Tagged By A Friend: A Desktop Meme

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My Friend Lisa McGlaun who publishes the inspirational Lifeprints blog tagged me with a meme; and, needless to say that I am flattered. I am relatively new to blogging in this format, and having such talented and generous folks such as Lisa as a supporter is uplifting.

This meme is called "What is the personality of your computer?" I'm supposed to take a snapshot of my computer desktop, and attempt to explain what it means about me. For the purposes of this exercise, I chose my laptop because my work computer has information on it I wouldn't want to disclose to the public, and because my laptop is the only computer in my home which my wife and children haven't completely hijacked.

Note the Joe Girardi baseball card as my desktop wallpaper. Yankees fans will know that just this week, one of the greatest Yankees managers of all time, Joe Torre, delined the Yankees offer of a one year contract and could be managing the Dodgers next year. Joe Girardi, one of my favorite Yankees, although his career in pinstripes lasted only three years, has taken over as the new Yankees' skipper. Baseball is a huge part of my life, and this blog began as a baseball blog (though I failed miserably at it). Much of what I read, listen to, watch, and discuss with my friends revolves around baseball. Lately, I've taken to football, just to give my pals a break. But, don't expect to see any Eli Manning wallpaper any time soon.

Many of the files and folders on the desktop contain my writing and images for this blog. I have two, full length novel manuscripts residing on this hard drive (backed up elsewhere) and hundreds of family photos. The desktop itself may appear boring, but inside every megabyte of that hard disk is a scene from one of my character’s lives. At the point when this snapshot was taken, there may have been one of my protagonists getting shot, or losing a family member, or just plain being happy. There's an unseen world happening behind that baseball card on the screen. I liken it to an apartment building hiding in plain sight in the skyline of a city. There are families within, each with their daily dramas occurring just out of view of the hundreds of thousands of commuters whose eyes can't see past their windshields to notice them. Yet, there they are, my notes, manuscripts, and outlines, like news stories within the folds of a newspaper, on my desktop waiting impatiently for you, my blog visitors, to read them.

This has been a fun experience for me, this meme; and, I want to once again thank Lisa at Lifeprints for giving me the opportunity to tell a little about myself. It has been an honor to receive comments from such friendly voices, the good folks who take the time to read my posts, that I am determined to keep writing to the best of my ability.

To keep spreading the fun, I'd like to tag some new blogging friends I've made over the past few months to continue this meme. Please feel free to opt out of this, as it is only good fun, and there is no pressure to to do this. Also, let me know if you've already participated in this meme. There's a writer who visits here often and I'd like to extend an invitation to Kristyn over at Kristyn Writes, who is a terrific writer to keep this meme going. Also, I'd like to ask Elaine over at Elaine's Place to help out, and finally, I'd like to Invite Eng Foo Tiam at Beautiful World to participate as well.

Thank you, everyone, for being a loyal readers of Mr. Grudge.

NY Yankees: Plenty Of Baseball Left

The Yankees looked aggressive Monday night against Boston. While they did win 6-2, they left the equivalent of the population of a small city of base runners stranded on base. However, I liked the fact that they ran on Tim Wakefield. Granted, Wakefield’s delivery is slow, and he pitches like he's a union employee on overtime. But, it was a good way to follow up on Tyler Clippard's excellent start against the Mets the day before. If they can keep this type of play up, win or lose, then this writer can keep respecting them as a team.

As Johnny Damon said while being interviewed on the field after the game "We need the fans to rally behind us." Johnny is good in the clubhouse, and he's capable of helping to lead a team of "idiots" to the World Series for an historic win. Maybe his attitude last night can help lead desperate fans who are crying for Torre's head back to their TV sets and to the stadium as the Yankees try as the team tries to piece together a respectable season and a possible post-season run.

As for the fans and writers calling for Torre’s head, I have an answer for them. Let him manage this season until it is over and done with. Its way too early, and he deserves the right to finish the season on his past accomplishments alone and not to be let go because of an almost historic run of bad luck and because of sloppy and desultory performance from some players. Torre has always been praised for pressing the right "buttons" to make his team work. He may have been pressing them a bit frantically last night, like someone dialing nine-one-one, but he pushed the right ones, got the running game going, and got decent pitching from Chien-Ming Wang. That's enough for one ball game, but it also may also be enough to convince his players that the rest of the season is worth fighting for.

Terry Francona, when interviewed by Michael Kay before the game Monday night on ESPN was quick to say the right things. Eager to avoid being quoted in every newspaper, website, and blog across the nation as being boastful, pointed out earnestly that “There’s plenty of baseball left to play.” He was also quick to note that the Yankees “Will heat up soon” or words to that effect. Essentially, Francona was trying hard not to run around with his arms in the air shouting “Yee Ha! The Yankees are toast!” Francona also doesn’t want his team to lean back and take a break and allow the Yankees to somehow catch up to them. They have their own historic comeback, being down three games to none in the 2004 ALCS to refer to in terms of realizing historic upsets.

Francona may very well be right. The Yankees can make a comeback, and it’s too early for them to consider the Yankees out of the race. A week ago, this writer would have thought the entire season was doomed. After last night’s game, the Red Sox remained a comfortable 9 ½ games ahead of their bitter, division rivals. There’s a lot of breathing room still between them and the Bombers. However, a wildcard berth for the Yankees is very probable for the Yankees, and Francona knows that. Also, we all remember the 1978 Yankees who overcame a fourteen game deficit and eventually won their division.

If Boston has to face a Yankees team with a healthy starting lineup consisting of Roger Clemens, Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, and possibly Phil Hughes in July through August, and, if the Yankees, who appear to awakening from their slumber, continue to play hard, things may not be so easy for the Red Sox down the road. The Yankees have had more than their fair share of injuries to their starting rotation, while the Red Sox currently have only one of their starters on the disabled list. That pitcher is Josh Beckett. As Terry Francona also stated in his interview Monday evening: “It’s good to play well early, but it’s also good to be playing well late in the season,” or words to that effect. Also, there's the possibility that the "injury bug" may catch up to the Red Sox as well. This writer hopes it doesn't as one does not hope for injuries either to the team you're rooting for, or their opponents. However, realistically speaking, such is the game of baseball. Injuries do happen, and at times with alarming regularity.

Last season, the Red Sox lost key players to injuries and finished the season in third place. No doubt that bit of history hasn't been forgotten either by the Red Sox management, or in their clubhouse. Maybe that is why Francona was reluctant to celebrate an early win for his team in the AL East. This writer doesn’t carry a tape recorder in his car and is unable to quote either Michael Kay or Terry Francona directly; but, the message Francona was making was clear. The Yankees can still be a formidable opponent, anyone on his team can succumb to injuries at any time, and there’s plenty of baseball left to play.

If Torre's Fired, Then What's Next?

After reading the veiled threat from George Steinbrenner concerning the current state of the Yankees on April 30, 2007, the one word that stands out in his press release is "quickly." We all know in our hearts that if the Yankees don't get out of the basement in the AL East by June, Joe Torre and others on the coaching staff are going to be tossed out the door with their baggage sailing in the air behind them, and quickly at that.

Who then, will be Joe Torre's successor should the Yankees continue to tank, and "The Boss" drops his axe on Torre and maybe even Cashman? Immediately, those who realize how popular Joe is in New York feel that one man who occupies the seat next to him on the bench could fill in as skipper. This person has often been publicly deemed as the heir apparent to the Torre throne prior to the current state of affairs which leaves the Bronx Bombers in turmoil. That man is, of course Don Mattingly.

He has the proper credentials to lead this team of All-Stars, egos, and high priced talent. He's as cool headed as Joe Torre is, making the transition to Yankee skipper relatively smooth personality wise. Those who wished for the fiery Lou Piniella, now with the Cubs, to take over last October would have winced at Sweet Lou screaming at Jorge Posada when a pitcher did poorly (Piniella is notoriously hard on his pitchers and catchers). Mattingly's baseball pedigree need not be examined in this space as he is legend in New York. He'd be a perfect fit, yes, but would he be able to motivate this team? That's hard to tell. He went from "batting coach to the stars", to bench coach for a month. It's one thing to teach someone to swing; it's entirely another to make someone win when their moaning over the firing of their manager who has a lock on the Hall of Fame.

With all of that said, let's pretend that the Yankees don't take Donnie Baseball as the new Yankees manager. Who else is out there? Larry Bowa? Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News had a great line about Bowa as a candidate for Yankees manager in the Tuesday, May 1, 2007 edition of the Daily News: "The very idea of bringing Larry Bowa into the manager's office should scare every Yankees player into peak performance". That pretty much says it all.

How about Joe Girardi? One has to be suspect of a man who is named NL Manager of the Year and then is fired by his team. He's been deemed too controlling, and his conversations with Jon Lieber during the course of last season, offering his buddy helpful pitching advice leaves a sour taste in many fan's mouths, let alone the Florida Marlins. Lieber, who had been unsuccessful against the Marlins earlier in the season, was much more effective against them after his chat with Girardi. If Joe Girardi became unhappy in New York as manager, who is he going to ring-up with helpful advice that could hurt the Yankees?

There is one more candidate to fill in as Yankees manager who has name recognition and is a proven commodity, even in New York. That person is Buck Showalter. Sure, he was fired by George Steinbrenner in 1995, but that's never stopped George from hiring someone back. Buck is currently employed by the Cleveland Indians as their Senior Advisor to Baseball Operations. If Brian Cashman called up Buck and said that George is so very, very sorry for whatever happened back in those pre-glory days of Showalter's first reign as manager, and that they'd love to have him back to take over for Torre who actually took over for Buck in the first place, and there's also a big pile of cash waiting for him in the dugout, Showalter would kiss the job of Senior whatever and fly back to the Bronx before Brian had a chance to hang up the phone. That's my guess, for what it's worth.

So, in conclusion, does this writer want to see Joe Torre go? Of course not. It's not Joe Torre's fault that three-fifths of his starting rotation is on the DL, the other two are shaky at best, and the rest of his team are playing like they have hangovers. Joe deserves the opportunity to ride this one out for the entire season. he has the talent, patience, and the talent on his team. After all, it's only May first.

Statement From "The Boss"

The baseball world has been waiting for George Steinbrenner to release a statement regarding his team's dismal performance. Below, is the much anticipated press release from "The Boss."

"The season is still very young, but up to now the results are clearly not acceptable to me or to Yankee fans. However, Brian Cashman our general manager, Joe Torre our manager and our players all believe that they will turn this around quickly. I believe in them. I am here to support them in any way to help them accomplish this turnaround. It is time to put excuses and talk away. It is time to see if people are ready to step up and accept their responsibilities. It is time for all of them to show me and the fans what they are made of. Let's get going. Let's go out and win and bring a world championship back to New York. That's what I want."

The operative word in the paragraph above is "quickly." The definition of that word is most likely the same for Steinbrenner and fans alike. "Quickly" means "this week." We all know how close Joe Torre came to being fired last October after the Yankee's stunning, early ejection from the post-season by the under-dog Tigers.


Yes, George Steinbrenner is older, believed to be ill, and not the same "Boss" who fired managers like it was a hobby before hiring Joe Torre. Yet, an old lion still knows how to bite, and muscle memory will afford him the strength to take of Torre's head and that of his coaching staff. It was Steinbrenner who taught his buddy Donald Trump to say "You're fired." though he hasn't utterd those words to one of his managers for a long time, it's still very easy to say, and a viable option. What else is Steinbrenner supposed to do in this situation? Take away Torre's dental insurance?

Torre's been on "double secret probation" of the kind issued by Dean Vernon Wormer from "Animal House" since last October. The statement above reflects Steinbrenner's last warning to his manager. Fans and reasonable baseball people all know that this (the Yankee's losing streak) really isn't Torre's fault, that he can't hit for the slumping Abreu, Damon, and Cano. He can't pitch any better that the rookies who've been making up his rotation for the last several weeks. It's not his fault that there isn't a lead big enough for the pitching staff to hold protect.. But, Torre is in charge of the players who are foundering in a sea of incompetence and injuries.

Desperate times require drastic measures, and firing Torre wouldn't be that drastic at all. Why? Because there is no end in sight, that’s why. Fans deserve to feel that help is on the way. Or, they need to feel that someone has to be held accountable. There’s plenty of emotion out there in Yankee land, and if fans are unhappy, they aren't as eager to charge into the stadium and fill seats, buy jerseys, eat food, etc. Though it is too early for fans to run away from the Bronx, screaming, and with their hands over their heads, they will do so soon if the team is still in last place behind the Devil rays come the middle of May. If you're a Yankees fan who pays attention to such details, that’s a statistic which better change, and change quickly.

"Sheff" Cooks Up "Just Dessert"

This baseball fan appreciates a player who can tolerate injury, strike fear into a pitcher, hit home runs consistently, and change positions to help his team. Gary Sheffield has played through pain, got hits off big name pitchers, switched from right field to first base for the Yankees after coming off the disabled list, and has 455 career home runs. With that said, he needs to be traded, and fast. Jim Baumbach of Newsday reports that the Yankees are planning to just that, trade him.
In baseball, there are many "unwritten" rules. You don't make the third out at third base, you don't swing on a "3 and 0" count, you don't steal bases when you're five runs ahead, and you don't criticize Joe Torre when he's your manager. Following the Yankees early ejection from the playoffs after their loss to the Detroit Tigers, Gary Sheffield was quoted in an article by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY as saying "We were worrying about all of that stuff, and we still had a game to play. If I'm on the other side, and all of a sudden they're putting Rodriguez eighth and putting me or Jason on the bench, you wonder what's going on. Those guys [the Tigers] were asking me about it. I think it boosted their morale. It gave them confidence they didn't have."
One can either agree or disagree with that statement. But what should be universally accepted is that no matter where Joe Torre batted Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, or anyone else for that matter, after game one, the Yankee's bats fell silent. That's what the Tigers sensed. They knew that their pitching was better than the Yankee's pitching; and everyone, including baseball players, know that in the post season, pitching matters more than hitting. You don't blame a Hall of Fame bound manager for the shortcomings of the entire team.
What makes Sheffield's comments distasteful is his timing. Immediately after the Yankees elimination from post season play, it was reported by Bill Madden of the New York Daily News that Torre's job was on the line. Reporter's everywhere smelled blood in the water while George Steinbrenner mulled his longest tenured manager's fate. So what did Sheffield do? He threw Joe Torre to the sharks. His statement reeks of poor sportsmanship.
As reported by Baumbach, the Yankees are going to pick up Sheffield’s $13 million option in order to trade him. Sheffield finds himself in this untenable situation due to his ineptitude while acting as his own manager. Having failed to have a no trade clause included into his contract during his negotiations with "The Boss", Sheffield now has no say in where he winds up. It seems that the "Sheff" cooked up his own "just dessert". Which team he ends up on is up to Brian Cashman. When he gets there, he can waggle his tongue all he wants, much the same way he waggles his bat.