Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jun 18, 2009 
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Chien-Ming Wang showed improvement last night but the Yankees fell to the woeful Nationals.
Derek Jeter missed the game with a sore ankle. But the MRI was negative. This notebook also has updates on a slumping Alex Rodriguez, a recovering Xavier Nady and an candid Brian Cashman.
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Lots of people e-mailing about A-Rod either ripping him for walking (really?) with Brett Gardner on third base and/or not stealing second base.
I can’t see how you criticize a player for taking a walk. So swinging at a bad pitch would be preferable? As for him stealing second base, Alex was on his own there as apparently Girardi did not order him to go.
The guy had just played nine innings in the field and had made, as I recall, at least two dives at third base. Maybe his right hip didn’t feel up to stealing. Alex is a high-percentage base stealer (he has been caught seven times in the last three seasons in 51 attempts), so apparently he didn’t feel he would make it.
Cano had a good at-bat and he hit the ball hard, just right at the shortstop.
Has anyone heard any word from the team yet if today’s game has been canceled? Can’t imagine they’d play today, but I’m hoping for a miracle as today was supposed to be my first look at the new yard.
How would they make up this game?
Carl
June 18th, 2009 at 9:42 am
How would they make up this game?
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play it another day.
First Yankee game I’m going to this season and it might get rained out. Anyone thing this game gets played, even if it’s through delays?
Yankees.com weather updates say, as of 8 A.M., the game is starting on time. I would imagine they would try to play this game considering it’s the last time we face the Nationals this season.
Brian Cashman is just not an astute judge of talent. All he does is throw money at free agents or make the salary dumping trade from the bottom tier teams. Why can’t this guy make a trade for a young run producing outfielder or for some bullpen help. You can’t tell me with all the resources this team has a good GM wouldn’t have made it happen already. Cashman just seems to lack boldness and ingenuity.
Both teams have off days next Monday. Maybe they it then?
play it that is
bru
I know they could play it another day. We don’t see the Nationals again at the stadium, so would we play it the last day of the season? The day after that?
I think they’ll do everything to get it in – isn’t there always ‘a window’?
“Wang and Hughes is a great problem to have,” Cashman said. “Hughes has pitched well. If Chien-Ming Wang has to give up his spot because of performance then he’s going to have to give up his spot. Those are the decisions we have to make. But I believe Wang will hold it. We’ll see.”
http://tinyurl.com/mzkcke
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I believe Wang will hold it too.
As I said 3 hours ago, it was a tough loss but get over it! It’s just one loss.
I’m annoyed that the Yankee offense didn’t do well against Lannan but he was really good last night. The only thing I’d consider a legit gripe was that Cano should have laid off more pitches in his last at-bat. A lot of the pitches he fouled off were well out of the zone. He easily could have worked a walk.
Weather.com’s hour-by-hour forecast has a 80-90% chance of rain before the scheduled game time and from about 5PM on. The 3 hours in between shows a 35-45% chance of rain. The best chance of getting the game in is to start it on time.
With one out and the runner on third you have to tie the game. There are no excuses. That was terrible situational hitting by Arod & Cano.
Anthony Murillo ,
I hate to say it but I don’t think there’s any way they get this game in. It’s supposed to pour all day and it’s raining hard right now.
I’d say the trades for Molina, Bruney, Albaladejo and Nick Swisher were reasonably astute.
if the yankees are in the area on a mutual day off.
Fan Interference June 18th, 2009 at 9:50 am
With one out and the runner on third you have to tie the game. There are no excuses. That was terrible situational hitting by Arod & Cano.
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Terrible situational hitting??? Arod drew a walk. Cano saw 10 pitches. Hitting the ball on the nose, he just happened to hit it directly at someone….3 ft to the theft or right, the DP doesn’t get turned.
Terrible situational hitting by the guy who walked? Get a grip! Cano fought hard in his at bat, but just didn’t get it done. I thought every pitch he swung at was too close to take with two strikes.
Paul-v June 18th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Maybe I missed the some comments on the game thread,but I’ve never seen a racist comment on the Lohud blog. Pete wouldn’t tolerate that,I’m sure.
Their are trolls galore,but when you see the name,ignore the post,skip it all together. Freedom of speech applies to all.
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Good grief. Another guy who never studied in high school.
The First Amendment means that the government (federal, state, local, etc. etc) cannot shun you or put you in jail for speaking out against them.
It does not mean people are allowed to say whatever they want on a baseball blog without the threat of being called on their nonsense by other posters.
“That was terrible situational hitting by Arod & Cano.”
Taking a walk instead of swinging at pitches out the zone and fighting off pitches in a 9 pitch AB to try and get one you can lift or drive is terrible? Tough crowd.
A-rod did his job, Cano did not.
That was an easy walk if Cano had any kind of plate discipline.
Terrible situational hitting? Okay, I can’t take it anymore. Have a nice day, everyone. You broke me on that one.
IMO, there is a major problem with a portion of both Red Sox and Yankee fan bases and that is unrealsitic expections. It starts with the World Series or bust mentality all the way down to the we must sweep this series mentality. That thinking process in the game of baseball is absurd IMO.
-dennis
I thought it was a good AB by Cano. He fought off pitches, hit the ball hard and he ran hard. Sometimes you hit ‘em at someone and they turn two.
A-Rod drew a walk instead of making an out. It happens. ’nuff said.
C’mon everyone … SOMEONE here has to be able to conjure a way to blame Cashman. Please try harder. You’re obviously not trying hard enough. I need some amusement to get through my mundane workday.
Tino, Brosious, O’Neill, or Bernie would have scored that runner. That’s who I grade against. Anything less is unacceptable. Like falling short of the World Series.
Patrick – you’d have a point if Cano hit a DP swinging at a terrible pitch, but he didn’t so you don’t. Try the Cashman angle instead.
This is a Yankees board, not Orioles. We don’t give our team a pat on the back for coming in second place. The Yankees are the greatest team of all time, built to win. That’s all that matters, winning. If people don’t like winning, go root for the Nats, or Royals.
the yankees had 2 chances to get it done & didn’t.
they were in a great position to even the score.
we have to take advantage of the soft part of the schedule.
Fan Interference – I know you’re just kidding around. You should have said Ruth, Gehrig or Mantle would have scored the runner.
Crazy thing is that I think Jeter’s injury hurt us last night. Obviously can’t blame it on him, but if he plays, Pena is running for A-Rod there and I do think they hit and run. I can’t blame Girardi for not running A-Rod. The same people complaining that A-Rod isn’t running are the same people who are wondering if his hip is bothering him.
Really, that’s you grade it? Go back and check out the 2001 World Series and let me know how the situational hitting was with those guys.
In fact, why don’t you go back and see how they hit for that entire series? I think you will be surprised at just how bad they were with RISP.
If that’s how you grade it, we can also pull up box scores from those years just to show that, hard as it may be for you to believe, even those guys didn’t bat 1.000 in those situations.
Its simply amazing how many children lose their minds over losses.
Ah, I’m just venting. All I wanted was a fly ball, is that too much to ask for?
SJ44
I know the stats. But didn’t it seem like those guys always got the big hit when they needed it?
Yes, this team just isn’t winning. They are playing near .600 baseball since Arod came back into the lineup.
Not good enough! Should be 1.000 baseball. Never, EVER lose a game.
O’Neill wouldn’t have lost this game! He would have smashed a water cooler. THAT WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THESE LAZY BUMS MOTIVATED.
Joe Torre wouldn’t have lost this game! His “cool” on the bench would have WILLED Robbie Cano to come through.
Man, the whining from some of you today has reached new heights.
Giuseppe – there have been such comments on the blog, but the people who post them might get banned and the comments deleted, and usually they get flamed by others first for being racists.
Fan Interference
Yankee Classics are the antidote to statements like that.
It’s easy to romanticize the dynasty years and have rind colored memory but when you watch some of the Classics games from the years those guys played, you’ll release how often they didn’t come through too.
“I can’t see how you criticize a player for taking a walk. So swinging at a bad pitch would be preferable?”
Arod covered all his bases on that bat. He walked AND swung at a bad pitch.
I don’t know if last nights performance from Wang can technically be called an improvement. He got through 3 innings in 55 pitches… ok. Then he goes and gets rocked in the 4th and 5th. Did he pitch poorly? no. But, Is 3 runs, 2 walks, 6 hits, good against the Nats, certainly not.
I don’t know, Wang has to prove he can throw 6 or 7 innings against a major league team, and he needs to do that soon. The Nats for the exception of 5 or 6 guys are not major league club… Well see what happens in Atlanta…. IMO P.Hugh deserves the start.
rind = ring
release = realize
Time for more caffeine.
Fan Interference June 18th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Tino, Brosious, O’Neill, or Bernie would have scored that runner. That’s who I grade against. Anything less is unacceptable. Like falling short of the World Series.
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Yes, yes, because none of those guys ever stranded a runner at third base with less than two outs in their entire careers!!!!!
Good grief. What the hell is wrong with you people?
People never remember the ups and downs, the daily grinding, and the inevitable failure in big situations that happens to every team in the majors.
People like you just remember the championship rings at the end of October and block out everything else.
“I think fans never really warmed to Wang due to his miserable postseason performance. That start vs Cleveland at the Stadium showed him to be weak-willed and wimpy.”
some fans are psychologically damaged people who have a need for a win everyday of their lives because of some deficiency in themselves .
they gravitate to teams like the old notre dame football team, the celtics and cowboys in their hey day, and unfortunately the yankees .
these fans aren’t really fans at all. they have no clue what has separated the yankees from other teams historically . they don’t get gehrig, dimaggio,berra, rivera etc. all they want is their win fix each day to feel better.
since the best teams lose 40% of the time, baseball isn’t the sport for this kind of fan.
when they see a player like wang go through a rehab process, all they see are losses . they don’t see that sometimes losing in the short run leads to winning in the long run.
all they see is they didn’t get their “fix” and their win today.
They didn’t get big hits the night before when they came back to win? They have won 22 games this year after trailing in them. Somebody is getting big hits. If not, how are they winning those games?
More accurately, they didn’t get the big hit LAST NIGHT. Unfortunately, most of the crybabies on this blog only remember the game of the previous evening. They have no other recollection of ANY game this season.
That’s why this place becomes a sewer the day after a loss.
If they win today, we will then have the “they need to go 9-0 on this road trip. Anything less is unacceptable” posts.
That sets themselves up for their crybaby routine on the roadtrip.
The concept that certain hitters ALWAYS get the big hit is actually kind of comical.
Sure there are hitters that are good at that, but no one delivers every time. I’m not even a Yankee fan, but give Cano a break on this one. He has been one of most productive Yankee hitters lately.
From a Sox perspective there are certainly times that Youkilis, Pedroia, and Manny when he was here didn’t get the big hit. These guys aren’t machines.
Fan Interference -
Do yourself a favor and watch some of the “Yankees Classics” on the YES Network.
I have. And you know what? I’ve had my eyes opened. I missed a great deal of those dynasty years because we were living in Chicago pre-gameday, etc. All we saw were the Cubs and an occasional Yankees game on the “game of the week” deal.
So, I watch the classics. And guess what, despite the mythology that has come to be accepted as fact, Tino, Brosius, Bernie, and Yes, even the great Paul O’Neill and Derek Jeter made outs at key at-bats during games. Even the playoffs! Gasp!
A good hitter fails 7 out of 10 times.
I hate revisionist history.
Peter, I have been screaming about A-Rod not moving in my venue, but I do NOT blame A-Rod. I blame Joe Girardi for not ordering A-Rod to either steal or to put on a hit & run. And if Girardi was concerned about A-Rod’s hip, he should have put in Berroa to pinch run. With Gardner on 3rd base, there would not have been a throw to 2nd base (BTW- with that slight possibility of the Nats throwing the ball away). You gotta stay out of the DP with a fast runner on first base. Girardi froze, that’s the only thing you can say about it. That situation was SCREAMING for movement on the bases. The Nats would have walked Cano & that brings up Posada, who has a great eye and could have walked as well as gotten a big hit.
Randy,
You left out two other teams…..The Red Sox and Patriots.
When I was a kid growing up in NE, you could have dropped a bomb in Foxboro (it was spelled that way when I was a kid!) and you would have killed about 10,000 of us who went to Patriots games. Now, EVERYBODY in NE is a Patriots fan.
Red Sox Nation! lol Didn’t exist until 2004. Now, EVERYBODY is a Red Sox fan. Including most of the “Yankee fans” who post/whine in here.
Just gravitate toward whomever is winning. Its the American Way. lol
Well it was a 3-2 count that he walked on. He got a 97mph fastball right down the middle that he would have crushed if he was in his zone but he fouled it off. I dont agree with stealing there anyway and hes not in great shape to steal anyway. Bottom line is you gotta get the run home there with only 1 out.
From Pete’s column today:
Wang, who allowed three runs over five innings, took the loss. But manager Joe Girardi was quick to give him a pass.
“We lost this game because we didn’t hit,” he said. “Not because of Chien-Ming Wang.”
…….
That’s all I wanted to hear, yesrterday was a win as far as I’m concerned. Yes, would’ve been nice had Robbie gotten a sac fly but he gave a great at bat…them’s the break sometimes.
“People like you just remember the championship rings at the end of October and block out everything else.”
I haven’t blocked out 2004, and won’t until the Yankees atone, and win a World Series.
“More accurately, they didn’t get the big hit LAST NIGHT. Unfortunately, most of the crybabies on this blog only remember the game of the previous evening. They have no other recollection of ANY game this season.”
As an example, they was a big hit or two late in the game the night before last.
Brosius was a career .265 w/ RISP, .244 w/ 2 out, RISP and .253 in late and close situations.
Alex Rodrigues iz .302, .272, .278 in those categories
Robinson Cano is .267, .249, .295
We tend to remember only the best things of long past seasons and only the worst of recent seasons.
pat -
I see you and I have the same take on Yankees Classics.
“Mistake to keep wang in. He can clearly only get through about 2 or 3 innings before he gets rocked.”
From the last thread…I have to disagree with this…Wang pitched well through 4 and pitched ok in the 5th. He was jobbed twice in the 5th inning which is tough for any pitcher to overcome…If he continues to pitch the way he did last night it will not be long before he is back to his old self again. he has been through so many ups and downs in regards to his rehab and really needs to get stretched out…he’s not going to get there if he is pulled in the 4th or 5th when he is pitching well and only had given up 1 run…
The key for Wang is to make it 2 solid outings in a row and keep building on each performance…he should be able to last a bit longer in each consecutive start.
Doreen
I’m not disputing that the 1996-2001 Yankees didn’t make mistakes. But they did enough things right to win 4 championships. These teams from 2002-present do too many things wrong.
Atone?? Atone??
Again, just, sheesh.
“We tend to remember only the best things of long past seasons and only the worst of recent seasons.”
Or never let facts and common sense get in the way of a good hate-fest.
“Brosius was a career .265 w/ RISP, .244 w/ 2 out, RISP and .253 in late and close situations.”
And how many big moments have Cano & Arod had in the World Series…combined…0.
they = there
as in “There was a big hit or two the night before last”
Yes Atone. Losing to Boston is sacriledge.
Arod no juice = no hit…
“And how many big moments have Cano & Arod had in the World Series…combined…0.”
Would you go ahead and jump off the bridge already.
The reason why the Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2000 is for reason: pitching.
Think about all the pitchers we’ve sent out in playoff games from 2002-2007. Old veterans like Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and hell even David Wells and his bad back. We’ve sent out pitchers like Jaret Wright, Jeff Weaver, and Cory Lidel in important playoff games.
The 1996-2000 Yankees won all those championships because their pitching allowed them to. Their pitching kept them close in the ball game and allowed them to rally if they were behind because the game wasn’t out of reach.
Okay.
Well, then.
From 2001 through 2007, the Yankees were in the playoffs, finishing with stellar regular season records. Unfortunately, in 2001 and 2003 they got to the WS, but lost. In 2004, they were embarrassed by losing 4 in a row to the Red Sox after being up 3-0. It was a horrible thing to have happened. They were a team that was soaring. Who knows what happened – I happen to think the stars were aligned for the Red Sox that year. Then from 2005-2007 they were eliminated early, though their talent was assessed to be dominating. Again, who knows why? It happened.
2008 was the first year of not making the playoffs in, what, 14 years or so?
Do you appreciate how difficult it is to accomplish even that much?
World Series are not a birthright to the Yankee organization.
I think if they were making “too many” mistakes, they wouldn’t have a winning record, and they wouldn’t be in 2nd place in their division (the most difficult in baseball) with one of the better records in the league.
Okay.
Well, then.
From 2001 through 2007, the Yankees were in the playoffs, finishing with stellar regular season records. Unfortunately, in 2001 and 2003 they got to the WS, but lost. In 2004, they were embarrassed by losing 4 in a row to the Red Sox after being up 3-0. It was a horrible thing to have happened. They were a team that was soaring. Who knows what happened – I happen to think the stars were aligned for the Red Sox that year. Then from 2005-2007 they were eliminated early, though their talent was assessed to be dominating. Again, who knows why? It happened.
2008 was the first year of not making the playoffs in, what, 14 years or so?
Do you appreciate how difficult it is to accomplish even that much?
World Series are not a birthright to the Yankee organization.
I think if they were making “too many” mistakes, they wouldn’t have a winning record, and they wouldn’t be in 2nd place in their division (the most difficult in baseball) with one of the better records in the league.
Lara08
You jump first.
I just want our team to play with intensity. Like O’Neill. Losses are unacceptable. Go and watch the 97 playoffs when he slid into second base and nearly took his arm off. That’s what I mean. WInning, without compromise. That’s what this team hasn’t learned yet.
Disclaimer: I am not complaining about last night, I am aware that no team has ever gone 162-0.
I will be happy if the Yankees continue to win series, which they will do if they win today (provided they play).
Does anybody remember in the ’90s when the Yanks would try the double steal with runners at the corners (usually Gerald Williams on third)? I haven’t seen it in years, and was wondering aloud last night if they would try it. They didn’t and Cano hit into a double play after a tough at bat. That’s how it goes. Hindsight is always better than 20/20.
I have better things to do. Sacrilege. Atone. It’s BASEBALL.
ray (sox fan)
June 18th, 2009 at 10:12 am
The concept that certain hitters ALWAYS get the big hit is actually kind of comical.
Sure there are hitters that are good at that, but no one delivers every time. I’m not even a Yankee fan, but give Cano a break on this one. He has been one of most productive Yankee hitters lately.
From a Sox perspective there are certainly times that Youkilis, Pedroia, and Manny when he was here didn’t get the big hit. These guys aren’t machines
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Good morning ray.
You ought to know from reading here that the RS do everything right.
“I don’t know if last nights performance from Wang can technically be called an improvement. He got through 3 innings in 55 pitches… ok. Then he goes and gets rocked in the 4th and 5th. Did he pitch poorly? no. But, Is 3 runs, 2 walks, 6 hits, good against the Nats, certainly not.”
Wang got through 4 innings pitching very well…even the best pitchers are allowed to give up one home run…the score was 1-0 going into the 5th, so if you’re not willing to give him at least through 4 than your standards are insane. He got jobbed once by the ump and once by his second basement in the 5th…if not for that the inning goes very differently and everyone is happy. by no means was last night a great performance by Wang, but he and the bullpen gave the Yankees a chance to win, which is enough from the pitching staff to me. Remember also, last night was the first time since late last season that we lost a game when the opponent scored 3 runs or less….last night was on the hitting, not the pitching…
Doreen,
I just feel that losing has been tolerated by the fans. We don’t have the Boss to hold people’s feet to the fire, so It’s up to the fans to do that now. This isn’t Oakland where we play “Moneyball.” We don’t wait to win. This is New York. This whole philosophy of giving the team time, and cutting the guys a break, has led to seven embarassing seasons of coulda, woulda, shoulda. This is a team built to win now, despite what kids come up from Scranton. Why shell out money to buy Tex, CC, and AJ, if you don’t expect to win now. And not just win the Division, but win the whole damn thing! That’s what this franchise is about, and always has been. The players, and fans have taken their eye off the ball, and accepted getting to the playoffs as success. In the real Yankee Universe, pre-2004, that was considered failure. Some of us still fell that way. And if you don’t, peace be with you, enjoy another first round exit from the playoffs.
My life and sanity don’t hinge on the Yankees “Fan” Interference so I’m not even on the bridge. Enjoy the season, if you know how.
A-Rod has been awful at the plate lately and even on a few swings in his at bat in the ninth he looked like he was behind. I think he actually did a great job working a walk there. Can you imagine a strikeout in that scenario? People would still be booing him (I hate to admit, but that’s what I was expecting). Cano gets up, has about three pitches down the middle he could have smacked, missed them all, and then grounded into the DP. I personally think it was a bad at bat by Cano because the pitches he fouled off were pretty much balls he should have been driving. Then, the guy threw his best sinker and Cano did exactly what McDougal wanted him to do. But going after A-Rod for not trying to do too much, when all he does in big spots is try and do too much, is just mindless.
“I don’t know if last nights performance from Wang can technically be called an improvement.”
wang threw 91 pitches.
he’s in the equivalent of 3/4 of the way through spring training.
last night was a very good night for him compared to what the alternatives could have been.
as far as hughes goes he’s the 6th starter. he can go to scranton for a start or two if he needs to to get in starter shape. wang can’t.
Also, the Nats lineup is being underestimated by a lot of you. The Nats have been terrible this season mostly because of pitching, esp their bullpen. That and they don’t seem to support their pitchers whenever they do happen to pitch well…but for the most part the lineup has not been the issue for them
Fan Interference -
First, I disagree that the fans let this team “off the hook.” But I think your definition of losing and mine are 180-degrees apart. I never ascribed to the all-or-nothing mentality. There are 29 other major league teams in baseball. Some of them are championship calibre. You play 162 teams to secure a playoff berth. Any of the 8 teams in the playoffs are capable of winning the WS or they wouldn’t be there (of course, there are exceptions).
I don’t believe not winning the WS is a sign of failure and I think it does a disservice to the team and individual players to negate a good season by saying they accomplished nothing if they didn’t win the WS. Which is not to say that I don’t think that the WS should be the goal; of course it should. But falling short is not necessarily an aggregious occurrence.
And as far as Mr. Steinbrenner goes, well, he’s been mythicized, as well. Time really does blur the edges, doesn’t it? George was certifiable back then. He really was. And a laughingstock at times.
I think he is one of the best owners ever, mind you, because of his devotion to the team and to investing in his team and in wanting to put a winning product on the field at all times. But let’s not make him out to be St. George of the Bronx.
** 162 games, not teams.
Now, that would be crazy!!
Fan Int…I agree that the Yankees should be held to a higher standard than other ball clubs and the fans should expect a great team performance and the goal every season should be a WS ring…BUT…that does not excuse ignorant fans trying to dismantle the whole team and slinging moronic insults at the players/manager/front office after every loss…I expect a lot from the team and a lot less from the fans, but I at least ecpect mild intelligence…(btw I’m not calling you an idiot, but a lot of “Yankee fans” out there certainly are)
“last night was a very good night for him compared to what the alternatives could have been.”
Against the Washington Nationals? Really? There are at best 3 maybe 4 major league hitters on that roster.
I bet he goes and gets shelled in Atlanta, and its gonna happen in the 3rd or 4th inning. Watch, Then everyone will come up with more excuses as to why Wang should make another start.
Fan Interference
How did George holding the “players feet to the fire” in the 80′s work out for them?
Ranting from owners or fans doesn’t win championships. Solid play and lucky bounces is the formula and lucky is often just as important as good.
AD you are selling that lineup very short in order to support your opinion…if you didn’t see improvement last night then you were not paying attention…pitching is not what lost the game last night.
Fan Interference is either a troll or a fool.
Only one or the other would declare losing to be unacceptable in a game where even the best team loses 40% of its games.
“Man, the whining from some of you today has reached new heights.”
Ugh, the only thing worse than the trolls are SJ’s patronizing posts that also clog up the blog.
BTW, I didn’t think Cano ran hard, either.
if the Nats have an off day after a series @ the Mets, they could resched for that day
now alex is getting grief for taking a walk? yeesh, you guys are rough
There’s no way you can criticize either A-rod for taking a walk, or Cano for failing in a nine pitch at-bat. But there’s no excuse for going into the ninth with only one run on the board against the Nats (although Lanon did pitch well, so you gotta tip your cap).
Fan Interference,
This is the some of the worst drivel I’ve ever read. It’s embarrassing. Just stop.
Cano’s AB was abysmal. He got like 8 pitches out of the zone and didn’t hack at two of them. He could have easily loaded the bases for Jorge, but no. This is Robinson Cano. hackhackhackhackhackhackhack. I would have been stunned if he had gotten a hit.
A-Rod absolutely cannot steal there unless he is 100% sure he will be safe. And how could you ever really be THAT sure? If he gets thrown out, then there are now 2 outs and you can no longer use a sac fly to tie the game. I think Cano got lulled by the long at-bat and forgot to put the ball in the air. A fly ball ties it. That’s all he had to do. Oh well, we’ll get em next time.
The grounders wasn’t hit hard. it was routine.
We call that ‘grasping for straws’.
What’s the worse thing that happens? A-Rod gets thrown out stealing 2nd, and Gardner scampers home to tie the game? The more likely scenario is that they don’t even throw to 2nd base and A-Rod walks into 2nd.
Hola
June 18th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Fan Interference is either a troll or a fool.
Only one or the other would declare losing to be unacceptable in a game where even the best team loses 40% of its games.
No, I just bleed Pinstripes. Who is more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows it?