Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
My wife has gotten used to listening to me rant and rave as we watch the Yankees each night. All of my shouting and cursing used to drive her up the wall--she just couldn't understand why I would let something I have no control over get me so upset. She probably still doesn't understand but she's come to accept my neurotic behavior. Last night, I was in good form, gloom and doom from the start. "Honey, I don't think the Rocket's got it tonight, he's going to get pounded." I screamed like Ed Harris in Glengarry Glen Ross when Alex Rodriguez hit into a double play to end the forth inning. You can imagine how bad it got by the time the bullpen--Proctor, Bruney, Villone--were issuing walks late in the game.
All this on a night the Yankees won. Imagine how infuriated I would have been if I rooted for the Jays? Toronto left runners on base in each inning but the second and the ninth. They left two on in the third, fifth, sixth and eighth and left the bases loaded in the seventh, and were 1-14 with runners in scoring position (they are 3-30 with runners in scoring position since Monday). This allowed the Yankees to come from behind and beat the Jays for the third straight day. Final score: Yanks 6, Jays 1. It was another rousing win the Yanks who have won six of seven since the break.
Roger Clemens allowed nine hits and a walk over six innings (Alex Rios had four hits, three against Clemens), but repeatedly worked his way out of trouble. Shawn Marcum threw twelve pitches to Johnny Damon to start the game, but was remarkably efficient after that. He wasn't necessarily dynamic, but he was extremely impressive, changing speeds, throwing strikes. He fell behind Rodriguez 3-0 with runners on the corners in the fourth inning and just one out. He then threw Rodriguez two beautiful change-ups, and got the double-play to get out of the inning.
Scott Proctor was an adventure in the seventh, hitting a batter, giving up a single and walking a man to load the bases. He did retire two men and Mike Myers came in to get the final out of a half-inning that took 25 minutes. The long stretch was just what the Yankees needed to drive Marcum from the game. Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu singled to start the bottom of the seventh and Rodriguez came to the plate with men on first and third. He drove a fastball over the head of left fielder Reed Johnson, good enough for a double and two RBI (Abreu got a great jump on the ball). That makes 92 Rib-Eye Steaks for Rodriguez on the season. Later in the inning, Andy Phillips singled home two more. Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano added RBI singles in the eighth.
Bruney and Villone each walked a man in the eighth, bringing the tying run to the plate. Mariano Rivera came in and he retired all five men he faced, lowering his season ERA to 3.18. The Red Sox lost to the Royals and the Yanks are seven back, six in the loss column. While I'm still cautiously optimistic about the Yankees chances of making the playoffs, they are now winning games that they had previously been losing.
So yo, happy 67th boithday, Joe Torre.
It's all about baby steps for the Bombers who go for the sweep this afternoon with Chien-Ming Wang on the hill.
My wife doesn't allow the hooting and cursing. Her reasoning is if it's not something we want the eventual kids to see and emulate then it needs to go now. Hard for me to argue there - thus the need to vent here!
Great win last night. Hopefully this afternoon's content (Love the mid-week day games!) seals the deal cause Saturday could be ugly.
Yeah, actually I'm getting used to calling Em my wife. The question that seems to trip me up is when people ask when we got married.
As for my antics it generally depends on her mood. I mean she told me to settle down once or twice last night--when Damon turned a single into a double, that was the moment I believe. Mostly, she ignores me. If I get too insufferable she'll just leave the room. Actually, I've gotten much better at biting my tongue. I wasn't saying nuthin when they were stinkin'. Now that they are showing promise, I'm back to my old self.
With DeSalvo and Igawa going on Saturday I think we might have a Edwar citing before the end of the weekend.
As for today, 3-4 is nice, but screw that, a clean sweep is better.
I must admit, that I'm rather benign watching the Yankees. I think baseball's pace and the pure quantity of games keeps me from yelling and screaming more than I do watching college football (where I am beyond intense).
As for Edwar, I wanted to see Joe use him in the 9th once the lead was padded to five runs, but I understood him not doing so. Had he been lit up the only guys left were Vizcaino and Farnsworth, both of whom needed the day off.
I was annoyed that Joe yanked Bruney when he did. He seemed to recover nicely against his second batter. After the game, however, Torre seemed pretty ticked about his relievers walking people (read: Bruney and Villone), so I don't think Bruney's status in the pen is going to improve.
Hey Kevin (Brown): You Suck!
Such things have been reserved for Kyle Farnsworth lately.
Also, the very first time I heard my dad swear was when Ken Griffey Jr slid across home plate in Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS. I was eleven, and he said it loud, and I was a bit shocked.
I then grew up to be a Cameron Crazie, so I've yelled much much worse during college basketball games...
As soon as I see Farnsworth warming up then that sparks an immediate reaction, Proctor causes me to take a wait-and-see approach, as does Vizcaino. Mo provides the comfort my mom would provide me when I was going to bed when I was eight years old, I can hear her saying "sweet dreams my son". If only Mo can pitch every inning then I wouldn't have a "problem".
I'm so glad mother earth has blessed us all with cest.
I'm convinced my wife helps to find and nurture my redeeming qualities or else I'd be insufferable throughout most of my life. It's amazing what love can do.
Now when we watch the games together I mostly stew in quiet and let the fingers rage here. When things are going good, like last night, there's nothing better than to tangle in each other's arms and enjoy bliss on Earth!
Damon DH
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Cabrera CF
Cano 2B
Phillips 1B
Nieves C
ground into a double play? you get the finger.
walk the leadoff man (especially a #8 or #9 guy)? finger.
farnsworth? finger.
niedermeyer? dead.
need a rally? rub the heads of my bobblehead matsui and bronze munson.
...
i often blame bad yankee play on my wife; she is supposed to be wearing her good luck yanks sweatshirt for every game, but now that it's july, i have allowed the short sleeve t shirt. if we are still playing bad with the shirt on, i tell her to turn it inside out.
this is much better than the lucky penny i used during the 2004 ALCS. you can only imagine what happened to that damn penny after game seven. actually, after damon's GS.
Man, the team really came alive while I was in Maine and unable to follow even one game (I did hear a Blue Jays broadcast of a Sox game -- those guys are so laid back they must be medicated).
Here's an amazing fact. The Red Sox were 13 and 7 in their first twenty 1-run games this season. They're 1 and 9 in their last ten 1-run games.
But I honestly think Joe worries about things like losing the DH if Jorge had to come in and catch. Ah, what's it's like to be old and bound to "rules".
http://www.flickr.com/photos/86594178@N00/315756344/
16 Alex, have you found that your cursing and irrational craziness have gotten worse as you've gotten older? I used to be more calm than seamus describes in 6, when I was in my early 20s. But with each passing year, I get more and more upset more easily, curse at more things, shout and rant and rave. The one thing that holds me back is when the kids are around. Then I force myself to be good, because I don't want them to learn that from me.
1 The trick is to do your ranting and raving after the kids go to bed. This is especially useful when the thing you rant about the most is the bullpen. =)
Voila! No more Nieves!
29 You know, I missed last night's game but I checked in to the thread just to see what you would say about Kevin Whelan. Just in case you wanted to alter your opinion any on the Sheffield trade. Yes yes I know the grade should still be somewhere between mine (Answer Unclear, Try Again Later) and yours (F-), but that was encouraging, no?
Torre's willingness to shake up the lineups has always impressed me. I just like his willingness to be flexible.
That said, I'm beginning to think he just pulls names out of a hat.
Why is Damon leading off?
With a young talent like Melky, I think it would benefit him to have a secure spot at the top of the order as well as in center.
He needs to learn what leading off is about, and really settle into the role. Maybe he doesn't care, but I have to think a kid like him might benefit from some stability.
When we first started going out, she invited herself over one night we didn't have a date, and I warned her I was just watching baseball. I think she expected that meant I kinda hung out, drank a beer and flipped around to check the score. I don't think she was ready for my jumping and screaming.
I think she's afraid to go to an actual game with me, though I did convince her to start wearing a yankees cap (trouble is its pink).
That was maybe the best scene from the show so far because it showed some real humanity between Billy and Reggie.
That show could be so, so much better with a serious writer.
Too much of the human element remains on the surface with lots of "tabloid moments" standing in for genuine depiction of character.
I think the actors do a pretty good job of getting deeper than the script allows (especially Turturro), but I feel that someone should tell the writers that less is more.
Last night, after Damon practically rolled that throw to 3B, I began hoping that Torre would remove him for Thompson as a defensive replacement.
Last night I had Gameday going while she finished watching So You Think You Can Dance, and was fortunate enough to have that wrap just in time for me to flip over and see the A-Rod double.
32 I know numbers aren't always your thing, weeping, but I had a post near the start of last night's thread that showed the difference between batting Damon leadoff, and batting Melky leadoff, is like .142 runs/game. So while there might be an advantage to getting Melky used to hitting leadoff, there really isn't much of an advantage to the Yanks.
That will be the real test of Torre. Unless Damon gets healthy and starts to hit, he doesn't belong anywhere near a playoff roster.
It's surprising though, what you report. Is that to say that Melky's not hitting significantly better than Damon right now?
Also, what's up with Vernon Wells. Seems like he's always done well against the Yanks. Doesn't seem like the same hitter this year. Rios, however, man, nice to see a young talent like that blossom.
Oh, and I didn't mention it last night but John McDonald plays a nice shortstop. He turned a couple of nifty DP's last night, especially the one on Andy Phillips.
What are you trying to jinx us?
Take it back.
I'd venture to guess that I'm pretty much the same way. The only issue in my house is whether or not I scare the dog with my screaming.
In 2003, when Boone hit the HR, I think I must have hit the very top of my lungs. My poor beagle jumped off the couch with his tail between his legs, thinking I was yelling at him.
I had to console him during the postgame. ;-)
Now, I am sure there are loads of methodological problems with my musings. I'm just trying to think this stuff through...
We don't have a dog, but we do have two kids, one of whom is just two months, so I try to restrain myself. It's hard sometimes.
Here's a question, though: did you scream louder when Boone hit the homerun, or when he struck out there in the eleventh or whenever it was against Florida?
Man, get a ring for that girl - she's a keeper!
44 What, you mean how Wright started last year's Game 4? Or how Melky found the bench?
I directed a short but passionate and obscenity-laced tirade at Farnsworthless the other night. Last night I was good. I moaned & groaned a bit, but no screaming & swearing.
My wife is much better with her Red Sox. She cares a whole lot less than I do, thankfully. I'll never forget her plaintive "What are you DOING, Grady? He's LYING TO YOU, Grady!" during Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, though. Pedro, ya big liar, I love ya.
Are you saying (essentially, if I understand you correctly) that there's really no such thing as a leadoff hitter? Someone with a particular role to play on the team, irrespective of his numbers?
Is it just another superstition with little bearing on the success of a team or the outcome of a game?
I actually used the split screen Tuesday night to watch the Bronx is Burning and the end of the Yanks game. During one point, there was a scene that had Reggie up to bat in a big spot while simultaniously Bobby Abreu was also up to bat in a big spot. The two screen shots looks very similar, that is until they took their swings... (Reggie came through and Bobby did not...)
How poignant. How funny.
Beautiful.
Over the course of a full sample size, the statistics show that a manager can get close to an optimized lineup by ordering it in decending order of OBP. This makes some intuitive sense, since the players who get on base the most get the most at bats. The best lineup makes some tweaks such that players with high SLG go in the middle so that their big hits drive in other high OBP guys.
However, be aware that according to computer simulations, the difference between the best lineup and the worst is no more than one run per game. This is the evidence that lead some to conclude that lineup construction is mostly irrelevant.
Here's a great discussion by Cliff on the subject:
https://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/324917.html
And here's David Pinto's simiulator if you care to test out lineups yourself:
http://www.baseballmusings.com/cgi-bin/LineupAnalysis.py
I thought, however, that there were some general, preferred lineup constructions that are statistically supported even if they yield relatively small changes in runs scored. Basically, you want better hitters earlier in the lineup, so that they get more ABs. High OBP/lower SLG guys should bat leadoff or two, since they will come up with fewer runners on base. Obviously, you want the most men on base ahead of your best hitters, who will bat 3 or 4.
A few years ago, LaRussa (whom I generally despise) tried batting the pitcher 8th, so that there would be a better chance of men on base in front of McGuire, whom he batted third. In that specific case, where so much of the offense was bound up with a single player, the move made sense statistically (at least according to Neyer) but the impact was almost certainly negligable.
So does that make 69 a mute point?
68 Thanks.
That's a big difference though for many games. Indeed, that could decide a playoff berth some years.
For me, this is where I jump off the statistics bandwagon, I think. It's not that I think lineup construction is very meaningful, just that the way the game is played, players can and do fall into roles beyond just "Get on base and hit".
If anything, defense seems much more statistically oriented than lineups. One is about giving numbers to observable skills. The other is trying to simulate lots of scenarios to find the best one. The latter depends on many more assumptions about what would happen rather than what did.
"Getting past the complete rejection of the Knoblauch-Jeter tandem, what this tells us is that the biggest slugger on the team should bat second (Bernie in '98, Jeter in '99, Justice in '00) and, more troublingly, the lowest OBP should go in the six hole (Posada in '98, Brosius the other two years)."
So going back to my reference to LaRussa 69, it really might make sense to bat your pitcher or Nieves sixth or seventh, so that they are far away from coming up before your best hitters. This would increase the chances of men on base for the best hitters throughout the game (not just the first inning), while nearly maximizing the ABs for your sluggers (batting them 2 or 3 or even 4) and not giving too many ABs to you weakest hitters. Interesting trade-off.
So, by insisting on Jeter as a "traditional" #2 hitter (hits the ball the other way, yada yada), Torre has accidentally produced a clever line-up, since Jeter also slugs not so bad (pretty much .450+ since very early in his career).
http://www.sportsquant.com/baseballapp.htm
Which uses the 2005 Pittsburgh Pirates (for some reason) and you can play around with the lineup. The difference between the worst lineup I could think of (pitcher leading off) and the best was... 0.200 runs
Personally, I'm a yeller myself. If it gets really bad, I have to turn the TV off to avoid a stroke. It's not really the losing, but more the continuous ineffectiveness. Like when you have a 2+ run lead and a guy comes in from the pen and immediately walks the first two batters of the inning. Inability to throw strikes drives my blood pressure up like nothing else, so Farnsworth and Bruney make me particularly crazy.
I learned my lesson last fall during the Alabama-Arkansas football game. Our kicker, Leigh Tiffin (who is the son of former Crimson Tide legendary kicker Van Tiffin) missed three field goals and an extra point that cost us the game (his dad never missed an extra point during his career and is very famous for a game winning kick against Auburn in 1985).
As I was screaming at the television, my wife pointed to our son (who was doing his best to imulate my tirade and doing a pretty good job I might add) and said "You need to watch what you do in front of him because you know how kids end up immitating their fathers."
I was still seething over the Tiffin missed kicks and couldn't resist the reply "That's not always true, look at that Tiffin boy... he's can't seem to do anything like his daddy used to do."
"The Book" by Tom Tango, MGL, and Andy Dolphin also has a fascinating chapter on lineup construction, where they too conclude it really doesn't matter much. They also give the optimal way to structure a lineup, nothing like "speedy guy first, bat control second, best hitter 3rd, slugger 4th," and so on. =)
Touche.
In other words, the stats and the simulations might offer a mechanistic way of understanding run creation, but do they account for the fact that the players are human beings with particular strengths and weaknesses?
It seems to me that any analysis of the team's run production is going to fail to account for maximizing the given talent of any particular player. To do this, you have to know the nuances of the player's game, as well as have some understanding of how he responds to any given situation, where his head is, etc.
On the one hand, it scares me because it might hurt his development. On the other hand, he could be nasty and we can't shield him from disappointment forever. Still...oh, I'm out of hands.
They could pair Joba with Igawa, so that he "starts" every five days and gets four innings (which for a young pitcher should mean something like 70 or 80 pitches, comparable to a start).
The simulations do not, of course, take into account any psychological effects of position in a line-up. Those effects might be very great (I have no evidence on that at all, but it's certainly very plausible). If they are significant, then to my mind it means that a manager should make his line-up almost entirely on the basis of psychology.
How many lineups actually have a hitter that needs protection (i.e., he's so much better than everyone else, pitchers would rather put them on base with bad pitches than give them something to hit)?
So whatever effect of protection is found is diluted across the many lineups where it doesn't apply. But then the problem isdefining who gets special treatment.
He may not be a legit #1 but I'd take him as a #2 any day of the week. And I'd take him in any AL matchup not including Santana.
Obviously, I have no idea whether the theory is empirically/statistically sound, but it sounds plausible to me.
94 Joba is older as you mentioned, but not by much. I'd love to see Joba brought up to pitch out of the pen. It worked out pretty well for the Twins with Santanna.
Let's get four or five here.
Like a well-oiled machine.
Makes the old heart go pitter-pat.
94 Joba is young, but Hughes was, and still is, a real baby. I think that's the biggest issue.
I am stunned, howver, that Rogers Sports Net East, Ontario, West and Pacific are carrying European Poker Masters, European Poker Masters, Sportsnet Connected, and Sportsnet Connected, respectively.
That would be the same Rogers that owns the Rogers Centre (aka Skydome) and the Blue Jays.
Ah, this is shaping up to be a good Abreu game (good catch).
He didn't shy away from the wall that time.
120 He's still in the game, so we'll see.
That's what happens when you pull that outside pitch.
Just like Mo's backwards K last night.
God, I love this game.
Stop trying to pull those pitches!!
I'll give them a pass since they're the visiting booth.
Nieves isn't the fastest man I've ever seen run.
He was still out by two steps.
That's pretty comical.
http://tinyurl.com/2x32e5
interestingly, there are sections of NJ which are blacked out for the Mets, but not the Yankees.
Not to be an apoligist for Torre, because I too am sometimes in disbelief of his moves. However, this is what I FEEL he believes.
The Yankees have 25 players, and it takes 25 to win in the PS. I believe Joe is giving Damon, Farnsworth, and a number of others every possible chance to get it together, because they will be needed to perform to both get to the PS and be sucessful in the PS.
Look at Viz. You guys were ready to dump him for a bag of balls. Now, he seems to be an asset to the team. Bobby hurt us badly for a long time, but now he is (while still hot and cold) beginning to contribute.
If Joe lets players know he has no confidence in them, it may render them totally useless. Joe doesn't manage a game or a lineup, as much as he manages people. He does things to try and get the most out of his people.
Maybe, hopefully, Cashman will bring us some help. But whoever our 25 are, Joe is going to give them every opportunity to perform.
While I would like to see the kids play, we don't know if Shelly can hit .300 in MLB, but we know Damon can. We don't know how some of these kids can pitch, but we know that Farns has the ability to contribute.
It's often very frustrating, and you and I don't have to agree with Torre's methodology. But he is not stupid or blind. And he may even, at times, know what he is doing.
Not as efficient, but three dead worms, so that's good.
Beautiful stuff, Chien.
It seems to me like it intentionally forbids small market clubs from expanding their national fan bases. If you're an Astros fan in Iowa, for example, there are at least 60 games each year you cannot see because of the blackout rules.
I agree, except to say that if he's managing a 25-man roster for a whole season, he really ought to make more of an effort to wheedle contributions out of the kids. He can still show confidence in Farnsworth without being totally inflexible regarding his use.
But I take your point.
Fuck, it's raining in the Bronx.
Please don't let anything disrupt Chien's pitching, because man he looks good.
You mean like he does with Edwar Ramirez, or Britton, or Kevin Thompson, or even Josh Phelps? You need to amend your thesis to: Whoever our 25 are, Joe will give the 22 or so veterans whom he trusts every opportunity to perform.
Did you see Derek?
That scared me, I though he was picked off for sure.
He got like three or four steps before MacGowan pitched the ball.
Bad news for the Jays.
44 Joe plays favorites to the point that it's detrimental to the team, I don't care if he's massaging Damon's ego or not. Or Farn's in particular. Edwar was smoking hitters since the Yankees signed him last year and the only thing that's slowed him down is Torre. That's unacceptable in order to get half as good of a reliever out of Farns.
Poor AB, Alex.
Damn it, terrible pitch to swing at.
153 But that's good.
On the other hand, now we get to see CG W again.
I love it when their guys do that.
Well, now we can get back to the business of a CG. I guess that's the problem with getting behind 3-0.
(I'll admit my mind was starting to drift towards perfection.)
Sharp grounder to Cano, who throws to first for out number three.
Stop pulling that fucking pitch, for Christ's sake!
Nice batspeed.
By the way, Weeping, was it okay for him to pull that pitch? Did he have your permission? ;-)
Do that again.
Middle-in, I can live with.
Does reporting the action bother you; if so, I'll institute a personal delay.
:)
I so don't get it.
If they don't, he'll deserve a big ol' chink of the blame.
197 Uh. A big what???
But Wang isn't throwing strikes -- through the first three innings he was throwing like 80% strikes.
I kind of like crypticism and mystery anyway, so maybe it's better this way.
:)
Now I get it.
"Wardrobe malfunction."
Gotcha.
:)
Melky almost missed that.
But he didn't.
They're just these weakass tappers, which is far worse.
Nice play, Derek.
But it's also a product of my opinions on the game. Essentially, I think hitters, when healthy, will hit anywhere regardless of how "mental" people think they get. Torre isn't going to make Damon a better centerfielder than Melky at this point by patting Damon on the ass and saying "Awww, at least you tried."
Confidence and fear of failure matter and it's a manager's job to deal with that.
Never mind.
But he won't last the sixth, I bet you. He's thrown 92 pitches, if he has any trouble at all he's gone.
Player ot Game, no contest today.
208 I disagree completely. First of all, getting ballplayers to play up to their ability is definitely part of what a manager does.
Second - and this is still IF the Yankees get right back into it - that's exactly what Joe's managerial style is supposed to accomplish. That's what it's supposed to look like if his way is successful, so if it happens two years in a row, there may actually be merit to it.
He could be better - a lot better, when it comes to in-game tactics. But I said last year that fiery tactical genius Billy Martin would not have won then; the same is true this year. Stability and calm over the course of the long season really are worth something.
Criticize him for his faults; give him credit for his strengths.
I was responding to you!
That's the break Alex gets.
After swinging at that sinker (or whatever it was) out of the zone his last ab and gidp, he let that one go, but MacGowan made his pitch.
Nice adjustment, Alex, it just didn't work out.
Still, we're surely just inches away from their bullpen.
I'm also smiling now, so to speak. It looks sort of like this:
:)
Terrible play.
I thought he'd throw him out.
I don't like this.
exhales
Get him to reach.
1. 14-game hit streak
2. 1.151 OPS in July
I'll take this.
One more, Chien.
Fuck!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, dammit, dammit. Triple for Hill. Damn.
Mariano for the 9th, provided he's able to.
Damn it.
Damn it.
Ok, that's fine.
Time for the sticks to step it up.
283 No doubt, esp. considering the alternatives. And we get the bullpen now or soon, so we ought to get some runs.
At least Posada's on the bench, lurking. :-)
We have to.
We just have to.
Fucking Wells.
Maybe those pitches look fatter from the plate?
Also, I can't believe Nieves is going to bat.
Your assertion that Billy wouldn't have made the post-season isn't a true statement in any sense of the word. It's your conjecture, just the same as if I were to say Martin most certainly would have.
Torre looks good most of the time because the Yankees tend to have a lot of very good baseball players (which covers up his mistakes), and when the Yankees lose, it is sometimes the players and sometimes the manager because of poor choices. However, when they win, I can't give Torre credit for still making bad choices, but being zen-like in the dugout, which magically encourages his very good baseball players to play very well without some sort of evidence.
Whether the Yankees win or lose, the manager is consistently Torre (who has been shown to make poor tactical and personnel decisions), but over the short run, how the players play is inconsistent, which is the same throughout baseball, regardless of who is managing.
This is one of the games we were discussing at the beginning of the day...a loss like this lasts along time.
Nice...Phillips is hacking away too.
That's just infuriating.
(Yankz et al., they went down on a total of about six pitches.)
I would predict that the eighth will be our big inning, but I'm a little concerned that my predictions are hexes.
Joe should have just sent him up there, ya never know.
"wesuppers Yes and Halladay is better than clemons and Tower's numbers are better than Igawa's and Marcum's numbers are better than Clemon's. That's why they play the games."
From "IAmTheTMan"
For the record, I would leave CM in there.
Here comes Myers.
Hm. Does that mean Myers, who pitches better against righties, can get him out???
"3/4 or a sweep im happy with that! =)"
However, his CBS ranking is currently at "Superstar."
Nice break.
Your better argument is that there is no one else for whom you PH, so might as well use Jorge anyway, since that's the last chance he would have PH.
I've reached a breaking point with Damon. That AB was awful.
Jeter, 0-1.
Swings wildly through a fastball up and away, 0-2.
1-out bottom of the eighth, Jeter up, Yanks down 3-2
But now Damon flies out and Jeter strikes out, and it's looking kind of grim.
Steps out.
Back in.
Fastball just in under the hands, 1-0.
Fastball tailing away, catches the outside corner, 2-1.
And this game was looking so promising.
But I can see it either way. The way the game is going, I'm not sure it will prove to be anything but a müt point.
EDWAR! EDWAR! EDWAR!
If they lose this game, that was when they lost it.
They should have blown it open out of the gate.
Not gonna happen.
Mark my word.
380 It had better not be Rios.
F***ing Game Day Bastards!
Ok, sticks!
Alex, Hideki, and Leche!
Go get 'em, boys!
Now Frank Thomas makes the last out of the top of the ninth, and we get our last chance. Myers and Viz. have held the line.
Come on, boys, don't let this one slip away!
Damn it.
(Single, for those who are still having trouble following.)
I say steal second.
I say Matsui should hit a home run.
I would be an awesome manager.
WoWWWWWW!
That was hitting!!!
Alex!
Last year he swings right through that pitch.
Beautiful!!
I say Robbie is the key to this comeback. But I'd settle for a Godzilla walk-off.
I told him to hit a home run. My strategy was to hit a home run, and he just couldn't do it.
Stupid player.
I am an awesome manager.
Melky will listen to me.
1-0 to Robbie.
I know you LOVE to do that, but just don't do it right now.
:-P
Ballgame over, Cano flies out.
I guess the idea to skip batting practice doesn't look too good now.
Bad News: no swep when there was a chance; close games suggest that difference between Yanks and Jays is negligible. The latter does not bode well for a team with playoff aspirations.
I wonder whether Posada would have made a difference in this game.
Well, we'll just have to start a new winning streak.
See youse.
Though, I should probably take the two losses handed to them by the Royals and be grateful.
Honestly, I am content with 3 of 4.
I just don't like Saturday's prospects (not saying the Yankees can't win, I just don't like an Igawa/DeSalvo matchup), which means I really, REALLY want a win tomorrow night from Moose.
"This wasn't a very good effort..."
I agree that today was not a good performance, but I'm not sure I am willing to comment on effort.
The White Sox are heating up (too late) and are ready to play spoiler.
The stench of fear is in the air at Fenway.
Let there be panic and vomit on Yawkey Way!
Now I did say "see youse", so I should leave.
It's wishful thinking, but Damon should be benched or DL'd, not leading off and certainly not back-to-back with Never (assuming he's still Moose's personal catcher) in tomorrow's game. Drop him to seventh, move everyone else up a slot, with Phillips and Never 8th and 9th for tomorrows game.
The bullpen and the lack of pop at the end of this batting order will ultimately kill this team's chances. It just has to be corrected.
Cano has simply lost his way at the plate and isn't capable right now of giving enough quality at bats. Damon offers nothing at this point and shows no sign of a recovery.
Phillips is a feel-good story but any value he has is perpetuated by the media. He is a below average bat at a position where you can't afford to have one.
And I know we all know this, but Nieves simply is a not a major league caliber player on any level. Granted, Posada needs a day off every three but, really, there isn't one scru out of work catcher available who can do a better job? At least hit .200?
Giambi is crucial for this offense. He must come back and claim the DH spot for the Yanks to have any shot. Granted, he comes up to the plate looking to just take a walk, but at least he more often than not gives quality at bats.
I'm as hopeful as anyone that the Yanks can make a run. But let's face it, this team is just about as good as it's record is. I don't think this team has been underachieving, it's simply far less talented than teams of thre last few years. It shouldn't be too much of a suprise that a journeyman pitcher like McGowan shuts the Yankees down.
Unless there is at least some minor tweaking at the trade deadline, I'm afraid our chances are slim at best. I hope I'm wrong.
Peter Gammons was on Michael Kay's radio show today and was raving about Joba Chamberlain and the young Yankee pitching.
This is what he had to say (from my own transcription):
Kay: Now is he [Joba Chamberalain] as good as people are telling me?
Gammons: I was stunned
Kay: Really
Gammons: I knew he was really good but… I see he and Ohlendorf coming up for the stretch to be in the bull pen.
He's [Chamberlain] somewhere between Bobby Jenks and Joel Zumaya…I had a couple of guys in the Red Sox Organization… one of whom managed against him in Hawaii … and one …said as a relief pitcher that's a very good call as a reliever we could see that [comparison to Jenks/ Zumaya]
Down the line he has Justin Verlander stuff… I mean he [Chamberlain] is stunning…
I think he is going to be a huge story…I think Ohlendorf is going to be good down the stretch just as I think Phillip Hughes is going to be very good down the stretch. To me, I think the race will change with those three young pitchers coming in… I think they will inject a tremendous amount of energy into the Yankees.
Kay: Chamberlain is a starter… but you think he could come in and relieve?
Gammons: Absolutely…His stuff is…he was 95-99 with a great…slider and a slurve
… The Yankees have 3 guys coming… in Chamberlain, Ohlendorf and Hughes who are better than anything they can get in the trade market.
Kay: I've been told by someone very high up in the organization that Chamberlain is better than Hughes
Gammons: I don't know… the only thing you worry about is that he's had some history of injuries but that's why some teams backed off of him and let him get to the end of the second round…
It's evident to me and a couple of people said this to me in the past couple of days that the Yankees did a great job on the information on him [Chamberlain] that some of the knock on him… being injury prone…the Yankees just did better work than a lot of other teams… I look back to the draft of 1983 when 11 teams took pitchers ahead of Roger Clemens because scouts had "good information" that Clemens was a breakdown…
It did give me a certain pleasure seeing Youk last night losing his shit after getting called out after running to 1st. Don't know if they're fearing or panicking just yet, but they do seem to be somewhat frustrated lately. (esp. when the Royals beat them!)
Pretty good race IIRC, with the Mets (how was that for a rivalry, NY-StL?) and the Expos (yes, they were quite a competetive team at one time, and they actually drew fans!).
461 Are you joking about Cano? His July OPS is .948. I'll take that from my 2B, and you can keep the guy who has quality at-bats!
I think the team is quite a lot better than its record, myself. I'm not sure it's enough better, with enough time, to make the playoffs. But I'll be surprised if they don't close the gap and get within sniffing distance.
AAA - 39.2 IP 50 H 23 ER 20 BB 28 K 5.22 ERA .312 BAA
I positively love the imbalanced schedule. Now, if they would only ditch interleague games...
I was happy to see them miss the playoffs. Having said that, in retrospect, it kinda sucked to see the beginning of the end of Doc & Darryl. 1987 was the year (IMO) that the fans/organization started to sour on Rickey; that was the year he blew out his hammy.
I love the unbalanced schedule. Hate IL play.
And for grins, since 1987, the NL expanded and added 3 teams, added another division, the Brewers switched leagues, and 8 of the 12 teams in '87 are playing in new ballparks, with one playing in a new country/city
Huh?
Cano, Abreu, Matsui, Jeter, A-Rod, Posada... and even Andy Phillips is at 107 OPS+! That's seven out of the starting line-up.
Damon really stinks. And Melky is sub-par, but he's been at least par this month and I bet he'll be very good in OPS+ next month.
Chamberlain, Ohlendorf, Ramirez, and Henn vs. Villone, Myers, Proctor, and Farnsworthless. Seems like a no brainer, which is why Joe won't want any part of it. Most every other team would be preparing these guys to pitch this season, given the state of affairs in our middle relief. The Yankees need to get with the program and realize you don't have to wait until guys are 25 before you use them!
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