SportsNation Blog Archives
New York Yankees
Closers aren't supposed to be dominant for extended periods of time, but most closers aren't Mariano Rivera. The Yankees relief ace was still his usual unhittable self this season, until a freak injury during batting practice resulted in a torn ACL and an uncertain future. Rivera's 2012 season was supposed to be his last, but Yankee fans likely expected an extended farewell tour, where the great Rivera would enjoy a slew of richly deserved accolades as he approached retirement. Rivera's season may be over, but will he let his career end like this?
Is Rivera done?
Torn ACLs generally take about a year to rehab, which gives Rivera plenty of time to decide on his baseball future.
Can the Yankees win without Rivera?
Rivera was the Yankees' not-so-secret weapon in the playoffs for many years -- a team looking to beat New York had to beat Rivera first.
The most valuable?
Even the most prolific closer in the majors pitches only a handful of innings per year, but Rivera's influence may have been absolutely outsized in his best seasons.
Tim Tebow likely has heard stories of how critical New York fans can be, but he got a taste of it firsthand on Sunday. Tebow was booed by Yankees fans when the camera focused on him in the stands. Oddly enough, Dwyane Wade, sitting next to Tebow, was cheered when he held up his Yankees cap. Is this a bad sign for Tebow?
- Tokyo Bay Rays: "Preemptive booing for when he takes over as starter and promptly throws 20 INTs. "
- the_three_libras: "This may be the first thing the Yankees fans have done that I agree with."
- Buzzkill90265: "New Yorkers are way more sophisticated and educated then the previous fans Tebow played for and they can smell a phoney from a mile away hence the boos"
- BirdsPhan36: "Yankees fans are mostly GIANTS fans. Giants fans hate the Jets, just like they hate the Mets. The booooos were for the new uni he wears, not him as a person."
- bilisiei: "has nothing to do with what fans they are. if the jets would've been able to sign peyton manning, and he was the one in the stands, think that he would've been booed? nope."
- saluki2477: "As a Bronco fan I am so happy that the St. Timothy circus has left town. He says that he does not want all the attention. It is obvious he love it."
Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and blogging.
Opening Day -- well, Opening Night, really, and we technically already had one of those in Japan, but who's counting? -- is finally here, as the Cardinals will take on the Marlins tonight in the first stateside regular-season MLB game. It's bound to be an exciting season with so many players having changed teams, but has the power structure been altered significantly?
Vote: Pick each division and pennant, and the winner of the World Series
Rank: Baseball's best teams? | Top players in the game?
World Series repeat?
The Cardinals prevailed over the Rangers in the 2011 World Series, but St. Louis lost its biggest gun this past offseason ...
Best player?
... which is a pretty big loss, considering he might be one of the best players of all time.
Odd one out?
The Red Sox missed the playoffs last season after an epic September collapse. Will they be on the outside looking in once again?
AL's best?
Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols were probably the two biggest additions to teams in the American League, meaning the balance of power could shift.
NL's best?
Likewise, the addition of Jose Reyes to the Marlins could give the team a huge upgrade -- offensively with new third baseman Hanley Ramirez, and defensively at shortstop.
Bobby Valentine has called out the Yankees before, but usually after spring training. This time, he's decided not to wait until the regular season, criticizing Joe Girardi for forcing a tie in a game going into extra innings. Does Bobby V have a point?
- Too Krunk: "Who cares if it's spring training, this is America! We don't like ties."
- Mr4tee4: "Sox might not have a lot in terms of team chemistry, but they're not lacking for a big mouth manager."
- Ny State of Mind 19: "Red Sox fans get ready for a lot of drama this season. Bobby V. craves attention."
- Spevy18: "its not about winning or losing in pre-season, its about getting your guys reps. apparently Girardi thinks his guys are ready. he might as well just cancel the rest of him games until opening day."
- thegourleys: "Bobby goes over the top a lot. And maybe he is doing it again here. But I can tell you that I would be upset if i had paid money to go the game and it ended in a tie. "
- GMB04: "Yankees/Red Sox games usually last a brutal 4-5 hours.Thank God they cut it short."
Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and start blogging.
What's $30 million between friends? Instead of testing free agency, CC Sabathia is staying put after agreeing to a new deal with the Yankees that adds a year and $30 million to what he was set to make from his old deal. It's difficult to doubt Sabathia's value on the mound, but do you doubt his contention that the whole opt-out saga wasn't about money?
- "No brainer for the Yanks. He takes the ball every start and takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the staff. Better to pay him well than start looking for projects out there." -- SN commenter TML954
- "I would like to dedicate Billy Joel's, 'Honesty,' to CC. More power to him for getting the bigger contract, but spare us the nonsense that money had nothing to do with it!" -- SN commenter displaced new yorker
What was it all about?
Whether or not there is anything wrong with following the money, do you buy Sabathia's contention that dollars weren't the big factor?
Will Sabathia get to 300 wins?
Given his age and record thus far, Sabathia looks like the best bet among active pitchers to get to 300 wins, but how good a bet is it?
Will this be Sabathia's final payday?
Sabathia said he wants to finish his career with the Yankees, but will he still be good enough at the end of this deal to attract bidders?
The best over-30 arm money can buy?
If you've got $122 million to spend over five years on a pitcher who probably isn't going to get any better, is it Sabathia, Roy Halladay or someone else?
What's the market for C.J. Wilson?
With Sabathia off the market (that he was never on), C.J. Wilson is the biggest pitching prize. Will he get a deal like those given to A.J. Burnett in 2008 and John Lackey in 2009?
Doug Fister opened the season with the Seattle Mariners. Ivan Nova opened it more familiar with Scranton than the Bronx. But as the two pitchers prepare to (technically) make their first postseason starts after very extended relief appearances in Game 1, a spot in the American League Championship Series is on the line. Which one would you trust with the ball?
- "It's a scary game for Yankees fans such as I. Two blowout wins. Two losses in games that we rallied and Valverde closed the door on. The key for Fister and the Tigers is strike one. If the Yanks are allowed to run the pitch count up and get to the bullpen the game is over." -- SN commenter tigertunes
- "I've got it down for Nova 5 IP -- CC 2 IP -- Robertson 0.2 IP -- Mo 1.1 IP -- Frank Sinatra." -- SN commenter enozlac
Doug Fister or Ivan Nova?
Fister wasn't sharp in his first postseason outing, but he did pitch well at Yankee Stadium in the regular season. Nova's only look at the Tigers came in Game 1, but it was a good one.
Is a tired ace still an ace?
Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Justin Verlander isn't available, but Yankees skipper Joe Girardi is putting no such limitations on CC Sabathia.
Root, root, root for the home team?
The Rangers await in the ALCS, but which team would you rather see survive to play another series?
What about Alex Rodriguez?
Alex Rodriguez is hitting .143 (2-for-14) this series, although he does have three RBIs. Should fans in the Bronx feel comfortable counting on him?
What does baseball do for an encore after a wild finish to the regular season? Justin Verlander battling CC Sabathia is a good start. Michael Wilbon aptly compared the duel to Bob Gibson against Sandy Koufax. Another might be Gibson against another Tigers ace, 30-game winner Denny McLain, in the 1968 World Series. Gibson allowed one earned run in two meetings against McLain. Will either ace live up to that tonight?
- "For some reason, I have a feeling this isn't gonna be the pitcher's duel we expected. Yankees know Verlander and Tigers know CC." -- SN commenter tellini415
- "People forget that the playoffs are a completely different environment. Verlander has a 5+ postseason era, much too high expectations for him coming in to the series. Tigers offense don't hold a candle to the Yanks." -- SN commenter concrow42193
Which team has more on the line?
The Yankees were 52-29 at home in the regular season and have question marks in the rotation after Sabathia. So does Sabathia need a win more?
Will this be a pitching duel?
Verlander twice allowed three earned runs against the Yankees this season, but will it take fewer runs than that to win this one?
Who has more staying power?
There isn't much question that Verlander ruled the 2011 regular season, but does Sabathia's consistency (17 or more wins in each of past five seasons) rule?
Is this the ultimate matchup?
With apologies to Ian Kennedy, C.J. Wilson and others, the postseason offers some intriguing matchups with four proven aces.
ALDS: Tigers vs. Yankees
Jose Valverde was perfect in the regular season, but is he second-best in this series?
Vote: Five questions for Tigers vs. Yankees
ALDS: Rays vs. Rangers
The Rays used one ace just to make it, but does starting rookie Matt Moore on the road make sense?
Vote: Five questions for Rays vs. Rangers
NLDS: Cardinals vs. Phillies
Albert Pujols' slow start turned into MVP-type numbers, but does pitching rule a short series?
Vote: Five questions for Cardinals vs. Phillies
NLDS: Diamondbacks vs. Brewers
Ian Kennedy won 21 games for Arizona, but do the Brewers have the depth?
Vote: Five questions for Diamondbacks vs. Brewers
Fernando Valenzuela and Dave Stewart once pitched no-hitters on the same day. Cal Ripken Jr.'s lap around Camden Yards was special. But has any regular-season day in your lifetime topped the drama that unfolded last night in baseball? Evan Longoria channeled Bobby Thomson with a walk-off home run, Jonathan Papelbon wrote a fitting ending for a September collapse, the Braves and Phillies battled deep into extra innings and the Cardinals took care of business. Like Jose Reyes, hopefully you rested up in the afternoon.
- "What a night of baseball! Watched Strasburg pitch a gem. Watched the Braves collapse. Watched the O's rally to beat the Sox. Watchd the Rays rally to beat the Yanks. Don't you love technology?" -- SN commenter luvdc88
- "My Orioles weren't in the race -- and haven't been since I had more hair -- but even though I've watched sports of all sorts since the late 60s and have been in sports media since 1979, this was a night I won't soon forget." -- SN commenter joeypsinger
Does it get better than Wednesday?
Well, sure, if you're a fan of the Red Sox or Braves, but from the perspective of the rest of us, have there been better days of baseball?
Which dropped your jaw most?
The Rays rallied from seven runs down, but we'd still be playing baseball today if Jonathan Papelbon hadn't recorded just his third blown save this season.
Should we have seen Mariano Rivera?
Rays manager Joe Maddon thanked the Orioles for playing hard to the finish against the Red Sox, but did Joe Girardi owe it to the sport to use Mariano Rivera?
Did Carl Crawford have a play?
It wasn't Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, but as you watch the replay above of Robert Andino's game-winning hit, did Crawford have a play?
What about the Cardinals?
We can't overlook Albert Pujols and the Cardinals, but with Chris Carpenter out of the mix until Game 3 and the Phillies waiting, was catching the Braves the easy part?
The last wild-card race of its kind?
If Bud Selig has his way and adds an additional wild-card spot in each league, a day like Wednesday would be decidedly less dramatic. But is that a fair trade?
What about Jose Reyes?
Jose Reyes had to love last night's drama, if only because it let him off the hook for taking himself out of a game earlier in the day to protect his batting title.
To put Mariano Rivera's 602 saves in some perspective, consider that the guys in second and third on the active leaderboard, Francisco Cordero and Jason Isringhausen, have a combined total of 623. In other words, Rivera is going to have the all-time record to himself for a good bit of time. But if there is a consensus that he's the best closer of all time, where does he fit in the debate about the best Yankees of all time? Rank 'Em: Greatest Yankees
- "I can't wait until he retires and Yankees fans actually have to watch the last three outs and bite their nails. Realize how good you guys had it because there will never be another Mo." -- SN commenter Knicks4evaman
- "I am a San Diego Padres season ticket holder, a San Diego native and a lifelong Padres fan. ... With all of that being said, today, the greatest relief pitcher overtook Trevor. My hat's off to Mariano Rivera, a class act along with the Yankees fans who support him." -- SN commenter beattherams49
Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera?
You've had nearly two decades to think about this one. Is the greatest closer of all time a greater legend in pinstripes than Jeter?
What about right now?
Jeter has come around after a slow start had people wondering if he was done, but as the postseason approaches, is he more valuable than the closer?
Better with the game on the line?
You didn't think we could go without a New York-Boston question, right? Adam Vinatieri also won a ring with the Colts, but he made his name as arguably the NFL's all-time clutch kicker.
FOLLOW SPORTSNATION ON TWITTER
