WHY IT'S THE MOST TOUCHING STORY OF THE MONTH

It's the feel good story of the month for me. The 1st pitch of Game 4 of the 2011 NLDS between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Milwaukee Brewers on October 5th was thrown by Max Asthon, a graduate of the Foundation for Blind Children. Max threw a perfect strike.


Blind Kid Throws First Pitch - Watch MoreFunny http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifVideos

I really loved this story. I have to admit, when Max was walking out, I was sitting there thinking "They are setting this kid up for failure, who the hell came up with this idea!" Remind me to never judge someone before they actually perform. My God! Such a great story in my eyes and I hope you pass it along so others get a smile today.

By the way, not sure if you're following the NLDS, but later than night, the Diamondbacks forced a Game 5 back to Milwaukee. Last night, Nyjer Morgan helped the Brewers beat the DBacks to advance to the NLCS. Read HERE.

They will be playing the Cardinals who advance now after beating the Phillies in Philadelphia 1-0. I guess Cliff Lee can have a long cold winter like us. Wow... another great story to make me smile. Love it.

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THE CASHMAN QUESTION

Since Brian Cashman has been with the New York Yankees, there have been some pretty significant developments. The Yankees have won championships with some great pickups and have also fell short with some real flops in players like Carl Pavano. We’ve praised Cashman when things go well, but just as fast, we’re ready to turn on the guy as soon as we get a loss. One thing Cashman has never done though is second guess himself. In fact, when the promotion of Jesus Montero happened, did you notice how fast the media went into full effect giving Cashman credit for not trading off Montero, Ivan Nova and Eduardo Nunez to Seattle for Cliff Lee at the 2010 trade deadline? Read HERE.

Brian Cashman doesn’t have a contract for 2012 Ladies and Gentlemen. While we haven’t won the World Series yet, we’ve won the AL Eastern Division and Cashman deserves credit. Patience was his word of the winter and spring and bringing in players like Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and Russell Martin have proved genius. Larry Rothschild on the pitching beat was clearly a better selection than Dave Eiland too. Bob Klapisch has a stat I didn’t know. Since Rothschild has come over, there is a significant difference in ERA. “…the Yankees went from seventh to third in the American League in ERA, dropping from 4.06 to 3.66 entering Thursday.”

But let’s go deeper into something that has proven significant this season. Carl Crawford. Crawford has done absolutely bunk with the Red Sox this year and he’s getting paid a boat load of money. No one could have expected Crawford to perform this way, but remember the winter and remember how arrogant Carl Crawford was about the Yankees not signing him. Read WHY GARDNER TRUMPS CRAWFORD from February. I like Brett Gardner instead of Crawford. Bottom line, Cashman won that battle, he stuck to his guns and he didn’t cave. Yes, the Yankees have a lot of money and the Yankees can sign anyone they want. But the Yankees didn’t sign Crawford. We dodged a bullet. And in a story that came out today Cashman admits he faked wanting to sign Carl Crawford so the Red Sox would pay more. Genius. Read HERE. Cashman says:

"I actually had dinner with the agent to pretend that we were actually involved and drive the price up... The outfield wasn't an area of need, but everybody kept writing Crawford, Crawford, Crawford, Crawford. And I was like, 'I feel like we've got Carl Crawford in Brett Gardner, except he costs more than $100 million less, with less experience.' "

I love that.

How about giving Ivan Nova a shot this season. Nova’s provided surprising stability this year in the Yankees rotation. He’s matured and him being given a chance stems back to Cashman’s belief that Nova could improve. He has, and that goes back to Patience.

The point is, you can say what you want about Cashman, but some of the moves he’s made this year are dead on and he needs to come back to the New York Yankees. We need to offer him a contract, bottom line. He’s contributed to 5 championships by getting talent we needed to win. In this re-emergence of Moneyball, Cashman does it his way… Brianball.

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PREDICTING THE MVP & CY YOUNG AWARDS

It’s hard to believe that it is already September, which means we are in the final sprint for post-season play and voting for the best of the best. There are a lot of deserving candidates out there, so there is no sure vote.

It’s no secret that good pitching is the key to winning games, and this is the year of the pitcher. Question is, which pitcher is going to be King of the mound this year?

NL Cy Young candidates

A: Cliff Lee: 16-7, 2.47 ERA, 204 strikeouts, 1.031 WHIP. Lee went 5-0 in August and had at least 10 strikeouts in eight games this year.B: Cole Hamels: 13-7, 2.63 ERA, 169 strikeouts, 0.97 WHIP. Hamels holds the best WHIP stats in the National league, would have more wins if his team gave him better run support.

C: Roy Halladay: 16-5, 2.49 ERA, 195 strikeouts, 1.06 WHIP. Halladay has 7 complete games this season and has walked only 25 batters this season. He also has the best strikeout to walk ration in the big leagues. Is there ever a year when this guy isn’t in the CY Young discussion?
D: Clayton Kershaw: 17-5, 2.45 ERA, 222 strikeouts, 1.02 WHIP. Kershaw trails only Halladay in complete games pitched; he also leads everyone in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts. He is second in WHIP and ERA.

Cy Young prediction: Clayton Kershaw
Runner-up: Roy Halladay

AL Cy Young Candidates

A: Josh Beckett: 12-5, 2.49 ERA, 155 strikeouts, 0.98 WHIP. Beckett has bounced back nicely from 2010 but has a lower strikeout total than the other candidates. He has done well keeping runs scored to a minimum allowing no more than five in any game this season.

B: James Shields: 14-10, 2.77 ERA, 205 strikeouts, 1.02 WHIP. Shields has pitched 10 complete games this season for the Rays. He could become a free agent at the end of the season if they don’t pick up his club option, but I doubt this happens.C: CC Sabathia: 19-7, 2.97 ERA, 211 strikeouts, 1.17 WHIP. Sabathia should make 30 starts for the 10th time in his career. His strikeout ratio trails only Kershaw and Verlander and has the second most wins in the majors.

D: Jered Weaver: 16-7, 2.49 ERA, 176 strikeouts, 1.03 WHIP. Weaver is argued to be the second most consistent pitcher after Verlander this year. He also has the best ERA in the league.
E: Justin Verlander: 21-5, 2.34 ERA, 224 strikeouts, 0.91 WHIP. Verlander is first in wins, strikeouts, and WHIP in the league. He has also gone 18-2 since April and has a no-hitter this year.

Cy Young prediction: Justin Verlander
Runner-up: Jered Weaver

Pitching wins games, but you also need a good offense to give you the run support. Question is, who has been the most valuable player?

NL MVP Candidates

A: Joey Votto: .316BA, 26 HR, 90 RBI. Can he repeat? His home run, RBI and OPS totals will most likely fall short from last year. His team does not have a shot at repeating their division title, so this will probably cost him votes.B: Prince Fielder: .292BA, 31 HR, 108 RBI. Fielder is argued to be half of one of the better offensive duos in the majors, but a teammate has been more effective offensively and probably fairs better to win. He is a league leader in RBI’s.

C: Matt Kemp: .319BA, 32 HR, 107 RBI. His average, stolen bases (37), home runs and RBI’s look impressive, but his high strikeouts (137) will probably cost him. He also plays for the Dodgers, who have had a less than impressive season which will cost him some votes.
D: Ryan Braun: .333BA, 27 HR, 95 RBI. Braun has had an impressive year leading the league in OBP (.402) and slugging percentage (.590). He is also among league leaders in runs scored and batting average. He also is second with stolen bases (31).

MVP prediction: Ryan Braun
runner-up: Matt Kemp

AL MVP Candidates

A: Adrian Gonzalez: .342BA, 23 HR, 105 RBI. Gonzalez has the best batting average, and amongst leaders in OBP and SLG percentage; however….he is sure to split some votes between himself and another Red Sox candidate.

B: Jacoby Ellsbury: .312BA, 24 HR, 85 RBI. He has the second best batting average, and the most stolen bases; however he is sure to split some votes with Gonzalez .C: Jose Bautista: .304BA, 40 HR, 92 RBI. He’s having another great year, and can still come close to the same number of home runs as last year. The fact that his team is not in contention in a much more competitive AL East division than last year is sure to cost him votes.

D: Justin Verlander: Yes, the wins and ERA are impressive; however pitchers have their own award. He is worth a mention though.

E: Robinson Cano: .305BA, 24 HR, 105 RBI. Cano is quietly making a case for MVP again with his consistent hitting and offensive and defensive skills but will he split votes with another Yankee?
F: Curtis Granderson: .269BA, 38 HR, 109 RBI. His batting average is lower, however his consistency this year is amazing compared to last year. The changes he has made have helped the Yankees win, and the power numbers and RBI’s don’t hurt either. He also has more extra base hits.

MVP prediction: Curtis Granderson
runner-up: Adrian Gonzalez

Clearly we're Yankee fans, clearly we root. But as far as this post is concerned, I’m glad I get to predict who will win, rather than give the news when the voting is done. It will be interesting to see how far off these predictions are. But like they say, you can’t predict baseball…



--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor



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WHY THIS PITCHING COMPARISON IS GRATIFYING

(Photo: Getty)

You know what I find funny? Check these pitchers out:

• Pitcher A: 14-4 3.96 ERA 131.2 IP

• Pitcher B: 15-7 2.69 ERA 194.2 IP

Both of these pitchers seem like they could be top of the line starters, and would be the top free agents in any off-season.(Photo: Getty)

Pitcher B is Cliff Lee, the man who spurned the New York Yankees for his (not so) young Philadelphia Phillies. Pitcher A is a rookie who plays for the Yankees and is arguably our 2nd best pitcher, Ivan Nova.



The Yankees tried getting Cliff Lee last trading deadline, and failed, then tried getting him last off season, and failed again. Going into the season, no one knew what our pitching would be like behind CC Sabathia, but Nova has quickly turned into a 2nd ace. He has the 2nd most wins on the staff, and even more important than that, whenever he takes the mound, most of us Yankees fans are confident that he will give us a quality start, and a win. We have trust, and we have faith.(Photo: Getty)

Tonight Nova goes for his 15th win against the Toronto Blue Jays. Hopefully he can show everybody he's fully capable of earning that Rookie of the Year award.







--Will Cohen, BYB Staff Writer

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WHY THE 2011 AL MVP PLAYS IN THE BRONX

With less than 40 games remaining in the regular season, the debate will kick into full force as to who should be the Most Valuable Player in the American League. 2007 was the last time the award was given to a player in pinstripes. That season, Alex Rodriguez hit 54 home runs, led the American League with 156 RBIs, a slugging percentage of .645 and received 26 of 28 first-place votes en route to his third AL MVP award. Last season Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers won the MVP award with 32 home runs and 100 RBIs. But now let’s take a look at who should be front and center in the discussion for the 2011 American League MVP award. In 123 games played this season, Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson has hit 35 home runs, including an inside the park job Sunday afternoon at Target Field in Minnesota. The Grandyman also has 98 RBIs, 65 total extra base hits and a slugging percentage of .594. All of this with 37 games remaining on the Yankees regular season schedule.

Here is where I will take a different twist on the MVP debate to solidify the vote for Granderson. From the break of spring training, actually, from the time Andy Pettitte announced his retirement and Cliff Lee spurned the Yankees for the Phillies, questions began to surround the Yankees as to who would step up for this team. When the team left Tampa, most thought the issue would be pitching, surprisingly it has not been as big of a concern as once feared. Through the slumps of Teixeira and Swisher and injuries to Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez on the offensive side, one thing has remained consistent…Curtis Granderson has been hot right out of the gate all the way into late August.

So as we sit here, 37 games away from the end of another regular season, we look at what has unfolded: The Captain reach a milestone never-before seen in the Bronx. The back end of the Yankees rotation was mocked by mostly everyone in baseball. The greatest closer ever, Mariano Rivera will move into first place on the all-time saves list. But, I ask you though... who has been more valuable to the Yankees than Curtis Granderson?



Thanks to Granderson's offense and defense, this New York Yankee team sits a half game up in the AL East on the Boston Red Sox. A Red Sox team that was supposed to rival one of the greatest clubs put together in decades. BYB wrote about it here in THE STATE OF THE YANKEES.

If the Most Valuable Player award is to go to a player who is indeed, the MOST valuable to their team and in all likelihood a team in the playoffs, how can it not be Curtis Granderson? If you subscribe to the theory that the MVP award is exactly that, I ask you to think about where this New York Yankees team would be today without Curtis Granderson. To me, the decision is crystal clear, isn't it?







--Justin Slaton, BYB Guest Writer









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BYB YANKEE TRADE RUMORS: PART 1

It’s the big week for trade rumors and all of Yankeeland is wondering who it’s going to be and what we will give up. Cashman plays the best shell game in town and when it comes to the Yankees, he’s pretty damn smart in my estimation. How else do you bring two washed up veterans to the Yankees who turn out to be gems in Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia?

Yesterday, I wrote WHY MY GUT SAYS FELIX IS BRONX BOUND and while it is near impossible that King Felix would ever be delivered to the Bronx because of the odd relationship the Yankees and Mariners now have because of the Cliff Lee debacle last year, no player is untouchable. If the Yankees gave up some top prospects and pay alittle money, Felix Hernandez would be ours; I don’t care what anyone says. In fact, vote in our new Poll on the left side of our home page, who would you give up for King Felix?

In addition to Felix, there are other pitchers out there that are appealing and plenty of guys who seem like smart choices, others however, do not. Let’s take a look. Read our post and comment on our blog. Let us know what you would do.

Edwin Jackson: Yankees scouts were apparently in Cleveland Sunday where Edwin Jackson pitched for the White Sox. They are definitely looking into this guy and with good reason, he can be a solid pitcher although, going by my gut again, I can’t see this guy hacking it in the Bronx, not sure why. Jackson this year is 7-7 with a 3.92 ERA this season. The other good thing about Jackson is he’s only 27 years old. I'd like the guy, but not sure how serious the Yankees are at this point. Read about Edwin HERE.

Gio Gonzalez: This guy keeps coming up because to me, he is the future, not only is Gonzalez a lefty, but he is developing into a really good pitcher. He’s Andy Pettitte light in my eyes. Gio is someone the Athletics probably want to hold onto, but again, for the right price, he could be ours. Adding Gio to the Yankees rotation will definitely give some support. This year, Gio is 9-7 with a 2.67 ERA. Read about Gio HERE.

Jeremy Guthrie: Guthrie has been around for a few years with the Batlimore Orioles and while I find this to be an interesting name for the Yankees, I cannot in any way see the Orioles dealing him to the Yankees, plus, I can’t see why the Yankees would like this guy. He has an ERA over 4 and only has 4 wins. The upside is he can pitch against the Red Sox. He held the Sox to 2 runs over 7 in one recent outing and the time before he shut them out after 6, according to Jon Heyman of SI. That is appealing but it wasn’t too long ago that AJ Burnett was dominant against the Red Sox too…. We saw how that worked out. I don’t make too much of Guthrie at this time.

Tyler Clippard: The kid’s made a name for himself as a reliever. I once saw him pitch live when he was with the Yankees and I liked what I saw but he did let up for 4 runs in the game against the Mets. Since he went to the Nationals, he has become lights out and even an All-Star. Good for him. Getting him back could be a treat and could definitely help our bullpen, but again, we need a starter in my opinion. Read about Tyler HERE.

Hiroki Kuroda: He’s with the Dodgers and his record is 6-12 with a 3.19 ERA. The ERA is decent, the record is not and that has to do with the Dodgers just plain sucking it. But let’s face facts, he’s 36 years old and don’t we have enough pitchers in their late 30’s? Is Kuroda really better than Bartolo Colon at this point? I’m not a fan of this but I trust Cashman, so we will see. I can be swayed. Bottom line, there are reports that Kuroda would waive his no-trade clause to go to the Yankees or the Red Sox, stay tuned. Read about it HERE.

Stay tuned for more names and more opinion on the trade rumors on Bleeding Yankee Blue.

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WHY PRINCE COULD BE CHARMING ON THE YANKEES

It really never crossed my mind of Prince Fielder coming to the Yankees, and to be honest, I don’t think he will and I hope I’m wrong. I don’t see a lot of Prince but what I do see is usually in highlights on MLB Network and damn, he’s always on it.

CC Sabathia has a relationship with Fielder and it’s being suggested by Jon Heyman of SI (HERE) that he’s trying to convince Prince Fielder to come to the Yankees. Don’t get excited Ladies and Gentlemen. To be honest, if Fielder were to jump from Milwaukee to be in the Bronx, it would be for a big pay day. This guy would want a boat load of money and I’m just not sure the Yankees want to do that, especially if they are looking for potential starters in their future. Plus, you have to think in the back of your mind that at the end of the season, would CC opt-out of his contract and go elsewhere or will he try to renegotiate with the Yankees?Now, I think the Yankees would be fools to just let CC walk and I believe that CC will end up staying with the Yankees, for more years and a few more bucks. Yet, I’ve recently been getting whispers from someone close to the Phillies that suggests that CC would like to be with his other bud, Cliff Lee in Philly. I don’t believe that either and to be honest, I hate the rumor game. First off, I never take these rumors seriously and secondly, I'm never right, so I don’t take myself or the rumors seriously, but it can be entertaining.

Prince Fielder has stated that he would be a DH if need be to get to a contender. Clearly he can also fill in at first base and let’s face it, that bat is incredible. It would be exciting to have a second Fielder on the Yankees. Cecil Fielder was great for us when he was in the Bronx, right?

Look, one step at a time, this is an item, not a news story and while I like to hear about the Yankees with big names attached to them, I can’t get too excited about this one...yet.

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WHY I'M BRINGING "THE CHIEF" BACK

(Photo: Getty)
As a 22 year old flame thrower whose fastball regularly clocked in the upper-90s, he was known as “El Torpedo.”

Such a name would hardly be appropriate for the now soft-throwing Freddy Garcia, who is lucky to get his fastball over 90 these days and relies almost entirely on a high-70s to low-80s slider and a variety of change ups. However, at the ripe old age of 34 (it’s funny how age is viewed in sports isn’t it?), he has shown that he is still more than deserving of his other nickname: “The Chief.”

As of June 27th, Freddy has a 6-6 record and has posted an ERA/ERA+ of 3.30/123, his best of any full season since 2001 when he led the league with a 3.05/137 mark. The speed’s clearly faded, but the stats haven’t receded at all, and best of all he pitches with a noticeable New York grit.

When the Yankees lost out on Cliff Lee, there were clearly no front of the rotation guys left on the market, it was basically a competition for who could scrape the bottom of the barrel the best. However, Garcia’s name stuck out like a sore thumb amongst a list of has-beens and never-weres. It took the Yankees a while to make the move and sign him, but when they finally did, I felt like they had really made a great choice.
(Photo: Getty)
I couldn’t have possibly expected the results he’s produced though. After posting a 4.64 ERA with the Chicago White Sox in 2010, I expected him to throw his way to a mid to high 4's ERA and eat up innings while the Yanks looked for a replacement around the trade deadline and hoped he was able to not fall too far below .500 playing in baseball’s toughest division. Instead he’s been the 3rd most effective pitcher on the team, arguably the 2nd most with Colon on the shelf. The Chief has been nothing short of a God-send, more so than his .500 record could even possibly indicate. He’s thrown multiple shutouts over 6 or 7 innings, including his first two starts as well as his most recent, and has been able to, for the most part, keep the team close and give them a chance when he wasn’t dominant. Weak run support has killed him a few times, but with Freddy on the mound the Yankees are 7-6 having won his lone no decision, which is more than we could have said with Sergio Mitre in the rotation.

Of course if Phil Hughes and Bartolo Colon both come back from their DL stints in prime condition, either Ivan Nova or Freddy is going to have to get the boot to the bullpen. It’s unlikely they’d demote Nova, he’s shown flashes of sheer brilliance and the Yankees would like to keep him in the rotation and build up his confidence to the point where he can dominate like he’s shown he can every time. In light of this, it’s likely Freddy is going to end the season in the bullpen. However, The Chief is if nothing else a team player, and he’d likely fully embrace a job as a long reliever/spot starter. Having him available to replace a guy and either clean up a mess he’s made on the field or allow him an extra few days off the field could be huge as the aging Colon and inexperienced Phil Hughes fatigue.

No matter what Freddy’s role with the Yankees is, he’ll be a huge asset for the remainder of the season and is in my opinion just the kind of veteran the Yankees needed to add to give themselves a shot at #28. So embrace The Chief, and while your at it, bring back the nickname, he’s definitely earned it.




--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer

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WHY COLON WAS THE BIGGEST OFFSEASON STEAL

(Photo: Getty)
When the Yankees missed out on Cliff Lee, and I was going through possible candidates that the Yankees could sign and when Bartolo Colon's name was thrown around, my reaction was "When was the last time this guy got off the couch?" Better yet, "When was the last time he pitched in a major league baseball game?"

As a kid, I remember watching him pitch his way to the Cy Young in 2005, but didn't remember much after that. After missing out on the guy who was a born Yankee Killer in the off season, signing Colon seemed like a Plan Z. But in reality, Colon should be the Plan A, and Lee be the Plan B.
(Photo: Getty)
Until Colon got hurt, he had a better record and ERA than Lee, among other stat categories. Given that Lee is on fire now and Colon hasn't pitched in a few weeks, Lee record has changed, he's 8-5, 2.87 ERA and 114 strikeouts. Big Bart, who's still on the DL, is 5-3, 3.10 ERA, 72 strikeouts. That being said, would any of us have thought that Colon would be pitching almost as well as Cliff Lee at this point in the season? Who says Bart couldn't match Lee's stats or do better throughout the whole season? I think Colon has a legitimate chance to do so.

The ultimate icing on the cake would be seeing a Colon vs. Lee Game 7 of the World Series, with the Yankees winning 1-0 backed by a complete game shutout by the big man. Can't you picture it? That would make Brian Cashman look like the biggest genius of them all by not offering Lee a contract that he couldn't refuse, and instead signing Big Bart on the cheap. That would make Cashman deserving of a new contract for whatever he wants.

Look, this World Series thing may just be a pipe dream, but that would be the only thing the Yankees need to convince everyone that the philosophy of spending a ton of money on a roster will be imitated (Phillies, Red Sox, Mets) but NEVER duplicated.(Photo: Getty)
What are your thoughts on Colon? Are you happy now that the Yankees missed out on Lee? Let me know by commenting on this post or shoot me an email will.cohen.bleedingyankeeblue@gmail.com, or adding me on Facebook. Let me know what you think.



--Will Cohen, BYB Staff Writer

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