Random Video of the Day

Haven't posted many of these in recent weeks, but if you are even remotely familar with the most famous YouTube videos, you'll get a kick out of this new music video:

Home Run Derby

It's mid-5th inning and the Yanks-Orioles are playing Home Run Derby. So far, 9 HR, five by Baltimore and 4 by the Yanks. Giambi, Abreu, Damon, ARod. Millar (2), Scott, Mora, Hernandez.

The Yanks were up 4-0 before Kennedy gave up a 4 spot in the bottom half of that inning. Yanks stretched it to 8-4 before the O's cranked 3 HR in the 5th (so far), against Ohlendorf.

Might as well set up a tee and have an extra OF tonite. yeesh.


Of course, that is only a perfect reason to post one of the great stories from an on-the-mound conference ever, courtesy of baseball lifer Mark Grace:

What's your funniest baseball story?

Grace: One day Rick Sutcliffe gave up back-to-back home runs in Cincinnati. And in Cincinnati, they shoot off fireworks after a Red hits a home run. And Sutcliffe was pretty intense on the day he pitched. So Eric Davis takes him deep and Paul O'Neill takes him deep right after that. So Sutcliffe is all pissed off, and Billy Connors comes out to the mound and Sutcliffe yells at him, "I know I gave up f---ing back-to-back home runs and get your f---ing ass back in the dugout and tell Zimmer to f---ing settle down there, too."

Billy looks at him and says, "I know you have everything under control, Rick. I just wanted to give that guy running the fireworks a little time to reload." I blew a snot bubble on the mound I was laughing so hard.

Great moments in Enabling

Two non-baseball posts in one day? Must be a slow day around the diamonds...

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The "working title" of this posting was "Great Moments In Missing The Point" but that became too wordy.... but the point's the same....

Maybe you saw this, maybe not. When I first read the headlines, I simply thought "Yawn, another ballplayer arrested for marijuana use and an open can of beer in public..." Which is pretty much my standard answer for when pro athletes get nailed for such things. I've become numb to guys flaunting their fame to do whatever they want, whenever they want. NBAers happen to be among the most public of potheads though I have no doubt each sport has their fair share.

As it turns out the player, Joakim Noah, is the son of Yannick Noah, the 1983 French Open winner. Yes, the same Yannick Noah who "created a sensation a few years before when he told a magazine writer he smoked marijuana." The elder Noah does the best (er, worst) job of defending his son by offering these ultra-enabling words:

Yannick Noah is perplexed by "all that fuss" surrounding the arrest of his basketball player son, who was charged with marijuana possession and having an open container of alcohol.
......
"I don't understand all that fuss for just drinking a beer on the street," Yannick Noah said Tuesday at the French Open.

Sure, why act like a concerned parent when you can act like one of his buddies, enabling bad (and illegal) behavior? Especially when you've admitted being a frequent user in the past... It's so much easier to be his friend than his parent.

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So just in case Yannick wanders over to this mini-slice of the blogosphere, here's a quick read for ya (here's another):

Examples of enabling behaviors include:

• Making rationalizations for their irresponsible behaviors
• Ignoring the problems caused by the addict's use
• Accepting their excuses or believing their lies
• Not getting help for yourself

'Cuse in the house

Just a quick note of congrats to the Boys in Orange, as they won their 10th lacrosse title over the weekend. They beat Johns Hopkins for the title and in doing so, became the winningest mens lacrosse program in NCAA Div 1 (Johns Hopkins had been tied with them with 9 titles, too).

"When you get recruited at Syracuse, you're going there to win a national championship," said [Mike] Leveille, who was voted the NCAA tournament's most outstanding player.

I was there when the Gait Brothers won three straight titles and while it was neat, I had little interest in it having never played lacrosse (not offered in my high school). Though, we did make some extra money for textbooks (um, yeah) making t-shirts celebrating the three-peat.

Of course, you wouldn't know it just by visiting their website. D'oh. I'm sure those pesky webmasters are simply hung over from celebrating. Yeah, that's it.

Sobering anti-steroids stuff

The bloodhounds known as Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn are at it again. If you have any interest in where the sporting community is with regards to testing for any and all PEDs, you should have a good, long read.

Tell ya what, if I were a CLEAN professional athlete, I'd be signing up for "longitudinal testing" immediately.

Longitudinal testing, known in some quarters as an athlete's "passport" program, might be the only chance anyone has to prove he's clean. It's an approach that involves rigorous blood and urine tests and establishes a baseline against which an athlete is subsequently measured. Right now the best assurance an athlete can offer is that he or she hasn't failed a drug test.
.........
[USADA executive director Travis] Tygart wouldn't say whether anyone refused, but says, "An athlete's involvement in this program proves that they're willing to do whatever it takes to compete clean."

Whither Johan?

There was a subtle (or not-so-subtle depending on your acuity) murmur as Johan was being shopped this winter that he's already into a decline. Maybe the Yanks and Sox were listening more intently rather than more confident in their prospects. Maybe the Mets knew this, too, but decided to take the leap. We'll never know, but, as Buster Olney notes, the decline is real and becomming more obvious. {Insider access required for full access} [Note: I graphed Buster's data, since I am indeed a geek who likes to see data visually.]

After the item on Johan Santana's diminished velocity was posted here yesterday, some scouts from other teams chimed in, indicating through e-mails and phone calls that they were seeing the same thing. "The Mets were asking around about that in spring training, about what his true [velocity] baseline was," said one talent evaluator. "They were concerned."

Said an AL scout who has seen Santana this month: "His stuff isn't even close to what it was [with the Twins]."

With that said, here are the primary indicators:

• His ratio of strikeouts per nine innings over the last six seasons has been 11.38, 9.61, 10.46, 9.25, 9.44, 9.66. This year: 7.79.


• His strikeout-to-walk ratio over the last six seasons: 2.80, 3.60, 4.91, 5.29, 5.21, 4.52. This year: 3.87.


• Opponents' OPS over the last six seasons: .607, .642, .564, .594, .616, .678. This year: .723.

As I wrote a lot about during the winter of Santana trade talks, rival talent evaluators saw a noticeable -- not dramatic, but noticeable -- decline in his stuff after his 17-strikeout performance against Texas on Aug. 19. He's made 17 starts since then, and here are his primary numbers:

• Innings: 111
• Hits: 109
• Earned runs: 50
• Home runs: 20 (By comparison, Paul Byrd has allowed 21 during the same span)
• Walks: 28
• Strikeouts: 102
• ERA: 4.05

(Since the beginning of the 2007 season, Santana has allowed 44 home runs -- most in the majors.)

Santana's historically been a better second half pitcher than first half, so if I were the Mets or a Mets fan, I would not be panicking yet. But, I'll tell ya, I'd be nervous.

Nerd Machine

I'm an admitted hybrid of stat geeks: I like all the new ways to examine and analyze the game, but I don't obsess over them. I love OBP but I know others love OPS+. I appreciate WARP and VORP but don't track or memorize the numbers or know how to calculate them.

That said, the new Pitch f/x on MLB.com is pretty neat. Have a ride in the latest Nerd Machine.

I've developed and often use this phrase as it relates to me and my job and I think it's relevant to this discussion: Data is interesting only if you can turn it into actionable information; otherwise it's just a waste of resources. We're presented with so much data on a daily basis. It's when you can turn that data into information that will affect decisions and strategy that it actually becomes useful. Otherwise, you have armies of people churning excel spreadsheets merely to stay employed.

Pitch f/x is simply another vehicle to help turn data into information.

And at what point can the Mainstream Media ditch the "nerd", "geek", "living home with mom in the basement while she washes my clothes" stereotypes?

More on Instant Replay

Good buddy ShysterBall has posted a few entries dedicated to the possibility of Instant Replay in baseball and there's been a good, spirited debate by the commenters, myself included. I wholeheartedly recommend a visit.

• We Don't Need No Stinkin' Replay. Maybe.
• Replay Coming?

I'll try to keep it brief and summarize my thoughts here:

1. I'm entirely concerned about the slippery slope if IR is adopted for boundary calls (HR fair/foul, over the wall or not, fan interference on HRs). I do not want it used on safe/out or worse, ball/strike. Period.



2. I think it will speed up the games, not slow it down.



3. I think the ump's would rather have help to get it right than be subbornly wrong. That was the attitude back in the 50's, not today.



4. This IR idea was proposed to Selig during the most recent off-season but Selig himself shelved the idea. So for those who claim --erroneously-- that the only reason this is an issue today is because it happened 2x this week at Yankee Stadium, you are incorrect. The three incidents (the third being in Houston) this week were merely accelerants to have the proposal re-examined by Bud.



5. I don't think the cost will be material at all, at least not with respect to the revenues earned by MLB ($6B last year!).



6. I think the ump's union can be assuaged with the hiring of one more ump for each crew, and the rotation includes a night per rotation as "video judge". More jobs for umps makes umps and their union leaders happy...just guessing.



7. The NFL has restricted use of IR to only certain plays; MLB could and should do the same.



8. The NFL and NHL has proved the concept of IR to be both successful and welcomed by players and fans alike.



9. I firmly believe, and I've yet to hear a cogent argument to the contrary, that fans would rather have a pause in the action to get the call right than to have the call left wrong for eternity. Instant replay would not have reversed the Denkinger call back in 1985 but that's OK. It would have changed the outcome of the infamous Jeffrey Maier play back in 1996. It would NOT have changed the outcome of the Bartman play.



10. I hope MLB changes its normal pace of action and this doesn't take a major blown call in the playoffs to enact change. We've seen the other leagues change their rules quickly. NHL changed a rule mid-playoff series. The NFL righted a wrong in the immediate off-season. The MLB would benefit to follow the leads set by their peers.

Get over yourselves

I just read this and my first thought (and you know what they say about your first, gut reactions) is that Lonn Trost and Randy Levine must really be the biggest wussies around. My other immediate thought was "so what?"

Ortiz will have the opportunity to be like Babe because of a Call Your Shot promotion that is part of the home run derby. The fan who wins the online contest will choose a spot where he believes Ortiz can smash a homer. Then Ortiz has one swing, one dramatic swing, to do it.

But the Yankees do not seem as if they want Ortiz to take that swing. The Yankees were upset about the plans involving Ortiz and said they were unaware of the promotion until a reporter contacted them Thursday night. The Yankees were discussing the matter internally and planning to contact Major League Baseball for an explanation.
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Based on how the Yankees apparently feel about Ortiz, there has not been any thawing between them and Red Sox. Since Ortiz joined the Red Sox in 2003, he has manhandled the Yankees and powered Boston to two World Series championships. If there is one player that the Yankees do not want to see batting during critical at-bats, it is Ortiz. For everyone but the Yankees, it is one fun and potentially fan-profitable swing. The Yankees would rather have Alex Rodriguez, their home run hero, calling his shot. But Rodriguez has traditionally shunned home run derbies.

Has my hometown team become the biggest bunch of wussies? Has management become so over-the-top concerned about the same things we used to mock the Sox for: curses, hoaxes, etc.? Yeesh, this makes my skin crawl.

Memo to Yanks ownership/leadership: Get over yourselves.

[My own joke to myself: If ARod was picked for that promo, can I call "a high popup to the SS" as where I think he will hit that one pressure-filled pitch? ba-dum-cha!

Also, is there any doubt why ARod won't participate in those Derbies? I don't think so.]

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Just a quick public birthday wish to my Mom! I just wanted to make sure I'm still your favorite son. After all, did your other son wish you a happy birthday on a website? I don't think so.

Also, happy birthday wishes to my mom's twin sis, Auntie Claus, as she's known in our neighborhood for her incredible generosity. Other kids have asked my sons if Auntie Claus can come to their house sometime.

Sumthin' fo' nuthin'

LaTroy Hawkins, the latest craptastic middle reliever/set-up schlub the Yanks brought in, was sent home for 3 days and fined for failing to retaliate properly. Well, that wasn't in the memo, but it's the reason why he is getting a long weekend off.

New York Yankees reliever LaTroy Hawkins has been suspended three games for throwing an inside, head-high pitch to Baltimore Orioles left fielder Luke Scott, Major League Baseball announced Thursday.

First he misses with a pitch that would have been OK. Waist high. Standard protocol for hitting someone after your star SS is drilled. But he freakin' MISSED. Dumbass. Missed. So his next pitch sails over the batter's head and Hawkins is tossed and there's a bench clearing love-in.

Sounds familar, right? Because my favorite no-talent ass-clown Farnsworthless did the same damn thing to Manny earlier this year.

It was the second time this season a Yankees pitcher has been suspended for a high throw that did not hit a batter. Kyle Farnsworth was suspended for throwing behind the head of Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez.

Not a big fan of self-quoting but here goes, from yesterday:

Hawkins & Farnsworth: If you miss an intentional attempt to exact payback from one of your teammates getting plunked, don't try it a 2nd time with that batter. Getting ejected and insighting a brawl is useless and only serves to get your teammates hurt further. And for the love of all things holy, stop throwing near a guy's head.

Now starting for the Yanks: Joba

So it's official: Joba will enter the rotation.

Joba Chamberlain pitched the eighth and ninth inning of Wednesday night's 8-0 win over the Orioles, and afterward the Yankees announced that it was the first step of the phenom's much-anticipated conversion from lights-out set-up man to starting pitcher.

"I am excited about the opportunity," Chamberlain said of the transition. "First and foremost though, we got to win ballgames from here on out. So tomorrow starts another day of getting my legs and getting back on mound to see what happens. And making sure we win a game."

On one hand, I am very excited to see what he can do. He's exciting, engaging, emotional. He has proven that he can be successful at this level, albeit in shorter stints. The reports from those who know Joba and his repetoire better than any of us (bloggers, fans and professional writers alike) say Joba has other pitches that he doesn't regularly use out of the pen. I hope that his starts become "must see" affairs. How cool would that be?

On the other hand, I'm a bit nervous for two reasons: 1) I have little faith in the others in the bullpen leading up to Mo; 2) I'm worried about him not succeeding. Now, I know #2 is a real wimpy thing to say, but after seeing Hughes struggle, Kennedy struggle, I worried that any lack of success will be detrimental to Joba. I am also concerned about expectations. Again, I know all these "things" are merely manifestations of my own fears and concerns about this team, but I try to be realistic, even if it's sobering.

So who does Joba replace? Obvious choice right now is Kennedy or whoever is the #5 right now. After all, Rasner's doing his best Aaron Small imitation and not giving up his #4 slot anytime soon, right? Moose isn't really a #3 any more but last start not withstanding, he's been pretty good. What about when Hughes comes back?

UPDATE: If you're here from the Providence Journal, welcome. I love a good debate, just keep it above the usual "Yanks suck--Sox suck" stuff!

Where's the outcry?

Wait a second? Did I miss something? We're on full hypocrisy alert. HYPCON 4, folks.

Joba pumps his fist in a May game after an 8th inning strike out and all hell breaks loose. The media are on his back. Goose Gossage calls it "un-Yankee" or something equally silly. The Indians cry foul, claim he's showing up the other team and batter, bringing up the old "double standard" whine.

Yet, last night, Papelbon, equally dramatic, exuberant and emotional as Joba, gave a huge fist pump after an 8th inning-ending strike out and another when he ended the game the next inning. What gives? Not so much as a whimper by the press and media. I know, I checked. Where's the same outcry?

Here's a Zapruder-quality video of the final out (MLB.com won't let you embed their videos, but don't get me started on that dumb rule):





Lest you be confused about my stance: I think all of this emotion, excitement, etc. is GREAT. Why be so robotic and boring? Who wants to see that? Not me. Let Joba and Papelboner do their fist pumps so long as it's done at the right time for the right reasons and in a way that's not done to embarass their opponents.

Let's have some fun.

UPDATE: The good guys at The Sports Hernia had a typically amusing view of this "issue" and I lifted their picture for use here, above, which is from last night's action. Thanks, fellas!

The Delicate Sound of THUD

Shhhh. Listen. Hear that sound last night? That was the delicate sound of thud. The sound of the Yanks hitting (what I hope is) a new rock bottom.

Moose, who had been cruising lately with his new slow, slower, slowest approach, got torched. He walked the first batter --never a good sign-- then got to two outs before Jeter threw the 3rd out high to Giambi and the inning ran off the cliff after that.

So let's review where the Yanks are, now that we are past the quarter-pole:

1. Posada remains on the shelf and Molina, a solid defensive catcher, can't hit his weight. When Posada returns, will he be able to throw or will he be relegated to DH? If so, which of the OF loses time?
2. Jeter took one flush on the wrist. Thankfully x-rays are negative but it didn't look good and sounded worse. He might not be perfect but he still comes to play night in, night out.
3. ARod is back but sort of galloped to first in his first AB. Not the long gait we are used to seeing.
4. Giambi is sporting a moustache, and an ugly one at that. I guess it's better than a wearing a gold lamé, tiger-stripe thong. He's not hitting his weight, either.
5. Cano might be hitting his weight, but barely. Still just above .200
6. Damon, who was off to a nice start in April, has gone ice cold. For all his warts, he's still the sparkplug to this team. When he's going, the offense is going.
7. Matsui is producing. No complaints.
8. Melky is solid, unspectactular. If there's a way to get an upper echelon SP talent either this season or in the off-season and the other team demands Melky, I would not be against it. You can always find an OF like him.
9. Abreu is still a bit of an enigma. Now I know why the fans in Philly tired of him: he always looks tired. He's patient. I think he's a very good player (overpaid, but so what) who's still capable in the OF, even if he has no idea how to go back on a ball near the wall.
10. Moose has been better, last night not withstanding, than I expected. I like his new approach.
11. Pettitte has been about what I expected, given his tumultuous off-season. He's not an ace but a capable #2-#3.
12. Wang, as I've written about often here, has been excellent. He still lacks the elite K-rates of other #1's, but I like his demeanor and approach. I'd try to lock him up in a long term deal ASAP. No need to introduce him to free-agency and incur that risk. Post haste.
13. Hughes: Get well soon. I have NO idea what to expect when he returns and that bugs me. All of us Yankee fans are rooting so hard for him to succeed, the stumbles this season hurt that much more.
14. Kennedy: I have no idea. None. Supposedly a cerebral, control artist. A solid #3. But where is the kid that was so good (in limited innings) late last year?
15. Mo & Joba: You guys are the ones who blew the curve. Grade: A
16. Hawkins & Farnsworth: If you miss an intentional attempt to exact payback from one of your teammates getting plunked, don't try it a 2nd time with that batter. Getting ejected and insighting a brawl is useless and only serves to get your teammates hurt further. And for the love of all things holy, stop throwing near a guy's head.
17. Alberto Gonzalez: I have no idea if this kid can hit, but it seems to me that --right now-- he's a better defensive SS than Jeter. But I've been down this road before.
18. Shelley Duncan: Where have you gone, Shane Spencer?

Last year, the Yanks were equally dismal at this point in the season (20-25) and they went on a great run to make the playoffs out of the WC slot. Will it happen again? At some point, you can't make that run any longer. You can't flick the switch like you used to. You just get old. That's where this team LOOKS to be heading right now. If we see Jeter dating Brittany or Jessica Simpson, well, pack up shop and call it a season.

Can it be fixed? Sure. How? We can get into that in a bit. If you have ideas, email me or use the comments below and I'll run 'em later today.

Great, more pressure

The NY papers are depicting ARod riding into the Bronx on a white horse, a savior, a returning hero.

Um, sorry. This is not a good move.

The erstwhile ARod, an all-time talent, is not one who seems to react well as the pressure rises. Pressure turns carbon into diamonds but for some reason, in baseball with ARod, it turns a diamond often into dust.

Expecting him to return and go bonkers and save the Yanks is both unrealistic (for the fans to expect) and unfair (for ARod). The last thing we need is for him to struggle to find his groove while the fans ride him incessantly. He's returning from injury; give the guy a chance to get back to form.

Maybe this time will be different. Maybe ARod truly conquered his inner demons last year after admitting in Spring Training that all was not rosy with he and Cap'n Jetes. Maybe he'll relish the adoration and attention that he's bound to get and use that constructively to hit like he did last April. The truth is, however, that the Yanks DO need ARod to come back and spark this catatonic offense. Badly. Nothing would make me happier. However, I am dialing my expectations back a notch.

I'm hoping for the upside surprise.

UPDATE 5/23/08: ARod hit 2.5 home runs in his first two games as well as 1.5 doubles. The half of each is the HR that was erroneously called a double. He still doesn't look comfy running hard, but right how, he's delivering that upside surprise that I hoped for. I'm excited. Now, if that can only rub off on his teammates bats. They've won 2-3 since he returned.

Kudos to Lester

I don't bash the Sox just for the sake of bashing. I am also not so blindly pro-Yanks to wish a hearty congrats to Jon Lester, who just finished off a no-hitter tonite. It's on thing to throw a no-hitter; it's entirely another thing if the pitcher is still recovering from lymphoma.

On August 27th, 2006 Lester was scratched from his scheduled start against the Oakland Athletics due to a sore back. The following day he was placed on the 15 day disabled list (retroactive to August 24th, 2006), and was sent back to Boston for testing. At the time, Lester's back problems were thought to be the result of a car crash he was involved in on August 18th, 2006. On August 31st it was reported that Lester had been diagnosed with enlarged lymph nodes and was being tested for a variety of ailments, including forms of cancer [3]. On September 1st, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed that Lester had a treatable form of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

My wife recently returned to work full time for the American Cancer Society so maybe I'm more attuned and sensitive to cancer and survivors, but this is just great.

My hat's off to Lester for his courage and perserverence.

Re-examining Wang, Part VI

You'll have to pardon the abbreviated version but work calls.

Wang was at home, facing the also-struggling Mets, a place where Wang has excelled over his career. The result: his worst outing of the year, but also rather Jeckyl & Hyde-ish.

Innings 1-3: Perfect, but no K's.
Inning 4: Disaster, benefitted by a blown HR call which would have made it look even worse. Molina called it pretty succintly: "He kept the ball up a little bit and couldn't get it down. He got a couple of pitches up and just got hit. It's not pretty usual [for Wang] because he's a sinkerballer. He gave us a chance still, throwing [7 2/3 innings] to give us a chance. We couldn't score anyway." Giambi had a half decent game in the field, but his inability to make the throw to Jeter opened the floodgates.
Inning 5: Perfect.
Inning 6: Lead-off HR surrendered, his 2nd of the season. Then three straight outs.
Inning 7: Perfect.
Inning 8: [Note to self: why on Earth is Wang back in this game in the 8th?] Double, Out, IBB, Sac fly. Wang out. IBB scored later, charged to Wang.

Ending line: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 104 PC, L.

Again, another low-K outing where Wang wasn't able to put away the hitter. Nearly two HR's surrendered, though Wang benefitted from the blown call on Delgado's shot.

I'm not worried or concerned about Wang. It happens. But, his control of those "out" pitches seems to be gone from earlier this season. If he reverts merely to his 2007 form, so be it.

But.... this Yankee offense is so asleep right now. Jeter batting 3rd? Molina and Giambi below Mendoza. Cano not much better. Yes, a lot of it can be attributed to ARod and Posada's injuries, but how 'bout a little personal pride, fellas? At least look like you care. I'm not always one to harken back to the 90's teams but where's a bit of the Paulie fire? Someone throw a freakin' bat, get ejected, bust a water cooler. Anything. Damon, who was off to a nice start this year, looks lethargic and he's the spark plug. Giambi is still waving at pitches. Abreu remains catatonic. Cano looks like he can't wait to swing at every pitch so he can sit down earlier.

I hope they wake up soon. Otherwise Hank's going to do something rash.

Prelude to Wang's outing

Caught this earlier today as part of the previews to Wang's outing later tonite:

"He's becoming like Brandon Webb," said Al Leiter, who pitched for both the Mets and Yankees and is now an analyst for the Bombers' YES Network. "He's always had the great sinker like Webb does. But Webb learned a couple of years ago that he needed a second out pitch for those times when he didn't have the good sinker. And he developed a good changeup as well as a pretty good slider. So now he has more than one weapon, and look at how good he's become.

"I see the same thing with Wang. He's still going to throw that great sinker 85 percent of the time. But now he has improved his slider to the point where it's become a legitimate second out pitch. Plus, he's throwing some good changeups to left-handed hitters. And he will at times throw a four-seam pitch up and in to left-handed hitters, and that pitch has got him some easy fly-ball outs."

Good to hear that from a guy who knew a thing or two about pitching. Helps me justify what I have been seeing thus far.

I'll try to get a review of the game done tonite or early tomorrow (got a busy day on tap on Monday).

My eyes! My eyes!!!

Sometimes we read/see things that we never ever want to see. A grandparent in an advanced state of undress. "Surprise Test Today" on the blackboard. That really old guy at the gym who likes to walk around naked waaay too much. A player on your childhood favorite team wearing a gold lamé, tiger-stripe thong. That same player sharing the thong with teammates.

Then I fell upon this and I'm now scarred. And scared.

The deepest, darkest secret harbored by the New York Yankees first baseman is that whenever he is in a prolonged hitting funk, he wears a gold lamé, tiger-stripe thong under his uniform. "I only put it on when I'm desperate to get out of a big slump," he confides.

Over Giambi's checkered career in the Bronx, he has left the "golden thong" in the lockers of slumping teammates Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Johnny Damon, Robin Ventura, and Robinson Cano. "All of them wore it and got hits," he reports. "The thong works every time."

Great googly moogly. I wish I never ever read that as I now have images in my head I never ever wished to have. I've heard of slump-busting but nothing like this.

That's what I get for reading this stuff on a rainy, nasty Friday night and the Yanks are mired in last place.

Said better...

Jayson Stark has a wonderful piece on the path Clemens chose, the scorched Earth approach, and how is could have been different for him had he chose the "Pettitte Path" instead. It's worthy of a print-and-read, so here's the link.

Reason why Jayson's so good at what he does: he says things better than most, in a way we can all understand. Like this:

We'll never know now, though. Will we? Let's say again here that, because this is America, we're willing to give this man some benefit of the doubt, that maybe he couldn't do that because he is innocent of the original crime he was accused of.

But if he is innocent, and that's why he took the course he did, then we've arrived at the ultimate irony:

The price he has paid for claiming he is innocent has been more painful and powerful than the price he undoubtedly would have paid for admitting guilt.

So well said.