Subway Series and the End of the World

Apparently, the world will end just before the second game of the Subway Series. This would mark the second straight Saturday night Yankee game preceded by an apocalyptic event, following last week's Posada Adventure.

As Squawker Lisa never fails to remind me, the Mets experienced their own form of doomsday during the Subway Series two years ago courtesy of Luis Castillo. That dismal year also included Francisco Rodriguez walking Mariano Rivera with the bases loaded. Unfortunately for me, Lisa and I were at both of those games.

Last year, we were lucky enough to get to sit in Legends seats for a Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium. Here's how long ago that game seems - Mike Pelfrey and Phil Hughes were both 9-1. Pelfrey's loss that day sent him into a weeks-long tailspin. Hughes went into a tailspin in the second half and still hasn't come out of it. And now he's on the DL.

At least Jose Reyes hit two homers that day. But it'll really be doomsday if Reyes is hitting homers next year at Yankee Stadium in a Yankee uniform.

This will be the first Subway Series in years without Castillo and Oliver Perez on the roster. Castillo's time with the Mets wasn't all bad, but in 365 games, his overall OPS was just .691. It's hard to win with that kind of OPS in your lineup.

But Lisa, the Yankees sure seem willing to try, with Derek Jeter (2011 OPS .636) and Jorge Posada (2011 OPS .672) holding down two lineup spots.

And Jeter and Posada are making a total of $28 million this season, which is a lot more than the $18 million the Mets are paying Castillo and Perez for 2011.

Prediction: Mets take one of three. Bleacher Creatures do roll call for potential future Yankees Carlos Beltran and Reyes. Mets GM Sandy Alderson tries to lead them in a chant for K-Rod. Beltran homers and John Sterling has a home run call ready to go: "A belt for Beltran!"

On Jorge Posada switching from catcher to DH

I saw last night that Laura Posada announced big news on her Facebook and Twitter accounts. She wrote that Jorge Posada, her husband, was going to be a full-time DH next year. My first reaction was that I was glad Jorge came to that decision, and that was a good choice for him to make.

But then I heard the rest of the story, that Posada didn't exactly make that decision on his own. According to the New York Post, it turns out that Brian Cashman met with him earlier this week, and told him that he would be the team's DH next year.

Posada is also undergoing surgery today for a torn meniscus, the same operation CC Sabathia recently had.

George King of the Post seems to be trying to make a mini-controversy here, writing:

According to a source with knowledge of the conversation, Posada was "fine" with the message that turns the 39-year-old switch-hitter into primarily a DH, a role he has struggled with and has shown no affinity for previously...

Last year he batted .245 (25-for-117) with four homers and 14 RBIs as a DH compared to .256 (69-for-270) with 13 homers and 42 RBIs when he caught. 

For his career, Posada is a .223 (66-for-296) hitter as a DH with nine homers and 34 RBIs. He is at .279 (1,471-for-5,274) with 246 homers and 954 RBIs when catching.

The fact is, the Yankees can't keep throwing Posada out there at catcher, when he gets hurt all the time, and can't throw out runners anymore. And they have to hope that his hitting will improve next year if he doesn't have the wear-and-tear from catching anymore. Jorge ought to be glad that he got that fourth year in his contract, because I doubt the Yankees would have re-signed him for 2011.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Jorge Posada wants to be catcher forever -- and for Derek Jeter to stay at shortstop

Jorge Posada did a great thing for charity yesterday, with his foundation's bowling tournament to help victims of craniosynostosis. Nice job at raising awareness -- and money -- to help people.

However, I wasn't all that crazy about his comments about the Yankees' future, and where he sees himself and Derek Jeter.

When asked about reports that Jesus Montero would get to start behind the dish next year, Posada said:

"I'm going to prepare for (the starting catching job). I love catching, love being behind the plate. I take a lot of pride - that's my position," Posada said at the charity bowling tournament at Chelsea Piers to benefit his foundation. "If (the Yankees) want me to be DH or catch, just be honest and let me know what's up."

Given that the Yankees only had him catch half the team's games last year, and he was terrible on defense, you'd think Posada would see that perhaps it's time to gracefully step aside, train the new catcher and take the DH role next year. But Jorge isn't exactly known for his grace. Remember how, when the Red Sox double-stole on him twice in one game and also stole four bases off him in one inning? And how he blamed the pitchers? Classy!

What's funny is that Posada, as a rookie, was reportedly annoyed that it took him so long to supercede Joe Girardi as the team's No. 1 catcher. It wasn't until 1998 that Jorge got to catch over 80 games, and it wasn't until 2000, when Girardi was no longer on the team, that Posada got to catch more than 100 games a year. Now would be the time for him to devote himself to being a mentor for Montero, but it doesn't sound like he's going to offer that up. What about doing what is best for the team?

I was against giving Posada a four-year contract extension in the first place, pointing out that he would be 40 by the end of the contract, and that most catchers have hung up their spikes long before then. But I remember readers saying that Posada would stay fresh until the end, because he didn't get started as a catcher until late in his minor league career. How's that working for him now?

The second part of Posada's conversation to reporters that I thought was interesting was this (emphasis added): 

Job competition aside, Posada said that while it would be nice to snag free-agent pitcher Cliff Lee, the "No. 1 priority" for the Yankees was finalizing pacts with Core Four players Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Jeter, the face of the franchise, shouldn't be a player with whom the Yankees carry on a protracted negotiation, either, said Posada. "I just hope the whole negotiation goes a little smoother than people are talking about," said Posada. "I hope he's treated the way he's treated the Yankees. He's our No. 1 priority - him and Mo. Then get the rest of the team together." Asked if Jeter should finish his career at shortstop if the Yankees reach a new deal, Posada said, "No question."

Given that Posada is Jeter's best friend, this isn't good news to hear. I'm not somebody who thinks Jeter ought to be moved off shortstop in 2011, but he shouldn't get any guarantee to stay in the spot for the rest of his career, either. And with Posada's comments, I wonder now if this is going to be a sticking point in a new deal. 

What do you think? Tell us about it!

With Jorge Posada, do the Yankees have a brewing catcher controversy?

I was on Albany's Sound Off With Sinkoff radio show yesterday, and one of the things I told host Brian Sinkoff that I'm worried about regarding the Yankees these days is Jorge Posada's apparent inability to throw out baserunners anymore.

Remember, not only did the Red Sox steal four bases off him in the ninth inning in the last Yankees-Red Sox series at the Stadium, but they also had two double steals off him in the season finale, including the Sox's first steal of home since Jacoby Ellsbury did it against Posada and the Yankees last year.

Anyhow, New York Post columnist Joel Sherman had some interesting stats about Posada today:

The Red Sox failed to make the playoffs, but they do get this concession prize: Their going-away gift for the 2010 campaign was showing the rest of the postseason field how to bedevil their most hated rival:

Run on Jorge Posada and then run some more.

Boston went 18-for-18 stealing bases against Posada this year and 44 out of 61 against every other opponent. The Red Sox all but handed their scouting report to playoff teams late in the year, going 16-for-16 against Posada over five games from Aug. 9 until the final game of the season. In that span, Boston had games of four, five and six steals. Only one other time in the last two years had the Red Sox successfully stolen even four bases against any other team.


Were you watching Minnesota? Did you see how the Red Sox grew more brazen and Posada’s throws even more scattered and unappealing?

An aside -- this is why I find Joel Sherman such a frustrating columnist. He'll do all sorts of whiny, overwrought analysis, then he'll do a great fact-based, original column like this to make you think. These stats are really illuminating, as is the fact that Posada had 72 bases stolen against him this year in 83 games, and only caught 15% of baserunners. That caught-stealing rate is the worst of his career.


Anyhow, it gets worse. Here are some quotes Sherman got yesterday (emphasis added):

But pitching coach Dave Eiland said the flaw was not Posada’s alone, insisting the staff “had a lack of concentration (on the running game) down the stretch. We haven’t paid attention the way we should.” 

Posada went further in assessing blame, saying, “They ran on the pitching. There was not an opportunity to get any of those guys.”

I don't know what's worse -- Eiland blaming this problem on the pitchers not having their head in the game, or Posada throwing his batterymates under the bus like he did, and failing to take any responsibility. Good grief.

Unless Posada was pretending to not throw the Sox out, to make it look like his arm was shot (remember Brian Cashman saying that the Yanks were holding back their big plays), this is really bad news for the Yankees. And Francisco Cervelli hasn't been any great shakes behind the dish this year, either -- he has 13 errors and has only thrown out 14% of baserunners.

It's possible that it is indeed partly the pitchers' fault, which makes one wonder why they don't have their head in the game. But for Posada to refuse to take one bit of blame is a bit much. When the Sox double-steal on you twice in one game, you just might have a little something to do with it.


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Radio appearance announcement, Nick Johnson, and thoughts on last night's game

I'm going to be on Kenrick Thomas' "Real Sports Talk" radio show at 9:30 tonight. You can listen live at www.blogtalkradio.com/realsportstalk. Luis Polonia will also be on the show, in a separate appearance!

Anyhow, I found last night's loss painful - not just because the Yankees looked overmatched until the ninth inning, but because of the Jorge Posada injury news. Hopefully, he'll be back soon.

And, surprise, surprise, Nick (The Sick) Johnson, who underwent surgery earlier this week, is now on the 60-day DL. When Brian Cashman first announced that Nick was going to the DL, he said Johnson would be out "several" weeks, which set Joe Girardi scurrying to the dictionary to find the meaning of the word "several"! I guess "several" now means at least nine!

Oh, and I had to laugh about Cashman's assertion that Johnson would be a $15 million a year player if he could stay healthy. That's like saying that Lindsay Lohan could get an Oscar if she could keep from clubbing. While technically possible, it's not very likely at this point.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!