1. Yes, I see the e-mails to my account and the postings on the blog, and I know Yankee many fans want movement away from the A-Rod/steroid story and toward “baseball.” Again, I will stress this: The A-Rod story is a baseball story. Now major league baseball wants to have a sitdown with Rodriguez and the identity of his cousin has been revealed. This story is going to continue to swarm around Rodriguez, which means it will continue to swarm around the team trying to play, you know, baseball. The more holes that are found in A-Rod’s statements the more legs this story is going to have and that is why it has been so important for Rodriguez to either say nothing or – if he opens his mouth – to have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth come out of it. Because every times he misleads, convolutes or outright lies, he makes those that have been defending him in the organization look more foolish and, thus, less likely to keep shielding him. That threatens to tear at the fabric of the clubhouse and over the course of a long season that has a detrimental impact on a roster.
But the bigger “baseball” question is what if A-Rod can’t handle this? Because we have seen Barry Bonds from a distance, and Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi up close continue to perform at a high level after revelations and/or admittance of steroid use, I think we all just assume, yeah, A-Rod has problems but he will still go 40-120 and his on-field production will stay the same.
However, Rodriguez has been known to over-think matters and place extra burdens on himself. What is his breaking point on this humiliating episode? What if all of a sudden he goes all Knoblauch on us and can’t throw the ball to first base with accuracy? What if he takes it into the batter’s box and his production plummets?
This is the Yankees’ everyday cleanup hitter and third baseman. And not just for 2009. He is signed for nine more years. What if Joe Girardi has to drop him in the order permanently like Joe Torre did for Game 4 of the 2006 Division Series? What if like Torre used to have to do with Knoblauch by playing Luis Sojo late that Girardi decides he has to use Cody Ransom for late-game defense in place of A-Rod?
It is, obviously, the worst-case scenario. But the other day GM Brian Cashman likened A-Rod to Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera as far as a player who is in spring on an injury rehab, just instead of a physical injury Rodriguez is trying to mend his reputation and psyche. I said to Cashman that in discussing Posada and Rivera he has been ultra-cautious and acted as if it cannot be treated as a sure thing that either will be ready to help the team, at least at the outset of 2009. I asked if he felt the same way about Rodriguez and the Yankee GM said yes.
Also, for the record, I would rather be writing about the center field battle or what Joba Chamberlain’s role should be or other “baseball” matters, but you know I answer to a boss, as well.
2. Joe Girardi got it right when he announced that Mark Teixeira will bat third in the Yankee lineup in front of A-Rod rather than vice versa. Having a patient switch-hitter behind speedy on-base men such as Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter, and in front of a run-producer such as A-Rod is ideal. Teixeira has hit in the No. 3 and 4 spots near equally in his career, but he actually has produced better as a No. 3 man, batting .311 with a .394 on-base percentage and a .573 slugging percentage compared to .278/.378/.523 in the cleanup spot.
3. I encourage readers to help me with this because I certainly have it wrong, but I decided to play a game to see how C.C. Sabathia starts the season opener in Baltimore on April 6 (obvious choice) and Andy Pettitte starts the new Yankee Stadium opener on April 16 vs. Cleveland (gut choice based on his seniority).
Again, I could be wrong about this, but I think the only way to do this without giving any of the starters way too much time off to begin the season is to have Pettitte pitch as the fifth starter on April 11 at Kansas City. But if Joe Girardi does that it would mean he would have his two lefties (Sabathia/Pettitte) then going back-to-back at least three times against Kansas City, Cleveland and Oakland before an April 23 off-day affords the chance to change that.
OK, let’s throw one either piece into the puzzle: You would probably want to have Chien-Ming Wang avoid pitching at Fenway, where he has historically had problems, during an April 24-26 series against Boston. Obviously, rainouts can change anything, but the only way to have Wang stay basically in line while avoiding Fenway would be for him to start that April 11-16 combo, which makes him the home opener starter.
Therefore, it is possible that Girardi can simply have Pettitte start the April 3 exhibition game vs. the Cubs that will be the first game played at the new Stadium and that will be the way he pays respects to Pettitte without having to do extreme juggling of the rotation.
However, I like doing puzzles, but it doesn’t mean I have figured this one out. If anyone else would like to post a way to do this I would be curious to see it.
