This column hasn't taken off like I'd hoped and that is partly due to the other stuff going on in sports right now (steroids, NBA playoffs, etc) but I just read this and can't pass up an opportunity to again show how f*cking stupid Peter Gammons is...
"Maybe the Yankees learned a lesson by trading Javier Vazquez, who is now throwing harder than Randy Johnson and pitching brilliantly since his first start of the season. Brad Halsey is also consistently sitting at 90 and pitching very well."
Let's deconstruct, shall we? Is Peter Gammons suggesting that the Yankees erred by trading Vazquez for the best lefty pitcher since Sandy Koufax? Is he suggesting that the Yanks would be better off with a guy who had a 2nd half ERA of 6.92 and who clearly wasn't able to get American League hitters out with any regularity? Should I mention to Peter that Vazquez, the Yankee-Hater media darling of 2005, was so lousy in Pinstripes last year that he didn't even merit a post-season start in either of the 2 series the Yanks played in and was the biggest reason why the Yanks couldn't keep Game 7 close in the ALCS (duck, Javy, it's Johnny Damon!).
Gammons has again proven that he has no ability in the profession he has chosen. He's a weather vane, going with the wind. If Javy Vazquez should have a bad spell, I wonder if he'll revisit his revisitations and proclaim the deal as an indication of why the D-backs are going in circles.
Peter Gammons, you're a moron. Why don't you just move back to Boston where no one else can hear you?
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4 comments:
As much as I enjoy lambasting recent Yankee personnel moves, it's hard to agree with Gammons on this one. The Yankees' 2005 roster contains many mistakes (stand up, Jaret Wright), but the Unit trade was not one of them. It was a gamble - if that word can be used - that any team would have taken if given the opportunity.
The more interesting question posed by this post is whether anyone can explain WHY Vazquez imploded in New York. He was highly regarded in Montreal and is again showing the talent he displayed prior to his stint in pinstripes. We hear a lot about the pressures of playing in the Big Apple, but does that explain this situation?
It's not often that I can contribute to a baseball column, but Johnson-Vazquez is a poor trade for the Yankees. Vazquez certainly has the tools and probably did just implode from the pressure of New York City. Maybe the Yankees should have just invested in a hypnotist.
Meanwhile, even though Randy Johnson is a hall-of-fame pitcher, he's 42 years old! That's a high-risk proposition, no matter who the pitcher is. It's like you're at the craps table, and it's inevitable that at some time Randy would hit a 7. It's been a great ride at least.
I'm divided on this. While Gammons is an idiot, I think its fair to say that Vazquez is pitching better than Randy. The question of course would Vazquez pitch this well if he was still in New York. Probably not. However half the Chi-Sox starters are Yankees castoffs and they're pitching pretty damn well. Why aren't the Yanks pitching coaches not being hung, drawn and quartered?
I'll field Mikey's question and reply to Gutsy G as well...
Mikey, El Duque was a Yankee starter from 1998-2002 and was, during that time, our best or second best pitcher. He came back last year and pitched us into the playoffs before his arm got tired. I think Yankee coaches did great with El Duque and maximized every ounce of talent from him. The only other starter in Chicago's rotation is Contreras and all I can say is that the worst is yet to come. I have no doubt that he'll toss some horrible games out there pretty soon. The Yanks never should've wasted their time with him in the first place. That he's having success in Chicago right now is no indictment of Mel Stottlemyre but more of an indictment on Contreras himself for not having the discipline to work harder while he was a Yankee.
As for Gutsy G's comment, I disagree completely. Not only is Hart on point that EVERY team in baseball would trade their #3 starter for Randy Johnson but Vazquez's success in Arizona is, again, not a failing of the Yankees coaching staff. Vazquez had flashes of brilliance in Montreal but only flashes and was never a totally consistent pitcher. He was as prone to serve up 8 earned runs in a game as he was to striking out 8 batters. The Yanks got the worst of his qualities last year. Either he couldn't handle the pressure (I don't buy into that media-created hype) or he simply had a bad season. Whatever the reason, the Yanks had an opportunity to add a lefthanded starter to their staff (a real necessity at Yankee Stadium) and to add one of the best pitchers in baseball history. I don't think age is a tremendous determining factor here. The Yanks are built to win now, not 5 years from now. If Randy Johnson can give them 2 good seasons, the trade will have been a positive one for the Yankees.
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