The Yankees have the chance to leave Boston with a red smear on the bottom of their spikes. They’ve won the series either way, but putting an exclamation point after the third game would be a welcome conclusion.
It’s a Sunday night special, under the lights. Adam Warren and Joe Kelly have the honor of trying to keep the game under five hours. Godspeed to them. It’s a fortunate schedule as it’s majestic outside right now.
I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the lineups, but in the meantime, enjoy a heckuva day.
God, it feels like every game is on ESPN. I'm sick of them and their stupid strike zone box.
Ellsbury's a good hitter.
A perfectly acceptable beginning to the game.
Brett likes to watch.
Nice hit, rbj.
[1] yup.
Gonna watch the top of the first, but then we're headed out for dinner...
The boos are kinda comic at this point.
Another shit sock with poor facial hair.
Didn't realize Kelly throws so hard...
Perfect time for 661. . .
Guess not
[7] I think he's their best pitcher.
Yay, Teix!
Tex goes BOOM!!
Suck on that, Boston!
(Contain yourselves, ESPN.)
Ho ho ho!
Teixeira can still hit.
I have to reassure myself sometimes.
Mark, however!
Of course, these Yankee 'staches are *really* bad too...
espn still talking about how great joe Kelly is...
I wonder how many "fans" booing Alex have an Aaron Hernandez jersey still hanging in a closet at home.
No, they despise Aaron Hernandez.
You have to turn off the ESPN sound, no matter how much you feel like you're missing.
I love the title Jon gave this blog entry, by the way. Very evocative.
[20] I, too, was quite taken by the title.
By God, look! 3 up, 3 down! And the announcer's tone goes to low bass.
[4] You can't sneak that Being There reference by me, RIYank :)
There's a metal band that has a song title "To Sleep, Perchance To Scream" \m/
Hanley had a scorching April, but I think he's going to be very frustrating to RSN.
I liked the Mike Trout commercial but I have never understood the allure of an autograph.
(I miss Robbie and his arm.)
Justice Warren holding court today.
Nice inning.
Warren looking good early.
[28] Goofus.
Maybe if the Yanks go up 5-0 or 6-0, ESPN will run an Olympics-style mini-bio on Kelly.
[27] Me too :( I usually try to catch King Felix's starts to watch him and Robbie.
God, the Krukie persona is just intolerable..he surely cannot be like that in real life?
I'm not sure Brett's strategy of getting to 0-2 against this guy is working.
Just keep watching, Brett.
Brett has been gathering evidence on Kelly by observing his pitches carefully and quietly.
[32] Well, he is throwing a no-hitter with 12 straight Ks after all..
[33] He's a punchable. A guy that even non-violent people like me would really enjoy punching.
John Lackey is another.
Way to shorten your swing, Alex.
You RSN dumbfucks. ARod wanted to come to your team. He was willing to take a pay cut to come to your team. He would be on your team right now, and your favorite goddamn player, if the union hadn't vetoed the deal.
50-50 Kelly walks Teixeira here.
[37] I'm kind of surprised but Schilling is actually not bad, offers some interesting insights.
Nice hit Alex. C'mon, Mark.
Yeah, he fears the Teixinator.
Maybe anncrs should comment on his command?
[41] He is not popular in Rhode Island.
Dude's throwing a lot of pitches.
McCann's really hanging in there.
McCann does murder sweep!
Brian!
Damn!
What a rope!
What a fantastic fucking at-bat.
Wow.
That was a joy to behold.
(Man, I was hoping I could use that one.)
Hell yeah, McCann!
What a great pitcher!
(Even though it doesn't really make any sense.)
The Candy McCann can... oh, never mind, Suzyn
[48] Laughing.
I think you are truly losing your mind, my friend.
This sweep is really going to knit up the ravell’d sleave of care.
[54] Hahahahaah!
It really doesn't.
He's lost his command.
Kelly at 65 pitches. They're really making him work.
Oh, man, this is a fun game!
BELTed!
How on earth did Beltran turn around a high fastball?
That strike zone box is the most annoying thing I've ever seen.
Carlos! Yeah, Kelly is the second coming of the Big Train.
[32] Well, we're going to find out.
Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sweep no more!'
Guess I must have misheard.
Kruk and Schilling need to stand behind Kelly and tell HIM, not us, where to locate.
Off the plate, Blue!
[63] It really is.
[66] Perhaps they should be rechristened the New York Thanekees.
[66] Isn't that more for Baltimore?
Cy Kelly!
[70] Whoa-ho!
We are bringing the Burnham wood to Fenway's Dunsinane tonight, huh?
But our host pro tem. was going more melancholy Danish. I'll try to branch out a little.
Seriously, it must be like 80-20% Red Sox talk on this game..imagine if they actually had a good team!
Drew!
A good infield is a joy to root for.
It's been a while, huh?
Nice play, Drew.
We're getting some very good defense out of our middle infielders tonight.
[76] It really really is.
[73] To locate, or not to locate, THAT is the question.
[79] There ya go.
And by a sweep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that fans are heir to.
'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd.
Jake en fuego.
Boy, I'm having a good night.
That was great.
[80] :))
Yeah, they couldn't try to nail Brett. Frebee for him.
Oh, dang.
That Mookie kid is good, huh?
Damn!
Damn, I really wanted that to fall in.
Nerts!
[86] It was a nice play.
As So Often Happens...
[90] Fallacy of The Pre-Determined Outcome™?
Oh, wait that's totally not what you mean..
No, the thing about how the guy who makes the great play to end the inning always seems to lead off the next inning.
Nice job, Mr. Justice.
Sit the fuck down, asshole.
Wow, Buster..great reporting there. Hadn't heard anything about the heavy winter in America..thanks!
Mookie was good. This Markus kid is also good, but his name is NOT Mookie. I will only refer to him by Markus, his given name.
[96] He always calls you by your given name too.
Don't mind walking Big Poopi, sets up a DP.
Only the bottom of the 4th..?
Got 'im!!!
Drew's having a good game in the field.
There ya go.
Nicely turned (but watch those lollypop throws in future).
[98] Words of wisdom.
Huh.
Maybe right.
Fuck.
A little silly tonight gents? Safe, doncha get a dp niblik?
Wait, what? Oh for fuck's sake!
Uh oh.
Good.
Nicely done.
Whew.
Didi D comes through.
Hey, you can't just turn any old loser loose on a 3-0!
Baseball gods overrule the umps.
[97] Lael Moshe
Hah!
[112] Ah!
Well, he calls you Moses. He can't pronounce 'Moshe', let alone 'Lael'.
Pedroia probably should have let the outfielder catch that instead of running 100 feet into the outfield
Does Kruk fulfill some personnel quota for ESPN? Why is he on national television?
This is going to be another four hour game, isn't it?
And that was a ball too, Blue.
Baseball gods strike again
Ummm.
Yeah. Base running: it's also part of baseball.
Not good.
Walking Napoli means he really doesn't have control.
me no likey leadoff walks.
nice, drew!
Damn!
Check out our fielding!
Excellent.
Drew may be the PotG!
[121] Doo-dah, doo-dah...
[114] i will call him Markus Lynn.
his initials are MLB; no wonder he's better than Willie Mays. i thought that was just espn.
now i don't like james taylor ; )
[125] HA!
kruk - stfu!
I can't take any more of these guys..enjoy the rest of the game Banterites! Time to head to Chinatown for some spicy ramen and Tsingtao beer :)
I didn't know James Taylor was still alive.
If he's from Boston where did all the noise about Carolina come from? They named a bridge for him down here for chrissakes.
[126] Heh.
"So was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston"
I think he lives in or around Stockbridge now. So, almost in New York!
Okay, he moved from MA to NC at age 3. So yeah, deep Beantown roots.
[128] Mad Men for me. Night all
i don't believe what i just saw!
didi with a base hit.
[132] Adam Warren is also a Tar Heel. At least he attended UNC.
[129] yup, he's been touring with an excellent band. steve gadd has made that group his own for a couple of solo albums.
Unbelievable.
Happy Jacoby Day!
rbj with the 4-4 by the 6th inning!
4 hits already for Jacoby
Man, check out Ellsbury!
With that nice easy swing.
Adam Warren keeps this up, maybe the Tar Heel baseball people will find something to talk about besides BJ Surhoff.
[135] Mr. Warren is from Birmingham, Al. You'd think that would bring Bama Yank out of lurk mode!
brett's stache is somethin' alright. i remember brendan ryans' crazy porn stache of doom when he was on the redbirds.
GONE!
Happy Gardner Day!
Grit!
GRITNER!!!!
the 'stache sure shuts up Krukie!
fuckin' beautiful.
Wow. That ball just kept carrying
Good Lord, Kruk trying to speak with James Taylor could well be the single most inane conversation in world history.
I'm almost feeling sorry for the Red Sox.
"Unfortunately for James..."
Oh, boo fucking hoo.
(150). That's a capital offense.
That was pretty fucking sweet.
[142] Okay, but he's no Hamma.
I guess this game and the sweep is safe. I have to be up early tomorrow, so, you know, gonna go dream, perchance.
rbj - .351
gritner - .315
a-rod - 660
[154] nor is he Andy Phillips!
[150] NEVER.
Andy Phillips is the assistant coach for the Crimson Tide baseball team.
661 only made it to the edge of the warning track.
brew crew should bring in Willie Randolph to manage their ballclub. he was there bench coach not too long ago...
JT also lived on Martha's Vineyard when he was married to Carly Simon.
Regardless of that dreck of a segment in the ESPN booth, James Taylor is a national treasure with a body of work that surpasses almost all songwriters.
[158] nice!
who's Karim Garcia?
[160] i backed up their daughter Sally once. i was touring and played in Telluride, CO where she lived. she was at the gig and came up to sing "Mustang Sally." she was great, very cool, and my age. I had a wonderful view from the drum throne. she had less than zero interest in the drummer...
[160] i taught JT's version of "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" last week. i always enjoy playing and teaching that one.
nice catch, brett!
jake and grit have *wheels* out there.
[160] Well of course. I'll be pissy tonight and then play him in the car tomorrow. But right now it's still tonight. :)
sit down, Markus Lynn!!!
one pitch foul out to Tex. i loves it! : )
Have there been a lot of foul outs this series?
Andy Phillips said he's brought a lot of Yankees training drills and such to Alabama.
And wow, it seems kind of early to be firing your manager. I know the Brewers have gotten off to a terrible start, but they just picked up Roenicke's 2016 option in March.
crap. the two most hated wreck the shutout.
crowd sounds like they won game 7 of the LCS. puh-leeze...
Credit Gardner for the effort there
Oh, walk the fuck to first base Hanley. Why the hell would that be intentional?
shut up, hanley. take your base. certainly wasn't on purpose. wtf?
assholes. shit sox have hit us sooo much over the past few seasons. waaaay more than us to them. take your base. you got hit in the hip/thigh - deal with it.
Something else Milwaukee famous for. Love to see Willie manage the Brewers.
What is it about Shitsox with stupid hair named Ramirez?
i wonder why Willie hasn't gotten another managerial opportunity...
i truly LOATHE these fucking scumbags.
shutup Big Babi. your team hits a lot of batters. get over your fat self.
you've gotta be shittin' me.
c'mon!!!
Oh Jesus.
Holy crap. Come on, don't let this one get away.
Warren's line not lookin' so good now...
Esmil Rogers is a really bad pitcher. He's been a really bad pitcher for many years until this year. I'd really like him to hold off the inevitable for at least the rest of the night.
a homer and a walk? jesus.
Daddy took our t- bird away. The fun is gone, let's just win.
fuck you, esmil.
Apparently, Rogers' defense isn't very good, either.
This has turned into an old-fashioned Yanks-Red Sox game...just when I had decided to go to bed.
Oh Christ, here we go.
I didn't even mind losing this game. We won the series. I just don't want to lose this way.
I blame RI for going to bed.
finally out of it.
let's get to double digits and double these fuckers up.
i want a clean sweep!
[188] me too.
that's not helping, carlos.
that's not helping either, chase.
why does it kinda feel like we're losing?
This is not the spot to hand them an easy 1-2-3.
lame frame.
hold these scumsuckers!!!
i really wish rickey hit 3 more homers so he could be in the 300-300 club i so dearly love...
Fossilized rock stars, yeah!
Okay, now: Thou shalt not throw a single ball to Mookie Betts.
When La Quinta inns needs a voiceover talent for their commercials, you know what Fred Willard becomes?
Able to pay his mortgage!
That was as scary a 1-2-3 inning as you'll find
I had to pause live TV to take out the dog. No laments are a good sign as I'm probably 10 mins behind
Uh, boy.
Do these guys know they're losing? Go ahead, hit Gradner too.
dear boston,
FUCK YOU!!!
let's go, Alex!
Jeez. Good thing it hit his chaw tin
C''mon, make this kid a bar trivia answer.
that was low.
frick.
not even close, shit sock fans.
The runner doesn't give the batter a strike. It's the other way around.
bases loaded.
i *really* want more runs!
low and inside. good call!
just got under it.
crap.
That's a lot of runs to not score.
Why not bring in Carpenter to face idiot Ramirez?
Don't fucking walk him!
Sit. Down.
Big strikeout!
Carp!
Yeah, that works
That was brilliant!
Nice. Nice!
another hbp.
once again: FUCK YOU, BOSTON!!!
(yeah, even if it was unintentional.)
just like hanley's wasn't intentional. christ.
c'mon, jakey - make 'em pay!
bases loaded, 2 outs ... again.
let's go, gritner!
Ooh. That was ball four
no no no no no no !!!!
that was clearly outside.
ball 4. fuck you, ump!
goddammit!
i want a quick, clean, 1-2-3 inning right now.
That's a lot of runners left on over the last two innings
Fuck you, blue!
bottom of the order for boston. i don't wanna see the lineup turnover...
[229] waaay too many. shoulda been 9 runs with alex at bat.
Worst ball-strike call of the night.
Miller hasn't thrown a strike yet
And hasn't been all that close.
have i mentioned how much i HATE leadoff walks?
better be followed by a DP...
Billy's gettin' mad
siddown.
there's 1.
dp time!!
Nice pitch
bye-bye, kid.
no batting gloves, huh.
so. it comes down to markus lynn.
One more.
Don't let the midget or the fat man get up.
i love the "let's go yan-kees" chant : )
one more strike/out.
[241] exactly.
oooooooh.
thisclose.
jesus.
stop fawning over markus.
get the midget here and now.
Damnit to fucking hell
wow, do i *hate* this fucking midget.
get him OUT!!!
This sucks
Jeez. Come on! Do not walk him.
christ. don't walk the bases loaded and have fat liar as the game winner...
holy fucking shit.
you've got to be kidding me.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This really sucks.
He's just torturing the Sux, that's all
Why? why does it always have to be like this with these teams? we should've won handily two hours ago.
my tv is on mute.
there's a feeble swing!
strike two.
wanna complain about that call, Mr. Arias?
Happy sweep everyone!
"For every Bronx boy ten years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it’s still not yet game time on that September Thursday in 1978 ... and the four-game weekend series is all in the balance, it hasn’t happened yet, it hasn’t even begun yet..."
Apologies to Shelby Foote. Sorta.
Had em all the way. Great series. Cheers, y'all!
THANK GOD.
Told ya
Sweep!!!
Happy BROOM Day!!!
(exhale.)
Yay! Does make you feel alive...
Nothing like a good adrenaline dump as I try to go to sleep to start the work week.
[188] [190] Okay, okay, sorry.
But can't you guys manage to handle things when I spot you an 8-0 lead?
{sigh} I'll have to do all these myself from now on.