Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Oct 17, 2009 
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The cold weather didn’t bother CC Sabathia much at all as the Yankees rode eight dominating innings from their ace to a 4-1 win over the Angels in Game 1 of the ALCS. Josh Thomson has the story.
In a pleasant role reversal for the Yankees, they played like everyone thought the Angels would, and capitalized on a slew of sloppy plays from Mike Scioscia’s club. For more on that, check out my column.
Johnny Damon broke out of his postseason slump with a two-hit, two-run night, and Rick Carpiniello has the details.
A.J. Burnett will look to follow up Sabathia’s outing with one of his own in Game 2 – whenever it may be played. Josh also Jose Molina’s take on the will-he or won’t-he saga of who catches Burnett.
Rain figures to play havoc with the ALCS schedule, and Joe Girardi is concerned about how it might affect the Yankees rotation. The notebook also has items on a collision at home plate for A-Rod, roster news and more.
Last but not least, Gary Stern has a look at the fan’s experience at Game 1.
Rain and the rotation. Could turn out to be Mike Scioscia’s biggest fear: Sabathia pitches, four rain days. CC pitches again, etc.
I’m wondering why it seems like there is surprise that the Yankees played good baseball last night (ARod’s running through the sign notwithstanding). They really did not win 103 regular season games by accident. And while they did make really good use of the HR, they scored runs with small ball along the way as well.
I would never take anything for granted, because baseball is unpredictable and can take cruel turns (see Angel’s very unfundamental play last night). My nervousness on the outcome of the playoffs is due to that very unpredictability (and my worrying nature) and NOT on any lack of talent, drive, heart , etc., on the part of the Yankees.
Today, AJ has to try not to walk the ballpark. If he does that, it will be a good day. (Or tomorrow, depending on the weather.)
Doreen,
Did you hook up your DVR?
The rain looks like it just misses NY. It appears to be headed more towards the North then the East.
If it does rain, it won’t be much and the game should get in.
I don’t really agree that the Yankees played differently than expected. Why is it that the media in general have forgotten that it was the Yankees that broke the consecutive errorless games streak?
The Yankees played aggressive against the Angels during the season (not including the games before the ASB) and they had the Angels rushing plays. That is something the Angels aren’t used to dealing with. They can dish it out, but do not do well when it comes time that they are served that type of playing.
If AJ can put in a good pitching performance the Angels will be moving toward panic, despite having Adenhart as the reason they are playing the games.
Keeping Abreu and Figgins off the bases helped a great deal as well, but Alex’s missed stop sign will keep the Angels players feeling like every single play has to be made and made quickly.
This Yankees team is fundamentally solid, a fun group to watch, and they don’t believe they can lose. That is a tough combination going for them.
10 hours and 48 minutes until Game 2!!!!!!!!
Fran -
Yes! DVR got hooked up around noon yesterday, so I got to practice a bit. I set it up to record the game and the post-game. I was so proud that I figured the timing out well too – only missed the first 10 minutes of the post-game.
We had company, so I didn’t do any playing around with the features during the game, and considered it a success that we were able to watch and record the game and change channels at commercials to peek in on the Rutgers game without messing anything up.
At some point I’ll play with the features.
Since the Yankees won in spite of my getting a DVR for the express purpose of not missing a possible game 6, I’ll take my chances that it was an okay thing to do.
Abdababdaserser,
The Yankees must be the most under-the-radar 103-game-winning team in history!
Doreen,
Glad you hooked it up. You will come to love it. I usually set it while I am watching the games in case I miss something and want to rewind. And the best part is you can keep it since the Yanks won
This is exactly what I predicted when I was so strongly opposed to trading for Santana and so sure the Yankees would not do that trade but wait for CC.
Doreen-
Last week, I was watching Game 2 and I rewound the Jeter play like 5 times on my DVR. Later on people kept seeing plays before I did and I didn’t understand why. Then I realized. When I kept rewinding Jeter, I was no longer live. I was on a minute delay from the actual game. I felt so dumb. LOL
what last nights game does is prove that all the so called experts can be wrong & the pitcher that performs the best usually wins.
also the team that executes.
Erica -
I guess there is a learning curve.
One thing that did happen is we started to record something (well, “we” being my husband) that we didn’t mean to, but we (meaning “I”) was able to figure out how to stop that process and delete. I’m the “techie” at our house, but I use the term very, very loosely!
bru
October 17th, 2009 at 9:20 am
what last nights game does is prove that all the so called experts can be wrong & the pitcher that performs the best usually wins.
also the team that executes.
****
bru-
I was surprised by every ESPN expert has the Yanks winning and 3/4 Yahoo experts have the Yanks winning
The only “experts” who thought the Yanks couldn’t beat the Angels were some people on here
Doreen
October 17th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Erica -
I guess there is a learning curve.
One thing that did happen is we started to record something (well, “we” being my husband) that we didn’t mean to, but we (meaning “I”) was able to figure out how to stop that process and delete. I’m the “techie” at our house, but I use the term very, very loosely!
****
LOL. The stop button is a wonderful thing
Erica,
I admit I have done that with my DVR too. Are you going away today?
Fran (the original) and OPPC member
October 17th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Erica,
I admit I have done that with my DVR too. Are you going away today?
****
Yup. I am leaving in like 30 minutes. Sorry, no GTLU but it will resume at 11 on Monday
The thing I really love about DVR is that since I love both the Office and Grey’s Anatomy which are 9 on Thursdays. I can watch something until like 9:08, then at 9:08 watch the Office. I will be done with the Office when it ends at 9:30 without seeing one commercial, then jump into Greys Anatomy already in progress. If I start watching Grey’s at 9:30 then I am done at like 10:15 and I can go back to 30 Rock which was on at 9:30. I have just seen 2 hours of TV in about 90 minutes
Erica -
It sounds like you have the DVR down to a science!
Have fun in AC today/tonight.
Doreen
October 17th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Erica -
It sounds like you have the DVR down to a science!
Have fun in AC today/tonight.
****
Thanks Doreen!!!!
I won $7 in the mega millions last night. Sadly, this will not be enough to buy the Yankees a retractable roof or Johnny Damon.
I really do have DVR down to a science. Trust me, in about a week you will be wondering how you ever survived without it. Out of all the things I spend money on in a month, that $10 is probably the most well used
Erica,
Enjoy AC. I’ll be ready for GTLU on Monday
I won $7 in the mega millions last night
********************
That’s $7 more than I won. I had 1 number
Doreen,
How were those CC cookies?
The Yankees are clicking on all cylinders and the absence of the long ball is only temporary.
Not needing to use Phil Coke, David Robertson, and Phil Hughes looms big.
Vince, when Vlad didn’t hit one out with that swing last night you knew nothing was going out. The wind and cold had a lot to do with the lack of long balls. Many of the Yankees hit the ball hard last night, some might have gone long had the weather cooperated.
Fran (the original) and OPPC member
October 17th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I won $7 in the mega millions last night
********************
That’s $7 more than I won. I had 1 number
****
I play a game of favorite Yankee numbers. 3 of 5 of my favorite Yankees came up
9 hours and 52 minutes until Game 2!!!!!
Leaving soon. Good night Yankee people!
Mark in Tampa -
The CC cookies were a huge success! And they were delicious to boot.
I found a recipe this morning for A(pple) J(ack) cookies. I just need to get to the store to pick up a box. AJ cookies for AJ tonight!
Way off topic – but, I do the crossword (at least 2) every morning and we get one on Friday afternoons that I do on Saturday morning. It would seem that the Yankees manager has finally made his mark – the clue: “Yankees manager.” The answer? “Girardi.” Yay for Joe!
It’s starting to rain.
Tim Macbutcher made the game almost unwatchable. They really need to ask him to tone down his contempt for the Yanks, or just go ahead and replace him with Theo. The replay on Tex’s catch was inconclusive at best, yet he describes how the “Yanks got a way with one there.” On the Arod play at the plate, as the replay shows he gets in without a tag “It’s a vicinity play…” and then goes on and on about running through the stop sign; AFTER Mo walks the first batter he crows “I watched Mariano warming up and you could tell he just is not right.” (Thanks for shutting him up Mo!)
Venting over. I feel better.
Go Yanks!
If this is the way CC is going to pitch for the rest of the post season I’m not sure it makes any sense for the other teams to show up. I had the Yankees winning the WS and factored in erratic starting pitching from CC and AJ and no hitting from Arod. If the Yankees are going to get production from all three or 2-3 of these guys I’m not sure there is going to be much competition going forward considering the rest of the Yankee weapons which are considerable.
I loved it when he ate his words about Mo not being right. What a tool McCarver is.
During the regular season, I simply don’t watch the game if it’s on Fox. Since this is the playoffs, I have to bite the bullet. Thankfully, we kept the sound low-ish for conversational purposes so it wasn’t bad for me last night.
I generally turn the sound down too, and sometimes listen to WCBS radio. The delay between radio and tv can sometimes get annoying, and Suzyn Waldman can get annoying to, but not as bad as McCarver and Buck
A rain out Saturday and a travel day Monday wouldn’t be so bad for the superstitious Yankee fans – those are the Yankees worst two days!
2009 Yankees
Mon 11-8
Tue 16-8
Wed 19-6 (1-0 playoffs)
Thu 11-7
Fri 17-8 (2-0 playoffs)
Sat 13-13
Sun 16-9 (1-0 playoffs)
I tried watching while listening to the WCBS feed over MLB, but the time delay meant Sterling’s call was a pitch before the picture. Kind of killed the drama, but for a while was still better than listening to McCarver whine about the Yanks playing better than the halos.
I would never take anything for granted, because baseball is unpredictable and can take cruel turns (see Angel’s very unfundamental play last night).
==========
I don’t think this is an aberration. I think there is a direct correlation between the unfundamental play of the Angels last night and the unfundamental play of the Twins from the ALDS. I think there is a sense by the Yankee opponents that they not only need to play a perfect game to beat them but they have to make amazing plays as well. I think part of the confidence teams have had against past Yankee teams in the playoffs came from the fact that they came out of the film room with a strategy that they knew would be successful if they implemented it correctly. I think Scioscia/Gardenhire and company came out of that film room scratching their heads this year. This isn’t the slugging Yankee team of the past. Sure they can slug with some of the all time slugging teams – but they can also move runners and hit and run you off the field with the best of them. This has been the main ingredient in the 2009 Yankees that former Yankee teams didn’t think they needed come playoff time. All of the Yankees runs last night came from small ball and opportunistic play. The Angels can tighten up their defense and go for more strikeouts in Game two and the Yankees will take those strikes and turn them into hits that cannot be defended. They are just a very dangerous team that is firing on all cylinders right now.
I actually thought Fox was pretty good last night, and I am usually very critical of the national broadcast teams. They were certainly better than TBS. I do agree that they were clueless on the Teixeira play at first, and I had no idea what McCarver was talking about with regard to Mariano. Other than that, pretty good. Sometimes I do have to remind myself that just because they aren’t obviously pro-Yankee doesn’t mean that they are anti-Yankees.
You know who deserves a chance on the national stage? Ken Singleton. The guy is about as even-handed as they come and makes the kind of in-game insights that would make McCarver and Buck look like petty children. Yeah, Singleton actually gets on the field and talks to the players (Yankee and opposing) before the game. I wonder when the last time McCarver had a conversation with a player before a game.
I don’t know if it was Buck or McCarver, but one of those kept harping on about how the Angels had like 15 wins in games where they had trailed by 3 or more runs. Thing is, when they were trumpeting this stat, the Angels were already down to their last 6 outs. I seriously doubt they had anything close to that many wins when they were down three in the 8th or 9th. And I can’t recall a single game this year when the Yankees coughed up a 3+ run lead in the 8th or 9th. The TV guys were making it sound like the Angels were practically guaranteed to come back and win it (this at a point in the game when FanGraphs had the Yankees’ win probability at around 95%).
Ghost,
I agree with you on that. In fact, when the current TV contracts are up, what I would love to see is MLB network take the playoffs and use the home team’s crew for each game. You would get a lot more insight that way, although I don’t think it will ever happen, unfortunately.
Mariano is so good that him walking someone must have looked like he wasn’t right to McCarver.
The Angels are an inferior team in almost every sense.
PItching, hitting, defensively. Our bullpen is better. They have an edge in baserunning, but it’s not a huge one.
We won last night (and will win this series in 5 or 6 games) because we’re a far better team, despite what the media might say. Just watch the way everyone played last night. The Angels looked like a AA team with all their miscues and mistakes. Even without the mistakes, we still win the game.
The Yankees are by far the best team for the first time in a while and I think people are used to having their doubts about our playoff chances and due to that, are giving the Angels far too much credit.
In the 8th inning, McCarver said that the Yanks normally put Gardy in left for defensive reasons and leave the Melkyman in center.
That’s when I knew that I would rather listen to Kaye even though THAT’s difficult at times.
I do love Singleton, however. He reports it straight and KNOWS the game. I’ll bet Kaye wishes that he had played so he could manage baseball tactics better.
McCarver said he saw something that didn’t look right when Mo was warming up. No justification for it, meanwhile not a word about the strike zone becoming quite a bit tighter and no showing of where those pitches were.
MLB network would do a better job with the post season games, but do they have the full market availability or are they just a cable network? That would probably exclude them.
When McCarver said something didn’t look right about Mo, he should have explained what he meant.
I like Cone and Singleton. They give good insights and are fair to both teams.
I also thought the MLB guys were nuts (though they overall did a great job), saying CC didn’t dominate. The Angels didn’t get a sniff of anything, except one inning. If CC had been removed from the game, they would have LOVED it – even if Phil eventually dominated. CC is a beast and a unique pitcher…..Last year, the man did was ridiculously great, carrying a team that didn’t give a hoot about his arm on his back. I felt CC gets a bad rap for the game against the Phillies – please, without him, the Brewers would have been home weeks ago. As far as I’m concerned, that game shouldn’t even count against him.
CC was the big story, but not the whole story. Mo is right – the team played a tremendous game. They played crisp baseball while the Angels fell all over themselves. I’m sure the Angels won’t do that again – they are too good for that. The real point is, though, that the Yankees played as well as they did – so if the Angels think this is the same team that has lost to them in past years, they should think again. If Alex’ play had cost the Yankees, I can see people being upset – though I agree that overall, it screams aggressiveness. I love that – the Angels aren’t hte only ones who can play that game. Plus, Alex is obviously confident in the health of his hip.
Doreen, I agree……..and although Sam said it was an ugly game, it was only ugly on the Angels’ side. The Yankees still have a reputation as a mashing, one-dimensional team. They are not a small-ball team by any means, but they have won games this year in a variety of ways…….and yes, that includes small ball. Unlike recent Yankee teams, this team actually can get the big sac fly or move the runner over. One thing I disagree with is what Adam the Bull said this morning – if the Angels win game 2, they have momentum. Eh……….first of all, game 3 is a completely different story with different pitchers. Also, how many times this year did the Yankes win the next game after losing one? A LOT, lol……..If they lose tonight, it’s just on to the next game. The Yankees’ psyches aren’t that fragile.
Just want to make a quick point. As long as CC feels fine, CC pitches game 4 even if we are up 3-0. You don’t take anything for granted and look to steal a game with Chad pitching. Remember when Joe did that in 2004? How did that work out? You go for the jugular and worry about the pitching for the WS when you get there.
CC defintely dominated. I only saw one hard hit ball all night-Guerrero’s double.
Gameday had one of Mo’s pitches to Hunter as a strike, but was called a ball. The other two were borderline, many umpires would have called them strikes, but McClelland is known to have a small strike zone. Ball four was out of the zone quite a bit.
Jennifer,
Agree with you on that. Actually, if CC pitches game 4, he has 7 days rest before the WS starts, as long as the Yanks can wrap it up without going to game 7,which should be likely .
Rain and the rotation. Could turn out to be Mike Scioscia’s biggest fear: Sabathia pitches, four rain days. CC pitches again, etc.
—————————————————-
The elements definately weren’t beneficial to the Angels. They seemed to have a lot of trouble executing on the Frozen Tundra of Yankee Stadium.
What’s the weather like in NY? I’m watching the today show and there’s a snow storm and they actually cancelled tailgating at the Penn State homecoming game. Gasp!
Buster’s take on CC:
========================================================
Sabathia giving Yankees whatever they need
Saturday, October 17, 2009 | Feedback | Print Entry
Margie Sabathia flew into New York the other day, and if she and her son held to family tradition late Friday night, then they probably hung out someplace in his home for 15 or 20 minutes to talk about his performance in Game 1, to talk about how nasty the conditions were and how he commanded his fastball. (She’s always telling him to use his fastball more.)
She raised Carsten Charles Sabathia mostly on her own, with help from family, and somewhere along the way she instilled in him a deep sense of accountability. His is not the story of a teenage athlete who was constantly catered to by adults from the time he demonstrated that he could throw a baseball really hard. No, Margie sent her moping son home on his bike when he complained about an umpire’s call as a kid, or a tough inning, and when he was sophomore in high school and he was the biggest and best athlete in the room, she yanked him off the basketball team because he’d gotten a “C” in Spanish. He begged her to relent, the coach asked her to relent, and Margie held firm. He must be responsible for his actions and choices, she insisted.
To gain more of Buster’s insight into Sabathia, you must be an ESPN Insider.
Sabathia’s concerns about playing in New York were real, reflected by the fact that he has an out in his contract after three seasons, and they were legitimate. It can be a miserable place to play for a veteran star who drops in from another town, as Chuck Knoblauch, Denny Neagle and others can attest, because the fans and the media have embraced the Steinbrenner Doctrine that you are a failure if you don’t win the World Series. Everything that Sabathia has accomplished to this point would be flushed if the Yankees suddenly slumped and failed to win seven more games.
But Sabathia took the challenge — and, yes, $161 million — and has not shrunk or shirked for an instant; rather, he has stepped up and shouldered the responsibility with aggressive success very rarely seen in professional sports (David Beckham is an excellent example of someone who decidedly did not live up to the hype).
He has been an All-Star and a Cy Young Award winner and yet he has made adjustments and changes, when necessary. He has worked on tempering his own internal engine (something Clayton Kershaw will do, eventually), because it sometimes sidelined him. He began employing a cut fastball, refined a changeup, began employing a slide step to slow down would-be base-stealers.
And midway through this season, he listened to the advice of pitching coach Dave Eiland and started throwing a two-seam fastball, a weapon that fits in perfectly with Sabathia’s repertoire; Sabathia could throw hard inside with his cutter, and he had the soft stuff inside and outside with his breaking ball and changeup, and now he has a fastball that veers away from right-handed hitters outside of their reach. Time and again, the Angels’ hitters seemed to give up on pitches at the edge of the plate, or just off it.
When Sabathia walked into the Yankees’ clubhouse on Thursday morning, he still had some semblance of a pillow face, appearing as if he’d been fast asleep less than an hour before. But it wasn’t long after that he went to the interview room and said in his cheerful, matter-of-fact manner that he was ready to give the Yankees whatever they needed — whether it be two starts or three starts in this series against the Angels, whether it be in cold weather or warm weather, whether it means throwing 120 or 130 or 140 pitches.
He’ll do whatever he is asked to do, and he won’t make excuses; Margie Sabathia cured him of that many years ago.
He just wants to win.
http://insider.espn.go.com/esp.....ney_buster
McCarver wouldn’t know a great reliever if one hit him in the face.
Small wonder why he’s never been on a Hall of Fame ballot.
“McCarver wouldn’t know a great reliever if one hit him in the face.
Small wonder why he’s never been on a Hall of Fame ballot.”
What has one thing got to do with the other?
I don’t like Buck or McCarver but McCarver’s work on tv has nothing to do with his being on the hall of fame ballot.
A month ago Girardi would have been crazy not to have someone up in the pen to stave off a Burnett implosion. Why is no one up now. Aceves should be ready to come in to face Hunter.