Well, I'm not surprised that the Yankees were swept by the Angels. Did I ever mention how I feel about that team? In another season I might have said the Halos are kryptonite to the Yankees' Superman, but at the moment, I'm afraid they're more like Hep C to the Yankees' crack addict.
It's still May, but by now it's pretty safe to say this is just not the Yanks' year. When Mussina pitches badly, the bullpen is lights-out; when he pitches well, they blow the lead. All but two players have endured significant slumps at the plate at some point, and when rookie pitchers exceed expectations, they are injured, in weird and random ways. (Who doesn't think that when Phil Hughes finally gets back -- having now hurt an ankle on top of the hamstring -- something terrible will happen to him? Like a pigeon will fly into his face and partially blind him, or Kyle Farnsworth will slap him encouragingly on the back and break three of his ribs?)
The Yankees are still much better than their current record, and I'll be shocked if they don't end up well over .500. That, however, seems unlikely to earn them a playoff spot this year: at the moment they're twelve and a half games back from the Red Sox (!), and eight behind for the Wild Card. A comeback is still possible, sure. It's also possible that Clive Owen will knock on my door tomorrow night carrying an Al Green CD, a kitten, and a bottle of Glenlivet, but frankly, I'm not loving the odds.
There are plenty of elements of this team that can and should be criticized, and neither Cashman nor Torre are precisely covering themselves in glory here. But every team has an off year eventually, and the Yankees are way past due. They've always made their share of mistakes, but this time they made a few too many; at the same time, their massive stockpile of luck finally ran out. A number of Yankee fans, I've got to say, do not seem to be taking this particularly well. I suppose it was bound to come as a nasty shock, given that the last time the team had a record this bad in late May, I was... good lord, eight years old. That was 1990, for those of you keeping score at home. But as my mother always used to say: butch up, little missy. If the Yanks miss the playoffs this fall, it will be the first time in twelve years. Complaining loudly about this in public is understandable, but a bit unseemly.
More tomorrow on the Mets, who just swept the Marlins and have considerably more to be optimistic about. Even though they're one about one injury away from starting Oliver Perez in the outfield.
May 27, 2007
May 25, 2007
Baseball Player Name of the Week
... with a bullet: A's outfielder Hiram Bocachica.
Let me just type that one more time: Hiram Bocachica.
One for the road: Hiram Bocachica!
Let me just type that one more time: Hiram Bocachica.
One for the road: Hiram Bocachica!
May 24, 2007
Single-Digit Deficit: Time To Start Printing Those Playoff Tickets
Well, that Wednesday game was much more enjoyable than Tuesday's fiasco (as recapped for the Banter). Granted, nine and a half games back is not exactly cause to celebrate wildly in the streets, but it's... well, better than 10 and half games back. Anyway, I almost, but not quite, felt bad for Curt Schilling -- when Doug Mientkiewicz puts one of your fastballs off the upper-deck facing, it's just not your night. The Yankees cruised to a nice, one-sided, enjoyable-except-for-Kyle-Farnsworth 8-3 win. Next up, however, are the Angels... I have a bad feeling about this.
Others have pointed this out before, but it keeps surprising me -- if you look at Andy Pettitte's postseason numbers, they're okay, but not spectacular. In fact, they're worse than his regular season stats, and yet like a lot of fans, it seems, I always remember him as coming through in the big games. He did come through, of course, plenty of times; but we've conveniently forgotten all those other occasions, which include some real stinkers. Amazingly, though, Pettitte's pitched the equivalent of basically an entire season -- 212 innings -- in his postseason career. That's in thirty-four games, thirty for the Yankees. It's been quite a run.
The Mets, meanwhile, are still having trouble with the Braves, who've taken two of three in all three series this year; every Mets win has come behind Oliver Perez, and if you called that one before the season started... well, then you're insane. But correct. His balletic leap of triumph over the foul line is getting higher by the week, and I love it, except can't you imagine him landing on an ankle wrong one of these days and spraining it? I don't want to be within five miles of Willie Randolph when that happens.
Last night's loss was particularly frustrating, as one-run games usually are; it was also Smoltz's 200th career win. Insert grudging respect here. The good news is that El Duque, Mr. Eephus himself, is heading back to the Mets rotation.
Finally, can I just say, though I realize I'm late on this, that the Lastings "L Millz" (heh) Milledge rap controversy must be the dumbest non-scandal of the year? Has nobody heard any hip hop in the last 20 years? "Milledge can be heard using a racist term for blacks and language derogatory to women." Hello? That's right smack in the rap mainstream this decade -- which you can argue is unfortunate in and of itself, but it's hardly a reason for a promising player's stock to go down. The Mets, as his image-conscious employer, do have the right to tell him to knock it off; it just strikes me as a complete non-issue. With the recent spate of actual domestic violence charges in baseball, rhyming about hos is starting to seem kind of charming and quaint.
While none of L Millz's transgressions over the last two years have been particularly bad, taken together they do suggest that he is, perhaps, not the sharpest tool in the shed, and I guess that's troubling. But note that "intelligence" is never listed as one of baseball's coveted "five tools."
Others have pointed this out before, but it keeps surprising me -- if you look at Andy Pettitte's postseason numbers, they're okay, but not spectacular. In fact, they're worse than his regular season stats, and yet like a lot of fans, it seems, I always remember him as coming through in the big games. He did come through, of course, plenty of times; but we've conveniently forgotten all those other occasions, which include some real stinkers. Amazingly, though, Pettitte's pitched the equivalent of basically an entire season -- 212 innings -- in his postseason career. That's in thirty-four games, thirty for the Yankees. It's been quite a run.
The Mets, meanwhile, are still having trouble with the Braves, who've taken two of three in all three series this year; every Mets win has come behind Oliver Perez, and if you called that one before the season started... well, then you're insane. But correct. His balletic leap of triumph over the foul line is getting higher by the week, and I love it, except can't you imagine him landing on an ankle wrong one of these days and spraining it? I don't want to be within five miles of Willie Randolph when that happens.
Last night's loss was particularly frustrating, as one-run games usually are; it was also Smoltz's 200th career win. Insert grudging respect here. The good news is that El Duque, Mr. Eephus himself, is heading back to the Mets rotation.
Finally, can I just say, though I realize I'm late on this, that the Lastings "L Millz" (heh) Milledge rap controversy must be the dumbest non-scandal of the year? Has nobody heard any hip hop in the last 20 years? "Milledge can be heard using a racist term for blacks and language derogatory to women." Hello? That's right smack in the rap mainstream this decade -- which you can argue is unfortunate in and of itself, but it's hardly a reason for a promising player's stock to go down. The Mets, as his image-conscious employer, do have the right to tell him to knock it off; it just strikes me as a complete non-issue. With the recent spate of actual domestic violence charges in baseball, rhyming about hos is starting to seem kind of charming and quaint.
While none of L Millz's transgressions over the last two years have been particularly bad, taken together they do suggest that he is, perhaps, not the sharpest tool in the shed, and I guess that's troubling. But note that "intelligence" is never listed as one of baseball's coveted "five tools."
May 21, 2007
Good To Know He Likes Bull Durham, Though
You know it's been a bad week for the Yankees when the New York Times commends them for having "regained some self-respect" -- excellent! -- by avoiding a sweep. Still, things are looking up for the Yanks, kinda, a bit, after last night's win. Tyler Clippard, an awkward, thin, all-angles kind of pitcher, had an excellent major league debut, giving up one run on three hits in six innings. Whether he's really good, or whether the Mets were simply unfamiliar with him and his odd, distracting delivery, I don't know, nor do I care just now, because they actually won. Yes, a whole game! Much rejoicing. Clippard even had a double.
Also, via WasWatching, someone needs to explain to the guy how to make his MySpace page private. I started writing a paragraph about his profile, but felt too much like a mean little voyeur -- buy some curtains, kid!
Meanwhile, John Maine is coming back down to Earth a bit, which I guess was inevitable. I do genuinely believe he's a very legit starter, and will have a strong season overall, but 5-0 with a sub-2 ERA was a bit extreme. The Mets will now face the Braves, and they're in pretty good shape -- two and half games up in the standings -- but since they got a bit beaten up by Atlanta earlier in the season, I suppose still have a little something to prove.
As for the Yanks, they need a sweep against the Red Sox now. I'd be shocked if they got one, so I'm going to pretend that instead, they just need to take two of three. Even if they did sweep, they would still be 7 1/2 games out of first, and one win shy of .500. However. As Mike Francesa just put it on the fan, lecturing the Mad Dog and using my kind of metaphor: "How do you not learn through the years -- you have sat here for 18 going on 19 years... How do you not learn, that in the baseball season, you do not cash the chips in May? You do not cash the chips in July. You can't even take them to the window in August." He went on a while longer, but I got distracted by how much I miss Vegas. Mmmmm, blackjack...
Also, via WasWatching, someone needs to explain to the guy how to make his MySpace page private. I started writing a paragraph about his profile, but felt too much like a mean little voyeur -- buy some curtains, kid!
Meanwhile, John Maine is coming back down to Earth a bit, which I guess was inevitable. I do genuinely believe he's a very legit starter, and will have a strong season overall, but 5-0 with a sub-2 ERA was a bit extreme. The Mets will now face the Braves, and they're in pretty good shape -- two and half games up in the standings -- but since they got a bit beaten up by Atlanta earlier in the season, I suppose still have a little something to prove.
As for the Yanks, they need a sweep against the Red Sox now. I'd be shocked if they got one, so I'm going to pretend that instead, they just need to take two of three. Even if they did sweep, they would still be 7 1/2 games out of first, and one win shy of .500. However. As Mike Francesa just put it on the fan, lecturing the Mad Dog and using my kind of metaphor: "How do you not learn through the years -- you have sat here for 18 going on 19 years... How do you not learn, that in the baseball season, you do not cash the chips in May? You do not cash the chips in July. You can't even take them to the window in August." He went on a while longer, but I got distracted by how much I miss Vegas. Mmmmm, blackjack...
May 19, 2007
Say, Omar, Wanna Trade Endy Chavez for Bobby Abreu? No, seriously. No -- SERIOUSLY.
Look, I know it's frowned on, but there's no point in lying about it: I really like the Mets. They were fun to cover last fall and this spring, they're fun to watch, and they're due. In general, I'm very much rooting for them. That said -- I grew up a Yankee fan, I'll die a Yankee fan (probably sometime next month at this rate), and the Yanks need wins a whole hell of a lot more than the Mets do right now, so my loyalties were not particularly divided tonight. Which is why it's good that I watched this game at a bar, with supportive friends and an easy supply of beer. Because... oy.
Once again, the Yankees just couldn't get anything going. And while Oliver Perez has been legitimately dominant in many of his starts this year and deserves full credit, nevertheless: Damon, Jeter, Rodriguez, Posada, Matsui... three runs should not be a fantastic candy-colored dream for that lineup. Yeah, I know, they'll snap out of it, but by then it may very well be too late. And poor Andy Pettitte, who could have stayed home in Texas if he wanted to lose a whole bunch of 3-2 games; he is where run support goes to die.
Then again, how do you give up the game-winning home run to Endy Chavez? And I say this as someone who, as is well-documented on this site and in the pages of the Village Voice, loves Endy Chavez, so I mean that in no way as an insult. I'm just saying, this is a guy who started that at-bat planning to bunt. Asked in spring training what he was hoping to work on this year, he said, smiling wryly, "Offense. Always, my offense." I can't believe the Mets have the audacity to list his height as six feet; if that guy is six feet tall, then I'm 5'9". (Hint: I am not 5'9"). And I'm not at all convinced he's 165 pounds, either. He's all muscle -- it's not like you could take him in an arm-wrestling match or anything -- but he's not exactly the first image that springs to mind when you think "power threat". I mean, that's part of his appeal. You'd need about three of him to make up the width of one of Carlos Delgado's thighs. Jason Giambi, back in the day, could have injected him for breakfast.
Ah well. The Yankees are now in a massive 10 game hole (yay, round numbers! So easy to remember!). If they had to lose, I suppose I'm glad it was Chavez who beat them. But now they're staring at a potential sweep, with Tom Glavine and John Maine facing rookies Darrell Rasner and Tyler Clippard over the next two days.
Hey, you never know -- even the Devil Rays win sometimes. And the Yankees are a whole half game ahead of them in the standings! So, see... that's... good... [sob]...
Once again, the Yankees just couldn't get anything going. And while Oliver Perez has been legitimately dominant in many of his starts this year and deserves full credit, nevertheless: Damon, Jeter, Rodriguez, Posada, Matsui... three runs should not be a fantastic candy-colored dream for that lineup. Yeah, I know, they'll snap out of it, but by then it may very well be too late. And poor Andy Pettitte, who could have stayed home in Texas if he wanted to lose a whole bunch of 3-2 games; he is where run support goes to die.
Then again, how do you give up the game-winning home run to Endy Chavez? And I say this as someone who, as is well-documented on this site and in the pages of the Village Voice, loves Endy Chavez, so I mean that in no way as an insult. I'm just saying, this is a guy who started that at-bat planning to bunt. Asked in spring training what he was hoping to work on this year, he said, smiling wryly, "Offense. Always, my offense." I can't believe the Mets have the audacity to list his height as six feet; if that guy is six feet tall, then I'm 5'9". (Hint: I am not 5'9"). And I'm not at all convinced he's 165 pounds, either. He's all muscle -- it's not like you could take him in an arm-wrestling match or anything -- but he's not exactly the first image that springs to mind when you think "power threat". I mean, that's part of his appeal. You'd need about three of him to make up the width of one of Carlos Delgado's thighs. Jason Giambi, back in the day, could have injected him for breakfast.
Ah well. The Yankees are now in a massive 10 game hole (yay, round numbers! So easy to remember!). If they had to lose, I suppose I'm glad it was Chavez who beat them. But now they're staring at a potential sweep, with Tom Glavine and John Maine facing rookies Darrell Rasner and Tyler Clippard over the next two days.
Hey, you never know -- even the Devil Rays win sometimes. And the Yankees are a whole half game ahead of them in the standings! So, see... that's... good... [sob]...
May 14, 2007
J.J. Putz Rides A Pale Horse
I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and –-
--No, no, wait, sorry. That's about Armageddon. I was looking for information on the Yanks-Mariners series, but you can see how I might have gotten the two confused.
Okay, so it's not quite the end of days yet. The Yankees are better than this (surely out of A-Rod, Matsui, Giambi, Cano, and Abreu, at least one or two of them will start hitting well again, right?), and they have three-quarters of the season left to play, and a comeback is plenty possible. But their margin for error is getting slimmer every day.
Out in Queens today, the Mets trounced the Brewers, winning the series, and the most enjoyable part of it was their outfield: Carlos Beltran, Endy Chavez, and the newly-called up 21-year-old speedster Carlos Gomez. Defensively, this may actually be the best outfield I've ever seen: they caught everything. It was a thing of beauty. Oliver Perez pitched very well, but he would definitely have given up more than one hit in the first eight innings if Moises Alou and Shawn Green had been in left and right. Also, Jose Reyes finally caved to the peer pressure -- turns out he was just waiting to finish filming a Reggaeton video -- and shaved his head. He actually looks pretty good, and now Aaron Sele is the lone holdout (Poor Mike Pelfrey lost his hair just days before getting sent back to AAA). I can't believe they somehow got 24 of 25 adult men to do this, and am simultaneously very impressed and a little alarmed.
Meanwhile, the much-hyped Brewers looked legitimately very good this weekend -- though maybe not quite as amazing as their record would indicate -- and it's nice to see such a long-suffering franchise turning things around. See, get Bud Selig away from a team, and watch it thrive!
But man... if the Yanks don't snap out of their funk this week, the upcoming Subway Series is going to be pretty damn lopsided, to say nothing of the Red Sox games that immediately follow. No time for love, Doctor Jones.
--No, no, wait, sorry. That's about Armageddon. I was looking for information on the Yanks-Mariners series, but you can see how I might have gotten the two confused.
Okay, so it's not quite the end of days yet. The Yankees are better than this (surely out of A-Rod, Matsui, Giambi, Cano, and Abreu, at least one or two of them will start hitting well again, right?), and they have three-quarters of the season left to play, and a comeback is plenty possible. But their margin for error is getting slimmer every day.
Out in Queens today, the Mets trounced the Brewers, winning the series, and the most enjoyable part of it was their outfield: Carlos Beltran, Endy Chavez, and the newly-called up 21-year-old speedster Carlos Gomez. Defensively, this may actually be the best outfield I've ever seen: they caught everything. It was a thing of beauty. Oliver Perez pitched very well, but he would definitely have given up more than one hit in the first eight innings if Moises Alou and Shawn Green had been in left and right. Also, Jose Reyes finally caved to the peer pressure -- turns out he was just waiting to finish filming a Reggaeton video -- and shaved his head. He actually looks pretty good, and now Aaron Sele is the lone holdout (Poor Mike Pelfrey lost his hair just days before getting sent back to AAA). I can't believe they somehow got 24 of 25 adult men to do this, and am simultaneously very impressed and a little alarmed.
Meanwhile, the much-hyped Brewers looked legitimately very good this weekend -- though maybe not quite as amazing as their record would indicate -- and it's nice to see such a long-suffering franchise turning things around. See, get Bud Selig away from a team, and watch it thrive!
But man... if the Yanks don't snap out of their funk this week, the upcoming Subway Series is going to be pretty damn lopsided, to say nothing of the Red Sox games that immediately follow. No time for love, Doctor Jones.
May 09, 2007
Jose Reyes and the 24 Baldoons
You know, Mets fans and reporters, and even players, keep saying the team "isn't clicking." Listen, your team is 21-12, tied for first, with one of the lowest team ERAs in the National League. Having watched the Yankees closely throughout April, let me tell you: the team is clicking. Yeah, yeah, I know, Delgado's not hitting, Franco is injured, whatever. Until you've watched Chase Wright's consecutive home runs ,and Kei Igawa, and Phil Hughes' hamstring, and Jeff Karsten's freakishly broken leg, and Doug Mientkiewicz in the same lineup as Miguel Cairo and Wil Nieves... you don't know from "not clicking".
Anyway, the Mets all shaved their heads in solidarity before Tuesday's game, for no particular reason except, apparently, general unity and amusement. Awesome. David Wright started it Monday night, and everyone else followed the next day, with Carlos Beltran in charge of the clippers. Even some of the coaches and trainers joined in. The only holdouts were Tom Glavine and Aaron Heilman, who submitted after the game (a seven-inning, one run gem good for Glavine's 294th win); Aaron Sele, who has a family portrait scheduled today; and Jose Reyes, who is too fast to be caught and whose style probably took a long, long time to cultivate. I'm sort of torn here between berating Reyes for not just joining his teammates, and respecting his self-confidence and stubbornness in holding out, because you know that must've been a whole boatload of peer pressure to withstand. I think I'm going with respect.
Incidentally, this look turns out to really suit Moises Alou. Not everyone was so lucky.
Anyway, the Mets all shaved their heads in solidarity before Tuesday's game, for no particular reason except, apparently, general unity and amusement. Awesome. David Wright started it Monday night, and everyone else followed the next day, with Carlos Beltran in charge of the clippers. Even some of the coaches and trainers joined in. The only holdouts were Tom Glavine and Aaron Heilman, who submitted after the game (a seven-inning, one run gem good for Glavine's 294th win); Aaron Sele, who has a family portrait scheduled today; and Jose Reyes, who is too fast to be caught and whose style probably took a long, long time to cultivate. I'm sort of torn here between berating Reyes for not just joining his teammates, and respecting his self-confidence and stubbornness in holding out, because you know that must've been a whole boatload of peer pressure to withstand. I think I'm going with respect.
Incidentally, this look turns out to really suit Moises Alou. Not everyone was so lucky.
May 07, 2007
Did You Know...
Is That A Rocket In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?
We're just happy to see you, Roger.
One of the things I had sort of forgotten over the last few years is that Roger Clemens, bless his heart, when he talks at length about anything other than the mechanics of pitching, makes no fucking sense whatsoever. I present this verbatim quote from his eighth inning interview with Al Leiter and Michael Kay in the YES booth today:
It's okay, Andy Pettitte speaks fluent Roger and can translate in the clubhouse. And Clemens is smarter than he sounds: not only did he sign for a prorated $28 mil (making him, I believe, the highest payed player in the game), and swing an unprecedented-for-the-Yankees deal in which he will not always travel with the team -- he also managed to drop the name of his sponsor, Continental Airlines, at least three times during various interviews.
That may sound cynical, but make no mistake, I was thrilled to see Clemens' surprise announcement during the seventh-inning stretch today. When you're one of the three or four best pitchers in history, you can play by your own rules. Of course Clemens isn't going to pitch at that level, at age 45, in the AL East, but I don't doubt he's still a damn sight better than Kei Igawa, Darryl Rasner, and Jeff Karstens combined, and the Yanks need him. Major props to Cashman and the Yankee brass for keeping this so quiet, surprising almost everyone, and creating a truly memorable moment at the Stadium. Buster Olney explains how it all fell into place.
The crowd went nuts, and it was a nice change, after the last few weeks, to see the Yankees grinning and laughing in the dugout. Jorge Posada, next to Pettitte on the bench, practically melted with relief... not that getting acquainted with Kei Igawa's pitching style hasn't been a real thrill for him, I'm sure.
This move could backfire, I suppose. One of these years, he isn't going to be able to do this anymore; 45 is up there for pro athletes, no matter what kind of shape you're in. Or maybe, though I hate to bring it up today, it'll come out that he took steroids. There's no hard evidence, but the rumors have swirled for a while, and anyone with that kind of late-career surge has to make you wonder. Clemens also has that "my actual skull has expanded over the years" sort of look to him, plus roid rage (and little else) could explain the Mike Piazza-thrown bat debacle. But you know what? I'm going to ignore that for the moment, and hope there's no fire underneath all the smoke. Or that he never gets caught. Whichever.
-You know how much they need Roger Clemens right now? The win today (oh yeah, there was a game!) was the Yankees' first shutout of the season. Good grief.
-My question is, what did Steinbrenner say to Clemens that made him come back? Best guess: that he's in failing health and this might be his last shot at a Championship? Okay, maybe it was just "I will fill your Olympic-sized swimming pool with cash." But I prefer the more dramatic scenario.
-Neither Cashman not Clemens’ agent wanted to discuss the money at the press conference today, I suppose to keep that from becoming the focus -- and Clemens claimed he didn’t even know the details of the deal. Uh huh.
-Random factoid: according to Jose Conseco's book -- in which he suggests the pitcher showed signs of steroid use, but admits he has no firsthand knowledge of it -- Roger Clemens is "one of the very few baseball players I know who never cheated on his wife. I was amazed by him, to be honest... He was one of the rarities, the anomalies, in baseball. I can hardly think of anyone else who never cheated on his wife."
-Clemens said over and over today that he's looking forward to working with the team's young pitchers. In other words, Phil Hughes just lucked the fuck out and found his Yoda.
One of the things I had sort of forgotten over the last few years is that Roger Clemens, bless his heart, when he talks at length about anything other than the mechanics of pitching, makes no fucking sense whatsoever. I present this verbatim quote from his eighth inning interview with Al Leiter and Michael Kay in the YES booth today:
In case you're wondering, the question was: “What keeps you coming back?”
“I was very upset in 2003, not upset that, that – you know, I had so many flashbacks when that first happened, and then I took a deep breath and knew that I had a chance to be in the bullpen throughout the remainder of that, that series. And then yeah, when it ended I thought that was it, I thought I had thrown my last pitch and I felt good about it, you know that was my mother’s wishes, and so we’ve come to grips with a lot of that. I’ve been playing at home, I didn’t know the circumstances that would happen with Andy going back to Houston, and uh, I just feel very blessed, my body’s been holding up, what can I say? I’m taking care of myself, and I’ve done the work, I’ve always enjoyed working, and again, working with young guys, so hopefully that’ll be the case here. I’m gonna get my body ready for a situation like this on this field, here, and uh, that’s just going to take a little more time."
It's okay, Andy Pettitte speaks fluent Roger and can translate in the clubhouse. And Clemens is smarter than he sounds: not only did he sign for a prorated $28 mil (making him, I believe, the highest payed player in the game), and swing an unprecedented-for-the-Yankees deal in which he will not always travel with the team -- he also managed to drop the name of his sponsor, Continental Airlines, at least three times during various interviews.
That may sound cynical, but make no mistake, I was thrilled to see Clemens' surprise announcement during the seventh-inning stretch today. When you're one of the three or four best pitchers in history, you can play by your own rules. Of course Clemens isn't going to pitch at that level, at age 45, in the AL East, but I don't doubt he's still a damn sight better than Kei Igawa, Darryl Rasner, and Jeff Karstens combined, and the Yanks need him. Major props to Cashman and the Yankee brass for keeping this so quiet, surprising almost everyone, and creating a truly memorable moment at the Stadium. Buster Olney explains how it all fell into place.
The crowd went nuts, and it was a nice change, after the last few weeks, to see the Yankees grinning and laughing in the dugout. Jorge Posada, next to Pettitte on the bench, practically melted with relief... not that getting acquainted with Kei Igawa's pitching style hasn't been a real thrill for him, I'm sure.
This move could backfire, I suppose. One of these years, he isn't going to be able to do this anymore; 45 is up there for pro athletes, no matter what kind of shape you're in. Or maybe, though I hate to bring it up today, it'll come out that he took steroids. There's no hard evidence, but the rumors have swirled for a while, and anyone with that kind of late-career surge has to make you wonder. Clemens also has that "my actual skull has expanded over the years" sort of look to him, plus roid rage (and little else) could explain the Mike Piazza-thrown bat debacle. But you know what? I'm going to ignore that for the moment, and hope there's no fire underneath all the smoke. Or that he never gets caught. Whichever.
-You know how much they need Roger Clemens right now? The win today (oh yeah, there was a game!) was the Yankees' first shutout of the season. Good grief.
-My question is, what did Steinbrenner say to Clemens that made him come back? Best guess: that he's in failing health and this might be his last shot at a Championship? Okay, maybe it was just "I will fill your Olympic-sized swimming pool with cash." But I prefer the more dramatic scenario.
-Neither Cashman not Clemens’ agent wanted to discuss the money at the press conference today, I suppose to keep that from becoming the focus -- and Clemens claimed he didn’t even know the details of the deal. Uh huh.
-Random factoid: according to Jose Conseco's book -- in which he suggests the pitcher showed signs of steroid use, but admits he has no firsthand knowledge of it -- Roger Clemens is "one of the very few baseball players I know who never cheated on his wife. I was amazed by him, to be honest... He was one of the rarities, the anomalies, in baseball. I can hardly think of anyone else who never cheated on his wife."
-Clemens said over and over today that he's looking forward to working with the team's young pitchers. In other words, Phil Hughes just lucked the fuck out and found his Yoda.
May 05, 2007
Old Frenemies
Things were looking up for the Yanks after a three-game sweep in Texas... but a funny thing happened on the way to the winning streak. I still don't really know what to make of Kei Igawa, but I do not eagerly await his starts -- speaking not only as a fan, but aesthetically. Watching him pitch, half the time, is like watching someone tear the wings off a butterfly. That's aces compared to briefly freed relief pitcher Colter Bean, who is, I imagine, not long for the majors after a performance that can charitably be called gruesome. Nothing like walking two batters on 8 straight balls, the second with the bases full, on a day when the bullpen desperately needs a rest (or, as the Yankees call it, "Friday"), to endear yourself to the Yankee Stadium crowd. Bryan Hoch at mlb.com:
I did, however, take considerable solace in the Mets' win tonight over another familiar ulcer-inducer from the recent past, Randy "the mullet is coming back in nicely, thanks" Johnson. The only negative was that Endy Chavez (who I am totally writing in on the All-Star ballot, by the way) sprained his ankle trying to make another crazy catch, and stayed in the game, limping and wincing, which can't have made it any better and was no fun to watch.
Randy Johnson gave up five runs and nine hits in seven innings, a stat line that should be familiar to anyone who watched him pitch for the Yankees over the last two years: not awful, but not getting it done against a good pitcher either -- and John Maine continues to pitch vastly better than a throw-in from the Kris Benson trade has any right to. He gave up two home runs, to Paul Lo Duca and (this is still making me smile) Julio Franco, who sets a new record for oldest player ever to hit a major league home run every time he knocks one out. He and Randy Johnson have a combined age of 92; when Julio Franco started his pro ball career I hadn't even been born. And I'm not that young.
"You can't expect to survive when you can't get people out," said Torre, who described his feelings on the bench as "helpless."Good times all around, then. Eleven runs just don't go as far as they used to. Fortunately, Jeff Weaver starts tomorrow for the Mariners, which means scoring 15 or 16 is a distinct possibility. I was totally right, by the way; that was not Jeff Weaver we saw pitching in the NLCS for the Cardinals. It looked like him, it talked like him, I know, but it wasn't. I'm just glad that whatever being or force it was that controlled him last October, when it was done, returned him unharmed.
I did, however, take considerable solace in the Mets' win tonight over another familiar ulcer-inducer from the recent past, Randy "the mullet is coming back in nicely, thanks" Johnson. The only negative was that Endy Chavez (who I am totally writing in on the All-Star ballot, by the way) sprained his ankle trying to make another crazy catch, and stayed in the game, limping and wincing, which can't have made it any better and was no fun to watch.
Randy Johnson gave up five runs and nine hits in seven innings, a stat line that should be familiar to anyone who watched him pitch for the Yankees over the last two years: not awful, but not getting it done against a good pitcher either -- and John Maine continues to pitch vastly better than a throw-in from the Kris Benson trade has any right to. He gave up two home runs, to Paul Lo Duca and (this is still making me smile) Julio Franco, who sets a new record for oldest player ever to hit a major league home run every time he knocks one out. He and Randy Johnson have a combined age of 92; when Julio Franco started his pro ball career I hadn't even been born. And I'm not that young.
May 02, 2007
Christ on a Pogo Stick
Well, the Baseball Gods decided to stop fucking around with ominous threats and skirmishes last night, and declared open war on the New York Yankees. Some hapless clubhouse attendant must have messed up the requisite burnt sacrifice of a white ox back in early March. Their revenge is swift and terrible.
In perhaps the most depressing 10-1 win in living memory, the Yankees' offense woke up against several hapless Texas Rangers while Phil Hughes, rookie sensation, had his gorgeous, dominating, self-assured, no-hit performance ended abruptly in the seventh inning by an major hamstring pull. He'll be out six weeks, and that's if you're optimistic -- which at this point would probably require heavy-duty pharmaceuticals.
Did this happen because Hughes was rushed to the majors? I don't know, honestly. It seems possible, but I know too little about anatomy and the medical effects of pitching mechanics to judge. Meanwhile, given the bonanza of pulls and strains and tears (Damon, Matsui, Mussina, Wang, and counting), there's a lot of scrutiny on the Yankees' new strength and conditioning coach, the alliterative Marty Miller. But I say they just need to appease the deities before Don Zimmer, with the help of a vengeful Poseidon, sends the team plane on a perilous, cursed, decades-long journey through strange and dangerous lands.
Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of Brian Cashman, skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end
after he plundered the stronghold
on the proud height of Shea...
[UPDATE: Willi Carroll of Baseball Prospectus doesn't think rushing Hughes had anything to do with the injury. That's good enough for me.]
In perhaps the most depressing 10-1 win in living memory, the Yankees' offense woke up against several hapless Texas Rangers while Phil Hughes, rookie sensation, had his gorgeous, dominating, self-assured, no-hit performance ended abruptly in the seventh inning by an major hamstring pull. He'll be out six weeks, and that's if you're optimistic -- which at this point would probably require heavy-duty pharmaceuticals.
Did this happen because Hughes was rushed to the majors? I don't know, honestly. It seems possible, but I know too little about anatomy and the medical effects of pitching mechanics to judge. Meanwhile, given the bonanza of pulls and strains and tears (Damon, Matsui, Mussina, Wang, and counting), there's a lot of scrutiny on the Yankees' new strength and conditioning coach, the alliterative Marty Miller. But I say they just need to appease the deities before Don Zimmer, with the help of a vengeful Poseidon, sends the team plane on a perilous, cursed, decades-long journey through strange and dangerous lands.
Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of Brian Cashman, skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end
after he plundered the stronghold
on the proud height of Shea...
[UPDATE: Willi Carroll of Baseball Prospectus doesn't think rushing Hughes had anything to do with the injury. That's good enough for me.]
April 30, 2007
I Do Believe in Fairies, I Do, I Do
George Steinbrenner believes in his GM, manager, and team. Well -- PR man Howard Rubenstein does, anyway, but I suppose that's a start.
The ESPN fellas took Steinbrenner's statement to mean that he wanted to see more "accountability" from the Yankees. But, really, Joe Torre has consistently taken responsibility for the team's record; Brian Cashman said that he should be blamed; and the players all insisted it was their fault. Accountability is basically the only thing this team does have right now. Pitching? No. Hitting? Not at the moment. But accountability, sure! I will try to take comfort in this thought until such time as the Yankees pass the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the standings.
Meanwhile, while I think trading Gary Sheffield was a good move -- though given that Humberto Sanchez is out for the season, that may not have been the right trade -- I do miss him sometimes. Especially when reading stories like this one:
Anyway, given the current state of the Yankees, I turned for wisdom and solace to fans of other suffering teams. The brilliant and deranged Washington Wizards site Wizznutzz posted this while their team was being destroyed by the combination of massive injuries and the Cleveland Cavaliers:
The ESPN fellas took Steinbrenner's statement to mean that he wanted to see more "accountability" from the Yankees. But, really, Joe Torre has consistently taken responsibility for the team's record; Brian Cashman said that he should be blamed; and the players all insisted it was their fault. Accountability is basically the only thing this team does have right now. Pitching? No. Hitting? Not at the moment. But accountability, sure! I will try to take comfort in this thought until such time as the Yankees pass the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the standings.
Meanwhile, while I think trading Gary Sheffield was a good move -- though given that Humberto Sanchez is out for the season, that may not have been the right trade -- I do miss him sometimes. Especially when reading stories like this one:
Sheffield homered off Cabrera moments after the pair had to be pulled apart, leading the Tigers to an 8-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night...
..."Danny was struggling with his control all night, but I guess they thought he was throwing at Sheff," Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo said. "I have the utmost respect for Gary, and if I was going to pick someone to get angry, it wouldn't be him."Heh.
Anyway, given the current state of the Yankees, I turned for wisdom and solace to fans of other suffering teams. The brilliant and deranged Washington Wizards site Wizznutzz posted this while their team was being destroyed by the combination of massive injuries and the Cleveland Cavaliers:
The team has all the momentum of a hippopotamus pregancy. They are like a dying tauntaun, we can just hope to climb into its warm carcass and wait out the endlessly bitter Hoth night!!!...
...Its not about dying with dignity.They also quote T. S. Eliot and Hall & Oates. I love Wizznutzz.
In fact, the only thing we have left is the power of dying WITHOUT dignity.
Wiz goal should be to die the least dignified death ever died.
They need to lose these games so dreadfully, so painfully, and desperately, with moans and urine and loud cursing, so that Cleveland will turn their eyes away, and be filled with a deep guilt and species shame and be so sickened and horrified to see fellow ballers suffering so that it will snuff out all joy and competitive fire forever and cleveland will be forever stained and stumbling with the pointless, lost gait of a man who has seen another mans, and therefore all men's, ultimate ruin.
GO TEAM!!
Now Playing Third Base For the Yankees: Number One, Steve Francis. Number One.
Well, the good news is the Mets are getting excellent starting pitching -- a solid outing from Glavine yesterday, and yet another gem from SuperMaine today -- and eking out wins despite a somewhat slumping offense. Julio Franco had a nifty defensive play too, when, knowing the Nationals' batter was going to bunt, he charged in as Maine threw, fielded it perfectly, and nailed the runner at third. I'm fairly sure he's the oldest player ever to do this, because, I mean, what are the odds? But, more on the Mets tomorrow, because there's an elephant in the blog post. (I was going to write "a pinstriped elephant," but fortunately, I stopped myself in time.)
So the bad news is... well, where do you start with the Yankees? Despite a desperately needed win yesterday, thanks to the much-maligned Kei "Nuke" Igawa (after Jeff Karstens' fibula was broken on the first damn play of the game), they lost again today. Behind Chien-Ming Wang and against Julian "Batshit" Tavarez, no less: that stings. And the grounds crew is going to start finding little bits and pieces of the bullpen lying around the mound pretty soon, which will just take all the fun out of "YMCA".
The vultures are circling around Joe Torre, but I don't honestly think he'll be fired, unless this keeps up for weeks (the mind boggles). Not that I doubt the stories citing Yankee officials who say Steinbrenner is "thinking about" firing Torre. He probably is, in much the same way that I was "thinking about" hurling my TV off the fire escape this afternoon. But Steinbrenner is obviously in poor health, whatever his PR rep may say -- there's a reason he hasn't spoken in public in such a long time, and it's not because he got shy all of a sudden. I just don't see him grabbing power back from Cashman right now, and I definitely don't see Cashman firing Torre in the near future. Hey, I've been wrong before. But I don't think it'll happen.
An aphorism I've really come to loathe over the course of my life is "it's always darkest before the dawn." Nice thought, but not remotely true. No matter how bad things get, it could always, always be worse. Much worse. (Don't worry, this will never happen. But just the suggestion is enough to give me night terrors. Damn you, Steve Swindal!)
So the bad news is... well, where do you start with the Yankees? Despite a desperately needed win yesterday, thanks to the much-maligned Kei "Nuke" Igawa (after Jeff Karstens' fibula was broken on the first damn play of the game), they lost again today. Behind Chien-Ming Wang and against Julian "Batshit" Tavarez, no less: that stings. And the grounds crew is going to start finding little bits and pieces of the bullpen lying around the mound pretty soon, which will just take all the fun out of "YMCA".
The vultures are circling around Joe Torre, but I don't honestly think he'll be fired, unless this keeps up for weeks (the mind boggles). Not that I doubt the stories citing Yankee officials who say Steinbrenner is "thinking about" firing Torre. He probably is, in much the same way that I was "thinking about" hurling my TV off the fire escape this afternoon. But Steinbrenner is obviously in poor health, whatever his PR rep may say -- there's a reason he hasn't spoken in public in such a long time, and it's not because he got shy all of a sudden. I just don't see him grabbing power back from Cashman right now, and I definitely don't see Cashman firing Torre in the near future. Hey, I've been wrong before. But I don't think it'll happen.
An aphorism I've really come to loathe over the course of my life is "it's always darkest before the dawn." Nice thought, but not remotely true. No matter how bad things get, it could always, always be worse. Much worse. (Don't worry, this will never happen. But just the suggestion is enough to give me night terrors. Damn you, Steve Swindal!)
April 28, 2007
This game's fun, okay? Fun, godammit!
You know how I said I wasn't going to panic until at least Monday? Well, I meant it. Unless you want to define panic as "a sudden overpowering fright; also : acute extreme anxiety," of course. I was going with the definition "of, relating to, or resembling the mental or emotional state believed induced by the god Pan," which I don't feel applies. Johnny Damon is hurting and probably heading for the DL, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera got lit up, the bullpen is in bloody shreds, Joe Torre's job may be in danger.
So then Jeff Karstens takes a line drive off his knee on the first pitch of the game -- and you have to hand it to fate, because that really perfectly encapsulates the Yankee season thus far, doesn't it? Nicely done. Anyway, here comes Kei Igawa, and there goes my sanity.
So then Jeff Karstens takes a line drive off his knee on the first pitch of the game -- and you have to hand it to fate, because that really perfectly encapsulates the Yankee season thus far, doesn't it? Nicely done. Anyway, here comes Kei Igawa, and there goes my sanity.
April 27, 2007
Okay But Seriously, It IS Kind Of Weird That The Stain Didn't Spread, Right?
I never seriously believed that Curt Schilling's bloody sock was faked. I mean, it's technically possible I suppose, but it's pretty damn far-fetched. I do love mentioning this theory to Red Sox fans, though, because it drives them absolutely insane -- and in the dark years since October 2004, anything you can find like that, you use. I suppose I'd react similarly if Sox fans swore that Derek Jeter's bat was corked in the 2001 World Series.
Anyway, Orioles announcer Gary Thorne is finding out how seriously the Red Sox themselves take these accusations. It certainly does sound like Thorne either misquoted or misunderstood Doug Mirabelli, but really, it's not like he's accusing Schilling of raping and slaughtering puppies here. Seems like the sort of thing it'd be wiser to laugh off, but, on his blog, Schilling... well, not so much.
Highlights:
Anyway, Orioles announcer Gary Thorne is finding out how seriously the Red Sox themselves take these accusations. It certainly does sound like Thorne either misquoted or misunderstood Doug Mirabelli, but really, it's not like he's accusing Schilling of raping and slaughtering puppies here. Seems like the sort of thing it'd be wiser to laugh off, but, on his blog, Schilling... well, not so much.
Highlights:
Goodness. There are going to be some fun columns written on Curt Schilling this season, aren't there? But then:Take Gary Thorne, John, Jack Joe or whatever his first name is, Heyman, Karen Vescey, Woody Paige, CHB, Jay Marriotti, Bill Plaschke, and a host of other people that litter the media landscape, and put them all on an island somewhere.
Does anyone stop reading their newspapers? Watching the shows they appear on? The answer to that is no. Instead of using the forums they participate in to do something truly different, change lives, inspire people, you have an entire subset of media whose sole purpose in life is to actually be the news, instead of report it. They have little to no talent at what they do and other than a mastery of the English language their skill sets are non-existent.
Watching Woody Paige or the plastered made up face of Jay Marriotti spew absolutely nothing of merit on sports, day after day, makes it easy to understand how Gary Thorne could say something as stupid, ignorant, and uninformed as he did the other night.
Fuck, now I feel bad, because I totally just rolled my eyes when I read that (though I don't believe I smirked). Anyway, lest he leave any reporters unoffended:People have asked and I have answered, but the mileage the media got from the incident is all of their own making. When I walked into the room for the post game interviews and offered up my first response to the questions about the game I basically said that the night was a revelation for me. That my faith in God that evening showed me things I’d never believed.
As I uttered those words I could see pretty much every person in that room roll their eyes and smirk. That’s not what any of them wanted to hear, truth or not. That was not good copy...
If you haven’t figured it out by now, working in the media is a pretty nice gig. Barring outright plagiarism or committing a crime, you don’t have to be accountable if you don’t want to. You can say what you want when you want and you don’t really have to answer to anyone. You can always tell the bigger culprits by the fact you never see their faces in the clubhouse. Most of them are afraid to show themselves to the subjects they rail on everyday...And:
Well, no argument here that Iraq and its victims are more important that Schilling's sock, but you know, these are sports writers. As for the wager... darn, I know I had a million dollars lying around here somewhere. Where could I have put it? Hang on... let me check under the sofa cushions...The saddest part in all of this is the following. Yesterday, as I was warming up for the game, I got to see a young kid, could not have been more than 20, who had served in Iraq. He was being honored by the Orioles and threw out the first pitch. He was a double amputee who’d lost the lower portion of both of his legs serving his country. He refused to use his cane and getting to see him do that was incredible.
Instead of finding this kid and writing a story that truly matters, something that would and could truly inspire people, the media chose to focus on a story that was over two years old and a completely fabricated lie. What a job.
Someone gave me a great idea to end this once and for all. No one will ever need to bring it up again. I’ll wager 1 million dollars to the charity of anyones choice, versus the same amount to ALS. If the blood on the sock is fake, I’ll donate a million dollars to that persons charity, if not they donate that amount to ALS.
Any takers?
Huuuuuuuuuughes!
I always stay til the bitter end of baseball games. It’s not really because of loyalty or devotion to my team, or even superstition, but more out of fear: I don’t want to miss anything. Say you leave after 8 innings with the team down by 7, and miss one of the greatest comeback wins of all time? Or, almost as bad, a really fun brawl? So I stay. But the truth is, today I could’ve been out of there after the fifth without missing much.
Phil Hughes did pretty well under the circumstances. He threw too many pitches, and made a number of mistakes that the Blue Jays made him pay for, which is why he allowed 4 runs in 4.1 innings (though Brian Bruney was in by the time the last two scored); but you can’t expect perfection from a 20-year-old dealing with the nerves of his first start. I was actually worried for a while there that he'd mistake the "Huuuuuughes!" calls for real booing.
Anyway, he’s got great stuff, no doubt. I always rolled my eyes at the Clemens comparisons, and in fact I still will, because Roger Clemens is one of the 5 or 6 greatest pitchers of all time, and that’s way too much to expect from this kid. But I have to say, their deliveries are extremely similar – I almost had an acid flashback to 2000. (Of course Hughes is about 24 years younger, doesn’t have an enormous skull that encourages steroid speculation, and couldn’t grow intimidating stubble if his life depended on it).
Personally my take on the whole Hughes thing is totally dependent on what the training staff or team doctors say. If he can stay up here and really pitch 200+ innings without risking permanent arm damage, I’m all for it; but if it increases the odds of a serious injury, you have to send him back down, no matter what the team's record is. I personally have no expertise on the matter. The way the Yankees talked in spring training, they had concerns about it, which is why I did too; but if that’s not the case, I’d take him over Kei Igawa any day. I just don't know.
Anyway, it was a dismal game outside of Hughes’ promise, and the Blue Jays won 6-0 on yet another chilly night. I’ve been defending Joe Torre’s moves a lot recently, but I honestly am not able to understand why Doug Mientkiewicz was batting second tonight. Was he trying to get Mientkiewicz better pitches, in front of A-Rod? Or just prevent the bottom of the order from being three straight easy outs? Not like they would have won anyway, but it was odd. So that’s six straight losses for the Yankees, with the Red Sox arriving Friday night... and I’m still not panicking. But it's possible that I will be on Monday.
Phil Hughes did pretty well under the circumstances. He threw too many pitches, and made a number of mistakes that the Blue Jays made him pay for, which is why he allowed 4 runs in 4.1 innings (though Brian Bruney was in by the time the last two scored); but you can’t expect perfection from a 20-year-old dealing with the nerves of his first start. I was actually worried for a while there that he'd mistake the "Huuuuuughes!" calls for real booing.
Anyway, he’s got great stuff, no doubt. I always rolled my eyes at the Clemens comparisons, and in fact I still will, because Roger Clemens is one of the 5 or 6 greatest pitchers of all time, and that’s way too much to expect from this kid. But I have to say, their deliveries are extremely similar – I almost had an acid flashback to 2000. (Of course Hughes is about 24 years younger, doesn’t have an enormous skull that encourages steroid speculation, and couldn’t grow intimidating stubble if his life depended on it).
Personally my take on the whole Hughes thing is totally dependent on what the training staff or team doctors say. If he can stay up here and really pitch 200+ innings without risking permanent arm damage, I’m all for it; but if it increases the odds of a serious injury, you have to send him back down, no matter what the team's record is. I personally have no expertise on the matter. The way the Yankees talked in spring training, they had concerns about it, which is why I did too; but if that’s not the case, I’d take him over Kei Igawa any day. I just don't know.
Anyway, it was a dismal game outside of Hughes’ promise, and the Blue Jays won 6-0 on yet another chilly night. I’ve been defending Joe Torre’s moves a lot recently, but I honestly am not able to understand why Doug Mientkiewicz was batting second tonight. Was he trying to get Mientkiewicz better pitches, in front of A-Rod? Or just prevent the bottom of the order from being three straight easy outs? Not like they would have won anyway, but it was odd. So that’s six straight losses for the Yankees, with the Red Sox arriving Friday night... and I’m still not panicking. But it's possible that I will be on Monday.
April 26, 2007
Baseball Player Name of the Week
TIE!: Yorvit Torrealba
And!: Newly promoted Cubs pitcher Rocky Cherry.
(hat tip to Baseball Musings).
Man, it's so unfair that the Cubs get Rocky Cherry AND Felix Pie.
And!: Newly promoted Cubs pitcher Rocky Cherry.
(hat tip to Baseball Musings).
Man, it's so unfair that the Cubs get Rocky Cherry AND Felix Pie.
April 25, 2007
1,035 Words
Oh, and I understand the Yankees also played a game tonight. What's your point? Hey, come over here and say that!
I believe Chien-Ming Wang's face in this mlb.com photo sums things up nicely:
I believe Chien-Ming Wang's face in this mlb.com photo sums things up nicely:
Could I Possibly Love Endy Chavez Any More?
Answer: not really, no. The Catch last fall was obviously awesome, but in a smaller way, his game-winning, walk-off drag bunt tonight in the 12th inning of the Mets-Rockies game was just as cool. Don't think I won't be there July 13th to pick up my free Endy Chavez bobblehead. (Also, if you follow that link you'll find that Paul Lo Duca's upcoming bobblehead will be sponsored by "Gold's Horseradish," which is fabulous).
Anyway, it was a good, taught game all around. I was at Shea with my friend Chris, who snagged free last-minute tickets. El Duque was awesome, confusing the hell out of the Rockies hitters, though sadly, unlike in his last start, I don't believe he threw an eephus. In the bottom of the 10th, with the Mets trailing 1-0 thanks to a slightly-too-exciting outing from Billy Wagner, pinch-hitter Damion Easley came up with two outs, batting .100 so far this season. The count quickly went to 0-2.
Chris: Oh well. It's tough to come into the game cold, and face a guy with this kind of delivery.
Me: Yeah, especially if you're Damion Easley.
Damion Easley: (400 foot home run)
Everyone: Whhhhhooooooooooooooo!
(beat)
Chris: We called it.
Me: Knew it all along.
I'll take a walk-off two-out drag-bunt over a walk-off two-out homer any day, though. I'm sure it's been done many times, but I can't recall ever seeing it before (Hell will freeze over, thaw, and freeze again before you ever see a Yankee try it). Chavez's bunt was well-conceived, unexpected -- by the Rockies' defense especially -- and perfectly executed. Judging by the look on Willie Randolph's face, and the huge, long hug he gave Chavez afterwards, I don't think even he saw that one coming. Everything's clicking for the Mets right now, even on a night when their offense was almost totally stifled; the winning run came on a walk, a bunt, a balk, a walk, and a bunt hit. Now that's what I call National League baseball.
Anyway, it was a good, taught game all around. I was at Shea with my friend Chris, who snagged free last-minute tickets. El Duque was awesome, confusing the hell out of the Rockies hitters, though sadly, unlike in his last start, I don't believe he threw an eephus. In the bottom of the 10th, with the Mets trailing 1-0 thanks to a slightly-too-exciting outing from Billy Wagner, pinch-hitter Damion Easley came up with two outs, batting .100 so far this season. The count quickly went to 0-2.
Chris: Oh well. It's tough to come into the game cold, and face a guy with this kind of delivery.
Me: Yeah, especially if you're Damion Easley.
Damion Easley: (400 foot home run)
Everyone: Whhhhhooooooooooooooo!
(beat)
Chris: We called it.
Me: Knew it all along.
I'll take a walk-off two-out drag-bunt over a walk-off two-out homer any day, though. I'm sure it's been done many times, but I can't recall ever seeing it before (Hell will freeze over, thaw, and freeze again before you ever see a Yankee try it). Chavez's bunt was well-conceived, unexpected -- by the Rockies' defense especially -- and perfectly executed. Judging by the look on Willie Randolph's face, and the huge, long hug he gave Chavez afterwards, I don't think even he saw that one coming. Everything's clicking for the Mets right now, even on a night when their offense was almost totally stifled; the winning run came on a walk, a bunt, a balk, a walk, and a bunt hit. Now that's what I call National League baseball.
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