Girardi, A-Rod talk A-Rod
Posted by: Josh Thomson - Posted in Misc on Oct 04, 2009 
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Joe Girardi’s team finished with 103 wins, the best record in baseball and a home run and RBI champion. Not to mention that after Game 162, the Yankees still don’t know which AL Central champ they will face when the ALDS opens later this week.
Despite all that, the postgame discussion focused somewhat on Alex Rodriguez. And why not? A-Rod had two home runs and seven RBI during a 10-run sixth inning in the Yanks’ 10-2 win, reaching the 30-HR, 100-RBI club for an MLB-record 13th time. (EDIT 10:55 p.m.) He tied Jimmy Foxx with a record 12th straight 30 and 100 season. Rodriguez also broke the AL record for most RBI in one inning.
Here’s Rodriguez recounting how he joked with Eric Hinske about having one final chance — and how the Rays provided it, walking Mark Teixeira to load the bases and preserve the injured Carlos Pena a share of the AL home run title:
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Girardi discussed his thoughts about A-Rod’s record-setting day, meeting with Brian Cashman tomorrow to iron out the roster, seeing George Steinbrenner, evaluating Joba Chamberlain and more.
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Here’s a quote from Girardi on Chamberlain’s scoreless inning:
It looked a little different. It did. And starting is different than relieving. One inning is different than asking a guy to go seven or eight. You don’t necessarily need to use all your pitches. You can pitch a little different. He looked good.
Nice format for the quite, Josh. Havent seen that before.
A-Rod sure put together a fine season for himself. While I haven’t been a huge fan of him and his past antics, he sure pulled himself together and actually stayed out of the papers (for the wrong reasons). Proud of him for finally just playing baseball, as it should be.
Missing 1.5 months and putting together a season of 30HR and 100 is a great achievement.
quote** i meant of course.
I would love to see, as would all Yankee fans, an April ’07 kind of month out of Arod this October. For 2 years now, he has put up great numbers, but it has never seemed that he has been really hot for an extended stretch. If it happens this October, number 27 is on the way, and Arod will have put an awful lot of goodwill in the bank with the Yankee faithful.
Silly as it may seem, I was really hoping Alex was going to reach those milestones but sort of gave up a few games ago.
What an inning!
I think he led the AL in RBI per game. Something like .82
Jobas a reliever. Done
GB, I will be down in Savannah in a few weeks, not in December unfortunately……so, I will have to miss out on your tour of the most fantastic fast food places in the south. I see you have wonderful taste in food…..We don’t have McDonald’s and Chuck E. Cheese’s in NY – NY is too sophisticated for that.
WHAT A YEAR! (so far
)
Joba Chamberlain seemed in more of an attack mode for the inning he pitched. It’s a good idea to keep him in the pen at this point.
Joba looked different – he just went at the hitters in a workmen-like manner. I know it was a meaningless game with nothing at stake, except Joba no doubt realized the personal importance. And self pressure is usually more difficult than external pressure. If the opportunity presents itself I think he will rise to the occasion.
Seeing the way Joba handled that inning, you are left with wondering why he doesn’t look to do something like that in the first inning or two. I understand it is a different mindset and different manner that batters approach you, but it shouldn’t be that different.
If he were to start like that he might be able to establish his game better. And might just go deeper in games.
Liked seeing the fire in him. Its been missing from some of his performances in far too many games this year.
If the NYY want to put Joba in the pen, fine. But I think it’s ridiculous to look at 9 pitches and proclaim it’s a no-brainer. 9 pitches vs the way he has looked over the course of 100s of pitches in the 2nd half. 9 pitches vs what the other relievers have done all year. I want him and the team to succeed, so put him in the pen already, just don’t tell me it’s because of what he did in those 9 pitches.
Pat M, I gave you congrats in the game thread when Arod got to 100. Not a single other LoHudder thought fit to do so.
As for this SJ44/bodhi/Hughes discussion, I have been reading over the threads from May 15, partly to see whether or not I have been completely deluded in my recollections. Thanksfully, not so. Here is one comment made by me:
“Nick in SF in Santa Rosa
May 15th, 2009 at 11:01 am
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?”
Betsy
October 4th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
GB, I will be down in Savannah in a few weeks, not in December unfortunately……so, I will have to miss out on your tour of the most fantastic fast food places in the south. I see you have wonderful taste in food…..We don’t have McDonald’s and Chuck E. Cheese’s in NY – NY is too sophisticated for that.
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We spare no expense, Betsy. Fine dining is a southern tradition.
Joba belongs in the pen. It suits his mentality. He does not have the temperment to be a starter. That was proven this season.
SJ44 then responded:
“SJ44
May 15th, 2009 at 11:11 am
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.”
Joba should be the 4th starter for the alcs. He is a better and more talented pitcher than Gaudin. Nothing in the regular season matters anymore. You use your most talented and best arms in the postseason and hopefully Joba will deliver.
I wonder if the Yankees are going to watch the playin game as a team. I think it would be a great idea.
It’s a mistake to equate a player’s privilidged upbringing with a lack of toughness. The Dodgers of the 60s and 70s had one of the best fielding first basemen in ML history and a quality batter. His father was worth millions. Let’s not forget Mike Piazza’s childhood….not exactly Little Orphan Annie.
Nock in SF
Joba is noy mentally tough, not even close. He has a dominating nature so one or even two innings of attack suit him. He is not gut check tough enough to get through 7 innings.
Easy to see, unless you have rose colored glasses.
The Dodgers of the 60s and 70s had one of the best fielding first basemen in ML history and a quality batter.
The name is Wes Parker.
Vrsce October 4th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Joba belongs in the pen. It suits his mentality. He does not have the temperment to be a starter. That was proven this season.
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Um, sure. Too bad he’s going back to the rotation next season (and perhaps in the ALCS).
They didn’t go through this much trouble to get him ready to pitch a full season next year without limitations just to abandon their entire plan after one relief stint on the last day of the regular season.
“Nock in SF
Joba is noy mentally tough, not even close. He has a dominating nature so one or even two innings of attack suit him. He is not gut check tough enough to get through 7 innings.
Easy to see, unless you have rose colored glasses.”
I was quoting SJ44, genius.
Giuseppe Franco
It has nothing to do with his one relief appearence. rather his poor showing as a starter.Nest year will be more of the same. He is an attack dog with a short attention span.
Vrsce October 4th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Joba is noy mentally tough, not even close. He has a dominating nature so one or even two innings of attack suit him. He is not gut check tough enough to get through 7 innings.
————–
Sounds like you’re not mentally tough. Developing young pitchers is hard to do and it takes a lot of patience.
If it was easy, the Yanks would never have to dip into the free agent market and hire big guns as they did last winter.
Most Yankee fans don’t have the stomach to watch their development unfold unless they are dominant from the get-go.
No growing pains allowed!!!!!!
Nick in SF
“I was quoting SJ44, genius”.
Yes you were, however your own obscure point was so obliquely made that it seemed better to join you to the more intelligent and informed SJ44, rather than let you dribble all over the blog.
Breaking out that crystal ball to determine what Chamberlain will do next year, Cleo? Nobody, including Chamberlain or the Yankees know what he’ll do next year or whether he corrects the issues.
Nick in SF…..I did see your congrats on my A-Rod win….You, Dennis & myself are cut from a similar cloth as we are sport investors……I remember the entire banter from May & SJ did lay the wood to Hughes about his ability to handle adversity and making that case about his So. Cal. suburbian upbringing…..SJ was frustrated with him then as he is frustrated with Joba today…..SJ is a bottom line guy, and it’s all about what have you done for me lately ???? I do recall your position, as at that time there were only a few of us who supported The Young Master Hughes…….
Joba is a young inexperienced pitcher he is going to have some growing pains. He was pitching very respectable and doing a nice job up until they started moving him around and shortening his outings. I like to see how he does next year just as a normal starter.
Joba has showed signs of greatness as a starter. The game agianst Beckett last year at Fenway. The games against the tigers this year the game against Garza in Tampa. He just needs to become more consistent. Which is the case in most young pitchers.
Clay Buccholz who the red sox view as a future frontline starter is the same way and he is two years older than Joba.
Vrsce, did you take dumbo pills today? I wasn’t making any point about Joba at all. You haven’t demonstrated that you have a clue what I’m talking about or why I’m posting what I’m posting. Smarten up, please?
Nick in SF
Your usual watery wit has deserted you, so you have descended into name calling. Poor you Nick, there can’t be much left in that sparse dry psyche.
I am very impressed with Arod’s year considering all that happened, boy I didn’t think he had a chance for the 30/100 but he did it in one inning. lol
What can I say when he just plays he’s freakishly good.
Go Yanks.
A-Rod’s 12 consecutive seasons with 30/100 is a record, but he shares it with Jimmie Foxx (1929-1940). He will have to do it again next year to own this record outright.
…had a chance for the 30/100 but he did it in one inning.
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Wow, 30 HR and 100 RBI’s in one inning?! That is amazing.
I like the featured quotation from the post game interview. Definitely a new feature to keep.
Nice job taking over the blog guys. Getting a new identity, but keeping up with the up to the minute news and frequent updates. A great start.
One thing the pollyannas in the media will have to acknowledge about Alex… six of his 12 straight 30/100 seasons have come since PED testing began. Perhaps that will provide context for what PEDs do and do not do.
love your blog Wonderful post.,lucy