Yankees-Twins: The Live Blog
-
-
- March
- 9
-
Good afternoon. It’s windy and 64 here at Hammond Stadium. We have Phil Hughes vs. Boof Bonser.
FIRST INNING
In his first at-bat of the spring, Hideki Matsui grounded into a 3-6-3 double play. The Japanese media is here in force to chronicle his debut.
A few of the New York writers went over to talk to Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire to get his opinion about yesterday’s incident. Gardenhire hadn’t seen the play but defended Elliot Johnson because it’s such an instinctive decision. “When you try not to get hurt, that’s when you get hurt,” he said. But Gardenhire made it clear that running the catcher over is not the norm for a spring training game.
This is one of those situations where both sides have a point. In my opinion, Johnson used unnecessary roughness for a spring training game. The question now is when and how the Yankees will retaliate.
Meanwhile, Phil Hughes just had a 1-2-3 first inning. 12 pitches/9 strikes.
SECOND INNING
The Yankees scored three runs off Boof Bonser. Jose Molina had a two-run double with the bases loaded.
Three up and three more down for Phil Hughes. 13 pitches/8 strikes. He looks great.
THIRD INNING
Phil Franchise is the man. Three more easy outs. Nine up and nine down. 35 pitches/24 walks.
Counting the game against South Florida, he has retired all 15 batters he has faced this spring.
FOURTH INNING
Phil Hughes threw four great innings: 4 0 0 0 2 1 57 pitches/35 strikes. He walked two in the fourth inning as he appeared to tire a bit. But the Yankees left him in to get out of his own jam and he got Craig Monroe to ground out to end the inning.
Hughes is driving back to Tampa once he showers, so we’ll have to head down to the clubhouse soon. Thus endeth the live blotgeth.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, March 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pm by Peter Abraham.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Pete, how hard is Phil throwing on the gun?
Another hit for Duncan!
Which catcher was called back up to take Cervelli’s place?
If I were a twins fan, it would be a tough thing to watch Carlos Gomez making an out by hitting himself with a bunt while watching Phil look so smooth.
If Phil stays healthy he’s going to have a very good season. He’s got #1 starter stuff and I think we’ll see some of that this year.
Shelley is having a very impressive spring. Not only his he hitting but showing patience. He seems to fit in the lineup with the way he’s driving the ball but also getting on base at a very high clip.
Westerner, I heard Montero was called up from the minor league camp…
CB, how does Phil look?
Go Phil!
Bonser has no control today — walked the bases loaded with no outs.
Duncan doesn’t look bad at first base either. He made a nice backhand play in the first inning.
Thanks, John.
Molina with a two-run double.
Molina delivers!
is this game on tv anywhere?
John I’m just listening to the game but he was throwing strike after strike and had Delmon Young quickly behind 0-2 and then had him very off balance after that.
Young has a lot of talent – three years ago he was considered the top prospect in baseball – and has been on fire this entire spring. I think the trade really woke him up.
He did nothing with Phil at all.
He was in complete command from what the announcers described.
Jose, Jose!
Sorry, I’m late. Went to the wrong address.
Pete, what happened to blogging in the game thread?!
Ensberg and Woodward are both making cases to try and force their way into roster spots (despite Woodward’s last AB).
Tabata with an RBI groundout. Would have loved to see him smash one off the home-run-prone Bonser.
nice situational hitting by jose.
Jose!
I want to see a Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose! in this game.
the game is on mlb.tv if you subscribed to the season package. The feed is FSN with crappy angles
so its 2-0 Yanks?
Wonder if Phil will go three today? And lets hope Igawa has another decent outing.
3-0
DirecTV channel 641
3-0 Yanks.
no we’re up by three LC
Hughes with the K.
Phil gets Morneau looking. Nice
Whatever – Don’t they go by pitch count and not innings.
Too bad Gameday is not up and running during Spring Training so you can see pitch type/location.
So 2-run score by Jose and who else?
phil hughes=control expert
Agreed, Westerner99.
oh ok thanks
how does Phil look?
gameday is up…..
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday.....;brand=mlb
what kind of pitches is Phil using? fastball velocity?
Monroe pops up. 2 down.
Pop-up on a 3-2 count.
Hi all,
This is the first game I’ve been able to watch on tv this year. Phil looks great, just froze Morneau.
The Twins announcers were all marveling at how slim Bonzer is this year. Too bad he still can’t pitch. If they are counting on this guy this year they are in trouble.
Grounder to 3rd to end the inning. Phil perfect through 2.
phil’s in charge today
hughes is dominating these guys.
Hughes looks goooood. I am so happy we didn’t give him up for Santana.
Awesome, John, thanks for the link. Why isn’t this linked on the MLB web site?
Fran, Yeah, I’m sure it’s pitch count, so with Phil efficient so far, looks like 3 today.
Yanksrule57-
very funny
So is it me or does Hughes look good?
That’s odd…gameday doesn’t show up on the Yanks home page or the schedule page, but the link worked.
Cano chopper to 2nd. 1 away.
I have no idea, I have been getting the link from RAB
http://riveraveblues.com/
Cano chopper to 2nd. One away.
2 perfect innings by Phil.
Since the Maddon thing is still a hot topic, I’ll repost my thoughts from a previous thread:
Well, I didn’t see the bang, bang play yesterday. Seems like the only reason why it’s an issue is the injury. Zimmer’s now weighing in that he can’t believe Girardi’s reaction to the play. My feeling is that Girardi’s anger was two-fold. The injury and the game score. He might of overreacted in his comments. But it’s good that he put Tampa Bay on notice.
My feeling, too, is that Tampa’s reaction would not have been so blase if a Yankee NRI ran over their young catching prospect resulting in surgery and 8-10 weeks recovery time.
It’ll be interesting. Tampa’s played us tough the last two years and Cervelli’s injury may serve as a catalyst to the Yankees fighting back. What a martyr.
Pete –
Hitting aside, does it look like anyone is looking better than everyone else on defense at 1B?
Is it too early to tell if Shelley’s looking like a favorite to win the spot or if a Duncan/Giambi platoon is shaping up?
Shelley misplayed one yesterday (moving to get the ball when the 2B had it and couldn’t get to the base) so/because he has a bit to learn. Some of it just takes experience. Does it appear he has the tools and work ethic to become at least an average 1B soon?
John, where did you find that link?
Matsui with a drive to fairly deep right into the wind. 2 out.
Sorry, the above hadn’t shown up yet.
Westerner,
They don’t show Gameday in the spring. People hack into old ones and change the dates. Cool, huh?
Sorry for the double posts. Some are going up slow.
Hes been perfect through 2 innings. Looking sharp and in control.
Based on what Girardi has been saying, it sounds like he’s leaning on putting Giambi out there for 4-5 games per week at 1B with Shelley picking up the other 1-2, depending on the opposing starter.
Hughes looks good today
Duncan BB, on a close pitch.
nice at bat by shelley
That is cool…but begs the question as to why they don’t want gameday showing in the Spring?
The wind looks to be at least 20MPH straight in. You would have to hit a line drive or really crank it to hit one out today.
We had some bad wind here in Jacksonville yesterday. It had to be gusting to 40MPH. It made for an interesting golf game.
OK Twins announcer are getting mad about that last pitch to walk Shelley. But Matsui got called strike on the same pitch. Upon replay they said it was a little low, but that’s a case of how you look at two sides of the same coin.
Ensberg grounds to 3rd. End of inning. 3-0 Yanks.
rebecca:
phil looks really great today- he really has been sharper than any other other starters.
Will phil pitch 3 today? Probably since Moose did yesterday.
Duncan can handle himself at the plate. Im hoping he can handle first base as well!
Today hes 1/1, run scored, BB
Phil out to the mound for the 3rd.
Redmond flies to right. One away.
It’ll be interesting to get a chance to see Horne and Marquez today.
Not sure but I’d guess that they’ll get sent down to the minor league camp after the game.
They’re just not getting enough game work. To many other guys in line for the last bull pen spot. This might be there taste of big league action for the spring.
Horne will be up with the big club at some point this year.
Rebecca,
I’m really trying to temper my opinions about Hughes because it’s spring training, weak lineups, blah, blah, blah.
But, like I said in the other game thread, it looks like Phil’s early work is paying off. I think it’s safe to say that he’s got his legs back. Looks like he’s back to being the groundball pitcher that he is.
Has anyone stated the velocity of phil hughes fastball?
Redmond flies to right and Punto grounds to Ensberg. 2 quick outs for Phil.
nice barehanded play by the 3B to get the out.
Phil looks like he is throeing nice and easy. Starting in January like he did really shows.
The way hughes is pitching, he will be going 5 innings to satisfy his pitch count
No radar readings on Phil so far.
would anybody like to share a link as to where to watch this game?
By the way, I had no idea Tabata’s name was pronounces TAHbuhtuh.
Oops.
Twins radio announcers now voicing lament as to the Twins not making the Santana trade when they had a chance to get Hughes.
They are very impressed.
That mistake will haunt that Twins franchise for the next decade.
Bill Smith? No explanation for that.
perfect through 3!
Everett flies to center. 9 up, 9 down for Phil. Will he go four? Probably not.
Melky saves the perfect game for Hughes! I want to see more, but other guys have to get their work in. haha.
looks like Twins hitters are not wasting anytime and swinging early in the count with Hughes throwing an abundance of strikes…
CB – oh that’s great to hear. Brings a smile.
1,2,3 for Phil. His curveball really has some nice bite. The broadcast is not showing any radar gun numbers but he looks to be in the low 90’s with his fastball.
Very impressive outing.
I would love to play hold ‘em with Bill Smith!
3 sharp innings for Phil.
So Melky makes a great play while Hughes is pitching beautifully. Bad day for Smith, huh?
Molina doesn’t appear to be moving his mitt at all.
Lane singles to right.
CB,
That’s funny. TV crew has not said one word about Phil’s work today. Just calling the game and talking about the Twins batters. How rude!
CB- it must be even a little embarrassing for smith to be up in the booth having to watch phil pitch three perfect innings…
Back Bench,
I agree, he was really hitting his spots.
Pete, what’s the radar readings on Hughes’ fastball?
Molina grounds to SS, Lane breaks up the DP with a hard slide, the relay to first sails into the stands.
Randy Keishler the ex Yankee prospect…
Nice slide by Lane to break up a double play.
Hard but clean play.
How do you think the Twins’ season will play out? Looks like it will be Detroit and Cleveland (or vice versa) as one, two in the division. They do have Santana Jr. in their rotation but I think they will carefully watch his innings this year.
Hi, everyone. Sounds like Phil is definitely in control. There is nothing to hold him back now. His leg strength is where it needs to be. I also think that having a locker next to Mussina has taught him quite a bit. It’s about outthinking hitters as much as it is overpowering them, and Phil is sharp enough to do that.
The Twins pitcher just crossed up his catcher and hit him on the wrist.
“That is cool…but begs the question as to why they don’t want gameday showing in the Spring?”
People have said that the pitch locations and stuff are frequently inaccurate on gameday during the spring, and it’s slow. My guess is that they’re training new operators and stuff
Molina at 2nd. One down. Woodward up.
“Has anyone stated the velocity of phil hughes fastball?”
Velocity is not Hughes game. It doesn’t matter all that much how hard he’s throwing. What matters is the result.
And by result I don’t just mean the numbers of hits/ runs he gives up, especially in a spring training game.
It’s the type of at bats hitters are having, is he commanding his pitches, are they making hard contact.
Phil’s greatest athletic gifts are uncanny command and tremendous late life on his fastball.
Every catcher who has caught Hughes in the system and batter after batter who’s faced him always comment on how the ball explodes as it approaches the plate. Even when he’s throwing 91 mph. Coaches always talk about how the ball just sounds different when it hits the catchers mitt.
That’s just a physical gift, that kind of late life. Not many pitchers have it – even ones who throw much harder.
Everyone in the dugout hit the deck!!
Some pretty knowledgeable people liked the idea of dealing Hughes for Santana. There were lots of reasons to do so, and lots not to do so. Lots of debate ensued.
More than likely this year and next, one would’ve thunk Santana would be significantly better than Hughes. This year hasn’t even played out yet but it is nice to see Phil coming along so well even if its only spring training.
Who knows? Hughes could come to his own sooner than expected or he could max out at age 22. Santana could have peaked 2 years ago or we haven’t seen the best of him. Santana could get hurt. Hughes could get hurt. Injury to either guy could happen this year of 4 years from now. So you take a calculated risk. Whatever happens, nobody could predict it.
If he’s doing fine now, great. It’s spring training though, so don’t get yourself dreaming about a rookie Cy Young before the season starts.
If Phil takes a liner off his kneecap in August, I’m sure there will be an onslaught of people saying he should have been traded for Santana. If you find yourself compelled to be among them, think about what you’re saying first.
If Joba really does become a starter this season and gives up earned runs with 10 times the frequency he did as a reliever, he’d still have an ERA below 4. This would be fine for a rookie. But some among us will complain that he should have been the next closer so his talent is being wasted.
Even Bob Gibson in ‘68 gave up runs with 3 times the frequency as during Joba’s relief run last year.
What a bum he was, right?
Temper your expectations … I guess that’s the point of this rant.
Remember how much hype there was for Dice-K among Sox Nation. Those fans soon thought he was over rated when he actually did about as well as one should have expected of him.
Woodward singles to center. Molina, with his blazing speed, stops at 3rd.
I very well understand that Phil does not throw like joba. But it was a fact that his velocity was down last year, probably because of the injury and maybe changes to his mechanics, and i just want to know what his velocity is…
Pete,
I think you meant 35 pitches/24 strikes (not walks)
Not even Igawa could pull that one off…haha
twins announcers got in some props for gomez though
Does anyone buy that BJ Ryan is “almost ready to return” to the majors after undergoing TJ like…10 months ago?
Tabata RBI single
anyone know when the next ST game will be on tv?
I know this is a “New York jerk” kind of comment, but these Twins broadcasters are horrendous. They are barely paying attention to the game — and continually get details wrong (count, outs vs. hits, etc., etc.).
Tabata with a single. Awesome.
With a name like Bill Smith, though, he can easily disappear and start over.
Tabata grounds a single in the hole, 4-0 Yanks.
tabata again with the nice easy rbi
Jose!
I think Wednesday’s game is on YES
Melky up now from the right side of the plate with the lefty on the mound. Two on, one out. Melky BB. Bases loaded.
How are people watching this game?
Sadly John Sterling does the same thing on the radio…he constantly gets things wrong.
“Tabata RBI single”
See, Gameday still has it as 2-0 on Tabata. That’s why they’re not putting up links to it…it’s not running in ready-for-primetime mode right now
LC
Tuesdays game is on YES vs Toronto from Legends Field
6-4-3 R.Cano DP
Robby up against the lefty…DP ground out. Ugh. End of the inning.
Channel 641 on DirecTV
Ugh robbie…
Who’s pitching now?
Yeah, this Gameday is crazy slow.
I saw at mlb.com, that Liriano’s called, “The Franchise”.
Phil out to start the 4th. Nice.
Phil back out.
Four-pitch walk.
“Tuesday’s game is on YES vs. Toronto from Legends Field”
For anyone who has Time Warner in NYC YES is moving on Tuesday or Wednesday (I forget which day) to Channel 753 (HD) and 53 digital.
Phil BB to start the bottom of the 4th. Damn, there goes the perfect game. LOL.
there goes the perfect game
tim,
We’re watching through mlb.com because we were subscribers last year. You can order for this year and get access. They don’t televise all games and we had one this past week where we had no audio/no video. And Pete was distracted.
Phil from the stretch for the first time…
“it must be even a little embarrassing for smith to be up in the booth having to watch phil pitch three perfect innings…”
No pitching prospect ranked by baseball america as the best pitching prospect in baseball has ever been traded before completing at least one full season in major league ball.
The closest that has ever come to happening was when the mets traded Kazmir – but Kazmir was considered the second best pitching prospect.
That’s how rare the opportunity to get a prospect on Hughes level is.
Clearly the opportunity to acquire a pitcher like Santana is extraordinarily rare so that was the crux of why there was a lot of good reasons to trade hughes.
But again, from Bill Smith’s perspective, it’s just amazing that he had Hughes on the table and blew it.
Prospects like Hughes just don’t get traded.
Because a perfect game in Sprng Training is so impressive
do any of you CARE about boofs diet?
Hughes is just getting somework from the stretch in.
I just have this feeling that Phil will have a great year for us.
They keep going on about how Boof lost alot of weight but he still looks pretty large around the middle to me.
MikeEff,
Seriously, Boof lost a LOT of weight. His face changed so much he doesn’t even look like the same person.
Gomez pops up. One down.
“Does anyone buy that BJ Ryan is “almost ready to return†to the majors after undergoing TJ like…10 months ago?”
Agreed. This is a stretch and it’ll be interesting to see what happens.
I guess on one hand maybe they’re thinking that as a closer he only needs to throw one inning at a time? At the same time I can’t see throwing back to back days is going to be easy for him.
I also get the sense the JR Ricciardi has gotten a lot of flack for his free agent signings and wants to get something out of those contracts.
That Carlos Gomez at-bat took about twenty minutes — or maybe it just feels that way listening to this broadcast.
yeah hughes gave an intentional walk so that he can practice from the stretch and to work on his pick off move.
5-4 force 2 out
Tough play by the 3B. Eaten up by the ball, but got the force out at second.
Delmon Young force at 2nd. Morneau up. Every time I see Morneau I think of Jeter getting screwed on the MVP a cou ple years ago.
Hi guys, I’m following casually on gameday (thanks for the link, whoever posted it)…2 RBI for Tabata, nice! (I know one was a groundout but good job getting the run in.)
Hughes is looking great and has thrown 47 pitches…does anyone know approx how many they are looking for him to throw today?
Delmon Young steals 2nd…Morneau BB. 2 on, 2 out.
2 out walk 1st, 2nd 2 out
Another four-pitch walk. Odd.
Girardi out to the mound, but Phil still in…
Hughes is over 50 pitches. This has to be his last batter.
I imagine that Phil is probably feeling the effects of airing it all out at this point. This inning should be it for him.
Monroe rips a breaking ball hanger down the left field line, but foul.
Remember Phil has been throwing off the mound for months now, hes a little ahead…
Hughes is throwing well. Free and easy. 5-3 ground out.
Monroe grounds weakly to 3rd. Phil out of trouble.
“I also get the sense the JR Ricciardi has gotten a lot of flack for his free agent signings and wants to get something out of those contracts.”
Yeah, Burnett and Ryan have turned out to not be great signings. Glaus wasn’t bad in 06…his avg was terrible, but that doesn’t really matter when you look at his OBP, but last year was kind of bad, and now they’ve got injured and cranky Scott Rolen. Woo!
you’re right mel, but c’mpn they wouldn’t stop talking about it.
i know it’s what you have to put up with when you watch the opposing teams broadcast.
I thought it was JP
He’s been throwing, but he had a total of two innings of real baseball in his arm prior to this — and one of those innings was against college kids.
Anyway, he got the final out and now has a six-inning scoreless spring streak going. The two four-pitch walks are a little odd, but a terrific start by him today — probably the best start by any starter this spring (though not against a great lineup).
That’ll be it for Phil today. Nice outing, other than a little wildness in the 4th. No hits allowed. Very nice.
“Remember Phil has been throwing off the mound for months now, hes a little ahead…”
Yeah, but still…this is definitely the most in-game pitches he’s thrown. I think his velocity and command are maybe ahead of others, but I don’t know if his stamina is. Regardless, it’s good for him to do a little work when he’s tired, so he can figure out how to get outs on pitches 90-110 in a real start.
BJ Ryan was a good signing — in hindsight it’s bad because he has been injury prone. When he is healthy he is nasty. The same goes for Burnett but in his case he had always been injury prone. JP took a risk with that one — Burnett has some of the best stuff in the majors but unfortunately he has been plagued with injuries.
4 no-hit innings. Nice.
Matsui grounds to 1st. One away.
Nice outing for Phil today!
Also, since when is Adam Everett a Twin? Who is Houston’s SS now? (Didn’t see either of the spring games vs them)
^ Oh nevermind, forgot about the ridiculous Tejada trade.
Watching the game on MLB.com. Phil looks great! Walked the leadoff guy in the 4th. Phil labored just a little bit with control, but still no hit thru 4 innings. Lots of groundballs today. Liking what I see in him today. Also, Tabata looks good too. Couple of nice hits, 2 rbi’s. Phil is going to be a horse this year I think!
If you guys look at the TV schedule wen wont see Phil at all. If he stays on a 5 day rest for the rest of Spring Training non of those games are televised. But we will see the Mussina/Karstens combo at least 3 more times.:(
some dude named tejada or something
I don’t quite get acquiring Rolen. Again, at this point when healthy he is a great glove with an ok bat. Alas, Rolen is often on the disabled list. He’ll likely join Halladay and Burnett and Ryan on that list for the Jays this season.
“Houston’s SS now?”
Tejada
Duncan BB.
Ensberg with a drive off the very top of the wall in left center. Duncan scores. 5-0 Yanks.
Is there a reason that YES feels more people would be inclined to watch yet another “classic” from the 70’s rather than a game in which Phil Hughes is starting?
Announcer Dude: There are a lot of people who think the Yankees won’t make the playoffs.
Morgan Ensberg: Yeah, sure. Whatever. *crack*
well it took them till the 5th inning, but the announcers finally got around to talking about the yanks not making the playoffs…
nice walk and hit by ensberg
Twins announcers saying a lot of people are predicting the Yankees won’t make the playoffs. Screw them.
Twins FSN crew handing the East title to the Sox. Why play? Nice hitting by Ensberg. Almost made it 6-0. Top of the Wall double instead.
Speaking of Nolan Ryan. Nice to see him speak about MLB’s role in the steroid problem.
i see we’re all on the same page….
Another BB. Brett Gardner in to run for Lane…
It was funny earlier in the broadcast when the announcers were sadly mentioning that Hughes could have been a Twin. You could hear the regret in their voices… and a similar melancholy when they mentioned how “interesting” Gomez was.
“Is there a reason that YES feels more people would be inclined to watch yet another “classic†from the 70’s rather than a game in which Phil Hughes is starting?”
YES doesn’t carry away ST games for the most part….
Only games at legends field…
Look at all these great minds thinking alike.
How has Ensberg been doing at 1B? He could be a real steal for the Yanks if his bat has woken back up.
Molina grounds into the DP. 5-0 Yanks.
YES doesn’t do road games in ST.
Vince – I am sure that when the schedule of YES spring training braodcasts was finalized they did not know what the spring pitching rotation would be!
As if the Twins have a chance. Shut up.
Jay,
Are you listening or watching? TV crew very quiet about Hughes. I wonder why?
It seems like Shelley has been doing a lot of walking this spring. I thought he had a good eye last year and it is nice to see him keeping that up and further destroying that garbage perception of only being good for running into a HR every so often. Team needs more Shelley at every possible juncture!
Igawa out for the bottom of the 5th. Hold on to your hats.
Oh. That makes sense. I apologize YES. Still wanted to watch Phil though.
Great Q & A with Morgan Ensberg in Todays Newark Star-Ledger
“He’ll likely join Halladay and Burnett and Ryan on that list for the Jays this season.”
Halladay doesn’t spend a lot of time on the DL. He had that freak broken leg several years back, but he’s missed maybe 3-4 starts total in the last two years and thrown over 200 innings both seasons.
But, yeah…Rolen probably will
I guess…they figured both Rolen AND Glaus would spend time on the DL…and wanted Rolen instead? I guess? Maybe? Maybe they got some salary relief out of it?
see how ’shades’ does here…
mel, listening to the Twins’ broadcast.
Igawa goes to 2-0 and Molina goes to the mound. Ball 3. Hey, there’s a strike…strike 2… Ball 4.
Oh and as for the recent Glaus/Rolen trade, I LOL’d. I mean I know why Cards had to get rid of Rolen and obviously they needed another 3b to replace him, but when is the last time we’ve seen one old, extremely washed up position player traded for another that shares both the same position and immense level of washed-upness? Just found it kinda comical…and from Toronto’s standpt, what is the big difference between having Rolen & having Glaus?
Oh, my God, the Twins’ broadcaster with a blatantly racist comment. They were talking about Igawa, and the broadcaster said, “No, who am I thinking about? Chee-chee-chin-mang?” Someone welcome this guy to 2008, please.
these idiots just said chee chow chow ming… in reference to chien ming wang.
I think they were thinking of some chinese food when they said that.
igawa looks like he’s on his game, “hi and out of the zone” is his usual start, followed closely by “he really hung that one.”
Redmond flies to short right. One away.
Gameday is so slow in the spring! They’re still mid-inning so appreciate the updates guys. Igawa with a BB? Shocking!
Eek, I cringed wtih the Chow Chow comment
Punto lines to left. 2 away.
Gross. TV guys talking about Redmond walking around the clubhouse nude. Then they covered up by saying lots of guys do it. TMI.
that pitch to punto looked pretty fat, high over the middle but he has no power
I remember during game 1 of the playoffs this past yr, there was an Indians fan in the stands with a similarly ignorant/racist sign about Wang. I’ll just take this opportunity to be glad I don’t live in the midwest.. tho not everyone there is like that of course.
“Eek, I cringed wtih the Chow Chow comment”
??
“Gross. TV guys talking about Redmond walking around the clubhouse nude. Then they covered up by saying lots of guys do it. TMI.”
Isn’t Damon known for doing naked pullups in the locker room?
Everett up. Igawa continues to struggle with his control. 3-0…and a walk. Sigh. 2 on, 2 out.
lol, mel.
Igawa pitches like he’s blindfolded.
igawa trying to pitch his way down to trenton.
Span walks. Igawa walks the bases loaded.
I’m thinking the Minnesota guys are just jealous we have Wang.
this guy sucks, send him out to the minor league camp and give the innings to someone who can help!
walked the bases loaded????
Jay
March 9th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Oh, my God, the Twins’ broadcaster with a blatantly racist comment. They were talking about Igawa, and the broadcaster said, “No, who am I thinking about? Chee-chee-chin-mang?†Someone welcome this guy to 2008, please.
JT
March 9th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
these idiots just said chee chow chow ming… in reference to chien ming wang.
I think they were thinking of some chinese food when they said that.
Thats what I meant about the chow chow comment. It was cringeworthy.
And this inning is a microcosim of ahy Igawa will not be making the trip north you dont get 2 outs then walk the bases loaded
I think we have a reverse Rick Vaughn situation going on here. Igawa needs to take the glasses off.
Igawa on thin ice… Gomez swings at ball one…and grounds to 3rd. Phew.
nice going igawa. and on top of that i just banged my foot against the leg of a table and broke my little toe. Dang!!
Got the punchless Gomez to fly out.
so, Igawa walked the bases loaded? color me shocked.
Walked the bases loaded?! Uuugh if I never see this guy again it will be too soon!
Holy god, Igawa is the worst of all time
Whew! No hitter intact. Please don’t hate too much on Igawa, guys. He’s a Yankee.
There you go Twin fans. Now you saw what you got for Santana (Gomez) and what you passed up (Hughes). Happy?
Yanks no-hitter through 5.
And he gets out of it…oh well he still blows!
that carlos gomez is a keeper…
“It seems like Shelley has been doing a lot of walking this spring.”
I think this is a big question with Shelley and will have a lot to do with how successful he is in the majors.
Shelley never walked much in the minors and his OBP was never very good until last year in AAA where he had an OBP of .380. Part of that was that he hit for a better average but part of it also was that he was walking more. He was much more selective at the plate.
Shelley strikes out – a lot. Even when he came up last year he struck out very frequently.
To offset those strike outs he’s got to get on base in other ways – something like Adam Dunn. Shelley will never be as good as Dunn, but that’s a great model for how Shelley can be successful.
lol….who cares about the no-hitter
Soft single to center. Tabata up.
mel, i think he’s a thunder at best.
“chee chow chow ming… in reference to chien ming wang.”
Holy crap. I feel like an NY broadcaster gets suspended and fined at minimum for saying something like that.
Igawa always has to get himself in a jam, make all of us sweat while watching him, and then after a few walks he is ready to pitch himself out of the jam. He just likes to keep everyone on the edge of his/her seat.
He certainly isn’t good, but I wouldn’t say that Igawa is the worse of all time. That seems to be a bit of an exageration.
That out by Gomez was a hard hit grounder that the 3B bobbled, but he beat the runner to the bag. What did the radio guys say?
The Braves had a no-hitter going this spring — one out away, and none other than Colter Bean gave up a hit and a run and ended it.
Jeff, nobody really, means nothing other than the pitching is doing pretty well so far.
If Igawa comes back out he needs to ditch the glasses.
Cano with a shot to right. Run scores but Cano caught trying to go to 2nd. End of inning. 6-0 Yankees.
thats the 2nd time cano messed up on an rbi sinigle. good thing its ST.
What’s the score? who’s catching?
Let’s see if Igawa can settle down. Delmon Young up…
Another full count…and Young lines out to center.
he’s really got that eye high fastball down perfectly. now if we can only change the strike zone for him, he’s gonna be cy young!
Okay, Kei, let’s go.
Morneau grounds to SS. 2 down.
“thats the 2nd time cano messed up on an rbi sinigle. good thing its ST.”
Call Bowa.
Hey everybody.
If Igawa starts off poorly to begin this inning, they need to yank him – only because there’s other guys that haven’t got much work in this spring (Horne, Marquez) that need to at least get a look before they are sent to minor league camp.
Monroe pops up. 1-2-3 for Igawa. That’s better.
announcer was glad the twin’s half of the inning was so fast…. nice form dude…
Igawa should have given up 3 runs by now. He’s getting lucky, and seeing him after Hughes is like watching Biggest Loser after a marathon of Baywatch.
With all of those walks I am surprised Igawa didn’t reach his pitch limit in one inning.
Igawa’s ERA this spring? 0.00. Just imagine what we would say about him if he gave up a run??
Horne and Marquez need work at AAA, and there is zero chance of them making the club…why not try and straighten out Igawa and get a return on the investment?
Twin’s closer joe Nathan on to start the 7th.
wait, the bottom of the 6th is already over?
Igawa is just not a major league pitcher.
It’s unfortunate but I think they will burn a spot in the AAA rotation with Igawa. That’ll basically force them to send Dan McCutchen to AA. McCutchen may need some time in AA but he was terrific there last year and would likely benefit from being in AAA very soon.
Igawa just clogs up spots that more promising arms would benefit from.
westerner, that was the plan for all of last season. didnt work.
“who’s catching?”
Posada
Greg Porter, in for Matsui, with the BB.
Igawa’s ERA is only 0.00 because the 4 runs he gave up against college kids didn’t count in the stats
Um, Posada is not catching.
Hey Peter, Igawa has a Spring ERA lower than Dice-K! You should comment about that again.
Juan Miranda up, looks powerful…
gameday shows Molina and now Anson, catching…
Broadcasters said Kyle Anson is catching.
miranda steps in
Nice to see Igawa is in midseason form. It would be no surprise to see him sent to the minor league camp with the next batch of players.
Igawa was putrid. He gave up 3 walks and the 2 outfield outs were bullets.
Miranda skies to 2nd.
“why not try and straighten out Igawa and get a return on the investment?”
They aren’t going to straighten him out over the span of one spring training.
He needs a complete overhaul of his approach to pitching (which is largely up in the zone) and a complete overhaul of his command.
They already tried that last year by sending him to Tampa for an extended period of time to work with Nardi Contreras. Unfortunately, not much changed by that.
Tampa is where the yankee coaching infrastructure is centered for prospects. That’s probably where Igawa should be – but to keep him down there exacerbates the embarrassment of the Igawa signing and takes away any trade value he has.
So he’ll end up in AAA.
Both horne and marquez might be needed at the big league level this year.
Getting them into a real spring training game will only be helpful down the line.
SP – I know, but the fact remains that in the games that have “counted” he hasn’t given up a single run.
Do I think he can be a solid MLB starting pitcher? No, I don’t, but I also don’t think he deserves the amount of criticism he is getting. He deserves criticism, just not that much.
Someone should have yelled HA on that play.
Nick Green K’s looking. 2 down.
Brett Gardner hits a shot to first. End of the top of the 7th.
Nick Green been awful this ST, offensively and defensively.
Twins radio station has a woman from a Florida wildlife refuge on. Are they friggin’ kidding?
mike r the guy has been working all last season on throwing strikes and keeping his pitches down and he has shown no ability to do either this spring. so a guy who has proven he cant pitch in the major leagues and cant change his pitching approach in an entire season and might be a total bust doesnt deserve to be criticized? dont believe the era in a RS game he will still give up as many walks but they will hit his hangers too.
this seriously has to be greatest game post blog I’ve ever been on, I mean here I am w/ a hangover and you guys recapped everything, wow the PHRANCHISE IS THE MAN, IGAWA NOT
P.S. I am happy our manager actually sticks up for us, go Girardi go !
“End of the top of the 7th”
Sheesh, the 7th hasn’t even started on Gameday yet!
Tommy Watkins with a single. Twin’s first hit. Some other dude flies to center.
Mike R,
I don’t know…I think it’s more pathetic that he gave up 4 runs in a college game than it would’ve been if he had done it against professional batters in a game that “counted”
But yea, I agree that people shouldn’t be ultra-critical in ST
The 2 1/2 hour ride to Fort Myers was worth the trip. The Twins fans get to see how dumb Bill Smith was …. live and in color.
is gameday’s stat column correct do we have a
Watkins steals 2nd. Clark BB. 2 on.
Is Igawa still pitching?
is that horne? not looking too good to start…
Igawa’s still pitching?
I think so Brandon
shhhhhhhhhh
Fly to short left. 2 down.
Awww, Greg Porter should have yelled “Ha!” on the Miranda popup to Howie Clark! lol
I know every fan’s opinion…but the Yanks office seems to either a) want to work with Igawa to fix him or b) somehow showcase him for a trade.
No-hitter is over, guys. Horne gave up a single to start the inning.
Brandon: We did, and now we don’t.
delmon young, seem like a very nice person.
They’ll be no justice in this world if Igawa is on the 25-man roster at the end of spring training. He can’t find home plate with a seeing-eye dog.
Y’s guy – I never said he didn’t deserve to be criticized. I actually said the opposite. “He deserves criticism, just not that much.”
I have no problem with people saying he won’t make it in the big leagues or that he was a waste of money (Both of which are true in my opinion.) But the fact that people say he should be cut or that he is “The worst pitcher of all time” is a bit much.
Igawa is out and Alan Horne is in.
(Oh, and sorry if I’m behind and that popup actually happened a while ago…Gameday’s fault!)
falling behind every hitter. maybe nerverous girardi may never have seen him b4
Horne and Marquez will get their shots…they have too good of stuff to be held back…assuming Horne continues to improve his command.
Horne walk loads the bases. Horne looks a little shakey.
Yeah, Horne’s not looking very good – but it is his first actual ST game action.
I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of him and Marquez, but I guess that’s due to the focus on guys competing for bullpen spots.
Jay,
I thought that was a walk Horne gave up to the 1st batter
Denard Span the twins CF today has been in their system for a few years and was considered to be one of their better prospects for years.
Part of the knock the Twins media/ fans put on Melky during the Santana trade was the Melky was no better than Span. That they were essentially the same player or had the same ceiling so why should the Twins be particularly interested in getting Melky back.
Terrible grammar on my part. Pete, what happened to the edit button you were discussing towards the end of last season?
Horne will fight back, don’t worry about him, Igawa might as well pitch vs TB we need a plunk or 2
Horne gets out of it with a groundout.
ohhh…nvm…there was a hit
oh well
Grounder to 2nd and Horne gets out of bases loaded jam. 6-0 Yanks, into the 8th.
I knew he would
Ugliest shutout in ST history.
Please guys, lighten up on Igawa. He’s a Yankee, and he’s not making the 25-man.
In other news, HUUUUGHES!
Kyle Hansen grounds out to 2nd. One down.
Carlos Gomez, again, ends the threat…
oh sorry – was a PH
Interesting that they’re using Kyle Anson has the third catcher in camp right now…
*as* the third catcher.
“Part of the knock the Twins media/ fans put on Melky during the Santana trade was the Melky was no better than Span. That they were essentially the same player or had the same ceiling so why should the Twins be particularly interested in getting Melky back.”
If Melky didn’t already have two seasons of big-league experience in which he’d posted better numbers than Span had in AA and AAA during those same seasons…maybe I’d believe their point
Alberto Gonzalez with the baseknock to left.
“Carmen Cali” That’s a great stripper name. What’s the joke? Your pet’s name and the street you grew up on?
horne had a great aa year last season but his walk total was a bit high, 3.3/9 so it doenst help that he walked 2. but he’s another one who has no chance to go north and has a spot in the swb rotation locked up.
Way to get out of it Horne! Is it me or do him and Chase Wright kind of look alike? At least in Horne’s Gameday pic.
Also, why Anson as the 3rd catcher rather than Pilterre or Jesus?
Jay, Oh,is that Anson? Sounded like Hansen on the telecast. My mistake.
Austin Jackson with an at-bat. My favorite position-player prospect.
“Also, why Anson as the 3rd catcher rather than Pilterre or Jesus?”
Because minor league camp has started now, and those guys need to be getting used to their actual teams and actual pitching staffs, playing every day and all that.
Not a big deal, Whatever. Hanson/Anson — similar names.
Grounder to 2nd ends the Yank’s top of the 8th.
Now they’re talking about how Torre not being there to get the Yankees through the hard times as a reason for one of the reasons to doubt the Yankees this.
Uhh, maybe the players had something to get through the hard times,too?
I really hope the Yankees don’t take this as some kind of evidence that Igawa can “work out of trouble” and belongs on a major league baseball team.
not much chance of that matt, he was up in the zone on every batter. they’ve seen that act before.
Man, I miss Torre. My grammar hasn’t been the same since he left.
Jeff Marquez in and gives up an infield hit to start the 8th.
Anson wasn’t the called up catcher it will be someone else because Anson was never sent down
the mets could probably use igawa, but that’s not really the major leagues, is it?
Another thought on Phil’s start today – just think back to last year when Phil was in the big league camp as a 20 year old. That’s not too long ago.
He got shelled in the brief look he got in spring training last year. I remember even then people were wondering what the “hype” was about on Hughes because he pitched so poorly.
It’s only a year later. He’s 21. And he’s an entirely different pitcher in terms of performance. His rate of growth has been tremendous.
I agree that we have to temper our expectation on what Hughes will do this year. All I’m looking for this year is an ERA of around 4-4.2 form him. That would put him as an above average starter.
That said, with his injury and rough comeback last year I think many yankee fans soured on him very quickly, forgetting how much talent he has.
The focus rightly went to Joba based on performance, but Phil has tremendous potential and is getting better very quickly.
4 pitch walk. 2 on, nobody out. Jon Knott up for Minnesota.
7 walks in the past 4 innings. not good. and joe g just made a point about throwing strikes to kennedy and joba.
Knott flies to the warning track in left. Runner advances to 3rd. One away.
Speaking of Torre, he and the Dodgers are beating the saux 3-0.
Pop up to 1st. 2 away.
BBB he’ll lose it w/ the bullpen
The only “good” — yes, in quotation marks — thing about Igawa is that his salary is low. So like the Padres last year, there will be an NL team in a big ballpark that thinks it can turn him around. In other words, they can still trade him this year or next. I seriously think they should just consider this a bad signing and send him packing.
Liner to the RF corner and the ball gets away allowing two runs to score.
I expect Hughes to have a sub 2 ERA with 25 wins, and at least 2 no-hitters, 1 of which being a perfect game. Not to mention he needs to beat the Red Sox in games 1, 4, and 7 of the ALCS, and strike out 20 of them in the third and final game.
Hot shot to 3rd ends the inning. 6-2 Yanks. On to the 9th.
Jeffrey why man !
“I expect Hughes to have a sub 2 ERA with 25 wins, and at least 2 no-hitters, 1 of which being a perfect game. Not to mention he needs to beat the Red Sox in games 1, 4, and 7 of the ALCS, and strike out 20 of them in the third and final game.”
I figured that all went without saying.
My concern is that he top Jeter’s early-on performance of getting with Mariah Carey and other such hotties.
Oh crap, that was close.
CB, nice points, but many here continued to have faith in Phil.
I like that his intangibles. By all acounts he’s never had adversity so it was good that he’s bounced back.
No matter what he says, he can’t have enjoyed seeing Joba pass him in the organization. I think he’ll do everything in his power to restore his position in the organization. Phil doing well has another benefit. It’ll increase the friendly competition amongst the Big 3 and raise their overall level of play.
SoS, are you watching the Spurs game? God, Shaq looks bad in home orange. lol. They’re wearing “Los Suns” unis.
Bernie Castro grounds to 3rd to open the Yankee 9th.
Tabata had 2 RBIs today, is he breaking his shell
Greg Porter with an opposite field bullet down the line for a one out double. Juan Miranda up…
I think Mariah Carey’s a little too old for Hughes. The sad thing is that all the famous pop stars Phil’s age are in rehab.
Porter’s a pretty good hitter. Down the 3B line double.
I think Phil has a serious girlfriend who is not a superstar (except maybe in his eyes).
“Tabata had 2 RBIs today, is he breaking his shell”
Nah. One was on a grounder, and the other was a single.
No one has ever disputed his ability to hit the ball. It’s the slugging we need to from a guy who projects as a corner OFer, if not right away, certainly by the time he’s in his prime.
Miranda goes down looking.
Mel: I am watching and fervently hoping to see the Suns crash & burn on national TV. I just tuned in, did they explain why the “Los Suns” jerseys? They look lame but “los” is pronounced kinda like “loss,” so I guess it’s a fairly accurate description right now, heh.
If by some miracle the Suns & Mavs both missed the playoffs, it would be like Xmas and my b-day rolled into one!
Y’s Guy, they’ve seen that act before, but for some Godforsaken reason he’s still here.
Fernando we have to put a restraining order on Alyssa Milanno she likes young pitchers
Greg Porter has been unbelievable for a freebie pick up what to do w/ this guy ?
“I think Mariah Carey’s a little too old for Hughes. The sad thing is that all the famous pop stars Phil’s age are in rehab.”
I meant current-day analogues to such women. What about that girl from High School Musical? She’s pretty.
Nick Green K’s. Bottom of the 9th coming up.
They definitely need to keep Milanno from our young pitchers. Just look at what happened to the last Yankee pitcher she dated.
Chase Wright in to pitch for New York.
Yeah, Phil is engaged, so no starlets for him. Maybe we can hook up Alyssa Milanno with Igawa and work some kind of reverse-jink.
BBB,
The Spurs are wearing the “Los” uni as well and wore it at their last game. It’ll be interesting to see if the Lakers wear “Los Angeles” on theirs.
As a Laker fan, I’d like to see a loss by both teams.
Bouncer to 3rd. One away.
“Greg Porter has been unbelievable for a freebie pick up what to do w/ this guy ?”
Put him in AAA to fill out the roster. He’s bounced all around the field in the minors, which shows me he’s poor defensively. He didn’t earn his way to AAA until he was 26.
Denard Span walks. One on, one out.
Isn’t “65″ Hughes’ old number?
Jay, I like where your going with that.
Whozat, what’s High School Musical?
Force out at 2nd. 2 away.
I wish he would take his fielding serious, that seems like a huge stain on his report. I know the Mets would love him
I keep wondering if an NL team desperate for hitting is looking at him right now..
I wish he would take his fielding serious, that seems like a huge stain on his report. I know the Mets would love him
I keep wondering if an NL team desperate for hitting is looking at him right now..
“Whozat, what’s High School Musical?”
It was some Disney movie or something. The lead girl in it took some…risque photos for her BF that wound up on the internet.
She’s an attractive young woman. To say the least.
mel- Don’t worry about the Suns, my team will take care of them on Tuesday night. That’s assuming we’re still alive after last night’s beating at the hands of the Celtics.
Walk to Jones. 2 on, 2 out.
Is the game still going on? I already wrote the recap.
Line single to center, run scores, 6-3 Yanks.
Mariah? Phil? C’mon … Phil wouldn’t want Jeter’s sloppy seconds.
The girl from High School Musical has already been uhh .. ‘exposed’ … on line. Not that Phil might be bothered by that. For those three and a half minutes I wouldn’t mind either.
Enuff gossip though I’m not into that. The thing with A-Rod and that bimbo last year should have been no big deal. They all get around if they want to, that’s their business. As long as they don’t pull a Romo and show up for a big game with nothing left in the tank after a romp with a perky starlet, let ‘em have their fun.
“I wish he would take his fielding serious, that seems like a huge stain on his report.”
He may just not have the tools for the field. Not everyone does.
“I know the Mets would love him
I keep wondering if an NL team desperate for hitting is looking at him right now..”
No, they wouldn’t. There are guys with proven MLB track records that are more attractive. Xavier Nady, for instance. Matt Murton, Juan Rivera. Coco Crisp, even.
I don’t know about Disney stars for our pitchers. Disney’s employed both Lindsey Lohan and the Olsen twins.
Grounder to SS. Alberto boots it. Another run in. 6-4. And we have a pitching change…
Lol, no one wants those remaining bullpen spots!
Fernando High School Musical is this movie they put on Disney it had alot of Teenagers that danced out spots ala Grease or Little Shop of Horrors. Anyway Venessa Hudgens was a soon to be star until her boyfriend in H.S. musical/real life took some photos that lets just say Vennessa should have known better, anyway Disney fired her she made one song and is currently doing Nutrigena faec wash commercials
I thought the AG was supposed to be a defensive whiz.
“You know when the Yankees come to the Minnesota, there’s a great chance they’ll hike the ticket prices.” Oh, I’m sorry, they gave a shout out to Bobby Mercer.
Not happy about this. Girardi’s head must be spinning right now. Seriously, one more out dude. Who’s coming in?
Hm. Wright doing nothing to help his case.
Mel: Lakers are the 1st seed now, right? If the Warriors stay in the 8th seed, I think it would actually be better for LAL to slip down to the 2nd and avoid playing them in the first round. My team (MIA) plays in the East and they suck anyway, but if I were an upper seeded West team, GS is definitely the one possible opponent I would want to dodge.
Scott Patterson in to put out the fire. 2 on, 2 out, 6-4 Yanks. Tommy Watkins up for the Twins.
It all goes downhill after the walks. You can’t be afraid of the strike zone. Nothing gives a team more of a psychological jolt than a walk. Now we have a bit of a mess.
This is a nice spot for Patterson to make an impression. Men on base, shrinking lead.
So far this spring, Patterson has always come in and gotten the job done.
Mariah’s damaged goods. Rumor has it that Jeter called her “crazy” in public. Fact is that she attempted suicide.
Yankees win. Had a great time game-blogging with you guys. Have a good day.
Fly ball to center on the 1st pitch. That’s it. The Yankees win, THHHHHEEEEE Yannkees win!!! Oh, uh, sorry about that.
nice job Scott
thanks for the updates guys!
Update: The mess has been cleaned up.
I remember when Mariah was dating Jeter and at the same time was calling up basketball superstar Grant Hill, who was with the Pistons at the time, wanting to go out with him. She was bad news.
thank god no telling how many sprints they would have done had they gave this one away
Whatever – thanks for the live play by play blog.
Good game! Hughes pwns and Patterson is very intriguing.
Good for Patterson. I’ll have to do a feature on my blog about him tomorrow. Maybe say something about how he pulled kids out of the burning wreckage of a car before getting into today’s game. Good stuff.
BBB,
The west is so tight this year you can’t play for matchups. The seedings will literally go down to the last game. A 3-game losing streak by any of the top seeds will blow any home court.
I will start cheering for the Heat now that they got rid of Shaq. I hope Marion signs longterm with the Heat. He’s a great all-around player and I’m sure the Suns would like to have him back.
Mariah Carey’s been bad news for a while. Even before Glitter.
Stop calling it a live blog when you finisj at the 4th inning.
Laker fans, go eat my s*****.
Your welcome Fran. Something to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
it’s to tribute Rizzuto
Hey Pete do you think you could ask a scout what Hughes fastball velocity was sitting at today? Thanks
JoshC must be a Knicks fan like me
Brandon,
Why so bitter? We gave you Riles. Wouldn’t it be great to have him back?
Patrick Ewing was one of my all-time favorites.
yes it would but only as a coach
lol. Did you hear the latest? He wants to take some games off to go check out lottery guys.
The positive thing about bringing Patterson into a spot like that is that you know he’s going to throw strikes.
That’s critical for relievers coming in with guys on base and that’s been a big achilles heal for the team.
He has outstanding command. Pounds the zone.
Big difference from Farsworth/ Bruney and even Proctor last year where you had no idea whether they were going to come in and walk the first batter they faced.
Oooh! Night game on Monday. Joba vs. Homer. Should be a great one.
smart man, because he wants to tank and make sure which of the top 5 play his style, I think OJ Mayo is underrated that kid plays defense and can take over a game, Eric Gordon ccan shoot, Rose is the real deal IDK what Beasley will be but he looks unbelieveable.
my guess Riley is scouting guys like Kevin Love, the Deandre Jordan kid, maybe even Bayless
“Laker fans, go eat my s*****.”
Amen!
No thanks, I don’t like sour grapes. :p
Go Yanks!
If Pat Riley wants to watch Derrick Rose, he can come to the Final Four to watch while Derrick helps us win a national championship.
CB- That’s right about Patterson. He is like a safety net and brings piece of mind. Other than Mo and Joba last season, that is something that the bullpen has been lacking lately.
Yeah, as a Heat fan I don’t mind Riles taking the few games off to scout. We already know that either Beasley or Rose would be terrific but we need a contingency plan on the other guys (Bayless and co.) in case we get screwed by the lottery like the Grizz did last year.
And Mel, I really hope Marion signs with Miami long term too. Given my hatred of the Suns, it amuses me to no end how eager he was to leave a contender for the worst team in the league (although he probably sees contention in their near future like I do, but still.) And Phoenix’s D without him…
Brandon,
Did you ever see a year when all the top players in college are freshmen?
Did you ever see Kevin Love play? He tosses his outlet pass like a quarterback. It’s gorgeous.
CB ;
Scott Patterson could be one of the last cuts of the spring then be ready at AAA. You have to like the way he’s in the strike zone.
BBB- I think that Rose would be a great mixture with Wade and Marion if he decides to stay. Rose loves to run and we know how Marion thrives in the running game. Rose is strong, quick, and a better shooter than some people think. Of course, I hope that he stays in school. It’s a joy to watch him in person!
mel Kevin’s outlet passes are like Bill Walton’s he catches and starts the fastbreak himself , that’s one of the things they no doubtedly love about him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoVpjgj6GAo
and that’s not even the most difficult pass he made, just watch this one pass in shoot around the recipient is Beasley, look at the right corner of the screen when it is thrown up and watch it hit Beasley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dGLwJaayL0
Brandon,
Thanks for the clips. Love’s middle name is Wesley for a former teammate of the dad who was a whiz with the crosscourt pass.