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Rays vs. Rangers Game Thread. Have at it, y’all.

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87 comments

1 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 5:31 pm

Damon with the 2-run homer.

BTW, has there been any confirmation on the Francona firing story? I'm a little shocked at that, despite the historic collapse.

2 seamus   ~  Sep 30, 2011 5:42 pm

[1] they just released statements. he's gone.

3 rbj   ~  Sep 30, 2011 5:44 pm

[1] They're going to take the weekend to think it over. Apparently it wasn't a happy clubhouse.

4 a.O   ~  Sep 30, 2011 5:50 pm

Clubhouse issues makes sense. I can't think of another reason (though their injuries also contributed) why they would get that bad that fast.

5 rbj   ~  Sep 30, 2011 5:51 pm

[2] Oh wow!

Terry to the Cubs?

6 a.O   ~  Sep 30, 2011 5:54 pm

I hope not, for the Cubs' sake.

7 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:00 pm

Holy cow. Who said the Rays had weak offense?

8 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:07 pm

ooh, i'm sooo super psyched about the yanks in the playoffs that i forgot there's a game on now!

6-0 TB already? holy wow. maybe we shouldn't have let them in! ; )

yeah, tito's gone. it's official.

GO YANKS!!!

9 Alex Belth   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:08 pm

Nice start for Matt Moore.

10 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:08 pm

this is NOT the yanks game thread. i repeat, NOT the yanks game thread. but this IS the yanks lineup for tonight!:

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner LF

11 a.O   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:10 pm

[8] Yeah, it's looking a little scary.

[10] It's *a* game threat, but not *the* game thread.

12 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:11 pm

I'm starting to get a little nervous about the Rays.

They're peaking at the right time, that's for sure.

13 Alex Belth   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:19 pm

Lots of talk about the clubhouse culture in the statements from Epstein and Tito. I wonder what changed.

14 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:26 pm

jorge hamilton, haha!

15 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:29 pm

wow, mike napoli is ugly enough to be on the shit sox.

and to think, he used to catch lackey!

16 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:29 pm

[14] The Globe has been saying Francona has enabled a culture of complacency in the clubhouse, and he's also been criticized for allowing Lackey's tantrums.

Maybe it's just time. There was an analysis that came out awhile back. It found that managers are most effective their first three years. After that, it's downhill. They are either unable to see the problems, or unable to fix them if they do see them. (Since if they could fix them, they'd have done it earlier.)

17 a.O   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:34 pm

So even though Boston "doesn't have scapegoats" according to Theo, really this is Tito's fault. Or would you ([17)] say that anyone 8-years in would not be able to prevent these problems?

18 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:37 pm

There's plenty of blame go around in Boston. The players, the GM, the medical staff, they're all being blamed.

19 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:37 pm

i hope johnny sticks around a coupla few more years and racks up some serious #'s. good ol' noodle arm!

20 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:40 pm

ooh, i thought that was a strike. so did the tbs box.

apparently, no one else did...

21 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:42 pm

Wow, the Rays. Damn.

But I'm going to mute it.

Kelly Shoppach, are you kidding me???

22 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:42 pm

holy crap. former shit sox great kelly shoppach with his 2nd bomb of the day.

8-0

23 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:43 pm

Jeez. Shoppach is en fuego.

24 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:43 pm

[18] Yeah, the fan base is mainly livid at the players, I'd say. Majority agrees with aO, "You just told us you didn't believe in scapegoats you lying pile." My impression, anyway.

25 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:44 pm

[21] are you not fond of buck martinez's smokers cough?

26 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:44 pm

[22] Compare his September to Saltalamalacamalmacchia's.

27 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:44 pm

[25] It's the crap between the coughs that gets me.

28 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:46 pm

Shoppach is OPSing 4.000 in the postseason.

29 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:46 pm

[26] you left out an "m"

30 a.O   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:48 pm

[24] And Tito seemed to want out too. Seemed like he knew he had lost control and didn't want to be held responsible for the nonsense any more.

31 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:50 pm

shit. are we gonna have caray for our game? wait, no. i think i read something somewhere...it's not him. smoltz, darling, but no caray. i sure hope that's the case!

32 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:51 pm

JAIME MAGGIO!!!!!

she is absolutely *amazing*!!!

wow : o

33 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:51 pm

[31] It is. We are very fortunate.

[29] See, I knew it, but I couldn't remember where it goes.

34 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:53 pm

Tito was fucked. He was the best thing about that team. They ended up with a very unreliable starting rotation, injuries, big contracts dismal production from Crawford and Lackey, and isn't that Theo's fault...whining babies.

Big Papi was not the patriarch he made himself out to be. He was more inclusive for the Home Run Derby then for his own teammates. That RBI tantrum was an indication.

Will Francona get the White Sox job?

35 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:53 pm

[31] The press release said it would be Brian Anderson, John Smoltz, Ron Darling and Tom Verducci for the Yankees-Tiggers series.

36 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:55 pm

[31] That sure looks like a good team. I'm not sure about Verducci in the booth -- don't think I've ever heard him.

37 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:55 pm

[36] was supposed to refer to [35], not to [31].

38 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:56 pm

Matt Moore fucked us up in his other MLB start, right?

39 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:57 pm

[36] Verducci will be the field reporter. TBS's Kim Jones. ;-)

40 rbj   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:58 pm

[30] Apparently one issue is the players weren't in all that great shape. Son, you're a major leaguer, and an adult, it's up to you to do your workouts.

41 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 6:59 pm

[39] Ah!
That's a tough comparison. How about, their Ken Rosenthal?

[40] Exactly. Funny that fitness wasn't a problem in 2004, when Millar was swigging Jack in the dugout.

42 Just Fair   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:00 pm

What up gang? Woke up from a nap to see the Rays up 8-0 zip. booooooooooooooo
Looks like the SWB Yanks are coming to Rochester after all.
http://tinyurl.com/3k8v67s

43 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:00 pm

[34] either tito or sandy alomar, jr. for the pale hose gig.

there are gm openings for the cubbies and halos, if theo leaves. i doubt he will though...

[35] yes, that's it! i knew i saw that. [36] yeah, i thought the same thing about verdouchey.

[38] yup, he sure did. i think he went 5 strong.

RI - scott feldman. he one of us?

44 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:01 pm

[38] I think it was his only MLB start, and he struck out like 10 Yankees.

45 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:01 pm

[39][41] i wish we had Jaime Maggio for our game! ; )

46 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:02 pm

[43] Hm, not sure. Hard to believe a gentile would have that name!

47 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:02 pm

[42] Canada!

48 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:03 pm

[46] like most of 'em, he's prolly half...the wrong half!

49 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:03 pm

[42] Thanks! And some games in Batavia as well.

I might have to make a pilgrimage out there next summer.

Never been to the Rochester stadium before.

50 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:04 pm
51 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:06 pm

hamilton bunting the runner over, down 8-0 in the 6th? really??? christ.

cool thing with that kid!

wish they showed maggio again... only reason i'm watching this damn game! ; )

52 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:07 pm

[50] acha! nice work, detective. i was just at that page the other day...

53 Just Fair   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:07 pm

[49] Frontier field is great. I played a couple of all star games at Dwyer stadium under the lights when I was a kid, too. That was pretty damn cool.
[47] You're walking a real thin line, thealarmis! (sic) Watch out for it. ; )

54 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:08 pm

With the sound off this game is just too boring.

55 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:09 pm

[44] He struck out 11.

Jeez. His two previous appearances were out of the pen, and he didn't look nearly that impressive.

56 a.O   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:10 pm

[40] Yeah, that's utterly ridiculous. If I'm the fans or the mgt, I say give me back some of my damn money if you're not going to come prepared.

And yet they looked so good at the All-Star break ... LOL.

57 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:15 pm

[53] !!! ; )

alright people, i'm a-gonna practice some marimba and grab some grub before the main event. see you all at gametime!!!

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

58 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:16 pm

[53] dammit. i should've written:

eh?! ; )

59 rbj   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:17 pm

[49] Rochester is the main substitute host but fellow International League North members Buffalo, Lehigh Valley, Pawtucket and Syracuse also will host games.

Basically it's a season long road trip. I want Toledo to host some of those games.

60 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:18 pm

[59] Should be interesting to see the schedule when it's published.

61 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:23 pm

Whoa..8-0? I'm starting to worry about the Rays now..over-reaction? Gotta beat Los Tigres first anyways..grumble grumble..need espresso..

62 a.O   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:26 pm

No, we're all watching the Rays with trepidation. As was said earlier (by someone else), they're definitely peaking at the right time.

63 rbj   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:29 pm

[61] The alternative was Boston. If it's anything or the Red Sox, chose anything.

64 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:30 pm

"Fear is for fans of other teams."

-cultofbasebaal

65 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:34 pm

[63] very nice!

[64] i know cult personally. that's just liquid courage talking! ; )

66 thelarmis   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:34 pm

back to prak...

67 Just Fair   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:36 pm

[63] Ditto. I have benn reveling in the all the articles about their so called clubhouse issues. Good times. T-minus 60 minutes til heart racing time!

68 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:48 pm

Tito Francona's press conference makes it sound like it was his decision to leave. Very interesting. Parthian shot at the players, too, certain unnamed ones anyway.

Hm, wherever he ends up, I think I'll root for him.

69 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:49 pm

[68] What did he say about the players?

70 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:49 pm

[68] Forget which article it was but saw something yesterday ripping both Youkilis and Wakefield for being selfish..anything that bashes "Yoouuuuuuk" is fun to read!

Francona to Cubs for sure, $5million a year, easy.

71 rbj   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:58 pm

[68] I'm trying not to revel too much, might hurt us karmically in the playoffs. But some is good.

Boston has to be blown up, Tampa has a bunch of good young arms.

72 Jon DeRosa   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:59 pm

[70] thanks for your help this week! fish market is open saturday, but limited in where they let tourists go. we walked around for an hour, but when the auction got under way and they started rolling the big tuna out, they wanted us out of there. then across the alley for a sushi shop with a long but fast moving line. a guy who went there 5 years ago said they used to let you do a lot more.

73 OldYanksFan   ~  Sep 30, 2011 7:59 pm

I haven't read this whole thread, but Tito left on his own. Leaving before he was asked to? I don't think so. Nobody in their right mind could blame him for this collapse. However, Tito was a bit like Torre. He trusted the players to police themselves... for the vets to do the work. That didn't seem to work with the current Sox team.

My guess? Lackey and Crawford fucked it up.
Crawford sucked all season, and I expect more consistency from a LFer then a Pitcher, especially one who is divorcing his cancer stricken wife.

And Crawford blew the catch that ended their season.
There is a camera shot of Tito as he watched that play.
Looked like... FUCK THIS... I'M OUTA HERE!

I said before the trade that I'd cry if the Yanks got Crawford because he might get 6/$100... which would be overpaying.

8/$160 was beyond insanity. BEYOND!
A pure desparation move by Theo to try and put the Sox over the top this year. How did that work out?

In 9 full years, Carl is now a 105 OPS+ guy, averaging 3 WAR/yr... almost 1/3 of that on his D, which has now declined for 4 straight years.

I suspect the Sox with eat $40m of so of his contract and try to move him

74 Chyll Will   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:02 pm

[70] I'd like that. Let me say that I would not wish a Mets managing position on him. Bobby Valentine yes; he deserves it. Not Francona.

I also think Junior Barns has one year to fix the mess he help make before he gets shitcanned himself. Sox will not let him out that easy no matter what GM openings are up this or next year.

75 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:05 pm

[69] He said he was frustrated with, among other things, "the sense of entitlement".
My sense (from filtering through the reaction of the more reliable beat writers) is that Adrian Gonzalez is among the culprits. Terry tried hard to cover for him, but could not stand the complaining about the schedule, about the painful demands leveled on the Sox by ESPN, things like that.

76 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:06 pm

Tampa is really amazing. Second lowest payroll in baseball. Only the Royals spend less. And yet they are competing in the AL East. They have knocked the Yankees or Red Sox out of playoffs three times in four years.

They are ruthless when it comes to trading or cutting lose players when it makes sense. So doubtless some of those young arms will be available to the right buyer. Though maybe not within the division.

77 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:06 pm

I haven't read this whole thread, but Tito left on his own. Leaving before he was asked to? I don't think so.

Ummmmm.
He left on his own, but not before he was asked to?

78 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:07 pm

[74] Imagine Bobby V in Boston? Yikes!
[72] Yes, they closed off a lot of spots due to fishmongers complaining. I can understand their point, lot of clueless tourists being pushy with photographs, stepping everywhere, etc. Glad you ate some fresh sushi though! Let us know next time you come back!

79 randym77   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:08 pm

[75] Thanks. Interesting stuff.

81 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:09 pm

[70] The story about Youk is that his tendency to call out his team mates and 'hold them accountable' and light a fire under them was an asset in the past, but this year came off all wrong, as if he were complaining about them. Something like that. The fact that he wasn't among the best players on the team this year probably didn't help matters.

82 rbj   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:11 pm

[75] That's another thing that bothers me. $21 million a year comes at a price. In this economy you get no sympathy.

83 Alex Belth   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:11 pm

Yankee game thread is up.

84 OldYanksFan   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:16 pm

TBS has a pretty decent crew with Don Orsillo and (is that) Buck Martinez. I wonder if the Sox were playing, if TBS would still have Orsillo (the Red Sox PbP guy) on the TBS team.

Yes RI [77]... That's my belief anyway. I don't think his head was on the block. The guy announced he's leaving with 48 hours of the last game. Certainly if he wanted to stay, he would have talked more with Theo. If Theo didn't want him, I'm sure Theo would have let him 'leave on his own accord'. Tito had time if he wanted to stay.

He doesn't like the ethic of Crawford and Lackey, and as someone mentioned above, AGon might be on that list. Those guys are now on the team forever.

I think Tito just had enough and saw no future with these 'new guys' on the team.

85 RIYank   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:22 pm

Wait, so if he didn't leave before he was asked to, then that means he was asked to leave.
So I literally do not understand what you're saying.

But it's time to move to the other thread!

86 Boatzilla   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:30 pm

[72] Never trust Jazz on fish...or food for that matter. The list of items he won't eat is longer than Flo-Jo's fingernails (still growing, I presume).

Hey Jazz, we got no (Yankee) game today. I'm going to have to splurge for the post season package. For 20 bucks it's woit it.

87 Boatzilla   ~  Sep 30, 2011 8:31 pm

[72] BTW, I confirmed with my wife this morning that Tsukuji was closed on Sunday and she'd "Of course, that's common knowledge." (In Japanese)

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