The subway platform at Grand Central was filled with Yankee fans as an uptown 4 train pulled into the station. The doors opened, and people pushed to step inside. They halted when a voice came from inside the train, playing the part of traffic cop. “Let them out, please let them out first.” He was calm an authoratative. “Let them out. Two more coming, two more.”
I got into the car with a crowd of Yankee fans and the voice continued, “Watch the closing door. Bing-Bong. I’m just trying to put a smile on your face.” The voice came from a short, thin man, whose impression of the closing-door sound was eerily accurate.
The man moved to the middle of the car and saw a young, suburban couple standing a few feet away. “Oh my god, look at this lucky man,” he said approaching them. “Look at this!” The young man, no older than his mid-twenties, wore a green Yankee cap, decorated with shamrocks, backwards. He had the plain, doughy face of Judge Reinhold.
“You are a lucky man to be with a beautiful white woman like this.”
The young woman was tall. Not exactly pretty, but not at all unattractive. Athletic, she towered over her new admirer.
“I am lucky,” said the boyfriend.
“Yes you are,” said the short man.
She blushed and looked down. Her boyfriend smiled weekly. They both looked unsettled.
“I love white women,” the short man continued. “I do. Love white women. I’m looking to hook up with a beautiful white woman now. I want to make me a little Obama. Now is the time.”
The man talked more about how much he loved white women. Then he imitated two versions of the door-closing sound, both remarkable. But now, nobody was laughing. The car was filled with out-of-towners wearing Yankee jerseys and hats. The man rattled a cup and sharply announced that his wife died four years ago this weekend. He said that he has a daughter. “If you have food or money, keep your money, I’ll take the food,” he said in a clipped baritone voice, almost as if he were barking.
He got off the train at the next stop, but the young girl kept looking down at the ground. She and her boyfriend barely said a word to each other for the rest of the ride up to the Bronx.
When the train came out of the darkness, it rolled past the old Yankee Stadium. You could still see inside the place, for a brief moment. The stands were still intact, but there was no more grass on the field, just dirt. The image of the deserted Stadium flashed by in an instant and I heard different voices say: “wow,” “weird,” “whoa,” “so empty.”
It was like passing by a ghost town. The car remained hushed and then…”Hey, there’s the new stadium.”
It was warm today, the hottest day of the year so far, and Yankee Stadium drew another big crowd–though it was not a sell-out. Following an early trend, the ball flew out of the yard again today as the Indians gave the Yanks a severe beating. Chien-Ming Wang was crushed again. It is hard not to feel for him, as Wang is a pitcher without any confidence at the moment. I don’t know if he is hurt, if his mechanics are screwed up, if his head is getting in the way, or all of the above. But is he as far from being “right,” as I’ve ever seen.
I thought about the couple who experienced the rude awakening on the subway when Anthony Claggett replaced Wang in the second inning. Claggett was recalled from Triple A this morning and had a big league debut that he can tell his kids about. Provided he’s got a sense of humor. Claggett’s line: 1.2 innings, nine hits, eight runs. That’s eight runs on top of the eight Wang allowed. How can you not feel for that kid? The Indians scored six more against the suddenly dubious likes of Ramirez, Veras and Marte. Cleveland scored 14 in the second inning. (The Yanks have never given up 14 runs in an inning before.) The loudest cheer of the day came when the third out was made.
22-4 was the final.
Betcha tomorrow’s starter for Cleveland, that favorite New York whipping boy, Carl Pavano, wishes he could get run support like this!
I doubt it will happen. Yanks’ll look to AJ Burnett yet again for a big start. I say the end the weekend with a series split, you?
I've been waiting for Carl Pavano to get his comeuppance for almost four years. If this team fails to destroy him tomorrow, it will be the biggest disappointment all year. And with all the debacles we've seen so far from this group, that's saying something.
[0] I don't know what creeps me out more, your description of the now derelict Yankee Stadium, or that dude on the train.
So, now that the skip his next start/DL/send to the minors talk has begun to swirl around Wang, let's speculate. Who is the first called up:
A) Hughes
B) Kennedy
C) Tomko
D) Igawa
[3] "D" - HAhahahahahaahahahahHAHAHAHAHAH!! Igawa would be the first man in MLB history to give up 9 consecutive home runs if he starts in the new Stadium.
I am looking forward to Hughes.
[0] Alex, that is one thing you just NEVER see on the trains here..eerie silence is about it as everyone is absorbed in their cell phones, sleeping or stone-faced and silent.
monkeypants, I don't think there's any question it would be Hughes, but as per the Bats post Alex links to above, it doesn't seem the Yanks will be able to get Wang off the 25-man anytime soon, though they'll likely skip his next start and if he tanks the following one, they might have to make him the long reliever until he shows better results.
The guy WAS creepy. He started off funny and quickly became edgy. It's almost as if you could hear a pin drop. I felt for that couple. And yeah, getting that glimpse into the old park is downright spooky.
[5] Cliff, I figure it would be Hughes, but I was just having some fun. Plus, I am still a little gun shy from the team's seaming tendency in past years to favor grizzled veterans over kids. If that trend emerges again this season we might see the worst case scenario of the Brett Tomko signing, which you complained about when it went down.
More seriously, why can't they simply discover an injury with Wang? Does the league really check these things that closely?
In the meanwhile, Matsui should really go on the DL so they can try to strengthen their short bench.
I complained about the Brett Tomko signing. Many people said I was being too negative,
[8] This is one time when we agree.
"Oh boys!!! Lookie whay I got here!!!!!!!"
"Hey, where all da white womin at?!?!?!?!?"
[10] frankly, i can't even say why today made me think of those lines from "Blazing Saddles", but it did, and it can't be good ...
a gazillion dollar stadium, a gazillion dollar team. What a monument to excess, and to the past. There will be some satisfaction in seeing Carl DL Pavano get creamed tomorrow, though. I guess.
Hey, maybe we could recoup some of the cost of the stadium or the team! A lawsuit against Pavano for impersonating a major league pitcher, accepting a salary under false pretenses, fraud? Who's with me??
It is impossible for me not to feel like this stadium is corrupted already. Granted, the Yanks' record was forged as much on the road with the three bad starts and bullpen meltdown there. But considering everything left behind at the old place, and the awful time they've had thus far, and adding the non-game issues, the new Stadium seems like a bad place.
I'd be surprised if similar thoughts weren't going through many of the players' minds. They're a superstitious lot, and though it isn't definitive, it's an inauspicious start for their new digs.
His FB velocity was basically at 90-91, with a range of 89-92. In prior seasons, it usually sat at 94 and often hit 96.
There was no reason to publicly admit that he isn't injured. They should keep all their options open, including DLing him and then giving him a number of rehab starts in the mLs, until they have more time to reflect on the best plan going forward.
Apart from all that, the new Stadium is a launching pad.
[13] Agreed.
I would be afraid to bring Hughes up and then have him give up a few of these cheap pop fly HRs and ruin his confidence too.
I have way too much confidence in Hughes to be concerned about him losing his confidence over a cheap HR or two.
[14] Isn't it the new Yankee way to deny all rumors of injury, then admit to soreness, then say day to day, then sit a player for three days, then...
Sure was last year, and I worry that's what they're doing with Matsui right now. I do believe Wang isn't hurt, though. His mechanics seem pretty messed up.
It appears that Alex's wife got "some sun" in New Mexico, and she's camera shy, too...
;)
[18] On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the 1978 version Ron Guidry, Wang's delivery, as well as his psyche, are about a 1.9, which is as low of a rating as I've seen from a Yankees starter since Ed Whitson and Kei Igawa (1)...
: /
[0] "Her boyfriend smiled weekly."
Tragic! I try to smile at least every other day!
;)
[21] A day for good typos:
[7] Plus, I am still a little gun shy from the team’s seaming tendency in past years to favor grizzled veterans over kids.
Is it that they like their seamed faces or their 2-seam fastballs?
This has nothing to do with early or late: if Pavano beats the Yankees today it is devastating. If they win, get back above .500, still ahead of Sox and Rays, we treat yesterday as painfully comic, with lingering worries about a launching pad. I'd rather get killed than lose a one run game with the bullpen mismanaged or imploding, or both.
For Bronx Banterers (and lots of other fans) it's critically important that the boys launch some bombs and beat Pavano, yes. For the actual New York Yankees team, it isn't particularly important.
Much more important is whether they can and do replace CMW with Phormerly Phranchise Phil. Is it as easy as you suggest, Cliff -- can they just make up something to put Wang on the DL? Maybe they could say, "Yeah, he has what Dice-K has, I forget exactly what that is. Tired something. Suckatosis."
[22] Hmmm...I guess their grizzled faced look like seaming?
From NYT:
“We have six losses on the year right now, and he’s got three of them,” Johnny Damon said. “In all three of those games, we’ve been blown out and we’ve had to go to our bullpen, so maybe our bullpen’s not sharp the following days. I don’t know what more to say, but hopefully he can figure it out, because it’d be tough to keep on going like this.”
Ouch! But true.
[25] The Yankees' pitching braintrust made an extremely poor assessment of Wang's readiness to start the season as an effective pitcher, being willing to overlook a significant drop in velocity. They cannot simply continue to trot him out there until they are 100% certain that they have fixed his mechanics, velocity, and mental approach. If that isn't done, Eiland needs to be held accountable. Again, I think he needs several "rehab" starts, even if it takes inventing an injury to effectuate that (which is hardly unique in professional sports).
Damon's comments indicate that the players are pissed, and understandably so.
[26] Yeah I don't blame Wang (admittedly I'm predisposed not to); there's obviously something physically wrong with him, whether it's mechanics or lingering effects from the injury. He was pretty darn consistent before, so there seems to be something amiss. It's up to the coaching staff, etc to figure it out for him, otherwise they're not doing their job. And by figuring it out I mean if it's appropriate, calling a spade a spade and letting him go at some point.
I don't think it's necessarily so, but I'm prepared to accept that the former ace of the Yankees pitching staff is now damaged goods.
i really feel bad for wang. he just can't seem to get his mechanics straightened out and the yanks should do him a favor by getting him some rehab starts - it really makes no sense to be so adamant that he doesn't have an injury - he does - even if it is just getting over the foot surgery.
i try not to knee-jerk react, but i am having some bad vibes right now. matsui's situation is not looking good. nady is seemingly out which takes away the pretty decent outfield depth.
the starting pitching (minus wang) has mostly been good, and i think we will start to get the dominant performances more consistently from cc with some brilliant joba outings mixed in with a few rough games, with pettite and hopefully burnett being what they have been so far.
but the bullpen is already starting to be overworked.
hopefully arod's return will bolster the lineup (though by and large the yanks are scoring at a decent clip - but there are still too many blackholes and with matsui's status - i'm afraid girardi will start dhing po more which means more molina abs).
alright, now that i have gone through this, i think things will improve, but it just hasn't been the start of the season player news wise i was hoping for.
Check out this video.
Sunday MLB.TV blackout is fitting. No Yankees fan should ever expect to see Carl Pavano pitching for any reason.
[29] Interesting
[29] Like I said a start ago and also two starts ago...
Maybe one day folks will actually believe me and respect my "differing opinions" when I post things like, "Wang is flawed and isn't getting the help he needs in terms of his delivery or his psyche." or "See a Different Game"...
I mean I'm not some "Internet Troll" or something. Are they still even called that? I have a lot of years of professional experience with such things (reliable form that translates from the practice tee into game pressure "between the ropes," mastery of fundamentals such that they are second nature, and a successful mental approach for amateurs and professionals alike), only with golf...
I certainly have more years teaching golf at the highest competitive levels than Dan Plesac has reviewing split screen footage with a telestrator.
It's all in the eyes my friend... not in the numbers or the computers.
I eagerly await all of your applicable apologies for the "tone" I received in (over) reaction to my assessment of Wang more than a start ago...
;)
PJ, the tone that got a reaction was the early April hysteria, an allegation of the team being disinterested, with Tampa Bay being playoff hungry. The reaction was also to smugness and a patronizing attitude. You're claiming the Banter collectively failed to respect you enough. Some of us suggested it went the other way. You're unlikely to get the redress you seek by furthering the smugness or self-advertising. (I teach golf therefore I know baseball psyche and form, pay heed unto to me, and apologize for not having done so yet.) Worries about Wang went back to spring training, and were raised widely.
Nor, frankly, is it all in the eyes in this game. And online, it is all in the words, or the manners. Eagerly awaiting 'applicable apologies' ... really? And yes 'troll' is still the mot juste online. Haven't seen many around here.
[33] I expected as much... really.
It's a sign of the times.
Sigh...
Alex, I loved the piece about your Mom. Beautifully written and the photos were a fascinating slice of history.