By Richard Schortemeyer III

With two historic stadiums (mostly historic for one side, but just go with it) closing shop at the end of this season, the NY Mets and NY Yankees will have their last, and arguably most important, series in their old stomping grounds this weekend. Some very important questions will be answered:

1) Which NY Mets team will show up; the one that won 2 out of 3 against the AL West leading LA Angels of Anaheim or the one that, dreadfully, lost 2 out of 3 against the MLB cellar dwellers, the Seattle Mariners?

2) Can the NY Yankees rebound from their previous lost series against their local
foes?

3) How will Joba the Phenomenon respond to his first starting experience in this fierce interleague rivalry?

4) MOST IMPORTANTLY: How much damage will recently acquired NY Mets infielder Andy Phillips do to his former squad?

Should be a very exciting weekend in NY, and like one of NY’s finest says, I will be ” … in a NY State of Mind.” Stay tuned because this should be interesting.

In this oldtimers’ edition of “On the Record,” we’ll talk about a veteran hurler who’s, once again, ‘knuckling’ upwards, an INF/OF who’s providing a great veteran presence in a young crew’s lineup, and a veteran outfielder who’s trying to make another comeback by providing some more history at an extremely historic field.

Question #1

Who’s currently the best knuckleballer in MLB?

A great story this past week involving two knuckleballers on opposite sides of their careers: Seattle Mariners pitcher R.A. Dickey has been struggling to find a solid groove since his ML debut in the 2001 season. So what does he do? Probably the smartest move he’s made in his career. Before his start on Tuesday against the NY Mets, Dickey calls one of the best knuckleballers in MLB history, Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield for advice.

The conversation proved to be beneficial because Dickey pitched arguably the best game of his career, striking out five in seven strong shutout innings in an 11-0 victory and earning his first win as a starter in 2008. So, how does the teacher respond to that: he strikes out six in seven shutout innings, two-hitting the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 5-0 victory this past Wednesday. Words can’t explain how much I love these under-the-radar type stories.

Back to the question. It might be unfair to answer, since there are so few of them that exist. However, knuckleballer or not, Wakefield has been one of the best hurlers this past month. After a rather inconsistent start to his season, the ‘teacher’ has been more positively consistent recently. Ever since his worst outing of the season on May 23rd, giving up eight runs in five innings in an 8-3 loss at Oakland, Wakefield and his famous knuckler have stepped up, going at least seven innings and not allowing more than three runs in all of his last six starts, including that gem against Arizona.

With Schilling and Dice-K out of the rotation, you would have assumed that opponents would be taking advantage of a now young Boston staff. That definitely has not happened. While young hurlers Jon Lester (talk about great stories) and Justin Masterson have stepped up their games to another level, veterans Josh Beckett and Wakefield have followed suit.

Wakefield is one of the most stubborn pitchers out there. Just when you think this veteran is on the downfall of his career, he comes back the following season looking like he’s still in his prime. If your team is in need of pitching depth, a hurler who can give you innings and quality starts overall, I wouldn’t hesitate to take the current professor of all knuckleballers.

Question #2

Who’s becoming the new veteran presence for the Milwaukee Brewers?

For the last couple of seasons, it has been a youth movement for the Brew Crew. Players like Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun have already become stars in this league. However, you have to remember that these players are still very young and need some experience on the bench and in their lineup. It began with OF Geoff Jenkins, and earlier this year it was OF Gabe Kapler. Now, for the past month, that veteran experience has come from INF/OF Russell Branyan.

Mostly a bench player, since his debut in 1998, it looks like Branyan will set a few career highs in ‘08. Since he got into the lineup in late May, Branyan has hit double-digit HRs, and with nearly 20 RBIs, while batting close to .300. Since his ‘08 debut on May 25, the team has played like the team we were expecting to see - playing near .600 baseball during that stretch.

With Branyan not being a consistent starter in this league, you tend to take a side of caution even with this hot start to a season. I would give it another month or so and see if he stays ‘en fuego’ before considering picking him up to solidify your team’s bench.

Question #3

What former foe is now becoming a solid ally for the Chicago Cubs?

For 16 seasons, Jim Edmonds has been one of the league’s best all-around outfielders. As a member of the St. Louis Cardinals for eight of those seasons, he was a thorn in the side of the Chicago Cubs. In 126 career games against Chicago, he hit 32 HRs (most against any other team) with 75 RBIs while batting .270. For now, the Cubbies don’t have to worry about him as he’s become a beneficial asset for this NL Central leading squad.

With All-Star Alfonso Soriano currently on the shelf, Edmonds has stepped up to compensate for the loss. Since his debut in the Windy City in mid-June, he has hit close to ten HRs and driven in over 20 runs. Another impressive stat not to overlook is his nine BBs in nine games; this is not a fluke. Edmonds has developed a solid eye at the plate, proven by his five 85+ BB seasons since 2000.

The one major concern with Edmonds is injuries. Though not shown by the stat sheet, Edmonds has played through a lot of injuries in his career, so there is a durability issue. However, with two quality table setters (INF Ryan Theriot, OF Alfonso Soriano) and two quality big boppers (3B Aramis Ramirez, 1B Derrek Lee) in front of him in the lineup, this veteran should continue to get plenty of good pitches and opportunities to drive in runs.

After struggling the last couple seasons, this veteran, all-around, hard-noser has seemed to revive himself in the Windy City. With his solid resume of power and developed plate discipline, I would consider Edmonds to fill the #3 OF in your starting lineups.

Check back next week to see who’s “On the Record.”

Until next time, Adios all.