Things to be grateful for, this year!

Over the last few years we have had  the "core 4" plus 1 (Bernie), they have helped bring us many years of world series championships and playoff runs.
Alas, now they are gone, save one, our SS. Jeter is in his last year so we all must hope he goes out with a bang.
So many years of watching some the greatest Yankee teams of the 50s' and the bad of the 70s' and 80s' with some so so years in between.
One thing I can say for sure is, I have had the privilege of watching some of the best Yankees of my lifetime. This is a list of the best of that time;
A-Rod--3rd
Mickey--CF
Joe "D"--RF
Yogi--C
Munson--C
Elston Howard--C
Cano--2nd
Jeter--SS
The "Scooter"--SS
Frank Crosetti--SS
Mattingly--1st
Clete Boyer--3rd
Bobby Richardson--2nd
Roger Maris--RF
Whitey Ford--SP
Eddie Lopat--SP
Allie Reynolds--SP
Mel Stottlemyre--SP
Vic Raschi--SP
Red Ruffing--SP
"Mo" and Righitti--RP

Eddie Lopat a Young boys Mentor--Pt #1 of 3

Eddie Lopat, “The Junkman,” teamed with fireballers Vic Raschi and Allie Reynolds to form the Big Three starting pitchers on the New York Yankees’ five straight World Championship clubs from 1949 through 1953.
In his debut, on April 30, 1944, he lost to the St. Louis Browns, as the Browns charged toward their only American League pennant. In his next start, May 4, he beat the Cleveland Indians, 2-1, and went on to establish himself as a major-league pitcher. He also established his mastery over the Indians; he compiled a 40-13 career record against the team the Yankees often had to beat to win the pennant.
Over the next four seasons Lopat won 50 and lost 49 for a White Sox club that never had a winning record. He developed a simple and direct philosophy of pitching: “Get the ball over the plate and make them hit it.”
In 1946 future Hall of Fame pitcher Ted Lyons returned from the war, and Lopat sought his advice. Lyons showed him the slow curve and the short-arm and long-arm deliveries, which gave Lopat twice as many pitches, and generally put the finishing touches on a pitcher who had already achieved some success.
Weiss went on: “Did you notice his record with the White Sox for the last four years? He averaged about one walk every four innings. Any pitcher who can get the ball aver the plate can win for us.”
The Yankees did not win the pennant that year, but Lopat compiled an 18-11 record with a 3.65 ERA. He continued to experiment on the mound, often getting to the ballpark earlier than anyone else so he could work on old deliveries and new ones, refining this pitch, figuring out new wrinkles on that pitch, adding still another delivery to his constantly expanding repertoire.
For his teammates, Lopat was an extra pitching coach. Lopat showed Allie Reynolds how to slow down his delivery and change speeds. He pinpointed a problem for rookie Whitey Ford. Ford was getting racked up, and first baseman Tommy Henrich told him, “You know, that first base coach is calling every pitch you’re throwing.” The next day Lopat and Turner took Ford to the bullpen and had him throw from the stretch, and Lopat immediately spotted the problem: Ford had his glove hand in one position for the fastball and in another when he was going to throw a curve. The problem was quickly solved.

Lopat was known by a number of names -”the Junkman,” the “cute little lefthander.” To Ted Williams, he was “that bleeping Lopat.” Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen called him “Steady Eddie.”

Eddie Lopat a Young boys Mentor--Pt #2 of 3

There were differing views of his pitching motion. Some said he looked like a robot or a wind-up doll in need of some WD-40. Others described his delivery as smooth, easy, stylish. Most used the same word to characterize it: deceptive. Williams, when asked to name the five toughest pitchers he had faced, placed Eddie Lopat at the head of the list.
“The Junkman gives them a little of this and a little of that – but nothing good and very little they will wrap up and bring home”. A frustrated batter complained “Ya could stand up here for a week and not see anything ya want!”
Lopat once told Allie Reynolds, “Take four pitches – the fast ball, the curve, the slider and the screwball. Now throw these at different speeds and you have 12 pitches. Next, throw each of these 12 pitches with a long-armed or short-armed motion, and you have 24 pitches.” He neglected to mention what you would have if you threw them with different arm angles, overhand, three-quarters and sidearm: 72 pitches.
And he kept adding new ones. In 1953 he unveiled the “slip pitch,” a variation on the palm ball taught by White Sox manager Paul Richards. And what was that pitch? “Get a knuckleball grip,” the lefthander explained, “and throw the slider with it.”

113-59 record with the Yankees.
In 1945 I met him and he showed me his new pitch “Slip Pitch”. Changed my hand position for my Change and Curve…worked very very well but, never got the hang of the “Slip Pitch”. One thing I really liked about him was…we were the same type of pitcher…so-so fastball, great control/command, very good “Junk”! I used two arm slots…over the top and side arm, he used six (counting the short/long). He was one of the best Junk Ball pitchers ever…and one of my heroes!
Eddie Lopat didn’t automatically get respect, the way a Bob Feller or Nolan Ryan does. His stuff just wasn’t impressive, even when it was working — which was almost always. Eddie had to earn his respect, every time out, because his pitches did just enough to get batters out, and no more. Perhaps his background as a hitter (his first few years in the minors were as a first-baseman) enabled him to better understand hitter’s weaknesses, but for whatever reason, he was able to consistently find and exploit weaknesses — particularly against the Cleveland Indians.
Eddie “The Junkman” Lopat relished his nickname because he wanted batters to underestimate him. Lopat had never been fast and constantly used self-deprecation to cover his mastery of a team after beating them.

In 1954, the year that Cleveland won a record 111 games, Lopat beat them five times. It got so bad that Cleveland sold rabbit’s feet on the nights that Lopat pitched. Once, after Eddie had won 11 straight against the Tribe, a Cleveland fan ran onto the field and hurled a black cat at Lopat. Eddie caught the frightened cat, cuddled it a bit, handed it to an usher, and went on to beat Cleveland for the 12th time in a row.
The Tribe is a slugging team — it’s as much a part of their identity now as it was then. Free-swinging and powerful. Eddie The Junkman tossed them his Nothing Ball, his assortment of slow curves and slop curves, his wide variety of change-ups, and he allowed the Indians to get themselves out. He merely gave them enough rope. They took care of the hangings.

Eddie LoPat A Young Boys Mentor--Pt#3 of 3

Eddie’s favorite victory against the Indians came when they tried to beat him at his own game. They arrived at 4:00 for an 8:00 game, and were surprised to see the Tribe taking batting practice two hours before the customary time. They had another soft-tossing lefty, and they were practicing the art of merely punching Lopat-like slow curves to the opposite field. The right-handers would knock the soft-curves over the second baseman’s head, lefties over the shortstop. Over and over, they would rap these soft-little knocks, never once taking the type of hearty, from-the-heels full-cut that had led to so many losses.
The problem was that Eddie saw the whole thing. When his catcher, Yogi Berra, arrived at the park, Lopat told him the scoop: No slow-balls today, Yogi. Don’t even call for ‘em. Fastballs and sliders only. And the first time through the lineup, that’s how it was. Lopat acted like some other man, some man gifted with velocity…but he wasn’t gifted with velocity. Lopat’s fastballs and sliders were the sort of pabulum that Cleveland would normally feast on, but these new Indians were geared for the other Eddie Lopat; The Junkman. What they got instead was Eddie The Adequate, and they were crossed up. They didn’t score.
After he’d been though the line-up once, the Indians switched to their normal method, and Eddie returned to his normal “Now-you-see-’em, now-you-don’t routine.” He won, again, by a score of 5-3. It was years before the Indians knew that Lopat had spied on them.
Comments are welcome!
Hat tip to Zita Carno and Kirk Robinson for parts of this post.

Why I can't forgive A-Rod

He cheated Himself and GOD! I am sorry that I sound like a bible thumper but, that is where talent comes from right.
Damn it...He had it all. With the help of the New York media, bloggers and (Sorry, but true) the Click among the team, lead by Joe T, little storys began to appear. None of which had a name behind them in other words made up so as to make him look bad. After all, we can't have someone come in and out shine the great Jeter, something that may have happened if he had been treated as a normal addition to the team. One can't believe the pressure he was under and how much it may have hurt his game over the years unless you have been there. Been there done that! Why they worried about that in the first place is beyond me but, we know that Cashman, Joe T and Jeter didn't want him on the team. I can't believe Jeter said anything but, he never once stood up as he did for Jason, Andy and Posada when they needed support, this attitude didn't help.
Jeter carried a grudge because of an article in SI, not the sign of a Captain to me!
Jeter may (will) make it into the HoF but, the much better player will not, on the first time but, his talent will show he is far and away the best of the best, so he'll be there.

A-Rod, why he is hated!

Part #2

Facts;
1--A-Rod hit Hrs as a 19-24 year old player in Sea. at a avg. of 31 a year, just the start of his better years.
2--As a 25-27 just into his prime years he hit an avg. of 52 HRs per year but...remember, it is Texas!
3--As a free agent, he said he wanted to have the biggest contract ever given to a player! OK, so what? All these FA keep saying "No trade to any team without their ok...fine, ok! Ever notice were they end up? They (Most of them) go where the money is, why can't A-Rod?
4--While in Texas he was asked about Jeter...he told the truth..."If Jeter played anywhere other than New York, he would just be another good SS that hits for high Avg." Something like that, which was a HUGE NO-NO.
5--Was traded to New York, Cashman, Joe T. and Jeter didn't want him AT ALL but, the Boss said otherwise.
6--All of the above, made it clear they didn't want him on the team.
7--Shortly there after, little innuendos, hints, half truths and down right made-up storys started to show-up in the media. Once started, they had a life of their own. A-Rod became hot copy for the media and bloggers...most of whom, never bothered to find out if they were true or not...AFTE ALL he was A-Rod the highest paid player in baseball, great copy and many other players didn't like him because he was much better and higher paid then they were...look it up...it's called JEALOUSY!
8--He was not in the Joe T click, Joe got fired (more or less) because he wouldn't follow orders from his boss...Cashman. Afterwards, Joe T put out a book which really slammed A-Rod with many things that were PROVEN to be UNTRUE later.
9--Not all the players on the Yankees hated A-Rod, those in the click and the ones that were "Click want to be's" did but the others...not so much.
10--Any player that has put up the numbers he has over his career can't be on PEDs all those years and still play as he has. Some will point to his Hip Injury as proof he has used for years...untrue!
His hip problem is the same injury many players have had or have now. PED users have trouble with their lower legs and feet first and soon after they start using (within 5 years mostly)!
11--Andy used and lied about it at first...same as A-Rod! Oh, I forgot, Andy is a nice guy and part of the Core 4.
12--What about all the guys that used Greenies back a few years, or the ones that used Dope, Coke or many other things? Do we wipe their records or put * after their records? Why only A-Rod?

The Yankees have had many players that used big time Drugs, Greenies and many other things to get an edge.

If anyone thinks this will be the end of the band use of drugs, they are crazy!

                                                         -30-

A-Rod, why he is hated!

It is funny, A-Rod had 189 in SEA, 156 in Texas and 309 in NY, that's 6 yrs in SEA, 3 yrs in TEX and 10 yrs with NY...for an avg. of 41 per year.

There is a lot of money out there to be had if anyone can show A-Rod used before Texas...!

In Texas he hit an avg. of 52 HRs per year but, as everyone knows PEDs don't make you hit the ball...just hit it longer. The HRs in Texas may have been hit with or without the PEDs..everyone going to Texas knows the HR rate goes up because of many factors...check the stats!

Between the age of 25-33 a power hitter reaches his prime, just about the time he hit Texas and NY, so he would have hit more in Texas even without the PEDs.

Also, one must remember...PEDs were not on the band list until after he said he quit using in Texas.

A writer wrote A-Rod should have an * after his Grand Slam of the other night because he was using a band substance. Oh, really, are you out of your mine in your hate of a ballplayer you would think he is using now or even this year? Same for those that say he has been using as far back as high school. "Hate, will not set you free young man", get a brain and use it!

My dislike of him is simple...God gave him a great talent for baseball and he MAY have misused it, this is unforgivable, unconscionable and unacceptable in my book.

My respect for his God given Talent is with out a doubt one of the reasons I hope he is not guilty this time. He is one of the 10 best players I have seen in over 65 years.

Bottom line...A-Rod is not the guy he is made out to be...he may not be as PC as he should be but, is that a sin?

IF this last bit of trouble he is in is found to be true...I will be first in line to damn him but until then...He IS A Yankee and as such, he is to have the respect of all Yankee Fans.


continued----

"Chris" a True Fish Story

I was fishing one day when a young man joined me. we started talking about baseball and he said he was taking a few weeks off from baseball.

It seamed he was a pitcher for a minor league team and was not getting the job done.

I began by asking him what he threw and the speed of each.

He said a 90-93+/- FB, very good change, curve (working on) a power slider that is workable and a so so cutter.

I asked him how he threw, short or long arm, side, over the top, 3/4 what?

He started by saying, what do you mean short or long arm? I asked him to show me, he did, he was another Ewell Blackwell type (long arm). I told him there were a bunch of kids (17-21) playing at the park (very good park), the fish don't like us, let's go.

He was a bit impressed when I told him I had a big time fast ball at about 82-86, he laughed and said most people say they had a 92-95 fastball, let's go.

Well, to (try) and make this short I asked him (with the blessing of the kids) to just pick up the ball and throw to 1st a few times, well it showed me his natural motion is short arm. I asked him to throw all his pitches.

His fast ball had good pop and jump, his change could be a big time pitch (had great feel for it) but, I asked him to throw his cutter after 3 changes and change again. I asked him how many times he was beat by throwing a cutter after a change or a change after cutter. Then do the same with a curve and cutter and a slider and a curve.

Then I asked him to just mix-up the FB, curve, and change. It seemed as though a light went off in his head. After explaining what Eddie Lopat told me about using short and long arm with the same pitches gave one six pitches not three (and worked for me somewhat) junk the cutter and slider. Unless they are dependable pitches...they go a long way when hit.

The following spring he showed up while I was fishing, we talked an had a good day with our catches. As we were leaving he said he had done very well in the winter league and would be moved up a step.

His pitching coach liked his idea of dropping his cutter and slider and try short arm but, the coach told him to stay with his motion (as had I) he said he is getting a bit more bite on his pitches and was thinking about adding his cuter to the mix come ST. I suggested he forget about the slider and concentrate on making his pitches great.

His name was Chris ???????. I moved to another state, later that year. Never have seen him again. I hope he makes it to the Big Show. I don't watch much National League games so, maybe he has made it and I haven't seen him...I hope so!

Mickey Mantle, The Underrated Superstar

I wonder how great Mickey would've been if he hadn't been injured so seriously and so much. The knee injury from the 51 Series was just the first. I saw a picture of Mickey on crutches detailing the injuries he suffered in his career! He had to tape himself from shoulders to knees before every game. He never complained - he just became bigger then life to some of the Yankee Fans. We all knew, if the game was on the line and Mickey was coming up, we still had a very good chance of winning it.

I think The Babe, Mantle, and Mays are top 3 (OF) of all time (not counting "Shoeless Joe"). But I honestly believe Mickey is the greatest ballplayer I ever saw. He did so much during his career while he was hurt. Without the injuries, there would have been no limit to the records he would have set maybe even brake Babe Ruth's career HR records and many other records along the way.

Joe D was famous for making every catch look graceful and easy. I've seen him play and as many, read books about Joe D, he was not a very nice guy! First words to a rookie were "Don't mess with my WS money"! Us kids from Hells Kitchen (Kitchen Trash) were never given a smile, wave or word from him. His words after  his 56 game hitting gig were (something like) "Hell I could have got more money from Hinze (57) with that last hit".

DiMaggio hot dogged it (some say, not me) going after the ball seeing Mantle coming on and only at the last moment yelled I got it. To be fair, Joe never dove or jumped for a ball, he was that good reading the ball, a talent very very few OF have...even the better ones! In this case his very late call, caused Mantle to try and stop, snag his foot on a sprinkler, the rest is history! Without DiMaggio's (so called) grandstanding, Mantle might have been the best of the best. In my mind, I saw one of the best outfielders of all time.

Some have read stories told by him, and others, about his partying, drinking etc. Without knowing Mickey or the way he talked, one may have gotten the wrong impression of him as a player...the played hard and lived harder...his drinking never got in the way of his playing the game.

One day after a double hitter, Casey told him he wouldn't play the next day, so, being Mickey he made a night of it at the Clubs. The next day he was more sleeping than awake in the dug-out when late in a tie game Casey told him he was going to Pinch Hit. Well, the thing is; he had only wrapped part of his legs, not all of them. he stepped up and untied the game with a HR...he could hardly trot around the bases so as he crossed home plate he said something like, "They will never know how hard that was!" after the game someone asked him, how hard was it to hit it out after sitting all game? Mickey looked at the guy and said, "I saw three and hit the middle one!" He was being self deprecating with a joke.

There will never be another Mickey Mantle but, the closest I have ever seen are two guys; A-Rod and a guy in Texas...Josh Hamilton, his story is much more a tail of Drugs and Drinking but, oh what they could have been!

Jeter-The Face of the Yankees

Jeter is a heck of a SS and IS the Face of the Yankees but, Captain Clutch he is not and never has been. As "The Captain"...The only two times he ever showed up was for Posada and Jason. But, when it came to Andy and A-Rod he was a no show. As "Captain Clutch" He hit a HR in the November WS and hit well in most WS games, but so did Bobby Richardson and "Scooter".

Jeter is the model for every kid that wants to play baseball…he is the all-American guy! One of the five best all around SS to ever play the game.

These things are true but, the sad thing is…he will play until he can no longer do his job, then what? Kids will always see Jeter as he ended his tenure as a SS for the Yankees…not as the bright star and Face of the Yankees.

I had to sit through the endings of HOF players before, Joe "D", Yogi, Mickey Mantle, Willy Mays, and Hammering Hank...all of them waited to long to let go. Joe "D" by one year, Yogi by one year, Mickey by four or five years (He was all the Yanks had), Willy and Hank were a few years late also but they were after records...as is Jeter.

Believe me when I say; "I had to watch a hurting Mickey get picked off 2nd base." I watched him swing and miss a pitch and almost fall down because of all his injuries with the legs etc.,!

Now we are presented with an over age Star playing SS and wants to go into the HOF but, I ask you all out there in Yankee land; What records has he broken or set other then Yankee records? None, he does have over 3,000 hits but, in a few years there will be other guys joining him...to makes him one of 10, with more guys on the way to join him. 

Don't misunderstand me, he will make it into the HOF but not for his baseball records, it will be because everyone thinks he is such a super guy and the glue that holds the team together, granted he is the best PC guy I have ever seen in baseball. And when it all boils down to the bottom line; his being TOO PC and his quest for the HOF for doing nothing great is the only thing I have against him.

IF I were manager of the Yankees, would I have him as my SS...Hell yes! But, if another SS had not gotten messed up in the Roid scandal...it would be him hands down.

Posted by oldranger

The Pore Young 'uns, You never saw some of the best!?

Oldranger7

Bob Gobson

Some of the young-uns think, cutting the pie is an after game treat! Just kidding!

I some times pity the younger generation, They missed out on seeing some of the greatest players of all time in their best years.

How many of them would be shocked to see Bob Gibson just throw bee-bees and not let anyone crowd the plate…Jeter, Posada and some of those guys that are diving over the plate would get a high hard one stuck in their ear. Or the tandem of Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax along with Osteen and Podres (4man rotation). Sal “The Barber” Maggly(SP). These guys would go 9 or more innings almost every game.

Remember the “Cleveland Jet” Herb Score, Bob Feller, Bob Turly or Ryne Duren…now those four guys could bring hot hot hot heat and I don’t care who you are, you would never dig in against Turly or the others…at least, not twice.

There were many other old timers pitchers and Pos. Players that some never saw, in real life.

This is why I always say, “Stats are a very good tool but, not a bible,” a very well trained eye lets the stats show him a problem but, it depends on the person putting them together to be good at his job also. Also, stats don't tell you if a problem can be corrected and how to do it.

Sandy Koufax

Take the stats of Jeter compared to Rizzuto, the stats say Jeter was heads above Phil but, how can Ruzzuto (a very good SS in his time), from 60 years ago be compared to Jeter and his stats of today. If one had never seen Phil or Jeter play, one would say Phil couldn't carry Jeters Jock...and they would be right. Having seen both of them play, Jeter was the better of the two but not by as much as the stats show.

Can anyone of you see A-Rod, Tex or Cano swinging a club like they use to just 25 years ago...38 to 40+ ounce bats were used by many players back then, have any of you seen the gloves of 30+ years ago?

According to the stats, Hammering Hank was a better player then "The Babe" in HRs' but, do any of you really believe he was? No, not a bit but, the stats say other wise. So don't make a judgement on who is the better player on stats alone think about it a bit. Would Jeter have hit as well back in the 50s' or 60' as now... No f--king way. He would dive across the plate with that 36 oz., of wood and end up in the hospital. Remember, they didn't have helmets back then and most of the good pitchers would throw at your head in a heart beat. Also, I started with a 36

bottle bat, hands separated and choked way up, from both sides of the plate.

(Jeter and Phil were used because everyone knows of them both.)