Rain, Rain, Go Away, But the Yankees Still Have to Play!

I got stuck in yesterday's near-monsoon driving home last night, and heard the rain pounding against the windows when I got home, so I assumed that the Yankees would not play Tuesday night. Silly me. They did play the Orioles Tuesday night -- and Wednesday morning -- with a game that started past my bedtime (after 11 p.m.) and went on past 2 a.m. And according to the clips I saw, it rained pretty much the entire time. Good grief.

It was MLB, not the Yankees, who insisted that the game be played last night. Bud Selig reportedly ordered that the game be played, no matter what. Ridiculous. At least the Yanks are giving those with ticket stubs the opportunity to attend another game. But geez, that game never should have been played in the first place.

Since I was snoozing when the game started, I missed seeing the Francisco Cervelli home run controversy (it involves hands, but not his hands this time!) Big League Stew has the details.

Anyhow, hopefully the Yanks will be able to get today's game in without another huge rain delay. Rain, rain, go away!

What's the Deal With the Yankees and Bugs?

My jaw dropped when I heard that a moth flew into Phil Hughes' eye when he was trying to make a critical pitch in last night's game. What's the deal with young Yankee pitchers and insects? First Joba and the midges; now Hughes with the moths! Good grief.

I don't think Hughes should lose his spot in the rotation, thought -- A.J. Burnett ought to have that honor, even though Hughes' overall ERA this year is higher. Hughes, at times, has shown something ever since returning from the DL. All Burnett has shown as of late is the ability to give Yankee fans agita.

Speaking of which, The Michael Kay Show was giving me agita yesterday, with the twisted logic about how it was okay for David Ortiz to flip his bat when hitting a homer, but Francisco Cervelli -- aka the Yankee Clapper -- was committing the crime of the century by clapping his hands. Um, which unwritten rule is this, again? Ridiculous.

The other thing that bugged me was that Kay painted anybody defending Cervelli as being pro-Yankee. But a lot of Red Sox fans, including some of my Sox fan friends, thought John Lackey (who, BTW, has arguably worse numbers than Burnett this year) was out of line, especially since he ended up costing the Sox a run with his hissy fit. Too bad Kay et al couldn't bother to show the other side of the story.

One other thing: Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia suggested that Francisco Cervelli was acting that way because he is Latino. Never mind that Cervelli is also of Italian descent, and that the comment itself is pretty offensive.

Then Salty backtracked, complaining about these kids today acting out. Which is pretty funny, given that Saltalamacchia is all of 26 years old himself. You don't get to complain about these kids today until you're at least 30. It's one of those unwritten rules thingies!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Why Didn't John Sterling Have a Home Run Call Ready for Francisco Cervelli?

The most shocking thing about Sunday's Yankee win wasn't Derek Jeter hitting two home runs, or even Francsico Cervelli hitting a grand slam. It was the fact that John Sterling did not have a personalized home run call for Cervelli ready to go.

Granted, Cervelli only had one home run in his career prior to Sunday. But geez, Sterling had "Russell has muscle" prepared for Russell Martin in only his second game as a Yankee. And Andruw Jones got the "Andruw Jones makes his bones" treatment for the homer he hit in his very first at-bat in pinstripes. Cervelli has been on the team since 2008. Is it too much to expect Sterling to have *something* in the can for him? I think not, especially when there are more than a few options.

Squawker Jon and I were tossing around some ideas for what Sterling could have done. Here are some possible calls. If John Sterling happens to hear about this, he is free to use any of these ideas:

* Frankie 'Velli and the four-bagger!
* It's a San Francisco Treat!
* Francisco Cervelli turns pitchers to jelly!
* Cervelli hits that ball to New Delhi!
* Turn on your telly and watch Cervelli!
* It's the Frisco Kid!
* What's the buzzelli? It's Francisco Cervelli!
* Frankie Goes to Hollywood!
* Francisco hits the disco!
* What the helli? There goes Cervelli!

Or maybe you have some better ideas for home run calls for Cervelli? What do you think?

Why I'm okay with Francisco Cervelli catching for A.J. Burnett

If there were any doubt that A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada aren't exactly BFFs, it's that tonight's Yankee lineup contains Francisco Cervelli instead of Posada.

I was actually going to suggest this idea today. Given the importance of this game to both Burnett and the Yankees, they might as well pair him with the catcher he has the greater comfort level with. Not to mention the catcher better able to handle wild pitches and throwing runners out. Cervelli isn't great at it, but I trust him more than I do Jorge at this point. If Posada were to catch tonight, we'd see double steals and home steals and all sorts of mayhem off A.J.

Besides, Burnett's ERA is better with Frankie. According to the New York Post, here's how the numbers break down:

During the season, Burnett pitched 186 2/3 innings, and his best results overall were with Cervelli, who caught 129 1/3 of the innings as Burnett posted a 4.66 ERA. Posada caught 38 1/3 innings with Burnett, during which the righty posted a 7.28 ERA. Burnett's other 19 innings were with Chad Moeller, who worked with him to a 5.21 ERA. Moeller is not on the ALCS roster.

Yes, I know Posada is a better hitter than Cervelli. But Posada, along with the rest of his teammates with the exception of Robinson Cano, hasn't exactly been hitting up a storm as of late -- he has just two hits in the first three games. Could Cervelli be any worse?

I know some readers don't like the idea of personal catchers, especially considering Burnett isn't exactly the second coming of Greg Maddux. Well, tonight's game is a must-win. Increasing A.J.'s comfort level is necessary at this point for the good of the team.

I did see that Burnett showed up late to the interview room yesterday because he was buying stuff at the Halloween Store. As one of my friends put it, let's hope he'll be wearing the costume of a great pitcher tonight.

What do you think? Tell us about it.

Lance Berkman, Joe Buck, and Yankees give me something to scream about

I'm peeved. I had a meeting to attend last night, and I missed the first hour or so of the Yankees-Red Sox game. "No problemo," I thought, "I'll just put my TV on the game channel before I go, and rewind the first hour." Unfortunately for me, I forgot that the game was on My9, and not the YES Network. So when I came home, the Yankees were losing 4-2, and I didn't get to see the Francisco Cervelli-Javier Vazquez uncaught ball mishap until later. Maybe that's just as well, though.

Then today, my Facebook friend Paul (a Red Sox fan, BTW) posted something on my Facebook wall about Lance Berkman hurting Alex Rodriguez during batting practice. My reaction in front of the computer was similar to "The Scream" picture I posted here!

I found this article on ESPN New York about the mishap, which occurred when Berkman accidentally hit his shin with a batted ball, while Rodriguez was at third base:

In obvious pain, Rodriguez hobbled around on the infield grass for a few seconds before staggering into short center field, where he rolled around on the grass before turning face down.

Some of Rodriguez' teammates, including Derek Jeter, thought at first that he was joking and yelled some light-hearted insults. Then, when it was obvious the injury was serious, Jeter shouted for trainer Gene Monahan, who hurried out to where Rodriguez lay.

Manager Joe Girardi, conversing with a member of the Red Sox behind the batting cage, also set out to minister to Rodriguez, and a small group of Yankees huddled over the stricken player before he arose and walked slowly off the field under his own power.

The clip is even more dramatic. A-Rod looked the way I did when Squawker Jon told me he would not go see "Cats and Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" with me!

To top it all off, FOX broadcaster Joe Buck just revealed that A-Rod got hurt because Rodriguez was saying hello to him. Yet another reason to hate FOX baseball broadcasts!


What do you think? Tell us about it!

Who is the "clutchest" Yankee this year? It's not who you think

Reporters and fans love to debate the question of which player you'd like to see up in a big spot. With the Yankees, most would say Derek Jeter, while others might say Alex Rodriguez or perhaps Mark Teixeira. I have a different answer for which 2010 Yankee I'd most like to see at bat with the game on the line. My choice - at least for this season so far - is Francisco Cervelli!

The young backup catcher is hitting .400 in 20 games this year, and has a .471 OBP and .987 OPS, which is crazy enough. But his numbers with runners in scoring position are through the roof. I told Brian Sinkoff of Albany's Sound-Off With Sinkoff radio show yesterday that it seems that Cervelli does something great every single time he plays. And my perception isn't far off the mark.

Check out Frankie's "clutch" numbers. With runners in scoring position, he hits:
.786 BA  .824  OBP  1.071 Slugging   1.895 OPS

Make it two outs and  runners in scoring position, and the numbers are even better:
.857  BA   .857  OBP 1.000  Slugging 1.857 OPS

If Jonathan Papelbon had pitched to Cervelli, instead of plunking him last night, I have a feeling he might have done something great against the Red Sox. But in a way he did - he scored the winning run!

What do you think? Tell us about it! 

Shine: The story behind Francisco Cervelli's great night

How about that Francisco Cervelli? He's filling in for Jorge Posada pretty nicely, both behind the plate and at the bat, with a little inspiration from a little girl at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Last night Cervelli wore a bracelet with the word "shine" on it, a gift from a sick child named Jane. He received the yellow bracelet yesterday that he received yesterday when he and teammate Ramiro Pena visited sick children in the hospital.

It looks like seeing those kids inspired both players - Cervelli went 3-for-3, including his first MLB triple, and made an epic catch while almost falling into the Yankee dugout. And Pena had two RBI. See some of the game highlights here.

Something like that happened at a game Squawker Jon and I attended last year. Remember the first walkoff against the Twins, when Brett Gardner had an inside-the park homer after visiting a heart transplant patient in the hospital and getting a bracelet from her? That was a heartwarming story, as was what happened last night.

* * *

In other news, hopefully Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera will be ready to go soon. But I'm still blaming SI for them being hurt - that cover jinx got to them, too!

Sad to see that Ernie Harwell died yesterday. He was such a beloved figure in baseball, and brought so much joy to listeners. I admired the Detroit broadcaster's zest for life.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Ahoy! Avast! Aye Aye! Arr! Getting Ready for Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Today Tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays - International Talk Like a Pirate Day! I was going to do my morning Squawk in Piratespeak, but after a whole lot of ahoys, avasts, aye ayes, and arrs, I ran out of steam!
 (Squawker note -Reader mhochman pointed out that Talk Like a Pirate Day is tomorrow, not today. I was so excited about being a pirate, I forgot how to use a calendar!)

At any rate, I'm still excited over Francisco Cervelli's walkoff hit Wednesday. It was really a cool moment.

I was telling Squawker Jon how confident I was that the Yankees would win - instead of worrying that the Jays would somehow pull out a victory in the ninth, I was wondering which Yankee would be the hero. Would Derek Jeter or Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira get their first walkoff hit of the year? Or would it be Brett Gardner or Francisco Cervelli?

Meanwhile, Squawker Jon was watching the Mets be on the other end of a walkoff win. How sad!

In other news, LoHud's Peter Abraham is moving to the Boston Globe to write about the Red Sox there. He will leave a very big void in baseball beat writers blogs.

On a completely different subject, I wrote about the Philly father and daughter foul ball moment for The Faster Times. I thought it was a really sweet clip.
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What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Farewell to Francisco Cervelli - for now, at least

Since Jose Molina was activated before last night's game, Francisco Cervelli was sent to AAA. The catcher, who had never played above AA until this year, made quite the impression with Yankee fans, including this one. I'm very sad to see him get sent down. It was great to have his youthful energy and catching smarts on this team.

Fellow blogger New York Sports Jerk writes:

... the Yankees hate using kids as backups at the Major League level, which is why 33-year-old Cody Ransom is allowed to make error after error without contributing at all with the bat, while Ramiro Pena is down in Scranton for "seasoning."

What the Yankees should be doing is evaluating which players make their 2009 team better.

While at least Molina is a very good backup catcher, Cody Ransom is terrible. Since this is a win-now team, I don't understand why Pena doesn't have the chance to play up here. His contributions to the team are much better than Ransom can provide. Yeah, Pena can play every day in Scranton, but the Yankees are a better team with him than with Ransom. And I'd rather see one of the Yanks' young arms get a chance over Brett Tomko.

Are the Yankees better with Molina or Cervelli? I think the case can be made for either of them. I like Molina, but if the Yanks could use him in a trade, I'd be okay with that. Ransom and Tomko, on the other hand, need to hit the bricks.

* * *

Missed the first half of last night's game - we went out to dinner at Bob'z Ribz on Staten Island. I was excited to see A.J. Burnett continue to pitch well, even when he didn't have his best stuff. How great is it to have a one-two punch of aces like CC Sabathia and Burnett?

Speaking of aces, hope Alfredo ACEves pitches like one today!

More on the Jorge Posada game-calling story, and my thoughts on the Nationals series

The story on whether Yankee pitchers pitch better without Jorge Posada behind the plate is gaining momentum.

Tyler Kepner wrote an article in today's New York Times about it, noting that the Yankee pitchers' ERA when Posada is catching 6.31, while the combined ERA of Kevin Cash, Francisco Cervelli, and Jose Molina is 3.81. If you take out Chien-Ming Wang's horrendous starts, Posada's CERA is still 5.47. That's still very significant.

Tyner asked Brian Cashman about the numbers:

“Jorge is obviously that rare combination of being a catcher and an offensive player,” Cashman said Monday. “Cervelli and Molina are more one-sided, to the defensive side. I can’t really say why there’s a difference. It could be sample size. It could be that the other guys are just better defensive players.”

Squawker reader The Emperor noted that John Flaherty talked about the situation on Brandon Tierney's ESPN radio show today. So I listened to the podcast.

While the Yankee broadcaster seemed to think the controversy was overblown and "unfair," he also said Posada calls the game based on "what he would look for as a hitter," rather than basing it "exactly on scouting reports." Michael Kay also said similar things in his radio show.

If that is indeed the case, no wonder the Red Sox have the Yankees' number. They don't need to do any scouting on pitchers; all they have to do is just figure out what Jorge would be looking for!

Flaherty suggested a meeting with the pitchers and Posada to work out any issues they might have. Good idea.

Squawker friend J-Boogie of Baseball and the Boogie Down broke down the numbers of the Yankee catchers, and came to the conclusion that Cervelli should get more playing time. Here are two very interesting statistics he noted:

Won/Loss Record With Each Catcher
Jorge Posada: 15-11 (.577)
Jose Molina: 5-8 (.385)
Kevin Cash: 5-2 (.714)
Francisco Cervelli: 11-6 (.647)

Won/Loss Record on Which Pitcher Got Win
Jorge Posada: 9-10 rotation/6-1 bullpen
Jose Molina: 3-3 rotation/2-5 bullpen
Kevin Cash: 3-2 rotation/2-0 bullpen
Francisco Cervelli: 7-1 rotation/4-5 bullpen

J-Boogie uses more numbers and data to make his case here.

Posada will be catching CC Sabathia tonight. If CC has a bad game, I would expect this story to gain even more momentum.

* * *

One other note - I am not as confident as some other Yankee fans that the Bombers will kill the Washington Nationals this week. Yes, the Nats are the worst team in baseball. But they have three pitchers the Yankees don't know, and they have a bunch of guys, like Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman, who could very well hit an awful lot of homers in the new Yankee Stadium.

Besides, three years ago, I went down to Washington, D.C. for the Saturday and Sunday Nationals/Yankees games, only to see the Nationals have two walkoff wins in a row against the Yanks! (Squawker reader Uncle Mike was also at the series!)

So, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Yanks lose a game or two (or, heaven forbid, three!) to the Nationals. Well, they probably won't lose three. But two isn't out of the realm of possibility.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Is Jorge Posada falling out of favor with Yankee pitchers?

The Yankees had a tremendous day at the bat, scoring 15 runs off Johan Santana and the Met bullpen. But A.J. Burnett also had one of his best outings of the year. Is it possible that Francisco Cervelli, who caught his game instead of Jorge Posada, had something to do with that?

Burnett did great in the first two innings, shutting them down on 22 pitches. But in the third, Burnett got wild, loading up the bases with nobody out. Cervelli went to the mound to talk to him, and somehow Burnett got out of the jam with no damage, and the Mets never threatened again.

What's interesting to me, aside from the fact that Cervelli seemed to work wonders on Burnett (and the fact that Cervelli got three hits, including two off his countryman Johan Santana), is why he was in the game in the first place. After all, Posada already got a day off on Thursday night, when Cervelli caught C.C. Sabathia.

YES Network reporter Kim Jones wrote about this in her informative blog, Keeping Up With the Jones:

It's no surprise Cervelli is catching A.J., who just doesn't pitch well with Posada behind the plate. (7.48 ERA in four starts with Posada. 3.81 in eight starts with Molina or Cash.)

Burnett had this to say about his first outing with Cervelli behind the plate:

"He's energetic," Burnett said. "He has a lot of fun. He has conviction in every pitch he puts down. To be on the same page like we were for the first time ever, that's impressive on his part."

Posada has had his rifts with pitchers in the past - Randy Johnson didn't like to throw to him, and Orlando Hernandez fought with Jorge. But is Jorge Posada falling out of favor with currentYankee pitchers?

Consider these items:

• Joba Chamberlain and Posada openly argued on the mound during Friday night's game
  
• Relief pitcher Alfredo Aceves shook off Posada three times during Saturday's game
• Posada has only caught C.C. Sabathia one of three times since the catcher came off the DL
• Burnett's Red Sox start with Posada catching him was his worst of the year; his start with Cervelli was one of his best
• The Yankees' two best-pitched games this week had Cervelli behind the plate
• Posada's CERA (Catcher's Earned Run Average) for 2009 is 6.31, while Cervelli's is 4.11, Kevin Cash's is 4.86, and Jose Molina's is 3.98
• Cervelli managed to coach the best start (which isn't saying much!) out of Chien-Ming Wang this year, where the pitcher "only" gave up 5 runs in 4.2 innings

It's going to be very interesting to see what happens in the near future, if Cervelli - or the soon-to-return Jose Molina - ends up catching more, and Posada less. Especially if Cervelli continues to hit well.

Of course, the Yanks need to get both Posada and Matsui in the lineup. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Posada spending more time at DH this year and the next.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Is it time for Jorge Posada to take off his catcher's mask?

Jorge Posada will be 38 this summer. By the time Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench were 38, Yogi was in his last season, and Johnny Bench was retired. And Joe Girardi, Posada's predecessor, was off the Yankees for five years, and in his last season.

While Posada has been very outspoken about how he wants to be the Yankees No. 1 catcher, is it time for him to do more DHing and less catching? One New York sports columnist seems to think so.

New York Post columnist Joel Sherman suggested in a column earlier this week that "there is no coincidence that the best Yankee run of 2009 has come with others catching." He expanded on his column's thoughts in his blog yesterday, writing that he believes "the Yanks have to think seriously about making Posada more a full-time DH and having him catch less." Sherman also noted:

Pitchers do not generally enjoy pitching to him for a variety of reasons, including his inadequacy at framing pitches and his sketchy game calling.

In his column, Sherman explained why pitchers complained about Posada:

Now, I have long been a huge supporter of Posada the catcher, including defending him in his own clubhouse. Over the years, I have heard plenty of off-the-record snipes from pitchers who did not particularly like Posada's game-calling intellect or the lack of soft hands and finesse that enables a catcher to frame pitches well and steal strikes.

I would listen to the complaints and then offer one of the following responses: 1) You hate him all the way up to the three-run homer he hits to bail your sorry butt out. 2) Yeah, he's terrible. That dynasty must have been in spite of him.

Yes, I admit it, I like Posada for both his skill and his passion.

Hmm, whatever happened to that "no cheering in the pressbox" adage? Yes, I get that a columnist is different from a beat writer, but why the heck was Sherman getting into arguments with Yankee pitchers over the merits of Posada, and why is it only now that we're hearing about such arguments? Put down your Posada pom-poms, Joel!

Besides, Sherman's "count the rings" dynasty rejoinder is misleading, given that Joe Girardi was the No. 1 catcher in 1996, and caught 78 games in 1998, and 65 games in 1999.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to seeing Jorge Posada's bat back in the lineup. Seeing him as catcher again? Not so much. I'm concerned he's going to get hurt again, and I also like seeing a Yankee team where the catcher can actually throw somebody out once in a while.

Francisco Cervelli has been terrific in Posada's place. The kid has been impressive behind the plate, making smart plays, calling good games, throwing baserunners out, and framing the ball well. And he's hitting well, too, getting 12 hits in 40 at bats. While I don't expect Cervelli to continue his hot hitting, his catching skills are something that should only get even better over time. I hope he gets to stay with the Yanks, even after Jose Molina's eventual return.

Kevin Cash hasn't been hitting well, but he's also been a decent backup catcher. Loved how he tried to settle down A.J. Burnett by going to the mound - and not saying anything!

Anyhow, it will be interesting to see if the Yankees starting pitching continues its good run under Posada. Let's hope it does.

What do you think about Jorge Posada? Leave us a comment.

The curious case of Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez's first pitch, 3-run homer last night was my favorite moment of the season so far. And it reminded me what a show he can put on - this time, in a good way.

Obviously, A-Rod is one of baseball's most-talked about personalities. Of course, saying that is like opining that water is wet. But what's unique about A-Rod is that his detractors go so far, they make you feel sorry for somebody who makes more in one game than most of us will in a year.

A-Rod compared the way he's feeling now with what he did in his 2007 MVP season, and it's with good reason. In 2006, he was so unfairly treated with the relentless booing, and his manager infamously batting him eighth, that many fans thought it was overkill. I think A-Rod had a "I'll show them" chip on his shoulder for the entire nextseason, which worked to great advantage.

But right after the 2007 season ended, when his reputation was at an all-time high, he really managed to tick off fans time after time. Between opting out, deciding that Madonna was his soulmate, going through the motions during last season, leaving the All-Star game early, and kissing himself in the mirror, he just wasn't very likeable.

It's funny how this season seems to have improved his rep so far, even though it started with so many negative things about him. First Joe Torre's book revealed that players called him A-Fraud, then Selena Roberts proved that he used steroids, then it was announced that Alex had A-Hip problem. Some NYC tabloid columnists even thought the Yanks should release him.

But a funny thing happened on the way to burning him at the stake - his detractors went too far. As inept as his confession was, he still admitted to more than anybody else caught in baseball ever has. And there's only so much you can pummel a guy - even somebody who is such an easy target as Rodriguez - before fans start to feel sorry for him.

Maybe it was hearing that Yankee teammates revealed to Selena Roberts that they called him B*tch T*ts. Or perhaps it was him being exorciated for tipping "only" 15% at Hooters. Or maybe it was the fact that contrary to Joe Torre's book, where another anonymous teammate said that losing A-Rod wouldn't really hurt the team, the Yanks have been struggling this season. But whatever the reason, the fans were thrilled to see A-Rod back.

Anyhow, Alex's return provided a huge lift for this team. And CC Sabathia, caught by rookie Francisco Cervelli, also excelled last night. Finally, CC pitched like the ace the Yanks were expecting him to. Loved seeing him roar at the end. And the young catcher also had an impressive game. Good times!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!