Gab Session – Eric Wedgie
Lots of news in the world of sports this week. The NBA playoffs begin with great fanfare. The NHL playoffs continue without anyone noticing. The NFL draft is only a week away.
But nothing caught my attention like what happened at Yankee Stadium last Thursday.
Cleveland manager Eric Wedge is officially living on borrowed time. He already led a motley crew of underachievers to no playoff contention in 2006 despite a roster packed with young talent like Wahoo Warrior. Now this. He wanted to get the first half of his closer, Joe Borowski, some work in a 6-2 game, because Borowski hadn’t worked in four days. Good. And I’m even fine leaving the guy after he allowed a two-out solo homer to Josh Phelps, a single to Jorge Posada and a walk to Johnny Damon. Hell, give him the benefit of the doubt and let him face Derek Jeter (gulp).
But after Throw singled off Posada to make it 6-4, maybe it was time to start thinking about a different pitcher. And after Bobby Abreu singled off Damon to make it 6-5, it really was time to start thinking about a different pitcher. And after Borowski threw a wild pitch that allowed Jeter and Abreu to advance to second and third, your blind, deaf, banged-up grandmother would have known to switch pitchers. Unbelievably, Wedge let Borowski in. To face Alex Rodriguez. Who hit nine home runs in his first 13 games. With first base open.
This is the kind of logic that leads Sanjaya to stay alive too long on American Idol. (Speaking of which, how perfect is it that Sanjaya has dinner with President George W. Bush next? Let’s talk about two unfairly rewarded symbols of mediocrity.)
You know what happened next. A-Rod went to the yard while Wedge played his violin. The Indians lost 2.5 games out of first place in the AL Central. And the Yankees danced all over the Tribe. If these two teams meet in the playoffs, don’t think this drag won’t weigh heavily on Cleveland’s neck. Could Wedge have walked Rodriguez to face Jason Giambi with a force in play at every base? Yes. Could he (even better) have done something radical like, oh, I don’t know, change pitchers? Yes.
But he didn’t. She stood up and watched, then justified herself to the reporters. It’s time to go, Eric.
The Yankees already had what I considered a suspect starting rotation going into 2007, and now they can’t keep more than one or two starters healthy. Do you think they’ll end up having problems this year, or is it just an early season thing that will go away?
BoDog Bookmakers, BoDog.com: This is not looking good for the Yankees; Aside from Andy Pettitte and Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees don’t have any pitchers in their prime. Mike Mussina has been a rock throughout his career, but his age and his 477 career starts have caught up with him. Carl Pavano has thrown just 111 innings since 2005. The Yankees’ pitching staff is in trouble, but they still have enough offense to keep them in any game.
The NBA playoffs are starting to take shape and the West promises to be amazing. So which one will it be? Dallas? San Antonio? Phoenix? Someone else?
BDB, BoDog.com: Dallas, San Antonio and Phoenix are head and shoulders above the rest of the NBA. Dallas finished with the best record and has the likely MVP in the lead. In San Antonio, Gregg Popovich seems to have the Spurs at their best. However, the fallout from Tim Duncan’s ejection and Joey Crawford’s subsequent suspension could have nervous referees calling Spurs games. Phoenix has more to prove; they need to prove once and for all that their up-tempo offense translates well to the playoffs. For the Suns, anything less than a Finals appearance will be a huge disappointment. The only other team in the West that has a chance is Houston. McGrady and Yao are two of the most dominant players in the game when healthy. They have a chance if both players warm up at the same time.
I asked about Kevin Durant last week and you got poetic. Now it looks like Greg Oden will also declare for the NBA Draft. Do you think he is a franchise player, like you think he is Durant? Which boy would you pick first overall?
BDB, BoDog.com: This debate will continue in bars, locker rooms, Internet forums, and anywhere else people like basketball. Greg Oden is going to be a franchise player in the same mold as David Robinson; he will come in and go to work. Big commanding centers are rare, so when you get the chance to draft one, you don’t think twice about it unless someone like Kevin Durant is on the board. I would still pick KD over Oden; both will win games and change their franchise, but from a business perspective, Durant will fill more seats and sell more merchandise.
One week after the NHL playoffs, what are your biggest stories?
BDB, BoDog.com: So far it’s been Sidney Crosby’s quick exit at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, who are putting up a consistent goal and could quickly become the favorites to come out of the East. I’m also struck by Atlanta’s apparent lack of effort; it is quite surprising to see a team of this level that is not ready to play. Bob Hartley clearly didn’t have his team ready to play, and he made some very perplexing goal decisions. The abstract logic of replacing Kari Lehtonen after it was clearly not his fault the Thrashers lost Game 1, and then returning to him after Johan Hedberg was brilliant in Game 2, is mind-boggling.