ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike were talking yesterday about people with weird eating habits. For example, when Mel Kiper Jr. eats pizza, he takes the cheese off it. So naturally, they had to bring Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay, a notoriously picky eater, into the discussion.
One of my brothers is a picky eater as well. He is a meat and potatoes (and barbecue) kind of guy, and won't eat much of anything else. But he looks like Anthony Bourdain compared to Michael Kay!
We have discussed Kay's limited palate here before. In fact, my most-read Subway Squawkers blog post ever is about Kay's food weirdness. One example from that article: when Kay and his wife Jodi Applegate went on a trip to Italy, they went on a hunt for chicken parmigiana, one of the few foods Kay will eat. (Chicken parm is not an authentic Italian meal; it is an Americanized version of Italian food.) Kay ended up losing weight on the trip, making him pretty much the only person to come home thinner after a trip to Italy. (An aside: my picky eater brother pretty much only ate pizza when he visited Italy!)
But that is just the beginning of Kay's food weirdness. As he told Mike and Mike, Kay has never eaten a condiment, or a banana, or fish, or an egg. (I hate eggs myself -- I find the smell and taste nauseating. But at least I have tried them!) He mostly eats steak and chicken, and will also eat bacon. He has never had a cup of coffee, although he does like the smell.
Kay will not eat salad dressing, or tomatoes, but will eat plain iceberg lettuce. (Boring!) If he eats a caprese salad, we will not eat the tomatoes, so he is basically eating a mozzarella salad. Since he is avoiding carbs, if he eats pizza, he skips the bread, and only eats the cheese, making him a perfect person to hang out with Kiper!
When Mike and Mike asked him why he wouldn't even try these things, he responded: "I've never really tried dog poop, and I know I won't like that." Huh? Not even the same thing at all. Except for eggs. Eggs are awful.
Also, while wife Jodi is a bit of a foodie and likes to try new restaurants, Kay doesn't. However, he does claim he can find food at any eatery, since "every restaurant has steak." First of all, that isn't really true. Second, steak at a diner or at one of those all-you-can eat buffet steakhouses is not exactly the same as steak at Peter Luger or at Smith and Wollensky. Quality counts, too!
After hearing all these food rules, Mike Greenberg dubbed Kay “the Babe Ruth of eating quirkiness.” And that was without even hearing about how Kay won't eat soup. He hates the slurping sound. Kay insisted that he wasn't OCD, though; just "quirky" about food.
Hmmmm. Given Kay's food hangups, I wonder if he is the one behind the lousy food choices at Yankee Stadium. Would make about as much sense as anything else!
Friday, April 10, 2015
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Generation BC: Bartolo Colon aces the opener
The Yankees are supposed to be the old team (first eight players
in yesterday’s lineup were over 30), while the Mets have been rebuilding around young pitching. But it was soon to be 42-year-old Bartolo Colon who justified the Mets' controversial choice to make him the Opening Day starter. Colon allowed three hits and one run in six innings, striking out eight, to lead the Mets over $210 million Max Scherzer and the heavy division favorite Nationals, 3-1.
At least the Mets' bullpen is in much better shape than it was a year ago. Last year, when the Mets lost their closer, they had to turn to Jose Valverde and Kyle Farnsworth.
Speaking of the Mets' revamped bullpen, new Met Jerry Blevins pitched against the Mets in last year's opener and gave up a home run to David Wright.
Yesterday was a great day, but the Mejia situation puts a cloud over it. And if the worst fears are confirmed, the Mets will need to start trying to figure out why, even though TJ surgery is widespread these days, the Mets have far more cases than most other teams.
At least, Squawker Lisa, the Mets were not trotting out an Opening Day starter with a partially torn UCL who admits to reduced velocity. What could possibly go wrong?
In the sixth inning, it looked as if it might be an inauspicious opening day, since Scherzer had a no-hitter going. Imagine how Texas Ranger fans feel today, with Oakland's Sonny Gray taking a no-hitter into the eighth yesterday and winning, 8-0. But the Mets had Colon, and the Nationals had shortstop Ian Desmond making two errors that led to three unearned runs.
Imagine that - a shortstop helps blow the game with two errors and it wasn't Wilmer Flores.
Adding to the age theme, the second-oldest pitcher on the Mets' roster, 37-year-old Buddy Carlyle, got the save. But Carlyle was only pressed into action because Jenrry Mejia was unavailable after feeling tightness in his right elbow. Mejia is getting an MRI today.
Last year, Bobby Parnell blew the save on Opening Day, then was found to need Tommy John surgery and was done for the year. Let's hope losing your closer to TJ on Opening Day is not becoming a new Mets' trend. And considering that Mejia already had the surgery in 2011, the odds of him making a Harvey-like return would not be so good.
Speaking of the Mets' revamped bullpen, new Met Jerry Blevins pitched against the Mets in last year's opener and gave up a home run to David Wright.
Yesterday was a great day, but the Mejia situation puts a cloud over it. And if the worst fears are confirmed, the Mets will need to start trying to figure out why, even though TJ surgery is widespread these days, the Mets have far more cases than most other teams.
At least, Squawker Lisa, the Mets were not trotting out an Opening Day starter with a partially torn UCL who admits to reduced velocity. What could possibly go wrong?
A rant: Why is Yankee Stadium ballpark food so bad, and Citi Field ballpark food so good?
We are now in Year 7 of new ballparks for the Yankees and Mets. The food at Citi Field, which was impressive to begin with -- Shake Shake, Blue Smoke, Catch of the Day, Box Frites, and El Verano Taqueria -- has gotten even better over the years, with new offerings each season. You can eat like a king at Citi Field, even if you are sitting in the cheap seats.
Meanwhile, at Yankee Stadium, they might as well serve soylent green, giving how awful the food choices are. Lobel's, which with its steak sandwich used to have one of the few edible choices in the ballpark, has really gone downhill. I got food poisoning from the sushi stand a few years back, so that's out. Parm is good, but they are hard to find if you don't know where they are. Brother Jimmy's is no Blue Smoke, and Johnny Rockets is no Shake Shack, and both places are known more for their restaurants' atmosphere than their food, anyway. I am not six years old, so the nacho helmet and unlimited popcorn bucket hold no appeal for me.
Of course, if you are in the Yankees' Legends seats, you can eat like a king there, with the unlimited crab legs, shrimp, prime rib, and celebrity chefs. (A telling anecdote: the one time Squawker Jon and I got to sit in the Legends seats, we met guest chef Frank Pellegrino of Rao's and got to eat his great food. Yet Mets fans can now get to eat Rao's food without having to have the fanciest seats in the ballpark -- most seats are eligible to get into the Caesars Club where the stand is.)
New York City is the food capital of the world. Squawker Jon and I have been to many great eateries in the city over the years. I recently even got to meet Red Rooster chef Marcus Samuelsson at the opening of his new rotisserie chicken place, Streetbird. So how is that the Mets can get so many big names in the food world -- Danny Meyer, Drew Nieporent, Josh Capon, Pat LaFreida, Dave Pasternack -- while the Yankees serve up swill like this horrible-looking "Bases Loaded Burger"? This abomination has fried macaroni and cheese on it. How thoroughly disgusting. Not to mention that the sandwich would be too unwieldy and messy to eat, unless they start handing out bibs like they do at lobster joints.
To add insult to injury, in New York City, a place famous for great pizza, the Mets have Two Boots pizza -- a fun choice -- while Yankees have Papa John's stands. Really? In a city with Lombardi's, Roberta's, Denino's, and a gazillion other pizza choices, they get Papa John's? What, Domino's wasn't available?
Meanwhile, Mets fans get delicious-looking items like these Rao's lemon chicken wings. The Mets folks do a great job at continually improving their food and drink choices (you can even get a Patron margarita at Citi Field!), while the Yankees seem content to serve up overpriced garbage and a lame beer selection.
Aside from all the great restauranteurs in New York, there are so many food stand folks making interesting food these days. From Smorgasburg to Eataly to Hudson Eats to Le District to Berg'n to Madison Square Eats to all of the food trucks around, you can eat terrific food choices in the city made at food stands. You really would have to try to deliberately find bad food outlets to come up with the swill at Yankee Stadium.
Every time I write on this subject, people tell me I should bring in my own food to Yankee games. But why should I have to? Why can't the powers that be at Yankee Stadium get some decent food stands so that the masses, and not just the rich people, can have the choices that Mets fans do?
A recent development sums up the contempt that Randy Levine et al have for us typical Yankee fans. There is now an app for your phone at Yankee Stadium, where you can order food to be delivered to your seat, a feature the Legends seats have had for years. But the app reportedly doesn't deliver food to the 400 level seats (the upper deck "cheap seats.") Figures.
Meanwhile, at Yankee Stadium, they might as well serve soylent green, giving how awful the food choices are. Lobel's, which with its steak sandwich used to have one of the few edible choices in the ballpark, has really gone downhill. I got food poisoning from the sushi stand a few years back, so that's out. Parm is good, but they are hard to find if you don't know where they are. Brother Jimmy's is no Blue Smoke, and Johnny Rockets is no Shake Shack, and both places are known more for their restaurants' atmosphere than their food, anyway. I am not six years old, so the nacho helmet and unlimited popcorn bucket hold no appeal for me.
 |
| Fried macaroni and cheese on a burger? Disgusting. |
New York City is the food capital of the world. Squawker Jon and I have been to many great eateries in the city over the years. I recently even got to meet Red Rooster chef Marcus Samuelsson at the opening of his new rotisserie chicken place, Streetbird. So how is that the Mets can get so many big names in the food world -- Danny Meyer, Drew Nieporent, Josh Capon, Pat LaFreida, Dave Pasternack -- while the Yankees serve up swill like this horrible-looking "Bases Loaded Burger"? This abomination has fried macaroni and cheese on it. How thoroughly disgusting. Not to mention that the sandwich would be too unwieldy and messy to eat, unless they start handing out bibs like they do at lobster joints.
To add insult to injury, in New York City, a place famous for great pizza, the Mets have Two Boots pizza -- a fun choice -- while Yankees have Papa John's stands. Really? In a city with Lombardi's, Roberta's, Denino's, and a gazillion other pizza choices, they get Papa John's? What, Domino's wasn't available?
Meanwhile, Mets fans get delicious-looking items like these Rao's lemon chicken wings. The Mets folks do a great job at continually improving their food and drink choices (you can even get a Patron margarita at Citi Field!), while the Yankees seem content to serve up overpriced garbage and a lame beer selection.
 |
| Rao's lemon chicken wings look much more tasty. |
Aside from all the great restauranteurs in New York, there are so many food stand folks making interesting food these days. From Smorgasburg to Eataly to Hudson Eats to Le District to Berg'n to Madison Square Eats to all of the food trucks around, you can eat terrific food choices in the city made at food stands. You really would have to try to deliberately find bad food outlets to come up with the swill at Yankee Stadium.
Every time I write on this subject, people tell me I should bring in my own food to Yankee games. But why should I have to? Why can't the powers that be at Yankee Stadium get some decent food stands so that the masses, and not just the rich people, can have the choices that Mets fans do?
A recent development sums up the contempt that Randy Levine et al have for us typical Yankee fans. There is now an app for your phone at Yankee Stadium, where you can order food to be delivered to your seat, a feature the Legends seats have had for years. But the app reportedly doesn't deliver food to the 400 level seats (the upper deck "cheap seats.") Figures.
Sympathy for the devil: A-Rod gets cheers,Tanaka melts down, Yankees implode
I was at work yesterday, so I didn't get to see the Yankees' Opening Day in person or on TV. But I did listen to the first half of the game on the radio, and the team didn't exactly impress -- Masahiro Tanaka seemed to be pulling his punches, so to speak, when pitching, and the lineup was flat, as predicted.
Also, I wanted to hear what kind of reception A-Rod received (turns out I correctly predicted that he would get the loudest one, and that it was mostly positive.) But why the radio broadcast didn't play the pre-game intros live, and didn't include Rodriguez's intro for his first time at bat since September 2013, is beyond me. I would have rather actually have heard it live, instead of hearing Suzyn Waldman talk about it! (I did get to hear both intros later.)
And it turns out that A-Rod walked up to Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement" yesterday, specifically to the lyrics, "Allow me to reintroduce myself." (Click here to watch a clip of his intro for his first at-bat.) Cool choice!
After hearing about that, my brother Patrick had his own choice for the walkup theme song: the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil!"! Heh! C'mon, Daily News, I am very disappointed that you guys didn't put that in a post-game headline, especially considering that Cousin Yuri's wife called A-Rod "the devil" in your paper!
Sure, it is only one game. But let's face it. This Yankee squad is not a good team, and it is not going to be a good team this year. To add insult to injury, Squawker Jon's Mets had an impressive Opening Day victory. Oy.
Also, I wanted to hear what kind of reception A-Rod received (turns out I correctly predicted that he would get the loudest one, and that it was mostly positive.) But why the radio broadcast didn't play the pre-game intros live, and didn't include Rodriguez's intro for his first time at bat since September 2013, is beyond me. I would have rather actually have heard it live, instead of hearing Suzyn Waldman talk about it! (I did get to hear both intros later.)
And it turns out that A-Rod walked up to Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement" yesterday, specifically to the lyrics, "Allow me to reintroduce myself." (Click here to watch a clip of his intro for his first at-bat.) Cool choice!
After hearing about that, my brother Patrick had his own choice for the walkup theme song: the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil!"! Heh! C'mon, Daily News, I am very disappointed that you guys didn't put that in a post-game headline, especially considering that Cousin Yuri's wife called A-Rod "the devil" in your paper!
Sure, it is only one game. But let's face it. This Yankee squad is not a good team, and it is not going to be a good team this year. To add insult to injury, Squawker Jon's Mets had an impressive Opening Day victory. Oy.
Monday, April 6, 2015
2015 Yankees: I know it's over (and it never really began) -- also, my theme song choices for A-Rod
Squawker Jon, I am already predicting your Mets to do better than my Yankees. But did you really have to compare CC Sabathia to Bartolo Colon? That was a low blow!
Isn't it interesting that, as my friend Sully notes, neither of the two most-talked about ballplayers in New York this year played one inning last year? Of course, Alex Rodriguez and Matt Harvey missed 2014 for very different reasons, but still.
Anyhow, I have zero expectations that the Yankees will do anything this year. Way too many things would have to happen for them to make even a wild card berth. Unfortunately, this is not going to be a good team, or even an interesting team. And I agree with Pedro Martinez about Masahiro Tanaka -- I don't think he is going to last the year. To quote a Smiths lyric, I know it's over (and it never really began.) And that goes for Tanaka's elbow and for the Yankees' 2015 fortunes.
Oh, and since Brian Cashman didn't even think that anybody from the farm system was capable of being even a utility infielder, there really isn't a rookie position player to get excited about. Ho hum.
The one bit of excitement and anticipation I have about the Yankees' Opening Day is because I am very curious to hear what reaction Alex Rodriguez gets. I think it will be the loudest of all the players, with the combination of cheers and boos. But I think the cheers will be louder than the boos (I think 70/30), at least for the first at bat. (Of course, if he strikes out, the boos will be back.)
There was a pretty interesting story on Vice.com about what type of reaction A-Rod will receive this year. Bleacher Creature Bald Vinny, of all people, said some really positive things about Rodriguez (he used to despise him, and then he met him and changed his mind.) Now he is selling pro-A-Rod shirts and arguing with Yankee fans who don't like Rodriguez (welcome to my world -- at least the latter part!). Vinny said (emphasis added):
And I want Alex to use one of my theme song ideas. He could pick the great Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars song "Uptown Funk" for his walkup music -- specifically, the part that says "Don't believe me, just watch." (Listen to the song here.) I think it would be a great choice. And it actually is plausible that he might choose this.
But I have one other pick that would get people to flip out and lose their minds. He ought to pick Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" -- it is such a catchy, infectious song, isn't it? (An aside -- there is a reason "Saturday Night Live did that skit about adults becoming Taylor Swift fans! Every time I hear "Shake It Off,", I want to dance around the room!) Don't these lyrics work well here for him?
But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music
In my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright."
'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off
Isn't it interesting that, as my friend Sully notes, neither of the two most-talked about ballplayers in New York this year played one inning last year? Of course, Alex Rodriguez and Matt Harvey missed 2014 for very different reasons, but still.
Anyhow, I have zero expectations that the Yankees will do anything this year. Way too many things would have to happen for them to make even a wild card berth. Unfortunately, this is not going to be a good team, or even an interesting team. And I agree with Pedro Martinez about Masahiro Tanaka -- I don't think he is going to last the year. To quote a Smiths lyric, I know it's over (and it never really began.) And that goes for Tanaka's elbow and for the Yankees' 2015 fortunes.
Oh, and since Brian Cashman didn't even think that anybody from the farm system was capable of being even a utility infielder, there really isn't a rookie position player to get excited about. Ho hum.
The one bit of excitement and anticipation I have about the Yankees' Opening Day is because I am very curious to hear what reaction Alex Rodriguez gets. I think it will be the loudest of all the players, with the combination of cheers and boos. But I think the cheers will be louder than the boos (I think 70/30), at least for the first at bat. (Of course, if he strikes out, the boos will be back.)
There was a pretty interesting story on Vice.com about what type of reaction A-Rod will receive this year. Bleacher Creature Bald Vinny, of all people, said some really positive things about Rodriguez (he used to despise him, and then he met him and changed his mind.) Now he is selling pro-A-Rod shirts and arguing with Yankee fans who don't like Rodriguez (welcome to my world -- at least the latter part!). Vinny said (emphasis added):
"A-Rod could've walked away from all of this, stopped having to deal with the Yankee fans who vehemently hate him. He's already made himself the laughing stock. Cooperstown is out of the question. And he's got more money than he could ever spend. He could have disappeared, but he' s coming back to play for pride. He's got passion and wants to prove people wrong. The guy's gonna' be forty-years-old, has two bad hips, and he's busting his ass. I think it's kind of awesome. If Yankee fans can't respect that a little bit... How do you not support a guy like that?"I agree. I want to see A-Rod have a great year. I want to see Willie Mays in the stands cheering Rodriguez on when he breaks the Say Hey Kid's record. (Imagine how much Hal Steinbrenner would squirm over that. Oh, wait, he doesn't actually go to games! Scratch that -- imagine how much Brian Cashman and Randy Levine would squirm!)
And I want Alex to use one of my theme song ideas. He could pick the great Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars song "Uptown Funk" for his walkup music -- specifically, the part that says "Don't believe me, just watch." (Listen to the song here.) I think it would be a great choice. And it actually is plausible that he might choose this.
But I have one other pick that would get people to flip out and lose their minds. He ought to pick Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" -- it is such a catchy, infectious song, isn't it? (An aside -- there is a reason "Saturday Night Live did that skit about adults becoming Taylor Swift fans! Every time I hear "Shake It Off,", I want to dance around the room!) Don't these lyrics work well here for him?
But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music
In my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright."
'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off
Sunday, April 5, 2015
2015 Mets: Time to break some streaks!
Six straight losing seasons. Eight straight years without a postseason. And, as Joel Sherman recently noted, only one season out of the last 23 in which the Mets had a better record than the Yankees - and that year was 2000. Finally, there's actual hope that one or more of these streaks will come to an end.
In 2006, the Mets had the same record as the Yankees - 97-65 - and got further in the postseason. Both teams finished 89-73 in 2008, with both missing the playoffs. So it's a little misleading to say that the Mets have been second fiddle for 23 straight years. But it's been a pretty bad stretch on our side.
In 2015, the stakes are not quite as high as they were in 2006, when the Mets and Yankees tied for the best record in all of baseball. This season, both teams are generally predicted to finish around .500 (I said 84-78 for the Mets), with playoff hopes enhanced by an expanded postseason.
Before spring training, I would have said that the Mets had too many question marks to even think about contending. Now it looks like the biggest question mark, Matt Harvey, could be an exclamation point. But the other question marks remain. Can David Wright and Curtis Granderson rebound? Can Michael Cuddyer stay healthy and at least perform at his Minnesota level? (I remain skeptical that he will come anywhere near his Coors numbers.) Can Lucas Duda hit 30 homers again? Can Travis d'Arnaud fulfill his potential? Can Wilmer Flores succeed at shortstop? Can Jacob deGrom do it again?
If Harvey's fantastic spring carries over into the regular season, the Mets will be a transformed team. But unless some of the other question marks pan out, the transformation will be limited. Despite Harvey's dominance in 2013, the Mets' record after his last game that season on August 24 was just 58-69. It's going to take more than a return to form from Harvey for the Mets to have a successful year.
It's not a coincidence that Subway Squawkers started in 2006 when the Mets and Yankees were on equal footing. Finally, the Mets once again have as much or more hope than Yankees, who are reduced to hoping Masahiro Tanaka doesn't blow out his elbow and may actually need to count on A-Rod in their ancient lineup. Our fat pitcher (Bartolo Colon) is better than yours (CC Sabathia). And we had Carlos Beltran when he was good. But don't worry, Squawker Lisa. At least the Yankees will be retiring some more numbers this year.
Let's Go Mets!
In 2006, the Mets had the same record as the Yankees - 97-65 - and got further in the postseason. Both teams finished 89-73 in 2008, with both missing the playoffs. So it's a little misleading to say that the Mets have been second fiddle for 23 straight years. But it's been a pretty bad stretch on our side.
In 2015, the stakes are not quite as high as they were in 2006, when the Mets and Yankees tied for the best record in all of baseball. This season, both teams are generally predicted to finish around .500 (I said 84-78 for the Mets), with playoff hopes enhanced by an expanded postseason.
Before spring training, I would have said that the Mets had too many question marks to even think about contending. Now it looks like the biggest question mark, Matt Harvey, could be an exclamation point. But the other question marks remain. Can David Wright and Curtis Granderson rebound? Can Michael Cuddyer stay healthy and at least perform at his Minnesota level? (I remain skeptical that he will come anywhere near his Coors numbers.) Can Lucas Duda hit 30 homers again? Can Travis d'Arnaud fulfill his potential? Can Wilmer Flores succeed at shortstop? Can Jacob deGrom do it again?
If Harvey's fantastic spring carries over into the regular season, the Mets will be a transformed team. But unless some of the other question marks pan out, the transformation will be limited. Despite Harvey's dominance in 2013, the Mets' record after his last game that season on August 24 was just 58-69. It's going to take more than a return to form from Harvey for the Mets to have a successful year.
It's not a coincidence that Subway Squawkers started in 2006 when the Mets and Yankees were on equal footing. Finally, the Mets once again have as much or more hope than Yankees, who are reduced to hoping Masahiro Tanaka doesn't blow out his elbow and may actually need to count on A-Rod in their ancient lineup. Our fat pitcher (Bartolo Colon) is better than yours (CC Sabathia). And we had Carlos Beltran when he was good. But don't worry, Squawker Lisa. At least the Yankees will be retiring some more numbers this year.
Let's Go Mets!
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Shocker! David Ortiz blames a New York conspiracy for the leak of his 2003 PED test results
My fact-checking of David Ortiz's puff piece for the Players' Tribune has led to me finding out some other things on David Ortiz that the media hasn't really picked up on. It turns out that he blames New York for revealing his 2003 PED test failure. Let me explain how I discovered this, but it will have to involve some shameless self-promotion first.
Anyhow, my article got some big traction yesterday in the Twittersphere. My piece was retweeted and favorited by writers from the New York Times (including the writer who broke the story about Ortiz being on the PED list), New York Daily News, Boston.com and the Sporting News. Then John O'Connell, Bill Simmons' Yankee fan buddy Jacko, linked to my article this morning and blew up my page views!
So this morning, I went to see what the Boston sportswriters were saying about David Ortiz. I clicked on one of the lead stories on Boston.com, the Boston Globe's all-access website: "David Ortiz Can Craft a Tale, But He Has Trouble Keeping His Facts Straight," by Eric Wilbur. This article also leads the sports page right now, and is the most-read story on the site. And guess what? It extensively mentions me and my article!
Wilbur, like my Red Sox fan friend Paul Francis Sullivan said in his podcast. thinks Ortiz made a big mistake in writing on this PED issue, and explains why. Wilbur talks about me in several places in his article, saying:
And finally, Dan Shaughnessy absolutely eviscerated Ortiz in today's Globe. I had noted in my Squawk that Shaughnessy's actual 2013 interview with Ortiz was very different than how the DH disparagingly described it. So did Shaughnessy. His column is a thing of beauty, with a slew of great points showing why he questioned Ortiz and PED usage, and how he asked Ortiz these questions man to man.
My favorite line was this, though, saying why he thought Ortiz doing that Players' Tribune article was a mistake:
Ha!
The Players' Tribune may have a lot of players as editors and bureau chiefs, but apparently none of them as fact checkers. Maybe "Editor at Large" David Ortiz ought to hire a civilian to check himself.
Anyhow, my article got some big traction yesterday in the Twittersphere. My piece was retweeted and favorited by writers from the New York Times (including the writer who broke the story about Ortiz being on the PED list), New York Daily News, Boston.com and the Sporting News. Then John O'Connell, Bill Simmons' Yankee fan buddy Jacko, linked to my article this morning and blew up my page views!
So this morning, I went to see what the Boston sportswriters were saying about David Ortiz. I clicked on one of the lead stories on Boston.com, the Boston Globe's all-access website: "David Ortiz Can Craft a Tale, But He Has Trouble Keeping His Facts Straight," by Eric Wilbur. This article also leads the sports page right now, and is the most-read story on the site. And guess what? It extensively mentions me and my article!
Wilbur, like my Red Sox fan friend Paul Francis Sullivan said in his podcast. thinks Ortiz made a big mistake in writing on this PED issue, and explains why. Wilbur talks about me in several places in his article, saying:
The New York-based blog, “Subway Squawkers” may have provincial reasons to aim for the target on Ortiz’s back, but Lisa Swan does raise some valid points while fact checking Ortiz latest story.Then Wilbur goes into how I found discrepancies between Ortiz's tale of finding out that he tested positive in 2003, and what really happened. He also talks about how I added up Big Papi's testing numbers, and how they don't add up. He also includes some additional numbers that Ortiz has claimed (emphasis added to show the newest info):
Swan also wonders about Ortiz’s claims about the number of times he’s been tested, which if you believe the player, seems to be at about a rate greater than most Americans cut their fingernails. In his written piece, Ortiz claims that he has been tested "more than 80 times" for PEDs since 2004. He also says he has been tested "ten times a season.” As Swan points out, being tested ten times a season would put him at 110 tests, not 80. Adding a bit more confusion to those figures, Ortiz claimed during a press conference on Aug. 8, 2009 to have passed about 15 drug tests since 2004, when MLB established a comprehensive drug-testing program.
So, he was tested only 15 times over five years, but another 65-95 over the next six?
Ortiz also told WEEI’s Rob Bradford last summer that he’s been tested about 40 times since Major League Baseball approved its testing policy. Based on that claim, he’s been tested at least another 40 times in less than a year if we’re to believe his latest estimation of 80. Where is the disconnect here?Wilbur also links to an interview that Ortiz recently did with Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe, which ran Friday. This interview was also about the PED issue, and it had Ortiz making some rather inflammatory accusations about why his positive test result was revealed in 2003 (emphasis added):
Ortiz suspects he was the victim of a New York-based scheme aimed at diverting attention from doping scandals involving the Yankees.
The New York media had focused intensely at the time on those scandals, the coverage exemplified by a Times book review that appeared several days before the paper broke its story about Ortiz and Ramirez.
Under the headline, “Damn Yankees,’’ the author, Touré, wrote, “Why do Yankee fans still love the Yanks? The team has embarrassed its supporters by leading the league in steroid scandals — thanks, Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez.’’
Ortiz smelled a rat.
“The way [the leak] went down, the only thing I can think of is that it was a setup,’’ he said. “I really think they wanted to do damage to my image so it would be a distraction.’’
Was it the Yankees?
“I don’t know, but it was something based in New York,’’ he said. “That’s all I can tell you.’’Aside from the fact that this is a dopey conspiracy theory (the Giambi story broke in 2004, Pettitte Clemens in 2007, and A-Rod half a season before), Ortiz can't even keep his story straight from what he wrote two days ago in the Players' Tribune. Remember, his (incorrect) story then was that ESPN broke the story. Now it is a New York-based conspiracy (Hohler's Globe article acknowledges, as I pointed out, that it was the New York Times who broke the story.) Which one is it, dude?
And finally, Dan Shaughnessy absolutely eviscerated Ortiz in today's Globe. I had noted in my Squawk that Shaughnessy's actual 2013 interview with Ortiz was very different than how the DH disparagingly described it. So did Shaughnessy. His column is a thing of beauty, with a slew of great points showing why he questioned Ortiz and PED usage, and how he asked Ortiz these questions man to man.
My favorite line was this, though, saying why he thought Ortiz doing that Players' Tribune article was a mistake:
Jeter failed you on this one. A good editor would have discouraged this theme.
Ha!
The Players' Tribune may have a lot of players as editors and bureau chiefs, but apparently none of them as fact checkers. Maybe "Editor at Large" David Ortiz ought to hire a civilian to check himself.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Fact-checking David Ortiz's PED-denial column in the Players' Tribune
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| David Ortiz in his younger, smaller days. |
Ortiz is now an "Editor at Large" for Derek Jeter's Players' Tribune, and has "written" an article denying that he ever used PEDs.
An aside: I kind of find Jeter calling these athletes writing for his site "editors" and "bureau chiefs" a little weird. Players' Tribune contributor Mets pitcher Matt Harvey revealed in New York Magazine that he has business cards from the venture that say "NEW YORK BUREAU CHIEF." Really? Is Matt going to be assigning stories in the locker room, too? Marking up Juan Lagares' copy with a red pencil? Puh-lease.
Look, I make it a point of never saying "we" when it comes to the Yankees, because I ain't playing. So for athletes to be given such lofty titles for their contributions here would be like calling me a right fielder because I got stuck at that position in fifth grade gym glass.
Anyhow, I have a long memory when it comes to David Ortiz's PED denials. Plus, I wrote a lot on the issue back in 2009, when it was revealed that he tested positive in 2003. Anyhow, let's review Ortiz's claims in this article and see if they add up:
Ortiz starts his piece with a dramatic story of American drug testers showing up at his home at 7:30 in the morning in the Dominican Republic with "pee cups and big needles." He claims he has been tested "more than 80 times" for PEDs since 2004, and also says he has been tested "ten times a season" this whole time. His math doesn't add up in multiple ways (10x a year since 2004 is 110 times, not 80) and also because in 2009, he claimed he was tested "15 times" by MLB since 2003.
Incidentally, in the article I referenced above, ESPN claimed that in addition to everyone getting tested during the spring, there are only 350 random urine tests and 140 random blood tests done during each season, which, if those numbers are correct, would only cover a fraction of the 1200 players tested under the system. But we are supposed to believe that only Ortiz had been tested this many times? Really? C'mon now.
He also says, "I have never failed a single one of those tests and I never will." I say, "Neither did Alex Rodriguez and most of the players named in the Biogenesis scandal." (A-Rod reportedly told the feds he passed because he used midstream urine. If that actually works, then these tests are pretty meaningless!)
Ortiz then sez: "Some people still look at me like I’m a cheater because my name was on a list of players who got flagged for PEDs in 2003." (I want to put on my "Bette Davis in 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" voice to say, "But ya are, Blanche!")
Anyhow, after how talking about how much physical pain ballplayers are in (which I'm sure they are, but PEDs aren't painkillers!) Ortiz uses the "GNC" defense on his positive test, saying that in the early 2000s:
"I’m buying an over-the-f***ing-counter supplement in the United States of America. I’m buying this stuff in line next to doctors and lawyers. Now all of a sudden MLB comes out and says there’s some ingredient in GNC pills that have a form of steroid in them. I don’t know anything about it. If you think I’m full of it, go to your kitchen cabinet right now and read the back of a supplement bottle and honestly tell me you know what all of that stuff is. I’m not driving across the border to Mexico buying some shady pills from a drug dealer. I’m in a strip mall across from the Dunkin’ Donuts, bro."However, contrary to his emphasis of buying the supplements in the U.S. at the friendly neighborhood GNC, Ortiz admitted in 2009 to buying some of those supplements in the Dominican Republic, where what is available over the counter is more loosey-goosey, to use an A-Rod-ism, than in the U.S. Ortiz also said then, "I definitely was a little bit careless back in those days when I was buying supplements and vitamins over the counter." Which made no sense -- why would you not pay attention to see what the stuff you took did, if for no other reason than to see if they worked?
He also doesn't mention Angel Presinal, the Dominican-born trainer who worked with both A-Rod and Ortiz, and who was banned from all MLB clubhouses after being linked to PEDs.
One of my truisms in life is that those who are criticized the least overreact the most about it. And this whole piece seems to be a huge overreaction on Ortiz's part to mild criticism. As my friend Sully sez, the only MLB star who has gotten as much of a pass on the PED label than Andy Pettitte is Ortiz. So I don't know why he would bring this up now.
As those of us who have been paying attention in the last few years have noticed, Ortiz can be incredibly thin-skinned and self-absorbed -- a far cry from his lovable image. He whines a lot in this article, complaining about how people don't realize how hard he worked at hitting, griping about others not liking him pimping home runs -- and justifying it because he grew up poor in the Dominican Republic.
He plays up the racial angle about Dan Shaughnessy (the reporter with the red Jheri curls he refers to in the article) questioning him about PEDs in 2013; the actual conversation that they had was significantly different than the way he disparagingly describes it, with Shaughnessy making more concrete points -- that Ortiz has had injuries typical of those using PEDs and had quicker bat speed when getting older -- than he is described as doing.
Then Ortiz claims this is how he found out that he was on that failed test list:
I’ll never forget coming into the clubhouse before a day game against Oakland in 2009 when a reporter came up to me and said, “Hey, you know your name is about to be on a list of steroid users on ESPN?” I literally said, “Ha!” and walked away. God’s honest truth: I thought he was messing with me. About 30 minutes later, I’m getting dressed when I see my face pop up on the TV. I see “Failed Test. 2003.” No one had ever told me I’d failed any test.Except The New York Times, not ESPN, broke the story. And Michael S. Schmidt, the reporter on the case, talked to Ortiz before publishing the article, and Ortiz told him "I'm not talking about that anymore," a curious reaction from somebody who claims to have been blindsided by this news.
Also, Ortiz makes no mention in this article of the fact that the MLB players' union informed all the players who tested positive of this fact in 2004. So he knew about this back then, contrary to this dramatic story above.
At any rate, by doing this article, Ortiz is giving reporters a chance to bring this up all over again. There is already a perception among Yankee fans that A-Rod served his time for breaking the rules, while Ortiz had never been held accountable. This article certainly feeds into that perception. I think Big Papi made a big mistake in writing this.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Read my predictions for the Yankees' 2015 season
I recently had the opportunity to participate in the annual Playing Pepper Yankee bloggers round table. I gave my opinions of what I think is in store for the Yankees this year:
* This, unfortunately, will be the year the team finally has a sub-.500 record. I can't see them winning more than 80 games.
* I also think that this is the year the Mets will have a better record than the Yankees, thus making Squawker Jon very happy!
* The team still doesn't have a consistent plan. Are they win now, or rebuilding for the future?
* That all Alex Rodriguez needs to do is be halfway decent to exceed the very low expectations for him.
Anyhow, you can read my comments here. You can read Jon's Mets interview for this feature here. Thanks to Daniel from C70 at the Bat, part of Cards Conclave for hosting these interviews!
* This, unfortunately, will be the year the team finally has a sub-.500 record. I can't see them winning more than 80 games.
* I also think that this is the year the Mets will have a better record than the Yankees, thus making Squawker Jon very happy!
* The team still doesn't have a consistent plan. Are they win now, or rebuilding for the future?
* That all Alex Rodriguez needs to do is be halfway decent to exceed the very low expectations for him.
Anyhow, you can read my comments here. You can read Jon's Mets interview for this feature here. Thanks to Daniel from C70 at the Bat, part of Cards Conclave for hosting these interviews!
Friday, March 20, 2015
When money trumps talent: Why the Yankees won't bring up Jose Pirela
Spring training is supposed to be a time where baseball farmhands have the opportunity to play their way into the big leagues. But when it comes to the Yankees these days, "Know your place, rook" is the rule. And the place these rookies will be is the minor leagues, instead of with the Yankees. How frustrating, as I noted in this recent column.
Yankee prospect Jose Pirela, after impressing in a September callup, is having a phenomenal spring training. How phenomenal? Wally Matthews of ESPN New York breaks it down:
Bringing back Stephen Drew has never made sense to anybody but the Yankees themselves. We were talking about this on social media yesterday. One theory, which makes about as much sense as anything else, is that Cashman wants to show he didn't get snookered by the Red Sox in the first place in obtaining him. So he brought Drew back, like he did with bringing back Nick Johnson and Javier Vazquez, to show that he somehow made the right decision in getting them in the first place. Cashman keeps on talking about Drew's historically horrible season being an "aberration," instead of realizing what everybody else has -- that Drew wasn't very good in the first place, and he is terrible now!
So because the Yankees are paying a combined $7M for these two players, they will stick with Drew and Ryan, even though they are awful, and even though there is Pirela waiting in the wings.
I know I sound like a negative Nellie here. but exactly who do the Yankees think will be their hitting stars next year? Given that they have the light-hitting Didi Gregorius at shortstop, and so many question marks at other positions, they can't really afford to have two more of the 13 position player spots being manned by people who are completely unable to hit.
The New York Post's Ken Davidoff wrote a completely incoherent column today on the Yankees' lineup, although I am not sure if it is incoherent because of Davidoff's writing or Cashman's plan.
Yankee prospect Jose Pirela, after impressing in a September callup, is having a phenomenal spring training. How phenomenal? Wally Matthews of ESPN New York breaks it down:
Among New York Yankees who have had at least 20 spring training at-bats, one player sits atop the pack in batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.462), slugging average (.652) and OPS (1.114): Jose Pirela. He is hitting more than 200 points higher than Brett Gardner, Stephen Drew and Mark Teixeira. He has more extra-base hits than anyone on the team.You know what else the 25-year-old native Venezuelan player has? Almost no chance to make the team. That is because the Yankees are paying $2 million this year to Brendan Ryan, and a jaw-dropping $5M (plus incentives!) this year to Stephen Drew. So even though Pirela can hit and play multiple positions: second base, third base, and the outfield, he is left out in the cold. Joe Girardi has said as much (emphasis added):
"I don’t want to have to say there’s no chance of him making our roster, but I think [GM] Brian [Cashman] said it, our roster was fairly set,'' Joe Girardi said. "You don’t ever lock yourself in and say this is exactly what it’s going to be, but we came to spring training pretty sure, excluding the second catcher, who the 13 [position players] were going to be. They were kind of signed to do that.''And therein lies the problem. The Yankees have so little faith in their farm system that they won't even use homegrown utility infielders! Signing Ryan for two years (with an option for a third year!) never made any sense to me. (And please, spare me the nonsense Cashman always spews when he overpays -- that the team had to make that offer to get him instead of another team. We are talking about a utility infielder on the wrong side of 30, not Mike Trout!)
Bringing back Stephen Drew has never made sense to anybody but the Yankees themselves. We were talking about this on social media yesterday. One theory, which makes about as much sense as anything else, is that Cashman wants to show he didn't get snookered by the Red Sox in the first place in obtaining him. So he brought Drew back, like he did with bringing back Nick Johnson and Javier Vazquez, to show that he somehow made the right decision in getting them in the first place. Cashman keeps on talking about Drew's historically horrible season being an "aberration," instead of realizing what everybody else has -- that Drew wasn't very good in the first place, and he is terrible now!
So because the Yankees are paying a combined $7M for these two players, they will stick with Drew and Ryan, even though they are awful, and even though there is Pirela waiting in the wings.
I know I sound like a negative Nellie here. but exactly who do the Yankees think will be their hitting stars next year? Given that they have the light-hitting Didi Gregorius at shortstop, and so many question marks at other positions, they can't really afford to have two more of the 13 position player spots being manned by people who are completely unable to hit.
The New York Post's Ken Davidoff wrote a completely incoherent column today on the Yankees' lineup, although I am not sure if it is incoherent because of Davidoff's writing or Cashman's plan.
“I still believe in the power of the home run,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday, before his team took on the Phillies at Steinbrenner Field. And yes, Cashman acknowledged, there often is a correlation between home runs and strikeouts, and that is a trade he is willing to make.To that end, to fill the holes at shortstop, second base, and third base, Cashman claims that “you play the best guys you can get.”Except he's not. Pirela, as well as Rob Refsnyder, are not getting the chance to compete in the big leagues. Good grief.
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