Two down with six games to go
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- September
- 24
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The Yankees haven’t mailed too many games in this season but today was not one of their better efforts.
Two games out is certainly much worse when there are only six games to play.
So here is where they stand:
Boston 92-64
New York 90-66 -2
Red Sox remaining games
vs. Oakland (2)
vs. Minnesota (4)
Yankees remaining games
at Tampa (3)
at Baltimore (3)
The Yankees probably need to go at least 5-1 to have a shot. That would give them 95 wins. Then you hope Boston goes 3-3 and they finished tied with the tiebreaker going to the Yankees based on the head-to-head results.
At any rate, the immediate goal has to be eliminating the Tigers. Then whatever happens, happens.
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on Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 4:01 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Isn’t today rookie hazing day? Anyone have any photos?
well said.. bad effort today the only positives were the 3 releif pitchers. the early D was Bad and that hurt.
the offense was asleep… bad effort…..
to bad I do not care about the division but they could have cut it to 1 and made Boston sweat but they had a bad bad effort…
Even though it wasn’t the most exciting game, I’ve got to say it made work go a lot quicker.. But shhh, you didn’t hear that from me..
For whatever reasons, we’re not a day team.
62-39 nite
28-27 day (incl today)
Red Sox wil Mail it in the rest of the season, being the Losers that they are…in 2 days, Yankees will have tied them ( thus taking the division lead )…Next 2 days….Detroit 2-0, yankees 2-0…BoSux Idiots 0-2….with Detroit still pushing us to the Division Crown….after that it is a 4 game sprint to the finigh, with the Idiot Nation losing their tiny minds over the lack of fire their team shows and the Yankees starting pitching shutting down these AAA teams and the Yankees bats coming ALIVE BIG TIME….OPTIMISM FOREVER !!! GO YANKEES….It is SO not over yet, fans !!!
dude. rookie hazing today involves them being dressed up as characters from the Wizard of Oz. Joba was the cowardly lion and does a good impression. Kennedy is Dorothy. theres tin-men and monkies and munchkins and all sorts of crazy BS. Guess it beats walking around in a skirt or a tele-tubby outfit.
got the usual crap excuse from Joe in the postgame – give credit to Litsch, he shut us down. Personally, i can’t take that excuse – Sterling is goin on and on about Litsch didn’t walk anyone – well yeah, John, thats what happens when the entire team decides they want to swing at the first pitch. I’m not saying Litsch wasn’t pitching a fine game, but our offense wasn’t helping the situation at all, so i can’t just hand it to the Jays pitching, i hate when i hear that crap.
Did Joe give them the Tito speech (”the division doesn’t matter”) before the game?
to expand on my last point.
Our last ten games versus Boston, we’re 8-2, 7-0 nite, 1-2 day.
thanks for the info rusty. Anyone have photos?
Who cares? Do you think they are going to win every game?
What do you want Torre to do, have a fit today?
They came back from 4 runs down in the 9th against Halliday, and played like crazy the last two days to win games. You are going to have games like this.
Don’t lose sight of the big picture. They are going to the playoffs. That’s what matters.
The team is really broken up about it. They have rookie hazing day set up and the rookies have to go to dinner in Tampa dressed like Wizard of Oz characters.
Does that sound like a down team?
Good teams are relaxed and play relaxed. The Yankees will take care of business in the next day or two and then we can talk playoffs.
Yah thats wierd isn’t it?
Who makes the Yankees sunglasses?
You know labor day weekend? we played 3 day games in a row and went 1-2.
The division truly doesn’t matter. I want them to hurry up and clinch a playoff berth so they can start resting guys. If they tie the Red Sox you know they are going to go all out to be the division winners.
I’d like the division as much as the next guy and I’d love to see us take it…but I also want to see the ring. Get Detroit out of this, rest up, and take the ALCS…then the WS.
Once the Tigers are elminated forget the division and line up the rotation for the playoffs. That’s more important for sure.
no video on YES post game just endedmaybe they willput some video up on the website or postgame plus
Dude. you know SJ – i think you’ve got alot of brilliant posts, and i think you get knocked around alot for being ‘doom and gloom’, and i get the realism over idealsm thing, but its actually really awesome to see you post a positive thought today – coming from you, i think that should make everyone chill the hell out and realize that even the guy with the black cloud over his head is sitting in the sun today, cause you’re right, we’re going to be playing ball in October, and thats all that matters for now. I guess i just get freaked out when i see them play like ‘that’ (and everyone knows what im talking about).
And no, no photos of the hazing yet, just heard about it on the postgame.
Well according to Tim Kurkjian, Jim Leyland has already said the Tigers won’t make the playoffs and said it’s because of the injuries to his players. I hope he’s told the whole team that they won’t be making the playoffs and they proceed to lose the next two games.
It’s 4:30am in the morning in Taiwan when I write this commment.After watching this sloppy game,I am so mad.I haven’t been this mad even though they keep losing earlier season.I am so mad that I have to turn on the computer and write this comment before I go to bed.I don’t care they will catch Red Sox or not.As a fan,you are happy when your team give you their best effort and try to win that game,even though they lose that game eventually.It’s so painful for me to watch this sloppy game from 1am to 4am.I can’t image how fans who in the stadium today will feel.
BOO yes stinks!! they should have gotten video of it. Maybe on tomorrows pregaame?
Rich, SERIOUSLY ( seriosuly ? ),,,enjoy your BoSux early exit from the playoffs and start stocking up on Vodka so that you can drown your sorrows !
Jessica-
I wanna party with you!
Woo Hoo!!
I am a realist. I am not a cheerleader and I don’t ignore dumb play. I enjoy the games as much (or more) than anybody. I am far from doom and gloom. I am not just a company guy on the optimist front.
Today? I can’t fault’em for dragging a little bit. The last 3 days have been marathons. It takes a lot out of a team. Especially the bullpen.
The worst thing that could have happened today is a one run lead in the 8th inning and having to run guys like Viz or Mo out there. They could some time off.
Sometimes, its better to lose and get guys some rest, than pull out all stops to win.
Tampa is like another home game for the Yankees. I go to all the games when they are in Tampa and the crowd is always 80-20 Pro-Yankees.
Hopefully, they take care of business in the next day or two. I don’t want the Orioles series to mean anything because I don’t want Yankee hitters getting drilled by wild Orioles pitchers such as Daniel Cabrera.
This team needs to clinch the playoff spot quickly so they can relax a bit. Its been a very tough grind to play themselves into this position. You want them fresh for the post-season and a few days off can’t hurt in that regard.
Why does everyone feel the need to find a reason for everything? “We lost today, so therefore the effort must not have been there” or “I can’t blame them for dragging a bit today” etc. It’s speculative and pointless. The elf Litsch pitched well, Pettitte did not, we didn’t hit well, bad luck, etc.
The other thing I can’t stand is the old, “Pettitte vs. Litsch, who would have thought Litsch would pitch so well? That’s baseball”. Who would think, looking at that game, the Yankees had a 100% chance of winning? Is sample size really that difficult to understand? If they played today’s game 1 million times, the Yankees would probably win 600,000 of them. When you only play once, strange stuff happens. Special Kay and Sterling are the two biggest culprits of this idiocy.
after Detroit is eliminated the Division will be won by AAA players. Both us and Boston will (or at least should) focus on resting guys and lining up the rotation. Boston MIGHT fight to hang onto the division since they had such a huge lead and want to stave off the humiliation of losing a 14.5 game lead, but it would be foolish in the big picture.
Could go either way at this point but unless the best AL record is at all within reach (if Anaheim mails in the next week), while I want the division crown in NY where it belongs, I want the WS more……
Jeez!
What’s wrong with cheerleaders? They’re hot!
http://tinyurl.com/2dzghs
Look at those..um, um, Pomp-Pomps!
We’ll be there in October.
You know it.
Dr A,
Yankees a so like me. Nocturnal animals. We hunt in the night. If I a president of US for even one day, I will change work day from 3:00 pm to 11:59 pm.
yuck.
* yankees a = yankees are
* a president = am president
I could have sworn I typed it right
“The elf Litsch pitched well, Pettitte did not”
Andy didn’t pitch badly at all! Pettitte’s line was 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB. If Arod gets his glove down for a routine grounder in the 1st inning, Pettitte gets out of the inning with 1 run.
Sorry , but this WAS a lackadaisical Yankee effort today. You can conjure up all the excuses you want, but lack of concentration should not excuse their poor play today. Other than Minky, this team seemed like a bunch of fans waiting to exit one of the crowded Yankee Stadium restrooms. They looked lazy in the field, couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position, did not bother to take pitches, swinging at the first pitch several times instead of trying to get into the BJ’s bullpen early. Litsch is what he is – a pitcher with mediocore stuff. Perhaps they were pumped to face Burnett today and couldn’y adjust mentally. But Ny still has a chance to win a Division AND gain HOME Team advantage – something that’s impossible as a Wild Card Team.
The site of Giambi, normally a patient hitter and aware of the need to “keep the line moving” – swings a the first pitch a grounds out weakly – convinced me that no one had their head in the game.
sj44-
the yankees got the split that they needed. toronto is tough right now with their pitching so things could have easily went the other way. there should be a big pro yankee crowd down there for this upcoming series which should help the yankees . hopefully they will wrap up the wildcard quickly and get on to getting ready for the playoffs.
Vito, are you EVER right?
I did not watch the game but looked like the yankees mailed this game in. But with the kind of games they played this series and given how professionally dedicated they have been for the last couple of months, I am going to cut them some slack. As long as they dont make a habit of it, one game is ok. My boss lets me slack once in a while. So why not them.
Dr. Acula –
Who ARE those cheerleaders? Seriously, who are they?
Certainly, it would have been great to have a win today, but the overall picture still looks good. Basically, the Yankees have to win 2, the Red Sox have to lose 2 and then they can match up the rest of the way, and Yankees would have the division. It doesn’t sound all that difficult. But of course, nothing sounds difficult on paper.
It is slightly ironic, though, that throughout this season, it was said that it would take 95 wins to get the AL wild card, and the Yankees will probably be able to get that with less than 95 wins. The ironic part is that 95 wins could conceivably net them the division. And if that happens, it would be so sweet. However, I’m simply happy that here we are, having suffered through the first 2 to 3 months of this season, having watched the worst of it in Colorado and San Francisco, and yet, we’ll see October baseball in the Bronx. it is a testiment to “steady as she goes,” and a panic free attitude. With all the “questionable” in-game moves by Torre (and it seems most managers do have those), his overall style wins the day.
Now, where are those rookie hazing pictures? I am anxious to see them. However, it should be noted that the Wizard of Oz theme is not original — the Red Sox had at least a Dorothy. The Teletubby (Matsuzaka) got the most publicity, but if you watched the entire video (Did you provide that Dr. Ac?), you would have seen the Dorothy costume in Boston. But, I bet Joba made a great Cowardly Lion.
Bob – i follow you and i’m not sweating todays loss too much, but i don’t think its just a matter of losing, its how they lost: we’re used to the Yanks working counts, getting men on base, having a generally potent offense.
If there was a team who was excellent defensively and never committed errors, and then wound up losing a game because they committed 3 errors and gave away some free runs – fans would be concerned about that loss because they don’t usually lose – in that way. If we take that one further and say that said team usually leads the league each season with fewest errors and best fielding % per position, but they have a tendency to blow postseason games because for some weird reason, they play sloppy D in October – fans might get a little nervous seeing their team play a game like that on September 24.
The division would be nice, but i wasn’t upset because todays loss puts us further away from that goal, i was a little upset because the offense today seemed very very different from what we’ve seen over the last several weeks. I know i’m not trippin here because we see people refer to it all the time – ’shut down mode’ or whatever they want to call it, but randomly, every once in a while, the best offense in baseball, with most runs scored and highest OBP all of a sudden does a 180 and plays in the opposite way.
No – Andy didn’t pitch well today, and Litsch DID pitch a gem – and that is certainly why we lost today. BUT – in addition to that – i just didn’t like a single AB today, they were swinging early in the count, couldn’t fight off pitches to keep AB’s going and generally made it easier for Litsch to pitch his gem. Seeing that type of play makes me anxious going into the last week of September because the last several postseasons, thats exactly how they lose – no patience, no plate discipline (this of course combined with bad starting pitching). The difference between Friday and today was that after Halladay came out, there was a renewed confidence, today after Litsch came out, they continued to come to the plate with the same attitude. Matsui popping out the first pitch with guys on the corners, the way hes been picking it up – he should have taken a pitch or two. But hey, i’m not Kevin Long so i probably just sound like a tool trying to give Matsui advice here, he probably saw a good pitch and went for it. It happens, if he hits it out and tied the game, i’d be saying how much of a bad ass he was for whoopin the first pitch he saw out of the park.
Regardless, i agree with your points about playing the result of playing todays game 1 million times, i just want them to keep the offensive momentum going so everyone feels positive and confident going to the plate in October, which seems to be something that can change at the drop of a hat around here. This team also tends to bunch up hot and cold streaks, the whole team is on or the whole team is off, so yeah, game like today makes me a bit anxious, lets hope its just today and the sight of Shelley Duncan as the Scarecrow loosens everyone up!
PTI was just talking about Arod and CHICAGO CUBS. saying that if NYY doesn’t win the World Series, they’ll blame Arod and that’ll give him the push he wants to go play for his fav, Sweet Lou in Chicago.
We get the Indians if the Yankees win the wildcard as it stands now….Maybe not the worst thing in the world, Jacobs Field has been like a second home.
The Indians may be red hot, but Cleveland as a whole has a habit of choking, there is a reason even the 100+ win Indians of the mid 90’s never won a World Series, despite two attemps and countless playoff appearances. The Indians don’t concern me, Sabathia has a poor track record against us he and Carmona have never pitched a big game.
Granted, Kenny Rogers proved those sentiments wrong last year, but maybe they learned their lesson and there is no pine tar around the mound this year. Not to mention, I’ll take Byrd and Westbrook as a supporting cast and Borowski and Betancourt in the pen over Bonderman and Robertson of last year with Zumaya and Jones in the pen.
Torre should of gave each player 1 game off this week or atleast let them DH. I understand that you want to clinch and then rest players but after 3 LONG day games they played like a dead team. They are not going to lose games because 1 player didnt play. Matsui, Abreu, Arod and Jeter can use it. How many times did they swing at the first pitch today? 10…I hope he does that tomorrow, especially Abreu and Matsui have looked worn down.
Don’t worry guys, the Yanks will be fine
Jeter, A-Rod and Abreu could use some time off. Especially A-Rod, who continues to have a power outage.
they’ll be fine, they’re allowed once in a while! just watch tomorrow and you’ll see. they really could have used the day off with the drama in the 3 games v. TOR.
Pretty blase performance, A Rod half-assing that grounder was pretty dispiriting. There’s a song by this band called the Raveonettes, called “Sleepwalking.” I have been cranking it here at the office since Giambi’s dribbler (and isn’t it nice having some “pop” off the bench?).
LC
Here’s the thing about the “Sweet Lou” angle. If A-Rod does go to the Cubs, it’s sure as heck going to be a very long-term deal, say 5 to 10? Maybe? Anyway, no way is Lou going to be there that long. You don’t go to a team because of who the present manager is. That is a variable condition. I just don’t see A-Rod in middle America, anyway.
I agree that the most important thing is making the playoffs, not winning the division.
However, anyone who doesn’t think blowing a 14 1/2 game lead to the Yankees would not affect the psyche of the Red Sox organization doesn’t understand the dynamic of the rivalry. It probably would affect the front office more more than the players.
The last thing Larry Luchino or Theo Epstein wants is to have their team blow a seemingly insurmountable lead to the Yankees. Especially if the Yanks beat the Red Sox in the ALCS in the last inning of a game in Yankee Stadium that could have been played in Fenway but for the collapse. This scenario would be their worst nightmare. The Red Sox incessant anti-Yankee media blitz would have to come to a grinding halt.
The Red Sox are smart and use their anti Yankee propaganda machine to promote and merchandise their team. It’s pretty hard to use that strategy when you’re team has embarrassed itself against the Yankees.For the Yankee fans like myself that live in New England, it would have been a welcome respite.
As long as Detroit is still alive, there should be sleepness nights for all of us.
GoYanks, are you EVER not a moron ?
What if A-Rod has a fantastic post-season and the Yankees don’t make it all the way anyway? How will they spin that? It certainly would not be A-Rod’s fault. It’s ridiculous for people to be speculating that way.
Dint,
power outage just about says it for Arod, he is smelling a bit lately as opposed to his usually Polo Ralph Lauren smell! he definitely should have had that ball that led to the first RBI for TOR and kept the inning going. at least it wasn’t a long game and they can get to Tampa by late dinner time and sleep in and be ready for tomorrow nite.
Crap! I meant to wait outside for “autographs,” i.e. see them in costume.
Whoops.
GO Oakland!
A-Rod’s been hot every other month this season. Bring on October and he’ll be at it again!
While many would like to see A-Rod to clear the fences with each swing, would you rather A-Rod have a 3-5 day with 3 RBI and no homers or a 1-5 day with 1HR, 3 RBI? I’d go with the 3-5 day over the 1-5 day anytime. Same number of RBI but much more productive in wearing down a pitcher.
In the postseason, a smart pitcher is not going to let A-Rod beat them. It’s either going to be a mistake pitch or situational because of who is already on base. Getting on base and passing the baton to the next guy is the offenses’ best chance for post season success.
*Who ‘da Man?*
Who ‘da Man??
http://tinyurl.com/ynrxjo
Well, according to Dusty Baker (3-time Manager Of The Year), We’re ‘da MAN!!
That’s right, Snitches, as Baker says *Fear The Empire!!*
Stay to the end and watch the two major leagues, in the middle of the panel, chuckle at Eric Gagne.
Pat, I’m with you as far as getting hits and wearing a pitcher down. From the first game of the season, all I’ve been rooting for A-Rod to do is get a hit in key situations. And many, many times this year he’s done just that. The Homers are definitely nice. Definitely. And many of them have been very important homers.
BUT – if that 1 hr with 3 rbi wins the game, it’s a successful day, regardless of what else he did that day.
http://community.livejournal.c.....#t26821345
ROOKIE HAZING PICTURES!
Brilliant!
Doreen-
the picture above is of Wang and Mike Vento from 2005.
http://tinyurl.com/2opl6g
Here’s a SEXY pic of Robbie
If they did something today, it hasn’t hit the wires. I’ll post whenever it comes along.
Hopefully the Twins will be competitive in the series against the Tigers. If they just win tonight or tomorrow and then when the Yanks win there next game they get to celebrate and rest players. Kazmir piches on Thurs. so to get a win before then would be nice.
Rebecca – Great Pictures – thanks. Ohlendorf isn’t a monkey, though, he’s one of the Wicked Witch of the West’s guards — we call them in our house the O-REE-O guys (oh-oh, o-ree-o).
Dr. Ac –
Thought it was Wang, but I didn’t remember Mike Vento. Robbie looks real good, though!
Thanks for the pics. Hysterical. Looked like George’s coin helps with the quality of costume. Those were definitely not of the Party City Halloween variety. Rockin the shades with costumes is a nice touch.
Why is it that Igawa looks better as a monkey than in Yankees uniform
*Trendynation: 2007 Baby Bomber Hazing*
http://tinyurl.com/26z9rw
12 Picture SlideShow of the kids.
Dr. Acula,
Thats fantastic! Hah thanks for putting that together.
Dr.Ac -
Great slide show — got stuck in a loop, though and thought I was never gonna get back. but I clicked my heels together three times, and well, here I am.
Love that Ian Kennedy even had ruby slippers!
But, one correction. Ohlendorf is not the Wiz. He is a Guard for the Wicked Witch’s Castle. (This is my daughter’s favorite movie and in her lifetime alone I’ve seen it a zillion times — that’s not counting the once a year dates I had with the movie growing up).
Anyone know what Matt DeSalvo is? Don’t hate me–but I love him! I want to see him!
ok wait. I just re-read that. I seem like a stalker….I want to see him in his Wizard of Oz costume…better?
LOL!!
check out Phil – he’s wearing Ruby-Red-Crocs!
http://tinyurl.com/264ymr
That’s funny, that costume makes him look like Ian Kennedy for some reason!
Missing a few other rookies besides DeSalvo- Sardina, Gonzales, Ramirez and Clippard. Could they be Munchkins?
The question is — was anyone the Wicked Witch of the West??????
Doreen, I was wondering that!
Hopefully they’ll post more pix tonite.
Yankees will clinch the WC tues nite.
My money’s on Tyler as the Wicked Witch. I wanna see some munchkins too!
Twins 1 Tigers 0 going into the bottom of the 2nd at Dteroit.
Twins 1 Tigers 0 going into the bottom of the 2nd at Detroit.
sorry for the dual posts:)
swo, why do you say that (about the wicked witch)?
Minnesota up 1-0.
Bottom of the 2nd.
not sure if this link was posted
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/slideshow
anyone find video?
Minnesota up.
Is it just me, or does Shelley Duncan look pretty comfortable in his costume?
They all looked pretty comfortable. They shouldnt have allowed them to wear sunglasses though. LOL
I dunno, Andrea. I just imagine Tyler would look best as the witch. Tall, gangly guy in a big black robe and pointy hat would be pretty funny.
Go Twins! Our second-favorite team for the rest of the season!
jennifer: the sun was BRUTAL today. no sunglasses would have just been cruel. Their sunglasses should have had to match their costumes though…
1-0 Twins I see… Silva seems to be pitching well for the Twins tonight.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ne.....;type=lgns
Funniest thing I’ve read in ages!
Rebecca – That was hilarious. I’m glad they all approached it with such a great attitude. Edwar as the wicked witch – of course! skinny little thing like that . . .
Lori: In my kindergarten play, I was the wicked witch!
I still have the hat somewhere!
Rebecca — Thanks for that link! And my question was answered — Edwar as the Wicked Witch – she was long and skinny, too!
Oh my gosh! My sister-in-law will love the Wizard of Oz theme. Thanks for the pictures/articles! They’re great!
My kids have both been Dorothy at some point. We have that blue checkered dress, basket for Toto and, of course, ruby red slippers. But, somehow, I can’t imagine they would have fit on these guys!
GO TWINS!!!! Anyone else watching this Detroit game?
This Minnesota-Detroit game is flying by. Game is barely an hour old and it’s half way over already. Minnesota still up 1-0.
Is it just the Yankees that require all games to be over 3 hours??
Lori – I was just thinking the same thing. I looked a little while ago and it had just started and now, over halfway over!
Buckle up ! …. we’ll have to listen to those damned stupid cowbells at Tropicana for the next 3 nights.