FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2010 BASEBALL
AL’s best try to put rotations in order
yankees from D1
sistency: Burnett has made 10 starts in which he has pitched at least into the seventh inning and allowed two or fewer earned runs. But he also has given up six or more earned runs in less than five innings in six different starts. The Yankees remember well
how Burnett delivered perhaps the biggest clutch pitching per- formance of their 2009 postsea- son run—beating Philadel- phia’s Pedro Martinez in Game 2 of the World Series, squaring the series at one apiece. But they also remember how he failed to make it out of the third inning in Game 5. Other options? There’s al-
ways veteran Javier Vazquez, but the Yankees don’t seem to trust him with the ball in Sep- tember, let alone October. And there is rookie Ivan Nova, a revelation since being called up in late August, but it is doubtful theYankees would trust suchan inexperienced pitcher with an October start. In other words, the Yankees
have little choice but to hope Pettitte is healthy, Hughes has gas left in the tank and Burnett delivers at least as many gems as duds. “Right now our starters are
inconsistent, but they’re healthy,” Yankees GeneralMan- ager Brian Cashman said. “And we should be getting Pettitte back healthy. You can iron out inconsistencies. These guys are good, and we just have to get them back in line — which we can.”
Cashman nearly pulled off a
trade for ace lefty Cliff Lee in July, falling short, according to Cashman, when the Mariners changed their mind about a trade demand the Yankees ini- tially agreed to. But the Yankees considered Lee a one-of-a-kind game-changer, and they never seriously pursued another starter at the trade deadline. Any regrets, now that the
Yankees’ current rotation is feeling a little thin? No, said Cashman. “Was there anybody out
there we could have acquired who would’ve been better than Pettitte coming off the DL, or what Nova has provided in three starts, or what Javy Vazquez or Burnett is capable of?” Cashman asked rhetorical- ly. “The answer for me is no—and certainly not when you’re being asked to give up the talent we were being asked for.” If this iswhat theYankees are
stuck with, they can take solace from one fact: With the AL playoff picture all but set (the
BILL KOSTROUN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Andy Pettitte’s health could be a factor in deciding a pennant.
Minnesota Twins hold a six- game lead in the Central, the Rangers lead the West by 71/2
,
and the Rays lead in the wild- card race by 6½), it’s not as if any other AL playoff team has a better (or more stable) rotation than they do: l The Rangers, whom the
Yankees would play in the first round of the playoffs as things stand now, are hoping Lee can pitch this weekend after miss- ing one start with back spasms. In addition, presumed No. 3 starter ColbyLewishadallowed 32 hits and 21 earned runs in his past four starts until he won Thursday night. l The Rays, who are also
chasing the Yankees in the East while holding a comfortable lead in the wild-card race, have seen right-hander Jeff Nie- mann, a presumed part of their postseason rotation, go0-3 with a 20.70ERAin three starts since returning from the disabled list. James Shields, Matt Garza and Wade Davis are also com- ing off sub-par outings. l The AL Central-leading
Twins are being careful with lefty Francisco Liriano, who has a history of arm injuries and late-season fatigue, giving him an extra day of rest wherever possible. Meanwhile, the back half of their rotation, behind Carl Pavano and Liriano, is uninspiring, with Brian Duen- sing, Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn all in the mix.
With all that in mind, the
Yankees will gladly take their rotation of Sabathia, Pettitte, Burnett and Hughes (perhaps in a slightly different order). Remember, they won it all a year ago with just the first three, and it’s not as if the addition of Hughes to that mix is a downgrade. “We’ve got a great team, and
it’s not all going to be [decided] on the pitching,” Pettitte said. “But everyone in our rotation has had success in the playoffs before. So hopefully, if we get there, we’ll do what we do.”
sheinind@washpost.com
KLMNO
EZ SU COLLEGE FOOTBALL
D5
ROB CARR/ASSOCIATED PRESS Jamarr Robinson is stillMaryland’s starting quarterback, but after a lackluster season opener againstNavy he could receive some help. For Terps, 3-man rotation possible Friedgen says
each quarterback could play Saturday
BY ERIC PRISBELL Wanting to quash the notion of
an emerging quarterback contro- versy, Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen only heightened the in- trigue bymakinga statement that seemed to surprise even his offen- sive coordinator. Friedgen on Wednesday of-
fered unwavering support for his starting quarterback, Jamarr Robinson, after a season opener in which coaches inserted backup Danny O’Brien for a short-lived fourth-quarter series. But Fried- gen also acknowledged in two interviewsWednesday that three quarterbacks could play Saturday againstMorgan State. When told of Friedgen’s state-
ment about the possibility of playing three quarterbacks, of- fensive coordinator James Frank- lin initially did not say a word.He merely raised his eyebrows high, leaned back slightly in his chair and offered reporters a bemused look. It all makes for mild drama in
what otherwise looks like a lack- luster matchup against a division I-AA opponent in Saturday’s home opener. What to expect: Robinson, who struggled to throw the ball in Monday’s 17-14 win overNavy, will start. O’Brien, who played one ill-fated snap Monday, should see some action.
And redshirt freshman C.J. Brown may see the first action of his career, as well. Because two quarterbacks
played in the win over Navy, Friedgen said, “I know everybody is trying to make a big controver- sy with that, but it really isn’t.” Robinson, a junior, completed
only 2 of 5 passes for 11 yards and threwthe first interception of his career. Opportunities to throw the ball were limited because Navy controlled the ball for near- ly two-thirds of the contest and the Terrapins relied heavily on the running game because it was successful (261 net rushing yards). But coaches felt at times Rob-
inson held on to the ball too long. He also overthrew wide receiver Torrey Smith on a fade route in the end zone. Yet Friedgen and Franklin remain confident in Robinson despite the lack of pro- duction because he had already established himself to some de- gree when he completed 54.1 per- cent of his passes in seven games last season. Robinson also said he is unconcerned. That O’Brien played was no
surprise to theMaryland players. Franklin had told the redshirt freshman in a position meeting last week that he would at least play some againstNavy. By early in the fourth quarter
of a tie game, Maryland’s offense stalled—the Terrapins had punt- ed on three consecutive posses- sions — and appeared one-di- mensional in Franklin’s eyes. So heinstructed O’Brien towarmup.
After Tony Logan’s 57-yard
punt return gave Maryland pos- session at the Navy 16, O’Brien took the field for his first career snapbelievinghewouldguide the Terrapins on a short touchdown- scoring drive. But on the first play, O’Brien botched the handoff with running back Davin Meg- gett.Navy recovered the fumble. “One of those plays we run a
million times,” O’Brien said. “I felt I got it to him. I turned around and there was a big pile of people andmy heartsankimmediately.A one-in-a-million thing, just hap- pened to be the first play of my career. “That’s what ate at me before
we ended up winning, that I killed a good momentum boost- er.”
Franklin said the problem be-
gan because O’Brien was not loud enough and offensive players had trouble picking up his cadence. Then, Franklin said, O’Brien did not look the ball into Meggett’s belly and it instead hit Meggett low on the hip, causing the fum- ble.
After the miscue, O’Brien told
coaches he remained confident and wanted to stay in the game. Coaches then—and since have— offered support, but Robinson was re-inserted on the next series and led the Terrapins on a drive that concluded with a go-ahead field goal because, Franklin said, “we could not afford to take other risks.” Friedgen defended playing
O’Brien in that situation but add- ed: “If I knew he was going to
MICHAEL WILBON Greed, hypocrisy are NCAA’s favorite one-two combo wilbon from D1
engaged in robbing the poor to give to the rich.” The person who most needs
the money, Green, is prohibited from reaping a dime, even though he’s the one who spends more than 40 hours a week working at being a college football player, even though he’s the one who risks head injuries that could shorten his life.Not a dime for him, and all of it, 100 percent, for the school’s athletic department. The suspension of Green
doesn’t just point to the greed that permeates college athletics; it’s shameful that the rules are set up to punish a kid this severely because he sees he’s the only person not making any money off his labor and wants to sneak a fewhundred bucks for himself. We seem to have reached a
point where kids who play revenue-producing college sports—and that means division I men’s basketball and football— are more determined than ever to get what’s coming to them, whether that means associating with agents or taking some money to live better right now. Damn the consequences. And they can better justify it
CHARLIE RIEDEL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cliff Lee landed with Texas instead ofNewYork, which could affect the balance of power if he is at full strength in time for the playoffs.
because everywhere they look people are making money off of them. I’d argue that university presidents and the people who run the biggest conferences have never been more openly greedy.
JOHN AMIS/ASSOCIATED PRESS
For trying to make a few hundred bucks, starGeorgia wide receiverA.J. Green was suspended for four games.
Since the end of the last college football season, the dominant story in college sports has been to find a better conference deal and get more money. Your school gets $15 million for being on television? Try for $25 million. Right now, the Pac-10 is trying
to figure out how to realign its 12-team conference, and the whole affair is made more complex by television revenue sharing, which is how Colorado andUtah got into the Pac-10 in the first place. They wanted exposure to the Los Angeles area to recruit and take advantage of L.A.’s great capacity for television revenue. The Big Ten’s addition of
Nebraska was done solely so that
Nebraska and the Big Ten will make more money, largely through the Big TenNetwork. But be certain that if a kid playing forNebraska accepts $100 to fill his jalopy with gas and take his girlfriend to dinner after the game, the NCAA will take him down. The hypocrisy is stunning, and nowhere more than Southern California, where the school wants to keep its 2004 national championship that Reggie Bush helped win, while theHeisman Trophy he earned on the field that season is being pried away. Bush, as you know by now,
reportedly might be stripped of theHeisman for accepting improper benefits . . . as if he’s the firstHeisman Trophy winner to take anything improper in 75 years. Asmy friend Bryan Burwell pointed out in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, many Heisman winners have been tainted by scandal—and not just O.J. Simpson. PaulHornung, the 1956
winner, was later suspended by the NFL for gambling. Charles White, the 1979 winner, admitted being a cocaine abuser while playing in the NFL. Johnny Rodgers, the 1972 winner, was convicted of robbing a gas station while atNebraska. Billy Cannon went to federal prison for counterfeiting.None has been asked to give back his prize. The thread here that seems to
connect Bush with Georgia’s A.J. Green is that more and more
often, at least anecdotally, talented athletes are willing to risk whatever the punishment to get something now, something more than tuition, room, board and books. For decades I went along with the folks who reasoned that was compensation enough, that the price of an education isn’t “nothing.” But the constant pursuit of
more money by the schools and conferences themselves is making me changemy tune. Sorry if the kids who play
women’s basketball or lacrosse or water polo don’t stand to gain from any compensation plan; the kids whose jerseys produce tens of thousands of dollars for athletic departments need to see at least a fraction of that money themselves. (CNBC’s Darren Rovell tweeted this week, “In 2005,Myles Brand told me the NCAA would look at compensating star players for sales of their jerseys. Guess they’re still looking.”) If Green can’t sell his jersey
directly, then the NCAA or the University of Georgia ought to cut him a check. Please, don’t cite me the NCAA rules. Change the damn rules to stop taking advantage of the poorest people in the equation. If I’d been standing in front of
A.J. Green when he whipped off his game-worn jersey and tried to sell it, I’d have paid him myself, and told the kid to keep his mouth shut.
wilbonm@washpost.com
fumble the exchange, obviously I would not have put him in. I am not clairvoyant like a lot of the fans are.” Coaches have been giving all
three quarterbacks opportunities in practice. In a typical 12-play script, Robinson gets six reps, O’Brien four and Brown two. At times, if a passing play is success- ful, that quarterback will remain under center. Friedgen recalled Brown, whom he has praised for his improvement since the spring, completing six passes in a row. “It puts some competition into
it, and I think it is good,” Friedgen said. “There is a pretty good fel- lowship there for a prettycompet- itive situation. But I have no reservations about Jamarr. I think he brings something to our team.”
Regardless of how many quar-
terbacks play, improving the passing game is a priority before the Terrapins visit Morgantown, W.Va., for a game against West Virginia on Sept. 18. Coaches be- lieve they are two-deep at wide receiver, theyhave multiple offen- sive weapons and, as Franklin said: “Navy didn’t stop us once. We decided to start stopping our- selves.” So while coaches continue to
work toward improving, and re- porters and fans focus on who is throwing the passes, Franklin said “our team, our coaching staff and the quarterbacks as a room don’t really see it as an issue.”
prisbelle@washpost.com
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