The Apple Doesn’t Fall Too Far From the Tree
As it appeared originally on the blog “It Gets Through Buckner” on April 21, 2008:
The Stein lives on! As an earlier posting suggested, the Steinbrenner legacy continues to defile the Yankee tradition, right to its very core. So as to establish George’s character and further bring light to the ways of the old Stein regime, here are two anecdotes to emphasize what we as Yankee fans have all grown accustomed to.
Circa 1973. Having made some serious bank in U.S. Steel and Kinsman Shipping, George leads a team of investors in the pursuit of purchasing the New York Yankees (he does so for $10 million–the team’s value in 2007 had since skyrocketed to $1.5 billion, so you have to commend his financially savvy ways). While present at one of his first games in the press box, a Yankee is on third and crosses the plate in the midst of a ground-out…after the third out has already been recorded. George applauds the ‘feat.’ A member of the organization had to enlighten George, calling to attention that the run would not count. The moment served as testament to a piss-poor baseball quotient.
Circa 1977. ‘Sweet’ Lou Piniella is called into Steinbrenner’s office to discuss the disheveled hair-do Piniella let fester during spring training. Piniella gripes, claiming that if a gentleman like Jesus Christ was able to shag out his hair, why couldn’t he? At this, George took Lou by the arm and led him across the street, to a hotel with an outdoor pool. “Lou,” Steinbrenner began, “if you can prove to me that you can walk on water, you can keep the haircut.” Point emphatically made. Lou abided by the infamous grooming demand and cut his hair. As this moment proves, not even Piniella’s moxie could compete with Steinbrenner’s.
Spring forward to today. Hank ‘The Tank’ Steinbrenner, even without George in the picture, has channeled his father, spewing ludicrous insights that the New York Times posted in Monday’s sports edition. 
In light of the Yankees’ sputtering start (by the way, with a week and a half left in April, the team has already surpassed its win total from April of last year), Steinbrenner had plenty to say. “If I were part of the personnel decisions last year,” Hank chortled, “there was no way Joba [Chamberlain] would be in the set-up role. You’d have to be an idiot to not start a guy who can throw 100 MPH. An idiot.” (Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman must appreciate that vote of confidence). He then proposed what a possible starting rotation would be if Joba were a part of it: Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte, Ian Kennedy, and Chamberlain. Seemingly missing from the list was Mike Mussina. This is where the flaming commenced. “Now, if only Moose could begin to pitch like [45 year old] Jamie Moyer, our rotation would be in good shape.” (Nobody put a gun to your head when ‘your’ organization opted to pick up that multi-million dollar option on Moose, did they Hanker?).
For argument’s sake, let’s dissect Moyer’s stint in the past five years, along with Mussina’s: Mussina: 68 – 42, 4.21 ERA, 906 IP’s, 732 K’s, 1.27 WHIP, .277 BAA (including a 2007 when he reached career highs in ERA and BAA, and career lows in K’s and IP’s)
Moyer: 66 – 53, 4.40 ERA, 1027 IP’s, 597 K’s, 1.33 WHIP, .277 BAA
As one might observe, the stat-lines are parallels of each other, with Mussina edging out Moyer for his efficiency and K-capacity. But consider: Mussina is the only pitching acquisition that has panned out for the Yanks in the last nine years, especially when you put Moose up against the likes of Jose Contreras, Jeff Weaver, Jon Lieber, Javier Vazquez, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa, and the 2007 version of Roger Clemens. Mussina’s tenure with the Yankees cannot be overlooked, even if he has been inconsistent the past year and a half. As for 2008: take away Mussina’s at-bats against Manny Ramirez this year (especially last Saturday’s contest at Fenway, when Moose should have intentionally walked Manny with 1st base open and two outs in the 6th), and Moose doesn’t look nearly as shabby as his rotation counterparts.
Hands down: Joba Chamberlain is a special talent, a pitching phenom the Yankees haven’t seen since, well, Mariano Rivera. The questions Hank needs to ask himself: will Joba’s 100 MPH and four-pitch arsenal (hardly Santana-esque, just yet) translate to winning games every fifth day? Will Joba’s starts be good enough to make up for what LaTroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth will offer in the 8th inning? Is sending Joba down to Triple A for a period of at least a month be worth it when the Yankees (1) have nobody to relieve in the 8th and (2) Jeff Karstens/Kei Igawa/Darrell Rasner are forced to spot-start every now and again until Joba returns to the big club? Any person with an iota of baseball knowledge would answer ‘no’ to each inquiry, especially when you consider that the Joba and Mo’s prowess shortens the game to 7 innings practically EVERY time they pitch together. The only team that can come close to such dominance is the Chicago Cubs, with Carlos Marmol working the 8th and Kerry Wood working the 9th (that is, if Wood stays healthy for more than three weeks). From what baseball man to another, Hank: do not, I repeat, DO NOT consider Joba’s potential as a starter; allow him to dominate the 8th and work steadily towards becoming Mariano’s replacement. After all, how many World Series has Rivera helped deliver?
As if Hank’s comments on Monday weren’t enough, young Stein has openly put a bounty on Gino Castignoli’s head for burying a David Ortiz jersey beneath the construction of the new Yankee Stadium: “I hope his co-workers beat the living s#*& out of him.” It appears as though the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree: Hank has proven he can bully with the best of them, which, for this Yankee fan, is arduous to swallow.
Pinstriped Ponderings 