The first year I contributed some freelance work to SI.com I had a bad habit of including the phrase “What a difference a year makes” into virtually every piece I wrote. I didn’t do it on purpose but such is the constant temptation of cliches; they just won’t go away, especially when writing about sports. It got to be something of a joke with my editor, so much so that I’d slip it into a piece just to see if he noticed.
The Yankees were in Tampa last night for the Rays’ home opener and, dag, but what a difference a year makes! Guess that’s what winning the pennant will do for you. Hell, the Rays fans were louder than the Yankees fans. Wait, maybe this was just like last year’s Rays. Rough, rugged and raw.
Unfortunately for New York, Chien Ming Wang’s stuff was still up in the strike zone. And for a sinker baller, this is not welcome news. Wang’s sinker was flat and waist high and the Rays jumped on him early. He threw 42 pitches in the first, allowing four runs to score. The Rays hit him hard and they ran even harder, testing Jorge Posada’s arm. Wang loaded the bases in the second and walked Longoria in a ten-pitch at bat. Another run scored and Wang was done. But his ERA got fatter when his replacement, Jonathan Albaledejo served up a grand slam to Carlos Pena.
3 outs. 9 runs=a long night for the Yankees.
Scott Kazmir pitched well for the Rays and BJ Upton made a beautiful basket catch robbing Xavier Nady of at least a double in the second inning. What made the catch memorable was just how smoothly Upton tracked the ball. He was almost casual but he had it all the way. Impressive. In the sixth inning, Carl Crawford got turned around but snatched an extra base hit away from Nick Swisher, who had already homered.
As Swisher rounded second and saw that Crawford had caught the ball, he took off his helmet and extended his right arm as he looked in the other direction. Hats off to you, Mr. Crawford.
And hats off to Swisher, who pitched a scoreless inning of relief himself (Is there anything he can’t do?).
“We know we didn’t play very well today, but we had to find something to laugh about in that moment and I just happened to be the guy everyone was laughing at,” Swisher said. “If that’s what it takes to get us back together and get rockin’, then I’m all for it.”
…”Nobody was laughing,” Jorge Posada said. “Today was embarrassing; just one of those days where everything went for them and nothing went for us. We didn’t pitch or do the things we were supposed to do. Nobody was laughing.”
(Mark Feinsand, N.Y. Daily News)
Just watched the nightly MLB recap show here. What a player Upton is! That catch was too nice. The Rays are starting to scare me a bit..I think they are a much better team than the BoSox, and that's before David Price is promoted..oh well, slumber here, then hopefully wake up to Action Jackson and a shutout.
Geez, Jorge, lighten up.
[2] It seems playing with Posada is about as much fun as playing with Joe Torre... still...
Yes Jorge, plenty of us were laughing at the disgrace you are as a team... including your own rotation. If you opened your eyes, "you can observe a lot by watching."
In fact, I understood Eiland was trying to get into the game, but Swish was already on his sixth Red Bull so...
;)
Actually, I have no problem with JoPo taking a hammering as unamusing. Nor do I disagree with New Swish that sometimes you need to keep it light. Takes all kinds. Suspect Paul O'Neill would have been with Po in the no-smiling seats.
PJ, not really sure how sloppy pitching = disgrace as a team in week 2, though.
I've said before that I do believe fan expectations alter the dynamic and chemistry of a ballclub. Yes, the Bombers have the biggest payroll, and we expect to win 100 games with them, but there WILL be blowouts, starters will be off or slightly hurt (Cliff Lee, anyone?). It happens. It isn't a 'disgrace' and if the NY media (haven't seen them this morning yet) are going ballistic already, that just adds to what happens with every at-bat and every runners-on-base pitch, in mid-April.
They play this game every day. It is a long season.
I have more clichés, if needed.
[4] The thing is, Posada said that in response to a question that assumed some people were having a laugh about Swisher pitching. I guess if he just said he wasn't laughing that'd be one thing - it's just that he tried to paint it that everyone was stonefaced serious. I mean, there's a reason they call that type of game a laugher - add Nick Swisher pitching for an inning and it's a bit much to suggest everyone was all business.
Anyone see Bud's latest attempt to exploit Jackie Robinson?
Over on BP, Will Carroll kind of preempts me (with a lot more authority!) on the folly of drawing major conclusions in week one about much of anything. On the same site, Sheehan however, is very good on idiot managers and the bullpens they mangle. And includes this:
To the first category of bullpen follies we can throw in Joe Girardi, who played righty-lefty games against something called Brayan Pena on his way to having Phil Coke face three straight righties with the game on the line yesterday. I assume Edwar Ramirez was trapped under something very heavy.
The phrasing is funny, anyhow. Wonder if Posada would laugh?
I've said it before, but the idea that managers need to be very clever is highly overrated (esp. in the American League). A lot of people have bought into it, including Girardi, unfortunately. As it says at the top of the page, this aint football.
I love Jorgie and his competitiveness, but I agree, he should lighten up. Swisher on the mound was the only bright spot in the game. Made it worth watching, IMO.
Let's get a grip people .... they're playing their first 9 on the road, then its back home to their new digs, and a scuffling Indians team.
Besides, its not like we have to watch the Nationals ... :-)
I think Jorge was pissed at allowing those stolen bases ....
[10] Thanks a lot Diane, I was at Nats opening day yesterday! And it was cold and windy, and Phillies phans were arrogant (some pack of tools doing loops around the stadium with a frigin "Phillies World Champions" banner), and Obama didn't show up to throw out the first pitch. waaaaaaaaaaaaa
I bet Jorge stole Swisher's ball too.
Swisher is fantastic. Without him, I would have a real bitter taste in my mouth after that debacle last night, but even in a blow out loss, Swisher gave us something to feel good about.
Not only that, but it would have been one thing if Swisher was giving up runs and laughing, instead, he got three outs without surrendering a run, and actually managed to K a batter.
He's the best addition to the team from a pure "this is a guy I love to watch" standpoint that I can remember.
On Baseball Reference, Nick Swisher is listed as tied for the most shutouts (0) and complete games (0) in the American League.
The only person on earth who can't see the greatness in this is Jorge posada
I missed the Swisher inning. Figured it would be more productive if I went to bed when it was 15-3.
[4] Spot on.
New day today, new game.
"PJ, not really sure how sloppy pitching = disgrace as a team in week 2, though."
[4] I'll happily tell you, HCE...
"See a different Game"
Wang hurling his second piss-poor clunker in a row for the exact same reason as his first, while the team is facing the defending AL Champions is, by definition, a "disgrace," especially after a decent ST. He's the only starter on the club to throw two shitty starts in a row to begin the season. To me, that's unacceptable, and a disgrace for the Yankees to allow a fundamental breakdown of Wang's motion such that he now delivers the ball even more slowly to the plate than before his ankle injury. But I guess when he's only making a mere $5M per, he's not such a priority as his contemporaries after all...
You simply do not allow one of your five starters (especially one of your own) to develop such bad habits, unless you weren't paying that much attention to him in the first place, and that's a bigger disgrace! Maybe when he gets hurt again, this time because his arm motion can't catch up to his body, they'll pay a bit more attention to him, but then it will be too late, won't it? That would be disgrace #3, and the season isn't even a month old. In the meantime, Nick Swisher putting up a better inning than a front line Yankees starter is another disgrace, albeit a funny one (see also Boggs and his "successful outing" from yesteryear)...
Posada's pouty-faced bullshit denial of what's actually going on around him doesn't help either. In fact, that eerily reminds me of how Joe Torre responds to sports writers every time he's second-guessed after a game... denial...
These guys were no more ready to turn it up a notch for this road trip to open the season than the man in the moon! One would think they would have learned to play with their hair on fire like the Rays do, but they still play as though players from other teams should be scared or intimidated by there mere presence. Those days have been over for some time...
In any event:
dis·grace
Pronunciation: di-ˈskrās, dis-ˈgrās
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1580
1 archaic : to humiliate by a superior showing
2: to be a source of shame to (your actions disgraced the family)
3: to cause to lose favor or standing (was disgraced by the hint of scandal)
Works for me! In fact, pick one as they all apply to this team at the moment. A 4-5 or 3-6 road trip is not what they or we were looking for to start the season. I mean isn't it too early to be changing channels during games now? Well, there had to be a reason so many of us did that. I dunno... tired of watching the "disgrace" maybe?
;)
Swish also hit another HR and almost another double. If laughing at himself lets him do that, I've got no problem with it. I think some of the old guard just miss the old days. Those 96-01 and even 03 teams seemed to be cut from mostly the same mold. Sometimes I think Jeter, Posada etc. wish everyone was like that. I can understand that sentiment, but its not like Swisher was dogging the game, not playing well or not trying hard. I say lay off the guy.
Video highlights of Swisher pitching ...
http://tinyurl.com/cutrq9
I don't think Posada was referring to Swisher, he just wants to put up that same super-serious front referred to above. Honestly, I think Verducci is on to something in that Torre book, even if he didn't mean to be. Because as he lauds the old guard Yankees for their attitude, he also correctly observes that the "anything but a Championship is a failure" attitude can can actually be the cause of that failure. All those guys have a super serious public adherence to that theory and I don't think it's necessarily healthy.
I agree with PJ [17]. They should all be tarred and feathered, and made to wear pink uniforms for the next week of games. HOW DARE THEY play so poorly! Don't they know I'M WATCHING their games?
Thanks OYF, I was about to reply to PJ's rant and point out random bits of smugness and inanity and even crudeness, but since you are in there with sarcasm first, I'll mosey along and let it slide. No hair on fire here, either. No pouty-face. Nope.
I always love a good tar'n 'n feather'n. Yee haw!
[21] I'll bet those pink uniforms could be auctioned on Ebay for a pretty penny. How long does it take to wash off tar and feathers anyway? Do you think the showers at the new Stadium can handle that?
The problem with Wang is not just that his sinker has been staying up, but also that he relies way too much on that pitch. People know what's coming. It's almost always, low-90s, middle-down, with some downward break.
He needs to start throwing other pitches more. He got a couple of swinging strikes in his last start with a change-up.
It's pretty frustrating that he and his coaches seem to think he can be successful without ever making any adjustments.
The Toledo Mudhens do wear pink uniforms on Mother's Day, to be auctioned off to raise money for research on breast cancer.
Noble cause, but they don't look right.
[25] Except for the fact that he has been wildly successful. The problem is precisely that his sinker is totally jacked up, and not that he's insufficiently mixing pitches. Come on now. We even saw what happened with CC when he couldn't throw #1, and he has a full array of pitches.
Maybe the Mets can get Milledge back now ....
http://tinyurl.com/comx8j
Yeah the good thing about Wang is he has a pitch that he can throw in the zone, that you pretty much have to swing at, but is difficult to do anything with other than hit a ground ball. If it's working. Obviously you can't get by on only one pitch, and Wang doesn't only throw the sinker, but it is a good pitch to rely on when it's actually sinking because it's an effective pitch.
[25] [29] Exactly right. It would be like telling Mo he's overusing that cutter thingy, y'know.
Wang has been extremely successful (he isn't the first, either) with essentially one killer pitch. This is also why he's been undervalued (till this week!) ... people feel it is 'just a matter of time' ... but I think ny2 and Hawk have it: if he's throwing his pitch properly he's going to succeed a lot, especially on real grass.
It is hardly unusual for a pitcher to lose it for a bit. It doesn't mean his career is done, but in NY there's a lot of access to panic buttons and hysteria. Imagine if Sabathia had been a Yankee for last season's first 6-7 starts or so.