Alex Rodriguez and the Yanks are back at it in Cleveland tonight.
Go git ’em, fellers.
[Picture by Stephen Holland]
Friday
December 27, 2024
Since 2002
Try, Try Again
137 comments
"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver
--Earl Weaver
I've now reached the "I just want to get it over with" portion of the chase to 600.
In the meantime, I'll be watching the World Series Film Collection until first pitch
Major rain expected to pass through till 8 pm
Indians 3B Jhonny Peralta dealt to Tigers within the past hour ...
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/07/tigers-acquire-jhonny-peralta.html
[3] I *hate* the spelling of his name, btw.
I simply can't abide it.
[4]
Dwyane Wade chuckles at your hatred :-)
3) Phew...the Yankees escaped that trap.
The Angels simply lay down for the Sox. They're about to be swept in Anaheim. What a joke.
Tarp coming off the field in Cle.
[5] So do the various JaMarcuses affiiated with the NFL
[4] I suspect in Spanish, Jonny would be pronounced HONNY, you need that h in the spelling for the J sound.
[6] I haven't heard the Wes Helms rumors in a while. I don't know if its because that idea is dead or they're now working quietly
[10] Orthography aside, I still don't like it! ;)
11) only few more days till safety...
10) interesting...though I also suspect that Johnny or Jonny or Jhonny for that matter is ot really a Spanish name, so the spelling seems silly. i mean, if I was going to call my son Juan, I would also spell it Juan even though I am not anEnglish speaker...I wouldn't spell it Wahn or whatever to conform to English orthography.
[13] I will say one thing. Jerry Hairston was panned here by almost everyone last year, and really, on the whole, I think served his purpose.
14) OK, I take back what I wrote. A search for Jhnonny on baseball-reference generate es thirteen players in the ML and MiL. So I guess at this point it has become a more or less accepted spelling (I assume all of the players are Latino).
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl/player_search.cgi?search=Jhonny
15) I tell ya', given that The all purpose BUIF is Peña, I would cry tears of joy if the team landed another Hairston.
17) and by "Hairston" I do not mean "Tejada"!
Anyone know what happened with Jack Curry on Yes?
[19] They still bring him up, so I figured he was just on vacation
I missed the Jeter AB...let me guess...first pitch ground out?
[21]
6-3 nubber off bat
I'll take it...ty Alex.
Alright, I'll take it
He now has the most ab's for anyone trying to go from 599 to 600. I'll take a nice rbi single up the middle any day, though.
A Rod selfishly going for a run producing single rather than giving the crowd what it wants to see. Continuing the drama.
Here's one for you. Say, for argument's sake A-Rod doesn't hit the homer by Saturday. Do you sit him Sunday?
[27] I kinda would like to see him get it in Tampa, just to rub it in.
Gazoo Brains!
[27] Why? To clear his head?
Name all 4 former Yankee catchers who have also managed the team.
Indian's trivia question tonight.
Yogi & Girardi.
Other two are?
[31] Houk is one.
Hey guys. Just tuned in.
How is it only top of the 2nd an hour+ into the game?
[31] Dickey the other...but it was only for a short stint I think.
[30] And let him get it at home.
Little singles all the way around.
[35] That would never be a factor...the Yankees are playing the Rays.
Curtis!
[34] I was going to suggest Dickey, but wasn't sure if he managed.
Number 9 (scorecard) ... number 9 ...
[38] I think it was for a short time after McCarthy resigned.
Gardner had better be running.
Jeter is very sad to watch now.
[42]
I wonder if Jeter would ever just walk away from the game in the middle of a contract
Look at that smile on Frankie
[43] Never...the man is not a quitter. I dont even think this season will have an impact on his expectations for his next contract.
I smell a feasting on Cleveland's bullpen tonight.
Alright, Big Man. Get it done.
Aw nerts, was hoping for more. But I'll take a 4-0 lead
[43][45] Hard to tell. I'm sure he would perceive it "quitting" if in the middle of a contract he was simply unable to perform physically. I think that the more critical issue is, rather, whether or not Jeter is capable of admitting to himself when he can no longer play.
Sox win and Rays winning...so much for making hay while playing the Indians.
Kim Jones rocks!
Burnett is absolutely maddening.
Crap. Let's go AJ.
It doesn't mean they won't win the World Series anyway, but the Yankees really did "need" Lee.
[49] Heck, Bernie still hasn't retired.
Jeremy Bonderman at 27 is contemplating retirement, and so far he's gettinr ripped for it, by David Pinto & our local ESPN host Norm Wamer for not having the competitive spirit.
[55] Each player is different. We'll see how Jeter's career winds down. What frustrates me this yea is not that he is scuffling offensively. Who knows, maybe this is the end of the line, a big, steep slope in the inevitable decline. But he is still hitting a tad better than the average AL SS and playing only somewhat worse defense. He still rates out as an overall positive for the team.
BUT....
He should not be absorbing so many ABs. It would be politically very difficult, but they really should consider dropping him down in the line up for the rest of the season, and perhaps for the remainder of his career if this season does prove to be the beginning of the end and not some crazy blip.
Don't go hurting my Frankie!!!!
[56] True dat. All of that.
How many HBP does Frankie Brains have this year.
And with Jorge DHing, we'd lose that spot and run the risk of a pitcher on the bases. Or is Pena the emergency third catcher?
another infield ball in play for Jeter
[58] Cervelli seems OK, but my guess is that we would not see a pitcher on the bases. Worst case scenario, they would pull AJ for a PH or PR and then go to the BP with a big lead.
Jeter had better be running, for sure.
apparently the score truck never made it to the game last night so it was loaded with extra runs for tonight.
Can't go to 3-0
Dale Scott's strike zone has shrunk
This is getting tiresome
[64] What is? Waiting for a semi-historic HR, or listening to the announcers four times a game build up the semi-historic HR?
[65] Both
Cano's Cannon. Neat dp.
Is Robbie the best fielding 2B in the league?
[10] It would be pronounced "YONNY"
[11] Still the waiver period to deal with.
[14] You'd be surprised. I know a Yesika (pronounced 'Jessica'), Yina ('Gina') and Deysi ('Daisy'). There was Deivi ('Davey') Cruz that played all those years in the majors... Of course it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility that Jhonny was misspelled.
Love me some Robbie!
Damn, that sounded so nice.
OK boys, save a few runs for tomorrow night! Might need 'em.
Late to the Score Truck arrival..any room on board for me? Asahi Super Dry and some crab-flavored chips for everyone! Go Go Robbie Cano!!
69) See 16)
Feels like a long time since a nice, relaxing game. Where did everyone go?
Dodgers acquire Podsednik .... the NL West is weird.
Ugh. That play seems to be fucked up more times than not.
[76] Torre misses Juan Pierre?
[73] Asahi & crab chips? I've got an extra seat here.
My friend asked me this question. Does anyone know who holds the record for one player knocking in another?
[80] Interesting! Career or season?
[80]
Hmmm ... Perez and Rose?
[80] Ruth & Gehrig?
[80] Would have to be Gehrig knocking in Ruth in one of his 170RBI seasons..?
[79] I'm in!
[84] Except Ruth scored himself a lot on HRs. Maybe a less obvious pair, like Mattingly knocking in Henderson in '85?
[91] I'm assuming career
[80] So basically, who is the baseball equivalent of Stockton to Malone?
[85] But Ruth also walked 120+ times a year..and even the Babe coud score from first on balls hit into center at the old Stadium...+ Lou's 40 taters...
[86, 88] Hm. Gerhig and Ruth are all over the all-time single season leader boards for runs scored, so Gehrig-Ruth seems like a good guess. But they play together enough?
[89] That's my hesitation. I think they only had nine full seasons together.
Babe had 163 runs scored in 1928...163!!!
Its only the end of the fifth now?
[92] Amazingly, yes. It's almost as if speedy Brett Gardner ran around the earth so fast that he reversed time, like Superman. Or it's just a really, really slow ball game.
I do have some sympathy for Joe West's complaints.
[89] I'm also thinking its probably not players that hit back to back. Might need someone in there to advance the runner.
Great pitch!!! OK, am I the only one who is now cheering like 10x harder for AJ now? It's funny, despite the temper tantrum he is still the anti-Kevin Brown for me.
Alex is always doing something I've never seen before.
Todd and A-Rod ..... Simpsons anybody?
Jess Todd in the for the Indians....seriously, first Blake Wood, now Jess Todd...
oh shit that was awesome. loved him just picking up second base.
[97] BOLI HELPS US PLAY!!!
Lou Gehrig 1934: 49 home runs, 31 strike outs..great, now I will be on baseball reference.com for 3 hours...
I'm writing the recap of this game .... please move it along.
[97] Not a single Flanders in Baseball Reference. : ( There's Charles Oakley of course. But no Dokalie's.
[102] Game didn't get started until what 8 pm -- was a rain delay. I got caught in it at 4:15 pm, started just as I got home so of course the dogs wouldn't go outside. When I got home I had after Aikido I had one mess to pick up. Lots of nasty storms this summer.
And now another rain storm has started. Might hit Cleveland in an hour or so.
[104]
Yes, I know about the rain delay ... I already have a good portion of it sketched out ... so of course A-Rod will get his 600th, and I'll have a major rewrite ahead of me. :-)
Now the Indians radio announcers are griping---rightly---about AJ's pace even when ahead 8-0. Mercifully we are delivered by a DP.
[105] Rewrite -- that will put you ahead of Mitch Albom. Shame that he went Hollywood. I suspect when he goes to heaven one of the people he won't want to meet is Shirley Povich.
I don't think Frankie will ever homer again.
[107]
Yes ... I read about that .... pretty pathetic.
[109] And the thing is, if he had just rewritten the story so that the guys weren't there, it would be fine. I don't mind prewriting a story before it's finished, most time paragraphs or at least sentences that have already occurred can be kept and deadlines are hard. But be honest and rewrite what didn't happen.
Joba?
His stock has really fallen.
Really, Joba? Really?
Not going to hold the runner on with a 8-0 lead, Joba...
Fucking gnats.
Herrmann's Homerits?
So, I always defend Jeter here, but tonight was another brutal game, it seems. What to do this year? I wonder if he would benefit from a trip to the DL? But that would mean two weeks Peña.
Anyway, I'm just trying to stir up some conversation.
Specially Marked Balls ...
[115] Maybe start some trade rumors?
[115] I have to believe he can finish out his career (5+ years) hitting .300. I mean, he's a .317 hitter or whatever he is. And his swing shouldn't be all that hard to maintain in his old age. I don't know, someone ought to look up precipitous declines from lifetime .317 hitters.
Can't this just be the season he realizes he has to make some kind of end of career adjustment?
Then again, Bernie's decline was equally precipitous, so I just don't know.
Sigh.
Joba's behind the party platter these days?
[118] Bernie had a few really bad injuries; his precipitous decline can be traced directly to those.
The most frightening comparison to jeter would be someone like Roberto Alomar. Take a look at his decline after 2001.
I'm still holding out hope that there is more Luke Appling in Jeter, though.
[115] Jeter had a multi-hit game yesterday, and a 270 average is not horrific by any means. 0-5 tonight is not that unusual for any player. He does not seem altogether right, and is probably a little nicked up. It is frustrating to watch.
Moving him down in the order might be helpful, but where?
He still needs about 140 hits for 3000 total, and although he would never say it, wants to be the only Yankee to surpass that mark.
[118] Can’t this just be the season he realizes he has to make some kind of end of career adjustment?
Actually, I'm hoping for this too. I thought 2008 was the adjustment year, but he was also dinged up that season, so maybe 2009 should be attributed more to better health than adjustments in hitting.
Like I said when everyone announced him dead in 2008, we'll know a lot more NEXT season. Two straight really poor seasons (by his standards) and we are probably looking at the end. But a nice bounce back would not surprise me at all.
Derek has a .723 OPS, good for 8th amongst MLB SSs... and a couple of good games from 6th place. His D hasn't been bad, but you have to guess he's middle of the pack or worse.
There are 2 issues.
1) We are used to a .842 career OPS
2) His impending contract. Does he get paid market value ($10m-ish)?
How much does he get for being Jeter? And is 3 years dangerous (at any price)?
[121] He's hitting a pretty empty .270, and his crazy 3.2 to 1 groundball to flyball rate is, well, crazy bad.
I would drop him to ninth in the order. N, this is not reactionary or a desire "punish" him. Basically, I would flip flop him and Gardner, giving Gritner an extended look at lead off to see if he can "handle" it.
[123] ReplacementLevel has Jeter at something like -7 runs for the season at defense...below average but not cripplingly so, especially given his offense for position.
As for his contract, I think this is basically immaterial. He will be overpaid in terms of money and years. There is no reason even to discuss or worry about this.
My concern is how to get the most out of what offensive production he still provides. Yes, we are spoiled by .800+ OPS, and yes (as I have argued before) he is still a solid offensive player for his position. But for most teams, the SS is one of the worst batters...and indeed, this is the case with Jeter and the Yankees this year.
Unless something changes, he is not a top of the lineup hitter anymore. No shame in that. But where to put him?
Why is Mitre being used when Mosely is starting tomorrow night? Isn't Mitre one of the long men, supposedly?
I know that we can't get into the mind of Derek Jeter, but do you really think he wants a 3 year deal? Doesn't need the money. He does not have a raging ego and seems very centered. His status as one of the greats is assured. In my opinion, he will not linger as a player if he cannot meaningfully contribute on a regular basis.
Love seeing Swisher pumping those short legs. Nice catch.
[127] I actually agree with you. But in any case, what difference does it make if the Yankees give him three or four years? The organization has shown that they will cut ties with legends (Donnie, Bernie), so the worst case scenario is that Jeter stinks it up and the Yankees eat 15 or 20 million per year for a couple of years at the end of his contract,
Yeah, that's some money. But it's also a relative pittance compared to the Yankee budget, especially when one considers all of the money coming off the books in the next few years.
Swisher's D is far improved from last year.
[125] Money is ALWAYS an issue. We let JD go to save $3m or $4m. The difference between Jeter's value and PAY HIM WHATEVER HE WANTS is some serious coin.
"... so the worst case scenario is that Jeter stinks it up and the Yankees eat 15 or 20 million per year for a couple of years.."
I'd pay some serious money to see you say that to Cashmans face.
As far as $$$ off the books, the only gain is Posada, as we have his replacement on the farm. Swish is getting more expensive, as is Grandy and Cano. ARod goes down a touch, but AJ, CC, ARod and Teix are serious commitments. Let's not forget that when money comes off the books, we need to replace those players. Cliff Lee, Werth, Crawford.... these guys aren't free.
[130] Yes, we let JD go to save 3 or 4 million to use elsewhere, no doubt. But the committed payroll this year is significant (Jeter, ARod, Posada, Mo, Teix, AJ, CC and even Grandy). A whole bunch of those contracts will be gone in a couple of years, including Jeter. So, the team would simply be paying Jeter's next contract using money that they are already using for him.
PLUS, his 15 or 20 million per year will be worth LESS in a few years, given inflation.
Effectively, the money will be a non-issue.
[130] Let's hope Jeter finishes the year strong, and has a important post season (if the team gets there). The team will be more compelled to pay him what he wants, but I don't see him asking for more than 2 years.
I think that the Yankees wanted to release JD, and took his bat for granted. I believe that Cashman was embarrassed by his defense, and non-existent arm.
Back to [7], the extent to which I loathe the fucking Angels, and Mike "Overrated, Grumbly, Whiny, Can't Roll Over and Beg For A Treat Fast Enough when the Shit Sox are in town" Scioscia - that extent is a little bit scary.
[134] Whoa...it is scary. You went back 120+ comments to refer to it! ; )
[133] Right. At least Jeter can still more or less play a position, and a high value position at that.
[135] It's true, it's true!