Patrick O'Keefe

So, I’m at Wal-Mart today, sitting on a bench near the exit with the grocery cart as my Mom is getting a prescription and I see this girl and her boyfriend walk by. They were probably in their early twenties. Anyway, she was digging in her wallet and then she dropped a penny. She looked down right at it and kept walking. I waited for a few minutes to see if anyone would pick it up. That girl was long gone, obviously and no one bothered to pick it up. So, I went and picked it up. + 0.01 to Patrick.

So, later in the day I was at Game Stop (a video game store for those who don’t know). I had to buy this RF adapter thing for my brother. Anyway, It was $15.74 with tax, so I gave the guy a $20 bill. He says that $4.26 is my change and hands me $4.25 (four singles and a quarter). So, I check my receipt and tell him that he is a penny short. He says “Did you really want it?” I said “I’ll take it”. I’m thinking to myself… what?! It’s my change, give me my change, don’t short change people – even if it is just a penny.

Say what you want, but I pick up change that I see. Every little bit is something and I’ll take your pennies.

I am thinking of changing my blog links style (left menu) to a format of alphabetical order by blog name instead of the list of the first names and the general list.

Hmm… any thoughts?

Did they? Personally, no. I think the concept of buying a title is nonsense and think that those that claim it might not have a very good understanding of the game. But, the people who accuse the Yankees of it should now accuse the Red Sox of it. If they win.

But, I’ll let Steve speak here…

Amen.

It’s been published at WebDevReviews.com.

A while back, I found an interesting website at i-Squad.com. The basic premise of it is to gather fans of music groups (and other things, I guess) and allow them to help in the promotion of the music (or other thing). In the case of music groups, one thing you do is request that the artist’s videos be played at the MTV (or BET, or whatever) website. You don’t go to the MTV website though. You do it right from i-Squad – it is quick and easy. There are also polls, quizzes and other member related activities. It is like a virtual street team.

What do I get in return? For every poll you take, correct answer you give and video you request – you get points. These points can be traded in for merchandise (including CDs, apparel, autographed items and more) and surprisingly, the points cost for items is not unattainable. It takes time, but its not crazy. So, it’s pretty cool and a site I wanted to share.

I am in the Bad Boy, Mase and New Edition i-Squad’s right now – if you are interested in them, use my links below and you can earn me a few points.

Bad Boy.

Mase.

New Edition.

Bernie Williams. One of my favorite players. A fantastic hitter – a fantastic postseason hitter. An intelligent player – a smart defender, although his body is certainly aging. As the old saying goes, no one can cheat father time. I believe he also possesses the “intangiibles” – a good clubhouse guy, a quiet leader, a good example. Although he may not be what he once was, he is still one of my favorite guys to watch and always will be.

He’s had a couple of rough regular seasons. .263 and .262 batting average these last two years with .367 and .360 OBAs and a total of 37 HR and 134 RBI over these past two seasons, over 267 games. Those last few numbers aren’t that bad, but this is Bernie Williams, a great player, so obviously expectations are up there.

I believe in loyalty. I believe that when a player contributes greatly to a franchise for a decade, he is given the opportunity to have bad years. At the same time, you don’t want it to hurt the team – I don’t feel he does that, really, all things considered. During this season, it bugged, offended, annoyed me to read Yankees fans discussing the possibility of releasing Bernie, trading Bernie, etc. – and being in favor of it! I think to myself… what is wrong with these people? He is awesome for a decade and part of the way through his second (second, compared to nearly a decade) season with pretty poor numbers and… let’s trade him, let’s release him. Awful, in my book. Awful.

I would think to myself, I still want Bernie. Heck, I want Bernie as long as Bernie wants to be around. I’m a Yankees fan – he’s a great Yankee. This was magnified by the fact that Bernie (supposedly) said to Torre that he is fine with whatever role they give him. Imagine that. Think about Jerry Rice in Oakland right now. Ok, so maybe Bernie knows he’s in better hands with Joe Torre than Rice is with Norv Turner. This is a great, selfless, useful ballplayer. I want him. But, beyond that, he’s still got it and when I read these … Yankees fans … who say we should trade or release Bernie, I was thinking… let’s wait for October. Last year, in his first “bad” season, he hit .357 in October.

Sure enough, October rolls around and who ties for the team lead in postseason RBI? Bernie Williams. The player he tied with? Super hot Hideki Matsui, a player who reminds me of Bernie in ways. Bernie hit .296 (16 for 54) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs and 6 runs to go along with those 13 RBI. Going into the World Series, only 3 guys had more total RBI in this postseason than Bernie. Their names? Ortiz, Beltran and Pujols. So, Bernie produces, as I expected him to and the get rid of Bernie calls quiet down a bit, for the moment.

Like many Yankees fans, I would like us to sign Carlos Beltran. I think it would be a great move. The fact that Bernie has basically endorsed him as his heir apparent helps this. You have to admit, as Yankees fans, Bernie has been proactive in his “decline”. He’s ready to step aside for Beltran, he’s ready to accept his role and contribute. He’s not Kenny Lofton. Everyone should be able to appreciate that. I don’t deny that he is declining, although I may disagree on the severity of that decline. His defense, although not as bad as some make it out to be, leaves some to be desired. This is why we should bring Beltran in – to improve the team. But – I also still think Bernie has a place on this team. He is a beloved Yankee – he is a great Yankee. His bat is still useful, he is still a presence. A full time DH/backup OF role is probably for the best. Still, I want Bernie to be a Yankee as long as he is comfortable being one.

I read articles by sportswriters who say the Yanks are stuck with Bernie’s contract. I’m glad to be stuck with Bernie’s contract. We paid him and he’s delivered and earned that contract.

He can play on my team any day.

C – Jorge Posada
Had a mediocre postseason at the plate, going 11 for 45 with a double, 7 walks, 6 runs and 2 RBI. He hit .244 with a .352 OBA. Was very good on defense.

1B – John Olerud/Tony Clark
Both played solid D with Olerud making a couple of nice plays, as I recall. But, both were pretty weak with the bat. Clark went 3 for 22 with a double, no walks, no runs and 1 RBI (.136 for both average and OBA) while Olerud went 5 for 26 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, 3 runs 2 RBI and 1 notable home run off of Pedro Martinez to give the Yankees the 3-1 win in game 2 of the ALCS.

2B – Miguel Cairo
Cairo put together a pretty good postseason, hitting .256 with a .383 OBA. He was 10 for 37 with 4 doubles, 4 walks, 1 SB, 7 runs and 1 RBI.

3B – Alex Rodriguez
Very hot for much of the postseason, he fizzled out at the end going 1 for his last 12. Overall, he hit .320 with a .414 OBA. He was 16 for 50 with 5 doubles, 3 home runs, 6 walks, 11 runs, 8 RBI and 2 SB.

SS – Derek Jeter
Not great, not horrible… somewhere in between. He went 12 for 49 with 2 doubles, 1 home run 7 walks, 8 runs, 9 RBI and 2 SB. He was good in the field, making a couple of nice, memorable, heads up plays.

LF – Hideki Matsui
Matsui was hot. He went 21 for 51 with 5 walks, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 12 runs and 13 RBI. He hit .412 with a .456 OBA. Although he did make a miscue or two in the field, his play was solid overall.

CF – Bernie Williams
I may have an entry up on Bernie later, but for now… another good postseason for Bernie Williams. He went 16 for 54 with 1 walk, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 6 runs and 13 RBI. He hit .296 with a .309 OBA. Maybe not the best, but suffice to say – he drove guys in.

RF – Gary Sheffield
Sheffield logged a pretty healthy first postseason with the Yankees, hitting .292 with a .404 OBA. He was 14 for 48 with 9 walks, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 runs and 7 RBI.

DH – Ruben Sierra/Kenny Lofton
I’ve seen some folks chastising Torre for using Sierra so much. Hooey. I mean, I could go either way… but, if I had to pick one, I’d rather see Ruben walk up to the plate. Both had respectable postseasons, however. Lofton went 4 for 14 with 2 walks, 1 home run, 1 run, 3 RBI and 1 SB. He had a .286 batting average with a .375 OBA. Sierra went 9 for 33 with 5 walks, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 (big) home run (to get the Yanks past the Twins in Game 4 of the ALDS), 2 runs, 5 RBI and 1 SB.

PR/RF – Bubba Crosby
Came in as a late pinch runner for Gary Sheffield in the ALCS game 3 blowout and scored a run. Saw action in two other games as a pinch runner and defensive replacement for Sheffield.

SP – Mike Mussina
Mussina pitched well in his three starts, allowing 2 ER over 7, 4 ER over 6.2 and 2 ER over 6 and finishing with a 1-1 record and 3.66 ERA over 19.2 innings.

SP – Jon Lieber
Lieber was good for the Yanks, finishing with an ERA of 3.43 over 21 innings and 3 starts. However, despite those good outings, his record was 1-1.

SP – Kevin Brown
After making a solid first start (1 ER in 6 IP), Brown went completely downhill, finishing with a postseason ERA of 8.68 over 9.1 innings and a record of 1-1.

SP – Orlando Hernandez
El Duque only got into one game – as the ALCS game 4 starter. He allowed 3 ER in 5 innings, good enough for a 5.40 ERA and a no decision.

SP/RP – Javier Vazquez
Javy made the ALDS game 4 (clinching game) start and also came in relief twice in the ALCS. However, he pitched poorly. Despite finishing with a record of 1-0, he had an ERA of 9.53 over 11.1 innings.

RP – Mariano Rivera
Mariano was fairly dominant, allowing just 1 ER over 12.2 innings of work, but coming in with runners on (in sometimes impossible situations, such as 1st and 3rd with no out), led to him getting 3 blown saves. He also finished with 1 win, 2 saves and a 0.71 ERA in this postseason.

RP – Tom Gordon
Flash had a rough time. He pitched in all but one postseason game and had an ERA of 6.97 over 10.1 innings.

RP – Paul Quantrill
Quantrill got into 6 games and was pretty reliable, allowing ER in just 1 of those games. He finished with a 1-1 record, having an ERA of 3.38 over 5.1 innings.

RP – Tanyon Sturtze
He got plenty of action in the postseason and he was able to pitch reasonably well (his last 3 innings pitched were scoreless). Finished with a postseason ERA of 4.50 over 6 innings.

RP – Esteban Loaiza
A postseason surprise, Loaiza was very good. He allowed just 1 ER (an RBI single to Ortiz after giving the Yanks 3 scoreless extra innings) over 8.1 innings and 3 appearances, giving him a 1.08 ERA.

RP – Felix Heredia
Heredia got into 4 games, allowing ER in one of those appearances. He only pitched 1.2 innings, though, giving him an ERA of 10.80.

Bring Donnie Baseball back.

Extend Matsui’s contract, if you can.

Bring Cairo back. He played pretty well as the starter and if he wouldn’t mind being a backup, bring him back. Useful guy.

If he wants to be a back up, bring Olerud back.

Bring Duque back.

As far as Mr. Kevin Brown… I think he should be moved. There is a theory regarding Sosa, but being a Bernie guy… I don’t much like that as when we sign Beltran and we get Sosa, what happens to Bernie? Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind it.

Via Jeremy:

(It seems like we talk the same freaking way… so I thought I’d quote him rather than anyone thinking I was plagiarizing when I was really just typing it from the start – seriously, I typed up the entry and it was identical without meaning to be.)

Welcome Keith!