Posts Tagged ‘Tigers’

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CC, The Mood Elevator

Sunday, April 29th, 2012

He pitched like an ace today and made me forget all about the fact that Garcia’s going to the pen (I don’t really want him there any more than I want him in the rotation but whatever). He even made me forget that Swisher, following his big two-homer game yesterday, now has a strained hamstring. Well, he almost made me forget about that. Does it seem to anybody else that Swish has hammy issues a lot?

CC was efficient for the most part and exuded confidence, and I never felt like the game was in jeopardy even though the score was close much of the time.

Speaking of the score, I should have had my 10 run-er in this one. The Yankees offense had SO many chances to knock in runs and failed. But it was great to see Cano hitting the ball with more authority and Grandy and Jeter just keep showing what they can do and Chris Stewart has turned out to be a nice pickup; CC clearly likes pitching to him.

All in all, a very enjoyable win today. Always great to take a series, and taking one from the Tigers is especially sweet.

 

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Raise Your Hand…

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

…if you thought the Yankees’ starting pitching would be a problem.

I’m putting a finger up, not a whole hand. I thought we’d have a great rotation going into spring training, except for Garcia, last year’s reclamation project along with Colon, and Hughes, who has always struck me as being overrated. CC, Pineda and Nova would lead the staff, I figured, and Garcia and Hughes would pick up the back end until someone better came along.

So much for that plan. Pineda isn’t in the mix and CC and Nova have been okay so far but not dominant. Hughes has pitched about as well as I expected. It’s Garcia that’s a head scratcher for me. Why didn’t Cashman just say, after last season, “Well, we caught a break with Freddy. Let’s be grateful and move on.” Why push your luck and bring him back for an encore?

Yes, there are rumblings that he might be hurt, but more likely he’s just done.

And if he’s done, then who’s getting his spot? Phelps? I guess.

Today’s game did have its positives.

  1. The bullpen continues to be a revelation.
  2. Swisher is a beast. So is Granderson.
  3. Eduardo Scissorhands didn’t make an error.
  4. The Yankees keep showing a lot of heart with their comebacks – a very good thing.

But I’d be lying if I didn’t say to myself – somewhere around the fifth inning – “Andy Pettitte needs to be Andy Pettitte really badly.”

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I Loved The Ending To This One

Friday, April 27th, 2012

Yes, the laughing lady is back and she couldn’t have come at a better time. I’d been spending forever on the phone with an Apple “specialist” trying to figure out why my new iPhone wasn’t doing anything it was supposed to do, and by the time the game started I was a raving lunatic. Imagine my delight when Verlander turned out to be very un-Verlanderish.

Even though Nova wasn’t having a good night either, once it seemed the Yanks were hitting the ball I had a hunch they’d come back and win the game. That said, I do have a complaint: Raul Ibanez’s defense. It was scary how bad he looked on that triple. I sure hope Gardner gets healthy in a hurry.

Back to the happy stuff, I was just getting our rally burgers on the dinner table when the Swisher-Cano-Tex combo produced the tying run. I was so excited that I accidentally squirted ketchup all over myself, but who cared. Then Mo was his normal perfect self and Jeter hustled his way around the bases and that was that.

I did miss AJ’s pie ritual. No, A-Rod didn’t hit a walk-off, but he played traffic cop signaling Jeter home. Surely that should have ended in somebody getting a towel full.

Photo: Anthony Gattine

At some point in the season, one of the players will have to take over pie duty. I vote for Swisher unless, of course, he happens to be the recipient.

Nice win, because the Tigers have been faltering. It was important to take advantage.

 

 

 

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Looks Like The Tigers Will Be One Man Short Tonight

Friday, April 27th, 2012

I got a late start here in California this morning and only just read this NY Post story.

Detroit Tigers slugger Delmon Young busted after Midtown hotel brawl
By LARRY CELONA, DAN MARTIN and JAMIE SCHRAM
Last Updated: 10:32 AM, April 27, 2012
Posted: 8:32 AM, April 27, 2012

Hot-tempered Detroit Tigers slugger Delmon Young was arrested early this morning after he allegedly went on an anti-Semitic tirade and attacked a man in front of a Midtown hotel, police sources told The Post.
A panhandler wearing a yamulke approached a group of people to ask for some change — and that’s when Young, who was nearby, started shouting, “F–king Jews! F–king Jews!”
That’s when another man and a group of his friends got into a confrontation with Young at about 2:40 a.m. that quickly turned physical along Sixth Avenue, law enforcement sources said.

Young allegedly scratched a 32-year-old during the fracas on East 54th Street, pushing him to the ground in the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel.
Both groups eventually retreated to their rooms, sources said, and that is when one of the men Young had injured noticed several scratches and called 911.
The victim suffered scratches on his arm and was treated at the scene by paramedics.
Young, known for his powerhouse arm in the outfield, was “highly intoxicated,” sources said, and had to be taken to the hotel to sober up before he was arrested and taken to the Midtown North Precinct.
The Tigers, who are in the city to play the Yankees in a three-game set starting tonight, did not comment on the incident.
Tigers spokesman Rick Thompson said “we’ll get back to you” when asked about Young’s status.
Young, who has had problems controlling his temper in the past, was charged with aggravated harassment. Investigators are also looking into the possibility of charging him with a hate crime. He is in custody awaiting arraignment.
Young was first drafted overall into the Majors in 2003. He played for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2006 before being traded to the Minnesota Twins prior to the 2008 season.
Young stayed with the Twins until last season where he was traded to the Detroit Tigers on August 15.
In his first at-bat in the playoffs as a Tiger, he hit a homerun off CC Sabathia. Before joining the majors, controversy hit Young while playing for the Triple-A Durham Bulls. During a game against the Pawtucket Red Sox, he threw a bat at an umpire.
Young has struggled at the plate so far this season, hitting a mere .242, with 1 homer and 5 RBI.

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Random Thoughts About Tonight’s Tigers-Rangers Game

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

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.

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Anyone Watch Rangers-Tigers Tonight?

Saturday, October 8th, 2011

I caught a few innings. My random thoughts:

  1. Rain delays are still the pits.
  2. Rangers fans wave towels as manically as Tigers fans.
  3. Verlander didn’t look as intimidating as he did against the Yankees.
  4. I kept wishing we were still playing.
  5. Terry Francona doesn’t have a big future as a broadcaster.
  6. Joe Buck is still terrible.
  7. The game was a close one but I doubt the ratings will be any higher than reruns of “Law and Order.”
  8. I was happy that Austin Jackson knocked in Detroit’s two runs, since he used to be “ours.”
  9. Ogando needs to get that large facial cyst examined.
  10. I prefer teams that wear blue to teams that wear red.

Mostly, I was bored stiff.

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Life After Baseball…Or So I Thought

Friday, October 7th, 2011

Since Michael and I didn’t get to go out to celebrate our anniversary the other night, opting instead to watch Yankees-Tigers, we decided to stop grieving the Yankees’ ouster from the playoffs and have a romantic dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants.

We were seated at a lovely table, ordered some wine and tried to forget about baseball while we perused the menu. About five minutes in, I overheard the following conversation from the next table.

Man: “That damn Rodriguez. They should send him to Siberia and never let him wear the pinstripes again.”

Woman: “And he can take CC with him. What a disaster.”

Man: “And Teixeira. Talk about garbage.”

Woman: “The whole team’s garbage. They score 10 runs one night and can’t do squat the next. What a joke.”

I put down my menu and flared my nostrils. Michael gave me a look that said, “Don’t start anything.” I shrugged and said, “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”

My husband rolled his eyes, sat back and watched helplessly as I leaned over and said to the couple at the next table, “Excuse me. Are you referring to the Yankees?”

Man: “Yeah. We’re Yankee fans.”

Me (Laughing snidely): “Fans? You call yourself fans?”

Woman: “We were talking about the game last night. Did you see it?”

Me: “Of course I saw it. But unlike you, I don’t think my team is garbage because they lost.”

Man: “Oh, come on. They were pathetic.”

Me: “No, they lost. It happens. A true fan would get that.”

Man (starting to rise from his chair): “And just who do you think you are?”

Me: “Just a fan – the kind that doesn’t go around disparaging the Yankees. Have a nice evening.”

I turned my back to them and focused on my husband. We had a delicious dinner, complete with a chocolate molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert. As we were leaving the restaurant, the mean couple hissed at me. I gave them a big smile, knowing full well that my face looked like the grownup equivalent of this.

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Stiff Upper Lip, Everybody

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

I was hoping that the lead pic for this post would be one of me spraying myself with champagne. Or, since the Yanks needed to come back and win in the ninth tonight, I contemplated a shot of Michael smushing pie in my face. Oh, well.

What a bizarre, stomach-churning, ultimately soul-crushing game, wasn’t it?

From Nova’s quick and rather mysterious exit… to the cavalcade of relievers that included CC… to the oddly silent bats… it was a game that kept me hoping but left me empty. Girardi made so many moves on the pitching side but none on the hitting side. Clearly, Tex, Swisher, Martin and A-Rod were struggling and yet there was no Montero? No Chavez? No Jones? We had a great bench this season, but he didn’t use any of them tonight. Strange.

So. The Tigers won and I congratulate them.

And I say goodbye to Gene Monahan for all the years he gave the Yankees and, very likely, to Jorge. What a series he had after his travails this season.

There will be plenty of time for more elaborate postmortems, but for now let’s remember the high notes of 2011, which for me included:

  1. Jeter’s 3000th.
  2. Mo’s 600th.
  3. The breakthrough of Nova.
  4. The MVP seasons of Granderson and Cano.
  5. The emergence of Robertson.
  6. The major league debut of Montero.
  7. The surprising performances of Colon and Garcia.
  8. Winning the Division.

It was a very good year for the New York Yankees – better than most expected – but they fell short. So be it.

The good part of losing? More hours in the day for other things. For example, tonight I went right from the final out to HBO’s Part II of the George Harrison documentary, having watched Part I last night. It took my mind off baseball and reminded me that I have other interests that I’ll now have time to pursue.

More to come after I’ve digested losing, which is never fun but is part of the deal of being a fan.

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Tomorrow Night Will Be Stressful. I’m Here To Help. (With a P.S.)

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

I’m nervous just thinking about turning on the TV for tomorrow night’s Game 5. So in anticipation of the first pitch and the accompanying sweats, heart palpitations, nausea, headache and testy temperament, I went browsing on the web and came up with Seven Tips for Relieving Stress from the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

Here they are.

  1. Allow plenty of time. Being too busy is a big source of stress.
  2. Exercise. It’s a great stress buster.
  3. Get plenty of rest and eat well. You’ll be able to handle stress better when it does come up.
  4. Discuss your problems with a friend or family member.
  5. When stress hits big, take a time-out. A few minutes away from the problem can help.
  6. Breathe deeply — slowly in, slowly out. Think of something pleasant.
  7. Ask for help. If you feel like your stress is just too much, talk with your family, a friend or a counselor.

I translate the above to mean:

  1. Allow plenty of time before the game to get in your lucky clothes and sit in your lucky seat.
  2. Do jumping jacks between innings.
  3. Order a pizza in the third inning. No, two pizzas.
  4. Go on this blog or twitter or watch the game with an actual human.
  5. Walk away from the TV during the commercials (or when TBS shows Leyland in the Tigers dugout).
  6. Think of the 2011 Yankees holding up that championship trophy and pouring champagne on each other.
  7. Call me. On second thought, call 911.

Good luck, everyone, and let’s go Yankees!

P.S. Here’s a pic sent in by Friend of the Blog Peggy. It’s a total stress-reducer: her Yankee fan cat!

This just in: it’s officially Yankee Pet Day. Friend of the Blog Audrey sent a pic of her pooch. Can I hear a collective “Awwww.”

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And We Live Another Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

That’s right. The Yankees are not dead yet – not by a long shot. Tonight was my anniversary, and Michael and I passed up a chance to go out and celebrate so we could stay home and watch the game. And what a happy anniversary it was.

Wow. So much applause to pass around.

#1. AJ

That first inning gave me a heart attack and if it weren’t for Granderson’s amazing catch I don’t know where we’d be. But whatever Larry Rothschild said during the next half inning, AJ came back out and pitched like a champ for the most part. He’ll always be a guy who walks a tightrope, but he gave us what we needed and I applaud him.

#2. Granderson

In addition to that first catch, how about the one in the sixth where he got the wind knocked out of him? It was absolutely insane. And his double wasn’t too shabby either. Big hand for the Grandy Man.

#3. The Offense

I got my 10 runs. Need I say more? Of course I need to. Not only did the bats chase Porcello but they came bursting to life in the eighth inning. I love homers to death, but there’s nothing more fun than seeing single after single after single (with a few walks and hit batsmen mixed in). A-Rod, Tex and Swisher finally showed up at the plate and my guess is the floodgates have now been opened, particularly in A-Rod’s case. Good work, guys. And congrats to Montero for his first postseason hit.

#4. The Pen

I got nervous when I saw Cory Wade warming early in AJ’s outing. I said out loud, “No! Why? Who’s next? Ayala?” But Soriano came on instead and, thanks to Granderson’s catch in the sixth, he pitched great. So did Hughes and Logan (loved the strikeouts).

#5. Mother Nature

She didn’t rain. And she’d better not pull anything on Thursday night.

So, so happy our season isn’t over – an understatement.

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