Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
[Note: I wrote this post Tuesday afternoon. Since then I've heard a rumor that the Yankees played the Devil Rays, but I am dismissing it as mere hearsay. I suggest you do the same.]
Spring is a time of hope and renewal. And allergies, but never mind. It’s a gorgeous day, and I refuse to ruin it by dwelling on the state of the Yankees’ pitching over the course of the last few days. Er, weeks. Moving on! I’m not here, as they say, to talk about the past.
Let’s talk about the immediate future instead: an obscure, unheralded minor leaguer flying under everybody’s radar by the name of Phil Hughes. Hey, you know you weren’t going to talk about anything else today anyway.
I’ve been in the minority, I think, in that I wasn’t opposed to leaving Hughes in AAA Dunder-Mifflin a while longer; I thought it made sense to go carefully with him, and build up his innings, arm, and confidence -- that was the Yanks’ original plan, and I can only assume they had their reasons for it. After all, it’s still only April, the guy can’t even drink legally (which certainly must have made it tough to watch these last few games), and he didn’t look quite ready for the bigs in spring training – though, for what it’s worth, Alex Rodriguez didn’t look quite ready to shatter every existing offensive record for the month of April, either. Regardless, when I heard Hughes was starting Thursday, it took me all of three seconds to decide to buy a ticket.
Normally when I go to the Stadium I sit in the bleachers, or the far reaches of the upper deck (don’t get me started on Yankee Stadium ticket prices). This time, though, I figured if I was going to be there, I might as well spring for a semi-decent seat. I imagine I’ll tell my children one day that I watched Phil Hughes’ very first major league start. I also imagine I’ll be telling them this by way of explaining why we don’t have the money to buy new shoes or turn the heat up, but what the hell.
I am a little worried. Expectations are stratospheric. I believe Hughes is the real deal, but many highly touted prospects never do make it in the majors, for reasons no one completely understands (although obviously one, two, or even twenty sub-par starts won’t mean that’s the case here). Expecting a guy in his first ever trip to the big leagues to not only pitch well, but also go deep, against a tough Toronto lineup, is asking a lot.
That said, I’m not particularly worried about his lack of AAA experience; it doesn’t seem to matter much, as demonstrated most recently by the performance this season of Mets reliever Joe Smith, who was in college less than a year ago and has yet to allow a run in 11 appearances. I also don’t see how making a few starts up here while the rotation scrapes itself off the DL would hurt his long-term health -- my understanding is that it’s his season-long workload that's the (potential) issue. Plus there's the fact that the longer they wait to bring him up, the more the pressure will build. Maybe it’s best, after all, to get that first major-league start out of the way while it's still early, before each game feels so freighted with importance, in a non-nationally televised contest with the Blue Jays (who, no matter how good they are in a given year, somehow just never manage to come across as legitimate rivals. Why is that? Give me your best cheap Canadian jokes).
So I’m psyched, but let’s try to stay realistic. It would be nice if Hughes could feed the whole stadium with just 20 kosher hot dogs and heal Carl Pavano with a laying-on of hands . . . but I’ll settle for six full innings.
Bonus Discussion Point: Let’s see if we can call the eventual Daily News/NY Post next-day headlines: Phil it Up? Hughes Your Daddy? The Post on Tuesday went with “Hughes Da Man For Rotation,” which strikes me as a bit of a stretch, while the Daily News disappointingly used merely “Panic!” instead of my dark horse pick, “Panic! At The Disco.”
Like Robin Williams said, "Canada is like a loft above a really great party. Keep it down, eh?!"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_of_the_Future
Oh, and Emma, I'll be at the game as well. I think my tickets are for Tier 16, but I'll find me a better seat somewhere. I bought Hughes-debut tickets as soon as I found out. Maybe I'll see you there?
Rag headlines?
Hopefully they won't have the opportunity to run: You Hughes, You Loose
or Aw-Phil!
If he's good maybe:
Phil-anthropy Starts At Home
yeah, that'll sell some papers.
7 nice pun & working in of frank/NYC.
the tabloid headline writers, if they had any sense, would be scanning this blog for good material - way better than the usual "Andy is Dandy" groan-fest
"Hughes' incorporation rocks the boat"
If he has a good outing:
"Hughes lets the dogs out over Jays"
.... hmmm ...
"Philibustered" ?
"Philip Service"?
4 I'm in section 282 I think. What the hell, it's a tax deduction, and I haven't been down there in years...
5 "Aw-Phil!" is brilliant.
Phil Huge!
I'm not very creative, so I'll take the easy way out and suggest the Times's headlines if Hughes pitches well:
"Hughes Impressive in Debut as Yanks Top Jays 8-2"
and if its a bad game:
"Hughes Rocked in First Start, Yanks Lose to Jays"
"Blues Cruise, Hughes Bruised, Yanks Lose"
"Phil Fits Bill, Chills Blue Bills"
And Emma, it's a shame Hughes' Debut's not at the Trop. If it were, Phil could feed the entire crowd with twenty hot dogs. Of course, some of them would have to share.
19 Hughes Karim Garcia?
Wait, that makes no sense (unless Phil plunks a few guys or gets into a brawl in the bullpen).
Then: PHORGETPHIL (pic: Hughes hanging head walking from mound)
If: 6IP, 4ER, 3K, 5H, 2BB
Then: PHINE AND DANDY (pic: stock post delivery photo)
If: 8.1IP, 0ER, 16K, 2H, 0BB
Then: PHILTHY (half page font size, pic: wide angle shot of Hughes on mound pumping fist after inning ending K, fans on feet in background)
(link is in the "video" section ... too long to tinyurl)
NY (interlocking) Phil-harmonic
"'I'm going to go up there and pitch to the best of my ability,' Hughes told reporters in Scranton on Tuesday. 'And, no, I don't have any intention of coming back.'"
http://tinyurl.com/2qw6gq
Well okay then! Gotta love the confidence...
28 Not a bad thought, but how would that work?
A Lifelong Red Sox Fan, Hughes Steps Up For Yanks
OR
Hughes Betrays BoSox Love, Pitches For Yanks
Or
Yankee Phenom Wears Yankee Blue, Bleeds Beantown Red
or somesuch nausea-inducing verbosity.
Really isn't or wasn't much fire between the two teams or organizations, like there was with the Red Sox, or even the Royals (now THERE was a rivalry; how far has KC fallen?). Even Seattle seems to have gotten a better "rivalry run" than the Jays.
32 superb!
The Star Ledger told the same story about Hughes missing the phone call from Scraton's pitching coach. Hughes and Clippard were at the mall eating at a Johnny Rockets when he got the call up.
Outstanding chocolate shakes at Johnny Rockets if you've never had the pleasure.
"Hughes Disappointment"
I prefer
"Philnally" as Phil spins an 81 pitch CG shutout.
The only real downside to Phil's call up:
SWB is in Toledo May 1-4. That was my shot at seeing him (or is it HIM) pitch. waaa, waaa, waaa.
The rivalry is hurt because of the exchange rate: rates a 100 in Toronto, but a buck fifty here.
http://tinyurl.com/2788a9
28 Another reason why I sometimes wish I lived near the City, instead of outside Boston.
34 Good point, Sliced. The Times has to make sure the brand stays front and center, keep those profit margins up! I'll bet Chass does a whole column on Hughes's childhood, filled with Sox-love.
Just kidding, you can use it. But only if you link to my blog :-)
mehmattski.blogspot.com
I'm not dissing on anyone for keeping score - just curious.
I think you have to start off doing it. I doube it's much fun if you pick it up as an adult.
It also has mystique- the feeling of holding the short stubby pencil and tucking it behind your ear as you slip on your glove in case that foul ball comes your way- it's all part of the experience for me.
Loss: "What's the Hughes? Yankees Lose"
Win: "Wonder-Phil!"
After a few months in the bullpen: "Phil: Over-Hughesed by Torre?"
I only do it those times when I'm at a game alone though -- if I'm with friends, I'm talking too much...
I remember my Dad showing me the score card from the Chambliss game and you can see the excitment in the final filled in diamond there, you could see how hard he was pressing and the quick strokes. I know I am getting a little sentimental and metaphysical, but there is something romantic about a nicely filled out scorecard. Not for record keeping, but as a keepsake.
"Hughes 'da Boss"
"Huuuuughes Are U"
"Guess Hughes Coming To Dinner"
"Phil'er-Up"
"Philing Me"
"Phil 'dis"
"Philder's Choice"
"Look At Those Philies"
and if stinks up the joint ---
"Phil 'da Grave"
"We Got Hughes"
thank you, thank you very much. don't forget to validate your parking.
and replace with "Can You Phil It"
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