Tom Gordon gets a raw deal from Yankees fans
The teams I see the most outside the Mets and Yankees are, for obvious reasons, the Phillies and Red Sox. Whenever I enter the Phillies' clubhouse, as I did Wednesday for this column, I make sure to check in with Tom Gordon.
I got to know Gordon during his two years with the Yankees, 2004-05, and he's an engaging fellow, if slightly eccentric. He's a good "state of the team" guy on the Phillies, and it's fun to speak with him about Mariano Rivera, with whom he remains very friendly.
The Phillies signed Gordon to a three-year, $18-million contract in December 2005, and he has been hampered by shoulder problems the last two seasons. Nevertheless, he made the National League All-Star team in 2006, and last year, he pitched well in September to help make the Phillies' miracle comeback possible.
It's not shocking that Gordon has hurt so much, given how much Joe Torre called upon him in his two seasons in the Bronx. Which brings us, in the most circuitous manner possible, to our point: Gordon deserves a better Yankees legacy.
Most Yankees fans with whom I've spoken, and some media, as well, tend to regard Gordon as yet another failed setup man in the post-Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton era. But that's not fair. Look at how well Gordon pitched those two seasons. For that matter, look at what a remarkable career he's logged, overall.
People tend to harp on Gordon's postseason numbers, and sure, how could we not remember that opposite-field bomb that Gordon surrendered to David Ortiz in 2004 ALCS Game 5?
But remember that a) the Yankees might have missed the postseason if not for Gordon's contributions, particularly in 2005 when the race for a playoff spot was so close; b) in the same vein, Gordon must have been gassed those Octobers, after pitching so much in the regular season; c) Gordon actually did get some huge outs even in the 2004 ALCS. But since the Yankees' starting pitchers didn't provide nearly enough length, there were simply too many outs to get.
In next week's "Raw Deal" segment, we'll discuss Kevin Brown.
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Comments (12)
Ken, did you hear any more brawl nonsense while in Philly town? I found many of the comments in Lennon's column sickening. First of all, anyone upset about Beltran's comments is a pathetic bastard. If someone wants to brawl over that they deserve a trip to the hospital. Second, the speculation about violence spreading to the stands was reprehensible. Violence at NFL games have created an anti family atmosphere. Are we rooting for the same at Shea? Or only when the Phillies come to town? Again, random tempers will flair, but if fans come to agitate violence I favor security and/or the NYPD making sure they hit the emergency room before they get booked. Enough is enough.
Craig, I didn't hear any such nonsense. I agree with you, it's a load of garbage. The Rollins-Beltran exchanges have been good-natured, from two good guys. It's a shame that worse seeds have to tarnish that.
I always liked Tom Gordon and agree with you that he suffered from overuse, although I recall he's one of those guys who always says he wants to work every day. He definitely helped the Yankees while he was in NY.
I was happy to read your comments about Joe Girardi, too. While he doesn't come across as the direct opposite of Joe Torre, there are clearly major differences and those are welcome since change can often be a good thing.
Hopefully he will work well with the young pitching staff and be able to coax contributions out of Mike Mussina and Kyle Farnsworth. The staff could certainly use contributions from everyone this year, no matter how small.
I agree that Gordon was underrated in his tenure with the Yanks. He probably would've been much more effective come playoff time if he wasn't spent due to the horrific bullpen management by Torre. All things considered, I thought Gordon was one of the rare good pitching acqusitions made under Cashman and I obviously liked him a lot better than I do Farnsworth.
I can't say many good things about Kevin Brown though when he was here. I lost all my respect for him when he punched the wall and that Game 7 performance against Boston was pitiful.
Ken - a question for you.With the government/sports alliance in full bloom, what will this do to any player whose name is disclosed who is part of an employee assistance plan for drug use (of any kind, not just PED's)?.
Will the government and MLB etc. be outing people who are in a plan that is supposed to be private? What will that do to the integrity of the plan, and will it cause players to avoid addressing their addiction/use, causing worse issues for them and their families down thr road?
Will the legal precedent carry over to all workers? Will the government have unfettered access to our medical records in violation of federal privacy statutes?
RMT, as usual, you are on the mark.
Jeff, click the link on Kevin Brown's name to see what I was thinking there.
Good one Ken!!! I was about to rip you a new one! Kevin Brown. I thought you were introducing a "You Cant Blame..." segment like they have on ESPN Classics.
I wish Newsday would have a fan forum or blog. There are things that I'd like to bring up but I have to hope that one of you guys do.
Craig...I think you need a hug.
you all have it wrong.
tom gordan's legacy is that the draft pick we got from the phillies for signing him gave us joba chamberlain. gordan leaving got us joba...so thanks a lot tom, your best contribution came when we got rid of you
Sorry about that, Ken. Didn't realize it was a joke.
I also believe the draft pick we got from the Astros after Pettitte left for the Astros turned out to be Hughes, though I'm not totally sure about that one. If Cashman is not back after this season, I think Damon Oppenheimer is making a good case to replace him.
Gordon was horrible in the post-season, but knowledgeable fans know Torre was to blame. Torre does the same thing ever year -- he only trusts two or three guys and runs them into the ground. Gordon was just another one of those guys. He's a talented pitcher, but no one outside of Mo Rivera has ever survived Torre's abuse.
Ken, that article you wrote about a six-man rotation for the Yanks is really wrongheaded. Joba is a starter and they need him in the rotation, but you can't simply create a six-man rotation and call it a day. The creative solution would be skipping Hughes (also with an innings limit) and Mussina on occasion and putting Joba in those starts, but the Yankees probably feel that doesn't utilize him enough. Creating a six-man rotation would take away starts from Wang and Pettitte, which won't help the team any.
The part of the plan that makes no sense to me is why the Yankees plan to send Joba down to the minors for a month (!) during the season. There's no reason to do that. Chad Billingsley started in the bullpen and then transitioned to the rotation, and did it in the obvious way Joba should: he threw one or two innings out of the 'pen until they made the transition, then he threw 3 innings, waited a normal starter's four days' rest, then threw 4 innings next time, and then started the next game, threw 7 innings, and he was in the rotation. I might let Joba progress a little more, but that's all you need to do. Sending him back to the minors to stretch out is idiotic.
Baileywalk, I think only Wang would not benefit from the extra rest, as I wrote in the column. I'm quite certain that Pettitte, given his elbow problems, would benefit.
My issue with the transition plan is this: If Joba dominates from the bullpen as he did last year, then how do you possibly lift him out of that role mid-season? That would be quite dispiriting. And then, come the postseason, you're going to be worse off not having Joba in the rotation.
He was bad in the postseason with the Yankees because Torre ran him into the ground.