I had the Red Sox as favorites in game one of the series and the Yankees as very slight favorites in game two of the series.
vr, Xei

I think we torch Beckett, so it'll be up to Karstens to keep the score down on the other end. I predict Matsuzaka will hold the Yankees to 3, maybe 4, runs at the most. Wright will either have to be so good that he pulls a Gustavo Chacin, or we'll have to get into the bullpen to win.

This is particularly ugly and painful to start the season. It's really hard to know what kind of team we're going to have by July. Who will be pitching? Who will be hurt? Which bullpen guys will be the "trusted" favorites?

Why burn the LOOGY on Ortiz leading off the bottom of the eighth when you hold a four run lead? Leave Proctor in, or another righty; even if Ortiz goes deep, it's still a three-run lead with no one on and the righthander you wanted anyway against ManRam. If the inning gets to be trouble (and it did) the LOOGY is still there for Drew or Varitek. Then maybe Rivera only has to pitch the ninth.

I made just a couple observations from that perverted game.

Why is Joe constanty pinch-running in the middle to late innings for Giambi? He hasn't played a game at 1B all year, does he need rest? I know he isn't Vince Coleman on the base-paths, but did he seriously think a 4 run lead in the 7th (with Boston yet to bat) was game set and match against the Red Sox? Would we have won the game, who knows? But this is the third time this season we needed Giambi to bat and to protect Arod, but he was taken out as early as the 6th inning. That is nothing more than incompetence. Especially considering Joe did nothing following the move to plate that run.

He went with Thompson because he has more experience and Joe figured it was the "right thing to do." He may be right in a perfect world where no one wins and no one loses, but sheesh.

It also didn't help that the entire offense sputtered, and Arod kept it close.

This game also illustrated what happens to this club without Posada, bot behind the dish and at the plate. Those who believe he's at his end and think we should look for a replacement are out of their minds. Expect many games like this if Posada ever goes down for an extended period of time. He is as important to this team at Jeter, Arod or Mo, no doubt about it.

It's just one game, but Joe's robotic managing drives me nuts. Doesn't mean it's time for him to go, but come the hell on already.

I'm not worried about Mo, but I'm starting to think it was a big mistake to go with Nieves as backup catcher.

I know there's a shortage of catching talent out there, but they should have gotten a young catcher of the future this year, if not last. I love Jorgie, and I don't think he's in decline yet, but he's geriatric for a catcher. It would be nice to be able to give him some time off without adding an insta-out to the lineup.

Wish we hadn't traded Dioner Navarro for Randy Johnson...

I was on the way home last night and my bro filled me in on what happened in the game. My first reaction was, "who was the reliever? don't tell me it was Farnsworth." My second reaction was, "Why use Vizcaino? didn't he just pitch and lost the game the night before?"

The lineups in the next two games look funny even just on paper.

5 Same here, I have chills just thinking about the backup catchers for the Yanks.

Well last night sucked. Mudhens lost, they actually had a 5-2 lead against Buffalo's best pitcher, Andrew Miller (look for him to be up with Cleveland in a month or two) but the usual stellar bullpen blew it. The guy behind me had the Yanks-Sox score on his phone, so that was some relief. Yanks still had the 6-2 lead while listening on the radio on the way home. Walk in the door, turn the tv on and a 6-2 lead was now 6-7. Ugh. Almost missed the game with a bloody nose before hand (stupid allergies).
Bad night at Blackrock all around.

Mo's problem is simply that he's not getting enough work. More work = tired arm = not leaving the ball up.

Any one else feel absolutely ill this morning? Just sick to my stomach...

I think Torre is a HOFer but his time has passed. How long has he been Mo's manager? We've known 8 (not getting enough work) for years, and yet Torre has to relearn it every year?

And to further that, they'll start Mfhdoiljgkvf and Nieves today and tomorrow. [Wretch]

I agree with Cliff - anything less than a sweep and the Sox have to feel bad.

Too bad there's no Matsui; if he were back we could ride out the Nieves crap-p-thon by DHing Matsui, playing Melky in LF, & putting Jason in the field.... Though now we should probably be looking to play Phelps as much as possible.... and probably use him to PH for Nieves as much as possible. How bad of a C can he be? ;) (this could be interesting)

Why are FUCKING Wil Nieves and Doug Mfrheiovdvh on this team???

[sorry had to get that out]

oh blargh.

11 No good reason.

I'm not worried about Mo.

I admit I haven't seen much of Nieves. Maybe I've just been unlucky. But from what I've seen...he's bad not only at the plate, but behind it. I remember one Clippers game last year where Nieves threw the ball away two innings in a row. Tried to throw to 2B, but it went to CF instead. I don't expect a backup catcher to hit like Posada, but is it too much to ask for a defensive upgrade?

As for Eyechart...I really think he's on the team to make sure A-Rod has a friend in the clubhouse. That saddest part of that SI article last year was when they asked A-Rod who his closest friends on the team were, and he couldn't name anyone. (He finally said Mo.) Now he has Minky.

14 That sign him to the Ultimate Road Trip and put him behind the dugout to scream "Go A-Rod!"

There's no reason we should have to watch him play every day.

14 Well, Nieves did throw out two base runners in yesterday's game (though one was on a busted hit-and-run). And Torre said they chose him over the other hitless wonders in camp because the pitchers like throwing to him (Rasner credited his pitch calling for his bases-loaded Houdini acts on Thursday). He's still a sub-replacement-level hitter, but I'm not that concerned about his defense.

9 Jim, you take this stuff too seriously. It's a beautiful day in the tristate area this morning, we've got the whole weekend ahead of us. I haven't felt this good all week.

16 I agree, and I'm usually pretty bad like that. Its a new day. Yesterday is over. If Mientkiewicz is in the game today, I'll complain about him being in the game because he's awful. Not because of anything he did last night.

All I know is that last season the Yankees started the season series with the Red Sox 1-4...and we all know how that ended.

I really wanted to win last night's game--especially when it was 6-2--because I am not so confident in the next two games.

Oh I think we will score some runs...even with Nieves in the lineup (though, I hope that is countered by having Phelps in to get back at least a little bit of offense)...against Beckett and Matsuzaka. The Yankees are a patient team, and both pitchers have had spotty control at times.

I just wonder if Karstens and Wright will be able to keep it close. I wouldn't usually be so concerned about today, but I think Karstens was rushed back a bit, and under normal circumstances (meaning with Mussina and Pavano still active) he would have had another rehab start.

I also don't know if Wright will do as well with a more patient Boston team.

I will still watch both games completely. From watching this rivalry over the years, I have maybe learned one thing--the series never goes the way it's expected to.

16 True, rapport with pitchers does count. That was one reason Cincinnati was carrying Chad Moeller, even though they already had two catchers. Pitchers supposedly love him.

Of course, they DFA'd Moeller this week, because they decided they needed someone who could hit. Maybe we should have grabbed him. He doesn't hit much, but he hits more than Nieves. And he had a pretty decent spring.

18 Please don't refer to Pavano being active as "normal circumstances. "

We're actually better off without him.

In watching Mo last night and last Sunday, my concern isn't his trouble locating. That comes and goes at times. It's the fact that he has absolutely no movement on his pitches. Especially his bread-and-butter, the cut fastball. Straight as a die. And the gun ESPN was showing last night had him at 88-89. History tells us he'll come around, but it also tells us that at some point he won't. Hope we're not there yet.

On another note, I'm usually annoyed by the vociferous criticism of Torre by some here, but in this case I agree that the bullpen was managed poorly. Proctor could have pitched to Ortiz and Ramirez, why Myers at that point? Then, anybody but Visciano, who had to have been gassed from Thursday's debacle. Gotta go for a run and burn off this frustration...

21 Scott Procotr should NEVER pitch to Manny Ramirez.

20 Yeah, Yankees are better off with one of the only two starting pitchers who have pitched in the seventh inning this season. That makes sense.

21 I hear you on the Torre criticism but he did himself no favors yesterday. It's games like last night's that only add fuel to the criticism of his poor bullpen management.

23 without one of the two pitchers. Clearly, I need to take grammar lessons.

23 Look at Carl Pavano's career. Not only is he a BAD pitcher, he is a pitcher that gives no innings. Did you think The Twins game was the beginning of his (latest) BIG TURN AROUND and he was on the path to success? He's a guy that when he can be bothered to pitch, pitches poorly. We're better off without him.

26 In abstract, yes, Carl Pavano is a pretty mediocre pitcher (but try telling that to the man who gave him a $40 million contract. Also, I did not see much of these same insights when the guy was signed.).

But at this time, Pavano could be quite useful, given the alternatives at disposal. Yes, it is frustrating that he gets injured at amazing frequency, and that diminishes his value greatly. But the question is: if he is healthy and taking his turn in the rotation, is he a useful pitcher? The answer is: Yes. He is a league average pitcher, and certainly a better option than the Darrell Rasners, Jeff Karstens and the Chase Wrights of the world. If he was blocking Hughes, I would understand. But given the replacements, Pavano is useful to this ballclub at this time.

As a Sox fan, I felt Boston has been given gifts by opposing team managers in both of the past two games.

1) When Gibbons pulled Halladay out in the 8th inning in Toronto on 95 pitches with the heart of the Sox order coming up.
2) Instead of a big present, Torre gave a lot of little stocking stuffers that added up to a lot.

On this second point, the post game interviews from Torre and ARod were from the same script: "In this ball park, no lead is safe." Which makes me a little confused as to what Torre was doing in the 8th inning on both offense and defense.

27 You must have missed me flipping out over signing another schlub that turned the corner.

And I completely disagree with that sentiment. We know what we have in Carl Pavano. Throwing out the injury history, he's a guy that very rarely even pitches to the league average. He's a (slightly below) league average by virtue of the averages working out that way (if that makes any sense.)

In other words, he's not a league average pitcher because he can be counted on to pitch to the league average year in and year out. He's a league average pitcher because his anomaly year of 2004 and his 97 innings in 2000 drag the rest of his really bad numbers up to e league average. He can be counted on to pitch to a number below the league average, often significantly so.

A little love for the A-Rod. He looked so miffed that he didn't put some juice on the lazy liner in his last AB. Smart. He was going the other way. Right where he has power, straight away and right center. Just didn't get all of it. Good pitch, too. Inside and hard.

The two dingers took some life from the Shil. Cannot stand him or any of their pitchers for that matter. DICE K-keep the hat on the right way and speed it up, will ya. Creamed the first on, high and far. Second one was a liner that just keep going.

Red Sox reliever looked pretty good, yes. Bad.

29 You are right, he is slightly below league average, and two years skew those numbers. But in a normal situation, Pavano is a number 4 starter on this team behind Wang, Pettitte, Mussina. For that, having a slightly below league average pitcher is pretty good, if you look across the league. The team is certainly better off with Pavano being number 4/5 rather than Igawa as number 4 and Rasner being number 5. Any day.

"though he did get to run the bases last night after hitting into a fielder's choice"

I've said it before, Cliff would make a great Little League coach.

Also, this is why baseball is so much harder than any other sport. A-rod is Kobe Bryant right now. He rarely ever misses. In basketball, you just give the ball to Kobe when you need it. But you have to wait to get to A-rod.

I don't know. I know what Pavano offers us. Not impressed. Ive not seen enough of Igawa or Rasner.

A few thoughts:
Yesterdays lose was absolutely brutal (times 2.63 because it was against the Sox). It was almost as brutal as Cleveland's loss the night before.

I would have kept Giambi in, but with the bottom of the order up, Joe was trying to plate an extra run on a bouncer or sac fly.

If Minky was 60% brought in to make ARod feel better.... well.... I ain't gonna argue with that! (cause ARod looks like he feels a lot better).

Francoma left a 'rookie' lefty in to face ARod (and then KT). Looked wrong to me, but it worked. Bad decision that worked good?

I don't think Torre really wanted to bring in Mo for 5 innings. I think he wanted to save him for tonights game. He only brought him in when he 'had to'.

Was Viz the wrong guy? I don't know his BB rate, but both Bruney and Britton are known for walking guys, and Joe really hates that (as we all do)

Subtract Farns, and our BP gives up under 2 runs per 9? Who thought they would give up 4 in 1?

I like Joe managing the Yankees. I don't like many of his moves, but overall, he's the man for the job. When Yogi was asked what makes a good manager, he replied:
"Good players".

You can blame Joe for 'bad' moves, but really... Myers/Viz/Mo had plenty of breathing room, and should have gotten it done.

Hopefully, we will have a 'take no prisoners' approach tonight.

Meanwhile, how many clutch situations does ARod fail at before he is booed again?

"If Minky was 60% brought in to make ARod feel better.... well.... I ain't gonna argue with that! (cause ARod looks like he feels a lot better)."

Agreed. If that was the plan, it's working!

"Meanwhile, how many clutch situations does ARod fail at before he is booed again?"

I can't help but think that this scorching spring is setting him up for a fall. He can't continue like this all season...can he? He's on pace for, what, 130 homers? That's not sustainable.

And if he slumps in September or October, well, the "Mr. May" accusations will be out in force.

"That's not sustainable."

Says you!

35 Do we have to play him to make A-Rod happy?

have you guys heard anything about Damon being questionable for today's game??

If it makes A-Rod this productive, yes. He's worth two bats in the lineup at the moment. I am not worried about Minky or/and Nieves in the lineup, we's gots enough offense.
Pitching is where I am worried. Especially starting pitching.

I think I have had enough of Melky this year. Everyone bitches about Misspelling, but Melky has shown no ability yet to take pitches or drive the ball with any authority. He is a great defensive sub who should perhaps play every three days, and sub after seventh inning if Yankees have a lead, but if he is an everyday player, we have three auto-outs with Nieves and Minky to go with.

Matsui cannot come back any faster. Just stay healthy this time.

39 I don't believe in the "enough offense" theory. I didn't believe it when we had Enrique Wilson starting. I didn't believe it when we had Womack. I didn't believe it when we trotted Bubba out there.

Its a nine man circular lineup. The "enough offense" theory means jack when the bases are loaded with two outs and here comes The Stink.

A-Rod has to hit like this all year to even try to justify Mientkiewicz. I have to assume at some point he will hit like a human being.

40 I think Melky should probably get better.

40 it is ridiculous to give up on melky because of an early season slump.

43 And before someone tries to spin this to Mientkiewicz, even if Doug busts out of this "slump" he's still lousy.

Amusing excerpt from "Just Play Ball" by Joe Garagiola here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18059324/

I was reminded of it because of this part:

====
Many think the ultimate compliment is to be described as a great handler of pitchers. Show me a catcher who's described that way and I can probably show you a batting average under .230. A former catcher had it right when he said, "The best handler of pitchers is the catcher who drives in the winning run."
====

Yeah, Melky has potential, Minky is SHOWING his potential. Yuck

IT seems like every single year the first Sox series in Fenway is a disaster in favor of the Sox, and yet, come August, things have changed. I'm not worried, never was, just annoyed. The Sox are kings of April and May, and have been how many years in a row now? Its not like if we get swept this weekend, we aren't playing them AGAIn next weekend.

What I don't get is why Joe treats Boston like its the playoffs and does his panic style push button BP management, but won't do that for, say, the Jays. Yeah, they are good and are in our division, but its still April and its just one game of 19. No need to panic Joe.

I will be stuck in LA all day and night so I'll be saved either the pleasure or the pain. Guys, I leave the fun of watching Beckett last 2.1 innings to y'all, do good work!

What the hell kind of start time is 3:55 PM?

45 There are a lot of baseball code words where baseball fans know what they mean, but to the casual fan, it sounds like a positive.

"Gritty" is another one.

46 After 2005, you can't just sacrifice games against Boston, though.

38pitches.com re the first home run:

"He crushes it. No need to even look, the sound is easily recognizable from guys that swing like that. Now I'm down 2-0 and just got beat by the guy I knew I had a plan I could execute and get out."

What was the plan, Curt? Don't throw a meatball? Intentional walk?

One of his commenters suggests brushing Arod back because he's so locked in. For a guy who's not crowding the plate, that's as bush league as it gets.

And here's where Cashman's wondeful off-season really works it's magic. The only thing missing is Cairo.

*

Red Sox

1. Julio Lugo, SS
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Mike Lowell, 3B
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Coco Crisp, CF
9. Alex Cora, 2B

SP - Josh Beckett

Yankees

1. Melky Cabrera, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Jason Giambi, DH
6. Robinson Cano, 2B
7. Doug Mientkiewicz, 1B
8. Kevin Thompson, LF
9. Wil Nieves, C

SP - Jeff Karstens

I say give Arod an assortment of fake moustaches, glasses, contacts, etc. and send him to bat fifteen times a game.

ok, having to play thompson and nieves i can udnerstand. But then why not put in Phelps?

51 Holy crap. Well, stranger things have happened.

51 Mostly Cashman's offseason to blame, but a good bit of Torre managing perversion. With Nieves in, Minky has to sit. In fact, this might be a good day to play Giambi in the field, since it gives more flexibility to the remaining ramshackle bench. Can't really blame Cashman for Thompson, since Matsui got hurt. What's the deal with Damon?

At least put Giambi at 1B on a day like this and DH Damon...

53 Phelps is the BUC? (Although sliding Phelps from 1st to C would solve that.) Also, Beckett's a righty. Sigh.

57 could be i guess. though i suspect it is mmore about torre trusting minky way too much.

Doesn't Phelps actually hit righties better than Mientkiewicz?

59 Doesn't he hit anyone better than Minky?

55 Moreover, leading Melky off--especially given his current slump, is just plain silly.

52-"I say give Arod an assortment of fake moustaches, glasses, contacts, etc. and send him to bat fifteen times a game."

I second that. Feels like the only way to go at this point. Maybe we can send him to the mound as well, maybe no one will notice. Sounds like a good plan to me. :)

52 I second that notion.

What are Phelps' splits career against righties? Minors not included: .256/.326/.462

That's not to say that he's not gonna hit better than Mink, especially now, but Mink IS more versatile. Phelps can't bunt and strikes out a lot, and is a lesser fielder. Plus, he's better off the bench offensively than Mink (not just because he's a better overall hitter, but because he's used to DHing and so PHing is easier). Plus, we've all seen from the spring and otherwise that Phelps is clutch and is less likely to give away an AB late in games that earlier, a la Tino Martinez (the resemblance offensively is striking in that regard).

52 61 62 arod in disguises! if only we could pull it off. I mean, superman is never recognized with glasses, so...

62 I've never really understood the 'better off the bench' argument, in general. If he is the better hitter, don't we want him to bat 4 times rather than once? And in this lineup, who would he bat for? Not Giambi or Jeter or A-Rod; nor any of the OFs (one could imaging Torre batting Phelps for Thompson, but then he'd only have to use Damon or, shudder, Cairo in the field--so he might as well just PH Damon). He could only be expected to PH for Nieves (if Torre had the balls to PH for the catcher and rely on the 3rd string C to replace him), or, more likely, Minky. But again, if you're going to PH for Minky, then you might as well bench him from the start, at least at this stage in his career.

63 Fuck Superman, I hate him. Arod would kick his ass.

61 Arod as a pitcher, we discussed that a few games ago...I'm down :)

65 Ok, so we have the plan..now we just have to figure a way to execute it..hmmm...

62 "but Mink IS more versatile." he can fuck up in so many different ways.

Those line-ups worry me - this could be really ugly.

Does anyone here remember how to override the blackout on MLB.tv? Help would be much appreciated.

67 That is gold. We just need Goldman to punctuate it.

Is MCcarver calling the game? If so I'm trying to figure out how on earth I'll get through it....I'm spoiled from getting to watch nearly all the games on YES...oh well, guess the "mute" button will come in handy today.

70 He's already fallen on his face proving his defensive whiziness this year, so I fully expect him to pop up a bunt or swing during a HBP today.

Buck certainly let himself go. He looks older than McCarver.

69 I've never had to do it, but I've heard other people say that using proxies will get around the blackout. The games aren't blacked out overseas. Chinese proxies seem to work well. Except some letters will display as Chinese.

The lineup sounds so much better when Cano calls it. Mainly because I have no bloody idea what the hell he's saying.

Good afternoon, gentlemen, beautiful day here in KCMO... great day for a baseball game, great day for a Yankees win...

What a ridiculous stat.

Shadows are going to be brutal for the first few innings. Expect a lot of Yankees' strike outs early

78 I did anyway. I looked that the lineup.

At least we won't be no hit.

The guns are probably messed up, we will see Karstens' velocity.

6 pitch AB for Melky. The key would be to get Beckett's count up.

Why the fuck is Giambi not playing 1B today?

Captain hits a flare.

Another right of Spring, renewing my strong dislike for Tim McCarver. And by strong dislike, I mean hate. And by hate, I mean hate with the passion of 12 suns.

Man, how does he do that?

82 I like him better than Buck.

Not saying much

Yay, I actually get this game and not the Cubs - Cards game (which usually happens).

Come on A-Rod.

Wait so, Tim, you're saying they need to throw three strikes in a row on a 3-0 count? Shit.

Nice hook.

Okay, I can forgive the curve. Was he waiting for another fastball down the middle of the plate?

Boy that looked outside to me.

"Red Sox fans haven't seen the last of Okijima."

There's 140+ games left in the season and he's on the team. I think that's a safe prediction.

90 Yeah, that was in the same spot as the pitch to A-Rod. His strike zone has a major shift going on...

heh.

Yes, Giambi!!

At least, mess up Beckett's record until this point. I have no confidence in Karstens anyway.

I'm not sure the Yankees see the ball that well today.

Nice hit by Giambi. Whacky dive by JD Drew,

Robby needs to fill in that zero in the HR column, no?

well, at least w/ KT in the lineup, he can't pinch run for giambi here...

A-Rod math

First inning strike-out=Walk off homer...

I think that's how it works.

OH MAN!!!!

heh.

Homer call. Sox catching the break.

that's a tough call to go against them early on.

Robbie was robbed!

WTH?????

a forgiving strike zone and now the 3rd base ump is getting into it. home field bullshit...

Yankees get the run anyway. Good job Cano!

karmic realignment! all is forgiven.

Baseball gods even things up for Robbie.

I'll take it... that kinda sorta makes up for the blown call, no way Giambi scores from first anyway.

friggin 3rd base ump is the same guy who was doing home last night!

Scrabble doing what he does best.

scrabble is freaking useless.

Nice Job, Doug, thanks for at least working the count.

minky F^^T&%R^$ sucks.

Boo one pitch pop ups!

Off to walk the dog -- sure would hate to see some good things go the Yankees' way while I'm gone.

I can't deal with a full season of this loser at 1st.

Everyone works the count, Bye-Bye Becks is up to 26 pitches in the 1st, and Scrabble pops up on the first pitch w/ runners one.

I have an unnatural seething hatred for Doug Mientkiewicz.

USELESS.

So IF Karstens strikes out a Red Sox do the guys in the booth laud him like they did Beckett?

If we get this A-Rod by having his BFF at 1st, so be it.

phelps needs to find the torre pictures sturtze apparently gave to scrabble...

"Pastasortofjogging" Jeter.

I can't watch this AB.

118 Lets see if Karstens can actually get someone out first.

119 No. Unless A-Rod can hit like this all year. And I doubt he hits 185 HR or whatever the hell pace he's on.

he looks exactly like Florida Evans. it's uncanny.

That was catchable, but man that sun is brutal.

Looks like another tough day for the BP

Um I'm just curious, why in the hell was Abreu playing so shallow???

Anyone else would've walked Ortiz there?

128 Ortiz doesn't pull the ball or have power... oh wait!

Too bad the Red Sox don't have automatic outs like we do.

So Karstens looks like a lamb in a slaughterhouse.

128 I was wondering that, too. Playing in, with Big Papi at the plate?

no, i would've struck ortiz out, then IBB manny.

lugo, crisp and cora should be automatic outs. we, of course, have KT and nieves coming up...

125 Oh God. He does.

Wow, scary swing and a miss...

How the hell did that happen...

Has Karstens thrown a good pitch yet?

could giambi have tagged on that?!

Isn't Abreu supposed to have a good arm?

This mismatch is terrifying.

karstens has thrown some good pitches, he just can't finish anybody off. his offspeed stuff has looked nice.

Wow, Robbie!

is that nieves' first meeting? perhaps he should've gone out earlier, settle him down. you would think the dugout would've suggested that.

nice play, robbie!!!

One too many milkshakes, I guess.

Robbie!

fat papi can't have 2 nice running plays in a row!!!

robbie = kid dyno-mite!

WOW

That was a nice fastball to start Lowell off.

Some dubious umpiring all around. This could be a long one...

Yankees somehow survive a devastating situation.

Oddly enough he winds up with an almost identical line to Beckettttt

t

Almost identical first innings by Beckett and Karstens, let's hope this is a battle of the pull pen, you know, like every other game the yanks have played this year.

Waldman just dissed Ortiz so bad, she said, "Gotta give credit to Nieves, Big Papi came chugging down the 3rd base line with all 240 pounds of... who knows what that is..."

LOL

It will be hilarious if a rookie pitcher, rushed back after injury, and a half-AAA lineup can beat the Sox.

Woohoo Kevin!

KT, way to start it off.

Thompson for HoF!!

suh-weet!!! go KT! Wall-Ball, baby

he better score...

Nice start for KT... Pinch run for him here? ;)

156 HAHA! I got Tim McCarver...

Kevin Thompson should not be hitting behind Minky.

no better time than the present for nieves to get his 1st major league hit...

or, just sac bunt. that'll do, i guess...

Nieves bunting--Torre s-l-o-w-l-y learning?

He can't even bunt?

162 posada's legs are okay, he can pinch run! ; )

This has KT getting throw out at thrid written all over it.

To anybody looking up the WPA stats: Forget it. They don't assume Ohfer Nieves batting.

163 me too. but i'd rephrase it and say, i'm suffering with mccarver...

Bunt with two strikes.

169 stop it!

YES!

Wil Nieves gets to run the bases two days in a row!!!

Cue the circus music!

Haha, that was sweet.

169 Or maybe not.

How'd that happen?

169 close!

hell yeah! as youk said, "gold glover, mike lowell"...

Still not a hit, but getting closer.

176 LMAO

HOLY COW!!!

170 WPA doesn't take all that happening into account either...

179 Grounder to Lowell at third, KT runs about halfway to third so Lowell throws it to second, ball gets away to RF, both runners advance.

MELKY!!!

Lechecito!

Leche!

c'mon cap'n

180 The glove is gold, the arm...not so much.

We have one heck of a B lineup. I kid. I kid.

184 Isn't that what I said?

McCarver's an idiot. Does anyone else think Thompson did that on purpose?

WOW!!! This game might actually be salvagable.

184 Oh, never mind, I got it.

eh, not fun, but at least we got the 2 back.

bobby needs to make up for the missed catch and lame throw...

Do these two team splay combined the least aesthetically pleasing BB.

Also, why do runners not stop in between 1st and 2nd, to force the 2B to give up one out?

Lowell with 5 errors this year. Who knew?

197 'Play' not 'splay'--but the image is somewhat accurate.

Having never played baseball above little league, I can't say for sure... but the check-swing "oops i hit the ball" ground-out has to be the most disappointing result for the hitter.

199 I thought it was better the original way.

197 Neives isn't used to running the bases.

Beckett with 42 pitches through 2. Gotta feel good about the Yanks' chances.

74 Thanks randy! Got it to work

So, what'd I miss?

Actually I caught most of that; finally some bounces going the Yankees' way.

JD if you're feeling good, we should all feel good. ;-)

200 ask standuptriple.

hope karstens settles in and down and has an easy inning. nice start, kid!

That was a beauty.

May? But what year for Carl?

bonds went yard for those keeping track. 5th of the season... yawn.

ah, close play. nieves is doing pretty well behind the dish...

204 Yeah, sorry I didn't see your post earlier, Zack taught another poster and me how to override it a few days ago. The Indian proxies were fastest for me (the one with port number 8080).

210 Let's hope he can throw out Coco when he goes.

Damn, that was a great bunt.

oh, for christ sake. is ozzie guillen in the home dugout. ugh.

alright bat boy, induce the DP!

It's going to be a long game.

Just settin' up the triple play.

my bad. i take full responsibility for jinxing nieves. going outside to eat worms now... : (

Jesus Christ, any Little Leaguer could've prevented that wild pitch.

Oh crap. Is this going to be a "we want you to win today" "oh, no, the game is yours" day?

:::sigh::: this is gonna be a looooong game...

$200 million and we have an old team without league-average backups....bugs the living SHIT outta me--

Weird game for sure.

216 already 1 out. vagitek struck out leading off the frame.

oh, i'm supposed to be hiding. sorry...

over/under on combined runs? 20?

223 That's whats going to make it awesome.

218 ask mehmattski! ; )

215 Jinx yankz, you owe me a root beer!

please leave this inning with a lead. please...

this battery is scarier than shit...Kartsens is not at all impressive- and that run is on Nieves...we are going to need 12 to win today.

The One leads off next inning...The One leads off next inning.

this back and forth drives me mad. i may have to sub the root beer for real beer...

How fat was that pitch? Lucky it stayed in the park...how many times do we want to give Beckett a chance to come back?

If Nieves isn't there for defense, then why the hell is he there? He's sure not on the team for offense.

Sacrificial lamb again. Hopefully, a long flyball retires Ortiz here.

233 Sex appeal.

Why is Joe Buck obsessed with Fatass slapping his hands together?

WOW good going Abreu

234 good call.

uy yuy yuy, that was scary. good catch.

c'mon Hobbs!!!

The Cadillac Abreu also comes standard with a rich, Corinthian leather glove.

WOW!!!!!!!!

If only Abreu was playing in that spot in the first inning.

I guess Abreu learned his lesson...

211 It's alright, just had to use some trial and error.

That girl's hot, and wearing a Jeter shirt adds +2.

Rodriguez: Unreal.

LOL! Why did Many jump over the ball?

What, only a lead off double, Alex?

yeah, a-rod! the xbh king!

he better score, too...

how bout that kick save attempt by manny?!

245 my thoughts exactly!!! : )

If only we could get some more men on base for these rockets.

Arod's getting sick of home runs. "Too easy," he thought. "How can I make Manny look stupid?"

Arod has TWENTY runs this season?!

Just Manny being Manny...

Giambi sucked ass right there.

feh. c'mon robbie!

Would have liked Giambi to at least move the runner over.

Anyone remember that Matt Christopher book, "The Kid Who Only Hit Homers"?

A-Rod needs to start batting behind A-Rod.

How dumb is McCarver? Moreno has said he DOESN'T want to dish out too much for A-rod.

259 See 52

Getting tired of this conversation already. I don't think he's going anywhere.

Scott Boras has his pants down during this conversation...

If Giambi had done that we'd have the lead. Instead, we have Stink.

262 amen. hopefully he stays. we'll see...

This is where Mhersupifvhdxlk absolutely kills me.

Does anyone need to make more than 25 million a year? Does 29 million a year give you a better portfolio?

Thanks for reminding me that Arod batted 8th. Fuck Joe Torre for that. I'm not usually a basher, but that still pisses me off.

Ken Rosenthal knows what it's like to play in the majors? What team did he play for?

Wow, Stink. You'll get 'em next time!

good lord. the one time he hits the freaking ball, it gets caught. bollocks!

Can someone put Joe Buck out of my misery?

267 It's not the dollars per year, it's the total guranteed money. And Arod can get double what he is guranteed now on the open market.

Phuck Co Co Crispy Flakes or whatever the Phuck his name is! And by the way Giambi sucked ass in that ab.

Ken Rosenthal is really Doug Misdkeiz

272 hahaha! I loved that comment. Too funny and I couldn't agree more. Looks like I'm the only girl on here today so I'm kinda' keeping a low profile.

276 What, we're not sexists around here!

Karstens vs. Manny Ramirez. Scary as hell.

I can't believe I didn't think of saying "Kick save and a beauty!" after A-God's double.

278 Nah...

Phew!

276

Hey batbitch don't assume my sailors mouth doesn't mean I don't a have a great rack!

atta boy, leche! mink & manny, hittin' the same...

MELKY!!!!!!

It pains me to say it, but I don't think Bernie catches that one.

279 i thought of that, but since it wasn't a 'beaut' just said 'kick save attempt'...

Bob Davidson is an asshole.

oh man, that little kid sold his soul to get that ball....that ump is Satan!

Kartsens doesn't throw hard enough for this ball park.

From Peter Abraham:

"The Red Sox would be better off with a folding chair in left field than Manny Ramirez. Maybe one of those dogs that can catch a Frisbee."

That's hilarious.

"HEY BLUE - WHERE THE )U&*^^ WAS THAT PITCH! - OH YEAH -THANKS FOR THE BALL YOU ASSHOLE.

Sylvester Coddmyer. That's A-God's new name to me.

watching Karstens working entirely up in the zone with offspeed stuff makes me nauseous-

So what are the odds Karstens is capable of getting through even the 5th inning?

Sean Henn will be seeing some innings today.

They're really teeing off. Was it Goldman who called Karstens "Scary Fly-Ball Guy"?

You know what, by default, Yankees have the best OF defense today, and a no-stuff flyballer like Karstens can really use that. As long as the ball does not leave yard.

290 actually Manny does play the wall very well--road games, I agree with Abraham

Terrifying.

OK enough of Kartsens- we are inches on each at bat from this game being 8-4. Thanks Kartsens...you are done now.

297 Granted. He's no Bonds.

Pitches-Strikes
Karstens: 59-38
Beckett: 60-41

Sox fans should definitely be more frustrated at this point. Some of those have been rockets.

Did that XM ad really feature a bunch of dancing penises or am I hallucinating?

295 yup.

Gee, two chicks here today?

(straightens tie, combs hair.)

Good job Karstens.
Now get some runs!

290 PA is one of the funniest writers on the net, IMO.

Anybody watching on Gameday click "Home outs". 3 of 'em are out of the park. "Scary fly-ball guy" is right.

299 It's been exciting tho.

299 I disagree.

I mean obviously he isn't pitching well, but at this point, we may just have to grin and bear it and hope he can get through 5 or even GASP 6 innings so our bullpen can rest just a little bit.

The Yankees could sure use an off day--or starters who consistently make it into and out of the 6th inning.

I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT STAND THE CHEVY COMMERCIALS. THEY ARE PRACTICALLY THE RED SOX TO ME.

Hey I'm a chick too, haha.

I'm a chick as well.

Came in late for the game. Starting to watch it on DVR. Catch you guys later. Hopefully for a winning game.

ok, in three innings today from these guys I've seen a season's worth of breaking balls up--

Oops, accidentally turned the sound back on for on batter. Mistake corrected.

311
Sorry, didn't see you there.

(pops a breath mint)

313 Bruce Willis is dead. Oh, wait...

Joe Buck is singing. yankz is committing suicide.

I'll give Nieves credit--he is trying every possible way not to get a hit ever: close choppers, fielders' choices, etc.

Wow Nieves has wheels- wooden, square ones. And apparently McCarver is MD specializing in "almost injuries"

No WAY the Yanks can give Beckett 9 pitch innings.

well that 1-2-3 was an easy call. dammit.

batgirl renee was here earlier, too...

Has anyone ever thought of some sort of a Bronx Banter get-together? Obviously in an open, public space...who knows which one of us is secretly an axe murderer...

323 That's me.

323 I am, but I live in Arizona.

324 I make no secret about it.

323

Wait. Me too.

323 i've thought about it, but i think the closest one to me (atlanta), is bama.

i might be in NY in june for my grandpa's 95th. i'd love to go to the yanks-muts game, if possible.

well, there goes our chance for a 1-2-3 inning. i'll take a scoreless one instead...

Fucking Coco Crisp. That bitch.

Just settin' up the double play.

damn damn damn--vs this lineup you HAVE to get the 8-9 guys-

i could've called that SB, the sob...

or not.

What the fuck is Crispy wearing on his head?

Arod moves like he's made of liquid.

Great catch by Minky! THAT'S why we have him starting!!

So, with all the pitching depth in the world, Yankees start a guy who gives up flyball after flyball. Oh well.

335 I don't know what that means.

323 There was talk last year of getting together and going to a game.

Yeah, Alex Cora is a really valuable player, to the tune of a career 75 OPS+. One whole season above average!

great time for karstens' 2nd k...

F!

God, more Eckstein worship. And, yeah, a Boston lead.

Haha, David Eckstein thing starts.

5-4 Sox. This is infuriating.

oh for the love of chocolate, stop talking about freaking eckstein.

fuck, there goes the lead. god dammit!

We have Coddmeyer...We have Coddmeyer...

I'm in LA. Its a nice sunny place for a Banter get together.

We should get together in the MIDDLE of the country and go see the Yanks beat the crap out of the Royals.

This guy is just leaving shit right over the plate...ever hear of corners Kartsens?

340 With only on year of overlap (1998), Joey and Alex Cora sort of blend into one long 20 year career of suckiness.

Lets see... we have four ladies with us today and all of a sudden 323 yankz is getting social?

Do you 'guys' think it would be nice if, as as OPTION, we could give our city/state/country when we sign up, and have it (optionally) posted with our name?

We have people here from Israel, Japan, Taiwan... and fer crying out loud, even Arizona! I for one really like knowing where people are from.

This is a great place for fans to Network, especially those outside of the NYC area.

Was Ken Rosenthal able to write or speak coherently before he started working for FOX?

I bet this site's traffic just quadrupled thanks to some insecure Sox fans.

Oh come on, we'd have to meet in New York.

Just, somehow, get an out.

Ok, just don't give up a HR.

Papi up - put all 7 fielders in right.

Why is some guy holding a sign that says Foxy Papi

I'm in exotic Queens.

"Big Papi: My story of big hits and big dreams. And big fourth meals."

Look at Minky hold the runner on. THAT'S why he is starting.

357

Because he went to Boston Public School.

Ugh.

FUUUUUUUCK!!!!!

I didn't see that one coming.

We have Coddmeyer...We have Coddmeyer...

Foxy Papi???

damnit.

Karstens has been tempting fate all game, and fate caught up with him.

least surprising HR of all time?

Gee...didn't see that coming.
I'm in McAllen, Texas btw.

Well, that was as inevitable as anything else.

Sigh. Good night folks.

F!!!!!!!!!!

That was...predictable.

Karstens really shit the bed all day long.

Well. There goes that.

For once, I think McCarver is right in his analysis (talking about Nieves):

"You just put your finger down and cringe."

Incidentally...that's what she said.

Paging Mr. Hughes, paging Mr. Hughes . . .

Beer time.

Coddmeyer's coming up. Don't worry.

I guess the Papi moonshot makes the earlier run (dinker, SB, ground out) somewhat more palatable--they all would have scored anyway.

Oh yeah- let's waste Bruney's great arm in a shitass game lick this. Don't bring him in to face PAPI or god for bid the lefty.

375 Holy shit McCarver said something funny.

Can't A-Rod pitch? like Steve Nebraska?

The Yankees better have five scouts whose only job is to scouer the earth looking for another Posada, or we're screwed in future years.

Sigh. Scary flyball guy is right.

When I found the Banter I was checking in from Columbia, MD. Now, I come to you from the boogie-down Burg, Williamsburg, BRooklyn.

I get super nostalgic though whenever brooklyn's here since he's in SF a place I lived and loved.

I meant "like this" but wtf - "lick this" is just as appropriate.

79 pitches for Karstens.

I know he is getting his ass kicked and even his outs are LOUD, but I really think the Yankees just kind of have to punt this for at least another inning.

It is too early to be going into the bullpen.

Anyone know if Damon is available for pinch hitting duties?

who pitches the 5th -- henn?

351 OYF -- what, do you not think thelarmis is my birth name, or something?! ; )

358 i'm originally from exotic queens, if that counts for anything...

354 yes, yankz is right -- it would have to be in NY

If A-Rod is in the HR derby this year, he should take Karstens to be his pitcher.

Jeter's looked weak the past two ABs.

389 LOL!

What kind of dick asks a manager about a guy who JUST homered off of him?

389

Hilarious!

Coddmeyer, baby!

11 runs, 14 hits, an error, passed ball...game not even 1/2 over.

not a great start jetes...

these games are infuriating and deflating.

387 Yep--I say let Karstens go the whole game, or 120 pitches, whichever comes first. Then send him down for Mr. Hughes.

8 run homer!

Dammit. Guess he wasn't channeling Mr. Baruth.

Wow Beckett made a huge mistake there- lucky to get away with it.

388 Yeah aren't both Alex & Cliff in NY? We're planning a pilgrimage to the Stadium next year, btw.

Ok we're gonna have to pull off better ABs than this.

Or just meet at a bar or restaurant and watch the game. That'd be pretty cool.

401

Anyone else in LA LA land with me?

Amazing. Karstens gets a GB out.

At least we see Colter Bean in the bullpen.

Did Ken Rosenthal just say that Wang doesn't go particularly deep into games? Is there something in the water at FOX?

Could Karstens have been any worse today? Jesus.

Oh just leave him in

Back-to-back 8 pitch innings for Beckett is TOTALLY unacceptable, especially after he was on the ropes. Beckett is NOT that good, and the Yanks just gave him the 7th inning by swinging early. Damn, Jete, take a few.

405 LSD?

401 sounds like the best, easiest and cheapest idea. i'm down. schedule permitting, of course...

poetic justice would be to win off paplebitch, though i'd much rather have the game in hand earlier...

Chicago about to dump Miami in Game One. Yea! Yea! Yea!

404 Why is that a good thing? The pitcher that no one in baseball wanted and we can't seem to get rid of?

Or put in Brian Bruney.

Sheesh.

At least use Henn who has been somewhat of a long reliever for the Yankees this season. Bruney could pitch the 7th or 8th should the Yankees get close again.

They should rate the Karstens starts R for violence from now on. Definitely not safe for kids.

Thankfully, the horror show is hopefully over.

Oh my god.

409

L: Low expectations.
S: Severely underinformed.
D: Disasterously uncompetent.

412 He is still tough to hit. Other than that, he is entertaining to watch.

bruNEY bruNEY bruNEY

I say throw Farny into the fire here and see what happens.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhgh!

Re: the trivia question- is it while a Yankee?

I am so pissed at Farns, I never want to see him again.

417 ML hitters don't find him so hard to hit.

And he's fun to watch? He's a big fat guy that walks the ballpark.

422

At least we can have some fun with him. Hell, if AROD doesn't homer, its not like anyone else is going to produce. They watch Arod like the Lakers watch Kobe.

trivia question - Rickey Henderson?

Bruney is the master of the infield popup.

Fuck you, Tim McCarver. That was far from the best WS ever played.

trivia question - if it's not a current yank, it's probably sheffield, since he's a power hitter, been around awhile and played in the NL. i think the 'most parks' "records" is kinda silly, since there have been so many new stadiums the last 15 years...

I had to look away from the TV. Fuck FOX.

424 I dunno, I've seen this team (over the years) make so many comebacks, seen Aaron Boone types (for instance) produce where you never imagined it was possible, I could never say that no one else is going to produce. I know it's kind of Pollyanna but wth it's just a game. It's what keeps me listening to this game until the end. It's only three runs!

429 i muted AND walked away. feh.

401 we'd have to have Bronx Banter t-shirts by then. nametags, too. nametags.

with complete and utter respect -- the tag 'jeterupthemiddle' for a girl, takes on new meaning. ; )

Oooh they sent Chris Britton down? I didn't know that!

423 Based on all of 4 IP? Yeah, that is a great sample size to draw conclusions about his ability to get ML hitter out.

whew! 12 outs left, 3 runs to tie. we can do this. we can do this.

Nice job again by Bruney. He really seems to have cut down on the BB. And, you have to love a young pitcher throwing K after K in a long AB and coming out ahead.

434 Let's go Yankees!

I'm switching to Mitchum

431 That's what I was going for. ::wink::

And there is no "r" in my name. :P

Bruney had to throw 20 pitches that inning. I suppose he will still pitch the 6th.

If the Yankees could make Beckett throw more than 8 pitches this inning, that would be great.

427 I hate McCarver as much as the next guy, but 2001 WAS a helluva Series, especially after 9/11.

It's wierd I actually have a good feeling about this one still. We'll see.

427 Name a better one?

SOMEBODY get on base. Beckett is NOT THIS GOOD.

Guess the offense hit the snooze button.

And as I type that, Cano helps both my teams!

OK Canoe, OK baby

Here we go. Get the bat ready Jorge.

The double would have been so much more encouraging if the Stink wasn't coming up.

You suck!

I hate him.

441 I was obviously speaking with white hot biased rage when I said it. To continue that theme, 1986 comes to mind.

if you don't pinch hit for M* there, are you giving up? wtf, Joe?

Holy shit that was a close call.

449 2001 had four great games. We'll never see something like that again.

God dammit.

Beckett looked pretty nasty there.

Does Nieves get two K's for that AB?

That was Thompson.

well, our guy got four strikes that time....

438 that rules! i like the way you think. ; )

sorry 'bout the "R" :p

Woohoo, Henn! Bring it on!

henn vs ortiz, ok, this will be interesting--please get him, and maybe we can get Myers off the roster...

Here we go...

I heart Henn.

very niiiice!

I thought Youk had the ugliest facial hair in baseball. Then I saw Papi. Then I saw Manny.

sa-WEET

boo f'in hoo, Big Poopy

Henn is the new Proctor, lefty style. Love him.

Thank you Sean.

I had a feeling that would backfire. Guess not.

Cy Beckett has been cruising. We're going to need some late A-Bomb magic.

Now, why the PHUCK couldn't the bullpen do this last night?!

464 i still think papi wins. and you can drive a truck thru his front teeth...

470 I have NO faith in Beckett, if I haven't made that clear already. He's a bum! I'm not buying into all this shit about him improved this year...

Nieves hustled, at least.

nieves is useless also.

i've had to mute these tools so often - did i miss the trivia answer?

Did McCarver just say he can read a pitch 15 ft from home plate? I thought he was blind?

Sterling is saying he has no idea if Nieves can hit, cause he's never seen him hit. Well YEAH, NO ONE has ever seen him hit. Pete's sake.

I really hate seeing Josh Beckett pitch well.

Jeter walks, Abreu singles, Coddmeyer ties it up.

I wake up for a bathroom break and I see Karstens, Cabrera, Mientkiewicz, Thompson, and Nieves playing the middle game at Fenway after a tough lose. Someone please kill me, or at least remind me how this is possible with our payroll.

jete(r) up the middle!

Ok, well, I was a bit off, but...

Just use those OBP skills Bobbo..

Only three runs...

BE AFRAID.

THIS IS IT.

SYLVESTER CODDMEYER III.

OK. Nice table setting. I'm ready to eat.

Well, here we go.

ah, interesting.......you can't leave Beckett in, can you?

Here we go. Strap yourselves in....

I love this game. I love, love, love this game. Uhhh, I mean baseball, maybe not THIS game in particular...

OBP! alright, fuckett is tiring. a-rod is, um...due? perfect. tie it up, buddy!!!

Bring in Pinata!

I'm so tingly.

Love how he's taking those outside pitches. Nice and easy now.

WE'LL TAKE IT!

i'll take it. keep the line moving. c'mon jase!!!

Oh no, is Arod slumping?!

Nice hitting. What a zone he's in. Come on Jason, finish the job.

woohoo!! 31!!!

I HATE that McCarver looks correct there

Alex! A rare single....much as I hate to admit it, a guy who can throw that 1-0 pitch at 98 in the 8th does not suck--he's inconsistent, but-

mikeplugh, what are the odds that Giambi tears Okajima a new one? Welcome to America, biatch!

I'm actually borderline disappointed with that. Shows how much the standards have changed with A-Rod.

497 Yeah, I know, only 2-4 with a double and a single, and one, one measly RBI today. Trade him, I hear Aaron Boone might be available again :)

503 Giambi gave him $5 to let him be the hero.

When he makes contact, the cover gets torn off. This is an amazing run for Arod. If batters keep getting on, he might get to hit again, for lucky number 13...

I so want Coddmeyer to hit a walk off HR. What a "Suck it, Trebek" moment that would be.

Okajima is tough. Someone will figure him out eventually, but I have my doubts about Giambi. I doubt that Giambi will hit him (he'll take him out of the park). Giambi can't hit (anything but 3-run homers). Okajima is too good (except against the Giambino).

I'm loving the 24 ad behind the batter. I want a shot of Arod with Jack Bauer in the background.

that blew.

Fucking A

we are getting outmanaged in this series-

ugh

Man this is harsh.

Don't worry Cano will lead it off next inning for Mientkiewicz, Thompson, and Nieves.

Is that George Clooney's voice on the Budweiser ad?

515 I have to assume that even Torre would PH for Stink.

Giambi never handles splitters well. But he's been bad this game

517 naah, Joe will bunt with M** if Cano gets on-

We got Damon, Jorge, and Phelps on the bench, but I don't think Posada is available.

I would LOVE Arod to conquer Papeljerk.

I will convert to Arodianity if he hits a walkoff bomb vs. Papelboner.

Warning track shot number 19.

Bold prediction: Bottom of the lineup gets to Timlin in the 8th. Nieves gets first hit.

524 4/20 was yesterday, mate. JK, I hope you're right.

522 and i will follow you, yankz. my partner in nocturnalanity...

Dammit Scotty.

526 Don't forget Chyll Will...

Proctor is walking, wait for it, Alex Cora.

Get Lugo, please. He is a former D-Ray.

proctor is getting off the mound into fielding position ala mikey moose.

STRIKES PLEASE! STRIKES!!

deuces wild. strike the fuker out, scotty!

530 For some reason I read "Mickey Mouse." Found that hilarious.

do. not. walk. the bases loaded. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

I hate this.

fuck

why am I watching this game? it's boring and agonizing-

533 perhaps 4/20 has dipped into 4/21?! ; )

i keep re-reading your post. it is freaking hilarious!

and, of course, edsp walks him...

Holy shit, Conigliaro once hit 25 HR as a teenager.

okay now, DON'T lose him!!!

Lugo does a mean cha-cha.

WOW! Stink has some value after all...

Did I see a flying pizza?

trade him while his glove is in demand!

all right, M**, that's a start, now we want the game-tying HR next inning-

HE GOT IT!!!!

Mientkiewicz justifies his 0-fer by taking a gutsy catch among Massholes.

522 Can't walk-off, not at home. :P

543 LOL!

548 Oh yeah. Party pooper.

Back from DVR to LIVE.
Man, that catch was nice from Alphabet.
But I'm really getting a physical pain watching his at bats at this point...

Come ON Cano...

550 But it's Arod, and he is so good that he'll find a wormhole and warp the yanks to the Stadium so that he CAN walk off.

phelps = good. that's a start. c'mon canoe!

Cano's never been very good vs. lefties. Let's see if Phelps still has some magic left over...

How does M&^% bat here against a tough lefty?

Now we get to see Phelps PH against a RHP

Sorry...Gameday changed it.

555 Are you kidding? He hit something like .324 against them last year.

555Hear! Hear!
He really has to drive a nail to Alphabet's coffin.

559 Uh...he batted .287/.328/.372. That's a .700 OPS.

http://tinyurl.com/36va4z

Oh so lame.

Great, Alphabet lives another day.

Damn Josh. Another 8 weeks of Mientkiewicz.

555

No, he's right. Cano had worse splits vs LH pitchers.

vs LH in 2006
.287/.328/.372

vs RH in 2006
.363/.378/.581

His career splits are similar as well in terms of LH pitching

fuking crap

What a shitty, shitty inning. And you can't PH for Nieves, either.

Farnsworth + Ortiz + Ramirez = Total Disaster.

Oh man. Yuck.

now it's krazy kyle with his shaved head, glasses and gopher balls. great. these games suck ass.

567 If Posada is available in an emergency, I think Damon PHes next inning

Two freaking runs and we can't get it together. I am just disgusted.

568 Farnsworth owned Ortiz last year. 0-4 with 4 K's IIRC.

Mystique and aura will carry Nieves to reaching on base via error. Melky K's, Jeter doubles, Abreu flies out to plate a run. And then A-God for the lead!

As you've probably noticed, I like predicting innings.

Maybe today is the day Farnsworth will shine. And I'm not talking about him taking the cap off.

570 At that Arod walkoff game 2 days ago, Farnsy was the only guy who came to sign autographs. Guess he's gotta earn his way somehow. One fan even rubbed it off his magazine when Arod came out and went straight to the bus.

Nice sombrero. Figure four years before he trades it in for a guido outfit.

Oh well. This it what happens when we play Boston with a comparable lineup to theirs. With Matsui, Damon, and Posada out, their lineup may even be a tad better than ours. Considering that Boston's pitching is much much much much better than ours right now, this is the outcome that should be expected.

No Posada, Damon, and Matsui tomorrow. Wright vs. Matsuzaka. I expect the same result.

Worthless is in? Why?

Oh, Kyle. How we hate you.

573Nothing wrong with a scenario like that!

I believe Damon will be back tomorrow.

Suck it, Ortiz!

Yeah, Bob Davidson is one of those guys that tries to be your pal by joking around, but at the end of the day, he's just an annoying asshole.

can Scotty get Manny back into his happy place?

Giving the UMP's microphones is almost as bad a decision as was giving Tampa Bay a franchise. Not part of the game. Not part of the game. Not part of the game. Not part of the game. Not part of the game. Not part of the game. Not part of the game.

What the deuce is valspar?

578 It must be tough to have a name with "worth" in it, unless you are great. I used to laugh at Kevin "The Human Sausage" Duckworth all the time when he was with the Trailblazers. I remember the Bulls fans holding up a sign in the Finals that read, "What's a Duck Worth?"

Good job, Farnsworth.

sweet! nice job, kyle and kap'n.

looks like we might need another 2-run rally, starting w/ jetes in the 9th.

praying for a paplebitch meltdown...

Yeah Kyle!

I'm pumped, this is it, Wil Nieves!

(In all seriousness, Papelbon vs. Nieves is like Cheney vs. his hunting buddy. It's going to be rough.)

Is that Bob Davidson, the ump that blew the call against Japan in the WBC? He is still an international villain over here. Anytime I tell someone over here that I'm a baseball writer, they say, "Bob Davidson."

590 Best post of the night.

yup, it sure is. balk-a-day-bob. jerk.

Spider-Man 3 looks awesome.

592 Thanks!

ooh, damon's got a bat!

Aw, I was excited about the prospect of seeing Nieves.

587 And Wang was a very respectable name for us Chinese, too! (It means 'King'.) I shudder to think when some one named Ho shows up. ;)

The NHK announcers still haven't let it go. Whenever the WBC comes up and the conversation turns to the game against the US, the NHK boys start to grumble about Davidson.

johnny!

591

I am a big Union supporter, but Davidson should not be in MLB. He walked as part of the labor dispute, and that should have been that.

Oh, here is Damon. But seriously, if he is going to be out 2 games out of every 10, why not just hit the DL already and get healthy. I hate STREAKS! They tie the managers hands unneccesarily.

598 we had a "Bong" here in atlanta.

i've never been stoned before, so it wasn't funny for me...

Shit, Davidson's got a tight zone.

get on base JD!!!

damn, swung at ball 4

Melky looked terrified right there.

Nieves could have done that...

That's not intimidation, that's douchebaggery.

Come to life, Melky!

there is nothing intimidating about paplebon's baby face. nothing.

They better flash back to Jeter's hit vs. Papelbitch during The Massacre last year.

nice leche! c'mon cap!!!

That'll do, Melky!
Let's go Cap'n!

It'd be a great time for your first bomb, Captain Clutch.

Come on Jete! Lets get 'er done here!

610 A psychotic looking kid can be scary.

Jeet should've been taking.

Wow! A MO fastball circa 1999.

ah, i guess a 96mph fastball can too. : ~

That strike 2 pitch was the pitch he needed to hit. flat and centered.

gasp!
where's andy and his hunts?
come on, tell Arod to get prepared

All right, so you have some skill. But how's your footwork?

"In ten years every kid in New England will be looking down on the ground saying..." Are you kidding me McCarver?!? Jumping the gun a little.

Papelbitch is a little wild.

Dammit.

wooo hooo hoo hoo hoo hoo!

OBP...OBP...

okay, cadillac walks, a-bomb goes yard, mo saves the 1-run lead w/ a 1-2-3 inning...

Its better that Arod doesn't come up here. No need to fuel any fire in the press.

damn, i get the feeling i'm about 30 seconds behind with the radio... :-(

Great time to an HBP!

lousy 2 runs! just lousy 2 runs is all i ask!

Fuck.

ACCCCCCGH!!!!!

Fuck Shitty batting practice pitching!

Oh good.

Well, look at it this way, they started a rookie who just suffered an injury to his pitching arm without any rehab. 1/3 of the starting lineup was out. And it was a pretty close game.

And you know what would've happened if Abreu had reached.

dammit. gave it a nice ride. a-rod left in the on-deck circle. we'll have to salvage the series against dice-k w/ chase on the hill.

i'm gonna go take all this out on my drums on the gig tonight. here i go...

have a good nite all, see you manana for more crappy 'announcing' from john & joe...

I've never wanted Arod to come up more then I did just then. Too bad. Better than feeding the press if he failed.

well, what can you say
Karsten was outmatched
nothing wrong with the plays made today

639 He wouldn't have failed.

Well, that was ugly, but entirely expected. Last night's loss still rings. This was of the more expected variety by comparison.

Calling Roger Clemens. Calling Roger Clemens.

we should be closer to full strength next weekend and will be at home. hopefully we can repay the favor and take that series...

And that AB by Damon was great. He made Pap throw a lot to lead off, and that's PROBABLY what got melky's walk. Melky saw Pap was off a bit.

Abreu did give it a ride. The K by Jete sucked.

It's funny, I was pumped, but just watching Torre so calm was soothing. I wonder if he affects the players the same way.

And I almost feel like I'm rooting for Arod more than the Yanks, now, after last year, even if the yanks lose sometimes.

This squad has to make a point of really trying to win every game that Pettitte and Wang start. Otherwise, we in big big trouble in the AL East.

639I tend to think arod himself would like a go at it despite the bad press that might follow.
No matter what he does, press is gonna say something like "Arod's homerun magic gone" anyway.

645Positives.
Cano's defense. That throw out to Nieves and one from yesterday where he compensated Nieves' bad throw was very nice to see.
Karstens. He didn't do well today. But boy he battled. He needs more experience, and then he'll be okay.

644 That's what I'm thinking.

646 yup yup.

BTW, the answer to the trivia question was Jorge Posada.

I knew that, because he completed it last year and they talked about it. At the Philly ballpark, I think.

While his BA is good, it seems to me Jetes is off. Killed a big rally early and the K in the 9th. Am I wrong or is he seriously off his game?

651 I think you're holding him to a ridiculous standard. The clutch is still there; remember the 9th inning vs. Cleveland? And remember him starting a bunch of rallies this season?

648 I file "boy he battled" with "gritty" and "likes to get his pants dirty" as ways to get around saying "Christ almighty he sucked"

What does "battled" even mean?

651

Jete is fine. We are just playing with a just better than average lineup with all the injuries, and a far below average pitching staff. That is a recipe for about .475 baseball. Lower winning percentage against elite teams. Even with Mats, Posada, and Damon, we have no bench, no one to pinch hit, and no one to replace Posada. If Mussina (lingering hammy utterly possible)and Pavano suffer lingering injuries all year, we'll have a tough time keeping up with Boston, and could possibly finish thired behind Toronto. Its not negativity, just mathematics.

If Boston gets Clement back. With a decent bullpen, they are the team to beat in all of MLB. Remember, Manny has yet to begin to hit.

Is there any reason for anyone to have faith in Clement?

"If Boston gets Clement back. With a decent bullpen, they are the team to beat in all of MLB. Remember, Manny has yet to begin to hit."

it seems like so long since clement was considered good and you have to think, the sox may just see if he can pitch mideseason, let hum rehab AAA and see if they can promptly trade him to NL (Clement has unhittable movement when on) and I honestly believe that Clemens sill sign with Boston this season...

i saw Damon commenting upon start tomorrow vs. Daisuke and he sounded smart (uncavemanlike) basically saying that they know he throws so many pitches and suggests that they should just be focusing on hitting just a couple of them (fastball and changeup?)...

I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was written by Goldman the second I saw this title:

http://tinyurl.com/2pnm4w

And it's too true.

656

Absolutely! Clement is a very good pitcher. They have better pitching than we do with or without him, but if he were able to pitch half of this season, we'd be hard pressed to catch them.

Look, if you subtract the bloated portion of the salaries of Giambi, Abreu, AROD, Jete, and Posada, Boston and NY are pretty evenly matched in terms of on field talent value (with NY having a slight advantage).

If Clemens goes to Boston, its over for NY. The fan in me believes anything is possible of course, but that would be too much to overcome. Personally I don't think he'll sign there. I believe he is dangling a carrot on a stick to them just to aggravate fans and ownership. They treated him so badly when he left, I just don't see him signing there. Remember, ownership said he was "waining" and had "not very many good seasons left in him." So, three Cy Youngs later (Should have been four, fucking wins shouldn't matter. He didn't give up an earned run on the road until freaking mid-AUGUST his last full year with Houston), I just don't see him helping those disingenuous scumbags that own the Red Sox. If Clemens decides that he can pitch the Yankees to the World Series, he'll sign for sure if the right offer floats along. The issue I see is that the Yankees dont stand to gain anything financially from picking him up. While on the other hand, a team like Houston can more than make up his salary with the added attendance and merchandise sales.

Either way, we must get quality from Mussina, Wang, and Pettitte, or we're cooked. It's not like the bullpen can keep up this pace all season. I hate to say it, but Boston has a very good team, and a very good manager. I'll tell you one thing, Terry Francona would not have let Kevin Brown or Javier Vasquez anywhere near the mound in a game seven against the Sox. Just wouldn't happen. Not with Moose on three days rest and a ninety-percent El Duque on the roster. Yes yes yes, Joe did have a choice, and the second I opened the paper that day in 2004 and saw Kevin Brown's mug, I knew it was over. Hell, I'd start El duque tomorrow in a game seven, even if he was at fifty percent. And that my friend, is what this season could come down to. Joe Torre reminds me of a less intelligent version of Phil Jackson. No matter how well things might be cooking along, Phil will go back to his veterans in the playoffs if they're healthy, and will completely upset the apple cart in order to get those guys in the lineup, even if they don't represent the best chance to win. He'll wait until things are on the edgde of collapse (Like Phil did this year, not playing Farmar and Bynum (when Kwame Brown was healthy) until the Lakers were on the verge of missing the playoffs altogether, rather he stuck with Smush Parker, who isn't a point guard by any stretch of the imagination, and incapable of understanding the triangle offense, and an ailing Kwame. Torre does the same thing, most notably when it comes to starting pitching, and guys' "roles" in the bullpen. He hasn't really used Farny, so maybe he is learning. But I can forsee Joe doing just that again this year, assuming we even make the playoffs. If Pettitte isn't the guy on short rest if we are in an elimination game, Joe will just pencil in the name of whomever's spot in the rotation is up that day. A monkey could do that. Its a fundamantal chaachteristic of Joe's psyche. He just doesn't grasp that when you absolutely have to win a game, you go with the guy who gives you the best chance to win, whether on one, two, three, or four days rest, because, well, there is no tomorrow, and Joe Torre believes deep down that tomorrow is somehow promised to him. He thinks it will just "happen" for him the way it did so many times between 1996 and 2000. I like and respect Joe Torre, and am grateful to him for handling all the different egos on the club. But that day in 2004 was the very last day I had any faith in his ability to manage a ball club when the shit is actually on the line. Maybe we would have lost just the same, but if the ship is going down, I want the best navigator on the bridge, and that sure as hell wasn't Kevin "But Mel, I am keeping the ball down. No, you're not Kevin. Mel, I know what I'm doing" Brown. And if anyone believes otherwise, just check out his managerial record prior to joining the Yankees.

Clement has had just as many mediocre, injury plagued years as hes had good ones. He doesn't really scare me.

Check out Cole Hamels and his 15 K's. Damn, pretty amazing for a kid. Phils also pulled off a triple play.

Some YouTube fun: the best Yanks/Sox regular season game of the past decade?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CVLL-GIK1so

And Roger has won four Cy Youngs since he was kicked out of Boston. And it should have been three. He should have won the 2005 Cy Young, but had no business winning the 2001 or 2004 awards.

Randy Johnson may have been the best in baseball in 04, and Clemens wasn't even the best pitcher on his own team in 01.

662

Hmmm. Perhaps. I agree with you on Johnson. Wasn't that the year he won 14 and led in ERA and K? I think he won like 30% of all the games AZ won that year. I just get frustrated that wins come into play. IP certainly should, but a pitcher cannot control how many runs get scored for him. Its rather annoying, but it happens in all sports. Take the NBA MVP. Kobe Bryant doesn't even really come into the discussion, because I guess, they aren't the one or two seed, but anyone who thinks there is a player in the NBA more valuable to his team than Kobe Bryant, love him or hate him, is absolutely nuts. I mean, it isn't even close. They don't even sniff the playoffs without him, while Phoenix and Dallas are more than capable of winning the whole thing without Nash or Nowitzki respectively.

I guess the bottom line is that none of the awards have any meaning, and more importantly, no efficacy. I actually am sorry I even began to debate it, as the MVP or CY Young most years are about as representative of the best player as the Oscars are of the best picture. All the leagues should just get rid of the MVP and initiate a best player/ Heisman award.....ooops sorry, I believe Matt Lienart and the sorry ass clown White from Oklahoma recently won, when they weren't even the best players in their conference, let alone NCAA. In other words, the awards are all bogus.

Although in many ways MLB does do a better job than the NBA. At least they gave it to Barry notwithstanding the distaste many in the press and fans have for him. But the NBA, Steve Nash, I mean seriously folks. Nowitski, a seven foot jump shooter? Nash couldn't even get an excellent Dallas team out of the third round, and will lose in either the first or second round this year, bank on it. If Stoudamire and Marion had six brain cells between them, they would be a lock.

661 great clip. I know I'm way late for this conversation but a great example of why Jeter will always be a Yankee fan favorite

WEll, I missed the entire game. By reading the ESPN summary, I get the feeling that Beckett and Ortiz beat the Yanks by themselves and no one else was involved. Oh yeah, and some guy named A-Rod didn't hit a HR.

Then, you actually look at the box score, scoring sumamry etc, and see Beckett gave up 4 early runs, five total, the Yanks started a rookie who stunk but the bullpen seemed dominant, Arod went 2-4 with an rbi, and a couple other Sox actually showed up to the game too...

How does Beckett ocme out of this looking good? I guess his "settling down" earns him stars? Whatever. The sweep is on by the "rampaging Red Sox." me, I just wish Torre would notice that Henn, Bruney, and Proctor are the way to go right now...

Oh yeah, no mention whatsoever that the Yanks are basically playing with half a AAA team out there...

G'night Yankz, please kick Carson Daly's butt for remaining on late-night TV, that is if he's still there... zzzzz...

667 Easy now, Zack. Let them get adjusted to their new pre-game stretching regiment, brought to you by people who "know what they're doing." When June rolls around, they'll be ripping opposing players' legs off and flossing their teeth with the cleats. But it's April, so we must suffer the hamstring sammeches now and get them over with... (Damn, how do you go from Robbie last year to half the team this year?) zzzzz...

665

I agree. What a great play. That and the flip play shall live forever. It's all about winning. This is why I get so frustrated when people (EVEN ON THE BANTER) couch the Arod/Jeter debate as a zero sum/either or situation. You CAN like them both, and for distinct reasons. People say silly things like everyone KNOWS that Arod is a better shortstop, for example. When scouts, managers, GM's etc. certainly don't hold that position. People who know a hell of a lot more about baseball than anyone who posts here. Its just that the person posting that likes Arod better. They project their frustration based in fan's reaction and press reaction to Arod at Jeter, when it belongs where it came from, with booing fans and incompetent writers and ESPN, not on Jeter.

I like them both, for different reasons. Clearly Jeter has a place in fans hearts, and for damn good reason. Its a team game, so, by the same token Arod shouldnt suffer with fans because they havent won it all since he's been here. He's not to blame for that. Winning a WS is hard, no matter what the payroll.

The largest glaring omission is that people rarely awknowledge that moving Arod to third may have helped him get to Hank/Barry faster as he has far less to do mentally, and far less to think about and manage in game at third, than he would at short. In fact, I think Arod knows this, and is happy as a clam at third, and I am happy as a clam to have him here.

The bottom line is that Jeter is a champ and an all or nothing competitor who owns four rings. Arod is an all out competitor who hasn't won YET. And we can all like them both. Its not either or. And tearing one down to build another up is silly no matter what side you are on. There is plenty to vent about concerning the Yankees, but Arod vs. Jeter isn't one of those things.

666

It is funny. 7 IP and 5 ER isn't even a "quality" start. For that matter, 6 IP and 3 ER post-steroid isn't even a quality start in my book. He must have been "gritty" or something, right? If he had just borrowed Schilling's red food coloring he would be a hero, no?