Pitcher’s Renaissance

Swing.  Miss.  Caught looking.  Why, all of a sudden, are veteran pitchers making more headlines than younger players?  Why can’t anyone seem to hit consistently off of pitchers who have been in the majors for at least ten, fifteen years, even close to twenty years?  And why does it seem that certain pitchers we were ready to ride off a year ago are posting the lowest earned run averages, highest strikeouts and most wins so far this season?  Getting older means reinvention, and perhaps, renaissance. There comes a time when a pitcher’s fastball ceases to be as fast and controllable as it once was. Or even with the same speed and control, hitters learn how to hit pitchers the more at-bats they get against them. Isn’t that the way it works? Last season, Glavine learned a hard lesson. Before the All-Star break he had only 6 wins and averaged over four runs per nine innings as hitters knew what they were going to get when Glavine pitched. Outside fastballs, changeups, hardly an inside pitch to worry about. With the help of pitching coach Rick Peterson, Glavine not only took more chances at the inside corner while pitching, but also added more cutters, sliders and curveballs to his daily regimen. Hitters were kept off-balance, not being able to hit Glavine as readily as before, and noticing a new swagger. Glavine posted a 2.22 ERA for the second half of the season, including a 1.79 his final ten starts of 2005. And his success rolled over into this season. He now has one of the lowest ERAs with 2.43 and with a record of 6-2, he has not only been consistent, but has become the most reliable pitcher in the Mets struggling and injured rotation. His teammate Pedro Martinez, always a smart pitcher, has learned to still handle his best stuff with his unfortunate toe problems (he is 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA in 2006).

Of course, the Mets are not the only team with increasingly successful veteran pitchers. Take a look at Greg Maddux of the Chicago Cubs. He also has one of the best starts this season, becoming the pitcher of April and now holds a 5-2 record with a 3.10 ERA. This is a pitcher that last year struggled and posted a 13-15 record with a 4.24 ERA, clearly not the Maddux of the late 1980s, early 90s. He clearly was not expected to reemerge in his old form. However, it seems that he has, at least, proven the world of baseball wrong by continually improving and, like Glavine, showing that he still can make even the best hitters look idiotic chasing his pitches.

With age seeming like a forgotten worry, we cannot overlook those who have been in the Majors over a decade, even two. One can even look back at Roger Clemens, a pitcher who seems ageless, never ceasing to astonish. Glavine, Maddux, and all pitchers veteran to the game can and will change their game to keep us guessing. And hopefully keep those younger players in check.

A Few Fastballs for This Week…

Rumors claim Larry Brown is finished being the coach of the New York Knicks. Hopefully, if they still continue to be as poor as they were this season, they will start firing themselves. I vote we begin by giving Marbury his walking papers.

How illuminating! With the loss of Matsui and Sheffield, the New York Yankees have only scored 12 runs from Friday to Monday, revealing the real weakness of their pitching staff. I wonder where Steinbrenner will go to for a pitcher that can actually pitch. Something tells me he is writing down a large offer for Clemens as we speak.

New Jersey is just not having any luck when it comes to the playoffs this year. Both the Nets and Devils were eliminated in the second round of their respective games this week. Hey, at least New Jersey got to the playoffs in both the NHL and NBA. The same cannot be said for New York.

Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen now claim they will temporarily agree to joint custody during their divorce battle. I never heard of an ex, after implying her husband looks at child porn, agreeing to brush off her prior claims so that their children could spend time with their father. Like they always say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…until the press makes you out to be the monster of course.

When will they ever learn? On NBC’s “Deal or No Deal,” a young woman changed her decision to have case 12 open even though it was the case that her husband (via satellite from Fallujah), her family, and the crowd agreed she should open. When she quickly asked Howie Mandel to open 11 instead it wound up being $500,000, meaning her offer from the all-powerful banker dropped dramatically. Honestly, you never want to be in the position where the loss of money can only be blamed on yourself. Shame, Shame.