MLB Advanced Media advances their view via the bully pulpit, but Red Sox' Joe Castiglione knows the truth.

Listening to Angels-Red Sox play by play on XM Friday night, I got the Red Sox guys' view of the Yankee-Indian game. The score was tied at 1-1:

• Joe Castiglione: "Is Rivera coming back?" (asking his booth-mates what was happening in the bottom of the 11 th inning).

No answer, muffled sounds in the background, perhaps persons in the process of finding out the answer to Castiglione's question.

• Castigione: Not immediately having that answer, he suggests, "How many pitches has Rivera thrown?"

Crew still efforting, no answer.

• Castiglione: "Is Rivera coming out?"

Finally someone gives him the answer, and Joe says:

• Castiglione: "Rivera's out." OK.

Mariano Rivera had already pitched 2 scoreless innings in the tie game. Castiglione was asking if he was COMING OUT FOR A THIRD INNING. It was not a 'SAVE OPPORTUNITY' either. Unlike employees of MLB Advanced Media, Joe Castiglione is quite familiar with how Mariano Rivera has been used for the past 12 regular seasons and 13 consecutive post seasons. As the radio voice for the Red Sox during that time, he's actually seen Rivera pitch 3 consecutive scoreless innings (2003 post season, Game 7 ALCS) in a tie game. (Rivera got the Win in that game).

• THAT'S WHY YOU HEARD CASTIGLIONE REPEATEDLY TRY TO FIND OUT IF RIVERA WAS COMING IN FOR A 3rd CONSECUTIVE INNING IN GAME 2 OF THE ALDS GAME YANKS-INDIANS. Joe knows Rivera and his manager don't wait around for "saves" or "save opportunities," a distortion of Rivera's value still put forth by MLB.com which provides content for all MLB websites.

The latest is from a select MLB Advanced Media megaphone named Anthony DiComo. If he's the same Anthony DiComo who wrote for a Boston University student newspaper in 2004 as a sophomore, that would've made him 11 years old when Mariano Rivera burst onto the late inning relief scene in the post season of 1995.

• So Mr. DiComo, perhaps the same who wrote for a BU student paper in 2004, now writes for the multi-billion dollar behemoth, MLB Advanced Media. Even after knowing what Rivera did in Friday night's ALDS game v the Indians (2 consecutive scoreless innings in a tie game in A NON-SAVE SITUATION) he's permitted to leave the world with the following characterization of Mariano in the 2001 ALDS when the Yanks were also down 0-2:

"Mariano Rivera was there, too, sitting helplessly without a save opportunity against the Athletics." From MLB.com, 10/6/07, "Yankees Territory Not Foreign," by Anthony DiComo.

• Of all the things he could say about Rivera, that's the chosen one-- and he had plenty of space in which to elaborate. DiComo went on to detail the Jeter tag of Jeremy Giambi in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS. Fine.

DiComo may have checked other stats like the 2001 World Series in which case he'd know his characterization of Rivera as "sitting helplessly" waiting for "save opportunities" was a sad lie:

• Mariano Rivera pitched 3 days in a row at one point in the 2001 World Series, and only 1 of the 3 days was a "save opportunity." The other 2 games were tied. No "save opportunity,' and both were extra innings.
• He pitched the 8th and 9th on 10/30/01 for a save (final score 2-1);

• He pitched the 10th on 10/31 in a TIE game which the Yankees won in 10, score 4-3;

• and He pitched a third day in a row on 11/1/01 for 2 innings, the 10th and 11th in a TIE game, which the Yankees won in 12 score 3-2. (Baseball-Reference).

MLB Advanced Media advances an incorrect view of Mariano Rivera's place in the game, but one which Goose Gossage and certain others would happily approve. Red Sox play by play veteran Joe Castiglione knows the truth.

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Joe Borowski for Cy Young---Buck Martinez said on XM 175

On Friday morning's (8/31) show on XM 175, Buck Martinez suggests names to consider for AL Cy Young this year, and Joe Borowski was on the list. He says Joe has given the Indians a great edge this year with "saves" in many tight games (this is true), acknowledges that in stats other than "saves," he doesn't look good, but...

• "OH, THOSE "SAVES." (Buck Martinez' words).
• (P.S. The Cy Young Award can mean millions of dollars and immortality). sm

Borowski had definitely pitched his heart out for the Indians the night before, and although he "blew the save," he got the "win" in the end (v Seattle) in a game Seattle needed more than the Indians. The guy's been out there doing a great job, no question. An Indian fan then emailed the XM show begging to differ with Buck's idea for Joe Borowski for Cy Young. They read the email on the air with the Indian fan saying he gets acute stomach pains every time Borowski comes in the game. Buck says, well, I know he looks bad in other stats, but...

• "OH, THOSE "SAVES." (says Buck Martinez again.).

Selling the "total saves" stat (which can only begin with "opportunities" supplied by a willing manager, team, and owner) to the exclusion of everything else has been job #1 for years by the centralized baseball media, ESPN/MLB/internet platforms, for several reasons. Which should be obvious, but if not, I've explained them here numerous times.

• If Buck and Baseball want to focus only on the "total save" stat, then certainly run a contest or create an award for this every year. Buck Martinez has completely lost his credibility for selling out in this way, and I used to enjoy listening to him. He's saying someone is the best pitcher only because of saves, a joke to begin with. The 2nd problem is Buck, who has more credibility than your average guy, uses it to wax poetic and romantic about the save stat itself, and repeatedly.

I looked up Borowski's performance on Baseball-Reference. What happens if your closer NEVER can pitch more than 1 inning?

• Answer: You need an entire other human being to pitch in the game. Is that a small thing? If it's a small thing, why doesn't Borowski ever pitch more than 1 inning if his team needs him?

Other closers do the work of 2 Joe Borowski's on occasion, but Buck has shown he wants to hide this fact, to cheat or ignore the extra, often more difficult work done by relievers with more skill and flexibility and more value to their team. He does the same in the case of closers "entering with runners on base"---doesn't mention it. Well, it's an official stat, so why not? Because then you might look at the many other stats that go into a closer's performance.

• I checked Borowski's 2006 record: It offers clues to Borowski's limited use: He had 3 occasions in 2006 when he pitched more than 1 inning, and none went well. On 5/16/06, he went 1.1IP and got a Loss; on 7/4/06, he went 1.1IP and got a Blown Save and Loss; and on 9/9/06, he went 1.2 IP and got a Blown Save and Win (3BB, 1H, 1 ER).

Baseball-Reference

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