The Best Cheat Code Ever... Robinson Canó

Quick Thoughts on 2009

As I was watching the baseball playoffs last year, I always thought that the offensive key to the Yankees' playoff success would be Robinson Canó. My logic was that opposing pitchers would be primarily focused on containing Teixeira and Rodriguez. In conjunction with the fact that Robbie would be hidden in the lineup by hitting 7th, I thought it would be the perfect scenario for him to showcase his incredible bat skills. Well, Cano did terribly in the playoffs. The Yankees won the title despite the fact that Teixeira, Swisher, and Cano did pretty much nothing.

Yes, this is how I felt watching you in the playoffs last year.

Unfortunately for opposing teams, A-Rod decided that he was just joking around for the past few postseasons and flexed his Hall of Fame skills to the tune of .365 Avg, 6 HR and 18 RBI. The Yankees' top 3 pitchers pitched out of their mind. Although on occasion, it seemed as if AJ lost his mind. Most importantly, David Robertson and my personal choice for MVP, Damaso Marte, were brilliant and mind-numbingly clutch when we needed outs.

It's hard to complain since we won the World Series. But, as it is in Yankeeland and Cashman's office, a ticker tape parade means we expect more the next year.

Flashing Forward to 2010

As we moved into the offseason, the huge surprise was the 3-team deal that helped us land Curtis Granderson. I initially thought it was a bad move. I was one of the few who thought that an OF of Leches (Melky) in LF, Gardner in CF, and Swisher in RF would be more than enough. I really wanted to see Johnny Damon go. He threw like a bitch (no misogyny-o). I also thought his speech was very distracting. Have you seen his post game interviews? Takes that mofo 3 minutes to get one sentence out. Ridiculous. Anyway, I digress, I liked the defensive alignment of Melky, Gardner and Swisher. Statistically, Gardner was nearly as good as Franklin Gutierrez in CF. That is ridiculous.

Franklin Gutierrez plays for Seattle. He catches the ball...all the time.

Anyway, Man-Crush aside, the offseason moves resulted in the following:

Notable Adds:

Curtis Granderson, Javier Vazquez, Nick Johnson

Notable Losses:

Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Brian Bruney (hah, just kidding)

Before the season started, there was a lot of discussion regarding what the outfield alignment should have been and what the batting order should have been. This what I was hoping for in February:

1) R - Derek Jeter - SS

2) L - Nick Johnson - DH

3) S - Mark Teixeira - 1B

4) R - Alex Rodriguez - 3B

5) L - Curtis Granderson - LF

6)  S - Jorge Posada - C

7) L - Robinson Canó - 2B

8) S - Nick Swisher - RF

9) L - Brett Gardner - CF

As you can see, I was nearly spot on with the current batting order. Obviously, the biggest glaring mistake I made was the batting order of Granderson and Cano. Robbie's 2009 RISP numbers and postseason numbers disheartened me to such a degree that I thought it would be better to leave him in the 7th hole with more low-leverage situations. From a defensive standpoint, I thought that Gardner would be best suited for CF given his ridiculous range and speed. Plus, if you guys saw Grandy towards the end of the year, his defensive routes really made you scratch your head. From a pitching standpoint, I thought the Javy move was fantastic. Absolutely brilliant.

Was I Right In My Apprehension?

No, I was wrong. Very wrong. In fact, I was so wrong, I want to personally apologize to Robbie and Curtis. Curtis has played a fantastic centerfield this year and he hit a game-winning home run off Jonathan Papelbum. Despite his recent slump, Granderson has had a great first month with the Bombaz.

And now, Robinson Cano. Robbie, my bad. I fucked up.

Robbie hitting 5th has turned into one of the best moves this season. How good has he been? Let's see below.


Robinson Canó's 2010 Stats (Courtesy of Fan Graphs):

Season	Team	G	PA	H	HR	R	RBI	SB	BB%	K%	ISO	BABIP	AVG	OBP	SLG	wOBA	wRC+	UZR	WAR
2009	Yankees	161	674	204	25	103	85	5	4.5 %	9.9 %	.199	.324	.320	.352	.520	.370	128	-2.2	4.7
2010	Yankees	21	90	33	8	21	17	2	6.7 %	12.3 %	.383	.385	.407	.444	.790	.510	226	-2.9	1.4

Some Reactions:

1) My man is hitting .407 as of April 30, 2010.
2) He leads the AL in runs scored with 21.
3) He's 2nd in HRs with 8.
4) His walk rate has increased since last year. In fact, it's the highest of his career.
5) His ISO is .383. That's good for 5th in MLB. (ISO is an advanced metric judging a player's power by the simple formula of Slugging % - Batting Average)
6) His BABIP (Batting Average for Balls in Play) is a ridiculous(ly unsustainable) .385. For a comparison, Albert Pujols' career BABIP is .317.
7) I suppose the only alarming trend is that his strikeout rate has risen considerably. But that's ok because he's seeing more pitches than ever before, so his Line Drive Rate is nearly 25% and his Home Runs Per Fly Fly Ball Rate is 29.6%.

For those who don't care what the stats mean, Robbie is basically God/Allah/Buddha handling a bat.

"Thomas, make sure you pick up my bat while I circle the bases."

"Yes, Master Cano."

Long story short, I was wrong about Curtis, wrong about Javy (what a bitch), and most importantly, wrong about Robbie.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I Present to You...The Chief of Swag

Pride of the Yankees

Monday was a good day. The World Champs were at the White House. Barack Obama was charismatic and entertaining as usual. I would continue gushing about the Yankees and Obama, but that would be in severe distaste. I will spare you guys the indignation of having to read my entries. Instead, today will be a YouTube Day. First up, an important message from our White House:

Bonus Pic:

Alex Rodriguez's Stylist. I need him/her.

The Good & The Bad: LeBron James

The Knicks have been bad. The Knicks have been bad for a decade. Much of that has to do with a front
office that has been wild with its finances and moronic with its basketball operations and personnel 

moves. So to solve this issue, the Knicks have to do one thing and one thing only: Sign LeBron James.

Really, it's not that hard. You already have Jay-Z whispering in his ear. You already have the Yankees and
CC Sabathia whispering in his ear. This is a layup. Don't fuck this up. I don't even care about the Knicks. I
just care about bringing glory back to New York City basketball. Let's face it, the best player from New
York and claims New York as his home is Joakim Noah. All of our high school talent has been overrated
and overhyped for over a decade. Carmelo Anthony, born in Brooklyn, claims Baltimore as his home. 
Where did it all go wrong?

Anyway, New York needs LeBron for all he brings on the court and off the court. Also, doing things like
this helps too:

The Best of Both Worlds

P.S.: I will leave you with the following statistic: 31.19. Michael status.

Basketball...The Gift and The Curse II

So what is causing me so much grief?

This year, the source of my despair and angst is the Denver Nuggets. Actually, for the last two years, it's been the Nuggets. I really don't understand how they are now down 3-1 to the Jazz. First of all, Mehmet Okur has a ruptured achilles tendon. Secondly, Andrei Kirilenko's not even on the fuckin roster. Holy shit, you get 39 points from Melo on 50% FG shooting and you STILL lose?

Where is the defense? Kenyon Martin, Aaron Afflalo and Chris Andersen are all great defensively. Carmelo is making strides. Billups is good as long as he doesn't guard someone quick (This is really only a problem if Denver plays San Antonio or Oklahoma City). Lawson is decent, but he's my height. Sooooo...it's like shooting over a tree stump. A mild nuisance, but it doesn't really affect your jumpshot...unless you're worried about landing on him and turning your ankle.

Why is JR Smith still allowed to shoot the ball? They should put a leash on him. Zap him if he takes 2 contested 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.

Why does Nene only take 3 shots? Is there anyone besides me who notices that Nene is probably the most underrated and most skilled big man we have in the NBA? HE ONLY TAKES 3 SHOTS?! Someone kill me. Despite his height issues, Lawson needs to play more than 17 minutes a game. *sigh*

You bitches are better than a 3-1 series deficit.

The motherfuckin Utah Jazz. There have only been four teams I have ever despised:

1) 1991-1995 New York Knicks

You know how hand checking is illegal now? Thank them.

As I touched upon earlier, Pat Riley nearly single-handedly ruined basketball. It was ok when Detroit did it because Chuck Daly was sandwiched between the era of Magic and Larry and the era of Michael. Pat Riley's style of basketball? Completely unsustainable to the casual viewing audience, especially once Jordan retired. Nobody wants to watch 77-74 slugfests. Even serious basketball fans who can appreciate the strategy behind the playing style grew weary of the skill-less brawn-based tactics of Pat Riley. They had no offensive game whatsoever. Patrick Ewing was good for about 20 points for 3 and a half quarters before his greasiness and profuse perspiration made him useless in crunch time. Pat Riley ruined basketball to such a degree that I have not rooted for the Knicks since.

2) 2000-2002 Los Angeles Lakers

Yo Kobe, remember when your hairline wasn't receding?

If it weren't for one of the worst officiated Games 6 and 7s of all time in 2002, the rightful team should have won the NBA Title, my Sacramento Kings. To be fair, my Kings did choke away games 6 and 7 even though the free throw disparity was 77-55. I digress...

3) 1996-2001 Miami Heat

Epic fights. Epic 79-77 48-minute scores.

The Late 90s Miami Heat were basically the same as the early 90s Knicks...except with less overall talent and a better center who did not perspire nearly as much as Patrick Ewing.

4) Post-Lockout San Antonio Spurs

I derive more joy from watching paint dry than from Popp's teams.

This team had EVERYTHING I hated in basketball. They had a boring star player who abused the backboard like it owed him money. A dirty defender in Bruce Bowen. A coach who implemented a playing style that is solely based on disruption, defensive junk plays, and a stagnant painstaking offense. A smug Frenchman for a point guard. A flopping swingman who I would like...if he weren't nominated for Academy Awards every year he plays in the NBA.

--------------------------

Since 1999, it's been one case of bitter disappointment and frustration after another. As it stands, the Denver Nuggets will simply be the latest in a long line.

However, no NBA team loss has scarred me more than the loss of the 2002 Sacramento Kings.

The Greatest Tragedy in NBA History.

TRIVIA: 3 of these players are Black, can you guess which 3?

The Kings represented everything that was right about the NBA. The best passing front court of all time. A fantastic point guard who was clutch when it mattered. Deadly outside shooting. Great team rebounding and a defensive stopper in Doug Christie. The best run motion offense of the decade.

Most importantly, they had my favorite NBA Player not named Michael Jordan, Chris Webber. To this day, I will defend to my death that Chris Webber was the most skilled big man the NBA ever had. He was 6'10", could dribble, run the fast break, pass, run the motion offense without a top tier point guard, shoot from anywhere within 20 feet, rebounded, defended, blocked shots. He did everything...except when it mattered. *sigh*

Dear Basketball Gods,

Why have you forsaken me so? Have I not served as a good ambassador to the game? What more can I do to get a team I like to win a title?....

Basketball...The Gift and The Curse I

I love basketball so much. How much do I love it? I'm dedicating two posts in one day about it. So without further ado....

I can say without hesitation that basketball is my favorite sport. Beyond that, I can also say that basketball is the best sport. I've invested much of my life into the sport that I love to watch, to play, and to talk about. In fact, I'm such a dork that I pay money every year so I can pretend to be a General Manager (thanks Yahoo).

We are nothing without them.

However, despite all of the energy I have put into the sport, I have been perpetually shunned by the basketball deities since Money retired. How have I been shunned? I have been without a team that can win an NBA Championship. I suppose many of you would assume that I'm a Knicks fan. Actually, most of you who read this already know me. Therefore, you probably know I really don't like the Knicks.

I'm from New York and never was a fan of the Knicks.

Before I run off a list of NBA teams that have shattered my heart into so many pieces on so many occasions (which is coming in the second post), I feel like I should explain my fandom.

Professional Basketball
Obviously the sport I have the most connection to. My fandom in professional basketball has two basic criteria:

1. Do I like the player?
2. Do I like the style of play?

If criterion 1 is fulfilled, I will, in turn, root for the team that the player plays for. The same logic applies to criterion 2. Therefore, when I rooted for the Bulls, it was simply because I liked Michael, Scottie and Craig (Bonus points if you know know who Craig is). However, as I got older, my focus shifted further away from the first criterion and into the second. More on this in Part II.

College Basketball
I have softened my stance on college basketball over the years. I used to be a die hard North Caroline fan because of its affiliation to Michael Jordan. However, as the wise Bo Chen once elucidated, "Division I College Basketball is slave labor." Since then, I have watched college basketball to:

1. Casually root for the Tar Heels.
2. Scout potential NBA talent. 

Professional (American) Football

What an overrated sport. Yeah, I'm a heathen, treasonist and Anti-American. I can't help it. Football just doesn't cut it for me. However, my fandom in football is consistent with my fandom in basketball. That is, I root for players I like. My three favorite players? Randy Moss, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. For the time being, I root for the Baltimore Ravens and whoever "I play when I wanna play" plays for.

Football is probably tied for 3rd as my favorite sport along with this sport....

Tennis

I like Serena. *Kanye shrug*

Baseball

Baseball is the only sport that I irrationally root for one team. Of course, we all know that I'm a fan of the New York "It's-Not-A-World-Series-If-It's-Always-Played-In-The-Bronx" Yankees. This deserves a post in itself. When the time comes, I will explain why I live and die with the Yankees.

And with that...we now move on to Part II....the heartache known as the NBA.

Home is Where the Heart is...

Hong Kong. What a beautiful city. 香港，我愛妳！

As most of you know, I will be graduating this coming June. My immediate plans are to return to New York and work for a year. If I could have it my way, 2011 might be the last year I will be in NY for a long time. By the summer of 2011, I hope to begin my path of self-discovery and exploration.

The first step in my journey is California. Ideally, I will be situated in San Francisco or somewhere in the Bay Area by the summer of 2011. Paradoxically, the things that make me love New York are the same exact things that want me to explore other places. The obvious difference will be space. One of the things that makes New York "New York" is that we spit on the notion of urban sprawl. Another big difference will be that I will no longer have the trump card in knowing that mass transit is a 24/7 service. Perhaps this will be incentive for me to get up off my ass and get my license.

Anecdotally, California just seems to be more progressive than the rest of the country. I don't have the statistics or legislation to support my claim (this could be easily remedied by simply looking this stuff up, but I don't feel like doing any research at the moment), but New York has a much more "Old Money" and "Tribal Enclave" mentality to it. The Bay Area just seems so much more relaxed than New York. Plus, places like Berkeley gives liberal hippies like me a place to call home. Despite its positives, I look forward to step 2 of my journey the most.

"This is California Station....stand clear of the closing doors please"
"Ha yat zaam, Heung Gong"

Yes, what I look forward to most is when I can start the next phase of my life in Hong Kong. Honestly, my affinity towards Hong Kong is rather unjustified. I was born and raised in New York City. My parents are from Shanghai via Sichuan and Hunan. The first time I went to Hong Kong was in 2007. I spent 4 days and 3 nights in Mong Kok. I would return a year later with my sister in 2008 for 5 days and 4 nights. I spent a grand total of 9 days in Hong Kong and I am absolutely in love with the city. I love the energy, the pace, the mood, and the layout of the city. It's the only other city where I would not mind getting lost. You know how every R&B or Neo-Soul artist always has that one music video where he/she is just taking mass transit in a city somewhere and just observing the environment around him/her? Then the camera will occasionally take a 1st person angle and the video would randomly speed up and slow down? Yeah, that's how I feel about Hong Kong. It's my introspective, getaway music video. Granted, I will have to deal with monsoons every year, but at least I can leave my North Face in NY. Oh oh oh, another bonus? My chances to meet my two favorite HK celebrities increase exponentially.

Man-Crush:

Crush Crush:

The panda hat gets me every time.

Maybe I love HK because I feel comfortable there. I may not know how to speak Cantonese and my Chinese reading level is comparable to that of a remedial 6th grader, but that's what Rosetta Stone is for right? (Do they even have a Cantonese series?).

As far as where I will be after HK remains to be seen. However, you can be guaranteed of two things:

1) I will be back in NY. Some people want to die famous, some want to die rich. I just want to take my last breath in NY.
2) I will be out of Hong Kong by 2046. Why 2046? That's when China's 50-year hands off agreement ends. That means freedom of information will no longer exist and HK will turn into a hellhole of suppression, inefficiency and inhumanity via CCP policy.

And with that....I'm out. Let me know where you guys see yourselves in the coming years.

Deuces.

Pull Up Your Skirt

On Thursday, April 22, 2010, I was watching the Yankees game on my laptop (shout out to MLB.TV) and it was just a weird game to watch. How weird was it?

1) The Yankees-A's game lasted a brisk 2 hours and 7 minutes. If you've heard the comments from that fat fuck umpire Joe West...a 2:07 Yankee game is like seeing Mo'Nique with shaved legs....it just doesn't happen.
2) Alex Rodriguez turned the first triple play by the Yankees since 1968. I guess money can't buy everything...
3) Kurt Suzuki now has 5 hits off CC. 3 of which are HRs. He also has no more than 1 HR off any other pitcher. Wtf, mate?

However, the most memorable part of the game occurred between Alex Rodriguez and some bitch motherfucker named Dallas Braden.

Via Chad Jennings from LoHud:

In a very bizarre game, perhaps the most bizarre moment came in the sixth inning when Alex Rodriguez got into a shouting match with Oakland starter Dallas Braden.

“He just told me to get off his mound,” Rodriguez said. “I was a little surprised. I’d never quite heard that. Especially from a guy that has a handful of wins in his career.”

The whole thing started when Rodriguez went from first to third on a foul ball by Robinson Cano. On his way back to first, Rodriguez ran across the pitcher’s mound, which Braden saw as a sign of disrespect.

“I don’t care if I’m Cy Young or the 25th man on the roster, if I’ve got the ball in my hand and I’m on that mound, that’s my mound,” Braden said. “… He ran across the pitcher’s mound foot on my rubber. No, not happening. We’re not the door mat anymore.”

Rodriguez said he had never heard the unwritten rule that a player shouldn’t run across the mound. When Braden started yelling at him, Rodriguez didn’t know what it was about. “I thought it was pretty funny, actually,” Rodriguez said.

Braden, though, went out of his way to call out Rodriguez. He spoke very kindly of the Yankees organization, but took great exception to Rodriguez.

“He should maybe watch his Captain a little more often,” Braden said.

Yo Dallas Braden, shut the fuck up. If I were Alex Rodriguez, I would have punched him in the throat. That or steal his medical marijuana identification card and give it to me.

I remember watching this on my laptop and going, "wtf just happened? is A-Rod being a dick again?" But then YES Network went through a series of replays of the incident and I was utterly flabbergasted. Since when did Dallas Braden claim sovereignty for the mound? Did he fight CC Sabathia in an epic battle for the ages for sand ownership? Did he ask Al Davis to help subsidize this acquisition? Do opposing teams pay a tariff in order to play against this guy?

So to Mr. Braden... this is how the city of New York feels about you:

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Just a couple things, this is going to be 1 of 2 blogs I plan on being an active contributor for. This is my personal blog, so anything is fair game. The other blog is going to be primarily focused on sports, New York sports. Mostly because we all know the rest of the country doesn't matter. =)

Also, I just updated my website (thomastu.com). I plan on updating my website in a consistent manner as well. Be sure to check it out and leave comments. Leave comments on this too. Let me know what y'all think. Deuces.