We have waxed poetic about Mariano Rivera for days now. I don’t think there is anything else left to say about his impact on the Yankees and the game of baseball. We all know he is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, but what about the entrance music that has become famous […]
Goose Gossage was on the air with Evan Roberts of WFAN yesterday from Six Flags Great Adventure. They talked about the greatness of Mariano Rivera, but you could tell that Goose had his doubts that Rivera could sustain his current length of dominance if he had to do multiple inning saves. From 1977 to 1985 Gossage […]
Over the weekend I mused about whether there needs to be a better way to evaluate the effectiveness of closers. Marty Noble suggested a point system, while Tom Tango of “Inside the Book” pointed me to a piece of his that used Leverage Index to weigh performance. Yesterday, NYBD reader Birtelcom recommended Baseball Reference’s WPA […]
I suspect it will be virtually impossible to be a closer in New York for a generation at least. The culprit is Mariano Rivera, of course, and his seemingly endless run of perfection. As a result, the mere mortals that try to hold down the same job across town seem like poor custodians of late […]
Last night Kevin Burkhardt interviewed Indians Hall of Famer Bob Feller during the ballgame. Feller is known to tell it like it is and tout his accomplishments, however I had to do a double take when he claimed he threw a pitch at 107.9 mph back in the mid forties. It got me thinking what […]
I did the all decade team a little different. Instead of compiling the “best at each position”, I put a player who I felt had the “best individual” season on the team. This includes starting lineup, pinch hitting performance, bullpen, and manager. Here it goes, give me your thoughts. The Mets All Decade Team (2000 […]
While Mets fans complain about Alex Cora (a move I am indifferent about), Chris Coste (not something I care about), and Henry Blanco (a move I like) they may have missed some of the moves the competition made this week. The Braves replaced Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano with Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito. The […]
Well, we’re beginning to see how the Billy Wagner Saga is playing out. Less than two months after the Mets traded Wagner to the Boston Red Sox, Wagner is now talking about retiring. “Why wouldn’t I? I’ve got nothing else to (accomplish),” Wagner told the New York Post. Of course, it is Billy Wagner’s prerogative […]
Mike Puma of the NY Post reports that former Mets pitcher Billy Wagner told the paper yesterday he’s planning to retire rather than pursue a closer’s job. Many wanted the Mets to keep Wagner so they could acquire the two draft picks that his Type A status would bring. Perhaps the Mets knew of Wagner’s […]
Small sample size? Mets fans saw a shaky Billy Wagner during the 2006 playoffs. Going into this afternoon’s contest Wagner had a 9.28 career playoff ERA and a WHIP of 1.8. I realize Jonathan Papelbon was responsible for the inherited runners, and the loss, but Wagner was asked to get three outs in the eighth […]
Bart Hubbuch of the NY Post reports that the Mets and Red Sox made the Billy Wagner trade official by sending Chris Carter to New York. If you remember, the other PTBNL was GCL 1B Eddie Lora. Carter was added to the 40 man roster which brings the total to 38. Carter, 26, hit .294 […]
Let’s have some fun. I was way off in my preseason prediction (Tampa over Yanks in AL East, Mets win NL East), but it’s the playoffs and, just like all eight teams remaining, I have a second life. Here is how things should transpire: NLDS Colorado vs. Philadelphia The Rocks have the second best home […]
via MLBTR The Boston Red Sox have designated Chris Carter for assignment, according to a press release. The 27-year-old outfielder played in 13 games for the Red Sox in 2008 and 2009, and was hitless in five plate appearances this season. The New York Yankees claimed him off waivers a month ago in an attempt […]
It would have been a perfect weekend for Boston to show the Yankees that August was an aberration. That was when they lost 6 of 7 to the Bombers, including being swept in all four games at Yankee Stadium. Apparently nothing has changed as the last two games look eerily similar to the four game […]
- Billy Wagner is no longer using “Enter Sandman” for his entrance music in an effort to unify the Red Sox bullpen. - The situation at Yankee Stadium yesterday put a bow on the terrible performance this season by MLB umpires. Frank Russo mentioned to me that each home plate umpire is now part of […]
