Posted by: David
After Friday night's comeback win in the first game of the series I felt really positive about the Yankees season. That feeling turned quickly after the thrashing they took on Saturday afternoon. My feeling was well, it doesn't matter how bad you lose, its still only one loss. However, Sunday evening was very disappointing. With how well Mike Mussina had been pitching and his history against the Red Sox, I thought the Yankees would secure a win and take 2 out of 3.
I thought they had David Ortiz back to human but he still just kills them. Mussina was taken out after three innings and actually Wang looked pretty good, giving up only one run. Randy Johnson is still struggling and really didn't look that great against the Sox on Friday night. Are our expectations too high? If Johnson gives up three runs in six innings to a great lineup is that considered good pitching? I really thought the Yankees had Boomer on the ropes after the two homeruns, but they couldn't deliver the knockout blow and he certainly settled down and pitched great.
The Yankees now face Kansas City, Minnesota, Milwaukee and St. Louis on a twelve game road trip over the next two weeks. They should take at least eight of twelve. There is no way Kansas City should win a game. The Yankees should simply crush them. Minnesota may win two of three, but the Yankees can beat them if they play up to standards. Milwaukee isn't any good either. However, the Cardinals have a good team and they should provide a challenge for the Bombers.
I can't figure it out. Is American League hitting so good that you can't expect the pitching to hold them down? Or, is the Yankees pitching only good and not good enough to beat great teams?
I thought they had David Ortiz back to human but he still just kills them. Mussina was taken out after three innings and actually Wang looked pretty good, giving up only one run. Randy Johnson is still struggling and really didn't look that great against the Sox on Friday night. Are our expectations too high? If Johnson gives up three runs in six innings to a great lineup is that considered good pitching? I really thought the Yankees had Boomer on the ropes after the two homeruns, but they couldn't deliver the knockout blow and he certainly settled down and pitched great.
The Yankees now face Kansas City, Minnesota, Milwaukee and St. Louis on a twelve game road trip over the next two weeks. They should take at least eight of twelve. There is no way Kansas City should win a game. The Yankees should simply crush them. Minnesota may win two of three, but the Yankees can beat them if they play up to standards. Milwaukee isn't any good either. However, the Cardinals have a good team and they should provide a challenge for the Bombers.
I can't figure it out. Is American League hitting so good that you can't expect the pitching to hold them down? Or, is the Yankees pitching only good and not good enough to beat great teams?
Posted by: Patrick
Imagine 'World' without Yankees:
Sure, a World Cup seems "neat", but it is understandable. An opportunity for people to take a crack at the Yankees. There is a definitely risk, though. As there is with the NBA players in the Olympics, etc. I'm not sure what I want to see. But, if there is a World Cup, it wouldn't really be complete without Yankee players. If it happens, and all other teams send their players, I imagine Yankee players will end up going.
Via Pride of the Yankees.
The Yankees are loaded with players who could make the rosters of various nation's teams in next year's World Baseball Classic. The question is whether the Yankees will allow any of them to play.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed yesterday his team was the only one to oppose the World Baseball Classic -- baseball's proposed version of a World Cup, featuring teams from 16 countries -- when it came up for a vote earlier this month.
"We did vote against it, yes," Cashman said. "It was 29 to 1."
Whether that means that players such as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Randy Johnson, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Chien-Ming Wang and Hideki Matsui would be permitted to play for their respective countries next March -- if they wanted to -- remains to be seen.
"That's for another day," Cashman said.
...
The Yankees don't want their players, who are among the highest-paid in the game, getting injured in an international competition only weeks before the start of the season and be unable to play for them once the regular season began.
...
A commissioner's office representative said yesterday that teams would not be able to dictate whether their players would be able to participate -- that would be "up to the players themselves." But if the Yankees made it clear they didn't want their players participating, it's unlikely a player would go against those wishes.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed yesterday his team was the only one to oppose the World Baseball Classic -- baseball's proposed version of a World Cup, featuring teams from 16 countries -- when it came up for a vote earlier this month.
"We did vote against it, yes," Cashman said. "It was 29 to 1."
Whether that means that players such as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Randy Johnson, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Chien-Ming Wang and Hideki Matsui would be permitted to play for their respective countries next March -- if they wanted to -- remains to be seen.
"That's for another day," Cashman said.
...
The Yankees don't want their players, who are among the highest-paid in the game, getting injured in an international competition only weeks before the start of the season and be unable to play for them once the regular season began.
...
A commissioner's office representative said yesterday that teams would not be able to dictate whether their players would be able to participate -- that would be "up to the players themselves." But if the Yankees made it clear they didn't want their players participating, it's unlikely a player would go against those wishes.
Sure, a World Cup seems "neat", but it is understandable. An opportunity for people to take a crack at the Yankees. There is a definitely risk, though. As there is with the NBA players in the Olympics, etc. I'm not sure what I want to see. But, if there is a World Cup, it wouldn't really be complete without Yankee players. If it happens, and all other teams send their players, I imagine Yankee players will end up going.
Via Pride of the Yankees.
05/29: Squashed like a bug
Posted by: Michael
My wife always calls me when there is a bug to be killed. I take my shoe, and gently sneakup on the bug, and then "lower the hammer." Sometimes its just a thwap! noise. Sometimes the bug makes a bigger mess than I intended, and that's especially those that go pop!
When the Yankees get a beat down upon them, I go back to thinking about bugs. Surely, they don't see the shoe coming down, for if they did they would hide. How would the Yanks hide? If Joe Torre saw the "shoe" coming for the Yankees, would he ask Don Zimmer to borrow his helmet?
Its games like these that can make you forget all about the last 10, 20 or even 30 games. Those are the games that you always remember in the year. I still remember the thrashing put on the Bombers last year by the tribe.
It looked like in the 5th inning that the Red Sox were like the child who picked up the Yankee bug, and started pulling off its legs...one by one. 7 runs scored thanks to Stanton (this years Felix) and Quantrill in the 5th inning alone. The Yankee bug did not have its stinger, or bats against the Red Sox child either. Weak, and what seemed to be lost opportunities with 8 hits and one run scored.
I'm looking forward to a much different game today with the Moose taking the mound against Boomer. Don't you just see Wells on the mound holding a rather large magnifying glass?
"Come on bug... lets get this over quickly."
Thankfully the Moose has very large antlers.
When the Yankees get a beat down upon them, I go back to thinking about bugs. Surely, they don't see the shoe coming down, for if they did they would hide. How would the Yanks hide? If Joe Torre saw the "shoe" coming for the Yankees, would he ask Don Zimmer to borrow his helmet?
Its games like these that can make you forget all about the last 10, 20 or even 30 games. Those are the games that you always remember in the year. I still remember the thrashing put on the Bombers last year by the tribe.
It looked like in the 5th inning that the Red Sox were like the child who picked up the Yankee bug, and started pulling off its legs...one by one. 7 runs scored thanks to Stanton (this years Felix) and Quantrill in the 5th inning alone. The Yankee bug did not have its stinger, or bats against the Red Sox child either. Weak, and what seemed to be lost opportunities with 8 hits and one run scored.
I'm looking forward to a much different game today with the Moose taking the mound against Boomer. Don't you just see Wells on the mound holding a rather large magnifying glass?
"Come on bug... lets get this over quickly."
Thankfully the Moose has very large antlers.
Posted by: Patrick
Alex discusses the possibility of Bernie coming back next year in a "DH/PH, Rock Raines/Chili Davis" role next year. I know one thing... if Bernie wants to come back and play that role (or even a little bigger role), I want him back. Having Bernie on the Yankees is "right". There is just no other way for me to say it.
Like Alex, I'm enjoying everything that Bernie is doing this year. If this is his last year, I'll definitely miss him.
Like Alex, I'm enjoying everything that Bernie is doing this year. If this is his last year, I'll definitely miss him.
05/28: Odds and Ends
Posted by: Patrick
All of these coming from the always worth reading Steve Lombardi:
Carl Pavano took on Bronson Arrojo in a Red Sox vs. Yankees matchup on Xbox's Major League Basebakk 2K5. The result? Yankees win 9-3.
Chien-Ming Wang (Obi Wang) has pitched more 1-2-3 innings than all but 2 pitchers in the majors. Those pitchers? Pedro and the Rocket. Add into the fact that Wang's first start came on April 30 (Clemens' was April 8 and Pedro's was April 4) and you have an impressive stat.
Finally, he notes that A-Rod has a shot at the AL record for most home runs in a season for a right handed hitter (Hank Greenberg's 58 hit in 1938). It's early and it'll be hard, but it's possible.
Carl Pavano took on Bronson Arrojo in a Red Sox vs. Yankees matchup on Xbox's Major League Basebakk 2K5. The result? Yankees win 9-3.
"What do you play at home, Bronson?" Pavano asked into the two-way speaker. "Atari?"
Chien-Ming Wang (Obi Wang) has pitched more 1-2-3 innings than all but 2 pitchers in the majors. Those pitchers? Pedro and the Rocket. Add into the fact that Wang's first start came on April 30 (Clemens' was April 8 and Pedro's was April 4) and you have an impressive stat.
Finally, he notes that A-Rod has a shot at the AL record for most home runs in a season for a right handed hitter (Hank Greenberg's 58 hit in 1938). It's early and it'll be hard, but it's possible.
Posted by: Patrick
I was watching ESPN Wednesday afternoon (right before I had to leave - haven't had a chance to blog about it until now) and they were talking about the Yankees. Dave Martinez was the "analyst" on to talk about baseball with the general anchor... whoever it was, I forget.
I am trying to recall exactly what he said. But, basically he said that Yankees fans won't consider A-Rod a true Yankee until he leads them to a World Series victory. He stuck his fingers up as quotation marks (except he didn't bend them like you normally would, it looked like he was giving two peace signs) and the tone of his voice, the look on his face, body language, etc... it implied, to me at least, that Yankees fans were being fickle, stupid... whatever word you want to give it. Then he said that when Paul O'Neil was a Red, he was a red[expletive meaning donkey or butt], but when he came to the Yankees, he did what he did because he wanted to win and I think he (Martinez) shrugged his shoulders or something. The segment left a bad taste in my mouth... almost anti Yankees fan like, although I think to call it that may be going a bit far. Anyone else see it?
Anyway, any real Yankees fan knows that A-Rod doesn't have to win to be a "true Yankee" or a beloved Yankee, etc. One of the truest of the true, beloved of the beloved - Don Mattingly - didn't win a title. So, any talk of that ends there. It's about more than that. I'd have to say that Dave Martinez was really speaking out of touch when he said what he said. Some Yankees fans may feel that way, but those Yankees fans just cast a poor reflection on the rest of us.
I am trying to recall exactly what he said. But, basically he said that Yankees fans won't consider A-Rod a true Yankee until he leads them to a World Series victory. He stuck his fingers up as quotation marks (except he didn't bend them like you normally would, it looked like he was giving two peace signs) and the tone of his voice, the look on his face, body language, etc... it implied, to me at least, that Yankees fans were being fickle, stupid... whatever word you want to give it. Then he said that when Paul O'Neil was a Red, he was a red[expletive meaning donkey or butt], but when he came to the Yankees, he did what he did because he wanted to win and I think he (Martinez) shrugged his shoulders or something. The segment left a bad taste in my mouth... almost anti Yankees fan like, although I think to call it that may be going a bit far. Anyone else see it?
Anyway, any real Yankees fan knows that A-Rod doesn't have to win to be a "true Yankee" or a beloved Yankee, etc. One of the truest of the true, beloved of the beloved - Don Mattingly - didn't win a title. So, any talk of that ends there. It's about more than that. I'd have to say that Dave Martinez was really speaking out of touch when he said what he said. Some Yankees fans may feel that way, but those Yankees fans just cast a poor reflection on the rest of us.
Posted by: Seamus
The Yankees won their 5th consecutive game last night after coming back from a rather early two-run defecit to beat the Red Sox 6-3. Randy Johnson still wasn't all that dominant but had more command than in recent starts as he gave up 3 runs in 6 innings. Robinson Cano launched his second career home run to tie the game at 3 in the 6th and Gary Sheffield launched a three run shot into the upper deck in left field to give the Yankees a 6-3 lead. That would be all they needed as the bullpen once again held the opposition scoreless. An odd decision to take note of was Joe Torre starting the 9th inning off with Tom Gordon and then using Mariano Rivera for only two outs. Rivera sruck out Bill Mueller to end the game and record his 12th save of the season.
I think everybody is now officially afraid of Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod was walked 3 times last night and hit by a pitch. He did not record an at-bat in the game. I think part of the reason why he's been so hot is because he isn't chasing after any bad pitches right now. If guys pitch around him, he won't swing the bat if the ball is out of the strike zone. He usually gets one or two good pitches to hit every game and he is consistently taking advantage of those pitches and hitting the ball hard. He was hovering around .300 for the majority of the season up until about two weeks ago. Now his batting average is up to .324 (6th in the American League).
On to another thing that I'm sure caught everybody's eye: How about that home run that Gary Sheffield launched off Alan Embree? Normally I wouldn't dwell so much on one hit, but Sheffield absolutely destroyed that ball. As far as I can remember, I can only recall three home runs going into the left field upper deck in Yankee Stadium in recent years including Sheffield's last night. One other was Jose Conseco's first home run as a Yankee and another was a shot hit by A-Rod last year against Tampa Bay.
I think everybody is now officially afraid of Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod was walked 3 times last night and hit by a pitch. He did not record an at-bat in the game. I think part of the reason why he's been so hot is because he isn't chasing after any bad pitches right now. If guys pitch around him, he won't swing the bat if the ball is out of the strike zone. He usually gets one or two good pitches to hit every game and he is consistently taking advantage of those pitches and hitting the ball hard. He was hovering around .300 for the majority of the season up until about two weeks ago. Now his batting average is up to .324 (6th in the American League).
On to another thing that I'm sure caught everybody's eye: How about that home run that Gary Sheffield launched off Alan Embree? Normally I wouldn't dwell so much on one hit, but Sheffield absolutely destroyed that ball. As far as I can remember, I can only recall three home runs going into the left field upper deck in Yankee Stadium in recent years including Sheffield's last night. One other was Jose Conseco's first home run as a Yankee and another was a shot hit by A-Rod last year against Tampa Bay.
Posted by: David
In the first game of the season Randy Johnson pitched great and the Yankees beat the Red Sox 9-2 at Yankee Stadium. Since then he has been somewhat mediocre. He normally starts very slowly and gives up runs early in the game. Against the Mets, he gave up twelve hits and a guy like Miguel Cairo hit a homerun off of him. He needs to establish his velocity and location very early. He needs to go after the lefties like Damon, Ortiz and Nixon and dominate.
Is the relatively cold weather an excuse why he is throwing 91-93 mph rather than the 97-99 mph he was reaching consistenly last year? He seemed very frustrated against the Mets when they were hitting seeing eye base hits and dunking balls into the outfield. I think he will come out tonight and go right after the Sox from the first pitch. I just hope his aggression is controlled and he doesn't try and overthrow which will cause him to get behind in the count.
The Red Sox were just swept by the Toronto Blue Jays and really haven't been playing well at all. Johnny Damon and David Ortiz are complaining about the team in general and their poor play. With last night's win the Yankees jumped over the Red Sox into second place and this weekend the Yankees have the opportunity to open up some distance between them.
The Red Sox will be throwing Tim Wakefield tonight and he normally pitches very well against the Yankees. He seems to frustrate them and they end up looking silly. Hopefully they will not go up to the plate trying to hit home runs. They should try and go deep in the count and take him to the opposite field. Since he throws the knuckleball, pitch count really isn't a concern for him. Matt Clement will go Saturday vs. Pavano in the FOX Network game of the week and on Sunday night Mussina will face Boomer Wells. Clement has been great but Boomer may be close to his career finish line if things don't turn around soon.
A side story will be Mariano Rivera and his recent inability to beat the Bosox. He has been great lately, but it seems the Sox have his number because they have faced him so often. It will be a challenge for him and the team to be able to complete save opportunities.
However the games turn out it will be for sure that it will be great theater and Yankees and Red Sox fans will be on hand and glued to their TV sets and radios. I can't wait, what a great Memorial Day weekend to look forward to.
Is the relatively cold weather an excuse why he is throwing 91-93 mph rather than the 97-99 mph he was reaching consistenly last year? He seemed very frustrated against the Mets when they were hitting seeing eye base hits and dunking balls into the outfield. I think he will come out tonight and go right after the Sox from the first pitch. I just hope his aggression is controlled and he doesn't try and overthrow which will cause him to get behind in the count.
The Red Sox were just swept by the Toronto Blue Jays and really haven't been playing well at all. Johnny Damon and David Ortiz are complaining about the team in general and their poor play. With last night's win the Yankees jumped over the Red Sox into second place and this weekend the Yankees have the opportunity to open up some distance between them.
The Red Sox will be throwing Tim Wakefield tonight and he normally pitches very well against the Yankees. He seems to frustrate them and they end up looking silly. Hopefully they will not go up to the plate trying to hit home runs. They should try and go deep in the count and take him to the opposite field. Since he throws the knuckleball, pitch count really isn't a concern for him. Matt Clement will go Saturday vs. Pavano in the FOX Network game of the week and on Sunday night Mussina will face Boomer Wells. Clement has been great but Boomer may be close to his career finish line if things don't turn around soon.
A side story will be Mariano Rivera and his recent inability to beat the Bosox. He has been great lately, but it seems the Sox have his number because they have faced him so often. It will be a challenge for him and the team to be able to complete save opportunities.
However the games turn out it will be for sure that it will be great theater and Yankees and Red Sox fans will be on hand and glued to their TV sets and radios. I can't wait, what a great Memorial Day weekend to look forward to.
05/25: Simply Jeter
Posted by: Michael
I just got in from what I thought would be a rained out game. There had been a mass of clouds that just seemed to linger over the city today, with rain showers starting to fall close to game time. But lo and behold, the clouds broke, and the crowd filtered in for a night of baseball in the Bronx.
We settled into our seats in the right field bleachers. One of the few times I've sat out there, and I'm never thrilled as I like to see the game from close to the plate as possible. This was one of the rare exceptions however. It gave me a marvelous view of Jeter's catch, seemingly scaling over Cano for a catch that I would describe as simply Jeter.
There is talk of what it takes to be a "true Yankee." Watch Jeter. His number should be on the wall one day. You'll have the grand opportunity to tell your kids or grandkids, or heck, even the kid in your neighborhood, that you got to see the great Derek Jeter. A-Rod, Giambi... take notes from this guy.
Several things from the game...
I don't see the value in the dogs you can buy at the Stadium. You can buy $2 dogs outside and get them into the stadium. $4.50 for a jumbo? Come on!!
What was Torre thinking by bringing in Stanton? I know... I know... a left handed pitcher was needed in that situation.... but my goodness, you could feel it in the air when he came in. We had a great view of the bullpen, and we saw Sturtze warming up. I meekly tried to start the chant, "We want Sturtze!" but to no avail. Torre is dead set on bringing in Stanton. I was just glad it was a 4-1 game at the time!
It's freakin' late May and the temperature was just NUTS! Who would have thought I would need two sweatshirts and a total of 5 layers of clothes this time of year?!?!?
Tino, Bernie, Derek got the most cheers. No matter what they do on the field, you can count on the fans being behind them and supporting them as long as they are Yankees.
There were some jokers in the left-field bleachers trying to start the wave. Ugh! This is the great Yankee Stadium folks, no need to start the wave. A girl in front of me said, "Take the wave to Shea!" Indeed!
We settled into our seats in the right field bleachers. One of the few times I've sat out there, and I'm never thrilled as I like to see the game from close to the plate as possible. This was one of the rare exceptions however. It gave me a marvelous view of Jeter's catch, seemingly scaling over Cano for a catch that I would describe as simply Jeter.
There is talk of what it takes to be a "true Yankee." Watch Jeter. His number should be on the wall one day. You'll have the grand opportunity to tell your kids or grandkids, or heck, even the kid in your neighborhood, that you got to see the great Derek Jeter. A-Rod, Giambi... take notes from this guy.
Several things from the game...
I don't see the value in the dogs you can buy at the Stadium. You can buy $2 dogs outside and get them into the stadium. $4.50 for a jumbo? Come on!!
What was Torre thinking by bringing in Stanton? I know... I know... a left handed pitcher was needed in that situation.... but my goodness, you could feel it in the air when he came in. We had a great view of the bullpen, and we saw Sturtze warming up. I meekly tried to start the chant, "We want Sturtze!" but to no avail. Torre is dead set on bringing in Stanton. I was just glad it was a 4-1 game at the time!
It's freakin' late May and the temperature was just NUTS! Who would have thought I would need two sweatshirts and a total of 5 layers of clothes this time of year?!?!?
Tino, Bernie, Derek got the most cheers. No matter what they do on the field, you can count on the fans being behind them and supporting them as long as they are Yankees.
There were some jokers in the left-field bleachers trying to start the wave. Ugh! This is the great Yankee Stadium folks, no need to start the wave. A girl in front of me said, "Take the wave to Shea!" Indeed!
Posted by: David
The Yankees hit six homeruns last night, two apiece from A-Rod and Posada but because of the thrashing they gave the Detroit Tigers they were the receipients of the dreaded beanball late in the game.
Franklin German hit A-Rod squarely on the front part of the thigh and the Yankees retaliated when Paul Quantrill threw a pitch behind the batter which drew an official warning from the home plate umpire. The next pitch hit the same batter in the back and Quantrill and Torre were immediately ejected. The benches cleared briefly but there was no fracas which ensued. I'm sure Paul Quantrill gained respect from all of his teammates for making a statement. The Yankees will not be bullied and we will fear no one.
A side issue in the game is the emergence of Robinson Cano and his first major league home run. He turned on an inside pitch and deposited it into the upper deck in right field. After starting very slowly he has come on like gangbusters both in the field and at the bat. If the Yankees can win the next two they will get to five over .500, a landmark of sorts. They are presently three over .500 for the first time this season.
Tonight Wang goes against Mike Maroth and on Thursday Kevin Brown will face Jeremy Bonderman. With the team back to basically full strength, Joe Torre is faced with the everyday challenge of getting playing time for Tino, Bernie, Jason and Ruben. So far he seems to be keeping everyone happy.
Franklin German hit A-Rod squarely on the front part of the thigh and the Yankees retaliated when Paul Quantrill threw a pitch behind the batter which drew an official warning from the home plate umpire. The next pitch hit the same batter in the back and Quantrill and Torre were immediately ejected. The benches cleared briefly but there was no fracas which ensued. I'm sure Paul Quantrill gained respect from all of his teammates for making a statement. The Yankees will not be bullied and we will fear no one.
A side issue in the game is the emergence of Robinson Cano and his first major league home run. He turned on an inside pitch and deposited it into the upper deck in right field. After starting very slowly he has come on like gangbusters both in the field and at the bat. If the Yankees can win the next two they will get to five over .500, a landmark of sorts. They are presently three over .500 for the first time this season.
Tonight Wang goes against Mike Maroth and on Thursday Kevin Brown will face Jeremy Bonderman. With the team back to basically full strength, Joe Torre is faced with the everyday challenge of getting playing time for Tino, Bernie, Jason and Ruben. So far he seems to be keeping everyone happy.
