Monday's Bunts and Boots--The Bench, The Twins, and The Bullies

It's amazing how a team with nearly unlimited financial resources can annually put together one of the worst benches in all of baseball. Yet, somehow the Yankees manage to do it, which leads me to believe that Brian Cashman does not know how to construct a bench. How else to explain a current bench that includes Jose Molina, Chad Moeller, and Alberto Gonzalez, three offensive nonentities that basically cripple Joe Girardi's ability to pinch-hit in the late innings? Then there's backup outfielder Justin Christian, a non-prospect who wasn't even on the team's 40-man roster at the start of the season.

The Yankees really haven't had a productive bench since 2000, when Cashman smartly pulled off mid-season deals for useful veterans like Jose Vizcaino, Luis Sojo, Glenallen Hill, and Luis Polonia. With those four players, the Yankees had backups capable of covering three infield positions, two outfield slots, and capable pinch-hitters from the left (Polonia) and the right sides (Hill). In 2008, the Yankees have exactly one bench player capable of providing a dose of offense, and that's Wilson Betemit. And with Hideki Matsui now on the disabled list, the Yankees will probably play Betemit every day, further depleting their paper-thin bench. In the meantime, the Yankees continue the ridiculous practice of carrying three catchers (who does that anymore?), with two of them being identical good-field/no-hit types in Molina and Moeller.

If the Yankees end up missing the playoffs by a game or two, a lot of critics will point to the depleted starting rotation and the inconsistent offense. We could just as easily point fingers at the bench, which looks more and more like a frightening by-product of Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory...

When the Twins lost Torii Hunter to free agency, finally traded Johan Santana, and then handed their center field reins to the seemingly overmatched Carlos "GoGo" Gomez, most fans (including this one) penciled them in to finish no better than third in the stacked American League Central. For the moment, at least, we can forget about such preseason predictions. As we approach the halfway point of the season, the Twins are solidly entrenched in second behind the surprising White Sox, having won ten of their last 11 games. They are scoring runs in bushels, even though they lack power throughout their order. So how are the Twins doing it? They score runs primarily because of a remarkable ability to hit with runners in scoring position (RISP), with a batting average of nearly .315 in such situations. As Tim Kurkjian of ESPN pointed out over the weekend, the Twins are the only major league team that actually simulates situations with runners on base during their batting practice sessions. This is unheard of in the major leagues, which makes me wonder why? So many hitters waste batting practice by trying to hit tape measure home runs, instead of working on situations that are more likely to come up in that evening's game. Additionally, hitters should be encouraged to take BP pitches that are not strikes, as opposed to swinging at anything that is close. As with hitting with RISP, this would foster better habits from hitters, who might be more patient at the plate during the games. Batting practice might not be as fun to watch that way, but it would seemingly be more productive for those teams willing to take a thinking-man's approach to this longstanding pre-game routine...

Unlike some Internet pundits, I find nothing amusing or endearing in the two off-field incidents that have grabbed headlines over the last week. The first involved Shawn Chacon's despicable attack against GM Ed Wade. The second, for those who may have missed it, involved Manny Ramirez, who shoved the team's traveling secretary after being told that he could not have any additional complimentary tickets for an upcoming game. Chacon has already been dumped by the Astros--and let's hope the Players' Association displays a shred of decency here by not filing a grievance against Houston--while Ramirez faces no sanctions after delivering an apology. What Ramirez did was bullying, plain and simple, as he tried to exert some power over a lesser-paid employee. (Like most decent-minded folks, I can't stand a bully.) Let's face it, if this involved someone in anything but the entertainment or sports industry, he or she would have been fined or suspended, or possibly fired. Now I'm not calling for the Red Sox to "fire" Ramirez, or even suspend him, but I do think there should be some sort of discipline enforced. The Red Sox should require Ramirez to make an appearance for charity, or perform some other act of community service. Otherwise athletes will get the idea that they can bully anyone--and will only to have to apologize for it after the fact.