The New England Ego

Well, the New England Patriots "came back" against the Buffalo Bills, who were without defensive player Paul Posluszny, 25-24. The Bills dominated the first three quarters by holding Brady's Patriots to only 13 points.

However, the crucial turning point came after the Pats narrowed it down from 24-13, to 24-19. Leodis McKelvin returned the kick from the end zone, when he could have downed it for a touchback.

Big mistake.

McKelvin ended up fumbling the ball at around the 25 yard line with New England recovering, and eventually scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 50 seconds left. Brady's pass was deep in the end zone, when tight end Ben Watson made the grab.

After the ensuing kickoff, the Bills tried to go ahead, but to no avail. The Pats won, and everyone in New England - at least in my area - is buzzing about the comeback led by Brady.

But is it really a comeback when the other team gives you so many opportunities to win it late? Dick Jauron and the Bills demonstrated poor clock management, misusing their timeouts during their final drive. Precious seconds ticked away after the play when they could have called a timeout immediately.

Plus, is it really a comeback when McKelvin gave the ball away? He could have easily downed the ball in the end zone for a touchback, giving the Buffalo offense the ball at their own 20. Instead, he carelessly chose to take it out and, ironically enough, fumbled it.

Yes, it was an impressive end of the game for New England, but it certainly should not be considered a comeback. The Bills choked in this game, like they have done in many years past. Wide right. Motor City Miracle. So many late, close losses last season. The list goes on...

Buffalo's choke not only gives them a long trip back home, but gives Tom Brady, the rest of the Patriots, and their fans a large ego; large enough to bring back "undefeated" talks.

Next week the Pats will play the rival New York Jets at the Meadowlands. Defensive-minded head coach Rex Ryan impressed Jet fans by pounding the quarterback, and Brady struggled when pressure was put on him. Plus, the Jets beat Houston without defensive end Shaun Ellis due to suspension.

If the Jets can put pressure on Brady, and Bart Scott and David Harris can pound him, it will be a much needed kick in the face, and a blast to the New England ego.

Take it Easy

Nearly every Yankees fan on the planet knows the Yankees are in very good shape to make the postseason and are poised to make a playoff run. But, one thing to remember: IT IS STILL ONLY AUGUST!

Anything can happen during the last few weeks of the season. With two weeks to go in the 2007 season, no one thought the Colorado Rockies had a shot at the playoffs. No one thought the Mets would relinquish their lead in the NL East. But what happened? The Rockies made it to game 163 and won the NL wild card while the Phillies took the NL East division.

The key for the Yankees – and their fans – is to take it slow. Do not overlook any series. If the Yankees overlook a series with low importance, they might falter and wind up losing a few games, when a team like the Red Sox starts to be seen from the rear view mirror. The regular season is still going on, and every game counts, but some more than others.

Yankee fans learned their lesson in 2007, when they were matched up against the Cleveland Indians in the 2007 ALDS. The common thought was that the Yankees were 6-0 against the Tribe entering the ALDS and the Yankees would head into the ALCS smoothly.

Well, what happened? The Yankees lost the first two games in Cleveland and ended up losing the series in four games.

The key to success for the Yankees is to take things slowly and not assure anything. Come playoff time, fans everywhere make playoff predictions by simulating each series up until the World Series. The Yankees, if they do in fact make the playoffs, need to focus on the series they play first and foremost and not look ahead. If they look ahead too soon, it will be a distraction to the current series and they might lose focus.

For instance, if the Yankees were in the ALDS and supposedly face a game 5. Do they use their ace or try to save him for game 1 of the ALCS? The smart thing to do would be to start him in the must-win game 5 to even think about having him pitch in the ALCS.

I have heard fans already penciling in some teams for the World Series, when those teams may not even make it to the playoffs in the first place. I have even heard of some people projecting the 2010 roster for their favorite team when their favorite team is in the midst of the 2009 pennant race. It’s absurd.

C’mon people, you should know better than that. Wait until the season is over to make those predictions.

Jeter Being Jeter

Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter is quietly having one of his best seasons in his career, and it is not all benefit to the supposed jet stream of the new Yankee Stadium.

Let’s start with the batting average. He is currently hitting .333 with 169 hits on the season, which leaves him on pace to end the season with 220 hits, according to ESPN.com projections. His .333 average is his personal best since his MVP-caliber 2006 season, when he hit .343. As most of you may recall, Jeter fell a few votes shy of winning the 2006 AL MVP award to Twins’ 1B Justin Morneau.

Jeter’s power has gone up significantly, as he has hit 16 homeruns this season, the most since he hit 19 homers in 2005. 11 of his 16 dingers have been at the new Yankee Stadium, but he has taken advantage. Jeter’s .479 slugging percentage is his highest since 2006 (.483).

Mr. November has been finding numerous ways to reach base. His on-base percentage currently lies at .398, his highest since 2006 (.417). Jeter has drawn 53 total walks this season (three intentional) and has taken one for the team four times too.

According to FanGraphs.com, Jeter’s wOBA (weighted on-base average) is .388, his highest since 2006 (.399). Jeter’s speed score this season is 5.0, which is better than what it was in 2007 (4.8) and in 2008 (4.6), according to FanGraphs.com. As stated by Baseball-Reference, Jeter has an OPS+ of 129, his highest since 2006 (132).

Jeter’s BB/K ratio is relatively low (.77), but his highest since 1999 (.78). Jeter’s strikeout percentage has also dropped significantly. His current strikeout percentage is 12.9%, a career low for him. To put it into comparison, Jeter’s next-lowest percentage was last season, when hit was 14.3%.

Jeter’s defense has been superb this season when put into comparison. Jeter made 30 errors in his last two seasons (18 in 2007, 12 in 2008), but has cut that total down to only 6 this season. His .987 fielding percentage is currently a career best for the perennial all-star.

FanGraphs.com says Jeter’s range has been tremendous. His range runs above average is 5.2, which is 8 points higher than it was last year and over 21 points higher than it was in 2007. Jeter’s UZR (ultimate zone rating) is a career-best 7.0, 22.3 points higher than it was in 2007. ESPN.com also says Jeter’s RF (range factor) is 4.06, his highest since 2006 (4.14).

What are the keys to Jeter’s success? Offensively, it is the switch in roles to leadoff hitter. Manager Joe Girardi decided to flip-flop Jeter and Johnny Damon in the batting order because of Jeter’s high GIDP total (24 in 2008, 21 in 2007). This season, Jeter has only grounded into 13 double plays. Jeter is hitting over .330 when he bats leadoff in the batting order this season.

What else makes Jeter the great hitter he is this season? Let’s examine the splits.

Jeter absolutely dominates against left-handed pitching with a .424 batting average and 1.077 OPS. Jeter’s power numbers are exceptionally high at home (11 HR, .502 SLG), but on the road, he is a .343 hitter with an OBP of .396.

Of late, Jeter has been on fire. He has a .360 batting average after the all-star break and is hitting .382 so far in the month of August.

And he is doing all of this at the age of 35, well past his prime, but he is still performing at a high level. It has nothing to do with him trying to earn a contract; it is simply Jeter being Jeter.

What seems to be lost in Jeter’s miraculous season is him climbing up the all-time list for Yankees milestones. He is 17 hits shy of tying Lou Gehrig for most hits in franchise history (2721) and 30 stolen bases shy of tying Ricky Henderson’s franchise mark of 326 stolen bases.

If Jeter can stay a Yankee for the rest of his career (he is eligible to hit the free agent market after next season) and stay healthy, he can break Mickey Mantle’s all-time game’s record (2401) in 2011. He already owns the all-time at-bats record (8532) and ranks tenth on the franchise homerun mark with 222 homers, tied with fellow Yankee great Don Mattingly.

In the mind of Derek Jeter, he knows he is near those milestones. He knows where he stands amongst the all-time Yankees. But the thing that makes Derek Jeter so great is that he doesn’t get overly focused regarding the feats. He doesn’t consider each hit to be “one step closer to Gehrig.” He thinks of each hit as “just another hit.” And that is what makes him Derek Jeter.

The Cause of Joba's Problems

Last night, the Yankees decided to pitch Joba Chamberlain on eight days rest. EIGHT days rest. That is to conserve his innings limit for the season, which is now around 165 innings.

Chamberlain was drafted as a starting pitcher out of Nebraska and was developed as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues. But in the midst of the 2007 pennant race, the Yankees needed immediate help, so they called up Chamberlain – but not for the rotation.

No, the Yankees needed help getting the ball to closer Mariano Rivera. The bridge to Mo was incredibly shaky in 2007 with Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth, and Brian Bruney as the set up men beforehand.

Chamberlain succeeded in the role, allowing two runs (one earned) in 24 innings from the ‘pen. But after the season, there were questions regarding his role on the 2008 roster.

In 2008, Joba started the season as a reliever, but manager Joe Girardi stretched him out into a starter. He was a reliever for the first two months of the season and his first start came on June 3rd against the Blue Jays. He only threw 2 1/3 innings that day due to pitch count (62), but that was the beginning of what would become a successful future.

Joba would start 12 games for the Yankees before being placed on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. He threw 65 1/3 innings as a starter, striking out 74 batters in the process. As a starter, his era was 2.76. When he returned from the DL, he came back as a relief pitcher to conserve his innings, as the Yankees’ front office wanted to be extra cautious with such a young stud.

Entering this season, the question arose again: Should Joba Chamberlain be a starter or a reliever?

Advocates on him being a reliever say he is a five-inning pitcher. 12 of his 23 starts this season have gone longer than six innings; seven of his 12 starts last year have gone at least six innings; he has had five starts in which he has gone seven complete innings (allowed a total of four runs in those five starts).

After his latest performance, people are all over him like the midges were in the ’07 ALDS. He has pitched 20 innings in his last four starts and allowed 27 hits and walked 15 batters in those, not to mention the 19 earned runs.

Everyone knows his potential as a starting pitcher. He was a starter in the minors and was forced to convert to a set-up man in short time only for six weeks of the 2007 season. You cannot let a pitcher with four plus pitches (two plus plus pitches) only use two pitches from the bullpen; you need to have him use all of those pitches and give him a chance.

On to last night’s outing. Eight days of rest for an uninjured starting pitcher is inexcusable, regardless of how good you are. Starters have a different mindset than a reliever; starters pitch once every four days whereas relievers can be used in any game. Joba’s mentality was shaken up with the extra rest, and it is evidently seen.

The problems Joba has been undergoing are a combination of confidence and the rules the Yankees are giving him. Joba has been pitching behind hitters, which causes him to get behind in counts, which forces him to throw a strike down the middle of the plate for the hitter to crush. According to FanGraphs.com, opponents have swung at 22.5% of balls out of the strike zone this season, nearly 4% lower than all of last and almost 13% lower than it was in 2007. FanGraphs.com also says that Joba throws first-pitch strikes to only 55.2% of hitters, 5% lower than all of last season. Lastly, when Joba throws pitches inside the strike zone, hitters make contact 91.6% of the time, 6% higher than in 2008 and over 10% higher than in 2007.

The solution for that is to get ahead of hitters. Joba is losing confidence when he falls behind in the count and when he falls behind, he either walks a lot of hitters or gives hitters a chance to hit the ball out of the park.

As for the Joba rules, that needs to go too. Yankee management has been cautious with him, but the Yankees are too cautious now. They need to treat him like a regular starting pitcher and throw him every four days. If they want to give him rest, skip his start and use someone else. It is wrong to have him pitch once every seven days, as that will not only affect his mentality as a starter, but affect his confidence as the potential starting pitcher of the future.

Take away the Joba rules and give Joba some reassurance. That is the key to have him succeed at the major league level. Babying him for the first three seasons of his big league career may affect how he pitches in the long run.

A Rose in Cooperstown

Pete Rose should be reinstated into baseball and be apart of the baseball hall of fame. When players and coaches are up for the hall of fame, the voters look for how important that person was in the era he played in and how much of an impact he made toward the game.

He had 4256 hits in the regular season, the most of anyone all-time. He leads all players in games played, plate appearances, and at-bats. He was apart of an unprecedented 17 all-star games in his illustrious career. He won one MVP award, one Silver Slugger, two Gold Glove awards, a ROY award, and the Roberto Clemente award in 1976.

According to Baseball-Reference, Rose is clearly deserving of having a monument of his in Cooperstown. He ranks 15th in black ink (64 compared to the HOF average of 27), 24th in gray ink (239 compared to the HOF average of 144), 13th in the HOF monitor (308 compared to the ideal HOF number of 100), and 52nd in HOF standards (54 compared to the HOF average of 50).

Rose was even a great postseason player. He hit .321 in 67 career playoff games with an OBP of .388. He won three WS rings as a player. Many people criticize players for not winning World Series rings, as they are a key part in determining how successful they were on successful teams.

Yes, he bet on baseball; he cheated the game. But is that method of cheating any worse than what the players in today's era are doing? The players playing today are trying go gain a better competitive edge to compete and stay in baseball to help their teams and earn a better salary. Rose admitted to his wrongdoings and some of the game's legendary players have lied and not admitted to what they have done.

The 1919 Black Sox threw the World Series for money, but how do we know Rose was intentionally betting on other teams to win? How do we know he wasn't betting on his team to win? The fact of the matter is, we may never know all the bets he placed, but we do know that he did it. It was proven the Black Sox intentionally threw the World Series, but it is not proven that Rose intentionally threw games he was apart of.

Rose's credentials overshadow the negative things he has done toward the game. Pete Rose paid the price and has suffered, but he should not suffer forever.

Bombers Sweep Sox out of Bronx

Sorry for the lack of updates, I have been busy. I have kept writing articles, but did not post them onto this blog, and they are too outdated to be posted. I have, however, kept up with photography and maintained doing both sports picture taking and sportswriting. Hopefully I can update this some more.
-----------------------------------------------
This was a tremendous series for the Yankees. Winning the series is one thing, sweeping it is an entirely different thing. The Yanks hit in the clutch and this series showed that the Yankees' pitching (Joba's outing on Thursday excluded) will be a strength. Burnett was dominant (albeit, 6 walks), CC was lights out for the first few innings and still managed to keep the Red Sox hitters scoreless, and Pettitte proved that he is a true second half pitcher who can go up against a strong #2 starters in the majors.

It also proved how strong the Yankees' bullpen can be at times. Not bringing in Hughes in the eighth was a mistake in my books, but the rest of the bullpen stepped up, especially in the 15-inning game. Aceves, Bruney, and Coke all came up big for the Yankees in innings 10-15. Hughes, though only facing two batters, still kept nerves from overcoming him. Melancon started the fire in the first game of the series, and though he was demoted before Saturday's game, can still throw at a major league level. Robertson, too, can pitch in a crucial game like this.

I predicted a series split, but if they were to win 3 of 4, Burnett would have outdueled Beckett. Well, he didn't outduel him, but he matched up extremely well against him and kept the Sox hitters at bay.

Also, for the record, the only way this sweep is better than the 2006 5-game-road sweep is because of the games they played and the background entering the series.

In the 5-game series, the Yankees were ahead by 1 1/2 games entering. The season series beforehand was not as decicive as the one this year (Boston up 8-0). This year, the Yankees were up 2.5 games, but they needed to prove they could match up against the Sox and that they can face a first place team and not falter.

In the 5-game series, there were some games with tons of offensive support, but for both sides. There were no classics like the 15-inning marathon, or the clutch late hitting of Damon/Teixeira.

To simply put it, this series was meaningful. The Yankees will head into the dog days of August with a lot of momentum, proving they can fare well against some of the top pitchers in the AL. Mark Buerhle, who was hot entering last Sunday's game, struggled against the Yankees; the same game Melky hit for the cycle. They faced Halladay and hit a few homers off him, albeit late in the game, but a run is a run. They faced Beckett and got a stellar pitching effort to match up against him. They faced Lester and got another stellar effort from Pettitte too.

As for the Red Sox, this series could be a sign of things to come, for a pessimistic side. They face a tough schedule with a lot of road games and top-tier teams. The Tigers, Rangers, Blue Jays (Halladay, Rzepczynski, Romero), Yankees, and White Sox are some of the notable opponents who they play in the coming weeks. Boston has lost 6 in a row and are 8-14 since the break. Take away the games against the Orioles, and they are 3-13. They are in huge trouble if they do not find a key to success.

Day 2 Draft Notes

Well, the 2009 NFL Draft is in the books...

• The Jets' butchered their day two draft with the Shonn Greene trade. They gave up their 3rd (12th pick in the round), 4th, and 7th round picks to the Lions for their 3rd round pick (1st pick in the round). They also missed out on a wide receiver, which is brutal.
• Brandon Tate was an interesting pick for the Pats; he was caught smoking marijuana during the combine and also had several injuries. They might not put him in immediately, but he may be a pick that other teams will fear in the future.
• The Cowboys also had a bad draft; no picks in day one and a lot of their picks were questionable. Kicker David Buehler, despite the combine workout, was chosen in the 5th round when the Cowboys still have Nick Folk.
• Chicago stole Juaquin Iglesias from other teams. He will be one of the hidden gems on day 2. He has the skills to be a good NFL wide receiver and will help Jay Cutler in Chicago.
• ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. had OLB Kaluka Maiavia in his top 10 for players in day 2; he was the 4th pick in the 4th round, falling out of the 3rd round. He could end up being a quality linebacker in time.
• Buffalo addressed its defense with a late-round pick of Nic Harris, the former safety from Oklahoma. Harris was a star on Oklahoma, but he transformed into a linebacker due to his size. With his experience in the secondary, he could become a quality linebacker (with some time) in the future with a lot of range.
• If San Francisco runs into a block with their QB situation, Nate Davis from Ball State may be able to help. He has a strong arm and accuracy.
• Michigan State RB Javon Ringer had tremendous skill in college, but fell to the end of the 5th round to Tennessee. Though he will see little playing time with Chris Johnson and LenDale White, it is hopeful that he shows upside to impress coaches.
• I believe Mike Teel (Rutgers) can be this year's "Tom Brady." A 6th round choice with a lot of arm strength and upside can go far. If the right opportunity arises, he may be able to prove himself NFL-worthy.
• I was surprised Texas WR Quan Cosby went undrafted. Though he does not posses the ideal height of a wide receiver, he can control the ball well and can fake out defensive backs.