Post by musicradio77 on Apr 8, 2005 21:52:46 GMT -5
Mo's pitches are stuff of debate
Might need to change things up
BY SAM BORDEN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Mariano Rivera's locker is on the right-hand wall of the Yankees clubhouse at the Stadium, a few spaces in from the end. On Wednesday, for the second straight afternoon, the crush of media crowding around Rivera was so big that several reporters overflowed into Bernie Williams' locker down in the corner, peering over the top of cameras as Rivera stood in the middle.
The questions flew at the prized closer quickly, and most of them were a derivative on the same theme: What's wrong with you?
Rivera smiled and shrugged over and over, and it's obvious that there is no easy answer. While on-edge Yankee fans (and, perhaps, overzealous Sox supporters) are turning the last two days into the prologue of Rivera's ultimate demise, the Yankees refuse to become alarmed.
George Steinbrenner was supportive (and philosophical), saying through his spokesman, "One acorn does not make for a fall."
GM Brian Cashman was practical in his defense of Rivera. "It's two innings," he said. "In 1998, we started 0-3 - that's 27 innings - and then we went on to win 125 games. This is two innings. It's not a sample that's big enough to get concerned about. If it were a month and a half or something, that'd be one thing. But it's not. It's two innings."
Of course, it happened to be two innings against the Bombers' biggest rivals. Throw in that it was the first two outings of the season for Rivera after a spring training in which he was shut down for a week with mild elbow bursitis, and it's not hard to see how many observers have worked themselves into a frenzy.
Theories abound as to what, if anything, is plaguing Rivera and what he could do to right himself. One popular premise says that the righthander's repertoire is becoming outdated; after years of throwing essentially only a cutter (he does mix in straight fastballs), maybe it's time for Rivera to add another pitch.
Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said that's something Rivera has talked about for years, typically "fooling around" with a changeup during spring training.
"He likes to try it out," Stottlemyre said. "Sometimes when I send him across the street (to pitch in a minor-league game during the spring), he'll work on it and see if he can sharpen it."
Many in the game scoff at the idea that the 35-year-old would be able to successfully integrate a new pitch at this stage of his career, though one scout who has seen Rivera numerous times over the past few years said his mechanics are simple enough that it might not be as difficult for him as it would be for the typical veteran.
"His delivery is so repetitive and smooth that he wouldn't have to change much," the scout said. "The only problem is that it's a feel pitch, so he'd have to have some time to work on it and he didn't have that this spring because he was hurt."
Indeed, there was barely enough time for Rivera to work on his current arsenal before the Yankees headed north; he pitched seven innings in major league exhibition games. Much has also been made of Rivera's decision to not throw at all over the winter, a departure from his usual routine. Cashman said he didn't find anything too unusual about the choice, but it cropped up as a red flag when the bursitis surfaced.
Rivera was wild in his first bullpen session after being diagnosed - soaring several pitches high and wide and bouncing others - and his control problems Wednesday (three walks) raised questions as to whether his elbow is bothering him again.
Rivera was adamant that he's fine and Joe Torre went out of his way to mention that he's relieved there is no physical problem with Rivera; if velocity is a potential litmus test, it's worth noting that he struck out Trot Nixon on a 95 mph fastball.
So could it be simply a mental problem? Have the Sox, as one over-dramatic reporter put it, cursed Rivera? They've certainly seen plenty of him. Since the start of the 2003 season, Rivera has thrown 35-2/3 innings against Boston. The only team he has faced more during his career is the Orioles.
"It's possible they've picked up some sort of pattern on him," one scout said. "If he's throwing two cutters and then a fastball and then another cutter or something like that, they can cheat on the cutter and hit it."
The same scout said he also thinks Rivera's cutter may be breaking earlier than it did in years past, which means it's easier for hitters to identify. At its best, the pitch looks just like a fastball, then darts in at the last moment, jamming a lefty hitter badly. At its worst, it breaks early or not at all, and is little more than a batting practice fastball.
"That could be a sign of age or fatigue," the scout said.
Stottlemyre said he hasn't seen anything in Rivera's pitches that makes him concerned about the effects of age. Cashman signed Rivera to an extension in 2004 that keeps him in pinstripes through the 2006 season (with an option for '07) and said yesterday that there was no hesitation at that time to make such a commitment.
"We went on what we saw then," he said. "And that was a dominant pitcher. Yes, the last two days haven't gone as he would like. But there's been no indication that you could legitimately point to that we're going to see anything different than what we've seen before. I'm not concerned at all."
WHAT'S WRONG WITH MO?
Here are five things that might be keeping Mariano Rivera from locking down the Red Sox:
1. Age
At 35, Rivera is hardly ancient but his workload has been intense. He took over the closer's role in 1997 and has thrown 553.2 regular-season innings since then, plus 89 more in the postseason (essentially another full season of work). "The shelf life of the best relievers seems to be around 8-10 years," one scout who has seen Rivera regularly said. "I'm not sure he's throwing as hard."
2. Familiarity
With 19 games between the Yanks and Sox each year, plus seven more in each of the last two postseasons, the Boston hitters have seen a lot of Rivera. "It has to build their confidence that they've been effective against him," one scout said. "When the cutter is working, it's almost impossible to pick up, but the more you see it, the easier it becomes."
3. Routine
Rivera normally returns to Panama for part of the offseason and does a throwing program, but he stayed in New York this winter and didn't pick up a baseball until spring training. Rivera and the Yanks says it's no big deal, but some observers question whether wear-and-tear necessitated the choice. Either way, it's possible Rivera wasn't as sharp during this last series against Boston as he normally would be at the start of a season.
4. Sharpness
Is Rivera's cutter as biting as it used to be? The Yanks say it's too early to tell, but one scout said he thinks it's possible there's less late movement to the pitch, which is the key to its effectiveness. Rivera's fastball seems fine — his velocity is still in the low-to-mid 90s — but if the cutter is softening, that could be trouble.
5. Head games
Rivera's quiet confidence is one of his greatest weapons, but it's hard to imagine that he isn't at least a little shaken by Boston's run against him. Even pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said he thinks Rivera may be "trying too hard" against the Sox now, an uncharacteristic development for the cool-headed closer.
Might need to change things up
BY SAM BORDEN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Mariano Rivera's locker is on the right-hand wall of the Yankees clubhouse at the Stadium, a few spaces in from the end. On Wednesday, for the second straight afternoon, the crush of media crowding around Rivera was so big that several reporters overflowed into Bernie Williams' locker down in the corner, peering over the top of cameras as Rivera stood in the middle.
The questions flew at the prized closer quickly, and most of them were a derivative on the same theme: What's wrong with you?
Rivera smiled and shrugged over and over, and it's obvious that there is no easy answer. While on-edge Yankee fans (and, perhaps, overzealous Sox supporters) are turning the last two days into the prologue of Rivera's ultimate demise, the Yankees refuse to become alarmed.
George Steinbrenner was supportive (and philosophical), saying through his spokesman, "One acorn does not make for a fall."
GM Brian Cashman was practical in his defense of Rivera. "It's two innings," he said. "In 1998, we started 0-3 - that's 27 innings - and then we went on to win 125 games. This is two innings. It's not a sample that's big enough to get concerned about. If it were a month and a half or something, that'd be one thing. But it's not. It's two innings."
Of course, it happened to be two innings against the Bombers' biggest rivals. Throw in that it was the first two outings of the season for Rivera after a spring training in which he was shut down for a week with mild elbow bursitis, and it's not hard to see how many observers have worked themselves into a frenzy.
Theories abound as to what, if anything, is plaguing Rivera and what he could do to right himself. One popular premise says that the righthander's repertoire is becoming outdated; after years of throwing essentially only a cutter (he does mix in straight fastballs), maybe it's time for Rivera to add another pitch.
Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said that's something Rivera has talked about for years, typically "fooling around" with a changeup during spring training.
"He likes to try it out," Stottlemyre said. "Sometimes when I send him across the street (to pitch in a minor-league game during the spring), he'll work on it and see if he can sharpen it."
Many in the game scoff at the idea that the 35-year-old would be able to successfully integrate a new pitch at this stage of his career, though one scout who has seen Rivera numerous times over the past few years said his mechanics are simple enough that it might not be as difficult for him as it would be for the typical veteran.
"His delivery is so repetitive and smooth that he wouldn't have to change much," the scout said. "The only problem is that it's a feel pitch, so he'd have to have some time to work on it and he didn't have that this spring because he was hurt."
Indeed, there was barely enough time for Rivera to work on his current arsenal before the Yankees headed north; he pitched seven innings in major league exhibition games. Much has also been made of Rivera's decision to not throw at all over the winter, a departure from his usual routine. Cashman said he didn't find anything too unusual about the choice, but it cropped up as a red flag when the bursitis surfaced.
Rivera was wild in his first bullpen session after being diagnosed - soaring several pitches high and wide and bouncing others - and his control problems Wednesday (three walks) raised questions as to whether his elbow is bothering him again.
Rivera was adamant that he's fine and Joe Torre went out of his way to mention that he's relieved there is no physical problem with Rivera; if velocity is a potential litmus test, it's worth noting that he struck out Trot Nixon on a 95 mph fastball.
So could it be simply a mental problem? Have the Sox, as one over-dramatic reporter put it, cursed Rivera? They've certainly seen plenty of him. Since the start of the 2003 season, Rivera has thrown 35-2/3 innings against Boston. The only team he has faced more during his career is the Orioles.
"It's possible they've picked up some sort of pattern on him," one scout said. "If he's throwing two cutters and then a fastball and then another cutter or something like that, they can cheat on the cutter and hit it."
The same scout said he also thinks Rivera's cutter may be breaking earlier than it did in years past, which means it's easier for hitters to identify. At its best, the pitch looks just like a fastball, then darts in at the last moment, jamming a lefty hitter badly. At its worst, it breaks early or not at all, and is little more than a batting practice fastball.
"That could be a sign of age or fatigue," the scout said.
Stottlemyre said he hasn't seen anything in Rivera's pitches that makes him concerned about the effects of age. Cashman signed Rivera to an extension in 2004 that keeps him in pinstripes through the 2006 season (with an option for '07) and said yesterday that there was no hesitation at that time to make such a commitment.
"We went on what we saw then," he said. "And that was a dominant pitcher. Yes, the last two days haven't gone as he would like. But there's been no indication that you could legitimately point to that we're going to see anything different than what we've seen before. I'm not concerned at all."
WHAT'S WRONG WITH MO?
Here are five things that might be keeping Mariano Rivera from locking down the Red Sox:
1. Age
At 35, Rivera is hardly ancient but his workload has been intense. He took over the closer's role in 1997 and has thrown 553.2 regular-season innings since then, plus 89 more in the postseason (essentially another full season of work). "The shelf life of the best relievers seems to be around 8-10 years," one scout who has seen Rivera regularly said. "I'm not sure he's throwing as hard."
2. Familiarity
With 19 games between the Yanks and Sox each year, plus seven more in each of the last two postseasons, the Boston hitters have seen a lot of Rivera. "It has to build their confidence that they've been effective against him," one scout said. "When the cutter is working, it's almost impossible to pick up, but the more you see it, the easier it becomes."
3. Routine
Rivera normally returns to Panama for part of the offseason and does a throwing program, but he stayed in New York this winter and didn't pick up a baseball until spring training. Rivera and the Yanks says it's no big deal, but some observers question whether wear-and-tear necessitated the choice. Either way, it's possible Rivera wasn't as sharp during this last series against Boston as he normally would be at the start of a season.
4. Sharpness
Is Rivera's cutter as biting as it used to be? The Yanks say it's too early to tell, but one scout said he thinks it's possible there's less late movement to the pitch, which is the key to its effectiveness. Rivera's fastball seems fine — his velocity is still in the low-to-mid 90s — but if the cutter is softening, that could be trouble.
5. Head games
Rivera's quiet confidence is one of his greatest weapons, but it's hard to imagine that he isn't at least a little shaken by Boston's run against him. Even pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said he thinks Rivera may be "trying too hard" against the Sox now, an uncharacteristic development for the cool-headed closer.