Boone Logan Archives - Jane Heller

A Nice Walk Spoiled

April 6, 2013

I was taking my afternoon walk along the Santa Barbara coastline on this beautiful Saturday and listening to Yankees-Tigers all the way. (Thank you, MLB At-Bat App, for making the games so portable.) Every time the Tigers got a hit, I groaned.

There’s nothing positive to say about the game, unless you count Wells’ homer and the few other hints of offensive production. Mostly, it was a mauling by Detroit. They really do have a great team and it’s not an accident that they went to the WS last year, but what can be done about our pitching?

Hughes wasn’t bad, especially considering that this was his first start off the DL, but the others? Pathetic. I don’t know why, but I was particularly irritated when Joba came in for the ninth and promptly allowed a hit, a walk and a wild pitch. Sure it was cold. But he’s been ice cold so far. Ditto: Boone Logan.

Can CC retire Cabrera, Fielder, etc.? Can our bats wake up against Verlander?

I don’t even want to think about it.

Seriously, Joe?

September 25, 2012

I try not to second guess Girardi’s bullpen moves even though I think he’s overly devoted to his binder. My feeling is you stop worrying about lefty-righty match-ups if your starter is doing well and his pitch count is manageable, and you let him keep pitching. Especially at this time of year. Starters should be going 100-120 pitches (except Andy). They can rest their arms over the winter.

Tonight felt like an egregious mistake by the Yankees skipper. Hughes was zipping along until the 7th when he loaded the bases. But there were two outs and he was under 100 pitches and he’d handled Denard Span with relative ease earlier in the game. Why pull him for Boone Logan, who’s been iffy lately? And once Logan got into trouble, why leave him in? The camera caught Hughes F-bombing and I don’t blame him.

I was even less happy when the Yanks couldn’t come back and win, given the loss by the O’s. Talk about a missed opportunity. This one hurt.

Hotlanta!

June 11, 2012

I know that people who actually live in Atlanta hate the above nickname, sort of like New Yorkers aren’t wild about “The Big Apple.” But tonight the name seemed appropriate, because the Yankees stayed hot in Atlanta. (Get it?)

There wasn’t much scoring – just that burst of three runs early – but it was enough for Nova, who was about as good as it gets. Whatever adjustments he’s made are working. Either that or good starting pitching really is contagious. But his favorite part of the game was probably his base hit. I loved how excited his teammates got and how they made sure to keep the ball for him.

Special shout out to Boone Logan. I haven’t mentioned him much, but he’s been pretty great. Tonight he filled in for Soriano, who seems to have sprouted a blister, and shut down the Braves.

The Yanks still have problems with RISP and I haven’t heard a word about Gardner’s visit to Dr. Andrews, but as long as the wins come I guess I’ll just stick my head in the sand about it all.

The Broom Is Back – In A Good Way

April 11, 2012

This time it was the Yankees who did the sweeping. (Thank you, O’s.)

But, of course, it wasn’t easy – or quick. Instead, tonight was the second loooong nail biter in a row that featured a faltering starter, an offensive comeback, superb relief work, a hitting hero and a brilliant job by our one-and-only closer.

It also featured more bad umpiring (Eduardo Scissorhands looked safe at first to me, for example).

What to make of CC these days? He does seem to have his April slumps and maybe his first couple of outings are just that: April doldrums. I sure hope so.

I questioned a few of Girardi’s moves (what else is new), but they turned out okay so I’ll shut up.

Soriano finally got into a game and after a hairy situation threw absolute gas to end the inning. But the surprise was Boone Logan. I never expect him to be any good and he was tonight.

I have to give the prize to Swisher though. His homer allowed me to breathe, so here’s to him.

P.S. Friend of the Blog Peggy has surfaced following her daughter’s wedding, and she sent along some lovely photos, including this one of the bride and groom cutting their Yankee pinstriped cake. Health and happiness to them.

What Was Not To Love About That Game?

September 24, 2011

Things went so much better than I could have imagined. On paper, Lester versus Sweaty Freddy looked like a mismatch, but here’s what we know about paper.

It means nothing. Lester didn’t have it and Garcia did and there was a moment when Lester was standing on the mound, after giving up the homer to Jeter, when I thought he might burst into tears. He was so tough in the first inning, wasn’t he? After that, not so much.

Here’s what else was great:

Jesus Montero’s hitting theatrics.
Boone Logan’s mastery of Ortiz.
Watching Andruw Jones run the bases.
The fact that a Yankees-Red Sox game only took THREE HOURS.
The fact that we scored 9 runs without any production from A-Rod, Grandy or Tex.
The fact that Joe Buck wasn’t around for the broadcast.

Here’s what wasn’t great:

A-Rod’s rust; I’m concerned.
Tex’s continued slump; I’m concerned. (What’s he batting? Like .230? If that?)
The fact that FOX didn’t show us the pre-game ceremonies with the Maris family except for a tiny clip. (I couldn’t get over how much one of the sons looks like his dad.)

Anyhow, it was a terrific win for the Yanks after all the beatdowns this year at the hands of the Sox and a very reassuring performance by Sweaty Freddy.

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.

Just Not A Night Owl

August 16, 2011

Tonight’s game could have been Yankees-Red Sox, given that it took what seemed like three hours to play three innings. They’re in the bottom of the eighth as I type this, with the Yanks over the Royals 9-7, but I’m not sticking around for the ninth. Call me a wuss, but I’m tired. Let me know what I missed.

Here’s what I do know about the game.

Nova was a total Jekyll and Hyde. He was off to a great start, then couldn’t hold a couple of leads, then pulled it together before Joe pulled him – and not a moment too soon. I guess he was due for a stinker.

Great job by Boone Logan to get us out of trouble and by Soriano, who is quickly becoming a pitcher I look forward to seeing when he takes his turn on the mound, and by Robertson. Our pen rocks.

Lots of offensive fun too. That at bat by Cano was amazing. Jeter keeps showing he’s still got it. I could watch Gardner run all day.

Martin was busy behind the plate. I love how excited he gets when he throws out a runner. He gave the Royals’ dugout the evil eye as if to say, “Don’t mess with me, people.”

BREAKING NEWS: I’m staying up after all.

Since the Yankees went down quickly in the top of the ninth and it’s still 9-7 – and since the Red Sox lost the second game of their doubleheader, putting us in a position to vault into first place – I’m hanging in for the bottom of the frame. Here we go with Mo on the hill.

Batter #1: Strikeout.

Batter #2: Groundout.

Batter #3: OMG! My9 just cut us off! I do not believe this! They totally screwed up their feed and went to some dumb game show, then to a LONG shot of the stupid fountain at Kauffman Stadium. How bush league can you get?

Well, I guess the Yankees won and Mo retired the side even though I didn’t actually see it. Clap clap clap, Yanks.

AJ Finally Gets An August Win

August 15, 2011

I know. He looks like he’s saying, “I won a game? Seriously?” And if he were my husband, I’d make him do something about the hair. But whatever. He got the “W” – thanks, in part, to Girardi for pulling him before he could blow the lead yet again.

He gave up a lot of ground balls, many of them hits, and he had his usual bad inning. The good news is that the bad inning wasn’t that bad (if you don’t count walking in a run). I guess that’s progress.

Nice pickoff by Boone Logan and another by the tag team of Martin and Cano. Excellent offensive display by the Captain. And Posada continues to show signs of life.

I like it a whole lot better when we take a series opener than when we don’t.

Freddy Sez "I'm Not Wilting"

July 20, 2011

Garcia.towel — Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Clearly, Garcia made a statement tonight at the Trop. He’s not ready to be tossed aside for Jimenez, Garza or anyone else, and judging by the way he pitched I don’t blame him. He was great. Not Roy Halladay great but great enough with all those swings and misses. If he keeps it up, we won’t need another arm. (But I won’t complain if we get one.)

What a night for poor Granderson. Not only did he have more trouble picking up the ball in center, forcing Cano to make one helluva catch, but he got drilled in the back. I hate not having his bat in the lineup, but I think he deserves tomorrow night off. Let Gardner deal with the catwalk.

Good for Boone Logan for bouncing back. Another machine-like job by D-Rob. And Mo was Mo.

I’d love to see us take the finale tomorrow night, obviously. But I’d especially love it if we scored early and often. Tonight was a nail-biter with those two runs having to carry us until Nunez (yup, he made another error and has a new nickname, NunEEEEEE) knocked in a couple more. I’m up for something more relaxing.

Freddy Sez “I’m Not Wilting”

July 20, 2011

Good for Boone Logan for bouncing back. Another machine-like job by D-Rob. And Mo was Mo.

I Did Say The Trop Was Haunted

July 19, 2011

It was right there in last night’s post. I was writing about the lightning strike, remember? Tonight’s evidence? How else to explain that strange seventh inning?

Colon had been coasting along (welcome back, Bart) when he was pulled for Boone. Suddenly, the craziness started – from the ball Granderson lost in the CATwalk to Boone’s error off his glove to Grandy’s error. And that, basically, was that. No late inning heroics. No comeback. No nothing.

I hated losing that game, I really did, especially since the Red Sox lost.

Plus, we have two new injuries to talk about. Meat Tray is on the DL with a shoulder problem and Nova did something to his leg while he was on the mound for Scranton. So much for our depth.

I’ll say it again: we need pitching.

But I’ll end with a positive: Nunez didn’t make an error. Almost, but not quite.

A Reason To Smile

July 17, 2011

I don’t know if the Yankees are out of the woods on the Hughes thing, but he sure pitched better in today’s win over the Jays. If he keeps it up, I think we’ve got ourselves a very good second half pitcher. That said, he’s still an “if.” Colon is an “if” right now. Garcia is an “if.” And AJ is a perennial “if.”

Which is my long-winded way of saying I’ve been kind of excited reading about the trade rumors lately. I know, I know. They’re just rumors. Maybe Cashman will end up sticking with what we have, but I doubt it. I think that if we’re really making a run at winning it all, we need another front line pitcher behind CC for the stretch. Is that pitcher this guy?

Jimenez hasn’t been as effective as he was last year, but he’s still pretty good and he’s only 27. The Rockies claim he’s not trade bait, but don’t all teams say that?

And what about this guy?

Matt+Garza+Chicago+Cubs — Photo: Christian Peterson/Getty Images North America

Garza’s been successful in the AL East, which doesn’t hurt, and he’s pitched on the big stage, another advantage. The Cubs say he’s not trade bait either, but see above. (Personally, I’d have to learn to deal with that flutter motion he does with his glove – ugh.)

It all comes down to which players we’d have to give up, and I’m just glad I’m not a GM.

Back to reality, how hot is Gardner right now? He does look comfortable leading off, doesn’t he?

Nice job by the pen today too. Boone Logan seems to have straightened himself out (no jinx).

Now it’s on to Tampa. As Audrey pointed out in a previous post, our record is only average against our division rivals, so it’s time to step it up and remedy that by winning the series against the Rays. I’m talking to YOU, guy.

mark-teixeira-540x370 — (courtesy: bronxbaseballdaily.com)

If You Didn't Stay Up For Tonight's Game, Consider Yourself Lucky

May 27, 2011

What a boring few hours.

The Yankees lost to a team with no offense – a team that scored all its runs on ground-outs.

A.J. had 97 pitches through five innings (or something like that), thanks to numerous walks. He didn’t implode, however, and held the M’s in check even when they threatened.

Our bullpen, on the other hand, coughed up a couple of runs of their own. I’m talking about Boone and Ayala. Why Girardi didn’t call for Robertson with bases loaded and nobody out – Robertson being the guy whose specialty is getting us out of those situations – is beyond me. I guess his binder told him it was only the sixth inning. Jeez. Way to not use your gut, Joe.

Our inability to score with men on base continues to baffle. Almost everybody looked pathetic at the plate, despite the lack of command by the Mariners’ highly touted rookie pitcher Pineda. But the most painful thing to watch for me was when Nunez went in to pinch-run for Jorge, stole second, then got picked off. The kid was asleep at the switch and it made me mad.

Maybe it was all my fault. The Yankees were ahead in the game when I got greedy. It had been a warm, sunny day here in Santa Barbara – our first real taste of summer – and I said to Michael, “Let’s get some hot fudge sundaes.”

He thought it was a great idea, got in the car and drove off to our local place, picked up the sundaes and brought them home. Just as we started to eat them, Boone/Ayala gave up the lead. So I blame myself…and these.

hot fudge sundae — iStockphoto/Frankin Lugenbeel

If You Didn’t Stay Up For Tonight’s Game, Consider Yourself Lucky

May 27, 2011

What a boring few hours.

The Yankees lost to a team with no offense – a team that scored all its runs on ground-outs.

A.J. had 97 pitches through five innings (or something like that), thanks to numerous walks. He didn’t implode, however, and held the M’s in check even when they threatened.

Where Do I Begin?

May 18, 2011

I’m so drained after watching that 15-inning dramathon that my eyes are rolling around in my head.

Did everyone watch the whole thing? (I know. I’m lucky I’m on the west coast. The game just ended and it’s only 9:15 here.) It was one of the most bizarre contests I’ve ever seen and I would have been crushed if the O’s had won. Here’s why.

Colon pitched like the Cy Young Award winner he once was. Don’t ask me how. He just did, like the Frankenstein monster who said, “I’m alive!” He was brilliant – so brilliant he should have come back out for the 9th.
I always love and feel reassured by the sight of Mo, but it was Colon’s night. Why not let him try to finish it, Joe?
Instead, we got a blown save by our beloved closer – always a tough one to swallow.
What a job by Boone Logan.
And what a major league debut by Noesi. I mean seriously. No pressure or anything, Hector. Clap clap clap.
Turning to the offense…Well, there wasn’t much until the 15th. No matter how many leadoff men we got on base, they were stranded. It was agonizing. Over and over we couldn’t score – despite the second productive evening in a row for A-Rod. Fortunately, Cano finally came through with the big hit and not a moment too soon as I was about to punch my TV.
A word on defense….Nunez nearly made yet another error but Tex saved his butt on the throw. We need somebody to give our infielders a rest, but he’s not the guy. As someone said on Twitter, he’s turning out to be Edwardo Knoblauch.
Last night’s star of this blog, Chris Dickerson, provided the scare of the game. I was so happy the umpire ejected Gonzalez immediately after he hit Dickerson in the head, because I was good and ready to fly to Baltimore and eject him myself. I only hope the kid is okay. Just a horrible, stomach-churning moment.
On a brighter note, it was fun to see A.J. pinch run. He seemed to enjoy himself during his 10 seconds on the base paths. The only thing “funner,” as he would say, would have been for CC to pinch hit.

So now we have ourselves a little two-game winning streak. I hope the boys will get some sleep tonight. They’ve earned the zzzz’s.

derek-jeter sleeping — (courtesy: sikids.com)

CashmanSpeak Is Hard To Decipher

May 9, 2011

Apparently, there was a charity golf outing in NJ today, and Cashman, ever the adventurer, was there to hit the little white ball. (I’m sure it wasn’t as exciting for him as rappelling down a tall building, but a good cause is a good cause.) At some point, he stopped and spoke to the beat writers – or tried to.

I thought politicians were the ones that tripped all over their words in an effort to say very little, but Cash is a master at triangulation. I mean, take a look.

On the Yankees’ lineup:

“We’re currently trying to determine and decipher where one through nine we need to be offensively.”

Um, what? If I wrote a sentence like that I’d be shunned by every editor in the publishing business.

And how about this one in response to a question about Boone Logan’s struggles and the state of the Yankees’ pitching in general:

“There’s no aspect of the club I’m worried about making changes on. We’re still trying to decipher what is real, what isn’t real.”

Yup, there’s that word “decipher” again. And help me out. Is he saying he’s not worried about anything or is he saying he’s worried about everything?

Oh, well. It’s probably not in the job description of a General Manager that he or she (God willing) must make sense during chats with the media. But it would help.

Huuughes-less

April 8, 2011

I’m sorry to be saying that about our Phil, but sometimes you have to call it as it is and he’s been useless. I just wish somebody could figure out what’s wrong with him. When Rothschild, Girardi and Hughes himself shrug their shoulders and go, “Hopefully it’ll come,” it doesn’t inspire me with confidence. What, exactly, do they expect to come? Arm strength? Velocity? Better pitch selection? I mean he was throwing these right down the middle of the plate.

Very, very worrisome.

Boone Logan? Worse than worrisome. A lefty specialist who can’t get lefties out? Not good.

Colon, on the other hand, played the part of the wily veteran and certainly gave the Yankees a chance to win the game. But who would have predicted a Tex error? Not me.

Great job by Gardner after a slow start this season. Another record-breaking homer for A-Rod. Another hit by Jeter (for those of you still in the running for the book).

But here’s a concern. Why aren’t the Yankees scoring late in games? I loved the way they kept putting runs on the board today, but has anyone else noticed that their bats have been silent in the late innings?

As for the Red Sox, they finally got a win. Woohoo. Without meaning to sound like a bad sport, the Yankees really handed them that one. Lackey wasn’t much better than Hughes. And he looked so nasty the way he was scowling at his own players. Yech.

P.S. Here’s an email I got from from MLB. Pay attention if you live in the NY area and want to win free tickets to the Stadium!

Tomorrow, the guys in the recently unveiled MLB Fan Cave are giving away 1,000 free tickets for all three games in the upcoming Yankees-Orioles series this week. To win free tickets to Yankee Stadium, fans need to follow Pepsi Max (@PepsiMAX), Caveman Mike O’Hara (@mikeyoh21) and his sidekick, Ryan Wagner (@rwags614), on Twitter. Starting at 11 a.m. tomorrow morning, the three accounts will be driving fans to various locations around the city. When fans get to the location, they will be given a clue as to where to go to score the free tickets. The three accounts will be providing clues throughout the day.

For more info, check out this video: http://mlbfancave.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13561175