The Purple-Lipped Wonder

Before I get started, can we commence Operation Let's Get Shelley Smith on a Treadmill? She's a great reporter, but seeing her within 30 minutes of eating results in uncontrollable projectile vomiting. Thank you.

Well, well, well. Since their embarrassing 12-2 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday, the New York football Yankees have won 5 in a row. There is one primary reason for this, and he enjoys the company of manly strippers.

In a move that will no doubt incur the wrath of the editors at the New York Post, I am naming Alex Rodriguez my MIP 2008. The play of the Yankees this week shows that there is no person more important to his team, this year, than the most comfortably compensated player in baseball.

You could refer to traditional stats (batting average, runs scored, RBIs, etc.). You could refer to stats that actually tell you how well a player plays (OPS+, on base pct., VORP, etc.). You could simply refer to the Pinstripers' win/loss record with versus without him. But for my money, the best measure for exactly how massive an impact A-Rod has on the Yankees is to watch the rest of his teammates hit.

With The Most Dangerous Hitter in Baseball in the lineup, pitchers are far more likely to want Damon, Jeter, and Abreu to put the ball in play. The difference is noticeable. The batters directly in front of A-Rod are getting much better pitches to hit and taking advantage. Pitchers fear the mythical creature that is A-God to the point where they offer up cookies to Mr. Calm Eyes and The Candyman (El Comedulce - Translation: The candy-eater. I'm not kidding.)

Rodriguez's return has also had a major impact on the hitters behind him. Nearly every one of A-Rod's at-bats are stressful for the pitcher, as he has an uncanny knack for making a pitcher throw 5+ pitches per plate appearance with no margin for error. In addition to raising the pitch count, Rodriguez sees a greater than normal amount of breaking balls during his average plate appearance. This allows the following batters to get a good look at the pitcher's offspeed stuff, giving them another huge advantage. Giambi, Cano, and Melky are also benefiting from the pressure A-Rod puts on the pitcher. Pitchers fatigue more quickly facing a hitter of A-Rod's caliber (see: A-Rod), and are more likely to make a mistake to the other hackers.

The 8th inning in yesterday's game is the perfect example. Jeter led off with a walk, causing Mariners' manager John McClaren to bring in Arthur Rhodes (!) to face Abreu in a Lefty/Lefty matchup. Abreu had a 9 pitch at bat, 7 of which were fastballs, before cranking a heater into right-center for a double. McClaren then motioned to the bullpen yet again to bring in his closer, J.J. Putz (side note: A-Rod also brings balance to the lefty-heavy lineup. One of the reasons McClaren felt forced to go to his closer with no outs in the 8th and men on was because A-Rod destroys lefty pitching like Britney Spears destroys my faith in Middle America). Rodriguez then worked a 6 pitch walk, leading to the shenanigans that ended up giving the Yanks a 4 run inning and turning a 5-2 deficit into a 6-5 lead. This marked the first time the Yankees came back when trailing after 7 this year (0-23, I think).

Even when he's not knocking in runs, A-Rod is helping the Yankees win. In case I haven't convinced you, this is the alternative.

What to watch today:
NCAA Lacrosse championship game, SYRACUSE vs. Johns Hopkins, 1:00 EST (ESPN)
Yankees @ Orioles, 1:35 EST (YES)
Mets vs. Marlins 7:10 EST (SNY)




Happy Memorial Day. Support our troops; bring them home.


-The Schwab