I am acutely aware of how the rest of this great country perceives New York City. I heard it often during my travels. My response to this usual criticism is a theory I formulated a very long time ago.
New York is "more." More of everything, good and bad. The center of the world for finance, fashion and the arts, in addition to so many other things. But more of the crimes, dirt, traffic, etc.
It is a result of having approximately 15 million people converge each day on what isn't more than a relatively small island. These people all have different cultures, agendas, perceptions, colors, religions and roles in society. It is analogous to locking up ten dogs into a small room which holds five comfortably.
The city does very well under the circumstances!
I mentioned how difficult it is to grow up in a team's city when you are a fan of another, located elsewhere. One of the difficulties derives from reading the local press and listening to local radio. The hyperbole and exaggeration is, sometimes, astounding! But I have learned to deal with this by recognizing, and separating, fact from fantasy.
New York sports figures are magnified in value by the New York press and I've learned to not believe everything I read. I paid due respect to the achievements of the New York Yankees in this book as they are a franchise whose greatness is beyond question. It's when that praise borders on illusion that I beg to differ.
Here's two examples;
Example I
The Yankees' starting rotation for the 2001 season is Mike Mussina, Andy Pettite, Roger Clemens, and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. The addition of Mussina made this an excellent rotation.
The New York press has repeatedly said that this is now "the very best rotation in baseball." They even go so far as asking if there was ever a rotation in history comparable to this one.
Huh?
This is the Braves rotation for 2001: They have always had theirr "Big 3" of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz with a revolving 4th spot manned by Steve Avery, Denny Neagle and, now, Kevin Millwood.
It looks like John Smoltz is on the road to making it back and so I would pick the rotation of the Braves over the Yankees. True that Roger Clemens has won 5 Cy Young awards to Greg Maddux's four. But the Braves rotation has two more members who have won that award while the Yankees rotation doesn't have any. In fact, the Braves rotation won 7 Cy Young Awards in a decade, a feat unheard of!!
The Yankees rotation is a lot older. Maddux and Glavine will be 35 this year while Roger is 38 and "El Duque" may be 138 since no one knows his real age. Pettite is younger than Smoltz as Millwood is younger than Mussina.
You can check the numbers and see the vast difference between the two staffs' ERA's.
Here's a little chart I've drawn up:
Career ERA's & 19 or 20 win-seasons
Yankees
Clemens 3.07 & 5
Pettite 3.99 & 2
Hernandez 4.00 & 0
Mussina 3.53 & 2
Braves
Maddux 2.83 & 7
Glavine 3.39 & 5
Smoltz 3.35 & 1
Millwood 3.78 & 0
The excuse that they pitch in different leagues doesn't explain the significant differences above. In fact, it takes the Braves pitchers' batting prowess out of the equation. The fact that Millwood, if healthy, has the highest potential upside is significant.
It was before the season started when I already believed the best pitcher on the Yankees this year would be the newest addition, Mussina. It's not that I think that the Yankees' staff isn't great. They are, but the potential is there for real disappointment. The age of the collective group may translate to a decline in effectiveness very soon.
Injuries were not considered in this article but both teams currently have potentially serious disabled pitchers in El Duque, Smoltz and Millwood.
Example II
Allow me to set the stage. The 2001 season has just begun. The Braves won their opener over the Cincinnati Reds, 10-4. Then they came home for a three-game series hosting the Mets. Greg Maddux missed his opening day assignment because his toe was hit by a hard line-drive near the end of spring training. John Smoltz's comeback had been delayed by elbow tendonitis and he wouldn't be ready for 4-6 weeks from the start of the season. Our starting pitchers for the Braves-Mets series were Tom Glavine, John Burkett and Odalis Perez. That is: Our #2, #5 and a reliever substituting for a starter.
The Braves lost out of three to the Mets. The first two games were close nail-biters and the third was an easy win for the Mets as their #2 beat our sub reliever.
Here are excerpts from an article that appeared in New York Newsday on April 6, 2001, a day after the series was concluded:
BASEBALL
Fearless Mets expose Braves' weakness
Jon Heyman, Atlanta
THE METS left for Montreal late last night with a half-game lead over the Braves and a feeling that could have have carried them to Canada. They won two out of three games in Atlanta and gained the kind of confidence that could take them places.
If the Turner Field hex isn't dead, it is dying. If the Braves have any psychological hold on the Mets anymore, there was no evidence of it here.
Braves fans sat quietly with those goofy foam tomahawks on their laps last night and absorbed the obvious: After 10 years at the top, their club might finally be fading.
If the Mets ever feared the Braves, there is no reason to now. Snap judgments are dangerous, but it is clear which is the better club today. It isn't even close.
The Mets outhit, outpitched and outfielded the Braves for three straight days here at The Ted, something they simply don't do.
Right now there's little question that the Mets have better starting pitching. Al Leiter is a real ace, and the four guys who pitch after him are all veterans with a clue. The Braves started lefthander Odalis Perez yesterday, and they might as well have started Pascual Perez, no relation. This guy hadn't pitched in a real game in 20 months, and it showed.
The Mets have said for years they don't fear the Braves, and today those words no longer seem empty. If anyone should be afraid, it is Atlanta's team, which suddenly even has problems in its pitching rotation. Greg Maddux is to return tonight to pitch, but there's no timetable yet for John Smoltz, which means they might have to keep employing Perez.
The Braves' lineup seems to drop off a cliff after cleanup hitter Chipper Jones. The Braves aren't deep in their lineup, their bullpen or the bench. Last night they might as well have used those foam tomahawks against Reed, because they had no prayer. Their chances the rest of the season don't look so spectacular, either. Their run of nine straight division titles would appear to be in serious jeopardy.
I usually like Jon Heymann. His articles are intelligent and fun to read....for the most part. But what he wrote above is pure garbage and a perfect example of New Your Hype writing. All Braves fans are concerned about our team simply because much of our potential success is dependent on key players coming back from serious injuries. The only one who hasn't is Eddie Perez (a backup catcher). John Smoltz is the most important player we needed to come back in a huge way. But after he hit a snag in the road, at the beginning of the season, he has improved and we're justifiably optimistic that he's on his way to being himself again.
Jon, conveniently, ignores the question of how the Mets are going to replace Mike Hampton citing the four guys behind as "veterans with a clue." I wonder when was the last time Jon checked the pitching stats of Kevin Appier and Steve Trachsel? He likens Odalis Perez to Pascual Perez, ignoring the fact that the former is only 22 years old with a bright future, while the latter's elevator never made it to the top floor.
But I agree with Jon!
If all their players are healthy, it isn't close as the Braves are clearly the better team!
I have lived in this city for a vast majority of my life and have learned not to judge New York players' competence by what I read, or hear, in any kind of New York media. On the other hand, I have always attempted in judging all players in an objective manner as possible under, sometimes, subjective conditions.
» Michael Rapaport is a freelance writer who has written a book called "Dem Braves…A Brooklyn Boy's Odyssey With His Chosen Team' which recounts the Braves history since 1957 when he became a Braves fan.
Also by Michael Rapaport
» Where Do The Children Play?
» More submissions
Copyright © 2001 by Michael Rapaport. Posted July 18, 2001.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
