Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
I was at the Stadium last night and have to admit, I already feel a sense of melancholy being there, knowing we've only got one more season left in the House that Ruth Built. One of the most striking moments of the night came before the game when Jose Feliciano sung the National Anthem. That caught me completely by surprise.
Feliciano caused a considerable stir when he sung the Anthem before Game 5 of the 1968 World Series. His rendition was condemned as nothing short of unpatriotic (Mickey Lolich, the Tigers starter that day, who, like most pitchers is a creature of habit, blamed the length of Feliciano's version for his shaky first inning). Last night, Feliciano sung the same version that was so controversial almost forty years ago, only this time there was no percieved outrage. In fact, as he came to the finish, the crowd began to roar--a heartfelt, patriotic ovation.
My how times have changed.
Go Yankees. Last night was amazing.
Where is this concert?
My sons go bananas when that one comes on.
If last night's performance was anything like the original (which I never heard or knew about before today), it must have been beautiful. I can't understand why anyone would have had a problem with it back in '68.
Until a man, truly dies.
Sign...
On Saturday night at the Utopia Paradise Theater in the Bronx, just over a mile north of the outfield he used to roam, Bernie Williams will play the biggest musical gig of his life. He will headline a benefit show with Jose Feliciano, an event called A Night of Peace, Unity and Hope that is produced by Debbie Medina, founder of Events & Entertainment, Ltd. It will raise money for the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, a Bronx-based agency that serves more than 13,000 children, as well as Electchester Athletic Association in Queens.
Tickets range from $55 for mezzanine to $100 for the VIP section, and can be purchased online (www.peaceunityandhope.com.), at the Utopia Paradise box office, 2413 Grand Concourse (near 187 St.), or through TicketMaster (1-212-307-7171, www.ticketmaster.com).
[b]On the field I remember you were incredible
Hey shut up, hey shut up, yeah
On the field I remember you were incredible
Hey shut up, hey shut up, yeah
On the match with the boys, you think you're all alone
With the pain that you drain from love
In a car with a girl, promise me she's not your world
Cause Andy, you're a star[/b]
Tip yer cap, Bernie!
I wish more folks would figure out how to toss that gauntlet today; nobody seems to get pissed off about anything or much care. Glad we had courageous cats like him then. Where are they today?
and they definitely care about things... too bad it is all too often petty, inconsequential nonsense like a britney spears comeback attempt or something equally important.
(i realized as i typed that sentence that i spend the majority of my free time reading about or watching baseball. i am a hypocrite.)
(go yankees!)
20 MFD, thanks. I think there are gauntlets being thrown, but the throwers are not people with the stage of Feliciano at the Serious or Hendrix at Woodstock. And the current mainstream media seems far less interested in those folks than they do people like Britney Spears, as YFiB rightly points out. Unless there's a "sexy" component to "sell" it, like the racial tension in Jena, LA right now. Its not like those kids were convicted yesterday, but that's when the MSM seems to have finally decided to tell the world the story.
Sex and sizzle sells, thought, honor and integrity not so much. I guess that's a fairly smug and trite observation but it also maintains the underlying benefit of being true.
On a happier note: -(1.5) & +(5.5). In this way life is good, very very good.
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
0 Alex, what was the feeling in the Stadium in the 9th when Mo was pitching? Were folks worried about Mo, or cursing Mike Reilly, the awful home plate ump?
A couple called strikes (one to Jeter?) were a hair outside, but I'm all for making batter's fight 'em off, or drive 'em into play.
I missed parts of the game so consistency might have been a problem, but it didn't seem so to me.
25 For what it's worth, you can consider me counter-COULTER (in fact if I cared at all what she said, I'd be anti-Coulter; not to be confused one bit with Auntie Coulter)
>;)
Or maybe we pray someone does - that way at least maybe something will get done about it.
Sorry, but I have to admit I did not even notice the typo when I read your post 20 (well said, BTW).
Also, nice to have you back, wsporter.
CNN just ran an interview with a 10 yr old boy who had asked Shelley Duncan for an autograph. The 10 yr old is a Red Sox fan. Shelley signed the kid's notebook, "Red Sox suck! Shelley Duncan".
Even the interviewer asked him, "As a Red Sox fan, why would you want a Yankee autograph?"
Here's hoping that Duncan and the rest of the team takes to tattooing that on some of RSN's (and like media here and there) foreheads in the very near future...
Seriously, I wouldn't be suprised if the mom tries to file a lawsuit against Shelley. The funny thing is that the autograph is actually worth more now than it ever would have been without Shelley's commentary.
If I was that mother, I'd tell all my friends and family who proudly sport "Yankees suck" or "Yankee Hater" gear (and their sad equivalents) to get rid of it, 'cuz when its directed the opposite way at your kid, even as a joke, it is not cool.
42 You gotta figure somebody either in the MLB office or one of the networks that broadcasts this "rivalry" has got to be licking their chops at the bred animosity, which will doubtless fuel anticipation, ratings and wanton consumerism to spite their "enemies"... That $#!+ will turn into blood money when somebody really gets hurt, though.
I say we fix them up with some lemon snowcones...
They had out him out on the field hitting in the cage off the tee with the players. Nice little swiing. I did not catch the rest of the special, but the kid had me crackin' up. The players were all cool with him. Millar, who I have no reason to hate, but do anyway, picked him up and lifted him into the dugout. Good stuff. Enter proverbial Orioles joke now.
"Roger Clemens just completed six superlative innings against the hated Red Sox"
Why say "hated"? Is it really necessary?
Here's another line further down, though this one at least has a point behind it:
"Warming in the bullpen, Chamberlain blocked out the beer-soaked denizens of Fenway's bleachers who loathe everything Yankee."
Its great imagery, sure, and many of the bleacher sitters in Fenway are likely to be "beer-soaked" and probably do "loathe everything Yankee". But again, is it necessary? Can't the same point (Joba was really focused in a place its really hard to focus in) be made as descriptive, without having to resort to reminding us how much Red Sox fans hate the Yanks?
I'm going to stop now. This is what off-days do! =)
52 53 So I just went to SC expecting to find a listing of VOAF leaders for 2007, but I saw nothing. I think you two have some work to do. ;)
My wife, wonderful woman that she is, found a standard Yanks cap that has one slight alteration - the NY is pink with a white outline. Very classy, and that one is OK too.
I have no use for the orange and green and yellow caps though.
56 Nothing wrong with the cuties wearing a pink hat, but more often than not I see wankstas wearing them.
Sorry, I haven't been around...I didn't hear any considerable moaning re: Mo at the park last night but I did hear a bunch of it around the office today. Some folks are just spoiled as hell and there is a generation of fans, casual fans, those with short memories, who just don't remember what it was like pre-Mo, so they dump on him now because, like most relievers, he can make things exciting from time to time. But these are mostly fans who look at results not the process, not the pitches. I couldn't tell balls and strikes from the stands, of course, but it seemed as if he was JUST missing on those pitches to Hernandez and Huff.
61 Thanks Alex. Those casual fans are going to regret not appreciating Mo when he's finally gone someday - if they still even care.
And, um, Memo to Lastings Milledge: This ain't the NBA, son, siddown you freakin clown, you.
You know this whole division race situation has got me thinking about Roger Clemens. Remember back in June when Clemens had come back, he made a few starts, but the Yankees were really tanking? A lot of people were saying he had made a bad choice going with the Yankees, since it didn't look like the Yanks were even going to make the playoffs. What a turn of events. He must feel pretty good about his choice right about now.
63 Not watching on TV, but on Gameday at least, the ump seems to be almost as bad as the guy who called the Yanks' game last night (Mike Reilly, who's name I won't forget). Quite a few inaccurate ball/strike calls from the look of things.
Phils are coming back in DC, Mets might be in trouble again.
What did Milledge do?
Rubin Gotay can't bunt.
Philly takes the lead, Mets struggling to come back.
Oh my God!!
With Gomez on second base, Gotay hit a fairly sharp ground ball to short.
Gomez takes off from second!!
And makes it to third as the shortstop's throw is too late!
I've never seen that before.
He's chastising the shortstop for not charging that ball.
If he had, Gomez would have been out.
Top nine, Mets trail 4-3.
Mets are going to win this one...
Trying to dig balls out of the dirt.
ha hah ah ah ah a ha ha hah ah!!!
Wow.
That's crazy.
That was a gimme. If you can't strike out Reyes after those first two swings, you don't belong on a major league pitching mound.
2-2.
Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
Three-run triple.
Wow.
What a shot.
So good for Wright.
Willie wastes no time bringing the hook, Sosa to enter...
86 weeping, you still here?
That's really interesting.
But what's the correlation? I'd think that with such a big outfield, it'd be easier for more balls to drop in.
:)
This is too sad.
Poor Mets and their fans.
They really don't need this.
"Well it isn't easy, is it? Every game," says Keith.
Second and third, no out.
Tying run on first, one out.
Metsies can't catch a break.
A little bloop double down the leftfield line, like the one Mo allowed to right last night.
Tying run on third, winning run on second, still one away.
Chopper to Reyes plates the tying run.
Two away.
Strange, huh?
Why have cheerleaders just to stand around looking confused as the winning run stands on third base amidst an improbable ninth-inning rally?
God, this is exhausting.
Sorry I disappeared there - in theory, I have work I need to finish ASAP, but its late and I'm tired and the distraction is a nice one. I can't believe the Mets might blow this game. Why wasn't Wagner available?
Poor, poor, Mets.
Poor fans.
Poor Willie.
Game and a half...
Don't know about Wagner, I think I heard something about how he's been overworked.
Now back to work, Shaun!
:)
In 2006, he basically cost the Marlins two games with the glove. According to THT, through the 19th, he's ahead of only Jhonny Peralta in Revised Zone Rating among shortstops, and in the bottom third of shortstops with 1000+ innings in Out of Zone plays with 44. Peralta has 64.
Interestingly, Jeter is only .001 ahead of Ramirez in RZR, and has ten less OOZ plays, which is last among those shortstops with 1000+ innings.
Who knew they'd miss Duaner Sanchez so much?
106 Dude can freakin' HIT though. That bat would play A-OF in CF - and in a corner too. I always thought he was just an over-hyped Red Sox prospect, but it turns out he can play and then some.
Too stiff to pitch.
Poor Willie. He looks like he's ready to kill himself or someone else or like he's at a funeral.
It's just really painful to watch him right now, he seems to be suffering.
It's strange, because Mets fans get on Willie for not showing emotion, being to even-keeled, too unwilling to take risks, etc., the kind of stuff that can bother us about Joe when the team's losing. But however bad things have gotten for us, I've never seen Joe looking as disconsolate, as angry, as emotional as Willie looked tonight.
Often I've seen Willie look curt, impatient, frustrated with his team, much like Joe, but I've never seen him like this. He looked close to tears.
Gotta love Goose. It's too soon for me to start thinking about who's going to replace The Great One, but admittedly I've been simmering ideas along these lines.
(Plus I'd really like to see baseball de-pussyfied... )
OTOH, finding guys like Joba who can start is incredibly tough. The Yanks have tons of guys who could be shutdown, strike throwing middle relievers - Dorf, Whelan, Cox, Sanchez, Melancon, Britton, Edwar, even Bruney (if he ever gets command and control). None of those guys could start and do what Joba has done as a starter.
I remember Gooden threw 276 in his rookie year, if memory serves.
But that was a long time ago...
doc actually struck out 276 in his rookie year.
in his sophomore campaign, he threw 276.2 innings...
he threw 277 innings combined, in his 2 years in pinstripes. (not including his 2000 stint...)
Randy Johnson 1999 (271)
Roy Halladay 2003 (266)
Randy Johnson 2002 (260)
Curt Schilling 2002 (259)
Livan Hernandez 2004 (255)
Kevin Brown 1999 (252)
Jon Leiber 2000 (251)
Scott Erickson 1998 (251)
In other words, since the league went to 30 teams, only two AL pitchers have even topped 250 innings. And Joba having anywhere near that next year would be insane, of course- 180 would be fine... but even so, I take 180 IP at 3.50 ERA over 80 IP at 2.00. To convince me otherwise, you'd have to say:
1)That the performance decrease for Joba as a starter would be much worse than 3.50 ERA
2) That he could sustain below 2.00 ERA as a reliever.
3) That, as a reliever, he would always be used in a way that maximizes leverage.
4) That Mo will be the closer forever so that Joba can take the 7th and 8th all the time.
118 I was thinking the same thing - maybe he's tired! =) I know I am.
something about 'mo will be the closer forever...' that makes me smile miles wide and feel completely at ease without a single, solitary worry! : ) talk about music to my ears...
Yes, "Any reasonable pitcher can nail down three outs with a three run lead". And Joba and Mo should NOT be used in these situations.
With Mendoza, Stanton, Nelson and Mo, when the Yankees were ahead, people talked about how it was a '6 inning game'. While the Yankees had very good SP during the '96-'00 run, I would contest that it was our BP that carried us to the 'flag'.
Yes, 200 IPs is much more valuable then 80. But in Goose's day, an RP pitched more then 80. There is no reason that 'strong' RP pitchers like Joba can't pitch 110-120 IPs. So what's more valuable? 200 (general) IPs or 120 (high leverage,1 and 2 run leads) IPs?
How many games are basically out of reach, either on the winning end or losing end, by the 7th inning? Mo/Joba aren't needed here. How many games are within 1 or 2 runs by the 7th? When you are ahead by 1 or 2 in the 7th, these are games you really want to win.
3 innings/4 games = 120 IPS.
4 innings/5 games = 128 IPS.
I agree that the way BPs are used now, and the way closers are so selectively used, that prime meat like Joba in the BP is a waste. But if a SP can throw 6-7 innings every 5 days, I'm not sure why a RP can't throw 2 innings TWICE every 5 days.
The present patterns and conditioning don't allow for it. Goose had 6 very effective years throwing 93, 99, 102, 133, 134(1978) and 144 IPs.
I'm NOT saying Joba should be moved to the BP. I'm saying that IF BP pitchers roles were different, and patterns and conditioning were designed to have a few select guys go 100-120 IPs, then it's a different story, and using a guy like Joba under those circumstances would make the 'is he a SP/is he a RP' discussion much different.
I'm not saying Joba should stay in the bullpen either, but I'd add this. What matters to how valuable a 3.50 ERA starter is compared to a 2.0 reliever, is how replaceable they are. If Cashman can go out tomorrow and get a 3.8 ERA starter but there are no 2.4 ERA relievers to be had, then it makes more sense to keep a guy like Chamberlain in the bullpen.
125 More than just relief pitching changed though. Innings pitched gradually declined as well. I think the reason for this is pretty simple: better hitters and factors favoring offense have required that more pitches be thrown per inning. So, as a result, pitchers haven't been able to go as long. The result with regard to starters has been fewer complete games. For relievers, this has meant the dominant guys can't pitch as many innings per appearance, causing managers to prefer to hold them back to ensure they are the last line of defense.
Gooden's K ratio was 11.39 per 9 innings in one of those two years, too!
:)
Today, with the stats? Not so much.
Chalk it up to old age?
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