New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
The Mariners unveiled their new promo starring their prize second baseman – and he’s got something he didn’t have as a Yankee: facial hair. Makes me sad.
The fact that Joba is now a Tiger doesn’t; I’m glad for him and hope he does well there, just not against us.
Otherwise, no news in Yankeeville as Cashman heads home after Orlando………
The Mariners unveiled their new promo starring their prize second baseman – and he’s got something he didn’t have as a Yankee: facial hair. Makes me sad.
The fact that Joba is now a Tiger doesn’t; I’m glad for him and hope he does well there, just not against us.
Otherwise, no news in Yankeeville as Cashman heads home after Orlando………
Joe Girardi got creamed tonight in the post-game scrum with the beat writers. After the Yanks dropped the finale to the Blue Jays, he was peppered with questions about why he pulled Kuroda, why he didn’t bring in the lefty kid sooner, why – of all things – he used Joba in a 3-1 game only to have him serve up a three-run homer and not be able to record an out.
But the truth is, as bad as Joba was and has been, the offense didn’t score runs – again. They really did look dead. So whether Joe used this pitcher or that pitcher, if your team doesn’t score you’re not going to win.
I wouldn’t want to be Cashman in the off-season. If Hal is serious about his austerity budget (relatively speaking), where will the players come from? Can’t afford expensive free agents. Don’t have a farm system that would form the nucleus of a team of the future. Do have too many aging and/or non-performing guys currently.
As we head into the weekend series against the Giants and Mo’s farewell ceremony on Sunday, it’s starting to feel like the end of an era. Which is okay, it really is. But it would be nice to know there’s another championship era on the horizon….sooner rather than later.
Joe Girardi got creamed tonight in the post-game scrum with the beat writers. After the Yanks dropped the finale to the Blue Jays, he was peppered with questions about why he pulled Kuroda, why he didn’t bring in the lefty kid sooner, why – of all things – he used Joba in a 3-1 game only to have him serve up a three-run homer and not be able to record an out.
But the truth is, as bad as Joba was and has been, the offense didn’t score runs – again. They really did look dead. So whether Joe used this pitcher or that pitcher, if your team doesn’t score you’re not going to win.
I wouldn’t want to be Cashman in the off-season. If Hal is serious about his austerity budget (relatively speaking), where will the players come from? Can’t afford expensive free agents. Don’t have a farm system that would form the nucleus of a team of the future. Do have too many aging and/or non-performing guys currently.
As we head into the weekend series against the Giants and Mo’s farewell ceremony on Sunday, it’s starting to feel like the end of an era. Which is okay, it really is. But it would be nice to know there’s another championship era on the horizon….sooner rather than later.
Yes, tonight was deja vu all over again, as Yogi would say. And yes, the Red Sox are on fire right now. And yes, our bullpen was short, given that Mo and Robertson were unavailable and Kelley is hurt.
But………..
Mike Napoli has been hitting the hell out of Yankees pitchers since he was with the Angels and he’s still at it. There are certain players we simply shouldn’t pitch to because we literally can’t get them out. (Miguel Cabrera comes to mind. So does Manny Ramirez back in the day.) He wasn’t the only one who battered our pitchers but he does it consistently. When he came up with bases loaded and Boone Logan on the mound (after Hughes allowed the bases to be loaded – not entirely his fault since there were some tough plays behind him), who in the world didn’t see the grand slam coming? If Logan had walked him, it would have meant one more run, not four more.
But then there were so many of Joe’s moves I didn’t get tonight. Didn’t he pull Pettitte on Sunday against the Orioles and the same thing happened? Why not let Andy go batter to batter? His arm wasn’t about to fall off. Jeez.
I actually felt sorry for Joba tonight. He’s so gone, poor guy.
And the game started out so well with Soriano’s homer. Sigh.
Just another nightmare in an already nightmarish season.
Yes, tonight was deja vu all over again, as Yogi would say. And yes, the Red Sox are on fire right now. And yes, our bullpen was short, given that Mo and Robertson were unavailable and Kelley is hurt.
But………..
Mike Napoli has been hitting the hell out of Yankees pitchers since he was with the Angels and he’s still at it. There are certain players we simply shouldn’t pitch to because we literally can’t get them out. (Miguel Cabrera comes to mind. So does Manny Ramirez back in the day.) He wasn’t the only one who battered our pitchers but he does it consistently. When he came up with bases loaded and Boone Logan on the mound (after Hughes allowed the bases to be loaded – not entirely his fault since there were some tough plays behind him), who in the world didn’t see the grand slam coming? If Logan had walked him, it would have meant one more run, not four more.
But then there were so many of Joe’s moves I didn’t get tonight. Didn’t he pull Pettitte on Sunday against the Orioles and the same thing happened? Why not let Andy go batter to batter? His arm wasn’t about to fall off. Jeez.
I actually felt sorry for Joba tonight. He’s so gone, poor guy.
And the game started out so well with Soriano’s homer. Sigh.
Just another nightmare in an already nightmarish season.
I’m serious. It’s still in knots an hour after that game. Talk about highs and lows. Sheesh. That one was a killer, although it was extremely entertaining, as most Yankees-Red Sox games are.
The first surprise (and not in a good way) was Nova. Once again, the old adage of what seems like a nice match-up on paper doesn’t always turn out that way. He’s been our best pitcher lately, but not tonight. Gone without getting to the sixth.
Another surprise: Joe’s use of Mo. Again. Why not use Robertson for two innings since he clearly had his stuff tonight (unlike last night when I trashed him)? Mo’s been in each of the last few games and I was sure he’d be unavailable. Even so, he was so close to a save, but a combo of a not-so-great pitch and Romine’s error (not a good night for him at all) and Jeter’s non-catch of Romine’s throw did him in.
And then there was Joba. Really, Joe? Why do you keep going to him in big situations? Yes, he got robbed by Joe West on that checked swing call, but he can’t be trusted. His ball doesn’t move. He doesn’t fool hitters.
Bravo to the offense. They came allllllll the way back in a gutsy, exciting way, only to peter out at the end. Such a shame.
Now if only my stomach would stop hurting. Ouwwww.
And Joba is ice cold. I’m not a professional lip reader, but I could have sworn Girardi said to Rothschild, when Joba had bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth with a 10-3 lead and two outs, “I’m not bringing Mo in.” It was painful to watch. Thankfully, Huff cleaned up the mess and got the out, and the Yankees won the series opener at Fenway with another Janer.
Back to Soriano. I cannot believe all the RBIs lately. Six homers in six games? Amazing. Once he got that 2,000th hit he’s been pure gold. And how about Mark Reynolds: first time up as a Yankee and he went deep. Welcome, Mark.
There were plenty of others who showed up offensively, but I have to mention Ichiro, who batted in the ninth against reliever Drake Britton. Britton seemed to have a fondness for throwing high and tight. He got much too close to Gardner’s head and before that he buzzed Ichiro above the neck. Ichiro responded by hitting a chopper, legging it out for a hit and scoring. Well done.
And Pettitte finally had a solid outing until the seventh. My faith in him has been restored.
The game did have its share of sloppiness; there were errors and the Red Sox ran the bases as if they were the desperate ones, not us. But it was entertaining (until the bottom of the ninth).
I’m assuming I’ll be blacked out by FOX tomorrow afternoon – we’re always stuck with a west coast game – but I hope the boys keep up the good work. Their season depends on it.
Raise your hand if you thought he’d hold the Rangers in check and let the Yankees come back in this one. It just seemed inevitable that he’d cough up the runs the Yanks had managed to score to make it a ballgame. Apparently, he acknowledged afterwards, “I suck right now.” Indeed.
Strange game. That collision between Pettitte and Nix was weird and I was worried that Andy was hurt.
Ichiro gave me hope that there was a comeback in the works, but it wasn’t to be. The bottom of the ninth was a one-two-three bummer.
In the background, of course, was the news about Tex. Again, raise your hand if you thought he wouldn’t end up having surgery. His injury was too Bautista-like and we know what happened in that case. We’re lucky we have Overbay, very lucky.
As for the continuing A-Rod saga, as I predicted, Cashman apologized for his language and disputed an ESPN report that the Yankees are somehow delaying Alex’s return to the team. What a mess. But the media is more interested in the story than the players, who really just want to win games.
I’m flying east tomorrow and won’t be posting over the weekend, but feel free to leave a comment if the spirit moves. I’ll respond when I can and will resume the blog next week. See you from the other time zone!
No photo with this post. I’m writing it on my phone while my computer is busy doing a download.
If I were going use an image or two, I would probably use pics of both Hughes and Joba, our two free agents who just keep breaking my heart. Hughes said after the game, “I had nothing.” Just what I wanted to hear. Joba? What can he say except he was awful.
Of course, if this team could score some runs, the pitchers might not be so discombobulated. (I love typing that word.) This is not a good stretch for the now hapless Yanks. Not good at all.
Joba really said to Mo, “Don’t ever shush me?” Behold from the NYT…
Yankees’ Chamberlain Gives Rivera a Dugout Rebuke
By DAVID WALDSTEIN
Published: May 12, 2013KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mariano Rivera has been the focus of adoring affection everywhere he has gone in baseball since announcing that this would be his final season. As part of his farewell tour, he has been meeting with fans and team employees in each city he visits.
On Saturday, however, he was the recipient of an admonishment, from a teammate, Joba Chamberlain.
Rivera was conducting a dugout interview after he had finished meeting with local families that have endured hardships. During the interview, Chamberlain was standing on the railing of the dugout signing autographs and speaking loudly to be heard above the public address system to members of his family in the stands.
At one point Rivera called out, “Joba, suave,” and used a hand gesture for Chamberlain to keep the volume down. Rivera continued to speak with the reporters, but once the interview ended Chamberlain said to Rivera, “Don’t shush me.”
Rivera initially thought Chamberlain was joking, but Chamberlain reiterated the point twice more with a stern expression, saying: “I’m serious. Don’t ever shush me.”
Rivera said he explained to Chamberlain that he was not telling him he could not speak with his family members, only that Rivera was not able to hear the questions he was being asked.
After Saturday night’s game, Chamberlain acknowledged the exchange was unusual but said, “It’s between me and him.”
The exchange between Rivera and Chamberlain, Yankee teammates since 2007, lasted only seconds, but happened in full view of reporters and fans. Nevertheless, it did not stop Rivera from continuing his interactions with fans.
Before the verbal scuffle with Chamberlain, Rivera met with a local family who lost a 10-year-old son in an accident at an airport in Alabama. Also present at the 45-minute event was a boy in a wheelchair who started a backyard baseball league for children with disabilities and another boy with Ewing’s sarcoma cancer.
“This one was touching,” Rivera said. “Emotional.”
Rivera said the event was motivating because the families continued to move forward, and he said he would keep praying for them.
“It was amazing,” he said. “I was in tears.”
Before today’s game, all the beat writers asked Joba to elaborate. He did not apologize. In fact, he said he had no reason to apologize. Furthermore, he said he didn’t regret anything he had ever done in his life. That said, he told reporters he and Mo were fine and the incident was closed and all is well.
But still. Who mouths off to the great Mariano Rivera, the classiest guy in the game?
I’ll tell you who: the pitcher who may not finish the season as a Yankee.
I’ve said many times that blowouts are my favorite kind of win, so Friend of the Blog Barbara (where are you, Barbara?) coined the term “Janer” whenever the Yankees score 10 or more runs. You can have pitcher’s duels. They’re exciting but too nerve wracking for me. I like my wins to be no-doubters with enough room to breathe.
Today’s game against the Indians was just the ticket. The bats were red hot. Cano had a great day with those two homers, showing us he’s alive after all. Hafner seemed thrilled to be back in Cleveland so he could show everybody that he, too, is still alive. Wells continued his resurrection. It was all good.
Kuroda? He went five and got the win. He looked shaky early, but his finger is probably still sore. The only downside to the game for me was Joba. He shaved off the mustache since it wasn’t bringing him any luck, and while he didn’t get hammered today he made the ninth a trial in an already looong game. Full counts are not the way to succeed. I wish he got that. It made me mad that he even allowed the possibility that Mo would have to get loose after throwing all those pitches yesterday.
But it was a very nice way to open the series. Andy goes tomorrow and who doesn’t want a repeat of his last start? Not me.
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.
It’s nice to be your own boss every now and then, and today was one of those days. I allowed myself time off from writing so I could watch the game, given that it was Opening Day.
It’s also nice to watch a game and not expect too much. I didn’t curse at the TV nearly as often as I would have in previous years. I mean honestly. CC hasn’t been great in the first half of any season, nor has he pitched well against the Red Sox, and his Opening Day record at YS is pretty dismal. So I wasn’t surprised by his outing today.
I wasn’t surprised that the Yankees didn’t score 10 runs either. Not with the lineup they fielded and will be fielding for the foreseeable future.
Were there promising moments during the game? Sure. Nunez showed good defense. Youkilis and Cervelli had key hits. Wells had a “nice walk.” Nix played a more than serviceable third base.
But the team looked flat, uninspired. They had a real shot at pouncing on Lester when he was tiring and didn’t. Cano bobbling the ball in the ninth was ugly and Joba’s pitching that inning was truly ugly. (I miss Soriano.)
On the Red Sox side, Kay and Cone kept touting our bullpen over theirs but I think Boston has a better-than-decent bullpen. What’s more, Gomes has always been a pesty hitter and he’s still a pesty hitter and I’m not wild about seeing him on a regular basis. Plus, their rookie, Bradley, looks like the real deal.
Maybe Cashman will make a few trades tonight and we’ll see more new faces on Wednesday. We really need some pop in that lineup. Are we sure we don’t have a kid in the minors like him?
It’s nice to be your own boss every now and then, and today was one of those days. I allowed myself time off from writing so I could watch the game, given that it was Opening Day.
It’s also nice to watch a game and not expect too much. I didn’t curse at the TV nearly as often as I would have in previous years. I mean honestly. CC hasn’t been great in the first half of any season, nor has he pitched well against the Red Sox, and his Opening Day record at YS is pretty dismal. So I wasn’t surprised by his outing today.
I wasn’t surprised that the Yankees didn’t score 10 runs either. Not with the lineup they fielded and will be fielding for the foreseeable future.
Were there promising moments during the game? Sure. Nunez showed good defense. Youkilis and Cervelli had key hits. Wells had a “nice walk.” Nix played a more than serviceable third base.
But the team looked flat, uninspired. They had a real shot at pouncing on Lester when he was tiring and didn’t. Cano bobbling the ball in the ninth was ugly and Joba’s pitching that inning was truly ugly. (I miss Soriano.)
On the Red Sox side, Kay and Cone kept touting our bullpen over theirs but I think Boston has a better-than-decent bullpen. What’s more, Gomes has always been a pesty hitter and he’s still a pesty hitter and I’m not wild about seeing him on a regular basis. Plus, their rookie, Bradley, looks like the real deal.
Maybe Cashman will make a few trades tonight and we’ll see more new faces on Wednesday. We really need some pop in that lineup. Are we sure we don’t have a kid in the minors like him?
Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.
