A Laugher!

April 15, 2012

Okay, it wasn’t really a laugher. I was just dying to use the laughing lady again. But whenever the Yankees score 10 runs or more, I do get excited.

Anyhow, Nova was great at limiting damage. Yes, he gave up some runs, but he always seemed in command.

Loved the expression on Torii Hunter’s face when Ibanez’s homer sailed over his head. He was standing there going, “Whaaaaat was that?”

Loved the offense from the middle of the order – particularly their ability to move runners over. Yay, RISP.

Loved the continued hot bat of Jeter.

Loved the fact that Cano and Tex each stole a base.

Loved the way Robertson put out the fire Soriano started. But I have no idea why Girardi brought him back out for the eighth with a nice lead. Shouldn’t he have been saved for the rest of the week?

I even loved (okay, liked) the ESPN guys. They had such complimentary things to say about the Yankees for a change.

The icing on tonight’s cake was the item on Boston.com about Bobby Valentine and Kevin Youkilis. Apparently, Bobby was on the radio, speaking out of school, so to speak. Uh-oh.

Valentine: Youkilis not as much into the game

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff April 15, 2012 10:24 PM

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

This is sure to cause some issues.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was on WHDH’s Sports Xtra show Sunday night and said this about Kevin Youkilis:

“I don’t think he’s as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason. But [on Saturday] it seemed, you know, he’s seeing the ball well, got those two walks, got his on-base percentage up higher than his batting average, which is always a good thing, and he’ll move on from there.”

Youkilis is hitting .200/.265/.233 in the eight games he has played. But the remark seems curiously timed given that he is 6 of 18 with three walks in his last five games.

Youkilis was hampered by injuries in 2010 and 2011. But when he was healthy in 2010, he posted a career-best .975 OPS.

Youkilis, who turned 33 in March, is engaged to marry Julie Brady, the sister of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Two Thumbs Down

April 14, 2012

One thumb is for Hughes, one of the more enigmatic pitchers I’ve ever seen. He looked so good when he was getting those strikeouts, but it took him so damn long to get them. And then, of course, there were the balls that sat up over the middle of the plate waiting to be smacked. Does he ever plan to go, like, eight innings? Sheesh.

The other thumb is for the offense. What is with the middle of the order? A-Rod’s big day yesterday aside, their output has been feeble so far. C.J. Wilson is a very good pitcher, but there were opportunities wasted…again.

On the thumbs up side, I’m loving David Phelps. Good call having him on the roster.

Am I the only one who had the thought that we never win on Saturday? Is there a FOX jinx?

What A Great Home Opener

April 13, 2012

From the ceremonial first pitch (loved that Jorge ended up throwing it to his dad) to the bright blue skies in the Bronx (it’s been raining like crazy here), the stage was set for a great day and the Yankees obliged.

I was surprised to read before the game that A-Rod would be batting third and Cano fourth, but A-Rod was on fire (tying Griffey on the home run list), either making the statement that he deserves to go back to the cleanup spot or making Girardi look like a genius.

Swish was clutch again, getting things started, and the runs kept coming off Santana, who looked like he needed a nap. But the big story was this guy.

What a turnaround from his start at the Trop. And I was worried about him handling the pressure at Yankee Stadium. Pffff. He sure showed me. Great, great job taking care of Pujols and the all the other little Angels.

Random Thoughts

February 16, 2012

* Sad news today about Gary Carter. From everything I’ve read he sounded like a terrific guy with a loving family. He sure was a great catcher.

* The A.J. Trade Watch continues. If his wife had gotten over her fear of flying, A.J. would have been on the Angels by now and we would have had Bobby “I’m Afraid of the Wall” Abreu back. Oh, well. Maybe by the time I wake up here in California tomorrow, the deal with the Pirates will have been done.

* The story about Bobby Valentine and his grumbling Red Sox players made me laugh.

Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said Wednesday that his spring training regimen he laid out has so far been met with some grumbling from players who aren’t used to his more demanding style.

“When I look at the program we devised, I don’t think of it as tough. But it seems it’s different because a lot of people are frowning. I just asked them to give (it) a few days,” Valentine said, according to The Boston Globe.

* Only a few more days until P&C, people.

Other Suitors For AJ?

February 14, 2012

According to the YES web site, that’s the case.

As discussions heat up between the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees about A.J. Burnett, reports have surfaced that there are apparently at least two other teams interested in his services.
FOXSports.com senior writer Ken Rosenthal Tweeted this morning that according to his sources, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are interested in Burnett, but that scenario would be highly unlikely; A.J. has a limited no-trade clause that can block deals to 10 teams – one of which is the Angels – and he prefers to stay east.

Later, CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman tweeted that the Cleveland Indians have also checked in, with the Indians potentially willing to send designated hitter Travis Hafner and his $13 million salary to New York for Burnett.

Despite the swirling rumors, the Pirates are still optimistic they can get a deal done for Burnett, who makes his off-season home in northern Maryland.

Why the Angels would want him I can’t guess. They already got C.J. Wilson and have other arms in their rotation. And they rarely do business with the Yankees.

It’s Time For A Female GM

October 19, 2011

I watched bits of tonight’s World Series opener while I was making dinner. It looked like a tight, well-played game for the most part and I congratulate the Cardinals on the win.

The piece of news that really grabbed my attention though was the story on MLB.com and elsewhere that the Angels are interviewing Kim Ng for their GM position.

kim-ng-could-become-baseballs-first-female-gm — Photo: MyNCAA.org

Ng was Cashman’s assistant GM before she went west to fill the same spot for the Dodgers and now works in Torre’s department in the Commissioner’s Office. She’s interviewed for GM jobs with plenty of teams and keeps getting passed over for a guy. Will she break the glass ceiling this time around?

I really hope the Angels aren’t just talking to her because she’s a woman and, therefore, they’d be fulfilling their obligation to interview minorities. Somebody someplace will step up and make her the first female GM so it might as well be the Angels.

Did anybody see ESPN’s E:60 special on Dwight Gooden tonight? I was all set to watch it but finding it on my stupid Cox cable lineup was harder than I imagined. Gooden tweeted that the show was on at 8 pm, as did ESPN’s web site, so I figured that meant eastern time; I turned on the show at 5pm my time. Nope. Not on. Okay, I thought. Maybe it’s 8 pm nationwide. Nope. Not on then either. I checked Cox’s web site and discovered it was on at 6pm here. Does that make any sense? Why advertise your original programming, ESPN, and then make it impossible for viewers to find it?

I did find a clip of the special. Oh, Doc. It’s one thing for those silly Red Sox pitchers to drink beer in the clubhouse, but did you really have to do cocaine during the Mets’ ticker tape parade?

http://youtu.be/p-Ywkh78XlM

At least he’s sober now and seems to have turned his life around.

It's Time For A Female GM

October 19, 2011

I watched bits of tonight’s World Series opener while I was making dinner. It looked like a tight, well-played game for the most part and I congratulate the Cardinals on the win.

The piece of news that really grabbed my attention though was the story on MLB.com and elsewhere that the Angels are interviewing Kim Ng for their GM position.

At least he’s sober now and seems to have turned his life around.

Thank You, Peter Bourjos, Whoever You Are!

September 11, 2011

I like to think the Yankees would have won today’s finale against the Angels even without Bourjos’ error, but who cares. The important thing is that we did win. We did break the losing streak. We did gain a game on the Red Sox. We did watch Mo get save #599 and inch closer to his big milestone.

It’s amazing what a win does for my personality. I’m actually smiling.

How cool was it to see both Montero and Romine make their major league catching debuts in the same game – especially after a night when Jorge was essentially pulled out of catching retirement. Talk about a passing of the torch(es).

I’m so happy I’m not even going to mention that Garcia gave up five runs in five innings or that Soriano wasn’t exactly lights out or that Tex’s sac fly was the best he could do. (I know, I know. I just did mention those little issues. Sorry.)

Better to focus on the fact that we head to Seattle in a positive frame of mind, even with all the injuries.

Goodbye, Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and good riddance.

General Hospital

September 10, 2011

That’s what I’m calling the Yankees clubhouse right now, and the situation is becoming more melodramatic than a daytime soap opera.

A-Rod and his thumb.

Cervelli and his concussion.

Swisher and his elbow.

Andruw Jones and his knee.

And now Martin’s got a bad thumb too.

What are we supposed to do?

Tonight it was Jorge to the rescue. I missed the game because of a prior dinner commitment, and I was shocked to read about what happened. It was bad enough to lose yet again to the Angels, especially coinciding with another Red Sox loss, but to find out that Martin got hurt and that Jorge took his place was just…well…not what I expected.

Bad job by Noesi and the new kid in the pen. Bad job by the offense once again. Bad job going with Nunez in right when Dickerson and Golson were available. (I know, I know. Joe went with the better bat, but still.) Bad job by CC not going deeper into the game. Very bad job by the Yankees taking a dive at this critical juncture in the season.

Maybe Buck Showalter was right and we’d all better watch out for the Rays.

Another Winable Loss, And I’m Disgusted

September 9, 2011

Colon gave the Yankees everything we could have hoped for – length, command, efficiency – and what happened? The offense couldn’t figure out Weaver, Jeter made an uncharacteristic error, Nunez got picked off, and the bullpen sucked (except for D-Rob). The result? The Angels celebrated on the field as if they’d won the World Series and we failed yet again to take advantage of a Red Sox loss. Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

The only bright spot? Montero hit another homer. Well, and Bart was great, as I said.

So what’s the excuse for tonight’s loss? I don’t know, but here are my lingering questions.

Are the Yankees still tired the way they were tired against Baltimore?
Has Granderson wilted?
Will the real Tex show up?
Is A-Rod okay? (Why did Girardi pinch run for him anyway?)
Could Mo not have been used, since he hasn’t pitched since 9/6?
Will Swisher’s elbow be a serious injury?
Why was Cervelli scratched from the lineup?
Was Aaron Laffey really worth picking up off the scrap heap?

I’m tired of losing at Angel Stadium and I’m tired of watching my team blow chance after chance to win the AL East and I’m just tired. Good night!

Another Winable Loss, And I'm Disgusted

September 9, 2011

The only bright spot? Montero hit another homer. Well, and Bart was great, as I said.

So what’s the excuse for tonight’s loss? I don’t know, but here are my lingering questions.

Are the Yankees still tired the way they were tired against Baltimore?
Has Granderson wilted?
Will the real Tex show up?
Is A-Rod okay? (Why did Girardi pinch run for him anyway?)
Could Mo not have been used, since he hasn’t pitched since 9/6?
Will Swisher’s elbow be a serious injury?
Why was Cervelli scratched from the lineup?
Was Aaron Laffey really worth picking up off the scrap heap?

I’m tired of losing at Angel Stadium and I’m tired of watching my team blow chance after chance to win the AL East and I’m just tired. Good night!

Cranky Tired Baby

September 8, 2011

I wasn’t referring to myself, although I’m tired as well as cranky. (Still jet lagged, plus I just came from the dentist. Ugh.) I meant the Yankees, who’ve been forced to play under difficult conditions and showed their fatigue in today’s second straight loss in extras to the O’s.

The offense couldn’t do squat after the sixth inning or so. Either their bodies were beanbags or their heads were already on the plane to California or both. Either way, they were manhandled by the Orioles’ usually lackluster bullpen, and the result was an “L.”

Nova wasn’t great and said so after the game.

Proctor, whose very presence on this team still makes me scratch my head, made bad pitches and said so after the game.

Soriano made bad pitches and said after the game, “I made good pitches. They just hit them.” Is that denial or an inflated sense of self? Can’t tell.

Anyhow, the poor, bedraggled Yankees wasted spectacular defense by Cervelli and Granderson and will now head to my part of the world. Here’s the forecast for them.

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

Okay, there are supposed to be a few clouds on Saturday, but it’ll be a whole lot better than they’re used to lately.

Some Trends Are More Positive Than Others

August 11, 2011

No, I’m not talking about the vagaries of the stock market. I’m talking about the ever-changing winds of the Yankees.

Yankee.weathervane — (courtesy: denninger.com)

Today’s series victory over the Angels continued some upward trends:

Colon’s terrific starts.
Granderson’s remarkable power.
Soriano’s perfection since his return from the DL.
Cano’s home run derby-ness. (I think I just invented a word.)
The Yankees’ ability to beat a team that used to bedevil us.

But there were some downward trends that carried an ominousness to them.

Mo’s ineffectiveness against lefties.
Mo’s decreasing velocity.
Mo’s cutter not cutting.
Mo’s recent tendency to serve up the long ball.

Yes, I’m freaked out about Mo. (Cory Wade’s little meltdown didn’t register on my freakout scale.)

I know I said he goes through rough patches in August, and he does. The runs he gives up tend to come in bunches. He always bounces back and I expect him to do the same this time too and then be his god-like self for even longer stretches. But whenever he shows he’s human, it’s hard to take. With Jorge having been marginalized, I can’t conceive of Mo retiring and the Core Four eroding into the Core One.

Nova. Case Closed.

August 10, 2011

Nova was very impressive tonight – at least until he ran out of gas in the seventh. He’s staying in the rotation. How could he be sent back down now? I’m assuming that Hughes will, indeed, go to the bullpen and that will be that.

A big story of the game was the offense. As I predicted in a comment in last night’s post, the Angels pitcher, just up from Double A, appeared nervous and the Yankees took advantage: walk, walk, homer. Curtis Granderson sure knows how to redeem himself, doesn’t he? I always loved him when he was with the Tigers, but I never imagined he’d turn out to be a power hitter. Wow.

And how about Soriano? I’m marveling at how great he’s been since he came off the DL. He’s certainly changing my opinion of him.

I watched the first inning of the game at a restaurant/bar here in CT. Our waiter was a Red Sox fan and wasn’t happy when Grandy was so grandish. We left him a nice tip.

Dumb And Dumber

August 9, 2011

I only wish I meant the above movie characters.

Sadly, I’m talking about two of the Yankees in tonight’s series opener against the Angels.

AJ may have become a platinum blonde, but it didn’t change anything. He had his usual flashes of brilliance only to have that one bad inning that too often sends him to the showers (with a lack of run support from his teammates, I should add). He seems incapable of hanging onto a lead, however slim.

But the Yankees clawed their way back to tie the game, with Cory Wade and Dave Robertson delivering more great pen work.

And then Mo. The horror.

No, I’m not calling him dumb. Never. He’s going through his usual rough patch. It happens every August, doesn’t it? I just hope he’s not hurt.

The dumb one was Granderson. Yes, I know. He put us on the board with his homer, but with Tex up in the bottom of the ninth he gets picked off? Seriously? Way to kill a rally and lose a ballgame.

Too bad this one didn’t get rained out. Ugh.

An Off-Day Until This…

August 8, 2011

After the bummer that was last night’s loss and the late hour when I finally went to bed, I woke up grumpy. But the sun was out and I was determined not to think about the Yankees for 24 hours. There was no game to watch and no player drama to worry about – a Yankees-free zone of time.

I did some writing in the morning, had a swim after lunch and went out to buy groceries in the afternoon – without giving the Yankees a single thought. But then came the drive back to the house and there it was: a Yankees mailbox.

It startled me. I had assumed that most of the people in the Connecticut town where I’m spending my vacation were Red Sox fans, given all the caps I’ve seen with “B” on them. And then – lo and behold – I spotted the mailbox. I almost got out of the car, walked up to the front door that belonged to the mailbox and rang the bell, but Michael convinced me that the people inside would think I was nuts.

He was probably right. I left them alone. But their mailbox made me miss the Yanks. I started rehashing last night’s game and wondering if Mo was his usual zen self about it all and thinking ahead to the series with the Angels.

We will beat the Angels, won’t we? Because I would really like the Boston series to be a mere hiccup.

Goodbye, Yankees. It’s Been Nice Having You Nearby.

June 5, 2011

And so, after today’s win, the Yanks fly back to New York. It’s been sweet having them on my coast and, with all due modesty, I did hold up my end by hosting them successfully. Aside from the Seattle series, they looked mighty fine.

Before I discuss today’s game, however, I need to rant for a sec about Cox Cable, which is supposed to provide me with television broadcasts.

When I turned on the TV before the game I got a blank screen. Apparently, my Extra Innings package, for which I spend far too much money every year, had blacked me out.

No problem, I thought. I’ll just watch on the Angels’ channel like I did on Friday and Saturday.

Not so fast. That channel, the regional FOX sports network, was showing the Dodgers.

Growing panicky, I started flipping around trying to find the game. I went to a zillion different channels and it wasn’t on. I went on Twitter and asked people where the game was. I was told it was on KCOP and tried to find it. No luck.

I called Cox and spent 20 minutes on the phone with a woman who kept saying over and over, “Major League Baseball games are on FOX.”

“They are not!” I kept telling her. “Only the Saturday games. This one is on KCOP. Do I get that channel? Yes or no?”

She put me on hold to check – for another 20 minutes.

“KCOP is an LA-based channel,” she said when she came back on. “You live in Santa Barbara.”

“Um, I know where I live, thanks,” I said, wanting to poke her eyeballs out. “I get LA-based channels here. But do I get KCOP or not? Yes or no.”

To make a very long story short, it took forever for her to finally say “NO.”

And so I listened to the game on the radio. Which is another way of saying that I heard but didn’t see the game.

It sounded like Colon wasn’t as sharp this time out but still managed to keep the game well in hand.
It sounded like Cano’s defense dazzled.
It sounded like Tex is on one of his homer streaks.
It sounded like Posada tried to stretch a double into a triple and was out by many, many miles. (I thought Sterling and Waldman’s “analysis” of his bonehead move would last forever. They kept repeating, “What made him do that? What was he thinking?”)
It sounded like Swisher’s homer almost wasn’t. (Sterling: “It is high…No, it’s gonna be foul…No, it hit the foul pole…”It’s Swishalicious!” Oy.)
It sounded like Gardner got caught stealing again. Is he wearing lead shoes this year?
It sounded like both Robertson and Joba felt like walking batters, just to live on the edge, but wriggled out of trouble.
It sounded like Mo got another save.

I love that we won these close games. The boys have earned their day off tomorrow.