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Ace In The Hole
2008-04-11 21:04
by Cliff Corcoran

Well, I guess Chien-Ming Wang has solved Fenway Park. Wang shrugged off his career 6.17 ERA at the Fens last night and dominated the Red Sox for nine innings. Wang only struck out three men and gave up more than his share of fly balls and line-drive outs, but he needed just 93 pitches to complete the game and held the Sox to just three baserunners on the night.

Wang set the first ten Boston hitters down in order, striking out David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez along the way. With one out in the fourth, Dustin Pedroia hit a hard grounder to Alex Rodriguez's right. The Yankee third baseman hit the dirt to backhand the ball, scrambled to his feet, and fired high to first base as Pedroia reached with what was initially ruled an infield hit. On the very next pitch, Wang got Ortiz to ground into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double-play. In between innings, Pedroia's hit was changed to an E5.

With two outs in the fifth, J.D. Drew hit a fly ball to the front of the Boston bullpen in right field. Bobby Abreu had the ball measured. He drifted back, found the five-foot-three wall with his bare hand, and lept to make the catch. Unfortunately, he got a bit too close to the wall and, as he jumped, his back caught the top of the wall and stopped his momentum. Drew's fly ball tipped off the end of Abreu's glove and fell into the bullpen for a home run that knotted the game at 1-1. Wang wouldn't allow another hit until Coco Crisp's bunt single with two outs in the ninth.

Clay Buchholz was good, but he was no match for Wang. The two pitchers combined to face one man over the minimum through four innings (a Hideki Matsui single in the second), but Buchholz started the fifth by walking Matsui and Jorge Posada. (Posada was again serving as the designated hitter. Johnny Damon took a night off while Matsui played in Fenway's small left field.) After Buchholz rallied to strike out Jason Giambi, Jose Molina struck a first-pitch double into the left field gap that plated Matsui and gave the Yankees a slim 1-0 lead. Buchholz escaped further damage when Alberto Gonzalez, who followed Molina with a walk, strayed too far off of first base and was doubled up on a Melky Cabrera line-drive to Sean Casey. The Yankees threatened again in with two outs in the sixth when Alex Rodriguez singled and Hideki Matsui doubled him to third, but Posada ground out to end the threat.

With his young starter up to 98 pitches and no margin for error given Wang's performance, Boston manager Terry Francona went to his pen in the seventh, calling on Mike Timlin, who had just been activated from the disabled list before the game. Timlin's first batter was Giambi. Giambi got out to a 3-1 advantage, looked at strike two, then sent the payoff pitch 379 feet to dead center for a skin-of-his-teeth homer into the nook to the right of the Green Monster. That gave Wang all the runs he'd need, but another Molina double, a Gonzalez sac bunt, and a Cabrera sac fly added another before Hideki Okajima managed to get the Sox out of the inning. The Yanks then added one more for good measure against should-be Pittsburgh Pirate David Aardsma in the top of the ninth when Gonzalez led off with a double, was bunted to third by Cabrera, and scored on a two-out infield single beaten out by Abreu.

The Yankees are now 6-5 on the season. Wang has three of those six wins. Wang also has a 1.23 ERA, a 0.73 WHIP, and is averaging 7 1/3 innings per start. In other Fun With Small Samples news, four members of the bullpen (Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain, Brian Bruney, and Billy Traber) have yet to give up a run in a combined 18 1/3 innings. As a team, the Yankees are only allowing 3.55 runs per game and have allowed two runs or fewer in six of their 11 games. None of that will persist through the whole season, but it's nice to see. Similarly, Jose Molina, who was 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles last night, is hitting .346 and slugging .577 while filling in for the sore-armed Posada. Six of his nine hits have been doubles, which ties him for the American League lead in two-baggers. Alberto Gonzalez is hitting .375/.444/.625 after three games of filling in for Derek Jeter, boasting a pair of doubles of his own. Again, that won't keep up, but with both Jeter and Posada hoping to return to action by Monday, when the Yanks will be in the climate-controlled Tropicana Dome, it won't have to.

As for Wang, new pitching coach Dave Eiland has him working inside to batters (Wang struck out Ortiz in the first with a series of inside pitches), working both sides of the plate, and mixing in his slider, changeup, and split-finger. Eiland was also able to make an in-game correction with Wang last night following the inning in which Wang gave up Drew's homer and three other loud fly outs. Sez Eiland, "It was just his hand position behind the ball. He was kind of getting on the side of it and it was staying flat. He just repositioned his hand and threw down through the baseball and got his sinker working again and got back on track."

With that sort of guidance, one wonders if Wang might actually be taking his game to another level in his age-28 season. It makes Eiland's career 5.23 ERA as a Yankee seem totally worth it, don't it?

Comments (73)
Show/Hide Comments 1-50
2008-04-11 22:50:13
1.   Zack
In about the 2nd inning I had to rush my geriatric German Shepherd to the emergency vet for various reasons (she home, doing better, but not out of the woods), and I caught the final three innings over my phone on mobile web. It was, at the very least, a way to pass the hours. So thank you Wang, for at least bringing some brightness to an otherwise stressful and crappy night...
2008-04-11 23:03:23
2.   Mattpat11
I'm not sure enough attention was done paid to Jose Molina tied for the league lead in any positive offensive category

Obviously, this isn't going to last all year, but I think the Molina signing is one of our better minor deals in a long, long time.

2008-04-11 23:05:34
3.   Mattpat11
1 Sorry about that dude. I hope everything works out.
2008-04-12 05:02:52
4.   The Mick 536
A Yankee win has to make Rin Tin Tin happy.

A-Rod showed some class accepting the E, but come on! Since when does a infielder get an E when he leaves his feet, stabs a hard grounder and throws a little high-missing a spectacular play by a half a step? But then again, I didn't think he deserved an E at last year's opener.

Doesn't the scorer have a day to change his decision?

Waqng's post-game comment showed a sense of humor I didn't think he had. Probably wouldn't have said it if Joey T were still there.

2008-04-12 05:14:30
5.   OldYanksFan
Tough schedule... good teams, and poor teams playing 1st place baseball.
Horrid weather, cold, nasty, and rain in almost half our games.
Jeter, Posada and Giambi all missing games.
A terrible, terribly slow start by our offense.
Cano hitting like he wouldn't make an AA club.

And yet we are over .500.
And we are winning on pitching.

No starts from Joba, uncharacteristicly poor starts from IPK....
yet we are winning on pitching.
Think about that a minute.

We are winning on pitching.
This is gonna be a really fun year.

2008-04-12 05:27:40
6.   wsporter
"Ace in the Hole" - Great movie. I suspect things will end far better for the Yankees and CMW than they did for Kirk Douglas and that poor s.o.b in the mine.

1 I feel for you man. I hope the girl's ok. My Shepherd just passed one year and I couldn't imagine how I'd feel if anything happened to her. Best dogs in the world. All the best to you and your girl Zack.

2008-04-12 05:36:42
7.   joejoejoe
B-R lists David Aardsma as first player alphabetically in history. Another Aaron record falls!
2008-04-12 05:42:17
8.   RZG
2 Molina leading the league in doubles is nothing. Being able to score on a SF is much bigger in my book.
2008-04-12 05:58:50
9.   thevinceblackshow
Was it just me or did anybody else notice this:
Strike zone!
2008-04-12 06:01:20
10.   thevinceblackshow
read my thoughts about the strike zone here
http://www.thevinceblackshow.com/wordpress/?p=75
2008-04-12 06:18:07
11.   OldYanksFan
While Wang was wonderful (hehe), not only was his FB/GB greater then 1, but we are not talking about lazy flies. Youk scorched some, PEDroia's last out was hit hard, and there were a number of others.

While I love that he mixed it up, I thought the Sox hit a lot of balls hard... more then 2 hits worth. Am I trying to find something wrong? Should we want more sinkers and more GBs? Was Wangs final line better then he pitched? Help me guys....

And Bobby really HAS to make that catch. It wasn't even that high a leap.

2008-04-12 06:28:56
12.   Shaun P
11 Its just one game, but, given how poorly Wang has fared at Fenway before, I see no problem with the skewed (for him) GB/FB ratio. What he did last night worked - and he was frickin' awesome.

OYF, to make you feel better, in his 2 previous starts, Wang's GB/FB ratio was a decidedly more Wang-like 21/9.

2008-04-12 06:29:38
13.   monkeypants
11 When you nearly pitch a perfect game, your final line is almost bound to be better than the way you actually pitch, right?

Yes, you are trying to find something wrong. Ralax and enjoy the win--I suspect today we will see a lot balls drop for hits against the Yanks' starter.

2008-04-12 06:33:21
14.   OldYanksFan
10 I agree with you 1000%, and it pisses me off that the HP umps do such a poor job. I can understand missing a play at the plate, or any base, or a high HR near the foul pole, and other situations.

But the HP ump is standing RIGHT behind the plate. His eyes are no more then 4' away. How can they miss SO MANY calls?

What is the point of having a good eye and being disciplined if the umps blow the calls? Bonds, Giambi and others famous for 'good eyes' are punished for their skill.

And what about Questek? Shouldn't this be evidence of poor calls? Is MLB doing anything about it? Maybe the results (which calls were 'blown' according to Questek) should be made public, so writers and fans can voice there objections.

I think it's a major issue. If MLB wants to make the plate wider... then do it. But this is NOT horseshoes. There is no such thing as a 'close strike'. It's over the plate or it's not. There is no CLOSE!

As far as I am concerned, if you can slip the edge of a piece of paper between the plate and the ball, its a BALL! Like steroids, MLB simply turns it's back to poor ball/strike calling. And the majority of these guys make 6 figures?

I'm pissed!
/rant

2008-04-12 06:36:07
15.   C2Coke
11 Considering those lazy flies took place in Fenway Park, would they have been ok in other ballparks as well?
2008-04-12 07:13:35
16.   Shaun P
14 Last night I counted the number of "called strikes" way out of the zone according to Gameday. I had 7 (the specific pitches are stated in a couple of comments buried in the game thread). There were 248 pitches thrown last night; 7 out of 248 is 2.8%. At least in terms of pitches thrown way inside or outside being called strikes, the ump was right 97.2% of the time. IIRC, that matches up with some of the best scores given to umps by Questec.

Should it happen at all? I think not, but there's always going to be some error present. Not even a fully automated system - which I'm on record as wanting the umps to use to call balls and strikes - would be right 100% of the time.

Has it been a bigger problem in other games I've "seen" on Gameday this year? You bet. Last night, in comparison, was not bad at all.

2008-04-12 07:29:10
17.   nemecizer
What a game by Wang. I wish I could have seen it, but my DirecTV subscription to YES seems to have mysteriously gone on the fritz. Shoulda never moved to DC.
2008-04-12 07:58:41
18.   Bagel Boy
1 I'm very sorry to hear that. My GS is about to hit 5 this year, and I know he's middle aged. Care to share about some of the health issues you've encountered and any way to help prevent or help them? I hope your girl is doing better.

11 I disagree completely. Except when his mechanics were a bit off in the 5th, even the line drives died in the air. And the important thing is most came off of the heat, not the sinker. He's purposely changed his approach against the Sox and it worked - almost perfectly. The game score was 82. When's the last time a Yankee pitcher had better?

15 I couldn't agree more.

2008-04-12 08:22:41
19.   JL25and3
7 I noticed that the first time I saw the guy's name a few years ago. Frankly, he's not good enough to take over that spot. He should have been forced to change is name to Ardsma before they let him pitch. (And Yankee fans complain about #21? This is way worse!)
2008-04-12 08:29:04
20.   JL25and3
4 "Waqng's post-game comment showed a sense of humor I didn't think he had. Probably wouldn't have said it if Joey T were still there."

What was the quote? And why wouldn't he have said it under Torre? And why is everything still being compared (hypothetically) with Torre?

2008-04-12 08:38:45
21.   JL25and3
Btw, did Girardi say why AG was in the lineup last night?

If he did it specifically because Wang was pitching and he wanted the glove in there, OK. On the other hand, I don't want to assume that, because that's just projecting.

If Betemit sits out again today against the righty Beckett, then why is he even on the team?

2008-04-12 09:42:12
22.   horace-clarke-era
21 I'd guess that's it -- not uncommon to go with the better glove behind a groundballer, makes sense. But it does appear that they see Betemit as a bench bat and game-off guy for 2nd and 3rd and maybe 1st. If DJ needs a single down-day, I'd bet Betemit's the guy (Gonzalez goes down soon as Jeter's back), but not for 5-6 games in a row at short, especially when he's off to a cold start.

I don't actually quarrel with any of this, having thought about it, and not sure why someone 'on the team' in the infield has to be considered a solid full-time ss replacement to have the job. He backs up 3 positions fine, one not-so-well, and is a switch-hitter on the bench. Good enough for 24th, no?

2008-04-12 10:36:23
23.   51cq24
10 14 first of all, i agree with 16 . this was the best home plate umpire i've seen in a while. and while i understand the argument that consistency is overrated without accuracy, i don't really agree with it. if a home plate umpire is actually consistent, then there are no reliance issues with either pitcher or batter. as long as we have human umpires, we can't expect consistency from umpire to umpire. all we can hope for is consistency within each game. furthermore, if umpires are going to squeeze pitchers on the sides so that only a pitch that is actually over the plate is called a strike, then they must call the strikes up and down. and while some umpires will give a few high strikes (never consistently), almost none call low strikes, especially low breaking balls that fall out of the zone between the plate and the catcher.

personally i'm fine with pitches 2-3" off the plate being called strikes, as long as it's consistent. it's not as if those pitches can't be hit.

2008-04-12 10:41:05
24.   51cq24
23 just to be clear, i do think there's a limit to the consistency argument, as i hinted with my last sentence. i'm not advocating a return to the dave phillips game 5 of the 1997 alds zone. i remember torre saying something like "we couldn't have hit some of those strikes with a broomstick" afterwards, and he was right.
2008-04-12 10:42:18
25.   rbj
1 Lest us know how she's doing. I got back in time to watch the final 4 innings, man was Wang a thing of beauty last night. And the game was basically over in time for Battlestar Galactica.

The only (minor) annoyance I had was that the offense wasn't able to bust open the game so that Mo/Joba wouldn't have had to even warm up. Still, the rest of the pen is rested enough to take over from Moose in the 6th.

2008-04-12 10:44:09
26.   monkeypants
23 34 But therein lies the rub--once you allow a "reasonable" expansion of the zone, then there is a constant debate over the grey area. Is two inches OK? Three? Four? What about Four if you never call the inside strike? And so on.

Why not eliminate the whole debate and just call the strike zone--inside and out, up and down--as it's written in the rule book?

2008-04-12 10:49:11
27.   Shaun P
Anyone else catch this at BP today about Moose?

"Mussina owned Ortiz over a large part of the designated hitter's career, as Ortiz was 2-for-29 against him, with no extra-base hits, three walks, and 14 strikeouts through the 2004 season. Ortiz, in fact, has called Mussina the toughest pitcher that he has ever faced (http://tinyurl.com/5ng9sf)."

Wow, high praise for Mussina. Let's hope the BBWAA remembers this nugget in a few years.

2008-04-12 10:52:34
28.   51cq24
26 like i said, if the umpires would call the up and down strikes, then the inside and out can be as narrow as home plate. but without the high and low pitches, you'd be forcing pitchers to throw down the middle of the plate. we've seen that a lot so far this year for our pitchers and opposing pitchers.

as for the first question, it's always going to be somewhat grey with human umpires. i said 2-3" because i think that most batters can still hit those pitches. but even if you want the rule book strike zone, should the umpire be calling balls and strikes based on where the catcher catches them, or based on a reasonable estimation of where they were when the crossed the plate. mo consistently gets strike calls on pitches that land in jorge's glove at the corner of the strike zone. buchholz was getting strike calls on huge curves that landed in varitek's glove at the batter's waistline. are those strikes? personally i think consistency is the best we can ask for, as long as umpires aren't calling strikes that a batter can't hit.

2008-04-12 10:53:57
29.   Shaun P
26 I agree 100%.
2008-04-12 10:57:55
30.   Jeb
Sample size is everything. BUT. What if Jeter goes on the DL and the former Atty General bats .350 with a .400+ OBP? Cano's minor league numbers were no indicator of his true hitting ability (despite what we're seeing in the early season). Does Jeter get his spot back, or does he learn left field with Damon looking like an old man?

Also, wouldn't it be something if Gonzalez, not Ohlendorf, was the steal of the Big Useless trade

2008-04-12 10:58:08
31.   monkeypants
28 There will always be human error--that does not mean that there is a "grey area." They should call up/down based on where the ball crosses the plate, not where it is caught. I know that's not the way it is done, but I don't have to like it.

As for consistency--why must consistency and the rule book be at odds? This strikes me as a false dichotomy. Yes, all we can hope for is consistency: that the umps consistently call the game according to rule book to the best of their ability.

2008-04-12 10:58:42
32.   51cq24
28 or calling balls that are clearly strikes.

you also said something about the inside pitch. i do think that we should aspire for symmetry as well as consistency. i think umpires tend to call strikes on pitches just inside but not on pitches just outside. that annoys me. but we're also always looking at the strike zone from left center rather than dead center, which also annoys me. every once in a while a stadium will have a cameraman in dead center slightly higher than a pitcher, so you can clearly see the lateral boundaries of the strike zone. espn uses this angle when they show their "k zone" on replays. i think it's a much better angle, even though it takes a little getting used to.

2008-04-12 11:00:21
33.   monkeypants
30 Calm down.

In any case, if Jeter comes back and hist his career averages, his c. 840 OPS is worth more at SS than AG's .750, despite the latter's glove.

And really, do we want to see Jeter have to learn a new position after a 15 day stay on the DL?

Really, a few hits by a AAAA short stop have folks all worked up.

2008-04-12 11:02:27
34.   51cq24
31 i agree with you completely that the ideal should be the rule book, and i certainly don't think that would not be consistent. but there will always be human error and that does mean there will be a grey area. it's impossible for any human to know exactly where the pitch crossed the plate. i think we should computerize umpiring and play by the rulebook, but most people disagree. as long as we have human umpires, i think the most we can hope for is consistency and as close as possible to the rule book. but obviously the rule book strike zone would indeed be ideal.
2008-04-12 11:07:46
35.   monkeypants
24 Ah, I see--we are disagreeing over semantics. You take "grey area" to be the natural human error that will creep in. I took it to mean the subjective area outside of the zone that umps consciously allow (that is, "their" strike zone) and that everyone accepts is OK as long as it is "reasonable."
2008-04-12 11:08:25
36.   monkeypants
35 grrr...that should refer to 34 .
2008-04-12 11:08:42
37.   51cq24
33 it's not just the few hits, it's very refreshing to see good defense from a shortstop. and honestly jeter has to learn a new position eventually. but i agree. to expect a cano-like improvement in the majors is a bit absurd.
2008-04-12 11:10:02
38.   51cq24
36 in 26 you wrote 34 instead of 24, so at least you are symmetrical.
2008-04-12 11:12:42
39.   51cq24
35 grey area could be anything but i was referring to the over the plate/where it's caught distinction.
2008-04-12 11:16:34
40.   monkeypants
38 Or I am an idiot.
2008-04-12 11:23:03
41.   JL25and3
22 I agree that there was a sensible argument to be made for starting AG behind Wang. I'm just curious if that was Girardi's actual thinking or not. It's also perfectly possible that he just likes playing a slicker glove, even if it means a Neifi!riffic bat. Betemit can really hit righties, and I'd raise an eyebrow if AG got the start today.
2008-04-12 11:25:35
42.   monkeypants
41 Well Mr Spock, raise away--according to Pete Abe AG is starting.
2008-04-12 11:28:25
43.   RIYank
40 But, you are a symmetrical idiot.
2008-04-12 11:36:18
44.   williamnyy23
41 Maybe he doesn't like the matchup? Something about Betemit versus Beckett spells 3 Ks to me. It could also be that AG is simply going to play SS until Jeter returns, and Betemit is going to be remain in his role as a reserve.

The interesting question if AG impresses is whether Betemit or Ensberg could be in trouble roster-spot wise. You have to think Shelley Duncan will be back up soon.

2008-04-12 11:39:41
45.   williamnyy23
Speaking of match-ups, here is Beckett against the current Yankees (PA/OPS):

Bobby Abreu 68/.737
Alex Rodriguez 26/.885
Derek Jeter 25/.811
Melky Cabrera 23/.712
Johnny Damon 23/.685
Robinson Cano 22/1.167
Jason Giambi 21/1.257
Jorge Posada 16/.905
Hideki Matsui 15/.624
Wilson Betemit 6/.167
Morgan Ensberg 6/.667
Jose Molina 3/.000 .

2008-04-12 11:40:19
46.   williamnyy23
If anyone has an MLB.TV feed, Gavin Floyd is throwing a no hitter through 7 innings.
2008-04-12 11:41:24
47.   monkeypants
44 Betemit certainly will K a lot, but he generally punishes RHP.
2008-04-12 11:43:56
48.   williamnyy23
47 He does...but I could see him not liking a RHP with a sharp curve.
2008-04-12 11:44:42
49.   monkeypants
44 "The interesting question if AG impresses is whether Betemit or Ensberg could be in trouble roster-spot wise. You have to think Shelley Duncan will be back up soon."

I don't think so. AG only has value, it seems, if he can start as the slick-fielding SS. When Jeter comes back, AG goes to the bench. But in that case, Betemit has far more bench value than AG; once Jeter is in the lineup, Duncan comes back and AG goes to AAA.

2008-04-12 11:45:34
50.   monkeypants
48 But I don't see AG hitting any better against a nasty pitcher. So, his only reason to be in the lineup is defense.
Show/Hide Comments 51-100
2008-04-12 12:09:21
51.   Jeb
34 calm down? calm down? CALM DOWN?

wow, I think that I was really relaxed when I posted my comment. Let's see: I did have some coffee but it was decaf and I made sure to get hypnotized before logging on. Also, I flew yesterday so that Xanax I took is still in my system and I do feel kind of groovy. And I was listening to Donovan's "mellow yellow" when I posted my comment...Actually, I felt pretty fucking calm.

Seriously, my point was to start by acknowledging the sample size issue right up front. I'm not talking about Jeter returning today and we all just can't live without the former AG and his 3 for 8 batting line. I'm talking about Jeter going on the DL for 15 days and the AG playing in, say, 14 games. Let's say that over those 14 games he went 20 for 56 for a .360 batting average. Some people might get (dare I use this word) excited or even un-calm.

And isn't that kind of the point of baseball - dreaming having fun, speculating on what might be? Hoping that Kevin Maas, Shane Spencer and Shelly Duncan might be the real deal and feeling kind of sad that they weren't?

Every now and then someone pops up and is unexpectedly good. The Yanks are lucky that we have several guys like that right now who weren't being highly touted when they got to New York and developed to all-stars (Cano, Wang, Mo and Posada come to mind). Maybe Melky will be in that class too someday.

Seriously, you can disagree with someone without trying to completely discredit them by writing "calm down" as if they're typing while their hair is on fire and aren't worth addressing civilly.

2008-04-12 12:24:13
52.   weeping for brunnhilde
11 I agree. There were a lot of well-struck balls that were caught.
2008-04-12 12:25:09
53.   monkeypants
51 I thought I was civil. Apparently not.

OK, I disagree with you, but feel free to dream. It should be noted that there was a lengthy series of posts in a recent thread--maybe the game thread from last night--discussing the relative merits of moving Jeter to 1B or the OF in the next couple of years.

So, to go back to your original question: if Jeter goes on the DL and if AG hits OPS .750, does Jeter get his old spot back or learn LF? Easy: Jeter gets his old spot back and AG goes to AAA.

2008-04-12 12:28:05
54.   Jeb
53 not when you start your response with "calm down", which suggests some sort of paternal relationship.
2008-04-12 12:33:20
55.   Jeb
I have to actually give Fox a bit of credit today. I fully expected to be stuck watching the Braves/Nationals (Since I'm in Alabama) and lack any ability to watch the Yanks on MLBTV, but surprisingly the Yanks/Sox are about to come on...now if they could just dump McCarver.
2008-04-12 12:34:29
56.   monkeypants
54 Now I will say to calm down, and you can take it paternally or not. This is a blog with long threads full of banter, and most here agree or disagree in a respectful manner, and there is much disagreement. You asked what was, in my opinion, a rather excited question (if a AAA player hist league-average for a SS for a week or two, does Jeter need to learn a new position). I do not think that I stepped out of line by suggesting that you--one, we--need to calm down with our enthusiasm about AG's few at bats. Again, look at the long discussion on the last thread or so about the same topic. No offense was meant, and frankly I am not convinced what I wrote was out of line.
2008-04-12 12:37:18
57.   Jeb
56 may I kindly suggest that you chill out then?
2008-04-12 12:43:03
58.   51cq24
57 you're just being silly calm down
2008-04-12 12:44:07
59.   monkeypants
57 Sure, no problem, dad.
2008-04-12 12:44:55
60.   Jeb
58 thanks for the advice, Dad, but I really think that's a bit absurd.
2008-04-12 12:45:45
61.   Jeb
59 no problem, son.
2008-04-12 12:47:43
62.   williamnyy23
Is everyone nice and calm heading into today's game?
2008-04-12 12:48:52
63.   Jeb
62 Calm before a Sawx game? That's a tall order Will.
2008-04-12 12:49:35
64.   williamnyy23
If Jeb is Monkeypants' dad and 51cq24 is Jeb's dad, I guess51cq24 is moneypants' grandfather. It's nice to see the whole family talking baseball :)
2008-04-12 12:49:51
65.   weeping for brunnhilde
62 I'm as cool as a moose.
2008-04-12 12:52:21
66.   monkeypants
64 Well, Jeb is from the south, so that whole father-son-grandfather thing is a little more fluid, right cuz?

Yes, that was a 'bad' joke based on old, tired stereotypes. Just having some fun, so everyone calm down.

2008-04-12 12:54:42
67.   Jeb
Joba needs to put a bend in that thar hat.
2008-04-12 12:55:35
68.   51cq24
60 is that a reference to 37 ?
2008-04-12 12:56:39
69.   monkeypants
New thread up!
2008-04-12 12:57:01
70.   williamnyy23
Beckett...top 3 in baseball? That's absurd!
2008-04-12 12:58:13
71.   Jeb
68 very good, Dad. I didn't think you'd notice and you and mom did tell me not to be too obvious.
2008-04-12 13:00:33
72.   51cq24
71 we also told you not to be so touchy.

i'd like to have a kid...of course you have to have a date first

2008-04-12 14:04:46
73.   Jeb
72 it's really fun how you can call my comment absurd and it's appropriate, but if I call your comment absurd, I'm touchy. BUT, I guess that's what happens when someone's unwilling to even use their actual name on a board.

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