Gom

For all you genuises [sic] out there.... Explain why the team pitchers do better with Molina than Posada. I'm waiting. Look, game-calling is an art, and Molina is better at it, but it's harder to quantify. I believe that if a pitcher makes his pitches, he gets the batter out. However, every pitcher lives on the corners. There isn't a pitcher in baseball who throws the ball down the middle the majority of the time and is successful. It's that one or two inches off the plate and high and low that makes all the difference in the game. You get that "Oh, Mariano always gets that call" or "the Maddux strike zone". The ability of a catcher to influence a pitcher on the periphery of the plate is critical. Sorry ORS, I believe Flaherty more than I would ever believe anything you'd say. Especially when it's so blatantly obvious. As for the strawman comment, I was comparing Molina to Posada. Not anyone else. You said the first time since 2002 that the backup had a better CERA was 2007. I don't care about previous seasons, and since Molina came to the Yankees in late 2006, well...there you go. I know you hate admitting you're wrong, which is funny, because you're wrong often. It's an ego defect. I expect more from you, but you're talking like Mr. Swine Flu. All I'm telling you is to pay attention to Posada and Molina behind the plate when the Sox come to town. Then you'll see what I'm talking about. On a side note, what irks me here sometimes is that no one comes up with an idea here. If it isn't supported by any of your available data, you're quick to dismiss it. Defensive metrics are what...two or three years old in mainstream baseball circles? Three years ago, Dunn and Abreu would have been signed to multi-year, expensive contracts. Advances in defensive statistics have increased our knowledge of the game. However, NOTHING on the field changed. The game didn't change, our knowledge did. People scoffed at defense...just look at Moneyball. Now, where are those same people? They just follow what they're told. From 1977 to 1983, Omar Moreno had at least 400 ABs, and led the league twice in plate appearances. Teams believed in speed, and didn't realize the importance of OBP and OPS. His highest OBP was .339. In fact, in 1980, he led the league in plate appearances. His line: .249BA .306OBP .325SLG .631OPS 96SB 33CS Do you think he would get a shot today? In 1980, he had 676 at bats! What I'm trying to say is that we may have not created a metric or formula to prove or disprove what I'm saying. It exists on the field. Going back to Molina/Posada, in Burnett's last game, Burnett threw a beauty of a pitch that may have been called a strike with any other catcher than Posada, who caught the ball and immediately dropped the glove. The count was 2-2. The next pitch, the batter walked. Instead of an out and no one on base, it was a runner on first. Pitchers consistenly get ahead in the count more with Molina, he calls a better game, he frames pitches better, and he's got a better arm. Even today, Sabathia ran out of gas but gave up 4 runs in the seventh inning. If Girardi had taken him out after 100 pitches, he would have pitched a shut out. Now...Posada may go out and catch a no-hitter, and the Lord Almighty can't help CMW. However, over time, this trend we saw last year and are seeing this year can't be dismissed. All I'm asking any of you is to think outside the box, and watch Posada and Molina, and tell me if you see what I see.

Someone explain to me why Aceves and Tomko are in the minors while Veras and Ramirez are in the majors? Aceves did decent in his call-up last year. Tomko has a career 4.68 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP. Either of these guys are tremendous upgrades over what we have. I wouldn't mind even giving Kennedy a shot in the bullpen. Ok...maybe that's too much...but the fact that I'm entertaining anything with Kennedy that isn't a drop kick to his face should go to show you how bad our bullpen situation is right now. Need....Bruney....

YAY!!!!

This puts a lot of pressure on Smoltz if Penny keeps sucking.

Of course it does, RSR.

Berroa. Veras. Edwar Ramirez. Jose Veras. Dave Robertson. Jonathan Albaladejo. Just to name a few players the Yankees could get rid of.

You just don't understand the game as well as I thought. Throwing out runners is the third most important thing a catcher does. Calling a game/framing pitches are 1/2. Runners is a distant 3rd. Distant.

He doesn't. This was on Girardi. He was clearly running on fumes at that point. Look, it's not that I hate Posada. The Yankees are better team with Molina, that's all. I think the combination of Posada and Molina is one of the best tandems in the game. I'd like to see Molina get the lion's share behind the plate. Posada can DH and spell Molina. I'd love to see Molina go in as a defensive replacement when the Yankees have a lead. These are the things that cost the Yankees games.

Molina's defense will matter even more in the playoffs, as the games are usually against better pitchers and better hitters and there is less margin for error.

Update: CC through 4 innings, 2 hits, 1BB, 4Ks. Couldn't be Molina. Nah....once the calendar switched over, he became superman. I realize that now. My mistake.

Is Molina that much better than any catcher in baseball? No. Posada is the problem. Imagine having both Jeter and Everett on your team. One costs runs. The other saves runs. The aggregate total is much larger than it would be with say, an average shortstop and Everett. What concrete evidence? Woolner said that game-calling isn't significant, and I agree. However, I wasn't arguing game calling. I was talking framing pitches. Bill James said that while it is possible that catchers may have a significant effect on a pitching staff, there is too much yearly variation in CERA for it to be a reliable indicator of ability. Japanese managers use it as one of the prime metrics in determining a catcher's value. So we have one saying no, one saying I don't know, and the 2nd best baseball league in the world that uses it a lot. I don't know who the Angels had as their catcher. I'm comparing Molina to Posada. Molina was traded to the Yankees in late 2007. Last year, he led the Yankees in OPS against. He's doing it again this year. So, assuming Crespo's numbers are correct, Molina was bad in 2007, with a new team and new pitchers for two months, and then been solid ever since. Wow ORS. You have dropped to the level of DipreG. I like you, and I realize that these are fighting words, but they had to be said. Last year, the Yankee pitching staff over-acheived. Everyone here would agree with this, I believe. Mussina won 20 games at the age of 39 I believe with Molina becoming his personal catcher. The Yankee ERA with Posada behind the plate, and discounting Wang's starts, is more than double what it is with Molina behind the plate. You guys choose to chalk it up to coincidence, or because someone else isn't telling you what to think. Keep in mind...I haven't included pitch-calling, because I believe that in this case, Woolner is correct in stating that "catcher game-calling isn't a statistically significant skill". We haven't even entered into the discussion Molina's arm either, which is probably the best in the majors. All I'm asking you to do is to watch the defensive game of the two Yankee catchers when the Red Sox come to the stadium on 5/4 and 5/5, and judge for yourself, if you have the capability to do so.

My prediction for 5/2. CC pitches a good game. Papers write about how he's turning things around after his solid start. Why? Molina is catching.

Coming from you, that's a compliment. If you actually think that I thought you had anything to add intelligently, then you're even dumber than I thought, and that would be tough. For the rest of you, just watch him, and then form your own opinions.

Flaherty said it Thursday on YES. "Molina gets you an extra strike every at-bat". "At some point, you have to realize that what Molina gives you behind the plate is at least a run a game compared to Jorge." This is what I've been saying. Do you have any idea how huge that is? For most of you, of course not, you'd have to actually understand the game to get it. Through April 26, look at these stats: Posada ERA: 7.97 Molina ERA: 3.09 I know what you're thinking...."He caught Wang...blah blah blah". Fine. Completely eliminate Wang. All 6 of his innings and 25 runs. Fine. Huge difference right? Wrong. Posada ERA: 6.36 Molina ERA: 3.09 Posada has caught the 16-11, 22-4, and 15-5 losses. This doesn't count last night's numbers either...as the Yankees won 10-9. Small sample size? Sure. However, this gap is way too big to be assumed as coincidence. So...does Posada add 3 runs per game? He did last night, he added 4 runs, and the Yankees won 10-9. Keith Woolner completely missed, and most of you guys are sheep, and believe anything anyone tells you. Japanese manager use this CERA [catcher ERA]. American managers [as far as I know, don't]. Does that mean we're smart and they're dumb, or the other way around? Posada had a great game at the plate, but another terrible game behind the plate [as per my bro, I was at the stadium, you can't judge balls/strikes as well]. You guys are coming to the stadium on Monday. Watch Posada behind the plate, and how many potential strikes he loses because as soon as he catches it, not only does he not frame it, he drops his glove. Pitches that are strikes are called balls. I know most of you guys like laughing at people who watch the games and have played the game, and that clueless people like to track pitch f/x and then cry like bitches when the pitches they think should be strikes aren't called that way...but if you watch the game, you'll figure out why. The Red Sox are coming to the Stadium this week. For one inning, if it's a blowout either way, try watching Posada objectively. Then compare him to Varitek. Then, finally, you'll see what I'm talking about. If you remember, then watch Molina. I'll even give you a quick primer, since I see more Yankee games than you do. Forget pitch selection. We don't know what pitches are working, etc. Molina sets up behind the plate before the pitcher goes into his windup, and puts up the glove for a target. He gets in position as the pitcher sets. Posada rocks back and forth, and actually puts up the glove while the pitcher is in the windup. He rarely puts up a target for the pitcher to shoot for. The pitcher is just guessing. Watch how Molina frames the pitches. He pulls borderline pitches back into the strikezone, and HOLDS it there, allowing him to get a borderline strike call from the umpire. Posada does the exact opposite. He drops his glove after he catches the pitch, and pitches that are strikes are called balls. Sometimes he'll even stand up BEFORE the umpire makes the call. I'm not the only one who thinks so either. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/165764-analyzing-yankee-catchers-jorge-posada-v-jose-molina Since it's now discussed in the media, does that make it more or less correct than when I first preached it? Going back to the blatantly obvious point. Let's take a look at Burnett. He has had 3 games caught by Molina, and 2 by Posada. Here are the results from the games: Apr 30 LAA 7.0IP 8H 4ER 1BB 5K Apr 25 @BOS 5.0IP 8H 8ER 3BB 3K Apr 19 CLE 6.1IP 3H 3ER 7BB 2K Apr 14 @TB 8.0 3H 2ER 1BB 9K Apr 9 @BAL 5.1IP 7H 2R 1BB 6K Gues which three were caught by Molina and which two by Posada? It's only a matter of time before someone comes up with a reliable statistic that will validate what I already know. Even the most ardent stat-head realizes that some statistics have more merit than others. They are formulas. As a scientist, you formulate a hypothesis and then you create an experiment to test the hypothesis. Just because the results do not validate your hypothesis does not mean that the hypothesis was wrong, the test itself could be flawed. Remember when Moneyball was the all the rage? How OBP was all that mattered, and defense was inconsequential? That was basically one of the tenements in the book. Just a few short years later, Bobby Abrea and Adam Dunn got much, much lower salaries than expected, even in this poor economy, because of their DEFENSIVE rankings. Just because it's written doesn't mean it's true. Maybe watching a game once in a while has it's merits? Nah...that would screw up your spreadsheets. Try thinking for yourselves once in a while.

It's true. We both use the double-pronged one on your sister. Your father rents her out for 100 pesos an hour.

f***ing great game to see at the stadium. 26...you should have taken up my offer of free tickets tonight. LOL!!!!!

My team sucks. Last place. Everyone available.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/The-road-not-taken-Alex-Rodriguez-s-career-with?urn=mlb,158792

Why do I have a feeling that it's Itchy Penis?