David Heck – Keefe To The City

Tag: David Heck

Oct 14, 2012

ALCS Game 1 Thoughts: The Emotional Swings of the Postseason

Game 1 of the ALCS was full of emotional swings that ended with the loss of Derek Jeter and a loss to the Tigers.

“There’s no other game in which fortunes can change so much from hand to hand. A brilliant player can get a strong hand cracked, go on tilt and lose his mind with every single chip in front of him. This is why the World Series of Poker is decided over a No-Limit Hold ‘Em table. Some people, pros even, won’t play No-Limit. They can’t handle the swings.” – Mike McDermott, Rounders

Welcome to Game 1 of the 2012 ALCS.

Sometimes the highs and lows of a postseason game are too much to handle. Every Yankees baserunner feels like an accomplishment and every opposing baserunner feels like an inevitable pitch. When you factor in the Yankees’ offensive struggles, these two feelings are taken to another level.

I sat in the right field bleachers with Keefe To The City contributor Dave Heck and watched the Yankees load the bases and fail to score. Then load the bases again and fail to score again. And then fail to score again and again and again. For eight innings the Yankees couldn’t score against Doug Fister or Phil Coke or Joaquin Benoit. I’m not sure they would have been able to score against Daisuke Matsuzaka or the former Zales Fan Marquee guy.

In the ninth inning I was wishing I spent my Saturday night going out in the city and getting drunk at a bar and ordering Domino’s at 3:15 a.m. I would have even settled for wasting a Saturday night and just being in my bed sleeping. I had been at the Stadium for three hours and 31 minutes and 12 innings on Wednesday and four hours and 31 minutes and 13 innings on Thursday night. I was exhausted and went to Game 1 with a sleep-deprived, alcohol-driven headache hoping that the Yankees would take a 1-0 series lead and instead I had watched them endure another offensive postseason slump.

Russell Martin singled to center to lead off the ninth off Jose Valverde and moved to second on defensive indifference. Derek Jeter struck out for the first out and then Ichiro hit his first career postseason home run an 0-1 count to make it 4-2.

“Get it to Ibanez,” I told Dave.

Robinson Cano continued his hot October by striking out for the second out on seven pitches. Mark Teixeira fought for seven pitches, bringing the count full and before the eighth pitch of the at-bat, I turned to Dave again.

“A walk and then Ibanez,” I said.

“He can’t do it again,” Dave replied.

The eighth pitch was ball four and I did the Derek Jeter fist pump mixed with a little Joba Chamberlain 360-fist pump for good measure as Raul Ibanez walked to the plate.

With an 0-1 count, Jose Valverde threw his 28^th pitch of the inning to Ibanez and he rocked it. Everyone in Section 203 was already standing, but now people were jockeying for position by standing on the actual bleachers to watch it arrive. Everyone in the Stadium knew by the swing and the sound of the bat that the ball was headed for the seats, but those in right field knew because when you’re in the path of a home run, the ball just gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger like you’re waiting for the ball to drop on New Year’s before the mayhem ensues.

For the third time following a Raul Ibanez at-bat in four nights I looked like Theo Fleury following his goal againt the Oilers in the 1990-91 playoffs. I was yelling and screaming in a shower of beer and high-fiving and hugging strangers. The Yankees had a postseason hero for the first time since A-Rod in 2009 and it was the unlikely source of the 40-year-old Ibanez on a one-year, $1.1 million deal making less than Boone Logan, Andruw Jones, Freddy Garcia and Pedro Feliciano. And for the second time in four nights, Raul Ibanez had kept the Yankees alive with a ninth-inning home run turning to depression into jubilation.

Up until that 0-1 pitch, the Stadium was quiet (though it would get a lot quieter). The moat seats were empty and the upper deck looked like a scene from the Stadium in the 80s. The Bronx reeked of devastation, but in one swing the ultimate high replaced the ultimate low. But then Derek Jeter broke his ankle and the ultimate low found a new low.

I have never heard Yankee Stadium that quiet. I have never heard any stadium or arena that quiet. I have never heard a library that quiet. When Jeter was carried off the field I quickly entered Phase 1 of the Yankees elimination process that I endure any October that doesn’t end with them winning their last game. The Tigers took a two-run lead and didn’t give it back. Another four hours and 54 minutes at the Stadium.

This train carries Hiroki Kuroda in Game 2.

Blogs

Jul 15, 2012

No Reason for Knicks to Draw Line at Jeremy Lin

David Heck wonders if James Dolan even cares about Knicks fans when it comes to Jeremy Lin’s situation.

Jerome James was a career backup. A second-rounder who averaged less than 20 minutes a game. But in his fifth NBA season, he lucked out.

Injuries allowed him to get more playing time in 11 playoff games for the Sonics, when he averaged almost 13 points and seven rebounds. Heading into free agency that year, the 30-year-old James figured to get a modest contract and a chance to start for another team. Isiah Thomas and the Knicks gave him that chance to start, but there was nothing modest about his contract. $30 million for five years, during which time he played in all of 90 games – slightly more than one NBA season.

The Knicks have never been frugal, which is something you have to appreciate as a fan. Unfortunately, they haven’t been prudent, either. Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, Steve Francis, Zach Randolph – the list of mistakes from the past decade goes on and on.

Which is why it’s baffling that the franchise has chosen to draw the line now with Jeremy Lin. They broke the bank for a guy who played decently in 11 playoff games, but they won’t do it for a guy who played exceptionally in 26 games last year – and lit up the Garden and New York City in the process.

Granted, there are some complications with Lin’s reported three-year, $25.025 million contract. The biggest concern is his $14.8 million salary in the third season. With the Knicks being over the luxury tax, that final year of Lin’s deal will cost them about $30 million. If they agreed to the contract, the Knicks would have $75 million committed to just four players in 2014-15.

Yes, that’s a lot of cash. And maybe that would be a problem for the Milwaukee Bucks or the Memphis Grizzlies. But it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for the New York Knicks. Stock in Madison Square Garden has increased in value by over $600 million since Lin became a phenomenon. Plus, the Knicks will be over the salary cap the next three years even without Lin, meaning their personnel moves will be limited either way. Money and roster flexibility are not the issues here.

Some argue that because of Lin’s inexperience, he’s still a relatively unknown commodity. Maybe he’s just a flash in the pan. Maybe last year was just luck. Maybe he’s just not that good.

The problem is that basketball doesn’t really work that way. It’s not like baseball, where a hitter can string together a few bloopers or infield dribblers and all of a sudden be riding a 15-game hitting streak. It’s not like football, where a running back can get stuffed all day but break off an 80-yard touchdown run thanks to a missed tackle and finish with a great overall line.

Lin showed the ability to drive the lane consistently. He showed the ability to run the pick-and-roll. He showed the ability to score in isolation. Sample size has nothing to do with it, because you can’t luck your way into doing what Lin did.

He’s not another Jerome James. James played against two different opponents and benefited from good matchups, so he put up respectable statistics. Lin played against 21 different opponents during his 26-game streak. He failed to put up double-digit points three times – once against the Heat (because they’re the Heat), once against the Trailblazers when he got limited minutes in a blowout win and once in a poor game against the Raptors. He averaged 7.7 assists.

Lin still has to improve his shooting and reduce his turnovers, but that makes him the same as just about every other young point guard ever. Kyrie Irving, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, had similar issues last year (admittedly not as severe as Lin’s).

But what about Raymond Felton? He averaged 17.1 points and 9.0 assists with the Knicks. Perhaps he’s better than Lin, or at the very least, a better investment.

No, he isn’t. And it’s not even close.

Felton benefited a healthy Amar’e Stoudemire and Mike D’Antoni’s offense with the Knicks. Without those two things, he became a bench-warmer on a Portland team that went 28-38 last year. He was one of the worst in the league at running the pick-and-roll last year. He can’t play in isolation, which is a staple of the Mike Woodson offense. He’s fat and terrible at defense.

At age 28, Felton is an average player with a chance to be good if he gets in shape. At age 23, Lin is a good player with a chance to be great if he continues to develop.

There is no question about which one is a better choice for this team.

It’s hard to find any reason for the Knicks not to keep Lin. The cynic in me thinks that he might’ve just done too much. James Dolan’s stock his up, Time Warner came to an agreement with MSG and the Knicks already have legitimate stars in Melo and Amar’e. It’s possible that Dolan has simply gotten everything he ever could have wanted out of Jeremy Lin.

But the fans haven’t. And it’s about time Dolan started paying attention to us.