Good morning … and Happy National Waiter/Waitress Day!
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on May 21, 2009 
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First, let me start with this: I wasn’t at the game last night, which means I missed a wonderful gesture by MLB and the Yankees in having Polly Tompkins, a lifelong fan who is battling cancer, serve as honorary bat girl. The YES Network’s Kim Jones has a terrific post about Polly and the Yankees up on her blog. As mentioned in TJN’s notebook by Ernie Palladino today, Nick Swisher – who hit a home run last night – said he was inspired by Polly.
Those of you who remember my walk between both New York stadiums last year know that I’m a big advocate for cancer research, so if you want to donate to Susan G. Komen For the Cure or the American Cancer Society, click the links.
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Now, on to baseball. With National Waiter/Waitress Day as our holiday du jour, I thought it might be a good time to talk about the concept of service and the Yankees. No, I don’t mean those little paddles Stadium employees all hold now that ask “how can I help you?” – though they’re a nice touch – but rather the larger philosophical debate that seems to rise up often among Yankees fans that their team doesn’t do enough of the “little things” to win games.
Think about it: The best waiters and waitresses are the ones who do the little things for you. Extra napkins. An always-full water glass. A bread basket that’s hot from the oven. The closest I’ve ever come to being a waiter is the one afternoon I spent helping out a family friend who ran a catering business, and just passing appetizers on a hot afternoon made me realize what a tough job it is; the ones who do it well are the ones who are always there, always sacrificing themselves to make the customer happy. It’s certainly not for everyone.
In terms of the Yankees, I get e-mails from readers all the time screaming about how the Yankees need to do more of that. More sacrificing, more “moving the runner”, etc. Teams like the Angels do it, the readers say, and that’s what winning teams do.
I’m not so sure though. As stated several times in the past, I’m hardly a stats guy but I do understand (and agree with) the sentiment that giving up outs is generally a bad thing. You only get so many in a game, so it’s rarely a good idea to willingly give one away. When I see Derek Jeter squaring to bunt, 99.9 % of the time I’m sure it’s a bad play.
What do you guys think? Would you like to see the Yankees do more of that style play? You’re already seeing more of it this season, as Francisco Cervelli and Brett Gardner have three sacrifices apiece and the Yankees as a team have 13 – fifth-highest in the AL. The teams ahead of them include the Angels (no surprise), who – like the Yankees – have spent most of the early part of the season missing their top power hitter (Vlad Guerrero).
One thing I did notice is that it’s pretty clear you don’t need to play that kind of ball to win. The team that’s dead-last among AL teams in sacrifices? Boston. They’ve got zero.
Let’s hear your thoughts. And, since it’s a holiday, let’s hear some good waiter/waitress stories, please. I know everyone has at least one or two (bonus points if you actually work as one and can give us something funny from the inside).
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Great job on the mailbag response so far. I’ll probably post it tomorrow, so feel free to keep the questions coming in to sborden@lohud.com.
It is only prudent to sacrifice with people that can’t hit (read: Gardner).
Otherwise, it is a waste of outs.
it makes sense if a guy is on second with no out to sacrifice him to third base because he more than likely will score but a player on first base if he gets moved over ther is a man on second with one out.
it makes no sense to sacrifice him again because he is on third with 2 outs or might get to third with the batter swinging away.
yes he might score on a hit but you are giving out away.
if i am girardi i sacrifice only if a player is on second with no outs.
yes he might score on a hit but you are giving outs away.
(correction)
“It is only prudent to sacrifice with people that can’t hit (read: Gardner). ”
right, and even though Cervelli has some hits, i think he qualifies as someone that it is OK to bunt with as well.
same goes with Swisher, who is in the middle of a horrible slump. maybe getting that bunt down was enough to make him feel like he was contributing and get him back in a good place mentally???
also, some of these bunts were players trying to bunt for base hits. that’s ok too. if the infield is playing way back and you think you can pick up a cheap base hit, and the worst case scenario is that you move the runner over, i don’t have a problem with that.
Guthrie certainly was reminded of how powerful New York’s lineup can be in the second inning, when the first three Yankees he faced deposited pitches into the right-field seats. Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano connected for the first two, their shots landing just a couple of rows into the extremely hitter-friendly right-field porch. Melky Cabrera then belted the Yankees’ third consecutive homer, his ball soaring into the second deck.
“The first two were fly balls,” Orioles catcher Chad Moeller said. “They may not even make it to the track at our yard. … That’s just what the park is.”
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sp.....1625.story
Like most things in baseball: It depends on the specific situation, the batter, the runner, the pitcher, how the defense is set up, their strengths and weaknesses.
There is no RIGHT answer, except in hindsight when it becomes clearer what the best call was.
Buster’s blog:
Sandbox update
For those who are not convinced that new Yankee Stadium is playing like a sandbox, the latest numbers: Six more homers on Wednesday, which means there have been 71 homers in 19 games. At the current rate, there will be 303 homers hit in the first year of new Yankee Stadium. Last year, there were 160 hit in the last year of old Yankee Stadium.
Is the sample size large enough yet?
Home runs are a cheap thrill in new Yankee Stadium, writes Wallace Matthews.
I would like to see more small ball in the playoffs. If this team gets there. In recent years seems like they’re always swinging for the fences during the playoffs.
The Angels probably play like that because if you look at their lineup no one really scares you. They have the same types of hitters through the lineup (except for Guerrero of course) no one is really going to take you out of the park.
God these silly holidays are really getting old….
I understand Sam is doing his best but man when is Pete coming back?
Shifting gears, another great win last night. I liked what I saw from Hughes velocity wise and composure wise. I was a little concerned with his location, as he got bailed out on multiple occasions when batters with full counts swung at balls out of the zone which would have resulted in walks.
But other than that, he was pretty sharp.
The Stadium was loud last night, louder than the last time I was there. Depending on StubHub prices later on, I may be tempted to cut out early and go again tonight. Its tough to say no when the tickets are a fraction of face value.
Agreed I get so angry when I see Jeter bunting. The other day he bunted a runner from second to third with no outs. Why? You hit a single he can score. Why waste an out in that position?
Bunting has a time and a place.
A “Saftey”, or even a “Suicide” Squeeze to tack on a run, tie the game, or take the lead is great play. I’d give up an out if it meant scoring a run.
Wallace Matthews still has a job?
A few quick thoughts from Durham, NC…..
Thanks to Rebecca for the heads up on the BA note on the nephew. He helped himself again yesterday and it was nice for BA to see it.
For the members of the electronic media harping on what is or isn’t the “Yankee Way”, can you put together a set of rules and send them to us?
I didn’t know that a team whose history includes having drunks, drug addicts, and wife swappers on it can offend so many by having fun.
Some of us are happy as hell this team has finally loosed up. I suggest some in the media do the same.
In general, I don’t mind giving up an out if it scores a run. Seems like a good trade to me. And sometimes small ball is better than sitting around for nine innings just hoping for/relying on home runs.
If you want to be treated like a king by a wait staff, then it’s Arturo’s, north east corner of E. 85th and York in Manhattan.
Nice to see that Sam gets it. The decision of whether or not to give up an out is predicated on the value of the next marginal run. In 2009, it’s rarer to have situations where the next run is vastly important because more total runs are scored than in, say, 1968.
It should really be a function of who’s batting next because all things being equal, the odds of scoring a run with a man on first and none out are about the same as the odds of scoring a run with a man on second and one out. I think the odds of scoring multiple runs in an inning even decline a bit in the second scenario, though I haven’t seen the odds ratios in a while.
When Joe has a player on third, *one or no outs,* why not sacrifice if the bats are hitting,in a close game?
Look at LaRUSSA with the Cardinals. They play small ball and it works. I remember a play with a player on 1st one on 3rd,no outs.The guy on first stole 2nd,and while they threw at him,the guy on 3rd *stole home.*
*Going yard is great,but you still need to know how to*
*manufacture runs.*
I think the only situation where run expectancy is increased by an out is going from 1/2 0 outs to 2/3 1 out. Obviously, this excludes plays that score runs, and it changes in certain late-game situations when you don’t need to maximize run expectancy, but rather maximize your chances of scoring one run. Still, it’s something that’s sadly overused in baseball today. I almost fell out of my chair during the WBC when Fidel Castro called out Japan for bunting in a non-optimal situation on his blog. If Castro has moved into the 21st century enough to understand sabermetrics, maybe it’s time to normalize relations with Cuba.
I think small ball all depends on the pitcher, the batter, and the situation. For instance, the other night, I believe in the 5th, against Kevin Slowey, Jeter singled, stole second, and Johnny Damon bunted him to third. I don’t know if it was a call from the dugout or Johnny did it himself, but it was a bad play. Damon has been hot, the pitcher (Slowey) isn’t the type you would expect to shut down the Yankee lineup, and it is only the 5th. However, with guys like Cervelli and Gardner, moving runners over, bunting, etc….should be common practice. And even your bigger hitters should be able to do it in a pinch (must win game, late in the season, HAVE to tie a game).
Every team should KNOW how to play small ball, but giving away outs shouldn’t become common practice.
In general, I don’t mind giving up an out if it scores a run. Seems like a good trade to me. And sometimes small ball is better than sitting around for nine innings just hoping for/relying on home runs.
If you want to be treated like a king by a wait staff, then it’s Arturo’s, north east corner of E. 85th and York in Manhattan.
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*EDIT* – north west corner. Sorry about that.
Paul makes a good point or two.
I’m waiting for better game management from Joe. *i.e.*
When you have a 6 run lead or more in the 9th,why waste Mo?
A man on first,no outs,why sacrifice to move him to 2nd?
When the bats aren’t hitting,and your pitcher is being tagged by the opposing team,why leave a pitcher in,that’s giving up runs? WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG TO YANK THE PITCHER?
the stadium was pretty loud last night, and was the most full i’ve seen it since opening day.
i know it’s Fleet Week and the yanks have been giving away a lot of tix, but it’s finally starting to feel a bit more like home (even a wednesday night against the birds)
Damon was bunting for a base hit, and i bet he did it on his own.
“Look at LaRUSSA with the Cardinals. They play small ball and it works. I remember a play with a player on 1st one on 3rd,no outs.The guy on first stole 2nd,and while they threw at him,the guy on 3rd stole home.
Going yard is great,but you still need to know how to
manufacture runs.”
See, but you’re acting as if there is no in between going yard and a double steal. You have no outs, why not try to hit a sacrifice fly even? At that point, you’ll have a man on first, a run in, and one out, which is better than a run scoring, one out, and nobody on base. Not to mention that if you have a good hitter at the plate, it’s better to let him try to find a hole and have nobody out, two on, and a run in. It depends on the situation obviously, the quality of the hitter, the speed of the runners, etc. There are times when a double steal is called for, but running yourself into outs doesn’t make sense constantly.
Entries like these really make me realize what a great job Pete does.
And what’s with this crazy notion that the Yanks just sit around and wait for home runs? Yes, they lead the league in home runs (somehow seen as a bad thing by some), but it’s not like they don’t hit singles and doubles, either. They’re eighth in MLB in total hits, and ninth in doubles. The best way to “manufacture” runs (whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean) is to get hits.
paul
May 21st, 2009 at 9:50 am
When Joe has a player on third, one or no outs, why not sacrifice if the bats are hitting,in a close game?
Look at LaRUSSA with the Cardinals. They play small ball and it works. I remember a play with a player on 1st one on 3rd,no outs.The guy on first stole 2nd,and while they threw at him,the guy on 3rd stole home.
Going yard is great,but you still need to know how to
manufacture runs.
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Paukl, whats your point here? You want to squeeze with a man on 3rd and one or no outs? That is something that can be done from time to time but if you have a good hitting team then you give that hitter a chance to drive him in with either a fly ball ground ball or better yet a hit and keep the inning going.
Now if the batter is Cervelli, Gardner etc.. then yes maybe a squeeze is in order but not with most of the guys in this line up.
They have been playing a little small ball as Damon bunted the other night and Gardner as well. In fact Jeter has also bunted in a bunt situation so I’m not getting what you are asking for by comparing this team and Joe to Larussa?
Joe is not playing for the long ball but just playing the odds that his hitters will advance the run from third by putting it in play as opposed to giving an out for a run it it’s not always necessary.
A double steal of home with 1st and 3rd and no outs is a very risky play, one that a good hitting team like we have doesn’t need to do the majority of the time. Maybe Larussas teams need to do that but he would never do that with Pujols at the plate.
SJ…don’t you know that negativity sells…notice how the Mets are all over the back pages.
Slu
May 21st, 2009 at 9:32 am
“It is only prudent to sacrifice with people that can’t hit (read: Gardner).”
Who says Gardner can’t hit? He’s hit at every level he’s played and he will hit in the Majors. I’m not going to judge him on 15 games in April when he struggled. I’m also not going to judge him on the games he’s played in May where he has hit well.
By the way is he still day-to-day? Was he available last night to pinch run?
*Anthony*
I’m for anything legal that would garner *the win.*
*When the bats aren’t hitting,try something new,that’s all.*
Repost, just want to feul the Boston gang.
YankeeRay
May 21st, 2009 at 9:51 am
Christina
May 21st, 2009 at 9:47 am
Somehow I have a feeling that Hughes will get another start. Either because they determine that Wang needs another start or possibly because Joba will get suspended after hitting Huff tonight.
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Thank you for letting us know what Jaba the drunk will do tonight. Hopefully after he hits Huff his arm will fall off and things are going to go downhill for the team like last year when he threw over Youk’s head.
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YankeeRay:
Looking forward to a start against Boston for Joba. Maybe he will hit youk in the hands this time like Pedro used to do and get away with. Not anymore with this Yankee team.
Bunting depends on the situation and the team’s strengths. To completely dismiss bunting like the Red Sox do is stupid baseball, IMHO. Another one of Bill James’ brainstorms that I do not agree with. The Yankees have several hitters who bunt well and the team as a whole has had trouble moving runners along, so it makes sense at times to bunt. We all got upset when Jeter hit into DP after DP with runner on first & no outs, so why would we be upset if he bunts occasionally in those situations? And I’d rather see Cervelli or Pena or Gardner & even Melky bunt in those situations, at least then I know what I’m getting. I certainly don’t want A-Rod or Matsui bunting.
John
May 21st, 2009 at 9:57 am
I think small ball all depends on the pitcher, the batter, and the situation. For instance, the other night, I believe in the 5th, against Kevin Slowey, Jeter singled, stole second, and Johnny Damon bunted him to third. I don’t know if it was a call from the dugout or Johnny did it himself, but it was a bad play. Damon has been hot, the pitcher (Slowey) isn’t the type you would expect to shut down the Yankee lineup, and it is only the 5th
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John, why was that a bad play? That is exactly the time to play small ball. If there was a runner on 3rd I would agree with you. Damon has been hot but the percentages say he can’t always get a hit and putting a runner on 3rd for Tex and Arod is the higher percentage play. Plus Slowey was throwing well and is a good pitcher.
Well, when Jeter was grounding into double play after double play last year, I was praying for a sacrifice when he came up with a man on first and less than two outs.
*yankyRay*
What do you do when they aren’t hitting?
Jeter is the *Captain of hitting into dbl plays.*
Yesterday he had *5 at bats,* before he hit.
Sometimes he will take 2 or 3 at bats,before he gets on,they are outs anyway,get something for it.
I like all around ball,hitting and manufacturing runs.
Also, I’m not a Cardinal fan or fan of LaRussa,but he has the most wins as a coach for a reason,even if he is anal to boot.
Do you think it’s a good idea to bench someone for these reasons…a GIDP, really?:
Tulowitzki benched for one
Associated Press
ATLANTA — Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has been benched for a game by manager Clint Hurdle.
Hurdle criticized Tulowitzki for swinging at a high first pitch and hitting into a double play in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s 8-1 loss at Atlanta.
“I don’t want to be a Little League manager,” Hurdle said. “I don’t want to have to tell everybody that walks up there to take a strike.”
Hurdle said he has talked “ad nauseam” about smart at-bats. He said benching Tulowitzki “makes a better statement than anything else I thought I could continue to do.”
Hurdle started Omar Quintanilla at shortstop instead of Tulowitzki on Wednesday night against the Braves. Slumping third baseman Garrett Atkins made his first start in five games.
For his career, with a runner on first, Jeter hits into a double play less than eight percent of the time, yet gets on base almost thirty-nine percent of the time. Yeah, let’s take the bat out of his hands there!
That said, I don’t like bunting somebody to third. But I don’t mind bunting somebody into scoring position (hit scores, groundball does not equal DP…)
Jon Heyman just announced Peavy to the ChiSox, awaiting Jake’s approval. Just… WOW…
I took the opportunity to mix baseball and being served by a waitress one time.
I was on a business trip one time at a tiny town in Wisconsin. I was with 4-5 other guys and we were laughing and making several jokes. The waitress was good natured and joined right in but she messed up some orders and drinks.
She was nervous and said it was her first day on the job waitressing solo. I told her to just breathe through her eyelids and she would be okay.
She gave me a funny look and there was silence at the table for about 30 seconds, until one of the guys got the joke (Bull Durham) and everyone laughed their tails off. We had to explain it to her so it lost some luster, but she eventually laughed about it too.
Look like Peavy to the White Sox is a done deal if he agrees to go.
Potch – buster had that this morning in the blog, too
Peavey to the White Sox for 4 porspects.
That’s fine with me if Peavy goes to the AL Central. If the Padres were determined to send him to the AL, few places should impact the Yankees less than Chicago.
Was there a rational reason to use Rivera in the 9th last night? Is it possible that the Yankees have concluded that pitching Rivera MORE will strengthen his arm, following the surgery.
Otherwise, I can’t fathom why Girardi would render a decision more reminiscent of Torre than the BP devotee Cashman thought he was hiring.
Anyone know if Gordon Beckham was included on a PTBNL list? He can’t be traded explicitly since it’s been less than a year after signing his first contract.
Tulowitzki has fallen off the map since his break out in 2007. Last year was a Phil Hughes-esque lost year, and he’s started off real slow in ’09 and seems to have some “attitude” issues. A shame because he is unbelievable with the glove at SS and has above-average power. But he is definitely a free-swinger, and he is definitely the type of guy that Clint Hurdle can make an example out of (still young, probably with a false sense of entitlement, etc.)
Also, Peavy to the ChiSox is interesting–it could push them over the hump in the “someone has to win it” AL Central, but that’s assuming Peavy brings his game over from the NL and doesn’t have a mental breakdown pitching in a baseball city.
white sox currently 5 games under .500.
“Was there a rational reason to use Rivera in the 9th last night?”
He hadn’t pitched since the 17th. I don’t see a 14 pitch outing precluding him from being able to appear tonight.
Where’s the “trade Hughes” crowd today?
Oh, and Jake Peavy’s a flyball pitcher. Something tells me going from Petco to the Cell isn’t going to be kind to him…
K-A-R-S Kars 4 kids
paul
May 21st, 2009 at 10:31 am
yankyRay
What do you do when they aren’t hitting?
Jeter is the Captain of hitting into dbl plays.
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Paul, I have no problem with Jeter bunting a runner over in the right situation. But if you are going to bunt him everytime there is a runner on first with no outs, you might as well take him out of the two hole.
I’d prefer to see a hit and run to stay out of two as he can hit behind the runner with the best of them.
SJ44, CB, or any other of you amateur minor league scouts out there,
What do you know, if anything, about Thunder 1b Jorge Vasquez? And why haven’t I heard anything about him previously? He’s having an impressive season in AA thus far.
Is his performance an anomaly or has the organization always ranked him as one of its premiere prospects?
I was listening to the Balt. feed the other night and Dempsey was talking about the HR’s at the stadium. He talked to Singleton and asked him if it was the stadium or the pitching. He said it was the pitching. Course the media can’t say that because they wouldn’t have anything to talk about then.
I find it funny you don’t hear about the cheap hits in Fenway off the wall that would be outs in other parks. Also HR’s at the Pesky pole aren’t monster shots either.
Vazquez was signed from the mexican league last offseason.
He’s 26/27 years old, with 8 years or so experience in the Mexican leauge.
That being said, he can mash. He had a Grand Slam in the WBC.
SteveB
May 21st, 2009 at 10:23 am
“Bunting depends on the situation and the team’s strengths. To completely dismiss bunting like the Red Sox do is stupid baseball, IMHO.”
Steve, there was a time that the Red Sox completely dismissed bunting but that does not describe the current Red Sox.
In recent games I have seen Ellsbury, Lugo, Pedroia, and Nick Green either bunt or attempt to bunt.
“The first two were fly balls,” Orioles catcher Chad Moeller said. “They may not even make it to the track at our yard. … That’s just what the park is.”
there’s nothing stopping the orioles from hitting those same fly balls.
of course it’s hard to whine and hit at the same time.
new post
Hard to give my overall opinion on bunting without the situation. Assuming we’re up or down a run or two mid-late innings, I’m all about bunting a guy into scoring position. I’ve seen the Yankees down by two with first and second, no outs, and let people swing away in the 7th – that I don’t agree with.
If a guy is on second with no outs, I’d rather take 3 chances at a base-hit to drive him in (unless whoever is up can’t hit, Cash, Berroa type).
The squeeze is the MOST UNDERRATED played though. You get a good bunter at the plate with a guy on third, drop it down and watch the run score
MaineYankee:
In 19 games at the Stadium, the Yankees have hit 37 and allowed 34. In 21 roadies, they’ve hit 27 and allowed 22.
Stadium’s a bandbox now. Nothing unfair about that, since it’s a bandbox for both teams, but I don’t think this is what the organization envisioned.
Peavy doesn’t want to pitch in the AL. I’m surprised he’s agreeing to this deal. He must be really miserable in SD. It will be interesting to see how he does against superior AL hitters. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets lit up early and often.
I’ve heard that Peavy won’t reject the NTC unless he gets a guarantee of his option being picked up, but I didn’t hear it from any official source so don’t trust me.
ray
Welcome back. I saw on other post that you was away.
Do you think the RS are bunting more because the middle of the line-up isn’t so potent?
Going to try to go next month to Portland to see them play Trenton. Maybe we can meet up and watch it together. Not sure what day yet. Will let you know.
Pedroia and Ellsbury are also guys capable of bunting for base hits. Are they sacrificing or doing that?
“Steve, there was a time that the Red Sox completely dismissed bunting but that does not describe the current Red Sox.”
one of the ironies of the red sox is that they have a lot of old school coaches and do the small ball things fairly well. as far as some of the true believer sabermetric dogma i think because they were the first one in, they were saw it didn’t work and were the first one out.
to me the overriding philosophy that the red sox have is that players are expendable and that management is the star of the show. i do not see a happy ending for a player like ortiz in boston.
If by “saw it didn’t work” you mean rode those principles to two World Series titles in four years, sure.
randy
I get the impression that the style of play the RS use comes more from upper mang. Different things I’ve heard and read makes me feel that way.
I agree with you about how they treat players on the end of their carrers. I would think it might make some not want to go there because of that.
The Red Sox do take an “NFL” like approach to players. They’re expendable/replaceable…
Favorite story, from Pamela’s near the University of Pittsburgh. My wife asked the waitress to leave a fair bit of room for cream in her coffee cup. When the waitress came back with the coffees, she handed my wife a cup with about a finger and a half of coffee in it and said “I hope I left enough room…” Everyone laughed — my wife loudest of all!
As for moving runners — it all depends on the situation. There are times to sacrifice and times not to. It’s best that the other team knows you *can*, because it makes them change their defensive alignment, which then opens the door to other possibilities. Also, we finally have some guys who can actually beat the bunts out! The Yankees shouldn’t be sacrificing *more* than they are, but it’s a useful tool to have handy for when the time is right.
Jeter has more hits in a Yankee uniform that anybody who ever played for the team. Why would any sane person take the bat out of his hands and ask him to sacrifice?
I’ve been working at Ruby Tuesday for about 4 years now and I have just about seen it all. One of the creepier moments that I witnessed was working on Thanksgiving where we had some interesting people sitting at the bar. There was a guy with his girlfriend getting totally sloshed, which is surprising considering the prices of drinks and the lack of alcohol you get in them. On the other side of the bar was a British guy drinking Black Label on the rocks, getting sloshed as well. These people were cool considering after we all got off our shift, they invited us out with them to a local club where they proceeded to buy us about a dozen shots for “being such good servers.” Before this happened though, one of the other bartenders, who is an attractive 19 yr old was taking care of this shady guy who pretty much looked like the Unabomber. He was quiet for the most part, saying that he used to work for the government, but he could no longer work for them because they were “after him.” Anyways, he eventually got really drunk and asked this 19 year old girl if she wanted to come back to his place and hang out with him. Keep in mind, this guy is about 50 years old. She respectfully says no and cuts him off, and he orders a water. He suddenly gets a text, his eyes open wide as hell, and he starts mumbling to himself. Out of nowhere, he says in a pretty loud voice, “F*CK! They know where I am!” He then runs out the door and we didn’t see him for the rest of the night. Strange story, but I guess that’s the kind of people that come into Ruby Tuesday on holidays.
bunting is situational to nth degree I think. There are times when it makes sense and times it is just simply ridiculous, boils down to the who, what, when, where, and why. mho
I think it is great to see. For years this team has hacked away instead of practicing good situational hitting. In a May game against the Orioles it’s not a big deal, but in October a run here and there can win a game…and you don’t see many big innings against playoff pitchers. Being good at all aspects of the game can’t hurt.
71 dingers in 19 games, and at least 60 pitches ended up exactly in the right spot. It doesn’t seem many of the dingers were of the cheap variety. Maybe a handful or so. Most were simply pitched to be hit out. Any pitch getting to much middle and thigh to waist high is gonna get a ride by some of these hitters. could be just a symptom of lousy pitching during the early to cold to play baseball season.
The sacrifice bunt is a part of the game. There are situations where it is appropriate and situations where it’s not, simple as that. Bunting, along with many other fundamental skills in baseball, has become a lost art. As for Jeter, the only reason it is a bad idea to have him try to sacrifice is because he is not the best bunter in the world. Someone needs to teach him how to square around and catch the ball with his bat. That is how it’s done.
*YankeeRay* reread what I said about jeter,I never said bunt him,or anyone every at bat.
I will repeat ,when the bats are silent, *MANUFACTURE RUNS.*
First, hope Joba’s OK. Next Aceves has done a great job since coming up. Last, Albaladejo needs to go back to Scranton. They can give Robertson a shot.
I have my local watering hole called “Shortstop’s” in Fridley MN, when I was growing up it was called “Joe DiMaggio’s” (no joke…the kids I went to school with still call it “Joe’s” and there’s a mural of the Yankee Clipper himself). Anyways, it’s my favorite bar and I frequent it quite often. The waitresses are very, very good and they take care of everyone. I regularly leave them a 30% tip (at least) and I get reciprocated by getting all the “mis-pours”
. I used to be a police officer, and I hated, HATED, dealing with the drunks, and these people do it for a living. So remember that the next time you go out. Really, what’s two or three more dollars on a tip? It’s a 20 ounce bottle of Diet Coke…to them, it all adds up. And if you Yankee fans make the trip to MN, come to the bar and I’ll buy you a drink. Wear your Yankees cap, I’m sure I’ll find you…:)