Big News and More Grades

Well, it's official. Crosstown Rivals is broadening its horizons. Yes, it is true, we will now be following all 4 major sports here in this fine blogging establishment. Give 4-6 days for delivery. However, since basketball and hockey so deliciously coincide, I will be taking over as resident basketball blogger (Knicks) and Schuyla will be bringing his stuff to hockey (Rangers). As for football, well although I do like the Jets, the Gints are my team. The Jets will be left to my partner in crime.
As of late, I've been bogged down by a series of computer issues (I'm starting to think I have bad computer karma), but I've fought through every imaginable problem this damn thing has to offer and I will continue my midsummer grades.
Today, it gets a little uglier as we head to the personal achilles heel of the Yanks, pitching.

Lets dive right in.

Randy Johnson:
Well, there's not all that much to say about a guy who, although he is supposedly our ace, sports a 5 and change ERA. His record of 10-7 is acceptable, but the fact that we're getting a pitcher that throws 91 and hits the corners instead of a fireball intimidator who hit 98 at times and blew it by batters is a little dissapointing. He's not the same guy he was in Arizona, and when you consider that his lifetime ERA is a tad over 3, it makes this season even more hard to understand. Did RJ wake up one morning, aged? It's hard to say, but his erratic play earns him a C.

Mike Mussina:
For those of you that don't know, Mike Mussina is my hero. Yes he has never won 20 games, but I still believed at the beginning of the year that he was more valuable than Pedro. And I think I've been validated. He has 11 wins up to this point, and his ERA is at a respectable 3.30. But it's not just this that makes him our best starter. It's just how alarmingly often he gets quality starts. 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 IP, 3 ER, these are lines that you see all the time from Moose, and frankly, with this kind of offense, it's hard to lose those games. I still maintain that he should have been an All-Star, but I'll settle for just a superb season, I suppose. An A/A-.

Jaret Wright: I have issues with Jaret Wright. They start with the fact that he has a very difficult time getting past the 6th inning, and due to this, Farnsworth almost always ends up in the game. I understand that he's been a whole lot more useful than Pavano, and I suppose he's a servicable 3 starter, but the question remains, why did we acquire Wright?, a man with a 5+ ERA for his career. In any event, I'm not a huge fan of his work, but his relatively decent ERA f 4.29 and his ability to fill a spot in the rotation earns him a C+/C.

Chien-Ming Wang:
Wang is good. I love this kid. Every once in a while he'll dazzle us with brilliance and it just makes me wonder what he'll be like in a few years. The amount of groundball outs he gets is absurd, and I personally believe his sinker is top 15 pitches in all of baseball. In him, I believe we have the best 4 starter in baseball, and I wouldn't be surprised if he went on a tear and got awfully close to 20 wins. Besides Mussina, he has been our best asset, and for this, he gets an A-/B+.

Shawn Chacon:
Doy. What happened? He was our secret weapon, capable of going 7 and allowing only 2 or 3 ER. I don't understand how he could go from so bad in Colorado, to so good here, to so bad again. It's one of the biggest mysteries of our pitching staff, and with the acquisition of Ponson, who starts tonight against the M's, he's out of a starting job. If Ponson can be stable, that might be it for Chacon in the Bronx. I doubt we'll try him in the bullpen seriously, in which case he'll either be DFA'ed, waived, or traded. We'll see. However, his 6.7 ERA is a joke, and not a very funny one. Goddamn Alaskans. D-.

Sidney Ponson:
It'll be interesting to se how he does tonight in his 1st game with us, but with no evidence to back up my grade, he gets the ever sought after N/A.

Sturtze/Dotel/Pavano:
Yes I'm packaging these injured pitchers into one category. And I'm giving them a goddamn F for being so goddamn injured. Useless bastards. Actually I kinda like Dotel, but Sturtze would have gotten an F either way. In fact, I'm giving Tanyon a B+ for not entirely ruining our season. Whatever.

Scott Proctor:
Um, well he's Scott Proctor. Honestly, Icouldn't think of a more mediocre player. He doesnt do anything to stand out, but doesn't invite boobirds either. He's respectable, that's all that can really be said. What an average guy. Average can be good though sometimes. And for being so average, Proctor gets a B-/C+.

Mike Myers:
I like Mike Myers. The Austin Powers movies were especially good. Haha, I must be the 1st person to make that joke. My wit is unmatched. But seriously. I really do like Myers. First of all, he's a reliable arm in the pen, who's not going to overpower anybody, but can get some outs. he's stability, and stability in the bullpen is one thing who's stock is rising this season. I think he's our 2nd best reliever, and come postseason, he could be very valuable. B+.

Kyle Farnsworth:
There were questions when he came to New York. He was a hothead with a wild arm and they didn't know whether or not Farnsworth could hold up under the constant pressure. He has done nothing to shut his critics up. Although at times he has been very good, he seems to unravel when it matters most. Take Saturday for example. He came in, retired Dye and Konerko in a ver impressive inning. Then Torre shows his confidence in him by letting him come out for the 8th. Disaster. In the end, Mo had to come in and clean up. He's not terrible but he's npt very good either. C/C-.

Ron Villone:
I really like Ron Villone. He's a lefty weapon and he gets outs. Once again, nothing dazzling, but day in and day out he's very reliable. He strikes out a very impressive 1 an inning and is just generally very useful to Torre. Whether or not he's used as much as he should is up for debate, but he can count me as a fan. A-/B+.

Mariano Rivera:
Ol' Reliable is having another good year, on pace for a 42 or 43 save season. He's not as lethal as he once was, often digging holes for himself, but he's masterful at getting out of these jams and when he's on, he's as untouchable as ever. His sub 2 ERA will attest to that. But hey, he's just Mo being Mo. A.


In other news:
A-Rod is getting his toe x-rayed. It was injured after he fouled a ball of his foot in the midst of that disaster of a game. Shouldn't be more than a bruise.

Ponson makes his first start tonight. He'll be going up against Joel Piniero. Should be fun.

Adios,
Dyslexia



Crosstown Rivals is sponsored by JustGreatTickets.com, your home for Chicago White Sox Tickets.