Yanks vs. King Felix. They didn’t stand a chance, right? Well, Hernandez wasn’t in top form and the score was tied at 2 going into the 7th inning. But the Yankees made bad plays in the field (et tu, DJ?) and by the end of the inning the M’s had a 4-run lead. They’d add another 4 and won, 10-2. Really, the less said about this one, the better. But if you want the gory details, Chad Jennings’ got ’em for you.
[Photo Credit: Horacio Coppola]
Phelps' yelling at Jeter last night "THROW THE BALL!" kinda reminded me of yelling at Knoblauch from my couch many years ago. "PICK UP THE EFFING BALL!" I don't recall ever seeing anyone yell at Jeter on the field before. If the starting pitching wasn't in such disarray I would have expected Phelps to be shipped off to Trenton. And Jeter walking back after the play saying "I though it was foul" just seemed kinda sad. sigh...
1. Yeah, that was a Willie Mays on the Mets moment for Jeter, wasn't it?
That Jeter kid. I don't expect him to have a career past this year.
There were so few highlights from last night apparently, that mlb has one of a fan clapping with a sandwich in his mouth.
https://twitter.com/DanBarbarisi/status/473647943111946240
[1] sadness is the emotion we express after decompressing from cursing mad...
[2] I haven't been able to watch the games on TV except for a few this whole season, but I almost get the sense that he's coasting at this point. He can still turn it up every now and then at bat, but on the field he looks like he's relying mainly on muscle memory. It's gotta be more embarrassing for him than it is maddening to us, yet he still remains a classy guy.
[7] That's been my exact feeling and sense, too. I have notseen more than a few innings this year, but I try to read the write-ups here and on River Ave. I've been struck by the number of Jeter mistakes this year, at least according to what I have read, and my concusion is that seems more or less to have to have checked out this season. It seems to me---and it is an impression, I know---that this goes beyond what is obviously a decline in his physical skills; it really does seem like he's coasting. And I can't believe I am saying that about Jeter.
[7] & [8] Derek Jeter doesn't give a shit?
[9] No. I said if anything he's probably feeling it more than we are. But his body language suggests he's not capable of carrying it like he used to, which he kind of owned up to when he announced he was retiring. I'm not trying to get into his head, but don't you believe any of this is unusual enough to discuss?
Tex in lineup tonight per Kay
[10] I believe, by age and injury, that he's irrevocably altered and inferior to what he was in 2009 or even in 2012. And if that's what you're getting at, fine with me. But I don't think he's coasting which I take to mean not giving a shit.
[12] I would appreciate everyday hustle, defensively and offensively, regardless of overall capability. I also wouldn't miss the phrase "Jeter Retirement" on this blog for the next 4 months.
[10][12] I don't know if he gives a shit or not, but I have for the first time wondered if he's not entirely invested in the game. Let's be real, all pro athletesmust occasionally---whether we know it or not---have lapses of interest or attention over teh long season, even if just for a moment. So maybe what I am saying is that maybe now in his last season, on a less than inspiring team, his physical skills diminished from injury and (inevitably) by age, he is not as mentally focused on the game as use to be. The foul-ball-not-fould-ball play was a mental lapse more than teh result of diminished physical skills, the kind of mental lapse I could never imagine Jeter having. Is it possible that he lacks some of the intensity that he had the rest of his career.
In fact, we might turn the question around. Maybe he does lack (some of) the intensity, which explains his decision to retire: maybe he knows not only that he is not the same player physically, but also emotionally and mentally he is unwilling or unable to endure the grind. I don't think it's an implausible speculation.
[14] Well said
[14] I won't argue against any diminished capacity argument, even the capacity to tolerate the grind and bring intensity. What I don't agree with is a the argument that he is consciously choosing to give less of an effort than he is capable of giving.
I read "coasting" to imply a conscious choice to not take things seriously and to not do the best you can. Seniors are known to coast through the final semester of high school once they've been accepted to college. That's not Jeter.