Altagracia Ramirez Has Fallen, Thank you very much ( alta gracias )

 I feel lucky today.

It is likely that we shall not again this year have to listen to that tired crap about, " what a great arm this kid has."

What makes a great arm, anyway?

Is it the ability to pump iron?  To throw 100 consecutive innings, and be ready to start the next day?

The guys ( and gals ) in the booth seem to think it is a matter of velocity ( 97 MPH or more, on more than one occasion ).

But does that make the 94 MPH fastball emanate from a " not so great arm?"

Clearly, these broadcasters have no insights and nothing better to do than make up stuff that sounds meaningful.  I can give them some slack, given that every pitch, pitching change, foul ball, stolen base, double, pop-up , fly ball , etc. is sponsored by some insurance company, or a New Jersey factory selling boilers.  And each must be read with enthusiasm and awe by our baseball commentators.

But a great arm is something that Jimmy Key had, Ron Guidrey had, Whitey had. Tananka has a great arm ( unless Girardi ruins it in his desperate attempt to stay on the edge of .500 for the season ). Pitchers who come out every turn, every year, and get big outs in big games have great arms, even if they throw an 89 MPH fastball. Guys who win world series games have great arms.  Andy Pettitte had a great arm.

A great arm is not owned by some half wit ( okay, that could be unfair ) who throws hard, but each pitch is always a foot off the plate.  A great arm is not some guy wearing a weird cap whose velocity has no impact on the flight of the ball (  i.e no movement ), and whose pitches in the strike zone are consistently hammered by major league hitters.  A great arm is not owned by Altagracia Ramirez who can't get an out with a 7-1 lead in a game between two dog teams going nowhere, at mid season.

I will say, as an aside, if he pitched against this 2014 Yankee team, he would probably do very well.

In any case, we are rid of him.  He got the bus ticket back to the minors and I'm not sure he is even assigned to a team down there.

He may be destined for the cane fields of the Dominican.

Good riddance.

I hate to see such a great arm wasted.