Chapter 77.7: Bobby Murcer, One of the Good Yankees

In my family, being a Yankee fan has never been an option. I've heard from my brothers that they rooted for Mickey Mantle, but not for the Yankees per se. Indeed, by the time the Miracle Mets won it all in 1969, we were already a family of Mets fans and I never knew anything but rooting for the Mets, despite the terrible teams of the late 70s.

Around the time the Mets were stinking up the National League and I was collecting baseball cards, Bobby Murcer was moving toward the tail end of his career. I remember watching Murcer play against the Mets when he was a member of the Cubs, and my older brothers told me about how he was always their favorite Yankee after Mantle retired after the 1968 season.

When he returned to the Yankees, I was able to watch him a little more regularly. (Just because I hated the Yankees didn't mean I wouldn't watch them. It was baseball, after all. I rooted for their opponents.) But it was always hard to root against Bobby Murcer.

I was rooting for him to beat the cancer in his brain, but I think any fan knew it was not quite the same as when he stood at the plate during the game after he'd delivered the eulogy for his close friend Thurman Munson. Murcer hit a homer and drove in the winning run that day. Yesterday, Murcer succumbed to the disease.

I'm a Mets fan and a Yankee hater, but there is always room on a team for a player like Bobby Murcer. He was known for his class and wit. I believe that most non-Yankee fans regarded Murcer as one of the good guys. My thoughts go out to his family.

Chapter 71.55: Goose and Rice

The Baseball Hall of Fame results are in, and I can't disagree with the selection of Rich "Goose" Gossage. I'll admit I've had my misgivings about his Hall of Fame at times, but his inclusion feels right. I'm not going to gripe about it.

That Jim Rice still isn't in, however, is a mistake. I'd like to get onto a high horse about what a travesty of justice it is, but I also understand some of the arguments against him. While he wasn't the same player in 1988 as he'd been in 1978, he was still a fearsome hitter. Still, I know of few other hitters that seemed to come through in the clutch as well as he did. And as a kid who hated the Yankees, how I loved to see Jim Rice stand in the box against one of the pitchers from the Bronx.

How appropos it would have been for Rice and Goose to enter the Hall together, a member of the Red Sox and the Yankees. Especially this coming summer -- thirty years after the exciting 1978 season. A lot of folks in the New York area forget that there was a newspaper strike back then, so there was even less news about what the teams were doing than we'd see in this Internet era. We often had to settle for the local television news updates and listen to the radio. And then there was also Pete Rose's hitting streak. Talk about an exciting baseball season, especially for a kid who was crazy for the sport!

Growing up in the New York area, I saw Goose pitch a lot and wished my Mets had someone like him (of course, those Mets teams had little need of a fireballing stopper, as they were sometimes called in those bygone days, thirty years ago -- "closer" came later when Dennis Eckersly changed everything in Tony LaRussa's bullpen.) It almost seemed unfair that the Yankees could have Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage. Of course, Lyle was gone soon enough, languishing in Texas after the '78 season and a couple other places. Of course, looking back, the Yankees made the right decision (perish the thought!), despite Lyle entering the '78 season as the reigning Cy Young Award winner; he was in his 30s, and his career was on the decline.

Anyway, back to the Hall vote: I'm not too surprised at Tim Raines receiving 25 percent of the vote. It's a hard road ahead if he hopes to ever gain entrance. Even harder is the path for Harold Baines, who I think should be the first DH elected. Once again, he only had 5 percent. His chances are unlikely to get any better without a major shift in how baseball writers consider the designated hitter. If I can change my mind, however, surely they will eventually too. For Baines' sake, I hope it happens before another thirteen years pass.

But I congratulate Goose Gossage on being voted into the Hall of Fame. You were one of the best relievers of all time. I hope George Brett hands you a pine tar-coated bat.

Chapter 69.4: Simmering Hot Stove

Ouch! That's hot! No, not a Paris Hilton reference, I'm talking about something much more important. The World Series wasn't even over and the off-season had already begun. Of course, Mr. Premature Exclamation and his sidekick Money Boy (aka, Scott Boras and Alex Rodriguez) decided to finally get a hit during the World Series -- since A-Rod can't get there by any other means.

In an effort to extract himself from The Curse of A-Rod, Money Boy has decided to forego roughly $75 million over the next three years with the expectation that he can earn all that and more. He's probably right, though I actually believe the Yankees won't sign him. They'll have enough problems of their own trying to salvage their franchise. With Joe Girardi annointed as the manager, I suspect the exodus of big names will continue. Rumors abound that catcher Jorge Posada doesn't like his former backup, so perhaps he'll find his money elsewhere. I've predicted that Mariano Rivera will take his Hall of Fame career down the NJ Turnpike to Philadelphia, where he'd turn the Phillies into instant favorites to win the National League East -- if they weren't already.

Then today we hear about Joe Torre's reported conversations with the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and subsequently, Grady Little quits as their manager. Of course, Torre and Don Mattingly, whose son is playing in the Dodgers' farm system, are saying the right things; no one seems to be commenting on the requirement that a minority candidate be considered for the job.

Will this stream of hot stove baseball news stop before Spring Training? Already, the free agent declarations are being filed. The Astros just signed Brad Ausmus for another year. (But who cares, it's just a one-year, $2 million contract.) And we've not even learned who will win all the accolades for their successes during 2007. Then there'll be the general managers' meetings... It goes on and on. My wife was just starting to enjoy the off-season.

Chapter 69.1: My Hat's Off, But Don't Cry for Joe Torre

As a young Mets fan, I had a special feeling for Joe Torre. He briefly worked as a player manager -- almost as uncommon in the 70s as it is unknown in the 21st century -- and to my eyes seemed like the perfect man to lead the misfit Mets. I felt bad when the Mets fired him -- just when they seemed to be making progress! -- and happy when he took the Atlanta Braves to the playoffs in 1982.

While Yankees fans were unimpressed when he became the manager of their team in 1996, I was happy to see him return to New York. And as impossible as it is for me to say this, I almost rooted for him when they beat the Braves in the '96 World Series. Almost. When Jim Leyritz hit that home run that turned the tide, my hatred of the franchise returned.

When a man takes his team to the playoffs for twelve consecutive years, you'd think his job would be secure. A team that appears in six World Series in twelve years -- you'd think the job would be secure. But, no, they ask him to take a 33 percent paycut and sign a one-year contract, ostensibly to train his likely replacement, Don Mattingly, and look like a money-grubbing weakling to his players. The Yankees have every right to not re-sign their manager, whose contract had ended. But to most fans -- Yankees fans or not -- their actions are an insult to a dignified man. Yes, he would still have had the highest salary for a manager, but he deserved better treatment.

Whether the Yankees hire Mattingly, Joe Girardi, Luis Sojo, Bobby Valentine, Tony La Russa, or Buck Showaler, I expect them to struggle next year. Mariano Rivera, who is on the downside of his career but still effective, has said he won't return if Torre doesn't. Roger Clemens is done. Jorge Posada is a free agent, but I expect they'll re-sign him. And their much lauded young arms are still inexperienced. They will not have the steadying hand of Torre around; let's see whether that matters.

But Torre will be fine; of that I have no doubt. He could easily become the highest paid analyst in television -- not manager money, of course, but it would keep him in the public eye and keep his endorsement options wide open. Or he could manage elsewhere. Is Tom Trembley's spot in Baltimore really secure? Probably. And Torre might not want to manage in the same division as the Yankees just yet. The Royals have some good young players. They could use a steadying influence, though he's really done better with established ball clubs. So, ditto the Pirates, whose managerial spot is open too.

I suspect Torre won't manage in 2008; he'll be in TV land for a year. But by 2009, if Willie Randolph falters with the Mets, I could see Torre having a triumphant return to help open Citi Field. Stranger things have happened.

Chapter 68: Playoff Predictions

Not much time this morning, so I'll be quick:

Red Sox vs. Angels: From what I've read, the Angels have lost their center fielder, Gary Matthews, for the playoffs as well as Bartolo Colon -- who really wasn't much of a factor this year, so I don't think that's too significant. More important are the question marks about Vladimir Guererro. If he's out or not up to snuff, the Angels are done already. The Red Sox have too much talent to lose in the short series. My prediction: Red Sox in 4.

Indians vs. Yankees: I hate to say it, but I think the Yankees will advance to the ALCS. They've dominated the Indians this year (6-0) and in the short series, they have a distinct advantage. But the Indians have a strong 1-2 punch, so the Yankee hater in me has hope. I think this will be a hard-fought series, but if the Indians can't win with Cy Young candidate C.C. Sabathia, they've got little hope. My prediction: Yankees in 5.

Rockies vs. Phillies: This could be the most exciting series of the early round. The Rockies went 14-1 over the last few weeks of the season and won an exciting playoff game against the Padres to qualify for their second-ever post-season berth. While the Phils' pitching is decidedly mediocre, they've been doing well lately. I think some folks will be surprised to see more scoring in Philadelphia's stadium than in Coors Field, which may actually give the Rockies a slight advantage. I'd love to be wishy-washy and call this a pick 'em series, but I'll go out on a limb. My prediction: Rockies in 5.

Diamondbacks vs. Cubs: I'd love to see the Cubs advance, and they very well might. But this team had the worst record of all post-season qualifiers. While the Diamondbacks scored relatively few runs (less than they allowed -- not a good sign, especially when you have a stud like reigning Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb), their pitching staff includes battle-tested Livan Hernandez. Again, this is a tough series to gauge. My prediction: Cubs in 5.

Chapter 65.9: Death of a Huckleberry

As a Met fan, I was never a huge follower of Phil Rizzuto. I knew him at first as the incredibly annoying and unhelpful announcer for the hated Yankees -- he worked with Frank Messer and Bill White back in the late 70s, when my love of baseball hit full bloom. And I knew his voice from Meatloaf's song, Paradise by the Dashboard Lights. (Remember when it was almost rare to hear that song?!)

But I grew to appreciate that he loved his team -- a team that had offered him a chance when all the others had told him he was too small. Rizzuto repaid their confidence (or was it just a joke at first? 'Let's see what this pip-squeak can do. It might be funny') with his natural abilities -- speed and fielding prowess -- and became an important part of the Yankee dynasty of the 1940s and early '50s, winning the Most Valuable Player Award in 1950, when they defeated the Whiz Kid Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. I would never like the Yankees, and I wouldn't be a Rizzuto fan, but I could respect him and his loyalty.

I delivered medicines to his mother when I had a job for a local pharmacy in high school, and I wondered if I'd ever see him there. Never happened. But I briefly met Rizzuto once. It's more accurate to say I nodded in his direction and he nodded back. I was attending a wake for a friend's mother about 20 years ago. And Phil Rizzuto was standing at the front of the chairs in the funeral parlor. My friends in line with me whispered "Hey, it's Phil Rizzuto," and I heard the man ask who all these guys were. We were fraternity brothers of his grand-nephew. "Oh, the boys from Lafayette," I heard him say. That's when I nodded, and he nodded back.

Not exactly a moment of greatness or epiphany, but it happened.

So, I'll say a little prayer that God has enough room in his field for the little guy who lived in New Jersey for all those years and told stories about baseball and cannolis and called the guys in the broadcast booth and down on the field "Huckleberries."

Chapter 62.1: Dud Rocket

Watching the first couple innings of last night's Mets victory over the Yankees, I couldn't help but notice that Roger Clemens wasn't pitching with too much velocity. His fast ball was mostly hitting 90, 91 miles per hour. Oliver Perez was in the same range -- sometimes a little faster, and I saw at least one 95 mph pitch -- but Clemens is known for his fast ball. I understand that he's 44 years old; more importantly, he knows how to pitch and has impeccable location. I'm just saying he's lost a lot of velocity.

What he also lost was the game, I'm happy to say. Let's Go Mets!

Chapter 61: Let's Go Mets!

I will refrain from hitting the Yankees when they're down, because truth be told, they're not in such bad shape, even though they're about to lose two out of three to my Mets. They're only three games under .500, and they've got the hitting that could create a massive offensive onslaught against opposing pitchers. However, I believe it's their pitching that is their biggest challenge. And the return of Roger Clemens won't be much help -- some yes, but not as much as the desperate Yankees fans I know are expecting.

The problem as I see it is that more than half of their starters are barely able to get through five innings -- which leaves their mediocre bullpen overworked. This is nothing new to the ears of New Yorkers, and most teams have overworked bullpens.

But the Red Sox staff and pen are superior, so the only way the Yankees will overcome them is for the Sox to have a major meltdown. Still, I believe the Yankees can get into wildcard contention. Theirs is a team built for a successful regular season, and now there's serious question whether they can accomplish that. A staff of Clemens, Pettitte, Mussina, Wang, and a random fifth starter can still be successful. The four main guys are all smart pitchers, but if they get to the playoffs, I'm sure it'll come down to Torre deciding to remove one of his starters with one out in the sixth inning to shut down the opposing offense, and then it's off to the races. That bullpen as it's currently constructed isn't going to scare anyone.

As for my Mets, I believe this weekend will be a pleasant few days at home. I don't think they will sweep, but their hitters are starting to put together some hot streaks, and slumping veterans are awakening from their slumbers. It's time to start winning in bunches and building a lead over the steady Braves and surging Phillies. I obviously am biased, but I think the Mets are the best team in the league. I like the Brewers, too, and those few who read my pre-season predictions will note that I said before the season began that they could surprise people.

But wistfully wondering about the Mets' chances in the post-season is premature. This weekend is about New York: Mets vs. Yankees, and all the bragging rights (unimportant though they are) that come with it. Enjoy, baseball fans.

Note: You folks in Chicago (you know who you are) should have a great series this weekend, too. I think the White Sox haven't shown what they're capable of doing. Are any of their starters hitting over .300 yet? And the Cubs aren't as bad as they've shown (but they are close).