I can't remember the last time I was this nervous going into a Game 3 with the Yanks up 2-0. Probably against Seattle in '01, but even then we were home for 3-4-5 so it was all house money anyway.

[1] Yeah, I am nervous as all heck, too. Part of my nerves are we haven't seen what happens to this team when they lose a playoff game and I know that in previous years 1 defeat has made them fold up their tents. But that was the past right? And this team has show that special "it." I also would love this team to step on the neck of a dreaded opponent.

I also keep thinking how horrible it would be to lose game 4 if they manage to get up 3-0.

Is this what it felt to be a Red Sox fan for 86 years???

It's horrible because I am not "that" kind of fan. This morning I woke up with a bad case of the Los Paranoia's. Fear and Loathing in Northern Jersey, indeed.

i'm pretty confident. confidence has it's share of nerves though. In any case, i just hate that rally monkey silliness.

[2] The 1 loss and they fold up the tents thing doesn't concern me too much because in years like '06 and '07 those were 5 game series...which are completely different animals than what we're dealing with here.

Really this is nothing that a nice 6 run Yankee top of the 1st won't go a long way towards putting to rest...but I don't anticipate that.

The only thing I'm not confident about is my ability to get home in time to see the game from the start - which would mean I need to leave work right about now. I just don't see it happening.

If the Yanks win today to go up 3-0 in the series, I say let FOX, ESPN, and every Red Sox blog/beat reporter/columnist/fan on the planet bring up 2004. I don't care anymore. That was then and this is now. The only that will matter to me is the Yanks winning.

BTW - I'm wishfully dreaming that if the Yanks sweep and the NLCS is over Wednesday night, that the Serious will start this week and not next week, right? That week-long layoff could suck. A lot.

5) You are WAY ahead of yourself.

LOL

The other difference between now and 2004 is that if this does go 7 games, we have CC starting. Then we had to choose between Kevin Brown and Javier Vasquez.

[5] keep wishing and dreaming - the ws is pre-scheduled

[2] i'm with you - i want to step on necks
is it really asking so much to run the post-season table :}

[3] yeah i am nervously confident

[5] [8] I know (on both counts). But 8 days is a long time. A man can dream!

And I want to say that no team has run the table since the LDS were added. Two did, though, go 11-1 - the White Sox in 2005, and the Yanks in 1999. So why not?

yeah, we need to win today and tomorrow. fuck this, let's sweep and be done with it!

LET'S GO YAN-KEES !! !!!

I don't think the Yankees face the level of urgency with Sabathia that is implied here. Sure, they are much better off when he wins, but it's not like they haven't been able to win games started by Andy and AJ. At this point, "must wins" are about more than just who is starting for the Yankees.

[1] I think part of the apprehension stems from where these next three games are being played.

[11] I also don't think the Phillies need to win games started by Cliff Lee (at least not until the World Series), nor do I think the Dodgers have the right to expect Kershaw to be a stalwart.

Well.... Our 5-0 record so far has been temped by some luck and our opponents poor defense.

The good news: Our SP, BP, ARod, Jeter and a nod to Matsui.
The bad news: It seems like our SP can't get any better, and the only future direction is down.... and we have not exactly been a scoring maching. We have 5 of our starting 9 with an OPS under .570. Meanwhile, Philly has been crushing the ball. I do believe we will make the WS, but the problem with being a Yankee fan, is that it has been 1,543,357 years since we won a WS, and every year we dont, hangs us out to be the media's whipping boy and gives Red Sox fans way more pleasure then they deserve.

I believe Tex and JD will pick it up, but we can't win the WS if Swish, Melky and Cano are black holes.

[11] oh I'd say about 95% of my apprehension is a direct result of where these games are being played. If these games were in, lets just say, Detroit I wouldn't be nearly as nervous.

Weavers vs.

Jeter: .462 OPS/22 PA
Damon: 431 OPS/22 PA
Tex: .998 OPS/26 PA
Arod: 1.607 OPS/19 PA
Matsui: .550/12 PA
Posada:.572 OPS/14 PA
Cano: .933 OPS/15 PA
Swisher: .838 OPS/24 PA
Melky: .237/13PA

Noticeably absent:
Hinske: 1.000 OPS/11 PA

[13] I look at it like the Yankees have gone 5-0 without their entire lineup firing on all cyclinders. I also am not bothered at all by how Red Sox fans view the Yankees World Series "drought". There really are no problems with being a Yankee fan, in my opinion.

Jeter? Clutch .... Vlad? Not clutch ...

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-shaikin-derek-jeter19-2009oct19,0,6243337.story

Off to a bar to watch the game, it sucks not being able to Banter at the same time ... thanks mlb blackouts!

yet another wonderful slice of life from Joe Pos ...
http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/10/19/a-day-in-the-life/

[15] 9-1-2, not looking good to set things up.

joe buck sounded completely disinterested recapping game 2. fuckhead.

ok, i'm rather nervous...

[18] enjoy! oh, and i gotta be careful - just got my last cell phone bill a coupla minutes ago...not good on the texts!!! way over my package... : /

i've placed a 2004 Topps Andy Pettitte card atop my television set.

MR. OCTOBER!!!!

i dream about that.

Derek Jeter RULES!!!

i LOVE my captain!!! : )

the ball sounded *amazing* off that bat!!!

Always good to see a Yankee homer off a Weaver.

Jesus, I race in, fumble around with the remote, and lo and behold, I see one Derek Jeter rounding the bases.

That was fast!

damon looks as bad at the plate as he does in the field.

why boo Tex? whatever...

ooh, Alex was just on top of that one...

Jon Miller just said that was the first time Jeter ever led off a postseason game with a HR

Subway Series anyone??

and just under that one... : /

Stuck at work for 30 more minutes. These words are music to my ears. : D

I'm not used to following on Gameday. I wasn't sure what it meant by "In play, run(s)" but I like it...

[28] operative word: jon miller. hahahaha!!!

[28] according to LoHud, it's Derek's 3rd postseason leadoff homer. it doesn't list the third one - subway series, today, . . . ?

still, Weaver only threw 14 pitches that inning. we need to make him work.

let's hope for - "Good Andy"

crap. figgins through the 4.5 hole.

Shut UP, Joe Buck!

why did this game start 2 minutes before its listed start time?

andy keeping choad close. he's not taking a big lead. boBBy showed bunt on the 1st pitch, which was a ball. he's smiling. many many throwovers. just pitch to the hitter, Andrew...

throw to the plate. and NO pitchouts.

Good work, Andy.

popped him up to Tex, just behind the bag, barely foul.

boBBy's 0-10

[40] i'm glad you're getting to see Andy!!! : )

still worried about deChone. more throw overs...

i just had a meeting with my coworker and yes'd my way through the whole damn thing so i could get back to my office load up gameday - i wrote on the last thread derek and alex had the score truck key - hell yeah take that jered weaver

[42] Me too! :)

andy's 5 'o clock shadow is at about 7:30

Good work, boys!

Trying to work and keep an eye on the game, another on the banter and I just hope I don't type anything about the Yankees in my reports.

Go Andy!!!

[36] Sun, stop rising in the east!

[44] Heh heh heh.

:)

double play!!!!!!!! 6-4-3

not sure what he said to the home plate ump. didn't seem like he was squeezed, or anything.

keep Choad OFF the basepaths!!!

[44] I'm sure you were discrete.

Yay Andy!
Face the minimum, you Golden God.

[51] maybe asking about his move to 1st?

[52] I think she was continuous.

[50] i think agreed to do all the work on our project :}

[49] Hehheh heh heh!

You're right, you're right, I know you're right!

Good take, Hideki.

please start making Weaver work

well if he throws almost only curveballs he won't last very long

great 8-pitch AB, Mats!

Nice, Hideki!

And fuck you, Joe Buck.

Last inning, Figgins got on and Joe's like, "Hot damn, great start for the Angels."

Hideki singles: "Good curve ball but it's ripped into right field."

hahaha you idiots. as much as joe buck should know the count, the home plate umpire definitely should.

that was LOW! easy there, Ump. only 2 strikes. isn't it Jorgie that always forgets the count?! ; )

I hate Miller and Morgan, but I gotta give them credit for working an Enrico Pallazo reference into the broadcast

Nice ab's, boys, nice ab's!

Come on, fucking Frosty...

terrific start to this inning!

oh, and look at that SPEED on the bases!!! ; )

good job jorgie make that bw work

weaver has thrown as many pitches to the first two batters - recording no outs - as he did in the 1st inning.

[64] swishy too (forgetting the count)

[68] Butt-wanker?

i like how Robbie is NOT swinging at 1st pitches lately

Knock a wall down Robbie!

Those guys are clogging the bases, I wish they had made outs.

[71] i was thinking bitch weaver, but butt-wanker is dpot on too

Hardly ever watch gameday. Praying for a blue dot.

so THAT'S what robbie looks like!

that low-inside pitch to lefties is being called. i hope Andy and Po are noticing that.

c'mon Robbie. be selective and be productive!

Damn it, Robbie!

fox's split screen between pitcher and batter with a box in the middle with a close up of the catcher is beyond ridiculous. the center field camera does just fine.

does robbie look like he thawed out yet?

too slow to be a DP.

man on 3rd, 1 out. bring him home, Swish!!!

weaver looked better with longer locks

Dang work is interfering with baseball. I turn my back for a few minutes and it looks like Jared is weaving himself into trouble.

Wtf are they on about?

[76] It was the Bad Blue Dot. You have to be more careful with your prayers.

[80] In body if not in bat.

FUCK!!!

too shallow to run on Rivera.

damnit

Hey guys, just got home. Man, this weather seems NICE. These guys are lucky!

Patience, Melk, Mr. Oct is on deck!

let's go Leche !!!

Just when can we say Swish is unclutch and can't hit on the PS?

[88] it's beautiful here in Atlanta also.

why is bw throwing over to 1b?

Oh, Melky.
Patience!

92 About time my wife's been complaining about all the raiin lately.

Horseshit.

fuckin eh

well at least they made him throw 26 pitches

Dammit. Melky really needs patience.

Well, 40 pitches for JW. We'll get him outa here early.

DAMMIT. C'mon you fathead have got to score there!

Pound it, Andy.

Shiznit.

fuck, another leadoff hit.

double fuck - music college just called. a handful of new students will NOT be attending this quarter, so i don't get to teach there til January, at the earliest. work SUCKS!!! : /

let's go Andy!!!

Melky is still scuffling I see (he says upon just getting home from work early after a public transportation odyssey).

Methinks the Yanks blow this open by the fourth inning.

[103] from your keyboard to Rivera's ears

[95] yeah, it's been cold and rainy. really yuchy weather. today is gorgeous. i think i'll sleep too late then stay in watching baseball all day/night... : ~

[103] Screw the rally monkey, we have monkeypants!

Ouch--I thought Cano got him.

Nice play, boys. Almost turned it.

wow good call but nice try

That didnt look like the strongest Cano-Throw

nice play by cano, but just missed the DP.

[104] Ha!
Did you see the NoMaas entry showing why the Yankees must win? (God > Angels.)

[112] yeah, they've been fun lately! : )

Curiously no 43-thousand replays on that almost DP at first. I'd like to see at least one slo-mo.

Andy's keeping 'em off-balance nicely.

[114] fox showed it, he was clearly safe

Thank you, Andy.

fucking gorgeous!!!

nice DP!

Andy's at 20 pitches thru 2.

DP revenge today!

Andy has pretty good velocity.
Okay, I'm taking off. We should have a nice lead when I get home...

BEAUTIFUL! I want to see it again now.

[116] Thanks. I'm getting the ESPN feed here in Canadia. Marginally better announcers, at least.

Well, now, THAT is a DP.

Yes!

Now off to home & walk the dog. It'd be a real shame if I missed seeing a big ole score truck for the Yankees the next 30 minutes.

And by real shame I mean I wouldn't mind it a bit.

Damn, that pop fly by Jeter carried.

damn, Jetes gave that somewhat of a ride, too...

johnny looks bad.

Hey all... I'm actually trying to teach grammar to eighth graders right now. Here's hoping the Score Truck rolls on until school is over. Sixty minutes to go...

Umm, I don't much care to hear about the whereabouts of bw's parents.

Ok, I'm officially worried about Teix.

Tex ain't lookin' so good, himself... : /

[125] Melky and Johnny look sorta bad. I thought that Gritner might get a start today (not that I think that he's the solution or whatever), but I guess he is more valuable as a pinch runner or something.

finally - the leadoff man is erased.

[130] i, too, was expecting to see Gritner get the start today...

Nicky Baby!!!

Nicely tracked, Swish.

Another broken bat.

for those not watching. two fly outs to Swish. very sunny in right. first one was pretty much right at him. second one, was a broken bat chip shot that took some running in. he made both catches just fine.

7 pitches so far this inning. Snoop w/ a clean single to center.

[91] Never. There is no such thing as clutch/unclutch. Just good player/bad player.

alright team i am leaving work and am off to be a good person tonight - hopefully i will make it home in time for a nice celebration

keep up the andy is a golden god and help get the score truck going

If I ruled the world (bwahahaha), or at least MLB, I would put in rules dictating bat construction---I would eliminate the really skinny-handled bats.

Agggh!

Just missed him.

OH, soooo close on the pickoff. safe call was correct.

Andy pick him off, please!

[138] So cryptic!

Have fun "being a good person," Ms. O, we'll leave the light on for you.

that was really nice on Strike 2

Hahah, I love you and your pickoff shenanigans Andy

stolen base. crap. get Choad here. it's only a 1-run game.

strike his ass out, Andy!

Nice free ad for Taco Bell on the beach ball there.

Andy's a golden god.

Old Meter:
After 3 innings
Weaver: 50-33
Pettitte: 32-20

wow buck seemed pretty pissed on that pop up

That's what we're talking about!

Thanks, Choad. You're a real sweetheart.

that'll do! foul pop to Tex.

Andy - 33 pitches thru 3

Andy - 51 throws to 1st to 3 baserunner

[153] Throws to first have gotta add up eventually and contribute to fatigue...

I'm gonna pull some numbers out of thin air and conclude 3.5 pickoff attemps = 1 pitch

SUPERMAN!!!!!!!!

HOLY FUCK WHAT A BOMB!!

Yes siree. What a blast.

See. Let A-Rod show everyone why there's no such thing as clutch/unclutch.

Alex KILLED that

Ha!

what an awful pitch there

once again, he crushes it *just* as i reach out to grab his baseball card! : )

he and jeter both SLAMMED the fuck outta the ball, to the same place!

and, like clockwork, i just got a text from Cult! : )

so much for the righties not hitting Weaver well !!!

every once in a while fox does something right. they just showed a slow mo closeup of arod's face as he hit that ball, and continued it long enough to see his expression once he realized he had crushed it. it was pretty nice.

Good eye Matsui-San.

Weaver is not locating. He must be feeling the pressure of a must-win game. I say, that's ok by me.

[154] well, i wonder. there's also the bullpen pitches and 8 warmups before each inning. i guess those are all a little less "stressed". he's throwing as fast to 1st as he would a fastball, right? i imagine so, maybe even faster. what's the distance from the mound to 1st???

he threw 12 pickoff attempts to 3 batters. 6 in the first inning. i'm not sure how pitches went to the plate during those AB's...

This seems like the 2003 part of the Weaver genome right here.

Molina!

Does Cano try to drag one here? Wouldn't shock me.

Mats and Po, once again making Weaver work!

Yankees 10 postseason homers. allowed ZERO! (did i see that chart right?)

great hit by Po, but Mats can't run. let's make this stand up more than we did the other inning.

c'mon Robbie, Swish & Melk !!!

[169] no his numbers against weaver are too good

Kate Hudson has 9 RBI in the postseason, thus far...

Deja Vu. GODDAMN IT.

What is going on with the bottom of the order?

cano did the same *exact* thing in the same situation. crap.

Swish - do something different than last time. read: get an RBI !!!

Hmm. This looks familiar.

I like how Aybar made a point of stomping his foot on second base.

Is that Pat Sajak?

[178] Yep!

137 Sarcasm, related to all the Arod is not clutch BS that is dead and buried now.

good eye, Swish. keep making him work...

[178] i'd MUCH rather see Vanna White! ; )

Yuck

booooooooooooooooooooooooo

damn you, Swisher. : /

[182] Yuck

well that was a pretty nasty pitch but i'm surprised swisher didn't know it would be low

You have got to be kidding. Ug. How about a HIT, Melky?

That was a really cool camera shot of the Weaver slider. I second the earlier comment about the FOX photography in this game.

Although I guess anything looks better than dreary NY.

Put in Pena, Hairston, and Gardner. Fu%^&ing Hell.

Replay of second inning.

My prediction [103] looked good for three batters.

close calls on the 0-1 and 2-1 pitches

whew. damon fields so strangely.

that was cool audio of the ump.

I really thought Melky was going to get a big hit there. He really needs to stop trying to hit everything over the fence- at least that's how it looks to my untrained eye.

just settin' up another DP!!!

a few more close calls, this ump isn't giving anything

damnit, andy. 2 pickoff moves. 3-0. crap.

Thus Far:
ARod: 4 HR, 9 RBI, .381 .417 .952 1.369
Jeter:: 3 HR, 5 RBI, .364 .462 .864 1.325

Stop worrying about the runner...

god, vladi's helmet is disgusting.

on 3-1??

[200] Shut up.

That works

YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Yes! I love it. Outsmart yourselves boys.

Hahahah. And nice stab by Cano.

[195] Correct. Melky REFUSES to cut down on his swing or slap at a pitch.

Golden God. Thanks Toriiiiiiiiii. And thanks Teix for not Giambiing it into left field. : D

damn, lost him. strike 2 was a great pitch.

get outta this right here.

Wow, Vlad walks...walks!...just to rub it in.

[200] What was that now?

[200, 212] :-D

DON'T show that stat again - it makes me nervous...

why is rivera batting before morales?

C'mon Andy. One more out. Shut down these Rally Monkey clowns.

199 Also Runs scored:

Jeter 7
Arod 6

That ball fooled me and Johnny off the bat.

Old Meter:
After 4 innings
Pettitte: 51-31
Weaver: 79-49

awesomeness.

Andy = 51 pitches thru 4

Andy = 112 throws to 1st to 4 runners

[218] Yeah I thought that was a homer. Twas not, luckily.

It sounded better than it was.

[215] i was wondering the same thing, but i'm guessing it's 'coz there's a lefty on the mound and Kendry is much worse from the right side. torii, vladi and juan gives them 3 righties in a row...

Yeah, I thought he got all of that, I'm worse than Michael Kay I guess.

[223] yeah i just looked that up and rivera is much better against lefties than morales

jeter's driving the ball. i'd like to drive weaver's pitch count up. bullpen was already warming...

But no worse than John Sterling.

Isn't Pettitte better against righties though?

OH HELL YES!

DAMONIC !!!!!!!!!

Well, that one was hit a bit better!

JD joins the party.

Just in time for a Damonic dinger!

Welcome to the party JD. WHoooooohoooooooooo

badda BOOM!

Johnny D!

It sounds like a lot of Yankee fans in the park.

these homers are absolutely being *destroyed*!!!!

[228] they both bat righty (morales is a switch hitter)

Man, it sucks that the Yankees keep hitting all these rally-killing homers.

[235] I know it, I was leaving work and turned the radio on just as A-Rod hammered his and thought "oh crap, what did the Angels do?"

[237] Oh, yeah, ummm, duh....

Is the game being played in Yankee Stadium? The Yankees couldn't possibly be hitting all these hr's in Anaheim, or wherever they say there stadium is. And the Angels fans call the stadium a bandbox.

[232] welcome home, my friend!

good AB, Tex! Weaver looks completely deflated.

[235] yeah, sure sounds that way! : )

This asshole looking ahead to the World Series. Come on.

Oh, so close.

Yes, maybe the Phillies would be "tough-minded" enough to beat the Yankees.

Oh, close. So close.

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

juuuuuuuuuuuuust missed it. that woulda RULED!

damnit

kate hudson is sooooo adorable!!!!! : o

Why, thank you, thelarmis. And you had a cocktail waiting for me!

240 Isn't Morales much better from the left side, not so good as a righty?

[246] NoMaas' Kate as Wonderwoman was... wonderful.

[248] Yes, good call.

[249] yeah, i loved that! enjoy your drink - no beer for me til Thursday night...

[248] right, so he's batting behind rivera against pettitte (and cc)

[238] but it would be nice if they hit them at the end of each rally instead of beginning

Oooooo...just missed!

oh, that was ball 3, Mats.

weaver just under 95 pitches. does he come out for the 6th?

I sure do like players who can hit the ball over the fence.

254 I don't think Scioscia trust more than 2 guys in his pen, he pretty much is trying to get 7-8 innings out of his starters every game.

[252] Since HRs are rally-killers, by definition every one is hit at the end of a rally.

[254][256] Tough call--he hasn't pitched that poorly, but he has also had Oliver warming for a while. I'll guess he's done.

3-0 already? Stuck in bed with 38.5 fever and achy bones..thw Power of A-Rod compels me...

How's the Banter mood?

[258] Looks like you're right. (You're watching ESPN -- Fox showed Scioscia plainly telling Weaver he was done.)

looks like Weaver is out. who's the first one outta the pen? Oliver has been up already.

Andy w/ his first K !!!

bollocks. 1st homer allowed by the Yanks. i blame joe buck.

[259] Mr OK! I'm sorry about your fever.
We have three solo dingers, and all of them serious ones. It takes the edge of the two innings when we had runners on first and second with nobody out and couldn't score them.

Dang. Stay cool, Andy!

Awww. no no, the homers are for the Yankees!

[259] the mood is not as good as it was 2 minutes ago... : /

it had been rather great! we've wasted a lot of chances so far today. all runs in this game are on solo homers...

so, now Andy is all about the K's & HR's. he's become Mark Reynolds! ; )

Good evening ..

why are those talking heads still talking about the difference in velocity from the hand to the plate? sheesh

i'm tuning Joe Fuck out. who'd he say is coming in to pitch for Cali?

[260] Welcome back!

Big 3rd out. Phfeewwwww.

good play, A-Rod.

Andy at 67 thru 5

Old Meter:
After 4 innings
Pettitte: 67-41
Weaver: 95-59 and gone

The black hole gang coming up this half. : ( Maybe they'll break out of their collective funk against cousin Oliver.

A corollary to the differences in pitch speed ...

When a statement is formed in the minds of Caray and McCarver, it possesses a relative IQ of 163 .... which dips to 63 when it is heard over the air ...

[272] After FIVE innings

from 1998-2004, darren oliver was below average to shitty, except in 1999 when he was just above average (108 era+). he missed all of 2005 after being released by the rockies, and since 2006 has been a valuable reliever (era+: 127, 121, 155, 168). kind of strange huh?

[273] well, Po's been on base twice today...

i blame that on the shadows and lights not being on! ; )

[277] You can say that again.... : )

i love Robbie letting that 1st pitch go by

good job, Rob!

That's gotta be a hit, took a weird bounce.

[274] Wow! That's an incredible drop-off. I'd love to hear their version of the theory of relativity.

Uh, light is so fast!

I like how McCarver always thinks that Cano is some speedster. Let's go Swish. Get that run back.

[263] Thanks man, it's back to bed in 10mins with the game on the tv..

[273] Cousin Oliver..I will gladly buy a beer for whomever coined that.

Oh, good, if we beat the Angels here then we get to hear about 2004 for the rest of the ALCS.

i just hit mute, as i know where Timmay is about to go. please let me know when it's safe to turn it on.

ooh, that was close. careful, Robbie!!!

[287] You misspelled "moot".

[283] 186,000 miles per "seconds"! (or some shit like that...)

I just noticed that the left field ump is about 45 feet behind the 3rd base bump. That seems rather unbelievable.

[288] not nearly as incorrect as my next comment! : ~

[290]

That's the Johnny Damon umpire ...

[289] Like Carl Crawford!

You're killing ME Swish. Pathetic hacks.

great job by fox showing almost none of the important plays live (or cutting back just in time for them)

Swisher looks terrible.

[285] Cy Oliver. not to be confused with Sy Oliver - Hank Mobley recorded one of his tunes!

feel better, bro!!!

What is up with Swisher and Melky? I would not mind seeing Gardner get some playing time.

In the dugout Rob is going to have to inform the boys that the pitcher is Darren Oliver. It seems to have escaped their notice.

Really resisting the urge to get a black jack taco for dinner.

swisher looks terrible right now. he is swinging (kind of) at every curve in the dirt.

[285] Set me up then. It's simply from watching too much Brady Bunch when I was a kid. : D

[276] Strange in the "starting is harder than relieving" way, or in the "good starters are worth more than good relievers"way?

[299] i'm gonna grab a burrito from Moe's after the game. you have those in the Triangle area?

top of the order comin' up for Andrew Eugene

[286] Correct... yet even at that speed, to get light from here to the Andromeda Galaxy (#1 on my vacation list), it takes 2,500,000 years (or so).

from LoHud:

Random fact: Darren Oliver’s last postseason appearance against the Yankees? For the Texas Rangers in the 1996 ALDS (as a starter!).

If we hold on, Andy is #1 all-time on the PS Wins list. LETS GO TEAM!

Just got him.

nice play, Jetes!

siddown Choad

Choad looks so much better sitting on the bench. Good play, Jeter! YES!!

[299] I just finished a burrito.

OK folks, Andy is more or less rolling right now. Would you go with a quick hook? Say he gets through the sixth unscathed, do you bring him out for the seventh, or go right to Joba-Phil-Mo?

Booboo Abrasion having a poor series....

[306] Is that enough to tip him into the HoF? I think it does.

[302] right. i looked at the innings pitched and thought he must have been converted to the bullpen much earlier. but no, it only started in 2004.

c'mon Andy, don't lose him

[311] Bring him out for the seventh. Even those three guys constitute Bull[pen Roulette, in my book.

Bobby is still smiling. So chill.

Dang. Good smack, Bob.

[311] let's think about that after this inning.

[303] Oh man, Durham is a Tex-Mex heaven. There's at least four places in walking distance with amazing burritos/fish tacos/quesadillas. Other places have a taqueria on every corner. All of which would make it a crime against my taste buds to actually eat at Taco Bell.

[319] Indeed. Things are now a tad more tense.

Our Win Expectancy is 71% right now.

Thanks Toriiiiiiiii

Phew. One more.

... and it jumps to 78%.

i would be careful with vlad here

[311] definitely bring him out for the 7th. well, let's get thru the 6th first. boBBy was due. let it be a single...

[313] well, i wonder how much the HGH thing will hurt him. he certainly has a good win %age and the postseason record. i think he needs to come back next season and reach 250 wins. he's never won a Cy and i don't know how many high finishes he's had. that's big in the eyes of the idiot voters.

good on the pop-up. now let's get Vlad.

Joba's up in the pen, so who knows about the 7th, just yet...

[322] 77% now

Vlad with a bat in his hands at 70 will still look scary.

[320] yeah, there's a lot of great places here, too! i used to go to pretty much all of them. now, i just hit Moe's. i like it a lot!

[327] came in 2nd in 96, 5th in 97, 4th in 2000, 6th in 03, and 5th in 05

[296] Or Cy Tolliver, from Deadwood.

[331] good enough for me - put him in the Coop !!! : )

Finish Him!

Weird time for a visit.

[327] I think the HGH & steroids thing will fade in time. People like Bonds and A-Rod will get in, because they were good enough even without the steroids. That'll open the door for others. But yeah, Andy does need 250, which will become the new 300 IMO. He'll have to wait for the Hall, probably 8-10 years.

i'd go fastball up and way outside

Crap!

Freakin Vlad. Wow.

Ooop.

Damn...

that just ruined my dinner later...

That sucks.

So, Girardi told Pettitte to throw a meatball, then?

Damn it.

Andy has a 2nd, 4th, 2 5ths and a 6th in Cy voting over the years ...

And now we're underdogs, 47%.

332 Nice reference, great show.

Terrible pitch. Ugh, so many missed chances this game.

What did Girardi say in that visit again?. Oy

this will be a battle of the bullpens. we will win.

[301] Anytime you're in the neighborhood! Of course, I was a Brady kid too, even at 8 yrs old I wondered why they had artificial turf in their backyard? But that's a discussion for the offseason..

Seems Vlad can still mash it now and then..DAMN DAMN DAMN

Damn it.

Still, nice outing, Andy.

[347] That's a lot of WPA.

We ARE scoring in this inning ...

what the fuck? that was the worst pitch to throw there in the worst location.

Really, with 2 outs I'm not sure why he worries so much about the runner.

If only we could figure out a way to score otherwise than with the long ball...

[350] "Don't worry, we have Molina, Cervelli, Garder and Guzman on the bench" ?
.
.
.
I kid, I kid. In fact, despite [347] RIYanks so-called math, I am extremely confident. The Yanks break it open this inning.

well definitely keep pettitte in to face morales. after that i'd play it by ear.

[358] Why? It seems to be working fine for both teams.

That pitch to Vlad was almost as dumb as the pitch to Arod the other night. Ugh.

It's part of the game, but it really makes you wonder why they would even consider throwing a Vlad a strike there. Not once did they try to get him to chase a fastball, and compounded that error by throwing an off speed pitch, something Vlad can still turn around.

One error by Pettitte and now the absolute futility of Cano and Swisher comes home to roost.

[357] If he catches Abreu sleeping it's still 3-1.

Ok, this game is ours.

does Andy start the 7th? i say - yes.

[366] For Morales only, probably.

[361] We keep leaving runners on base, though. Both *and*, is all I'm saying.

What's his pitch coint?

ugh. that Jepsen fireballing kid is up in the pen. he went 2 innings the other night, irrc

[366] I probably would, but Girardi had Joba warming. I bet we see the BP.

[369] 89 pitches for Andy

[372] Oh that's all....hmm, maybe I'm wrong at [371].

FUCK.

The sad part of this game is Pettitte has made two mistakes and the Yankees could easily have had 5 or 6 runs with better outs (not even hits). They've been getting by without making the most of these opportunities, but if they the Angels back in this series, I think the ABs by Cano and Swisher will be the keys that unlocked the door.

I agree with [367}. One batter only.

Please Tex. I beg of you.

Move the line a little. I don't want to see 7,8,9 in the ninth. Ugh.

Come on Teix.

Let's go, Teix!

Ok,. Jepsen against A-Rod. Good match-up.

Alex Rodriguez is 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Jepsen.

If there were not two outs, would anyone consider PR for Teixera? Say with Gritner (then Swish moves to 1B)?

i still can't imagine what they were thinking with that pitch to vlad. he's not going to let it go for a called strike 3, he's not gonna swing through it. so why toy with him? really really stupid.

[382] Absolutely not.

[381] Plus a ground out in the 9th inning of Saturday's game.

[382] not a chance.

goddamn, this kid throws FAST!!!

green light!!!

[383] I couldn't agree more, but if Fuentes was careful to Arod, the series would be tied 1-1. Still, I prefer for my team to not make the stupid mistakes and really wonder what was going through their heads when they conceived that pitch.

3-1, this is the pitch to watch.

I do not feel good about this game guys.

fuck

Darn. Guess he's 0-5.

Not everyone will appreciate this, but it really feels like the momentum has shifted...

[394] When you blow chance after chance to tack on some runs, how can you not feel that way?

well, let's just shut them down, here and now. nice 'n quick. 1-2-3

[394] I'm in the category of person not appreciating this so called shift in momentum.

[385][386] I would not either, but he won't hit again until the ninth or tenth, and he has been scuffling, and he one of the few players on the team for whom one would PR (because he is slow).

I'm just musing.

We need us some good pitching and timely hitting. Is that too much to ask?

[394] yeah, but i also felt that way about 20 times so far this series

i'm finally live! hey folks. my dvr just caught up. i fast forwarded through vlad's homerun. i guess that is ok but i'm bummed we lost the lead. LET'S Go Yan-kees!

Baseball is really an incredible game...one BIG mistake and it feels like everything has changed. That's what I love and hate about baseball.

phew

c'mon andy!!

[394] Well, you know my feelings on momentum. What I am more concerned about is that the bottom of the lineup has been a black hole, and so is the bench. So, in my mind they have to score next inning early or wait for two innings...and I don't want to have to keep outlasting the second best offense (and team) in baseball.

[402] I still have more confidence in the Yankees bullpen and bats compared to the Angels' bullpen and bats. Assuming Girardi doesn't waste Joba/Hughes/Coke and Mo all in one inning....

When Damon it that HR, it felt like the score was 10-0. Now it feels like the Yankees are behind in this game.

phew! he hit that too well.

whew.

good game, Andy. no #16 W for you.

it's Joba Time

Nicely done JD.

Mercy. Put a tent on that circus, Johnny!

[407] but it also feels like they're tied in game 3 and up 2 games to none with cc pitching tomorrow

It was hit well, but someimtes it seems as though JD makes it look hard.

don't worry - Hinske will hit a game winning shot for us. oh, wait... : /

Somehow I miss Bernie Williams right about now ... this feels like a game he would win for the Bombers ...

[405] The bottom of the lineup has been so bad that I was both considering having Swisher attempt a squeeze and also thinking about which of the two I would replace with Hairston in game 4. The fact that they've had poor results is not the issue...what makes their post season so putrid is so many of their ABs have been awful. Cano and Swisher do not have the reputation of being the brightest of players (maybe try to take a Weaver curve the other way), and it seems like that is coming into play.

goddamn motherfuck!!!

[412] Mmmmm....I like that feeling. especially after THAT hit.

Fuck. That was smoked.

Crud!

415 Not to mention Brosius, Tino, and O'Neill.

That is some dejected Pettitte :(

I HATE FUCKING HOWIE KENDRICK. He is now hitting 241,200,000 vs the Yanks. Asshole.

So this is a squeeze, right?

I smell a missed squeeze.

Slip sliding away...

[412] If they can't come back in this game, they'll be looking at CC on short rest against a lefty who has given then problems...followed by their Ace against AJ.

In other words, when you give away a golden opportunity to win a game in the post season, the tide can quickly turn against you.

I hate being at work and being behind the action. Seems like the bad news comes to quickly.

Well, there you go. Yankees will win this.

Grrrr.

total bollocks.

Joba is getting hit HARD. : (

Doggone it. At least it was caught and stayed in the park. How come Cano, Swish and Melky couldn't manage that in two tries?

why is bad joba pitching?

We had plenty of opportunities to step on their throats... and we did NOT!

[426] i pretty much agree with william on this stuff. if we don't win today, we could be really really fucked in this series...

[428] i sure hope so...

effin ESPN had Kendrick hitting a HR. Just changed it to a triple and then showed the SF right away.

[431] actually only swisher had that opportunity twice

jepsen only threw 5 pitches, so i'm sure his cannon will be out on the mound for the all-important 8th...

Marte warming up? How relaxed that makes me feel (sarcasm).

Joba f'ing sucks.

hughes. bring in hughes. please.

joba's getting crushed.

bring in Hughes NOW!!!

[436] et al. Melky should not get a free pass, though he was up with two outs and men on.

Damn, they have been tee-ing off on Joba.

This looks more like the Joba we've seen all season...the momentum has definitelty turned. Now the Yankees really need CC to be 100% or else this series could go up in smoke.

Are they hitting Joba's fastball or is he throwing offspeed crap?

[442] melky has had some good at bats this post-season.

[440][441] Yep. Here I definitely agree with the quick hook.

marte???

Cano hit into two fielder's choices. He had two tries too, no?

[446] I meant this game, though I honestly don't remember him looking good at all (though to be fair, I couldn't follow the Twins series as closely as I would have liked).

i remember in '04, saying when the Shit Sox got 1 win, that they'd sweep us. i don't totally have that feeling here, but if we lose today, i can totally see us losing this series. that would seriously SUCK!!!

Bullpen roulette. I hate bullpen roulette.

[442] [449] i don't think anyone should be let off the hook, i just mean that only swisher could have driven a run in with an out

The Yankees win this game and it's a sweep; they lose and this series definitely goes back to New York at 3-2 (with tomorrow's game being the swing).

[451] I hate your crystal ball. Get a new one.

Melky was pretty good the first 2 games.

Girardi should have yanked Pettitte against Vlad. Although I would have put in Joba, so maybe it didn't even matter.

[445] i think it's his FB. his offspeed stuff actually looked pretty good...

[451] I had the same feeling in 2004...I don't have that yet here, but if the Yankees are trailing 2-0 early in tomorrow's game, I think that's where I will be.

Damaso Marte, what a stud.

Good work Choad!!!

girardi's a genius...

please score some runs here and don't look back.

Effin monkey.

[455] My crystal ball says..."Yankees win."

I know I have no confidence in them winning this game because I wasn't the least bit nervous in that AB, nor was I delirious with anger at the site of Marte.

[464] "Outlook cloudy, try again later."

[464] Today or the ALCS?

jepsen had a 4.95 era and 1.50 whip this year (92 era+), by the way

This series has turned on two stupid pitches, which makes you appreciate that a great pitcher combines great stuff with great intelligence (I am thinking about guys like Maddux, Pedro and Mariano).

[455] i'd like to trade mine in for an official Palantir, from Middle-Earth!!!

[459] Be glad they pulled out Saturday night...

why are y'all panicking?

[468] I was going to ask how that could be, when he looked so electric against us. Now I understand.

Get those quick legs motoring.

nice matsui!

[470] It comes in pints?!?!? I'm getting one!

great job, Mats!

PR?!

So, I assume we see one of the three PRs now?

[469] Pedro begged to stay in Game 7 in '03, so you know, not too wise.

Way to go Matsui, Gardner please.

is there a reason posada cannot bunt?

Oooooh. Interesting. No DH now.

Gritner in. Matsui on base 3 times today.

c'mon Jorgie!!!

I would rather use Guzman...speaking of questionable intelligence, I don't trust Gardner in this spot.

Why Gardner as the pinch runner? Wouldn't you want him for defense, plus he refused to run last time. I would have gone with Guzman.

[469] I'm not convinced the series has "turned." We have to see how it ends up before making that call.

[482] if we don't tie it, who cares?

Now Gardner don't just stand there, RUN Dummy!

Take the thunder stick out of your ass this time Brett and use those wheels. If you freeze up again you're dead to me.

[481] Because giving away outs is the best way to stop a rally.

Damnit, my computer is so far behind the action. I think I'm almost a full 5 minutes off.

Sigh...

[487] But we have to win it. You have to think about two runs, not just one.

[476] wait, what?! it does?! i'm so confused...

run, brett, run

RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[482] Gardner is now the DH.

[485] Good call regarding defense. But, you could let him stay at DH and then move him into the field after Johnny bats...losing the DH won't matter this game, most likely.

[473] but actually he only allowed 3.1 bbs per 9. not good but not abysmal. but he allowed 10.4 hits only struck out 7.9 per 9.

[493] i don't see what the difference is. without one we have no chance of winning.

[494] Just mixing my LOTR book and movie references.

[485] yes, i agree

0-1 watch for the pitchout.

[496] Yeah, that's what I meant.

[499] Uh. Huh? You don't see the difference between scoring one run and scoring two runs?

Ohhhhhhh fuck.

Damn!

that's why you don't just run on any pitch.

Darn.

And so much for the PR.

Why is Eric Hinske not on this roster if Gardner is never going to start? Do we really need two PRs with no power?

Motherfucking motherfucker.

Good thing Matsui isn't standing there on first base.

[503] you can't score two without scoring one.

i HATE you, brett gardner.

Can we please have our momentum back?

That was very predictable...Girardi needs to realize that Gardner is too sketchy to trust there. The Yankees just gave away an out playing in a way they have no business doing.

YES!!! HIP HIP!!!

ohhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Oh good/sonofabitch. What a stupid chess player...

A lot of times the manager calls the pitchout.

Hip Hip Jorge!

HIP-HIP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See ya, to quote MK.

I was going to say, wait for the first pitch out

Eat shit Scioscia.

we must win!!!!!!

That's why you don't fool around with this stupid small ball shit.

Man, that thing carried!

I didn't think that was going out off the bat!

YAYYYYYYY!!!

[511] True, but what does that have to do with it???

Well we're alive.

fuck you, Gritner!

Molina!!

HIP HIPJORGE!

Jepsen relaxed with no one on base, and Jorgie made him pay ...

Time for the black hole to find the light.

[512] Not his fault. A perfecr pitchout... and it was still close.
Meanwhile.... POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sada!

Ok, Robbie, that's something.

ROBBIE!!

nice snag by Arod

What's up rockers? Hope you're all enjoying the emotional roller coaster.

Can't blame Gardner. It was just bad chess by Girardi. Ugh.

Final score Yankees 7 Angels 4. Yankees score all runs on solo hr's from 7 different players;)

[524] I don't know...putting in a PR and sending him was the right call, IMO. It took a perfect throw on a pitch out to get him, barely. Sometimes things don't work out.

Could I make a request for a Yankee home run with runners on base.

NOW, robbie gets a hit...

it's time, Swish...

Think Kate Hudsony thoughts Swish.

Does Scott Boras ever not have a cell phone attached to his ear?

[537] Yo. I guess we're on the up part now.

[533] It's his fault for not going on the first pitch, when a pitchout was less likely. He not only cost Jorge a strike, but he also allowed the Angels to pitch out. Gardner has poor baseball instincts. If they are going to use the PR strategy, I would rather go with Guzman, who seems better at getting a quick jump.

[544] swish's womyn is hot enough he doesn't need to think about kate.

[537] But of course. :)
[542] But of course. :)

why didn't he swing at that last pitch?

4 Runs on 4 HRs. Our RISP is still shit.
This team needs to pretend our pitching sucks nd it's up to them to score 8 runs.

It's too bad I don't believe in sports momentum, because otherwise it would feel like the momentum had switched back in favor of the Yanks.

545 Not nice to tease, he was born that way:)

[540] I don't think so. Brett's just not quite good enough for that to be right. And think about it, all of our homers have been solos, right? Now what does that suggest to you...?

[540] Monkeypants, you got OB & Sutcliffe right announcing right? Had to get up from my futon to come complain about the endless fellating of Mikek Sciosia by those two..it's unbearable! So cool to see Posada jack it there and shut them up.

[540] But why play for the tie...the Yankees are a power laden offense that feeds on baserunners. Unless it's a tie game and Mariano is looming, I would prefer to never sacrifice my power for building a run.

At the very least, they have cleared the bottom of the line-up. Please DO NOT PR for Swish.

good job, Nick.

do it up, Melky. do it up BIG TIME!!!

basehit down the left-field line ... I'm callin it ...

[556] Exactly.

I don't trust Melky here, but you have to roll the dice.

Are you fucking kidding me, Melky?

[556] because, as a 13 inning game should have shown us, just because we are a good hitting team, doesn't mean we always score when we want to.

This is why its awful decision making that there is no Hinske on this roster.

[556] I agree with Seamus on this one (!!!)---down by one late, you need to tie before you can win. I don't mind playing for one to extend the game.

melky takes a terrible hanging changeup and then swings at a pitch in the dirt.

terrible swing, melk

Well, that explains Jepsens ERA.

[563] Nor do we do a good job scoring by playing smallball. (Second inning tonight, fourth inning...)

Lean into one Stein,

[564] Now I agree with YOU on this point, most strenuously!!

double steal, haha!

[565] !!!

Oh, Melky, you're *killing* me.

Hm. At least Melky did not GIDP.

boooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Not even fucking close

Look, with a two run homer, you do not have to tie before you can go ahead! What are you guys talking about?

Hairston would have also been a better option there...Melky has been so bad that letting him hit pretty much was like giving away an out.

that was awful, Melky. his shoulders were high and tight.

Captain Time

It's a nail bita.

Oh, Derek, that was fat!

FUCK YOU, ump.

Damn.

I have to say I like our bullpen better than theirs right now. The tie isn't so bad. I'm feeling somewhat confident despite the bad chess.

Oh, Lord.

So we're going 15, right?

[577] I don't know, the first run that crosses the plate ties the game, the guy hit the HR puts them ahead. When I am down by one late, getting that one run is of infinite importance.

I don't think I can take another extra inning game...

wasted opportunity #3. L.A.M.E.

[584] My thoughts exactly

melky fucking sucks. get him out of the lineup.

The momentum is taking a roller coaster...Angels have to feel great about how that inning ended...Jepsen was ready to implode, but Girardi threw him a lifeline by leaving Melky in to hit and then Jeter let two fat breaking pitches go.

[584] I like our BP better if and only if Girardi is willing to extend Phil and Mo, which he *might* do in a tie game, provided Hughes keeps guys off the bases.

[584] i'm pretty ok. as i said earlier, why all the panic? We now have hughes and Mo to go...

Looks like Coke is coming in to face Abreu.

bollocks.

at least we're tied.

should be Hughes for the 8th. make it quick, son!

[586] Ah, well, that's the key difference between us. I definitely do not give the one run infinite importance. If you don't get another, that one run turns out to be wasted.

[594] Are you serious? Is Girardi trying to lose this game?

Will Marte face Abreu?

[594] Marte is already in, so I'd imagine he stays.

[591] I said it at the time rosters were announced and I'll say it again, not taking Hinske is the biggest strategic blunder this team has made in quite awhile.

why all the sudden melky hate? not a good day for him, but other than that i don't get it.

[594] boBBy aBBreu.

Coke it is.

[595] I hope this doesn't mean Coke for the lefty and then Hughes for only two outs. But wait, why not Marte v. the lefty??

Interesting. I'm not ecstatic, because I expect him to walk Abreu.

why didnt he just go to coke instead of marte against chone? not that it's such a bad thing for marte to be unavailable.

[604] I'm hoping it's Phil for Phive, or at least Phour.

Oh, fucking yes. Fucking yes.

OHHHHH, HE'S OUT!!!

Oh Bobby.

[601] He hasn't been very good all post season, and I don't believe he ended the season well.

I thought you always play for the tie on the road? Or has flu medicine make me spout kooky talk? I got no problem with the Garner steal attempt..if you don't steal there's no reason to take Matsui out.

Oh my god, the Angels fundamentals are just apalling!! How many baserunning mistakes is that in this series??

Those fundamentally sound Angels!!

Oh Bobby, how much I love you!

MOMENTUM, hahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Bobby

Way to not cut if off Melky.

Cokey did his job!!!!!!

how about Tex over there at 2nd?!?!

Incredible...using Coke ahead of Hughes was as bad a blunder as Abreu getting caught there, but the Yankees come out ahead.

Wow. We got away with one. Why was Cabrera so far left? Is that a normal shift for Abreu?

What's Teix doing there?

Is that normal?

Teix on 2nd. Madness.

Way to go Jeter and Tex!

Oh, that was Teix at second! I didn't even notice that. Way to go, team!

Melky not so bad, 3 for 8 in first 2 games, on base 5 times in 10 PA. Not his fault we are tied right now.

so, why Coke over Marte, if playing the lefty matchup? was it a personal matchup thing? boBBy own Marte, or something? 'coz he sure looked good against Coke...

That was a really good move, going to Coke for one hitter.

Seriously. Melky was in left center. WTF.

[612] Actually, the old adage is you play to tie it at home and win it on the road. The theory makes sense because if you are the home team, you get the last AB in a tie, so, you can play small ball.

Considering Marte only made one pitch.

nope, boBBy was 0-3 vs. Marte. now there are no more lefties in the pen and GI Joe loves his portsiders. strange things are afoot at the Circle 'A'...

Wow. Melky sorta fucked up defensively, but then made up for it with a great throw. I thought Bobby was making third easy...but then, what WAS he thinking? And once you make the big turn around 2B, you might as well put your head down and keep on going.

[611] he was hitting .333 with two walks in the first two games.

[630] Right, as Standard Wisdom goes, it's not too bad. (Actually thinking it through is better, though.)

[626] Fine...I take it back...but he has been hideous today, which I guess clouds more reasonable judgment.

I don't understand, if you don't trust Marte to get a lefty out why the hell is he even on the roster? Isn't that his purpose. You're burning pitchers in a potential extra inning game with a guy going on short rest tomorrow. Why Joe? Why?

Huuuuuuuuughesssss!

[626] Except for all the men he's left on base, especially in the 8th...

HUGHES!!

620 Technically the Angel's blunder was worse.

what an amazing display of athleticism by jeter. boneheaded melky threw it a foot over his head. captain saves the day again

[632] Yeah, I have defended Girardi's BP use overall (with a few annoying quirks), but he sure has burned through relievers in the last two games. Ultimately it probably won't matter if he makes the most of Hughes-Mo.

Yes, we're all agreed that putting Coke made no sense in the first place, turned out badly indeed... and then Abreu bailed out Girardi and Cokey both.

Now let's enjoy our Phil.

[637] Yeah, he took out his lefty specialist for his other lefty specialist... To face a lefty

Joe Buck may be rooting for the Angels, but Timmeh takes any chance he can get to get on his knees for Derek Jeter.

[637] The better question is why is he on the roster ahead of Hinske?

Damn You, Vlad. You and your goddamn game tying homer.

[637] i agree with you, but at the same time don't think it's all that bad that marte and coke are now not available

[643] I think the reason is that he has Gaudin as his security blanket. He feels that if he burns through all his pitchers, he can just let Chad go until the game is over.

There are worse moves, frankly.

[633] By "great" I mean "strong", getting it back to Jeter to allow him to do his thang.

Dear Jorge,
Don't throw a fastball up and in.

Nice play, boys.

Good work, Hughes.

Freaking Mark Teixeira. Awesome.

Teix! I just love having an athletic first base man.

Tex RULES!!!

how in the fuck did Vladi make contact on that?

ooh, i hope it's Fuentes!!! prolly be Bulger though...

i like this guy tex. too bad he can't hit for a lick. :b

Teix flashes the leather, and symbolically flashes Monkeypants the bird ("take that, you and your defense at 1B is not important")!!

You know, if we had corner OF defense, and Molina behind the plate, there might never be an unearned run (except when Cano loses focus)

OK, that gatorade ad is getting annoying.

Will Hughes pitch the 9th if it's tied? I too am very confused by Joe's BP moves..

that's only 8 pitches for Hughes. he best start the 9th...

Win Expectancy: 48%. (But here it's important to note that the Calculator doesn't know about our bullpen or theirs...)

[647] I'm fine with the second lefty in the pen, its Guzman on the roster that makes no sense. If you want a PR for games you start Gardner that's understandable (I disagree but I see the logic). But Gardner is your PR now, soooo Guzman is your PPR. That's more valuable than having a single guy on the bench who can hit a ball out of the infield?

Mo will start the 9th if we take the lead!!

Joe won't do it, but if we are still tied in the 9th, I leave Phil in there. We could go 13 again.

[661] [662] I'm almost sure he'll pitch the ninth if we don't score. I mean, Girardi really isn't an idiot.

(rest, rest)

Right?

[660] yeah, but i dig the percussion music in it. a lot of commercials actually have incredible music in them...

[664] Two pinch runners makes sense WITH Hinske, not without.

[661] he'd definitely start the 9th if we don't score here. but we will.

650 I se his point about Gaudin, But that last move was baffling, Marte's already in the game. Abreu's 0-3 against Marte, admitted small sample size. I don't think Coke is that much better than Marte. Girardi's moves are like a millionaire buying to Ferrari's in different colors cause he can.

[666] damn you.

oh good, it's fuentes!

Please score 8 here in the 9th. My head can't take it anymore.

[664] Hear hear! I made that point before the ALCS.

Was hoping that HR would get Damon going, but I guess not.

[664] I'm not thrilled at all with carrying a third catcher whose only purpose is to be the emergency catcher on games that Molina starts, gets PH for and Posada gets hurt (or, possibly PR for in extra innings).

Lots of wasted roster spots.

tex just looks bad.

Teixiera needs to wake up...he has looked downright awful.

[676] Cervelli is a waste, can't argue with that. Glaring.

chances fuentes throws anything close to arod? 0?

[663] How does the calculator work?

Hoo boy. He really does look bad.

fuck, tex. what's goin' on with him at the plate?

always comes down to A-Rod.

do it again, buddy!!!

the only roster move i would have done differently would be hinske for Marte. But I fail to see how it makes much of a difference.

Okay, if they don't walk Alex I'l be very, very surprised.

Good heavens. It's tough when you have to justify your 1B because of defense, especially when he is batting third.

Take out Tex and put in Miggy Cairo.

they won't pitch to a-rod.

Wow...Tex has almost been as bad as Arod when he was bad. Too bad for Arod he didn't have someone to pick him up.

Meanwhile, the folly of Gardner comes home to roost as Arod now has 0 protection. Girardi has really not distinguished himself in this game.

WOW

[681] There are only so many different inning/score/bases/outs combinations. It takes the current combination and see what percentage of the time a given team won, based on all the major league games since 1972.

I would not PH for Gardner. I don't think that Hairston is that much of an offensive upgrade over Gritner, and now you lose the possibility of swapping Gritty in for Johnny on defense.

Kelly Leak it for an inside the parker. D'oh.

PH for Gritner? should be HINSKE!!!

Hairston. i dig him. hope he comes through again...

[681] It uses historical data. It takes the situation (run difference, men on base, outs, inning) and it tells you what percentage of games the home team wins in that situation.

But it doesn't incorporate any specific data about the particular teams. It just gives you a nice starting point to think about your chances.

Gritner with the "clutch" hit?

[692] yeah i would have let him hit.

[692] Gardner has no chance against a lefty.

Good to hear some other team getting slammed for the "bad chemistry" bullshit.

Is Gardner really such a bad hitter? They don't want to give him ANY at-bats?

Great and now with no Hinske, they can walk A-Rod. great managing.

[696] Nope.

that was a nice curve.

will alex run?

I'd send A-Rod.

I literally just walked in the house from work and put on my spring training jersey.

Spring training jersey + John & Suzyn - McCarver & Buck + commenting on the Banter = win for the Yankees

Mo's warming. Girardi's going to fuck this one up.

[698] neither does hinske, which i imagine is why he's off this roster (la's 2 best relievers are lefties)

OK, does JHJ like pie?

Yeah, he can't catch up to a 90 mph fastball.

Somewhere, Eric Hinske winces.

oh Jerry!!!!!

Please don't fucking waste mo yet

Sigh.

I think this is Girardi's worst game.

godamn motherfucking bullshit.

terrible swings that inning.

that blonde, however, was cute as hell !!! ; )

That was rather putrid.

[706] mo has to be warming in case they take the lead. i still think hughes stays in.

Gaudin in the 11th. : (

[707] He could have hit for Melky against Jepsen...there are spots to use Hinske.

713 That's it focus on the good!

It's still Phil, don't worry.

[698] Even if he has 0%, Hairston has almost 0%. In that case, I would save Gardner for the chance to use him on defense. Now Girardi has basically no PH or PR or LIDR options (he can't use Guzman unless he wants to set up some goofy defense).

[706] Huh? I thought everyone hated Joe Torre for not putting in his closer in a tie game on the road in the 9th. I don't want to lose with the greatest of all time still in the bullpen.

EIGHT pitches for Hughes. PLEASE send him back out.

PLEASE!!!

There's no way Girardi pulls Hughes...it would absolutely defy any kind of logic.

Does anyone think the lyrics in that commercial with the dog sound like "oh edwar oh edwar oh edwar?"

[692] Agreed. Once again we are burning through or BP and our bench.