Slumpbuster?

Yankee slugger Jason Giambi has been in a slump of sorts. Many major leaguers implore numerous different tactics to help get out of this funk. Giambi rocks the gold thong.

You can imagine my reaction when I heard this watching today's New York Mets vs. New York Yankees game. Personally, I believe this to qualify as " too much information". The story gets even crazier...apparently he lends this g-string to other team mates to help them exercise those demons...According to the story published in the New York Daily News, he placed piece of paper on Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina's locker reading, "Pitchers need thongs too."

Apparently, the booty floss worked. Giambi hit a homerun off an 0-2 pitch from Johan Santana in the 8th inning.

-Matt Armstrong

Mr. Clemens, meet Mr. Mitchell

409 pages later, The “Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an independent investigation into the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing substances by players in Major League Baseball” is not just a really obnoxiously long title but a surprisingly interesting read. This report was touted as being the apocalypse of Major League Baseball and received with countdown timers on CNN like it was a presidential address.

Like many, when I went to read this monstrosity looking solely for names. I wanted to see who was being named and would be forced to face the shame of a nation. Oh yea, who is Kirk Radomski? Suddenly, this former club house attendant is making a name for himself by painting the Hester Prynne’s with their own scarlet letter. But I digress, famous names were what I was looking for and this report provided just that.

We expected to find Barry Bonds, Jason and Jeremy Giambi and Jose Canseco included in the report but no one could have been expected to see Roger Clemens implicated. The greatest living pitcher in the game, achieved such greatness by using performance enhancing drugs? Hang on, was just another part of the witch hunt that was the Mitchell Report? I mean, all they wanted was to find one big name to prove that this investigation was worthwhile, right?

What makes the implication of Roger Clemens so shocking and disheartening is the manner in which he is discussed. This was not just a he said she said, but specific examples are given.

McNamee injected Clemens approximately four times in the buttocks over a several-week period with needles that Clemens provided. Each incident took place in Clemens's apartment at the SkyDome. (Mitchell, pg 166)

The jig is up right? There is no way that The Rocket could get out of this one, exact places and instances are mentioned. Currently, Clemens has elected to deny all of these allegations. “…adamantly, vehemently, and whatever other adjectives can be used, denies that [I have] ever used steroids or ... improper substances…” (cnn.com) Many, including myself find this hard to believe when the players that were named ( Brian Roberts, Fernando Viña and Clemens friend, Andy Pettitte) are slowly admitting that they did use HGH or some other form of performance enhancing drug, giving the these allegations found in the Mitchell Report more and more credibility.

The verdict on Clemens, like many other is still out. Last week’s release of the Mitchell Report is only the beginning of what is going a long process of, hopefully one day, removing steroids and other performance enhancing drugs from the game of baseball. Only time will tell what happens next…
-Matt Armstrong

Derek Who? Brian Cashman is Mr. November

I fell for it.

I bought into the notion that this was the off-season the New York Yankees were going to depend on their home-grown guys and keep their checkbook closed.

• Alex Rodriguez wants out? Screw him, he's not a Yankee anyhow. Mike Lowell came up in pinstripes and will cost a fraction of the price to play the hot corner.
• Roger Clemens is headed for Cooperstown? Not a problem, Joba Chamberlain will join him in 20 years.
• Jason Giambi's playing career is in its twilight? Who cares, Shelly Duncan will be the next Chris Chambliss.
• Johnny Damon's hitting ability is starting to mirror his throwing ability? Fine, Melky Cabrera is the future of the franchise.

I hadn't only made peace with the idea of an idle winter; I welcomed it.

But Brian Cashman is eventually going to remember that he is Brian Cashman. Today, 18 days after Rodriguez opted out of his $250 million contract and 17 days after Hank Steinbrenner all but said good riddance, Alex Rodriguez agreed to an outline of a deal that would keep him in the Bronx for another decade.

I guess that takes care of the need for Mike Lowell, right? Not so fast, they want him too. After all, this is the same team that didn't understand why anyone would want to debate which shortstop they'd rather have, Derek Jeter or Rodriguez. The correct answer to that debate was, "both."

Who would Cashman rather have guarding the corners of that infield, Rodriguez or Lowell? Answer, there are two corners of the infield. You know what is coming next.

Ryan Maloney

#502, #503: WNYO Was There

A-Rod went yard twice tonight (I believe someone predicted he'd homer off of Paul Byrd) in the Yankees 11-2 victory. He now has 39 HRs on the season to go along with 114 RBI. This concludes my stay in Cleveland. I got to see two Yankee blow-out wins, three Alex Rodriguez bombs, Mike Mussina's 100th Yankee win, and a returning Jason Giambi take one deep to right. Below is a video of my terrific call for blast #503. Loo closely and you can see the shame in my dad's eyes:

Pat Morgan on Bonds

Since Barry Bonds is one home run away from overtaking Hank Aaron, I figure this is the best time to give my take on it. I am someone who is tired of hearing about Bonds and everything that he is doing. ESPN's Pedro Gomez reports Bonds was seen eating a sandwich around 3:35 p.m., but the contents of the meal are unclear at this time. You know what I mean. That's what ESPN has become, but that is a post for another day. Bonds, before everyone believes he started steroids, was a clear cut hall-of-famer. Without the 'roids he would have easily reached 500, perhaps 600 home runs. Put that with his 500+ stolen bases he would be a first-ballot lock.

Is it fair that he should be the posterboy for the steroid era? Probably not, but he did cheat and he deserves all the public scrutiny he has received. Bonds is the one going for the record, no one cares about Jason Grimsley or Guillermo Mota. Only Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi, to an extent, have diverted the attention from Bonds. Again, it is not fair Bonds gets most of the spotlight for the steroid scandal, but remember he cheated the game first. So, I do not feel bad for him, AT ALL. It's too bad the most cherished record in all of sports will be broken by a cheater. Those who say he hasn't been proven guilty need to look at the facts (and the picture below).

Numerous reports have come out about his use. His trainer won't testify and has been in and out of jail for that. His head is about the size of a globe now, and this is a guy who was a stick when he came on the scene. If I were Bud Selig, I'd try as hard as I could to get him to talk with George Mitchell, who is running the steroid investigation, but that's if this entire investigation is going to actually amount to something. It's been going on two years and nothing has come from it. Plus the players' union for baseball is perhaps the strongest union in the world. They'd never allow Selig to do anything like that, unless Bonds slips like Giambi did. That is as likely as Jaleel White finding some kind of main stream work again.

Sadly, the MLB players' union thinks they are above the law. Look at the Tour de France. They just removed their overall leader during the event because he took and illegal blood transfusion. I would love to see Barry Bonds break the homerun record in Los Angeles this week. Wow! That chorus of booes would be so fitting.

Pat Morgan

Yankee Glog: End of 1st, 5-0 NYY

This Yankee-Blue Jay Glog brought to you by Procede' hair restoration.
"Hey! I'm Giusseppe Franco. I'm not putting my name on the line for something that doesn't work."

Two rookie pitchers enter, one escapes the first.

Jesse Litsch was unimpressive at best in career start number four. Two-thirds of an inning, five runs on four hits and two walks. Ken Singleton kept raving about this kid's performance in his debut against the O's. He fell an out short of going the distance and allowed only one run.

Tonight the Yankee lineup made him labor:

1. Damon took him deep on a full count to get things started.
2. Jeter gets caught looking on four pitches.
3. Matsui goes to two and two before lacing a single up the middle
4. A-Rod walks in five pitches.
5. Posada draws a full-count walk.
6. Giambi cranks the fourth pitch to RF for a sac.
A-Rod advances to third on the throw home
Posada steals second (seriously) during next AB
7. Phelps, getting rare start vs. RHP, singles in two runs
8. Cano doubles to LF, goes to third on throw home. (Pitching change)
9. Cabrera grounds out, strands runner at third (You bastard!)

So for some unknown reason the Yankees have decided to return to the formula that brought them four World Series titles in five years. We'll see how this works out.

Meanwhile, Tyler Clippard gets a first-pitch strike on every batter he faces in the first and goes 1-2-3.