Jack’s Blog

Full disclosure: My mother’s side of our family was from Brooklyn and they first brought me to Ebbetts Field as early as 1952.  I was four years old, optimal age for brainwashing a kid.  I had to be a Dodgers fan.  Up until I was in my teens I was a pretty big one too, meaning not only did I love my Dodgers but the enemies were the crosstown teams, the one that wore pinstripes and the other that wore orange and black. Our family has lived in California since 1991, in Fresno since ‘95.  Although I could barely be considered a Dodgers fan now, I have to admit . . . I still don’t like either the Yankees nor the Giants.

There’s only one reason I’m posting this piece regarding the Giants.  Because they deserve it.  Most impressive was during the post game interviews after their four game sweep over the Detroit Tigers, each one of the San Francisco Giants displayed class, an attitude of confidence without being obnoxious - in light of the fact they just won it all.  They played the same way.  Each was asked questions that could have resulted in grunted replies or babbling instead of speaking or a lot of “ya know’s,” but they were all so humble and appreciative of their teammates.

Sure, the locker room was being spray painted with champagne.  After all, it was the World Series and some traditions die hard.  Or maybe it’s baseball.  Think of how many times baseball players, independent of what they do in the game (other than those who do something to end the game), go into self-promoting, celebratory dances or other crazy actions.  You’d be hard pressed to come up with a small number.  Compare that with the other team sports like football, basketball, hockey and soccer - sports in which the act of scoring seems to be a greater reward for the individual than it is for the team.

Listening to the Giants speak about how the other guys on the team needed to be recognized for their contributions is refreshing for a guy, admittedly, from the old school.  It is ironic because baseball is more of an individual sport than those mentioned above.  Other than, say, sacrificing or hitting behind a runner to move him a base, or backing up batted or thrown balls, pretty much the only way a baseball player can help his team is to do well himself, e.g. positive things like get a hit, steal a base, catch batted balls or stay away from negative things like making outs at bat, committing errors, getting thrown out stealing or poor baserunning.

The Giants, now the champs, could have done a little self-promoting.  None did, including Pablo Sandoval who might have been given a pass if he had (a little).  Instead, one of them, I can’t recall which, when he was asked why he thought they were able to complete the final journey, simply said:

“We all bought in.”

Alex Rodriguez was almost set up to fail from the beginning.  If he wasn’t born with amazing skills, he developed them shortly thereafter and took to showing off his sensational ability while still in his teens playing for the Seattle Mariners.  Then he became a free agent and Scott Boras made him rich - and screwed him up - with plenty of help from A-Rod himself.  As the story goes, A-Rod wanted to play for his childhood favorite team, the New York Mets.  Instead his agent, none other than barracuda Boras talked him into what agents do best - taking the most money, as in 10 years, $252 million with  the Texas Rangers - the biggest deal in sports history (by $63 mil).

He got traded in 2004 to the New York Yankees where he flourished.  And it wasn’t just baseball in which he excelled.  There were beautiful women on his arm (arms?) seemingly everywhere he went.  All were famous superstars in their own right.  He was the absolute toast of the town.  Yet his teammate, Derek Jeter was always a bit more popular.  It was Jeter who was Mr. Yankee.

2007 was the end of that mega contract.  Naturally, he was going to sign another (since he had just completed an MVP season).  Rodriguez wanted to remain a Yankee for the rest of his playing days, yet Boras, accused of some people (all of them?) of being a media hound made the announcement A-Rod would opt out of the contract.  And Boras let the world know of the decision during the eighth inning of Game Four of the World Series.  Supposedly, A-Rod negotiated the new one without Boras’ assistance.  This time he had to settle for 10 years and $275 mil.

Yet, after additional success on the field, he became the latest in a series of baseball’s best to admit steroid use (including others who have fought and lost in the court of public opinion).  Rodriguez said he used during his Texas years.  Now, he’s really struggling.  He’s not had a good year, followed by a worse post-season, going so far as being benched.

During the latest game, after failing to reach base his first three at-bats, he was pinch hit for.  Allegedly, he had a ball boy toss a baseball to a couple of women inscribed with a message asking them for their numbers.  What happens next is anybody’s guess.

As has been said on television - and is one of my sons’ favorite lines:

“Unlike my hair, the plot thickens.”

My mother’s side of our family was from Brooklyn.  A couple of my older cousins took me to Ebbets Field when I was four years old.  My father, a Yankees fan, always claimed I had been brainwashed.  The family next door, composed of three boys close to my age, were big fans of the Yankees.  As big as I was of the Dodgers.  Between the ages of, say, 6-12, we had the normal types of arguments kids that age have.  The ones which are based on emotion, especially when the facts didn’t back your side.  Duke was better than The Mick; nobody was better than Sandy.

Unlike the true fan, my interest faded when I started playing ball in high school.  I immersed myself in my teams and, while I still followed the Dodgers, I was no longer a fanatic.  The older I got, the less attention I paid toward my childhood favorites.  Yet, I still hated the Yankees.  To me, they just stood for . . . too much.  Too much winning, too much money, too many stars, too much Steinbrenner.

My hatred waned when Joe Torre became the manager.  I’d always liked Torre as a player, thought he was a classy guy and, later in my life, enjoyed reading his book.  Plus, coaching basketball in college consumed my life.  I just couldn’t find the time for any team other than the one which was providing me a living.  Which is another problem to be discussed at another time.

This stroll down memory lane has a point.  I’ve been reflecting on how I think I would have felt had Derek Jeter got his 3000th hit when I was a youngster.  Maybe I’m giving my self too much credit, forgetting how immature my thoughts and feelings were at that time.  But if ever there was a role model, a team player, a true good guy, Jeter is about as close a candidate as exists.  Consider the social media of today and how Jeter has avoided the controversy most superstars of his ilk have been subjected to.  Maybe Jeter isn’t squeaky clean, but, remember, when I was a kid, Yankees fans were idolizing those players.  And no one knew what Whitey, Mickey and Billy were doing.

200 hits/year is usually the standard for a great hitter.  In order to get to 3000, a player would have to accomplish that for 15 years.  Kids, or adults, can argue against the greatness of Derek Jeter, but they need to reminded:

“The worst part of an argument is when you get to the point where you realize you’re wrong.”

The Miami Heat are absolutely miserable for the first fifteen games of the NBA season; now they seem unbeatable.

Ohio State players (some really good ones) sold items they got specifically because of their athletic ability.  They’re allowed to play because their school didn’t properly educate them.

Speaking of the Buckeyes, their president Gordon Gee claimed their conference members didn’t play the Little Sisters of the Poor, then the Big Ten goes 0-5 (and it wasn’t that close) on New Year’s Day.  Looks like the school really does have a problem properly educating those in and around it.

Intercollegiate athletics departments are losing money hand over fist, yet more than half of the Division I (or whatever they’re called now) football teams get to attend bowl games.  Some of the them finish the season with losing records.  However, the players get very nice participation gifts which, even I know, they’re not allowed to sell.

The NFL has shown this year that it realizes the severity of concussions.  Their answer is to extend the regular season two more games.

Although high salaries are commonplace in all (men’s) professional sports, the highest average salaries belong to NBA players.  Word is that the league is close to certain to lock those same guys out on July 1 because . . . the owners claim nearly all of their teams are losing money.

Cliff Lee leaves Philly, goes to Texas and works under arguably the greatest pitcher ever, flourishes and then leaves - not to go to the Yankees for more money than he can count - but to return to the City of Brotherly Love - where, if he gives up a run in the first inning of his first game, he’ll be unmercifully booed.

Stanford’s football team is loaded with brilliant student-athletes and, not surprisingly, has as complicated an offense as there is.  While it’s executed to near perfection, it’s doubtful it could be done without “Luck.”

Every NCAA sport has a playoff to determine its champion for every sport at every level except . . . let’s not bring that up again.

Fan is short for “fanatic” and the most enthusiastic are referred to as “die-hard” which  must account for the line:

“Ours is not to question why; ours is just to do or die.”

Derek Jeter is Mr. Yankee.  The organization has even referred to him as the modern day Babe Ruth.  Fans love him, women want to be with him, men want to be like him and, more importantly than all of that, he’s led his team to World Series championships.

What could possibly ruin such a marvelous relationship?  Turns out it’s time for him to sign a new contract because he’s not quite ready to retire.  Who can blame him?  His numbers were the worst of his career but he’s still better than many at his position and he’s a colossal draw.

The Yankees have made him a rich man beyond his wildest dreams and he’s added value to one of the most popular organizations in all of sports.  The Yankees have offered him 3 additional years at $15 million per year.  Jeter’s agent, Casey Close, reportedly wants $23 million a year for 4 or 5 years.  Apparently, the talks have become so contentious that the Yanks told Jeter and Close to test the open market.

Would Derek Jeter really consider finishing his career in a uniform other than the pinstripes?  Most people think not.  They believe that if ever someone was destined to play for one team throughout his career, that person is Derek Jeter.  I can still remember when Jackie Robinson quit rather than put on a uniform other than the Dodgers (especially that of the hated Giants).

It’s hard to believe to think that Jeter feels like he actually needs more than $15 million a year to live on, so could it be pride, the pride of the Yankee?  Conversely, it’s not like the Yankees can’t afford to fork out the kind of money the Jeter camp is demanding.  In my mind, the reason behind Derek Jeter vs. New York Yankees story has to do with the way sports are managed today.

His agent is the one who’s making this situation into the mess it’s become.  Casey Close probably makes 3-4% of Jeter’s contract.  The difference between $15 million and $23 million is, as incredible as it sounds, insignificant to Jeter.  Unless he’s a complete fool - and while there may be professional athletes who are sure fire bets for the Fools Hall of Fame, Derek Jeter is nowhere to be found in that category - he has more than enough money socked away that neither he, nor anyone he deeply cares about, will ever be in any type of financial bind.  And don’t think for a minute that the Yankees are hurting for dough either.

Casey Close has quite a few big money clients but . . . 3% (using the low end) of $45 million is $1.35 million, while 3% of $92 million (only 4 years at $23 mil per) is $2.76 million, or a difference of $1.41 million.  That is a significant number for a guy whose talent is squeezing negotiating teams on behalf of his clients and whose reason for being isn’t that of those he represents, e.g. World Series championships, Gold Gloves or MVP awards but, rather, the accumulation of money.  And power.  But the power comes from the money.  There’s the rumor of Close leaving Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to start up his own conglomerate.  It’s all about ego - which comes from the number of powerful clients - which means the guys who command . . . the most money).

Close is a brilliant guy who knows a strong hand when he’s holding one.  He’s made the statement that Derek Jeter’s value to the New York Yankees cannot be overstated.  Wise move.  To many, Jeter is the all-American boy and the Yankees, even to their fans, are the big bad bully.  Close is also smart enough to make sure Alex Rodriguez’s salary is brought into play.  But if A-Rod retried, or said he’d take less money (both of which are extremely doubtful), does anyone think for a (New York) minute that Close would back off his asking price?

Substituting “agent” for “umpire” in Christy Mathewson’s quote is right on the money as far as sports are viewed today:

“Many baseball fans look upon an agent as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile.”

Randy Moss is with the Tennessee Titans, his third team - this season!  What is it Jeff Fisher and the Titans know that the rest of the league doesn’t?

Nothing.  He has talent.  Character matters, chemistry matters, letting your play speak for itself matters, but in professional sports, talent is, and always will be, king.  That’s not to say the most talented teams will win, only that teams that lack talent (at a certain position) will take a chance on one, maybe two guys who have baggage.

Some teams will take a chance on more than one or two but those teams don’t ever seem to win big.  And it’s doubtful they ever will because every team has talent in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, you name it and if it’s a professional team sport, no one team ever has a corner on the talent market (although the Yankees try to every year).

One of the talking heads on ESPN made the statement that this latest move by Moss might work because Jeff Fisher will be able to handle him.  Whether the Titans make it work, those are a poor choice of words because as many people, from Wilt Chamberlain to Stephen Covey, have referenced:

“You don’t handle people.  You handle things; you lead people.”

To listen to the New York media, who pride themselves on being the most knowledgeable - about everything - after Game 6, a person had to wonder if the interview was secretly being taped in case Candid Camera was going to make a comeback.  Several of the reporters did ask Yankee manger Joe Girardi before the game strategical questions but they were only doing so for two reasons.  One is that they believe they know the game - and the Yankees - as well as Girardi does and the questions they bring up are to impress those present - themselves.  The other reason is that they, as well as everyone else who is a true fan of the game, know that certain situations will occur during a game and that Girardi will have to make a decision - and live or die with it.  Inject the New York media with truth serum and we’d all find out they would be rooting for “die.”

After a New York loss, it’s almost like they revel in asking questions that they know the answer to - mainly because the game just ended.  The manager has to make a decision without the benefit of knowing the outcome.  Below are a few examples from yesterday’s loss to the  Rangers which put Texas in the World Series (and eliminated the Yankees).

Girardi was asked about walking Josh Hamilton intentionally.  Hamilton’s the odds-on favorite to win the AL MVP and was certainly destined to be the ALCS MVP.  Taking the bat out of his hands would seem to be the wise move.  Here’s how the question was posed to Girardi: “On two different occasions in the series, the intentional walks seemed to backfire. Can you talk about that?”

Why didn’t the slappy who asked that question say, “Since Vlad Guerrero pounded the ball deep, why didn’t you take your chance with Hamilton?”  Imagine if Girardi had pitched to Hamilton and he took one deep?  Think that same guy didn’t have the “How could you pitch to Josh Hamilton, as well as he was hitting” question on deck?  It’s called second guessing.  The reason I know is because, a prior query in the post game interview (the participation in which Girardi must have ranked 1000 on his list of “the 1000 things to do after the game”), was “Do you second guess yourself?”

That brilliant follow up was asked after the question about whether the skipper thought it wouldn’t have been a better move to bring in their ace, C.C. Sabathia, in the fifth inning.  Girardi responded the way most professional managers/coaches do.  “You have to remember, CC was coming off a 112‑pitch (game), if there was a situation where we would use him against a left‑hander, we were going to try to use him in a situation against the left‑handers in the bottom of the order if that came up,” the manager said.  In other words, we were aware that Sabathia was in uniform and had a plan.

The question was asked because of the fact that the strategy the Yankees employed didn’t work.  The reason they weren’t going to bring in their stud in that situation is that Texas had three right-handed batters coming up before they got to a lefty - the batter Girardi would have brought his ace in to get.  After throwing 112 pitches two days prior, it wouldn’t have been a prudent move.  Had Girardi made that move, and allowed Sabathia to throw a couple of innings, the press would have accused him of winning at all costs, with no regard for the health of his franchise pitcher.

Just once, I’d like to hear a manager (or coach) say, “You mean, had I known then what I know now - that if I’d stayed with the guy I did, he was going to get hammered?  Hell yeah, I would have done something else!”

The question that is the most grating to me - and I’m sure to the person it’s directed to - was the final one Girardi was asked - the one seemingly every journalist feels is necessary to ask, even after the guy’s team’s been eliminated - “Any timeline for how soon you want to resolve your personal situation?”

What kind of answer did the fool expect?  “Yes.  I plan to come back next season,” to which the follow up would be, “After losing, do you have any guarantee they want you back?”  Or, “I’m leaving,” which would have elicited headlines in the next day’s paper, “Skipper Leaves Team Hanging After Losing Series.”

There is a segment of society that feels all the questions are fair game because of the amount of money these guys make, but nobody’s falling for that line of reasoning.  If a manager did the job for free, the questions wouldn’t change a bit.

In all, leading a team means making decisions and the only way to win (the press conference) is to live by the motto:

“A good coaching move is one that works.”

After Cliff Lee put his Texas Rangers up 2-1 in their series with the Yankees, baseball’s old saw, “Good pitching beats good hitting” rings truer than ever.  Lee’s masterpiece was twirled the day after Roy Oswalt shut down the Giants - who are deadlocked at a game a piece after Tim Lincecum hurled a gem against the Phillies in Game 1.

Does this lack of offense spell doom for what used to be called America’s past time?  Maybe for today’s viewers who are in love with high scoring games, independent of which sport they’re watching.  But for the true baseball fan, watching a pitching duel is a work of art.  Listening to John Smoltz explain Cliff Lee’s delivery, especially how he never moves his head, adds to the enjoyment of the game.

Ditto for the announcing crew who listed the 1-2-3 of Lincecum’s pitching style, i.e. the “Tilt” (his head), “Drag” (how he holds the ball ankle-high) and “Stride” (the length of his stride being more than 100% of his height).  Comparing him to my boyhood role model, Sandy Koufax - complete with photos - gave me a nostalgic feeling for “the good old days.”

Some people I’ve shared this information with claim tuning into a baseball game is like watching paint dry while others make the comparison to paint as well.  They say it’s like watching Rembrandt produce his works of art.

As with most things in life:

“Beauty is in eye of the beholder.”

When I was a kid, I couldn’t believe the “old-timers” (like my dad, his friends and my teachers) referring to events that happened years before.  I was reminded of this when I related to my students how Roy Halladay’s no-hitter in the post-season game against the Cincinnati Reds a few days ago.

I was an 8-year-old, die-hard Brooklyn Dodgers fan in 1956 (my mother’s side of the family was from Brooklyn).  My father was a Yankee fan.  Since the Dodgers had beaten the Yanks the year before for their first ever World Series championship, I was on Cloud Nine, expecting, as any kid my would, a repeat performance in ‘56.

Many people feel those from New Jersey are wise guys and in my case, I’d have to plead guilty - even back then.  I cab recall watching the game with my dad on our black and white TV.  As the innings passed, I was having a tough time not screaming at my beloved “Bums” to just get a hit.  Or at least a base runner.

If you’re reading this space, you know how the game I’m describing turned out - Don Larsen threw a perfecto - 27 up, 27 down.  I was distraught.  At least as distraught as an 8-year old could be (meaning I probably got over it when my friend called and said there was a pick-up game at the park in ten minutes).

After the final out, watching Yogi Berra leap (for Yogi) into Larsen’s arms, my father, rather than reminding me how I rubbed it in the prior year (after all, he was from New Jersey, too), simply said to me something I never forgot:

“You just witnessed history.”

As Derek Jeter squared to bunt, the pitch came inside, right at his fists.  The ball ricocheted out toward the playing field as Jeter pulled back, grimacing in pain.  He held his left wrist and asked for the Yankees’ trainer to come out and check on the severity of his injury.  Except instant replay showed (and the audio confirmed) the ball hit the butt end of the bat, never touching Jeter.

To the naked eye, the play initially had fans holding their breath, as it looked as though the, arguably, most valuable and respected player in MLB might be forced to miss time down the stretch of a crucial pennant race due to a pitcher (intentionally?) throwing too close.  After viewing the replay, it was obvious Jeter had just pulled off an acting job worthy of a nomination for leading actor in a reality series.

The question being tossed around on talk radio, in offices and barbershops is “gamesmanship or cheating/”  The majority opinion, as far as I’ve heard, is “it’s baseball; whatever a player can do to help his team win, outside of something illegal (seems like we’ll never be able to get away from the steroids issue) is OK.”  Even Tim Kirkjian chimed in, somewhat embarrassingly, with his take, saying Jeter’s move was nothing short of brilliant.

One thought: is the fact that the player involved is Derek Jeter influence how people feel about perpetuating this fraud?  If it were, say, Nyjer Morgan or Manny Ramirez, or stretching the imagination a little more, Barry Bonds or Pete Rose, would the reactions be the same? 

If any sport would condone a deceitful act like this one Jeter successfully pulled off, it would be baseball, steeped in traditions such as hit the opponent’s best player if their pitcher hit yours, stealing opponent’s signs and, most recently, refusal to expand video play - even though other major sports do because they understand that modern technology can help determine which team truly deserved to win.

My feeling about what Derek Jeter did?  Sweet move.  Some (obviously clever) guy named Michael Iapoce said:

“Reputation is character minus what you’ve been caught doing.”