Then do not follow this link.
Note: For some reason the link is not working on some browsers when you just click on it. Drag it into your browser window and it will automatically download the WMV file. If it still doesn't work, here's the ugly old-timey way to do this: http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Mike-Mad-Dog-Cashman-meltdown.wmvThis link will take you to a discussion of the Abreu/Lidle trade between Yankees GM Brian Cashman and New York radio impresario and perpetual laryngitis candidate Chris "Mad Dog" Russo. It contains some of the least-sensible, most mal-informed comments about baseball you will ever hear. Fortunately for Yankee fans, most of them come from Russo, and not Cashman.
The comments in question are not about Lidle or Abreu, mostly. Although the one silly thing Cashman says -- after Russo gets him pretty keyed up --
is about Lidle, and it is this:
Russo: Look at [Lidle's] career!
Cashman: Yeah, look at his career, look what he does in the 2nd half of his career! Look at what he does the second half of every single season he's been in the big leagues, look what he does!Reader Ben breaks it down thus:
Cory Lidle's post All-Star break numbers for the past 3 seasons:
2005: 5-5, 6.03 era, 1.59 whip, .337 BAA
2004: 6-5, 5.00 era, 1.41 whip, .278 BAA
2003: 2-7, 5.35 era, 1.44 whip, .268 BAASo Cash is just defending his guy, I guess.
Anyway, it's like 10 minutes long, but if you like to hear weaselly little dudes screaming in hoarse voices about how guys who have won rings are better than those who have not, please follow the link. You're in for a treat.
Labels: brian cashman, chris "mad dog" russo
Just off the top of my head, I'll say no. But
Brian Cashman disagrees.
The Yankees announced Thursday that they had agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract with popular outfielder Bernie Williams, who has been in pinstripes since 1991 and compiled statistics that put his name alongside the team's greatest players.
"He ranks right there with the Gehrigs and the Berras and the Ruths and the Mantles," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.Now, Cash is probably in a good mood these days. He was able to use his daddy's checkbook to offer $52 million to a guy who is going to hit .265 with 4 HR in 2009, just to stick it to a team he hates. However, even the most extreme homer could not possibly justify this claim.
There are about a thousand things I could cite to prove my point. Here are just a few.
Career OPS/OPS+Lou Gehrig: 1.080/179
Yogi Berra: 830/125 (as a catcher!)
Babe Ruth:1.164/207
Mickey Mantle: 977/172
Bernie Williams: .863/127
Career HR/RsBI (Just for the hell of it)Lou Gehrig: 493/1995
Yogi Berra: 358/1430 (as a catcher!)
Babe Ruth: 714/2217
Mickey Mantle: 536/1509
Bernie Williams: 275/1196
Career RC27Lou Gehrig: 11.14
Yogi Berra: 6.05 (as a catcher!)
Babe Ruth: 12.93
Mickey Mantle: 8.78
Bernie Williams: 6.69
Bernie's career WARP3 is just over 100. Babe Ruth's is like 224. I guess you can look at these numbers and say that Bernie is roughly as valuable as Yogi Berra -- Bernie did walk a lot; hence his RC27 advantage over Yogi.
But as for the rest of them...
A CF who hit a total of 275 HR is no Mickey Mantle.
Okay, beating a dead horse, but think of it this way: In adjusted OPS+, arguably the most basic, cleanest stat we can use to measure how these guys stack up against each other, Babe Ruth is #1 all-time. Gehrig is #4 all-time. Mantle is #6 all-time.
Williams is not close to being in the top 100.
Among players with better lifetime OPS+'s than Bernie are: Will Clark, Bobby Abreu, Jim Edmonds, Darryl Strawberry (!), Jack Clark, Pedro Guerrero, Al Rosen, Larry Doby, Larry Walker, Chipper Jones, and two guys who play on Bernie's team -- Sheff and ARod.
Maybe Cashman was speaking poetically, like, "in terms of what he means to the Yankees" or something. But I don't think so. I think he meant it statistically. And I think he was crazy.
Labels: brian cashman, yankees
