1. Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira are now among those playing for second in the AL MVP race. Joe Mauer pretty much ended all discussion about who is first. The only question that could conceivably be raised about his candidacy was if he was producing the best numbers in the AL for a contender or not. Well, the Twins go into a desperation three-game series at home against Detroit tonight trailing by four games, and Mauer is by far the biggest reason they are even that close.
He not only has an incredible season that has helped keep a team with dubious starting pitching afloat. But the Twins will enter this series on a four-game winning streak. What did Mauer do in those four games? He went 10-for-13 (that is a nifty .769 batting average) with three walks, no strikeouts, a homer and five RBIs. He also did that with his cleanup protection, Justin Morneau, now out for the season.
It is very possible that we are watching the greatest hitting catcher ever in his prime.
2. Johnny Damon has gone 14 games (12 starts) and 54 at-bats without a homer. He last had an extra-base hit (a double) on Sept. 2. His last stolen base was on Aug. 27, and he has just that one steal in his last 22 games (20 starts). In September he is hitting .224 with a .245 on-base percentage.
Damon has been a vital player this season. His homer bat a blessing. He embraced hitting second, which was one key in the flip-flop with Derek Jeter atop the order working so well.
But Damon turns 36 in November and is about to become a free agent. This is not when you want to slump and give the hint to future employers, notably the Yankees, that maybe age is catching up to you. Damon badly wants to come back to the Yankees. And for the right deal (probably for one year, maybe one year with an option), the Yanks probably would take Damon back.
I continue to believe the Yankees will not make a big play for an outfielder such as Jason Bay or Matt Holliday because they do not want to add another long-term, expensive contract to their payroll. I also have a hunch — and it is only a hunch — that the Yanks want to keep left field open for a year from now when Carl Crawford could be a free agent. So I can imagine them bringing back Damon and having Austin Jackson at the ready at Triple-A in case Damon’s age catches up with him in 2010.
But it probably would help Damon’s chances of sticking around if he can find the re-ignition switch.
3. Forgive a momentary veering into football. I have hounded my friends for years with my theory about the coin toss, and I figured you are all my new friends, so …
Anyway, I think every time you win the toss, you should kickoff not receive. I actually have about 6-7 reasons why you should do this. But there are two big ones that I will share with you:
1) By deferring to accept the second-half kickoff, you open the only possibility of giving yourself a chance to have the ball twice in a row: to close the first half and to open the second half. The value of that, to me, is great. This gives you, for example, the chance to keep the opposing offense from playing for around a half hour, which could really mess with rhythm and continuity. It also gives you the only chance to score on consecutive drives without a turnover.
2) But the biggest reason to defer is that it assures you the ball at a time when you know the rules of engagement. If you are behind you can play with urgency. If you are ahead, especially by more than a touchdown, you can begin to try to shorten the game and play field position.
