Sports

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

TORTORELLA FOR JACK ADAMS

Though he has a reputation for his temper and fire, John Tortorella should certainly be a finalist for the Jack Adams award, coach of the year, for his success with the Rangers. I agree with the NHL's choices of Dan Bylsma (Penguins) and Barry Trotz (Predators), but I disagree with the choice of Alain Vigneault (Canucks). Vigneault coached a team with 5 players who had more than 50 points, 3 with over 70. They also had 7 players who were over +15. It is safe to say  they didn't lack fire power, unlike the Rangers who only had 1 player who had more than 50 points and 1 player who was over +15.

More importantly, Tortorella got the most out of his players, even some who had been written off as busts and some who were considered too young or inexperienced for the NHL. Two of these players who had been written off were former 1st round pick Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. Boyle's career high in goals before this year was 4. This year, his fourth, he scored 21. This was the first time he showed his first round promise. Prust's previous career high in goals was also 4.  This year he scored 13. Both played very well on the defensive side of the puck, too. The success that Prust and Boyle had can both be attributed to the increased faith - as shown in minutes on the ice - shown by John Tortorella.

Two other players also made names for themselves with Tortorella's help, both rookies - D-man Ryan McDonagh, and Center Derek Stepan. McDonagh became a steady force on defense for the Rangers, teaming up with another kid, Michael Sauer, as a highly effective defensive pairing, while Stepan made his presence felt immediately, with a hat trick in his first NHL game. He went on to score 21 goals during his rookie season. The amazing part was that both of these players were in college less than a year prior to their debuts. A lot of the credit for their success can be given to John Tortorella, who did an amazing job managing their ice time.

Though I believe Tortorella deserves to be among the finalist for this award, I'm in the minority. I tweeted my opinion to several reporters who cover the Rangers, and they thought differently.

Andrew Gross of the Bergen Record in New Jersey tweeted back, "I think he did a heck of a job with this group but, no, I wouldn't put him in the top three for Jack Adams."

Arthur Staple of Newsday tweeted "Debatable... Did he do a better job than Boucher and Bylsma? Not sure about that."

Adam Rotter of SNY tweeted "he was considered one at one point, but then they struggled down the stretch. He was probably top 5."

TIME TO LEADOFF WITH GARDNER

Since Derek Jeter went on the Disabled List on June 14th, the Yankees have gone 6-1. Though it isn't a direct result of his absence, it is partly a result of his replacement at the top of the lineup. Since Jeter's injury, Brett Gardner has gone 10-21, and has only struck out 3 times. Though Jeter gets more hits than Gardner, he no longer can steal bases, which is Brett Gardner's specialty. Also, Gardner's .371 On Base Percentage is much higher than Jeter's .324. Jeter's OBP is even less than that of Robinson Cano, who is one of the best hitters in the American League, but whose On Base Percentage is not expected to be high because Cano doesn't walk very much.

Also, Gardner's Batting Average of .293 is about a third of a percentage point higher than Jeter's .260.

It is safe to say the more productive leadoff hitter is easily Brett Gardner. It is time for Joe Girardi to take a stand and put Derek Jeter in the 7th hole where he belongs.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

JOBA CHAMBERLAIN: THE MODERN DAY KERRY WOOD

When Kerry Wood was called up to the big leagues with the Chicago Cubs in 1998, he was an instant phenom. 13 years later he is a brittle set up man with a medical bill that almost equals his salary.

His story is similar to his former Yankee teammate Joba Chamberlain. Like Wood, Joba came on the scene like a ball of fire and looked like either a future ace, or the heir to Mariano Rivera's throne as the closer of the New York Yankees. Then, the Yankees made a string of mistakes in terms of how they handled their young phenom, starting with a set of rules on how they can and can't use him, AKA, "Joba Rules." It only got worse from there. The Yankees kept changing him from a reliever to a starter or the other way around. In 2010, he finally was given a permanent role as a reliever, but he struggled mightily, posting an ERA of 4.40 while struggling to find consistency. Though at the start of the current season he began to show progress, he was stricken with elbow pain and will be under going Tommy John surgery on Thursday.

One can only wonder whether he will ever pitch for the Yankees again, and if he will ever return to form. If you look at the story of Kerry Wood, the outlook is bleak.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

FUTURE CLOSER: ROBERTSON OR JOBA?

In my most recent post, I gave three options to replace Mariano. Here I will be examining arguments for David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain. I counted out Delin Betances because he hasn't had any major league experience.

David Robertson: PROS: He has been very solid out of the Yankees bullpen from 2008-2010, making steady progress each season. This season, Robertson is making a name for himself with an ERA of 1.16 with 38 strikeouts thus far. Also, when pressure mounts, he seems to remain calm and get big outs. His fastball has also gotten faster. Against the Angels, even though he struggled with his control, he was throwing his fastball at 94-96 MPH, which is as hard as I've ever seen him throw.

CONS: He walks a few too many batters and sometimes makes his outings nerve wracking event by allowing runners to reach base. Don't get me wrong, this is a problem many closers have had, it's just a little concerning.

Joba Chamberlain: PROS: He has an amazing fastball, hovering between 95-98 MPH. His slider has insane bite and it makes for a hard off-speed adjustment for opposing hitters. Though he suffered setbacks that would have ruined most other pitchers' careers permanently, he has fought through them to become a stellar reliever.

CONS: He is somewhat of a headcase because of constantly being switched between the rotation and the bullpen. Though it is hard to blame him, being a headcase is not good for closers.

MY PICK: Robertson