A-P "So You Think You're A Sportswriter" Thread

[stevejrogers]

Elster88 wrote: ="SteveJRogers"] Elster88 wrote: ]For those who suffered through the lean times in Flushing - that's a euphemism for the Art Howe Era Poor Art Howe. It's not like he had the players to succeed. Not all his fault. Yeah but the media hated the poor guy, he was too "nice" and too "small town/midwest/country" for New York Which media members hated him? What did they say? Did they call him names in their articles? Where did you get this from?

Listening to columnists-turned-radio hosts Wally Mathews and Tom Keegan who from day 1 never gave the guy a chance.

Okay thats two so far, I'm not going to try to go through archives of the Post and News to search for attacks on Howe in 2003 and 2004, but the media did have it in for Art Howe, using the same diatribes leveled against Joe Torre in the winter of 1996

[G-Fafif]

MFS62 wrote: David Wright a Blue Jay? edit: lost the link. I'll post it shortly The link: http://torontosun.com/Sports/Columnists/Elliott_Bob/2006/07/16/1686900.html Just think of what would have been posted in the current third base history thread.

Good god. I guess we should be glad Steve Phillips "only" mindlessly dealt Jason Bay instead of David Wright that summer.

[metirish]

Some scary numbers here for the NL....

] The senior circus National League full of clowns Despair not, Metsophiles, over the loss of Duaner Sanchez, the great unknown of Roberto Hernandez/Aaron Heilman/Royce Ring or even the all-too-frequent high-wire acts of Billy Wagner. Your postseason is assured and it is the ML (as in the Mediocre League) where you'll be playing the first two rounds. You think the Mets have problems? How would you like to be Tony La Russa, who's been told all season his St. Louis Cardinals are the chalk team of the ML. La Russa's Cardinals have staggered out of the second-half gate, losing eight in a row entering yesterday. One of the Cardinals' strengths was supposed to be their five-deep rotation, but lefty Mark Mulder has been out for three weeks with a shoulder injury and in a seven-game stretch last week, Cardinal starters yielded 56 hits and 30 earned runs over 35-2/3 innings for a combined ERA of 7.67. And the St. Louis offense hasn't exactly been overwhelming anybody. Leadoff hitter David Eckstein on Thursday drew his first walk since July 17 - and was promptly thrown out trying to steal second. Entering last night, Eckstein had gone 90 at-bats without an extra base hit. But for all the Cardinals' struggles, they've lost practically no ground to the second-place Cincinnati Reds, who lost five of seven. And yet for all the Reds' losing, they lead the wild-card race. The entire National League is a joke. As of yesterday, there were only two teams, the Mets and Cardinals, more than five games over .500, and only three other teams, the Padres, D-Backs and Reds, over .500 at all in what is still a nine-team wild card race. Indeed, the Philadelphia Phillies, whose own GM, Pat Gillick, declared his team non-contenders not only this year but next year as well after dumping Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle on the Yankees and reliever Rheal Cormier on the Reds, are just 3-1/2 games behind in the wild-card race. By contrast, the American League had seven teams that were more than five games over .500 and facing the very real possibility of having a team not making the playoffs with a better record than the best team in the NL. But the disparity between the AL and NL has been growing for years, threatening to make a mockery of some of Bud Selig's fondest goals and projects, including competitive balance and the All-Star Game deciding home field advantage for the World Series. The question is: What caused this to happen? An informal survey of executives from both leagues offers these four factors: 1. The DH. For years after the AL adopted the DH, most of them were aging sluggers who could no longer play a position and comparable to other hitters on NL benches. Now, in a lot of cases, the DH is the team's best hitter - David Ortiz, Jim Thome, Travis Hafner, Jason Giambi, to name four. And, as one AL exec noted, the DH has had a profound effect on pitching in both leagues. "When National League pitchers are confronted with American league lineups, they're almost overwhelmed at the firepower 1-9 in the lineup with no soft spots. By contrast, American League pitchers have hardened themselves to this and are better pitchers than those in the NL. When they face NL lineups in interleague play and the World Series it's like a holiday for them. The DH's the NL teams use now are mostly extra outfielders or utility players that hardly scare you. There's no comparison to the AL DH's." 2. The Yankee-Red Sox Rivalry. The Yankees' big spending, which has certainly fueled the rivalry with the Red Sox, has influenced other American League teams to boost payrolls (see: Angels, White Sox, Blue Jays, Tigers) to keep pace. "I think if you're an AL team," said the exec, "you've come to realize that, to make the playoffs, you've got to win at least 94 games. In the National League this year, you might see a team in the playoffs with a barely .500 record." 3. Young AL Pitching. Making the disparity between the two leagues even greater is the influx of outstanding young pitching in the AL - such as Justin Verlander, Chien Ming-Wang, Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano, Felix Hernandez, Jonathan Papelbon and Jon Lester. By contrast, Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and even Greg Maddux are still among the NL's best, while the Cardinals' Jason Marquis, tied for the league lead in wins, has an ERA of 5.68. There is hope, however, in Florida where the Marlins' quintet of Dontrelle Willis, Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez makes them a team to bear watching next year; and in Philly, where young aces Cole Hamels and Brett Myers make Gillick's "wait til '08" proclamation seem silly. That all means the Mets' sudden bullpen crisis, though it will undoubtedly dominate talk radio from here to October, is small potatoes when put in context with the rest of the NL teams, all of which are far more flawed. The Mets have an American League-caliber lineup and a depth of decent (if not overwhelming) starting pitching. They're still the best team in the NL, even if that's not saying a whole lot.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/441044p-371557c.html

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

This at least makes me feel a litle more optimistic about winning the first two postseason series.

[metirish]

Yeah me too Yancy....it does say a lot that the Phillies trade two key players yet are still in the WC race.

[stevejrogers]

This actually falls under "So, you think you are a sportswriter playing a TV/Radio commentator!"

From ESPN's Cold Pizza, Skip Bayless interjected this beaut in a conversation about which team's cap Piazza would wear in Cooperstown:

]"I don't think Piazza deserves to be in the HOF. If he wasn't a catcher, we wouldn't even be having this discussion."

HAHAHAHA!!!

Basically Skipper makes the rather overated argument about Piazza's horrible catching ablilty which, as always, is based on his bad throwing arm. Like thats the only way you can judge a catcher's ability! Not to mention how overated SBs are to begin with, but thats another story!

[MFS62]

Steve, I interpret those comments to mean that he doesn't think Mike's numbers stack up to HOF credentials, especially if he played another position.

Later

[stevejrogers]

MFS62 wrote: Steve, I interpret those comments to mean that he doesn't think Mike's numbers stack up to HOF credentials, especially if he played another position. Later

Oh of course, but if we are going to go by that, only OFers, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Lou Gehrig and maybe Johnny Bench are left in the Hall

[Centerfield]

Skip is an idiot. He can write coherently, which sets him apart from some of the guys who work for the rags, but too often I've seen him make unsupported, wide-sweeping generalizations in place of real analysis. Recently, he had an article about how fans treat Jeter and A-Rod differently and cited the "fact" that Jeter had outperformed A-Rod in clutch situations. Of course, he failed to back up this "fact" with any numbers. I meant to write him an email about it but, you know, I got busy.

Anyway, his statement about Piazza is stupid.

"I don't think Piazza deserves to be in the HOF. If he wasn't a catcher, we wouldn't even be having this discussion."

But Skip, since he is a catcher, doesn't that mean we should be?

[Frayed Knot]

Bayliss is typical of the football writer who - because he's been cast as an all-purpose talking-head on TV - is forced (usually reluctantly) into commenting on baseball issues and frequently embarrasses himself when he does.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Centerfield wrote: I meant to write him an email about it but, you know, I got busy.

Cut and paste what you've writtten here. A few minor changes, you've got a letter.

Worked for me and Jon Heyman

[Elster88]

Send it to his editor and you may get a job offer.

[Centerfield]

Bayless's article:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/060731

A-Rod is a choker, Jeter is clutch, bla bla bla...

My Response:

Skip,

I recently read your article �To Boo or Not to Boo...� on Page 2. While I try to avoid arguments along the lines of who should be booed and who shouldn�t, I have to take exception to your characterization of Alex Rodriguez. The implication in your article is that Rodriguez struggles �in the clutch� (�Sure, he'll put up numbers. But will he get the hit? Not likely: His clutch numbers continue to plummet.�) while Jeter is a proven clutch performer (�He has always been at his greatest in the postseason�).

While ideas such as this are common in the tabloids here in New York, and amongst the Yes Men at Yes Network, I�m surprised to see you make such generalizations without backing it up with any data. If you look at the numbers, you will see that the �clutchness� of Derek Jeter is a myth.

In your article, you make reference to A-Rod�s plummeting clutch numbers. I assume you are talking about his close and late numbers this year (.186 BA). However, despite his struggles this season, a look at a larger sample shows that this year is the exception, not the rule. (For comparison, consider Jeter�s .152 average in close and late situations in 2003) In fact, if you look at close and late stats going back to 2002 (ESPN does not list any stats prior to that year) you will see that in close and late situations, Alex Rodriguez is 98 for 383, which translates to a .256 average. Jeter, during that same span, is 91 for 354, for an average of .257. Clearly, Jeter is not as clutch as some would have you believe.

But Jeter proponents, when presented with numbers such as the above, will always cite to his accomplishments in October. You stated that Jeter is �at his greatest in the post-season.� A look at his statistics shows otherwise. In the post-season, Jeter is batting .307, with an OBP of .379 and a SLG percentage of .463. These are good numbers, but they do not reflect any improvement over his regular season stats. For his career, Jeter hits .314, with an OBP of .386 and a SLG percentage of .461. Clearly, there is no spike in any category to indicate that Jeter raises his play in October. In fact, his batting average and OPS both dip in the post-season. You could even make the case that Derek Jeter is a choker.

Now, if we look at A-Rod�s post-season numbers, we see that he hits .305, with an OBP of .393 and a SLG percentage of .534. The first two numbers are similar to Jeter�s, though slightly higher. The difference comes in slugging percentage where, as is the case in the regular season, A-Rod hits for more power. So with an OPS of .927 to Jeter�s .842, we see that A-Rod is the superior player even in October.

(For what it�s worth, A-Rod�s post-season stats are also similar to his career averages, .307, .385, .577, putting to bed any idea that he shrinks in big spots)

Now, there are those who are really intent on canonizing Jeter and demonizing Rodriguez that argue that A-Rod�s numbers with Seattle �don�t count� because it didn�t happen as a Yankee. While I certainly don�t buy into this thinking, it is helpful to humor the short-sighted bunch who makes this argument. In three postseason series involving both Jeter and A-Rod as Yankees, A-Rod has hit .421 (Min), .258 (Bos) and .133 (Ana). During those same series, Jeter has hit .316 (Min), .200 (Bos), and .333 (Ana). Combined over those three series, A-Rod has hit .277 with 3 home runs and 8 RBI. Jeter has hit .271 with 3 home runs and 14 RBI.

The more you analyze the results, the more obvious it becomes that the idea that Jeter raises his game in big spots while A-Rod folds, is a myth. I hope the above will cause you to reconsider your characterizations of the two players.

CF

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Frayed Knot wrote: Bayliss is typical of the football writer who - because he's been cast as an all-purpose talking-head on TV - is forced (usually reluctantly) into commenting on baseball issues and frequently embarrasses himself when he does.

He embarasses himself when he writes about football, too. The fact that he's employed is a slap in the face to the people who feed the ESPN cash monster.

[Elster88]

Great job CF.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]You could even make the case that Derek Jeter is a choker.

It would be a weak case. Just maintaining his regular level of performance in October is an accomplisment of sorts, as the competition is stiffer.

It certainly doesn't make him Reggie Jackson, though.

[Elster88]

Did you get a response, CF?

[metirish]

Wally comes out swinging...

] Lo Duca is least of problems August 10, 2006 For the second time in four years, a Mets catcher is in the position of having to defend matters that need no defending, to people who have no right to question them. In 2002, it was Mike Piazza having to defend himself against a scurrilous New York Post gossip item that insinuated he was gay. This week, it is Paul Lo Duca, having to defend himself against reports that his marriage to a former Playboy playmate broke up over his infidelity with a 19-year-old woman. The justification for both of these journalistic endeavors was that such behaviors could constitute a "distraction" to their teammates, as if the airheads who play games for a living were capable of being distracted by anyone's problems other than their own. And oh yeah, there is that other matter of Lo Duca's rumored "gambling problem," because he owns thoroughbreds and enjoys an occasional day at the racetrack, both of which, it may be necessary to point out, are legal amusements. I am only going to say this once, so pay attention: Minus any evidence that Lo Duca bets on anything other than the ponies, this, too, is, to borrow the phrase Lo Duca used politely on me the other day in the Mets clubhouse, "none of your business." Nor is the identity of his girlfriend, her age -- assuming she is of legal consent -- nor the circumstances under which his marriage fell apart. These are not distractions, they are titillations of the type that give athletes an excuse to distrust the media and the public the excuse to hate us, even as they lap up every drop of gossip they can get. The truth is, professional athletes are not distracted by the off-the-field exploits of their teammates any more than you or I are distracted by the private lives of our co-workers. They, like us, have jobs to do, and they do them. If you are a Mets fan and you worry that the twin dramas playing out in the life of their All-Star catcher may turn out to be the things that will spoil this otherwise perfect season, then it is you who are being distracted. Because the Mets have plenty to worry about besides whom Lo Duca is dating or whether he is still alive in the Pick Six. They have a commanding lead in the NL East, so everything they do from here on must be judged by how it will play in October. And so far, the answer is not well. The worries begin with the foolish and impulsive trade of Xavier Nady, a competent professional rightfielder, for a 41-year-old middle reliever and a young pitcher with a bum arm. That trade flew under the radar in light of the Yankees' acquisition of Bobby Abreu, and seemed justified to some .because of the loss of Duaner Sanchez in a taxi accident. But the impact of that deal won't be felt until October, when the games become real and the Mets, and their fans, realize Lastings Milledge is a fake. The fans already know it, judging by their reaction to his outfield and plate misadventures Tuesday night against the Padres. It has become clear to the people in the stands that Milledge can't hit anything that is not a straight fastball and that his route to most fly balls is, to put it kindly, circuitous. The other day, I asked Omar Minaya if he would feel comfortable with Milledge in the outfield at Fenway during the World Series. He looked at me for a moment and then laughed. "Not if he's in leftfield," he said. He doesn't do much better in right, either. Endy Chavez is an improvement but still not an everyday player, nor is Ricky Ledee. So right now the Mets, the class of the National League, are planning to head into the playoffs with an outfield cobbled out of part-time players. Then there is the pitching. How many more games is Steve Trachsel going to win while allowing more than five earned runs? Not too many in pitching-dominated October baseball. And how will Willie .Ran.dolph fare when his in-game decisions, which mean little now, mean everything in the playoffs? What about Aaron Heilman, a once-promising pitcher who now seems shaken by his manager's and GM's apparent lack of faith in him? Early in the season, when John Maine and Brian Bannister went down, we were told Heilman was too valuable in the bullpen to return to the starting rotation. In the ultimate show of disrespect, Jose Lima got a couple of starts before the Mets would even consider Heilman. Now, he rarely gets into a game at all, and when he does, he looks lost. Compared to those very real problems, the questions about whom Paul Lo Duca is dating or what he is betting on seem rather silly, don't they?

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/ny-spwally0810,0,7709280.column?coll=ny-top-headlines

[Elster88]

Good to know Milledge is "a fake". We should let Omar know so they can just cut him and not waste time seeing if he develops.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]Endy Chavez is an improvement but still not an everyday player, nor is Ricky Ledee. So right now the Mets, the class of the National League, are planning to head into the playoffs with an outfield cobbled out of part-time players.

been there in 1999 and 2000.

Oh, wait, we didn't have Cliff Floyd then. Or a 50-homer centerfielder.

[Elster88]

I do think this is an amusing article, I just put it here because I don't know where else to put it and it's not worth a thread unto itself.

[url]http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/060810&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab5pos1[/url]

[MFS62]

I don't believe I could beat Diana Taurasi one-on-one.
The others look pretty reasonable, though.

LOL!
Thanks,
Later

[Centerfield]

No word from Bayless.

Boo Skip.

[MFS62]

A Reyes article that also includes an Ed Kranepool sighting.
Later

]Mets smart to keep excitement Mark Hermann, Newsday August 11, 2006 In the old days, there was a saying that went, "Home run hitters drive Cadillacs." The current addendum to that goes something like this: Triples hitters buy big houses. Jose Reyes, master of the triple and sparkplug of the Mets, is planning to buy two of them now that he has a four-year $23.25-million contract extension. He wants to buy one in the Dominican Republic for his mom and wants to buy one for himself in New York. Just don't ask him what school district he prefers or whether he wants a yard big enough to hit a triple in. "I don't want to get too many things in my head," he said, smiling. That's another corollary to that old bromide: Triples hitters smile a lot. At least they do if they're Reyes, who has a lot going for him. Pedro Martinez has said that if he could start all over again, he would be Reyes. David Wright, who got an even bigger contract than Reyes did last week, calls himself Reyes' biggest fan. Mike Cameron of the Padres, who rested during his club's 7-3 loss to the Mets at Shea Stadium yesterday, said this of his former teammate: "He's kind of like Rickey Henderson now. He can do it all." What Reyes did most of all was remind us why the Mets were wise to be in such a rush to keep him. He showed that these Mets are not just good, they are exciting. There is nothing quite like seeing a guy smack the ball to the gap and keep sprinting until he reaches third. Another old baseball chestnut says that the triple is the most thrilling play in the game. Reyes brings that to life better than anyone. The triple he hit in the second inning yesterday, which drove home two runs and put him in position to score a third, was his major league-leading 14th of the season. Manager Willie Randolph is one who still likes the triple above just about any other play. "Especially when you've got a guy like Reyes who's really, really fast," Randolph said. "You can hear the crowd, you can see the momentum building as he's running the bases. "To me, the biggest part of that is very simple. It's running out of the box. You don't see too many triples now in baseball because too many players watch the ball. Jose hits the ball and he's running hard. That's where triples are made." Cameron, who is among the National League leaders with six triples, listed these four qualities that make Reyes so good at it: "Speed, he hits from the left side, speed. And speed." Reyes' real strength, though, is in always seeming like he has just hit a triple. The guy is kinetic and upbeat. He didn't gripe when the Mets had him horribly out of position at second base to accommodate Kaz Matsui. He kept rehabbing when he felt like crying because his legs gave out on him. He didn't go crazy when people were getting on him last season because he never took any walks. So he is not a quintessential leadoff batter - a slap hitter who gets on base any way he can. He is better than that. And he is perfect at what a leadoff man is really supposed to do: get his team revved up and keep it that way. "He changes the momentum of the game," Wright said, "and he can do it in so many different aspects: Defense, offense, the way he runs, the way he smiles and the energy he plays with. That's infectious." For goodness sake, Reyes spent a week in spring training working with Wright on handshakes. "He's excitement. He's the wave of the future," said Ed Kranepool, who stopped on his way to a function to get Reyes' autographs on some baseballs. "He knows who I am. He said, 'You wore No.7, too.' I said, 'I had 18 years here with that number.'" The Mets were smart to make sure to secure Reyes as No.7 on the scorecard and No.1 in the lineup for four more years. He learned a lot about plate discipline and base-stealing this spring from Henderson, who, sad to say, didn't confer his own peculiar gift of gab to Reyes. No problem. It's OK for now that the 23-year-old is boring only when he speaks. "He's one of those players who can change a game in so many ways," Cameron said. "They've got a lot of players like that over there." But someone like Reyes doesn't come in triplicate.

[seawolf17]

Credit to Reyes for knowing Eddie K. Who says players don't know their baseball history?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Kranepool is making a shrewd move. He deals memorablia now. He also made good money handling other peeps' money. If he still does that, he might want to handle some of Reyes'.

[Elster88]

seawolf17 wrote: Credit to Reyes for knowing Eddie K. Who says players don't know their baseball history?

I was going to say that.

[metirish]

Joe Gergen from Newsday gives a great recount of the 86 season

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spsunspec0813,0,5073000.story?page=1&coll=ny-sports-mezz

[Elster88]

Mushnick's the guy who hates M&MD right? Looks like he doesn't get along a few different radio peeps.

]JOHN Sterling, "The Voice of the New York Yankees," is not merely a self-promoting clown, he's a dishonest self-promoting clown.

[url=http://www.nypost.com/sports/another_sterling_effort_from_john_sports_phil_mushnick.htm]Link[/url]

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Mushnick can't be the only guy who hates Mike and the Mad Dog.