The Baseball Thread 2007

[BERIGAN]

Fausto Carmona beats Johan Santana for the second time this season--this time a 4 hit complete game shutout. Only 6 flyouts (17 groundouts, 4 K's). Pitch count was high (121), but what're ya gonna do with only a two run lead and Joe Borowski in the pen? Looks like Fausto is not headed back to Buffalo anytime soon--Jeremy Sowers will get that ticket when Jake Westbrook returns in 3-5 weeks.

They showed all those blown saves from last year on Baseball tonight, man I felt sorry for him! Glad he has been able to turn it around so completly!

[BERIGAN]

Dan, is your team ever lucky!(And the last thing your team needs is luck!) Braves have been beaten up by the Nationals 3 out of 4 games, and hard throwing leftie Mike Gonzalez was throwing 83 MPH fastballs the other day, and is on the DL now. Redman has been activated, so get ready for BP of the highest order. Also, if I understand correctly, you are going to have 2 rookies starting? What you may consider bad news, is the very best news for you. Braves SUCK everytime they face some pitcher they have never seen. Honestly, at least against Schilling, and Beckett we'd have some slight chance of success.

We have kept Saltalamacchia on the roster, but sounds like he won't be DH'ing (Or catching)and showing off for teams that might want to trade for him. Instead, singles hitter Matt Diaz (With 5 RBI's!!!!) and sore handed McCann will keep catching....

Ok Red Sox nation, let me know if you think Cox has lost it, after you see the decisions he makes, or doesn't make during the series. A lot of fans have felt this way, starting last year, and carrying over thru this one. Clearly, players love him, would run thru walls for him, but.....he never rests guys,(Andruw Jones, and Francoeur) pitches relievers way too much,and keeps Andruw batting clean-up even during the worst year of his career.

It's not just that though. Like last year, even when things are going well, there are decisions that just make you wonder. He was abusing Wickman before he was on the DL, he was on pace to pitch in 80+ games. Cox doesn't seem to understand that he is hefty, 38 years old, and hadn't pitched more than 74 innings since 1999. After being perfect thru most of April, he was brought in during the 9th inning against the Marlins with the bases loaded, and NO OUTS! "Wicky" as you know, doesn't have a blazing fastball, but will get you a lot of saves if used properly. But no, instead of bringing in Rafael Soriano throwing 97 to 100, Cox brought in Wickman. It was a disaster. Braves lose. 2 days later Bobby used him in Colorado where his pitches were not breaking, and got slammed. He more or less pulled himself out of the game to keep us from losing. Smart move by a guy who knew he didn't have it. Cox brought him back after one day off again against Colorado, same thing, knocked out of the game, braves lose.

A couple other times he left a starter in too long(Sound familiar?) and the braves lost. I will boldly predict if the Braves have a lead, Cox will go with him in the 9th instead of Soriano, and the Sox will pound him, and his confidence will be weaker than ever, and it never should have been shaken, if he had been used properly by a very veteran manager.

If we lose the division or wildcard, it will clearly be Bobby Cox's fault. Everyone knows that a manager will make a mistake or two throughout the season, but this has happened so often so early this year, it just makes you wonder. Perhaps it explains why the braves have only one WS to show for going to the playoffs year after year.....

by the way, I was halfway thru this when I had to stop. Got back to it a few hours later, that's why it's so stinkin' long!

Edited May 18, 2007 by BERIGAN

[Chalupa]

Bill Conlin | DEAR OLD DUDS

All-time lineup of losers as Phils head toward tragic number (10,000 losses)

THE PHILLIES' fan-stirring domination of the first-place Brewers this week has slowed the historic march toward 10,000 franchise losses. The magic "L" has ticked down to 9,977, just 23 defeats from the inevitable obelisk of oblivion.

Their 20-21 record leaves Manuel's Maulers one game under .500 for the season and 1,193 total games under the international symbol of mediocrity. Putting that numbing number in sharper focus, to reach an all-time break-even point, the Phillies would have to go 162-0 for seven straight seasons and jet to a 59-0 start the following year.

To pay homage to this daunting deficit, a salute to an All-Time Worst Phillies Team seems appropriate. After all, the franchise's All-Time All-Stars have been elected, selected and honored. Now, it's time for the Philadelphia National League Baseball Club's All-Time No-Stars to assume their place in the rain as the special 10K moment hurtles at us.

My hourglass will start with the 1943 Phillies of the Carpenter Family, creating a target-rich 63-year untalent pool and eliminating 60 years of mostly dreadful baseball and some of the worst athletes to ever wear major league flannels.

The Hefty bag, please:

Catcher

John Bateman (1972): A tough call here. For some unexplained reason, catching has been a Phillies strength since World War II: Andy Seminick. Stan Lopata. Smokey Burgess. Clay Dalrymple. Bob Boone. Bo Diaz. Ozzie Virgil Jr. Darren Daulton. Mike Lieberthal. The Phillies traded Tim McCarver to Montreal for Bateman on June 14, 1972. General manager Paul Owens had no idea that Bateman had so many outstanding warrants from his time in Montreal, he couldn't return to Canada. South of the border, Bateman set the kind of target Steve Carlton preferred. Bateman caught the majority of Carlton's 27 victories for that wretched team, batting .222 in 252 ABs. Larry Bowa thoughtfully appointed Bateman captain of his baseball All-Ugly Team with the comment, "John's face looks like somebody set fire to it and put it out with a track shoe."

First Base

Dick Stuart (1965): After the 1964 debacle, Gene Mauch made two big offseason moves. He traded for lefty lothario Bo Belinsky and power-hitting first baseman Stuart - Dr. Strangeglove. Dick didn't dishonor his famous nickname. In 143 games, Stuart hit 28 homers and drove in 95 runs. But he made an appalling 17 errors and was slower on the bases than Third World mail. Add his thriving clubhouse-law practice and you know why the Phils traded him to the Mets before the 1966 season for three utility types. The Mets released him.

Second Base

Pancho Herrera (1958, '60-'61): OK, Mauch's mad experiment to make the very large first baseman a middle infielder lasted just 17 games. Pancho made only one error and helped turn 11 doubleplays, but he had the range of the Great Pyramid. While planning the move in spring training, Mauch ordered trainer Joe Liscio to put Pancho on a diet. Joe gave him a month's supply of Metrecal, the popular diet drink of the day. Liscio was shocked to discover that Pancho had gained more than 10 pounds. Mauch asked why. "I do what I am told," Pancho shrugged. "I drink the Metrecal before each meal." And? "Then I eat the meal."

Shortstop

Juan Bell (1992-93): Jim Fregosi's 1993 Opening Day shortstop took "Good field, no hit" down a level to "Bad field, no hit." Juan made nine errors in 24 games for a .909 percentage and hit .200 in 65 ABs. He was replaced by Kim Batiste, who was replaced by Kevin Stocker. Juan was the younger brother of George Bell, a future American League MVP lost by the Phils in the Rule 5 draft to Pat Gillick and the Blue Jays.

Third Base

Charley "Dingo" Smith (1961): Mauch saw a little of himself in Smith, an intense infielder whose nickname paid homage to the wild dogs of the Australian Outback. Third base is the other position where the Phillies have been historically strong: Willie Jones. Rich Allen. Don Money. Mike Schmidt. Dave Hollins. Scott Rolen. Dingo, acquired from the Dodgers, was a rope bridge between Jones and Allen. His 22 errors in 94 games at third left him with a .924 fielding percentage. He hit .248.

Leftfield

Jeff Stone (1983-87): This came down to two Stones - Jeff and Ron "Palm Tree" Stone. Both played all three outfield positions. Jeff wins on quotability. He was an intriguing young man out of the Ozarks - the mountains, not Danny - who ran like a Level 5 tornado was chasing him. He stole 123 bases one season in Class A. But he had the baseball instincts of a manhole cover and threw like the Venus d'Milo. Jeff called the location of the leg miseries that plagued him, "my groan." When a waitress asked if he wanted a shrimp cocktail, he replied, "No, thanks, I don't drink." Watching a full moon rising over the beach at Waikiki, he asked a minor league teammate, "Is that the same moon I see in Missouri?"

Centerfield

Ricky Otero (1996-97): Selected in the 65th round of the 1989 draft by the Blue Jays, didn't sign, then was selected by the Mets on the 45th round in 1990 - Little Ricky must have grown a half inch. "I caught a lot of heat over him," Jim Fregosi says. At 5-5, it was suggested he should shout, "Lucy, I'm home," when he scored and should wear a whip-mast pennant on his hat when in the field so the catcher could see him over the mound. Somehow, the guy managed to get 562 ABs over two seasons here.

Rightfield

Roger Freed (1971-72): The Phils were giddy when they were able to get the 1970 minor league player of the year from Baltimore for lefty reliever Grant Jackson and throw-ins. Roger turned out to be a good guy with a slider-speed bat, lead cleats and an unmatched gullibility. One sample: Dick Selma: "Where's Roger?" Barry Lersch (laughing): "He's in the sauna." Selma: "What's so funny about that?" Lersch (Laughing hysterically): "Roger's in the sauna and he's eating fried chicken."

Righthanded Starter

Buford Billy Champion (1969-72): Carrot-topped organization-signed pitcher who typified the atrocious Phillies staffs of the Bob Skinner, Frank Lucchesi teams. The pleasant North Carolinian's numbers speak for themselves: 52 starts, 12-31 record, 175 walks and 185 strikeouts. Buford Billy eventually went into scouting.

Lefthanded Starter

Kyle Abbott (1992, 1995): The 6-4, 200-pound lefthander was the ninth pick in the 1989 draft by the Angels. Abbott achieved instant local fame when general manager Lee Thomas acquired him and outfielder Ruben Amaro Jr. from the Angels in December 1991 for - drum roll, please - Von Hayes. We soon forgot about old 5-4-1. In 19 starts, the former Long Beach State star was 1-14 with a 5.13 ERA. Oft-injured Kyle was released after spending the 1993 season at Scranton, re-signed in 1994 and granted free agency after pitching just 28 1/3 innings of 1995 relief. He worked just four innings for the Angels in '96.

Reliever

Dick Selma (1970-73): The poster boy for how to burn out a great arm. The flaky, compulsively needling righthander was just 5-11 and didn't weigh more than 160 pounds, but his fastball rode in the high 90s and he had knee-buckling breaking pitches. And Selma hungered for the ball. Manager Frank Lucchesi used that combination to bleed 134 1/3 relief innings out of Dick in 73 hair-on-fire 1970 appearances. Selma struck out 153, allowed just 108 hits, saved 22 games and won eight of 17 decisions. After that, Selma was a sore-armed reliever pitching on guts whose needling became mean-spirited and relentless. Good-guy traveling secretary Eddie Ferenz, a former minor league hockey player, finally dropped him onto a Newark Airport luggage carousel with a right cross worthy of Dave Schultz.

Manager

Ben Chapman (1945-48): An Alabama redneck who was the perfect skipper for a Phillies team dominated by white Southerners - until Jackie Robinson came along, that is. The despicable treatment of Robinson by Chapman and his vitriol-spewing Phillies was an indelible stain on baseball and the nation. Chapman's white supremacists finished 62-92 in 1947. Robinson's Dodgers were 94-60 and won the pennant.

Owner

William D. Cox (1943): Gambling Willie was a slam dunk. After the National League forced out bankrupt owner Jerry Nugent during the winter of 1943, New York lumber playboy Cox fronted a group that bought the club. When Cox fired manager Bucky Harris 94 games into the season, Bucky informed the league that his boss frequently bet on Phillies games. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis investigated, and when the owner admitted betting "only on my own team to win," he banned Cox for life and the Carpenter Era began that autumn. Anybody who would have bet on that team needed institutional care, not punishment. *

[Dan Gould]

Conrad, I surely empathize with you, but with Beckett going on the DL and several critical series coming up, I'll take all the luck we can get starting now. I was impressed with the two rookies that are going (I am assuming its Devern Hansack, who was a lobster fisherman in Nicaragua when they signed him a year ago, and Kason Gabbard, a lefty who figured out in his call up last year that if he throws strikes he can be successful). We still get to face your two aces though, so its not really a good combination even if Atlanta usually stinks against unknown pitchers.

[zen archer]

Conrad, I surely empathize with you, but with Beckett going on the DL and several critical series coming up, I'll take all the luck we can get starting now. I was impressed with the two rookies that are going (I am assuming its Devern Hansack, who was a lobster fisherman in Nicaragua when they signed him a year ago, and Kason Gabbard, a lefty who figured out in his call up last year that if he throws strikes he can be successful). We still get to face your two aces though, so its not really a good combination even if Atlanta usually stinks against unknown pitchers.

28-12 best record in baseball !!!!........i don't know about Hansack saw him pitch against the Blue Jays and he was shaky at best. Maybe that was his first appearance in a big league game ? it was a 9-1 lead and he couldn't throw strikes how hard is it to pitch with a 9-1 lead ?

[Matthew]

Imagine, JD Drew sitting out because he's "injured" -- who would've thought?

[Dan Gould]

Imagine, JD Drew sitting out because he's "injured" -- who would've thought?

Obviously you didn't see what happened, Matthew. He leaped at the wall in right centerfield and drilled the top of the wall with the small of his back. The fact that he stayed in the game four more innings until it "tightened" suggests that he is at least a little tougher than his rep. But make no mistake, this is no "tight hamstring" or "flu symptoms" let-me-take-a-little-time-off. This is an injury that only a gamer gets (anyone see Bobby Abreu crash into a wall recently? I rest my case).

While Red Sox fans wish he hadn't gone a month or so without a decent stretch of hitting, no one at this point is questioning his effort on the field.

Edited May 18, 2007 by Dan Gould

[Dan Gould]

Conrad, I surely empathize with you, but with Beckett going on the DL and several critical series coming up, I'll take all the luck we can get starting now. I was impressed with the two rookies that are going (I am assuming its Devern Hansack, who was a lobster fisherman in Nicaragua when they signed him a year ago, and Kason Gabbard, a lefty who figured out in his call up last year that if he throws strikes he can be successful). We still get to face your two aces though, so its not really a good combination even if Atlanta usually stinks against unknown pitchers.

28-12 best record in baseball !!!!........i don't know about Hansack saw him pitch against the Blue Jays and he was shaky at best. Maybe that was his first appearance in a big league game ? it was a 9-1 lead and he couldn't throw strikes how hard is it to pitch with a 9-1 lead ?

Hansack also had the five inning no-hitter against the O's on the last day of the season last year. Being a starter at Pawtucket, he probably wasn't ready to come in and sit for so many days and then get called in to a blowout.

Anyway, I am glad that they are running Hansack and Gabbard out for the Braves series and keeping Wakefield out a day so he can start the series in the Bronx. At least the Yankees also have two rookies going against the Mets, so the matchups favor us adding to the lead, most likely. But with Beckett on the DL, no question that this is the first bump in the road. Hopefully we won't give them a hand to get back into it. Funny how seemingly any other team with a 9 1/2 game lead playing .700 ball would feel like the race should be over, but since its the Red Sox, and they are the Yankees, nothing can be assured.

It sure would feel great though if we go to the playoffs and the Rocket goes home in October.

[Chalupa]

Yankees hope to have Pavano decision next week

By RONALD BLUM, AP Baseball Writer

May 18, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Yankees hope to announce next week whether Carl Pavano will need surgery.

Pavano hasn't pitched since April 9 and might have a reconstructive elbow operation, which would sideline him for the remainder of this season and most, if not all, of next year.

He has been examined by four doctors -- the Yankees' team physician and three outside specialists.

"We've gotten one of three of the diagnosis's in writing back," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Friday. "He's waiting for us to tell him what we want him to do based on the diagnosis's."

Since the Yankees gave him a $39.95 million, four-year contract before the 2005 season, Pavano is 5-7 in 19 starts, including 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA in two starts this year. He was sidelined from June 27, 2005, until last month by shoulder, back, buttocks, elbow and rib injuries, then began feeling forearm soreness during his second outing, a win at Minnesota on April 9.

[donald byrd 4 EVA]

they should pay pavano what they owe him and cut him. he smells of prior and wood

Edited May 19, 2007 by donald byrd 4 EVA

[donald byrd 4 EVA]

will someone please show up against the red sox? Please? i cant stand the thought of the thought of this ongoing smug fenway lovefest

[Tim McG]

What is going on with Barry Zito?

He was lit up again last night for 6 hits and 7 earned runs....gone by the 4th inning.

[Dan Gould]

What is going on with Barry Zito?

He was lit up again last night for 6 hits and 7 earned runs....gone by the 4th inning.

If your GM had a brain he'd have noticed his declining strikeout rates and slowing fastball and seen that he is in the decline phase, even in the non-DH league. But good luck with him the next seven years.

[Tim McG]

Six years.

And Jason Schmidt is on the DL

[jlhoots]

Brewers in a slump.

[Dan Gould]

Six years.

And Jason Schmidt is on the DL

What the hell would I care about an even older, even deeper into his decline phase pitcher?

Red Sox: 29-13, best record in baseball, largest division lead in baseball.

[BERIGAN]

Bill Conlin | DEAR OLD DUDS

All-time lineup of losers as Phils head toward tragic number (10,000 losses)

Rightfield

Roger Freed (1971-72): The Phils were giddy when they were able to get the 1970 minor league player of the year from Baltimore for lefty reliever Grant Jackson and throw-ins. Roger turned out to be a good guy with a slider-speed bat, lead cleats and an unmatched gullibility. One sample: Dick Selma: "Where's Roger?" Barry Lersch (laughing): "He's in the sauna." Selma: "What's so funny about that?" Lersch (Laughing hysterically): "Roger's in the sauna and he's eating fried chicken."

Oh Man, Roger Freed, is that name ever a blast from the past!!! Any old timey Cards fans remember him? Quincy?

He became a bit of a cult hero back in the late 70's, with his best year being 1977, when in only 83 at bats he hit 5 Homers, drove in 21 and hit .398. This was back when the Cards hit no home runs outside of Ted Simmons.(He hit 21 that year, 4 more than anyone else!) Can you imagine today having a pitch hitter in the NL hit nearly .400 and only getting him 83 AB's??? He died back in 1996 at the age of 49.....

Edited May 20, 2007 by BERIGAN

[sheldonm]

Bill Conlin | DEAR OLD DUDS

All-time lineup of losers as Phils head toward tragic number (10,000 losses)

Rightfield

Roger Freed (1971-72): The Phils were giddy when they were able to get the 1970 minor league player of the year from Baltimore for lefty reliever Grant Jackson and throw-ins. Roger turned out to be a good guy with a slider-speed bat, lead cleats and an unmatched gullibility. One sample: Dick Selma: "Where's Roger?" Barry Lersch (laughing): "He's in the sauna." Selma: "What's so funny about that?" Lersch (Laughing hysterically): "Roger's in the sauna and he's eating fried chicken."

Oh Man, Roger Freed, is that name ever a blast from the past!!! Any old timey Cards fans remember him? Quincy?

He became a bit of a cult hero back in the late 70's, with his best year being 1977, when in only 83 at bats he hit 5 Homers, drove in 21 and hit .398. This was back when the Cards hit no home runs outside of Ted Simmons.(He hit 21 that year, 4 more than anyone else!) Can you imagine today having a pitch hitter in the NL hit nearly .400 and only getting him 83 AB's??? He died back in 1996 at the age of 49.....

...saw him play several times. Been a Cards fan since my sister moved there in 1966. Spent most summers of my childhood in Busch staduim...still see about 20 games a year.

m~

[Dan Gould]

The big question I have to ask my fellow baseball fans:

Does anyone else suspect that Mariano Rivera is either hurt, or else took a sudden and deep tumble into the decline phase of his career this year?

I know he didn't blow the save last night, but right before the home run, when Easley kept fouling pitches off, I suddenly realized - Mo can't get swings and misses anymore. Then came the home run, and only when the octogenarian, Julio Franco stepped in, did Rivera get some swings and misses like old times.

And about that home run. This year: just under 15 innings pitched, 3 home runs. Last year, 79 innings pitched and three home runs. The year before, two home runs.

This is not the Mo that Yankee fans loved and opposing teams feared. This is some impostor. Heaven help the Yanks if he doesn't right the ship, because at the current pace of giving up bombs, he's going to have 10 losses by the end of the season and that would kill any playoff contender.

[Quincy]

Oh Man, Roger Freed, is that name ever a blast from the past!!! Any old timey Cards fans remember him? Quincy?

He became a bit of a cult hero back in the late 70's, with his best year being 1977, when in only 83 at bats he hit 5 Homers, drove in 21 and hit .398. This was back when the Cards hit no home runs outside of Ted Simmons.(He hit 21 that year, 4 more than anyone else!) Can you imagine today having a pitch hitter in the NL hit nearly .400 and only getting him 83 AB's??? He died back in 1996 at the age of 49.....

That was a painful time for 2 reasons.

1) Year one of law & order manager Vern Rapp. He made Hrabosky shave off his Fu Manchu, the source of his strength. Simba had to cut his mane...well maybe that was a good thing.

2) The year before they traded Reggie Smith to the Dodgers for C Joe Ferguson straight up*. The thinking was (I suppose) that Joe would allow Simmons to play 1st and save his knees/extend his career, but it didn't work out that way. Reggie hit 32 HR for the Dodgers in '77, which means he probably could have hit at least 25 in Busch. 25 HR at Busch in '77 would almost feel like 40 HR today. Instead the Cards played Jose's brother Hector Cruz and Tony Scott. Oof! I actually defected to the Cubs over the Smith trade and Rapp's anti-hair leadership (I was a fan of Stabler's Raiders, so I didn't take to Rapp's clean cut hang up.)

What I remember about most about Freed was how color announcer (and former 3b) Mike Shannon would talk when he'd come up. Shannon's main contribution when paired with Jay Randolph during the Brock years was to bet Jay "an ice-cold case of Busch beer" that Lou would take off on the next pitch. He did so in a deep gravelly voice which would slur as the game progressed. With Freed's season I remember him bringing up names like Dusty Rhodes & Smokey Burgess when he'd come up, who then I'd go Google...errrrr, I mean look up in my Baseball Encyclopedia.

*Edited to note I was wrong about the trade being even up. The Cards also got Bob Detherage, who hit .308 & slugged .500 lifetime. That lifetime was 26 AB for the Royals in 1980. Minor leaguer Fred Tisdale also was part of the deal, and in the minors he stayed. Detherage & Ferguson were shipped the following year to the Astros for Larry Dierker & Jerry Da Vanon. Jerry was cut in May after going 0 for 8 and poor Larry Dierker left his arm in Houston. Whole lotta nothin' for Reggie Smith, who played on 3 Dodger pennant winning teams.

Edited May 21, 2007 by Quincy

[Quincy]

The big question I have to ask my fellow baseball fans:

Does anyone else suspect that Mariano Rivera is either hurt, or else took a sudden and deep tumble into the decline phase of his career this year?

He could be hurt, but I wonder if it's just the nature of throwing the cutter. He may have lost the feel for the pitch, at least in April. If you're off just a touch on the pressure exerted by one of the fingers you lose movement, and that pitch is all about movement. As he's always been a fastball and cutter (I think he throws 2 different kinds) with nothing else maybe hitters are finally guessing better.

The sample size is so freakin' small, but his May numbers are reasonably good. 2.57 ERA, WHIP of 1 in all of 7 innings. Yes, 2 HR in a month is a lot more than in the past, but he is 37 years old, and his past seasons were so lights out there's no way he could keep that up forever. As for yesterday's home run it's possible he may have been pitching freer with a 5 run lead. Better to allow a solo shot than walk a guy, or so says "the book."

So my wishy-washer answer yes, decline phase and perhaps more, or perhaps not. I think the thing to watch for is how left-handed hitters do against him. When relievers decline usually the platoon-favored side (from the hitter's perspective) starts beating the crap against the pitcher. Remember when Jeff (sorry to bring him up Beri) Reardon became a mess? Hitters were hitting well over .300 against him in those final years. Same thing happened to Eck, at least at the end in Oakland & 1st year in STL. After saying this I should note that lifetime right handed hitters hit better than left vs. Mario so maybe my "what to watch for" should be flushed down the tidy bowl!

Say, did anybody find last Saturday's Yankee's game to be deja vu all over again? Just 3 weeks earlier they had a pitcher break a leg on a lined shot back to the mound very early in the game. This time in the 1st the rookie breaks a hand on a lined shot. Even stranger is how I can't remember the starter's names, such has been the mess of the starting rotation this year.

[Tim McG]

I think I've figured out Bochy's strategy for the Giants this season: Lose two, then win one.

Perfect.

[Dan Gould]

The big question I have to ask my fellow baseball fans:

Does anyone else suspect that Mariano Rivera is either hurt, or else took a sudden and deep tumble into the decline phase of his career this year?

I think the thing to watch for is how left-handed hitters do against him.

Well, that cutter has always been most effective against lefties throughout his career, breaking bats almost at will in his prime, but right now, here are his stats against them:

WHIP: 1.80

SLG: .433

BAA: .387

That's 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings, and its very much UN-Mariano like.

[donald byrd 4 EVA]

peavy cy young watch: 6 Innings, 1 ER, Win???

[Soulstation1]

how many games out do the yankess need before torre to gets the boot??

i'll go with 18-19