Steven Goldman
Encyclopedia
Steven Goldman is a sports writer on baseball and a commentator on the New York Yankees
and at times on the New York Mets
. Goldman writes "The Pinstriped Bible" and "The Pinstriped Blog" for the Yankees' YES Network
website. Since January 2011 he has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Baseball Prospectus
website, and since 2004 has written "You Could Look it Up" column during the season as well as edited or co-edited several volumes of the Baseball Prospectus annual. He was a sports columnist for The New York Sun until the paper's demise in September 2008.
In his writings on the YES Network and the Sun, he criticized Yankees manager Joe Torre for moves that he thought cost the Yankees the World Series
. He repeatedly claimed that one of Torre's major mistakes in the 2003 World Series
was when in Game 4 in the 11th inning Torre inserted Jeff Weaver
, who had not pitched in more than 12 days, as the relief pitcher instead of the Baseball Hall of Fame candidate and closer
Mariano Rivera
. Rivera was considered the best closer of all time and is the all time Major League postseason leader in saves and ERA
. He was also considered the best postseason relief pitcher of all time. Instead, Weaver gave up a walk-off home run in the 12th inning to the Florida Marlins
' Álex González. Goldman also attributed partial blame to both Torre and hitting coach Don Mattingly
for the Yankees' playoff losses in 2004 and 2006. During both the last four games of the 4-3 loss in the 2004 American League Championship Series
to the Boston Red Sox
and the 3-1 loss in the 2006 American League Division Series to the Detroit Tigers
, Goldman claims the Yankees did not hit well because they were not patient at the plate, unlike during the regular season.
Another theme in Goldman's writings is the Yankees' lack of young pitchers in recent years. He mentions that during the 2003-2004 off-season, Roger Clemens
, Andy Pettitte
and David Wells
all left the Yankees as free-agents to pitch for their hometown teams, and after that the Yankees' pitching deteriorated, though both Pettitte and Clemens were again with the Yankees in the 2007 season (Clemens joining only halfway through the season).
during his peak but after the 2006 season believed Williams was no longer the player he once was and should not take at-bats away from the young fourth outfielder, Melky Cabrera
. His skepticism about Williams brought upon him the criticism of Yankee fans who remembered Williams at his peak when the Yankees won four World Series. Williams was, in fact, dropped from the Yankees lineup.
who went through fielding and hitting slumps in the 2006 regular season and did not hit well in the post-season as a Yankee since game 3 of the 2004 ALCS
. Goldman repeatedly rebuffed his critics and was strongly against trading Rodriguez, despite the rumors circulating in the 2006-2007 off-season that Rodriguez would be traded. Goldman claimed that even if Rodriguez were traded for someone of equivalent value, the Yankees would deteriorate in hitting because of a downgrade at third base. The only third basemen who was then hitting better than Rodriguez were the Mets' David Wright
and the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera
. Rodriguez went on in 2007 to win the Most Valuable Player Award in the American League
, though once again his performance in the playoffs was disappointing.
's administration and its decision to send troops to Iraq
. He occasionally writes about politics in the Pinstriped Blog and refers to it in the Sun. There has been no reported conflict between him and the Suns conservative editorial board.
ancestry. A resident of East Brunswick Township, New Jersey
, he is a graduate of East Brunswick High School
and Rutgers University
.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and at times on the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. Goldman writes "The Pinstriped Bible" and "The Pinstriped Blog" for the Yankees' YES Network
YES Network
The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
website. Since January 2011 he has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Baseball Prospectus
Baseball Prospectus
Baseball Prospectus is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well player and team performance projections on the site...
website, and since 2004 has written "You Could Look it Up" column during the season as well as edited or co-edited several volumes of the Baseball Prospectus annual. He was a sports columnist for The New York Sun until the paper's demise in September 2008.
Style
Goldman has a humorous writing style and for comic effect he often uses exaggerated analogies when describing players' skills. He is bold in criticizing decisions of general managers and coaches and humorously deriding them.In his writings on the YES Network and the Sun, he criticized Yankees manager Joe Torre for moves that he thought cost the Yankees the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. He repeatedly claimed that one of Torre's major mistakes in the 2003 World Series
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...
was when in Game 4 in the 11th inning Torre inserted Jeff Weaver
Jeff Weaver
Jeffrey Charles Weaver is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has pitched in the majors for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinals, and Seattle Mariners...
, who had not pitched in more than 12 days, as the relief pitcher instead of the Baseball Hall of Fame candidate and closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer...
. Rivera was considered the best closer of all time and is the all time Major League postseason leader in saves and ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
. He was also considered the best postseason relief pitcher of all time. Instead, Weaver gave up a walk-off home run in the 12th inning to the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
' Álex González. Goldman also attributed partial blame to both Torre and hitting coach Don Mattingly
Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
for the Yankees' playoff losses in 2004 and 2006. During both the last four games of the 4-3 loss in the 2004 American League Championship Series
2004 American League Championship Series
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season. It was played between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, at Fenway Park and the original Yankee Stadium, from October 12 to October 20, 2004...
to the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
and the 3-1 loss in the 2006 American League Division Series to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, Goldman claims the Yankees did not hit well because they were not patient at the plate, unlike during the regular season.
Themes
One of Goldman's themes is the Yankees' lack of success in developing young pitchers. He attributes it partially to the Yankees' expensive free-agent acquisitions that cost them draft picks, but he also notes how at times young pitchers who struggled with the Yankees were traded to other teams and fared better there, and even sometimes won a World Series with the new team. He suspects that lack of skill and impatience in coaching are the causes.Another theme in Goldman's writings is the Yankees' lack of young pitchers in recent years. He mentions that during the 2003-2004 off-season, Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
, Andy Pettitte
Andy Pettitte
Andrew Eugene Pettitte is a retired American left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher.In his major league career, he played for the New York Yankees from 1995–2003. He then signed with the Houston Astros, and played for them from 2004 through 2006. In 2007, Pettitte rejoined the Yankees...
and David Wells
David Wells
David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history...
all left the Yankees as free-agents to pitch for their hometown teams, and after that the Yankees' pitching deteriorated, though both Pettitte and Clemens were again with the Yankees in the 2007 season (Clemens joining only halfway through the season).
Bernie Williams
Goldman was a fan of Bernie WilliamsBernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...
during his peak but after the 2006 season believed Williams was no longer the player he once was and should not take at-bats away from the young fourth outfielder, Melky Cabrera
Melky Cabrera
Melky Astacio Cabrera is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants.-Minors:Cabrera was signed by the New York Yankees on November 13, 2001, at age 17...
. His skepticism about Williams brought upon him the criticism of Yankee fans who remembered Williams at his peak when the Yankees won four World Series. Williams was, in fact, dropped from the Yankees lineup.
Alex Rodriguez
Goldman stands out as a staunch supporter of Yankees third baseman Alex RodriguezAlex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
who went through fielding and hitting slumps in the 2006 regular season and did not hit well in the post-season as a Yankee since game 3 of the 2004 ALCS
2004 American League Championship Series
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season. It was played between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, at Fenway Park and the original Yankee Stadium, from October 12 to October 20, 2004...
. Goldman repeatedly rebuffed his critics and was strongly against trading Rodriguez, despite the rumors circulating in the 2006-2007 off-season that Rodriguez would be traded. Goldman claimed that even if Rodriguez were traded for someone of equivalent value, the Yankees would deteriorate in hitting because of a downgrade at third base. The only third basemen who was then hitting better than Rodriguez were the Mets' David Wright
David Wright (baseball player)
David Wright is an American baseball player, who plays third base for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.He was drafted by the Mets in 2001, and made his Major League debut in 2004. Wright is a five-time All-Star, and won the Gold Glove Award and the Silver Slugger Award in 2007 and 2008...
and the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera
Miguel Cabrera
José Miguel Cabrera Torres nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
. Rodriguez went on in 2007 to win the Most Valuable Player Award in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, though once again his performance in the playoffs was disappointing.
Expertise in other areas
Goldman frequently engages in non-baseball-related discussions on topics of food, music, American history, politics, and obscure movies, writing at length about those topics in the Pinstriped Blog and his chats on Baseball Prospectus.com. He is also a vocal critic of President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's administration and its decision to send troops to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. He occasionally writes about politics in the Pinstriped Blog and refers to it in the Sun. There has been no reported conflict between him and the Suns conservative editorial board.
Books
Goldman edited BP's books Mind Game (2005 — ISBN 0-7611-4018-2) and It Ain't Over 'til It's Over (2007 – ISBN 0-465-00284-6), as well as authored his own book Forging Genius: The Making of Casey Stengel (2005 — ISBN 1-57488-873-0) (2006 — ISBN 1-57488-874-9). He also co-edited the 2006, 2007 and 2008 editions of the Baseball Prospectus annual.Personal
Goldman has both Jewish and FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
ancestry. A resident of East Brunswick Township, New Jersey
East Brunswick Township, New Jersey
The town is located southwest of New York City and 48 miles northeast of Philadelphia.Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Raritan River, runs along the western border of the township...
, he is a graduate of East Brunswick High School
East Brunswick High School
East Brunswick High School is a comprehensive public high school serving students in grades 10 through 12 in East Brunswick Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, operating as part of East Brunswick Public Schools. The school was recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program in the 1990-91...
and Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
.
External links
- The Pinstriped Bible, Yankees' YES NetworkYES NetworkThe Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
- The Pinstriped Blog, Yankees' YES Network
- You Could Look It Up archives, Baseball Prospectus
- Archived columns at The New York Sun
- Wholesome Reading, Steven Goldman's Blog