WHY BOSTON GOT SERVED HUMBLE PIE

OK, I've been waiting to do this piece for months now. On January 2nd, a NESN.com writer wrote a piece on why the 2011 Red Sox could unseat the 1927 Yankees as the greatest team in the history of Major League Baseball. You can read the comedic gold HERE. Mind you, it was written before 1 pitch was thrown in spring training or even the season itself.

Casey was immediately outraged as well, and wrote WHY BOSTON SUCKS: PART II. Read it.

I saved the NESN piece the moment I read it. I knew at the time that this prediction would backfire on them easily and now, the season is over, the Red Sox didn't make the playoffs and, I just have to laugh. Who would dare suggest something so silly? Let's break it down. The piece started off saying: "The Red Sox have won 100 or more games three times in their 110-year existence. They will make it four in 2011."

We all know by now that he was way off in this prediction. The Red Sox finished with a 90-72 record and finished 3rd in the American League East. Meanwhile, the 1927 Yankees finished with an astounding 110-44 record. Can you say, EPIC fail? I can...oh, I did.

Next, the writer showcased the Red Sox lineup which looks like this:

CF. Jacoby Ellsbury- .321/.376/.552/.928 (BA/OBP/SLG/OPS), 32 Hrs, 105 RBI, 39 SBs
2B. Dustin Pedroia- .307/.387/.474/.861, 21 Hrs, 91 RBI, 26 SBsLF. Carl Crawford- .255/.289/.405/.694, 11 Hrs, 56 RBI, 18 SBs
1B. Adrian Gonzalez- .338/.410/.548/.957, 27 Hrs, 117 RBI
3B. Kevin Youkilis- .258/.373/.459/.833, 17 Hrs, 80 RBI
DH. David Ortiz- .309/.398/.554/.953, 29 Hrs, 96 RBI
RF. JD Drew- .222/.315/.302/.617, 4 Hrs, 22 RBI, 81 games
C. Jarrod Saltalamacchia- .235/.288/.450/.737, 16 Hrs, 56 RBI
SS. Marco Scutaro- .299/.358/.423/.781, 7 Hrs, 54 RBI
SS. Jed Lowrie- .252/.303/.382/.685, 6 Hrs, 36 RBI

That lineup looks pretty good, I mean, this team lead the majors in runs scored with 875, that's 8 runs ahead of the Yankees, but they're NOT the 1927 Yankees who scored 976 runs, 131 more runs than the second place Detroit Tigers... astounding. Also keep in mind that the 1927 Yankees had four Hall of Famers, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, and Earle Combs, in their lineup.Speaking of the 1927 Yankees lineup, let's take a look at how each individual fared that season:

CF. Earle Combs- .356/.414/.511/.925, 6 HRs, 64 RBI
SS. Mark Koenig- .285/.320/.382/.702, 3 HRs, 62 RBI
RF. Babe Ruth- .356/.486/.772/1.258, 60 HRs, 164 RBI...WOW
1B. Lou Gehrig- .373/.474/.765/1.240, 47 HRs, 175 RBI... WOW
LF. Bob Meusel- .337/.393/.510/.902, 8 HRs, 103 RBI, 24 SBs
2B. Tony Lazzeri- .309/.383/.482/.866, 18 HRs, 102 RBI, 22 SBs
3B. Joe Dugan- .269/.321/.362/.683, 2 HRs, 43 RBI
C. Pat Collins- .275/.407/.418/.825, 7 HRs, 36 RBI

Pretty good, huh? A couple of things...One, the writer of the NESN piece had us look at the Boston bench. It looks like this:

OF. Mike Cameron- He got DFA'd from the team in late June after hitting .149/.212/.266/.477 in 33 games with the Sox.
OF. Darnell McDonald- He hit .236/.303/.401/.704 in 79 games. Certainly doesn't strike fear to me.
INF. Marco Scutaro- .299/.358/.423/.781 (above)
INF. Jed Lowrie- .252/.303/.382/.685 (above)
C. Jason Varitek- Hit .221/.300/.423/.723 in 68 games, but he's the Captain of the team and wears that "C" on his jersey!

Now, in all fairness, the Red Sox improved their bench with the call up of outfielder Josh Reddick (.280/.327/.457/.784) and trading for utility man Mike Aviles (.317/.340/.436/.775 in 38 games for Boston).

And finally, I just wanted to say this before we conclude this piece. It is very hard, if not impossible, to compare different players performances between two completely different eras, not to mention that that 2011 season hadn't started yet. Baseball was an entirely different game way back when, and a lot of changed. But, the writer for that NESN piece brought it up in the first place, so it's his own fault.

Next we'll try and break down the pitching for you, comparing the 2011 Red Sox and 1927 Yankees. Stay tuned.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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WHY I ROOT FOR THE ITALIANS

(in photo: Mike Pagliarulo)
I remember 1987 like it was yesterday. The Yankees weren’t too good finishing in 4th place in the American League, yet, as an Italian American kid who loved the Yankees, there was always a connection between me and the Italian Yankee ballplayers and this goes all the way back to my dad’s days in the Bronx and my grandfather before him.

Phil Rizzuto was huge to many of us in my family and before that, it was Tony Lazzeri. These 2 guys defined Italian. Joe DiMaggio was the the biggest guinea of them all and for good reason, he was a God and my grandfather loved that he represented Italians and played for the greatest baseball team in the world.Rick Cerone was around when I watched the Yankees play. I remember the old Yankee Stadium and Eddie Layton, the organist, playing his best Italian music as Cerone came up to the plate. You just got into it.

(in photo: Danny Pasqua)

Then came the mid 80's and 1987. That was when I became seriously attached to 2 other Yankee players, Danny Pasqua and Mike Pagliarulo. For 1, they could hit home runs, which was always a fan favorite, but besides that, they were Italian Americans playing in pinstripes and at the time, I didn't really have what my father and his father before him had, true legends. Instead, I had guys you hoped could be legends. Following and rooting for a 4th place Yankee team all season, you really wanted them to shine, it was really all you had.

As a kid in the 80’s, you couldn’t help but love these guys. Let’s not forget, the Yankees were about to take a dive to 7th place in the American League East. That happened in 1990, so we were on our way to empty stands and forgotten games. In 1987, you really felt bad for players like Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield and Ron Guidry. We had players like Bobby Meacham, and Joel Skinner and Lenn Sakata and we had no real decent pitching with guys like Steve Trout. We were going no where fast, but it didn’t matter, as a kid, I wanted my guys to do well; Danny Pasqua and Mike Pagliarulo. I remember lining my baseball cards up according to the order of the lineup and just crossing my fingers.

Danny Pasqua was a William Paterson University graduate and he was local and for us, he was a symbol of life in the Yankees lineup with 17 home runs that year. Yes, Mattingly was on this team and we all loved Donnie, but Danny was the new young stud with something to prove and you just wanted him to do well. I remember being at one batting practice at Yankee Stadium, standing with my family on the right field side and Danny Pasqua cranked one and it accidentally hit a poor woman in foul territory and she fell right to the ground in pain. It was devastating for me to see, but you just knew how much power was in that swing. Pasqua went to the White Sox after that season and then retired, but to this day, I still think of him and smile.

Mike Pagliarulo was destined to be the leader on the Yankees around that time, at least to me he was. A third baseman with great athleticism and great power. No, he wasn’t among home run leaders each year, but he hit them enough so people would take notice. Pags later moved on to the San Diego Padres in 1989, then the Twins and then he eventually vanished. But one thing's for sure, if you ever want to see the best shrine of Mike Pagliarulo in all of New Jersey, you need to go to Lina’s Restaurant in Bloomingdale, NJ. As you walk in the door, there are photos, and autograph’s with the former Yankee great there. It just goes to show the Italian roots run deep and Mike Pagliarulo is still remembered fondly.

Danny Pasqua and Mike Pagliarulo were stars for some of us Italian Americans in the 80’s, long retired but definitely not forgotten. A salute to Danny and Pags. You represented the pinstripes well guys, carry on.

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WHY LAZZERI IS A BRONX LEGEND

SECOND BASE

"How about 'Once a Yankee, always a Yankee'... There never was anything better than that. You never get over it." --Tony Lazzeri

(Photo: Corbis)

In continuing the countdown of the top 3 Yankees in each position, we now come to the second best second baseman. It’s Tony Lazzeri. Now many may be surprised to see him at number two. He’s probably the player most fans would name as the best Yankee second baseman. However, there is someone even better for number 1. But before I get ahead of myself, let’s get to "Poosh ‘Em Up Tony".

#2- Tony Lazzeri was Italian and came from San Francisco. He played in the Pacific Coast League. Sound like another famous player? (Yeah, he’ll be on the list, but you’ll need to wait until center field.) But before Joe DiMaggio took over the Bronx, Poosh ‘Em Up Tony was the first Yankee hero for Italian-Americans and helped introduce many to the game of baseball.

Lazzeri was a fan favorite of Italians all over the country, but especially in the Bronx. His nickname, Poosh ‘Em Up Tony, is actually an improper translation of an Italian phrase meaning, to hit it out. The name followed him from his days in the Pacific Coast League. While in the PCL, Tony put up some unreal numbers. How’s this for an unbelievable season? I don’t care what league these numbers are from, these numbers are insane!

• In 1925 with the Salt Lake City Bees, Lazzeri hit .355 with 60 homers, 222 RBIs, 252 hits, 52 doubles, and scored 202 runs. (That was 192 games. Still sick though)

Now, you’d think with those statistics he’d be a lock for the Major Leagues. But unfortunately for Tony, he suffered from epilepsy. The Bees had an agreement with the Chicago Cubs, but the Cubbies thought Tony wasn’t worth the risk. As it turned out, he never suffered epileptic seizures on the playing field, so the public never knew about his condition. The Bombers thought he was worth it and bought his contract for $50,000 plus two players, Frank Zoeller and Mack
Hillis. Lazzeri was well worth it indeed.PLAYING IN THE BRONX: Tony played for what many consider the best baseball team ever, the 1927 Yankees. He batted 6th in the famous ‘27 Murder’s Row line up and is probably the third most well-known player on the team, after Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Tony also played with Joe DiMaggio. With such legendary teammates, it’s easy to understand how Tony can sometimes be forgotten in the list of Yankee greats.

He played with the Yankees from 1926-37 and played sparingly for the Cubs, Dodgers, and Giants for his last two seasons of 1938-39. While with the Yanks, he was considered one of the best second basemen of the era. His 11 RBI in one game is still the American League record.
He was the first player to hit 2 grand slams in one game. Lazzeri is one of only 14 players to ever hit for the natural cycle—hitting a single, double, triple, and homer in that order. He also won 5 World Series with the Yanks.

Lazzeri's numbers have been discussed suggesting they may not be Hall of Fame numbers, but in 1991, he was finally voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran’s Committee. Over a 14-year career, Lazzeri hit .292 and averaged 111 RBIs per season. 7 of those years were truly outstanding years. However, his longevity as well, was often the debate for whether or not he should get into the Hall.

Lazzeri was known for his clutch hitting, but had 1 bad moment in the 1926 World Series when he left bases full of Yankees loaded against Grover Cleveland Alexander of the St. Louis Cardinals. Lazzeri struck out and eventually the Cards won the World Series when Babe Ruth made the third out in the 9th trying to steal second base.

FACT: That strike out was put on Grover Cleveland Alexander’s Hall of Fame plaque, making Lazzeri the only player, at that time, 1938, to have his name on a Hall of Fame plaque without actually being a Hall of Fame player.

Tony Lazzeri died in 1946 at the age of 42. Some think it was a heart attack. Others think it may
have been an epileptic seizure. Either way, it was tragic.

The New York Times’ Arthur Daley wrote in his column, "Tony was never able to live down that incident. Even in death it's the first thing that comes to mind. His slugging records and home-run achievements invariably are forgotten. No one ever bothered asking him to tell of his sixty homers in the Pacific Coast League the season before he came to the Yankees. Few inquired about his achievement of twice slashing three homers in one game or of walloping jackpot homers at crucial moments, including the World Series. No. Always was his one failure. Never was his brilliant successes."

(Photo: Corbis)
Remember Yankee fans, and all baseball fans, the players you cheer and boo are professional ballplayers, but they are also people. When you’re at the park, cheer and boo. But if you ever meet a former player, try to focus on all the times the player made you cheer. Fortunately for Poosh ‘Em Up Tony, it seems as time has passed, more people remember the cheers and call Tony Lazzeri the greatest Yankee second baseman... probably because he was.



--Moonlight Graham, BYB Staff Writer




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