Six months of heartache and it ends not with a bang, but a whimper.

but screw history. i mean, they just closed Yankee Stadium. if that can happen, moose can get 20.

last crazy prediction of 2008:

moose: 6 IP 7 H 3 ER 4 K 1 BB
dice: 7 IP 5 H 4 ER 1 K 5 BB

gardner: 2-3 2 BB 1 RBI 2 SB
A Rod: 3R HR
Molina : Sac Fly 1 RBI

Final: 5-3

Dice has great junk, which he rarely throws for a strike. Even with 3 balls, he throws junk.

I know this sounds easy... but you have to let him walk you. You have to be VERY selective. If you swing at the junk, he will beat you. I think you literally have a better chance of beating him if you don't swing at all... until he has walked 2 men. I have to admire that he doesn't give in, and he knows he's going to walk guys. It doesn't bother him.

You have to take a strike... meybe 2. If you play his game, he is VERY very tough.

And I rip my hair out.

i also agree with you on matsuzaka - he throws crap and most hitters fall for it and they have to make themselves lay off of it.

according to petey, girardi says they are leaning to joba as a starter next year and will find a way to manage his innings. to me that implies they won't mess with putting him in the bullpen to start the year, which i think will make things easier on him, plus the yanks get him as a starter for the bulk of the season.

Dice-K has the most walks in the AL, and the 6 guys trailing him have all thrown between 20 and 60 more innings. He walks 5.1 guys a game, by far the league leader.

There is no one in the AL with a greater discrepancy between his actual ERA and what his ERA should be based on his component stats, than Dice-K. (Real ERA 2.80, xFIP (expected fielding independent ERA 4.86.)

I think the Yanks crush him today, and Moose wins #20 with ease.

(The funny thing is, most of RSN thinks they are golden in the postseason with a top 3 of Beckett-Lester-Dice-K. They may be in for a very rude awakening.)

That hit by Everett is still as clear as day in my mind...crazy. And it still felt more like a perfect game to me (or at least, what one should be) than other successful attempts. But that's the story of Moose.

What's the point of talking to Teixeira at $20 mil/per when he only gives you a small bump over Giambi. It's possible that there just won't be anyone else available at first for Giambi's $/vorp $/OPS+. Finally, you know he can deal with NY and with the clubhouse. That certainty has real value.

11
1) That's what Spring Training is for figuring out!
2) Cashman stays.
3) Too early to even guess at alternatives.

Sorry. That just came out.

BTW, how psyched are Twins' fans that, instead of facing likely Cy Young Winner Cliff Lee, instead the ChiSox get washed up failed prospect Bryan Bullington?

make it stand Mikey Moose!!!

Now lets get through five.

has anyone figured out why bladness is so highly correlated with scrapiness? dusty is going to have to re-grow that hideous neck beard and transplant it to his head pretty soon.

Also, if he pitches 2/3 of an inning, he'll hit 200 IP for the first time since 2003 (He topped out at 197.3 in 06.

I think Mo could pitch the ninth even if we have a seven run lead, actually.

yes, 56-35.

But I see your point. It will look like a beer softball league.

With the fatass pitcher to boot.

Willie Randolph might be grinning just a wee bit?

Poor Mets.

why did girardi pull moose?

Will Hal make a statement that its unfair that the Mets missed the playoffs by only one game, while the Yanks, with the same record, missed the playoffs by more?

200.3 IP, 214 H 31 BB 150 K 3.37 ERA 1.26 WHIP

Sarah Palin?

WTF is Joba trying to do, give us all heart attacks!?!?

. . . drafted by the Mets and then traded for peanuts (Jason Vargas and Adam Bostock). Whoops, Omar?

Marte has actually pitched quite well against the Sox in his career - so has Edwar.

maybe its a denial of service attack :-)

Strange days indeed.

Mo for Moose!!!

If they piss away this lead, Girardi better pull Snacks and let Moose get an out to get the win tonight.

there is but one mo!

3 outs to go.

papi, youk await in the 9th.

yanks: please score more runs!!!

And Mo. Whew.

183 Or at least dock his pay for next year.

(checks gameday ...)

EXCELLENT DECISION!

Not that I ever wish injury on anybody.

I just want more runs for Moose, I don't care who drives 'em in or allows them to score.

Oh, sweet! HA!

Any shots of Moose in the dugout? He must be so excited!

or agate ... :-)

ah, set up the dp : )

But I'm not a Sox fan.

255 OOOOh! What did he do?

254 1. Do whatever it takes to meet step 3.
2. ?????
3. Profits!

someone on the banter predicted he would flame out and not have a really long career - i think that's a very good prediction.

I could see Paps doing some Ultimate Fighting ...

congratulations man, well deserved.

MOOSE DID IT!

what a helluva season for those two seasoned vets.

the pride of Montoursville, PA. i used to live/work there... : )

Entertaining win if you're a Yankee fan.

Mets are sitting shiva ...

267 I've been saying for a while that he seems to have a lotta John Rocker flame out potential in him. Ten cent headcase.

And BEAUTIFUL for Moose. Oh, man, I am soooo happy about that, I'm sure we all are. Moose has long been a Bronx Banter favorite. Maybe this pushes him over the hump for the Hall, especially if he returns and makes a run at 300. And if this was his last game, if he retires, he went out on a great note.

But hey, The Simpsons starts up again tonight.

How cool is this?

This is like an exhibition game. Let's pad some stats boys!

LOL

Somehow that seems appropriate to me.

316 comments..good to see everyone up for the last game of the season..

Go Rays!!

No more Carl Pavano!!!

God forbid. But just saying.

Hey... maybe this one can go long and wear out some Sox arms. And anyone read that Beckett has an oblique strain and may be out for the PS?

So... A quick shout and thank you to Alex and Cliff for providing another year of the finest Yankee's blog on the net.

i'm turning my sights to the Hanshin Tigers until NBA season starts.. Tigers in a dogfight with the hated Yomiuri Giants this season..

Thanks again to Alex and Cliff for another great season of blogging.

89 wins with no Wang, Posada, Matsui, zero Ws from the kids, and too many starts from Ponson and Rasner...

remember, the banter doesn't take a day off, regardless of games, so we'll be around here throughout the long, cold winter.

and, of course, thanks to Baseball. (even if the baseball gods pissed on the bronx this year...)

352 I was very unhappy with Girardi in-game management, but was very pleased that the team did not quit on him at a time when it would have been easy to do so. I'd really like to see Girardi bring in a very experienced bench coach.

I said it at the time and feel it strongly now...the Wang injury was the death knell and it could have and should have been prevented.

354 Exactly...no need for good byes here. There are playoffs, hot stove, the WBC and before you know it Opening Day in the new Yankee Stadium.

And, yes, I remember how bad the late 80's were so I know it can be much worse.

One think Tokyo said was 89 wins with all the problems. Good point. And 89 win with 783 runs scored, a 104 OPS+ and 100 ERA+

Well, I'll stick around (you can all groan now) for the whole thing too.

In other interesting news.

Rivera got his 49th save in a game that Mussina won, trailing only the combination of Oakland's Bob Welch and Dennis Eckersley (57) and the Yankees' Andy Pettitte and Rivera (55).

hey, Moose -- come back for 1 and stay for 3!!!

i would love moose to end up 300/3,000. that would be awesome.

big unit won his 295th today. sheff sitting on 499 homers...

And in his 8 years in pinstripes, Moose never did. Or never seemed to.

Well, the playoffs will sure be interesting. Anyone going to be here tomorrow for ChiSox-Tigers?

I like Minnesota more, but I'd almost perfer to see the ChiSox win tomorrow (err, today now), so that we get Game 163 on Tuesday.

Good night all, and thanks again to Alex, Cliff and Co. And you all too.

Well, I guess this is it.

I'm not looking forward to next season and the new stadium.

I'm demoralized every time I think of it.

Yet, I want the next season to begin as soon as possible, only, not in the new stadium.

In other news, fabulous for Mike. I sure hope he doesn't hang 'em up. I'd love to see him stick around a bit longer.

And I notice that the AL homerun leader has but 37 dingers.

That makes me happy. Maybe the homerun boom is correcting itself much like our economy.

Twenties were a longball era, nineties were a longball era.

I don't know if homers decreased after 1929 (I'm guessing they did not), but it is fascinating that Brady Anderson hit 54 homeruns--what, about fifteen years ago?--and today we're back to normal.

Reggie won one year with 32, did he not?

I do look forward to a new era in baseball when teams get back to, well, playing baseball.

A guy can dream, can't he?

I'll be around, hope you guys are too. There is plenty of baseball if you know where to look; playoffs, world series, NPB series, winter ball, Serie del Caribe, WBC, and the next thing you know, pitchers and catchers'll be reporting.

Speaking of the WBC, they're playing games in Toronto, I may be making the run up there. If anyone's interested, closer to the date drop me a line...