Yanks vs. Phils: The Tale of the Tape.
October 27, 2009
You're a discerning baseball fan. You're an intelligent baseball fan. You can seamlessly work 'WAR' and 'wOBA' and 'FIP' into a barroom/restroom debate and impress the pants off of whomever you're talking to. You're ready to get your last fix of baseball before the long, cold winter of rampant speculation -- followed, of course, by the spring of irrational exuberance -- but, you're wondering: How do the Yankees and Phillies stack up against each other ... in matters beyond the box score?
You're in the right place, friend. After the jump: Yanks vs. Phils: The Tale of the Tape. (Note: we're required by federal law to note that this breakdown is for entertainment purposes only. However, should you choose to use this information in a friendly, handshake wager with an acquaintance: God help you.)
THE MASCOTS: WHAT'S A YANKEE? WHAT'S A PHILLIE?
YANKEES: Depends where you're living. If you're in the South, it's a person who lived in the Union during the War of Northern Aggression. (Er, Civil War. Sorry.) If you're in Europe, it's all of us across the pond in the States. If you're in Boston, it's an [CENSORED] with a [CENSORED] [CENSORED] who loves to [CENSORED] his [CENSORED] with a [CENSORED] like a typical [CENSORED] [CENSORED] and sometimes invites his [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] to join in, when he's not [CENSORED] [CENSORED] to pictures of Derek Jeter. [CENSORED].
PHILLIES: It's just an abbreviation of "Philadelphia." Lay-zee. I'm glad that trend didn't catch on; I wouldn't want to follow the Milwaukee Walkies. (Or Milwaukee Millies.) Though it would be fun to make fun of the Minnesota Minnies. (Side note to our friends in Minneapolis: send me a note next April from your open-air stadium. Give me an update on Joe Mauer's frostbite. I'm sure the sight of icicles forming on his sideburns will be stunning.)
ADVANTAGE: Yankees.
UNDERRATED PLAYER:
YANKEES: To the extent that any Yankee can be underrated (and, at this point, I feel like I know more about Phil Coke (favorite band: Genesis, but when Peter Gabriel was in the group, not when Phil Collins took over the vocals and they started churning out crap like I Can't Dance) and Phil Hughes (favorite movie: A Walk In The Clouds) than I do about members of my immediate family), I guess it'd be Nick Swisher. Did you know he put together a 3.7 WAR year? (Yes, TheJay, I know you did. I'm talking about the non-cyborg members of BCB.)
PHILLIES: Chase Utley. Yeah, I know, he gets plenty of pub, but I've seen people (cough Jon Heyman cough) voting Ryan Howard ahead of Utley in the MVP voting. This, in a word, is insane. (Don’t believe me? Talk to Jordan. I believe he’s prepared a multi-volume treatise on this topic, in case you’re looking for bedtime reading.) .282/.397/.509 from a second baseman with plus defense? Yes, please. Where do I sign up?
ADVANTAGE: Phils.
NUMBER OF "TRUE YANKEES" ON THE TEAM:
YANKEES: Four. (Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera. That's it. The rest of yous can't hold a candle to Scott Brosius and Chad Curtis.)
PHILLIES: None.
ADVANTAGE: Yanks.
TREASURED TEAM RELIC:
YANKEES: They've got a whole monument park. Pick anything out there behind the left field wall.
PHILLIES: Jamie Moyer.
ADVANTAGE: Phils.
PLAYER WHO MOST RESEMBLES A WWE SUPERSTAR:
YANKEES: This is tough. I'll be honest: I really just wanted to talk about the Phillies on this one. The best I could come up with is CC and the WWE's Mark Henry:
via z.about.com via www.criticalbench.com
PHILLIES: Jayson Werth. I'll bet you a two-liter that he's moonlighting as the WWE's Edge.
via www3.allaroundphilly.com via www.poptower.com
Eerie, ain't it?
(Wait, hold on: I've got another Werth picture for you:
AWESOME. Kinda looks like Matt Damon in The Informant (sans mustache, of course), doesn't it? Jeyson Werth is like Hannibal on The A Team.)
BIG ADVANTAGE: Phils.
POLITICIAN/STATESMAN WHO LOVED THE LADIES:
YANKEES: Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.
PHILLIES: Founding Father Benjamin Franklin (though rumors of his demise due to syphilis are, reportedly, greatly exaggerated).
ADVANTAGE: Phils.
And, most importantly:
BREWERS CONNECTION:
YANKEES: Besides CC, there's Melky Cabrera. He was almost a Brewer this season, although (legend has it) we would have had to take on the bloated corpse of Kei Igawa to complete the deal. (And, speaking of Igawa, here's a question I've been mulling for the past 12 seconds: if the Brewers had traded for Igawa, they probably wouldn't have signed Braden Looper, and we would've been spared the historically awful season Looper put together. [Cue Mykenk.] HOW-EVAH, Igawa only went 10-8 with a 4.15 ERA in AAA this year, and made $4 million, plus the $8 million he's owed for 2010 and 2011 Which option is preferable -- or, to be more accurate, slightly less painful?
PHILLIES: With World Series hero Geoff Jenkins put out to stud, the best I can come up with is former Brewer Matt Stairs. That's still pretty good, I think. I love Matt Stairs. Tell me you wouldn't drink Labatt Blue with Matt Stairs. He'd drink you under the table, for sure, and you might wake up listening to Bryan Adams and watching "The Stanley Cup: 100 Years of Glory," but still: I'd party with Matt Stairs. If nothing else, maybe you could get enough Labatt in him that he'd say this again.
(Oh, wait. There is another connection: Davey Lopes. Ugh. Now I have to think about the Davey Lopes Era again. That was a fun time, wasn't it? That reminds me: remember, towards the end of the season, when Macha had that quote about his door always being open, and that the players could come talk to him whenever they wanted to -- with the strong implication being that the players weren't coming to talk to him, and that Macha wasn't going out of his way to talk to them, either? You know who else was famous for not talking to his players? Davey Lopes. Ugh, again.)
ADVANTAGE: Push (though I don't think it's out of the question to root for CC in this series).
So, there you have it. Final breakdown: Yankees 2, Phillies 4 (with one tie), and it's not even that close. Go Phillies!
Fielder, Gallardo earn writers’ honors
October 27, 2009The Brewers announced their postseason award winners Tuesday as voted on by members of the Milwaukee Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Tuesday’s Frosty Mug
October 27, 2009Some things to read while having a new reason to hate Ft. Wayne.
The Brewers cleared a spot on their 40-man roster yesterday, but not in the way they had planned: The Astros claimed Jason Bourgeois off waivers when the Brewers tried to outright him to AAA (FanShot). Bourgeois hit .189/.250/.270 in 40 plate appearances as a Brewer, and .316/.354/.410 with 36 steals in 454 PAs for Nashville. Astros GM Ed Wade said he liked Bourgeois' versatility and expects him to compete for a spot in the outfield next spring.
With the World Series nearly ready to open, the Brewers are getting closer to decision time on Felipe Lopez. Baseball Reflections rated him as the top potential free agent second baseman this offseason.
It also wouldn't surprise me to discover they're working on a deal involving J.J. Hardy. Baseball Intellect took a look at Hardy's mechanics in an attempt to identify issues that came up last season, but found no notable changes. He expects Hardy to have a big bounce back season with a fresh start next spring.
We spent most of yesterday discussing Trevor Hoffman in the comments of yesterday's Mug. Today, we have more on Hoffman, as Miller Park Drunk has a post straddling the fence on the issue.
Up for more MVP talk? Quevedo at the Buffet has Prince Fielder second and Ryan Braun ninth on their MVP ballot.
In the minors and winter leagues:
- Project Prospect ranked Brett Lawrie as the third best second base prospect in all of baseball. That's pretty high praise for a guy who's only spent a few weeks above Low-A.
- Not only did Adam Heether hit in the minors this season, he's also spending the offseason in Venezuela showing off his grit: Plunk Everyone notes that Heether is tied for the VWL lead with 5 HBP.
- The AFL's Peoria Javelinas picked up a 2-1 victory last night, moving into a tie for first place in the Western Division, with 20 games to play. You can read more about last night's game in today's Fall/Winter League Update.
- Rick Peterson was at the MLB Network Studios in New Jersey yesterday doing some taping for 3P Sports, his side venture. I guess I assumed some of that work would get back-burnered once Peterson was officially a Brewer.
- Trevor Hoffman attended a U2 concert at the Rose Bowl with Rob Dibble.
- Ryan Braun continues to work on his new restaurant. Adam McCalvy has more details on the plans for the Lake Geneva launch (scheduled for April), and the possibility of rapid expansion into Madison and/or Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Miller Park Drunk is not high on the idea.
Just a quick reminder, in case you missed it yesterday: Brew Crew Ball is looking to add a weekend editor. Here are the details on what we're looking for. I'm hoping to wrap up the search within the next few days, so if you're interested, be sure to let me know.
Just one transaction note to pass along today:
Pirates: Pitcher Tyler Yates rejected an outright assignment to the minors and will become a free agent.
I've already announced my World Series allegiance: I'll be casually rooting for the Phillies if I happen to be in a place where the game's on, but I also doubt I'll stay up late enough to catch the end of most of the games. Tyler Maas of Bugs & Cranks also makes a half-hearted argument for supporting the Phillies. Amazin' Avenue will be cheering for the team that doesn't have Shane Victorino, and MetsGrrl reminds us that we're not legally obligated to pick a side. We'll have more on the topic later today.
Meanwhile, an unexpected prospect is making himself the early story of the Arizona Fall League. Grant Desme, a center fielder in the A's organization who just finished his first full professional season and has never played above High-A, has eight home runs in his first ten games, and is on pace to break the AFL record set by Angels prospect Brandon Wood in 2005. Desme has been the AFL's Player of the Week in each of the league's first two weeks.
Once the AFL is over, are you ready for the AWL? This is the first I'd heard of it, but apparently the Arizona Winter League is a showcase for independent players looking to latch on with a team before spring training. Players will report to their teams on January 24. In perhaps the most confusing part, the league has Arizona in its name but has four teams in a Canadian division. Baseball in Canada in January doesn't strike me as a good idea.
Happy birthday to two long time Brewers born on the same day: 1982 AL Cy Young Award winner Pete Vuckovich and four time 12-game winner Bill Travers. Both turn 57 today.
Oh, and today is a Woot-off day.
Drink up.
Fall/Winter League Update for 10/27/2009
October 27, 2009In Arizona: Lorenzo Cain, Jonathan Lucroy and Taylor Green combined to go 0-for-10 as the Javelinas won a rare AFL pitcher's duel, 2-1 over Surprise. Zach Braddock was the only Peoria pitcher to allow a run, giving up two hits and two walks in one inning, striking out two.
In the Dominican Republic: On Sunday, Sam Narron allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks in four innings, but the bats picked him up and Cibao beat Oriente anyway, 13-5. Erick Almonte went 2-for-5 with a double, scored a run and drove one in. Juan Sandoval pitched .1 innings for Oriente, and allowed two runs (one earned) on a hit.
Cain, Lucroy, Green in the lineup in the AFL tonight.
October 26, 2009Cain, Lucroy, Green in the lineup in the AFL tonight.
Cain is starting in center field and batting leadoff, Lucroy is batting sixth and catching, and Green is batting eighth and playing third base for the Javelinas, who take on Surprise at 8:35.
The link above will take you to MLB.com's Gameday coverage of tonight's game.
Braun puts name on Wisconsin eatery
October 26, 2009Add restaurateur to the list of Brewers slugger Ryan Braun's off-the-field endeavors.
Brewers make Minor League moves
October 26, 2009The Houston Astros claimed Milwaukee outfielder Jason Bourgeois on waivers, the Brewers said Monday. The Brewers also announced outfielder Adam Stern and right-handed pitcher Mike Burns have signed Minor League contracts for 2010.
Bourgeois claimed off waivers by Houston, Burns, Stern agree to minor league deals
October 26, 2009Bourgeois claimed off waivers by Houston, Burns, Stern agree to minor league deals
Apparently the Brewers tried to pass Bourgeois (a Houston native) through waivers to outright him back to the minors, and he got claimed.
Meanwhile, Mike Burns gets little more than an extreme outside shot at making the rotation next spring, and Adam Stern, who spent most of 2009 in AA and will be 30 before spring training, remains on board as roster filler in an organization that needs warm bodies to play center field.
Help Wanted: Weekend Editor
October 26, 2009Make no mistake about it: I've loved my time here as part of BCB. The site is growing, the comments section is frequently a fun place to hang out and I've made some great friends here. With that said, I do have some other commitments and I occasionally need to leave the house without the site going dark until I get back. That's (possibly) where you come in.
I'm looking to recruit someone to manage the site on weekends when I'm away. Based on my experience, I'd say the job will probably take somewhere between 2 and 4 hours each weekend, with duties including:
- Producing one weekend roundup news post. Ideally it would be Mug-style post, but I'm willing to be flexible on that. I'm more than happy to share the tools I use for the Mug, if you're worried about where you'd find links.
- FanShotting breaking news and/or promoting FanShots to the front page. This doesn't usually take long. Check the major sources a few times a day to make sure we're not missing anything, and if we are, fix the issue.
- Comment moderation. This issue doesn't come up very often, but occasionally someone crosses the line, a debate in the comments gets ugly or a troll/spammer stops by and someone needs to step in to keep things from getting out of hand.
- Posting Game Threads/Event threads. These can be as quick and easy or as involved as you want them to be, and can be scheduled in advance, so they're pretty easy.
The ideal candidate would be able to work many/most weekends. I can still handle some weekends if you need one off for whatever reason, but if you're only going to be able to do this once a month or less, you're probably not an ideal candidate.
This position is unpaid (sorry), but writing for this site can be a pretty unique opportunity if you make it one. Over 800,000 people have stopped by since the first of the year, and even during the offseason the site averages roughly 2000 readers per day, and has around 1600 followers on Twitter. You probably won't ever take home a paycheck here, but it's a good place to get your work out there and get recognized.
If you're interested, send me an email with your qualifications and/or a writing sample at FFGKyle[at]gmail.com. The next step from there will depend on the quality/quantity of applicants: there may be some kind of tryout process, I might just pick someone, or I might pick a bunch of someones.
Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!
KL
Monday’s Frosty Mug
October 26, 2009Some things to read while the tables are turned.
View From Bernie's Chalet has the transcript of a recent chat with Keith Law over at ESPN where he touched on several Brewer-related topics, but the most notable was probably Trevor Hoffman. He thinks the Brewers made a mistake bringing Hoffman back at the price they're paying, and that it will handicap their efforts to improve the team elsewhere.
Admittedly, $8 million is a lot to pay a reliever, but it's possible there's a perception benefit from having an elite closer. When the Brewers announced the Hoffman signing, Doug Melvin suggested free agent pitchers may be more likely to sign with a club with an established closer. I have no idea if it's true, but I suppose it's possible. And if Hoffman pitches a full, effective season as a Brewer and notches his 600th save, it's possible he'll pay for himself in publicity and marketing.
Elsewhere on the pitching front, rumors continue to swirl around the possibility that the Brewers could have interest in Mark Mulder. Mulder probably can't be depended upon for significant innings, but bringing a pitcher of his caliber into the fold on a cheap deal to see what he can do is almost always a good idea.
Mulder, of course, pitched under Rick Peterson in Oakland. Mets Merized recently conducted an interview with Peterson, and has audio clips of some of Peterson's thoughts on developing prospects and pitch counts. (h/t Rob Neyer)
Although unlikely, it's still possible Peterson could spend 2010 helping Ben Sheets return to form. Sheets, who had his high school number retired this weekend, is throwing off flat ground and expects to pitch in the majors next season. Jorge Says No! wonders what he'll get on the open market.
If Jeff Suppan was on the market this offseason, he likely wouldn't command much at all. Suppan was the winner of Brew City Sports' Hendy Award, which will look great on his mantle next to a photocopy of the $12.5 million paycheck he'll take home next season.
Hopefully this will be the only career parallel between Suppan and Ryan Braun: Braun is opening a restaurant in Lake Geneva. Braun is also giving away autographed baseballs to the first 100 fans to spend at least $150 on Remetee clothing at Solis in Las Vegas. If you stop by in January, there might still be some left.
We won't know the actual results until sometime after the World Series, but Baseball Digest Daily had Prince Fielder third in their balloting for NL MVP, and Braun fifth.
The JS has a note on Jonathan Lucroy's early performance in the AFL, which has been pretty impressive. He's only racked up 19 at bats, though, so it's probably a little early to get too excited. Tom H. also mentions "poor starts" from both Lorenzo Cain and Taylor Green. Both are hitting under .250 but have OBPs of .364 and .400, respectively (in 50 combined ABs). We have more on all three prospects and the rest of the Brewer winter leaguers in today's Fall/Winter League Update.
Around baseball:
Cubs: Removed utilityman Bobby Scales from their 40-man roster.
Indians: Hired Manny Acta as their new manager.
Mets: Removed catcher Robinson Cancel, shortstops Wilson Valdez and Argenis Reyes and pitcher Carlos Muniz from their 40-man roster.
Padres: Are expected to name former Red Sox Assistant GM Jed Hoyer as their new GM.
After two searches and interviews involving over a dozen candidates, the Indians and Astros both settled on Acta as the best candidate to manage their teams next season. The Indians, however, were willing to offer a three-year deal with an option for a fourth, and the Astros were only willing to offer two years. Houston is reportedly considering Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills and former Astros and Brewers manager Phil Garner.
So, the World Series matchup is set. I guess I'll be rooting for the Phillies out of sheer anti-Yankee bias and some form of vague NL pride. Rob Neyer notes that it'd be nice if the games started earlier, so they won't drag on past midnight, but that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, the new Yankee Stadium didn't even make it through its first season without some structural concerns: cracks in pedestrian ramps have already started to appear. The concrete was poured by a local firm that had previously been banned from doing city work because of suspected ties to organized crime.
The ALCS wasn't actually decided until late last night, but apparently the result was already known, as MLB.com started selling AL Champion Yankees gear well before the final out was recorded. This has drawn a lot of backlash but maybe we're looking at it the wrong way: Maybe MLB should start selling World Series gear for every team in Spring Training.
The Florida Winter Baseball League opens play this week with teams in four cities, composed mainly of low-level minor leaguers. I haven't checked the rosters for Brewers yet, but a successful, competitive winter league based in Florida could be a huge development for American minor leaguers who want to play winter ball but either don't speak Spanish or simply don't want to spend the winter in Latin America.
If you'd like to read more about life in the Arizona Fall League but your attention span is really short, then you're the perfect candidate to follow Scottsdale Scorpions Clubhouse Manager Chad Chiffin on Twitter.
While some minor leaguers head off to winter ball, one major leaguer will spend the offseason in Washington: Pirates pitcher Ross Ohlendorf is spending the offseason on an internship with the Department of Agriculture.
Last week I mentioned the continuing debate on John Lannan, who has posted effective ERAs for two seasons without many of the peripheral stats one would expect from a successful pitcher. Nick Steiner of The Hardball Times has Part 2 of his look at Lannan, looking primarily at pitch sequencing. Steiner concludes that luck is the most likely option.
I'm going to be late for Gorman's vet appointment if I don't wrap this up asap, so here's what I have left:
- Minor leaguer Shawn Haviland on the importance of throwing two of the first three pitches for strikes.
- Recondite Baseball on hitters who hit .300 but had short careers anyway.
Also, a posthumous happy birthday to Gus Polidor, who would have turned 48 today.
That's all I've got for you today, unless you want to see a Jose Valentin autograph or win one from Miguel Tejada.
And if you'd like to win something autographed by Seth McClung, don't forget to enter the Bring Back Seth McClung contest.
Drink up.