With only a few hours until the Yankees kick off the second half against old friend Jose Contreras and the defending world champion White Sox, I wanted to take one final look at the first half, concentrating on your comments from the past week.
And away we go...
For the first-half MVP, a total of eight players received votes. Using a simple 3 points for first, 2 for second and 1 for third, here's the final tallies.
1. Jeter, 33 points
2. Mussina, 23 points
3. Giambi, 15 points
4. Rivera, 12 points
Can't go wrong with this voting. Jeter clearly has been the most consistent and perhaps clutch player for the Yankees all through the first half, even though he is a long home-run drought. And Mike Mussina has been a much-needed rock in the rotation at a time when Randy Johnson was struggling to find himself.
For the first-half LVP, nine players received votes and one vote went to the middle relief as a whole. Laughed out loud at the votes for Kelly Stinnett. As some readers pointed out, what were you expecting from the backup catcher? He hasn't been good, granted, but even if he was, how much of a difference would he've made?
1. Shawn Chacon, 30 points
2. Carl Pavano, 25 points
3. Kyle Farnsworth, 10 points
4. Kelly Stinnett, 9 points
Shawn Chacon has been a disappointment, no doubt about it. Sure looks as if they should have traded him in the offseason when his stock was so high. But can't blame them for hanging on to him. He proved he can pitch in New York in big spots and handle the pressure. Surprising how quickly he fell apart. And no surprise on the votes for Carl Pavano. Perhaps the most disappointing signing of the Cashman era.
In the 'biggest surprise of the first half' category,' these are the entries that I liked best: No sophomore slump by Robinson Cano; three games out with injuries to Sheff and Matsui; Steinbrenner leaving Cashman and Torre alone; Posada's resurgance; Jaret Wright (his mostly strong first half has fallen under the radar).
Very interesting stuff; a good job by everyone. Most everyone picked the Yankees to make the playoffs, which makes sense. They've done it every year since 1995, including last year's remarkable turnaround, so it's hard to step up and say this is the year they won't. History says they will find a way.
Comments (11)
Nice Job compiling our thoughts. I guess being a Yankee fan spoils you. There was a time when Elston Howard and John Blanchard were backups. Some kid named Posada backed up Giradi. I'm sorry for my expectation for Stinnett to perform slightly higher than I have seen. I'm not saying the guy isn't trying but he was an iffy signing to begin with. But lets hope he can produce something in the second half.
KUDOS to Alex Rodriguez for showing his human side... I am soooo sorry we all can not be perfect and never make mistakes like all the fans who insist on showing their ignorance and sissy sides and boo him ... I am ashamed to be an adult when I see what other adults are actually capable of these days in sports and other areas of American children's innocent lives. STOP AND THINK FOR A FEW ON WHAT EFFECT EACH OF US HAS ON OUR KIDS...Right, its too hard to be humbled that way... I thought so...Can the world stop booing
a great baseball player for one whole second and
show our nation's very impressionable chidren, (our future) some better ways to teach them how to be good sports. Stop making baseball such disgrace. How unamerican can one get? How low can poor sports such as the boohbirds stoop? To all you fickle fans who love to hate, have any of you been deemed totally perfect all your life like me? I am perfectly free to sit and judge you since I admit I am practically perfect! I am one human who says what are you all teaching the kids if all the adult fans booh a player?Constantly? That ya'll are idiots?to show such drunken fool disrespect to a player who is just minding his own business playing a great game, a human game is beyond stupid, immoral and heinious! Nothing is perfect, life is not fair nobody is perfect, humans err and not every player gets homeruns or does play a great game all the time no matter what their pay is. Stop taking the joy out of
America's favorite pasttime so that our next generation can look up to
this generation of players with respect and admiration. At least be accountable for your actions like A Rod is!
Do any of you booobirds ever play a game with your own kids at all and boo them? No, unless you truly are the monsters you perp yourselves to be. Have any of you ever played major league bb? No, and so I rest my case, I hope this message is spread all around the world, there are millions of kids hanging on for dear life, scared to death of war in their own backyards, or starving to death and here
is our"Mighty American "
nation mocking a man who is a great ball player, like all the othe players who work for children's charities and you are wrong to insult the purpose of a fun game with such shameful shows of fans being bad sports!
You go ahead A Rod, can i send ya some earplugs next time or what ... thankx for being such a good sport A Rod. By the way , maybe the boobirds will rather have a figure like Bonds be the role model for their kids? Probably, and if he is charged and found guilty, will any of you in the name of good sportmanship please stop the booing other great players? I am not the only one who feels this way... Millions of children, women and fans everywhere are tired of the media hype that has tried to insinuate its own agenda into a healthy pasttime and family game... Ok enough good sense talk from me, I know open myself up to the bad sports everywhere for your unwanted ignorant comment.
God Bless America, that we all still can have the balls to even continue to have sports like baseball in the midst of all the worldwide problems and crisis. Hello to all my friends in Browntown who love the Phillies,I changed to a yankee fan the minute I saw that A ROD
focuses on charities and clubs for the children, to me that is the whole reason to play the game, besides the love of the game, which he, Jeter, and the rest obviously show us
in each game on and off the field.
I just watched another great Yankee game and have to admit they all look as great as they play. I was wondering exactly what sports credentials all the boohbirds have, and just who died and made them the boss and experts as to what consists of how to show good sportsmanship at games?Maybe ya'll can edumaccate me? Or maybe you also would rather live in France or Italy where the now fameous head bonk occurred and was seen around the world? That might be how all those in
less powerful countries play ball, but real Americans watch what we say and do around the children unless we happen to be less than perfect adults with issues on how the players are doing. Do I detect a hint of jealousy among the crowds of so called fans who insult the game's best looking players? Hmmm I thought so! Guess who I and every other red blooded young American mama will rather have as their son's or daughter's role model if it were a choice between yourselves and A ROD??? Or are ya'll that drunk you do not know or care? GET A LIFE BENDEHOS!!! Or at least stop trying to ruin a wonderful game for America's kids!!!
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