Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Man, can you believe it's been a whole four days since the Yankees have played the Blue Jays? Feels like . . . Oh, right.
The Jays roster remains the same as it was last weekend when the Yanks took two of three in Toronto, though there's a chance that Orlando Hudson could return to action this weekend after sitting since September 7 due to an ankle injury. Considering the fact that all three of last weekend's contests were decided by a single run, and that the Jays are coming off a split with the Mariners in which they outscored their opponent by a single run over the course of four games, the Jays could use any advantage that might tip the balance in their favor. Still, one hopes that the upgrade from struggling rookie Aaron Hill to a less mobile Hudson wouldn't be enough to overcome the disadvantage the Jays face as a .459 road team coming in to face a team playing .654 ball at home that has handled them nicely thus far this season (Yanks own the series 10-5).
While the Yanks play three at home against the Jays followed by four on the road against the O's, the second-place Red Sox (now trailing by a nice, round full game) do the exact opposite (three in Baltimore, then four at home against Toronto), so one would hope that neither of these teams is ready to roll over completely. Still, it sure would be nice to see the Yanks clean house on their final home stand of the year.
One item already in their favor is that Joe Torre has decided to go with Chien-Ming Wang on Sunday (as well he should) moving Aaron Small to the bullpen, which can use all the help it can get. With that, I've been able to project the pitching match-ups for the remainder of the season on the side bar.
Tonight, the Yanks send Shawn Chacon to the mound. Chacon has owned the Jays in two starts since joining the Yanks (total line: 15 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 0 HR, 5 BB, 7 K), and turned in a gem in Toronto last Saturday. The next day, Ted Lilly, who starts against Chacon tonight, turned in his first quality start since Bastille Day, handing the Yankees their only loss since September 10, but was lit-up by the Bombers in two starts at the beginning of the season. One hopes the Jays aren't overly familiar with Chacon at this point and that he can continue his dominance of the remaining Canadian team. Meanwhile, here's hoping the O's take the never-say die spirit that gave us all fits over the past three days and perhaps some individual anger and stick it to the Sox.
What are the bad cheap seats in Fenway? Right field? What are the decent ones? Or are they all bad?
Does anyone have any suggestions for where I should park my NY plated car around Fenway? I'd like to avoid having it flipped over and burned after the Yanks knock the Sox out of the playoffs.
No joking, I drove out of the garage and onto Landsdowne Street, into a crowded street of drunken, Sox fans and had everything not nailed down thron at my car. In fact, it got so bad that I seriously thought that I was going to get Reginald Denny'd -- pulled out of the car and breaten to a pulp.
Absolutely no exaggeration. God's honest truth!
Go get 'em Shawn!!!!
Look our Rickey.
Eh, maybe not.
(with apologies to Bill Murray.)
Yeah, yeah.
Note that Giambi's getting some nice rest today, and hopefully the pen too...
That better no come back to haunt us!
Bases loaded, no outs, and you don't score?
(^*&%^%^&!@!@@!!!!
Good, thank you. That is music to my ears.
The Mets will deal him. I was looking around at CF'ers and he seems to make the most sense. Minnesota will want the farm, so to speak, to aquire Hunter, the price will be too high. We can have someone from within play right, and Sheff can DH full time. Try and grab Billy Wagner and convince him to set-up, talk about a solid lefty in the pen, Agree?
I would persoanally like to start Melky from day one next year, but I doubt that will happen. Who then, Hunter too costly, I am curious?
BJ Ryan would be good, but give me Wagner or give me death!
Whatever. I'll take Chacon as my MVP at 8:45 on September 23rd.
I'd like to see the Yanks go after a Tampa player. Maybe Rocco Baldelli.
I am opposed to trading top prospects for Cameron.
The reason that signing Beltran made sense is that there weren't going to be any reasonable alternatives this off season.
They could try to susidize Pavano's contract and trade him for Pierre, who I don't really like, or overpay Damon, which I'm against.
Jacque Jones may be a FA. They could sign him as a stopgap.
Give me youth and give me speed!!
Tampa? Give me Crawford! Give me Gathright, well preferably Crawford! Baldelli's all beat up.
I hope Chacon can keep this up, we can get some more runs, and the bullpen can take a breather.
On the other hand, with George's lackys in control, I doubt that will happen and they will go after Cameron
Matsui in center, for a whole year? Yikes!
There are no great answers. They could try to trade for Erstad, but at what price?
That's why I like Mike Cameron in a deal, he's cheap, he's a great defensive CF'er, and he will still play hard.
Posada! You cannot contain that man!
Minaya will try to hold the Yankees up. I refuse to give the Mets top prospects.
I would give my left testicle for G. Anderson, however. The most underrated player in the league over the past 8 years.
But he sure didn't do well when the Yanks tried him there.
I don't want Anderson. His OBP is too dependent on his AVG.
He played on turf in the Tokyo Dome and the field is smaller. Plus, they don't play the game the same way in Japan. Over here they bunt and play small ball about 33% more than NL teams do in the States. Probably a lot less ground to cover and a lot less chances in the OF when he played for Kyojin.
They are going to overpay for someone, no matter what we think.
Not to mention, he will make far too many mistakes, count on it.
Yeah, Hafner looks like he could be real mean if he wanted to
I just hope it will, anyone remember a young kid named Andruw Jones? He better not keep Melky out, I trust Reggie's opinion a whole lot more than Joe's.
Matsui plays smart (except for every once in a blue moon, when he does something really boneheaded). He's not that fast, and his arm's not that great, but he usually finds a way to get the job done. But CF may be too much real estate for him.
His hair is long in the front too, no mullet.
Yup.
From the time children are old enough to pick up a bat, they learn how to sac bunt. If you watch the National High School Baseball Tournament, called Koshien, you'll see the best example of it. It's the equivalent of the NCAA tourney.
You'll see a guy get a leadoff single, and the next guy will bunt him over in the 1st inning. Then, you'll even sometimes see the next guy bunt him to third. I kid you not.
Matsui was a rarity. He could hit for power from day one, and they intentionally walked him every at bat in the championship game at Koshien. The crowd, and every fan across the country watching on tv, booed. His team ended up losing, so the decision payed off, and Matsui cried.
From then on he's continued to mash. But.....he can't play everyday CF in Yankee Stadium.
It works well when you consider the economy, health care, and the environment, but it makes for boring-ass baseball.
Odd that he was such a power hitter in Japan. He's good, but not really Godzilla-like here.
I read once that the reason he became a lefty was because the other kids wouldn't play with him, even boys a lot older than he was. He was too good. So he hit left-handed, to to make it more fair. That's why he bats left but throws right.
Sounds like a tale, but if it's true, it is one hell of a story.
No, Chacon is a lifelong Rocky, not even eligible for Free Agency yet. Sutcliffe is a journeyman himself, however.
Chacon has only played in Colorado....including high school ball. Sutcliffe's an idiot.
I want a shot of the pools of piss under the Macombs Bridge in Parking Lot 6.
He is the best in the AL!
Let's see Flubber do it while playing Gold Glove hot corner.
1. One who has fully served an apprenticeship in a trade or craft and is a qualified worker in another's employ.
2. An experienced and competent but undistinguished worker.
The second meaning is the one I'm familiar with.
The only thing I worry about are their young guns, Hansen and Papelbon. They could be tough, if only because they're new.
WTG, Bubba.
Lawton or Sierra would not have made that.
Apropos, I like "fielder's indifference".
Mo never threw in earnest in the pen, so no harm no foul.
Chacon is my hero.
Sad to see Bernie calcifying before our very eyes, though. I hope he can give the YS crowd one more glimpse of greatness before the weekend is over.
Also, people don't often think of the Yankees as scrappy and lovable, but you have to assign those adjectives to Crosby. I really get the sense he's trying to maximize his talent no matter how limited, to help the team.
And that baserunning artistry from Jeter is the kind of thing that will continue to perpetuate the legend of Derek Jeter. I have no idea how he did on his SATs but the guy has all kinds of baseball smarts, don't he?
But we need The Tribe to win to keep Baastin 1.5 back in the Wild Card — which we are no longer concerned about, right ???
I'm not sure our games against Baltimore qualify as that much more difficult, especially with Roberts out, and the whole Palmeiro scandal...the team has played really poorly the last couple of months.
I'm still nervous about what seems to be the necessity of running the table against them, given the stakes...it's hard to beat any team 8 in a row.
KC has actually been playing the Indians pretty tough, but any question of why they've lost 100 games gets quickly answered by a ninth inning like tonight (and the one they had against us when they blew a 4 run 9th inning lead).
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