Baseball 180!

By Sean Connolly

I swear, if I go to a Yankee game in its final season at Yankee Stadium, the cathedral for baseball, and I see Barry Bonds in a Yankee uniform…I don’t know what I might do. I think that’s when I fully comprehend why people run out onto the field. Whether this is a possibility or not is a little unknown, but just knowing that there is talk in the baseball community that the Yankees and other teams may need Bonds’ bat, is getting me a little upset.

BARRY BONDS ON HIS WAY TO BECOMING A YANKEE?

When I think about it, forget the Yankees. I don’t want to see this guy on any team. Be it the Rays, or Diamondbacks or whatever, I never want to see this juiced-up, egotistical, disrespectful disgrace touch a baseball field again. I love that he has wanted to come back this entire year but no one is giving him the offer. This is the best way to get back at him for single handedly ruining the integrity of baseball. But, with the trade deadline looming and with plenty of teams in the playoff race, teams may consider ruining what could be the greatest burn of all time.

If I’ve got baggage, he’s got a whole set of Louis Vuitton.

Milton Bradley on teams not taking Barry Bonds

This whole situation shows just how much no one believes Barry Bonds. O.K., let’s try as hard as we can to forget the whole steroid and perjury issue. I know it’s hard but try. Ok? Ready. Who wouldn’t want a player who recently broke the game’s most respected, sought after record? Who wouldn’t want a player whose on base percentage is so magnificent that that stat alone can make a team a contender? Who wouldn’t want an extra bat who can knock one out of the park at any time? Now, let’s return to reality. No one wants all those eye-popping attributes because they don’t want a loser, that simple.

STAY OUT OF NEW YORK, BARRY.

Barry Bonds should have been the most attractive free agent over the off-season and up until now, but teams are actually doing the right thing and using a thing called morality. Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris, now is telling teams that Bonds will play for the league minimum salary, which would be a measly $150,000 for Bonds (I think he spends more on HGH in a year). That’s hilarious, because teams still aren’t biting, and I really hope the Yankees or any other team don’t. It makes perfect sense for the Yankees to go after Bonds. It looks like Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada may be out for the rest of the season and a power hitting, high on-base percentage, high slugging percentage outfielder who can DH would fit magnificently. All the Yankees have to do is find a power hitting, high on-base percentage, high slugging percentage outfielder who can DH whose last name isn’t Bonds.

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By Sean Connolly

I’ve never heard Chien-Ming Wang’s voice. After reading that you’re probably saying the same thing. Wang is the winningest pitcher in the major leagues in the past two years yet he is still a mystery. People have as much trouble figuring out the Taiwanese pitcher’s personality as they do hitting his sinker. His injury against the Astros on Sunday was critical for so many reasons. The Yankees lost their ace, and Taiwan lost their hero for a few months.

The enigma that is Chien-Ming Wang is the best pitcher on the New York Yankees, he throws the meanest sinker in the game, and he also drives an entire country. His every start has an affect on both the economy of Taiwan and the demeanor of his people. Being so soft-spoken it seems so unfeasible that silent Wang can have such an affect on Taiwan. There is a direct correlation though between Chien-Ming Wang’s starts and the Taiwanese economy. When Wang performs well and gets a win, the following day’s economy rises considerably. It also goes down considerably when he loses. Money Weekly reported that the fluctuations in the Taiwan Stock Exchange have something to do with Wang’s starts. They reported a 25% index rise when Wang pitched well in June and July.

Psychologically, Wang has a huge effect on the Taiwanese people. If he does well, people are in a good mood, and they go out and spend money. If he doesn’t, you walk around and you can see people depressed. It’s a very personal matter to the Taiwanese people.

Ben Shao Press Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office

From Sports Illustrated(April 21st 08, “Chien-Ming Wang Has A Secret”)

With all the star athletes we have in America, it’s hard to comprehend how one baseball player can have such an effect. Wang is an absolute hero in Taiwan, yet here he can walk the streets of New York City without being noticed. I’ve tried to compare his popularity in Taiwan to an athlete in recent history in American sports. The closest I could come is Michael Jordan, and even that isn’t fair to the mass attention Wang receives. Jordan never hurt the economy when he performed poorly and people weren’t running around buying stuff when he won(maybe in Chicago, but as for the rest of America, no).

The only thing I can chalk this up to is the vast difference between the U.S. and Taiwan. There isn’t one sports hero in America anymore that the entire nation admires and roots for. More and more America shies away from putting all their trust in one athlete because of the fear of being let down. Recent accusations involving Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and even Michael Vick prove that to be true. Wang portrays the Taiwanese people in a positive light and that’s why his people love him. He is well behaved, performs well, and is an excellent role model. He came from no where and became the best pitcher in Taiwan, then went to America and became the best pitcher in the Major Leagues on the greatest franchise in baseball history. Quite frankly he should be America’s hero as well.

The injury of his foot leaves the Yankees without their ace until at least September. They will struggle to find someone who can fill his spot in the rotation and after a bad start to the season, the Yankees may find themselves out of the playoffs. What I’m afraid of is the toll this will take on Taiwan’s mood and economy. But don’t worry your hero will be back soon enough, don’t jump just yet.

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By Sean Connolly

21 months ago Jon Lester had no idea whether or not he would live. In a time where steroids and HGH drown out great baseball stories, one for the ages emerged as cancer survivor Jon Lester struck out his last batter of the night. With that strikeout he accomplished what every pitcher dreams of, a no hitter. But, throwing a no-hitter was no where on his mind in 2006 where after being in a car accident doctors came to realize that the Red Sox Pitcher had Lymphoma. This feat last night should go down in history as one of the most inspirational moments in sports.

In the ninth, I go out there and walk the leadoff guy on five pitches and had to step back and tell myself, ‘I don’t have to be too fine, let them hit the ball, let them put it in play, let the guys behind me do their job. They did throughout the night. Mikey made some great plays. Jacoby made a great catch out in center field. It sounds like a cliche, but it was a great team win

Jon Lester

Jon Lester absolutely owned the Royals last night giving up no hits while only walking two batters and striking out nine. This performance is uncanny for several reasons. For the first time since the Angels in 1974 and 1975 a team has thrown no-hitters in consecutive seasons(Nolan Ryan threw both for the Angels, Clay Buckholz for the Red Sox last year). Also, Lester’s catcher, Jason Varitek, is the first catcher to catch four no hitters from four different pitchers(Hideo Nomo 2001, Derek Lowe 2002, Clay Buckholz 2007, and Jon Lester 2008).

I’m very fortunate, It’s exciting to be part of one as a catcher. Each one is so different. Each one has been totally different, but Jonny [Lester] keeps working to become more complete.

Jason Varitek

The performance should also catapult the Red Sox into yet another dominating year just like Buckholz’s did last year. But the no-hitter serves more sentiment outside of baseball.

After overcoming undoubtedly the biggest battle of his life in cancer, Jon Lester had no idea whether or not he could get back into the major leagues. After intense treatments of Chemotherapy which drains a person’s energy, Lester overcame the odds and fought his way back to the majors.

Even when he rejoined the Red Sox, Lester’s future with the team was unsure. Boston was looking to trade the left hander to the Minnesota Twins for ace Johan Santana, but luckily for the Red Sox and Lester the trade never went through. The amount of stress and struggle this kid has endured has been so inspirational. To come back from a debilitating disease like that and come back to the highest ranks in professional baseball and do what only a select amount of pitchers have done is astonishing.

This no hitter reminds me of Jim Abbott’s no hitter in 1994. Abbott, who had only one full functioning arm, no hit the Cleveland Indians and showed the world that anything can be done. For a one armed man to pitch a no hitter is simply amazing, just like a cancer survivor pitching a no hitter. The stories will parralell in that both will inspire those with the same bad fortune to overcome their disease and achieve their dreams.

Last night’s no hitter will now inspire Boston to yet another great season and possibly another championship. He has set the table for the Red Sox to run the American League Table and win back to back titles.

Credit also needs to be given to Boston Red Sox upper management in Theo Epstein for sticking with the young gun and not taking the business approach to the star and releasing him. Epstein’s commitment to developing young pitching and creating a team based on heart and true desire to win has earned the Red Sox two rings in the past three years and should lead to many. This is what the New York Yankees did in the late 90’s to create a dynasty by using the money they had and putting it towards players who show heart and play strictly for the love of the game. Players like Paul O’Neil, Bernie Williams, Scott Brossius, and Tino Martinez created a spirit in the team that the Red Sox remind me of. In those years, the Yankees threw 2 perfect games(David Cone in 1999, and David Wells in 1998) and had a no hitter by Doc Gooden in 1996( which at the time was as inspirational as Lester’s no hitter because of Gooden’s ups and downs). In each of those years in which a no hitter or a perfect game was thrown, the Yankees won a championship. Expect the same from the Boston Red Sox.

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By Sean Connolly

I know it’s only May, but maybe it is time to start panicking if you’re a Yankee fan. Everyone says they’re right where they were last year, but look where they ended up last year. They exited early in the playoffs to a Cleveland team they owned throughout the year. If the Yankees are at the same point that they were last year, surely they will end up and the same point, without a championship.

With one of the most potent lineups in recent history, the Yankees are only 16th in hitting in the entire major leagues and 22nd in runs batted in. Both Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are on the disabled list which takes two huge bats out of the lineup. In Rodriguez’s place has been a platoon of Morgan Ensberg and Alberto Gonzalez who haven’t produced half as much as the M.V.P. in A-Road has. Recently, the Yankees hitting has been non-existent. In the past three games against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees have produced a measly four runs. If they can’t produce more than four runs against the Rays how do they expect to win against the Red Sox?

With the New York Mets coming up this weekend in the Subway Series, the Yankees have a chance to sort out their pitching rotation. Rasner who has gotten off to a great start this season( 2-0 3.00 ERA), will start the first game of the series. Petite and Wang will follow Rasner which should give the Yankees a fair chance to take at least two out of three in the series against their crosstown rivals. This is a series that can turn around a season and Joe Girardi needs to understand that this can set the tone for the rest of the season. Girardi hasn’t proven to be a great coach so far and has a lot of improvement ahead of him if he wants to be on any level with Joe Torre. Torre’s successes are Girardi’s benchmarks and Girardi needs to keep this in mind. Throughout the Torre years the Yankees used the series against the Mets as a catalyst to several successful seasons. Girardi needs to do the same.

Pitching wins championships and the Yankees pitching this season has been anything but title-worthy. Like their hitting, they are 16th in the Major Leagues in pitching with a 4.23 earned run average. They have only produce one complete game this season and two shutouts. Their young guns in Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, and even the untouchable Joba Chamberlain have been roughed up the entire season, leaving holes in the pitching rotation. Ian Kennedy is 0-2 with an 8.37 ERA, Phil Hughes is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA, and Joba who gave up a heart-breaking game winning home run to the Indians has two losses already this year after having none all of last year. Now, they are still developing and should be good pitchers but do Yankee fans have time to wait on these guys? Chamberlain has the least to worry about, but Hughes and Kennedy have shown nothing positive this season. This translates to the hitting in that players know they’re going to have to put up 6,7 runs when either Hughes or Kennedy is on the mound.

May is not the time to panic but it certainly is the time to worry. The Yankees have yet to have a big winning streak and fans are tired of waiting for them to break out. Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi are still below the Mendoza line and are effecting the entire lineup. The pitching has too many holes and it is becoming too difficult to get the ball into Mariano Rivera’s hands. This weekend series against the Mets will define the entire series and a sweep could catapult Girardi and the Yanks to a championship.

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