JOE GIRARDI IS FORTUNATE GEORGE STEINBRENNER IS GONE
I’m not giving up on the slumping New York Yankees. I still think they’re the most-talented team in the American League East.
But there is cause for concern.
I offer three major points:
1—Going 1-8 in the last nine games against the Los Angeles Angels (minus injured Mike Trout) and the Oakland AAAs (a glorified Pacific Coast League-caliber team) by a combined score of 52-33 is a disgrace. Blowing an early 5-1 lead in Thursday night’s 10-5 loss to the Angels was particularly ugly.
The team is playing sloppy defense and failing in the clutch at the plate. Middle relief pitching is abominable. Tyler Clippard has become a disaster and would be better served pitching in this weekend’s Oldtimers Game.
Nearly every team has a slump over the course of a 162-game season. The current Yankees are no exception.
2—This weekend’s three-game home series against a real Major League Baseball team – the Texas Rangers – suddenly looms as a major test for the sagging Yankees.
The second-place Boston Red Sox are two percentage points behind the Yankees in the AL East. This would be an opportune time for the Yankees to wake up.
The pitching matchups are not particularly encouraging:
Friday night – Masahiro Tanaka (when he is in top form – which he hasn’t been lately -- MLB’s second-best Japanese pitcher) vs. Yu Darvish (MLB’s best Japanese pitcher)
Saturday afternoon – Luis Cessa vs. Austin Bibens-Dirkx (one of the least appealing starting pitching showdowns in a big game in recent baseball history)
Sunday afternoon – Michael Pineda (in the running for the most inconsistent pitcher on the planet) vs. Nick Martinez.
3—It is time for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman to make a move or two. His bargaining chips are a few marginal prospects.
The Yankees need more production from the infield corners. First baseman Chris Carter and third baseman Chase Headley would be decent on a bad team but aren’t cutting it for this team. The Yankees also could use one or two decent starting pitchers and one or two new middle relievers.
The way the Yankees have played the past two weeks, manager Joe Girardi is fortunate that the late George Steinbrenner no longer is alive to call the shots. If Boss George were here, Girardi probably would be on thin ice right about now.
ESPYs FOUR FINALISTS FOR BEST MALE ATHLETE DO NOT INCLUDE TOM BRADY
I’m not saying New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady absolutely deserved to be selected Best Male Athlete at the ESPYs July 12 in Los Angeles – but isn’t it ridiculous that he is isn’t among the four finalists for the honor?
The nominees are Kris Bryant (baseball), Sidney Crosby (hockey), Russell Westbrook (basketball) and Michael Phelps (swimming).
Why no Brady?
All Brady did at age 39 was bounce back splendidly from a controversial four-game suspension to enjoy one of his best regular seasons. Then he led the Patriots to an amazing comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51.
Isn’t the NFL by far the most popular pro sport in the United States? Isn’t the Super Bowl by far this nation’s greatest sporting event?
Brady is among the four finalists for Best Championship Performance. The three others are Kevin Durant (NBA Finals), Shay Knighten in the women’s College World Series and Deshaun Watson in the NCAA Division I college football championship game.
I’m pretty sure Brady will win that category but I don’t imagine he’d be satisfied with a consolation prize. I’m wondering if he’ll show up.
WHY PENN STATE BUT NO ROCHESTER ON SABRES’ PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE?
It isn’t a big surprise that the three “home” games on the six-game pre-season schedule for the NHL Buffalo Sabres does not include a game in Rochester.
The Sabres will play the Pittsburgh Penguins at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena. For the second year in a row. We get it. The Pegulas paid for the impressive 5,728-seat arena and why wouldn’t they want to visit and show it off?
Buffalo’s two other pre-season home games will be played at KeyBank Center, against the Carolina Panthers Sept. 18 and against the New York Islanders Sept. 29.
I wonder if the less than pristine condition of Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial is an understandable reason to bypass a pre-season game in Rochester. Obviously, the Sabres can draw much better at KeyBank Center and it is less of an inconvenience for the players than taking a bus to Rochester.
I’m not too worried about the whispers that the Pegula-owned Amerks might play a game or many games at Penn State in future AHL seasons. Pegula Ice Arena is a state-of-the-art rink facility and the seating capacity is more than enough to profitably stage an AHL game.
In terms of geography, it wouldn’t be a long haul for the Amerks and several AHL opponents to journey to Penn State. But I wonder if there are enough prospective hockey fans in that region to support an AHL team on any kind of semi-permanent basis. I also wonder about AHL territorial rights involving the Hershey Bears.
TORTORELLA SIXTH FORMER AMERK TO WIN JACK ADAMS AWARD
John Tortorella (Columbus Blue Jackets) at Wednesday night’s NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas won the Jack Adams Award as the best coach in the NHL. He also won the award in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tortorella coached the Rochester Americans in 1995-96 (37-34-5-4 and then won the Calder Cup) and 1996-97 (40-30-9-1).
Tortorella was – and remains at age 58 – fiery, outspoken, passionate and unpredictable.
Last fall, as coach of Team USA in the World Cup of Hockey, he caused a stir by saying any player who didn’t stand for the National Anthem would be benched.
Tortorella said he is “the furthest thing away from being anything political...But this is your anthem. This is your flag.”
His son, Nick, is a U.S. Army Ranger.
He was supposed to coach in this past season’s NHL All-Star Game but skipped the festivities and the game for family reasons. Nick’s beloved 10-year-old pit pull Emma was gravely ill and Tortorella felt obliged to fill in for his son, who was deployed overseas.
The John and Christine Tortorella Foundation “helps protect children, animals and our environment from harm.”
Five other former Amerks players and/or coaches have won the Jack Adams Award:
Don Cherry (Boston Bruins) 1976.
Al Arbour (New York Islanders) 1979
Mike Keenan (Philadelphia Flyers) 1985
Ted Nolan (Buffalo Sabres) 1997
Lindy Ruff (Buffalo Sabres) 2006.
Cherry was a player and a coach with Rochester. The others were strictly players (Arbour, Nolan and Ruff) or coaches (Keenan and Tortorella) for the Amerks.
THIS STUDY SAYS BILLS LOSS TO REDSKINS IN SUPER BOWL XXVI WAS NO FLUKE
ESPN’s Football Outsiders this week picked “The 30 Beat NFL Teams of the Last 30 Years”, based on the “advanced DVOA metric” (in-depth analysis of offense, defense and special teams).
The No. 1 team is the 1991 Washington Redskins, coached by Joe Gibbs. Those Redskins were 14-2 in the regular season and outscored opponents by 261 points (league-most 485 points scored and second-fewest 224 points allowed). They ranked first in defense and special teams, and third in defense.
The Redskins beat the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI (led 24-0 early in the third quarter) and ESPN’s research suggests that Washington’s victory was not a fluke.
For the record, the next-beat NFL teams of the past 30 years were 2007 New England Patriots 2nd...1989 San Francisco 49ers 3rd...1996 Green Bay Packers 4th...1987 San Francisco 49ers 5th.
ADAM BRETT WALKER IS ON A TEAR
Popular 2016 Rochester Red Wings slugger Adam Brett Walker has resurfaced and is tearing up the Eastern League (Double-a) for the Bowie Bay Sox.
Walker hit 27 home runs for Rochester last season but was released by the Minnesota Twins due mostly to his monstrous career strikeout rate. Then he was signed and released by Baltimore. Then he was signed by Atlanta only to be released May 9 after struggling at AAA and AA.
Baltimore again signed Walker and – after sitting out one month -- he played his first game for Bowie June 10. Entering Friday, in his first 9 games with the Baysox, he was hitting .459 (17-for-37), with 11 run, 5 doubles, 4 HRs, 10 RBI, 2 walks and only 10 strikeouts. Good for him.
Walker playing a full season with the Orioles, playing half of his games at cozy Camden Yards, might put up some very interesting numbers. Lots of HRs and lots of whiffs.
SOME BASEBALL TEAMS ARE GETTING FAT ON HOME COOKING
Entering Friday, Major League Baseball’s 30 teams had a home record of 598-491 (.549 winning percentage).
The best home records: Dodgers 29-10...Arizona 26-9...Yankees 23-11...Boston 21-11...Seattle 23-13...Baltimore 24-14.
The worst home records: Philadelphia 14-20...Mets 17-23...Minnesota 16-25...San Francisco 14-18.
Six teams had better records (on the road) than at home: Cleveland (24-15) 15-17...Minnesota (20-9) 16-25... Washington (25-15) 18-14...Houston (27-8) 23-16...Colorado (25-13) 22-15...Mets (14-18) 17-23.
RATTLERS SNUBBED FOR MLL ALL-STAR GAME
The 38 players selected to participate in the 16th Major Lacrosse League All-Star Game Saturday, July 8 in Sacramento have been announced and only 3 Rochester Rattlers are on the list: Drew Simoneau, Kyle Denhoff and Matt Dunn. Fine players all and deserving.
But why not Jordan Wolf, Jeremy Boltus, Ned Crotty and John Galloway? They’re all cream-of-the-crop MLL players.
I hope they feel slighted and play with a chip on their shoulders for the rest of this season.
Picks by team: Denver 7, Ohio 7, Chesapeake 5, Boston 4, Charlotte 4, New York Lizards 4, Rochester 3, Atlanta 2, Florida 2.
SHORT SHOTS
The North Carolina Courage, the transplanted champions of the National Women’s Soccer League, continue to prove that last season’s title was no fluke. They lead the 10-team league with a 7-3-0 record....Former WNY Flash start Marta, the five-time FIFA women’s Player of the Year, leads the NWSL in scoring with 5 goals and 3 assists for the Orlando Pride.
A street near Boston’s Fenway Park has been renamed David Ortiz Drive. It had been Yawkey Way Extension...The Red Sox are scheduled to retire Ortiz’s No. 34 Friday night. Wouldn’t it be something if he announced he were ending his retirement to help the Red Sox win the AL East?
Los Angeles and Paris apparently are the only two cities aggressively pursuing the 2024 Summer Olympics. I’m not trying to be a bad guy, but would Los Angeles have a significant advantage in the eyes of the IOC because Paris would appear to be riper for a terrorist attack?
The Vegas Golden Knights have a fair roster for an NHL expansion team but history says don’t expect instant success. According to FiveThirtyEight, the average NHL expansion team since 1991 won only 34 percent of points available in its games.
Released by the Atlanta Braves after a slow start this season, popular 2016 Rochester Red Wings slugger Adam Brett Walker was signed by Baltimore and is tearing up the Double-A Eastern League. In his first 9 games with Bowie Baysox, he was batting .459 (17-for-37), with 10 runs, 5 doubles, 4 HRs, 10 RBI and only 12 strikeouts.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Friday, June 23 – Rodney McLeod (27)...LaDainian Tomlinson (38)...Matt Light (39)...Brandon Stokley (41)...Zinedine Zidane (45)... Potvin (46)...Robert Brooks (47)...Colin Montgomerie (54)...LaSalle Thompson (56)...Larry Playfair (59)...Filbert Bayi (64)...Former East High/Seton Hall/NBA star center Walter Dukes was born on this date 87 years ago (1930) and died at age 70 in 2001.
Saturday, June 24 – Jeff Janis (26)...Phil Hughes (31)...Taj Gibson (32)....J. Redick (33)...former Red Wing Doug Bernier (37)...Antoine Winfield (40)...Jere Lehtinen (44)...Uwe Krupp (52)...Shane Churla (52)...Gary Suter (53)...Preki (54)...Bernie Nicchols (56)...Juki Inkster (57)...Wayne Cashman (72).
Sunday, June 25 – Mo’ne Davis (16)...Jhonas Enroth (29)...Matt Schaub (36)...Aramis Ramirez (39)...Carlos Delgado (45)...Aaron Sele (47)...Rochester Olympian Joan Smith (50)...Dikembe Mutombo (51)...Doug Gilmour (54)...Dan Turk (55)...Cardinal Mooney/St. Bonaventure/Zeniths basketball star Glenn Hagan (62)...Phyliss George-Brown (68)...Ken Hodge (73)...Willis Reed (75). Anthony Bourdain (61), Jimmie Walker (70) and Carly Simon (72) are invited to the birthday party.