Good morning … and Happy Museum Day
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on May 18, 2009 
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Hey everyone, Sam Borden here. Long time no speak — the last time we spent a week together was when A-Rod’s steroid use became public. One can only imagine what silliness the next seven days will bring.
First, a few housekeeping notes: There will still be a game thread – hopefully posted early and with the lineups – every day, just as usual. So rest easy, those who (rightfully) love the in-game conversations. They’ll continue unabated.
There will also be significant blogging every day, though it won’t always be from me. The game coverage will feature myself as well as a few other excellent Journal News colleagues, and I’ll do my best to pop in on the blog at least a few times even on days I’m not at the park. We’ll all pitch in to keep you updated on everything that’s going on with the Yankees.
Lastly, since everyone blogs a little differently and I happen to like themes — remember my “food” theme from one day last time, in which the vaunted “pancakes for the table” concept became famous? — I decided to look at various holidays this week. Obviously Memorial Day is next weekend, but in case you didn’t know (and, if you did, I’m a little afraid of you) today is International Museum Day. Along those lines, let’s get the week started off with a few museum-related Yankees lists for the first seven weeks of the 2009 season:
Works of Art:
1. Johnny Damon: If A-Rod gets hurt again, he could legitimately hit clean-up.
2. Robinson Cano: Cooled some lately, but looking more 07 than 08, which is a good thing.
3. Melky Cabrera/Francisco Cervelli: One is a small sample size, the other is even smaller but give them both credit for rising to the occasion when called upon. Cabrera, in particular, could have sulked but showed mental toughness.
Monets (good from far, but far from good when you get up close):
1. Nick Swisher: The power numbers are still impressive this early in the season but he’s 5-for-42 with 19 strikeouts in May.
2. Brett Gardner: He’s done some great things and made some big plays, especially in the past week, but the production is still below what you need from a CF.
3. Edwar Ramirez: Actually, he doesn’t even look good from afar.
Abstract art (beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?):
1. Joba Chamberlain: His starts have been erratic, to be sure, but this is what hard-throwing young pitchers have to go through. He’s a starter – and yes, that’s the best place for him – so he’s got to learn how to be the best at that job. This is part of that learning process.
2. Hideki Matsui: Remember when he was a consecutive-games-played ironman? It seems like forever ago. But even with his falling-apart knees, it seems like he’s still good for two or three big-time hits a month (if not more).
3. Mariano Rivera: Doubters say this is the year he starts to fade. Sure it is. Just like 2005. And 2004. And 2003 …
Yankees: Autumn Rhythm.
Welcome aboard Sam. Missed you on the FaceOff blog. Hope you and Carp are doing well. Thanks for keeping this place up to date.
I love this blog. I don’t know what I would do without it.
So, even if the newspaper business goes belly-up, the online content should stick….I hope
Jose Veras must be Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” because that’s what I do everytime he comes in and walks the bases loaded.
Welcome back, Sam.
So what about special exhibitions?
so can we start complaining now about tonight’s line-up? Or do we have to wait until it is posted?
Welcome Sam and the rest of the journal staff, sucks that pete got his week off when we are getting a hot and he is going to miss the phils and Yankees this weekend oh well should be a good week though
Sam, thanks for filling in for the furloughed Pete!
Speaking of Monets, you hit it right on the head there. I went to L’Orangerie in Paris a couple months ago expressly to see Monet’s Waterlilies that they were exhibiting there, in the round. The Princeton Museum also has a Waterlilies, and I wanted to see how they compared.
I don’t know if it was the curation or the conservators of this particular work, but it was rubbish. You could see where the panels met and someone had badly covered over the canvasses there. Parts of the work, across the canvasses, were unfinished or not even begun at all (although you could see the rough pencil beneath, which was sort of interesting). And to top it off it was lit poorly.
Not only that, but the rest of L’Orangerie was a weird blend of Matisses, a few Gauguins, a Cezanne or two, and for some reason, an entire room for Maurice Utrillo.
Anyone going to Paris, stay away from L’Orangerie. If for some reason you find yourself at the west end of the Tuileries, go for a walk in the Place de la Concorde and down the Champs-Elysees instead of dropping 10 euros on a bad museum.
Hi Everyone,
It was a great weeked in Yankee Land for sure. I could even watch Sports Center and not get aggrivated…
Boy, Johnny has sure been the man all year. I hope he stays healthy and the Yankees sign him for another year or 2.
Gardy is sure fun to watch, but I’d say he a bench guy, and Melk plays 5 out of 6 days.
The pitching has been a little better and Wang is coming back. I say they put Phil in the pen. Any other thoughts on Phil when Wang comes back?
Is anyone else really, REALLY nervous about Wang returning??
When is the tentative date? Saturday??
Don’t forget about Angel Berroa who may or may not belong in the Egyptian wing at The Met.
Or maybe they could use him in a special exhibit on Carbon 14 dating at the Museum of Natural History.
Jose Veras is Jackson Pollack……..on acid.
All over the place.
Let’s hope that by the time Peter’s furlough is finished, Veras and Berroa are no longer on the 25-man roster and Wang and Bruney are back and healthy once again. Alfredo Aceves needs to be kept.
The bullpen will likely be tinkered with and fine tuned for some time yet but right now health is the operative word around Yankeeland.
Hey Pete, if you are checking in…..
Head down to Durham on Wednesday for the ACC Baseball Tournament. You will get a chance to see about 8 first round picks play, have a lot of fun, and enjoy the atmosphere of college sports again.
The Durham ballpark is beautiful and there is a lot to do in the area.
Getting away from the metropolitan area may be a good thing this week. Its got to be very tough to be on the sidelines, even for a week, for something that is out of your control.
If you are interested, let me know. You have my contact info and I’ll make sure you are taken care of well by the ACC folks.
I’m all for putting Phil in the pen when Wang comes back. We could use the help.
SJ,
Let me second the endorsement of the ACC tournament. It took place in Jacksonville, Fla., during the year that I was the columnist at the paper there and I really enjoyed it. Jax also has a great minor-league park and it’s fun to see talented kids play — plus the aluminum bats usually makes for some serious offensive displays.
Dr. Cox -
I just don’t think it’s necessary to rush Wang back. One more start in the minors wouldn’t hurt, I think. Plus, I think Hughes should get at least one more start up here. I’m more concerned that Hughes will be going back to a place where he’s not really going to get the exposure to failure that he needs to succeed.
I know that sounds weird, but what I mean is, he seems to excel in AAA and rarely finds himself in situations that really challenge him. He can excel in AAA without having his best stuff. In the ML, he will have to figure out how to pitch competitively even when he doesn’t really have “it,” and especially in the AL (particularly the East) where there are few breaks in any lineup he would face.
But he needs innings and I don’t really see how he or the Yankees benefit from putting him the bullpen. Maybe someone else knows how that could work?
Sam -
Welcome. I’m not clever enough to add to your museum theme – I’m more of an appreciator.
Someone posted a link to an article on Sterling which wasn’t working so I’ll post it again. It gives a summary of old John’s “highlights” this weekend.
One play the article overlooked was Gardner’s ill-advised dash home yesterday. I don’t know if it’s true but one game-thread poster claimed that Sterling said that the play started with a Cervelli bunt.
I don’t know if John’s eyesight is failing or if he’s just severely pre-occupied but his game calling is terrible. He’s always been challenged on deep fly balls but it’s getting ridiculous.
One thing I will say and this may be in his defense but at the night games that I’ve attended, I’ve had some problems tracking fly balls as well.
Then again, Sterling’s seat is obviously better than mine.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05.....169830.htm
Going with the high brow approach on the blog should be interesting.
The bullpen has a Picasso-esque quality to it. The sometimes one dimensional look of Cubism and it’s fair share of Blue Period for the fans.
Highes will not go to the pen because he needs to continue to rack up innings. He’ll go back to AAA and he’ll start every 5th game. Once he gets close to his innings limit, if the pen is still struggling, then we could see him sitting next to Mo. However, we all know that this wont be the last time the Yanks need a fill in starter. So he’ll be back in the Bronx before September.
Hello Sammmelah!
Welcome back, Sam. It’s been too long.
Nice theme. Doesn’t matter if it’s a piece only a mother could love or one of those famous works hanging over A-rod’s mantle, they’re all worthy of appreciation.
Veras has nasty [sic] stuff, but we need to rotate the pieces to keep the exhibit fresh.
“Jon Gruden will replace Tony Kornheiser in the Monday Night Football booth for ESPN”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....ref=fromSI
Wow.
I thought I was one of the only ones that knew it was International Museum Day today.
Great weekend for the Yankees, although the bullpen at times can resemble Jackson Pollock at his best (or worst, depending on how you look at it).
Happy Intl Museum Day everyone!
Im all for Phil going back to AAA, and continuing his development as a STARTING PITCHER.
Have to pimp my Alma Mater Cortland St., playing for in their 4th consecutive National Title game Sunday in D3 Lacrosse.
Is this a debate, or is there news about Wang that affects Hughes?
The last I heard is that Wang “could” be back Tuesday. But it sounded like Cash thought he could use one more start in Scranton?
Welcome!
This blog deserves a more aggressive marketing/Ad campaign to not only support it but to make some real money.
In honor of National Museum Day – the Oakland A’s will do their part.
Jason “The Statue” Giambi will play 1st base tonight in Tampa.
Since we’re on the topic, what are your favorite museums?
I love the Met in NY and some of the smaller galleries in London…I forget which one it is, but there is one where the entire second floor is an armory.
The Prado in Madrid is also awesome, but the Louvre is way too big–you need a week just to see all of one wing there!
“The last I heard is that Wang “could” be back Tuesday. But it sounded like Cash thought he could use one more start in Scranton?”
Same here. Cash said something to the effect of “his stuff was better in his previous start.” Which, I think in Cash-speak, means he’ll make another start for SWB.
Phil needs to go down to AAA to continue his development as a starter. Hopefully, Aceves and Tomko can serve as the multiple-inning/long men, but that only works if Bruney comes back healthy and the other guys do their jobs. Seems to me that Jose Veras could be one of the big keys to this team, if he’s going well then it makes the BP much more versatile.
Aceves in my opinion has earned a shot at some short term relief, in specialized situations. He throws strikes and trusts his stuff.
m -
As far as I know, it’s in the debate stage. I haven’t seen anything definitive regarding Wang’s return or what happens to Hughes at that time.
On the manager’s show last night, Joe said something about having to work out the rotation if Wang were to return for his next start, but it wasn’t a definite, just a theoretical. In the post-game, Girardi said he hadn’t even spoken to Cashman yet.
Pitchers are looking like they’re starting to click. I say the Yanks run the table this time through the rotation. First Pettitte, then CC, Hughes, Joba and AJ. 5 straight.
That’d make a 25-17 record, with a 10-game win streak, and maybe bring us within a game or two of first place. Nice.
pat: hilarious post. The bull pen is like a Warhol . . . slightly different variations of the same car crash.
vin,
I think Cash said all the right things, the thing that stood out was his velocity was down a bit compared to his last outing. Wang gave us 3 bad starts? I’d like to see three good rehab starts before he comes up. Either way, Phil has at least one more ml start.
Phil goes back to AAA to work on those secondary pitches. We’ll probably need him again at some point.
If Andy doesn’t sign on for ’10, I pencil Phil in as my #5. I think the other four can do their share to easy any “growing pains”.
Rebecca,
The Met is outstanding. Definitely one of my favorite places. The Guggenheim in NY was disappointing from an art-viewing point of view, but Frank Lloyd Wright’s building is a must-see. One of my favorite galleries is in Pasadena, Norton Simon Museum. It’s even free if you show them a “valid” student ID. The Getty in Museum is a fun experience… and (much like the Gugenheim) the architecture is remarkable.
The Louvre is so massive – we only hit some of the high-points – will definitely need to go back. Unfortunately, when my wife and I were in Europe, she got a little burned-out on the museums/galleries.
m,
Are you the poster formerly known as “mel”?
“slightly different variations of the same car crash.”
ack, “ease”.
BTW, according to my local tv, it’s Reggie Jackson’s birthday. (Jack Johnson, too)
I think that Edwar & Veras have a sort of Mark Rothko quality to their work.
After viewing it, much of the audience responds similarly
” Hey, even I could have done that”
Rebecca,
There’s a museum in Worcester, MA that may be right up your alley, all armor/swords. http://www.higgins.org/
John,
“Y”es.
OK, most agree that Phil goes back to AAA when Wang is ready to come back.
Now who’s spot does Bruney take on Tuesday? I hope they stay with 12 pitchers but my guess is the Beroa will be gone.
oops. make that “Jon”. That extra “h” must drive you nuts.
Agreed, mel. Cash said all the right things. I also wonder if the upcoming schedule will have an impact on when Wang returns.
If he came up immediately, then he’d face the Phillies in NY – which would worry me. The next time up would be against the Rangers in Texas – which might also be rough if the sinker isn’t sinking. And after that would be the Indians in Cleveland, and we know how that worked out earlier this year. Should be interesting.
m,
Good, I was wondering what had happened to you. I stepped away from the blog for a while and when I got back noticed that mel was no longer here. Is “m” just more hip or are you giving a shout out to James Bond?
“I think that Edwar & Veras have a sort of Mark Rothko quality to their work.
After viewing it, much of the audience responds similarly
” Hey, even I could have done that””
LOL, I was trying to find a way of working Rothko into the conversation. Nice job.
We enjoyed the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, and Rebecca, you’re right about the Louvre – it’s huge. I enjoyed it, but unless you have the time, you’re rushing from one “star exhibit” to another. I will say the Mona Lisa was somewhat disappointing – it’s a smaller portrait in person than I had imagined, and the room it’s in is too tourist-packed to really examine the work. Loved the Van Gogh stuff, though.
Now, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame was an amazing pop-culture modern museum for my husband and myself. We went to Cleveland last summer and figured we’d spend an hour or two at most. Well, we stayed through lunch and only left because our daughters had had it with us! Last year they had a feature exhibit on Jim Morrison of the Doors. I heard this year it’s Bruce. So, Pete, if you’re around, when you get to Cleveland this season, see if you can find an hour or two to see the Springsteen Exhibit at the RnR HOF.
The Tower of London was pretty neat, too.
And the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto was more interesting than I thought – I’m not a hockey fan, but I do know some key players and I always love seeing “old” stuff – the sweaters that served as uniforms were really cool to see.
I generally love visiting any museum, but never feel I have near enough time to explore. I like to linger over exhibits, but, alas, as a family outing ’twas not to be. I think to have the best museum experience, you need to be either alone or with a very kindred spirit.
And you need time – lots of it.
And where does my man Jeter fit in the art analogy?
A Classic Treasure?
you’ve also got the van gogh museum in amsterdam, and, as a real downer, s-21 and the killing fields in cambodia- very powerful.
m May 18th, 2009 at 11:37 am
oops. make that “Jon”. That extra “h” must drive you nuts.
____
No worries.
Jon,
I, too, stepped away for a while. I changed it when I came back.
Not too original. At the time there was talk of registration, so I was going generic until I could come up with something clever. But, well…here we are.
The Met is awesome.
The Cloisters museum is great too.
Smithsonian Institution(s) in DC is always great to go to.
The Folger Shakespeare Library is great-especially, when you can get back into the archives.
“OK, most agree that Phil goes back to AAA when Wang is ready to come back.
Now who’s spot does Bruney take on Tuesday? I hope they stay with 12 pitchers but my guess is the Beroa will be gone.”
I think you’re right. It’s time for Berroa to up and move to Del Boca Vista, phase 3. It’s been fun, Angel.
The bigger question might be, who goes down when Posada gets off the DL? My guess is they would carry 3 catchers for awhile to be on the safe side. That would enable Girardi to DH Posada – although DH’ing is probably just as tough on the hamstring as catching.
Mo Rivera = Mona Lisa
The most famous, perfect work of art known to man.
Oh, and the Baseball Hall of Fame is a great Museum.
“The Tower of London was pretty neat, too.”
Ugh… a word to the wise traveler: Don’t save the Tower of London for a Sunday. It closes early (as does all of Europe, seemingly). We missed it because the place was closing in an hour. Another reason to go back, I guess.
Cash goes down when Posada comes back.
The Phillips Collection in D.C. is an intimate museum that I love. Also in DC, Hirshhorn (Mueck there now, if anyone knows his work). Always like Rodin Museum in Philly. Many others, such as the ever awesome Art Institute in Chicago.
I’ve enjoyed all the museum weigh-ins.
Are we still at 13 pitchers?
If so, Wang for Phil. Bruney for Veras. Either Albaladejo or Edwar would be the next weakest link.
Jorge for Cash. Jose for Cervelli. A better bench player for Berroa.
The Mütter Museum in Philly is a great place to go to.
Real freaky place.
” Mo Rivera = Mona Lisa
The most famous, perfect work of art known to man.”
———————————————————
Phil Hughes is more Mona Lisa IMO.
Lot’s of hype and expectation but when you see it you say ” This is it? “
Tom in N.J.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:44 am
The Met is awesome.
The Cloisters museum is great too.
Smithsonian Institution(s) in DC is always great to go to.
The Folger Shakespeare Library is great-especially, when you can get back into the archives.
====
Tom, Folger rocks! Now, the Shakespeare Theatre, under Michael Kahn’s direction, is kind of pedestrian, but what can you do; I go anyway because the language is so resilient, it survives nearly all speakers of it!
wsr: Thanks for that link!
I love the Tower of London. The second time I went I went just because I was having lunch in the area, and it was there and the weather was nice enough for it.
Hampton Court was probably my favorite royal palace in the London area; Holyrood in Edinburgh is amazing but only open in the winter and Palacio Real in Madrid is so, so worth it.
Regarding Melky, let’s not overlook some of his lazy play in the outfield. His failure to properly charge the ball and hit the cutoff man has been disturbing. THere are times when you have to wonder whether this team ever gets any guidance on the fundamentals.
Bodhi,
Mueck is the “real-life giant sized” sculpter no?
If so, I saw a show at the Brooklyn museum a couple of years back. Incredible artist.
Rebecca,
I loved the Tate Gallery in London.
My guess is Wang for Phil; Bruney for Berroa (which then puts the team at 13 pitchers); and Posada for Edwar/Albaladejo/Tomko (whoever is struggling at the time – my guess is Aceves makes Tomko unnecessary).
That would leave the team at 12 pitchers, 1 backup IF, and 3 catchers. Then, ideally, Cash can get sent down (once Posada has proven he’s healthy and Molina is closer to coming back) and a guy like Miranda, J-Rod or Linden can be called up. It all depends on guys like Cervelli, Melky and Gardner – if they can continue to be productive then the needs change a bit.
Bronx Jeers:
In that case Mo Rivera is more like…hmm…Michealangelo’s Sistine Chapel!
Braggin’ on the nephew again.
He was just named First Team All-ACC. First BC player ever named to the first team.
This is quite the cultured group.
Hard to tell from the game threads sometimes.
Yeah, Bod. It is a great place.
I must admit I went through some Shakespeare related burn-out.
My masters thesis was on the publication and Codification history of Shakesphere from the first folio to Lewis Theobald. I had to read every edition.
Pete:
If you are bored out of your skull this week, you have a standing invite to spend the day in court with me. It’ll be a lot of things, but it won’t be boring.
You’re invited too Sam. I just figured you’d be busy
Congrats SJ44 regarding your nephew!
SJ,
That’s great. Congratulations to your nephew.
SJ
Congratulations to your family.
Your nephew sounds like he’s going places. Thanks for giving us a front row seat on the ride. It’s exciting.
Braggin’ on the nephew again.
He was just named First Team All-ACC. First BC player ever named to the first team.
——————-
SJ,
I would be doing the same thing. You must be real proud right now. Let us know where S ends up going.
Have you been posting on game threads during games? Some here think thats someone else.
For the people who predicted STAR TREK will make the most money this year at the box office. I think you might be off. If was over taken by angels n demons only in its second week. Still think it will be TRANSFORMERS.
SJ44 -
Brag away! Congrats.
Some of you are really well-traveled!
One thing I am frankly, well, tired of is any dinosaur exhibit. I’m dinosaured out. Although, when we were living in the Chicago area, The Field Museum had a The T-Rex Named Sue exhibit. The largest and best-preserved t-rex specimen. That was one awesome dinosaur!
And the more museums you go to, the more realize how ubiquitous a lot of ancient artifacts are. After a while, you wonder just how rare a lot of this stuff really is.
SJ: Congratulations!
Congrats SJ on your nephew. Have there been any mock drafts yet? Any idea on where he’ll get picked in the draft?
Congrats to you and your nephew SJ NEXT MONTH’S DRAFT AND DAYS leading up to it will be a very exciting tiim in your family for sure. maybe we get lucky and yanks trade up to get him?
Bronx Jeers —- Your Mona Lisa line is a classic!
Sam — Definitely need a little more love for Monet, though I think other Rennaissance guys are better
my posts over the weekend did not work for some reason.
“And the more museums you go to, the more realize how ubiquitous a lot of ancient artifacts are. After a while, you wonder just how rare a lot of this stuff really is.”
LOL, well put. There’s a store here in Vegas (2 locations, actually) that sells ancient artifacts -made into jewelry and such.
http://www.ancientcreations.com/index.asp
SJ,
When did you think that your nephew might actually go far in baseball? The reason i ask is i get alot of people say i cant wait to see your boy in the nfl. I think its very premature to think a 10 year old will still be able to the same hits 8 years from now. Realistically i dont think about him past high school. Its more of a fantacy at this point. What i do think is that he can get a scholarship and make life easier for my wife and i.
BTW, he played against Marshall Faulks son this past year. The boy is nothing like his father. Bigger more powerful(running back as well and safety). Their team ended up winning the whole thing going undefeated.
now they are working. great weekend.. need Bruney back soon and effective.
wang needs 1 more start, work on the velocity..
can they win a laugher one of these days???
giambi never make the tex play yesterday, fielding can help, there is more to baseball the homeruns..
check out minnys BA with RISP this series!!!it is yankee like…
Rebecca,
I loved The Hermitage in St Petersburg, Russia. You could spend days in there.
If anyone is interested in short-film, I curate many of the short film exhibits at MoMA. My next project is June 3-4 and is titled “Outstanding Short Films from International Festivals”. It mostly showcases young filmmakers (many from nyc). There are a few baseball related short-films that made the cut as well.
Which Museum houses GreenBeret7?
Zach,
That sounds like a great job. Was it the job that sent you to Australia earlier this year?
Going with the “museum” theme here …
Game threads are the equivalent of refrigerator doors: The common museum of children’s artwork that’s in every home. Anybody can proudly put anything up, no matter how bad it is, for everyone in their (own) house to see.
And they do.
SJ congratulations on the nephew
Since we have such a high brow crowd during the day we could always bring it down a few notches and go the direction of the touch and feel museum since I have seen hot wives posts (just joking).
Just saw a promo on YES for some new Yankeeography’s this summer Dave Winfield,Moose and George Steinbrenner. They start in June.
Keys to yesterdays win.
1. Matsui tagging up.
2. Alba coming in and getting out of a bases loaded jam down 2-0.
3. Mo mowing down the tough part of the lineup.
4. Aceves pitching a scoreless inning.(deserves to stay up)
5. Gardner getting out so Damon can do his heroics.
6. The positive vibes from this blog
7. ???
I was sitting this weekend reflecting on his development with a scout friend of mine in Boston….
10 years ago this week, he asked me if I could buy him catching equipment because he wanted to give catching a try.
He loved baseball but, was a kid without a position. He was, ahem, fat (too much of mom’s cooking! lol) and thought catcher would be a good spot for him.
I thought it was a smart idea coming from an 11 year old…..
He really took to the position. So, I line him with Bobby Ramos, now the bullpen coach for the Rays, to be his catching teacher.
Every Saturday morning for 3 years, 7 am sharp, Bobby put him through the paces. When Bobby left to go to the Rays, he said to me, “He has a chance to be a very good player if he keeps working at it”.
He turned me onto Pedro Griftol (like Bobby, a former ML catcher) to be his new catching coach. Ironically, Pedro is now farm director for the Mariners, one of the teams that expressed interest in him.
Anyway, working with Pedro, he continues to improve. However, we are met with the politics that are travelling squads. He was viewed as an “outsider” (ie: I wouldn’t let unqualified coaches work with him) and snubbed from the good travelling teams.
Undaunted, he just kept plugging along.
By the time he was a HS senior, his teams had been to the state finals 2 years in a row. He actually hit a walkoff HR off Chris Volstad (now with the Marlins) to put his team in the finals one year.
I thought, at worst, he would end up with a college scholarship somewhere, perhaps at his dream school….the University of Miami.
Miami wouldn’t even let the kid walk on, let alone give him a scholarship. When I’m asked why, I always say, “ask them” because I was never given a straight answer from them why.
ONE Division 1 School, Boston College, offered him a scholarship. Pete Hughes (now at Virginia Tech) saw him at a scouting jamboree and offered him on the spot.
Since that time, he has matured on and off the field to where he is an All-ACC selection, named Junior Scholar Athlete of the Year at BC, and could be a first round draft choice three weeks from tomorrow.
Three years ago, we are fishing around for a scholarship offer and now he is on the brink of achieving something most so called “experts” thought was impossible.
The moral to the story?
There are more “misses” than “hits” in scouting. Its a very, very inexact science. My nephew is Exhibit A on how so called “experts” can miss badly.
It also helps if you are a good kid, have a good work ethic, and don’t take “no” for an answer when it comes to going after your dreams.
Its been a wild, fun ride.
Going to BC has been the best possible outcome for him. He has made great friends, established a legacy for himself, and has gotten a top shelf education.
It couldn’t have worked out better for the kid. I’m really proud of him.
“Which Museum houses GreenBeret7?”
This one;
http://local.yahoo.com/info-12.....seum-galax
Bronx Jeers
May 18th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Bodhi,
Mueck is the “real-life giant sized” sculpter no?
If so, I saw a show at the Brooklyn museum a couple of years back. Incredible artist.
============
Yes, that’s him. I saw it there, too. HIs work is astonishing. This board is cool – art and the Yankees.
Zach in Port Jeff
May 18th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
If anyone is interested in short-film, I curate many of the short film exhibits at MoMA. My next project is June 3-4 and is titled “Outstanding Short Films from International Festivals”. It mostly showcases young filmmakers (many from nyc). There are a few baseball related short-films that made the cut as well.
================
Great info, thanks.
Thanks for the back-story, SJ. Great lessons, indeed. There always seems to be a need for catchers, so the kid made a wise choice when he was young. I expect this blog to be particularly active (more so than in previous years) during this year’s draft. Looking forward to it.
SJ, any chance the nephew gets drafted by the Yanks? Sounds like someone will draft him.
SoS— I’m not SJ but I have spent my adult life around athletes of all ages. As someone who never got better after age 12 I would say age 16 is the first time to think seriously that sports might be an avenue to an exciting future.
Until then, have a ton of fun and learn fundamentals, fundamentals and more fundaments. I also encourage youngsters to avoid the tendency to specialize in a sport at a very young age. Play everything, play hard and learn the rules.
Nice work, Tom. I was looking for a Curmudgeon Museum, but I don’t think one exists. lol
Oh, god:
Former New York Giant Michael Strahan is in a series about an ex-NFL star who goes back to live with his mother.
Tom in N.J. -
Reality show????
Wasn’t it George himself who said owning the Yankees is like owning the Mona Lisa?
I actually like the Mo and Mona Lisa comparison. There’s a completeness to Rivera that eludes most people; he’s a warrior and a competitor but he’s always in a state of peace that few people achieve. He’s linked into Source, and the Mona Lisa has that quality.
It’s why Freud’s question: ‘What does this woman want?’ Reveals more about Freud’s anxieties it causes him to gaze on her than it does to shed light on the Mona Lisa’s expectations or desires. That’s what bothers Freud, I think: she DOESN’T seem to want anything.
HA!
As it is unlikely that SJ44′s nephew will be picked by our beloved, lets all hope that his wild ride continues and that he is fortunate enough to one day feel the wrath of our blog if you catch my drift.
Maybe we can get Arod to tip him a few.
Thanks 86. He actually started out playing baseball. He was the only swith hitter in his age bracket(5,6,7,)was the shortstop all 3 years. He made an unassited triple play at the age of 7. But when he then was old enough to play football he liked it so much that he didnt want to go back to baseball once it ended. He wanted a contact sport. So rather than just letting him sit at home for 9 months doing nothing. I put him in jui jitsu. He proceeded to win 4 golds in 5 tournaments with 1 silver. But it got really costly and with these tough times we bailed. Now its all football. His strength is his strength. Its men among boys. So i continue to work on his power every off season. Who knows what will become of this. All i know is we are both enjoying the ride. A mansion for his dad/coach/trainer in 15 years woundnt hurt.
SOS,
Junior year in HS, I took a friend of mine (a ML GM) to watch him play.
My goal all along was to see if he could get a college scholarhip. I had no feel for any pro aspirations.
I saw he was very, very good defensively but, his bat was so so.
Anyway, my friend told me three things:
1. He’s very good defensively and should be able to play Division I college baseball.
2. He has to remake his body. He’s too fat. Blunt, but true.
3. Don’t let ANYBODY derail him from trying to accomplish his dreams.
When did I think he had the chance to be a pro? After his freshman year in college.
He was invited to play in the Northwoods League. That’s the midwest version of the Cape League only with LONG bus trips.
He was making noises to me about wanting to be a pro. I told him, “let’s talk after the Northwoods League”.
Lots of kids want to play pro baseball. Very, very few want to pay the price.
Play a game in Michigan, then get on the bus for 8 hours and play the next day. 77 games in 84 days. He caught 60 of them.
He did great….made the all star team but, that wasn’t what I was looking for from him. I wanted to see if he could handle the life because, that what seperates guys that make it from guys that don’t.
After the season, he said to me, “I can do this”, and I told him, ok.
I made a list of 20 “commandments” he had to follow for me to put all of my energies, contacts, etc to work to help him.
The kid has done everything right….very rare nowadays.
That’s why I’m so proud of him getting more recognition for it and even prouder with the way he is handling it.
He’s still a great kid.
The best part of watching him play is having parents come up to me, my wife and his mother and tell us how much they like him. That’s means a lot to me.
I’m around a lot of professional athletes in my business. Too many of them are ungrateful jerks for the opportunities they have available to them. Tony hasn’t fallen into that trap. THANK GOD.
“That sounds like a great job. Was it the job that sent you to Australia earlier this year?”
Yeah, I actually still live down in Aus for a good chunk of the year. I do less curating, and more grant-writing for a place called ACMI in Melbourne (Austrlian Centre for Moving Image).
I’d rather be doing more curating, but unfortunately it doesn’t pay the bills.
Why would we want Tony to be drafted by the Yankees? The experts say we have terrible coaching in the minor leagues.
S.o.S. Assuming your boy is a runner/receiver/ safety/cornerback, encourage him to run track in the winter & spring time. Any distance 200m or less, as much as he can do. Flat sprints, relays, even 110m hurdles if he’s up for the challenge. Especially if there’s a good track coach at his HS this will help him. The kind of training they do for the hurdles might be like a good agility & flexibility drill.
If he builds enough stamina by 11th/12th grade he could even benefit from 400m races, but that’s less of a power race. Indoor track, on the other hand, has the 60m which is explosive and would be great for a footballer. The long sprint for indoor track is usually the 300m.
Why would we want Tony to be drafted by the Yankees? The experts say we have terrible coaching in the minor leagues.
—————
I agree. Have our minor league affiliated K.C. Royals or Pit Pirates groom him and we’ll show him the money. I just hope SJ had on his 20 commandments the NOWAY IN HELL DO YOU EVER PLAY FOR BOSTON in it. EVER!!
I’m being told anywhere between 20-40.
But, the Royals, who pick 11, want to bring him out to KC for a workout after his season ends.
Milwaukee, Colorado, Toronto, and Tampa are really making a lot of noise about him.
Most of my friends on the game tell me he is the #1 catcher on their boards. But, all drafts are crazy. You just never know.
Would the Yankees take him? Hard to say.
The baseball draft is different from football. You don’t draft for current major league roster need in the baseball draft. You take the best player on your board when its time to pick.
For example, I know one team has him as the 4th highest rated kid on their board. If the other 32 kids are gone by the time they pick, they will pick him.
I don’t know where the Yankees have him on their board.
I know this much, defensively, there isn’t a better catcher in the organization at this time better than he is. That’s not an uncle bragging. That’s from seeing all their catchers and knowing how to evaluate catchers.
His bat? Not even close to Montero’s level, and probably not Romine’s level either.
Glove, framing pitchers and throwing? He’s better than both of those guys.
Enough for the Yankees to use a first round pick on him? No idea.
FIRE LONN TROST!!
More time for you to stuff your face with food and go up to Boston to view some of your sox games. Welcome aboard Sammy!!!!!!!!!
FIRE RANDY LEVINE!!
Watching recaps on espnews. They showed AJ’s shirt-pie. The sleeve whacks Kim Jones on the forehead. They show it in slow mo, too.
Anyone see Pelfrey yesterday? I heard about his troubles on the radio, but just saw the video. 3 balks, he had trouble getting set.
If at first you get ejected from a game, try, try again. Lackey’s going to start tonight.
““Which Museum houses GreenBeret7?”
This one;
http://local.yahoo.com/info-12.....seum-galax”
lol
I predict Lackey will get ejected for intentionally trying to hit the 3rd batter of the game tonight.
Funny story about Tony and the Red Sox.
He knows I hate the Red Sox! Its a running joke between us.
Last year, he played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape. The whole idea of the Cape is to support the team your kid plays on by donating money during the games, buying tickets, etc.
I wouldn’t buy or wear anything with “Red Sox” on it. Nothing.
Bought a ton of stuff with “Cape Cod League” on it but, nothing with “Red Sox” on it.
He wanted me to pose for a photo with him. I told him he had to take the jersey off because it said “Red Sox” on it. He did! lol
Finally, his mother asked me this in depth question.
“What if Tony was batting against Mariano Rivera with the season on the line? If he gets a hit, the Red Sox go to the playoffs. If not, the Yankees go to the playoffs. Who would you root for”?
I said, “I would tell him after the game that, you were struck out by a first ballot Hall of Famer. No shame in that. There’s always next year”!
Ansky,
Hes a linebacker speed is average at best. He can run through a wall though(something not many are willing to do). He is a fearless competitor and doesnt care if he gets banged up as long as he put the hurt(sends a message)on someone. Played with two stingers last year. The year prior played with bruised ribs and wouldnt let the coach take him out. Kids change up in the line so they dont have to face him in tackling drills. Its funny. I helped coach his team last year and the two biggest hitters on the team were this other kid and himself which were the quietest as well. Go figure.
Iv been having arguements with freinds that speed cant be taught. I dissagree. I think form and building strength in the legs can help. Could be wrong. If he has a weekness its speed. He’s linebacker/fullback up the middle material.
SJ – just wanted to pop in quickly and add my congratulations
… can’t post until after work, but didn’t want to miss out…
SJ — Interesting stuff about drafting philosophy. I do think the Yanks have gone too far in that regard by not drafting for organizational need. You don’t draft for need at the MLB level, but you should consider your organization’s strengths and weaknesses.
I agree you need to take talent first, but the Yankees are most loaded at RHP and C, so to me you don’t use high picks on those positions.
In a perfect draft your nephew goes before the Yanks pick so you aren’t stressed by the decision that follows. Then the Yanks choose SS, OF or LHP.
SJ,
That was the right answer. There will be many more opportunities for Tony to get the glory…against other teams!
congrats SJ on your nephew–you must be awfully proud
Aunt Becca—my favorite museum…The Frick on a quiet weekday
SJ,
It reminds me of the movie WAR OF THE WORLDS. Where Tom Cruz was a Yankee fan and his bad a$$ son was a sox fan playing catch in the back yard. If i was Tom in that movie it would have been take tha cap off or pack your bags your getting a new family.
SoS — if LB/FB is his future I strongly recommend getting him to develop his hands as a receiver. The ability to catch the ball is what seperates FB at the high levels. Good luck!
SJ,
Who does his game resemble? Defensively?
Museums
2 unheralded Museums in NYC
Museum of the City of New York and The NYC Historical Society Museum – very good
Ufizzi in Florence
Vatican Museum
Tower of London, St Paul’s and Westminster Abby – Are AWESOME sites.
HINT: check out Sotheby’s and Christie’s Websites – they show the Art they are about to auction – you can go and look at the Art for free – its cool
I have a few issues with the Yankee Museum in the Stadium- but its still pretty cool
Its hard for me to say how its going to shake out.
I have a lot of friends in the Tampa organization. They aren’t deep with catchers, and he has a real path if he gets in that organization.
The Red Sox are hot and heavy into a HS OF they may pay Casey Kelly money to, making it unlikely they take him in the first round. They said they would take him in the second but, believe he would be gone by then.
Here is how crazy life can turn.
A year ago TODAY, the goal was, “Go up to the Cape, look to split time up there, work on your swing, and get scouts interested enough to see you in the 3-5th round next year”.
That was the goal.
Amazing how fast things change.
That’s why I don’t want to get “first round fever”. Just take it day by day and see what shakes.
The analytical side of me looks at 20-34 in the draft and don’t see him going later. But, you just never know.
Aside from Strasburg and Ackley, the draft can get crazy, depending on how greedy Scott Boras gets with his kids.
He reps about 6 kids in the upper half of the draft and that could effect everybody else in the first round.
Do teams pass on some of his kids for signability reasons? That would push some kids up, other kids down.
Its crazy because its all speculation right now.
I think when we get 4-5 days out, we will have a clearer picture to where he could end up.
SJ – Several years ago I played softball with a couple guys who made it to AA ball. They both said mental focus/toughness and (as you say) being willing to pay the price is what prevented them from taking it to the next level.
They both realized too late that too much swagger and not enough work after making it to AA, and a few years later they’re playing beer league softball with a bunch of 9-to-5 office workers. Would they have made the bigs? Not for sure, but that they’d gotten to where they did says to me they had at least an outside shot.
We had an awesome softball team thanks to them, and they were great guys, but they really should have still been chasing their pro ball dreams. Sounds like your nephew’s got the mindset to realize his. Good luck to him.
SOS,
Defensively, he is like Jose Molina. Quick release, accurate arm, blocks everything, and really frames pitches well.
He has more power than Jose. I’m not yet sure how his bat is going to translate. I think the power will. Not sure about the average.
Defensively though, every scout, farm director and national crosschecker I’ve talked to say his glove is high quality.
He has a chance to work out with Jose and Posada this winter, if time allows. That will really help him, IMO.
ANSKY,
Tell them just think of the bright side. No one can ever take the beer league championship away from them.
Why do people say that? Who ever went up to someone and said ” hey i want to take your championship away from you?”. My best friend told me the other day that his daughter won the city softball championship and he told her the same thing.
SJ,
Here’s a boring question for you…What exactly does one do on draft day? I know MLB has been trying to make it into an event in recent years. Most draftees are at home with their families waiting for the phone to ring, right?
Hey, if the kid ends up a better defensive version of a Mike Napoli (power bat), that’s not too bad.
Really impressed to read he took academics seriously. Smarts often separated good players from great.
SoS – Sound like tough kid. Hopefully he can avoid injuries except for the ones he inflicts on his opponents.
Track could still help him. When I ran in HS 25 years ago there were big guys doing it to help with their football game. Even if he never becomes Usain Bolt, speed can be developed to a great degree. If he does 4 years of it in HS, he’ll definitely improve that part of his game. Linebackers need to be able to catch the fast guys as well as squishing them on a run up the middle.
ON my HS track team was a guy who played football but he was afraid to lose weight by running track. He was about 6-2, 220 at the time. Eventually he decided to run track, and he eventually made the Olympics. Not in track though … he pushed one of the 4-man bobsleds in the winter games. By then he was bigger & faster than Herschel Walker, who pushed the other US sled. But in HS he started out as just an average sprinter. I didn’t know him so well so I don’t know why he didn’t play pro football. Maybe his ceiling in football was college or he just turned out to be a better runner than football player.
Anyways, I guess I’m just saying you’d be surprised how much faster your kid could get if he works on it.
The grades were one of the “commandments”.
I got the idea from Derek Jeter’s father. He drew up a contract he made Derek sign when he was in high school.
I thought it was a great idea and, knowing how Tony likes to live up to his word, thought something like that would work with him.
As far as academics, I told him, the only thing better than being a good catching prospect is, being a SMART catching prospect. Smarts count and, thankfully, he took it to heart.
Zach,
Draft Day is going to be spent at my house watching the MLB Network. No parties, no interviews, no nothing.
Got this far taking a low key approach. No sense changing the karma now.
SJ: I’m curious to get your take on aluminum bats in HS and college. I’m not a fan of aluminum and I think that college should use wood only. Do you think using aluminum actually hurts batters when they get to the minors?
I don’t like them and it makes life miserable for scouts to accurately evaluate kids.
They also are dangerous for pitchers (line drives) and catchers (recoiled swings in the back of the head).
There is some talk about going back to wood bats in college. I think they need to for the safety and betterment of the sport.
The kids play in the summer leagues with wood bats.
Fortunately for Tony, his power translated well with the wood bat.
It does affect pitching though. Lots of college and HS pitchers are afraid to pitch inside because of aluminum bats and its a part of their game that has to get worked out in the minors.
Just to note, Cano has been horrendous in his last 110 AB’s.
Over the last 25 games he played in, Cano is 28-110(.255/.278/.400). He’s just 8 for 54 in the last 13 games, and 5-31 in the past 7 games.
This guy has been old Cano since Mid April. He’s played 2 great weeks.
Welcome back Sam & thanks to you (& all LoHud scribes keeping The Blog afloat for the next 7 days) from all NYY fans outside the Tri-State Area; The Blog is our primary link to the NYY Universe. Just wanted you all to know how appreciated you are, filling in for Pete.
Tom in N.J.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Yeah, Bod. It is a great place.
I must admit I went through some Shakespeare related burn-out.
My masters thesis was on the publication and Codification history of Shakesphere from the first folio to Lewis Theobald. I had to read every edition.
=========
Tom, sounds interesting – where can I read it?. My Shakespeare has been more performative than academic for me. It One of my favorite tools has got to be a book called Shakespeare’s Metrical Art, by George T. Wright.
I’ve spent roughly 10 years deeply engaged with the play Hamlet and an exploration of the lead character and the text. The search for ‘the true and perfect Coppie’ never ends, of course, and can be fascinating/wrenching/tedious, etc. I’m working on a performance piece about working on the part.
Uncle Ellsworth (relax Chief)
May 18th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Museums
2 unheralded Museums in NYC
Museum of the City of New York and The NYC Historical Society Museum – very good
Ufizzi in Florence
Vatican Museum
Tower of London, St Paul’s and Westminster Abby – Are AWESOME sites.
HINT: check out Sotheby’s and Christie’s Websites – they show the Art they are about to auction – you can go and look at the Art for free – its cool
I have a few issues with the Yankee Museum in the Stadium- but its still pretty cool
=====
Have you been to El Barrio? Very manageable space. They were renovating last time I attempted to go.
Mike F doing his Yankee thing now, for those who need a good laugh.
Hey Sam, do they sell french fries with brown gravy at any of the Museums you’ve visited?
You would have LOVED the conversation from several games ago. Every condiment option regarding french fries was discussed. Of course the Yankees were resoudingly winning, which is the only reason we could breathe enough to dicuss fries AND the Yankees!
The Yankees to me are Garden at Giverny. Though it may rain at times, causing one to seek temporary shelter, the flowers remain as beautiful when the sun is out and one ventures back out. As someone who actually enjoys the feeling of the rain, I tend never to seek shelter but to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate those flowers, whether magnificently blooming in the sunshine or somewhat battered from the driving rain.
Just call me polly positive.
On draft day this kid will get a phone call sooner than later. Good catching today is not that easy to come by.
http://bceagles.cstv.com/sport.....ony00.html
Jays sweep the Sox with a 3-2 win today. A win tonight has the Yankees gain a half-game on the Boston Socks who are idle today.
UHHH Gardner has been terrific all things considered. To complain about his performance as a whole so far this season would be lame. He gives the Yankees an element they haven’t had in a while.
SJ44. Reading aboout your nephew has been very interesting. I am so glad that you have helped him in every step of the way. Congratulations.
My question to you is: Is there a different mentality or other attributes in athletes who attend college vs. those that sign right after high. Here is my list:
a. maturity
b. education (smarts)
c. college competition in sport
d. interaction with coaches and team mates.
e. competition is still high leavel and continuous but your job is not in jeopardy.
I am a baseball junkie and read everything that I can. I didn’t realize that a majority of MLB pitchers are very tall until the debate began about Joba’s body size regarding rotation pitching. Out of curiousity I checked every home page listed in the computer to read facts listed for players.
I’m afraid that Ramiro Pena can no longer be on the Yankees roster. At 5′ 10″ he is he is the shortest on the team! He off sets our balance. JUST KIDDING.
SJ44: Regarding my post re: college vs. high school.
I realize that in life there are exceptions to every rule. Jeter is one such example. I read the other day while he was in the minors he called his dad saying he wanted to quit (bb) and go to college. He had a high number of errors and poor a bats. His dad advised against it. He is such a quality player and person I would think every thing would be easy for him.
And I am a fan of Pena’s. I like his tenacity in addition to his smooth glove. The more play he gets the better his bat will become. And I love that he is so close to his mother.
Another NY v Boston story:
My son’s significant other is a strong BoSox fan and so is her family. For 28 years I was an Orioles fan. She could not believe that I would forgoe being an O’s fan and become a Yankee fan. It just wasn’t done! OMG – what would her family think??
One weekend we had planned a 5 hour trip to visit them in Montana. My son called me a day before we were to leave to ask that we postpone our trip because the Yankees were playing the Bo Sox, I believe in the play offs. She knew I would cheer for the Yankees and it might be disruptive. We cancelled the trip. One weekend they were visiting us and they hadn’t ridden in my new car. I told them to go ahead and use it. Before she got one foot in the car she saw a Yankee symbol on the dash and refused to get in. I had put away most of my memorabilia but had forgotten to check the car.
I tell my friends that I am going to paint my front door navy blue and put the NYY logo on it. She will never visit me!
“So what about special exhibitions?”
Ramiro Pena