The Bronx View

The Yankees visited the White House yesterday in recognition of their World Series victory in 2009.

In a jam-packed ceremony in the East Room that was part pep rally, the president pointed out that the last time the Yankees — winners of 27 titles — were toasted at the White House was 2001.

“It’s been nine years since your last title — which must have felt like eternity for Yankee fans. I think other teams would be just fine with a spell like that. The Cubs, for example,” Obama said, drawing laughs from players, coaches, members of his Cabinet and Congress and other guests. He added that his White Sox have gotten close, including a title in 2005.

Ha ha ha.  Obama took a shot at the Cubs.  Ha ha ha.

I’m not going to get off on a rant here, but let me just say this: the idea that a sports team needs to go see the President of the United States because they won a title is a little ridiculous and certainly outdated.  Was it really necessary for Obama to prepare, give a speech, and actually spend time with a bunch of people who play a kids game for a living and make more money in one season than Obama may ever see in his life? Who had the bigger thrill here, the President or the Yankees?  Is that one of the perks of being President?  You can summon a sports team to your house at whim and they have no choice but to oblige?

The whole practice to me just seems kind of silly. I think we’re past the point as a society where we need to glorify the role of sports in our lives by introducing the President to the proceedings. We’ve all become so jaded by backward politics and cheating athletes that neither really does the other any benefit by appearing together.  It’s all pomp and circumstance for the sake of tradition that really doesn’t mean anything.

Sure, baseball is America’s past-time and plenty of teams do it. But why? Why do some of the most privileged people in our society get to add yet another thrill to their PR driven lives, wasting people’s time and money? Why not do something that will have a little more impact like fly in the participants in the Special Olympics and have them spend a few hours with Obama or gather some of the more recognized teachers from around the country and give them some publicity while education budgets get cut and people lose their jobs?

Sports are big money and drive ratings but they’re main point is to be a pleasant diversion fr us, the consuming public. Maybe it’s best if we let the people we’re paying to run the country and keep an eye on things focus on the less superficial.

These little functions are called making news for the sake of making news.  We have enough fluffy news.  Really, was your day any better yesterday because you knew the Yankees went to the White House? What positive impact did that have on anyone?

Ok, so maybe I will rant a bit.

Ah, hitting in the clutch.  What is it about this concept that polarizes people so much?

For a few years in YankeeLand, the poster boy for unclutchiness was Alex Rodriguez. Despite receiving the MVP award in 2005 and 2007, ARod was consistent labeled as soft and unclutchy because of his spotty performances in the postseason.  Then, in 2009 he was accused and later admitted to having used steroids which surely should have led to his most unclutchy season of all time. Of course, that didn’t happen and ARod had a stellar postseason that silenced even the loudest of his many critics.

As is often the case, the hyperbolic explanations came in spades for Mr. Rodriguez’s performance both in the regular season and postseason. “The monkey is off his back.” “He has no place to go but up.” “He’s finally forced to be humble and accept himself and his teammates.” “Kate Hudson is the best thing that ever happened to him.”

All of this was quite amusing. If you believe in the concept of clutch hitting then you believe that it is an actual skill, one that defines a player’s ability to perform at their best under pressure. Certainly, some people handle pressure better than others.  We see that in every day life. The thing is, when I feel pressure in my life, my success isn’t affected by someone throwing a ball to me who is also under pressure.

The truth is, clutch hitting often falls under the category of good/bad timing and small sample size.

Try this: if you had to pick who you believe is the most clutch Yankee of the last twenty years, who would you pick?

My guess would probably be Derek Jeter, at least based on what the media says, Mr. November, the flip, etc etc etc.

Let’s look at Jeter’s basic career numbers:

Okay.  Now let’s look at Jeter’s numbers with men on base:

There are two instances where Jeter’s clutch numbers are better than his career average: with runners on first and third and when there are no runners on base.  How is it that Derek Jeter is so much better with runners on first and third than he is with runners on second and third or with the bases loaded? What is it about that situation that makes it easier for Derek Jeter to hit?

Nothing, really. It’s more of a fluke than anything else.  All of the numbers above hover around Jeter’s career averages.  Nothing really shows any ability to perform better in the clutch, even though we all remember key moments that make us think he has this ability to turn it on at crunch time.

If you dig, you’ll find some players that hit a bit better in the clutch. You’ll also find some that hit worse. But in general, these numbers tend to even out or come relatively close to the norm.

What should we make, then, of the second Most Criticized Unclutch Yankee Hitter Robinson Cano, or as he is sometimes referred, Robinson Can-Not? Cano’s numbers in the clutch have always been underwhelming.

Here’s his career stats:

Now here’s his numbers each season with runners in scoring position:

2009 was just atrocious for Cano with runners in scoring position. This season (with the small sample size caveat), Cano has fared much better batting fifth.

Does Cano deserve the label of unclutch since he has underperformed for so long with RISP? Can numbers that bad be considered a fluke when he has hit a .901 OPS with no runners on base?

It’s probably unfair to assume that Cano will perform at these levels for his entire career.  He’s entering his age 27 season, which means he should be getting ready for a few peak seasons.  If ever there was a time where Robbie can shake the unclutchy moniker, this should be it.

At the same time, one has to look at the differential between his batting average and on base percentage and wonder how much of his unclutchiness comes from pitchers using his lack of patience against him.  Cano’s OBP has always been dependent on his batting average and one would think that a pitcher is trying to get Cano out in every at-bat, not just when there are runners on. That four year decline from 2006 through 2009 makes you wonder if opposing pitchers have found a few weaknesses that Cano poorly tries to compensate.

We’ll know better soon enough.  Used to be that Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez weren’t clutch.  It only takes a few memorable moments for the hyperbole to go away and reality to set it.

And so it began, the 2010 season.

The Yankees kicked it off in Boston for the first time since 1992, eschewing the traditional afternoon majesty of Opening Day for the glittering glamor of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Traditionalists barked, as did my need for sleep, weary of kicking off a long season with a late Sunday start featuring two teams that take their sweet sweet time.

Pleasantly, the game only lasted three hours and forty-six minutes, almost bearable even with the 8:10 PM EST first pitch.

Unpleasantly, the Yankee reenacted an all too familiar scene.

Watching the sixth inning unfold during the Yankees 9-7 loss to the Yankees last night, I felt a strange dichotomy. There I was, watching the defending World Series champions collapse under the weight of poor bullpen management and yet, it all seemed strangely familiar.

It would be easy to forget the Aprils of baseball past (or at least the preceding two seasons), especially after the pomp and circumstance down the Canyon of Heroes last fall. What purpose is there in revisiting the mistakes of the early season when you’re biggest problem is keeping the champagne out of your eyes?

There is some purpose, especially if you’re manager Joe Girardi.

The season opener featured Girardi at his bullpen micromanaging best, taking what seem to be easy decisions and dragging them well past the point of reason, leaving the first guessers shaking their heads in hindsight.

Sure, we can’t blame it all on Girardi, just like we can’t laud him for winning 103 games last season. Girardi didn’t force Marte to throw the wild pitch in the seventh that gave Youklis third base, nor did he let Youklis score four pitches later on a ball that nicked off Posada’s glove.

Girardi did seem to abandon reason when it came to CC Sabathia. CC worked his way through a rough fifth inning and started the sixth by walking Dustin Pedroia and allowing a booming double to Victor Martinez. David Robertson, post season hero extraordinaire, was warming in the bullpen with the right-handed hitting and always dangerous Kevin Youklis coming to the plate.

Rather than do the obvious, which would be bringing in the right handed Robertson to face the right handed Youklis with no outs and runners at second and third in a 5-2 ballgame, Girardi let CC stay in the game.

Trusting his ace? Maybe, although what CC had shown over the previous six batters didn’t leave much room for trust. It seemed more like Girardi was intent on getting Sabathia to a certain pitch count (his eventual 104 pitches) than actually doing what the situation required. The end result was a triple by Youklis, scoring two runs and bringing the Sox to within one.

Who knows what would have happened if Robertson came in. Youklis historically has shown almost equal prowess against righties and lefties. But given how shaky CC had looked over the previous inning and Robertson coming in fresh, it made little sense to stick with CC, even with the lefty David Ortiz awaiting on deck.

But CC got his pitches in. If Girardi had pulled CC before facing Youklis, he would have only thrown 95 pitches. Maybe for Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland, that wasn’t enough. Judging by the mechanizations of Joba Chamberlain’s career, both men have some devotion to numbers and their beliefs in how they work.

This isn’t a bad thing. We like numbers here. We really do. But we also like judging a performance by what’s in front of us and at that moment in the sixth inning, CC Sabathia was not the right man to face Kevin Youklis.

But hey, who am I? Joe Girardi won a World Series despite making these stupid moves all last season.

Join us tonight at 8PM EST for a live chat room as we kick off the 2010 season.