Storify: PITCH Talks: Yankees, Mets & Hall of Fame

Last night, I watched live as some of the best baseball writers in the country fielded questions from former Boston Globe coworker Pete Abraham and an audience of 300 other crazed baseball fans like me.

And yes, as I said I would, I tweeted my brains out. See below for some of the highlights of the 2-hour panel discussion.

NYC Event Tonight – PITCH: Talks on Baseball

While I'm no longer working directly in sports journalism as I was at the New York Daily News and the Boston Globe, I still pay attention to the scene and read various beats and writers daily.

An organization called PITCH: Talks On Baseball, a new speaker series about baseball, has planned what sounds like an awesome event that features some of the top baseball writers in the country: Pete Abraham, Buster Olney, Ken Rosenthal, Matthew Cerrone, Sweeny Murti, Adam Rubin, Tyler Kepner, and Jay Jaffe.

It's not very often an event with this caliber of writers comes along, so I will be in attendance tonight and, of course, tweeting my brains out.

Tickets are still available here.

Buster’s secret not so great

Buster Olney followed up on his tweets last night in today’s column. Here’s what Brian Cashman told A.J. Burnett (via RAB):

The GM simply told the enigmatic right-hander that the Yankees still believe in him, and to “reset and refocus” for next season.

This information was not worth the tease.

Buster’s tweet of the day: Burnett meeting significant for reason to be named later

Buster Olney first tweeted Brian Cashman flew to meet with A.J. Burnett on Wednesday (he does with other players too). Now here it is, folks, Olney’s useless tweet of the day:
One of my Twitter followers thinks this tweet will likely lead to nothing, but what if it did mean something? Here are three possibilities:

Olney’s Key to ALCS: The pen is mightier

ESPN’s Buster Olney offered his take on both the ALCS and NLCS this morning on SportsCenter. This might surprise you, but Olney said the Giants’ and Yankees’ left-handed specialists (LOOGY*) will give them the edge in their respective series.

Before I get into that analysis, I’d like to quickly note Olney’s prediction bodes well for my preseason World Series prediction: Yankees-Giants. Thank you. Ah, thank you.

One of my Twitter followers suggested this:

The fact that the closer is not the key to winning is a joke. Last year [7] closers faltered and one didn't. The one won.

Nice point. However, it’s worth noting Mariano Rivera’s worst ERA against any opponent this season was 5.79 against the Rangers.

I don’t think the key to the series is just one reliever. I’d say the key is the starting pitching, and the fact that Cliff Lee is starting Game 3 — not Game 1.

If the Yankees can put the Rangers in a 2-0 hole going into Lee’s start, the Rangers will have lost all their momentum from winning their first ever postseason series. And I’m quite confident CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes can duplicate their ALDS performances to put the Rangers in a hole.

I was doing some research on both team’s pitching, and I came across some pretty interesting splits.

Reg. Season Splits	Yankees	Rangers
Starters ERA	4.35	4.23
Bullpen ERA	3.47	3.38

Both teams have great pitching. But I think since the Yankees have the edge early in the series, the Rangers will have difficulties making a comeback.

*For the clueless people staring at the acronym LOOGY, it stands for Lefty One-Out GuY. Creative, eh?

Also, here’s the video for my headline’s reference.

Olney & Sherman’s Adam Dunn to Yankees trade rumors clash

“Adam Dunn to somewhere the American League” seems to be the biggest rumor left in the trade deadline now that Roy Oswalt has finally found a new home. The worst part about being a blogger during the final week of the trade deadline is dealing with conflicting reports.

Yesterday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post, a highly credible reporter, posted an article headlined “Yankees finished with pursuit of Dunn.”

Last night, ESPN’s Buster Olney, perhaps the most credible baseball reporter on the planet, listed the Yankees second behind the Rays as a possible landing point for Dunn last night on Baseball Tonight and then again on Sports Center.

One reporter will be dead right and the other will be dead wrong. I’m not going to tell you who to believe; all I can do is let you know there are in fact conflicting reports.

Now, on to something related that we can discuss…

Calling All Yankees Fans: For the sake of debate, let’s assume Olney is right. Do you want Dunn in pinstripes? I’ve read hundreds of responses already — from two threads I started on Yankees forums, to RAB’s post on Dunn — still, I’m not entirely positive on how I feel about adding Dunn to the Yankees’ already powerful lineup.

So please, somebody convince me why the Yankees should or should not add Dunn at the deadline (in the comments below, on Facebook, on Twitter, or shoot me an email).

Compilation of reactions to Sheppard’s passing

Reactions from the Yankees and all around baseball on the legendary Bob Sheppard’s death this morning:

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“Bob Sheppard was, in person, exactly as you imagined him to be: Distinguished, precise in his manner and in his words.

“He also was a former athlete, a winner of seven varsity letters at St. John's in football and baseball, and he was really, really fast, and competitive, even in his '90s.

“Sheppard used to read books between announcing hitters, and after introducing the final would-be out of every game, Sheppard used to leave his booth and stand at the back of the press box, preparing for his departure. If the hitter reached base, he would return to the booth and introduce the next batter.

“If the final out was registered, however, Sheppard would rush out the door, carrying a book in the crook of his elbow like a football, and he would race down the loge runway, moving swiftly and with determination, to make it to elevator that would carry him to the street level. Bob Sheppard would beat the crowd out of the park on most nights. I know this, because when I was the New York Times' writer on the Yankees beat, he usually out-raced me to the elevator.” – Buster Olney

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“I am deeply saddened by the death today of Bob Sheppard, a good friend and fine man whose voice set the gold standard for America’s sports announcers. For over a half century, fans were thrilled to hear his unforgettable voice and players were thrilled to hear his majestic enunciation of their names. Bob Sheppard was a great member of the Yankees family and his death leaves a lasting silence. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Mary, and their family.” – George Steinbrenner

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“Bob Sheppard's voice was the only voice you can think of coming out of the grandest sports cathedral in our country. His stentorian tone was the embodiment of class and represented everything that the Yankees and Yankee Stadium stood for. Yankee Stadium will never sound the same because no one will ever come close to the 'Voice of God.' He will be greatly missed. He was a gentleman of epic proportions, and an absolute joy to be around. My thoughts go out to his wife Mary and his family.” – Michael Kay

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“Bob Sheppard was an institution, as much a part of Yankees lore as all of the Hall of Fame players. You know you made it in the Majors when you heard Bob Sheppard announce your name at Yankee Stadium. It was always a thrill to hear his voice, regardless of whether I was with the Yankees or with another team. My thoughts go out to his family.” – John Flaherty

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“I remember walking in from the bullpen at Yankee Stadium during my major league debut (1987) and hearing Bob announce my name. I thought it was the greatest thing. Three years out of high school, and I'm in Yankee Stadium with Bob Sheppard announcing my name. I had arrived! He was a legend who went about his job with a quiet sense of dignity, and we will never see someone of his stature again.” – Al Leiter

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“The most polite man I think I’ve ever met.” – Gene Monahan

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“He's as much a part of this organization as any player. Players change year in & year out, but he was the one constant.” – Derek Jeter

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“Irreplaceable. You can't replace that.” – Mariano Rivera on Sheppard’s voice

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“He was obviously a legend; a tradition with the Yankees. When you think of the Yankees, you think of him announcing. When you think about the Yankees and the old stadium, there's no doubt you think about him.” – Andy Pettitte

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“That first at-bat at Yankee Stadium, you don’t forget it. And he’s part of that.” – Jorge Posada

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“It’s extremely sad. I think of Bob Sheppard, you think of all the tradition with the Yankees. You think about Ruth and Gehrig and Yogi and Joe D. and Mantle and I think you mention Bob Sheppard. That’s how important he was to this franchise. It’s very sad. First time I ever heard him was 1996, first time I ever walked out in Yankee Stadium and you realized that you hit the big lights when Bob Sheppard announces your name.” – Joe Girardi

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“To have your name come out of those lips, you're in the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium. I mean, Bob announces your name in the lineup, or announces that you are coming up, it's something that you always dream about.” – Chipper Jones

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“He had the most distinctive voice I've ever heard and he announced my name in my first game. It was special when he made the lineup announcement.” – Bobby Cox

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“We are very proud of the fact that he was the voice of the Giants for so many years. Bob was a true gentleman and the consummate professional. There will never be another one like him.” – New York Giants CEO John Mara