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Bing Bam Boom
2007-05-09 06:37
by Alex Belth

The Yanks rolled over the Rangers last night, 8-2. Alex Rodriguez hit his first homer in a couple of weeks, Robinson Cano and Johnny Damon and Mr. Minky had some nice at bats, and it was a peaceful, easy night in the Bronx for the Bombers.

Meanwhile, Anthony McCarron has a good piece on Mariano Rivera in the Daily News this morning.

"It's easy when everything goes fine," Rivera said. "You show your true character when you struggle like this. I don't know what people are thinking about me, but I know I feel the same way as I did last year and the year before. I feel real good, the velocity is there. It's nothing I have lost, it just happens. If you are a closer, you're going to blow saves and get saves. There's no in between.

"I feel I'm being tested right now, my character, my faith, how I conduct myself. It's different. But I love it. If God allows this test to be on me, hey, I'm willing to carry it. We are just starting; we'll see where we finish.

"I'm going to battle," Rivera continued. "I'm not going to sit down and start crying and wonder what happened. No, I'm not going to second-guess myself. I'm just going to do what I have to do. I believe I'll finish strong."

Yo go Mo, we're behind you every step of the way.

Comments
2007-05-09 06:44:52
1.   rbj
Regular work for Mo is all that's needed. And with the pitching staff rounding into shape (quality start for Andy last night, too) he'll get it.
2007-05-09 07:01:16
2.   Shaun P
1 I just hope, if these kinds of blowouts continue, or the come-from-behind wins, that Mo will still get regular work, even if its not a save situation.
2007-05-09 07:03:10
3.   Sliced Bread
I haven't been too worried about Mo -- because as he said, the velocity and confidence are still there, and hopefully on the rise -- but I found his comments assuring this morning.

Mo rules no matter what.

2007-05-09 07:09:08
4.   Yankee Fan In Boston
i appreciate the man's steady demeanor and attitude. nothing rattles him... well, not visably anyway.

to put it lightly, i respect the hell out of that man. not just for his numbers, but the way he carries himself off of the field as well.

an aside: yahoo's player profile mentioned that hughes is now expected back sooner than previously expected. i have been buried in papers and finals preparations... what have i missed? should i get my hopes up already?

2007-05-09 07:16:51
5.   Schteeve
Mo is awesome. He'll be fine, and even if he never saves another game, I feel priviliged that I got to watch him in his prime. One of the most game changing athletes in any sport, in any era.

Long Live The King

2007-05-09 07:20:29
6.   Dan-el
To get us all light-hearted for a minute ... this clip of Manny Ramirez and Julian Tavarez at a recent Red Sox-Twins game is truly among the funniest things I have ever seen.

http://www.republicaupdate.com/2007/05/red_sox_love.html

2007-05-09 07:27:06
7.   yankz
I love Mo so much. And after that quote, I'm not worried. If he's that sure he's OK, he's OK.
2007-05-09 07:29:38
8.   yankz
6 OMG, THANK YOU!!! The NESN broadcasters' reaction is the best part.
2007-05-09 07:30:16
9.   RIYank
4 The MRI showed less damage than they'd feared. The Yankees' initial reaction was to say they'd stick to the schedule, but it's pretty clear now that Hughes' return should be at the shorter end of the 4-6 weeks estimate.

Mo: his saying what he said makes me feel much better.
Now, if Moose can go seven tonight and Proctor starts serving his suspension, maybe our bullpen can get back up to par?

2007-05-09 07:36:20
10.   Yankee Fan In Boston
9 thanks.
2007-05-09 07:36:35
11.   yankz
A headline from yankees.com:

"No lack of grit in Mientkiewicz's game"

Sometimes I think they do this just to amuse us.

Quote from Mighty Mink: "You feel like you've done your job when you look down and you're covered from head to toe in dirt," he said.

http://tinyurl.com/yv5fau

2007-05-09 07:42:53
12.   pistolpete
9 All things considered I think the bullpen has had a pretty restful last 6-7 days or so...
2007-05-09 07:50:10
13.   Mike T
Morning all. I found this gem on MSNBC.com this morning. It's from Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18544315/

2007-05-09 07:54:07
14.   Emy
That's all I need to hear from Mo. He'll be just fine!
2007-05-09 08:49:23
15.   C2Coke
Mo's da man.

By the way, I was reading each comment (haven't done that in a while), and it feels real nice to have a mini reunion.

6 ROFL!

2007-05-09 08:56:54
16.   3rd gen yankee fan
6 How about this anonymous Sox acting as earmuffs for Dicey-K:

http://tinyurl.com/2uzqnp

2007-05-09 09:07:01
17.   Zack
6 I think the two Sox announcers were actually crying they were laughing so hard.

That Manny sure is a strange, strange dude...

2007-05-09 09:10:30
18.   AbbyNormal821
"I feel I'm being tested right now, my character, my faith, how I conduct myself. It's different. But I love it. If God allows this test to be on me, hey, I'm willing to carry it."

This is why I f*cking LOVE this man! No fear...

2007-05-09 09:14:49
19.   AbbyNormal821
13 That dude who wrote that article is a weiner!
2007-05-09 09:20:07
20.   rbj
I'd rather be hated than pitied. There was something I read in one of the NY rags -- possibly late 80s - early 90s, when the Yankees weren't doing well, and IIRC, a Red Sox fan took pity on the Yankees, that the rivalry wasn't fun because those Yankee teams were so bad. Much better to be a hated winner than a loveable loser.
2007-05-09 09:30:53
21.   claybeez
6 Hilarious. Thanks for that.
2007-05-09 09:52:07
22.   bp1
17 The "Make him stop!" had me laughing out loud.
2007-05-09 10:02:43
23.   williamnyy23
13 Articles like that are one of the joys of being a (real) Yankee fan. Jealousy, like imitation, is really a form of flattery. While others get bent out of shape by the national media's anti-Yankee sentiment, I take great pride in knowing I get to enjoy a team that inspires such envy. Personally, I'm glad that I channel my efforts into rooting for something, as opposed to rooting against. The latter must really ring hollow, which makes me kind of pity the likes of Boswell.
2007-05-09 10:28:06
24.   JL25and3
23 Be fair to Boswell. The man's got a choice between the Orioles and the Nationals, which makes it awfully hard to find something to root for.

He's also got a long history of some seriously great baseball writing.

2007-05-09 10:36:30
25.   Zack
I just wonder if Boswell would have written that article had the Sox signed him for the same amount. Probably not. Most thigns would focus on how wonderful it is that clemens was "going home' etc, ignoring the financials, sicne the Yanks are the only ones who (mostly rightfully) take a hammering on that
2007-05-09 11:44:16
26.   nick
A lot of great baseball writers hate the Yankees; Yankee-hating is one of the sanctified traditions of the game. Because it makes sense; it's true to human nature. Team from dominant city with an unparalleled record of long-term success and a big financial advantage? Resentment is natural.
And I say this as a Yankee fan.

23 Do people think that Yankee-haters aren't also, eg, Pirates fans? That they wouldn't rather have a Pirates WS title? Baseball, in its infinite economic wisdom, makes that pretty unlikely--but it has provided the Yanks to root against in the playoffs, regular as clockwork...it's the next best thing, for revenue, than actual parity. (And yes, I know, the A's, etc etc--dosen't disprove my point.]

2007-05-09 11:56:46
27.   williamnyy23
26 Sure, there are fans who have two favorite teams...their hometown team and whomever is playing the Yankees. It is also true that a lot of people root more passionately against the Yankees (the NFL has the Cowboys and the NBA used to have the Celtics) than for their own team. I think that's great for the Yankees and great for baseball. I just feel bad for those who seek pleasure in someone else's failure because it means they probably will never enjoy success of their own.

As for the Pirates playoff futility, you can blame MLB's "infinite economic wisdom", but I prefer to blame the team's infinite stupidity. The last time I checked, the Yankees and Pirates do not compete for a playoff spot.

2007-05-09 12:01:52
28.   seamus
27 The Pirates have largely managed themselves into the ground. It all comes back to the GM and crappy ownership. I live in Pittsburgh so I try to pull for them some..

The ownership system is probably the most broken aspect of all professional sports. What qualifies someone to be an owner and make huge decisions on budget and salary that determine your teams success? oh, you mean, just being filthy rich is what qualifies you?

2007-05-09 12:56:52
29.   Knuckles
Unsolicited, slanderous ramblings one day + lame "sincere" apology the next day = Two Full Days of News Cycle Attention for Red Light

Too bad he didn't air his apology thru Shaughnessy rather then your blog, then he'd be able to tack on a third day complaining about how he was misquoted by media members with an agenda...

2007-05-09 13:02:33
30.   Yankee Fan In Boston
29 http://tinyurl.com/2lvg9d

here's a bit of the article:

When asked if he would suggest his players "just kind of dance around" the subject of Bonds, Francona said: "Or shut up."

"Yeah, I actually talked to Schill yesterday about it, and you know again, he's never been short on opinions, and so many of them are insightful, I just thought this was an area where you're better off just leaving it alone," Francona said. "And he didn't. And you know again, the problem is, it makes it tough for me, is that he comes to the ballpark and doesn't talk to the media so I'm left to kind of clean up the mess which I really don't feel like, but, again, I've been with Schill a long time. Nobody's more crazy about Schill than me. I just ask him to kind of zip it a little bit, and I think he will."

2007-05-09 13:03:46
31.   yankz
30 Go Tito. I'm guessing he's said similar things to Ortiz and Papelbon too.
2007-05-09 13:07:16
32.   Yankee Fan In Boston
31 they allude to that in the article. so yeah, it is a possibility.

i love that francona said he talked to schilling yesterday, and then mr. tells-it-like-it-is pulls a 180.

i wish i had a video game joke i could use at his expense, but alas, i don't.

2007-05-09 13:25:45
33.   Simone
Someone needs to stick a baseball in Schilling's mouth. He didn't have much to say about steroid use in baseball when he testified in front of Congress, but now he knows everything about everyone. He needs to shut his pie hole.
2007-05-09 13:33:20
34.   Shaun P
38pitches.com has more diarrhea of the mouth? I'm shocked. Shocked I tell you!

I can only imagine what that clubhouse was like with 38pitches.com and Boomer Wells in it at the same time. Come to think of it, I don't want to imagine it.

Speaking of the Red Sox - many of us like to harp on Murray Chass, and with good reason. I'm not looking to ignite a debate about MLB, alcohol, and steroids, but I did think Chass wrote a great article here:

http://tinyurl.com/ywz7r7

and deserved some props for doing so.

2007-05-09 13:52:09
35.   Orly Yarly NoWai
From the Boswell article, I was really struck by this:

"And even the Red Sox have their generous moments: Mike Lowell acknowledged that the Yanks signing Clemens was essentially what Boston did with its astronomical qualifying bid to sign Daisuke Matsuzaka for more than $100 million in total expenditure."

Interesting, isn't it? The Yankees spend about $20 million ($28 million prorated) to sign the best pitcher in the National League, by a wide margin, from 2004-2006. The Sawkz spend $51 million and change just to keep a pitcher from talking to another team.

Yet somehow we're the cash-flinging goons.

2007-05-09 14:26:58
36.   JL25and3
34 It's just Curt being Curt.
2007-05-09 14:48:19
37.   Mike T
34 That is indeed a solid piece. Hopefully everyone else on here takes time to read it.

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