I had heard Dave Anderson was in ill health and called him to find out directly. This was a year or so ago, and my former New York Times colleague told me the reports were false. I, of course, was pleased to hear that. We talked, and the conversation turned to the Times.

“What do you think of what has happened to the paper?” I asked, referring to the severe change in the in the paper’s sports coverage, particularly the virtual disappearance of baseball coverage and the emphasis on bizarre non-American sports.

“It sickens me,” Anderson replied.

That view was not unexpected. Dave, who died last Thursday at the age of 89, was a meat-and-potatoes columnist. He didn’t waste his time or space with things like Australian women’s cricket and cup stacking. As a reporter, he covered all of the major sports and he continued writing about them as a …

Keep reading...

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The Yankees had no valid reason to fire Joe Girardi as their manager a year ago.

Let’s address this immediately. It is technically correct the Yankees did not fire Girardi – his contract expired at the end of the 2017 season and he was not offered a new contract. But when you’ve had a manager for 10 years and you don’t offer him a new contract when he wanted to return, that’s the same as firing him.

The Yankees, even Hal Steinbrenner, the managing general partner, have said they had legitimate reasons, something to do with what they claim was Girardi’s inability to connect with the young players.

I recall speaking to a club executive last year and questioning the decision to fire Girardi, and he said …

Keep reading...

First came the four-man rotation. Then the pitch-count limit of 100 pitches, which seemed to shrink constantly. The latest restriction being placed on pitchers is the most novel of all: start the game with a relief pitcher and bring in the starter after an inning or two.

The Tampa Bay Rays initiated this latest practice in May of this season. It wasn’t designed to preserve pitchers’ arms, as the other limits are, but it serves the same purpose.

The Rays and their young manager, Kevin Cash, deserve credit for their imagination and ingenuity, taking the team with the majors’ fourth smallest payroll ($77 million), to the eighth best won-lost record (86-68). Entering the last week of the season, the Rays had the same record as the American League Central champions Cleveland Indians and half a game better than the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

There may be some irony in the fact that the Rays have done so well with their revolutionary pitching scheme while having the best starting pitcher in the league, if not the majors …

Keep reading...