03/13: Interviewing the Yankees Blogosphere: Benjamin Kabak, River Ave. Blues
Posted by: Patrick
Our next interview is with Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues.
When you aren't doing something related to or depending on the Yankees, what are you up to?
When I'm not thinking or dreaming about the Yankees, discussing baseball, watching baseball or sitting at Yankee Stadium, I'm working at my day job for one of the major sports leagues. I'm also blogging on the New York City subways at Second Ave. Sagas. Being from New York, I'm a big fan of things very New York specific. I love the subways; I love the Yankees. And I'm glad I've been able to share my passion for both with readers of my blogs.
How long have you been blogging about the Yankees?
I've been writing about baseball on the internet since the start of 2004. I started with three of my friends on the original Talking Baseball site. Over the last three years, my blogging home has changed a bit. In 2005, I joined the Most Valuable Network as their Yankee blogger and stayed there for two seasons. In the winter of 2005, I moved Talking Baseball to WordPress.com and then just a few weeks ago, I teamed up with Mike A. and Joseph P. to bring our fans River Ave. Blues. This new site looks like my blogging home for the long haul.
Besides your own, what are your favorite Yankees blogs?
You mean, besides this one, as well? I'm a big fan of Alex Belth and Cliff Corcoran's Bronx Banter. It's a great community over there and on nights when I'm home watching the Yanks, I'll chat up some fellow fans in the comments. I had the pleasure of meeting Alex last year at a game, as well. WasWatching.com and Replacement Level Yankees Weblog keep my attention, too and I love Peter Abraham's LoHud Yankees blog. The insider access with his writing style makes for a fun blog.
What are some of your earliest memories of the Yankees?
I don't remember the specifics, but I certainly remember the Yanks on MSG in the early 1990s. We would watch Al Trautwig on the games. I remember being at the game in 1991 when George Steinbrenner was suspended for that whole Dave Winfield debacle. I was at a game where Bo Jackson broke his bat over his knee after striking out three times. I was at a very long Royals/Yankees game in 1991 or 1990. My dad wanted to leave, but I refused to go until the last out was made. I remember rooting for Jack Clark as a five or six year old and then Matt Nokes and Pat Kelly a few years later. Those were hardly the glory days of the Yankees.
Did you grow up rooting for the Yanks? Was your Dad or someone in your family influential in making sure you pulled for the Yankees?
My dad and mom are both huge Yankee fans as well so I grew up as a Yankee fan. In fact, some of the earliest baby pictures of me show me decked out in Yankee gear. The fandom for us stretches back to the late 1950s. When my dad became a baseball fan, the Dodgers and Giants had already jumped to the West Coast and the Mets weren't around yet. So he grew up a Yankee fan and passed this love of the Bombers down to me.
Who is your all-time - past or present - favorite Yankee and why?
My all-time favorite Yankee has got to be Bernie Williams. For as long as I can remember, Bernie Williams has been a fixture on the Yankees. He was in the first Yankee yearbooks my dad bought me when I was five. At that point, he was "Down on the Farm." He made his Yankee debut when I was eight and has been a steady presence on the team up until this year. He's always gone about his job with a quiet professionalism. He was exceptional during the dynasty years but never made a big stink about it. It's sad, in a way, to see him now unable to come to grips with the fact that he just isn't as good or as healthy or as productive as he was eight or nine seasons ago.
Do you admire anyone (doesn't need to be a player) in the Yankee organization?
Other than the assistant to the traveling secretary? Seriously though, in the organization, I admire Brian Cashman. He's a loyal Yankee guy. He started in the system as a lowly intern and has advanced through the ranks. He feels such loyalty that he couldn't leave the team when the working conditions were less than desirable a few seasons ago. Now, he's asserted himself and he's shown the ability to raise above the presence of George Steinbrenner. He's shown he can construct a team to win now and win later. We're on the dawn of a new era of Yankee baseball, one where smart free agent acquisitions will combine with a deep farm system to produce a good team top to bottom and we can thank Brian Cashman for that.
How often do you make it to the stadium to see a game?
It's gotten harder and harder to get single game tickets these days, but I probably go to about 20 Yankee games a season give or take. When I was in college from 2001-2005 in the Philly area, I would try to get down to Baltimore to see the Yanks at Camden Yards and I saw them last summer at RFK in Washington. I love going to the games, but I don't like how popular the team has gotten with folks who couldn't tell you who Scott Brosius was because they weren't at the Stadium during the dynasty of the 1990s. And it will just become harder once the new Stadium opens in 2009.
Of any retired former Yankee that is not in the Hall of Fame already, who is the one that most deserves to be?
As much as I loved Donnie Baseball growing up, I don't really see him as a Hall of Famer. He just wasn't good enough for long enough. If he had a healthy back for his career, maybe things would have ended up differently. As it stands now, I would love to see Jim Kaat in the Hall of Fame. Sure, he would go in as a Twin, but he's a former Yankee. His career numbers are very impressive and the only reason he's not in the Hall is because of his win-loss total, something over which he had little control. Kaat, a 25 year veteran with some mighty impressive numbers, deserves a spot in Cooperstown.
Where is Clemens this summer?
In the Bronx. I think the allure of Yankee Stadium, the chance to pitch with Pettitte and the real possibility of winning a ring and beating the Red Sox is too much for the Rocket. Do I like it? I don't know. It is going to cost the Yankees $4 million a month but for a few months, they can afford it. The question though becomes whether or not he will actually be good enough to warrant the investment. Only time will tell.
What do you expect from Igawa this season?
The great thing about Kei Igawa is that I expect very little from him. At the west end of the Mass Pike, the expectations are ridiculously high for their Japanese import. But all of the scouts say Igawa is nothing more than a back of the rotation starter. So, that's what I expect. He can't be worse than Jaret Wright was last year and if he's better, then we've got ourselves another arm on a team deep in arms.
Who is one player that you'd like to see make the roster that you don't think will?
I'd love to see Phil Hughes make the team out of Spring Training. Nate Silver had a great piece on BP's Unfiltered last week discussing a clarification in the TINSTAAP theory. While there may be no such thing as a pitching prospect, Hughes is not a prospect; he is a legitimate pitcher on the Yankees. He was, as Silver noted, one of the best pitchers in professional baseball last year. There's no reason to waste his arm and innings in the Minors. He may never get injured or he may get injured young and rebound a la Clemens, but there's no point in having him waste innings in AAA when the Yanks could use his arm.
Out of all current Yankee hitters, if you need someone to make something happen, who do you want?
The clichéd answer here is Captain Clutch. But I'm going with Bobby Abreu. He may not be as a dramatic as Derek Jeter, but I've seen enough of Abreu - first as a Phillie when I was in college and now as a Yankee - to know that this guy will deliver. He'll work the count; he won't be anxious at the plate and he seems to have a knack for picking up that big hit. Hideki Matsui also fits the bill and I think we'll see Robinson Cano develop into a big time RBI guy, too. I know his numbers with RISP last year weren't pretty, but he's only five months older than I am. He's got a long career ahead of him.
When you aren't doing something related to or depending on the Yankees, what are you up to?
When I'm not thinking or dreaming about the Yankees, discussing baseball, watching baseball or sitting at Yankee Stadium, I'm working at my day job for one of the major sports leagues. I'm also blogging on the New York City subways at Second Ave. Sagas. Being from New York, I'm a big fan of things very New York specific. I love the subways; I love the Yankees. And I'm glad I've been able to share my passion for both with readers of my blogs.
How long have you been blogging about the Yankees?
I've been writing about baseball on the internet since the start of 2004. I started with three of my friends on the original Talking Baseball site. Over the last three years, my blogging home has changed a bit. In 2005, I joined the Most Valuable Network as their Yankee blogger and stayed there for two seasons. In the winter of 2005, I moved Talking Baseball to WordPress.com and then just a few weeks ago, I teamed up with Mike A. and Joseph P. to bring our fans River Ave. Blues. This new site looks like my blogging home for the long haul.
Besides your own, what are your favorite Yankees blogs?
You mean, besides this one, as well? I'm a big fan of Alex Belth and Cliff Corcoran's Bronx Banter. It's a great community over there and on nights when I'm home watching the Yanks, I'll chat up some fellow fans in the comments. I had the pleasure of meeting Alex last year at a game, as well. WasWatching.com and Replacement Level Yankees Weblog keep my attention, too and I love Peter Abraham's LoHud Yankees blog. The insider access with his writing style makes for a fun blog.
What are some of your earliest memories of the Yankees?
I don't remember the specifics, but I certainly remember the Yanks on MSG in the early 1990s. We would watch Al Trautwig on the games. I remember being at the game in 1991 when George Steinbrenner was suspended for that whole Dave Winfield debacle. I was at a game where Bo Jackson broke his bat over his knee after striking out three times. I was at a very long Royals/Yankees game in 1991 or 1990. My dad wanted to leave, but I refused to go until the last out was made. I remember rooting for Jack Clark as a five or six year old and then Matt Nokes and Pat Kelly a few years later. Those were hardly the glory days of the Yankees.
Did you grow up rooting for the Yanks? Was your Dad or someone in your family influential in making sure you pulled for the Yankees?
My dad and mom are both huge Yankee fans as well so I grew up as a Yankee fan. In fact, some of the earliest baby pictures of me show me decked out in Yankee gear. The fandom for us stretches back to the late 1950s. When my dad became a baseball fan, the Dodgers and Giants had already jumped to the West Coast and the Mets weren't around yet. So he grew up a Yankee fan and passed this love of the Bombers down to me.
Who is your all-time - past or present - favorite Yankee and why?
My all-time favorite Yankee has got to be Bernie Williams. For as long as I can remember, Bernie Williams has been a fixture on the Yankees. He was in the first Yankee yearbooks my dad bought me when I was five. At that point, he was "Down on the Farm." He made his Yankee debut when I was eight and has been a steady presence on the team up until this year. He's always gone about his job with a quiet professionalism. He was exceptional during the dynasty years but never made a big stink about it. It's sad, in a way, to see him now unable to come to grips with the fact that he just isn't as good or as healthy or as productive as he was eight or nine seasons ago.
Do you admire anyone (doesn't need to be a player) in the Yankee organization?
Other than the assistant to the traveling secretary? Seriously though, in the organization, I admire Brian Cashman. He's a loyal Yankee guy. He started in the system as a lowly intern and has advanced through the ranks. He feels such loyalty that he couldn't leave the team when the working conditions were less than desirable a few seasons ago. Now, he's asserted himself and he's shown the ability to raise above the presence of George Steinbrenner. He's shown he can construct a team to win now and win later. We're on the dawn of a new era of Yankee baseball, one where smart free agent acquisitions will combine with a deep farm system to produce a good team top to bottom and we can thank Brian Cashman for that.
How often do you make it to the stadium to see a game?
It's gotten harder and harder to get single game tickets these days, but I probably go to about 20 Yankee games a season give or take. When I was in college from 2001-2005 in the Philly area, I would try to get down to Baltimore to see the Yanks at Camden Yards and I saw them last summer at RFK in Washington. I love going to the games, but I don't like how popular the team has gotten with folks who couldn't tell you who Scott Brosius was because they weren't at the Stadium during the dynasty of the 1990s. And it will just become harder once the new Stadium opens in 2009.
Of any retired former Yankee that is not in the Hall of Fame already, who is the one that most deserves to be?
As much as I loved Donnie Baseball growing up, I don't really see him as a Hall of Famer. He just wasn't good enough for long enough. If he had a healthy back for his career, maybe things would have ended up differently. As it stands now, I would love to see Jim Kaat in the Hall of Fame. Sure, he would go in as a Twin, but he's a former Yankee. His career numbers are very impressive and the only reason he's not in the Hall is because of his win-loss total, something over which he had little control. Kaat, a 25 year veteran with some mighty impressive numbers, deserves a spot in Cooperstown.
Where is Clemens this summer?
In the Bronx. I think the allure of Yankee Stadium, the chance to pitch with Pettitte and the real possibility of winning a ring and beating the Red Sox is too much for the Rocket. Do I like it? I don't know. It is going to cost the Yankees $4 million a month but for a few months, they can afford it. The question though becomes whether or not he will actually be good enough to warrant the investment. Only time will tell.
What do you expect from Igawa this season?
The great thing about Kei Igawa is that I expect very little from him. At the west end of the Mass Pike, the expectations are ridiculously high for their Japanese import. But all of the scouts say Igawa is nothing more than a back of the rotation starter. So, that's what I expect. He can't be worse than Jaret Wright was last year and if he's better, then we've got ourselves another arm on a team deep in arms.
Who is one player that you'd like to see make the roster that you don't think will?
I'd love to see Phil Hughes make the team out of Spring Training. Nate Silver had a great piece on BP's Unfiltered last week discussing a clarification in the TINSTAAP theory. While there may be no such thing as a pitching prospect, Hughes is not a prospect; he is a legitimate pitcher on the Yankees. He was, as Silver noted, one of the best pitchers in professional baseball last year. There's no reason to waste his arm and innings in the Minors. He may never get injured or he may get injured young and rebound a la Clemens, but there's no point in having him waste innings in AAA when the Yanks could use his arm.
Out of all current Yankee hitters, if you need someone to make something happen, who do you want?
The clichéd answer here is Captain Clutch. But I'm going with Bobby Abreu. He may not be as a dramatic as Derek Jeter, but I've seen enough of Abreu - first as a Phillie when I was in college and now as a Yankee - to know that this guy will deliver. He'll work the count; he won't be anxious at the plate and he seems to have a knack for picking up that big hit. Hideki Matsui also fits the bill and I think we'll see Robinson Cano develop into a big time RBI guy, too. I know his numbers with RISP last year weren't pretty, but he's only five months older than I am. He's got a long career ahead of him.
