Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
My first job out of college was as a runner on the Ken Burns "Baseball" series. I stuck around until the job was over. My final task was to empty the research office, which was stuck in the old Technicolor Building on 44th street and drive all the stuff they wanted to keep up to Walpole, N.H. My brother, who I was able to get on as a second hand, and I helped throw away tons of books, magazines, photographs that I'd now think twice about getting rid of. I kept some stuff for myself, of course, and gave a lot away to my friends.
I have a friend from high school who has kept the four boxes of books that I gave him in the spring of 1994. He told me that I could have them back a few years ago, but he lives in Long Island and I've never found the time to truculate my fat ass out there to get them. Then his wife said that if the books aren't out of the house by the end of the month they are going to the library. So I went out there today and took home five boxes of books.
I waited until I got home before I look inside. When I did, I found a bunch of of junk, but good copies of "Birth of a Dynasty," "Steinbrenner's Yankees," and "Baseball Anecdotes," plus a terrific little green paperback copy of "The Chrysanthemum and the Bat" by Robert Whiting, and a first edition hardcover of "The Diamond Appraised," uncracked, with Craig W Wright's business card tucked in the center crease. Best of all, there is a beat up copy of "The Reggie Jackson Scrapbook," my favorite baseball book growing up. I remember my friend having this book long after I had lost my own edition. It was one of two things I coveted at my friend's house. The other was an unopened can of Coke from Israel.
I was secretly hoping that the Reggie book would be in one of the boxes. And damn if it was at the bottom of the last pile of books. But when I got there I let out a cry. I startled Em, but couldn't help myself. It felt like my whole body was breaking out into a smile.
Mr. Hughes tonight.
Let's Go Yan-Kees!
OTOH, this is all based on voodoo and not any form of actual analysis.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080413&content_id=2523286&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Workers (i.e. at least two) jack hammered for five hours. That plus the cost to re-pour the concrete and the idea that they may sue the worker. Lunacy ... at what price PR ???
Maybe I'm way off base...what are his "career" (ie, three games) numbers against Dice-K?
Melky is 0-7 against Matsuzaka.
Damon is 5-13 with a HR.
Hopefully GOJD proves me wrong tonight.
Yay! Gammons mentioned Red Sox Nation!
Just terrible discipline there. BTW- how many weak 1st or 2nd pitch, overanxious ground balls have we seen this year from Alex. Enough- Make the adjustment man!
Come on Phil!
But really, don't you just see the whole Sox roster training like this? Dragging tires, carrying trees, walling up stairs holding cinder blocks, chasing greased pigs, etc.
To be fair, that pitch to Manny was a good curve, Manny is just super-human
Has he ever hit .300?
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Is Hughes at 50 pitches yet?
It seems like there is Good Phil and Bad Phil, and this might be the Bad Phil tonight.
WTF was that????
Poor Phil.
I wonder if the Sox trolls will compose another lame Haiku to Dais-SUCK now that Phil's blowing up.
I can't believe Varitek bitched about strike 3.
Hey Matzdfkdlfjika looks very very hittable to me. 88-92- pretty straight and can't get the curve over for a strike. Alex should have squared one up and Giambi and Posada gotta do more. Sometimes it just seems like the Yanks roll over.
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Stop pitching out! That puts too much pressure on Molina!!
On the other hand, that was a NICE recovery inning for Phil and has made Slappy McBaldy look foolish 2 times
This is about what I expect from Hughes this year, a lot of up and down. He's 21 and in his first full season. Like I've said before, even Roger Clemens was iffy his first year. Not everyone can be Verlander or Doc Gooden right away.
130 yeah, he recovered nicely that inning - since he's on a strict pitch count and not going to go through the order that many times, i think he should stick to his plus pitches in a game like this
bat.....
appears.....
to.....
be.....
very.....
slow.....
That was a fat pitch!!!
have to say i agree with joe though- he isn't throwing the curve as much as he should
I wonder if Morgan could make some extra money as a consultant for Mike Pagliarulo?
Monkeypants feel free to tell me to calm down.
and 190 I won't even touch that one...
WTF is going on with Molina!
Another gift. I love Joe Morgan "The minor leagues are supposed to help your big league club." stabbing ear with ice pick
Can you believe this game is just in the bottom of the 3rd? It's 9:45!
Maybe we should see how good of an emergency catcher Ensberg can be tonight, Molina needs a breather.
re phil - i agree with zack and mp - but there are going to be a range of performances - and unfortunately this is part of the range
DiceK does not have good command tonight, too bad we're wasting all these walks!
Yay AG!
Sigh, I really wanted a dominant Hughes performance. Damn.
248 if derek plays tomorrow, maybe let the ag play there before he gets sent down
Ahh, and it triggers the always classy "Yankees suck" chant. Thats a little funny coming from a team equally crappy thus far
God I hate this strike zone
The Sox have neither Papsmear or Okijima.
Dice-K with 92 pitches thru 4.
It's torture, but it's not ovah yet.
Did you see the fans in the stands? They are dressed for blizzard conditions. It's really cold.
Did you see the fans in the stands? They are dressed for blizzard conditions. It's really cold.
* The Banter for great writing, news and ... well banter.
* Pete's for news
* River Avenue Blues for the down on the farm
* No Maas for the humor
* Was Watching for a different perspective.
I am primarily concerned with getting good writing and get that from all of the above. Steve gives more of a different perspective than most and I often find myself saying, "huh. didn't think of that" when finishing one of his posts.
I also think that he takes a lot of unnecessary heat over his views on Phil Hughes. BUT I think he understands that.
By the way, you do mean "glass half empty," right?
More crap of the ol' "offense"
Giambi - steroids = fly out to CF.
JD however, has not hit the ball hard all year. His sac fly last inning might be the hardest ball he has hit this year.
AG with a strong, accurate arm.
a] 2003/Boone
b] T-shirt curse-gate
c] Munson/Fisk fight
d] other (please indicate)
Set your mental clock to mid-summer.
Best Regards,
J.F.
Someone tell Cano a walk is a GOOD thing!
Looks like Phil's velocity is climbing (92-93 tonight) but nowhere near accurate... is that a good summary?
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Well, they have now already talked about the T-shirt, curse of the Bambino, and the "tide turning" in the Sox favor. They going through material pretty fast considering how slow the game is moving.
I miss Larry Bowa.
I'm sorry.
Sincerely,
Robbie Cano
Is there such a thing in Fenway?
Forget the impotent offense numbers- I think the problem is much deeper. I would seriously like to see how many pitches that are NOT good pitches that we have failed to hit hard. Look at the two pitches Cano and Abreu got! ONE OF THOSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SMOKED...if it was ripped into a double play so be it...but two shitty hit balls?
Did Gammons just shout "Oh no" when Pedroia was tagged out?
Long enough, Joe, Long enough.
Doesn't mean I'm necessarily confident.
1. I'm sorry honey.
2. You're right honey.
3. I love you honey.
That was pretty much his advice on women.
{Q} Why did God invent women?
{A} Because sheep can't cook.
groundballs give you like a 40% chance of getting on base
line drives about 70%
Flyballs less than 10%
"You want to win baseball games? It's all about hard ground balls and line drives- flyballs are giveaways to the other team- almost no effort and you save the pitcher having to make more pitches."
The current Yankees couldn't have played for this guy.
AROD's defense
Wanger
Molina Pipp
Joba/Mo
Matsui looks good
nothing else shining. That's not enough.
Six outs, three runs, though. Not impossible.
(I really can't stand listening to Miller, btw. He exclaims everything.)
/typical A-Rod boo-bird
Mike Timlin is not very good.
Melky!
(How come everytime Boston gets a hit it's like GAme 7 and now Miller's all monotone "and here come the yankees."
Disappointed, even.
Granted, he'll probably bunt here anyway, but I'm surprised they didn't let Timlin face him.
And miller has an orgasm
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!
The Yankees would rather protect Derek Jeter's pride than win games. That is fucking ridiculous.
Did Miller just say BEAUTIFUL! What the fuck was that!
Melk - Hold the fuck up!
Oh don't worry - our chances are great with Cano right here.
Cnt Player H HR Year Age
+----+-----------------+---+--+----+---+
1 Mark McGwire 72 32 2000 36
2 Mark McGwire 87 39 1995 31
3 Barry Bonds 93 34 1999 34
4 Jose Valentin 97 30 2004 34
5 Rob Deer 97 32 1992 31
6 Ron Kittle 100 32 1984 26
7 Kevin Mitchell 101 30 1994 32
8 Mickey Tettleton 102 32 1995 34
9 Ron Gant 103 30 1996 31
10 Henry Rodriguez 104 31 1998 30
And Miller comes out of the booth again- STRUCK HIM Ou.......Oh my bad.
This is unendurable.
God, SHOOT ME NOW!!!
Jeter resting up for an extra six days while the Yankees try some different bats in a struggling lineup would not be a bad thing. But the deed is done, and now Duncan can't come back at all until next week. This situation makes me really mad, and makes me like Jeter a lot less.
Joe Girardi has had a VERY bad first Fenway series. Hopefully he learns from the mistakes he has made.
514 You are 100 correct. Bad move by Joe G.
Will no man rid me of this turbulent priest!
Not sure if No Maas is keeping track, but you could come close to calling these past two games Girardi losses. Very disappointing weekend from the new manager.
However, if Posada is truly this crippled, then is the DL the right place? Or is playing with 23 players the better roster plan?
I poke tigers in cages for a living.
Shelley Duncan, since being sent down:
14 AB 8 H 4 2B 3 HR .571/.625/1.500
570 That he didn't send him does not argue against the possibility that having a runner somewhat faster than the slowest man on earth increases your chances of scoring there.
Sweet goatee, Bra! Cack.
Girardi not walking Manny yesterday, not pinching hitting with Ensberg against the Lefty, forgetting defense by putting in Jorge and using Farnsworth instead of Joba just feels like Joe Torre to me. The latter move really felt like Jeff Weaver instead of Mo when the Yanks could have put the 2003 series away. I am very frustrated right now.
Girardi has got a lot to prove...he needs to reevaluate some moves this series.
I really don't think I take these frustrations to bed for two months like last year - it seriously affects my life.
I don't think the fifty or so managers in and around baseball fundamentally vary all that much.
is Earl Weaver still alive and available??
Guess all the running in spring training really helped.
"It's uncertain what the corresponding move will be to create a roster spot..."
This is a joke, right? Or do they 'rest' Molina too, and maybe release or DL Ensberg?
No Joba in Tampa apparently.
I tend to skip the long game threads, pacing myself till later in the year, but skimming the last few this morning, I see (no surprise) some of my own in-game thoughts are nailed here. We are being forced to remember that in addition to having very young starters, we have a very young manager. This is not something that can be ignored as we project the season, going forward, and NY is an unforgiving place in which to make mistakes., however much you man-up to them, or explain your thinking.
Yes, of course Youkilis could have got a bases loaded hit (or maybe a walk, though highly unlikely). But one of the realities of Fenway and Boston/NY is that if Manny beats you it ripples more widely. This is a subtext of the rivalry, and is a reason (not the only one) I have utterly no doubt Torre would have walked him and Girardi should have.
I am one of the back-off-Johnny-D people here, saying he will come around. But that doesn't mean he HAS come around, or should be expected to appear like a good genie on a freezing night against a southpaw. It is just possible Joe G thought he might get a walk against Aaaaardsma but it was a mistake, on the road, that batter. (I'd say batting Cano 2nd was a mistake, too and am truly hoping that we aren't seeing a career trend in the making as to spring and Robbie).
I am not jumping up and down about not pitching Joba. The reality seems to be this: either you have a bullpen pitcher or you don't. If Fworth cannot pitch anytime anywhere he does have to go. As manager and pitching coach, they seem not to have made that call yet, nor did the Torre regime. Many people here have, obviously, but so long as he's with the team you have to try to see, over a long season, what he can bring.
There may be an factor in Joba's father, not sure when that sad news was reported to the team.
It was an aggravating pair of games. I continue to hang on to 'revert to the mean' as far as batters go. Until they jump the shark, that's what happens, and a LOT of stars everywhere have appalling April numbers in the cold.
This may apply to Phil, too. Remember eveyone talked about how much 'fun' the season would be with kids on the mound, a new skipper, etc. (Hank on the news?) Careful what you wish for? Youth means errors, and a bumpy ride. Way early, we aren't dreadful, and no one else scary looks ... scary. Mantra: we aren't Tiger fans and are deeply grateful for that.
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