Bullpen

Hands clean, Golden holds all the cards

The first of what could be several NCAA shoes dropped on Miami's football program Tuesday. The first thing most people thought is "poor Al Golden."

But after some quick math, what poor Al Golden probably thought was this: "Eight players in all, six starters, suspended for a total of 19 games. Five return after the opener. That's it?"

Yes. For the moment, anyway.

So just to remind everyone how serious he was about rebuilding the Hurricanes — even with one hand tied behind his back — Miami's first-year coach went ahead and suspended a ninth player on his own.

Senior receiver Aldarius Johnson was named as yet one more beneficiary by none other than jailed booster Nevin Shapiro himself, but didn't make it onto the NCAA's hit list. No matter. Golden sat him down indefinitely for what was termed a violation of team rules.

Then, always looking on the bright side, he said, "We clearly have identified what our travel team is now."

The man is nothing if not confident, and for good reason.

At 42, Golden already has a resume to die for: he played tight end and later worked as linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator for Joe Paterno at Penn State; then was the youngest defensive coordinator in Division I-A for Al Groh at Virginia; then second-youngest head coach in D-I at Temple, a job he held from December 2005 until last winter.

In those five years, while turning around an Owls program that seemed hopeless, Golden's name also turned up on the wish lists of UCLA, Cincinnati and Tennessee. And now? Instead of wishing he'd taken one of those jobs, Golden might be occupying the safest seat in college football.

After all, he was in Philadelphia while the monkey business with Shapiro was going down in Miami. He was hired without being told the higher-ups at Miami had already contacted the NCAA about the serial glad-handing, something they conveniently failed to mention.

He's made clear they owed him that much, but refused to speculate what difference it would have made, saying what's done is done.

When asked whether his contract contains an escape clause covering just such an eventuality, Golden has been similarly coy. "I'm not going to get into all that," he said.

"Listen, my family and I are excited about being here, OK?," he added. "This is a great place, and we're going to get this fixed."

Yet no one would blame Golden for feeling betrayed, nor would they if the NCAA wound up dropping several more shoes — loss of scholarships, postseason and TV bans — and Golden bailed after just one season to take another job.

That includes prospective employers. Nothing having to do with the scandal will stick to him. In the meantime, so long as the program doesn't implode and lose all of its games, basically, he's golden.

But that's the funny thing. Miami might have been good this season — still could be — and Golden already has plenty of promising recruits in the pipeline.

The Hurricanes open the season Monday at Maryland without projected starting quarterback Jacory Harris, but with backup Stephen Morris — who beat the Terps last season — in his place.

Assuming they make restitution on the impermissible benefits laid out in the NCAA bill of particulars, Harris and four others will be eligible by the time similarly decimated Ohio State comes to town Sept. 17.

Olivier Vernon will be the only player still missing by Miami's second Atlantic Coast Conference game, Oct. 8 against Virginia Tech.

So long as nobody else on the team gets suspended, a Coastal Division title is not out of the question.

That, in part, explains why Golden can afford to be magnanimous.

"I think it was probably fair," Golden said about the NCAA action. "Clearly, whatever transpired, it wasn't as over-the-top as everybody was initially reporting and all of those things. The NCAA and the university felt there was mistakes made ... and I've accepted that. And now we're moving forward."

What remains to be seen is how far forward, and whether by season's end, it's enough to convince Golden to stick around.

And make no mistake, for at least the next few seasons, he will be holding most of the cards. The administration owes him.

Besides, he was a hot prospect when Miami came calling and no matter how things go, Golden is bound to be one of the favorites whenever Joe Pa calls it a career.

So far, though, he sounds like a keeper

"We have a plan and a culture that is part of our DNA, and everyone in here knows what we're about. If we didn't have that, we'd be scrambling right now. And we're not scrambling."

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@)ap.org.

 

Mauer in the spotlight with latest injury

Funny how a $184 million contract can attract a guy a lot of attention, especially when his team isn't doing well.

Howard Sinker, in his Fan's View from Section 219 blog, doesn't go to extremes like some fans or bloggers, but says there are legitimate concerns about Mauer based on his numbers this season.

The Strib's Chip Scoggins says Mauer was really needed in the lineup Thursday as the walls appear to be crashing down on the Twins.

Bob Sansevere of the Pioneer Press says that if Mauer cares about staying so popular, he must deal with the perception he is soft.

Judd Zulgad of espn1500.com agrees with Sansevere that it's Michael Cuddyer and not Mauer who has been the toughest.

Nick Nelson, writing for the Strib's TwinsCentric blog, points out Mauer had not sat out a full game since mid-June and wonders why it'd be in the team's best interest to have him out there in a meaningless late-season game and risk further injury.

Mauer signing looks like bad move

At what point can we conclude that signing Joe Mauer for the amount he got the beginning of last season — eight years, $23 million per year — was a bad move? Well, I think I'm there right now.

To make the kind of money Mauer is, you must be at least three of five things: an RBI machine, a defensive gem, a leader in the clubhouse, durable, and a fan favorite.

Well, since signing for that price in March of 2010, Mauer has proceeded to be one of those things. He’s a really good catcher. That is, when he’s healthy enough to play the position.

Mauer played in 137 games last year (162-game regular season), and has played in 70 of 130 games this season. Injuries have significantly gotten in his way both years. He drove in 75 runs in 2010 (hitting nine home runs) and has driven in 25 in 2011 (one homer). One-hundred RBIs is considered the benchmark for an RBI stud. Mauer has never driven in that many runs in a season. His high is 96, in 2009, when he also hit a career-high 28 home runs. His next highest home-run total is 13, in 2006.

So, Mauer is not a great RBI guy, and he’s not durable. As for being a leader in the clubhouse, it’s tough to be that guy when you’re sidelined as much as he is. And as far as fan-favorite status, that is quickly eroding, too, even with his St. Paul roots. When you’re not on the field, there’s not much to cheer for. And when you’re not producing when you are out there, there’s even less.

So, $23 million per year, for eight years? Unless he figures out a way to stay on the field, and starts hitting some long balls, it looks like an awful move for the Twins.

— Pat Ruff

Lincecum a prime contender for Cy Young

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — No matter the naysayers. No matter the haters. No matter the Philadelphia Phillies fans who whistle at him like drunken sailors eyeballing a young woman.

Tim Lincecum, baseball's little big man, deserves to be in the Cy Young award conversation as a leading contender not just as an afterthought.

You've heard of doing more with less? Lincecum does more with almost nothing.

His 12-10 won-lost record proves that some numbers lie. But how about these numbers for conveying a larger truth:

In 10 of his 27 starts, the Giants have failed to score a run for Lincecum. According to ESPN.com, only one National League pitcher — Pittsburgh's Paul Maholm — has had less run support than Lincecum this season.

In his last stellar start on Wednesday, a tense 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres, Lincecum had to drive in the winning run himself because his teammates couldn't.

Considering he hasn't given up more than two earned runs in a game since the Fourth of July, you have to wonder how many wins this 5-foot-11 Giants pitcher would have on a team that could hit.

"Shoot, Timmy could be 20-3 with the Yankees," first baseman Aubrey Huff told the San Jose Mercury News.

Though he's a two-time Cy Young Award winner, Lincecum lacks the national stature of Roy Halladay, the Phillies ace and the reigning National League Cy Young award winner.

The 6-foot-6 Halladay is leading many of the critical categories used to quantify pitching excellence. But Lincecum is right there with him, or even him, in more than enough metrics that matter.

Lincecum's 2.46 ERA is second only to Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto, who has the benefit of starting seven fewer games than Lincecum.

The Giants ace with the rock star persona has allowed fewer hits, runs and earned runs than Halladay.

Lincecum has struck out more batters than Halladay and only Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers strikes out more batters per game than Lincecum does.

Clearly, Cy Young awards are not won in August. And for a team-first traditionalist such as Lincecum — a pitcher who never moans publicly — the most desired prize is not the Cy Young.

It's a chance for the Giants to defend their World Series crown against all odds and baseball mathematics. But Lincecum's Cy Young prospects are illustrative of solitary excellence amid team-wide failure.

The Giants are the worst offensive team in baseball and for a few weeks this column has made the case that the Giants are the worst-hitting good team in baseball history.

Despite being playoff contenders, the Giants have scored the fewest runs of any team in baseball.

Equally curious and adding more weight to Lincecum's status this season is that the Giants have gone from being a solid defensive team to a poor one.

Last season, the Giants made only 73 errors, among the lowest in the league.

Going into Thursday's game, with more than 30 games to go, the Giants already had made 92 errors, putting them among baseball's worst.

The result has been Lincecum equaling Halladay with 20 quality starts. While Lincecum is barely above .500, Halladay is 15-5.

It was an omen when Lincecum lost a 2-1 game on Opening Day against the Dodgers, in which he yielded no earned runs.

What does it all mean?

Lincecum was still throwing pitches in the mid-90 mph range when he came out of Wednesday's game after a whopping 124 pitches.

He was getting stronger. Last September, he dominated and with September nearing again, somehow the Giants are very much alive.

If the team gets healthier and prevails in the National League West with Lincecum leading the way, the Cy Young award still might not go to the little big man.

But it should.

Marcos Breton

The Sacramento Bee

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Reaction to Thome trade

Aaron Gleeman, who follows the Twins for  MinnPost, says thanks JIm, you were a great acquisition for the Twins.

Bleacher Report notes that many others have had similar homecomings.

And Jerry Crasnick on ESPN.com says while it's a little late, it's still a nice move by the Cleveland organization.

Once an Oriole, always an Oriole

BALTIMORE — It’s impossible to make sense of the things we will never understand, so let’s just remember Mike Flanagan — who was found dead at his home on Wednesday — for all the things he did during a very eventful life and a very impressive athletic career that played out on several stages.

Flanny, as pretty much everyone knew him, played college basketball alongside Julius Erving and pitched for the Orioles in the days when they still smelled of champagne. He went on to become a respected major league pitching coach and a pretty good broadcaster before rising to become the executive vice president of the team that inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1994.

He may have spent a few seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays near the end of his playing career, but he always considered himself an Oriole, and he wanted badly to help the team climb back to prominence when he replaced Syd Thrift as vice president of baseball operations in 2002.

It was a tough assignment. Maybe — in retrospect — it was an impossible one, and it didn’t end well, but Flanagan’s dedication to the Orioles organization eventually led him back again to join the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network and resume his role as a color commentator on the team’s television broadcasts.

His approach to his post-playing career was similar to the way he went about becoming one of toughest competitors to ever climb a pitcher’s mound.

“He just kept going out there,” friend and former teammate Terry Crowley said. “He never wanted to come out of a game. No matter how good or how bad the situation, Mike always tried to make the best pitch every time the ball came out of his hand.”

That’s how he got to the majors, and that’s how he won the 1979 American League Cy Young Award and that’s how he helped lead the Orioles into a pair of World Series. That’s what everyone who played alongside him will remember, but it will take a while to come to grips with his passing.

“It’s just shock right now,” former Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey said. “I know everybody that played with him loved him to death. He was the backbone of that pitching staff. He never quit — this guy never quit. He was there for the duration. We had so many great games and so many great times; I just can’t believe it.”

Reports of Flanagan’s death remained unconfirmed for several hours, but the sad news finally broke late Wednesday night. Both Cal Ripken Jr. and Orioles owner Peter Angelos released statements of condolence.

“I am so sorry to hear about Mike’s passing,” Ripken said. “He was a good friend and teammate, and our thoughts are with (his wife) Alex and his family. Mike was an Oriole through and through, and he will be sorely missed by family, friends and fans. This is a sad day.”

Angelos remembered Flanagan as a good friend and loyal member of the organization.

“In over a quarter-century with the organization, Flanny became an integral part of the Orioles family, for his accomplishments both on and off the field,” Angelos said. His loss will be felt deeply and profoundly by all of us with the ballclub and by Orioles fans everywhere who admired him.”

When his teammates get together to remember him, they’ll remember all of that, but they’ll also remember a guy who loved to have a good time and had a sense of humor that was as sneaky fast as his heater.

“He could make you laugh when you didn’t want to laugh,” Crowley said.

He wasn’t a gregarious guy. How many native New Englanders are? But he could level you with his dry wit or drop a line that might end up on all the Internet lists of the best sports quotes. Like the time he was asked if he’d like to play for the Yankees.

“I could never play in New York,” Flanagan replied. “The first time I came into a game there, I got into the bullpen car and they told me to lock the doors.”

Or the time a Toronto Blue Jays reporter asked Flanagan what he did during the Vietnam War.

“I was stationed up here.”

When he was on the mound, he was all business. When he was in the dugout or the clubhouse, he was everybody’s best friend — providing a little coaching or comic relief depending on the circumstance.

“He was just a magnificent person and magnificent teammate,” Dempsey said.

Godspeed.

Peter Schmuck

McClatchy News Services

 

Summitt reaction

Reaction is pouring in after Tuesday's announcement by legendary University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt that she has early onset Alzheimer's disease.

USA Today's David Climer notes that continuing to coach is exactly what you'd expect Summitt to do.

Here is an account of the story, including details on how the Mayo Clinic sifted the Alzheimer's diagnosis out from a theory that medication Summitt was taking for rheumatoid arthritis was causing the symptoms.

The Washington Post did a lengthy interview and story with the coach.

And finally, Ray Ratto of CBSsports.com notes that inevitably the universal sympathy being expressed now will give way on occasion to incidents of tastelessness.

Here is the video of Summitt's announcement:

 

 

Girardi missed an opportunity

Bob Klapisch of The Record (Hackensack N.J.) had an insightful column over the weekend on the kerfuffle the Yankees had Saturday night at Target Field.

If you're unaware, manager Joe Girardi went to the mound to lift starter A.J. Burnett after the Twins burned Burnett — who has struggled for over a month — for seven runs in less than two innings. Burnett appeared to use two profanities over his shoulder as he walked toward the dugout, but after the game Girardi insisted that that wasn't what happened.

Here is Klapisch's column, via McClatchy News Services:

Joe Girardi has made a Yankee career out of being the anti-Joe Torre — that's what got him hired in 2008, promising to be a results-oriented, even-handed manager who'd have zero tolerance for players who strayed from the business plan.

Now it's time for Girardi to live up to his legacy, after he was embarrassed by A.J. Burnett in Minnesota on Saturday night. Although it was Burnett who humiliated himself, getting knocked out by the Twins in the second inning, inflating his August ERA to 10.70, he nevertheless cursed Girardi as he left the mound.

This was no subtle, side-of-the mouth slur. Two steps toward the dugout, Burnett turned toward Girardi as he appeared to say, "That was (expletive) (expletive)." You better believe the manager heard it, as did the Yankee infielders who'd gathered on the mound.

Girardi kept his back turned, pretending to be unaware of the insult. When he got to the dugout, however, Girardi followed Burnett into the runway and moments later the right-hander was back on the bench.

It looked like a seminal moment for Girardi, except that he backed away from it. Instead, the manager lashed out at YES Network's Jack Curry, responding with sarcasm after being asked about the exchange.

"This is silly. This is really, really silly," he said. "You know what? We had a fistfight, is what we had. Nothing happened between me and A.J."

The manager and Burnett stuck to an absurd story they'd cooked up, claiming the blow-up was rooted in a close pitch to Joe Mauer that wasn't called a strike. No one bought it, not even the YES announcers. Ken Singleton, following what he called the "old-school" code of conduct, stated the obvious: Burnett showed up his manager in front of millions of viewers.

Too bad Girardi didn't have the guts to stand up to Burnett in public. He found it easier trying to bully Curry, who stood his ground. The angrier Girardi became, the more it looked like he'd been caught in a lie.

A stronger, more confident manager would've said the Yankees are running out of patience with Burnett, that the result of their coddling is two years of underachievement and an even worse attitude.

There has to be a point where Burnett's defenders in the organization namely, Girardi and GM Brian Cashman have to realize the right-hander has become a negative value. He's been out-performed by every other Yankee starter and would have no right being in the postseason rotation if this were October.

Maybe Girardi will finally realize his blind loyalty toward Burnett has only sabotaged him in the clubhouse, where he's hardly popular, anyway. Girardi wanted to have a separate identity from Torre and now he's got it the players have none of the personal affection that they once had for Joe Cool.

That's OK, as long as Girardi's rules are clear: Liking the manager isn't a requirement, but respecting him certainly is. What Burnett did to Girardi was an open provocation a literal "Bleep You" that showed how contemptuous he is of Girardi's leadership style.

Burnett, who's as bad an actor as he is a pitcher this summer, said there was "no way" he would provoke Girardi. But each of the four times Burnett has been pulled, he and Girardi have had a cold, wordless exchange on the mound.

Thing is, the Yankees' irritation is fully warranted: Burnett's ERA has gone up nine starts in a row since June 29, and now stands at a tick under 5.00. It's not just awful, it's unacceptable for a team that has a chance to finish first in the AL East, in a year when the Red Sox were considered the heavy favorites.

Since the start of 2010, Burnett has watched helplessly as the gap exploded between his talent and his performance. Great stuff, is what scouts have always said about him, except he continues to over-accelerate his arm when in trouble, bouncing curveballs in the dirt. Burnett is throwing only 40 percent of his pitches in the strike zone this year, a career low.

Girardi has tried to explain this to Burnett. So has pitching coach Larry Rothschild. At age 34, it's time for Burnett to evolve into a smarter, more mature athlete. But, as one person in the organization recently said, "Good luck with that."

The Yankees will try to unload Burnett this winter, but the same verdict will apply: Good luck. No one wants an aging pitcher in his early decline, certainly not at $16.5 million a year. Burnett will be the Yankees' problem for another two years, which is to say, he'll be Girardi's problem.

It's up to the manager to prove he's not playing favorites on this roster. The perception is that Girardi takes care of his guys Burnett, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and misses no opportunity to puncture those who cross him. Jorge Posada is at the top of that list.

The fact that Girardi demoted him on a Sunday night, before an ESPN-televised game in Fenway, was all you needed to know about their fractured relationship.

Now it's time for Girardi to show he's not afraid of Burnett, either. He has to stop excusing insubordination. Girardi has to show he's just as tough and serious as his crew cut, and not just with the press.

Girardi wants us to forget about Torre? Fair enough. But for one night, he sure sounded like Jeff Torborg.

Weak offensive line spells doom for Vikings

It’s hard to image anything but disappointment for the Vikings this season.

There are two obvious reasons why. They have a makeshift offensive line, and without having re-signed Sidney Rice or found a capable replacement for him, they’ve got no big target who can stretch the field at wideout.

The offensive line is the biggest problem, though. It hasn’t been good in years, and each season seems to get a little worse. They currently have no more than two guys — Steve Hutchinson and Phil Loadholt — who would be starters on another team. Anthony Herrera might come close to being a real NFL player, but he’s coming off knee surgery, leaving expectations on him low.

The other two starters, Charlie Johnson and John Sullivan, would have a tough time even making another roster.

Which is too bad, especially if you’re the guy trying to run behind this ineffective group, superstar Adrian Peterson. Peterson has put up great numbers despite their ineffectiveness. But he has taken a pounding en route. Half of his carries seem to leave him running straight into a brick wall, or being wrapped up before he can even hit that wall.

Image the crazy totals he’d amass behind five high-end blockers. He’s probably doing the same imagining, as he contemplates whether to re-sign with the Vikings are take his rare skills and determination to a team that can actually block.

— Pat Ruff

Delmon Young post-trade talk

We don't know exactly what the Twins got in exchange for Delmon Young in Monday's trade, but twinkietown.com's Jon Marthaler doesn't need to wait until we know who the player-to-be-named later is; he's ecstatic about the deal.

On the same site, Steve Adams notes that the player we know about, Cole Nelson, is tall, throws hard, is from Edina and has improved since being moved into a relief role in the minor leagues.

MinnPost's Aaron Gleeman says "trading for Young was a mistake and not trading him after last season was, too, but once those poor decisions were made, Monday's decision to dump him was a sound one." Click here for Gleeman's post, which has more interesting material, including something about the player-to-be-named later.