Not feeling a Yanks/Sox ALCS?

Why is this for real this time?

2 This is most likely his last season, right?

According to who?

His elbow.

Joe Morgan believes that Yankee fans want Roger Clemens above any other Yankee on the mound tonight.

As long as its not Roger's mouth

What is this awful music?

Explain Dane Cook.

8 I think it's what ESPN thinks the kids are listening to these days...you know, to make the game "more exciting."

Can someone please take a baseball bat to Dane Cook's mouth.

11 There are other places I'd rather hit him with a baseball bat.

10 I see.

Stinky is still there. All that hope for naught.

Of all the insanity, I have hated Dane Cook since the first day I saw him. These post-season commercials have actually made me hate him LESS, they're kinda everyman.

But otherwise, no, I can't explain him.

No idea who Dane Cook is, and from the comments don`t want to know...

Can someone advise me on how to deal with my irrational Schilling hatred?? Hope we get hid pitch count up quickly...

Uh Oh Nancy. The little Tyke might kick you in the shins for that

whoa - that could have been really really bad.

If Pedroia was taller.

All of the pressure in this game is on the Yankees. That has to give the Red Sox an edge. As a result, the Yankees will have to give their absolute best effort, especially as the best players are not in the lineup.

There should be a rule against forcing one team's fans to endure McCarver and Morgan on back to back nights.

The Red Sox had a ceremony today to give Lowell Eric Chavez's gold glove?

16 hatred of Schilling is never irrational.

Early frustrating AB in the game...Abreu kind of let that one get away.

I'm really interested in this ceremony now.

[20} I don't understand why any fans have to endure them, ever.

Go to dinner with Dane Cook or Curt Schilling?

I'd have to say Schilling (sorry, fellows).

Personally, I think McCarver makes Morgan&Miller sound like HOFers.

Oh crap.

And I should mention that I hate Morgan&Miller.

You've played there before, Johnny!

Incredible...this is not a game to start kicking the ball around.

doh! I've done that before...

He lost it in the lights. Could happen to anyone. (And did happen to Matsui last season, IIRC.)

Miller on his own is fine. There's something about Morgan that turns him bad.

34 I've heard as much, but did you hear the call on Arod's homer vs. 'Boner? Dead silent, seriously. I've hated him since then. I don't know if he hates the Yankees, loves the Sox, or hates Arod, but he lost all objectivity in that moment.

This game has to be fun for the Red Sox...it's a rare house money game where a win has the added bonus of putting a serious dent in the Yankees post season hopes.

26 No way. I'm sure Dane could throw a couple of jokes to maybe make me laugh, and plus he could tell me Alba stories. You rather sit there and look at Curt's face all night? No thanks.

What was wrong with that pitch?

35 He was fine as the Orioles announcer, but maybe he started hating the Yankees from then.

Or, it could just be the corrupting influence from ESPN to make him non-objective.

Clemens is hanging a lot of sliders.

35 I agree. He seemed way too excited when the Sox do well and pretty matter of fact or dejected when the Yanks do something well.

41 He did have that "falling, falling BASE HIT!" call on Posada's double in the ALCS

Disastrous beginning.

Which Yankee fans wanted Clemens over any other pitcher?

37 Have you heard Dane Cook tell stories?

Clemens is a scary flyball pitcher tonight.

44 I did...am still very glad they brought him back.

ok, that don't stink!

Giambi doesn't get that one.

DM justified his spot in the lineup right there.

44 I did.

Yup, should've started an injured Giambi there.

My heart breaks every time I see a hot girl with hideous Boston gear on.

45 Hey, I know it's not pretty, but considering the alternative, I'll take it.

I was against having Doug Out in the lineup, but no other Yankee 1b makes that play.

oh god, I would go to dinner with Cook way more than Schilling, good god. At least Cook would know hot girls. And even if he's not funny, he'd at least have a sense of humor.

I don't think Miller hates the Yankees. That "boner" call could have just been an old man moment. I've always liked him.

50 Maybe you should hold that off until after he comes up with someone on.

I apologize to Minky and will cut on him no more...great play. Could have saved the game there

What a play by Stinky!

The Yankees need to jump on Schilling early and often. This is really a gigantic game as far as the Wild Card is concerned. After Cleveland, the Tigers are pretty much home free with Minnesota, KC and Chicago.

ok, whoops, I misread that boner thing, sorry, dur.

Nice play by Doug there. I've always loved the "dive-at-base" out.

57 True...but a two run double there could have really snow balled.

There's the Manny shower cap

Those Rajah chants drive me nuts, I know they don't rattle Clemens but they rattle me.

The velocity is there from him, but the location hasn't been sharp and we haven't seen the splitter yet.

I thought Manny had a pair of BVDs on his head for a moment there.

Yankees really need to work the count against Curt.

You all do realize that Dane Cook grew up in Massachusetts, pretended to be a Yankee fan, and has been wearing Boston garb since '04?

Dane Cook has no sense of humor. I could not tolerate his obnoxious voice for an entire meal.

Curt Schilling, despite being The Most Annoying Man in Baseball, has always been respectful of the Yankees and their fans. I bet if I could keep him away from religion/politics, he'd have some cool stories to share.

And the rules are, Cook couldn't bring any of those hot girls with him.

Wouldn't listening to him talk about making out with Alba make you want to cry? Realizing that complete idiot tools get to make out goddesses?

Cano batting 6th tells you how thin the lineup is tonight.

66 Yep. But Cano and Melky back to back? I see 4 pitches for 2 outs...

Can't like what you see so far...

BTW, am I the only one who doesn`t worship at P.Gammons feet? I like his blog on ESPN, but find him kind of irritating to listen to..

I don't want to hear stories about Alba, I want to be INTRODUCED to Alba. And Cook, either by getting drunk, good drugs, or tortured by me, could provide. Schilling provides NOTHING but ugliness of body and mind.

I thought Cano had gotten over the swing at everything high thing.

72 Hey, my game, my rules. No third parties. Just you, Cook or Schilling, and your rapidly disappearing sanity.

I don't think Pedroia had to dive for that...

With the state of the Yankees lineup...Clemens now has to get 6 outs before the Yanks have a legitimate chance to score. I wonder if Joe thinks this game is as important as it is?

67 Good points, but after dinner I get to hang out with those girls then. After dinner with Curt, maybe he can show you some of his 04 Series souvenirs.

I'd much rather sit for two hours with Schilling than Cook.

77 See 74 for some clarification on the rules.

78 Amen brother.

I appreciate Clemens being a warrior, but the early signs are that he doesn't have much. I hope he finds a way to gut this one out.

Every time you see that collision, it becomes evident that would have been a penalty in the NFL. Sorry Joe, but that was a dirty play.

Jebus F'ing crisco, Joe. We don't think it was a dirty play. Shut up.

can't you all argue about Farnsworth or something instead of this silly dinner thing?

I don't understand why people get bothered by what other people are discussing. You want to start an argument about Farnsworth, go right ahead. I won't whine about it.

And you can't deny that it was topical.

74 - fair enough. But I still have to choose Dane over that tool, it's just no contest to me.

There was an interesting discussion on BTF about the rule against blocking the plate and that whole play they are replaying. The to-the-letter rule that no one enforces has Posada in the wrong there. But seriously, no one enforces it.

The thing that Morgan or anyone at ESPN is too dense to realize is the fact that I can't believe any Yankees fan cares about the bowling him over; it's the forearm to the neck that is unnessary. Which wasn't mentioned. Who WORKS these broadcasts?

Ouch...a walk to Lugo is about as bad as it gets.

81 Well he is making 1M+ for his work tonight. Although I suppose he makes it if he didn't pitch.

85 It wasn't a demand or anything. The truth is every time I read about it I pictured having to have dinner with them and didn't want to...

79 In all actual reality, I would take Curt because hearing stories about him facing the Yanks would be priceless. While stories from Dane would do nothing for me. I just don't want to admit it because I hate Curt with a passion.

It's a good thing we have Manecevitz coming up to lead off the inning. Our lineup is solid tonight.

How can people look at the absurd contracts given to Lugo and Drew and consider Theo a genius? That's not even considering DiceK and Gagne. And at this point I don't think I'd trade Hanley for Beckett straight up.

86 Bill James had a discussion on the "you can't block the plate" issue in the Historical Abstract.

Old Speckled Hen doesn't seem to be working. I'm switching to scotch.

Better question is who would you go drinking with; Billy Martin or Lenny Dykstra?

57 He has already saved 2 runs. That's the same as getting 2 RBI. He has earned his keep, THIS game, at least.

89 Ooh, fair point. My bad. It is a pretty horrible thing to imagine.

How the hell is his helmet filthy?

86 I doubt Hinske meant to hit him in the neck with his forearm.

Any Giant fans out there? A good day for my Packers that I can rub in to a fellow Yankee fan. Favre looked pretty good. Eli looked good in the first half.

Case in point: Morgan just got done saying that there was nothing Hinske could do but run over Posada because Posada had blocked the whole baseline. Now let us concede that Hinkse's play was "clean" (no cheap elbow to the head, for example) within baseball's internal "logic". Why couldn't the last runner just plow into Minky who blocked the baseline to make the tag?

Why are we allowed to turn baseball into football on plays at the plate, but no place else? Maybe when someone finally gets hurt for real...

91 The way Giambi is hitting, it can't be any worse, and mark my words, Meinthegeofe is due for one hit maybe two tonight.

Julio Lugo has a 67 OPS+ this year.

irony

Now Minky starts every game for the rest of the year for sure...

98 Yeah, yeah, bite me.

Oh please keep proving me wrong. Your turn Wheels Molina!

100 "Meinthegeofe "

That sounds hilarious, at least the way I pronounce it in my head.

"Better question is who would you go drinking with; Billy Martin or Lenny Dykstra?"

No contest - Martin. And I'm a Mets fan - Dysktra's just plain awful. But between Keith Hernandez and Martin? Hernandez, who would be more fun.

I thought I was watching the Yanks and a National League game broke out.

It is scary when Minky is batting 8th because he ISN'T the worse batter in the lineup.

99 That's baseball as I've always seen it and I have no real problem with it.

Holy shit. Doug is on fire!

Now he'll play every day for the rest of the year and cost us the playoffs, but we might as well celebrate this game.

I don't know the rules- is it maybe because the 1B doesn't have padding to protect him?

Bunting isn't playing the game Morgan, it's tossing it.

98 Ah, shaddap. I didn't think the Giants were going to be good this year anyhow.

horrible

107 Dykstra is awfule, but Martin was one of those small wiry guys who are really intimidating when drunk..think Joe Pesci..

OBVIOUSLY SAFE!!!!

99 - WELLLL I think there's histporical context there. The home-plate thing has been acceptible practice for 100 years, and the 1B thing just hasn't been. That's probably the only real answer.

See, Miller thought he was safe. ;-)

That's a bad call.

That was an awful call!

Wow. That wasn't even close.

F'ing ump.

I think something just burst somewhere in Miller's body.

That blown call has seriously hurt us badly.

117 Please see 112

110 Good point. And another thing, I don't like all this talk about "evolution."

that scores the run if that call at first isn't blown.

Bad call cost us a run. That would have been a sac fly.

That was a BULLSHIT CALL!

That inning hurts.

One day, baseball will figure out a way to get rid of these bad calls.

Arod hasn't homered in 24 AB.

And the umps are POS.

I think Lenny's on the straight and narrow now. I read an article awhile back...in the business pages. He lost a lot of money during the dot-com crash, and as a result, has become a day trader. He coached his neighbor's daughter in softball in exchange for investment info.

>> The link between his career in pro baseball and his new one as an investor and day trader is an ability to spot patterns. "You know the most important count in baseball?" he asks rhetorically as we stroll back to his hotel. "One-and-one. If it goes to two-one, a hitter hits .300. If it goes to one-and-two, he hits .100." <<

He is now trying to start up an investment fund for baseball players. He says too many of them end up running out of money once they stop playing.

Wow - that call showed an awful lack of concentration by the umpire...that was really an easy safe call- not really even bang/bang...that was horrible!

I don't understand the huge Mienxyzpetel drama. You know how easy it is for him to have 2 weeks of good baseball and Giambi to have 2 months of bad baseball? Really it can't be that bad, plus he gives good defense. This late in the season, it can't hurt that bad, but can actually help a lot if he catches fire.

Now over an entire season, I can understand. It ain't that bad fellas.

I love the human element of baseball, NOT! Instant replay, please...

Well, that was horseshit. How can someone blow the call that badly? Did he hear it hit the ground and assume that was the sound of it hitting the glove?

Man I hope the Yankees get as mad as we are!

131 He got that .300 vs. .100 thing from Moneyball, I bet. I very clearly remember someone from that book (DePo, I'm pretty sure) saying the same thing. It's not the first pitch that matters, it's getting the first 2 out of 3.

117 The Home plate thing has NOT been acceptable for 100 years...that is a myth. Neyer (forgive me for invoking him) wrote an article on this a few years ago when he was free on ESPN.com, and the practice only grew up in the post WW II years--probably at the same time that catcher's gear became increasingly more formidable.

Still, just because it's old doesn't make it good. They threw spit balls for 100 years before it was finally outlawed.

99 Should baseball players just concede outs?

It certainly doesn't seem fair that the defense should be allowed to get an out just by being a road block.

131 Helping millionaires staying millionaires.
Is there a more noble calling?

Very scary fly balls.

Consistent!

I lose track-- Is this Clemens third or fourth "final game at Fenway Park."

143 Well I am hoping for another one in October...

It's not just at home plate. There's coming in hard at 2B to break up the DP.

144 I'd rather not come to Fenway too much in the playoffs. I never feel very confident here, especially considering Ace's numbers.

I also do not want instant replay in baseball. Just want the umps to get it right.

Wasn't Game 4 the Jeff Weaver game?

Bad calls are frustrating, but the thing that annoys me is there is no accountability. Every umpire should have accuracy statistics that are maintained and made public throughout the season. The ones that fall below required levels should be fired. These guys are being paid very well for 6 months of work. It's about time MLB demanded excellence.

135 Shall I remind you of Vernon Wells "catch"? or how about that great stolen base the M's had earlier in the year.

Whoever is in charge of the umps this year needs to take a good long look. Human element is nice, but its pretty embarassing when a bad call or two changes the outcome of an entire game.

Speaking of which, you know what my favorite thing is? The measuring for a first down in football. All these guys come out and very, very carefully place the chains in the right place and measure, oh so carefully. All great, except the referee spots the ball, by eye, with a bunch of 300 lb. guys crashing into each other. Its hilarious.

That was a better inning than I expected from Roger, actually.

SIT DOWN ORTIZ- SIT DOWN LOWELL! LET'S GO YANKEES! LET'S GO ABREU! LETS GO AROD! FUCK YOU BOSTON! FUCK YOU UMPIRE! HERE WE GO!

"Professional umpires currently begin their Minor League career at $1,800 per month. At the Major League level, salaries range from approximately $84,000 to $300,000 per year."

Hot damn I thought it was a lot less than that.

Oh, and cue PeteAbe's Doug Out love. Yes, Pete, he made a nice, run saving play at first base. He also gets out almost every time he's at the plate, and there aren't that many difficult balls hit to first.

Seriously, the best thing to come out of Doug's injury (which I don't wish on anyone) was Pete shutting the ef up about him.

150 True, but the spot of the ball can be challenged, I believe.

139 By your logic, any base runner should not concede outs, so they shoud, say, punch the second basemen (for example) rather than "accept" a tag. Baseball rules seem to cover this: if the ball and fielder are there first, they have the right of way. Otherwise, the fielder cannot obstruct the path.

Clemens looks better tonight than he has all season, at least so far.

Extra rest? Cortisone shots?

How long can he keep this up?

155 Yes, but how many times a game? I guess I just find it funny (being a scientist) really, really carefully measuring a completely crude and arbitrary thing.

138 - just because I give a reason other people do something doesn't mean I agree with it. But I think even 50 years of the practice affects how people accept it now.

Is Neyer on the hate list?

Geez...no sign of the bats waking up.

40 pitches and almost 4 innings for Schilling...let`s work the count a bit guys!

So obviously Torre's strategy here is...let's pray we get a couple home runs tonight. This is not a manufacturing a run lineup. We might be in trouble.

124 Yeah, you pegged me. I'm a total creationist. You are a regular Nancy Drew... People who need everyone else to agree with them at the risk of insulting them are, might I offer, less than evolved.

I like to see baseball played that way. I like that part of the game. I differ from you. Deal.

Pavano mention.

Joba 2-3 innings? First of heard of a 3-inning possibility.

Can anyone tell me if the Banter is as tired of hearing the phrase "Joba Rules" as much as I am? Is it still something that brings warmth to your heart because of the positivity of the kid, or is it tiresome for you guys now as well?

165 How about a start or two?

164 Pavano? who`s that?

165 He did clarify, "depending on pitch count" or something like that. So clearly it is an innings pitched or pitches thrown.

166 Agreed..tiresome...

Where did the strike zone disappear to? Clemens first two pitches to Veridick were right there.

168 Karim Garcia's bodyguard I think.

Thanks for stopping by Veridick...have a nice day...bu bye.

4 straight K`s?? not bad! The kid has a chance in this league...

I hate Veritek. Who's your least favorite Red Sock?

175 Varitek.

163 Sorry about that--it was a snarky comment. I personally don't find "that's the way I've always known it" arguments particularly persuasive. If you dig collisions, fine. We'll agree to disagree.

175 Schilling. No contest.

Man, it'd be nice to score some runs.

Hmm, Yankees started playing better when I switched to scotch. Not that I'm suggesting that others do as well.

175 Definately Schilling!
on the other side, my favorite Sock has to be Ortiz..I know he`s killed us in the past, but really love watching this guy hit. I like Manny too, and Daisuke.
Varitek and Youkilis should be exiled to Pittsburgh or KC to provide "leadership" and "grit" to a young team...

177 People love violence. I'm not of that persuasion. I find nothing more useless than a hockey fight. All of the action stops and guys grab each other shirts and pull them over their heads. Exciting! I'd rather watch good hockey action.

159 Good point. He seems to be here, but I won't pay to read him so I'm not sure why.

Robbie Cano! Wow!

I don't know why everyone is so down on Schilling...Cano really seems to like him.

Wow...maybe Cano should keep swinging at high fastballs. This guys unbelievably Jeckel and Hyde...He drives us crazy!

Cano with an oposite field, go with the outside pitch, HR. One thing that Weeping and I can both agree to love!

nice hit by robbie!

SUCK IT SCHILLING

That being said, I think my least favorite Red Sox would be Youkilis. I somehow have a hard time considering Beckett a Red Sox, but I hate him, too. My favorite being Manny.

Melky needs a day or two off. His at backs suck lately. Damon should be in center and Matzilla in left

Cabrera pulls the ball!!!

Guys...follow Cano's lead and take this guy the other way.

Did Morgan just say `there`s a different sound to Cano`s bat`? What does that mean??

This is like a softball game....the Yankees just keep lofting fly balls.

Ugh. Joe Morgan. Someone really needs to start a website to point out how bad he is at baseball analysis.

Dumb comment alert: "That's how you know he's [Cano] going to be a great hitter someday."

Yeah, that:

.299/.346/.479 with 18 HRs this year. I can't wait till he improves.

BTW, Joe Morgan career line:
.271/.392/.427

which is good for a HOF second base.

I used to hate Manny profusely. And now I just dislike and fear him. I would hate to have him on my team because of his aloofness but I don't hate him anymore.

192 That's a common expression...it basically means Cano has a knack for hitting the ball on the sweet part of the bat.

A big part of the appeal of baseball is the tradition. But I'd be willing to at least consider anything that would reduce player injuries. I wouldn't start with blocking home plate, though. I'd rather see them extend first base into the running lane, to avoid collisions like that ugly Bubba Crosby-Brian Roberts thing a couple of years ago. Which they seem to re-show whenever there's a collision or near-collision at 1B.

Oh well...guess McCarver was right about the multi-run inning thing. At least they cleared the pitchers.

194 You are joking, right?

194 And that website should be in favor of terminating Joe Morgan's employment at ESPN.

195 Be fair to Joe...his OPS+ was 132, compared to Robbie's current 118.

Now this is why Giambi should be DH'ing. We could bring Posada into catch half-way...he gets some time off and we get a better lineup later in the game. Love Molina but his bat is not going to be useful tonight.

192 I think he meant, "different sound when the ball comes off the bat."

194 Joke about something like that? F#*! the heck?

202 Ok, fair enough, but that's just due to the evolution of 2B and hitters overall. Also, since its Joe's analysis, I don't have to use that fancy OPS+ stuff. I'll just go with BA and HRs thank you ;).

205 Ah, good, good. I actually wrote in to them the other week about that Cy Young discussion on BBTN. The one where Hershiser said good pitchers sometimes give up HRs on purpose when their team is ahead. And Phillips followed that up by saying Wang isn't as good because his team tends to win by lots of runs when he pitches.

206 OPS+ doesn't compare players by position, but I like you last point. It's pretty ironic that Morgan is so ignorant of sabermetric analysis when he is pretty much a perfect test case.

I wouldn't have had Roger do that

Roger!
and Minky!

That's an amazing play...amazing they got an out and amazing Roger is walking off the mound.

SCORE SOME DAMN RUNS NOW!

Wow. Pretty spry for an old guy.

208 Yeah, I was thinking of VORP when I made that comment.

scary moment...MTHCSDSFSDVZ makes another good play no one else makes.

So how does Roger Clemens have blisters. After all these years playing baseball, he doesn't have a pair of cleats he likes and are broken in?

Comparing Cano to Morgan as a PLAYER is not really particluarly fair. Cano will be lucky to be as good as Morgan, and the odds are way way against it. The fact that he's a horrendous announcer has little to do with that. - grin -

How has Schilling been so effective throwing slop on the outside corner to lefties...why don't they take that the other way?

192 Yogi Berra saw Mantle hit many home runs. It wasn't that special an event. But when Mantle hit that shot over the facade, Yogi said everyone on then bench jumped up, because they had never heard a 'sound' like that one before.

It made a special sound that jolted everyone, and it was indeed, the further ball ever hit in the history of baseball. There is some difference of opinion as to whether it would have 'only' gone 640' as some thought, or if it would have gone over 700', which many thought.

Yogi said just from the sound, everyone in the dugout knew it was something special.

218 There are a lot of similar stories. Buck O'neill always said that he could tell when Ruth was batting just by the sound. Now, maybe those were just fanciful memories, but, then again, maybe not.

This is infuriating! You'd think the Yankees can't wait to hit that Inner Harbor tonight.

219 Its certainly true in golf. If you've seen a really good player hit, pro or near pro the ball makes this whooshing sound coming off the club. I've never heard it do that for myself or my friends.

220 Check that...they're coming home tonight.

218 I happened to be looking down and reading something when Ortiz hit the walk off in game four of the ALCS. When the bat made contact, I'd never heard a sound like that and it actually startled me.

Six innings of pittiful ABs.

There are a lot of guys still around who say/heard Mickey's shot. It's well known it hit a light stanction above the facade. And Berra is veryunderstated when recalling baseball stories. Kubek talked about the 'shot' a lot.

Not too many people around who saw Ruth play.

218 HitTrackerOnline estimates that homer was actually only 507 ft "true distance." HitTrackerOnline argues (pretty convincingly, IMO) that actual 500 foot homers are rare bordering on mythical, so it was a hell of a hit anyway.

Well... with Joba and Mo, we may be able to hold it at 1. Can we score another run? 2 (God forbid)?

Roger is pitching a 1 hitter? I didn't realize he was that on. Wow.

With A-Rod, Pedroia, and Ellsbury in my fantasy lineup and Schilling and Clemens pitching, I was kinda hoping for a 12-11 Yankees win here.

Not looking good so far.

Rocket is dealing tonight. Sorry in advance, if this turns into a jinx.

228 Probably because the Yankee bats have been just as silent.

If I was a scout watching Schilling make these same pitches in a side session, I'd say he was finished.

THis is the inning...got to get out unscathed.

Oh crap...that was a bad pitch to Lowell...Roger can't give up a run here.

Veridick up. No actually Joe he struck out last time.

Way to go Johnny.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer asshole.

Johnny giveth...and Johnny taketh away!

Ok Johnny...that kinda makes up for the error.

Nice catch, JD.

Aaaaargh Alex. The mojo is suffering.

This swinging at the first pitch makes absolutely no sense. It hasn't worked the whole damn game.

Have the Yankees forgotten that you can drive outside pitches to the opposite field?

226 You do the math. http://tinyurl.com/3439xb

I am sorry, but this dismal offensive performance is more on bad hitting than good pitching. Schilling is pitching to contact, and yet the Yankees can't even make hard outs.

DESALVO?

246 Throw day...altough with Joe, one never knows.

245 And what about Roger? With a 2 hitter? Pitching to contact?

Schilling is about to get through the 7th with 70 pitches. Atrocious.

The Yankees do realize they need to score some more runs to win the game, right?

This is dismal and dreary...this is also the first time I don't feel that comfortable with Joba. I have a feeling all the hoopla around the brushback might affect him.

247 This is why I didn't want these people called up. Henn and Ohlendorf yesterday, the possibility of DeSalvo today.

AROD seems to impatient. He can smack Schilling if he gets his pitch. Why give yourself up on a first pitch curve ball?

I'm logging off for the night. Rocket's only at 87 pitches. He should be good for 1 more inning.

248 First off, Roger has not pitched as much to contact. He has more Ks and swings and misses. Secondly, the Sox have made him work much harder regardless. They've also had legitimate scoring opportunities thwarted by fine defensive plays. It's not even close to comparable.

Joey D?

Joba, hmm...curious move, but with Roger's elbow I can see it.

This game now becomes even more crucial...having Joba lose would add a pyschological blow to the game shaved off the loss column.

Yikes...this has disaster written all over it.

Figures this'll be the first time Joba gives up an ER.

See that? Person on the field - and grabbed Cano's cap.

Holy cow.

Gammons answering a completely different question.

258 Not mention burning Joba for two games in a loss when you've pretty much squandered your WC lead.

One more Joba.

Um, Kei IGAWA?!

Come on Joba. One more.

This pesky Elsbury worries me now. I wonder if he faced Joba in the minors this season.

264 What about him?

I think there'd be a lot of crowing if Varitek did that little fist-pump in the stadium. ;-)

Guess he's not afraid to come in :)

267 He was warming in the pen.

244 The math is what convinces me that HitTrackerOnline is correct.

http://www.hittrackeronline.com/historic.php?id=1963_3

The site is run by an engineer who wrote a program that calculates the physics of each hit.

There is no consensus on what the longest hit was, BTW.

Ellsbury not quite working hard to avoid that last one.

Shut up Joe Morgan. He has been striking everyone out on that slider this year.

Did anyone else see visions of Buckner?

Yes! Yes! Yes! Joba remains invincible.

Just Giambi's lumbering stride make that play? Not sure.

Holy Christ that was close!!

274 I actually thought at first that it went through his legs.

278 In my mind I heard...little roller up along first...behind the bag...

267 Why on earth?

273 Yeah, Moran's analysis of the slider was perplexing. He faulted Joba for getting ahead of the first batter with the fastball then throwing sliders; then he points out how he got ahead of the later batter by throwing a slider, but the difference is that the earlier sliders were outside, or something. I think even he realized how little sense he was making--did you notice the hesitation in the middle of his monologue?

Crap...7,8,9...I have no hope for a run.

271 The ball traveled some 350+/-' horizontally, and hit 117' up.. If it was at the zenith of it arc, that well over 600'.
Some Yankees who SAW it, said it was a line drive, and they believe, still going up.

Look at the picture. How is it possible that it 'only' went 500'?

276 Does Giambi bumble the ball?

This is a rare occasion where I give the batter a 3-1 take.

Joba is seriously getting bored, so he sets up these situations intentionally.

Oh Melky...his last 6 weeks have really taken away from what was a very good season.

Here's win Doug wins the game.

280 Just keep saying, "Getting his work in." over and over. Its all I have to hope on.

If Joe were to bring Igawa into this game, he should be fired on the spot. Literally, Cashman should call on the BP phone and say, "Thanks for the years Joe, but you have clearly lost your mind."

Does anyone else notice that Minky is our offense?

It's a Minky highlight show!

THE STINK! THE STINK! THE STINK IS ON FIRE!

And now we're giving up the DH? Joe, you don't have to make it an NL game.

289 And then Cashman should be fired for signing him, not trading him and calling him up.

289 You can't blame anyone for being reticent...after all, there was Weaver instead of Mo.

294 Touche

293 Doug can catch. Giambi to first. Posada stays.

What? Why PH? It's not like a base hit wins the game. This could very well go to extras.

We have young catchers?

Man, I wish Giambi still knew how to thit the ball the other way.

Oh no, they are going to bring in one of their "young catchers." Good thinking Joe, way to ease the rookie into a non-pressure situation. What young catcher is even on the 40-man?

301 I thought we didn't call any up because it would hurt Wil Nieves' feelings?

I'm serious, thats the reason I heard.

301 Not one...but two young catchers. Clueless Joe (Morgan).

301 Nieves is only 29.

Oh for the love of, guess who our emergency catcher could be? A guy who has hit:

.373/.476 /.716

for his new team. Any guesses?

Giambi goes opposite field... {:-)

Ellsbury is 11 months older than Melky.

DAMN ITTTTTTTTT! That was so close.

Missed it by about.... 2 feet?

Joe got it right.

This will be crushingly frustrating if they can't get a run in here.

Alright Jason!

IN THE AIR JOHNNY

Wow... that missed by 2'?

Come on Johnny....get this run in...I wish I had more confidence they'd score, but they have been so listless of late.

Where is Brett Gardner when you need him?

FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

315 Yeah, what he said.

315 WTF...the runners hold??? Fucking awful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crap, Crap, Crap, Crap, Crap, Crap!!!!!!!!

Further in the air, Johhny.

Terrible pitch to swing out!
WHY!!!!!

Oh, um, I really thought that Doug would be sent there.

That's only the 2nd time I've ever seen JD swing at the first pitch.

301 I suspect, especially if they take the lead, that Torre will put Posada at C and lose the DH. (whose spot sill not come up until Molina/Giambi's).

Of course, Damon's AB may change all that.

283 Home runs are measured on the ground, not the actual distance traveled through the air.

HitTrackerOnline explains why they think the ball was not still going up then in the link I posted. Basically, it's very hard for someone under the ball to tell if it's still going up or not, and if it was, it would mean a bat speed that was highly improbable.

And looking at the photo you posted... Doing rough trigonometry, a triangle with 350' and 117' legs has a 370' hypotenuse. Admittedly, the actual path the ball traveled would be longer, since it's a straight line, not an arc. But it's not 500'.

And the Captain swings at slop....great~!

319 Winning baseball!

somebody explain our impatience with the Red sox on the ropes!

I have ZERO faith in Jeter here.

so you pinch run to the insurance run, not the lead run...sigh...

Now, why with 40-man roster they could not PR for Minky and then put Betemit at 1B...

I just want to point out 100 and tell you guys, See! It's not the end of the world.

324 Wasn't the grand slam on the first pitch?

334 Yes. Its seared into my brain.

334 Was it? I don't remember...I meant since he became a Yankee, though. I'm sure he's done it more, but I've only seen it twice.

332 See 328

333 Winning lotto numbers, please!

He said you need a MPH of 149 to hit a ball 600'. Mantle has 4 or more balls documented at over 600'. I don't know how they were measured, but those should be looked at. He said the 'shot' would need to be 150 MPH to go 700'.

Come on Jeter....

Come on Jeter....

Come on Jeter....

Come on Jeter....

Come on Jeter....

What the FUCK are WE SWINGING AT ALL NIGHT LONG!

This would probably be a bad time to remind you guys of the run that was robbed of us earlier.

C'mon Derek, we need a patented Captain Clutch bloop or something.

Funny. I used to know Derek would get a hit here.

346 Gotta beat the officials AND the other team. Don't you know that?

346 Oh yeah....I had forgotten. Argh again.

JETER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!

Take that you fat fuck.

JEEEEEEEETER!

Capitan! Capitan! Captain! My captain!

Ha!

well, um, wow

CAPITAN IS BACK! CAPITAN! CAPITAN! CAPITAN! CAPITAN! CAPITAN!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

CAPTAIN CLUTCH!!!

Nice call by Miller, too!

Oh... my... fucking... God.
I humbly apologize.

Nothing like a repeat of Game 7 2003. Just leave him in a little longer Grady ;)

hBJHvxasvcgvyutfvtfvv!!!!!!!!! WOOHOOOOO!

Don't sound too thrilled Jon and Joe. Geez.

Get the F$%^ out!

330 JETER CALLED, HE SAYS "BITE ME!!!!"

11 HR this year. Six against the Boston Red Sox.

You want Jeter on that wall...you need Jeter on that wall!!!

Damon gives Jeter a well deserved embrace, but it's really Minky who Jeter picked up.

Hell yes. HELL YES.

Just a little preview of the ALCS Sox. Get used to it.

I gladly eat crow...forgive me my leige Derek. That's a fucking hilight in the record book. THat will make the Yankee-O-graphy- especially when we come back to take the division this year.

Hey Curt? Who's your dada?

HOLY JETER!

More runs.

I did the ugliest, dumbest dance, and I don't even care.

A-Rod's home run is going to be so diminished now. ;-)

Wow... If that was a Sox HR, they would show the replay 6 times. I want to see some replays!

Are ya coughin up blood yet Terry???

339 I'm a bit sceptical of those supposed 600+ ft homers. I thought I read someplace that those distances were at best estimated, and usually included where the ball stopped rolling (not where it travelled in the air). Even if Mantle was the greatest distance slugger ever I can't believe that no 600-footers have been hit in subsequent years with more documentation.

Nothing beats a no doubt home run when a lot is on the line, especially on the road (think Pujols in Houston).

377 they sounded so sad at jeter's home run. They talk about how clutch he was, but they still raved more about Schiling after it all.

380 Speaking of Pujols...how far did that one go? Anyone know?

372 Yep, Fansince77--that crow is a tasty meal. I had a full helping myself earlier this summer when I doubted Mo'!

; )

382 We'll know in about four years, when it lands on one of Saturn's rings.

Alex needs to stop swinging at that crap in the dirt. He's been doing it more this past week.

339 There are a lot of reports of 600' homers from the old days, but they are likely not accurate.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/art_hr.shtml

"It should be noted that those regular references over the years to 500- and 600-foot home runs were born out of scientific ignorance, misinformation, or even deliberate exaggeration. The most common cause for overstatement has been the basic misconception about the flight of a batted ball once it has reached its apex. Seeing great drives land atop distant upper-deck roof, sportswriters observing the occurrence from a press box would resort to their limited skills in mathematics without any regard for the laws of physics. Perhaps the ball had already flown over 400 feet, whereupon it was interrupted in midflight at a height of 70 feet above field level. Awed by such a demonstration of power, the writers would then describe the event for posterity as a 500-and-some-foot home run. With the guidance of our scientific brethren, we know that once a batted ball has reached its highest point and lost most of its velocity, it falls in a rapidly declining trajectory. The aforementioned fictional home run could have been reported at 550 feet in a prominent newspaper, and re-created at that length by historians for years thereafter, when in fact it traveled about 100 feet less. Hyperbole has always been part of the phenomenon of long-distance home runs, and this factor must also be considered."

Wake up guys....geez...it's so noticeable. They were so peppy just a few minutes ago. I wonder what changed?

There isn't a player in baseball that I would take over Jeter with two strikes on him. He comes through time and time again.

Damnit Alex. Stop looking at the 2006 version of yourself.

385 He has been...still getting his hits, but striking out a lot more lately. Let's get that out of the way now.

Okay. Who's catching?

What was ARod guessing at there?

Why not Joba again? Someone explain?

ARod's head is up his ass tonite.

Who cares- play that funky music DJ.

Way to go Giambi...needs to be the everyday DH period!- lefty or righty.

353

geez- take it easy...

Is Viz coming in?

Notice how quiet Morgan has been since DJ's blast!

394 geez- go away.

I'd go with Joba again.

Was Joe Morgan even in the booth? He didn't say a god damn word. Probably on a potty break.

Seamus- sorry about that mental image.

Oh, so Joe, we're not using one of these invisible young catchers?

386 Hey, I was just going to post a link to that article!

394 You're right. He's a big boned fuck.

I think Arod's homer happy. He heard all that 60 talk.

Or he's just an unclutch SOB who can't perform when the Yanks need him most.

Let's go Joba...we need you here.

394 397 Uh, huh?

I love to see this little Ratty Stinky guy try to jack everything to the warning track!

400 HA!

397 lol. that is ok.

403 Huh?

Oh shit...check Opie's shorts!

Joba breaks out the breaker.

409 That's why he should be a starter.

I definitely think Joba has been talking to Rocket about pitching inside.

That pitch was awesome.

The midget can sit down.

Go right at Papi!

Oh I love to see Ortiz up there with no one on base in the EIGHTH. Great timing.

407 Whoever posted 394 told me to take it easy. Was it my reference to Schilling? I just don't follow.

Nice try Fatty.

Gameday had ball 1 at 100 MPH.

Siddown, punk.

411 agreed. I bet that Roger told him to get the umpires used to seeing you pitch inside as a normal approach to hitters. This way, you are keeping the hitters honest, but you are protecting your right to throw inside.

416 Ric is a Sox fan

416 Yeah, it was. Maybe ric is a splitting image of Schilling and took it personally?

Sorry guys, my feed is WAY delayed.

And now the streak ends for real. OK, Joba, let's just close out the inning.

Damn.

386 LOL. Great minds.

I found that link because I got into an argument once with someone over who had hit the longest home run ever. To my surprise, there's no answer.

Alright Joba...there's your earned run...get the next guy.

Why do the Yankees throw Lowell fastballs anymore? Didn't he also hit a fastball off Joba at YS.

Dammit.

It was great while it lasted, kid.

Come on Joba...nice and easy still.

It is unbelievable how somber, quiet, bleak, depressive, etc, etc, Moron, I mean Morgan is. If that was an Ortiz blast, he'd be creaming in his pants. Pathetic.

422 Ah ok. Were the rest of you guys ok with it? I can tone it down from here on out if I was out of line.

381, 387, 391

Guys, no.

I'm watching, I've been specifically paying attention the whole game to this because of what was said oa Miller earlier. Miller was freaked at that home run, it was a fine call. They went on and on about how great Jeter was, and they are not quiet, cowed, or bummed since.

Obviously you have to do it, but there's something funny about having to label Mariano Rivera with an "(R)"

In case there was some doubt as to which hand the greatest reliever ever throws with.

430 he is more interested on Lowell's solo shot than Jeter's 3 run blast.

432 I agree. I don't see the disappointment in Miller.

Wow, that tells me a lot about Joba. No fear. Way to go kid.

Getting Papi was huge- staying away from his next turn in order is bigger.

Lowell may be one of the only guys in the league to be able to hit that pitch.

Love this guy's composure...coming back to the K (on a generous call)

Well...if it's any consolation, we can now marvel at Joba's ERA+ because he finally has one.

that curve showed me something & I looooove what I saw....

432 I agree. I think that Miller has been much better today than the last time he did the Yanks vs. Sox game.

Kid showed some nice poise. Now, let's score a couple more and make this game even more sad for Morgan and Miller.

Well, we saw how Joba reacts to his first HR.

437 Lowell hits fastballs...the harder the better. If I was crafting a game plan, I would never throw one in the strike zone.

Wouldn't mind getting that run back.

Miller did what he could until the ball landed then proceeded to talk about how good Curt still is.

432 I really have no problem with Miller. For the most part he just calls the game and at least he doesn't call balls out that land in front of the warning track.

Morgan is an idiot, I just don't understand why people in charge think he's good.

I miss hearing Vin Scully's 1988 HR call. That was just phenomenal.

30 pitches for Joba btw...so we wont see him again until Wednesday.

427 Gotta give Lowell credit. That pitch was high, out of the zone. Not many can catch up to a pitch like that. It's not like it was a fat pitch.

Cano hit a ball about shoulder level for a HR. Vlad hits all kinds of bad pitches out. Nothing a pitcher can do. Sometimes a batter just beats you.

I don't have a problem at all with Joba giving up the homer. The pitch was up but it was 98. Just tip your hat to Lowell. He struck out Pedroia, who never strikes out and Drew on nasty curves. Very nice job by Joba.

432 agreed NOT MILLER but definately Morgan. Miller get's geeked about a well poured cup of coffee- (bless the old guy) but IMHO Morgan sees himself as the only hall of fame infielder in the modern era and doesn't bring much praise the Yankees way.

446 Scully's or Buck's? You are talking Gibson, right?

I always thought Carmina Burana was a fine soundtrack for Yankees vs. Red Sox.

449 Totally agree- How nice it to have a guy that you know teams will struggle just to get a base runner against. Lowell's shot was impressive but you just knew that was all they were going to get.

Man, this is some game. They're getting their money's worth tonight.

Maybe 2 weeks off did Gagne some good.

Someone posted this the other day, but it must be repeated: we should all be thankful for the Yankees rules about players' facial hair.

Here comes Peter Gammons. Lets see if he answers the question that's asked of him this time.

I really wish Terry Ryan would have found a few hitters for this weekend. The Twins lineup today was one of the worst I've seen in a long time.

431 Dude, I thought it was hilarious.

456 That was me- and yeah, thank the Steinbrenners.

Has anyone noticed that Gagne isn't as fat as he has been in recent years? (And by recent years, I mean the years he was always injured and lost all his velocity along with his physique.)

457 He'll answer it, but the answer will include the word "Buchholz."

"IMHO Morgan sees himself as the only hall of fame infielder in the modern era and doesn't bring much praise the Yankees way."

I dunno, he loves Pedroia, seems like.

/rimshot

Couldn't help it.

I actually like Miller as I'm familiar with him from doing a lot of Giants games, and I generally think he does a good job. Morgan on the other hand is atrocious.

451 Scully's, the "roll of the dice" call.

Gagne looks pretty good in this inning...that's too bad.

I'm horrified at the possibility of any Yankee fan doing "Actober"

Yo!

My internet connection is a disaster this evening. But, I just had to check in here, and I'll hang around for some high fives, shortly I hope.

464 In a season of the improbable...the impossible has happened.

I like that too...Scully's call set the scene better, but I think Buck's call punctuated it better.

Shit... Joba's ERA skyrockets to 0.50. DFA 'im.

Melky really has been terrible lately.

What da ya think -- Melk needs to sit two games? come's in as a late game replacement. He's simply not helping us right now. If DJ needed a day- Melk needs two.

467 Long way to go...don't get too confident. These Yankee/Red Sox games never go easy.

Vagitek, Hinske and Crisp.

471 Not at YS...CF is way too big. If everyone else hits, you can carry a league average bat.

472 Ditto

468 I also love his lead up when Gibson comes to bat. Really brings in mind the wounded hero. Its very dramatic.

Pete Abe:

"There are better fielders. There are faster runners. There are more powerful hitters. But there is only one Derek Jeter and it is moments like that that make him who he is."

Hell fucking yeah, man!

Melky could probably use some rest, but he might take it the wrong way. As Girardi pointed out, young players hit a lot better when they're not worried if they'll start or not. Melky sucked big, green warty pickles as a 4th outfielder (remember how horrible he was in spring training and the early part of the season?). He really blossomed when he became a starter.

Considering the runs the Sox scored in the 1st 2 games, I give POG to Roger.

Uh oh.

Shit Mo--- make it easy on yourself.

Oh Mo! Anything but a walk.

478 Maybe they should DH him

ok, Eric Hinske sucks and we WILL get him out one time.

That is, if Rivera is not the goat.

Somehow this is going to get to Ortiz.

Herre comes Crisp. As the show his shitty numbers. Geez. Don't jinx it

Okay Mo. One more.

Nice calm play from Cano. That shows maturity, I like it.

67 OPS+.
67 OPS+.
67 OPS+.

Hey, credit to the integrity filled Patriots. Belichek gets an extension through 2013 as a reward for cheating. Great message to send.

I think that Miller should get a room with Schilling. He's talking about Jeter's homerun but praising Schilling instead of Jetes.

Crap.
Julio Lugo picks now to wake up???

Holy crap, I can't believe he hit that.

Oh fuck me.

Shit.

490 Keep you away from no hitters!

Schilling pitched a beauty?
HOW ABOUT ROGER? 3 HITS. 0 ERs.
Miller blowing the Red Sox again.

c'mon Mo, I'm gonna puke here...

wow listen to Morgan Pep up...just went up three octaves and took over the broadcast!

This is looking bad.

That was a really bad pitch by Mo. That pesky Elsbury again! Fuck I hate this.

Oh dear

awful pitch.just awful.

Oh dear lord. Pleeeeeaaaassseee get Ellsbury.

Common Mo.

Christ almighty. The midget is gonna win it.

Mo is falling apart. We are doomed.

Ah shit...Dusty and his upper cut...and then Papi...this really sucks.

Oh Lord. I can't watch.

497 Hey, I didn't say they would get him out. Just that they should.

I'm one of the few defenders of the "Don't jinx the no-no" rule left on this site.

man, imagine the stuff Posada could say to Mo--I'm just feeling Yankee history here for a minute....

At least his hitting streak is over?

Deep breaths...deep breaths...calm down...in and out...in and out...huh...going to happy place. happy place...happy place.

That's a ton of speen on first...anything in a gap wins the game...I don't need this.

Ooooh, I'm not liking this now.

Dusty at bat with the game on the. High heater hitter against high heater pitcher...

Keep it low. This guy is a high ball hitting.

Come on Mo! Please, please get this out.

2 more

1 more

come on. One more strike.

Ellsburry didn't even flinch on the HBP

FREAKING out

Come on Mo.

Oh that was soooooo close. Come on Mo!

It's never easy, is it?

This is killing me.

Again Joe quick to point out Mo's mistake.

Dear lord, I'd forgotten how nervous I could get.

Stop being so pesky you little rat.

Big Fatty hits Mo too.

Change up. Change up. Change up.

Mo has nothing.

I don't like it when they stay alive.

fuck!@!!!

Oh God.

Christ. Come on Mo!

This is fugly.

529 Me too man, I'm shaking.

SHIT.

Oooooh.
Papi vs Mo. Here we go folks!

unfucking believable

Damnit to hell.

Oh no no no no no no no no no no no

Oh, Mo.

Can we bring Joba back in?

this is the season

Just END it already!! I can't take this.

He wanted it this way. He wanted it this way. He wanted it this way.

What is he doing?

Why would they not go right after Pedroia...why!!!~!!!!!

I'm strangely confident.

Come on, please. I had to be at Giants stadium earlier today. That was sheer pain. My gf is pissed off at me, let me have one happy part of today.

Papi owns Mo.

He had Dusty 0-2.

Bring in Farnsworth. At least if he blows it I'll feel better shitting on him instead of Mo.

This is a good way to end this game, one way or another. Pretty intense. C'mon Mo!

I have no control over my legs right now.

i am generally pretty positive, but this can only end one way.

Oh come on. Don't walk him.

Mo has nothing. NOTHING.

Don't walk Big Papi, Mo.

He is having trouble throwing strikes which is nervous. But I know that he can do it.

Has Mo been taking lessons from Bruney or something? Go at him!

551 Welcome to this game. Why did Joba screw around with Hinske after getting him 0-2? Bad pitch selection.

This is like route canal. we know how it's going to end.

Yeah, I wasn't worried. I was confident.

Unfortunately, talk radio tomorrow in NE will be all about the Patriots.

ok, espn wants the sox to win after that graphic..........& FUCK 'EM!

HA!

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy place...happy place...keep typing until at bat is over...must get Pedroia...greatest closer of all time...hate Joe Morgan...No papi...Love you Mo..keep typing...Oh shit...walked him? No fucking way...keep typing until game is over...only way not to have a cardiac arrest...why mo?...why mo? why face Papi here when you don't have to? why? Go get him? What have you got Mo? Com on mo. Keep typing... Pop up Papi...Pop up Papi.. Pop up Papi... please...please...please...please...got ahead good job...keep typing...can't watch...he can't do it again...he can't do it again...he can't do every time...c'mon Mo...odds are with you...let's go Mo...why not now mo?...Let's go mo...2 strikes...2 strikes...get Papi to pap out...please...please..wake up Babe Ruth...Wake up Phil Rizzutto...Holy Cow...Now Mo...Now!....get Papi now...got to iwn this...Yankkeeeees WIN! ...new it all along. Piece of cake.

Holy Christ almighty. Thank You Mo.

Who else but the Captain! YAAAAAAAAAA

Whew. That was close.

THEEEEEE YAAAAAANKKKKKKEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS WINNNNNNNNNN!!!!!

OOHHHHHHHH GOD, THANK YOU!!!!

Oh, I am going to throw up>

Ahhh, Mo just wanted to make it more dramatic.

I told you he wanted it that way: Bases loaded, 2 outs, Ortiz up. Sure, he had to give up a run in the process, but so be it.

568 They could have used a similar stat to show the Yanks come from behind to beat the Sox. (Is it really coming from behind when the other team leads in the 2nd inning?)

And THAT is why we love this game :)

571 = greatest comment ever.

holy. fucking. shit.

thank god. of course, it came down to Mo, Papi and Jeter.

whew!

OMG, that was waaaay too much for me right now.

Yankees 7-2 on road trip...love that.

580 And hate it!

571 See 581 . I love this place.

wooooooow indeed, Sterling.

Mo had trouble keeping the ball down, I believe. That was the trouble.

But for some reason I was enjoying this one. And it all worked out, so, EXCELLENT!

High fives, banterers, and sleep well. (I'll just finish off the bourbon and hit the hay.)

Route canal? Route 66 Canal?

568 They sure did, but they sure jinxed em! or something

I am sending Mo the increasing bill from my cardiologist. That was too intense.

Still, Mo getting Papi to fly out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th at Fenway is a good way to end the game :)

Yanks take 2 out of 3!

My legs are STILL shaking. What a feeling. Like an awesome roller coaster or something.

571 thanks for sharing. Nice post!

There really is nothing quite like Rivera vs Ortiz in a one run game.

How are we supposed to go to sleep now?

2 outta 3. 6 of the last 7. we won the season series. upped our road record.

we MUST kick the shit outta the crappy AL East teams the next 2 weeks. let's make detroit a moot point...

Won the season series? Now we just have to tie them by the end of the year.

I think I am going to puke. Thank God that didn't go into extra innings.

588 That was fun! Are you a fucking masochist. Never seen Mo at Fenway before? My heart is still blasting away. and I don't even wear a suit to work.

576 I'm there. And this is after they won. I'm not sure I can take watching the PS.

571 Awesome.

589 Route 95, of course!

Hopefully Cleveland can handle Detroit because after them, the Tigers have an easy go. That's what made this game so vital!

591 "way to end the series."

Oh hell yeah.

595 take a page from the book yankz and i wrote and stay up for like FOUR more hours! : )

Man, my nerves are shot. When the playoffs come, I'm going to need an IV with scotch in it.

I know hindsight's always 20/20, but I felt strangely comfortable having Papi in there against Mo rather than Pedroia.

'Devil you know' and all that.

Papi's not what he was from '03 to '05. He's still one of the top 5 scariest hitters in the league, but he looks more human these days, IMO.

That said, wheeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww.

Like his team as a whole, even when Mo doesn't have his best stuff, he's still awesome.

OOOPS. I of course meant root canal. Geez.

I'm late to the party again, Team. Showed up just in time to suffer through that ninth.

I was concerned, but then, maybe a pitch or two into Ortiz' ab, I said to myself, "Nah, not this time, Mo's going to get Ortiz to pop up."

And so he did!

Ha!

604 Now we just have to find a publisher that works the OTHER 9-5.

605 Steve-O style!

607 No kidding. Two out of three ain't bad, considering how sloppily we played.

Nice series, boys.

486 I called it early. This game really couldn't have ended before that.

599 I'm not a masochist. But I think I just mastered the Zen of baseball. I was grinning during the whole Papi at-bat.

Baseball. Nothing like it.

598 hey vockins! not to change the subject (but i need a little grounding here after that roller coaster ride...) -- that's cool you write, man! publishing is the way to go.

me -- i make every cent i earn either playing, teaching or recording drums. without drums, i'd be homeless and worthless!

whew! deep breaths. deep breaths. my fingers are still shaking whilst typing...

Is it really necessary for Sportscenter to spend 20 minutes on Belichik?

I want my Cowboys highlights, damn it!

605 I feel you. I feel like a mental patient with little control of most neuro motor skills. BlahblahblahblahblahYankeesblahblahblahbibblebibbbledroolalloverselfblahblahbliblle...yeah definately Mo, definately Mo, 15 minutes to Wapner...26, 26, world championships...15 minutes to wapner.

Thanks Mo.

Please pass the Kaopectate.

I see Lowell homered off of Joba.

Oh well, had to happen eventually.

Fastball, I presume?

609 See, you and I were the only ones. I hit a strange calm spot right there, too.

614 Nice job, RI!

:)

613 You did! I was going to compliment you on 486 , but I figured the post had drifted back too far. Sometimes you get the feeling that Ortiz bats twice in the lineup, becuse it does seem that he is ALWAYS up in the ninth inning.

Man, I just had to change my shorts.... Anyway, Clemens was just freaking brilliant. I was a little surprised he was pulled, but it was the right call I'm sure. I've never understood the hate some Yankee fans have for the guy, and now I'll understand it even less if I see more of it.

HUGE win!

I'll probably get blasted here. But "clutch" definitely exists. Some guys live for that moment. Jeter's one of them. Others run from it. But there's definitely something.

hey yankz - that's cool you dig bernard purdie. i teach my students the "purdie shuffle." i have one of his solo records too.

he recently played here in atlanta w/ Col. Bruce Hampton and some of Bruce's players. of course, i was gigging on those nights so i couldn't go.

he's quite a character, purdie. he and hampton gave a bunch of hysterical - and, of course, bullshit - quotes about James Brown recently after his passing, in the local southern "village voice" like paper (Creative Loafing).

619 Worse than that, all the Yankees runs came on homers!

; )

619 Yeah, it looked like Lowell was sitting on it. Miller had the audacity to call Lowell's shot 'no cheapie' even though it went over the Monster and landed in the top seats up there.

Um, excuse me John, ANY ball that goes over the Monster and doesn't leave the ballpark IS a 'cheapie'. Damon's gloving that ball in the Bronx.

619 it was 98mph and up. i thought lowell was gonna get just under it, but he smoked it. joba handled it like a champ!

619 I'm cool with it, better to come up 4-1 than in a tighter spot. Lowell is just a great hitter too, and it still stings that the Yanks traded him.

625 That's awesome. I think I've told you about my love for drummers before, though I know next to nothing about them. I just like looking famous ones up on YouTube. Today I saw the most amazing Buddy Rich performance.

628 Loved the little shrug Joba gave after it went out.

This guy is ROTY in '08 as a starter, guaranteed.

626 :)

Cano hit one too, then?

Whereabouts? Line drive, fly ball?

622 We always joked that Manny and Ortiz were 3-4 and 8-9 in the lineup. There was no other explanation for them always coming up.

632 Wall shot.

628 629 630 Thanks. I'm sure Joba did handle it like a champ, I'm sorry I missed it.

And yes, Lowell is a very good hitter.

sorry to keep posting about the last thread - i'm just getting back home...

great drumming trivia there, cult! that kicks ass. i think dunbar got the better of that coin flip, as far as career paths...

Hocakes, if you're out there -- you freakin' ROCK, dude!!!! Zach Barocas is flipping amazing and the last 2 Jawbox records were incredible. the s/t is a desert island disc. please don't ever insult him by including him in a sentence with dave grohl, however. plus, hitting hard doesn't really mean anything. zach plays musically and rhythmically; i can't say that about the other guy. zach's done some other stuff since and j. robbins has had 2 great projects post-j'box...

k, think i'm caught up on the earlier drumming posts. sorry everyone... : ~

Are we still on the Patriots on SC - this is absurd...um the greatest rivarly ever just ended with the great team ever taking the season series and a heart attack game with the greatest clutch player ever winning it and one of the greatest pitchers ever giving up 3 hits and enough with this fucking Patriots Shit!

So, I missed the beginning of the game, but my brother says the Sox scored their first run as a result of a blown call at first.

637 Seriously.

Via RAB, Joba's Career K/BB ratio: 205-36.

Is that legal?

638 No, but the Yanks were cost a run by a bad call at first. And bad is an understatement.

Sox first run came from a Damon error that came around to score.

637 Forget it. ESPN only covers baseball in the few weeks that don't involve the NFL season, NFL post season, NFL preseason, NFL draft, NFL training camp, and NFL Pro Bowl. Otherwise, it's, well, NFL 24-7, and these days that means the Patriots and the Colts.

630 that's super cool, yankz! next time you're at youtube then, type "jeff hamilton" in the search engine. a brushes duet w/ Steve Smith should come up. watch the whole thing, it is purely insane!!!

then, look for "Mr. Hi-Hat" by Steve Smith. check out Jojo Mayer and Dafnis Prieto, too.

636 It's in the charter: music talk is always in order at Bronx Banter.

644 thanks RI, 'preciate ya! : )

641 Ah. Thanks. I probably misunderstood.

643 Will do, thanks.

644 I was just thinking about that earlier today. Things discussed, in order of frequency:

1. Kyle Farnsworth
2. What's wrong with Phil Hughes?
3. Music
4. Food
5. Torre's bullpen strategy

637 Well, no more Pats. Now you've got The Browns and Bengals.

and they're still on football. thome hit 500 today, nothing. yanks-sux, nothing. helton even hit 300...ah, ok, whatever. i just wanna see some bb highlights. i was playing in the mountains all day and missed everything until jete's homer...

647 Do we get extra points for combining topics?

647 You forgot booze

What I love most about Mo: He's been doing this SO FUCKING LONG. Remember how Foulke, Gagne, and god knows who else were all "The Next Mariano Rivera"?

Idiots. There is, and will only ever be, one.

647 extra credit for jessica alba?! ; )

As I sit down to my first Negra Modelo "Especial" con limon claro, I reflect that someone proved me very wrong tonight.

Mancievetksidtiuisz was nice like a fine Jewish wine. He was worth 3 runs at least. Nice Job Doug.

652 yeah, my gut says the paplechase won't be this elite for that long. Mo friggin' RULZ!

649 not a bad time to turn on the tube.

656 yeah, i think you're right. i've had it on mute. i'm about to turn it off and perhaps crack open a celebratory sierra nevada pale ale...

hats off to jim thome! yeah, that's what i wanted to see. he's a good guy...

Here we go - ESPN showing Yanks/Sox

A fine Jewish wine. There's a straight line if I ever heard one.

Heh, I missed that fist pump by Jeter when I watched it live.

Derek Jeter, including playoffs, has 211 HR. 23 of them are against Boston

662 Regular season, he has 194, with 21 against Boston.

662 Mmmmm, good fact.

Hey, I like Mike Lowell. If A-Rod walks next year, can we get Lowell?

Actually, Mattpat, now that I think of it, that's about the percentage you'd expect. The Yanks play the BoSox in a little over 10% of their regular season games.

You guys realize we won the season series too? 10-8 on the year against Boston. OH yeahhhhh.

A post for the karma gods to get this thread to 667.

Go Yanks!