| | How do you stop the diluting of baseball? One ESPN.com chat user suggested dropping a couple of teams into Triple-A. In an effort to help out, baseball columnist Rob Neyer offered up which teams he would like to see get the ax during his most recent chat.
Besides lopping off a few teams, Neyer also talked about the Sammy Sosa saga, moronic managerial moves and revealed a few suggestions for some summer time baseball reading.
If you missed Neyer's June 15 chat, an edited transcript follows with another celebrity look alike:
|  | | Should Joe Torre and the Yankees be in Triple-A? |
Chad: Like everyone else, I enjoy your column. I was wondering what you think of Kevin Millwood's
recent struggles. Do you see him falling into the same pattern as Steve Avery went through due
to possible overuse at a young age? Do you think he may be tired or injured or is he just going
through growing pains?
Rob Neyer: I have written many glowing things about Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone over the years, but I
do fear that perhaps they worked Millwood too hard over the last few seasons. And yes, I do
blame them for Avery's early demise.
Marked Man: I really appreciate all of your insight. I was wondering what are your thoughts about some of
Tony Muser's "motivational" moves, i.e. benching Beltran, sending Quinn down to Triple-A, etc.?
Personally, I think the guy is a complete moron.
Rob Neyer:
Gee, that's a bit harsh ... How about "a partial moron"?
I do see something strange here. We hear about how Muser has set the tone for the entire
organization, but if that's true, then why do these guys still need to be disciplined at the major
league level? And let's not forget Dee Brown, who was recently sent from Triple-A to the
instructional league after failing to run out ground balls. Shouldn't all these guys be learning to
hustle in Class A ball?
Troy Glaus: What's up with my hitting instructor Mickey Hatcher telling me to be more aggressive at
the plate? I'm taking pitches, I'm second in the AL in walks, and I'm hitting .328 with power.
I'm seeing the ball better than I ever have, and I'm getting better pitches to hit. Is Mickey really
that much of a moron?
Rob Neyer:
Troy, whatever you do, do not listen to Mickey Hatcher. Your "hitting instructor" batted .280
for his career, but posted a feeble .313 on-base percentage thanks to his misguided
aggressiveness.
Beth: Have you seen the new Hank Greenberg movie? Any thoughts on it?
Rob Neyer:
I wrote some nice things about the film when I saw it in early April. Don't walk, run to any
theater that's showing it near you.
Kilgore: I'm reading "The Catcher Was a Spy," about Moe Berg. Do you know of any of today's
players who are more likely to spend a night off in Chicago at a university lecture instead of
patronizing the local Hooters?
Rob Neyer:
Hey, another question about a Jewish ballplayer, this must be a record for one of my chats!
Berg was certainly smarter than anybody playing today, but then he was smarter than anyone
who played then, too. "The Catcher Was a Spy" is a fantastic book, by the way. I was
supposed to meet author Nick Dawidoff at Yankee Stadium Monday night, but the game was
rained out. Bummer.
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NEYER'S FILE
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ESPN.com's Rob Neyer writes a daily baseball column from March through October. His book "Baseball Dynasties," co-authored with Eddie Epstein, has just been published, and can be ordered from Amazon.com. |
Phil: You never answer my questions, but I am a glutton for punishment. What is your forecast
for the Johnny Damon situation? It seems that he would be a better fit in pinstripes than Sammy Sosa
would, given his speed on defense and his ability to work a count and get on base. He would
also cost significantly less in terms of dollars and prospects dealt to acquire him. Is there a
chance that the Yanks may actually make the right baseball move, and not simply the right PR
move?
Rob Neyer:
I'd love to see the Royals dump Damon, but the truth is that Sosa is a significantly better player
than Damon. His OBP this season is .395; Damon's is .351. His slugging percentage is .598;
Damon's is puny, just .418, which is unacceptable for a corner outfielder in this era.
And the Yankees can afford, quite literally, anything.
Jeff: Hey Rob, you said you wouldn't vote for Edgar Martinez for the Hall of Fame based on his
relatively short career -- he hasn't accumulated 2,000 hits, etc. What's your feeling on short,
brilliant careers making one worthy of the Hall in general -- like Lefty Gomez, who finished with
just 189 wins?
Rob Neyer:
Gomez shouldn't be in the Hall, if he'd pitched for another club he'd have won 160 games, and
nobody would remember him. He wasn't even truly brilliant, not for more than a few years.
Petey: Was it the right move bringing Pedro Martinez out of yesterday's game? Many are complaining
in the media that Jimy Williams and Joe Kerrigan are babying the pitching staff.
Rob Neyer:
Jimy and Joe know more about Petey's health than we do, and they know, quite well, that if
anything bad happens to him, one game isn't going to make any difference. What I would argue
with is Williams' apparently unwillingness to use Derek Lowe in the eighth inning yesterday.
Royals fan: What's up with the Astros? I thought they were going to be good -- not as good as last year
maybe -- but certainly not the team with the worst record in baseball.
Rob Neyer:
To paraphrase a book title, sometimes bad things happen to good teams. The Astros have been
incredibly unlucky this year, especially in close games. And perhaps Larry Dierker could have
been a bit more cautious with his starting pitchers. But I expect the Astros, assuming Bagwell is
still around, to contend for a division title in 2001.
Peter DeMarco: If the season ended today, who do you feel should be awarded the AL MVP? What do you
think of Buck Martinez's choosing Carlos Delgado?
Rob Neyer:
That's a tough one. Delgado's certainly a viable candidate, but you have to remember that Buck
is a Blue Jays broadcaster, and it's natural to appreciate what you see on a regular basis.
Rodriguezes, Alex and Pudge, certainly have strong cases, too, and it would take some serious
analysis for me to choose from among these three.
Alain: I think that baseball has been watered down the last few years. How about
eliminating a few teams. So, if you're not scared to be blasted with a few hundred e-mails, I want
you to decide which 6 teams should be demoted to Triple-A for whatever reason you decide.
Rob Neyer:
Sure, no problem.
Athletics
Brewers
Devil Rays
Expos
Twins
Yankees
This would leave the American League with 10 teams and the National with 14, so I would
move the Mets and Diamondbacks to the AL.
Abe: Is Mike Piazza the greatest hitting catcher of all time (leave aside the anti-Mets bias for a
second)?
Rob Neyer:
To this point, yes. He's been more consistent than Johnny Bench or Roy Campanella, and he's
going to enjoy a longer career than Mickey Cochrane. And those three are, in my mind,
Piazza's only competition.
Damon Rutherford: You've been writing a lot about baseball books lately, and I know you're a fan of Philip Roth's
"Great American Novel." Robert Coover has a book called "The Universal Baseball
Association, J. Henry Waugh, Proprietor," which deals a lot with the related obsessions of
baseball and statistics. If you've read it, I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Rob Neyer:
Coover's book is my favorite baseball novel. In fact, during my weekly ESPN Radio spot this
past Monday (11:20 Central Time), host Bob Valvano and I spent five minutes talking about
the last chapter of said novel.
Steve Perry: What exactly has your old mentor Bill James been up to for the past few years? I understand
he's got a revised version of the Historical Abstract coming soon (when?), but is there another
project in the works? Or is he working less than he used to?
Rob Neyer:
Bill's been keeping busy, both with the revised Historical Baseball Abstract and something
called Win Shares, more about which I'm not at liberty to divulge. When these things are
actually published, I'll be sure to let everyone know. In the meantime, if you haven't done your
Father's Day shopping yet, there's a new book called "Baseball Dynasties" that's been getting
some nice reviews ...
Rschill: When might the Mariners call up Ryan Anderson?
Rob Neyer:
My early-season rave reviews notwithstanding, it seems that the Space Needle still has some
growing up to do, both on the mound and ... well, everywhere else. We might not see him on a
major league mound until September, or even later if the M's are still hunting the pennant.
Gary: The "walk-them-intentionally-everytime" analysis was great, and it reminded me of how much I
miss Bill James annual "Baseball Abstract". What one publication does the best job of replacing
it?
Rob Neyer:
I guess I would recommend two annual publications, Baseball Prospectus and the STATS
Baseball Scoreboard. Neither replaces the Baseball Abstract, but both are imbued with the
spirit of the Abstract while taking off in new directions.
Adam: Where do you see Shane Spencer's future with the Yanks -- as a DH, left fielder or a piece of
a puzzle to complete a trade?
Rob Neyer:
Spencer is exactly what he's always been, a decent hitter who should probably be platooned.
He doesn't have any business being in the lineup every day, and is one of many reasons the
Yankees aren't scoring any runs (Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill being two others).
Jlude: Are you Brett Butler's brother or something, you look identical.
Rob Neyer:
Another one for the list. I've also been told I look like Joe Randa. And the other day at Yankee
Stadium, somebody asked me if I'm Scott Brosius' brother. Funny, nobody ever tells me I look
like Chuck Finley or Alex Rodriguez.
SD Jay: What do you think of the Red Sox "new" line-up with Jose Offerman at first?
Rob Neyer:
Well, you have to admit that it's certainly imaginative. The team's not scoring enough runs, so
the solution is to get Jeff Frye into the lineup. Last week, I was sitting at Fenway Park with a
guy I know, and he was trying to construct the ideal Red Sox lineup. I watched this for a few
minutes, and then I stated the obvious, which is that there is no ideal lineup, not with the current
roster. The Sox need at least another real hitter, and probably two, if they're serious about
winning 95 games.
Canada Ty: sosasosasosasosasosasosasosasosasosasosasosasosasosasosasosa
Get to it already.
Rob Neyer:
All right, I've been avoiding this subject for an hour. I believe that Sammy Sosa will end up with
... the Mets! Why not the Yankees? Because nobody except Steinbrenner wants him; in fact, I wonder if
George's interest is half-faked, with intent of driving up his price.
Why not the Red Sox? They don't want to spend the money it'll take to sign him.
That leaves the Mets, who need an outfielder even more than the other big boys.
Thanks for all the questions, I'll be back next Thursday at 2 p.m. ET. | |
ALSO SEE
Rob Neyer chat archive
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