Today in The Journal News
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- September
- 8
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Harlan Chamberlain had a night he’ll never forget as the Yankees beat the Royals with his son playing a key role.
Roger Clemens has a date with the Red Sox. This notebook also has updates on Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez.
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on Saturday, September 8th, 2007 at 10:38 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
1st
can gardner be added to the playoff roster for Veras/Pavano or not?
If he can’t be then neither can Elisbury becauce the only players on BOS’s DL are Donnely and Clement
Gardner will not be added to the playoff roster. If he was not called up in September, there is no way they would add him to the playoff roster.
It was great to see the kid succeed with his Dad and family and friends looking on. A goosebump moment. The kids being called up have really changed the emotion and dynamic of the Yankees. It is a lot more enjoyable to watch this team…as opposed to the past few years of unemotional veterans.
Last night’s game, with Harlan there, is one that makes the season highlight video.
Remember this day, Joba, Harlan, for it will be yours, for all time…
***
What’s the chance Matsui’s knees are contributing to his slump? Would it force him to alter his swing, like Clemens’ blisters made him alter his mechanics?
I’d have to think that it is causing Matsui some difficulty and has some affect on his swing. For Joe to be mentioning it so regularly, they have to be hurting him pretty bad.
“The guy is an idiot,” Pedroia said regarding Cabrera. “I dropped my bat. It kind of freaked me out. I was upset they took him out of the game. He is good to hit. He’s 9-15. The guy [stinks].”
This guy is like a mouthy little dog. He just takes things one step further. When A Rod took him out at second he said that next time he would throw low to hit him. You know Dustin, you re a rookie. If you are gonna last in this league you are going to have to know when to say what’s right and when to STFU.
Pedroia is like Mike Lupica, a little bitc…..I wont say it, but you know what i mean
Wow, Pedroia really said that? Makes me hate him more. What a whiny b*tch.
“What’s the chance Matsui’s knees are contributing to his slump? Would it force him to alter his swing, like Clemens’ blisters made him alter his mechanics”
It could have some effect, but not a great deal. As a lefty hitter, his left knee (supposedly now healthy) is his “push off” and the most critical for his hitting stride.
His right shoulder is flying out so that his timing is off. But Matsui has always been kinda streaky so I’m sure he’ll be fine.
I would also like to say IPK effort in last night’s game was greatly appreciated too. We won, He through way the to many balls,but kept us in the game, a true Yankee. I’m “lovin” these new “baby bombers” there’re feisty
I liked how Ian hung in there. Seemed like his location was a bit off [AND he was getting squeezed as well!] but he showed a lot of resolve and fought through some tough situations. Way ta go, Ian!
Pedroia has joined Youkilis in the ranks of those that acquire the silly Boston Syndrome. Word gets around the league and their bawlbaby act precedes them from city to city. Pitchers that normally don’t pitch tight to corners suddenly see the merits of it knowing that they get certain hitters rattled.
LathamJoe–Thanks!
quick question…does anybody know what the official status on vizcaino is? i was at the rutgers game last night and haven’t heard anything on him since wednesday. i’m concerned, because the viz is a big part of what we are trying to do. thanks.
Rebecca,
Nice blog!
I noticed you enjoy books. I have a question for you.
If you had to give me a list of 10-12 “must read classics” in literature, what would they be?
According to the Daily News, both of Matsui’s knees are hurting, not just his right knee. No telling how much it is affecting him.
Paddy,
No official status on Viz. His arm is a bit sore, and they are resting him for this series.
Matsui will figure it out, he’s a smart hitter.. I don’t honestly think hes that far off.
Pedroia is just yet another Red Sox that thinks they’re immortal because the teams so popular everywhere they go. Don’t forget they were in ‘mini-fen way’ in Baltimore where theres always more Sox fans then O’s fans.
I live in Boston. The people here feel the Red Sox are ‘America’s Team’… An ‘everyman’ team.. They pretend to be the scrappy, underdogs. It makes them feel like they can do no wrong.
Clay–Ahhh! That is hard!
Hmm…I have to read the Inferno for class this year, and I think that will find it’s way to the list once I do!
1) The Odyssey–Homer
Cat’s Cradle–Vonnegut
2) MacBeth–Shakespeare
3) Les Miserables–Hugo
4) Utopia–More
5) Lord of the Rings–Tolkien
6) Cat’s Eye–Atwood
7) To Kill a Mockingbird–Lee
9) The Turn of the Screw–James
10) A Song of Ice and Fire–Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire is an in-progress fantasy series by George RR Martin that’s extremely dark and adult, but my favorite.
I read a lot of fantasy, historical fiction and historical non-fiction, but I love Margaret Atwood as well…
Nice article Pete. Your passion for the human side of the game came across great. I loved the finish, letting Torre and Harlan’s word speak.
Hey Rebecca,
I tossed a link to your blog onto my blog… I don’t suppose I could convince you to do the same? =D
DMan–Sure thing!
Thanks Rebecca! I appreciate it!
Rebecca an Joe-
These must be on the list, I assume from your responseyoune meant small “c” classics rather Than THE CLASSICS or canon. You’ll notice a Romantic/Individualist bent, but that’s what I likes.
Quo Vadis?- Henryk Seinkiewicz (greatest historical fiction novelist but long forgotten/never discovered in English ; or jump right into his Polish Trilogy starting at “With Fire and Sword”)
Animal Farm- George Orwell
Anthem- Ayn Rand (before plowing into the 1500 pagers)
Lonesome Dove- Larry McMurty
Robinson Crusoe- Daniel DeFoe
The Scarlett Letter- Hawthorne
The Brothers Karamazov- Dostoevsky
The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Long Wait- Mickey Spillane
Shane- Jack Schaefer
Brave New World- Alduos Huxley
Great list from Rebecca, though. Kudos for including Hugo and Harper Lee. If you like Hugo/Les Mis, then you should read Ninety-Nine and The Man Who Laughs. These are Hugo’s true masterworks. I’ve kind of outgrown Vonnegut, but thought Sirens of Titan was his best.
Micheal–Yeah, I kind of only included books I’ve read…
I have a really old book that’s a collection of Hugo’s stuff, I think Ninety-Nine is in there, so when I’m home again I’ll take a look.
thanks clay, i hope the viz is alright and he isn’t the next quantrill, gordon, sturtze, proctor. having him in front of mo and joba to be a versatile and quality reliever is key.
also, i’m glad we are all finally recognizing pedroia and youkilis for how intense, hard nosed, scruffy and unkept, down and dirty, and for the little guy they are. goodness they drive me ABSOLUTELY crazy with that act, much like trot nixon before them. it is so unecessary to act like that, and he wonders why people throw at him. that and he flaps his mouth like he is the second coming of albert pujols. AS A ROOKIE.
Paddy R,
It’s just the attitude the team carries.. It’s really incredible. They are almost worshiped around here and told that they can do no wrong..
Rebecca-
You won’t regret it. If you like Historical fiction, the do yourself a favor and read Siekiewicz. It has lots of war/killing but that is pretty much what history was.
And I didn’t mean to sound condescending about Vonnegut, but rather point out Sirens of Titan. When I read it (high school) I thought it was incredibly clever and profound. Now that I am older and wiser, I find it and all Vonnegut clever, but rather cheap from an aesthetic standpoint. He has probably aged the worst for me among all the “literate” stuff I used to read. I’ve soured on Hemingway as Great American Author (TM) too, but I still have a soft spot for The Sun Also Rises. And he is great at times, for individual paragraphs and sentences at least.
Rebecca,
Any suggestions on books that you’ve encountered to help me improve my writing skills?
Book lists are like music lists – everyone has their own opinion, which is good – but I can’t believe I haven’t seen any Steinbeck on these lists. What are we teaching kids these days?
I’m glad Harper Lee made one of the lists. I read “To Kill a Mockingbird� in school and later tracked down just about everything she ever wrote because when I worked for an Italian restaurant in midtown I used to deliver to her. She’s a nice lady. Likes manicotti if I remember correctly.
Micheal: War and killing? Why didn’t you say so!
Jaspal: Margaret Atwood has had the greatest influence on my fiction style, but she writes feminist dystopias, so I’m not entirely sure if you’ll find her enjoyable.
Kazou Ishiguro (sp) is also wonderful, even if I can’t spell his name.
I’d stay away from anything overly archaic–if you’re trying to improve your writing it’s best to stick with something simple. A lot of the time, the most powerful writing will say more with less.
Paddy R-
I can’t stand that punk Pedroia either. I would think some of the veterans on the Sox would tell him to earn his dues before lipping off. Maybe it is romantic of me, but I’d like to theink there is a sort of fellowship of mutual respect between competing players. One that would cause a David Ortiz for example, to wonder what DPud has accomplshied in the game that entitles him to bad mouth an all-time great like Arod.
Not in his defense, but a friend of mine who is a Sox fan told me a funny story about him. Appaently in colleg, he was the best hitter on his team and they were facing a feared pitcher. He struck out, and came bak to the bench. Another player asked about the pitcher and he said “that stuff is nasty- no chance against that silder.” A coach pulled him aside and said “Dustin, you can’t do that as it will demoralize the other guys. If you, our best hitter don’t have confidence then how can they.”
Apparently, from that day on no matter how well a guy is throwing, Dustin says stuff like “he stinks, he has nothing, he is 8-15 etc.”
I thought that was kind of endearing, and probably would have even more so if he was a Yankee.
Not sure who cares, but I’m reading a book right now called ‘The Tin Roof Blowdown’.. It’s a very good book, I’d recommend it.
Michael T,
I recommend rereading Hemingway’s “In Our Time.�
Besides, the only title that means anything is owned by Jimmy Breslin, The Greatest American Writer.
Todd-
My good friend is Norman Mailer’s nephew. And Norman thinks he is The Greatest American Writer (TM).
I’ve read just about everything by Hemingway but not In Our Time. I’ll do so soon. Me and a friend are having a great Hemingway debate now and cruising back through his work. My friend never really liked Hemingway, but is now getting into fishing so he reread Sun Also Rises and Islands in the Stream. He now thinks he underestimated Papa. I am going in the other direction.
I recommend the “The Alienist” and “A Letter to a Young Brotha.”
Kennedy’s solid debut was overshadowed by Buchholz’s day, but he is a solid prospect in his own right and projects as a No. 4 starter. Kennedy doesn’t have a plus pitch, limiting his upside, but he repeats his delivery and commands his fastball very well. The Yankees also have set him up to avoid their one series against the Red Sox, with one start coming against Kansas City and two each against Toronto and Baltimore.
Keith Law @ ESPN
E-Roc
Do you mean ‘The Alienist’ by Caleb Carr? That was a great read!
What else has Harper Lee written besides “To Kill a Mockingbird”? I really enjoyed that book all the times I have read it.
Michael T,
“In Our Time� is a collection Hemingway self-published in Paris in the 1920s. It is his earliest fiction. I’ve also always loved his journalism and regularly reread “Byline.�
mike t-
that is a good story. i still can’t stand him. having the “he stinks” attittude toward a pitcher is one thing. playing the way he plays (like he is the most intense player to ever put on the uniform) is another.
plus, he can have that he stinks attittude all he wants, i hope he never gets a hit off joba!
Whats does he is “9-15″ or “8-15″ mean?
Rob S,
“To Kill a Mockingbird� is Harper Lee’s only novel. She did publish some short stories that I dug out of the New York Public Library once upon a time.
I am impressed. Yankees fans seem to be a highly literate bunch!
MacBeth ? Both were good drinking friends of mine. Mac and Beth could hammer down those shots ‘n beers with the best of ‘em. A little shaky the next day however.
And contrary to belief, Hugo didn’t have a miserable bone in his body.
Reminder: This is a *Yankees* blog
So? Intelligent fans are better fans!
Intelligent and optimistic! Hurray for us
Tom Glavine finally throws a perfect game at age 41. Congrads!!!!!
HELL YEAH, Rebecca!!
How about best Yankee books? I personally loved the Birth of a Dynasty by Joel Sherman. It should be required reading for fans and future Yankee GM’s.
Jeff–I haven’t read a whole lot of Yankee books…Summer of ‘98 is a favorite (blasphemy, I know)
My Mom got me the Yankees Encyclopedia for my 15th birthday, that’s certainly up there.
And I once read a really good biography of DiMaggio.
Jeff NJ,
I’ll throw out two books off the top of my head: The Big Bam by Leigh Montville and The Duke of Havana by Ray Sanchez and Steve Fainaru.
For those interested, Glavine was perfect through five but just gave up a base hit.
Ahhh thats to bad for Glavine… Thats tough though..
P.S Rebecca, just because I’m a pain.. my blog link over on your website seems to be broken. i think theres an extra http:// in the link..
fixed.
Thanks! I’m a huge pain, I know it.
OK, for the Yankkes Blog cops. Favorite baseball-related books.
Baseball/Yankee book- Summer of ‘49 by David Halberstam
Baseball Book- Long Gone by Paul Hemphil. Much better stroy about than minors than Bull Durham and made into a decent HBO movie starring Willim Peterson.
The Red Badge of Courage is my personal favorite…Some of the best historical fiction ever written.
Don’t trust anything Keith Law writes about Yankee prospects. # 1 He’s an idiot…#2 He is biased…Kennedy rates at least a #3 pitcher. His stuff is much better than advertised and he will get stronger…Hughes and Joba have much more upside but Kennedy is so polished at 22.
Keith Hernandez is my favorite Met. Best color man in the game.
Dontfirecash,
I second “The Red Badge of Courage� and just about everything else Stephen Crane ever wrote. “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets� is so powerful it’s almost hard to read.
And Crane was a fine shortstop at Syracuse. He was a much better ballplayer than student because he never graduated. In fact, I don’t think he ever completed a course. The benefits of higher education – like baseball defensive stats – are overrated.
Pedroia’s a whiny little b*tch? You just don’t like him because he’s better than your precious Cano who you’ve been bragging about.
He can say whatever he wants. He doesn’t play for the Yankees, he plays for a team that would back him up.
Rebecca- Most hitters, Matsui being one of them, rely on balance and timing to be able to hit. If you dont have that balance, it can throw off your timing and overall swing mechanics. You have to remember that your legs are your base and you get a lot of your power from them. If you have a bad leg, you have to make adjustments, and if they dont work, you go into a slump.
How Clhemenz gon dayte teh entirez Rud Socks teem?
Waht ah slhut!
An old Yankee fan with some different book recommendations (by the way, Rebecca and Co., all your favorites are great also favorites of mine, as well!)
Add to your baseball books;
“Don’t Look Back” by Satchel Paige (one of the greatest pitchers who ever lived), and Thomas Boswell’s “Why Life is Like the World Series” (a selection of fantastic long essays, that includes the 78 Yanks/Bosox Playoff) and:
“The Old Man and The Sea” and “A Moveable Feast” (and everything else by ‘Papa.’)
“The Stranger” – By Albert Camus
“The Alexandra Quartet” by Lawrence Durrell
“My Family and Other Animals ” by Gerlad Durrell (The brother!)
“Ulysses” by James Joyce – yeah, I know it can be tough, but boy is it worth it!
“Lolita” by Nabokov – a work of comic/tragic genius
“The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula Le Guin (especially for Sci-Fi fans, Rebeccca)
All the detective novels of Raymond Chandler
Golly, I could go on all night, but I think I might be beginning to bore.
Anyway, Go Yankees!
Yahz Yank61, doze sum good moviez!
Pedo-roia is a little c#&t. He liked speeling over at Neverland Ranch as a child. I’d rather have the squirrel at 2B. Pedo, Veritek and Pyouki should go to group therapy together (no offense to anyone who is going) and hug each other.
Sorry … just getting in shape for the upcoming Red Sox series. Another sweep puts us right back in the division race again. Isn’t that right, oh queen of optimism?
Pedo-roia is a little c#&t. He really liked sleeping over at Neverland Ranch as a child. I’d rather have the squirrel at 2B. Pedo, Veritek and Pyouki should go to group therapy together (no offense to anyone who is going) and hug each other.
Sorry … just getting in shape for the upcoming Red Sox series. Another sweep puts us right back in the division race again. Isn’t that right, oh queen of optimism?
SORRY FOR THE DOUBLE POST – COMPUTER NEEDS COFFEE
Heh rant guy! You jus as literhate az me!
i be dat yo.
Best Team In BB you know absolutely nothing like your midget 2nd baseman who has a Napoleonic complex. You are a complete muppet.
Pedroia is punching above his weight. My issue with his is his mouth. He needs to know when to shut it. Especially being a rookie.
Best Team In BB
September 8th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
That’s the best you can do Mehdi? I got numbers on my side, what do you have on yours? A drunken fan boy’s opinion?
Cano – .299/.348/.481
Pedroia – .324/.390/.446
And that doesn’t even get into how much better a defensive player Pedroia is
OK Worst Troll in Baseball. Lets look at career numbers.
Can, who is only 10 months older has logged almost three times as mnay Major League ABs as DPud (1536 to 521).
Career OBP/SLG/OPS
Cano .344/.487/.831
DPud .368/.422/.784
As far as fielding, data for thsi year:
Cano 5.3 Range Factor / .847 Zone Rating
DPud 4.8 RF / .837 ZR
And lastly, if you just want to focus on this year: 2007 VORP: 33.8, Cano 33.6 (Deosn’t factor in Cano’s modestly better defensive range).
Bzzt! Wrong, but thanks for playing. I also don’t think you will find a scout in the game who thinks DPud is going to get any better with his huge hack and no power. So for him, 2007 is as good as it gets but Cano is a legitimate 30 HR threat while hitting for average if he can learn better pitch selection.
For 2007 VORP that should be Pedroia 33.8, Cano 33.6. Roughly a wash, and VORP doesn’t factor quality of defense, just the position played.
i don’t read too many books. i don’t have the time to when i have to catch up on the comments on these blogs…