Robbie Cano is back; Swish has the night off. Line up looks like such:
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Andruw Jones RF
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner LF
Never mind the preamble…Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Picture by Steve Perille]
new kid's leading off, huh, and let's go Andruw!
[1] And Sliced throws out the first game thread comment at the new Banter!
For a fright, take a look at Jeter's monthly splits from May 2010 thru April 2011. That's a full, consecutive season in which he didn't slug over .400 in any single month. The current output is so low that I'm actually getting misty for the .350 slg of most of last year.
Oh man, I hope he turns it around - at this point, is there even one thing he does well on the field that helps the yankees? No glove, no range, no walks, no hits, no power, and no speed (0-2 in SB this year).
[3] No one gets infield hits quite like Jeter does! I'm not sure how much that helps the Yanks, outside of a .313 OBP being better than a .250 OBP. Particularly from the guy who gets more PAs than anyone else.
I really hope he turns it around, too. I'd even take last year's line at this point.
I'd also like to see him sit a bit more often. He's played in 25 of 26 games. A bit of rest couldn't hurt, right?
Hey I just saw Jeter hit one to the warning track on the BP show. So he's got that going for him. : ) Glad to see Robbie back in the line up.
*tapping* Is this thing on?
Chavez looks like Damon when he smiles. He even talks a little like him.
didn't check in before, but loving the new layout!
I was wishing and hoping that Jeter only took a two year deal (like Mariano)this past off-season. If his decline is real (and I blame that girlfriend and the new mouth piece he wears)things are going to get really ugly around here; much worse than the chatter now.
We love Derek, and it would be a shame if 16 years of goodwill are tainted by the fans discontent now. How can this be fun for him? How can he continue in a player leadership role when he does not contribute on the field and arguably hinders the teams success?
I hope he can turn things around, but if not...3000 hits will be the last highlight. When that happens, there has to be way for a graceful ending. If not, we'll have Captain Fungo for the rest of the season. I want to be wrong...
すげー！ Just showed up at the Banter, well done people!! I got 12 hrs of unpacking ahead but will have the game on in the background.
[7] That talking part not so much a compliment.
I can't watch tonight, because our Town Meeting will occupy me. With any luck everything will be settled quickly and I can get back home. (Democracy is such a pain in the ass.)
I'm still getting used to being able to give someone the night off and not having them be replaced by the worst AAAA minor leaguer we can find.
Odd. Last night I got the ESPN feed, it wasn't blacked out, tonight I don't get the MLBN feed, only the Tiger's one.
[14] Just testing things out
Alright. I predict a three hit game for Jeter
[15] If you go look at old threads where someone typed in the comment number in square brackets, those links work now!
I'm very pleased with the new look.
Alright boys, let's break the new Banter in with a W!
I hate this behind the plate view
Huzzah!
Hah!
Well struck, Derek!
Now that's a hit.
48
[19] Really? I love it! Makes you feel like you're the batter!
I'm really liking Bob Lorenz
How did that thing carry so far?
That was almost a check swing.
dang.
[25] I can't see a thing
No rank on Grandy, but I have always thought Gritner should be in CF... and he would have had that.
After losing 7 in a row, spotting the Tigers two runs will only make eight in a row feel worse.
Watch your lips!
Two zombies, two line drives!
Wow... that looked like when Charlie Brown is pitching, and the shot back at him knocks off his clothes.
[33] It's Sadie Hawkins Day!
Andruw so far against LHP: .286 .286 .476 .762
That's one quiet crowd in Detroit, I can hear all the vendors.
Nerts. But it was well struck.
A "menace!"
C'mon pajama pants. Get outta this!
Man. Alex is really slumping. Swing is long, he is off balance...drag.
Hmm... not bad, not bad. A lot roomier. Nice little throwback to Toaster, though the original Toaster font in the comments section would make it really genuine. Gotta get used to the front page layout, but this is a marked improvement over the SNY-induced issues we had before. This is like moving into a new and better apartment (which I did just a month ago...) Fun! So, when's the housewarming?
Site look fantastic, Alex. Getting the hang of it.
Wish I could say that same for this game. Most of the line up looks like it's on auto-pilot...sleeping...hung over.
Wow.
I thought that was gone for sure.
Phew.
That's a big ballpark.
[42] Chyll, we should get AB to make a photo page, show off our new joints!
Cabrera..so much for his drinking affecting his game..
I am missing that Sparky Anderson quote in the masthead, though. That's an excellent quote.
[47] See: Mickey Mantle
[47] Speaking of new joints...I am glad your move went well, especially the "no tipping" thing.
[48] You mean Earl Weaver's quote? It's all the way to the top right.
Russell!
Hey, they finally realized Brad Penny was pitching.
Martin!
We're gonna have to find a good nickname for RCM.
Coltrane!!
And love that we don't have to refresh after every 50 comments now, that was annoying.
Rats!
Well ... that was just sad.
Jones does realize you need to slide into home, not the catcher?
I wonder if Thompson knew who was on deck. : (
That was a foolish tag.
[51] Ooops. Thanks. When I was writing that I was wondering if I had the name correct. Perhaps I've got Sparky on the brain, what with the Tiger's sleeves and all. I actually hadn't scrolled up to that part of the page yet.
[59] I think Jones went on his own.
All these weak-ass groundballs.
I have to wonder what would happen if every batter went up hellbent on hitting it up the middle.
I miss Tiger Stadium.
Wow. This game pretty much sucks.
Oh, fuck it all.
Arrggh
well, at least the Heat are up on the Celtics..
Fugh.
Jeez, ya leave to get another drink . . .
They hit the ball the other way and get hits, we keep trying to pull and hit weak-ass grounders.
Hmmm...
What's up with CC?
This is all your fault Alex, change it back, change it back!
=)
On another subject, did you see that the Indian's Choo was arrested for DUI last night. He blew a .2, seriously a danger. When will these millionaires realize that there is this service called a Taxi available everywhere.
73) LOL. Yeah, CC just don't got it tonight.
Nice strike out there, though.
Cojones. One more big guy!
Nice play CC. Love it when you call him big papa!
Now...some runs please.
[74] Money can't buy brains. Besides, a taxi costs about $20, proving stupidity isn't an economic issue.
[74] The Mariners, I believe, have a car service that is on call for any of their players, gratis. The Indians seem like the kind of organization that would have a similar service. Its kind of silly that these guys take such a foolish risk when they have easy alternatives available (like a taxi).
[73] Its not Alex's fault, its Scott Sizemore. He's the difference between tonight and last night. Sadly for us, the Tigers realized there was no point to let him waste away in AAA when the first 3 hitters in their lineup couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat in the middle of the Atlantic.
[74] Never understood that. Paris, LiLo, same thing. When I drove a taxi in Jersey, I was always carting around alcoholics.
[79] Is Scott related to Grady?
Yeah, its one of those games.
Ack.
CaNO!
Time for the circus music.
I guess we're not going to win this game.
The Yanks have looked awful on the base paths this series.
NIce hit, Jorgie.
Zombie Posada craves BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINS!!!
After Cano got hung up, you knew Po would stroke the ball. The Yanks still have time to wake up and steal this game.
What the fuck was that?
WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT.
THE.
FUCKKKK????
Sweet Jumping Jesus on a Teeny Tiny Pogo Stick.
WTF guys???
WTF? Jorge leaving early on a hit and run? We're not playing red rover guys.
[79] Mud Hens hardest hit. They finally get over .500 and bang, lose their best player.
I believe Scott & Grady are brothers.
The Yankees' have been playing sloppy for a while now. When the competition gets better, these kinds of mistakes wont cut it. The schedule wont stay easy forever.
Did Jorge Posada forget where he was?
[93] It was more like a hit and wander or a hit and meander.
[96] Did Posada forget who he was?
I think the entire MLB is playing sloppy baseball this year. Holy crap the series between Texas and Oakland this weekend was just one ugly mistakefest. Maybe that's why Cleveland's in first place; they might be the only ones who are actually executing.
OK, here we go. 100+ comments. Hope this works.
[100] Hope so too
That Cano is something else.
Whee!
Robinson is sooooo smoooooth making that pivot. That was not an easy throw from Arod, and Cano made the DP still happen.
Ooh, I like the Toaster style separation of every 100 comments
All is not lost. Score some friggin' runs!
Hmm...just remembered that I left the previous section open until we got more than 10 comments past the break. Maybe I should do that again...
I think I like the new layout bunches....pretty damn cool. Now the Yanks need to do their part and score some runs.
[107] Ken the A's new yellow throwback threads absolutely positively rock the house. Have you gotten one?
[100] Ken, thank you to you & Laura for all your hard work on this version. I'm sure there will be bugs to be worked out and not everyone's going to like everything (that's what makes the world interesting) but I like the new site. It expands from simply baseball with a few others attached.
C'mon. Rally!
schlereth...the name harkens back to the middle kingdom.
[108] I do like those jerseys, but wearing jerseys isn't really my style. If I did, though, I'd want one of those.
Only jersey I have is a black Mark Ellis one. Love Mark Ellis, but hate the black A's jerseys. I've never actually worn it.
Penny's pretty slow to the plate, I can see why Posada took off, trying to catch him napping.
[112] I think at Uni-watch they'd call those jerseys "black for black's sake" since the A's really don't have that in their color scheme. But, I really dig those yellow ones. Do they have a green accompaniment? I'm guessing they will at some point.
[110] Time for Cap'n to do something.
I am LOVING these hyperlinks to earlier comments. Navigation is awesome.
OMG. It really does look like the old Baseball Toaster. Sniff.
I HATE the Angels.
[114] At least Jeter hit the ball in the air.
[103] Ken, whatever you had to do to get (some of?) the Toaster's old code over here - thanks for doing it. I miss the old blue, two column layout a little bit, but this feels like going home again.
[117] There was a bit of cutting and pasting, for sure. It was a little different because the Toaster was written in Perl, and this is PHP, but I could use some chunks of it.
[118] Web design is way above my skill set but I'm diggin' it.
[114] The A's road alternate unis this year are green. The A's home alternates are the yellow ones. The road greens aren't the same 70s green, though, they're darker.
[116] Seriously, it's like they're hypnotized by the damn Sox. Big middle finger to Scioscia too, he just ribs me the wrong way.
Yanks really really need to start winning CC starts..
He's a good pitcher, that Sabathia.
Life. That one hit the old wall. Crazy.
I know this is going to sound nutty but honestly, I'm growing tired of these homeruns.
nice rally killer from Tex
That used to not be a home run in Comerica. At least an over the fence home run.
Leyland must not like Valverde
They've got some real annoying people near the crowd mics tonight
[127] I like Valverde, or at least his penchant for giving up runs.
Ooh, Swish as pinch hitter - I was just thinking about that!
OK, where did everyone go?
Did Valverde always have such a gut?
Oh well.
Horse shit.
Bollocks. This game never happened.
That was garbage.
Meh.
[120] Give me the 70's bright Kelley green every time. I got a Birmingham A's throwback jersey (the sleeveless kind) with the long green sleeves undershirt at a Rickwood Classic a few years back. It's wool and really cool.
Speaking of the A's, they're the MLB.TV free game tonight.