Keith Olbermann: Patriots scandal could “make the baseball-steroid scandal look like a hearing about a parking ticket…”

Whether you watch Olbermann or not, his comment is a pretty powerful one. Senator Arlen Specter is wondering why the NFL destroyed the videos produced by the Patriots and says that there was no “valid reason given for the destruction.” Specter’s statement was made even after meeting with NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell.

Finally, another sport is taking its lumps. Leave baseball alone.

Yankee Jeter Fans

From the NY Post:

February 16, 2008 — How’s this for junk science – even with three Gold Gloves, Yankees captain Derek Jeter has been labeled the worst fielding shortstop in baseball.

But the numbers prove it, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania said yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in (of course) Boston.

Using a complex statistical method, researchers concluded that Alex Rodriguez was one of the best shortstops in the game when he played for the Texas Rangers.

When Rodriguez became a Yankee in 2004, he moved to third base while Jeter stayed at short.

But that may have been a mistake, said Penn researcher Shane Jensen.

Researchers looked at every ball put in play from 2002 through 2005 and recorded where the shots went.

Jensen said a player’s success depended on his range as well as how ef fectively he made decisions and posi tioned himself on the field.

Players were then ranked in each position from best to worst, with Mr. New York Baseball – Jeter – coming in dead last among major league shortstops during the research period.

A-Rod, who won two Gold Gloves at short, was ranked No. 2.

“The Yankees have one of the best defensive short stops playing out of position in deference to one of the worst defensive shortstops,” said Jensen.

But New Yorkers scoffed at the notion.

“I don’t know what they’re smoking down at Penn,” said Yankees fan Mike Birch, 32. “That’s preposterous. I completely disagree. Jeter’s a clutch player.”

“It’s ridiculous,” said fan Jay Ricker, 22. “Jeter is all-around awesome. He’s better than A-Rod any day. Character has a lot to do with it. He’s out there for his teammates, not just himself. He does it for the good of the team. That’s the kind of guy you want on the field.”

Ricker added that “A-Rod’s only out for the money. For him it’s not about baseball, it’s just about banking.”

Fans said Jeter’s greatness goes beyond the numbers he produces on the field.

“He has intangible qualities that can’t be measured with statistics,” said East Village bar owner Kevin Hooshangi, 28.

“He’s he ultimate teammate. It doesn’t matter what his percentages are when he’s making big plays in big games. He’s the one with four World Series rings.”

“I would disagree [with the study] of course, Jeter does a good job,” said Pam Lips, 28. “Rodriguez is OK but I would take Jeter over A-Rod.”

However, Frank Angelo, 50, gave A-Rod his due. “He’s the best shortstop in the American League playing third base,” Angelo said.

But Jeter as one of the worst?

“That’s not true,” Angelo said. “He’s a good fielding shortstop.” He even said he would keep Jeter at short. “Jeter’s the captain, he was there before A-Rod,” said Angelo.

To crunch the numbers, Jensen said balls put into play were divided into three categories:

The ability to field fly balls accounted for 33 percent, while line drives made up 25 percent, and ground balls made up 42 percent of the calculations.

Based on the studies, Clint Barmes of the Colorado Rockies was the best fielding shortstop in the game in that time period.

Jason Bartlett – recently traded from Minnesota to Tampa Bay, was third after A-Rod.

But as Yankee fan Brittnay Thompson, 32, said, it’s about who’s good in May, and who’s good in October.

“In big situations A-Rod drops the ball, no pun intended,” said Thompson.”

Reading these quotes by fellow Yankee fans is very frustrating. What difference does it make that Jeter is “clutch” and has “intangible” qualities? The report is about his defensive flaws, not his timely hitting. The entire article actually makes me laugh (the reporter is clearly biased). Who cares if A-Rod is “all about the money”? Again, what difference does this make? This doesn’t nullify the study’s content, nor does it make Jeter a better SS than Rodriguez.

If you’d like to read more about the method used and the actual logistics behind the abovementioned study, click here. But, to be honest, you don’t need stats or this study in order to know how bad Derek Jeter is in the field (even though there have been countless analyses before this one that label Jeter as a poor defensive infielder). Just watch the games and you’ll see balls pass Jeter left and right. His range (to left) is very limited, and you can see it in his play. Granted, his offense is great, so we can at least value that.

Often times, it’s fairly evident that Yankee fans are completely enamored by Jeter’s past achievements and forget about reality (the tangibles). The man cannot play very well at SS. He’s done some very memorable things in that position, but at the same time, we must be realistic when we think about Jeter’s defensive play (overall) especially when it effects the team’s ability to win or prohibit other teams from scoring runs. Jeter is getting worse and he cannot play the position well enough to justify finishing his career there.

(Thanks to Was Watching.)

Farnsworth News (Surprising, I Know)

Bryan Hoch has a nice read on Kyle Farnsworth. The report details Farnsworth’s goals for this year and delves into some off-season injury issues he had involving a staph infection on his push off leg. The infection actually put him in the hospital for 3 weeks (who knew?). However, he has fully recovered from it and it should not be a factor this season.  The text also says that Farnsworth expects to pitch on back-to-back days this season. Hopefully, he’ll actually be good enough to throw out there for 2 days in a row.

As I read the article, the following quote was especially telling:

“It’s definitely good to have a manager here that you have a relationship with,” Farnsworth said. “It definitely helps. He’s seen me pitch, and he’s caught me before. He knows how to get the best out of me.”

Farnsworth is referring to his past experience with Girardi (as a teammate), but you can tell he’s one of the happier players around, knowing that Joe Torre is gone for good.

Where’s the Respect for CMW?

From Mark Feinsand (Daily News):

Asked if he has any trepidation about his team heading into spring training, Steinbrenner pointed to the lack of a true No. 1 starter to lead the rotation.

“My concern is the same that it’s always been: I’d like to have a great ace pitcher like everybody else would,” Steinbrenner said. “I’d love to have a Santana or a (Josh) Beckett. Hopefully that’s not a move we should have made that I’m going to be (ticked off) about.

“I think by the end of the season, we could have that in Chamberlain.”

Hank Steinbrenner is falling into his own trap, here. It’s a similar trap that Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano both fell into earlier. Not only did the Yankees “beat” Chien-Ming Wang in his arbitration hearing, and not only did they fail to give him what he wants (a multi-year deal which is a debatable request), but now, they’ve truly managed to alienate the kid in 2008 with their repeated comments about needing a “true ace.”

These people act as if Wang doesn’t hear or care about their comments. Just because the man doesn’t speak English fluently doesn’t mean he doesn’t hear what you’re actually saying. I mean, he’s won 38 games for us in the past 2 years and, if you ask anyone, that’s ace production. Most people wouldn’t classify Wang as a true ace until he increases his K total (while maintaining other figures), BUT, when he’s the number 1 starter on your team and he’s been as good as he’s been, you MUST treat the man as if he’s an ace.

What ever happened to instilling confidence in your teammates?

Giambi in Shape?

According to Peter Abraham, Jason Giambi is in great shape and has been hitting every day.

Honestly, if Jason Giambi is in shape, someone needs to give him a blood test right away… Okay, just kidding, but still. This could definitely help Giambi’s cause (especially in the final year of his contract). Last year, he was afflicted with plantar fasciiitis which is often brought on by being a lumbering mess. A healthy and slim Jason Giambi would definitely be a better factor for the club and would allow Girardi to slot Giambi in at first, everyday, without cringing too much.

Pettitte Practices at Home

According to the AP, although Pettitte won’t be in camp until Monday, he will be throwing a bullpen session at his home in Houston over the weekend. A few days off shouldn’t effect Pettitte much at all and I’m sure he’ll have ample time to prepare for 2008.

Make sure to check in with the blog over the weekend. I have some stuff I’d like to discuss with you all, including Hank Steinbrenner, Wang, and Joe Girardi. Speaking of Girardi, he’s a short read on his “hands-on” approach with the club. He’s going to be a critical figure that’ll tell it like it is, and I must say, I like that notion a lot.