Greetings from Gate A-70
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-
- May
- 11
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Yankees-Tigers: 1:05 p.m.
Flight from Detroit from Tampa: 9:24 p.m.
Game called: 1:17 p.m.
Stories finished: 2 p.m.
Time to kill: 7:24.
Ah, the exciting world of sportswriting. As I write this, I’m sitting on the floor at the gate, my laptop plugged into the only outlet within seven miles and I’m watching old episodes of the West Wing.
As for the Yankees, they have a decision to make. Darrell Rasner will pitch either Thursday against the Rays or Friday against the Mets.
Somebody else has to pitch one of those games. But who? Here’s a list of candidates:
Ian Kennedy: His start got rained out today, he’s supposed to go tomorrow. If the Yankees cut him a little short, he could come back on Friday. But shouldn’t he have to prove himself with more than two games?
Kei Igawa: If the Yankees had paid $4 million for him instead of $46 million, he would be on the first flight back to Japan. But they didn’t. It is a fact of life in all business that money talks.
Dan Giese: He’ll be 31 in a week, he has been in pro ball since 1999 and he has a major league resume of 9.1 innings over 8 games. But he has somehow pitched like Walter Johnson in six starts for Scranton (four earned runs over 34.1 innings).
Chase Wright: He’s 5-1, 2.54 for Trenton and last pitched on Friday.
Dan McCutchen: He’s 4-2, 2.15 for Trenton. But getting called up now is not part of his development plan. His start got rained out today, too.
Side issues: Kennedy and Wright are on the 40-man. But they can always make room if they want Giese.
Nobody cares what I would do. But you clearly can’t pitch Igawa at Yankee Stadium on Friday against the Mets. That’s a recipe for disaster. So Rasner goes on Friday and somebody else goes Thursday. Don’t throw a kid in the fire, try Giese. Igawa can work on his issues someplace else, not in games that count.
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on Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 7:53 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
kei kei go away never pitch as a yankee again
Twins
Giese would get slapped around by the 3rd inning, it’s either McCutchen or Wright, Kennedy hasn’t earned a thing yet. Too bad Horne got hurt, he would have been plan B instead of K-FLOP
Kennedy shouldn’t have to “prove” himself. He is better than Igawa with his eyes closed. NYY have to choose who is the best (with short and long term interests in mind)candidate. Hands down, Rasner and Kennedy Thursday and Friday, respectively.
hhhmmm
Anyone but Igawa will be fine by me.
Igawa is the new Pavano! Except he’s not faking injuries to keep from pitching!
I would go with Kennedy Thursday. and Rasner Friday. Kennedy has been good against the Rays early in his career.
Kennedy hasn’t earned a thing isn’t even the best option right now, just because he’s the hands down better option than K-FLOP doesn’t put him above McCutchen, Wright or Horne or Marquez, he’s now in that pool a pool he has to earn his way out of.
I would give Wright a shot.
If Kennedy were to pitch Friday what would that do to his start scheduled for tomorrow since it was rained out today? Would he be pulled by the 4th inning or come out of the bullpen to get a little work? I just don’t want there to be any excuses come Friday if he pitches poorly. And I don’t think throwing him out there against the Mets would be an ideal situation either. If anything, let him do a little side work tomorrow and then have him pitch against Tampa on Thursday.
We could go with Giese to see how he pans out, but he has Aaron Small written all over him.
trade for santana…
oh wait.
Ah, the glamorous life of business travel….Sorry, Pete.
Your logic is cold and clear. No way can they throw more games away on Kei Igawa. Too bad, but that’s the way it is. I can’t see either Wright or McCutcheon, as this wasn’t “part of (their) development plan”. But IPk (yes, that’s the question, are two starts enough to get him sorted out) or Dan Giese. I’d pitch either of them against Tampa on Thursday, Rasner on Friday v. the Mets.
But, like you, who cares what I think.
What does it say that Pete and I use the same computer?
I think people just don’t understand why Kennedy was sent down, he was sent down to work on his consistancy in throwing strikes also to work on effectiveness of his 2nd and 3rd pitches, to throw him back into the MLB pool makes no sense whatsoever because you defeat the purpose he was sent down in the first place and it really won’t change his performance because in his mind he’ll always have the thought if I’m sent down to AAA again one good start and I can prove nothing was wrong in the first place, he really hasn’t worked on much yet and there is not enough of a sample, if after 4 starts he shows pulse then wonder about it but right now Kennedy needs to work on some things before even being in the promotion talks.
Remember what Cone said about K-FLOP no matter what he does when any pitcher SP struggles he reverts to what he use to do and you don’t want Kennedy going through that in a spotlight game vs the Mets or a game vs Tampa where they may want it more than him and after seeing him once already too.
I’d go with Chase Wright.
Didn’t Wright pitch well against the Mets last year? Or was that the immortal Tyler Clippard? If it was Wright, then it’s not quite the samw as throwing a raw rookie into the Subway Series fire.
Or hey, how’s that Pavano fellow doing?
go Dwins, knock ‘em down
THAT was Tyler Clippard on a Sunday Nite
I hope you’re watching old old episodes of WW, as in seasons 1-4. It got noticeably poorer in quality after Aaron left.
“Didn’t Wright pitch well against the Mets last year? Or was that the immortal Tyler Clippard?”
That was Clippard
It looks like Wakefield almost throws a no-hitter on every outing.
So far, Mr. Perfect is perfect through one.
I say Chase Wright…yeah he got beat up by the Red Sox last year, but I think he needs another try to prove himself. No more Igawa, please!
Jason Jones? 5-0 w/ trenton
Did anyone else hear Youkilis yell out a word very loudly that rhymes with duck after getting stuck out in their first inning by Blackburn?:-)
Does anyone know if wang still pitches better on short rest? I believe he used to when he was primarily a sinker baller but not sure after he added his new pitches this season. Another alternative though I think highly unlikely is if Girardi would reconsider starting Wang instead of Andy tomorrow, so you have CMW, Moose, Rasner, Andy for Mon-Thurs, and then start CMW again on Fri on 3 instead of 4 day rest. By Sat, White and IPK who both pitch Monday will have regular rest so Girardi could call on either depending on who looks better tomorrow.
where did Matt DeSalvo go?
*struck* out
Simple solution: Bring up White (or IPK) to pitch tomorrow. Push back Andy, Moose and CMW, giving them an extra day’s rest. Why waste White with Scranton tomorrow when you can solve the problem immediately — will also have a rested bullpen to back him up. White has been pitching well and has never gotten a shot — perfect time tomorrow.
5-1 Monroe gaps one
MONROE !
Nice Twinkies up 3-0
No outs
“where did Matt DeSalvo go?”
I think he is with the Braves…somewhere in the minors
Bottom Line,
Andy already has an extra day of rest with today’s rain-out. Right now with Pettitte Monday and Wang Tuesday, they are lined up to face the Mets too, and they are the two I’d trust to best handle that insane circus.
I skip Kennedy tomorrow in Scranton and bring him up to start Thursday, with Rasner going on Friday, then Pettitte and Wang. If the Yanks don’t want to do that, I do the same plan, but use Chase Wright as the starter. Best to stick with someone on the 40 man roster already, and not have to make any moves for a spot starter.
Another HR
5-0 Twinkies
Didn’t the Twins have batting practice earlier?
If I were a panda I would be doing somersaults all over the place!!!
HARDEE HAR HAR HAR HAR!!!
5-0 Twinkies!!!
Did Joe Morgan just say “Elsworth”?
5 to 1 odds on Gomez getting a hit
dammit I was slow
The only thing I DON’T do is bring Kennedy back after one start. And what if he stinks the joint out? How long do you think it will take him to make it back up? He was sent down to work some things out. One good start in AAA means nothing. Just ask Kei Igawa who had about 4 in a row!
“We could go with Giese to see how he pans out, but he has Aaron Small written all over him.”
So? A couple useful starts is really all we’re looking for. That may be more than Giese could do. I really don’t see him as much more than a swingman, but that’d be fine. Five innings, three runs would be wwaaaaaayyy more than Igawa’d probably give us.
“What does it say that Pete and I use the same computer?”
Me too
Oh how I love a laugher – when we aren’t the team involved!
Benefits of Igawa pitching-
1) The bullpen, other than Joba, Mo and Farnsworth, get work.
2) We get to see the sun glasses.
3) The opposition will tire by the middle innings after having so many plate appearances,thus allowing a come back (this is the rope d’ dope strategy).
4) It reminds Ian Kennedy that one start in AAA does not make a starter.
5) If you’re a Mets fan, Mets win.
Chase Wright is being judged from small samples of ‘07. This spring he spent considerable time with Nardi Contreras and Dave Eiland knowing full well he wouldn’t go north when the season started.
To keep hiding him serves no purpose. He’s worked hard enough to get a deserving chance.
Igawa just doesn’t grasp what it takes to succeed in MLB.
“try Giese”
.
AMEN to THAT, Peter….we are on the same page.
.
Yes, Joe Morgan did just say “Ellsworth.”
He also said that Wakefield likes pitching in a dome because there’s “no air in a dome.”
Wow, West Wing episodes? Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Mon, May 12 @ Tampa Bay….Pettitte (3-3)
Tue, May 13 @ Tampa Bay….Wang (6-1)
Wed, May 14 @ Tampa Bay….Mussina (5-3)
Thu, May 15 @ Tampa Bay….Giese (0-0)
Fri, May 16 NY Mets….Rasner (2-0)
Sat, May 17 NY Mets….Pettitte (3-3)
Sun, May 18 NY Mets….Wang (6-1)
.
How about we get greed and WIN THEM ALL ???
.
Let Igawa redeem himself in the next world games for Japan.He’s like the tooth ache that won’t go away.
greed = greedy (sorry)
always seems like morgan and miller and other national broadcasts put a little bit more emphasis when the red sox get a base hit or strike somebody out, etc., then the rest, maybe just me, but it definitely seems more emphatic
Morgan didn’t mention the catcher for Hoyt Wilhelm who donned the hugh glove, he was Gus Triandos.
Rain out, slow day, not much to complain about.
Happy Mothers day to all the young ladies (Mothers) on this blog.
Steven White and Chase Wright are on the 40 man, bring one of them up…not IPK, one game is not enough to work out the kinks (as many of you have stated). Alberto, welcome back! Many, many, great games for the Yanks…I hope! Now, if we could find a way to get one of: Justin Christian, Brett Gardner, into the line-up…but, where? Like I said, “Slow day.” 27/08.
blackdragon – I don’t think it’s just you…
7-1 now.
Into the game enters Freddy Kruger.
thats what i thought trisha, its very very annoying
Morgan & Miller are the Sunday night version of Fatso & Fruitloops.
Miller is a Red Saox ballwasher. He was their radio guy for a few years.
wow. Wakefield was pitching like he’s Ian Kennedy.
Wakie probably just wanted to set up his team for another dramatic come from behind victory.
Pete you are thinking along the same exact lines that I am thinking. The ideal situation here is that you have Rasner, Andy, and Wang pitch the Mets series and call somebody up for Thursday night’s game, or they can throw away Thursday night’s game and annoy thousands of Yankee fans in the process by pitching Igawa.
Ugh
Come on Blackburn. Don’t make this game interesting
Here they come
http://yankeesmtom.blogspot.com/
“So basically, here’s the situation. They have games on the 12th-18th, and then 20th through 28th. The order should Pettitte, Wang, and then Mussina on Wednesday the 14th. This is what I think they should do following that:. Completely skip and demote Igawa for a reliever (Traber or Patterson), have Rasner pitch on Thursday, followed by Steven White or Dan Giese on Friday against the Mets (and send down the extra reliever). Then have the rotation go as normal by having Pettitte on Saturday and Wang on Sunday. They have the luxury of an off day on Monday, so have Mussina on Tuesday, Rasner on Wednesday, and then, if they think Ian Kennedy is ready, bring him back into the rotation starting that Thursday, if not, keep Giese or White for a little while longer.”
Ugh
7-4 now
Morgan just put Jaime Moyer behind the plate for Minny…
I want to see one of the kids pitch!! By kids i mean people that are just a couple years older then me and born in a country that is not Japan (unless one of them are Japanese and not named Igawa)
did Francona say I’ll kick his a.. on live TV…very interesting words on ESPN
Actually Pete I do care – you would not pitch K-Fraud
Yeah real classy on the part of Francoma.
“did Francona say I’ll kick his a.. on live TV”
Youkilis said something much worse after his first at-bat.
woah – what did I miss TF say?? whos rear end did he want to kick?? and was it just like picked up by the camera or was it on one of those mid-inning interviews
“Actually Pete I do care – you would not pitch K-Fraud”
it’s K-FLOP get it right
JoeT ending of interview and it was Ortiz
Get a grip guys! You telling me none of your Yankees and especially Hank Steinbrenner wouldn’t say something like that on TV?
no ray – we just fist pump towards our own dugout and stick to our own message boards
and thanks B
1. Bringing back Kennedy after one start smacks of desperation. And a gamble. A deperate gamble, if you will. Let’s see him do it again (and again?) in AAA before he comes back up.
2. Pitching No-K’s Igawa again…an even more desperate, bigger gamble. Please don’t. Teams hovering at the .500 mark shouldn’t be giving away games.
3. So, pick someone else.
com’on Monroe make it 2 HRS or an RBI 2B
I’ll take that and ESPN shut up that was fieldable
“no ray – we just fist pump towards our own dugout and stick to our own message boards”
Nice choice of TV show . . . I’m actually watching old episodes of The West Wing too.
I don’t know enough about baseball to know who they should pitch . . . I just want anyone but Igawa.
Blackburn kind of reminds me of Joe Nathan (their features, not their pitching.)
“Mon, May 12 @ Tampa Bay….Pettitte (3-3)
Tue, May 13 @ Tampa Bay….Wang (6-1)
Wed, May 14 @ Tampa Bay….Mussina (5-3)
Thu, May 15 @ Tampa Bay….Giese (0-0)
Fri, May 16 NY Mets….Rasner (2-0)
Sat, May 17 NY Mets….Pettitte (3-3)
Sun, May 18 NY Mets….Wang (6-1)”
I like this plan. Rays are 2.5 games ahead of us right now, I’d love to put the best guys against them and win 3 out of 4. Next Sunday’s game is prime time on ESPN, we should have our ace on to get the best chance to win so we won’t have to hear Morgan and Miller talk about the kids and the Santana trade, cause you just know they will…
“I’ll take that and ESPN shut up that was fieldable”
What was it? I was on the phone with my mom.
“Morgan and Miller talk about the kids and the Santana trade, cause you just know they will…”
They will anyway.
Apparently, Morgan made some comment recently about players in his day not having to put up with “indignities” like female reporters being allowed in the locker room.
So, ESPN might be looking to replace him
Can’t happen fast enough, as far as I’m concerned.
Whozat – I went back on DVR and watched it
During the between innings interview with Terry, Ortiz started flexing behind him and Miller said “who’s that big guy behind you?” Terry looked over his shoulder and said “I told him before, I’ll kick his ass.”
Agree with Nick in SF.
I want to see IPK back eventually but not too soon. Otherwise it could backfire if he is shakey again. They can’t send him down again for a 2nd time, it would basically mean he can’t hack it in the big league and will be done up here for the season unless someone gets hurt and we have no better alternatives.
“What was it? I was on the phone with my mom.”
groundball to Lowell it was a one hopper he handcuffed badly and dropped it’s should be on MLB gameday.
“Apparently, Morgan made some comment recently about players in his day not having to put up with “indignities†like female reporters being allowed in the locker room.”
Are you serious??
Watching these guys makes Michael Kay so much more bearable. I even kind of miss his “Generation Trey” to be honest especially given what has transpired…
“Otherwise it could backfire if he is shakey again. They can’t send him down again for a 2nd time, it would basically mean he can’t hack it in the big league and will be done up here for the season”
I really don’t think that’s true. It’s May. If he comes back, stinks, and then has to go down until after the break…not such a big deal. I do agree that bringing him back right now wouldn’t be the best call, though.
After Thursday/Friday, they don’t need a 5th starter again until the 26th. Kennedy could get several more starts between now and then. I figure the best thing to do is use someone that’s not him, give him two more starts, and then decide if you bring him back up before you need a 5th guy on the 26th. If not, use a spot guy again, and that buys you until the end of the first week in june.
whozat-
it’s my opinion that the reason that you don’t like morgan is that he talks a lot about mechanics and that’s just not something you or many other people on the blog are interested in.
if you don’t think morgan knows that part of the game, you’d be wrong.
for instance, he just talked about the time a hitter has to make the decision to swing or not. i doubt that is something you’re interested in. it doesn’t make him wrong about something because you’re not interested in it.
“Are you serious??”
Yeah. I read it somewhere today. MLBtraderumors? Baseballthinkfactory? I can’t remember.
I’d try Giese. He’s 31, and has pitched well. Give him a shot.
Great catch by Ellsworth. He looked like a keystone cop out there!
Peter had it in his baseball beat article. Awfulannouncing also mentions it:
“Joe Morgan (announcer, ESPN): Morgan told a radio show last week that it was different back in his day because the players didn’t have to deal with such indignities as women reporters being allowed in the clubhouse. That sort of antiquated thinking is similar to the “analysis” he provides on Sunday nights. ESPN needs an influx of talent in its baseball coverage, and finding a replacement for Morgan would be a good start.”
“is that he talks a lot about mechanics and that’s just not something you or many other people on the blog are interested in.”
You couldn’t be more wrong, but thanks for making a sweeping assumption about me. I find that stuff very interesting. I also LOVE when Cone and Leiter talk about pitching mechanics and pitch sequences. It’s been really great to hear Cone break down a guy’s mechanics when he throws a bad pitch, talking about his hand position and arm angle and stuff. You must be one of those people who assume people who like stats hate the actual playing of baseball. We don’t.
I hate Joe Morgan as a broadcaster because he often says things that are factually inaccurate, doesn’t get that our understanding of the game has evolved since the ’70s, and talks about the big red machine all the time. He talks about baseball like it’s this mystical thing, with guys who are “winners” and players who are “gritty”. Basically, Morgan just repeats a player’s reputation over and over. It doesn’t matter how much he’s sucked recently, or what he’s done against a particular pitcher, or any interesting mechanical insight about WHY he might do well or poorly against the pitcher or anything.
Whozat, 26th for IPK to come back sounds good to me. I hope he does well and will stick!
Could Miller be any more excited about Crisp’s homer? I thought he was going to stroke out.
uh oh
How can you even watch that game tonight?
I’ll watch about any baseball game that I can, but the combination of it being Boston and Miller/Morgan, I’d rather stick pencils in my eyes tonight than sit through that one.
Bob, any time I can watch the craptown suxers and sit wishing them nothing but very bad luck, well that is a very good day for me.
Witness – CRAIG MONROE!!!!!
WOO HOO!!!!!
is Craig Monroe back or is it just bad pitching ?
I wonder if Miller and Gammons take turns with Red Sox. Maybe they triple team with Buccigross.
2 meatballs off Monroe’s bat
Isn’t Timlin Giambi’s personal servant?
B – Bad pitching lol
no Trisha he’s his personal bit…
whozat-
the vitriol you express towards morgan is just simply that he understands the game in a way you never will.
and you understand mathamatical relationships of the game that he never will. so what?
the game is big enough for different ways of experiencing it.
no one is saying that analysis doesn’t have merit. just don’t take away the value of a lifetime of experience of those who played the game. it’s disrespectful, and considering the racial mix of the sabermetrically inclined the nicest thing i can say is you border on elitism.
I wonder if Miller and Gammons take turns with Red Sox. Maybe they triple team with Buccigross.
The worst one is Steve Berthiume(sp?) That guy is a real annoying POS. I can’t stand watching Baseball Tonight when he’s on with his non stop “The Nation!!!” garbage everytime there is anything related to the Red Sox.
Is anyone going to Saturdays game vs the Mets?
SWEET SCOOP JM!!
where did the “racial mix” thing come from? did I miss something?
no you did not call that Visquel like
“it’s disrespectful, and considering the racial mix of the sabermetrically inclined the nicest thing i can say is you border on elitism.”
Now you’re implying that I’m RACIST?!?!?!?!
Wow. You just went waaaaaaaay over the line. Joe Morgan consistently says stuff that’s false and/or makes no sense. It has nothing to do with his race. It has to do with the fact that he can’t be bothered to bone up on the players in front of him, how they’ve been playing recently, or even the names of guys that haven’t been in the game for six or seven seasons. When I know that a guy’s been having trouble handling inside pitches for a couple weeks and Morgan tells me that he’s great at handling stuff inside, it pisses me off because I know more about what’s going on than he does. That has nothing to do with stats. It has to do with him not being good at his job. And he’s not, not anymore.
Don’t tell me how I enjoy the game. And DEFINITELY don’t cast aspersions on my character.
“it’s disrespectful, and considering the racial mix of the sabermetrically inclined the nicest thing i can say is you border on elitism.”
I can think of nicer things you could have said.
joe T-
you know what. it’s mother’s day for everyone including joe morgan’s mom.
i just get tired of listening to people bash joe morgan.
the man is a hall of famer. he’s from one of the first generations of black players to make it big in baseball, and i just think it’s a shame to see a new young generation that is computer literate ,but baseball inexperienced look down on someone like morgan.
trisha – I believe in Ks – Kyle, and Kei working out his stuff in AAA!
May 11th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
“Isn’t Timlin Giambi’s personal servant?”
Just like Mussina is Manny’s batting practice pitcher!
I do hate the announcers on the national games (Fox, ESPN, whatever) Last year Cano was playing OUTSTANDING defense and Tim McCarver has the nerve, after cano makes a great play, to say that Cano’s defense is suspect – I just hate when people who haven’t followed the team make assumptions like that….. Same thing goes for whozat’s example with the inside pitches
Hey Bob, ever listened to Trey Wingo on NFL Live practically lick the Patriots a new hole?
Comments like this one:
http://www.firejoemorgan.com/2.....orian.html
randy: You’re not even reading what whozat’s typing at this point huh?
I wonder what Red Sox feces tastes like. Guess I gotta go ask Peter Gammons or Chris Berman.
i’m not getting into a racial conversation – but you make it sound like the only reason it’s not ok to say bad things about Morgan is because he’s black – who cares what color he is, if you don’t like him then you don’t, if you do like him then you do… A lot of people on here complain about Michael Kay… i love him. I’m not the biggest fans of McCarver and Morgan – doesn’t mean it’s because they’re black or white
If anyone is interested in acquiring Patriots feces, please get in touch with Jim Nantz, 610-308-1634
“but baseball inexperienced look down on someone like morgan.”
What the hell does his baseball experience and my lack thereof have to do with me thinking he’s a crappy broadcaster for saying stuff like “Damon doesn’t have the strong arm anymore.”
It’s his JOB to know about the players he’s talking about. Damon has NEVER had a strong arm. And yet in a game last September, Joe cranks out that gem. Seriously? WHY on EARTH am I required to like him? He was a great ballplayer. That doesn’t mean he’s a good broadcaster. Maybe he’s bored with his job. Maybe he’s become lazy. Maybe he’s an idiot. I don’t know. I also don’t care. All I know is he’s bad at his job and I’d be happy to see him ride off into the sunset.
does anybody think buck showalter did a great job on sat. insights you never hear from other analysts.
Joe Morgan: That [their 2nd place showing in OBP] surprises me, because that’s not what they’re known for. They aren’t usually that patient.
[in his head] Except for last year, when they led all of MLB in OBP.
Joe Morgan: Last year, they were a little bit more free-swinging.
[in his head] No they weren’t. They had like a .360 OBP.
Joe Morgan: [a little later] Well, I see here that they actually did lead the AL in on base percentage last year, too. But they weren’t that patient. They’re more patient this year.
I so remember that …god he was awful and a few weeks ago calling the Mets game.
“whozat-
it’s my opinion that the reason that you don’t like morgan is that he talks a lot about mechanics and that’s just not something you or many other people on the blog are interested in.
if you don’t think morgan knows that part of the game, you’d be wrong.
for instance, he just talked about the time a hitter has to make the decision to swing or not. i doubt that is something you’re interested in. it doesn’t make him wrong about something because you’re not interested in it.”
I love that stuff. I loved it when Paul O’Neill pointed out how Cano was cheating inside, and not a half second later, Silva hung a slider inside and Cano hammered it for a homer.
I love when Cone and Flaherty are discussing pitching.
Morgan gets that stuff right.
What he doesn’t get right is the BASIC STUFF that any announcer worth three cents would get right. It has nothing (well, little) to do with ’sabermetrically’ understanding the game. He sometimes, well, just says stupid stuff.
Not unlike Michael Kay.
Buck was unbelievable the other night. And I dont think he insulted the Yankees much, if at all.
“randy: You’re not even reading what whozat’s typing at this point huh?”
Basically – don’t try having an intelligent argument with the guy. We’re not as baseball experienced as he is, thus aren’t worth actual intelligent arguments. Those take too much time.
WOW! Pavartti just won Survivor Fans vs. faves!!
Fa Three! – it’s very rare that you can watch a game outside of YES and not listen to the Yankees get insulted every ten seconds
“Not unlike Michael Kay.”
I don’t like Kay much, but he usually doesn’t say things that are blatantly factually inaccurate — like saying a team wasn’t patient when they lead the league in OBP. Or saying that a team doesn’t run much when they’re second in the league in stolen bases (see: 2006 Yankees)
“I loved it when Paul O’Neill pointed out how Cano was cheating inside, and not a half second later, Silva hung a slider inside and Cano hammered it for a homer.”
That was GREAT analysis.
oh jeez
that was some horrible fielding by Gomez
Morgan contradicts his own call
way to stick with it nathan wow that was a big out
1 more little out
GORGEOUS play by Nathan.
This is a GREAT game.
Come on Joe. Get Manny.
would anyone put the go ahead run on base here… i think i would after seeing what moose did
HELL YEAH NATHAN!!
phew!!!!!!!!!!
Phew! Nice win Twinkies
thats why im not a major league manager lol… way to hold on twins
Morgan just said “I know that Manny doesnt hit Nathan well but that means the percentages are in his favor.”
HARDEE HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR!
So nice to see the Sux scratch their way back, only to lose.
TWINKIES!!!!!
Once again, Mike Timlin is our hero lol
thank god, my goodness I couldn’t stand hearing another analysis from JM, I’m sorry but he said basically you’d rather pitch to Manny than Alex Cora…WHAT ?…
“Morgan just said ‘I know that Manny doesnt hit Nathan well but that means the percentages are in his favor.’â€
I didn’t quite know what the el that meant either.
OK – ESPN just showed like 15 red sox highlights – how about some of the team that WON!!
“Morgan just said “I know that Manny doesnt hit Nathan well but that means the percentages are in his favor.—
ROFL! Yeah, I heard that also. He’s never hit well against him, and that makes him MORE likely to get a hit? Huh?
I’m not a huge Morgan fan either, but I do like Jon Miller. Maybe it’s Stockholm Syndrome, he does the SF Giants too and I hear him a lot, but I think he’s one of the best. Maybe Morgan drags him down. I don’t employ sabermetrics when I say that.
Other than wishful thinking on the part of Morgan!
If they call up anyone it should be McCutchen. He has the ability to work out of the bullpen as well since he’s a hard thrower.
More versatility is better for this roster.
” All I know is he’s bad at his job and I’d be happy to see him ride off into the sunset.”
he’s not bad at his job. he just talks about stuff that go over your head. did you pick up any of what he was talking about when cash was having trouble catching the knuckle ball. he pretty much predicted that cash was going to have trouble after he missed the first one.
do you have any idea what it takes to catch a major league knuckle ball. well morgan was giving you some insight. you probably didn’t even pay attention. morgan was right. cash started reaching for the ball because he got nervous and he had 3-4 passed balls after that.
i find that interesting. you don’t. fine. just don’t jump all over morgan because he doesn’t dumb down the mechanical stuff enough for you to get it. he said it exactly the way it is with a catcher catching a knuckleball. i’ve caught a major league knuckleball and i was taught how by a guy who caught neikro by the name of paul casanova. and i’m telling you morgan knows his stuff.
you can’t enjoy the game without bashing someone? i just don’t get it.
Hmmm. It’s between The Soup and Sportscenter.
Joel McHale wins.
randy: whozat already said that he finds the mechanics insight interesting. What he doesn’t like is when Morgan says things that are factually incorrect (separate from the mechanics; typical broadcaster stuff)
Is there some repressed anger about what people think of Morgan and you’re lashing out at whoever so happened to express their dislike of him most recently (whozat in this case)?
Maybe it’s time for people to stop ganging up on randy l. The straw man that he’s arguing with has obviously given randy some deep emotional scars and we should let him work through his issues.
Plus he makes a good point: if you haven’t tried to hit a major league curve ball, you really have no business expressing an opinion on anyone’s talents as a broadcaster.
I’ve caught a major league curve ball…. much harder then it looks, especially with language barriers when you don’t know it’s coming lol
Nick in SF does that go for Steve Philips too
Jeez, Pete. Get a cab and pick up a copy of Cloverfield.
Different rules apply to Steve Philips. Please don’t criticize him unless you’ve grown a silver goatee.
“†All I know is he’s bad at his job and I’d be happy to see him ride off into the sunset.â€
he’s not bad at his job. he just talks about stuff that go over your head. did you pick up any of what he was talking about when cash was having trouble catching the knuckle ball. he pretty much predicted that cash was going to have trouble after he missed the first one.
do you have any idea what it takes to catch a major league knuckle ball. well morgan was giving you some insight. you probably didn’t even pay attention. morgan was right. cash started reaching for the ball because he got nervous and he had 3-4 passed balls after that.
i find that interesting. you don’t. fine. just don’t jump all over morgan because he doesn’t dumb down the mechanical stuff enough for you to get it. he said it exactly the way it is with a catcher catching a knuckleball. i’ve caught a major league knuckleball and i was taught how by a guy who caught neikro by the name of paul casanova. and i’m telling you morgan knows his stuff.
you can’t enjoy the game without bashing someone? i just don’t get it.”
Um? d00d? Of course it’s difficult to catch a knuckleball. It’s also difficult to hit one. It’s also difficult to throw one for a strike.
Duh.
And yet, Joe Morgan going on and on about how hard it is to catch a knuckleball excuses such brilliance as “He’s never hit him, which puts the odds in his favor”??!?!?!?!???!?!?
“e pretty much predicted that cash was going to have trouble after he missed the first one.”
Given that Kevin Cash’s inability to catch the knuckle ball led the red sox to trade two useful players to SD to retreive Mirabelli back in 06, I could have told you before the game even started that he’d have trouble.
But, at this point, it’s clear that you’re not even reading the words I’m putting on the page. I’ve already said that mechanics are very interesting. I’ve already said that I love it when Cone and Leiter talk pitching, I’ve already said that I love when O’Neil and Singleton talk about hitting mechanics. None of that goes over my head.
My complaints have literally nothing to do with Joe Morgan and his discussion of mechanics. I’ve not heard anything profound from him that I’ve not heard from any other broadcasters (O’Neil, Kenny, as examples), but he certainly knows hitting.
However, he clearly can’t be bothered to learn much about anything else. Manny hasn’t hit well against Nathan…so the percentages are on Manny’s side? How can you defend — as an analyst — a guy who says that in seriousness?
Maybe we can catch lightning in a bottle again like 2005 with Giese
Gustavo Chacin was DFA are we intersted in a minor league deal
blargh-
i wouldn’t exactly call my anger repressed .i ‘ve been around a lot of black players who woudn’t find bashing morgan so funny either. you think willie randolph, with jackie robinson’s photo on his wall, is going to find joe morgan bashing funny?
i understand that morgan makes factual errors at times. tonight he said something that made me laugh when he said that it’s amazing how when two pitchers throw a pitch 92mph , that both hitters hit the ball in the same 4 tenths of a second. well, if the ball is at the same speed, it’s going to get to the hitter in the same time. how could the time when they hit the ball be different?
but this isn’t a reason to bash the guy. what i’m saying simply is that he really knows the game and how it’s played. espn will have to replace him soon because each year that goes by has younger and younger viewers who have played less and less baseball.
their experience of the game is very different than the way morgan grew up experiencing it. they’ll need someone new. i have no problem with that. just don’t be disrespectful to a player who has done a huge amount for the game. i don’t mind a few comments, but when it turns into bash joe morgan fest ,it’s gone too far.
i’d be betraying everything i know about the game if i didn’t speak up.
whoa NEVERMIND on Chacin…NOTHING TO SEE HEAR…KEEP IT MOVING
randy l – IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN.
PERIOD.
I have no idea why you insist on bringing race into the question.
Speaking about announcers – I dislike Joe Morgan. I dislike Tim McCarver. I dislike Michael Kay. I like Paul O’Neill, Leiter, Cone.
I tend to tune out announcers who consistently make factual and logical mistakes. Announcers who are consistently wrong are poor announcers. I don’t care how much insight they have. Have Morgan as the third commentator, who only speaks up when there’s a chance to use his excellent hitting mechanics knowledge – but don’t use him as a primary commentator.
HERE *
Of course, I’m speaking to the guy who thinks Livan Hernandez is going to be a good pitcher this season.
Nick,
That was brilliant (and funny).
“i ‘ve been around a lot of black players who woudn’t find bashing morgan so funny either. you think willie randolph, with jackie robinson’s photo on his wall, is going to find joe morgan bashing funny?”
What does ANYTHING I’ve said have to do with his race? You’re the one who brought up the race card. You’re the one who’s suggested that somehow Joe Morgan should be treated differently because of the color of his skin.
We are evaluating a broadcaster. His time playing the game matters only insofar as it impacts his ability to generate interesting commentary on the game that he is broadcasting.
Please tell me why either of the following thoughts should cross my mind:
“Sox aren’t patient? But…they’re always near the top of the league in OBP. That doesn’t make any sense. Well, that’s ok. He was a great player back in the 70’s, so I’m much less annoyed that he’s saying things that make no sense.”
And even MORE absurd:
“Sox aren’t patient. But…they’re always near the top of the league in OBP. That doesn’t make any sense. Well, that’s ok. He’s a black guy, and it was really tough for him to be a high-profile person at the height of the civil rights movement. He must have drawn a lot of ire. I’m much less annoyed that he’s saying things that make no sense.”
Seriously…what? How would not defending Joe Morgan’s broadcasting ability be betraying everything you know about the game?
Heh, just checked Mr. Livan’s game log from last year. He’s very rarely ‘mediocre’. He’s usually either excellent or horrible. Very little in between:
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/...../2007/7710
v
i ‘m laughing now because it really was insightful what morgan was saying about cash and tensing up after the missed the first one.
you are proving the point i’m making. you don’t get it what actually happens mechanically. you don’t care. you just think he catches it or he misses it or whatever.
well, there’s a reason why a knuckleball is missed by a catcher and a big reason is reaching out to grab it because the catcher is stressing out. ironically if the catcher isn’t nervous and waits for the ball and just reacts it’s easy to catch.
a knuckleball is caught with a sideways reaction to the ball,and the catcher has to be active with his feet and body to stay in front of the ball. catching a fastball is a different catching skill.
i was surprised morgan knew as much as he did being a second baseman.
Wonder what happened to SJ44. Haven’t seen him post in a few days and it’d be a pretty big loss if he stopped being a regular, the guy is a fixture and part of why I read everyday. Anybody know anything?
“well, there’s a reason why a knuckleball is missed by a catcher and a big reason is reaching out to grab it because the catcher is stressing out. ironically if the catcher isn’t nervous and waits for the ball and just reacts it’s easy to catch.”
I suspect that it’s hard to catch any pitch with movement if you’re worried about it and trying to guess where the ball’s going to go instead of just relaxing and letting yourself react to it. The unpredictable movement of the knuckleball would seem to exacerbate this.
Whether that’s obvious or not, it still has no bearing on Morgan’s crappiness as a broadcaster. He repeatedly says things that I know to be untrue. And I’m not even talking about the “winner” or “gritty” stuff. I’m talking about saying Damon used to have a good arm, or that the team who led the league in OBP last year wasn’t patient at the plate. It’s just inexcusable for a broadcaster with a national audience to be wrong that often.
Rob NY my bet is he is in Charleston, that’s usually the given w/ SJ
“Maybe it’s time for people to stop ganging up on randy l.”
nick in san francisco-
bring it on nick if you think you can keep up.
the reality is that morgan knows more about the game than anyone on this blog .
make fun of the factual inaccuracies, but why take it to the hostility levels that we see on the blog?
i don’t think it’s right.
wow is the racial convo still going on??
bottom line some like Morgan, some don’t
if Joe Morgan was purple some would still dislike him, some would still like him (more people would like him because how cool would a purple person be??)
but regardless, no1 said i hate joe morgan they need a white person in the booth – everyone that said something anti-JM gave a reason for it, just like the reasons they would all give for liking or disliking a certain ball player
“Of course, I’m speaking to the guy who thinks Livan Hernandez is going to be a good pitcher this season”
how’s he doing so far?
randy I. and Whozat…
Come on guys, dose one have to be a racist to not like a black announcer? We all know that race has nothing to do with it. He was a good ball player, but not so good announcer…last time I checked one can have their own opinions, without insulting the veracity of another. We get good insight from Kenny, O’Neill, Cone and Leiter…we are lucky to have them.
Gosh, randy l, arguing with strangers on the internets is fun, but I don’t want to waste much more time on this, as you don’t seem to pay much attention to the substantive replies people have made to your outburts.
But it is duly noted that you have taken it upon yourself to defend Joe Morgan from all criticism on Pete Abraham’s LuHud Yankee blog, be it warranted or unfair. I’ll alert the Nobel committee; please stand by for your prize.
(thanks clare!)
nick
i pay attention nick.
i’m just a slow typer.
morgan makes mistakes- but he also has to cover every team. we watch the yanks every day for years (decades)so we know all the small details, stats etc. so of course he will make mistakes. announcing is tough work, cut the hall of famer some slack. he’s no ernie harwell, but he isnt as bad as people say either.
GO TO MLB.COM and VOTE for all our YANKEES in the ALL STAR GAME this year.
How great would it be to see jeter, a-rod, cano, posada, abreu, matsui, and even melky out there to say goodbye to the stadium.
VOTE UP TO 25 times.
OMG TUBBO
Oh and if you live in West VA., Kentucky, or Oregon get out and vote for the Democratic Primary too i guess…
If you want… but vote for the yanks first
Wow lots of talk on one of my favorite people of all time….. Joe Morgan. Randy I’m not sure what games you watch or what you consider a “knowledgable” announcer but Morgan is awful. He’s a hall of famer… that’s great. That entitles him to have a microphone and spit his nonsense on national TV? I don’t think so.
He’s the worst. Its painful to listen to him. He’s consistently wrong and I completely disagree that his analysis goes over the average fan’s head. Its not true. The guy is an idiot and needs to be replaced. The fact that you bring up his race is just silly and not even worthy of a response.
I feel like lots of other people in that I think I know more about the game than he does. I find myself telling him to shut up out loud when I watch games he announces. If there was a way to mute him and listen to Jon Miller I would.
On to other things…..
Dan Giese should get the start on Thurs./Fri. I said this yesterday. Not only does he give us the best chance to win, he has more experience. People sleep on him because he’s old and typically the experts say his ceiling isn’t very high. So what. I want a guy who’s going to throw strikes and keep us in the game. Giese has been great in AAA this year. Look at the stats. He’s been stretched out as a starter and has gotten better and better as the year has gone on.
McCutchen isn’t ready, no matter what anyone says. Chase Wright has average stuff at best and got shelled when called up last year. Steven White has been inconsistent/bad this year, as has Marquez. And I don’t think we’re seeing Kennedy for awhile. His problems need a lot more than one start to fix, and anyone who has watched him pitch this year should find that pretty obvious. I think the earliest you see him is July.
Igawa is a totally different case. I actually think he could be decent as a long reliever. He’s durable and I think a lot of his problems are between his ears. Maybe if he doesn’t know when he’s going to pitch that will help him from overthinking things. I remember him doing well in relief in a game or 2 last year. Its so frustrating because the guy actually has very good stuff.
Ensberg is probably on his way out when A Rod comes back. When I saw AG in the lineup today and seeing Ensberg ride the pine the 2 previous games when he should have been used, the writing is on the wall. Its too bad, I think he could have contributed a little this year.
I didn’t read the blog for a few days, so if this has been talked about before I apologize. I wonder about the injury to Albaladejo.
Think about that game. Igawa gave up 4 hits in 6 pitches (and was subsequently removed for Alby). Now I think its pretty unlikely Alby was warming up before the inning started, so how in the world did he get ready in 6 pitches? How was he ready to enter the game throwing maximum effort in such a short period of time? Now I know Eiland wentout to talk to him after the 3rd hit, so that adds a few minutes, But that still seems awful quick. Then his elbow feels like he’s getting a needle pushed through it. Not good.
So who’s fault is it?
Girardi for rushing him in?
the bullpen coach for saying he was ready?
Alby for saying he was warm?
Either way its a shame. That guy was pitching well. I thinklosing him and Bruney is going to hurt alot more than people think. Wait until the bullpen blows a few games.
“Now I know Eiland wentout to talk to him after the 3rd hit”
him = Igawa
miggs please post tomorrow I want to debate this w/ you but I’m getting sleepy and here’s a sneak peek where I will go w/ this, Giese has played in 374 career games in his 9 year MLB career not one has been as a starter in the ML level. Giese has 6 starts to his belt this year, meaning he has 27.1 IP as a starter in his entire career. I’ll continue this debate w/ you or anyone else tomorrow. Good Night.