I got home when the game was already in the 9th with the score tied.
When Joachin Benoit came on to pitch, I noticed that his infected boil/in-grown hair/facial deformity was all better; no giant Band-Aid necessary.
Photo: Reuters/nypost.com
I’m bringing this up because it reminded me how Girardi intervened in our game against the Tigers and asked the umps to get Benoit to remove the Band-Aid. Was it gamesmanship? Would our hitters have been distracted by the Band-Aid? Was the complaint legitimate?
Who cares. I love the fact that Girardi jumped in to do something, anything, to try to give the Yankees an edge in that game. For me the incident served in sharp contrast to the 2007 ALDS against Cleveland when the midges attacked Joba.
Joe Torre stood there while his pitcher and infielders were distracted by way more than a Band-Aid. He should have pulled the team off the field and didn’t, and he said as much in his book. I bet Girardi would have acted differently. He’s a more proactive manager, sometimes excessively so, but there it is.
My other thought while watching tonight was about Nelson Cruz. The Rangers’ right fielder is doing it all this postseason. I think Nick Swisher is a lot of fun and a much better player than I expected. But I always wanted the Yankees to go after Cruz (I did a post about it on my old blog, so this isn’t just me jumping on his bandwagon).
Oh. One more thing. Valverde was due for a beat down, and I can’t say I was sorry to see him get it.
Tags: Indians, Joachin Benoit, Joe Girardi, Joe Torre, Jose Valverde, Nelson Cruz, Nick Swisher, Rangers, Tigers, Yankees
Nelson Cruz is quickly becoming Mr. October 2.0. Combining his last year heroics with this year’s… WOW.
That’s one of the reasons I covet him, Jeff. He’s not only good; he actually hits in the postseason (unlike Mr. Swisher).
off topic a minute please……did you guys see this?
It made me laugh.
I think he was saying he’d go to the Yankees to give the media something to talk about because seriously…….
people in Boston will be jumping off ledges. :-)
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/What-David-Ortiz-wants-less-dramatic-team-cite?urn=mlb-wp23853
The Yanks need to tweak their recipe a bit, and Swisher is a high profile target, and appears disposable. I’ve been a Yankee stalwart for some 3.5 decades, but, watching this years ALCS, it’s clear to me that the right two teams are participating.
Sitting with the wife, gazing at playoff baseball last night. She turns to me and says, “Now, isn’t this SO much better? No stress? You can just relax and enjoy the games…”
Yes, dear. What do you say (and keep the peace) when you know she doesn’t exactly like your team?
Moving on. Interesting observations, Jane. I am ‘rooting’ for the Tigers, but only because I have SEVERE problems rooting for ANY team from the Dallas area. Leave it at that. Cruz is scary-good; even scarier to realize he bats SEVENTH in that Texas Chain-Saw Massacre of a lineup. And yes, altho’ deflated by the outcome (and the likelihood of a Cards-Rangers WS…bleccch…), your tribute to Valverde recalls a fave old blues song: “Serves You Right To Suffer.”
NOW — the Other Intrigue — yes, I saw the interview(s) with Big Slapi. And believe it or not, I am NOT at all shocked that he may seriously consider the Yankees. Consider the following…
(1) that ESPN gag-commercial last year, where he and Posada are sitting in a room together, and Papi tries on Jorge’s Yankee hat…to the horror of the passing Bosox mascot…funny…but…hmmm…
(2) that other gag-commercial, when Papi walks the streets of Noo Yawk in his Bosox jersey, looking for a Yankee fan to HUG. And he finally finds a few. Funny…but…Hmmm…
(3) not like there’s NO history of a Hosehead coming down from Beantown on the ol’ Post Road to encamp in NY — including in recent history, with Johnny D…and look how he was treated in NY, vs. in Boston, after he had left both teams…
(4) the fact that someone’s jersey was stealthily buried in the foundations of New Yankee Stadium…a Red Sock, by a Bosox fan, and it was unearthed…but still…Who was it?…HMMM…
I’m not sayin’, y’all…I’m just sayin’…
I did see that Ortiz thing, Peg, and it just seems like everybody in Boston wants off the Titanic. He doesn’t really want to be a Yankee and the Yankees have no need for him. The article makes good reading though. :)
I think the Yankees will hold onto Swisher, NYL. At least for another year. As for this year’s ALCS, I don’t quite agree. Texas was a lock to make it through, but the Tigers? They’re a very good team, but a hit here or there would have kept the Yankees right in it. Their hitters hit just well enough and ours went cold.
Dave, Ortiz is not coming to the Bronx. The last thing we need is an aging DH who can’t play first base. Chavez and Jones made sense for the bench because they could both play their defensive positions. Not happening.
Isn’t it interesting that Nelson Cruz was lousy in the series against Tampa, but seems to do everything right this series?
One of the reasons I like Jim Leyland is that he is a real baseball man. He said last night’s game was one of the best games he’d ever been in. Classy to say that under the circumstances.
I had a feeling Valverde would run out of gas. He’s done a lot of pitching in a short time.
If you want some fun reading, go to the Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/?p1=Well_HotTopics_links
They have a special section: Inside the Collapse.
Photos of the thin spring Red Sox vs. the fat fall Red Sox. Dan Shaughnessy blasts the team, an article where Jack McKeon says he had to chase Beckett back to the dugout with a bat. Ah yes, this is the team that was supposed to breeze into the WS and win it all.
I posted the collapse article yesterday, Melissa, but didn’t see Shaughnessy’s piece so thanks for that and the others. I do find it interesting that these tidbits are being unearthed now. All of the Globe’s beat writers knew what was going on with that team but never wrote a word until the season was over. I can’t help feeling that if the team had found a way to get in as the Wild Card, we’d never be hearing about any of it.