David Robertson Archives

My State of Mind Last Night

October 12, 2017

The Yankees are onto the ALCS! The Yankees are onto the ALCS! I’m still in shock. Happy shock. I got about 20 seconds of sleep from being so amped up by the time I turned off the TV last night!

CC was tremendous. D-Rob was tremendous. Chapman was tremendous. And that’s just the pitching.

Didi’s two homers not only chased Kluber ultimately but gave CC and the rest of us some room to breathe. With an early lead, the Yankees at least had a chance. But the key for me was, of course, that Herculean at-bat by Gardner, fouling off pitch after pitch with two on base, ultimately knocking in those runs. Wow. Just wow.

I could spread the kudos around to everybody – all the Yankees contributed during this series. But I was just so happy for them when it was over. They fought and fought during each elimination game and came through. So resilient. Especially Chapman. I thought his arm would fall off, but no. He was sensational. Will he have any gas in the tank for Houston? I’ll worry about that tomorrow.

Was I surprised that the vaunted Indians didn’t perform better? You bet. They were the team to beat, but they had so many errors. I’m sure they’ll be brooding about those missed opportunities during the off-season. They’re a great team that just didn’t get it done.

Of course, I do take credit for all of this. I ate my lucky club sandwich before each and every win, and I’m so sick of them I want to hurl. But hey, a fan has to do what a fan has to do and I’ll be choking back another on Friday night.

Oh – one thing: a plea to Girardi. PLEASE drop Judge down in the order to, like, 7th. I love Judge, but the strikeouts are ridiculous. Until someone teaches him how to hit a curveball, move him down in the order.

Party On!

October 4, 2017

Yes, it’s another old picture, but last night’s game ended too late for me to pop champagne. Suffice it to say I was celebrating in my mind. The Yankees are going to the ALDS!!!!

The game was such a bummer in the beginning. Severino was clearly overawed/nervous/too pumped, not to mention too inexperienced to start a one-game wild card playoff with everything on the line. He’s a kid. Too much pressure on him, as good as he’s been this season. He got knocked around in the first, couldn’t locate, couldn’t get outs – until he was out, and thank God. I kept yelling, “Pull him, Joe!”

And Joe listened. Chad Green was superb in early relief, truly. His strikeouts were huge, setting up a chance for the Yanks to come back in the bottom of the first (bless you, Didi; Gardner too). Of course, Judge had a homer as well in his first postseason game, because Judge has destiny on his side. Everyone in the Stadium crowd seemed to be wearing #99 on their backs. I loved that the pitch before the homer was up and in by Santana, and Judge glared at him – just as Gardner did – before taking him deep.

And then there was D-Rob. I hope his arm doesn’t fall off. He was a trooper, pitching so well for so long when he’s used to one or maybe two innings, no more. He got us through to the other relievers, who held the Twins scoreless the rest of the way. Sure, we burned the bullpen, which doesn’t bode well for the future, but that’s how it goes when you’re fighting for a spot in the ALDS.

I would love to have seen the Yankees do more scoring after the flurry early, just to give myself some breathing room and to let Joe use the mop-up guys in the pen, but I’m not complaining. I’ve been tough on Joe this season, but he made all the right moves last night.

Well, I am complaining, but it’s ESPN I’m mad at. Number one: why must the games start at 8pm and drag on forever thanks to their zillion commercials? And the commentary is mind-numbing; the trio in the booth never shut up.

But now it’s on to Cleveland and the start time on Thursday night is 7:30 on FS1. My Tribe fan friend tells me it’s supposed to pour that night. She also said she’s hoping for midges; it’s that time of year. The Yankees’ path to victory against the Indians won’t be easy (ugh- Cory Kluber), but we’ll see. We know how to deal with midges now, and it’s not bug spray.

"Fettucini Alfredo" Is Not Doing It For Me

May 18, 2014

Let me just get that out of the way. He was good for awhile during his first stint with the Yankees and he wasn’t responsible entirely for the loss in Game 2 of today’s doubleheader against the Pirates, but there was a reason he was cut loose by the Red Sox. I don’t think we need him at this point.

As for the series this weekend, there were lots of high points. The offense in yesterday’s game was super fun; I’ve always loved homers so it was my kind of game. Phelps was so-so, but the bullpen blew me away yesterday and today, D-Rob in particular. He’s throwing strikes now – no more Houdini act – and giving us four-out saves the way Mo used to. I’m liking this newer, more mature version of him. A lot. And kudos to Warren and Betances, who formed a terrific bridge to Robertson.

As the Yanks take tomorrow off before the series at Wrigley, the big issue facing them isn’t the offense (although the Beltran thing is worrisome) or the relief pitching but the rotation. How in the world are we supposed to compete for real without CC (I hate to say it, but I honestly don’t think he’ll be back this year) and Nova? Pineda should be OK at some point and Phelps has his moments, but Nuno doesn’t inspire confidence. Get some arms, Cashman. Somehow.

“Fettucini Alfredo” Is Not Doing It For Me

May 18, 2014

Don't Kill Me But I'm About To Rant About Him

September 4, 2013

I know, I know. Dave Robertson has been great. He’s a great guy and a great humanitarian and a great husband. I get it. But do I want him to be the Yankees’ closer? No. Does he drive me nuts when he comes in for the eighth inning and turns games like tonight’s into a needlessly scary event? Yes.

Again. I know he’s normally reliable – in his way. And by that I mean he does have strike-out capability, but he also puts men on base and throws too many pitches to pitch on consecutive days.

Personally, I would have left CC in tonight. I feared a repeat of Sunday when Joe pulled Pettitte for the bullpen and we lost that one. Thank God for Mo. I wanted him fresh for the long Red Sox series, but we got the win.

I loved the way the offense took advantage of the White Sox’s rookie starter. I was worried that it would be one of those situations where the Yanks are flummoxed by a pitcher they’ve never seen, but it was just the opposite. Cano, especially, was fun to watch. When he’s hot, he’s hot.

So….a sweep. And now the Sox of the other color come to town. I’m ner-voussssssssss.

Don’t Kill Me But I’m About To Rant About Him

September 4, 2013

Again. I know he’s normally reliable – in his way. And by that I mean he does have strike-out capability, but he also puts men on base and throws too many pitches to pitch on consecutive days.

So….a sweep. And now the Sox of the other color come to town. I’m ner-voussssssssss.

What Happened to D-Rob?

September 6, 2012

He’s adorable and a new daddy and a charitable guy. But he hasn’t been the same lights-out reliever since he came back from his stint on the DL. He really hasn’t. He used to get all those swings and misses, remember? Now he serves up the long ball, with tonight’s heartbreaker against the O’s a perfect example.

The Yankees had been awful for much of the game (Phelps, RISP, the whole enchilada) – to the point where I completely tuned them out and watched the Democratic National Convention instead. I switched back to the game just in time to see the rally. The boys had come all the way back, with the help of Buck leaving Strop in too long, to tie the score. Ah, we have a ballgame, I thought. We’re winning this.

Wrong. In came Robertson and….well….ugh. You cannot throw that pitch to Reynolds, who has hit what feels like 1,000 homers off Yankees pitching. Maybe D-Rob just caught the slump that’s infected the whole team, who knows. But without him at full efficiency our pen is not as solid as it used to be.

At least the offense started to turn it on in this game. Maybe that’s a sign. Or maybe it’ll be a seesaw battle for the division the rest of the way, in which case I will stock up on this.

Where Were The Bats?

July 30, 2012

I found last night’s loss to the Red Sox in the finale to be the most depressing in a long time. Yes, there were the frustrations during the West Coast road trip, and yes, Saturday night’s game was no fun at all, but this one? Please. The Yankees couldn’t score off Doubront – not even with all the walks he gave up. Nothing. Martin and Swisher were the only ones with actual pulses, although Jeter, Jones and Ichiro had hits apiece. It was a pathetic offensive display. The comeback was exciting, but what good is a comeback if you don’t finish the job?

The media is focusing on Ciriaco’s go-ahead bloop, but the game was lost on Robertson’s walk to Saltawhateverhisnameis (their catcher who usually strikes out). You can’t issue leadoff walks to people and expect to win ballgames. When will Robertson get that through his head? He was doing it before he got hurt and he’s doing it again now. Why can’t you throw strikes and get them to swing and miss?

Okay, I’m done talking to Robertson. As I said at the top, this one was on the offense. They had chances and blew them.

The only good news? Besides another good performance by Kuroda? We don’t have to keep looking at various camera angles of Bobby Valentine for awhile. Whether it was FOX on Saturday or ESPN last night, there seemed to be a need to continually cut away to reaction shots of him. He’s just a manager. Not that big a deal. The only thing that struck me about him was how alone he always is. Have you noticed? Every other manager, including our own, sits or stands in the dugout surrounded by his guys – his coaches, his players, his peeps. Valentine has no peeps. Nobody’s there with him – ever. He’s got to be the loneliest manager on the planet.

The Contortions of D-Rob

May 9, 2012

David-Robertson-is-half-grasshopper — Photo: US Presswire

Okay, he was bound to blow a save. Mo blew saves early in his career as a closer. Still, when Robertson loaded the bases in the ninth I said, “You’re not always going to be able to get out of jams. You need to stop doing that.”

Actually, I wasn’t quite as charitable in the privacy of my own home. But as I yelled at the TV, I remembered Mo’s press conference earlier in the day when he told the media he yelled at the TV too. (He’s one of us! He’s a regular fan! He’s human!)

Speaking of Mo, I have to wonder about the blood clot that turned out to be the “complication” his agent mentioned. It’s possible that it was the result of the knee trauma, but it’s also possible it had been lurking in his calf for awhile. He was damn lucky he was getting the leg examined or the clot could have traveled elsewhere. The players do an awful lot of sitting in confined spaces – from airplanes to dugouts/bullpens. I’m just glad he’s being treated by professionals now.

Back to the game, this one was a killer. I get that the Yanks were facing a tough pitcher, but oh did they have chances. I’m looking forward to having Gardner back. Maybe he can shake things up.

Phelps did a more than credible job after his shaky first inning, and the bullpen was great – until the end. Sigh. Michael Kay said on YES something to the effect of: “Now Yankee fans will understand what the other teams go through with their closers.” Excuse me? Like we didn’t understand or appreciate what we had in Mo? A ridiculous statement, Kay.

And while I’m on the subject of our broadcasters, did anyone else listen to the game on the MLB At Bat app? I was taking a walk during the early innings and listened to John and Suzyn/WCBS on my phone. Suddenly, they were gone – and replaced by the YES feed. Then, just as suddenly, I heard John yell, “What’s going on!” And then Suzyn yelled, “Am I on the air?” It was hilarious because they had no idea that they were, in fact, on the air via their cellphones. Apparently, there was a power outage in the press box, and it made for some very unscripted and very entertaining minutes.

CC Is Beyond Amazing

July 26, 2011

CC - wow — Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Yes, I know. It was the Mariners. They swing at everything. They can’t score any runs. They just lost their 17th in a row. But still. CC was absolutely dominant with all those strikeouts. Raise your hand if you thought he’d get the perfecto if it hadn’t been for the rain delays.

woman-raising-hand — (courtesy: villagevoice.com)

He was that good. Mother Nature intervened – twice – and he needed D-Rob to bail him out in the eighth, but nothing can take away the brilliance of his performance tonight.

Our modern-day Mantle/Maris combo of Grandy and Tex went deep again. Eric Chavez played the entire game at third and didn’t break in two. And Mo was godly in the ninth.

What more could we ask for?

Tomorrow’s face off between King Felix and Hughes should be an interesting. Felix will be tough, but it’s Hughes who has something to prove. If he falters, the trade rumors will get louder.

A Nice Tidy Win

May 10, 2011

Woman Scrubbing Floor — Photo: Crystal Cartier/Corbis

(Actually, it was Michael who was doing all the work, cooking dinner, while I was stretched out on the couch watching the game, but I was going for “tidy” in the headline and this pic got the job done.)

And tidy it was, beginning with the pitching.

Very efficient stuff from Garcia.
Another Houdini act by D-Rob after he got himself into trouble.
Guns blazing from Joba, who’s reminding me of the ’07 model.
Sick, just insane work by Mo to start that double play to end the game. THE MAN IS A DEITY.

god — (courtesy: Nippon Television Network/WSJ online)

Offensively, the Yanks didn’t exactly hit the tar off the ball (is there tar on a ball?), but thanks to Gardner’s triple, Jeter’s RBI single and A-Rod’s two-run single we had what we needed.

Three other points of note.

Melky. It was weird to see him at the Stadium. I was kind of glad he was back and kind of who cares at the same time. I didn’t love his homer, I know that much.

The Royals. They’re not a bad team and I wouldn’t take them for granted, not at all. They run the bases, those rascals.

And Soriano. I said, “Where is he?” when Joba came in to pitch the eighth. It turns out he has a sore arm and is getting a precautionary MRI tomorrow. Here’s what I don’t get. He said it’s been bothering him FOR AWHILE. Then why was he pitching in Arlington on Sunday, just for example?

Oh, well. I’ll butt out and hope it’s nothing serious.