Josh Beckett Archives

Let’s Hear It For The Land Of The Rising Sun

August 19, 2012

What a great night for Kuroda and Ichiro.

Kuroda has been a model of consistency in a rotation that’s begged for consistency. I just love the way he’s adapted to the Yankees and the American League after his somewhat shaky start. He’s so smart and such a warrior. Great, great pickup by Cashman.

I was not a fan of Ichiro and didn’t think we’d see even flashes of his former glory. I was wrong. He has indeed elevated his game since putting on the pinstripes, and tonight’s two homers were resounding evidence. I loved his curtain call after the second one.

Jeter continues to amaze. When he got that leadoff hit off Beckett, I relaxed and knew the Yanks would prevail. I’m always happy when we score first.

And then there’s Soriano, AKA “Mr. Untuck,” as we call him on Twitter.

Sori.untucked204812 — Photo: Reuters/wsj.com

Supposedly, he untucks his shirt after a save because it means he’s finished his work for the day. All righty then. He’ll never be Mo, but I don’t want to think where we’d be without him. Great, great pickup by Hal.

As for the Red Sox, this felt like an unusual series with them. The games didn’t last forever, although Saturday’s felt that way. Beckett took his customary eternity between pitches, but even so it went faster than the old days. The biggest story in the ESPN booth was the “drama” over when Carl Crawford would have surgery. Yawn.

Let's Hear It For The Land Of The Rising Sun

August 19, 2012

What a great night for Kuroda and Ichiro.

Jeter continues to amaze. When he got that leadoff hit off Beckett, I relaxed and knew the Yanks would prevail. I’m always happy when we score first.

And then there’s Soriano, AKA “Mr. Untuck,” as we call him on Twitter.

That Was Not Fun To Watch

August 31, 2011

And by “that,” I mean everything that happened after the Yankees scored five runs giving Hughes a lead over the Sox and Josh Beckett. (Yup, I got the power back in my house this afternoon and I’m happy about that, at least.)

It was so distressing to see Hughes hand the lead right back. But here’s who else was distressing:

Varitek.

Ellsbury.

Ortiz.

Logan.

Ayala.

Tex. (Sorry, but I’m tired of his pop-ups.)

And, of course, Beckett, who probably bores opposing hitters to death the way he takes forever to release the ball. I wouldn’t blame anybody for falling asleep waiting for him to pitch.

Here’s who was not distressing:

Jeter.

Cano.

Chavez.

Nunez.

I wish I were a bigger Phil Hughes fan. He didn’t pitch horribly. I just have no confidence when he’s on the mound. Girardi’s post-game comment – “I thought Hughes threw the ball pretty decent tonight” – didn’t inspire confidence either. “Pretty decent” isn’t good enough in a tight pennant race.

No Wonder Joe West Complained

August 7, 2011

Tonight’s game lasted forever – or so it seemed. Beckett does like to take his time between pitches, and given how patient both teams are at the plate we were looking at a marathon. I just didn’t expect an extra-innings marathon.

Not that the game wasn’t a really entertaining one with good pitching by both sides. Freddy was much better than I thought he’d be. Cory Wade pulled a Dave Robertson in the 6th and got us out of a jam. Soriano was effective once again in the 7th. Dave Robertson gave us heart attacks in the 8th but kept the score right where it was.

But then came Mo in the 9th. Ouch. He must be allergic to Marco Scutero. I know I am. He gives me hives.

Was bringing Hughes in for the 10th a wise move? In hindsight, no. Seriously, no. He lost the damn game. Very disappointing.

On the positive side, how about Nunez and Gardner, our new Ruth and Gehrig? On the negative side, we left way too many RISP and there were defensive lapses (yes, you, Nuney).

I was saddened by the news earlier tonight that Jorge was being benched – permanently, in all likelihood. Not that he was getting the job done as our DH. As he told the media, he brought this on himself. But I think the demotion could have been handled differently. Joe could have put Chavez in the lineup tonight and made the announcement about Posada tomorrow, an off-day, instead of right before a nationally televised game.

Speaking of which, is ESPN for real? I know it’s unattractive to whine about the broadcasters and their anti-Yankees bias, but tonight was a new low for the network. I have never – and I really do mean never – heard a game in which the commentary was so slanted toward the Red Sox. We had to suffer through two (or was it three?) innings of Schilling in the booth talking about the glory of 2004 (and yes, there was a flashback to the Bloody Sock episode). We had to hear about Pedroia and his “heart”….about Youkilis and his “grit”…about Ortiz and his “smile”…about Ellsbury and his “power.” Blah blah blah. It was a veritable love fest. Meanwhile, Nunez hits a homer and they say, “That ball wasn’t hit that well.” It was as if the Yankees were some interlopers, not the team that came into the game tied for first place. I was truly offended. We all have our problems with Buck/McCarver on FOX, but tonight ESPN was the Red Sox version of a Yankeeography.

Handcuffed

April 10, 2011

There really isn’t any other way to describe it. Beckett reduced our offense to sand tonight. I was thrilled to see Papelbon in the ninth (well, relatively speaking) but the bats were silent against him too.

CC kept giving up hits but getting outs when he needed them. It was kind of fun watching him strand runners. Joba, on the other hand…

Do I really have to say any more about this game? It ruined my dinner, it really did.

On a happier note, Friend of the Blog Melissa had an entertaining idea for a post. Actually, it’s a question she suggested that I pose to everybody:

Which current Yankee(s) would you like to see in the broadcast booth doing play-by-play in the future?

My initial answer to Melissa’s question was Jeter, but on second thought I realized he would not be a good choice; he knows the game, of course, but his comments are bland and colorless. I love Paul O’Neill and David Cone in the booth because they’re the opposite of bland. The truth is I think Swisher would be both hilarious and informative as a broadcaster. Is there anyone with more personality?

Swisher.laugh — Photo:Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images North America

Not A Good Day To Have A Head, Apparently

February 28, 2011

In Yankeeville, we learned that Greg Golson was hit on the noggin yesterday by an errant AJ Burnett pitch. (Is there any other kind?) Via LoHud:

Greg Golson said he feels fine after being hit in the head by A.J. Burnett yesterday. It was during live batting practice, and it was the first pitch Golson saw. He said he was shaken up initially, but he feels fine and was laughing about it this morning. He’ll go for precautionary tests, but Golson said he’s not worried about it.

OK, there were two “he feels fine”s in that paragraph, which makes me wonder if Golson does feel fine or he’s just trying to be a real man. I would at least have a headache or some ringing in my ears, wouldn’t you?

Moving over to RedSoxVille, Josh Beckett got smacked in the temple with a ball while standing in the outfield during batting practice. The culprit? A staffer named Ino Guerrero, who will probably be dragged off to an undisclosed location, never to be heard from again. Via ESPN.com:

The Red Sox said the pitcher did not need to be taken to the hospital and was treated at the park. The team initially said Beckett was OK, but he started to experience concussion symptoms and was sent home to rest.

Unlike Golson, Beckett admitted to having a headache.

So my question is…Aren’t injuries like this supposed to be caused by opposing players, not your teammates? Just asking.

In other news, my boy Jorge Vazquez had his third impressive day at the plate today. I really hope he’s not a fluke. Not when I’m starting to like him this much.

CC? No problem with the knee in his first outing. I guess not eating box after box of Cap’n Crunch was the right way to go, post-surgery.

Manny Banuelos seems to have impressed everybody. I wish I’d gotten to see him pitch.

Actually, I wish I’d gotten to see everybody play today. How irritating that all the games aren’t televised.