Game One of this ALDS couldn’t have gone much better for the Yankees. CC Sabathia was sharp, every starter but Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano got a hit, including Alex Rodriguez who had a pair of RBI singles, the key end-game relievers (Phil Coke, Phil Hughes, Mariano Rivera, and the re-purposed Joba Chamberlain) got their postseason spikes dirty with a big lead and a day off to follow, and, most importantly, the Bombers extended their regular season dominance of Minnesota with a 7-2 victory. Yesterday, however, gave the exhausted Twins, who in the 25 hours before the first pitch of Game One had played 12 innings to save their season then flown half way across the country, a much-needed day of rest, and Game Two brings another Yankee starting pitcher with a lot to prove.
I was an outspoken opponent of the five-year, $82.5 million contract the Yankees signed A.J. Burnett to in December. With one of those five regular seasons in the books, Burnett has exceeded my expectations in just one way: he stayed healthy and took every one of his turns throughout the season. That’s no small thing, but the net result of Burnett’s 33 starts wasn’t quite what you’d expect from a $16.5 million pitcher, and there are still four more years in which Burnett could well validate my concerns about his injury history.
The contract doesn’t matter tonight. All that matters is how well Burnett pitches in his first postseason start, which is why Joe Girardi has opted to start Jose Molina behind the plate despite the huge drop in production he represents at the plate compared to Jorge Posada. Opposing batters have hit just .221/.307/.352 against Burnett with Molina behind the plate compared to .270/.353/.421 with Posada receiving him. Supposedly the difference is due in part to Burnett’s lack of confidence in Posada’s ability to block his sharp curve in the dirt, which results in Burnett failing to break the pitch off properly when throwing to Posada. Burnett led the league in wild pitches, and one would assumes a certain percentage of those were pitches Burnett thought Posada should have blocked.
Burnett’s breaking point seemed to come in his August 12 start, when, with Posada catching, he uncorked three wild pitches then refused to talk about the issue after the game, saying bruskly, “I’d rather not talk about the wild pitches.” Up to that game, Posada caught 13 of Burnett’s starts while Molina, Francisco Cervelli, and Kevin Cash caught the other ten, five of them coming when Posada was on the disabled list. After that August 12 start, Posada caught just three more of Burnett’s starts, while Molina caught seven. Burnett didn’t thrown another wild pitch after August 12, but two of the three times he pitched to Posada he was rocked, giving up nine runs in five innings to the Red Sox on August 22, and six runs in 5 1/3 innings to the lowly Orioles on September 1. Those were the last two Burnett starts caught by Posada.
That’s why Joe Girardi is sitting a .285/.363/.522 hitter in a playoff game in favor of a man who has hit .217/.273/.298 in 406 at-bats over the last two seasons. I believe Posada himself said it best when he said, in reaction to the news that Molina would be starting, “I just hope we win that game.” Burnett’s need for Molina behind the plate only adds to the pressure he’ll be feeling tonight in his first career postseason start (he was out following Tommy John surgery when his Marlins beat the Yankees in the 2003 World Series). The contract may not matter tonight, but Burnett will by trying to live up to it.
As for how he did in the regular season, Burnett’s aggregate line was actually no better than the no-name Twins sophomore he’ll face tonight:
A.J. Burnett: 4.04 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 2.01 K/BB, 33 GS, 21 QS
Nick Blackburn: 4.03 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 2.39 K/BB, 33 GS, 19 QS
Those lines are damn similar, with Blackburn holding the edge in the three key rate stats, which just goes to show how overrated Burnett really is. As for the 27-year-old Blackburn, his final 2009 line is almost an exact match for his 2008 rookie campaign, which means the Twins can now expect this sort of production from him. Blackburn’s WHIP is high because he led the league in hits allowed. Burnett’s is high because he led the league in walks with a career-high 97. That is also why A.J.’s K/BB is so low (because of all those walks, Burnett’s WHIP and K/BB this year were his worst since 2003, when he made just four starts).
Of course, Burnett and Blackburn are far from similar pitchers, as their strikeout and walk rates reveal:
Burnett: 8.5 K/9, 4.2 BB/9
Blackburn: 4.3 K/9, 1.8 BB/9
Better all those walks and strikeouts than all those hits, but you’d rather see a pitcher keep his opponents off the bases altogether.
Both pitchers finished the regular seaosn strong. In his last four starts (all with Molina catching), Burnett posted a 1.88 ERA, struck out 28 men in 24 innings, and allowed just one home run. In his last four starts, Blackburn posted a 1.65 ERA and walked just one man in 27 1/3 innings.
Blackburn last faced the Yankees on May 16. He took a 4-3 lead into the eighth inning of that game only to let the Yankees tie it up in that inning (and ultimately win it in extras). Burnett faced the Twins twice this year, both times allowing just two runs in six-plus innings, but walking ten in those 13 frames.
The Twins have made one tweak to their lineup tonight. Jason Kubel is DHing, Denard Span is in right, and Carlos Gomez is in centerfield and batting in place of the team’s no-name DH platoon. Alex suggests this is because the Twins want to run on Burnett, but while A.J. allowed 23 steals on the year, he and his catchers caught 34 percent of attempting basestealers, that compared to a 25 percent league average and Jose Molina and Jorge Posada’s matching (yes, matching) 28 percent throw-out rates.
Since I left them out of my initial preview, here are the ALDS rosters:
Minnesota Twins
2009 Record: 87-78 (.534)
2009 Pythagorean Record: 86-77 (.528)
Manager: Ron Gardenhire
General Manager: Bill Smith
Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (93/93)
1B – Michael Cuddyer (R)
2B – Nick Punto (S)
SS – Orlando Cabrera (R)
3B – Matt Tolbert (R)
C – Joe Mauer (L)
RF – Jason Kubel (L)
CF – Denard Span (L)
LF – Delmon Young (R)
DH – Jose Morales (S)/Brendan Harris (R)
Bench:
R – Carlos Gomez (CF)
R – Mike Redmond (C)
S – Alexi Casilla (IF)
R – Brendan Harris (IF)/S – Jose Morales (C)
Rotation:
L – Brian Duensing
R – Nick Blackburn
R – Carl Pavano
R – Scott Baker
Bullpen:
R – Joe Nathan
R – Matt Guerrier
L – Jose Mijares
R – Jesse Crain
L – Francisco Liriano
R – Jon Rauch
L – Ron Mahay
Key injuries:
1B – Justin Morneau (stress fracture in lower back)
3B – Joe Crede (herniated disc in lower back)
RHP – Kevin Slowey (wrist surgery–bone chips)
LHP – Glen Perkins (shoulder tendonitis)
RHP – Boof Bonser (labrum and rotator cuff surgery)
RHP – Pat Neshek (TJ)
Typical Lineup:
L – Denard Span (LF)
R – Orlando Cabrera(SS)
L – Joe Mauer (C)
L – Jason Kubel (DH)
R – Michael Cuddyer (RF)
R – Delmon Young (LF)
S – Jose Morales/R – Brendan Harris (DH)
S – Nick Punto (2B)
* * *
New York Yankees
2009 Record: 103-59 (.636)
2009 Pythagorean Record: 95-67 (.586)
Manager: Joe Girardi
General Manager: Brian Cashman
Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Yankee Stadium 2.0 (93/93)
1B – Mark Teixeira (S)
2B – Robinson Cano (L)
SS – Derek Jeter (R)
3B – Alex Rodriguez (R)
C – Jorge Posada (S)
RF – Nick Swisher (S)
CF – Melky Cabrera (S)
LF – Johnny Damon (L)
DH – Hideki Matsui (L)
Bench:
L – Brett Gardner (CF)
L – Eric Hinske (4C)
S – Jerry Hairston Jr. (UT)
R – Jose Molina (C)
R – Francisco Cervelli (C)
Rotation:
L – CC Sabathia
R – A.J. Burnett
L – Andy Pettitte
Bullpen:
R – Mariano Rivera
R – Phil Hughes
L – Phil Coke
R – Joba Chamberlain
R – Alfredo Aceves
L – Damaso Marte
R – David Robertson
R – Chad Gaudin
Key injuries:
RHP – Chien-Ming Wang (shoulder surgery)
OF – Xavier Nady (TJ)
Typical Lineup:
R – Derek Jeter (SS)
L – Johnny Damon (LF)
S – Mark Teixeira (1B)
R – Alex Rodriguez (3B)
L – Hideki Matsui (DH)
S – Jorge Posada (C)
L – Robinson Cano (2B)
S – Nick Swisher (RF)
L – Melky Cabrera (CF)
Alex suggests this is because the Twins want to run on Burnett.
That, and the Twins want to play a couple of defensively sound players in the OF?
iirc, Blackburn was the pitcher who boBBy accidentally hit in the face last year with a line drive. that was scary. i remember boBBy jogging to first base with his head in his hands. thankfully, the pitcher (nick blackburn, methinks), was OK!
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher LF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
[1] Indeed. Blackburn throws a sinker, but he's a fly ball pitcher. (and yes, thelarmis, same guy)
BTW, my look at the postseason roster on Sept. 22 pretty much nailed it: dig.
Via PeteAbe errr....well Sam Borden maybe, A-Rod is not likely to need a second surgery. That's very good news methinks.
[0] Good stuff. I am sick and tired of the Molina/Posada/A.J. talk but I heard something fresh today. For me anyway. Flaherty on The Fat Man's show said Posada has to know when AJ is throwing either his four seam or two seam fastball. Molina on the other hand doesn't care b/c he can simply react to either fastball. Meaningful? Who knows. Just new. Let's go Yanks. Go on with your best bad-ass self tonight there Burnett and match C.C.'s performance. : D
good stuff cliff.
[1] flyball pitcher (as cliff points out [3] combined with gardenhire seeing a dropped ball last night ,perhaps?
[2] that's the only i can think about when i hear nick blackburn's name
what's up with that blackhole batting 9th :}
[4] just saw that too. does sound good
This is such outstanding new, I thought it warented a cut and paste. From SamB of Lohud:
------------------------------------------------------------------
Today his doctor, Dr. Marc Philippon, in town for a meeting, watched Rodriguez take batting practice. Afterward, Dr. Philippon said he now doesn’t expect A-Rod to need another surgery this offseason.
“(Not) at this point in time, based on my clinical exam and what I saw in batting practice,” Dr. Philippon said. “I need to do more tests, but so far I don’t think he will need surgery.”
Philippon said Rodriguez has recovered more rapidly from surgery than other baseball players. He estimated the third baseman at 95 percent. He believed Rodriguez was no better than 75-80 percent back in the spring. Dr. Philippon also said a patient of this surgery will continue to recover for up to a year after surgery, meaning Rodriguez will continue to improve from now through spring training.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Just how cool is that!
[8] This is such outstanding newS, I thought it warRented ...
[9] Time to git that borken keybored ficksed. : ) @ 45 minutes!!
Here's my dream scenario.
At some point tonight, Posada is brought in to pinch hit, and stays in the game. Tie game, bottom of the ninth, and Posada gets the game-winning hit.
Here comes AJ with a weighty pie!
To be continued ...
[9] oyf you always keep things lively, warrented?
[11] cool scenario - i don't know if i could handle it for most of the game, but that would be a helluva way to end it
It would just be funny, after all this "controversy", for AJ to smack Jorge with a pie. I suppose it would be a different scene depending on how AJ pitches. Posada breaking up a 3-3 tie and it's easy for Burnett to pie him. 6-6, not so much.
Air is heavy, heavy, heavy and dark, dark, dark in in New Haven, but no rain as of yet!
warrented? Jeez, 8 years of Bush has had its impact...
Hey... wouldn't it be better for AJ to have an outstanding game, get the post game interview, and have Jorge pie AJ?
And then, when we think it's over, Molina pies AJ again!!!!
Oh oh. Now that the Twins are rested....
THEY ARE SCRAPPY!
We are in deep shit now.
(If they get gritty tomorrow, we are doomed.)
That tie is messing with my tv
How come everyone shuts up when the game starts?
Two of the four called balls were in fact in the strike zone.
AJ looked great to those 1st 2 batters. i think he was just careful w/ Mauer, and i'm cool with that. he was pretty close on most of them, just like Ball 1 to Kubel. let's get 'im right here!
[20] i agree.
way to start off AJ!!!
nice inning aj
Good start. If he keeps this up, he can have Molina catch all his games.
Nasty breaking ball. I thought curve; was it really a slider?
Well, we know he's going to walk people, and if you're gonna walk someone, Mauer seems like the way to go.
[25] gameday called it a curve - who said slider, caray?
[25] does he throw a curve and slider? i thought he just throws an offspeed pitch that you could call either.
well at least jorgie got to catch reggie tonight
damn, he was hustling. i think they shoulda just let the game start w/ Jeter on 1st and pitch to Damon. : )
[19] I'm in and out--kidlet duty.
[30] I was afraid he'd injure himself, actually.
[29] damn, i missed it. wish i saw it. maybe it'll be on the highlights. i might be on stage by that time.
crap.
c'mon Tex!
「２６」Missed the top of the 1st..so it's mildly good AJ then? No problem walking Mauer, the guy is the Twins only great hitter..
Ron Darling is not so bad, btw..
[33] yeah darling is not so bad
i thought you were going to go back to normal brackets and #s for the postseason!!
[31] Making another?
[34] Ah sorry, bit early here and still groggy..coffee and mueslix first, then pointless Banter entries for me..
yeah, both AJ and Darling are pretty good.
well, 'cept for that single...
[36] :}
though banter entries are NOT pointless
beautiful !!!
well chippy is convinced that pitch is a slider
AJ's slider looks seriously unhittable..
[37] No Morgan, no McCarver, no complaints.
that's a good point - gomez was completely rushed because of the santana trade
nice play. 2 outs.
[35] Har har!
NO!
[43] aren't all met prospects rushed?
Yeah, Caray said that pitch (last inning) was a slider.
A slider is thrown quite differently, though I suppose the action might be somewhere between a normal curve and a normal slider.
Twins were fleeced in the Santana deal..
me likey!!!
Excellent.
AJ looks good -- not his absolute best, but in control.
[46] seems like it - then the twins probably felt they needed to play him with the big club instead of letting him develop in aaa
29 pitches for aj - 21 of which are strikes - can't complain about that
a baserunner! well, actually a baseclogger... ; )
[53] Let's see a rally-killer now!
i would love for Swish to hit one out here
[54] i'm on it!
i love that avocados are a major sponsor
[57] i thought was imagining that :}
tough pitch to k on
damn it!
That was *not* a strike!!!
i want that high pitch for AJ
Let's hope A.J. gets that pitch, too.
[62] i'd prefer he keep the ball down anyway
christ. nuthin'...
[64] Chuck missed a low strike when Rodriguez was up.
I agree with what you're saying, though.
Tough umpiring against Swisher- I like how the announcers are to busy fawning over the strike 3 pitch to mention that it was high.
i'm not convinced it really was high though. it looked pretty good to me, and i don't trust the up and down on that strike zone.
check - the nick punto can't be judged by his numbers statement
[69] BFOG
Ugh, you can't walk that chump.
wait...piranha's can't walk!!!
Umm..AJ, throw the ball down the middle at 80mph until Punto proves he can hit it!!
alright aj bear down (and don't walk fucking nick punto again)
[72]
Dinsdale!
uh-oh, Fish released EDSP !!!
shit - nice try though
[69] "Headsy."
bad call but very close
who does he think he is, CB Bucknor?!
feh!
God, I hate it when Nick Punto walks. I mean, I can understand it. It's like trying to thread a needle.
Whew. Damon adds excitement!
whew jd caught it and the runner didn't advance - double whew
[79] Yeah, close, but he was out. Stupid umps.
whew! that was carrying.
damon really does field like a girl. (sorry Diane & Ms. O !!!)
I'm so used to seeing our pitchers throw those comebackers over the SS/2B's head.
[79] Was it wrong? I missed the replay -- thought he was out on the live shot.
Whoa... Who's the "boss" in the Twinkies' dugout?
[76] Invite him to Spring training? I think the Yankees owe him at least a month of meals.
[85] that's just sergio's bad luck -- feeling any better?
[84]
no prob ... I bake/cook like a guy. :-)
I was really hoping not to see Mauer up with men on base, at all.
why do they keep going outside on mauer? pound him in!
ok but that was nice
Great pitch!
That pitch was gorgeous.
Ah.
Okay, I underestimated AJ. That was *very* good.
nicely done aj
time to get a hit - this inning - no need for a nother inning of no hit ball - okay hit hit hit
[75] did i tell you that Neil Peart's old Rush drumkit sold for a little over $25,000 on ebay pretty recently? it's the kit on which he recorded Fly By Night, Caress of Steel, 2112 and was featured on the cover of All The World's A Stage.
he had given it away through a Modern Drummer solo contest like 25+ years ago. it eventually made it to a store in Brooklyn and they turned it around...
wasn't in great shape, or anything, but i guess it's cool to some rich collector...
I see we're all agreed on that strike-out pitch!
That wasn't a strike, but it was pretty.
Electric Stuff !!!
Oh, I think we got the good AJ tonight.
crosses fingers, knocks on wood, throws salt over left shoulder.
[86] yeah it looked like he was just out
Astro Boy .... that doesn't look like Biggio ... hmmm
[100] You're right, it was outside. I couldn't tell live, but Pitch f/X says it was outside.
i think this ump has a pretty generous zone
[98]
wow ... I hadn't heard/read that ...
youtube is full of people who do GREAT note-for-note drumming of Rush songs.
nice lines cut in the side of aj's head
Not listening to closely, have there been any "team full of ballplayers" mentions yet? And, er, why have we not scored yet??
damnit that part of the park is too deep for that hit
C'mon Jose, time to break up the no no
[109] I was just thinking that Darling really isn't bad tonight. I wonder if I've changed perspectives or if he's really better.
And more important, why don't we have a hit???
[111] Whoa, dude. You are way behind.
damn. close...
[107] i'll try to get you the link in a little bit...
i transcribed "Cinderella Man" from A Farewell To Kings, note for note. I recorded Spirit Of Radio - note for note - when i was in the 9th grade! : )
[113] should we tell him what happened...
[112] Darling generally isn't that bad. and he's a nice guy, in person...
can't say i was expecting a serious pitcher's duel through 3
What is the over/under on George Lopez commercials tonight?
[116]
I rode in a Shea Stadium elevator with him a few years ago ... (sorry if its name-dropping)
[116] And he dated Madonna!
AJ looks great, we'll win this game for sure. Twins can't shut us out...
Nice. I love it when the other team is muttering to themselves as they walk back to the dugout.
my brother took my nephews to Nassau Collesium to see KISS tonight! they're there right now. my younger nephew called me before, he was soooo excited. he's 8. when i was 8/9, my pop took us to see The Who and The Police at Shea Stadium and Pete Seeger/Arlo Guthrie at Carnegie Hall.
ron i think a more apt way to describe po is he is a take no shit puerto rican (not a blue collar mine worker) and aj is an emotional country guy (not a surfer)
[119] Did he say, "Who let that DARN GIRL ON?"
[119] it's not name-dropping. i've known Ron for most of my life.
[120] did he really?! last time i saw him, he was taking a skanky hooker (Keisha!) back to his hotel in downtown Atlanta. this was about 2 years ago...
[122]
I wonder if Chaim will sing to Lois Pewterschmidt at the concert?
(obscure "Family Guy" reference)
Don't like Alex way in like that...
[118] i mute all the commercials, rendering them moot : )
fuck c'mon aj
Huh. That's not good.
That looks like it hurt.
Um, back-to-back HBP?
he was swinging. we better not get drilled. AJ is NOT doing this on purpose. fuck.
Awesome!!! Swisheroooooooooooo!
Wow!
YES
AWESOME.
Oh, what a play. That was just fantastic.
I'm stunned.
wow yes - nice throw swsih ans way to get the tag fast
HELL MOTHERFUCKIN' YEAH!!!!
beautiful !!!!!
good karma, too !!!! : )
[124] i think you're thinking of hernandez
Tag before the score! Yes.
Heads up play, Nick.
Let's get some runs now!
[141] Well, but you know he loves the ladies...
well i feel bad for gomez since he just got drilled but he doesn't have baseball instincts (yet)
[126] i get the Chaim/Gene Simmons part, but i don't watch Family Guy. i didn't get your earlier reference to one of my comments, either. can't remember which one.
i'll have that Neil Peart link for you shortly...
I am normally a patience advocate, but Blackburn is throwing pitches down the middle. It's time to start being aggressive.
Cy Blackburn. sigh.
get a HIT alex
I can't believe we've put eleven balls in play and got no hits. Sure, the balls in play have not exactly been bullet liners, but only one little tapper (I think).
The quality of the ABs have been very poor...they are swinging at balls and taking pitches right down the middle. Yankees really need a lead.
aaarrrggghhh!!!
Is that score line correct, the Yankees have no hits through 4 innings?
MAN PURSE anagrams to SUPERMAN ...
[153] yep thankfully matsui walked or nick balckburn would have a perfecto going
thelarmis, just watched the Holliday error on J-tv here as the do all the highlights..that was crazy!!
[154] i guess the answer to my earlier question if you were feeling better has been answered
[154] see if this works...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320407426848&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Why can't the Yankees throw strikes to Nick Punto?
[156] yeah man, i ended up seeing it a bunch last night. was crazy!
I wonder if Punto will challenge Eckstein's career grittiness factor.
[159] cause he is the 2nd best athlete on the twins
gorgeous, AJ!!!
Another beautiful pitch.
[159] Your wish is AJ's command.
[162] Mo and AJ walked him...CC was behind 2-0 at least twice...I was starting to think the gameplan was to pitch around Punto.
that curve has a ton of movement tonight
[159] I explained this earlier. It's like threading a needle.
just a little off, i guess...
another nice play
Good job, AJ. Way to work at it.
alex seems to be playing in at 3rd on a lot of batters
[172] Hey, you're right.
Well he's playing at Grit Depth.
[158]
SWEET ...
Just missed.
damnit - alright let's get mauer again
what was THAT?!?!
don't do that w/ Mauer on deck. : /
i like that call he just blew it
Huh. Have to agree with Darling and...
No, I can't say it.
But he really needed to throw a strike with Mauer coming up.
Not the time to be fancy...AJ should have been pumping fastballs. Big mistake. This is a huge batter in this game.
get that stupid fuck with lights for legs off the screen
[179] Don't worry, that's like agreeing with someone that the Earth is round.
This inning is going to get scarier...
QUIZ TIME ...
4 players have as many as 50 plate appearances against Burnett lifetime. One of them has a .313 batting average against him ... the others are .256, .205, .135. against him.
Which batter is hitting .313?
Hint: he COULD face Burnett at some point in a later round of the playoffs.
3-0 down the middle to Mauer, but 3-2 curve to Cabrera?
Don't leave that 3-1 ther e again AJ
abreu?
that's par for aj's course chippy
[184] Chone?
This is why AJ is an uncomfortable pitcher in a close game. Even when he is pitching very well, he can just have a lapse at a moment's notice.
4 walks, 2 HBP : /
[187]
ding ding ding .... correct.
[185] Yeah, dunno what was up with that. Especially since Cabrera was chasing the high fb
Now this is definitely the key batter of the game...
[185] This should be multiple choice.
[195] Just like your question!
Goooooood AJ. Good AJ.
Huge out...MUST get runs now.
Phew!
awesome!!!
yes -
AJ is driving me to drink tonight.
Blackburn has a no-no going?
So, only two hits, and one of them was also an out -- didn't result in a base runner... but four BB and two HBP. That's a very unbalanced diet.
[203] Confirmed. Blackburn is pitching a no hitter.
we really need a freakin' hit. this is simply reedikulous, couzin larry!
[203] [205] where's mk when you need him - maybe the fake one will do
Anyone notice Blackburn is throwing a no-hitter? Wow.
[202] have one for me. i have a late gig tonight, so no brew for me. i get mine tomorrow night...
I have to go drive for about an hour, dammit. John and Suzyn for me. Argh.
i was about to say he is throwing a ton of strikes - but of 59 pitches 35 are strikes - good but nothing outstanding
oh, christ.
That was a nice pitch.
We ain't losing, but we sure is getting beat.
This is the worst the Yankees have looked against a pitcher not exactly throwing particularly well.
[209] I can certainly make that sacrifice.
That was pretty filthy. Easy to see why he has yet to give up a hit, in case no one has noticed.
[210] drive safely! : )
Swish is going to come through. I have a good feeling.
Runs, please and thank you...
At what point do the Yankees start changing their approach and swinging at those early strikes?
everything he's throwing is on the edges--only mistake so far was that pitch for Jeter that he hit to center.....
[217] Blackburn hasn't given up a hit?
this is fucking pathetic. my god. : /
[223] No sir, he has not given up a hit. Thought I was the only one that noticed.
215--could not disagree with you more, William--fastball has late movement, everything right around the edges....
attention yankees, attention yankees - nick blackburn, yes nick blackburn is NO-HITTING you, there is no need for this
Boom goes the dynamite.
[225] Really? Cano just pulled a whaddayaknow!
wait to break that shit up robbie
hooray!!!!
finally!!!!
thanks, robbie : )
Oh my God, that was our first hit???
[221] The 5th inning apparently.
that was a sweet swing!
Yes! Robbie!
BTW, Blackburn still has a shutout going. Just sayin'
[226] From my standpoint, I've seen a lot of 90mph fastballs early in these counts that look very hittable. I think the shutout is more the result of poor ABs than good pitching.
Is this guy pitching a no-hitter? Oh well "mute" now.
[235] Wow. A shutout... Wow...
how ironic that robbie was not the aggressive one
Again with the fisted, Chip??
That's a flat 86 mph slider (I think). That ball has to be crushed.
jesus.
shit melky
That was pretty pathetic...sucks to have Molina leading off the next inning (unless AJ only goes 6).
Maddux and Glavine did fine with 90 mph fasballs; I think his location's been just outstanding--when guys are looking fastball, they get one they can't do anything with....
[245] Maddux and Glavine did...Blackburn is not Maddux and Glavine.
velocity, stuff: once you get over a certain minimum level NONE of that matters as much as location, location, location. move it around and get guys guessing, you will do well. this guy is not a replacement level pitcher.
blackburn looks pretty good to me, mixing his pitches well and locating. but i do think they should be doing a little better than this. not a problem as long as aj dominates.
[248] i agree - he is a good pitcher, but not someone with unhittable stuff
This "Men of a Certain Age" program seems interesting. I liked Scott Bakula's work in "Quantum Leap" and "Murphy Brown" and I liked Andre Braugher's work in "Homicide: Life on the Streets."
[247] NONE??? i guess that's why curt schilling was the best pitcher ever!
[250] i may give it a chance myself, i need some new shows - i really liked ab in homicide too
[250]
Yes ... its always good to see Braugher on the screen ...
oh aj i was hoping for a quick inning
Just missed. Again.
Burnett can be so damn frustrating.
jesus, another fuckin' walk...
[249] But given pitchers who have thrown no-hitters, I don't think having "unhittable stuff" matters sometimes. Blackburn is doing a pretty good job of moving the ball around and has good movement and is changing speeds.
when i was watching game 1 at my friends' house, no one knew what homicide was. what a shame, it was a pretty good show.
we've hit one ball hard (Jeter's), and have one hit. we're a little unlucky, BABIP wise, but.....
however i have no interest in some sappy show about middle aged men with ray romano
[259] Was Homicide a prequel to The Wire?? Havn't seen TW but isn't it also in Baltimore with the same characters? Always like Homicide, with Braugher, Yaphet Kotto, etc
[258] yeah i thought about that as i was typing - his stuff is not overwhelming tonight, but he certainly has the yanks off kilter
[259] To be fair, it really didn't do well in the ratings. It's to NBC's credit that they stuck with it as long as they did.
oh come on robby that was a great throw
Cano usually makes that tag.
nevermind
Ewww..cricket swing there by Gomez..
[262] no- david simon wrote the book that homicide was based on and the guys who made oz made homicide; david simon and ed burns wrote and produced the wire and they used a lot of stuff they gathered from homicide in the wire
[262] Both programs were based on works done by David Simon. But they weren't related. The only thing they really had in common was Baltimore.
this should be aj's last inning i think
[269][270] Cool, thanks! Will get to the Wire one day, Sopranos too (my pop-in-law has the whole thing on DVD here). But only in the offseason.
How many times can AJ get out of trouble? The dangerous Punto on deck...
AJ, by contrast, throws everywhere EXCEPT the black--infuriating, though often awesome....
let's get out of this - the dangerous punto is up next
goddamn motherfuck.
fucking shit - bound to happen
Crap!
do not re-sign johnny damon!!!
damn, misplayed that one...
Disgusting...awful to give up a bomb to Harris...and awful to have Damon impale himself on the wall.
At least it stayed in the park.
Carp.
Ugh. Johnny face-planted the wall there.
NOT a "nice try"--a catchable ball, Damon overran it......
Is it me, or does Damon crash into a lot of walls ?
send jorge up
Ok, now can we hit this guy?
Was that ball misplayed? I will gladly take 1 run in 6 innings from AJ, that's a solid performance. This one is on the O..so O, wake up please!
[284] Damon battled it all the way to the wall
That would have been a lot less painful if the Yankees weren't getting completely shut down by Sandy Kou.....er......Nick Blackburn.
[286] Yes. Seconded.
we're lucky it's only 1-nothin'. but we kinda suck for not doing a blessed thing against nick fucking blackburn. it's time to turn it up. we gotta take it here!!!
Still, if you told me AJ would only give up 1 run through 6 innings, I would have signed up for that. I wouldn't have expected Blackburn to be shutting out the Yankees.
Have to pinch hit for Molina here.
Braugher has an impressive resume (even if it DOES include the 2nd Fantastic Four movie, and the remake of Andromeda Strain)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0105672/bio
[290] :)
It's all part of the plan, Twins have to take the early lead before the Yankees crush them.
[288] Damon should've been the primary, with Melky backing him up. The ball got by Melky, which is why Harris was able to make it to 3b
[286] yes, definitely!
AJ, while not really sharp, did his job. The offense, however, has been sleepwalking through this game. Hopefully, they'll wake up before they let the Twins in this series.
I wonder why more pitchers don't go to the no windup delivery.
[298] Yes, exactly. Melky should have been there.
Here we go.
The ball was not misplayed.
damnit, don't block Lady Liberty w/ your stoopid logo. move it to the other side of the screen. fuck you tbs!
fuck. that woulda RULED!!! : /
gomez is too fucking fast
Burnett at 95 pitches ....
Damn. Missed it by that much.
[304] Yes it was, or else Harris wouldn't have been standing on 3b.
[304] maybe not, but a decent lf catches it easily
yeah, Jeter!
now, steal 3rd and let's tie this bitch up!
Not bad. Let's see if Damon can atone.
Turn the key, start it up. Let's take this thing for a spin.
JD can make up for it here...
This series is eerily starting to feel a little bit like the 2005 ALDS against Detroit. In game 1, the Yankees bats exploded and it looked like they would cruise to victory, but then the bats went silent thereafter (with the exception of Jeter).
[314] what does a truck key look like? is it just like a car key, or is it much bigger?
Ah, I should clarify, the misplay I refer to is the ball getting past Melky. I had no problem with Damon going after the ball, and it would've been a hell of a play had he caught it.
[316] i thought you said you were relaxed in the postseason
Truck key ... got my chips cashed in ...
[317] Beep beep beep. The score truck is getting into position.
[319] "More" relaxed. Besides, I do feel pretty relaxed. I just haven't like the vibe of this game.
wow, Swish was called out on that pitch
Beep beep beep.
Tex message, anyone??
This is where Tex needs to make his Mark!
nice AB!
double steal, haha!!! ; )
alright Tex - time to become a "True Yankee" !!!
Ok, it's on you Teix
[325] I'd settle for a tex memo.
Texual Healing ...
[330] Got to Give It Up...
Blackburn fading in the dead of night ...
Damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
oh i really hate chip carey
ah man... : (
I just pooped in my pants.
Figuratively.
...
Yeah.
Figuratively.
[330-331] Cute
Missed it by that much.
Missed another one!
[331] [332] quality
cutter in?
yuck
A-Clutch.
goddamn motherfucking bullshit!!! : /
Nerts. Come on, A-Rod.
Three pitches to hammer! I really don't want to go through another post season waiting for a superstar to get a big hit.
Whelp, it comes down to Mr. Rodriguez
please, A-Rod. i'm begging you!!!
All comes down to A-Rod...
& it comes down to the Rod.........
very gutsy to throw those fastballs right down the middle
relax alex, any hit will do here
Scared the cat, my roomie and probably the neighbors.
Blowing bubbles. Loose. A good sign, right?
i'm holding his 2009 Upper Deck baseball card
[347-50] you guys know it's the 6th inning right?
theere you go alex
YAY-ROD !!!
:D
A-Clutch!!
yep. he's money.
"And A-Rod has come through again."
Clutch-Rod!
What a difference A ROD makes.
still, that's very nice
Yeah, Alex! Derek ran like the wind!
YAYYYYYYYY!!
Bravo, Alex!!!
Bravo!
You hang around with Madonna ... bad things happen.
You hang around with Kate Hudson ... good things happen.
[353] LOL! My dog looked at me as if I was crazy.
[220] Thanks again, Alex. More, please...
Wow... when I saw that pitch come in, I thought 440'.
But I'll take it!
cy blackburn OUT. thank god...
alex just told mick that it was a fastball - i like that exchange for some reason
[368] Heh.
(Hopefully) Arod is providing to Teixeira, what no one provided to Arod in 2005-2007...someone to follow-up on his failure with a big hit.
[368] Hilarious.
ok, who gets the 7th? Joba or Hughes?
awww, a Thurman clip! : D
Reggie lookin kinda sharp there :)
[377] Aceves, I would guess.
Go Go Matsui!!!
haha reggie sporting the fresh hat
[377] joba - lohud said he was up last inning and hughesy is the 8th
At least the Yanks got to the Twinkie bullpen. Guys like Rauch and Mijares could be had.
I think Hideki goes boom here ..
[377] not Hughes. he's 8th...
[382] Something tells me the lefties will be involved next inning.
Great...now only Arod hits in the clutch!!
Is Rodriguez 3 for 3 w/RISP and 2 outs this postseason?
[380] Really? Even with the off day tomorrow?
alright now that the goose egg is off the board i feel better about this game
well, at least it's tied up...
let's keep it there. i'd really like a nice, easy 1-2-3. i'm down w/ going with Ace here.
[389] I was assuming he would want to have Aceves start the inning and go to Coke or Marte for Mauer and Kubel.
Again, I am not worried.
[392] Just to be clear...that's what I think Girardi will do...not what I would do.
Nick Punto trying to emasculate the Captain ... :-(
http://www.nytimes.com/
So it's Jobamania? I like it! Blow them away, kid. You can do it!!
joba time
it's Joba
NOW...I am nervous.
[392] I'd rather not futz around with those guys
good job. i like the "Atta Boy" from Jetes
how was that not a strike?
sager's baseball suits are so tame compared to his basketball suits
WHOA, JOBA!
another good play.
[395] Yiles... along with everything else, Derek has the world's most animated penis!
[403]
They're from the Lindsey Nelson collection :-)
(yeah, I had to leave for 5).....if I'm Aceves or Robertson I'm a little pissed right now....
[403] Perhaps because baseball is more conservative than basketball? :D
[403] tame is NOT the adjective i'd use! ; )
ouchie. please still give us strikes! ; )
ouch
Joba hasn't seen 97 since Fenway last year.
Jorge's catching skills have really declined.
Home plate umpire allowing Molina to come back in the game and catch.
[409] that's my thinking too
[410] watch one basketball game on tnt right around halftime and you will see
you'll have that...
That's it for Joba? WTF? A hit to Mauer is on shame..
wait, what? leave him in!
uh chippy tell us who the hell is coming in
[415] no thanking you! (i've actually seen 'em before. yuch!)
This is a bad decision now...Joba looks so sharp and now he is going to leave this in the hands of Coke or Marte (I am assuming because TBS can't be bothered to let us know).
Seems like a waste of a starting pitcher
Girardi over-managing here?
[399] NOW *I'm* nervous
should leave him in unless this is hughes
C.B. Bucknor is behind the plate tonight for Sox/Angels ... should be IN-TER-ES-TING ...
Giving up a hit to Mauer is no sin. At least it's with 2 outs and he's in no better position than a BB would give him.
i'd have kept Joba in. but it's Cokey for the lefty...
I thought you guys wouldn't like this move. I certainly don't.
cokey it is, i hope this works out
Tony La Russa move here..I do not agree. Joba is better than Coke in every way..screw lefty/righty, leave the better pitcher in, I say...
I HATE this Phil Coke for the 3rd out lefty shit, HATE it.....
[425] agreed
Maybe it makes sense from the lefty splits perspective, but I simply can not accept losing a playoff game with Phil Coke on the mound.
[426] yeah, Neyer had a big post about it.
i hope we don't regret this decision. Joba coulda handled this just fine...
[429] BUT COKE IS A LEFTY!!!!!!
fuck cokey settle down
[429] Don't like it either
careful coke. c'mon kid!!!
2-0...damage pitch.
after the walk we better see Phil...
actually, Chip - he was ahead at 1-0, also. jackass.
Lucky umpiring
nice pitch. get 'im out!
[434] Yep...
good job cokey - brilliant joey joe joe
Hot damn.
*whew*
COKEY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
girardi's a genius, haha!!!
Huge out for Coke...I would have stuck with Joba, but Girardi can certainly defend it regardless of the outcome.
But it works out! Good Job, Coke-y!
ahhhhh! I never trust Coke until I feel that initial high....
As much as I feel like a guy who comes to church on Christmas and Easter exclusively, I couldn't not come to the Banter in the postseason. nice pitch by Coke
Kubel was 0-5 against Coke before that.
Incidentally, I get a really cool PDF in my in-box every morning for FREE - "The Bill James Daily Matchup" from Acta Sports. It shows all Yankee pitchers against all Twins hitters and vice versa in a 2 page PDF which I've printed and I'm using to follow the game.....
If anyone wants it I'll post the email address and what you need to put in the Subject and body of the email to subscribe. Again, it's free and it's for whatever team you designate.
Regardless of score, it has to be Hughes for the 8th, Mariano for the 9th (and 10th if he has an easy inning) and then Aceves for 10th to 12th.
Where exactly did Blackburn stick his nose?
(erk) what the hell is C.B. Bucknor doing behind ANYTHING in a postseason game? Is there an umpire strike??
[450] I would've rather stayed with Joba in case the Yanks don't score this inning.
[456] I thought the same thing last night. He is really a bad umpire.
[454]
and Fernando Rodney for the 13th till whenever ... :-)
[456] He also has a history with the Red Sox...I recall a game over the last year or so in which he had a very animated 9th inning, punching out two Red Sox on pitches way off the plate and doing it with glee.
You guys have no faith.
Love that Cokey!
Jolly Old Saint Nick has never faced Rauch before, BTW. Tex and Hinkske hit him in tiny samples..
[459] hysterical !!!
That pitch is a killer...definitely outside.
what kind of bullshit call is that? merryweather has NOT been calling that pitch all night.
[461] Just no Coke against Mr. Mauer....I don't think we need to worry about that matchup occurring.
[461] welcome back!
[462] thanks man, keep it comin'!
[459] unfortunately rodney is still at the metrodome - we may see him sunday though
[453]
actually, you can go to mlb.com and print out the actual press notes package prior to each game ...
http://presspass.mlb.com/pp_teamselect.asp
[465] If he calls pitches that far off the plate, Mariano can pitch three innings.
Hi everybody!
Does anyone feel like they've lost about 5 years off their life tonight, besides me?
Just because he's been consistent with a call doesn't make it a good call. That's a consistently high and out of the strike zone pitch he's been calling strike. Not a good game, guys... same with yesterday as well!
[460] i thought that was laz diaz
dammit! : /
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
[471] Nope. I am not worried. I am annoyed by the high strike calls, but that's about it.
[473] Maybe...but for some reason, CB Bucknor's grin stands out.
So, I told youse I was going to be getting the game from John and Suzyn for an hour. On Teix's loud foul I got an "It is high... it is far..."
[469] That's awesome - thanks Diane! Are you feeling any better?
[465] [470] Chuck Merryweather? Why do I know that name?
why "Damn it!"??
Must take a strike here Melky.
[480] Cano hit what looked like a gapper (and would have been if Kubel was in LF).
dangerous pitch on 3-0 to melky?
jesus christ that was HIGH!!!
get your head in the game blue
goddamn that's just terrible umpiring
Bad umpires are death to the Yankees because they know the strike zone.
It's really shameful that MLB continues to accept such poor quality umpires.
Too much speed in the Twins outfield. We need Carl Spacker to cut some Achilles tendons.
[469] good info Diane....Only one thing. We have a sonic wall at work and I can't get it there and print it (and I'm one of those people that have to have a piece of paper in my hand). BUT I circumvent that, a bit, by getting a daily email feed from James, River Avenue Blues and MLB Trade Rumors.
Gee I wish we'd get a Bronx Banter email everyday....cough cough....hint hint....LOL
[476] Like that last one? Cripes!
I thought Joe West was retired. Is this why Blackburn pitched so well?
and "strike" 2 was outside. total fucking bollocks!!! : /
I thought those pitches were close. Maybe just nipped the edge of the zone.
jeez... Took them right out the inning
my stomach and i need a very easy, quick inning here.
[492] The TBS box showed them to both be well off the plate.
[479]
Thanks Shaun ... feeling a little better ... but its always worst during the night and first thing in the morning ...
[469] Hey Diane, oddly enough the MLB press pass is from 10/7/09
[488] yep, they run down just about everything
[495] Pitch f/X on Gameday shows Strike Two just wide, but Strike One maybe a real strike (can't really tell high and low accurately on that thing).
and where the fuck was that one then????
i just took out my Topps Hughes 2004 Draft Pick and 2005 Prospect cards!!! : )
[494] Try bourbon. It is helping me out.
And that was a ball... perfect
[489]
What about the Banter RSS feed?
As for NOTD, I *hope* to be back in action early next week.
This team's inability to hit some very mediocre pitching in this game has sapped a bit of the over confidence I had in this series.
"Bridge to close", is that a drink for everyone?
5 balls and a strike counts as a K, right?
The JobaPhilPhilMo pen is going to win us the World Series..I'm calling it now...
[504] I really miss NOTD when it doesn't appear, for what little that is worth.
What were the speeds of Joba's fastballs, by the way? Suzyn was orgasmic.
[496] Good to hear! (The feeling better part, not the other part.)
[510] tbs had him around 95
[510] 95 to 97mph.
I wonder if Phil has a quick inning if he might start the 9th....right now we've got Aceves, Marte, Robertson and Mo.
[509]
Aw shucks .... appreciated ...
Speaking of orgasmic Suzyn ...
http://tinyurl.com/ygu3qv5
(safe for work)
[502] i can't. i still have to go to work tonight!!!
[514] Sounds good to me. Especially with the off day tomorrow.
Kid is going his part.
beautiful, Phil !!! one more ...
Woooooooosh.
Love that slider.
[510] like oh my goodness gracious level?
sitting about 95 - af ew 96-97
[508] I second Mr. Jazz Tokyo!
[514] I was kinda hoping for that. Joba for a couple, Phil for a couple, depending if they are able to score
[514] if he gets gomez now i'd keep him in if it's still 1-1
[515] ok now, let's not talk about Suzyn that way...got me in trouble a couple years ago!
;o)
[502] Fine. I will pick up your slack. Break a leg.
That same pitch was a strike to Melky. Can't walk Gomez here.
oof how can you walk this clown?
I was thinking about whether Hughes could go two, but I'm confident that we can score in the last couple innings and it would be good to have Hughes available tomorrow.
shit man - alright get harris
I don't get why Posada was asking for a low fastball? Just throw it down the middle!
Mo for two innings tonight, if it goes that long, with the off day tomorrow?
[523] Yeah it's a big game and they get a day off...we need quality out there...Gotta get Harris here.
Harris is 0-1 against Hughes.
[525] thank you, but NO borken legs - or anything else - please!!!
[528] sunday
[528] We have tomorrow off.
Gomez can fly..danger, danger Phil Hughes..
[528] Travel day tomorrow
[528] Ah, but we have a day off tomorrow.
I don't worry about Gomez. He could get himself picked off while playing CF...
[536] Screw it, let him concentrate on Harris
That walk to Gomez is going to give me nightmares if the run scores.
[535] Oh, so we do. Woops.
Never mind. Hughes for two, then, yes. Or anyway four or five outs...
Uh oh.
Shit.....
fuckin' hell
Gulp.
shit, no two innings for Phil tonight....
Seems to me they wanted to strike Gomez out too badly.
That's the result of stupid baseball.
Fuck... C'mon Hughsie
can't give them the lead with Nathan looming...
well, now I don't want Phil to pitch anymore.
Punto is 1-5 against Phil with 2 BB's
get nick punto out god damnit
And of course it'd be Punto now....
[548] ?
Same thing here, blow Punto away
The Yankees shouldn't be in this position for so many reasons.
Not worried.
Gritty. Gutsy. Headsy.
jorgie do not get cute back there please
[557] Ditto.
Harris usually doesn't hit RHP (I had him on my Banter fantasy team out of sheer necessity for a while). Small samples and all that . . .
[554] They had Gomez set up and the tried to get cute instead of just making him hit the ball.
[557] that makes one of us!
so merryweather only expands the strike zone for the twins pitchers
[515] Based on that mess on her head, I don't think I want to see the centerfold.
and that's not a strike.. beauty-ful
maybe not
WTF Chuck!
Finally.
I think Merriweather is using a Magic 8 ball to decide balls & strikes.
Ball two was in the same place as what Meriwether called strike two for Melky.
And now he makes up for it. Cripes I hope this clown doesn't call another postseason game behind the plate, he sucks.
this is just awful...I can't take it.
[569] HA!
that tbs graphic is deceiving, because its not 3-d ... not tracking the ball as it crosses the plate, right?
CRAP
fucking shit nick punto
No way.
DAMMIT.
It's like the Ump is making calls to counter bad calls he made last month.
Shite!
Dammit.
I cannot accept losing this game to a clutch Nick Punto
makes sense, not catching up to the fb so they throw a breaking pitch
oh no. fuck you, chip caray.
this sucks ass.
totally deflated.
bleah. Get it back.
[571] Awful isn't the word! Going to a curveball is criminal there. Fucking awful. I am ready to see Molina full time.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKK
Here comes Mo.
You know what? All good hitting. Short swings.
FUCK!!!
Punto couldn't catch up with the FB. Mistake to 'speed up his bat'.
horeshit all the way around
punto.
Wow. Mo in the eighth trailing!
[584] agree with you there
Well at least four outs for Mo.
unfuckingbelieveable. this is how you don't win the world series--
small sample size, your best reliever fails against the bottom of the order,
fails ONE TIME--you can't afford that. that's on Hughes.
Just terrible pitches. That was Hughes the starter, not Hughes the reliever. Nibbling, nibbling, nibbling.
Alsmot two games in and the Twins have scored 5 runs..we lose this game and it's still on the O..Punto just "fisted" one with his ballplaying talent, it happens..but we should have more than one run!
[587] Still... Punto wasn't hitting the fb, so they need to keep pounding him with it.
The Yankees have played with their heads up their ass for most of this game. They are on the verge of giving a way a game in a series they should be dominating.
[582] Chip Caray is a nepotistic dumbass, but I'll take him over Fox's nepotistic super dumb-ass or John Miller/ Chris Berman any day.
is it wrong of me to suggest that Gritner would have gotten to that ball Punto hit?
[585] i'm glad that doesn't extend the screen like it did at the Toaster...
this fucking blows.
great a fucking ball player
[600] Nah, it was a clean single.
[600] The same thought crossed my mind.
Fisted.
shit shit shit
Ugh.
Not our day.
Panic mode
My nightmare is coming true. Pavano is going to Kenny Rogers us.
[600] I too thought it was perhaps a mistake to sit Gardner against a RHP, given how blah Melky has looked lately.
[599] Somehow Chip is far easier to ignore.
ARGH!
Too much fisting in prime-time tonight ...
went against the defense there...
&*#%!@*&~!@_)#!@##!!!!!! and *&$*&^@!$*($#$#@#@$!!!!
How do you walk fing Gomez?!?!
Now Joe's genius is showing... >:'
And that folks is how you lose series to inferior teams. Here it is that I thought Girardi was going to cost this team, but it turns out to be the stupidity of the players. Sad.
[608] You take that back!
i knew that was gonna happen. now we're gonna lose to Pavano and the Shit Sox are gonna run the table.
i think i'm gonna be sick...
Now that the game is over, check out the funny rant on the quality of Chip Caray as an announcer here:
http://deadspin.com/5377549/fisting-chip-caray
[608] Like I said....this is the 2005 ALDS all over again.
Are we absolutely certain Joba couldn't have gotten the 3rd out in the 7th?
Sigh ...
[610] Not gonna touch that one. But hey, whatever floats one's boat.
I'm ready to cry.
Praise be to Mo.
Now let's go those runs back!
It's not over, they can do this.
let me just remind everyone what's in the back of the Twins' heads right now....3 comebacks by the Yanks in this stadium against them....
The Yankees are going to win this series, so maybe it takes 4 games..I am staying relaxed. Still two innings for the O to wake up.
(Note: bad-back condition Percocet pills aid in relaxation at times like this)
you guys have to understand - i live in atlanta, i've been hearing Chip Caray everyday for over a fucking decade. i loathe him.
how did we not hit Blackburn????????????? : /
[620] That curve to Punto hurt more, IMO
no excuse for throwing a curve to punto there
Okay, here we go.
Let's see if we can get A-Rod up this inning. They thought, if only A-Rod could but get a whack at that...
[620] i am not putting this on girrardi because hughes did not get the job done, but it just seems to make sense to go as long as you can with a reliever who is getting outs
These are the kinds of mistakes that the Yankees didn't make when they won playoff series. The smallest things can really turn the tide. I was hoping this team was more like the championship ones, but after a game like this, it really makes you wonder.
Just remember:
Arod v. Nathan, 6-12 1 BB
Tex v. Nathan, 6-10 1 HR 1 BB
I'm just saying....
They won't pitch to A-Rod if they can help it.
I agree with the curve, Hughes shook a curve off earlier to throw a nice slider.
[631] I generally agree with that. I dunno. I still don't fully trust Joba, so "Quit while he's ahead" didn't seem so bad.
[631] I think Girardi has been near perfect so far. Hughes is a rookie, so I am laying this squarely on Posada, who once again has proven that he is a DH.
[634] I'll be very happy if they walk him and give Matsui a shot.
[635] I meant, I agree that the curve was the problem.
Guerrier is the key here, 'cuz he's not Nathan. Your numbers in [633] aside, Evil Empire.
Ok, let's be hypothetical...Jorge fists a single...do we pinch run Gritner? I say HELL YES. Let's have Mr. Cervelli catch the 9th and beyond.
for chrissakes
bullshit call yet again
[637] And apparently not very good at that either. Posada wear the goat horns for this debacle.
[643]
nah .... that looked solid ...
Yeah, that was a very, very wide strike.
[645] No, definitely outside.
mother fucker.
So we're screwed. What a play.
[645] Hard for a batter to decide with this ump.
I hate Brendan Harris.
[640 True...I want Jeter and damon to get hits, but if they don't and Nathan opens against Tex and Arod it could be a big deal....Matsui is also .286 against Nathan.
WTF is up with Brendan effing Harris?! Cripes!
Ahhh! Nice play.
NOT. OUR. NIGHT.
the signs are obvious, obvious, obvious.
later....
Oh,fuck.
That was Nettlesque ...
that shoulda been a double : /
Fun with sample sizes...Melky is 2-3 against Nathan
THIS F--KING UMP!
Jeepers creepers.
I still believe we can win this game....
WHAT the hell is with this umpire?? He has NOT been consistent!!! TErrible!!
ok this is a joke
get this asshole the fuck away from an ump's uniform
that was really high you fucking cocksucker.
weak weak weak.
this is horrible.
if we don't destroy pavano, i'm afraid of what i might do... : (
Merriweather has been awful, but why haven't the Yankees taken advantage? Had Posada been smart enough to call fastballs on the edge, it would still be tied.
[662] I'm with you. If Mo can hold 'em, the heart of the order can do some damage.
hey, at least i got #666 tonight!!!
[667] no, he wasn't giving hughes these same calls
Avocado!
[665] Don't be coy, tell us what you really thing about this umpire.
[670] He gave him stike two to Punto for sure.
I'm telling y'all Tex and Arod are hard on Mr. Nathan....granted it's 11 and 13 plate appearances, so y'all can report me to the Sample Size police. BUT hell, they've faced him more than anyone else on the team.
[667] it's not all on po - hughes made some horsehit pitches that were not located
[662] Me too, but it doesn't matter. They are not going to lose this series to the Twins. This is a bad loss for the O and the pen, but that can happen when you play a team full of baseball players. We'll bomb Pavano and this will be forgotten.
[667] we had a lot of innings, pre-posada, to do some damage...
6.02 x 10 to the 23rd power
(that's Avocado's Number) :-)
[676] God I hope you're right, but all I can think of is Kenny Rogers in 2006.
Kenny Rogers sprayed the crowd with Champagne....do y'all think Pavano will bring out a barrel full of money and toss a bunch into the crowd, all the while laughing at the irony.
I'd love to blame the umps, but this game should not have been close. The Yankees have now put themselves in a situation for a big time choke. Losing this series would be absolutely awful, so hopefully that pressure doesn't seep back into the minds of Girardi and the players.
They blew this game big time...the Twins didn't beat them, they coughed this game up.
I think I can sum up the Nick Adenhart "beyond baseball" ad in one word:
exploitative.
nice pitch mo
[680] That's a pretty funny image
[682]
I second that sentiment ... yuck!
[676] That's what was said after losing game 2 to the Tigers. Beating Kenny Rogers was a foregone conclusion, but the entire team sans Jeter played with a noose around their neck. I started getting that feeling watching this lineup pop up batting practice pitches from Blackburn and things only seem to be progressing further along that road.
[682] yeah it's a little disgusting.
I said it before the Yankees are setting the Twins up to crush their very souls. Who gets pie today?
[682] amen - in fact most, if not all of those beyond baseball ads are exploitative - that one is especially sickening
I still have faith, but I can't tolerate the insufferable CowChip any longer. G'nite.
Joe Nathan will cry tonight. On national television.
Mo looks great, which means the only thing that prevented the Yankees from winning this game was Posada's incredible igorance when he called for that curve ball.
[686] rogers had a 119 era+ in 06. pavano's this year is 86. different situation altogether.
[692] That curve looked like it was right over the plate.
[693] I hope so...doesn't feel that way though.
[692] and lack of offense. but i don't know how great mo looks, he did give up an rbi single in the 8th.
lucky hit
Cuddyer knows Mo. That's the way to do it.
yeah, i mean...we have THREE goddamn hits. 3. i don't think this is all on Po's gamecalling...
Well, gents and gals, if the Yanks aren't allowed to lose a Game #2, which only ties the series, and then come back to actually win a game in the Metrodome (where the Yankees undefeated this year) then their goose has been cooked for a lot longer than any of us want to admit and they shouldn't even bother to make the trip.
while I really want to win this game, I'd also like to see us win Game #3 and prove that losing a game doesn't mean our team just cashes in their chips.
Plus I feel a LOT better about Andy Pettitte on the hill with our whole bullpen available in game #3 than I did in 2006 when we sent Randy Johnson out there with his gas can.
[692] also, hughes is the one who hung it. if it had been in the dirt maybe it's still 1-1.
[699] Maybe I am being harsh, but like with Holliday, Posada's mistake is simply unacceptable from a major leaguer.
[699] 3 hits..that says it all. i can't join Williamnyy23 in killing Po & the pen. Giving up 3 runs is not an awful performance by any means. The bats are just cold...
[703] I am not killing the pen...just Posada because his mistake was 100% avoidable.
[702] William, Holliday's mistake is MUCH worse! Mo gave up a run after that curve, and the lineup had 6 outs left to score..that's a weak comparison.
SWISH!!
Thanks be to Mo.
And thanks to Swish!
very nice catch, Swish.
please score at least 2...
That a boy, Swisher! C'mon bats!!
[702] the two are not equal - his passed balls are closer
nice play swishy
[700] Yeah, I don't think Pettitte's going to have an epidural a few hours before the game starts.
[593] what made me think we'd kill Rogers was that before the game I checked the stats for each player against him and they absolutely owned his ass. But he made it through the lineup, they got the lead and you could see his confidence grow.
PLUS, Mr. Rogers loaded his hand up with PINE TAR and Joe Girardi failed to do anything about it....Larussa did something about it! (kind of like Joe not taking the team off the field in 2007 during the midge game.). It's a manager's game to catch shit like that and Joe Torre let everyone down.
Imagine if Torre caught that, the umps made Rogers wipe it off and we get a couple of hits...maybe things turn around then.
Swish!
And why does the Chipster seem a little too eager with the word "fisted."
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I hope Alex gets base runners.
whoops...[712] is at [693] not [593]
i'm gonna be subjected to staring right at a HUGE screen w/ the Shit Sox game on it while i play later. it's gonna be really distracting. plus, they're prolly gonna win like 12-2, or some shit. and there'll be all these faux boston fans in the house cheering. i'll try to just close my eyes and play blisteringly fast!
[705] I didn't Holliday's wasn't worse...but both were mistakes that a major leaguer should not make. Great pitchers give up hits, and great hitters pop up strikes, but an outfielder HAS to catch a ball lined right at him and a catcher HAS to know you don't fool around with breaking pitches against awful hitters who can't get around on a fastball.
Well, if Tex doesn't get on here he'll have to answer the questions Arod no longer does.
[717] and an umpire HAS to know where the strike zone is
M.V.P. (runner up)
nice start
OK Evil Empire, now how about you get another one right!?! =)
Please Arod....please....please....please....please!!!
At bat this inning: $22m, $30m and $13m.
Did anyone around here mention that Tex was 6-10 against Nathan?
very nice! wish he was on 2nd
Is there a new patch of sod in RF these days?
And a mini-Tex message arrives!!
Oh A-Rod..do not forsake me...
I'm OK with ARod taking some big swings here
Yes, Tex! Let's get it rolling.
We need to pinch hit for Tex...stay out of the double play...this is a mistake...
Now maybe they'll pitch around Alex...
PLEASE, A-ROD!!!! PLEASE!!!!
Joe Nathan will cry tonight.
mauer is fucking good
relax arod - nothing to it
[731] I mean pinch RUN
A-Rod looks so calm ...
Laying off the down & away..great sign..
Arod would've swung at those the other night....he's locked in now.
[738] I've noticed the same thing. I love it.
nathan is looking perplexed out there
Good, good - stay clear of the plate, Nathan. Plenty of big guns in this lineup after A-Rod.
GREEN LIGHT
Ok if Arod walks we gotta pinch run for Tex!
Matsui is a walking DP. If ARod walks, do you PH Gardy and have him bunt?
[738] i don't...
green light here?!
Yep, pitching around him.
Green light on 3-0???
time warner can go fuck itself
Green light, Alex
That was low!
[745] huh?
ok, the 3-0 was a gimme...
[746] I know I'm a lunatic, but if Arod gets on I pinch run and double steal...
True Yankee™
TRUE YANKEE
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
arod is the motherfucking man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh.
My.
God.
HE'S DONE IT AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!!
THAT A BOY A-ROD!!!! HA!!!!
Yes! Alex!
AROD AROD AROD AROD AROD AROD AROD AROD!!!!!!!!!!!!
:D :D
YES!!!!!!!
A-ROD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Folks, I don't mean to be a bit of an "I told you so" guy.
BUT GIVE ME SOME DAMN PROPS!
i wonder if all the people who left last inning will come back now
exorcising those demons I'd say ..
THANK YOU KATE HUDSON ....
[766] you deserve it
Is the Stadium loud? Cause it sounds loud. Do you think its loud?
hell yeah b - soak it in
HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!!
I just played CHARGE! on my marimba : )
i'm shaking!!!!
Ok, Mats
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!
WOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!
[766] Props props props!
One more run. ONE MORE RUN!
Your turn, Godzilla - make Evil Empire's forecasting come true!!
[766] good work evil!!!!!!
Joe Nathan will cry tonight. Really.
Come on Matsui....FINISH THIS NOW!!!!
Oh my God! I think I'm going to drop dead from excitement.
[766] Propers!
Arod's such a stat padder huh?
And a TRUE YANKEE
chip caray is so fucking dumb, one pitch after nathan gives up a bomb on a fastball down the middle he says he "hasn't been close" to the strike zone
I feel a tiny bit bad for Ron Gardenhire.
Just a tiny bit.
Good job, Evil E!
(I want some credit too: "I just hope A-Rod has base runners.")
thank you Evil Empire!
i love you kate hudson (though that's a pre-existing condition!)
poor chip caray.
i missed the curtain call...
He just missed a hanger!!
Come one now Swish...I can't take extras in this game.
hey, there's the curtain call. alright!!!
I just shared a high-five with my 2-yr old son, he joined me in jumping up and down and screaming..seriously, tears in my eyes to share that with him!
Someone please score and end this game in this inning.
Nathan throws that there again, Swish better park it
[784] hell no i don't feel bad for gard
[784] Gardenhire is a good man. No doubt.
That said, I am not concerned with his feelings at the moment. Perhaps I am a bad person.
OK Swish, non-out event - any will do. Though a HR would be very nice.
[784] save your pity till the series is over
someone kept posting that Nathan would cry and they were right, but I am loving this Bill James sheet
By the way I was obviously dead wrong about pinch running Gritner there....we still have him
[784] i don't. not one iota.
[795] ..., mom!
[796] Evil Empire, a bottle of sake and some fresh squid will be airmailed special to you!!
Mother fucker!@!!!!!!
damn!
[796] ;)
Fuck. Just missed it. Fuck.
So close, Nick.
[785] PROPS man!
My son said to me, "Dad...why are you so excited? Geez"
oh man. i was screaming for it to get out...
Come on Robbie....No extras!!! Sit on a curve.
Well, after all, Cano hits much better with no runners on base, right?
Who's in for the 10th (if needed)?
Cano 0-5 against Nathan with, believe it or not, 2 actual walks
David Robertson next?
Fuck. Extras, ladies and germs.
Mo for another?
Uh!!
Extries it is.
Mo?
They're not losing this game now, no way..
[810] yeah i am betting robertson here
[809]
Fernando Rodney .... not!
Ace?
i'd go to aceves if not mo
If ARod continues to rake...
and we win the WS....
I predict ARod will be a monster every post season.
i am so happy for alex! hey folks. extra innings is intense. i thought i could sit and watch but now i'm too nervous.
The only pitcher I want to see is Aceves. Need someone who has nerve and can throw strikes. No time for a rookie who walks a lot of guys.
We gotta win this one walk-off style in the 10th, pie in the face, Sterling pinching his nipples while he squeals, a "Yankees Classic", Suyzn going wild.
I kind of hate that Pete Abraham is missing this...
[818] yeesh, i almost forgot aceves was out there. he is a perfect choice for extras.
[822] exactly
[823] pete who?
[822] Yeah I think you're right about that. The Twins are so-so against Ace.
Ace!
ace!
[820] similar to bonds - except bonds didn't have success once upon a time the way alex did prior to "mid 04"
aceves. it took them about 5 minutes to let us know.
we need to win before too long. i can't go to work with all this anxiety and watch the end around all sorts of people...
Easy inning please.
[823] That is disgustingly hysterical.
Hm, I would have gone with Robertson. At home, I mean.
ace is a good choice here - makes sense
With tomorrow off, why not give Mo a shot here?
Ace scavenges the win as usual.
i'm all about Ace here. excellent start!
A tweet:
@keithlaw: Pretty sure A-Rod mouthed "that's for you, Selena" after he made contact.
Aces. Let's just hope he doesn't need to go three.
Walk off in bottom of the tenth.
[832] hey man, you have a gig tonight right? oh man.
ACE!!!
[826] I like Pete, but he wrote a bit of a disturbing article on Boston.com about Joba just being a bullpen guy...kind of an about-face from what he wrote all season.
I think all young pitchers have growing pains and Joba's having his....look at Verlander's first two years and then look at his third year..growing pains.
I still hate Brendan Harris.
caray: "tolbert out, tolbert came in..."
i'd love for him to "vulture" a win here.
2 down, 1 to go.
will Nathan come back out, or can we feast on crappier relievers?!
[845] not to belabor the point, but that kind of stuff is just plain stupid
[843] yeah i was just kidding about the Pete who. I saw reference to that article but didnt' read it. I expect that as he integrates into boston-dom his biases will show.
Today's thread brought to you by nipples, groins, animated penises and Kate Hudson.
[846] Either way, he will be weeping.
[840] Diane -- I gotta tell you, I've seen interviews with that woman and there's something so paranoid about her.
i feel like i haven't seen ace pitch in ages.
[840] That's awesome. KLaw is the man.
I usually follow twitter closely during the day, but I can't bring myself to do it at night during these games.
[842] yeah man, i've gotta leave at about 10pm...
[840] Keith Law is pretty good, enjoy his articles.
There's no way we lose now,right? It's impossible..
Sterling and Suzyn, wonder what their call of the homer was?
What the hell is going on with Nick Punto!!!
another 3-2 count to Punto... Am I missing something?
william, I have to say - I think you're exactly right about using Aceves here: throws strikes, no walks, goes after guys. That's exactly the way to get the Twins out.
If Leyland had someone like that on his staff, we might be facing the Tigers now.
[854] we need to win soon for nostralarmis! c'mon ACE!!
[847] chippy is a fucking moron
Gritty. Headsy. Gutsy.
Ok, that's not a strike anymore?
How come we didn't get that call?
Jesus Christ.
Was Knoblaugh more/less scrappy than Punto?
aye aye aye - nick punto AGAIN!!
fucking christ throw this asshole strikes
Why? Why doesn't this team throw fastballs down the f$%^ing middle to Nick Punto? What the f%^& is going on!
WHAT is it about Punto? Really, it's horrifying..
[849] i'll take Kate Hudson!
that ball 4 call coulda gone either way... : /
[847] i know i'm real opinionated about this, but i can't help but think i'd sound like a complete moron if i tried to announce a game.
ESPN Headline: A New Man
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/
Damn those walks that turn into doubles
[859] YES, thank you please!!! : )
855 It was probably an orgasmic scream and then a lotta heavy breathing, then Susan gave her 2 cents...
Come on now Ace....keep it together here.
[872] A-God
[862-3] well nathan wasnt getting it either
Girardi needs to visit the mound NOW.
I am not getting the pitch calling at all.
marte? we need ace to go multiple innings or we are going to lose.
[871] sure, but you have the good sense not to try
Come on Ace!!!
[871] i know you think some of us are too hard on announcers seamus - but you would probably not sound like a moron after years upon years of doing this- caray has been an "announcer" for years - it is not so hard that the standard should not be higher
[871] But you don't have a decade's worth of announcing Braves games.
At a certain point, Chip has to learn to be a good announcer.
You know, I think Harold Reynolds would be pretty good.
there are 2 outs just get the 3rd!
shit same exact situation
[885] I second Reynolds. I love the MLB network's night crew. They're pretty solid.
Crappity crap crap.
[882] i totally have the bad sense to try. :)
[884] i know i should just let it go. no harm in y'all complaining about it either. not sure why i let it bug me. and maybe you are right. anyhow, I do think it is a harder job than folks give credit for.
I'm going to vomit now
Ugh.
Let's go, Ace!!!
oh no. : (
Motherfucker!!! How you let Punto impact two innings now is ridiculous! What a damn f$%^ing disaster.
Ace. why don't you listen to me?
please get the 3rd out NOW ace
why does it have to be Cabrera.
Don't call a first pitch fastball!!
[891] Don't give up now.
gnats... like a bunch of f'ing gnats
News alert: Obama has been voted Chevy Player of the Game ...
This is not good..Cabrera is "clutch" and a "gamer"...very worried..
1 more strike, please!
ACE.
896 Since you asked nicely
Yes!!!!!
WHEW
thank you baseball gods
[901] lol
Ace!
Swish squeezes it, we go to the bottom.
[901] HA!
Phew!
[901] I heard he's the MVP of the World Series too.
Nick Swisher > Matt Holiday
Jeter gets the pie.
If the Yanks don't win quick, we are going to blow straight past 1000 comments.
[902] I know, Mr. OK, exactly my thoughts -- I had written the story in my head.
But, Sterling's Law rules.
now i'm day draeming about calling a Yankees playoff game on TBS. I'd rock it!!
well hawk predicted pie for po earlier today - let's see
[914] Is that allowed?
[901] more of a rebuke of the yanks under bush's tenure
[915] Dude, 1000 is in the bag.
[920] Best follow up ever.
According to J.G. Preston: They gave us Jon Stewart AND Brendan Harris...let's hear it for The College of William & Mary!
So, bad we don't really have a great pinch hitter. Good: we don't really need one.
[901] [912] I'm shocked Selig didn't come onto the field right now to announce it! =)
Two major themes of this series so far: The Twins refuse to pitch around Arod...and the Yankees refuse to pitch to Nick Punto.
I'd almost forgotten the joys of the post season...
the tsunami in the bowels...
the desire to crawl under the floorboards...
Ain't it grand!
[916] Is Sterling's Law on the curriculum in Physics departments around the country?
I call a Melky walk-off..here comes the Melky-Man!
[920]
Well-played .... well-played indeed!
If Melky gets on, we'll see Gritner. We'll grit the pants of the Gritesota Twins.
Nathan has begun to pout.
[917] you should!! we won't even call you a fucking moron or a jackass :}
- the fact that some people are really good (like singleton, cone) let's you know that it can be done if the networks would hire insightful people rather than blowhard clowns
Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!
Oh, man. Thought he had it, good swing, Melk.
I'm not sure that I wouldn't have pinch hit with Gardner there - though I suppose Girardi might want him to pinch-run . . .
920 Yankees started losing as soon as Bush took over, haven't won since. Coincidence...or Republican conspiracy?
Ok, Sado
So, let me see...now the only guy who hits is Arod?
Well, Gritner to run for Jorgie, for sure.
[922] thanks, it just so happened to make sense chronologically
[932] thanks ms october! i'll remember that if i ever get the chance!! and you do have a good point there.
C'mon Jorge!
JoPo!
[938] Nope!
If Posada gets on, would Girardi have the balls to run for him?
Get the grit up!
Fisted single!
Gardner?
HIP HIP!
A bloop! A bloop!!
And here comes the Grittiest Wheels you ever did see!
[939] Ahem.
[945] Yep. :-)
Jorge!
Gents and Gals, so much for small sample size stats...Jorge was 0-6 against Mauer with 3 K's and a walk....
Gritner it is. And Brains behind the plate.
good thing we have 3 catchers!
run, gritner, run.
then score, so i can go to work. i have to leave. like...NOW!!!
gritner time
Pie, anyone?
[955] Brains won't get the chance, rbj. Just watch.
Cervelli bats 9th or keep Gardner in and have Cervelli take over Melky's spot?
Oh and I turned down the geniuses on TBS and put on Sterling...He's 2 second behind but at least he's a homer in the opposite way of Chip Caray.
Sterling thinks Gardner is going to steal here.
Cry, Nathan, cry!
[958] Lemon meringue for me, please.
From Will Carroll (@injuryexpert): "RT @amandarykoff: The Stadium is literally shaking. OMG."
I guess it really is like the old place. Do we have any Banterers there tonight?
[960] it will be mute!!
[960] The latter -- double switch. But it's not going to come to that.
Nathan must be tiring, no?
[960] i would keep walk-off cabrera in. hopefully it will be mute
El Capitán!
How many pitches before he takes off?
OK Jeter, we could use another "Jeterian moment" here. Dial one up, would you please?
keep throwing over - let gardner warm up - i hear that helps a pinch runner
Gritner's driving Nathan to distraction.
Did Gardner not just take off there?
Hit and run time....
Gardner had a couple of decent sized leads on those two pitches
We need to emborken this tie.
there you go gritner
[972] Careful there...
Great play by Cabrera!
Gritner Vs. Mauer!
1-0!!!
sweet gardner!
Does anyone think Gardner should steal third too?
good job, gritner!
can he get to 3rd w/ 1 out?
how 'bout a Jeterian inside out oppo field single?!
That's a boy, Grittner!
OK Cap'n, its your turn now . . . inside out that puppy right to deep right-center field . . .
Single wins it..cmon Derek, show them whose house this is..
Steal? I didn't see nobody steal nuthin' Gritner always had second. I swear.
go for 3rd?
[983] yes!
Nathan's lip is quivering...
I think he'll walk Jetes.
I'm worried if Jeter gets on there will be a DP.
GRITNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FUCK YES.
YES!!!!!
BRETT!!!!!
Wow!
holy shit that was scary
oh phew. that ended up being close!
WOW!!!
*plop*
HOLY SHIT THAT WAS TOO CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!!
that'll work
OHHHHHHH!!!
AHHAHAHAHHAHAHH!!!!!!! Joe Nathan..weep, you shall!!
Tears! I think I see tears!!
Deep fly ball!! Deep fly ball!!!
LOL! Nathan said fuck.
[992] jd doesn't hit too many dps
Safety squeeze?
Woot!
I can't believe he made it.
[1002] Yes, it was.
Oh, God, I can't take this.
[1010] yes!
C'mon Tex!!!
NO DP !!!
Well, I knew he's walk Jetes, but I didn't know it would be under this circumstance.
Damn, walked Derek. Let's go, Johnny, flyball.
Not a bad move walking Jeter here....I hope Johnny walks to put Tex up
Does Joe have the balls to go suicide?
wow really? mijares?
Cry, baby cry.....
Let's hope Girardi does not call for the squeeze.
I would like to see Jeter steal to take off the DP.
Mijares?
Who's coming in? Doesn't Damon hit LHP pretty well this year?
Okay, we have some time to talk strategy. I'll telepathically inform Joe.
Send Jeter?
Squeeze????
pitching change and all i can think is "NOOOOOOO! Thelarmis has to go!!!" Thinking of ya bro!
I know it sounds crazy, but I would still have Damon try to lay down the perfect drag bunt. If he gets it down, Gardner scores easily. If he bunts it foul, you pull in the IF and let him swing. I think it would be so out of LF, it would work.
[1022] i wouldn't steal here when a fly ball wins the game. mauer has a pretty good arm, no?
「十〇十〇」 Yes on the squeeze!!
Old Billy Ball play, runner gets a bad jump goes halfway to second and stops. On the throw to second Gritner takes home.
"Boo hoo hoo."
-Joe Nathan (10.09.09)
[1027] i like it, but if he pops it up i'll need a new tv
[1029] glad you are with us tonight OK. Usually waking up about now no?
I don't object to the squeeze. I wouldn't have the guts to call it, but I won't complain if Joe does...
If I'm JD, I just try to slam the ball into the ground.
[1026] thanks, brotha man!!! i'm plotzing over here... : ~
Question, do the Twins still have that reliever who has the mumps?
[1027] Nah, Mijares is too wild
[1035] Johnny wants pie.
Steal of home? ;)
k zone has shrunk dramatically the last few innings
I can't sit down. I'm a wreck.
throw a wild pitch
Crap. My TV just froze.
[1044] seriously? crap!
Just poke it the fuck into left, Johnny!
3-0 count, the next one will be right down the middle...fly ball Johnny
Green light?
「１０３３」 Up at 6:30am today for the game..bit early on a Saturday..
Do they walk the bases loaded?
don't strike out dude...
Come on Johnny!!
don't fuck up johnny
[1044] that sucks because MLB rules don't allow us to disseminate descriptions of the game to you.
[1042] i'm pacing like a muthafucka...
[1049] not bad though. i wake up at 6:30 most days anyhow. but yeah, saturday and all...
[1045] It is back now, but I was reaching for my phone to dial 911.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK
oh frack! :(
you have got to be fucking kidding me
Unfucking believable.
You gotta be kidding me.
wowowowow ... ugh
What the fuck?!
You have got to be fuc*ing kidding me.
WTF?
worst thing ever.
mauer to lead off.
i have to go to work now.
GO YANKS!!!
Well that sucked.
Gee, that wasn't good.
Well, Sterling's Law strikes again.
God fucking dammit!!!!!
Unfucking real. Fucking Cabrera.
ARGH!
Does A-Rod have to do everything around here?
Unfuckingbelievable.
What was he doing there?
How did he catch that?
TERRIBLE PLAY BY GARDY. He's looking RIGHT AT THE FUCKING BALL !!!!!!!
ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[1066] later bro. sorry we couldn't win it for you now.
that's just absurdly bad luck
:facepalm:
[1070] Yes. I am okay with that.
[1072] pretty much had no choice i thought. so he broke.
mauer is definitely leading off with a hr
That's not the first time Gardner has pulled a rock. This game now feels like it is going to be an excruciating loss.
I really think Girardi missed a golden opportunity to use Gardner's speed. I can't really criticize him for it, but I really wish he would have just tried to put something on.
Gardner mess up there? They cut away to news now so no replay..
Gardner turned around and looked at the lineout... Then kept running
[1071] Exactly, why was he playing there???
By the way,
Gardner & Brains are on all post season rosters, right? Especially the Grit-man.
Fucking awful play, but hey, that's baseball.
No. He hesitated.. looked at the ball... and then broke home.
[1074] Not bad luck at all...there is no reason for the runner to just take off on a line drive.
[1074] With some bad baserunning thrown in
[1081] He wasn't going to make it back. Not his fault.
Oh, good, so Darling doesn't know the rules either?
Now we have lost Jorge's bat.
[1085] true, i meant that cabrera was standing there
Marte to Mauer... Not a good feeling about this
wait, what marte????
This could take an all-time win and turn it into one of the worst losses.
Damaso Marte is Girardi's first mistake of the series. He will not get out of this inning. WILL NOT.
Kubel and Mauer have never faced Marte...I'm a bit scared now.
Let's get this Marte started ...
[1089] But we've gained Cervelli's!
Right, so why was Cabrera standing so close to second???
Terrible play by Gardy. If that ball goes through, he can walk home.
TERRIBLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK Marte, do your job.
Now I almost wish Girardi had gone to Robertson for the 10th, so Aceves would be available to keep going for a while . . . but perhaps not. Use your best, don't save him . . .
Gardner should have stayed at 3rd. Why was he running with another out?
[1093] Agreed. I hope he only faces Mauer.
oh my that was close.
[1089] and damon's
*gasp*
Wow. That was a huuuuuuge break.
Damn that ball was fair by a mile
Aceves should still be in this game.
Whoa.
Now that's a break for us.
Opposite-field power .... any lefty can uppercut that ...
what in the fuck
I hope MattPat is not quivering in a corner somewhere now with Marte in..
Still no consensus? Was garner at fault?
Boy, the umps really suck tonight..
Got away with one there.
What a break! These umps are TERRIBLE!!!
I haven't been that happy there's no replay since the Maier game.
Shit.
WHY WHY WHY use Marte here and lose Ace??
I dislike Damaso Marte in an irrational way.
On top of all the frustrating things about this game, we can now throw in Girardi finally screwing up with Marte. If only Arod had hit into a DP.
[1111] I say no, but I have no faith in that position if everyone else says yes.
Double play, please!
Joe has been pulling the plug on pitchers real fast tonight
i don't understand why you pull Ace whose main advantage is that he can go 3-5 innings and shut down the twins.
Who's left in the bullpen? Robertson?
Oh, Gaudin! That's why Joe isn't worried about losing Ace.
i'm not so sure it was a break for us as it should have been caught
[1111] Strayed too far off 3b, so I'd say yeah...
And I want to add that I've agreed with every decision Girardi has made before this.
what's the Banter record for comments?
get your shit together marte and get him out joe
Yeah, the thing is, Marte is such a risk, because he can be waaaay off.
Where's my gun?
Uh oh.
Not good.
I knew it would happen...Girardi would eventually make a move that would sink a game. Incredible how stupidly this game has been run by the Yankees.
Pull him. Pull him. Drob Now.
Girardi blows it by takign out Ace..Joe you idiot!!
[1131] besides marte what has been stupid?
[1126] Here? I'm not too sure. But I am pretty sure we broke 1500 at the Toaster.
So Marte failed miserably. And here comes Robertson (I hope).
Hoo boy.
Well, Dave can get us out of this.
If the ump doesn't blow the foul call, the Twins are up a run.
*facepalm*
not sure i would have wanted to see mauer vs aceves actually, but it does look like the wrong move
Why is Marte on the post-season roster? WHY OH WHY?
Is it so he can put two people on with no one out? Is that his fucking job? Cause he sure does it well.
I guess we should be glad Mauer didn't get a double and score there.
So now it's David Robertson and Chad Gaudin and then Nick Swisher. Damn Girardi blew it there.
[1134] Pitch selection by Posada, particularly to Punto, and Gardner getting doubled off.
Gardner was definitely at fault there. He made a bad play. There was no reason for him to be so far off the base.
As soon as Girardi started talking about ZOMG TWO LEFTIES OUT OF THE PEN I knew we were in for this.
I still can't believe we had Gritner 90 feet away with one out and couldn't get the walk-off.
Girardi fucked up the BP. Pulled Joba too early. Maybe Mo too. Definitely Ace. How do you drain the BP in a low scoring extra inning game?
[1141] Oh please, you make crap up as you go.
If he knew he was going to Marte in the 11th, than Girardi had to put a play on with Damon in the 10th inning.
[1119] I agree. Gardner is going to be an aggressive runner, sometimes you bite the bear, other times the bear bites you. Just one of those things.
But yeah, why the hell is Aces out?
[1147] Dude, that makes absolutely no sense at all.
[1141] ok.
[1146] I am sorry you're not a fan.
OK, if the Twins score a run here, they'll stare at each other and think, "remember those 3 games straight in the May....remember that comeback tonight..."
Still I believe. Still I believe.
[1149] If you know you are going to use your worst pitcher, I would think there would be an imperative to get that run across. Trying a bunt would have been worth a shot.
[1151] oh please.
[1152] how about they just don't score?
Holy shit.
Fuck this game.
gaudin is the only arm left?!?!
They didn't score?
Time for a triple play
this doesn't feel good.
grrrrrrr
What's Aceves doing now? Smart of Joe to keep him fresh!
And another curve ball called by Posada. Nice.
Wouldn't it be silly if arod hit another home run to tie it up? Getting a little ahead of the game, but still
Girardi over-manages the bullpen .... its a good/great pen, but still
[1153] Whichever is the most likely way to score a run, that's what you do. No matter who you expect to pitch in the future. Scoring a run wins the game.
Strike out here...then a double play. That's what's coming.
[1162] po is not even catching now it is cervelli
TEX!
That's how you run the bases!
or a Line out here...then a double play. That's what's coming.
[11162] Posada wasn't PR for?
Did you pay attention, Brett?
Now we need a double play.
[1162] Really, Posada is calling pitches from the dugout?
This is the exact right place for Robertson. He's a K pitcher, and the next three guys are likely to all K without doing any damage. Fortunately.
C'mon kid - that's a way!
Where's Bama with a Roll Tide when we need him? (Didn't Robertson go to Alabama?)
Welcome aboard Mattpat11 - I knew Marte could get you up.
[1171] He was.
[1167] WOW, Boom goes the dynamite Ms. October.
[1162] cervelli, and he looked stupid on the curveball the pitch before, so i can't blame that one on pitch selection
[1167] Good point...Cervelli being a rookie is understandable.
[1167] lol good point.
Teix gets his chance to shine a little this inning!
Tight D.
OK, now only a one out play.
Oh man, this is killing me.
This game is taking years off my life.
Nice, nice, NICE Robertson!
Here we go, here we go!
[1174] Bama's not the only one who lives in Alabama...AND I live closer to Tuscaloosa....ROLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! ROLLLLLLL!
good play!
Yeah, I dunno. I wonder if we're going to rue Teix not trying for the DP...
Oh fuck. This guy again.
[1174] yesh shaun robertson went to alabama
I seriously still hate Brendan Harris.
A feel a heart attack coming.
oh boy...
[1183] It's taking years off my liver.
I can't take the tension..I bet thelarmis is beating the crap out of his drumkit this evening!
I'm enjoying this!
You guys have to adopt a more Zen attitude.
Jeebus fucking christ where was that pitch?
bloody ump.
[1187] maybe i think it was wise
[1187] Not with Gomez's speed
YES!!!!!!!!!!
The Gritster!!!
Goddamn.
YES!!!
I love Brendan Harris.
huge huge huge break. now let's win it.
good work robertson
ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
Gardner > Matt Holliday
Ok, I'm ready to give an organ for a win now.
Let's win this motherfucker now, please!
Fucking please!
houdini!
I know we need to win this game right here. But I want to go on record right now as saying that if we don't, it's Robertson for 2 innings for the love of Pete!
[1208] Word.
[1195] I felt horrible before when AJ was all over the place - but I feel alive now!
They aren't going to lose this game.
[1185] That's right EE - I always forget you were, err, are, Jed. ;)
Yes, Teix's move was the wise one, I understand that.
It was just one of those times I "had a feeling" for no good reason.
Imagine Twins fans after that inning. Now lets win and crush their spirit. Who gets PIE?
If the Twins lose, the big mistake will be not sending Mauer on Gardner's arm.
[1195] a zen attitude riyank, or good scotch:}
The adrenalin levels in my body right now can't be healthy.
Teixiera and Rodriguez.
Ballgame and pie.
[1195] I AM enjoying it! Nothing finer than extra innings in the playoffs!
So, are they going to pitch to A-Rod?
guys, did Girardi just diss Gardner?
tex time
[1216] Well, the two are not unrelated, Ms. Oct.
[1219] That's my man.
We need another "True Yankee", don't you all think?
Tex and Arod have not faced this guy
[1221] huh?
Easy Tex....easy.
[1221] What happened? I didn't see anything.
[1223] haha nice :}
keeping the lefty in to face teixeira and arod??
Let him throw a strike first, Teix, this guy is wild...
yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TEXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!
WOO-HOO!!!!!
[1224] YOUR WISH IS GRANTED SHAUN. You are welcome.
O
M
G
!
TEX!!!
HOT DAMN!!!
Winfielded!!!
TRUE YANKEEE!
OHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pie for everyone
holy hell what a game
oh we got so luckty on that "foul" ball. but i am loving it!!!
I know I said this all night, but don't y'all think the Twins just kind of knew that was coming?
Pie for A-Rod & Tex!!!!!!
Woooo Hooo.
2 True Yankees in 1 game! The ghosts are back.
pie pie pie pie
Holy Shit. Off the top of the wall, right down the line. 320'
Instant Classic.
Wooooooo!
]1236] ROLL TIDE!!!
Its only fair that someone else get to call something in advance tonight. ;)
YEE HA!
(Now I hope my yelling didn't wake up the kids, and my wife who's feeling almost as bad as Diane.)
[1249] i know. unreal!
The Yankees win! Great job, Mark.
PIE!
"Boom!"
[1230] Good question for Minneapolis Banter.
Oh that was sweeeeeeeeeet.
uh oh don't fuck up his eyes
I was jumping up and down like a mad woman. My dog thinks I am crazy.
May I just ask: WHO in the fuck dresses Craig Sager?!??!
Incredible night.
Did A-rod just steal Tex's thunder?
[1259] i like mad womyn.
Robertson gets the win....sure beats reconstructive surgery.
Hey Shaun P, do you and i get pie?
[1262] that was weird but i gotta assume someone sent him over there!
I mean, oh my God.
What a fucking baseball game.
This is as gratifying a win as the Pedro-Zimmer game.
[1259] My dog's asleep. Cold rainy day in Toledo.
CC, AJ, ARod and Tex have all come up big...in only 2 games...does anyone else have something to prove?
I love this team. As much as any other I have ever watched.
Dudes, my Zen attitude just went down the toilet. I was shaking.
[1265] I think we are certainly entitled to it. Now we just have to figure out a way to let AJ know. =)
[1267] I was thinking of the Friday night game at YS2.0 vs the Sox that went 15 innings myself. But yes, very very gratifying!
[1262] [1266] i don't think arod tried to steal his thunder - the producer usually says who they want to talk to
[1269] YES, William...Jorge Posada has something to prove now....
[1271] good. boo damn fake bloody sox!
[1271] bwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaa - zen my ass
[1269] Gritner has some redemption needed. . . game 3, in Minny.
Good night all.
[1260] Whatchu talkin 'bout willis? Sager's the man! Dresses so sharp, I'm afraid to touch him, I may cut myself :D
Question: I know we're all happy right now, but I wanted to ask something. I noticed at the beginning of the inning they were showing the dugout and Gardner was walking toward Girardi and it seemed like when he got close Joe did almost a military about-face....Do y'all think Joe was pissed about the 10th?
[1275] Tuned in just in time to watch them take the lead.
[1262] TBS likely wanted to talk to Alex more than Texeira. TBS was wrong there.
1-0 sox top 4th ...
night folks ...
[1274] I don't think Jorge has anything to prove...he has always been prone to bonehead mistakes.
[1277] later rbj
btw, so glad i joined the banter for those last couple of innings. now to fulfill my new dream of announcing a yankees playoff game.
[1278] The man has his own style. That is undeniable.
[1276] I am not yet a perfect sage.
[1282] Who cares!!! :)
[1279] i didn't see the gardner/girrardi thing but it was not good baserunning, so i would bet girrardi was a bit pissed
[1284] There's a website, youcastr.com, where you can do that. I'll bet there would be a dozen Banterers who'd tune in.
Alex (the other one*) is great. That is all.
*You're pretty good too, Alex.
[1283] like that curveball he called from the dugout? ;o)
seriously I think Jorge felt dissed over not starting and he should have just used the standard baseball cliches to keep the controversy down....I think he's the one who gets the big hit off Carol Pavano.
[1286] well 9 more wins might get you there
I am really really glad tomorrow isn't a work day, because I won't sleep for hours.
Posada has the worst PS OPS of any of our studs.
[1287] Exactly.
There are a few rare times when I really don't care whether the Red Sox lose, and this is one of those times.
[1287] Yeah, who cares? I just hope when the Yanks win the world series nobody even thinks to mention them...It's about our team not theirs....Let them have trolls.
[1292] True, that will be sartori! (I think -- check me Mr OK?)
Holy Shit, I am beyond happy! Even with the Jeffery Maier sized blown call--which will just make those Yankee haters hate more (love it!)--the Twins got to score there. Got to score sometime, not 17 men left on base.
The A Rod storyline is just about dead. We've been waiting for this moment since 2004! Awesome. ANd AJ showing up.
And Teixeira, what an odd looking home run. Don't think I've ever seen a walk off dinger look quiet like that, can you?
FUCKING HELLS YEAH.
Life am GOOD.
[1296] Serious.
Can you imagine if Yankee Stadium started chanting "Red Sox Suck" at this game? That would be the most profound embarrassment imaginable.
[1295] Yeah, it's on tv here but I am exhausted after that game..lunch time then head out with the fam. Til Monday AM...
Bear Bryant wouldn't even say "auburn"...he just called them "that cow college"....that's also how I feel about that team from angry land.
Ah, I was just wondering if our fearless leader would put in a cameo!
Sayonara Mr OK Jazz.
just saw the replay on yes - unbelievable hit
Let's get to 1313 in honor of A-Rod, please.
girardi looks drained
[1271] You just need more scotch! =)
Speaking of alcohol, I could use a drink myself, to calm the nerves - or I'll never get to sleep tonight.
that may be the worst blown call i've ever seen, all things considered. the guy wasn't 10 feet away, and the ball was at least a foot inside the line. yikes.
[1305] Thats really silly.
[1307] It's bourbon tonight, but don't tell anyone. Bourbon and ice cubes and a little soda.
Yep, I'll have another -- I have the same problem as you.
[1308] absolutely awful - i don't think his fat ass even ran down the line to see it
and that loser behind the plate was just AWFUL
[1305] Thats really, really silly.
[1305] Really silly.
boom PIE
[1308] It is incredible how most umpires do so well on so many difficult calls, and then a few seem to be blind, oblivious, or something.
[1299] EXACTLY, Yankee fans don't chant shit like that when the Yanks aren't playing them.....Hell, they do it at Patriots games.....they're just a bunch of angry drunks with attitudes.
my hands hurt from clapping
[1313] I know you did that on purpose.
Glory, glory, glory.
I have to tell you I used ALL my lucky fidgets in the bottom of the 9th and then with bases loaded no one out. The only one I won't take credit for is the ump on Mauer. Jeez he blew that. If you are a Twins fan tonight you aren't sleeping at all.
What a joy it was to see those homers, though. Anything in sport better than tight playoff baseball?
Any strike zone weirder than tonight's? I just caught the last part of the game thread (as usual) so don't know if people were going crazy, but it was so bizarre, what he was calling. On both teams.
Andy Sunday. Canadian Thanksgiving. Fits. Maybe that's why Joe G set it up that way?
I'm out in Brooklyn, at a friend's place, just borrowed a machine to check in.
Had to say FUCK YEAH to y'all before I hit the subway home.
[1319] yes - we were moaning about the awful zone
[1320] safe travels
Damn. There was a game tonight? Did I miss anything good? heh-heh. Holy fucking shit what a roller coaster. Bring on he who shall not be named.
pretty incredible that robertson of all people comes in throwing strikes when we need it. i love that guy, he's gonna be great.
pretty incredible that robertson of all people comes in throwing strikes when we need it. i love that guy, he's gonna be great.
[1316] Ty Law led 1.5 million Patriots fans - including the mayor of Boston - in a "Yankees Suck!" chant from the steps of Boston city hall in the Pats' celebration of their first title back in 2002. I was appalled (and more than a little frightened) then, and I remain appalled now. So I agree with you one thousand percent - let them get their rocks off by rooting against the Yanks instead of for their own teams. We don't need that kind of bullshit.
[1310] Gotta admit, I'm not much of a bourbon fan, but it does do the job. =) Think I'm going to get a beer now though, the hard stuff might knock me out too quickly.
Can we leave Marte off the roster in the next series?
[1320] FUCK YEAH right back at'cha, AB! We missed you in the comments tonight. Be safe going home.
[1324] yeah walkers like him usually drive me crazy but i have liked him since they first brought him up - he just gets so many strike outs -i love it
Is this a game thread record, by the way?
Is Cowchip gone? I can't wait until the postseason is off TBS. Oh well, can't celebrate with you guys since I left early, but enjoy the moment and let's beat the frick out of these damnable umps before we let the Twinkies beat us (or beat ourselves as the case may be). Don't leave the game in their hands.
But again, I'm not worried. Alex has Arrived... better late than never! >;)
(back to YoVille...)
[1325] Yes, that's the kind of thing I was talking about. If we ever turn into that kind of fan, I hope I jump ship.
Oh, I love bourbon. Not as good as scotch, but a good late-night drink.
Chyll, you can still have a drink, it's okay. We were thinking of you even though you were strictly speaking absent.
[1330] i like that - cowchip - i am going to use it with your permission
and yeah celebrate away - i'm still too pumped
[1325] Any NYer who lives in RSN knows that Bostonians/Massholes have a serious issue with NY. It is beyond cliche. It is truly disturbing.
And I love winning the game, but I really hate when the umps decide the outcome. If I were the Twins, I would protest the game. Simply no excuse for that kind of incompetence. It is time for more video replays for deciding calls.
[1326] Depends on who the Yanks face, I imagine.
To be honest, as crappy as Marte looks at times, and as much as he failed tonight, I do think bringing him in - and carrying him on the roster - was the right move.
(Splits for '09 only)
Mauer vs RHP is unreal: .377/.462/.641
Mauer vs LHP is still damn good, but slightly worse, and much, much, much less power: .345/.413/.497
Kubel vs RHP is a behemoth: .323/.397/.619
Kubel vs LHP is something much less scary: .243/.299/.345
Yes, Marte didn't get either Mauer or Kubel out - but all he did do was give up two singles. Versus a righty, it could have been much, much, much worse. Girardi did the right thing, bringing Marte on the roster and using him then.
[1329] Well look what the cat dragged in....
It's kind of weird putting four digits into the square brackets, huh?
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a walk off dinger look quiet like that, can you?
Yeah, 2003 WS.
Tied in LA, 1-1.
[1330] Ditto RI in [1332] Chyll - you can totally join in the celebrating. No reason not to! Its a good feeling.
I hope the big TV that was supposed to be playing the Sox-Angels game showed the end of the Yanks' game for thelarmis - he must be so psyched right now!
[1334] i agree, but i comfort myself by thinking that the home plate umpire had already screwed us. plus, as michael kay could tell you, you never know if mauer actually would have scored from 2nd. maybe he's thrown out at the plate.
I'm listening to Suzyn. Lots of info. Kudos from the whole team for Robertson, they're gushing.
Gardenhire was very classy postgame, didn't say a word about the Mauer "foul".
Girardi says it's a manager's dream to have Teix and Alex back to back.
And the Yankees feel lucky to have won.
[1338] Boone's HR got a lot, lot, lot higher in the air than Tex's. That was a screaming linedrive special. Almost Mattingly-like (albeit I don't recall Donnie hitting any like that to LF), or one of Sheff's laser beams.
Speaking of Sheff - where the heck did JL25and3 get to this year? I recall him popping back in in late summer, but I kinda hoped he'd come back for the playoffs.
[1341] Well, the next hit was a double, so no way. But of course, what the next hit would have been is anybody's guess -- and right, Kay does always say that sort of thing.
[1344] no it was a single.
[1343] alex gonzalez in the world series
[1344] FALLACY OF THE PREDETERMINED OUTCOME
[1343] yeah i miss jl25and3 - hope he is well (and still hoping pj is okay)
mk's misuse of the word ironic has spread to bob lorenz
[1346] What's wrong with PJ, or is that just because he hasn't been around lately either?
And where was monkeypants tonight? Not that one can't miss a game thread - I certainly have - but I'm a little surprised he wasn't here.
There were TWO singles after Mauer's 'double', so I feel safe saying he scores.
It could all be fixed by have video tape review. It's time. That play effects Minn's entire season. It's not fair.
[1345] Oh, you're right. Two singles.
Still, if it happened to us we'd be very, very pissed at the umpire.
[1348] pj just sort of disappeared over the summer - thelarmis and i think he is a bit older, hence our concern
i think (and most definitely don't want to mis-represent him) that jl was a bit disaffected with the yankees' organization
[1350] i agree with you 100%, i'm just joking about kay's favorite fallacy.
Just got back from the bar, and WOOOOOOO!
Nobody better talk about A-Rod as a choker again!
If I weren't so drunk I'd probably feel sad that the win was clouded by the terrible call on the double by Mauer.
But a dozen beers and a Yankees win say WOOOO!
[1354] Some of us are still flying here, too. (I only needed three drinks, myself.)
Sam Borden:
One last thing...I didn't know him personally, but I really liked Todd Drew's Yankee for Justice blog for a long time.
I like to think that Todd would have really been jazzed up by this one, particularly with Arod's bomb and Juan Carlos and Javier would have a fun conversation on his blog. Godspeed to you Todd!
night all
[1355] As a kite!!!!
[1357] And I think Jim Dean would be pretty pleased with our bench (although I'm sure he's still cursing Gardy for the bonehead play).
PJ is around my age, if I recall; maybe a couple of years older. I'm hoping it's nothing more than travel or personal business. I do miss JL, but I agree with the theory that he was ticked about the organization BS and some of the non-reaction to it all; in fact he may have had a tiff with a few of our other family members and decided to stay away for a while. I also miss wsporter.... come to think of it, there are a whole lot of people who didn't make it over from the old site, or have just drifted off this season. WordPress can be a royal pain in the arse sometimes, but I guess that can't be helped. Wish Ken could've released his Toaster programming to consumers, it was a wonderful format.
Then again, here at Banter we have a strong tendency to forget the offline world; I love it here, but we all have our own lives to live and that's more important than anything here...
But hush. I drink to all that have been and will be here throughout, to family and friends and otherwise... (quaffing root beer)
Glad you got your root beer, Chyll.
Cheers, folks. Enjoy the travel day. That should be very easy to do!
[1354] [1355] Saranac Caramel Porter tastes much better with a candy bar that has caramel in it. And I'm one and done.
[1352] Well then I too hope PJ is OK. And I must say, I can't say I blame JL for his feelings about the Yanks' organization, and what YS2.0 is and has done to keep a huge segment of the population, including the vast majority of the people who live in the Bronx nearest the Stadium - where, IIRC, JL works and has worked for a while - from ever seeing a game again in anything other than the cheap seats.
Thanks for the memory jog, I remember a lot more now!
[1360] Wise words as always, Chyll. And I miss wsporter, my Fellow Dutchmen, very much. I figure he'll pop up here sometime.
And now to bed! Good night all.
[1360] I had trouble logging in to the new site for weeks and said "screw it." But a month or so ago, I gave it another go, Firefox had some password stored for me, and presto, I was in. Very odd. I don't post a ton, but I live and die with you guys on here when I can!
4-1 LAA
Speaking of being absent (not that anyone cares) I've recently moved to Vancouver, so I'm 3 hours behind. I end up watching many of the games on DVR via the computer so its hard to follow a game thread. For the playoffs I'm going to try to watch as much live as I can.
Chuck Merriwether's blown strike calls were as bad as Cuzzi's.
Crazy game -
Is it irrational that I was pissssed at Damon for not lifting that ball? It just seemed like a pitch he could have gotten up in the air. I was just so pissed, in general.
Awful, awful call on the foul ball, but yeah, if you're the Twins and you don't score with bases loaded, no one out...
Still, embarrassingly bad call.
Announcers were way more annoying tonight than the other night, but then, the game was more frustrating. Tschida's strike zone sucked Wednesday night, though, but even more annoying than them praising Tschida was their bizarre praise for Merriwether. That zone was a big zone, and with AJ wild and, well, having AJ's stuff, I was glad for the big zone, and it seemed almost consistent for a while. But starting in the sixth or seventh, that zone became completely RANDOM. Ridiculous.
But I still can't help but prefer these guys to Fox. I can't believe any of you are looking FORWARD TO the Fox call, if we make it to the next round. Fox sucks harder than anyone has ever sucked, except for maybe Sutcliffe and Phillips. "Pedroia... WITH... A.... SINGLE!!!!!!!!" Their overdramitization makes me want to stab someone.
Mastercard has a commercial devoted to Krumping??? Are you freaking kidding me? Very far from my favorite dance style.
I was NOT happy when Girardi pulled Aceves for Marte. Not happy at all, and then, very unhappy.
SO happy for A Rod.
Delirious over Tex.
Does anyone else realize that the Twins season falls on the shoulders of Carl Pavano?
I was just scared about the possibility that our season would rest on the shoulders of Chad Gaudin. I like his potential at times, but, still.
Fergot about FOX... damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Does anyone else realize that the Twins season falls on the shoulders of Carl Pavano?
Yep. Again. Last time he made it about 5 innings against KC, hopefully he won't last that long in the ALDS.