Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Watching the Yankees play in Houston seems unreal like something out of a video game. The late afternoon light floods the place in odd, broken-patterns, and the Yankees' dark helmets and black socks have never looked as menacing or sharp. They actually look like Bronx Bombers. It was especially noticable on HD TV. Rodriguez and Giambi scoring on Jose Molina's clutch RBI single, the sun shining off their helmets. The YES replay used the angle behind the batter's box that looks up the third base line. It was really brilliant. Giambi's Porn Stach of Doom has never looked nastier--he's reaching Nick Nolte territory.
And Alex Rodriguez has looked absolutely terrifying. It's scary to think what he'd do if Houston was his home park. In his first at bat tonight, he sliced a fly ball over the fence in right, and he didn't even really get all of it. Hunter Pence narrowed his sights on the ball as it approached the wall in right and he timed his leap expertly. But an Astros fan wearing a red shirt went for the ball too, his glove knocked into Pence's mitt and Rodriguez had himself a dinger. It looked like a weak pop fly but he's so strong he was able to muscle it out. Scary.
The home run put the Yankees on the board after Mike Mussina gave up a three-run bomb to Carlos Lee in the bottom of the first. But Mussina didn't fold and he didn't allow another run, going six, and pitching long enough to leave with a 5-3 lead. Ross Ohlendorf (1 run), Kyle Farnsworth, and Edwar Ramirez finished it off and Mariano was able to take the night off. Johnny Damon had three hits and is batting .324, Melky had a couple of hits too, and Robbie Cano and Wilson Betemit each had pinch-hit RBIs. Let's hope this is the start of something for Cano.
Final Score: 8-4.
The win puts the Yankees at 36-33, the first time they have been three games over .500 all season. It was career victory #260 for Mussina, his 10th of the year. Unless he completely melts down over his next couple of starts, he should be headed to the All-Star Game. How unlikely is that? Good for Mussina. He's earned it. 260 is an awful lot of wins. He's won ten or more games for seventeen straight years.
Yeah, You Get Props Over Here.
I still think he'll revert to below league average in an ugly way.
But I'm still thrilled that he keeps proving me wrong.
...Cliff Lee!
...versus...
...Edinson Volquez!
Just bizare...
Word? A Beatnuts reference? :)
... Toronto is in last place with a .500 record. Man, this is going to be a very tough division.
... The LA Angels have the 3rd best record in MLB, 41/28, even though they have given up 1 more run then they have scored. Cleveland's RS/RA is 313/295, yet they are 5 games under .500.
... MLB is considering some Instant Replay THIS YEAR, although in an attempt not to undermine the Umps, they are screwing it up. Jeez, even when they get it right they get it wrong.
... Does anyone wonder how much PEDs really helped Giambi, or if they hurt him? When healthy, he still looks like a 40 HR guy (at 37!). I wonder if he just stayed in shape and didn't do PEDS where he would be at.
... Power numbers are down in general, but this: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=3437027
seems very unlikely.
... I can finally look at the standings page, something that has been painful all year. The Yanks are in 3rd place in both Div/WC, 4.5 behind TB for the WC. Who would have thunkit.
What a strange year...
The Angels are even odder than that ... runs scored last 3+ weeks is something like 3.25 a game, but they are 14-8 or so in that time. There's starting pitching for you. Does mean they are poised to fall back if the bats don't wake up as it is hard to pitch with so little margin for error (Koufax and Drysdale memories, cued!)
I'm ambivalent about the hr replay stuff ... not sure why it is SO wrong to bring it in midseason, and especially if the use is narrowly targeted, focused. (Pun intended.) What is the argument for waiting till April? Nor do I buy the 'slippery slope, will ruin the game' thing (though I understand it). The game seems more damaged by obviously, game-changing errors on fair-foul, homer-double by a running ump (who hasn't got his own steady focus as a result). I suppose (just thought of this) they could make it a playoffs-only thing, like adding two umps, since the games 'matter' more. But tell that to a team that misses by a game!
Not sure, OYF, what part of the linked piece you find unlikely? That Cano will start hitting part, or ...? I do suspect that some people's off-years are linked to going clean, and especially of amphetamines ... those stories of Red Bull arriving in clubhouse by the conveyor belt. The article speculates that would apply more to later in the year, hot summer, long season - and it might. But I doubt those using greenies to stay sharp just STARTED doing so in July. If it is your regimen, going off it will blunt you for a bit. And the off-steroids thing, it may well be that it takes a year or two to get back to 'normal' and Giambi might reflect that.
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