Why Roger Clemens is not the reason Andy Pettitte may retire

I saw there was some whole to-do over Brian Cashman saying that it looked like "right now," Andy Pettitte is "still saying, 'Don't count on me'" for next season.  Oh, great.

The Yankees GM also said, that "Andy's been very communicative [with me] on this issue. Right now, he's not playing. If he decides to play, it will be for us. He's a Yankee, from start to finish." (Well, other than that whole "going to Houston for three seasons" thing, but I digress!)

Cashman told reporters, "I don't think he's determined whether he's officially finished, but is choosing at this stage to not start 2011" and that "I'm certainly not going to hound him or bother him." Hmmmm. Did the Yankees "hound" or "bother" CC Sabathia when they opened up the Brinks' truck for him? How about when -- shudder -- Cashman got Roger Clemens back in George Steinbrenner's box to pitch for the team in 2007? Goodness gracious!

At any rate, there's been some speculation in the media as to why Pettitte hasn't re-signed with the Yankees. Bob Klapisch and Wally Matthews are hooked on the idea that Clemens himself -- or, more to the point, the Clemens federal trial set for next summer -- has something to do with it. Matthews wrote:

"...you know Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, is going after Pettitte in the only areas he can in order to discredit his testimony. He is going to do his level best to crush Pettitte's reputation for honesty and sincerity and religious convictions. Simply put, he is likely to try to paint Pettitte as a lying hypocrite whose word cannot and should not be trusted.

The cross-examination could get embarrassing and highly personal.

And in a situation like that, pitching for the New York Yankees every five days and facing a ravenous media horde on a daily basis is not exactly where anyone in his or her right mind would want to be."

Klapisch had similar sentiments (an aside: what do these reporters know -- or think they know -- that makes them say Clemens will expose Pettitte in some personal way?):

"Therein lies his defense strategy: for Clemens to prevail, he’ll have to destroy Pettitte’s credibility. One person who’s known the left-hander for many years said: 'You think that’s not weighing on Andy’s mind? Who knows what Clemens is going to dig up?'


Indeed, the dual burden of facing Clemens in court and then taking the mound in the Bronx might be too much for Pettitte. After 16 years, he might be thinking there’s no reason to fight two wars, not this late in his career, not at this point in his life."

A few points:

* The idea that Clemens will actually go on trial in July is laughable. Barry Bonds was indicted on federal perjury charges in 2007 and hasn't yet faced a trial (one is scheduled for this March, but there's all sorts of legal wrangling going on right now about the evidence.). I found this story online talking about the "eve" of the upcoming Bonds trial -- written in March 2009!

The wheels of justice move very slowly, especially in federal court, where years can go by between indictment and trial date. Clemens was only indicted last August 30. Bonds' lawyers have been very aggressive -- and sometimes very successful -- in challenging the evidence against him. Why wouldn't Clemens' legal team do the same thing, and drag this ordeal out for as long as possible?

* I think both these sportswriters have been watching too many reruns of the Frankie Pentangeli Congressional committee scene in 'Godfather II" or something. Because Roger Clemens isn't going to be able to haul in Andy Pettitte's brother (or an equivalent) to get Pettitte to shut up. And it's not very realistic to think that Clemens is going to somehow drag Andy down to his level and discredit him. You don't get to throw out rumors and innuendo willy-nilly in a federal court situation. Besides, Pettitte is pretty much Teflon, as his still great reputation besides admitting to PED use shows. Unless Clemens has evidence that Andy was running a dogfighting ring, I don't see anything the Rocket's lawyers saying as hurting Pettitte's rep.

* As for the "ravenous media horde' Matthews thinks will harangue Pettitte, I have to laugh over that, given that I'm still waiting for one of the tough media guys to 1) explain how A.J. Burnett got that black eye, and 2) tell us exactly why Dave Eiland lost his job with the Yankees, and what his leave of absence from the team was all about. All Pettitte would have to say is that he's not allowed to talk about the trial, and most media types will leave it at that.  If anything, still being part of the Yankees would give Pettitte more protection, not less, from the media inquiries.

At any rate, retirement isn't some silver bullet that will somehow prevent Pettitte from having to testify. And I really don't see that this trial -- if it happens at all this year -- is what's keeping Pettitte from returning to the Yankee fold. I would put Andy's lack of interest in returning on two things: he really does want to spend more time with his family, and Cashman hasn't made him a good-enough offer to convince him to come back. No need for wacky Clemens conspiracy theories here.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Squawker Lisa sez J-E-T-S are headed to the Super Bowl

I've been saying to Jet fan Squawker Jon for months now that I thought the Jets were going to win the Super Bowl this year. And now the Jets are one step closer to doing so, in getting revenge against the Colts for last year's playoff defeat. Bring on the Patriots, and Tom Brady's dopey Justin Bieber hairdo!

Anyhow, I forget which game this was after, but it was one of those come-from-behind, last-minute victories that the Jets had a lot of this year. I told Jon, to his cringing, that his team reminded me of the 2009 Yankees, with all their walkoff wins. I also said that much like the Yanks triumphed over the Angels in the postseason, that the Jets would get revenge against the Colts.

There's a certain magic you can sense with some teams. Jon and I were in the house for the very first Yankee pie-throwing, and you could feel that the 2009 Yanks were something special. I've had the same feeling for a while now with the Jets, although there have been a few pitfalls along the way, like that humiliation at the hands of the Patriots. For what it's worth, I also predicted the Giants would beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, so I have that going for me.

So now the Jets have done part of what I had predicted, with their last-minute victory last night against Indianapolis. Now it's time for the Jets to stand up for New York and shut up Red Sox Nation by beating the Patriots. Besides, Bill Belicheat needs to be put in his place.

Longtime Squawker readers know I don't really have a set football team to root for, especially now that the manipulative Jeff Fisher has gotten his way and forced my man Vince Young off the Titans. But I do want the Jets to win this year. And not only that, I can visualize it happening.

Jon doesn't like me talking so brash about the Jets' chances. I don't know if it's that he thinks I'm a jinx, or that 40+ years of playoff futility has shut his mouth about his team. But I do think this is the Jets' year, where they make opponents feel the agony of defeat -- or is that "the feet"?

On another note, check out Jimmy Fallon's "tribute" to this year's NFL season: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Pro Bowl Shuffle (1/7/11) - Video - NBC.com

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Why the Yankees' offseason is in the Schlitter

Well, the Yankees didn't get Cliff Lee, or even get Andy Pettitte back, so far this offseason. But hey, they did re-sign Sergio Mitre, give Mark Prior a contract, and now they've claimed Brian Schlitter off waivers from the Cubs. Whoo-hoo!

I know I sound like a twelve-year-old boy here, but the fact that the Yanks have picked up a pitcher named Schlitter makes me laugh and laugh. Sorry for mocking your name, Mr. Schlitter, but it pretty much sums up the Yankees offseason.

Speaking of which, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com interviewed Brian Cashman earlier this week, and he had this to say:

"We've got a lot of time left on the clock. Who knows?" Cashman said. "The bottom line is, there's a reason we haven't done anything up to this point."

Um, no. There are six weeks to pitchers and catchers, and Sergio Flipping Mitre is in the starting rotation for the New York Yankees. That's a big problem. And don't tell me I'm impatient or "saber-rattling" -- an insult Cashman throws out later in the interview -- for saying so. There's a guy named Andy Pettitte out there. Why the Yankees don't make him an offer he can't refuse (no, not that he's sleeping with the fishes, but that he gets a big payday for 2011) is beyond me.

Besides, even if the Yanks can't get Pettitte back, don't tell me there isn't a single pitcher in baseball available out there who would be better than Mitre. That's just silly.

Cash also had this to say about Pettitte:

"I could just tell you that he has been very good about it," Cashman said. "He informed us about, 'Don't wait on me, I'm leaning toward retirement. As of right now I'm not playing, and if I change my mind I'll let you know.'"

You know, I've gotten a lot of grief from readers over harping on this, but why is it that Cashman can't say anything remotely passionate about wanting Pettitte back? Why can't he make him a big offer? Every time he speaks on this, he shows all the spirit of a wet noodle.
Compare and contrast with what Yankees President Randy Levine (yes!) had to say about Pettitte last week:

"Andy's a great Yankee and a great person and I know he'll give it thought and follow his heart and we'll respect his decision. But we're out there, all of us, hoping every day that he comes back," Levine added. "I think he knows we need him. I think he knows how much we respect him and what a great leader he is."

I'm not a big Levine fan -- all too often, he has said the wrong thing -- but he hit a home run with this statement. Is it too much to expect the same from the Yankees' GM?

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Joe McIlvaine and the first big Roberto Alomar trade

In December 1990, Toronto GM Pat Gillick and San Diego GM Joe McIlvaine made one of the all-time blockbuster trades. The Blue Jays acquired Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter, while giving up Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez. By 1993, Gillick's Blue Jays had won two World Series, and Gillick would eventually make the Hall of Fame in the same year as Alomar. Also in 1993, McIlvaine became GM of the Mets.

A Sporting News story on the trade makes McIlvaine look even worse. The trade was originally Carter for McGriff, which would not have been a bad trade. But Gillick asked about Alomar, and as one of Gillick's assistants remembered, McIlvaine's response was "I like to do big deals. Let's sleep on it."

Bear in mind that Alomar was only 22. And he was not a prospect - he had just made his first All-Star team. Yet McIlvaine was willing to include him in the deal, with the Blue Jays adding Tony Fernandez.

Alomar went on to make the All-Star team the next eleven years in a row. He also won ten Gold Gloves and received MVP votes in seven seasons. Fernandez, a 28-year-old three-time All-Star at the time of the trade, made one more All-Star team.

Alomar's string of All-Star appearances ended, of course, when he was traded to the Mets from the Indians before the 2002 season. At least that trade, while it didn't do the Mets any good, also didn't help Cleveland.

Part of the impetus for the 1990 trade was that Toronto was open to trading McGriff to make room for young first baseman John Olerud. And when the Blue Jays acquired Carter as well, it was part of a series of outfield moves that resulted in Blue Jays centerfielder Mookie Wilson losing his job.

After McIlvaine returned to the Mets (he was assistant GM there before going to San Diego), he traded away yet another future superstar second baseman, sending Jeff Kent to Cleveland for Carlos Baerga in the middle of the 1996 season. Cleveland also gave up on Kent, sending him to the Giants at the end of 1996. Kent made the All-Star team or received MVP votes in eight of the next nine seasons, winning NL MVP in 2000.

In fairness to McIlvaine, he also acquired Olerud for the Mets from the Blue Jays, giving up Robert Person. And McIlvaine's tenure as Mets' GM came after the series of disastrous acquisitions of the likes of Vince Coleman that would lead to "The Worst Team Money Could Buy."

But too often over the last 20 years, the Mets have had GMs who often seemed to like to do big deals whether or not they made any sense. The current offseason may be frustrating because it's so quiet, but as we've seen way too often, a bad big move is worse than no move at all.

And with the Mets' ill-fated acquisitions of Alomar, Baerga, Kaz Matsui and Luis Castillo over the last 15 years, while giving away Kent, the last thing Sandy Alderson should do is make a dramatic move to acquire a second baseman.

***

According to BaseballReference.com the player Alomar is most similar to statistically is Derek Jeter. The Yankees' primary starting shortstop in 1995, the year before Jeter took over the job, was that other part of the 1990 Alomar deal - Tony Fernandez.

My Hall of Fame picks -- and why I voted for Mark McGwire but not Rafael Palmeiro

Squawker Jon and I, as part of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, made our own Hall of Fame votes last week for the organization. And the BBA membership as as a whole picked Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven, the same results as the Baseball Writers of America's official vote.

Anyhow, here are my picks, in alphabetical order:

Roberto Alomar
Jeff Bagwell
Bert Blyleven
Barry Larkin
Edgar Martinez
Mark McGwire
Jack Morris
Alan Trammell

There was a whole to-do in the news recently about whether the BBWAA will elect players connected to, or suspected of, using steroids. I had no problem voting for admitted steroid user Mark McGwire or suspected juicer Jeff Bagwell, but I drew the line at Rafael Palmeiro. Telling Congress you never used steroids, complete with all that finger-wagging, and then testing positive will do that for you. Plus, this is an inexact science, but while McGwire and Bagwell were considered among the greatest players of their era, Palmeiro never really was.

My own opinion is that I won't rule somebody out just for using steroids, unless it's the only reason for their success. I can't see the point of a future Hall of Fame without an A-Rod, or a Barry Bonds, or a Manny Ramirez -- they were all superstar players before they ever touched anything. Unlike, say, a future catcher drafted in the 62nd round as a favor to his godfather (sorry, Squawker Jon!) At the same time, I can understand why some BBWAA writers feel differently.

But here's the thing. There was such a media firestorm recently over the idea of BBWAA voters not voting for Jeff Bagwell because they suspected him of being chemically enhanced. I think an even bigger issue is going to be when it is revealed that voters picked at least one person for the Hall who did steroids. According to Jose Canseco, who has never been wrong on this, it already has happened. And it could happen again in the future. Then what happens?

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Nick Swisher to appear on "Better With You," his wife Joanna Garcia's show

Was in the midst of writing about the Baseball Hall of Fame votes when I saw something really important -- Nick Swisher is going to have a two-episode arc on "Better With You," the hit ABC show starring Swish's wife, Joanna Garcia!

I read the news on the new site TVLine. Michael Ausiello of the site reports:

Sources confirm to me exclusively New York Yankee Nick Swisher will play himself in two episodes of Garcia’s underrated freshman ABC sitcom Better with You.


The arc kicks off during February sweeps when Ben (played by Josh Cooke) is involved in a mishap with Swisher during a home game. From that moment on, their paths continue to cross.

 Have no idea what the mishap will be, and I've never watched the show, but I'll have to check it out. Have any of our readers watched "Better With You"? What's it about?


What do you think? Tell us about it!
 

John Mara sez the Giants aren't the Yankees

Between the holidays, the snow, and the lack of much of happening in Yankeeland this days, I haven't had much to squawk about as of late. Until now, that is. (Actually, I did have plenty to squawk about in general, like how Mayor Bloomberg treats the outer boroughs like something stuck at the bottom of his shoe, and how most Staten Island streets were completely impassable at the same time he's telling people to go see Broadway shows. But I digress. It's not really sports-related!)

Anyhow, Squawker Jon's Jets are in the playoffs (although Rex Ryan's wife foot fetish video creeped me out), but the Giants aren't. Despite that, Big Blue co-owner John Mara inexplicably decided to keep coach Tom Coughlin after yet another late-season collapse. And in doing so, Mara kind of dissed the New York Yankees. He told the media this, after the Giants didn't make the playoffs:

"In this society everybody wants to fire the coach all the time," Mara said. "The Yankees get knocked off in the playoffs, everybody wants to fire the manager. We don't do that here. He's going to be our coach."

Puh-lease. The managerial revolving door in Yankeeland ended a long time ago. The Yankees have had all of three managers in 20 years, one of whom wasn't quite the right fit for getting the team the ring, one who got them that ring (and three more) but stayed on three years too long, and another got them a ring, but who should lose his job next year if the Yankees have another disappointing playoff round.

At any rate, in the case of Joe Torre, the Yanks made the mistake of keeping him on too long for precisely the same reason Coughlin gets to keep his job -- because he got the team a championship (four, in Torre's case, as opposed to Coughlin's one.) That's not a good thing.

Wally Matthews had an interesting take on this for ESPN New York, saying that the Giants should be like the Yankees in demanding excellence: 

The Giants are not the Yankees? Well, why not? And since when was being like the Yankees such a bad thing, anyway?


The Giants should be more like the Yankees. So should the Mets, Jets, Knicks and Rangers. Winning should be the focus for all of them, and the pressure to perform should be on everyone on all their payrolls, all the time.

But Tom Coughlin is coming back. As a lifelong Giants fan, I am outraged. And I think you should be, too.

I agree with that in general, although I don't think the Yanks kept to that in Torre's case, until three years of first-round playoff exits forced their hand.

Anyhow, Matthews continued the argument, saying:

But if you took the entire Giants 2010 season from beginning to end, from its shaky 1-2 start to its high point, the 41-7 win over the Seahawks on Nov. 7 that had a lot of people believing the Giants were among the best teams in football, to their shameful collapse over the final month of the season, and changed the name "Giants" to "Yankees," and the name "Coughlin" to "Girardi," how do you think the story would have ended?

That part is true. But I would argue that if you change Girardi's name to Torre's there, the media would still say he deserved to keep his job. That Giants loss to the Eagles a few weeks ago, was as big a regular-season collapse (letting Philadelphia score 28 unanswered points in the final eight minutes of the game) as the 2004 ALCS defeat was in the playoffs. And it wasn't the first time the Giants choked, or looked sloppy, or lost a game they should have won. It begs the question, how long does the coach get a pass because of the ring?

Joe Torre was never able to win a single playoff series after the 2004 collapse. All keeping him on did was prolong the inevitable. As I think keeping Coughlin will. And now there's talk of a contract extension? Good grief. What, Jeff Fisher (another overrated coach) wasn't available?

I mostly agree with Matthews' general take on Coughlin, although I give the coach more credit for the Super Bowl victory than Matthews does. The columnist slammed him the hardest for the way Coughlin screamed at rookie punter Matt Dodge after the Eagles debacle:

Aside from being utterly unprofessional, it was the ultimate CYA move, a gesture designed solely to let everyone in the place know that it wasn't Tom Coughlin's fault, it was the kid punter's.


Can you imagine Joe Girardi doing that on the field to a player who missed a sign or made an error that cost the Yankees a game?

No, but I can imagine a certain untouchable Yankee manager scapegoating his superstar by batting him eighth!

At any rate, the lesson Mara ought to learn is that sometimes -- like in doing what's best for your team -- it's good to be like the Yankees. But make that the Yankees after the 1995 and 2007 seasons, not the Yankees after the 2004 season! Sometimes, stability for the sake of stability will continue to bring you futility.

What do you think? Tell us about it!