Respect Bradley's Gangster

As our feature interview, this post will remain at the top of our page for the rest of the week. Scroll below this post to view our new posts. Keep it gangster!

Recently, our reporters here at the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog had the pleasure of interviewing author Richard Bradley. Bradley wrote the New York Times best seller "American Son: A Portrait of John F. Kennedy Jr.", but has placed politics aside to write a book about baseball. Specifically about the 1978 playoff game between the Yankees and Red Sox.

"The Greatest Game: The Yankees, The Red Sox, and the Playoff of '78" is a thorough account of the one game playoff between the two teams. I don't read many books, but this one had me pulled in. Bradley covers the story of the playoff game from the perspective of both teams, and provides a ton of background. One thing to note, the rivalry in '78 meant much more than it does now.

Besides being a great author, Richard Bradley is a good guy. He answered 17 questions for us, and some of those questions would have been scoffed at by most academics. He also flashed some gangster (See answer to question 14), which earned immediate respect in our camp.

I highly recommend this book for fans from both sides of the rivalry. It is well researched and well written. Not convinced? Read the interview.

1) This is your first baseball book. What made you want to write about this topic?

Well, if you're a guy and a writer, baseball is kind of like why you climb Mt. Everest: Because it's there. You just have to write about it. Plus, as a kid I was a Yankees fan—still am—and doing this book gave me an opportunity to interview almost all of those guys I'd hero-worshipped when I was a boy.

2) Why is this game important to you?

I was 13 when this playoff happened, but I never got to see it; I was stuck in school. So I really wanted to go back and examine this game that had become such a part of baseball history. But really, all the Yankee teams of that era were important to me. I grew up with two parents who had a bad marriage and fought a lot, and baseball—specifically, the Yankees—was one of the few things that brought our family together.

3) In your book, you go into quite a bit of detail describing the rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees. How do you feel the rivalry between the '78 teams compares to the rivalry now?

I think it was even more intense and personal then than it is now. Plus, on a personal note, it was more fun when the Yankees always won in the end. 2004 was rough.

4) How did you come up with the format of your book where your chapters go back and forth between each inning of the playoff game, and the progression of the regular season?

I wanted to tell readers what was happening on every pitch in a way that can't happen watching a game live, so I interviewed players, coaches, umpires, everyone I could. But I also wanted to show just why this game mattered so much—even at the time, everyone felt that it did—and to do that, I had to use flashbacks not just to the season, but to the very beginning of the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry in the early 1900s.

5) How important do you think it was for the Yankees to replace manager Billy Martin in the middle of that season?

Absolutely crucial. There wasn't a single Yankee player I interviewed who thought that the Yankees would ever have come back if Billy Martin had stayed as manager. Goose Gosssage and Bucky Dent were both adamant about that.

6a) Do you think the Yankees will have another free candy bar give away ever again?

(Note: Favorite quote "People are starving all over the world, and there's thirty billion calories laying on the field" (p.80).)

I wish they would. I mean, how much fun must it have been to be one of thousands of people tossing those awful Reggie! bars—which looked kind of like cow flop, and didn't taste much better—onto the field? And you're right--that was a great quote. I also liked Catfish Hunter, who was a hilarious guy, saying, "When you unwrap a Reggie! bar, it tells you how good it is."

6b) Do you think the Yankees will ever consider doing a free beer day at the stadium?

That is such a good idea. But, um, no.

7) The '78 Yankee team was clearly an embattled group of guys, and often times the controversy was as much between themselves as it was from outside of the team. Many people would consider team chemistry a crucial characteristic of a championship team. Why do you think this team was as successful as it was, without the cohesion that some championship teams have?

In a strange way, I think, that Yankees team did have cohesion, and it came from the feeling that they were all part of this bizarre, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes painful, but ultimately bonding experience. This was a team that knew how to handle pressure, and I'm not sure you could say the same of the Red Sox. The one part the Yankees needed was Bob Lemon, who put the whole team at ease with his laid-back style.

8) How much of an effect did free agency have on these two teams?

More on the Yankees than on the Sox, I think. Their big free agents were Reggie, of course, Catfish Hunter, and Gossage. The Sox's free agents—Torrez, mainly—had a lesser impact on the team. At the same time, the cores of both teams at that point were still players either developed in the minor leagues or acquired through trades. On the Yankees, for example, that meant Munson, Chambliss, Randolph, Dent, Nettles, Roy White, Mickey Rivers, and Lou Piniella.

9) Who do you think was the better catcher, Thurmon Munson or Carlton Fisk? Why?

Munson. Just because. He was my hero when I was a kid, and so I have to say that. Here's the more serious case for Munson: Though it wasn't Fisk's fault, he did miss a lot of games with injuries. Also, every Yankee I spoke with, asked to name the team leader, immediately said "Munson." No question in their minds. That wasn't really true with the Sox. Carlton Fisk was a great catcher and an intense guy, but he didn't seem to have that leadership effect that Munson did. Also, I think Munson was funnier. There are some stories in the book of things he used to do to his teammates that are hilarious. I think also the pitchers really liked working with Munson; they felt he adjusted his style to work with them. But Mike Torrez, whom I interviewed, expressed some irritation at Carlton Fisk's painstakingly slow style, and I got the sense that pitchers had to adapt to Fisk rather than the other way around.

10) Jim Rice was an important piece of that Red Sox offense, in how many ways was Rice inferior to Reggie Jackson?

That season, not many. He was a better fielder than Jackson and his offensive numbers were much better. If there was one shortfall for him that year, it was that he didn't seem to come up as big in crucial moments. Reggie Jackson hit what proved to be the game-winning home run; Jim Rice could have won the game in the bottom of the ninth, but flied out.

11) What was the significance of the "Boston Massacre"?

Well, the four-game sweep of the Sox at Fenway completed the Yankees' comeback from 14 games back in late July. But in a weird way, I think, it helped the Sox. They'd been losing ground for weeks, and it was psyching them out. With the Massacre, they hit rock bottom, and it seemed to take the pressure off them. With their lead gone, they actually started playing better.

12) Who was the favorite going into that game and why?

Excellent question. The answer is, there really was none. That's partly why it was such a great game: You could argue that Guidry was better than Torrez, but then, Guidry was only pitching on three days' rest, and the only other time he did that in 1978 he got beat; the Sox had home field advantage, but the Yanks had destroyed 'em in the Massacre. I could go on, but you take the point: the game was just too close to call. If you really forced me to choose, though, I'd say the Yanks had a slight edge, in that they really believed that they were going to win. They were just a tough, hardened bunch, and nothing seemed to scare them. The Red Sox, on the other hand, thought that they *could* win, and that's an important difference.

13) You put a lot of emphasis on the matchup between Carl Yastrzemski and Goose Gossage in the 9th inning of this game. How important was that moment for Gossage considering the season he had?

Huge. Career-defining, I'd almost say. It'd been a very tough, emotional season for Gossage, joining the Yankees as a free agent, losing a bunch of games early, and getting booed by Yankee fans in New York. He'd eventually gotten into his groove--he was too good not to--but who knows how it would have turned out for him if he'd blown that game? As it was, he gave up two runs in three innings of work, which showed that he wasn't particularly sharp that day.

14) I see your publisher is Simon & Schuster. How do you intend to compete with other Simon & Schuster sports authors, namely Jose Canseco?

I plan to take him out with a one-two combination to the head and stomach. Seriously: I challenge Jose to an ultimate fighting match any time, any place. And then I'm taking his wife to dinner.

15) What do you think today's Yankees can learn from that '78 team?

I think that team had heart. In the end, they willed themselves to victory; as Dent told me, "We just were not going to lose to the Boston Red Sox." That's a spirit I'd like not just current Yankee fans, but Yankee teams, to internalize as their ethos.

16) You have a blog (http://www.richardbradley.net/index.php), which you update regularly. How many times a day do you frequent the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog, and why is it your favorite blog?

Too many times to count. I can't get enough of its intelligence, wit, and expertise. And those t-shirts make great presents for the whole family!

17) Lastly, what do you respect most about Jeter's gangster?

Probably the fact that he dated Jessica Alba. That is what you meant, right?


Yes it was Richard, yes it was. So there you have it! The book is great, and Canseco does not stand a chance. Get your copy of "The Greatest Game" at a book store near you. Many thanks to Richard Bradley for taking the time to answer all our questions. Good luck on the book tour!

The Curse of Scott Patterson Continues

I didn't really follow the game tonight, I'm too busy researching a paper, but I saw the final line. There's only one way to explain this. Well, there's two actually. The first is Baltimore's obvious April dominance. They own this month, there's nothing you can do about that. The second explanation is much more dark, much more occult, much more horrifying: Scot Patterson cursed us. We didn't put him on the 25 man roster coming out of spring training, he couldn't sleep the night he got cut, so he cursed us. Can't blame him, he pitched his heart out and got cut and left behind for less effective closers. Sure, he said Girardi had a stupid haircut, but that's no reason to cut the guy. So we can only reverse the curse by calling him up. With two young pitchers who can't stay in games long it will only be a matter of time.

Seriously, This is Getting Old

The Good

Jeter had a triple, um, Chamberlain hasn't missed a step.....Traber's doing good. What the crap is going on with this team?!!?!?!?!??!

The Bad

Kennedy pitched 2.2 innings and threw 85 pitches giving up 4 earned runs. He also walked 5 batters, in that time.

The Ugly

0 runs from the offense.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The Respect Jeter's Gangster blog joined Johnny Damon's homerun club that raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to give $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit. Didn't matter today though, as the Yankees didn't score any runs, and therefore, didn't hit any homeruns. Here's the tally thus far:

Melky Cabrera 3hr = $3.00
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $4.00
Hideki Matsui 3 hr = $3.00
Bobby Abreu 2hr = $2.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Jason Giambi 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 1hr = $1.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 1hr = $1.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Total = $19.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Hottest Team in April Beats Yankees

The Good

Chad Moeller had a pair of RBI's and a homerun! Edwar Ramirez had a solid 2.1 innings of relief, which included 3 strikeouts.

The Bad

Despite a good first five innings, Phil Hughes just couldn't get out of the sixth. His final line was ugly at 5.1 innings with 5 earned runs, but the pitching talent is there. This is the kid who carried a no-hitter last season against the Rangers, and had that amazing playoff appearance in place of Clemens. Hopefully, he can find that. Latroy Hawkins followed up his stellar outing against the Red Sox, with a not so stellar 3 runs while recording 1 out.

The Ugly


This Yankee offense has slowly moved from the bad part of the game to the ugly part of the game. Daniel Cabrera was good, but should he have kept the Yankees to 2 runs? And should 3 Baltimore middle relievers shut down these Yankee bats? When you give up 8 runs, it doesn't really matter, but we have some under performers on this team and they need to pick it up. Cano and Giambi have averages in the .100's range, and Damon is well on his way to being there too. A-Rod can't seem to hit when it matters anymore. When Chad Moeller is out hitting your regulars something needs to happen.

Respect Jeters Gangster is for the Children


We at the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog are all about the children. To that end we joined Johnny Damon's Homerun club, which helps raise money for the Children's Health Fund. We are set to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit. Throughout the season, we will keep a running tally of the homeruns hit, and the money raised. It looks like the scrappy Chad Moeller has added to the cause with a homerun of his own. Didn't see that coming:

Melky Cabrera 3hr = $3.00
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $4.00
Hideki Matsui 3 hr = $3.00
Bobby Abreu 2hr = $2.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Jason Giambi 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 1hr = $1.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 1hr = $1.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Total = $19.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Three In A Row

That's three stinkers in a row for Hughes. His first five innings were pretty good though and he should try to build off of that rather than spend the rest of the time between now and his next start thinking about the sixth. I know we have to have patience with these young pitchers but it's hard sometimes. But the season is young and it is still way to early to get worried.

The MY9 announcers made a good point that the Yankees should probably try to get a rotation order that doesn't have Hughes and Kennedy going back to back. That way when they take their lumps its at least not in consecutive games.

Offense is looking lethargic again. Cano can't hit at all, A-Rod can't hit with men in scoring position, so on and so forth. Cabrera is always a tough pitcher though, he almost no-hit us once until Cano broke it up in the ninth.

Breaking News: Manny Can Hit

So the big story seems to be that Manny can hit. Other headlines in today's paper included "Gravity Pulls Objects Towards Earth." I don't know what we'd do without sports writers and their oft overwhelming incite, but maybe Mussina, who I think reads newspapers regularly, might find out that he can't pitch anywhere near Manny. He and Girardi may be the only two people who don't quite appreciate that.

We know play Baltimore for a few games. I know you probably think Baltimore sucks, but this is their month. That team is always dangerous in April. We face Cabrera tonight and he is a good pitcher. But we should win the series even if we are playing the best April team in history.

Cano is still mired in a pretty bad slump. Part of the problem is he swings at everything, the other problem is that up to now he's gotten away with it. Frankly, he'll probably heat up, hit over .300 swinging at everything and continue to get away with it and not really change his approach. But I remember last year, after he and Melky started off really slow, they both agreed to stop swinging for the fences and just focus on getting hits. They both started hitting after that. Cano's only hit recently is a home run, I wonder if he's just trying to hit for power too much and that's messing up his approach. Not that he would be more patient, but he might adjust in a way that he's not grounding or flying out as much.

Red Sox Take it Back to Yankees

The Good

At least Derek Jeter appeared interested in scoring runs with another 2 RBI game. Melky hit his 3rd homerun of the season, and both Farnsworth and Traber combined to throw three scoreless innings.

The Bad

Dear Respect Jeter's Gangster,

Sorry for the late notice, but we were just visiting for the day. Hopefully next time we'll stay a little longer.

Sincerely,

The Offense

Alright, I can't be too upset with the offense since Beckett was solid last night, and they scored 5 runs. Any rally the Yankees had going would get squashed, and there's nothing more frustrating than that. And what's going on with A-Rod this season? I know its still early, but he had an opportunity to do some damage yesterday, and he popped up in foul territory. I don't expect him to replicate the season he had last year, but get some timely hits! It doesn't need to be a homerun. It can just be a single, or even a walk, anything to keep the momentum going.

Mussina was awful last night going 3 innings giving up 5 runs, not to mention 2 homeruns to Manny Ramirez. Albaladejo was rocked for a pair of runs in his first inning of relief, but then settled down to throw two scoreless innings.

The Ugly

Kyle Farnsworth threw a high fastball behind Manny Ramirez. It didn't hit him, but both teams were warned and the fans cheered him for it. Afterwards, he said the ball had "slipped". I think he should have came clean, but I guess when you have to face a team another 15 times or so, its better to keep that crap to yourself.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

We at the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog are all about the children. To that end we joined Johnny Damon's Homerun club, which helps raise money for the Children's Health Fund. We are set to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit. Throughout the season, we will keep a running tally of the homeruns hit, and the money raised. Yesterday, it didn't appear the Yankees would help the cause, until Melky Cabrera stepped up against Jonathan Papelbon in the 9th and deposited one in the right field seats:

Melky Cabrera 3hr = $3.00
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $4.00
Hideki Matsui 3 hr = $3.00
Bobby Abreu 2hr = $2.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Jason Giambi 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 1hr = $1.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 1hr = $1.00
Total = $18.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Offensive Surge Attributed to Motivational Speaker

In the last three games the Yankees have scored a combined 28 runs, taking two from the Rays, and the first game of a 2 game set against Boston. Last night however was the best offensive performance of the season as the Yankees went on the score 15 runs. Prior to these games, the Yankee offense looked inconsistant, lethargic, and disinterested in scoring runs. To help break his offense out of their slump, Yankee skipper Joe Girardi hired a motivational speaker for the game against Boston. The speaker worked wonders.

"I was running late yesterday." recounted Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi, "I was kind of speed walking my way towards the clubhouse, when I noticed this rythmic stomping. I couldn't really tell where it was coming from, but the closer I got to the clubhouse, the louder it got. When I got to the door the stomping was deafening, and it sounded like people were also pounding on metal trashcans or something. I opened the door slowly and was met by Girardi. He threw a navy blue underarmor shirt at me and told me to put it on. Man, I looked awesome! My biceps were bulging, my gut was tucked in, I felt like I could do some damage! I headed towards the locker room and saw the entire team wearing navy blue underarmor, and they were all stomping to the same beat. I joined in with them, not knowing what else to do. Myself, Farnsworth, Kennedy, Hughes, Moeller and Ohlendorf were all off beat, but we still stomped anyway. Some players were banging on trashcans just like I had thought. Then, this roided out black guy who was leading the stomping told us that we needed to protect this house. I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but he was pretty adament about it. He led us in a chant of 'We must protect this house!' for about a half hour, which he finished by yelling 'Underarmor!', to which we all responded with a manly 'Hoomph!'. After that, we suited up, and hit the field. It was awesome."

Yankees Beat Sox

The Good

Dear Offense,

The season started a couple weeks ago, but we're glad you finally made it. Hope you stay for a while!

Sincerely,

The New York Yankees

Wow, what a clobberfest. Its not every day your pitching gives up 9 runs and you still win by 6, but tonight was that night. Even though Wang wasn't very good, giving up 9 runs in 4 innings of work, several relievers stepped up to finish this game. Ohlendorf gave up a run on a couple hits and walks in an inning of work, but he struck out three batters to close the inning. Hawkins stepped up with a big 2 innings of scoreless relief with 2 strikeouts, and Traber and Bruney finished the game without allowing another run to score.

The story however was the offense. Every starting player had a hit today, with Abreu and A-Rod hitting homeruns, and Posada knocking in 3 runs on 2 doubles. Jeter, who has been on an absolute tear since returning from his quad injury, had 2 hits and 2 RBI's. The most inspiring bat however is Chad Moeller, who no one believed could hit. He had 3 singles and a walk today. With that kind of output, there's no real pressure to get Molina back before he may be ready.

The Bad

Well, Wang's 9 runs in 4 innings.

The Ugly

I watched tonights game on NESN, and one of their regular sponsors is Sullivan Tires. Sullivan Tires commercials are just awful, and tonight's one followed in line. It featured Dustin Pedroia getting interviewed by a little girl, who asks him the square root of 196. He doesn't know so she gives him a hint saying that its the number of a famous player. He still doesn't know, so then Jim Rice shows up and gives the answer, 14. Pedroia says "Whoa, its Jim Rice." in the most unsurprised voice as possible, and the commercial ended shortly thereafter. Sullivan Tires, if you're reading our blog, which I know you do, let us write your commercials. We couldn't do any worse.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

Respect Jeter's Gangster has joined Johnny Damon's Homerun Club which helps raise money for the Children's Health Fund (Both linked in the top right hand corner of our page). We are set to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. Tonight, A-Rod and Abreu helped the cause by hitting homeruns of their own. Thank you A & A boys. Thank you:

Melky Cabrera 2hr = $2.00
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $3.00
Hideki Matsui 3 hr = $2.00
Bobby Abreu 2hr = $1.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Jason Giambi 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 1hr = $1.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 1hr = $1.00
Total = $17.00

I Just Witnessed A Car Crash

What can you say about a game like that? It was ugly, but it was beautiful at the same time. The pitching was horrendous on both sides, at least until the Yankees got to Hawkins. Ohlendorf wasn't terrible but one inning pitched with one run is hardly good. The Sox pitching was way worse though, or at least 6 runs worse. The beauty was this offense coming alive in a major way. Not that they hadn't been scoring runs lately, they had, but not like this. Both offenses had great games, it was just a matter of whose pitching would be worse. Today it was Boston's.