The Yankees enter tonight’s game having lost consecutive games for the first time in August. Last night they were shut out for the first time since June 23 (though honorable mention goes to that 15-inning scoreless tie on August 7). This is what qualifies as a slump in a second-half that has seen the Yankees go a staggering 23-8 (.742).
Vallejo, California native CC Sabathia takes the mound to try to keep Yankees from playing like a normal team comprised of humans rather than ass-kicking baseball-playing robots. He has his own battle to fight as well, as he’s struggled at the Coliseum over the course of his career (0-4 with an 8.54 ERA in his last five starts there). CC has been flat awesome in his last two starts (15 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 BB, 19 K, 0.57 WHIP, 0.57 ERA, 2-0).
Facing CC will be Hackensack, NJ native Vin Mazzaro, who gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Yankees in the Bronx on July 23. Mazzaro started his major league career in June with four quality starts, but hasn’t had one since. He did pick up wins his last two times out by holding his opponents to three runs across five innings, but those opponents were the Royals and Orioles.
The Yankees run out their standard lineup tonight against the righty Mazzaro. That means Hideki Matsui is back in at DH having missing just one game after having his knee drained during Sunday’s contest. Last night the lineup behind Derek Jeter went 4-for-28 with a pair of walks against Brett Tomko and company. They’re almost guaranteed do better tonight.
damn, 2 hours 'till game time...
Is it too early to start speaking about the playoffs? do you guys think the red sox will make it? can the rangers or TB hold them off? the yanks play a bunch of games v TB down the stretch, and 3 v texas. I guess I would like to face the rangers in the ALDS and them the dreaded Angels or White Sox in the ALCS. don't want the red sox with beckett and lester...
Yanks vs.
BOS: 4-8 (but swept last four)
TBR: 6-5
TEX: 4-2
LAA: 2-4
CWS: 1-3
DET: 5-1
Tigers seem like the best draw, but Verlander is scary good this year.
[1][2] Sox 1-2, Tigers 1-2..scary indeed, but I still fear the Angels the most..nightmare scenario of Vlad swinging at an AJ silder in the dirt and golfing it 400ft...
I watched a rare National League game last night, Cardinals-Dodgers. Some random thoughts:
Dodger Stadium is awesome
Chris Carpenter is awesomer, shame about his injury history, when he's on he is as good as Doc Halladay or Beckett, maybe better.
Albert Pujols..nothing more to add, best of our generation..can he pass Bonds?
Vin Scully..he is in his 80s and called the game by himiself, and it was a joy to listen to! That cliche about a good announcer "talking directly to you"..that is exacly how it felt. 3 guys in the Yankee booth can't even come close to how (seemingly) effortlessly he calls such a great game.
[2] forgot about the tigers. verlander has looked great this year, not too impressed by Jackson (at least not against the yanks). the yanks have also hammered their bullpen.
I'm a bit scared about the white sox, too many good pitchers that can get hot in a short series.
if boston gets the WC, I think the yanks' position is worse having to face the tigers of the white sox, both teams have good pitching for a short series. if texas gets it, I think their chances increase significantly having to face the rangers and anybody of the angels or det/chi in a longer series.
I also like their chances in a long series v boston. not going to be good for my heartburn, by I like their chances
it's a night like tonight i wish i was a more of a night person.
plus it is hot in my apart a ment, like jheri curl alert hot.
petey has some player update stuff:
-gritner has to keep the splint on another week
- we will get to experience mitre in the pen until his next start later this month
- marte might get called up friday
[3] vin scully is great.
my nightmare with the angels is not so much Vlad but the cast of gritty, speedy, no power players wreaking havoc on our pitchers and posada with their running games, slappy doubles and triples and the occasional back-breaking 3-run HR by the typical short, lanky reserve middle-infielder. I just hope the yanks can defeat their demons and sweep the angels.
[3]
Do yourself a favor and pick up this book ...
http://tinyurl.com/o7oy38
Some of Smith's sentence structure is hard to follow, but Vin's life story is pretty fascinating.
[6] I hate the Angels
[7] a LOT of one-star/negative comments about book at Amazon!
For me it's a tie between Vin Scully and Marv Albert for best play-by-play man of all time..good they work different sports! Marv is amazing though, B-ball, football, hockey, boxing..wonder if he ever did baseball?
[5] "jheri curl alert hot"
That's the double-truth, Ruth!
[2] wasn't it the '06 playoffs we were clamoring for the chance to face the Tigers. we got our wish on the last day of the season. i think the Royals swept them, or something crazy like that. we lost in 4 games.
i think it'd be best to face the Rangers in a short series and i hope hard that boston does NOT make the postseason. other than that, i don't care who we play - i just wanna get there...and win ELEVEN games!!!
normally, i'd like the late games, but this is a weird week and i'll prolly miss most of the game...
scum sox just took a 9-7 lead on the blow jays. dammit! man on 3rd, 1 out. we really must take these next 2 games from the A's. then 2 from boston...
It's hot up here in the Great White North...real damn hot. The Yankees better show up tonight, or I'm gonna git ornery.
10-7, courtesty of the professional hitter. ugly up w/ a man on 2nd... : /
[8]
I gotta concur .... Smith's sentence structure seems disjointed .... but I haven't gotten frustrated enough to put the book down yet.
[12] The Blue Jays just don't have much to offer.
The Jays will tease us here, then fall short. Then Rogers Sports Net will go to their version of Sports Centre until 10:30. THEN RSN West will cut to the Yankees-Oakland already in progress.
This place is screwy sometimes.
[14] 2 on, 2 out. papelbitch in for the 4-out save.
go jays (notice no caps or exclamation points. i'm not optimistic...)
ooh, the M's threatened, but fell short to detroit and wasted a great start by King Felix...
[10] similar thing with cleveland in 2007
[9] ya need to cool that shit out!
sounds like major thunderstorms coming through - so hopefully that cools things off a bit.
alright team, let's get back on the winning groove.
haha. walks the #9 hitter.
[16] Hey-hey-hey!!
nice. 2 runs for toronto. 10-9.
According to the RSN gun, Papelbon's velocity looks down. What does gameday say?
Paps gives up 2. it's a 1-run game. more, please!!!
GO JAYS!!! : )
Keep working him.
*shocking news alert you will NOT believe*
Mike Hampton is on the DL. i know.
i guess the most shocking part is that it took this long. he's made 21 starts this season...
[18] Mr. Senor Love Daddy!
Sox pen no sure thing anymore..Bard comes out after 2 singles, now Paps in danger..and still only the 8th..
[25] I don't even remember what team he is playing for this year. Was he leading his team in HRs?
schmoltz may be headed to the cards - might make sense
and for some reason i am enjoying pudge back to the rangers
Dammit...just missed it. That's ok, there is always the ninth.
[27] houston astros. el caballo hit his 20th tonight, so prolly not...
[28] yeah, he'll be the set up guy for franklin, though he wants to start and torre needs a pitcher. i think st. lou is a good fit for schmaltzie....
fuck, papsmear got out of it. watch him have an easy 9th... : /
gar, grr, dammit ... let's get some runs early, eh?
Captain just hits and hits and hits and hits and...
[26] yes children, this is the cool-out corner.
i love mr. senor love daddy.
ah reggie giving alex a pep talk
dammit, Texas - DON'T let the twins back in the game... : /
About damn time someone was moving this inning ...
Let A-Rod tell you the story of "Love and Hate"...
[30] Sorry, that was sort of an inside joke--some of my grad buddies and I sued to joke about Hampton being a better hitter than pitcher when he was with Colorado. He hit seven HRs one season. A bunch came early in the season (IIRC), so there was some speculation that he would challenge some olde tyme pitcher-hitting records. Imagine if Hampton got a chance to hit in NYS. : )
Goddammit, Mazzaro.
Fuck.
geez what is with all these hbp.
damn he looks in pain
What's going on? I don't get the Yankees feed until 10:30 (see [15]).
[40] arod got plunked again in damn near the same spot on his elbow
damon on third - stole 2nd and the throw sailed into cf
godfuckingdammit - twins tied rangers. shit sox have the leadoff guy on.
c'mon Mats!!!
nice eye, Gojirra
[41] Thanks.
[37] Hampton such an Irabu.."We chose Colorado because of the good schools"..and the $120 million..
Alex been getting hit too often! Time for some payback..is Krazy Kyle available on waivers?
So, checking gameday, I see a walk, a HBP, a single, a SB, an E, and...no score truck so far.
Bugger.
[46] no, perhaps the score truck doesn't realize what sport it is needed for
jorgie k'd with the bases loaded on an attempted check swing
The bad ABs starting early tonight.
And now the Jays-Sox game has ground to a halt, so I'll likely miss even more coverage of the 10:00 pm 9YAnkees-A's) game. Grrrr.
i forgot what the score truck looks like. pinstriped...right?!
CC's gonna get hyphey tonight
you heard it here first
[52] hyphey?!?!
[50]..US$100 for mlbTV... :)
[52] I guess I'm not up on the lingo, because that literally the first time I've heard that term. So you are correct, I did hear it here first!!
[53] indeed!
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hyphy
Like yesterday, if the Yankees score early, this is problem a game in which the As will pack it up early. If they keep them in the game by having ABs like in the first inning, then the As have a chance.
damn, Damn, DAMN ... LOVE that smile on Alex's face!
Thanks, Carsten Charles!!!
[54] Yeah, yeah, I know. Again, I am too cheep and value my marriage too much to go down the MLB.tv path again.
see what he did right there...that wasn't hyphy
uh, well, i guess "Thanks, Carsten Charles" takes on another light after *that* swing ...
DOH!
Great work CC...brush a guy back and then give up a bomb. Way to motivate a last place team.
[52] that was all kinds of hyphy
Just got home. Didn't need to see that
Embarrassing home run
Lead-off hit by Overbay. If I have to miss the Yankees, watching the Sox choke away a win would not be so bad.
godfukingdamnit!!! : /
why did the a's trade swisher - avoid arbitration?
Who says second division in 2009?
[69] ??
nice hit melky
[70] Flaherty said the A's were a second division team
[69] well everyone knows the A's are such a second division club that when they go on road trips their Pullman cars don't even have Red Caps or gold plated spitoons...bush league I say.
1st and 2nd 2 out in 9th against Papelbonbon
Papelbon stinks it up but escapes again. Ah well. Now it's Yankees time.
I'll take it.
that's what you get for having a shitty field a's
Nevermind ... Barajas popped out ... sox win.
Yankee bats better awaken...need to keep that lead at 7.
OK .... I gotta get up early tomorrow for meeting ... night folks.
werent pretty, but I'll TAKE it!
[72] Ah. Well, in the old days, the "secodn division" referred to teams who finished in the bottom half of the stands, which I pretty much describes the A's this year.
What the fuck?!? The Jays game ended 40 minutes late, and instead of cutting to the scheduled Yankees game, I'm getting sports news. Goddammit.
Another wasted opportunity
[75] As long as the Yankees have a healthy lead on the Sox, I can deal with them beating the Blue Jays, if only because it brings us closer to the firing and ridding from baseball of JP Ricciardi
[82] I know. I haven't heard anyone else use that term to describe a current team in my lifetime.
[85] True. But living up here in Canada, his antics provide me with no end of cruel amusement.
that 0-1 pitch was so good
the idiot in the strike out truck thought that was the 3rd out
damn what is with these hrs off cc
Great...looks like day 3 of the Yankees West Coast vacation.
Now reduced to listening to Sterling-Waldman...just in time for CC to give up another bomb.
texas grabs a lead...and gives it right back.
tonight can be a VERY poor night for baseball for us.
just win, yankees, just win...
wtf?!?!?!?
who the fuck is tommy everidge?!?!?
BULLSHIT!!!
[90] His HR/9 INN rate this season is exactly teh same as his career average, surprisingly.
oh fer fuck's sake ...
i can't believe they're losing 2-1!
mauer goes deep for the 2nd time. texas now down 8-6. i'd be sooo happy to keep the scum sox out of the postseason...
[97] I know. CC is outpitching Mazzaro by a light year, but two gopher balls and no timely hitting by the Bombers...
Finally...the game appears on the boob tube!
Matsui saw seven pitches, only one in the strike zone! Sadly he swung at, uh, several.
Damn, Matsui made that close.
So, other teams have left fielders who run around in circles!
HIP HIP!!
The hell?
nice JoPo, GREAT AT BAT, ROTTEN ROBBIE.
SHEESH.
Robinson Cano: he once took a pitch just to see what it was like. He is...the most interesting man in the world.
score truckin' good times! a win would really Really REALLY make me happy...
After being on fire, Cano looks like he is back to swinging at everything.
Posada is really a stupid baseball player.
And Posada reveals another trick from his base running magic book.
good grief wtf jorge - guess it was time for one of his base running blunders
That man is the worst baserunner I've ever, ever seen
If not for Posada still having a ++ bat, the combination of his poor throwing, catching and baserunning would make him a serious liability.
[107] you mean the strike he took right down the middle the previous inning?
[95] interesting that this is basically his normal hr rate
What the hell did Posada do now?!?
people really like to complain.
[116] tried to steal 3rd on a ball that didn't get that far away from the catcher
[114] well thats one hell of an "if"
[118] Thanks. I love Posada, but man, he is an idiot on the bases.
It's really a privilege watching Johnny Damon and Scott Hairston play left field in teh same game, smooth as silk.
nicely done there carsten
[117] Which is more maddening: a backstop who swings a club but is stupid, or a really brilliant catcher who isn't good at hitting baseballs?
[121] Excellent use of "teh".
[114] His 29% CS rate is not to shabby, to be fair.
[124] Grrrr. Always a sloppy typist.
Nolan Ryan
oh but kenny - po is NOT in scoring position at 2nd
The A's arent so good at the baseball, are they?
The most amazing thing about this game to me so far (and there are several amazing things) is that we have just one walk.
holy shit, vinnie sure has thrown a boatload of pitches already. 75 for 9 outs!
Geren should break his bench coach's jaw...ya know, to spark the team
[123] Poor defense is probably more maddening, because errors and misplays seem to stand out so much. But you know me, I'll generally tolerate a lot of poor "D" so long as the player swings a big stick.
28
poor nomar is getting worn out tonight
MVP!
MVP!!!
[123] after watching a whole lot of Molina and latter-day Pudge last year, I gotta say I'll take the offense-first catcher
this jeter kid is pretty good.
jeter's amazing.
Finish him..........
[130] hey there's that walk off vinnie barbarino
[138] How about our boy Joey Martinez against the Mets last night??
not so good tex
I said this before, but was that really a game anyone needs to see again? It loses quite a bit when you know how it ends.
Or that. FUCK, SHITE. AND BOLLOCKS.
take THAT MIKE SILVA.
CHRIST.
Well, at least it wasn't A-Rod this time...
[141] Wow, I had to read that three times before I figured out what you were talking about. "Walk-off Barbarino??" I asked myself? "Is it some strange Gabe Kapler/Kaplan reference?"
[144] I refuse to acknowledge Yankees Classics until they put the '98 Orioles brawl into circulation
I'm hoping Bill James or Baseball Prospectus will step in and declare that the Yankees have won the game despite the score.
ok. gotta call it a night. carry the team to victory please!!
[148] :}
hey a hit that wasn't a hr - i'll accept that
Wait. A drive into the corner. Johnny Damon retrieves it and throws.
Isn't that the definition of a double??
Another game changing DP on a first pitch from a pitcher who probably would have walked the ball park if allowed. When is this team going to wake up? Apparently, they built up a big lead so they could give it right back by playing sloppy baseball.
Ah, that's more like it. There's the Johnny Damon I know!
Oh Hell.
Wow! The Yankees offense is ... constipated.
I'm blaming Teixeira for now.
And like yesterday, in the inning that the Yankees piss away a boat load of runs, their pitcher takes the following half inning off. Incredible.
[154] I don't think anything can be classified as "game changing" in the 4th inning of a 2-2 ballgame
yep mp we are witnesses to some high quality baseball here
alright good that swisher made that play - let's get out of this now
[159] Did you watch the Yankees ABs after the Arod DP yesterday. That was absolutely game changing.
I don't like this walk, at all.
I guess the IBB makes sense. But really, having your ace intentially walk a player with two outs?
It really seems like the score should be 10-2 Yanks.
[164] intentionally
Yay!
[165] It should.
All right Yankee bats. Wake the **** up.
Whew.
Interesting. I wonder why Alex didn't follow-up with the tag of Nomar. It seems like a completely safe play.
seriously, can we make with THE PAIN now?!?!?!?
that'll work
alright banter i expect that you will guide the team to victory as i punch out
[159] It depends when you make the call. William's calling his shot right now, which is risky, but he's a daredevil. As you well know.
[164] I don't like it, as I said.
With CC on the mound, it's not terrible, but it puts so much pressure on the pitcher to throw strikes.
How are we supposed to win if all the banterers punch out early? It's basically hopeless.
[162] In retrospect it was, but only after the game had ended and that proved to be the Yankees last/best/only chance. As soon as it happened you couldn't really say "well theres the ballgame" because you simply just don't know whats in store for the rest of the game.
And if you're blaming A-Rod's 1-2-3 for the offensive malaise the rest of the game I just disagree with that completely
[173] I am not sure how risky it is to suggest that squandering a bases loaded situation against a bad pitcher with an MVP at the plate qualifies as a game changer.
"The Yankees have had some opportunities to blow this game open"
Indeed.
[170] I may be wrong, but I think that if the runner stopped and, say, ran back to second base, the "continuation" play would end. Thus, if the runner from third crossed home before they could apply the tag to the runner going to 3B, the run would count. So A-Rod made teh right move--eith tag the guy quickly, or just make the throw to 1B.
[179] Dammit...
So A-Rod made the right move–either tag the guy quickly, or just make the throw to 1B.
[179] No. He's forced, so even if the third out is on a tag, the run doesn't count no matter when it scores.
But maybe Alex wasn't entirely sure about that himself, that would explain the throw.
[177] because the Yankees have 14 outs left and it is more than somewhat possible that they can throw 10 runs up there in that timespan, thus making the AB not all that game changing. Not saying that will happen, but its certainly very possible.
[177] I think a game-changer has to affect the end result. The change in that case would have to be changing "win" to "loss" so if the Yanks end up winning, it won't have been a game-changer.
Joe Mauer is three for five with a HR and three RBI.
And he'll still finish behind Morneau in the MVP voting.
[176] Teams like Oakland are always looking to pack it in. If Arod (or Tex) has a patient AB and the Yankees plate a few runs, they likely do just that. Instead, the As hung around, got a lead and then the Yankees went into hack-away mode. The game basically turned on that AB. Whether verified in hindsight or not, ABs in the 4th inning can be a turning point.
Meanwhile, the Yankees continue to ignore that the pitcher can't throw strikes and feel content to hack away at the first pitch. You'd think that after 14 innings, it would finally sink in.
[181] But isn't he only forced if A-Rod tags the bag? The situation changes if he goes after the runner, no? Hmm. I'll have to look at the rules.
I'm sorry, that was two HR for Mauer.
Posada's really been annoying me lately. I mean at the plate; everything else is a given.
[179] As long as Arod tags the runner before he touches 3rd, it would be a force. Of course, if Nomar retreated, Arod could have just ran to the 3rd.
[183] Events can change the game without determining the outcome. Otherwise, only the last AB is a game changer.
Of course.
well, *that's* just FUCKING lovely.
thanks, CLETUS.
[186] No, it's a force because the runner is forced to advanced to the next bag. That means even if he's out by tag, it's a force play for purposes of determining whether the run counts.
[188] I like Jorgie Po..except for his baserunning..
These Oakland games are a bit dull..yesterday's put me to sleep..is the stadium THAT depressing that the team got infected?
This game rests squarely on Sabathia's shoulders I think. The hitters are lost (again).
CC's exploits in his hometown ballpark are well-documented, though.
[185] a 4th inning AB can certainly PROVE to be game changing, but in a game that is basically at a 50/50 chance to go either way right now (with an edge going to the Yankees because they're just better) you can't declare it as that just yet.
And I don't think any team is ever "just looking to pack it in" unless they have truly incompetent leadership. Hell even the Nats have had winning streaks.
[183] Just looked Mauer up. batting .383 with a seasonal OPS of a little over 1.1. If he was an outfielder or a 1st baseman, that wouldn't be bad. As a catcher, it's retarded. It's basically a 10th man since you can take out league average catcher from his stats and still get an above average outfielder out of the left overs. this guy going to be free agent any time soon? (I know he decided to take some kind of sweetheart deal to stay in the home town)
[190] Well then every event is a game-changer.
[197] And with the BBWAA bizarre infatuation with Justin Morneau, I'd say its at least even money that Morneau finishes ahead of Mauer in the MVP voting again this year
[190, 198] I think what we're dealing with here, as our friend Michael Kay would say, is the "fallacy of the pre-determined outcome"
[196] We definitely disagree on your last point...bad teams are definitely prone to "losing interest" in the outcome when they fall behind. I think most players who have played on bad teams will testify to that.
Is Jeter coming up soon?
[198] To some degree, yes. However, every game has a handful of ABs that significantly alter a team's win probability. Arod and Tex' ABs are two examples.
[195] The hitters definitely aren't "lost". Lots of hits, lots of base runners.
The problem has been the timing. (To put it mildly.)
[189 et al] Yep, you guys are right. Rule 2.00 (definition of Force) and 4.09 (a) pretty clearly indicate that A-Rod could have taken as long as he wanted to tag the runner or the bag and the run would not have counted. I guess he *may* have been concerned about the small chance that the ball would become dislodged if he tried to tag the runner, so he felt more comfortable throwing to first. Or, more likely, it was just a reflex play.
Now Cano leads off with a first pitch hack...have Girardi and Long been watching these ABs over the past two games? Or, do they not mind that the team has almost collectively abandoned the approach that has made them so successful? The Yankees have not been outplayed that past 2.5 games...they have simply not put forth a maximum effort.
Maybe the Yankees should consider some sort of weird home-away platoon split: Swisher on the road and Hinske at NYS?
I had a horrible mental image of the Swisher Special (somehow turning an easy standup double into a single and out
[205] Thanks, couldn't figure out what section that would be in. I scoured "The Runner" section, nothing there...
They had to discuss that one.
From what I have seen, on defense (Suzuki + S. Hairston) = (Posada + Damon).
How long has Steve Donohue been with the team? Is he here as long as Gene Monahan?
I love watching the Little League World Series.
This is not baseball as I understand the game.
Its slapstick.
I've never seen that before. Melky gets plunked and then sodomizes the catcher.
[211] I think Suzuki is actually pretty good.
[214] Winner
[213] So much emotion, youthful exuberance, and true love of the game!
[212] No one has been with the team longer than Gino. He should really write a book. I think Donahue joined the team in the early-to-mid 1980s.
Posada is not amused.
Exactly, Kenny. ("It would be even more fun if they'd score here.")
27
Hell yes.
And that was only about 18 inches from an inning-ending DP.
Oh, and the Yankees scored.
[202] Right on time!
The stats probably don't back this up, but it seems like Jeter is at his best when everyone else is at their worst.
[217] Tough game tonight, I guess.
I repeat, Derek Jeter is 27 hits away from tying Lou Gehrig for the most hits ever for the New York Yankees baseball franchise.
Scott Hairston is the anti-Jerry Hairston.
Oh, the poor kid. So embarrassing. And with his family watching...
(See [219])
That was a different kind of terrible.
Wow, I'm really digging the oneupmanship between the LFs tonight!
[216] Following on Gameday so...Huhh??
[201] See I feel that not all bad teams are created equal. Like say the Nationals and the Mets, both are bad teams...but for completely different sets of reasons.
A team like the Mets, who were supposed to be good and aren't, are more apt to say "screw it" after giving up an early lead. They're already demoralized and pissed off as it is, they don't have it in them to put up much of a fight.
A team like Washington (or the A's) isn't supposed to ever win anything, so you're more likely to run into them playing you hard and making you earn it. They know that they're supposed to suck, so why not at least give winning a shot? They don't know any better.
[234] Melky HBP, spun away from the plate with his hands up, Suzuki moves with him and they become entangled.
There was no actual sodomy. I repeat, there was no genuine sodomy.
[234] He about covered it.
Maybe Teix's DP fired up the Yankees and will help carry them to victory. Game changer? ; )
That only scored one run?
[236] Whewww..thanks. Was worried they would have to blackout the game on Gameday archive due to adult content!
But what do all the Little League jokes mean? Being on Gameday can be lonely...though still better than SuzySterling!
[238] Oh how ironic that would be!
Where's wsporter this year, anyway?
[239] I must confess, I'd completely lost track of how many outs, runners, runs, etc. The inning has been so bizarre.
[240] The general level of proficiency in basics of the game has been astoundingly low today. By both sides, but more so by the A's. Dropping balls, running into outs, bizarre passed ball. It's like watching Little League.
Yeah, this is why you don't walk Teix. Casilla doesn't exactly have CC's control.
Whoops.
[240] Johnny Damon and Scott Hairston are putting on an exhibition of OF defense the likes of which are rarely seen...and that's just for starters.
What's this? The Yankees taking pitches against pitchers who refuse to throw strikes? About time!
[241] i think he burned with the toaster...
[242] As have I. I just assumed it was 5-2 until I saw the score.
Matsui is definitely rusty. He is pulling off so much, his neck will be sore tomorrow.
Oh fer god's sake. Casilla has not yet thrown the ball in the strike zone!
[243[[246] Thanks..perhaps a game to skip tonight then..highlight tv program is enough..
[250] TOTALLY!
Hairston apparently has Damon's throwing arm too.
Wait, I'm wrong -- according to Gameday, the third pitch to Matsui was in the zone (he swung and missed).
Oh, and that one might have been high, or maybe in the strike zone...
[253] The rust wore off! Seriously though, Matsui has looked a little off, but that should quickly change with more ABs.
[254] ha-ha!
K, Po - NO 1st pitch DP !!!
think everybody drank too much hyphy juice tonight....
Anyone see this? http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4408083
Jack Cust with the smackdown!
You guys were joking, but I'd completely lost track of the score. When Kenny just said 7-2, I was shocked.
[255] I'll take the two runs, but if both Matsui and Jorge had get the bat on their shoulders, he probably would have walked both.
well, *this* inning is over ...
This is another example of how early runs put a team like the As away. Now that the Yankees have scored, Geren is using the bad bullpen. Yesterday, however, he had the chance to use the good bullpen.
[262] Matsui for sure. Posada, yeah, probably.
i hope the long layoff doesn't affect CC...
Wow
I was going to make a joke, but what more can be said?
My mistake. I thought it was Little League. Apparently the kids are playing tag.
That was the only way such an inning could and should end.
pete abe can be funny sometimes:
UPDATE, 11:47 p.m.: Swish has now reached safely in 27 straight games. Meanwhile Wilson Betemit just drove through a Taco Bell in Charlotte with a AAA teammate and two not-so-hot community college girls who work as ushers at the park.
[262] In Matsui's case, does it really matter?
[266] Or the laughter...he might have tweaked a rib or something.
wha happened?!
nevermind. just saw...
i'm quite pleased with this lead. i have hours and hours of work to do a the studio. and i'm already exhausted. BIG gig tomorrow...
night guys. let's hold on and...WIN !!!
Mornin all. I just woke up on the couch. Me wife backed up the DVR a full inning for me and then went to bed. I'm glad I got to see that 6th inning.
[260] Bravo, Jack
[274] Cano squibs it in front of the plate, Suzuki picks it up, A-Rod is coming home and Suzuki is going to tag him but Alex pulls up short, Suzuki falls. Suzuki stands, throws to third, A-Rod spins, cuts back, twirls onto the infield grass...
Hard to do it justice.
[271] that's pretty got damned funny.
[274] I'm not sure words can adequately describe the quality of play. Instead, I suggest:
http://tinyurl.com/rb3o4u
[271] Pete Abe would be lucky to drive home with those ushers...
[280] How about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg
And I repeat:
http://tinyurl.com/rb3o4u
Jesus. Bow down before Derek Jeter.
Damn. I was hoping to post "26"
[282] Well played!
Uh, I didn't mean that Jesus himself should bow down. It was just an expletive.
And someone else falls down.
[278] cue "Yakety Sax " (Benny Hill music)..you all know where to find it
[289] Right here
[282]
[289] see [282]. Great minds...?
[290] ya beat me to it..
Seriously.. is Bret Favruh without a doubt the biggerst snotrag in sports? Why do teams keep going after this guy??
Meanwhile, CC with the great strike to ball ratio..you can't spell "Championship Chalice" without two big C's!
It was hard to find, but Steve Donahue joined the Yankees in 1986. Gino has been the head athletic trainer since 1973.
Back-to-back complete games, maybe? Or does AJ's game not count as a CG?
p293] I don't much care about the endless NFL soap opera, but I imagine teams want Favre because he has been awfully good in his career (whatever one thinks of him as an individual).
[296] But he isn't good now.
[295] It counts.
[295] I'm pretty sure it does count
I hope Nomar plays 1B tomorrow too.
[296] i'm no big NFL fan but my cousin (admittedly a Jets fan) says "Brett" has been highly over-rated his whole career..he did win a Supe though and that counts for something..love how his hunting down South makes him a good 'ol boy while Michael Vick..ah, won't go there even on the late game thread... :)
[295] Why not take out CC at 80 pitches, rest that arm up for October?
[301] Agree on Favre, although despite being overrated, he was pretty darn good.
This has been an easy effort for CC, so you might as well let him throw another inning. He only had 81 pitches entering the inning.
[301] I'm glad you don;t go there, because there is little moral (or legal) equivalence between hunting and dog fighting. Favre may have been overrated, in the same way that I think Ichiro is overrated (i.e., he was still awfully good). The real issue is raised at [297], why any serious team would go after him now after his skills looked so diminished with the Jets last season.
As for CC and the complete game--I was more curious, since CGs are so rare these days. Frankly, I'm not convinced that there having CC throw 80 pitches instead of 90 or 95 will make a jot of difference in October. In the short term, I'm just happy that Mo and the rest of the trusted BP get some rest before the next Sox series.
This game almost makes me forget that Gaudin is pitching tomorrow
[303] Shhhhhh.... don't jinx it for tamara night.
[303] I don't remember Favre's salad days in Green Bay so will defer..
As a committed pacifist who loves all living things, I shall merely say that the killing of innocent animals for sport, in any form, is abhorrent to me..you betcha! :)
CC..you are probably right about that difference in pitch counts, but Mo would not be in this game anyways ( and if he was at 7-2 that is a fireable offense!)
94 pitches...I'd let him finish the game (with a short leash). But then, I don't believe that "100" is a magic number.
Someone needs to get on base to get Derek up
[303] Adding a dozen pitches on to the end of the game is going to make very, very little difference, I agree. Much less wear than using a relief pitcher.
[307] Interesting to see what the Nationals do with Strasburg..knowing the Nationals I won't be surprised if they David Clyde him...
[306] Every hunter I have known--and I've know plenty--kill for sport but invariably consume what they kill. If you don't see the difference between that and breeding animals exclusively so that they can maim and kill each other--and to kill other animals in the training process--well, we'll have to agree to disagree.
Can someone link to an official definition of "complete game"?
I looked in the MLB rules section under "the official scorer" and there doesn't seem to be a definition.
With Gaudin going tomorrow, CC and AJ really came up big. Throw in the off day on Thursday and Girardi should be very quick on the trigger tomorrow.
You don't know anyone who hunts bear? Or you know someone who eats bear?
[309] On a more systemic level, that managers go to a reliever here instead of letting the starter finish the game (and Girardi is not unusual here) is bound up with the 12- and 13-pitcher staff nonsense.
And to use ANY relief pitcher the day before one of the two #5 starters goes? Tsk-tsk.
In any case, if this is the worst complaint that I have, things are happy tonight in Yankeeland.
Yuck.
strikes, Robertson, strikes.....
...
Dear David
Throw strikes, OR I WILL EAT YOUR FUCKING SOUL!!!!!!!
Thanks,
Me!
=)
[315] Modern managers need a sit-down with Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan..
[311] Killing innocent animals with high powered weapons..let's agree to disagree (yet again! :)
Great, Hughes is up now.
How the hell is a major league pitcher incapable of throwing a strike when the batter has no intention of swinging?
Maybe his orders are to put 3 men on and then Mo can come in for the save...
naa, I'm just kidding.
......
[314] I don't know any big game hunters, though it is not uncommon, from what I understand, for hunters to eat bear. However, the meat does frequently carry trichinosis--though the number of websites dedicated to properly cooking bear suggests that hunters do eat them.
The guys who hunt other exotic animals (cats and the like) probably don't consume the kill very often. Like I said, I haven't known these guys (mostly deer and the like in my neck of the woods).
Well looky here, Robertson is about to create a SAVE SITUATION, so now Mo is warming. I think I'm getting a little bit sick.
[321] Because of you, Hughes is no longer up. It's your fault.
and now Mo is up.......Girardi clutches his security blanket tightly
Girardi is really a bad manager.
If Robertson can't finish this game, he should be demoted.
Oh, he's going to get another out, then walk another guy. This gives Mo a very easy S.
[325] you're joking, right? Mo is NOT warming up..right? RIGHT??
THAT'S *ONE* DAVEY, BUT I'M STILL HUNGRY!!!
OM, NOM NOM!!!
[330] Of course he is
Singleton "you know Joe Girardi is doing everything he can to keep Mariano Rivera out of this game".
...yeah, except for letting CC go out and mow down these bitches.
Typically, in order to eat an animal, that animal needs to be dead.
Fire Girardi.
[333] OR warm Phil Hughes ...
Dave, Two True Outcomes will be enough this inning.
[334] I'LL SWALLOW YOUR SOUL???
[320] I refuse to use the term "innocent" when referring to an animal. "Helpless" or the like, maybe.
You are not bothered by the processing and slaughter of animals for your eating pleasure, because abbatoirs are better than rifles?
That Everidge person alleges to be 240 pounds
fucking Sterling burbling on about Robertson's strikouts--how many has he WALKED this year, John?
[338] well, *this* ought to go well ...
Well, that was fun
No problem. I have all the confidence in the world in Dave Robertson.
Tomorrow, Gaudin!
[338] You're assuming I eat meat, my north-of-the-border friend..really, am glad to debate this but shall we wait for the game to end??
BALLGAME over. YANKEES win. Theeeeeeeeeee Yankees WIN!
Robertson owes Mo a steak.....
Game over. Good night.
.
.
.
BTW, sorry about stirring up a silly debate about hunting etc.
[346] hysterical!
[337] Come to daddy!
[349] Aphex Twin??
[350] No - The Dillinger Escape Plan with Mike Patton ...
... covering Aphex Twin!
...
Okay, so just Aphex Twin - you win
[349] SWALLOW THIS!!!!!
[344] I only reacted to your statement that killing for sport was bad, which implicitly leaves open killing for eating (whether YOU choose to partake or not is not relevant for the purposes of the discussion). In any case, even if you find hunting abhorrent, there can simply be no moral equivalence between an action which is solely concerned with killing for entertainment (dog fighting) and killing for sport which is also widely combined with consumption (hunting, especially non-exotic animals). In my opinion, one cannot always blur such distinctions, even fine distinctions. There are more badder bads.
You eat no meat, even fish (in Japan?!?)--I'm impressed. You probably would approve of my philosophical view of animals.
[351] Excellent..havn't listen to him in several years but used to love his ambient stuff..the video for Come to Daddy is very scary!
I'll chip in and say just shooting an animal and killing it humanely and quickly is not the same as electrocuting them or slamming their head repeatedly into the cement, or getting them nutso and having them rip each other apart.
[354] I love it - a great video! You should track down that cover of that song, it's pretty impressive.
[354] I love it - a great video! You should track down that cover of that song, it's pretty impressive.
Magical double posting powers are mine. Dope.
Beats losing, : D
[353] Anyway, getting back to the initial reference to hunting, etc., which you brought up at [296]--that was a complete red herring. You asked why teams would be interested in Favre, invoking consternation that Favre (a hunter whose legal activity shared by millions of people in North America) would be viewed more positively than Vick (who was arrested for illegal activity). What the heck did Vick have to do with the conversation? What difference does it make to teams pursuing Favre? And, frankly, teams were lined up for Vick, who quickly signed a contract. So whatever sins these guys have committed (depending on one's perspective), they didn't seem to weigh heavily in the decision of teams to employ them. So why introduce Vick into the discussion?
[353] Your language gives away a lot..you make a distinction between "killing for entertaiment" and "kililng for sport". Therefore, you think "sports" has some sort of higher moral purpose than mere "entertainment"? Is this why Favre is a real "guy" and Ms. Palin a "tough gal" for hunting with high-powered fireamrs, while VIck is an immoral thug? I am not trying to be cute..I honestly 100% see NO difference in what they do/did..I find equally perplexing that people would enjoy such activities..
I actually occasinally DO eat meat (and yes, am aware of the hypocracy) but completely stay away from seafood..odd in Japan, yes..
[360] Legality and Morality are not the same thing. If 50million people legally hunt that does not make it any less immoral in my eyes..
Think I brought up Vick in passing in the next comment, anyways..and (I defer to others if they know more about this), I heard it was only through Tony Dungy's efforts that teams came calling for Vick..and not many from the sounds of it..guy served time in JAIL for his crime, you'd think he would get many offers in the NFL, a league that took Pacman Jones back repeatedly...
Getting back to the game, Girardi really did panic by starting to warm Mo. Yes, Robertson walked a couple of guys, but that's his deal, right? He doesn't give up tons of hits, he doesn't give up many HRS, he strikes out a ton. It's not surprising that he would give up a couple of runners. But you have to be able to trust him with a five run lead. Even if he gave up a couple of runs, Robertson (and really, most any reliever) will close out that game about 99% of the time. If the manager is going to warm Mo every time a reliever not named Hughes gives up some base runners with a five run lead, then they might as well only carry two relievers.
I wonder--and we'll never know--would Girardi have gotten Mo up if the save rule were different? Had Robertson walked another batter it would have been a save situation, even with a five run lead and two outs. If the save rule was awarded only if a pitcher entered with, say, the "tying run on base," would Girardi have refrained from going to his closer with the bases loaded, five run lead?
After today's action, CC has 14 wins and a 3.58 ERA, while Josh Beckett has a 3.38 ERA. There has been a lot of talk about Beckett being a CY Young candidate, while the general thought about CC has been that he has been a minor disappointment. It's funny how perception obscures reality.
[362] Legality and morality are not the same, I agree. But it's silly to express or imply surprise that people would not react the same way to a legal activity in which many participate, and an illegal activity that most seem to have a pretty strong visceral aversion to. YOU may find the two morally equivalent, but surely you recognize that you are in the vast minority and so you cannot truly be surprised that Favre's hunting is less bothersome to most than Vick's dog fighting.
[363] Yes! A five run lead and you get Mo up to throw? Can we be charitable and say that maybe Mo was just having a catch..? The save rule isn't going to go away anytime soon so we better get used to it...
[365] All the great prophets faced some sort of opposition, why would it be any different for me??
[361] You're reading too much into the diction. I used "sport" and "entertainment" for the rhetorical purposes of variatio. Switch sport to entertainment and my point still stands.
I don't know if Favre is a "real man" because he hunts, or Palin is a "tough gal." That's largely tangential here, I think. This said, I can't really take seriously that you see NO difference between hunting and dog fighting. You seem to think that hunters take pleasure in killing. Most that I have spoken to do not. They find the hunt itself exciting--the actual chase and pursuit, tracking, sitting in the weeds or a blind or a frozen lake for hours, etc.--and they find a certain satisfaction from capturing (killing) their prey with their own hands (gun). From what I have seen, they see it as a return to a different time, and the fulfillment is similar to that of someone who makes his own chair or fixes his own car ("anyone can buy a fish at the store, but I caught my own dinner"). Most hunters I know do not revel in the pain and suffering of their prey, and try to minimize it (within the context of hunting, of course). Finally, as I said, all of the hunters I know personally make a point of consuming what they kill, or giving away extra meat. Thus, the prey is not "wasted."
The pleasure derived from dog fighting (or rooster fighting, etc), on the other hand, is bound up entirely in the maiming and death of the animal. The meat is not consumed, and worse, it is common for trainers to purchase or "acquire" mixed-breed dogs whose job it is to be fed to the fighting dogs (a particularly cruel form of "sparring"). Fighting dogs are often abused specifically to make them more fierce; older dogs are used for "sparring." There is no attempt to minimize the suffering of the animals during the training or fighting.
The two are activities are fundamentally different in most cases.
[358] You're the awesome!
[368] I don't doubt that the hunters you know feel such emotions..Such emotions are just a real mystery to me, that's all. Also, I feel you overstate the "humane" factor involved in hunting..Blowing the head off of an animal with a high-powered fire-arm..that to me is very gruesome. OF COURSE dog-fighting rings are much, much more gruesome..but worthy of being in jail for 2 years?? Can you honeslty tell me you don't see ANY evidence of a double-standard here...??
You also forget that I drive much enjoyment from baiting you, Herr Doktor Professor! :) Forgive, it's a slow afternoon here and I am neither updating my jazz site nor talking music with thelarmis so...
[370] er.."derive" not "drive"...ok, on that note it's time for some jazz work...Yanks win the series tomorrow then finish off Boston for good on the weekend, tally-ho!
FWIW. My 8 year old dog Mickey had his face nearly bitten off when he was only 6 months old. I was holding on to his collar as he was attacked and If I had a gun a the time I would shot the pit bull. OTOH, I hit a deer when driving my sisters's car when I was 16 and it still creeps me out to think about.
So anyway, I understand hunting animals even though I'd never do it. But people who breed dogs to kill each other I'll never understand.
PS. Word to the C.C. Nice win. : D