -- Eric Chavez, Mike Mussina, Derek Jeter, Brooks Robinson, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama -- and just keep it simple. He should take a cue from a noted Red Sox player and say the following whenever the press hounds him:

"I do apologize for the fact that if anyone has that strong of an opinion of Alex Rodriguez, I didn't do my job as a player or a person. I wouldn't want that opinion of me by anybody. That's not the perception of Alex Rodriguez that I would want anywhere."

77 Right, gotta exploit the possible juicing angle. 11 pages!

Burning questions: Why did Derek Jeter ignore the Bonzai Bomber Fan's obvious cries for help? Was he too far away to help, oblivious? too aloof?

Did Giambi bring the infamous fall to Joe Torre's attention, or did he the manager learn about it on TV?

We need juicy quotes! Get some juicy, anonymous quotes!

Parallel story lines: a falling fan saved by a net, only to be banished from the Stadium -- a falling star saved by his tough loving teammates -- only to be banished from the bosom of Yankees lore.

Christ, this story is writing itself! 12 pages, Verducci! 12 pages!

Funny, I work at a nursing school in Westchester county, and one of the faculty here said after it happened that she knew the guy who jumped and that his mother was saying that he had gone off his meds. Seems that there's a backstory that no one was aware of, and the press wasn't interested in delving into. I mean, if they really wanted to, as proven by an unmentionable article of notice today, they could get some insight if they tried.

Anytime I see someone acting like a lunatic, I wonder what they were doing five minutes before and five days before. It's not always because they are loony in general.

75 It's fine to give the benefit of the doubt, which I do, but the scope of my question is a bit wider: if Jeter lays back on defending Alex, and Giambi (and others) is kicking his behind around the clubhouse, is that part of a master plan or is that more than Jeter can handle? Outside of this blasted article, I have wondered from time to time whether his observations and input are a matter of instilling high value and principle or an effort to stay above the fray. There's no calling into question Jeter's leadership ability, it's just confusing when I sense mixed messages.

82 Arrrgh! Can't freaking believe I'm falling into this slippery slope! Stop the overpsychoanalyzing, it burrrnnns!!

Thanks to all for clearing up the tie-breaking rules. Because of the way the division ended last year I had forgotten about "wild-card in the same division rule".

I like the title too. I couldn't figure out what the Tigers releif pitcher had to do with yesterday's Yankee game, then the nostalgia hit me. To correct the above poster. The title does not come from "Easy Money" but from one of the classic Lite Beer commercials from the late '70's, early '80's starring Rodney Dangerfield and dozens of retired ball players. Next post title should be "Where's the Beef"

82 Chill, Yeah, I'd just as soon leave that 'thing" alone as well. There was an undercurrent of questions for most of the summer concerning Jeter's silence vis A-Rod. that's what I was adressing at 75. I'd say that there aren't many of us qualified to psycho-guess what is or isn't motivating Jeter for the simple reason that there aren't many or maybe any of us who know him or who have actually ever even met him. I'd like to believe he's a good guy but I really have nothing to base that on other than the limited view I'm offered of the world he lives in for part of the year.

My guess is that naming Jeter captain was more than a marketing scheme. That he does set the tone in the club house and that Mr. Torre does rely on him to handle some of the internal stuff that he doesn't want to know about.

As to the mixed messages sent, they're always confusing but that's the way people are I think: full of complexities and contradictions.

When you get right down to it Jeter is a ball player not a psychologist or a diplomat. If Jeter lacks the skills to parse his way through the complex needs of an individual involved in an apparently insoluble situation and resolve the situation in a way that salves all the tender psyches involved it wouldn't stun me. What would stun me however is the revelation that Jeter acted in this out of indifference or mean spiritedness.

81
One Bronx Banter insider, wishing not to be named and since whom many, many inventions have been the greatest thing, remarked that "a lifetime ban's too good for him." Several direct connections with Balco stars are emerging, unless SI's research department mixed up the two piles of redacted court documents they downloaded from the web.

I think this is beyond just a-rod and jeter. We all know that the yankees are one of the best run and most tight lipped organizations. Nothing gets out unless they want it to. If they didn't want us to know what they thought of a-rod then we wouldn't know. My point is that they want us to know how they feel about him or else those quotes would never have gotten out no matter how much access a report may have. The timing in that case doesn't suprise me. The organization seems to be letting everyone know that it comes down to the playoffs for arod. If you read the article a-rod says his support is his wife an assistant coach and mo. That tells me that arod lacks the support of more than just jeter. Maybe jeter doesn't say anything because maybe the others on the team don't seem to like him much either (just speculation of course). I'm just afraid that this is setting up to screw arod either he steps up in the playoffs or he maybe gone. This article also shows me that Giambi seems to carry alot of weight, respect, and leadership in that club house and probably was speaking for the team.

85 In "Easy Money" Rodney watches himself on TV in the Miller commercial.

82 "Off his meds," interesting. Some friends he had with him letting him jump.

Is it possible he was accused of being "impaired" from a condition that has nothing to do with alcohol or another controlled substance? Wonder if the meds thing came up in his defense.

Until Verducci gets to the bottom of this, let's assume A-Rod pushed the guy.

Jeter didn't have to tell the fans to stop booing, or the media to lay off. But he could have said, at some point - even before all this - some basic Jeterian platitudes: "Arod is a great player, he really helps the team win, I'm just glad he's on our side" and so on. Meaningless crap, but that's Jeter's specialty; and he's the captain, it's his place to say something like that. His failure to do so, imho, doesn't speak all that well of his leadership.

That's JL25and3's opinion, and JL25and3 always speaks JL25and3's mind. However, JL25and3 also thinks that Doug Mirabelli is an ass.

79
WWJD?
What Would Jeter Do?
That's a best-selling self-help book if anyone's willing to write it.

91 I'll write it. I realized how scary it was that I was making career decisions based on some baseball player. But it worked out well!

86 I concur.

89 Not to be a killjoy, but whether it's true or not, I know what it's like. I used to take medication for epilepsy and you have to ween yourself off of that carefully or you could end up in bad shape. Moreover, my nephew was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was placed on various medications; he "went off" at one point and ended up getting shot by White Plains police for brandishing a machete at them. He was placed in a psych ward for three years; they reduced attempted murder charges.

All in all, the guy's lucky to be alive in more ways than one, never mind that he got probation; NYPD is no joke when it comes to handling people they think are crazy.

Didn't mean to spoil the fun, SB, but that's one of my issues.

91 He already has a book, Derek Jeter: The Life You Imagine, that has many tips.

90 "...Doug Mirabelli is an ass."

Isn't that redundant? And doesn't that explain why the Ded Sox got him back (with butterfly kisses)?

93 Do you think the system would have gone easier on the Stadium jumper if he had, in fact, gone off his medication?
I guess they had to sentence him with something to deter others from trying it.

You're right though, the point is, he's lucky to be alive.

But I hear your other point, and I'm sorry if my stupid jokes stirred up bad memories for you, Chyll.

90 Good one, JL25and3. :-) (see how speaking about yourself in the third person helps with making your name memorable?)

95 It would be so delicious if the Pads could make the playoffs. As it is, the schadenfreude involved in seeing SD make a run for the playoffs thanks to a totally lopsided trade, after Dougie exclaimed "I'm getting called back to the big leagues" (and now his Sox are thinking about somewhere to play golf in October)...too good.

96 Slice, IMHO they did go easy on him! I imagine they did so because his counsel was able to adequately explain the salient points of the guy's issues to the prosecution initially and ultimately to the court as mitigation. Had he gone through that net and landed on someone this would seem a whole hell of a lot less humorous.

No Jeter, Posada, Giambi, or Damon tonight. Looks like they might put off clinching for another day.

Sorry to keep harping on that insignificant catcher, but I just caught up with the original story featuring Towers' comments, and it gets even better...here's the last thing Towers said to Mirabelli (after Dougie whined that he didn't want to catch because he was obsessed with "his boys" the Sox):

"I said, 'You're (expletive) catching today,' " Towers said. " 'Theo (Epstein) ain't paying you. I'm paying you.' . . . Then in the worst way, I wanted to trade him to the Yankees. In the worst way."

Would you guys have taken Mirabelli over Sal or Kelly?

100 Sadly then I would, yes. Now, not in a million years.

If the price wasn't too high, of course.

96 Not at all; I understand. Stay funny >;)

I don't believe they were going easy on him under the circumstances; that's a matter for lawyers to argue in court. Ultimately, it was his fault for placing himself and others in danger and that can't go unpunished.

Whether he was willing or able to be responsible under the circumstances, IMHO, should not be for the Yankees or anyone else to decide or have to deal with, thus the ban. Whatever his motivation was, he's lucky.

100 No. Yankees don't have a knuckleballer. And with this story, I'd much rather have Sal or Kelly (hell, even Dale Sveum sp?). A back up catcher is just there to spell the regular catcher and catch the pitcher. He's not there to hit.

98 I see your point. Easy to some, not easy to others. He got it easier than most; maybe he had good counsel.

100 (Holding rolled up newspaper to Kevin Tower's nose) No...nnnno!

Why are they waiting until the Yanks clinch to play Sheff? They have clinched. The Yanks have to go 0-11 AND the Red Sox have to go 11-0 just to force a playoff. Not gonna happen.

106 I think Alex was right with his comment back in 46. They don't want to bring Sheff back against Halladay...

Weren't there rumors about the Yanks being involved in the Mirabelli negotiations? From the looks of it, Towers got them involved just to screw Mirabelli. Then the trade doubly (literally) screws the Sox. Now him and his boys will be sitting home in October because they didn't have a good backup for Varitek and their bullpen was empty of good setup arms. Priceless.

106 As Alex B. noted in 46: they aren't waiting until they clinch, they're just waiting until after Halladay gets off the mound.

100 The Towers/Mirabelli spat is one of the funniest in a long time. Sal and Kelly are probably better defensive catchers than Mirabelli which isn't saying much.

79 Hey Schteeve, I've done the same thing in handling things where I work. The way Jeter handles himself on and off the field with class and professionalism is something that a lot of people could learn from.

109 & 107 Hey RIYank, brilliant minds I guess... Well, at least Alex B. has the brilliant mind and we just referenced him ;-)

108 And all that just to have someone catch Wakefield against the Yanks. Priceless indeed.

Simone, the amazing thing, to me, is that Fasano is better offensively than Mirabelli. This year, I mean.

On a related topic: who would you rather have no, Josh Bard or Dioner Navarro?

112 WWAD?

112 Sometimes I think my principal brilliance resides in my ability to notice the brilliance of others.
Man, that sounds like a quote. I bet I stole that from someone.

116 This reminds me of the cartoon Guiness commercials.

"I just invented a lotion that you put on yourself to prevent sunburn..."

"Brilliant!"

116 Karim Garcia?

By the way Alex, nice Miller Lite ad reference.

118 You beat me to it, Chyll. I was just about to type that. So instead I will say the following:
"Who is Karim Garcia?"

118 120 One of you is the World's Worst Jeopardy! Player. I just haven't quite figured out which.

119 Tastes Great!

121 Who is Chyll Will?

I'll take Pedro Martinez quotes for $500, Alex...

120 Well you said it before, Bama 112, so 116 >;)

78 Schteeve, I think if the article didn't interest people they wouldn't comment about it here or any where else. I believe that as a society, we are far more interested in professional athletes, their psyches and personal lives than most of us care to admit.

Verducci would have never invested so much time in writing that article if he wasn't convinced that the public wouldn't be interested. The Yankees wouldn't have cooperated and spoken so candidly to Verducci if they didn't want this story to be put out there for us to read.

122 You got peanut butter on my chocolate!

I'll take Runelvys Hernandez quotes for eight...

I haven't been paying much attention to the Boston media, but have they jumped on Mirabelli for his complete lack of respect for the game? How about Josh Beckett? Has he given Mirabelli a stern talking to yet?

What a maroon.

125 Cliff Notes version:, Vini, Vitti, Verducci...

114 But really, Mirabelli is proably a better hitter than Stinnett or Fasano. And considering that Mirabelli's career line is .234/.321/.413, that's scary.

129 Yeah, he is, and it is.
Okay, so: Bard or Navarro?

127 I remember when I was of a lesser age, my friends and I were sitting on the front lawn of one of my friends' houses and his father came outside. The kid says something off the wall and the father says, "Johnny, you're an ignoramous..."

Dougnoramous reminds me of that. Good times...

Man, I hate to do this but...

I've been using "What would Derek Jeter do" for a few years now, as a benchmark for professional conduct. For example, when a fan made contact with a certain Yankee right fielder, the RF shoved the fan - before he threw the ball in. He was generally defended on the grounds that he was provoked and defending himself, or some such. To which my response was: what would Derek Jeter do?

But perhaps a more important question is: WWFSMD? http://tinyurl.com/hp7f7

125 I'm not at all saying you are wrong. I fully believe that people would rather know what kind of underwear A-rod has on than what his VORP is. I'm not one of those people, that's all I'm saying.

Alex Rodriguex doesn't give a crap about my psyche and I'm not sure why I should give a crap about his. My interest in these guys is about the game they play and the way they play it.

I have my own relationships, and personal drama to worry about. I'm not trying to insinuate that others should feel that way. It just frustrates me that at this time of year the most compelling thing we can think to talk about when it comes to baseball is some sill playground politics.

130 Navarro, easily. Dioner's likely to get better, but his year was probably the best Bard will ever be.

*this year.

132 & 111 Thanks, now I feel like less of a dork. :)

136 Schteeve, I'm not sure if that makes you less dorky, or just confirms that the rest of us are right there with you.

137 I should have said, "relatively less dorky."

Dorkage of Relativity?

43 Perhaps I'm late on this one, but I take that article with a big grain of salt.

Wang is a huge outlier in terms of K/9. What happens if you take his numbers out? In fact, why not remove the numbers of the guys who won't be on the postseason roster (Henn, Bean, Erickson, etc) too? I did that, and the Yanks' Davenport adjusted K/9 becomes 6.8 instead of 5.9. Making a similar adjustment for the Twins gives them an adjusted K/9 of 7.1 instead of 6.7. That puts the teams much closer.

I don't remember if this was addressed in the BBTN chapter or not, but it sure seems important to me.

I'd also attribute the difference in closer WXRL to Mo having last pitched on Aug. 31, while Nathan has been healthy all year.

Long story short - I'm not worried.

140 Good job, Shaun P. Did you include Lidle, Bruney, and Rasner?

I think/hope we'll see very little Lidle, and I imagine Bruney and Rasner will be there. Maybe not Rasner, unfortunately.

132 Thanks, I'll lose 30lbs from this by the end of the week.

141 A little Lidle could go a long way...

143 Update the rosters, and 2006 team photo captions. The name is now Les Lidle.

143 ... a Wang way.

This year's Lidle is last year's Small.

Yeah. I can see a few more, but I'll lay off. Yankee pitching staff wordplay is frought with dangers.

140 I'm not a BP subscriber, so I didn't see the whole article, but did they include Liriano stats in the Twins' K/9?

145 "You have chosen...wisely" >;)

141 Yes, I did.

I'm glad you asked that Sliced, because that means I included too many pitchers. No way the Yanks carry more than 11 on the October staff. But I had 11 guys in the count, without including Wang! Ooops.

OK, presuming the Yanks take 11 pitchers: Johnson, Moose, Wang, Wright, Mo, Farns, ESP, Myers, Lidle, Bruney, Rasner: K/9 of 6.9 (again with Wang out).

If I substitue Villone for Rasner, again with Wang out: K/9 of 6.8.

3rd possibility: Lidle hurt, Villone and Rasner in: K/9 of 6.9.

So it doesn't seem to affect things too much. I think, at this point, I'd rather see Rasner instead of Villone, extra lefty in the pen be damned. I doubt that happens.

146 Nope, they left Liriano out - which makes me wonder why they wouldn't adjust the numbers based on the likely postseason rosters. Just like Liriano is clearly not pitching for the Twins in October, Sturtze, Chacon, Small, Smith, Bean, and Erickson are clearly not pitching for the Yanks in October.

148 Great stuff as always, Shaun P.

145 This year's Lidle is starting to look more and moe like this year's Small.

148 So... who's gonna put the hurt on Lidle? (Knuckles, you want this one?)

148 Rasner, with Wang out? Yunnow, I did that in little league and I still didn't get the girl...

152 Karim Garcia?

154 Who is Karim Garcia?

154,155 - Bootleg t-shirts, I'm telling you...

Add me to the "What would the Captain do?" list.

148 MFD Nice Job. I'd like to see Rasner & Bruney both make the post season roster, especially for the first round. I think your right though, not much chance of that.

156 Here's a place we might be able to order those t-shirts, I think it would be the perfect style:
http://tinyurl.com/87jd4

I agree with Simone. It's natural for fans to be interested in what goes on behind the clubhouse doors. Is it soap-opera like? Hell, yeah. But it's human nature. Positive or negative, the personal side matters to most fans. The friendship between Melky and Robby, the way Pavano gets dissed, the pranks they play on each other, the nicknames they call each other - we're interested.

Personally, I think this story would be just as interesting if it was about Posada or Bernie or Jeter instead of A-Rod. A-Rod isn't really the point. It's the peek behind normally closed doors that's fascinating.

Karstens and Rasner...prospects or AAA roster filler ?

State of the Yankees had video of the rookie hazing:

http://tinyurl.com/9y22f

- about 3/4 of the way through

Melky gets a bit of Seinfeld Boss animation going after preening with Veras. Then there's a shot of all of them with Beam looking like a freakish Boss. Then a shot of Torre posing with a big grin. Worth the price - free!

152 I'm on it...