A-Rod (3 for 21) feels good coming home
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 15, 2009 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Alex Rodriguez will play his first game in the new Stadium tonight. He has heard it’s a paradise for hitters and wants to find out for himself.
A-Rod was 0 for 5 last night but hit the ball hard three times.
“I actually feel pretty good,” he said. “I hit four balls on the barrel. Any time I put the ball on the barrel, good things will happen. I just need to swing at strikes. … I’m very encouraged the way I swung the bat.”
It sounds like Joe Girardi will give Alex a day as the DH. He has played all six games at third base since coming back.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see how the crowd responds to his return.
“I think they’ll be happy to see him,” Girardi said.
I want to see Bruney’s bald head coming in the 8th inning sometime this upcoming series.
I think the crowd will give A-Rod a nice hand, as most people publicly support their team. But that doesn’t mean the crowd likes him. I can’t stand the guy myself, and I would’ve gladly let him walk when he opted out, but I wouldn’t boo him in his home park. I wouldn’t cheer either, but I certainly wouldn’t boo a Yankee.
The crowd will give him a nice hand. Until he goes 0-4 and grounds into a double play in the 9th inning when runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out down 1 run.
He deserves more since we have now experience life without A-Rod. We really do need this guy.
You just had to put the 3 for 21 Pete . I will be there in my seats and I will give him a welcome back hand myself. I root for Alex cause i want to win . I been saying we should have chants of ” Boli Boli Boli Boli ” kind of like the ole ole and how the mets do the jose jose . But booing Alex is kind of fun i got to admit it. I will be cheering for him
Here’s to hoping for a warm ovation for Alex at home. Despite his eccentricities, he is a Yankee, and a damned good one at that.
Anyway, does anybody have information on how they are handling Jorge? Is a 15 day DL stint all it’s going to take?
Most of you people wanted Alex gone after he opted out of his contract. Forget about all the B.S. A-Rod can bring to the team; the team NEEDS his mere baseball talent. Some of you people wanted Wilson Betemit to play third…some of you said the Yankees didn’t need an all-star at every position. Well looked what happend this season…we saw two scrubs man the position in Cody Ransom and Pena. While Pena has played nicely, Ransom was horrid
Bruney said he is 5-to-10 days away from being activated. So maybe next weekend is more realistic for his bald head to be pitching the 8th inning.
Let’s go Yankees, I’ll be at the game tonight hopefully Hughes performs to his appropriate skill level. I have faith in him, but sometimes get discouraged in these outings.
Were better then our record indicates, we all know it.
Cheers to A-rods return, and cheers to a Yankees win tonight.
The Yankees are 4-2 since Alex came back. I know he is not the only reason, but he certainly lengthens the line-up. I am looking forward to seeing him hit in the new Stadium. With those balls flying out, it should be a really good homestand for Alex and the Yankees.
Peter please mention that Swisher is (3-32) in his last 10 games. Noooooo, you love him.
I’m surprise people still think he’s in a slump, the guy is a .244 career hitter, this guys su*ks and Pete loves because of his attitude.
I hate people like Pete who wants to turn baseball into more like a globetrotters show.
Please baseball is not about players being nice to the fan, they are paid to play a game and produce.
Who cares if they laugh at the rich kid sitting on the first road, just go and hit the Da*m ball and you’ll be love.
Oh and I forgot to mention that Swisher has been playing all year.
How can Pete still wants this guy in the all star game? is amazing what kissing as* will do, I tell you.
Oh, I also forgot to mention with 16 strike outs.
Posada will be out longer than 15 days. He hasn’t even been cleared to begin full rehab work yet.
He’s probably out 4-6 weeks. Although, the Yankees will never say that.
If he is back before Mid-June, it would be surprising.
Actually I like it when Swisher laughs at a rich kid in the first row.
I hope ARod is welcomed back warmly. He gets enough abuse on the road. Like him or not, he’s a Yankee. And we’re 4-2 with him, 13-15 without him.
I guess you don’t take into consideration that his elbow is bothering him? After all he was only drilled in it with a 90 plus mph pitch.
like it or not fellas, al is the straw that stirs the drink.
lol, did Swisher denied you an autograph TL1125?
SJ – any idea what Molina’s timeline might look like? Curious as to how long we are going to have the “Cervie and Cash show”
I don’t know that many people “like” A-Rod, and I am not a particular fan of his. However, he is our starting 3B for the next few years. So, we must cheer for him to have as much success as possible. I may not like him, but I sure as hell want him to hit .300+, hit 40+ HR, and drive in 100+ RBI each and every year.
E,
you’re entitle to your opinion. I respected. But I will boooo him until I faint when I go to the stadium.
You just sound plain ignorant. Swisher’s game is patience and power. You quote his .244 career batting average but fail to mention that he averages 20-25 HRs/70-80 RBIs in a full season, and his career OBP is 111 points higher than his average. His skills are major league-established, and they don’t include hitting .300. To try and say that he “sucks” is idiotic.
Thanks SJ44, it seemed a bit too soon to expect him back after 15 days.
you also forgot to mention that you are a moron.
TL1125 –
The perfect item for you to bid on!
“Item Description
Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to spend an intimate evening with Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher. By obtaining this package, you and one other guest will be included in the select few to spend a night with two current Yankee stars! On Thursday June 4th, In New York City you and your guest will receive: Open Bar, Q&A Session with Jeter & Swisher, Photo-op with them, One (1) Derek Jeter Signed & Framed 8×10 Photo, and One (1) Nick Swisher Signed & Framed 8×10 Photo. When you buy this package the winner will be contacted by Yanerys Rosario of Steiner Sports with more details.”
http://yankees.auction.mlb.com.....=105449020
One of the most important things this team can do, in my opinion, is be patient.
If Teixeira is a model for anything in regards to hitting, it’s that during a slump, you should continue to take your walks.
Despite a low career batting average, Swisher is patient, sees a ton of pitches each at bat and hits for power. He is also willing to dive and doesn’t mind the wall too much.
Andrew,
All I’m am saying is, he’s not the hero and all-star Pete thinks he is.
TL115
I find it real hard to believe you was booing this guy when he was on that tear and throwing scoreless inning.
Any Yankee “fan” who boo’s Alex is a moron. You may not like what he did, but like it or not he is your third baseman for the next 9 years. You don’t really have a choice or say in the matter. You cheer him because you want him and the team to succeed.
“you’re entitle to your opinion. I respected. But I will boooo him until I faint when I go to the stadium.”
based on what? WHAT are you booing him for? he’s playing hard. but he is in a slump. now we boo people for a 2 week slump?
you are the very worst type of fan.
Hey Alex when you’re feeling down just post this quote on your locker.
“Ortiz went 0 for 7 and stranded 12 runners—tying Trot Nixon’s(notes) team record — as his average plummeted to .208. The five-time All-Star dressed slowly while facing his corner locker, then turned around and saw a swarm of reporters surrounding him before saying: “Sorry, guys. I don’t feel like talking today. Just put down, *`Papi stinks.”’
lol
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290514103
Welcome Home Alex!
Love him or hate him, he’s the security blanket that the team needs to take the pressure off some guys, the heat off others and the threat that he can make a difference with 1 big swing.
For those who can’t afford the $1500 to own a piece of the old stadium, there’s something affordable for everyone.
http://auction.steinersports.c.....=105451833
Am a moron, but dude, the guy has 3 hits over the last 10 games. I don’t care about his seven walks, he’s not a Yankee.
Nick Swisher suffers from the same problem lots of players suffer from with Yankee fans. He is a victim of the “passion machine”.
They see/hear a guy playing with “passion” and everything else goes out the window.
They forget, he is what he is. He’s not an everyday ML player. If he was only playing 3-4 days a week, he would be effective.
Playing everyday? He is what he is. He is an average, at best defensive player. He will see a lot of pitches, draw a lot walks, run into a few and hit some bombs, and K a lot.
He’s an excellent guy to have on the team and contribute in a limited capacity.
That’s why Nady, a better hitter, was the starting RF.
Unfortunately, they don’t have anybody else to play in RF on an everyday basis. So, we will have to live with his slumps and hope he busts out.
Nick will hit .240-.260, have a good OBP and hit some bombs.
If you were expecting an all star season out of him, your expectations are too high.
Guys – TL has a point.
Pete’s shown nothing but love for Giambi and Swisher – even when Giambi was sucking, he praised him for his mustache, of all things.
He highlights in his blog post A-rod’s 3-23, then praises Swisher for something else. Isn’t Swisher producing just as poorly over the last few games. And his sore elbow? Give me a break. A-rod’s coming off hip surgery.
A-rod and Tex need to start producing, plain and simple. But guys like Swisher weren’t brought in here just to lighten up the mood and make beat writers laugh.
Rishi,
I think Molina will be out for quite sometime. A quad injury to a catcher is more severe than it is to an everyday player.
I think he misses a minimum of 6 weeks. He is probably out 8 weeks.
That’s a tough injury for a catcher.
Unless Jorge has a setback, I think he will be back before Molina.
“Am a moron, but dude, the guy has 3 hits over the last 10 games. I don’t care about his seven walks, he’s not a Yankee.”
You don’t care about walks? And YES, he is a Yankee. You sound crazy.
“Am a moron, but dude, the guy has 3 hits over the last 10 games. I don’t care about his seven walks, he’s not a Yankee.”
you don’t care about the walks b/c you don’t know anything about baseball. seems about right.
u boo him because the guys on the radio tell u to boo him. do u boo ur quirky friend because he’s not perfect (like our ss)? no, u put up with his quirkiness, and u accept him for his good characteristics. well, thats arod. he’s not perfect. but i dont hear anyone booing pettite or demanding for the other 104 names. maybe u will when the mikeys on the radio tell u to.
curious,
So what do you call the fans that booo A-Rod, who atleast produces. They boo him after he goes 3-3 and makes an out in his last at bat, and is ok, just because he’s A-Rod, the guy who doesn’t smile at the rich kid on the first row.
But, I boo swisher who sees 10 pitches and ends up striking out, and I’m a moron. Where is the logic?
Pete posts Nick Swisher’s numbers right before every game thread.
Knocking him about Nick Swisher is really silly. Go read the past ten game threads or so and Pete’s been posting Nick’s horrendous numbers.
Some of you just want to complain about anything all the time. Can’t complain about the team right now since they’re back at .500 and just went 4-2 so now you’ll hammer Pete.
Get. A. Clue.
Good to see once in awhile they go after their own up there:
http://bostondirtdogs.com/
I don’t know if I would call anybody who would boo their own teams player an “expert” as to who is a Yankee and who isn’t.
If you are going to boo a player, boo lack of effort and not lack of results.
If a guy is trying, which Swisher CLEARLY is, why boo him? That makes no sense to me.
Booing him is not going to make him play better.
Booing Arod? I’ve long since lost the interest in hearing why people who call themselves Yankee fans would boo him.
Its become something the newer generation of Yankee fans think is “cool”.
Fortunately, he could care less about it at this point and it has no impact on him.
Thanks, SJ – so we are looking to have Cervelli up here as a starter/1st back up for a while. I imagine even when Molina is back they are going to have to keep 3 catchers on the 25 just in case.
“you’re entitle to your opinion. I respected. But I will boooo him until I faint when I go to the stadium.”
Well I guess we can just hope that this happens sooner rather than later.
I can understand PA not liking ARod. He’s actually met the guy and talked to him. If he chooses to dislike him, he has that right.
But fans who want to hate him because he’s basically done what hundreds of other ballplayers seem to have done (PED’s, chasing women, lying to the press, saying dumb stuff) doesn’t really make sense.
He’s a Yankee. I’m a Yankee fan. Until he takes the pinstripes off, I’ll root for him.
Sj44, I boo swisher because I pay $400 and I want to. Just like people boo A-Rod, which I don’t agree with.
also, if your point was that Pete has two completely different set of standards for his coverage of the guys he “likes” and those he doesn’t “like”, that’s a different argument. i wouldn’t really disagree.
i’ve seen it enough times where Pete goes easy on “nice” guys like Andy Phillips, Brett Gardner, Hideki Matsui, and Chien Ming Wang yet constantly lays into guys like Josh Phelps (that was a bizarre obsession), Wilson Betemit, Melky, Cano, Angel Berroa, etc.
that said, it doesn’t mean you should be BLAMING Swisher for that. he didn’t ask for this. he stinks right now, and i am sure he knows that.
but don’t blame him b/c the fans have taken a liking to him.
boo players that aren’t playing hard. don’t boo players who are in slump after taking a pitch off their elbow.
Ray,
Exactly. There really is nothing to complain about over the last 6 games.
Toronto just lost their first home series of the year to a team whose season a segment of the fan base that resides on this blog’s game thread termed “over”, last week.
How can that happen???
They are showing some signs of turning it around. How ’bout we focus on that instead of deciding which Yankee some of you are going to boo at the next game you attend.
“So what do you call the fans that booo A-Rod, who atleast produces. They boo him after he goes 3-3 and makes an out in his last at bat, and is ok, just because he’s A-Rod, the guy who doesn’t smile at the rich kid on the first row.”
well, before this offseason, i called those people morons too.
with the steroids thing, i’m not going to criticize people if they want to boo Alex. i don’t think it’s all that smart, but he brought it upon himself.
Swisher, i don’t get. you seem to hate him just b/c Pete likes him. how is that his fault?
“If you are going to boo a player, boo lack of effort and not lack of results.”
Sometimes applauding effort and not just results is a good thing too.
I really would love to know, what it is that A-Rod did to Pete, Is’t that bad?
SJ,
The funny thing is how quiet the board is this morning. Had the Yankees lost 2 of 3 to Toronto this board would be filled with people going on and on about how the season is OVER.
Luckily we don’t have to deal with that this morning. Now if Phil Hughes doesn’t pitch well tonight………
SJ
Why wouldn’t Girardi give Swish a day off for Melky?
I think I booed Coulter Bean once.
“I boo swisher because I pay $400 and I want to. Just like people boo A-Rod, which I don’t agree with.”
I get your point somewhat but you clearly think it’s wrong when people boo Alex, so why is it less wrong to boo Nick?
I feel Pete sometimes creates a backlash against players in how he writes sometimes. I find myself sticking up for players I don’t necessaruly like because I feel they are being trated unfair and criticizing others I do like because because the praise is over the top and out of proportion.
Why is it not surprising that the “softness” of Phil Hughes is in question? Hasn’t Cashman had problems in the past with his pitching choices? We can all name the failures. The difference here might be that Phil is a prospect where the others were proven veterans. We used to trade our prospects away after building the hype, maybe it’s better we let them mature here instead of elsewhere.
i was at the game yesterday, good win by the yankees except everyone overlooked girardi’s blunder which could have cost the yankees the game.
1st and 2nd no outs in the 7th, damon up and he didnt bunt him, he swung out on 3 pitches, teixeira then hit what would have been a sac fly to center and a-rod flied out to end the inning.
with the way this team is struggling to hit girardi needs to start taking more drastic measures
“Why wouldn’t Girardi give Swish a day off for Melky?”
he tried to on Tuesday, but Matsui had to come out of the game.
“1st and 2nd no outs in the 7th, damon up and he didnt bunt him, he swung out on 3 pitches, teixeira then hit what would have been a sac fly to center and a-rod flied out to end the inning.”
not bunting with the hottest hitter in baseball isn’t a “blunder”.
the announcers on TV talked about it and they seemed to agree with Girardi.
Based on the # of typos in that last post, I’m off to get more caffeine.
If Gardner goes on a tear I think we will be seeing less of Swish with Melky in RF. I believe this is what Girardi wants.
also, the heat that a-rod was catching in toronto (which is from my experience one of the least vocal cities when it comes to baseball) was enormous.
They may have to have riot police when they go to boston
i think Toronto has a little extra for arod b/c of the whole “Ha” thing
He gave Melky a day off because he probably needed one.
Given the matchup last night, it was probably a good thing he didn’t give Swisher the night off. He sees a lot of pitches and that helped them score the first run of the game.
The team is pretty weak offensively when you have Gardner, Melky (even though he is hitting well right now) and Cervelli in the lineup at the same time.
Those guys also see fewer pitches combined than Nick does in 2 AB’s.
Guys don’t break out of slumps on the bench. Guys need to play to break out of slumps.
I wouldn’t have sat him at all in the Jays series. They needed his patience at the plate.
The Twins series? I’d give him a day in a 4 game series. That’s reasonable.
Ray,
The funniest thing now are the game threads. The regulars have taken hold of them and the mocking of the whiners is hysterical.
The timeline now is crystal clear:
Lineup comes out: The usual 15 whiners make the same insane posts all the time….
“Why is so and so playing”?
“Girardi has no idea what he is doing”.
“Bench (whomever is slumping) and call up anybody to replace them”.
“Fire Cashman”.
“Fire Girardi”.
“How can Ramiro Pena sit for Derek Jeter”. That’s my new favorite, BTW. lol
Then, the Yankees win…..
These same folks are NOWHERE to be found.
They will be back tonight when the lineup is posted, whining about who isn’t in the lineup and ripping those who are.
One thing is for certain. Whomever they DON’T want in the lineup, will be the star(s) of the game tonight.
Its worked like a charm recently.
mr ye,
with all due respect, if my hottest hitter comes up in that situation, i am not bunting either.
I must say, I’ve been to at least 50 Yankees games over my lifetime and I have never booed a Yankee no matter how bad they were. Cursed them out a few times for not producing in a big spot, but never booed them. I just don’t get how you boo your own players.
Ye–
Re Damon and not bunting him. One thing we all saw last year and Damon even said it is he is not a good bunter and does not feel comfortable doing it.Doesn’t make it right just the way it is so why not have him with the way he has been raking go for it rather than make him an auto out and one he may not even get down.
i was at the game yesterday, good win by the yankees except everyone overlooked girardi’s blunder which could have cost the yankees the game.
1st and 2nd no outs in the 7th, damon up and he didnt bunt him, he swung out on 3 pitches, teixeira then hit what would have been a sac fly to center and a-rod flied out to end the inning.
with the way this team is struggling to hit girardi needs to start taking more drastic measures
i agree
pitching matchups posted…
new post
A-Rod will not get Boo’d tonight no matter what. All yankee fans are happy to have him back. Even guys like me, that would have been happy to see him go after he opt’d-out, are vary happy he’s back. We need him for sure if the Yankees have any chance to make the playoffs.
Tex might get Boo’d if blows another man on third less than 2 outs.
In the previous thread, bodhisatva writes:
“How about the nonsense on here recently that, a). not only is [Hughes] soft, but b). we can confidently attribute his softness to his “privileged” socio-economic background… chalking up his “softness” to socio-economics is another wild swing that has no evidential basis.”
Perhaps. SJ44 can defend himself, but I recall the original discussion. I don’t think SJ44 attributed Hughes’ so-called softness to comfortable upbringing. I think the point was, a lot of players come from more difficult circumstances than Hughes had to, and overcoming those obstacles gives some of them a mental toughness that they bring to the way they play the game.
It’s not that Hughes’ background makes him soft; it’s that there’s nothing notable in his background that would have given him the same kind of toughness you sometimes see in players who came from harder places. That doesn’t mean he is or will be a soft player. Just that the mental toughness SJ44 is talking about will have to come from someplace else. Nothing SJ44 wrote suggested that it can’t or won’t.
SJ, is that about right?
The only reason A-Rod has been and will be booed is because he makes $30 million and can’t hit in the clutch. The other stuff is all media driven nonsense
ye
Blunder? Really, you have to be kidding me. Yeah lets bunt a guy who has had an extra basehit in the last 10 games. That makes sense.
And the most vocal crowd? Please. The first game they were, but after that it was like Church.
In Search of O’Neill
May 15th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Why is it not surprising that the “softness” of Phil Hughes is in question? Hasn’t Cashman had problems in the past with his pitching choices? We can all name the failures. The difference here might be that Phil is a prospect where the others were proven veterans. We used to trade our prospects away after building the hype, maybe it’s better we let them mature here instead of elsewhere.
============================
I’m somewhat confused by the post.
You’ve got “softness” in quotes, so I’m assuming you are taking to task those for prematurely dubbing Hughes soft? In which case, I wholeheartedly agree.
To your last line, I would add: maybe it’s better we let them mature, and actually develop their arsenal, before we dismiss them as “soft” at the ripe old age of 22.
“with the way this team is struggling to hit girardi needs to start taking more drastic measures”
wait, who said the yankees were “struggling to hit”?
because they got shut down by Roy Halladay?
the Yankees are scoring 5.5 runs/game. that’s close to a 900 run pace. they are not struggling to score and the #1 reason for that is Johnny Damon.
if Teixeira strikes out, bunting Damon would be an TERRIBLE decision. but since you guys have the benefit of hindsight, you know that Teixeira hit a fly ball, so you criticize.
kindof silly.
Girardi managed a pretty great game last night. calling the hit and run, then sticking with CC instead of rolling the dice with the bullpen. perfect managing.
some of the complaints here are unbelievable.
You don’t have the hottest player on the team (Damon) bunt in that situation.
That’s bad strategy.
You also can’t say what the Tex AB would have been had Damon bunted because he would have gotten differently than he did with runners on second and third.
Girardi made the right call having Damon swing away in that situation.
Damon leads the team in HR and RBI. That’s not the guy you have bunt with the game on the line.
i think i can speak for everyone when I say the yankees have been brutal the past few yrs when they get guys on base with nobody out, especially in scoring system.
I know johnny has been ripping the ball lately, but he still is not a “power” hitter on the team. I still think not bunting was the wrong decision and could have easily lost of the game
He makes almost 15 mil a season, the yankees should have sent all these prima donnas home over the offseason and told them not to come back until they learn how to drop a damn bunt!!!
I don’t get why a Yankee fan would EVER boo a Yankee player. I will mess with their head, maybe a little, maybe a lot. How knows. It probably distracts them. The negativity I am sure affects their energy and that affects their concentration. Imagine pulling into your driveway after a long day and your neighbors are lined up booing you.
Nick,
Yes, that’s right.
My point was, Hughes background doesn’t give him a natural path toward toughness as Joba’s did.
That’s not a theory. That’s a fact.
It doesn’t mean Hughes can’t be tough. A lot of times, guys get tougher the more they fail because they get sick of failing.
Bottom line, he has to get tougher. Unfortunately for him, he is going to have to do it the hard way because his background and life experiences don’t lend itself to him having that innate toughness.
If he did, it would already be on display.
Patrick from CT
May 15th, 2009 at 11:01 am
A-Rod will not get Boo’d tonight no matter what. All yankee fans are happy to have him back. Even guys like me, that would have been happy to see him go after he opt’d-out, are vary happy he’s back. We need him for sure if the Yankees have any chance to make the playoffs.
Tex might get Boo’d if blows another man on third less than 2 outs.
============
Really, I am so sick of the booing. It’s now an automatic response and that stupid crowd spares no one. It’s just utterly boring.
After spending 4 days in Baltimore and three in Camden Yards, I was pleasantly reminded of what it’s like to actually enjoy baseball.
They have their big screen contests and music, but they also:
1). Have periods of SILENCE so you can actually HEAR the sounds of the GAME
2). People DO NOT get up EVERY FIVE MINUTES but actually WATCH the GAME
3). People actually have conversations ABOUT and REACT to the GAME
4). They only boo the opposing team, at least when I was there.
What has happened to “Yankee Stadium”?
Really, I got into it with a guy booing Wang. I really just lost it on this guy: “THE GUY IS OBVIOUSLY NOT RIGHT – YOU BOO HIM? YOU@#$#)$)#)$$#$ don’t ever come back to this section again!”
Granted, the guy can do what he likes, I suppose, and I decided I had better get used to the new BOO CULTURE or I might find myself in jail.
It also says a great deal about the KIND of fan coming to games these days; they can’t be good baseball fans, because it’s a game that demands rumination, and if you’re never ruminating, you’re not really soaking in the game and it’s subtle effects. You are just always reacting to some emotional agenda of your own.
Give me back baseball fans – where have they all gone?
“He makes almost 15 mil a season, the yankees should have sent all these prima donnas home over the offseason and told them not to come back until they learn how to drop a damn bunt!!!”
thank God you’re not in charge.
“I know johnny has been ripping the ball lately, but he still is not a “power” hitter on the team. ”
so what? a single scores a run. a double scores a run and sets up another.
your posts make no sense.
I don’t think any manager is going to bunt with the heart of the line-up. Those guys are in that part of the order because of their ability to hit. If it was the lower part of the order I think he would have them bunt. What would the response be if Damon did bunt but the end result was the same? I think something like “how could he have the hottest hitter bunt.”
YE- What part of you don’t bunt your hottest hitter don’t you get. He leads to team in homeruns, rbi and is on an extra base hit streak. But you bunt him? please.
bodhi
People go to Yankee Stadium to watch winning now and not just baseball.
I will be extremely excited to see him.
Hate him or love him, we need Alex.
bodhi
Some of that comes from baseball making it about the total entertainment value not to enjoy the game.
I’ve gone to some AA games here and it bugs me to see the number of people that don’t really watch the game.
Nick in SF in Santa Rosa
May 15th, 2009 at 11:01 am
=========
Thanks for the intervention, Nick.
Interestingly, SJ44 doesn’t respond at all to the socio-economic issue, so it’s a good thing he had you to clarify his position for him.
May 15th, 2009 at 10:24 am
You can think its nonsense but, results are results.
He has had numerous chances with the Yankees and, aside from 2-3 good outings, has been a disappointment.
That’s a fact.
Is that because he is young? Perhaps.
Is that because he is soft? Perhaps.
His teammates think he is soft. His manager is probably on the fence.
Bottom line, you can scoff at the theories if you want but, his results don’t match his hype. Not even close.
Hopefully someday, it does. Tonight would be a good place for it to start because they really need a good start out of him this evening.
The team is finally getting some confidence and they don’t need another one of his meltdowns this evening.
==============
bodhisattva
May 15th, 2009 at 10:44 am
If you were paying attention to what was going on, you would know that Phil Hughes was intended to remain in AAA to continue to air out his developing arsenal, not to be yanked up here prematurely.
Not only is he coming back from last year’s injury, they’ve tightened his curveball, and his changeup is still evolving. He was called up because there was a need – Wang’s injury.
Phil Hughes continues to be a work in progress.
What does that mean? That means that sometimes, the knuckle curve, which isn’t in muscle memory territory yet; illudes him and he caves into the temptation is to revert back to his loopy curve.
Even in WB, there were complaints he didn’t throw the changeup enough. He threw it sparingly in the Baltimore start, and in that start he couldn’t get his curve over for strikes, so he got repetitive w/his cutter.
Guess what? He’s still learning. What’s funny to me is the same criticism was leveled at Joba after the midge game. Someone said, a kid with more resolve wouldn’t have let the bugs uproot him.
This stuff gets more and more fantastic. Concluding that Hughes is “soft” is a leap – how do you know what is inside him?
You don’t.
But chalking up his “softness” to socio-economics is another wild swing that has no evidential basis. In fact, there have been stories I’ve read about how steely Hughes was growing up, what a “tough” kid he was.
My observations tell me that it isn’t “softness”, but a kind of perfectionism that gets Hughes in trouble, which makes sense because he’s always had success. Well, this will be part of the learning process that is ONGOING.
How about resisting sweeping judgments about a young man who is still trying to get a handle on his secondary pitches?
The guy is the best player on the team and the yanks need him. Thats all there is to it.
Damon swings in that situation.
Jeez, even Sterling said that.
1. bodhisattva May 15th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Patrick from CT
May 15th, 2009 at 11:01 am
A-Rod will not get Boo’d tonight no matter what. All yankee fans are happy to have him back. Even guys like me, that would have been happy to see him go after he opt’d-out, are vary happy he’s back. We need him for sure if the Yankees have any chance to make the playoffs.
Tex might get Boo’d if blows another man on third less than 2 outs.
========
Really, I am so sick of the booing. It’s now an automatic response and that stupid crowd spares no one. It’s just utterly boring.
After spending 4 days in Baltimore and three in Camden Yards, I was pleasantly reminded of what it’s like to actually enjoy baseball.
They have their big screen contests and music, but they also:
1). Have periods of SILENCE so you can actually HEAR the sounds of the GAME
2). People DO NOT get up EVERY FIVE MINUTES but actually WATCH the GAME
3). People actually have conversations ABOUT and REACT to the GAME
4). They only boo the opposing team, at least when I was there.
What has happened to “Yankee Stadium”?
Really, I got into it with a guy booing Wang. I really just lost it on this guy: “THE GUY IS OBVIOUSLY NOT RIGHT – YOU BOO HIM? YOU@#$#)$)#)$$#$ don’t ever come back to this section again!”
Granted, the guy can do what he likes, I suppose, and I decided I had better get used to the new BOO CULTURE or I might find myself in jail.
It also says a great deal about the KIND of fan coming to games these days; they can’t be good baseball fans, because it’s a game that demands rumination, and if you’re never ruminating, you’re not really soaking in the game and it’s subtle effects. You are just always reacting to some emotional agenda of your own.
Give me back baseball fans – where have they all gone?
* * * * *
Bodhi, I would’ve been right behind you yelling at that guy if I was there. Booing the home team for lack of effort is warranted. Booing even when its obvious the guy is trying, not so much.
I’d be disappointed if Arod got booed tonight. I honestly don’t think he will.
I always thought Arod got booed not only for his perceived inptness in the clutch but also for who he was. He was seen as robotic.
Now all his dirty laundry is out there for everyone to see. NYers like that sort of flawed hero.
A hit or two would help as well.
I think he will get a really nice hand tonight. I would be really surprised if he received anything other then that. Of course there will probably be some idiots that will boo or say something. I hope all of the we need results right away people realize that this is spring training for him. It could take another week or so for him to get comfortable at the plate but it will be nice to watch when he does get going. Especially when he gets a hold of the wind tunnel in RF. Wait until he sees that you only have to flick your wrists and it feels like the wall is only 300 ft away.
if you boo ARod when he comes to the plate and then throw a tantrum when he has a rough game then you need to start doing some serious thinking…remember, the Yankee players are the ones who are supposed to benefit from home field advantage in Yankee Stadium…these guys get booed and ragged on enough on the road, so show them a little love at home…I know to some this seems like a captain obvious type statement, but if you listen to the crowd sometimes it’s obvious that a large portion of fans just don’t understand this.
What could be more important than A-Rod?
I’m going to the game on Monday (1st time at the new park, wooo) and I’ll be damned if I dont cheer Alex like my lungs depended on it! Regardless of what he does at the plate.
I would think everyone would do the same, now that we see what happens when mere mortals play 3rd base for the 2009 Yankees. To paraphrase Kelly Clarkson, our lives would suck without him!