Some quick hits as we prep for the home stretch and hope like hell the Yankees don’t have to deal with Vlad Guerrero, Chone Figgins, Garret Anderson, Howie Kendrick and Orlando Cabrera, at least not yet:
- The Yankees will be making their 13th straight October appearance. Never mind that they’d have clinched earlier had Joe Torre not mismanaged the bullpen Tuesday night at the Trop (more on that below.)
(It’d be 14 straight had it not been for the ’94 Strike, and Donnie Baseball would have a World Series ring following a five-game dispatch of the Expos. Tony Gwynn would have hit .400, too, but now I’m in Tangentville.)
For all the Yankee haters who relished at the thought of a regular-season failure, and Met fans who currently have no comeback for the line, “Well, at least we know we’re playing in October,” let’s reminisce, shall we? July 2007: 1050 ESPN Radio jock Don LaGreca’s sardonic soliloquy to fans on the last weekend of play before the All-Star break, where he said the Yankees would be interesting and would win games but it wouldn’t be enough. They had too many games to make up. Too many teams to hurdle. I’ll admit, the rant was pretty funny. Anyone else want to join me in submitting recipes for crow?
If any of you reading this happened to tune in to that particular segment of the Saturday show, what made LaGreca’s bit even funnier were the “Ta-dow, how you like me now?” calls from Met fans thinking their team had finally assumed the spotlight. Nope. This is still a Yankees town.
That fact is evident in the way the breadth of coverage the teams have shared lately (except in Newsday, where Mets stories have outnumbered Yankees stories due to a heavy Mets fan base on Long Island). The presentation has been mostly doom-and-gloom for the Queens franchise that borrowed elements from the three previously existing New York baseball teams so it’ll forever have an identity crisis. (It’s never good when the New York Times dedicates includes the Mets’ current nosedive in a special Metro Section bulletin featuring “Greatest New York Collapses.”) Yankees depictions have been mixed, depending on game results. I’ve found for the most part that the articles have reflected the mood of the players who made the news.
As far as how the Mets’ and Yankees’ playoff standings were portrayed, the point was accurately made that the Yankees have a failsafe. It’s a longshot, but the possibility remains that the Yankees can win the division. They’d try to win their remaining four games regardless, but if they don’t tie or pass the Sox it’s not the end of the world because they already have the wild-card locked up. The Mets, meanwhile, have continued to stumble like Maggie Simpson, and are approaching a certain creek and losing paddle supplies. In a week’s time, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ “we’re the team to beat quote” from spring training has gone from “are you kidding?” to “he might be right” status.
- Comparisons to the 1978 and 2005 Yankee seasons have been made both in this space and throughout the “traditional” media outlets for much of the past 12 weeks. Clearly, there are parallels. The parallel will truly come to fruition if the Yankees and Red Sox end up tied following Sunday’s action.
- Did anyone else catch Michael Kay go Moose hunting Tuesday on his radio show?
The short version: Mike Mussina’s comments that the Joba Rules should be done away with (there’s a case for it, sure), and that he deserves a postseason start based on his last three starts and his experience level set Kay into a frenzy. Mussina’s quote on the topic was that it would be “ridiculous” for him not to start. Kay railed back on the air saying it would be ridiculous for Torre to slot him in at all.
Here’s the catch: If William R. Clemens and his pro-rated $28 million hamstrings aren’t healthy, Torre’s alternatives will be slim.
To me, the rant sounds like it had personal overtones. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Even if Kay is right -- that Mussina’s experience does not entitle him to a postseason start -- is that a reason to let whatever hostilities may exist between the two of them spill into his diatribe? Such incidents lead to “I wonder if they hate each other” banter on discussion boards like this.
So my question to you, the reader, is this: If you were a commentator and were forced to cover and discuss a player you may dislike – for whatever reason -- how would you present your opinion in a situation where said player issues a comment that touches a nerve with you? Me, I wouldn’t avoid the issue, but I would try to argue for or against it using hard data and try to maintain an even temper. At the very least, I’d invite the player on my show to interview him and get his side. If the situation escalates from there, so be it.
- To my first bullet point…I’ve posed the question at various times throughout the season – most recently with the Joba Rules – about Joe Torre plugging certain relievers into situations to either hold big leads or keep the Yankees in a game, and pulling the wrong string. Tuesday night’s mess was a perfect example. Blowing a five-run lead in one inning and allowing the Devil Rays to score five runs with two outs is unacceptable, especially when you want to clinch a playoff spot and keep the division title within reach.
I turned on the game in the bottom of the 6th (had to watch House first), when the Rays had runners on first and third and Edwar Ramirez on the mound protecting a 5-1 lead. When Torre called on Brian Bruney to replace Ramirez, I said to my wife, “This game will be 5-5 in about five minutes.” I flipped channels and when I returned to YES, it was 6-5 Rays.
The move that really irked me, though, was summoning Jeff Karstens to pitch the 10th inning. I understand the philosophy of calling on a guy who can potentially eat innings at that stage of the game. But you need to bring in someone who has shown he can get batters out. Karstens hasn’t done that at all, at least, not since his return from a broken leg. Karstens’ H/IP ratio at the time of his Tampa appearance was almost 2-to-1, and his ERA was 10.43. Moreover, pitching in a similar situation Saturday, had it not been for Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, and an assist from the pitcher’s mound, Karstens may have cost the Yankees a victory. All Kay and Al Leiter could say of the move when reciting Karstens’ stats was, ‘The numbers aren’t good, but he’s had a long run of bad luck.” That may be true, but at this point, as a fan, I don’t want to hear a “sprinkles on poop” rationalization of a bad move.
Johnny Damon told reporters following Tuesday’s loss that Torre is “trying to find the guys he’s going to use” in pressure middle relief spots in the postseason. I was surprised at the lack of commentary on that point. Winning games trumps second chances. Play the people who give you the best chance to win. Period.
Torre didn’t have to massage anyone’s ego last night, as the Yankees broke the game open in the middle innings and Chien-Ming Wang was on the mound. His only real decision, predictably, was to give Mariano Rivera some work. He pitched the ninth to nail down the eight-run, berth-clinching win.
Aside from Rivera, Joba, and maybe Vizcaino and “I’m good if I can pitch from the windup” Farnsworth, there simply isn’t anyone who can consistently get outs. If Torre doesn’t know how he’s going to use his guys by now, the Yankees will not win.
Next week … awards and a playoff coverage survey.
Posada should start every game. If we don't win the division we should refuse to take the WC.
Unless Torre plans on using just Mo & Joba he does need to see how relievers work in certain situations. Yankees were all but guaranteed the WC at that spot anyhow, as the magic number was 1.
AS for crow, it goes well with a nice chianti and fava beans.
Unless the Yankees won the division, then it gets a little more complicated.
Does anyone even know the reason for Kay's hatred of Moose?
I believe Kay uses things like that just to drive conversation on his show and to get callers excited. I understand that, so I don't blame him. I'm sure half the guys on radio say things they don't actually believe just to generate discussion. Yeah - MK has a beef w/ Moose, but I don't think that was the reason he went off as much as that Joba is news and talking about "the rules" will generate phone calls.
Go Moose.
Trying to get Edwar going is fine with me, as the kid is (outside of Mo and Joba) more likely to strike batters out than anyone else in the pen. Unless Hughes goes into the pen.
Will, the trick IMHO to covering a guy you personally dislike who says something that strikes a nerve is to take a big deep breath, and remind yourself that even a semi-public confrontation is NOT a good thing (whatever ratings might say about shock stuff). It destroys your credibility in terms of being able to at least claim to be objective.
But then I looked at the seasonal win totals for each league and found out that it's not all that uncommon.
"Innings eaters" don't have to actually be capable of getting anyone out.
They just need to be the worst pitchers on the team who can "give breaks to" the good relievers while creating situations that necessitate the use of the good relievers.
Or so I'm told.
Surely someone can confirm that this is correct and that I'm not on drugs.
:)
The call originated from Rita Moreno as the introduction to "The Electric Company" in the early seventies; in fact she began doing that the second season. From what I understand, it kinda started as a running joke during the first season as all the actors were kinda crazy. Lots and lots of people have imitated it since, including The Goonies. The DVD of the original series has lots of insights, but you'll get much the same from Wikipedia... hey, I remember we talked about this at length before! If anyone remembers that particular thread, you're a genius... >;)
There's no "hey you guys" but there is a young Morgan Freeman. Not as funny as "Larry" Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis on the Pee-Wee Herman Playhouse show, but still funny.
That was heartwarming, thanks, Jeremy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOVuT1xpI2M
Man, I loved that show when I was a kid.
"The Bronx Banter has been brought to you today by the letters N & Y and by the number 27"
Oh, the stuff a first-grader could learn watching "F-Troop" and "Get Smart."
What's a Goonie? Seriously, I have to look that up.
Vanity Smurf had to be one of TV's earliest gay characters...
28 The voice of Letter Man? Gene Wilder.
26 Yunnow you can do the Harlem Shake to that funky groove Sesame Street used to close out to with the production credits. I wonder if Thelarmis could do the drum beat on that number...
Weeping, yes, I did see the Mientkiewicz interview and actually it was because of that that I thought of Andy P. Mientkiewicz seems like a pretty cool guy. I liked his point about his knowing how other teams look at the Yankees in mid-summer and how the vision seems to change in late September.
https://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/599092.html
(also, as weeping said, good luck on the new job)
Not sure if you got to see my latest creation that I posted in the last thread:
http://tinyurl.com/3yce3w
I'm actually too old for Electric Company. My little sister watched it, so I know what it is, but I was a sophisticated 8 year old at the time and wouldn't deign to watch.
(I still never got an answer to my question about the that cocaine-laced Meow-Mix disco version of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"...)
I remember the Electric Company, but only vaguely, and only from the reruns (which wikipedia says were just the last 2 seasons of the show). I was born the year the EC ended ('77).
Now 3-2-1 Contact, THAT I remember!
I can't remember what I was watching at the time. Ah, yes I do: I was a big Hawaii 5-0 fan. Also Mannix.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCqoB7ZFrF4
Here's a good one of Easy Reader:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTGd22xn2B4
(the fact that he turns the word WEEP into the word SWEEP has got to be some kind of sign)
Also, here's some Spidey for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQytDV0Jy24
(Could that "Up against the wall" sketch be a bad sign for the Mets?)
How any Great Space Coaster?
Seems the last two weren't all that well known.
I see a similar thing now with my sons.
Some kid shows are cool to them, and some kid shows make them go 'meh.'
I think a lot of it depends on where they're at when they're introduced to a show.
Seems there's a window to introduce certain shows and concepts, and if you miss that window (too early/too late) they're gone.
41 Hey, I remember Mannix. I thought that was a pretty cool show.
As somebody who harbors no animus toward the Flushing Flock, I submit this bit of gallows humor to the assembly:
Meet the Mets (2007 Edition)
Beat the mets, beat the Mets,
Last place teams defeat the Mets.
Hanging sliders, bush-league speed,
Guaranteed to waste a seven run lead.
Because the Met bullpen keeps fading away,
October baseball won't take place at Shea.
Mota…Sosa…,
Every game is now in doubt.
Can anyone who's on this staff,
Get three men out?
AWESOME!
I actually have been to a Rockies game. They were hosting the Cubs. Their stadium is not half bad. My father and I, along with a couple of his employees, had dinner at a nearby brewery, and then hopped a bus to the game. And, we could actually drink beer on the bus on the way to the game.
The 'faster than a rolling O' part brought me right back. Didn't sound like Gene Wilder, though - who was Spellbinder?
Here's a fave of mine from EC:
http://tinyurl.com/2vmk5h
"You grew up in the eight-eeees, as a fan of the Yank-eeees... So, who is your favorite player of all-tiiiime? Matting-ly, Matting-ly,... Matting... L Y"
53 Excellent! Continuing the low-brow music theme: I made up derogatory words to that song when I was a kid, but they were pretty bad. It's nice to see it done right!
As far as dirty lyrics go, "Naught Number Nine" is the closest you might get >;)
Zero Mostel, who also voiced Kehaar the Seagull in "Watership Down"...
My wife recently ordered the Schoolhouse Rock DVD for our son and boy does it bring back memories...
"I'm just a bill", "Conjunction Junction" , "Interjections" ... there all there. It is great and you can get it on Amazon for 15 bucks.
Well, the last grind of the day before I escape... Later! >;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bHsytxHYh8
YANKEES
Damon CF
Betemit 3B
Matsui LF
Giambi DH
Duncan 1B
Cano 2B
Molina C
Sardinha RF
Gonzalez SS
poor betamax ... gets to face Kazmir ... that's another 3+ ks for him, i'm afraid
Otherwise, you can lose 15-0 for all I care
I'm rather fond of the Mets myself, especially Willie.
I root for them on the one hand, yet on the other, I must admit I'm kind of drawn towards their woes as to a train wreck. If they win, good on Willie and I'll toast them from a distance.
If they lose, I'll take a perverse pleasure in watching their fans' heads explode.
I remember back in the Bobby V. days they were New York's sideshow, perhaps best symbolized by the Groucho glasses incident.
Then they got good well our fortunes seemed in doubt and they vied to be the number one act in town.
Now...
Baseball's a cruel mistress.
That sea gull was on acid or something.
And fuck, but the General was spooky.
Can't lose either way.
Pedro could pitch a classic and then the team can default to Bad News Bears mode in the sixth.
In my heart of hearts, though, I'm pulling for them.
Those of you who bet 1/3 of an inning completed for the occasion of the first error can collect at the cashier's desk. Thanks for playing.
Bets for when the five run lead gets blown are still being taken.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/photo;_ylt=Asz33VsDRsk2h8Z4jZc.9eOFCLcF?slug=f73c864a07f549508db9f862a328fb46.blue_jays_yankees_baseball_nyy116&prov=ap
Sorry about the huge url. How do you do tinyurl?
3-0 STL
I've been rooting for a Cubs/Yanks Serious, but with the Cubs collapsing, and the Phils surging, maybe we could get a rematch of the 1950 WS.
Lot of good story lines there. Bowa/Abreu homecoming etc.
And Fox would love it since both teams can bash. Lotta runs in a Yanks/Phillies Serious.
Back to work. Lubet's gubo Phubil!
I did not see this Pena thing coming at all.
Put him on a team with good defense and he would be even better. He is 96.5% Santana.. doesn't quite have the control.
What a fuckup by the Mets.
just kidding
I find amusing on MLBTV how the Devil Rays announcers still feel the need to belittle everything the Yankees do. "Damon just kinda reaches out and flips the pitch..." BULLSHIT...HE RIPPED THE TITS OFF THAT BALL!
With good looks and speed...
;)
I am salivating over our rotation next year.
But I understand the situation - if Clemens can't go, I'd want Hughes to be the #4.
6.1 IP 4H, OR, 4Ks
4 for 4, 1 2B, 3 RBIs
yeesh. That's impressive.
.339/.355/.695
The fourth best reliever on most teams is generally riskier, but Proctor is complete nails compared to the arsonists we have vying for the postseason roster.
PHI 6 ATL 4
I loved that fist pump with the two-handed bat throw in the backgroiund...right out of a movie where the big bad Yankees are usually in the role of Black Bart.
Even when Gordon did it with the Yanks a few years ago it bugged me.
Going to the ninth 5-4 Twins
Difference between Twins bullpen and Rays bullpen - ENORMOUS.
Gordon was a little more subtle, yes, but he would do it EVERY time he got out of an inning, not just in the close situations.
Devil Rays- 1.
Couldn't have scripted it better.
Things that will keep me interested in the next series:
Cano's 100 RBI, 20 HR.
Abreu's 100 RBI
AROD to 55 HR- nice number.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070927
"This feels like home. It's hard to believe that I played for another two organizations. So much has happened to me here - adversity, some success - that I feel like anything but New York feels weird for me now."
www.pennant-race.com
well done brian sabean!
Has anyone seen the Cardinals lineup? How could they and Pineiro shut out the Mets on 3 hits. Choke of the decade.
Steve Phillips may be 1 for 2.
Christ.
When that twerp on the Californias does it, he's practically begging the other team to kick his ass.
The Sox will clinch, but I would love for our C team to prolong the celebration as long as possible...until the final day, ideally. It would be pretty empty at that point.
Pedro's reaction?
Asked about the team's performance and the bats' silence:
"I can't force them [i.e., the hitters] to do anything."
Reminded me of his musings about the mango trees.
But for the sake of the team, I think it's at least as good to be the WC, actually. I'd slightly prefer to play the Angels, but it's almost a toss-up. And I want the superior draft position against the Sox, as a couple of people have already mentioned in earlier threads.
And yeah, there is a whole different vibe entering October this year. For me, it's bordering on joyous, if that makes sense...
264 Angels own the tie-breaker between us, though, right? Season head-to-head? But yeah, it could happen.
But yeah, BB's right, needs more garlic.
No, you can never have enough garlic. When I make something with garlic, I put as much in as I can bear to peel.
You can never have too much garlic. Same goes for ginger.
Six cloves?
You call that garlic?
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.