On the Yankees beat

Liking the discussion going on the blogs. Plenty to ponder as the Yankees watch a nightmare grouping of teams go to the LCS in the Red Sox, Rays and Joe Torre's Dodgers. The only thing worse would be if the Mets were in as well.

Mariano Rivera underwent surgery today on his right shoulder to remove calcification over the AC joint. It was performed by Dr. David Altchek, who also did the shoulder surgery on Jorge Posada. Reportedly all went well in the surgery and Rivera should begin throwing in early January. If that's the case, he'll be on time and a go for spring training.

Jon Lester was extremely impressive last night. Until the Angels tied the score in the eighth inning, my story centered around him stepping up as a postseason ace. In five appearances, three starts, he now has a 0.77 ERA!

Here's a little humor for your afternoon. This is from the American Mustache Institute -- I know, until a few months ago, who knew such a place existed?

BTW, I'm impressed with several of your ballpark lists. Two of the six current parks that I haven't been to I've seen from the outside. I went to a Notre Dame-Villanova basketball game across the parking lot from Citizens Bank Park in Philly this winter. And I spent a long weekend in SoCal a couple years ago, two nights of which were spent in a hotel that looked down on Petco Park. The others, though, I've never even glimpsed. I have been to a game at old RFK Stadium in Washington.

Finalists Announced for “Mustached American of The Year”

Voting opens, Winner to be named at ‘Stache Bash 2008

Sponsored by Just For Men® Haircolor

Oct. 6, 2008 (St. Louis) – The American Mustache Institute (AMI) today announced the finalists and opened voting for the “Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year” award, recognizing the most impactful Mustached American of the past year. The winner will be announced Oct. 25 at ‘Stache Bash 2008, a benefit for Challenger Baseball, a baseball league for children and adults with disabilities.

Sixteen finalists were selected by AMI’s certified mustacheologists from a pool of more than 60 nominees. Finalists include U.S. Army Sgt. Jon Alvarez of Baldwinsville, NY; Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees; the staff of the Boston Phoenix; retired policeman Tim Galvin of Sufern, NY; Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr; retired civil servant Denny Rogers of Farmington, MO; and former Major League Baseball MVP Keith Hernandez (view full list here).

“Wow, winning the ‘Goulet’ award,” a stunned Hernandez mused when told of his candidacy. “Next to playing in the major leagues, winning two World Series titles, being named MVP, winning 11 consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove awards, appearing on Seinfeld, marrying my wife Kai, and using Just For Men® Haircolor … if I win, that might be the 29th or so best experience of my life.”

To vote, visit www.AmericanMustacheInstitute.org and click on the award link. Voters may then choose one of 16 finalists. The winner will be named at ‘Stache Bash 2008 at the Lumiere Casino in St. Louis on Saturday, Oct. 25.

Just for Men® Haircolor,the official enhancer of the Mustached American, will sponsor both the “Goulet” award and ‘Stache Bash 2008, making a $5,000 contribution to Challenger Baseball.

“We’ve had hundreds of submissions for the ‘Goulet’ award, and our certified mustacheologists narrowed it to a strong group of candidates ranging from celebrities to average citizens. We are excited to see which distinguished Mustached American the public will choose,” said Dr. Daniel T. Callahan, AMI research director.

For more information about the “Goulet Award” or ‘Stache Bash 2008, visit www.americanmustacheinstitute.org, call (877) STACHE-1, or e-mail info@AmericanMustacheInstitute.org.

So the Angels managed to stay alive last night by winning in 12 innings against the Red Sox. At least for one more night, as it will be John Lackey opposite Jon Lester today. Since the game went so long, my early story explored whether it's worth giving Francisco Rodriguez all that money.

Thoughts?

So now that the National League Division Series are over, I know that I'll be assured of seeing a new stadium if I cover the NL portion of the World Series. The stadiums I've never been to are Dodger Stadium, Petco Park (Padres), Great American Ballpark (Reds), Citizens Bank Park (Phillies), and Miller Park (Brewers). Oh, and I've also not been to the Nationals' new stadium, National Ballpark. Has anyone been to more than 24 current stadiums?

I'm here at Fenway Park, where the Red Sox are trying to close out a series sweep of the Angels. The Dodgers have already closed out the Cubs, and the Phillies the Brewers, while the White Sox are leading the Rays right now in an elimination game.
I think the Angels may have a win in them, but we'll see. As I work on stories here, obviously the Yankees are not in need of a closer. They have quite a good one in Mariano Rivera. But if you were a team needing a closer (i.e. the Mets), how much would you be willing to give Francisco Rodriguez. I agree he's awfully good, and he set a record with 62 saves this season, but other guys put up better numbers. I wouldn't say he's the best closer out there, but he's looking for the biggest contract ever. He may be the best closer on the market, though, which is a whole different story.

Slow weekend in Yankee-land. One potential pitching addition for next season could be Jake Peavy, as Newsday teammate Ken Davidoff explores in this column.

What do you think? Would you be excited about adding Peavy? Personally, I agree that he could be an excellent option with less long-term investment than Sabathia will require.

Mariano Rivera's shoulder surgery has been scheduled. it will be Tuesday by Dr. David Altchek. Not really newsy, since we knew he was to have it next week, but there are the details.

Man, the Cubs have been disappointing these first two games. So much for everybody calling it their year, including me. One more loss and they're three-and-done. Their offense has been brutal. The only guy who's hit well is Mark DeRosa. What about some of their high-dollar offensive stars -- Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez? It's on the offense and Rich Harden tomorrow to keep them alive. (Sorry, I wrote Carlos Zambrano mistakenly before).
The Phillies are one win away from the NLCS as well, but that, to me, is not so much of a surprise. CC Sabathia getting knocked around probably comes as a surprise to many, but he has been worked awfully hard of late. He has pitched on three days' rest four straight times now, including Sunday when he pitched a complete-game shutout.

I'm NOT saying the Yankees should not go hard after him, by any means. But they have got to get every possible medical exam done to be as sure as possible there are no elbow or shoulder problems about to explode. The guy has pitched a huge number of innings the last two seasons.

Sabathia threw 241 innings in the regular season in 2007, followed by 15 1/3 in the postseason. This year, he threw 251 and has so far thrown 3 2/3 in the postseason. Another thing I would be hesitant about is his postseason record. Overall in five postseason starts, he is 2-3 with a 7.92 ERA. The one good start was in 2001, when he allowed two earned runs in six innings in a win. Since then, he is 1-3 with a 9.47 ERA, having given up 20 earned runs in 19 innings. Just something to consider when one is handing out a $130-million contract.