Asked to explain his Red-hot start, Bruce said simply "Sample size."

from: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/06/06/heyman.bruce/?eref=sircrc

Sometimes, I don't think Girardi reads the Baseball Prospectus on his shelf as closely as we'd like.

Let's go Yan-kees! Smoke 'em inside and go pound the Budweisers.

They did not call up a SS. That means if anything happens to Janish, Andy Phillips is the Reds' SS. (Er...has he played SS since his days with the Alabama Dinoflagelettes?)

Feinsand had some interesting stuff in his blog today. He reports Andy Phillips and his wife Bethany are expecting their first child in September. That's really good news, considering what happened with their last pregnancy.

He also reports that Edinson Volquez and Melky Cabrera used to play Little League together. Hence Voltron's fist-pump at getting Melky out.

Go figure.

derek jeter ... killer of rallys

they've got some good looking young pitchers (and we haven't even seen cueto yet)

this thompson kid can pitch

damon didn't break a bat this time

jeter didn't kill a rally

The Dodgers went 7-1 against the Reds this year.

Did you guys see this?

A switch-hitter facing a switch-pitcher!

Fucking crazy!

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-switchpitcherdebuts&prov=ap&type=lgns

The C & C boys, where innings go to die.

(get it, like slice and dice, because he's slicing and dicing the Reds hitters!)

I'll go away now.

In Kay's mind, the only fastball that is any good whatsoever is a 95 mph or better heater.

Also, a pitch at least that fast is ALWAYS good, regardless of location or movement. Kyle Farnsworth's pin straight, wild fastball is "Great" because he's hit 101 with it.

Kay would demand they trade Maddux for Brad Penny.

85 Sanchez's debut came in probably the most unseen game in recent Yankee history. It was the second game of a Sunday day-night double header, plus it was raining. The official attendance was only 6,808, and the game was blacked out thanks to ESPN.

crap.

But the way the offense is going, it might not matter at all.

Is that supposed to console me?

Look, if you think the Damon and Geise plays weren't easy and weren't turning points, so be it. I happen to think the affirmative on both counts. I have no problem assigning some blame to a pathetic offense though.

"Because I can't remember the last left fielder who lost a ball in the lights."

Here are two, by Yankees' opponents in the play-offs:

http://tinyurl.com/42kxvj

http://tinyurl.com/3ksqfg

"if you think the Damon and Geise plays weren't easy and weren't turning points..."

I am not talking about yesterday, but I have a hard time seeing Geise's play as a "turning point" when the Yankee's offense scored ZERO runs anyway. Geise's play didn't allow the two extra runs to score the next inning either, when the Yankees still scored ZERO runs. I do see that you are willing to "assigne some blame" to the offense, which scored ZERO runs.

By the way, remind me, I don't remember the last time a team won when it scored ZERO runs.

You and William make a nice pair though.

Also, one of your links dealt with a player losing a ball in the sun, not the lights. The other was 9 years ago, so it seems most of the other left fielders have been ok. Damon has to catch that ball. If you want to accept the lights as an excuse, again, we are on a different page.

While I may be laboring under the false premise of predetermined outcome, I believe that your premise of "turning points" is equally problematic, since I see no reason to conclude that an error in the 7th inning made the offense not score runs in the 7th through 9th, let alone explain the lack of offense in the 1st through 6th, or the lack of offense the day before. Likewsie, I have a hard time accepting that Geise's error made the BP give up 2 more runs.

Moreover, the poor defense by Geise and (arguably) A-Rod could all have been rendered moot had Geise made a better pitch on 0-2 with two outs.

Finally, you too are falling into the predetermined outcome trap by assuming that the defensive gaffs are what did in the team. For example, if Geise makes the DP throw, do we know that he would have continued to pitch well? Maybe he would have lost his edge and given up a gopher ball, etc.

So, when all is said and done, your bitching and moaning about the defense causing two losses just doesn't add up, in my opinion. The defense contributed to be sure, but the team lost two games mainly because it scored 2 and 0 runs.

===

PS--the two links that I turned up were found after about a three minute google search, they are by no means meant as an exhaustive collection of data. If I had the desire, I am sure I could turn up more examples. But then, that was not really the point.