Greetings from Minneapolis
-
-
- October
- 10
-
First things first: it’s cold here! Saw my breath as soon as I got off the plane and was hit with a blast of winter chill. I’m sure the new outdoor stadium they’re building will be a big hit.
Anyway the Yankees – along with a slew of exhausted and debatably delirious reporters – will be at the Metrodome for a workout in a few hours. Chad and I will have all the news, notes and audio for you, including what I imagine will be some serious biting-their-tongue Yankee quotes about one Carl Pavano. Back with much more later.
This entry was posted
on Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at 11:21 am by Sam Borden.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Chad Jennings
Josh Thomson
Hey SJ,
I don’t know if you are reading but someone is impersonating you over at Pete’s new blog and making you sound like a jerk:
http://ow.ly/15U2eq
I don’t know why someone would do that. Not sure what you can do to fix that but you could always let Pete know it’s not really you i guess.
Don’t complain, Sam! Pedro pitching in 29 degree weather at first pitch. Record lows by the time Lidge, Madsen, or Street come up.
Thanks to all three of you for the great coverage.
The restless Sam Borden.
Thanks for the excellent coverage!
Regarding Pete…He has gone from The Blogfather to Fredo in a weeks time…what a shame.
Can’t wait to see Carla Anthony Pavano getting tattooed by the yanks..
“SJ44 wrote:
Pete,
You have been railing rallying about Joba becoming a starter all year long, without any consideration for using him in the pen. What a phony! Thats all it takes for you to jump ship after forceful and aggressive support for his move to the rotation?!”
This is the post I’m talking about. Maybe it is really you and I am just reading it too seriously. But in case it’s not you I wanted to let you know.
murphydog-
liked your comment on Arod being “come back person” of the year. He really has changed for the better. I think having Tex around has helped. Tex takes some of the pressure off Alex to feel like he always has to come up big. It is also obvious they were friends in their texas days.
The lights in the roof of the Metrodome are annoying, but I still think it’s a boneheaded idea to build an outdoor ballpark in Minnesota. I hope they enjoy will being snowed out for most of April…
Sam, Chad and Josh are doing an awesome job with the blog. Just wanted to say that.
Why did the Yankees fly in last night ? I think they should have let them sleep in their own beds and fly to Minnesota this morning. This is ridiculous now the team will be tired.
http://www.weather.com/weather....._typeahead
Hope the link works.
If not, the temp in Minneapolis is 28 with a wind chill of 17.
Yup, the open air stadium was a great idea.
Have to feel for the Twins a bit.
But man, they had their chances.
Carlos Gomez alone cost them a run or two. His lack of discipline must frustrate Gardy beyond words.
Ken-
I am sure some players sleep on the plane. They don’t exactly fly Delta Airlines coach. Also, this way they can check into the hotel- sleep late and then hit the field for a full team workout without travel interferring the day.
This also gives them an extra day to adjust for central time
Can they still play at the Metrodome next season if there’s cold-rainy weather?
Larry Lucchino, executive of the year?
If he doesn’t act like a prig durring that meeting with Teix and Boras chances are Teixeira isn’t here.
Players generally prefer to get into the next town asap unless they get a full off day to enjoy at home. It’s no big deal.
I think it’s great that Alex has had some success so far, but we all know the “monkey” isn’t going anywhere until they earn a ride down the Canyon of Heroes”
They just have to smack the heck out of Paguano. They HAVE to.
BigSix
October 10th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Have to feel for the Twins a bit.
But man, they had their chances.
Carlos Gomez alone cost them a run or two. His lack of discipline must frustrate Gardy beyond words.
****
How is this for jumping the gun?
Yahoo had a story up around the 10th inning (before the end of the game) about how Gomez cost the Twins the game with his baserunning
Ugh – 28 degrees here this morning. Ack.
Unseasonable for sure, but I bet they’re glad they’re playing a dome this year.
I would not be surprsied at all if the Yankees lost tomorrow.
Hate to say it, but in admittedly small sample size Pavano DOES pitch well vs. the Yankees. I hate him too, but that doesn’t change that fact.
If we do lose it won’t matter. CC will be all sorts of awesome and we’ll go the ALCS anyway.
The Yanks will have plenty of time to rest before tomorrow night’s game. They’re leaving the City That Never Sleeps and arriving in the City That Needs To Shovel (Snow).
The performanace of Robertson yesterday must improve his confidence tremendously. Girardi’s confidence in him too. Though he was good in regular season, Robertson needed to get his feet wet in a tough playoff sitution. He came out with flying colors.
The bullpen looks amazing with Mo, Hughes, Joba, and Robertson supported by Ace and Coke.
Marte will get another chance in the next game and if he fails again, he will be off the roster for ALCS replaced by either Bruney or Guzman (if Angels).
Things are really looking great.
The Metrodome will still be up. The Vikings will still play there for a while, as well as NCAA basketball tournaments and college football.
I’m betting that within two years, they add a fiberglass/airfilled dome to their new park.
As far as Carlos Gomez goes, wow after watching this guy it just enforces in my mind that the Mets absolutely stole Santana. Gomez while fast is totally undisciplined and not that good a Hitter. Hes basically a worse Gardener in my eyes. The other prospects they gave up never made it. Gomez for Santana basically…. talk about a steal.
Bodh, you were at the game last night? Wow, lol………..
AJ was talking about how he was watching the game from the clubhouse and he felt the stadium shake. He didn’t know why or what happened because there was a delay on the game in the clubhouse – maybe a few minutes, whatever. He had no idea that Tex had hit a HR – he just knew the stadium was shaking, lol.
Sam, Josh, Chad – you guys are the best. Thanks for all of your hard work.
Hmm, baseball in Minnesota – outdoors, April, late September or early October. Doesn’t sound pleasant.
“Carlos Gomez alone cost them a run or two. His lack of discipline must frustrate Gardy beyond words.”
Not hard to see that Go Go Gomez is a product of the vaunted Mets minor league system, Tony Bernazard’s work at its best, kind of like Lastings Milledge. I personally cannot stand Gomez, but his hitting and baserunning should be enough to get him cashiered.
“Hmm, baseball in Minnesota – outdoors, April, late September or early October. Doesn’t sound pleasant.”
That is why the Yankees will eliminate the Twins Sunday as a gesture of goodwill to the people of Minnesota so they don’t have to venture into the cold to go to the Stadium for baseball anymore (yes, I know its indoors now, but they still have to leave their warm homes).
(yes, I know its indoors now, but they still have to leave their warm homes).
************************
Hey! I resemble that! It snowed here a little last night.
I still can’t believe I got to see last night’s game in person. I have never, in my life, heard a Stadium go that crazy as it did when A-Rod hit the home run. It was…I can’t even put it into words. WOW.
That would be nice, Erica, lol.
The Twins aren’t perfect either when it comes to funadementals. I forget who it was, but there was a ball hit in game 1 that came VERY close to being a fair ball…..there is not a lot of foul ground in the area around right field and the ball was thisclose to hitting the white line. The Twins hitter didn’t run it out………now, if that had been a fair ball, he would have been made to look completely foolish. Everyone should take lessons from Tex running hard during that Met game, when Castillo dropped the pop up…….if he hadn’t, that dropped pop would have meant nothing and we would have lost the game.
Wow Rebecca, I’m jealous.
“Hmm, baseball in Minnesota – outdoors, April, late September or early October. Doesn’t sound pleasant.”
LOL. Okay, I really have to say, this weather is pretty unseasonable though.
It’s amazing how people who have never even set foot in Minnesota are such experts about the weather at any given time, LOL.
Have to ask.
Alex’s 9th inning HR made that game an instant classic. Does that HR count in his career totals? And if not, why not? It couldn’t have been a bigger hit.
Wow Rebecca – I’m so happy for you that you were able to experience something like that. Happy and envious, lol. Well, it’s nice to see that the NYS has buzz and crowd noise coming out of it’s pores, like the OYS>
The Twins aren’t even very good at fundamentals. They just try to make it seem as if they’re good at fundamentals to make up for the act that their ownership doesn’t care about them.
Garcia worse than Gardner? I don’t think so. As bad as his baserunning screw up was Gardner’s was far worse. One out and Tex on deck and he gets doubled off on an infield liner? That’s a bad play in little league.
Paguano has faced the Yankees four times and is 0-1, 4.76 and averages less than six innings a start. Exactly how is that pitching well?
thanks for sharing your pix Rebecca. It was exciting enough to watch at home, I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be there
Backbench, no – it counts as a post-season HR, but not in his career total.
act=fact
I’m ALL about eliminating them as an act of kindness though.
A few people rightfully annoyed about that bad fair/foul call this morning. But if Nathan hadn’t let the Yankees get back into the game in the first place, or Gomez hadn’t got thrown out at second – then the fair/foul call never comes into play.
They let the Yankees back into the game. It’s that simple.
86w183-He pitched well vs. them twice this year, but in one of them the numbers were skewed because he was taken out of the game and the bullpen blew up behind him and he ended up having 4 ER. Also, do those totals vs. the Yanks count the WS?
Vador-
The only comment I’ll make about Pete – since he’s not here to defend himself to anything any of us say (type…whatever) – is that he really paved the way for consistent beat writer blogs. Honestly, I am almost positive that this blog was the first of it’s kind. Not sure if it was Pete’s brainchild or if it was someone else’s….but, it’s my favorite distraction.
…That being said, let’s be honest, Pete was a Red Sox fan. Every once in a while he would take shots at the Yankees and it got annoying to a lot of us. I’m not trying to be a jerk, but it is true. I mean, let’s face facts, you really cannot be a Patriots fan and a Yankees fan, it’s like siding with the devil in the winter and celebrating easter in the spring – doesn’t make sense. Anyway, I think all’s well that ends well. We have 3 dudes that seem to have more passion for the Yankees and Pete has moved to the Boston Bean where he can help them lose the media softball game every summer. No losers here.
As for the game last night – I think we really stole one. Girardi over-managed like crazy and we really didn’t deserve to come away with that win. I love Joe, but he needs to stop trying to prove that he will be an active manager like this – You really can’t justify his bullpen calls from Game 2. The good news: It doesn’t matter if this team is semi-mismanaged because we’re just that gosh darn good. I don’t know about you guys, but I had a nice little 90’s feeling last night.
Final thought: Does anyone else feel like Tex’s and Dave Rob’s postgame interviews were pretty much what you’d expect from a little leaguer that just won the game ball? I love everyone on this team, but it is really refreshing to see these guys that, very obviously, genuinely love the game.
It seems odd that until last night, Teixeira had never hit a walkoff homer in his career…regular or post season.
My head still hurts and I wasn’t even at the game, I can’t imagine how Rebecca must feel.
BTW this video sums up how last night was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV-_E5cRSPM
Upstate Kate: I’ve never seen anything like that before. I don’t think I ever will again.
I was at the game too and I have the noise issue figured out. Mostly it’s the configuration, the old stadium was more vertical, the new one there are probably about 40 rows until the 2nd level starts. I was sitting behind home plate in section 120A and the fans were passionate for the game. The only difference was the fans around me didn’t seem to go for the manufactured noise requested, ignoring the charge and other calls. In general though, it’s the new large configuration that is causing the muted sound, remember this stadium is 60% larger than the old one.
FYI, my seats were so close, I got to see Donald Trump, Bill O’Reilly, Tracy Morgan and Ed Koch up close. Trump’s hair is redonculous.
True, Phil Cuzzi made a bad call but it happens to every team occasionally. Good teams will capitalize on such mistakes and the Yankees certainly did in full destiny mode.
As for Boston, Francona is not showing trust in Matsuzaka. In a desperation move, Lester will start game 3 on short rest.
Boston scored one run in 2 games out west. Another game of slumbering bats at home and their season is over with.
I thought Girardi did a GREAT job last night managing. I have only two minor beefs (they’re minor because they’re very defensible): He should have brought in Mo before Hughsie blew the lead, and they should have kept in Ace instead of putting in Marte. Otherwise, absolutely no complaints, and it all worked out anyway.
As I said yesterday, I have never posted on any Red Sox blog, including Pete’s.
What’s funny about these impersonators is, they not only don’t post like me, they don’t even real yhe rouse doesn’t work since I don’t post on Red Sox blogs and rarely post in the game threads.
Strange, strange people in the Internet world.
Thanks Betsy.
Maybe they should add a refinement to a player’s HR stats to reflect this, because that means a clutch PS HR like last night counts for LESS than a solo HR in mid season that had no affect on anything. Something like ##RS HR/##PS/HR.
Phils vs. Rockies game postponed
SJ44 what are your observations of what is going on?
Have not seen your posts in a while.
thanks
Yeah, Betsy, wild, wild scene.
I sat in the 200s, and being underneath the hood there really grabs ahold of the sound and sends it up and down your spine. I actually felt like the concrete floor under my feet was moving – and it probably was.
Lol about AJ. The feed is always a few seconds after real time, so that would explain it.
I’m not as psyched out as some seem to be about the Metrodome. That’s actually a better park for our hitters than Detroit’s would have been. It’d be nice to take care of business on Sunday. Our BP got emptied out pretty good there last night.
If there’s one gripe I have with Joe, it’s matchup frenzy. He goes through too many arms on a given night, risking running out of them.
Speaking of BP, Nathan needs to make an adjustment re Alex. I know Nathan’s aware of his numbers vs. Alex, but even “old” Alex isn’t going to fall for that trash that far outside the zone & get himself out. That strategy killed Nathan, who had to cave as a result. He was better off walking him there, which might have been on his mind in the first place. How about Alex…light as a feather out there.
Great win – going to brunch and looking forward to some NL viewing today with the wind at our backs
.
pet peeve: what i find lame is that post season play now allows a player to play in a minimum of 11 and a maximum of 19 games.
so when i see mickey mantle’s 18 world series home runs or yogi’s games played, being eclipsed by others, we have to remember that post eason once meant only 4-7 games.
how can these records all be in the same category: “post season play”.
am i missing something?
the blown call down the lf line.
melky i believe ran right in front of the ball as it hit the ground obstructing the umps view.
You had an especially amusing impersonator last night, SJ.
Was nice enough to declare the series over and lost on your behalf last night during the 8th inning.
Brandon that video was funny. I can’t even imagine being there. Thanks for linking it.
man what i would give to be at a game like that.
the last one like this was boone so they do not happen very often
No of course it doesn’t count the W.S.
He made two solid starts against the Yanks. One in April and one in May. The hardly qualifies as even remotely meaningful. It’s like saying a pitcher dominates a hitter who is 0-6 against him.
I’m in Baltimore doing the Ravens game this weekend so, posting time is limited.
I’ll be back Monday to post in more detail.
Neil
guessing you mean Lester is starting game 4, as Bucky is starting game 3. I wouldn’t use DiceK either against the Angels, he puts too many men on base.
anyone have links to the d-rob and tex interviews after the game last night? i cant find them anywhere. thanks!
Well if you count his WS performance vs. the Yanks I’m sure the numbers are better.
funny that it seems like we have an imposter impersonating an imposter in here called sj
Wait, The Sox are pitching Lester on 3 days rest? Wow – I guess I can’t blame them……..
I’m sure it has been mentioned here before, but it is kinda funny to think that if the series ended last night, A-Rod would have to be the MVP of the series. I doubt anyone would have predicted that! He’s doing a hell of a job this post-season. Hopefully he can keep it up!
Wow, why was the Phils game postponed? Snow? Cold?
Back, you’re welcome! Believe me, this HR by Alex will be remembered more than most of his HRs (same thing with Tex )…..even if the records don’t reflect that.
Bodh, the Yankees have always been a good road team – they can win anywhere. I respect the Metrodome, but I’m not afraid of it. If the Yankees lose, it won’t be because of that place.
Who cares about the Metrodome? As Curt Schilling said, “Mystique and Aura are dancers…”
Wait, wrong building.
Betsy: It’s 19 F and snowing in Denver
Rebecca,
Thanks for sharing your pics and narrative on last night’s game. As someone who has kept the candle burning even in the darkest times here, I can’t think of anyone who deserved to witness last night’s history more than you. I’m insanely jealous , but congrats!
ppd snow…lucky pedro, wouldve had to wear his mittens
Wow, thanks Rebecca. That sort of makes it hard to play baseball. Some were talking about the background of white shirts at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, but that’s nothing compared to the white background at Coors, lol.
Thanks, Mick……..at least we know the Yankees won’t have to deal with weather delays in Minny
betsy…you seem quite positive today
I love this picture.
The image of Swishy is priceless.
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo....._past.html
I woke up on the right side of the bed, Mick…….tomorrow, it might be different, lol.
SJ44
October 10th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
As I said yesterday, I have never posted on any Red Sox blog, including Pete’s.
What’s funny about these impersonators is, they not only don’t post like me, they don’t even real yhe rouse doesn’t work since I don’t post on Red Sox blogs and rarely post in the game threads.
Strange, strange people in the Internet world.
———————————————————-
was that u last night that said the series is probably over & we will lose?
dont go all schizo on us…take the meds when youre supposed to.
I’ll try to remember that, lol
SJ44
Not me.
Must have been the imposter impersonating the imposter.
betsy
take your memory pills and you will remember.
the rs are nuts if they run clay for game 3
they should run out dice & pull him early if needed
not sure about lester on 3 days
a bit much
the angels will torch clay
WOW OKAY !
JUST REALIZED that not only was last night the anniversary of the Jeffery Maier incident, it was the THIRTEENTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY, and coincidentally NUMBER 13 ALEX RODRIGUEZ with the hero 2 run home-run.
One word for this DESTINY !
Did anyone else see the pitcher’s glove tip the ball that Damon hit & Cabrera caught?
the replay showed it hit his glove…doubt gardy saw that…why was he running????
I thought an open air stadium in Minneapolis was a crazy idea too. But, maybe not so much….
I spent most of the winter in Minneapolis in 2008 and I can attest that it does get cold up there. But, the air is fairly dry and it’s not the same cold as you feel in the east.
If you aks the lcoals, they will tell you the prefer to sit outside on a nice summer evening than in the baggie dome. And, are willing to endure colder weather April and Sept/Oct as the trade off.
Ideally, a retractable dome would have made the most sense for them, except for the cost.
Kate Hudson caught a foul pop in the 5th inning last night.
Maybe she’s the one who has been working with A-Rod on his pop-ups.
gardy had a major brain cramp running on that damon dp. twins faced same situation the next inning and they all froze, which was the right way to play it. gardy scores if the ball goes through, wait till it happens.
saying he went on contact is nonsense as the ball was hit on a line, not on the ground.
talking too much baseball, ok i’ll go.
“Robbie Wants to Cano… Whatever Happened to Dustin Pedroia?”
———————————————————–
Great quote from bostondirtdogs.com.
“I mean, let’s face facts, you really cannot be a Patriots fan and a Yankees fan, it’s like siding with the devil in the winter and celebrating easter in the spring – doesn’t make sense”
You obviously have no clue what you’re talking about here O’realy. That is such a damn ignorant statement to make! It’s kind of like saying white people can’t be friends with black people. What does their skin color have to do with anything? I personally know at least 10 people that are fans of both teams. Most of us have lived in various parts of the North East thus experiencing both teams in their home environment. It’s not that difficult a concept to understand if you weren’t so thickheaded.
Blanks statements like that are just so lame.
That being said what a gift last night, talk about a silver platter, but hey you sometimes you need wins like that in the post season!
mick
October 10th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
the replay showed it hit his glove…doubt gardy saw that…why was he running????
****
Gardy said that it was really a difficult read. Johnny hit that ball on the screws and it was smoked. Grady had almost no time to read it correctly
Gardner had a pretty good sized lead as well, there is a chance he would have been doubled off even if he did read it correctly.
Get Yer Damn hands Off Of her! October 10th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
WOW OKAY !
JUST REALIZED that not only was last night the anniversary of the Jeffery Maier incident, it was the THIRTEENTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY, and coincidentally NUMBER 13 ALEX RODRIGUEZ with the hero 2 run home-run.
One word for this DESTINY !
____ _____ ______
Now there was a game that had the Stadium ROCKING! I was fortunate enough to be at that game.. Completely Awesome.
“Johnny hit that ball on the screws and it was smoked.”
That’s right. I think 95% of the blame is on Johnny for that one.
“gardy scores if the ball goes through”
My take is Gardner was going to force the issue at home. Any ground ball and he was going home. IMO Gardner thought the ball was going to bounce (I did too). If it’s a one-hopper right to short, his only chance to score is to break on contact.
It’s real easy to sit back and say he should have froze. He had less than a second to decide. Is it going to bounce or not. I have no problem with that play.
Even if he did freeze, he still may have been nailed trying to get back to third.
Is jeter saving his walkoff for the world series?
Phillies/Rockies game postponed until tomorrow because of cold and snow?
I really thought Bruney should had made the roster, but Joe went with Marte because of the lefties on Minny.
Fortunately, it hadn’t cost us the game, but does anyone think Bruney will make it next round(assuming we make it) instead of Marte?
It’s probably a good thing it’s snowing in Denver. I read this morning that there is no particular temperature at which they’d consider postponing the game. Imagine playing a night game in 20-degree weather? Brrrr.
Tarheelyank October 10th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
“gardy scores if the ball goes through”
My take is Gardner was going to force the issue at home. Any ground ball and he was going home. IMO Gardner thought the ball was going to bounce (I did too). If it’s a one-hopper right to short, his only chance to score is to break on contact.
It’s real easy to sit back and say he should have froze. He had less than a second to decide. Is it going to bounce or not. I have no problem with that play.
Even if he did freeze, he still may have been nailed trying to get back to third.
____
Didn’t he hesitate on a similar play during the regular season and got called out at home? Sometimes, it’s damned if you and damned if you don’t. He is aggressive and that attitude wins out more often than not.
Imagine playing a night game in 20-degree weather? Brrrr.
“I said, ‘Man, we need some Houdini action out there.’ And that’s what we got.”
- RF Nick Swisher on his thoughts during the top of the 11th inning when reliever Dave Robertson escaped a bases loaded, no-out situation without allowing a run.
I love this guy.
The one thing I don’t like about the baseball postseason is that the most important games are often played in totally different conditions than they play all year. Particularly since they will be playing deeper into the year than ever this year.
Just think, next year MLB can postpone games for snow and cold in Minnesota as well.
“Imagine playing a night game in 20-degree weather? Brrrr.”
I meant to say….
You’d have to concentrate on the running game and leave the long pass for another day. Oh, wait… it’s not football.
No, you shouldn’t have to play baseball in such weather. Can’t throw a breaking ball, can’t swing properly, pulling hamstrings with the starts and stops. It’s not football, it’s not a game of the elements.
“Just think, next year MLB can postpone games for snow and cold in Minnesota as well.”
It’s going to mean a lot of lost days off and double headers with the added strain on the pitching staff for the makeup games. It’s not good for Minnesota, probably favors Detroit next year.
Let’s not forget that the Red Sox decision to become involved in the bidding for Santana from Minnesota to up the ante for the Yankees and it how it actually back fired on them.
If not, the Yankees would have sent at least Hughes and Melky, with Santana in house then passed on the CC free agency signing. We’d be in dire straights right now.
Most of the credit goes to Brian Cashman for hanging onto and protecting his young players for the future, which is right now.
So does the Twins Organization lose money when games are rained/snowed out? In the event that they call it at the last minute and they can sell extra concessions, I would think that the team being forced to offer a rain check or a ticket of equal value to another game would cost them more in lost sales. Not to mention the cost of rescheduling flights, itineraries, and other goings on.
My point is that it might be more cost effective to build a Dome in Minnesota over the long run. But, what does a city boy from Jersey know.
Just wanted to give props to Rebecca. Her blog is lookin and readin great!
DB
I also think that Bruney should have made the roster.
Apparently Marte made the roster because of a preponderance of Twins LH batters (3 not counting switch hitters), The Angels only have 1, and the Sox have 4. I think we can assume if it’s the Angels, Bruney will make it.
I’m sorry, got to disagree with the person who said Gardy’s gaffe was worse than “Garcia’s”. If Gomez does anything but go back to the base, the run scores. Even Matsui, slow as a backhoe has forced a rundown to allow a runner to score.
Gardner’s was bad, but Gomez’s was worse. But Gomez feels bad. If we win this series, I’ll have lots of nice things to say about this team. I’ll put those thoughts on hold for now.
Don’t see Marte coming into a big situation any time soon.
“Andrew-
So how many adult beverages were you consuming during the excitement of last night?? So jealous you got to be there”
Erica it was not as many as I had planned but still enough. Drinking gets inhibited when you are money-conscious and don’t want to spend $10 for a drink at the stadium itself.
Also, I was half way up the left field bleachers near Johnny so I wasn’t in shouting distance to let him know you love him. But, his interactions with the fans are extremely entertaining, and his optimism last night was welcome.
And, it was one of my best games as a fan in attendance. Second to the David Wells perfect game on my list.
I don’t know if anyone posted this before, but check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV-_E5cRSPM
Bruney deserved to be left off the roster – one week of good pitching doesn’t wipe away all the stink of the rest of his season.
how can you not feel good about
robertson
joba
hughes
mo &
coke
gaudin ??
if pettitte or burnett get into trouble girrardi yanks them early & has several nice options that most teams still alive do not
the angels are very close to us in talent but have nowhere near the pen options we have,phillies very few options
OK, the Ghost and I were having a conversation last night about whether or not Mauer should’ve been pinch-run for (I thought so).
Reading Kepner’s blog entry, a pinch runner would’ve been a good idea. Maybe Gardenhire didn’t know that Mauer’s hurting, but it still would’ve been a good idea with the go-ahead run (Mauer) on second with no outs and 2 catchers on the bench.
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/.....s-hurting/
Kepner also had a nice piece on Robertson…..I’m glad he got the belt even though Alex was the hero of the game for me. Everyone on this team honestly cares about and roots for each other – nice quote from Phil:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10.....f=baseball
“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Hughes said. “With the way he came into the season, not really expecting to do much, he’s worked his way into being a major contributor. To get out of that jam not only won us the game, but it does a world of good for his confidence. He was definitely the player of the game.”
Oops that was Curry. They need pictures on their blog. But Kepner’s looks like he’s seen a ghost.
Betsy, thanks for that. o/t but Chad must be having the time of his life covering guys he knows well. “Before they were stars”
I agree m, Mauer should have been pinch ran for. Heck, not pinch running for him most likely cost the Twins a run because Maur didn’t score on that sinfle that loaded the bases.
Alas, that’s not something Gardy can blame on the umpire…
Gardenhire knows Mauer is hurting. He said it in his presser one of the days that Mauer needed the day off more than anyone.
If the Twins were at home, I would have PR for him but not on the road.
Tom,
How is Casilla as a basestealer? It was Casilla, Redmond, and the third catcher.
Twas Girardi with a speedy runner on the bench, maybe he pinch runs for player X when he reaches on the single. Force the action a bit. Love that Girardi’s moved us out of the station-to-station era.
Oh, well. It worked out for us. But you knew it was a mistake especially with Gardner in CF instead of Melky.
pat,
Makes sense, I guess. But I’d take a chance since they were in extra innings and you only needed 3 outs from your closer. Oops. Mijeras.
betsy,
cool video to see the reaction from the stands.. you don’t see that on TV often..
robertson will play a huge role next year with hughes starting
joba should be given until the asb in wich he will be closing in on 25 years old to get it together as a starter
if he is struggling he should be put in the pen to eventually take over for mo & replace hughes
robertson for the 7th
joba 8th
mo 9th in 2010
i am all for giving a pitcher with jobas talent every opportunity to start but not forever
i see pettitte coming back also until he has a bad year we will keep bringing him back
What I know for sure…..
When the game is on the line,Marte should never be any where near the mound.
-David Roberson for a newbie,has nerves of steel.To step in with the game on the line,and retire the side with bases -loaded,giving up zero runs,was Ace like.We may be witnessing Mo jr in the making.
-Joba meant what he said,he’d do anything (i.e.fold toewls) to help his team win,being a man of his word,he’s doing just that.Go Joba!
28 hours and 41 minutes until Game 3!!!!!!!
Casilla was a pefect 11 for 11 this year stealing bases. Gardy should have been managing to win the game right there and taking Mauer out when he was on second for a pinch runner was the move he should have made…
But how long do you give Joba to prove he can start? I don’t know that the Yankees would feel comfortable pulling him from the rotation during the season if they see more of the same.
It’s nice to know, though, that the Yankees’ margin for error is large enough to withstand some growing pains. And an injury to Wang.
“Bruney deserved to be left off the roster – one week of good pitching doesn’t wipe away all the stink of the rest of his season.”
Betsy
I seem to remember, earlier in the year you posting something similar to that about D Robertson as well.
Bruney has worked real hard this year. He’s had some good and some bad moments. Also, His stats say he is are a lot better than Marte.
But even beyond all that, after reading this article I am convinced he should be on the roster.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/.....-1.1481053
“I still can’t believe I got to see last night’s game in person. I have never, in my life, heard a Stadium go that crazy as it did when A-Rod hit the home run. It was…I can’t even put it into words. WOW. ”
rebecca-
you’ll be telling your grandkids about this game.
great blog photos and commentary.
Aw, Bruney wasn’t that bad. His attitude was.
But I’d feel much better if I saw neither Bruney nor Marte in the playoffs.
Marte will be called upon again, or maybe this forces Girardi to play matchups less. I don’t know why he doesn’t try to get more out of his pitchers in tie situations (AJ & Aceves last night). Gaudin was the only one left. This easily could’ve stretched out to a 15 inning affair. But I guess he’s confident that they’ll make something happen sooner or later.
*sooner rather than later.
I know baseball is a game of pitching.If Alex hadn’t got the 2 taters to even the game(right the ship so to speak.)
It wouldn’t matter who Joe brought in.Being tied,with the last at bat,in an inning,afforded the Yankees an opportunity to take the lead.The belt at the VERY LEAST should be shared between Alex and Robertson.
Marte should’ve gotten the team slap,up side the head.
To be a member of Girardi’s bullpen staff it’s necessary to be in the circle of trust. Mo earned that while Girardi was still an active player. All others have had to show they belong assured of no overuse and with the right situations of not being set up for failure.
burnett was yanked at the perfect time
jg did a wonderfull job
the twins blew it by not pinch running for mauer.
other than that they also did a great job
walking jeter for a chance at the dp,etc…
This is the way events will unfold for Red Sox fans from now until April 2010.
Buccholz is going to be absolutely slammed tomorrow and the game is going to be over early.
Then ESPN will deliver the next set of talking points to Red Sox fans, which will be that the Red Sox didn’t lose, they were screwed over by the umpires.
Then as the Yankees march to their 27th title, ESPN and Red Sox fans will go on and on to no end about how the umpires have been bought and paid for, how the Yankees all do drugs because Red Sox employee George Mitchell said so, and how this is the worst thing for baseball because a salary cap is needed so the small market Red Sox can fairly compete.
Then the offseason will start and ESPN and Red Sox fans will go on and on about how they are going to get all these guys. They will be saying that they are going to get King Felix from Seattle for a sack of oranges, and they are going to get Jarrod Saltalamachia from Texas for dirt, and so on and so on.
Then Jason Bay will sign elsewhere, because the Red Sox only make a lowball offer, and all the Red Sox fans will believe articles posted in the Boston Globe saying that Bay is a greedy scumbag who hates Boston, when in reality the Red Sox didn’t want to sign him because they didn’t want to pay luxury tax for having a payoll in excess of $120M two years in a row.
Then for all of Feb. and March ESPN will tell us every day how Josh Reddick is going to be Rookie of the Year.
_______
LMAO some guy posted this on ESPN
Hey gang! Stayed away from the game thread last night to avoid the Posada/Molina drama, which ended up not even coming into play. Not a great start by AJ, but not a bad one either. He kept the game close, which is all you ever want from your starter.
Like everyone else, I went insane when Alex hit that bomb. My neighbor knocked on the door to find out what was going on. She heard a lot of screaming and yelling and wanted to make sure that I was alright.
Alex’s HR was so timely. It couldn’t have come at a better time. I watched the footage again and I was struck by how nervous Nathan was. Go back and watch it. He keeps blowing air out of his mouth as if he’s trying to get himself to breath. Total choke job there.
The world is loving Alex right now, but I don’t doubt that if he struggles in the ALCS or the WS, he’ll be slammed again. I hope he enjoys this love fest while it lasts.
even though he wasn’t used, it was good to know we had the long man, Gaudin, in the pen.
nice choice taking him over guzman or bruney.
I’m nominating Top 5 Reactions from last night:
1. Jeter reactions to Gardner stumbling around 2nd, then making it to 3rd safely.
2. Alex jumping up and down with his bat in his hand on Tex’s walkoff homerun.
3. OC trying to tell anyone who will listen that Mauer’s ball was fair
4. Tex anticipating the pie
5. Robertson yelling after Harris’ popfly to center.
=======================================
I like Alex jumping up and down like a QB whose receiver just caught a hail mary in the endzone.
Circle of trust is what that Porker David Wells,wrote in his book.
This Joe is different.Joba’s meltdowns in reg season,doesn’t inspire trust.Joe knew he needed him on the postseason roster anyway,because he is great in small innings.
Torre had and still has a circle of trust.
AJ brought his A game yesterday,giving up 1 run in 7 innings.
Things took a big dive when he left,but the Yankees pulled out a win.
Laura-
I never not liked A-Rod, but I promise to continue feeling warm and fuzzy about him for a very long time. LOL
The camera shot of the bullpen as Alex’s home run was heading their way was also a great reaction…
i love that jg took 3 catchers because we can pinch run for the other slower 2 plus it will be good for him going forward
gardner is fast
How can anyone say AJ didn’t have a great start,when he gave up 1 run,left with the game tied,and his relief gave up 2 runs,that extended the game to xtra innings?
PatM/NickSF
5-star- Over Navy/Rice 55. Pounded it.
Strong play, Wisc +14.4 and Over 47.
-dennis
haiku,
It was 6 innings. And AJ faces large expectations because of his contract and people think he’s not worth it because he’s a headcase.
He was very good until his mechanics abandoned him. He was at 95 pitches in a tie game. He could’ve at least gone batter to batter. But Joe drew it up a different way. NP.
Unbelievable shot by Tiger to even up their match. Nice comeback by Cink and Mahan.
The new Alex is all about team,instead of self,that’s the difference,he’s a team player finally.
Before he was all about his personal stats.I LIKE THE NEW ALEX!
“I never not liked A-Rod, but I promise to continue feeling warm and fuzzy about him for a very long time. LOL”
Thanks, Erica. I appreciate that.
“How can anyone say AJ didn’t have a great start,when he gave up 1 run,left with the game tied,and his relief gave up 2 runs,that extended the game to xtra innings?”
He walked 5 and hit two batters. That’s not a great start. He was very lucky that he only gave up 1 run.
m
as soon as I pushed submit it hit me it was 6,thanks .
bru October 10th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
i love that jg took 3 catchers because we can pinch run for the other slower 2 plus it will be good for him going forward
gardner is fast
—————-
I agree. It seems Girardi has pushed the right buttons so far.
m
how about jeter demanding the ball from swish on the gomez overrun of 2nd and his reaction when he saw the run didnt cross the plate?
It was less than perfect, but 2 of the walks could’ve been working around Mauer (maybe knowing he’s not running well?). Obviously walks aren’t good, but he did only give up 3 hits. I’ll take that.
We did something right, Twins left 17 on base and scored 3 runs. The playoff record is 19.
All I know is the warm and fuzzy feeling with AJ on the mound,went down the drain when Phil gave up the runs.It knocked the wind out of you.It all worked out,Yankees won.
“I watched the footage again and I was struck by how nervous Nathan was. Go back and watch it. He keeps blowing air out of his mouth as if he’s trying to get himself to breath. Total choke job there”
I have seen Nathan closing against other teams and he does the same thing on the mound. He has bad stats against the
Yankees but I wouldn’t say he choked. He is probably the third best closer in the AL, behind Mo and Paplebon.
m
ive heard some people say jeter should have stolen 2nd with damon up and gardy on 3rd.
i disagree. so what if it breaks up a potential dp, twins wouldnt go for dp w/ winning run on 3rd anyway.
what if they throw thru and jeter is out.
now gardy cant score on a sac fly.
too dangerous, not worth it.
haven’t seen the bullpen and gomez oversliding reactions. wait is that the one where Jeter hammers his fist down? Another funny one was AJ slapping hands with CC by the railing on the same play.
and that strike zone was wiiiiide. for the twins…
nice comeback by tiger/stricker
AJ walks a lot of batters. That’s who he is. He led the league with 97 walks. If he could cut down his walks, he would be one hell of a pitcher. He has great stuff.
Has anyone seen Francona lately? He looked bad stressed in his press conference.If they lose the chowda heads will skewer him.
If you notice no Varitek catching,Delcarmen pitching,and they still lose.
there was 1 out with jeter on 1st & gardner on 3rd
dp ends the inning
no need to try to stop a run from scoring
bru
then why were the twins playing in and not at dp depth?
if the ball is thrown into the of gardner also scores & we have a man on 2nd,1 out & no chance for a dp
still risky if we are behind
mick
October 10th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
bru
then why were the twins playing in and not at dp depth?
———————————————————-
i dont know
i might be wrong but i thought they walked jete for the dp
why wouldnt they?
does a run still score on a dp if gardner scores first?
i also did not know the if was in
funny how in a baseball blog how little baseball is discussed
no the run wont count if there is a dp.
Because a double play ends an inning in a one-out situation, it makes the scoring of a run impossible in that inning.
according to answers.com
a run does not score
i would bunt
Due to inclement weather the game 3 of NLDS Philly/Rockies postponed to Sunday.
In regular season Saves,top 5 leaders ate Fuentes(LAA) 48,Nathan(TWINS) 47,Rivera 44,Aardsma(SEA) 38,Papelbon 38 as per MLB.COM in this order.Mo is 3rd.
Pavano stinks