In what is becomming a Wezen-ball staple, Lar takes on something that no one else thought of but everyone flat out loves. Today’s posting is no different:

But what would a list like this be without a little personal taste thrown in? I’ve listed the thirty ballclubs and their roster of statues below, in order of my most favorite collection of statues to my least favorite (based solely on their pictures, of course). This is in no way scientific, so I can’t say that the factors involved in each club’s rank are perfectly consistent across the league. However, the factors did tend to focus on uniqueness, execution, and number (I tend not to like too many statues). I’ll explain my choices as I list them. And if there’s anything the internet has taught me, it’s that most of you will disagree with me in some way. Which is fine. We’re only talking about team statues, after all.

Just incredible, Lar.

And his Yanks’ rank:

15. Yankees: Don Larsen, Yogi Berra. The monuments in Monument Park don’t fit the scope of this post. Are these the only two statues in Yankee Stadium? It’s a good design, with Larsen pitching to Yogi, but a little too simple.

Now, I am biased but I love how the exhibit (hundreds of autographed baseballs under the flight of the pitch from Larsen to Berra) just flows.

You can see it in the picture to the right. Larsen (out of shot) is on the other end. Notice the home plate and batters boxes, too. It’s really neat.

The virtual path of the ball acts as the line below which contains a ridiculous display of autographed baseballs (below)

The first recent iron in the fire regarding “is Joba a starter or reliever” is getting that bright orange glow, though this time, he’s got company:

The transformation was so blatant, in fact, that the No. 5 starter competition between Chamberlain and Phil Hughes is almost over two weeks before pitchers and catchers even report.

[...]

The Yankees never would admit it publicly, but if the season were to begin today, Hughes would be in the rotation and Joba would be Mariano Rivera’s primary set-up man — and, perhaps, heir apparent.

Let’s quickly recap Joba’s career to date:

1. 2007: Comes in to the majors as fire-breathing 8th inning tornado. Posts a 0.38 ERA in 19 relief appearances. Rings up 12.8 K/9IP with an unreal 5.37 K/BB ratio thanks to a 0.75 WHIP. A phenomenon is born.
2. 2008: A bit of relieving (30 games) and starting (12 games) bumps the ERA to 2.60, still stellar. His K/9IP dips to 10.6 and his K/BB ratio dips in kind to 3.03, partially to the fewer K’s, but also to an increase in BB/9IP from 2.3 to 3.5.
3. 2009: Joba Rules in full effect as he’s transitioned to full time starter. Makes 31 starts versus 1 relief appearance. ERA is sitting on the business end of the see-saw, rising to 4.75 while his K/9IP and K/BB ratios tank to 7.6 and 1.75, respectively. His late-season workload becomes laughable as he’s locked into innings/pitch limits. Upon beginning the playoffs, the Yanks decide to use a three man rotation rather than put Joba out there. Joba re-enters the bullpen and instantly redescovers his fire.

Now, let’s do the same with Phil Hughes’ career, to date:

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