Another day of waiting
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- October
- 21
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The scheduling during this year’s playoffs has included a bunch of extra off days – the last one of which comes today, as the Yankees and Angels take a break in the middle of their three-game set at Angel Stadium. Normally, the set-up of the Championship Series is like what we’ll see in the World Series: two games in one city followed by an off day, then three games in another city, followed by another off day and the final two games back in the first city.
This year, the ALCS and NLCS have extra rest days. The NLCS was off yesterday and the ALCS sits today, primarily because of – surprise – TV. With two different networks (TBS and FOX) broadcasting the series, both want to their series to have the spotlight and the primetime spot as much as possible.
What’s it mean for you the fans? Lots and lots of waiting around.
What’s it mean for the Yankees today? Another round of batting practice in an empty stadium. The Yankees are working out today at 11:30 a.m. Pacific time, with Joe Girardi and Game 5 starter A.J. Burnett meeting the media just before the team takes the field. Chad and I will be at the park to bring you whatever news and notes comes out of it.
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Chad Jennings
Josh Thomson
MLB should not be selling out to TV and letting them dictate. It’s ridiculous.
We should already be into the World Series by now.
I bet the players and the fans would like to have the game be today.
One more game. Thursday would be great, don’t want to take any chances or give the Angels any opening.
The thing is that ratings have been fallen steadily in recent years, so the networks are doing whatever they need to do to boost them. I don’t like it either, but is surely understandable.
32 hours and 49 minutes until Game 5!!!!!!!!!!
Is there an interstate between New York and Philly??
Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times: “It looks like the Freeway Series is now a Freeway Pipe Dream. That is, unless you are talking about the interstate between New York and Philadelphia. Monday night, in Game 4 of their best-of-seven National League Championship Series, the Dodgers went dramatically. Tuesday night, in Game 4 of their best-of-seven American League Championship Series, the Angels just went. Comebacks from 3-1 are not impossible, just highly improbable. That’s especially true if the third loss is devastating, as it was in the Dodgers’ collapse in the ninth. Or if it is wimpy, as it was in the Angels’ five-hit, five-men-left-on-base, 10-1 submission to CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees.”
It means to me that Chad Gaudin doesn’t have to pitch in a meaningful situation this inning. For that, I am grateful.
Erin
October 21st, 2009 at 11:11 am
I love this quote by Swisher:
“When I grow up, I want to be like Alex Rodriguez,” Swisher said
*****
Right now that is actually a really good goal for him
“Is there an interstate between New York and Philly??”
I-95 is discontinuous. It’s the Jersey Turnpike for much of northern New Jersey, but then it stops being the Pike and picks up again on the Pennsylvania side of the river, across from Trenton.
Erica-I was thinking the same thing. LOL
Just as I knew it, Swisher hasn’t grown up yet! And, I suppose, AJ wants to be like CC?
- repost -
Boston Dave, sometimes when it rains it pours, I’m really siding on giving McClelland a pass on the Posada/Cano play. If you watch McClelland on the replay he’s watching the play on Posada the entire time, Cano is standing still so he assumes he’s on the base. What throws him off is that Posada overruns the base when Napoli tags Cano so McClellands focal point remains on Posada. Cano doesn’t move his foot onto the base until Napoli goes to tag Posada, so there is truly no time during that sequence of events where McClelland has the opporutunity to look at Cano’s foot. It’s just a freak play – who in their right mind would run to a bag and stop a foot short of it?
I believe Yankees/Phillies would be the New Jersey Turnpike Series. But, hey, this is mystiquey Joe Torre we are writing off here, maybe he will get Manny Ramirez out of the showers and spur the Dodgers on to 3 straight victories. Crazier things have happened (thinking of one particular series…)
“freeway” sounds like such a west coast term doesnt it? we definitely call them highways here on the east coast.
Neither manager argued or went ballistic on the bad umpire calls over the past 2 games. pretty interesting
bru
October 21st, 2009 at 11:14 am
SJ44
ok but humans are never going to be as accurate as technology
it just will never happen.
if an ump was in a room with the proper tools the calls will be almost 100 percent correct
you & i with our own tvs got these calls right to almost 100 percent accuracy
only review fair,foul & calls at the 3 bases if the coach wants to challenge
“IS there an interstate between New York and Philly??”
I-95/I-295
“Get a couple of guys on and the monkey comes out, you never know what’s going to happen.” –Derek Jeter
PRICELESS.
Andrew GTLU Bronze Medalist
October 21st, 2009 at 11:15 am
I believe Yankees/Phillies would be the New Jersey Turnpike Series. But, hey, this is mystiquey Joe Torre we are writing off here, maybe he will get Manny Ramirez out of the showers and spur the Dodgers on to 3 straight victories. Crazier things have happened (thinking of one particular series…)
****
The “New Jersey Turnpike Series” sounds depressing LOL
All these days off are ridiculous….TV should be put on notice that if one Series ends early, then the teams get a day or two off and then play starts for the next series and so on…Angels and Yankees sitting around for 4 days was horrendous……
# trisha – OPPC lifetime member and a true believer in baseball karma October 21st, 2009 at 11:12 am
Christina, it was one of those spontaneous things that I am famous for doing, not always wise mind you. The ticket started out a lot lower but you know how those things happen on eBay. People keep upping the bid. I had decided that I definitely wanted to go to Opening Day and actually had been watching a ticket on stubhub for about a month – front row bleachers! Well I thought the price would go down as it got closer to game time, and then one day the ticket was gone.
I was pretty horrified that I had bid that much for the ticket. So believe me it isn’t that I have that kind of money to throw around – I don’t. But if you remember, I was going to go to ST and then a snow storm and me getting sick conspired to keep me from going. So I used that as an rationale – I hadn’t spent that money – to justify paying a king’s ransom for a ticket. I guess you could say I had the money from not spending it earlier.
Anyway, thank God some other fool ended up with that ticket and this fool didn’t.
———————–
I see what you mean, especially since the trip to ST would have probably cost you an arm and a leg as well. I think in the end, it is just sad that the Yankees felt the value of those tickets were worth so much money, especially with the way the economy had been looking.
While the atmosphere you get at Yankee stadium is one of a kind, I took myself to Toronto this year to see the Yankees in action mostly because the tickets were a crap load cheaper (I sat 3 rows behind the Yankee dugout for 65 dollars)and you are more free to walk around and watch batting practice then you are at Yankee Stadium.
Saying that, it is probably a good thing that other person won the big Trisha, because when you look at it in the end, a 3 hour game isn’t worth that much money. I mean what happens when you spend that much, it rains, and the game ends after 5 innings?
46fan
October 21st, 2009 at 11:19 am
All these days off are ridiculous….TV should be put on notice that if one Series ends early, then the teams get a day or two off and then play starts for the next series and so on…Angels and Yankees sitting around for 4 days was horrendous……
****
But it gave you 4 quality days of my countdowns
Then Garden State Parkway Series.
just curious why TV (Fox and TBS) would rather have baseball in primetime tomorrow when it has to compete with Thursday night football? Seems like there is less on in terms of decent TV (particularly sports TV) tonight.
SO…where all those wonderful suicidals I was bantering with after the game 3 loss?
WHERE are all the clowns who were calling for Girardi’s head?
This is a team game and pretty much everyone on the team that was involved in the game, including the coaching staff, contributed.
iiicollies
October 21st, 2009 at 11:20 am
Then Garden State Parkway Series
****
Wrong road, but it sounds prettier
Although, the Garden State Parkway goes to Atlantic City so it is automatically infinitely better
Hokiehill
October 21st, 2009 at 11:21 am
just curious why TV (Fox and TBS) would rather have baseball in primetime tomorrow when it has to compete with Thursday night football? Seems like there is less on in terms of decent TV (particularly sports TV) tonight.
****
You obviously do not watch Glee on Fox, Law and Order SVU on NBC or Modern Family, The Middle and Cougartown on ABC.
Wednesday nights are one of my big DVR conflict nights
repost:
Don’t you all remember the play in the Rockies-Padres playoff game with Trevor Hoffman on the mound where the homeplate ump called a Rockies player safe at home and that play won the game, where the replay later showed he was out? That call sent the Padres home and the Rockies to the postseason! Where in hell was all of the outrage then????
So we are all indignant right now why, because McClelland came out and admitted he was wrong where other umpires end up being wrong via the replay but never say a word about it?
How about all the hideous balls and strikes called behind homeplate that sometimes end up meaning the game for the wrong team? Where is all the indignation about those?
I guess I can’t get too shook up by this since when I get really irate by bad calls in games, those things seem to be considered “part of the game” by the general populace and just go by the wayside.
Those calls last night did not affect the outcome of the game. So be it.
As an aside, there are only two times that I have ever seen an umpire call a player out for leaving too early, though I have seen a lot of players ask for the call. Both times it was Swisher, and both times he hadn’t left early!
It’s gonna be a slow news day – Philly could wrap it up tonight, the umps have been horrfic (but that was mostly lost in the blowout last night) – so we have – front page NY Post:
Steve Phillip’s fatal attraction fling.
Man, this guy is really an idiot.
I also know why he was fired as Mets GM – he was always a lousy evalutaor of “talent”
I actually appreciate the days off – especially those following Yankee wins! Gives me time to breathe, enjoy the beautiful autumn day, and plan for a night of watching the NLCS with a clear head!
GO OFF DAYS!
Regarding the umpiring, I have to say I was really peeved about their insubordination. The calls went against the Yankees and the Angels at various times to the extent that it seemed like maybe they umps were trying to make up for a previous bad call and ended up making another bad call.
Really inexcusable.
HOWEVER, baseball is a slow-paced game and to add a complex Replay system could further impact the slow nature of the game which seems to be one of the biggest turn offs to potential fans.
Not sure how you would go about it…I’m not adverse to it, but it would have to be devoid of “Official Reviews” such as those in the NFL and I suppose you’d have to give each coach a “Challenge” flag, perhaps only 2 per game. The question would then be, what kind of penalty would they face, if any, should the call end up being accurate?
As others have said, there isnt one road that runs from NY to Philly. But I agree, they’ll probably go with the NJT Series. Or they may go with the Amtrak Series.
So here’s the challenge that awaits the Angels: They have to generate some offense and reassert themselves against A.J. Burnett on Thursday. Then they have to return to New York and beat a Yankees team that posted a major league-best 57-24 home record. And even if the Angels make it back to the Bronx, they’ll have to beat Andy Pettitte and Sabathia, who are a combined 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA in the postseason this year. Good luck with that.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=4581627
Yeah Erica, I have not gotten into Glee…not because it’s bad (I havent seen it) I just haven’t made a point to watch it. My big nights are Sunday with Fox’s animation domination (and formerly Entourage) and Thursday with all of NBC’s comedy’s and Flash Forward. We’re also big fans of Hell’s Kitchen but it’s over now.
Trish
But, then if we had the 2 day rest after the third game, we all would had been going NUTS. I think it’s more dependent on last night’s very satisfying victory
CountryClub
October 21st, 2009 at 11:26 am
As others have said, there isnt one road that runs from NY to Philly. But I agree, they’ll probably go with the NJT Series. Or they may go with the Amtrak Series.
****
I do not believe Amtrak has paid to sponsor the series
It’s probably because of the teams invovled (2 northeast and 2 west coast), but the TV ratings have been considerably up for these playoffs.
I’m not so sure the World Series will be so lucky. I can’t imagine a NY/Philly Series will have much appeal nationwide.
hmm interesting note about the WS schedule, I thought it would work the same as the ALCS/NLCS would. as it applies to the Yankees though, doesn’t it mean that (if they finish this series off of course) they’d have to either start CC AND AJ on 3-days rest OR pitch Chad Gaudin? I think everyone was shown last night that CC can handle the short rest. But what about AJ?
Erica -
I-95 is an interstate highway that connects NY, NJ (the Turnpike) and PA. So, yes, there is an interstate.
“SO…where all those wonderful suicidals I was bantering with after the game 3 loss?
WHERE are all the clowns who were calling for Girardi’s head?”
Today they have all morphed into today’s happy happy kids.
The kind of momentum you’re talking about is known as the next day’s team loss!
Erica wrote:
The “New Jersey Turnpike Series” sounds depressing LOL
—————-
You’re right, it does. I think they should call it the “Acela Series”. #1 it sounds better, and #2 it promotes mass transit which we all need to be utilizing more.
One day, in the far, far, far future, we may actually have the BosWash Series
“But, then if we had the 2 day rest after the third game, we all would had been going NUTS. I think it’s more dependent on last night’s very satisfying victory”
iii, you are absolutely right. I probably should have said I appreciate it ONLY after a Yankee win!
If the game were today I have no doubt in my mind that the Yankees would finish it tonight.
The Angels bullpen would have been shot to hell. The extra day off gives them all a chance to recuperate.
AJ should be the good AJ tomorrow night, he’d better be at least.
Doreen,
It doesnt run straight through. The 95 that drives through Philly does not turn into the 95/NJT that leads to the GW Bridge.
you can also only use the ump reviewing in a room in the playoffs,ws or when a division title,wc is on the line only
just look at the fair ball wrong call down the line in the minny series,the calls last night
if you & i were in a room with the best technoloy in the world & slow motion would we get these calls right?
yes & we arent trained at all.
eliminate an on field ump,put him in a room,when the challenge button is pushed by the coach the ump in the room with the proper technoloy to get the calls right radios the call in with headsets
very little time wasted
we can make up the time by cutting down the coaces visits to the mound,etc…
i have never in my life seen a coach,catchers,etc visit the mound so much
Erica – always OPPC – lol, how could I discount those??????
Hokiehill
October 21st, 2009 at 11:27 am
Yeah Erica, I have not gotten into Glee…not because it’s bad (I havent seen it) I just haven’t made a point to watch it. My big nights are Sunday with Fox’s animation domination (and formerly Entourage) and Thursday with all of NBC’s comedy’s and Flash Forward. We’re also big fans of Hell’s Kitchen but it’s over now.
****
It took some solid debating but I finally figured out what shows I will DVR on Thursday night and which shows I will watch online.
8pm, I am DVRing NBC and will watch Flashforward online
9pm, I am DVRing ABC and will watch The Office and 30 Rock online.
This is obviously nightmare scenario
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes, I disagree with the notion that replay would slow down the game (if done correctly).
That’s why I prefer the idea of a seperate replay official determining when a call is incorrect and signaling to the head umpire on the field. No manager’s challenge…
If you think about it now, alot of really close plays and all plays where a manager thinks the ump is wrong are prolongued because of arguing anyway. In all 3 instances with the bad calls last night, I had seen 2-3 replays before the next pitch was even thrown. I would also stipulate that a manager arguing with a replay would be immediately ejected.
If you want to speed up the game a bit more then just enforce the rules regarding time between pitches and there you go. Eliminate pitchers walking all around the mound and batters w/their stupid rituals after EVERY pitch. Go further and adopt the little league rules where a batter can not leave the batter’s box. Baseball has shown with their lack of effort with these items that time is really not an issue they’re concerned with…accuracy should be.
raymagnetic, if the game was today AJ would be pitching on three days rest :0
they can just call it the I-95 Series.
I think a WS w/ the Yankees and Phillies would have nation wide appeal. Yankee fans (and haters) are everywhere. And the Phillies are last years WS champs.
Watching the highlights right now. That was a terrific job by the homeplate umpire. In any view but slow-mo, Cano appears to be out on Melky’s RBI single to make it 3-0.
And the funny apart about that one, is all series I’ve been thinking that Napoli has disproportionately short arms. If his arms were just a couple inches longer.
pat,
A-rod rocking the black tablecloth again, but he’s wearing it under a black and white reversible hoody.
trisha,
Those pessimists after Game 3’s loss were KILLING me. It literally was not any fun to read this blog because of the negativity and cries for Girardi’s imminent firing.
The Angels are a good team…I figured this series would have plenty of challenges for the Yankees and it certainly has in pretty much every way. I can only hope we close it out tomorrow, but we got our work cut out.
On the pick off play on Swisher you can see the umpire moving to get into position to make the call. One of the first things taught in umpire school is to NOT do this. You should be in position but if you are not at least be stationary so you have a chance to see the play. Amateurish.
One other reason I hope this series is over either tommorrow or Saturday. If there is a game 7, it is scheduled for Sunday night. Same time as the Giants-Cardinals game on NBC. I’d be clicking back and forth for over 3 hours.
Hokiehill
October 21st, 2009 at 11:33 am
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes, I disagree with the notion that replay would slow down the game (if done correctly).
That’s why I prefer the idea of a seperate replay official determining when a call is incorrect and signaling to the head umpire on the field. No manager’s challenge…
If you think about it now, alot of really close plays and all plays where a manager thinks the ump is wrong are prolongued because of arguing anyway. In all 3 instances with the bad calls last night, I had seen 2-3 replays before the next pitch was even thrown. I would also stipulate that a manager arguing with a replay would be immediately ejected.
If you want to speed up the game a bit more then just enforce the rules regarding time between pitches and there you go. Eliminate pitchers walking all around the mound and batters w/their stupid rituals after EVERY pitch. Go further and adopt the little league rules where a batter can not leave the batter’s box. Baseball has shown with their lack of effort with these items that time is really not an issue they’re concerned with…accuracy should be.
———————————————————–
agree 100 %
tex’s friend
October 21st, 2009 at 11:33 am
they can just call it the I-95 Series.
****
I kind of like that one
Why do people keep saying that AJ better do this and better do that? Or what?
If we were playing today, that means Gaudin would’ve pitched game 4, CC game 5, with AJ and Andy lined up for the final 2.
“Neither manager argued or went ballistic on the bad umpire calls over the past 2 games. pretty interesting”
It may be because both managers have been the beneficiaries of bad calls in the past and had enough integrity to keep their comments to a minimum because of it.
********************
I find the fear of Chad Gaudin comments pretty interesting since Gaudin had been one of our better pitchers coming down the stretch. Plus he did one heck of a good job last night getting three outs without having pitched in a while.
I personally rested easy on the nights when Gaudin was the only pitcher left in the pen because I DID remember how good Gaudin had been and the innings he was able to give the Yankees.
Youd think Steve Phillips, if he was gonna jeopardize his ESPN job, would have made her worth it. Why not Bonnie Bernstein, Rachel Nichols, or the hottie of hotties, Erin Andrews?
trisha,
Aceves and Gaudin don’t possess blinding stuff. But they know how to pitch, especially Aceves. I would use Aceves as my #5 any day. He just has a couple of hotshot kids in front him.
CHRISTINA-
I always go up to Toronto to watch the Yankees play!! It is really cheap to get great seats up there. I always sit behind homeplate or behind the dugout for around 50-65 dollars. A few years back I had the opportunity to see Jobas first ever mlb appearance. It was the same game that the Rocket beaned I believe Alex Rios and the benches cleared twice. The very next morning I met Joba and Hughes in the hotel lobby and got a great picture with the two of them and myself. If you ever go again go to the Hyatt and watch the players come and go to the ball park. Some guys actually walked. (Shelley Duncan and Jeff Karstens) I also met Jason Giambi as he TRIED to sneak out of the back door of the hotel and get into a cab.(really really nice guy)
Do you think there will be a lot of people trying to catch games in both NYC and Philly? I mean, Y fans going south and P fans going to YS?
Mad Prince, I certainly like our chances up 3-1. While it would be fun to close it out at the Stadium, I certainly would like to get the deed done as soon as possible. I know that AJ is better at home than on the road but I am not even concerned about that. The Angels will obviously be motivated to keep this going so they aren’t going to roll over.
I just truly believe the Yankees have the better team and if they play their game, they will not be beaten. Maybe there was a little complacency that came out the other night, after having won 5 straight. Who knows? But they are as motivated to win their fourth game as the Angels are to keep them from winning it.
iiicollies
October 21st, 2009 at 11:41 am
Do you think there will be a lot of people trying to catch games in both NYC and Philly? I mean, Y fans going south and P fans going to YS?
****
I definitely think that is a possibility. Its only about two and a half hours to Philly
Am I sick for thinking of going back to AC next weekend to see them at a middle point??? LOL
The guy can’t help himself.
He’s a tool.
Now, it’s gonna cost him big time.
I don’t feel sorry for the wife, because she knew what this knucklehead was about – but the kids – and getting sent Facebook messages by this sicko – just scary.
I’ll be surprised if his job survives over this.
mel, I agree with you about the AJ BETTER be good statements. It reminds me of little kids at recess saying that if someone doesn’t do something they want, they won’t share their candy. It has that same pouty/threatening inflection.
Not personal since I don’t remember who has said it but I have read it at least a few times.
“raymagnetic, if the game was today AJ would be pitching on three days rest :0″
That’s just semantics lol.
Didn’t even realize he would be pitching on 3 days rest to tell you the truth.
I just want this series over ASAP!
Hey they are already making World Series plans over at the Yankee blog…
‘Its only about two and a half hours to Philly’
That’s what made me think of it.
If I had the money, I would gone up to Minnesota to catch an ALDS game
mel, Gaudin stuff was good enough for him to both make the postseason roster and be considered as the Game 4 pitcher! The guy has been a starter and he has his own share of nasty pitches.
I think people somehow just shoot off things without actually thinking them out.
“October 21st, 2009 at 11:08 am
MLB should not be selling out to TV and letting them dictate. It’s ridiculous.”
“Selling out to TV”??
MLB exists to be on TV, particularly the post-season. That the WHOLE point.
Its obvious this year they decided they want to be certain to get as many potential clinching/elimination games in primetime without conflict.
Can’t really blame them for that.
Aura, maybe I’m missing something, but this IS THE Yankee blog
The reason AJ better be good is because he needs to be babied and have his own catcher. A catcher who wasn’t able to block AJ’s wild pitches by the way.
If you have to be babied and have your own catcher, well then you better pitch well.
You can’t ask for special circumstances and then pitch like a dog.
By the way, if CC can pitch well all postseason with Posada as his catcher I see no reason why AJ can’t as well.
trisha,
Plenty of people have said it.
Even Rebecca when the news of Molina starting came out. I don’t think she meant it like it came out. I just think she was in shock.
Gotta go for the kill tomorrow, no fooling around.
Forecast for Saturday looks lousy (yeah, I know).
bru, the managers and coaches and catchers do those visits to the mound to break up momentum. Its a tool that some use far too much, though.
How would YOU figure out where to place Mauer on that fair called foul ball had it not bounced into the stands? First? Second? Possibly even third?
That is the trouble with some of these calls. Each situation could give you different result. There was a game where a ball was crushed into the outfield, but was still in the yard. Willie Mays got the ball and threw it in and held the batter to a single. It was over 430 feet that the ball traveled, you would expect that it would have resulted in a double. The reverse could be true as well.
You can’t take into account the players abilities, yet to be fair you should. That also doesn’t take into account if the runner was aggressive and could have been called out trying for that extra base.
Maybe limiting replay to certain plays would calm things down, but I tend to doubt it. Once it is used in one place it gets added to because of one call being made wrong and so it expands.
Im going to Philly but Im getting comped a room in AC that night!!!! You better believe im playing number 27 on the roulette table!!!!!!!!
“How would YOU figure out where to place Mauer on that fair called foul ball had it not bounced into the stands? First? Second? Possibly even third?”
He should have been on second. It would have been a ground’s rule double if called correctly.
AJ’s good enough in the eyes of his managers and teammates. That’s good enough for me. He doesn’t need to fit into any preconceived mold for him to contribute to this particular team.
Mr. Clutch, I think replay would have to be limited to “dead ball” type plays…like plays at the plate (or any other bag) where the play essentially ends after the call. Not sure how to handle the fowl ball scenario with replay though…I guess you could call it fair if there is a question and then review to be sure…if reversed than everyone just resets.
I figured I’d change my tagline for the upcoming game.
Well our upcoming game that is. About tonight’s upcoming game -
GO PHILS!!!!
So far this has been a most satisfying postseason, at least from my perspective of not wanting to see the Dodgers succeed.
Have a wonderful day y’all. The sun is shining and it is just beautiful here. (Supposed to be 70 degrees tomorrow. Go figure.)
ball into the stands would just be a ground rule double with the same rules. Fair/Foul and strikes would never be able to be reviewed.
raymagnetic – The Curious Case of Joe Girardi
October 21st, 2009 at 11:46 am
The reason AJ better be good is because he needs to be babied and have his own catcher. A catcher who wasn’t able to block AJ’s wild pitches by the way.
If you have to be babied and have your own catcher, well then you better pitch well.
You can’t ask for special circumstances and then pitch like a dog.
By the way, if CC can pitch well all postseason with Posada as his catcher I see no reason why AJ can’t as well.
__________________________________________________________
Mike Mussina and Greg Maddux have used personal catchers as well. Were they being “babied” as well? Pitchers are quirky and some have special preferences.
There’s a lot of hatred for AJ and Molina around here, shouldn’t we be standing behind them and hope for a win in Game 5? Seems like a some people would be more satisfied if they imploded.
“By the way, if CC can pitch well all postseason with Posada as his catcher I see no reason why AJ can’t as well.”
Posada can’t block his pitches as well? Posada calls for a lot of things that AJ doesn’t want to throw? Posada throws the ball back to him over his head when he isn’t happy with things AJ has done?
The thing that is apparent is that AJ pitches better with Molina. AJ gets more strikeouts, throws fewer pitches for homers, hits and runs.
I guess that’s really what matters at this point.
Let next season take care of itself. Maybe Posada and AJ can work out their differences between the end of this postseason and the start of next season.
raymagnetic,
Were you the clown posting as “The Curious Case of Joba Chamberlain” yesterday?
The same one that was crying for Girardi’s head?
The offense is starting to fire up. And with the pitching that the Yankees have I can’t see the Angels getting back into this series. The only team that will give the Yankees some trouble are the Phillies mostly because of their offense and Lee, other than that nothing else scares me. But if the pitching continues on this pace then the Phillies offense won’t be a factor.
The I-95 /NJ turnpike confuses a lot of people around here.. NJ Turpike and I-95 are the same until exit 6..On exit 7a , There’s a break and you follow I-195 for a few miles and catch I-295 which turns into I-95 again..
The other way is to take the PA turnpike from NJ turpike near exit 6 and then take the first exit on PA.. Take a local road (Route 13) and then join in I-95…
so its technically a i-95/195/295/i-95 series…
I think it’ll just be easier to call it the “Ex-Cleveland Aces” series.
Hokiehill, I can see that being the easiest way of limiting the replays used, and keeping it from changing a large substantial part of the game.
You mention the time between pitches/ batters stepping out of the box. I guess I see both sides of that. Really, when waiting for the ball to be put in play, the battle is between the pitcher and batter, each looking for a little advantage. Batters look to break up rhythm, pitchers look to create time to help throw off the batters sense of timing.
I think part of the problem is that some people want it to be managed like a timed sport is. Baseball is fairly unique in that there is no clock to work with. (Unique compared to the other big sports, hockey, football, basketball).
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, but whatever is done, replay will somehow come into the game more. I think it will change the sport more than we realize, and that may not be for the better. That is my concern with it.
Anyway, I’ll read you response when I get back… meeting to go to.
Yo, everyone talking about the name of the World Series, maybe you should hold off on that discussion until the Yankees are actually in the series…
I am as excited as anyone by the prospect of being there, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
As 2004 showed us, nothing is a foregone conclusion.
Try modesty.
On Yahoo Sports the headline is “Yankees Rout Dodgers”. McClelland must be writing for Yahoo sports
An interesting point was brought up *IF* the Yanks make the series…
We know CC does not mind going on 3days rest in Game 4, but the schedule means that AJ would also be going on short rest for Game 5…..does anyone know how AJ pitches on short rest?
Game 6 would be regular rest for Petitte, and Game 7 would be short rest again for CC…
No Yankee fan in his or her right mind can complain about the scheduling of this series. Having CC able to make 3 starts in the LCS, only 1 of which on short rest is a tremendous advantage – as we saw yesterday.
From a baseball standpoint, the scheduling definitely runs contrary to the regular season. In the reg. season you need 5 starters, and usually in the post season you need 4 starters. To make the playoffs a battle of each team’s 3 best starters is antithetical to the way the sport is typically played.
One quick thing and I’m gone for bit… pitchers are kind of like fighter pilots. The regular players may like them quite a bit, but they are always thought of as odd.
Valued, but never truly understood or considered normal.
The Yanks historically have hit Cliff Lee very well…
Derek Jeter 30 27 11 3 0 0 5 3 3 .407 .467 .519 .986 0 0 0 0 0
Brett Gardner 6 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400 .400 .400 .800 1 0 0 0 0
Mark Teixeira 26 23 9 4 0 1 6 2 2 .391 .462 .696 1.158 0 0 0 1 1
Alex Rodriguez 20 15 5 0 0 2 6 4 3 .333 .450 .733 1.183 0 1 0 0 0
Nick Swisher 24 18 6 2 0 0 1 4 4 .333 .458 .444 .902 0 1 0 1 0
Hideki Matsui 19 17 5 2 0 0 0 2 4 .294 .368 .412 .780 0 0 0 0 0
Jorge Posada 22 21 6 2 0 2 5 0 2 .286 .273 .667 .940 0 1 0 0 3
Melky Cabrera 12 11 3 0 0 1 1 1 1 .273 .333 .545 .878 0 0 0 0 0
Jose Molina 11 11 3 1 0 1 2 0 4 .273 .273 .636 .909 0 0 0 0 0
Robinson Cano 19 18 4 0 0 0 1 1 3 .222 .263 .222 .485 0 0 0 0 0
Jerry Hairston 6 6 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 .167 .167 .667 .834 0 0 0 0 0
Johnny Damon 23 22 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 .091 .130 .091 .221 0 0 0 0 0
Eric Hinske 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0
“Try modesty.”
Now you’re asking for the impossible. I started guaranteeing a Yankee world series on the first day of the season. I don’t think using the word “if” would fly at this point!
Nobody should be unhappy with Burnett throwing 6 good innings with a nice run cushion and a rested bullpen.
MR.OCTOBER
October 21st, 2009 at 11:49 am
Im going to Philly but Im getting comped a room in AC that night!!!! You better believe im playing number 27 on the roulette table!!!!!!!!
***
Where are you staying?
“Mike Mussina and Greg Maddux have used personal catchers as well. Were they being “babied” as well? Pitchers are quirky and some have special preferences.
There’s a lot of hatred for AJ and Molina around here, shouldn’t we be standing behind them and hope for a win in Game 5? Seems like a some people would be more satisfied if they imploded.”
First, Mussina won exactly 0 rings as a player and Maddux won 1 ring. A lot of people believe the braves might have won more rings if Maddux didn’t need a personal catcher.
But to answer your question, yes they WERE being babied.
Furthermore I would like nothing more for AJ to be spectacular tomorrow and he’d BETTER be spectacular since he is a baby.
31 hours and 43 minutes until Game 5!!!!!!
trisha,
Of course I appreciate the optimism, especially of the “Day One” variety.
I merely respect the Angels and the challenge the pose despite my confidence in the Yankees.
Do I believe we’ll be in the World Series? Absolutely. Am I 100% convinced. Nope.
The ‘Soprano Series’..it’s all about the NJ Turnpike/Garden State parkway
raymagnetic,
Why did you evade my question about who you posted as yesterday?
You were calling for Girardi’s head and crying as if the season was lost.
How do you feel today?
“raymagnetic,
Were you the clown posting as “The Curious Case of Joba Chamberlain” yesterday?
The same one that was crying for Girardi’s head?”
Nope. I only post under the name raymagnetic. Have been for years. I do think Joe has been making some curious bullpen moves. The Yankees won most of the games so no complaints from me.
Mad Prince,
As you can see I didn’t evade your question. We were posting at the same time. 12:19. Why would I evade an anonymous person over the internet lol.
Are you going to give me the SJ44 treatment and have someone you work with call my parents? lmao.
Call it morbid curiosity or that I have a warped sense of humor, but I’ve been checking out boston.com lately, just to see how Pete’s doing. He doesn’t post often, and when he does, they hate him on the threads. Another thing that struck me is that, yes I know he’s covering the post season even though the Sux are out, he’s writing for a Boston blog, but not writing anything about what they should be doing in the offseason. He’s focusing on the Yankees instead.
Pretty funny, but the funniest thing I’ve seen so far is this little box off to the right entitled “Key Dates on the Baseball Calendar”. First date listed is the free agent filing period, starting two weeks after the WS ends. So I guess first day of the WS doesn’t rate that highly in Boston. Too funny.
If the Yankees and Phillies both win the LCS, it should be “2009 World Series: Winner Claims New Jersey”
I hope ESPN fires Phillips. He just gave more evidence, as it were necessary, that he is an idiot.
In response to an earlier question of why he didn’t play with the more attractive ESPN women, I would venture to remind you it takes two. Why would anyone with mcuh going for them want that dolt?
JasonR
October 21st, 2009 at 12:22 pm
If the Yankees and Phillies both win the LCS, it should be “2009 World Series: Winner Claims New Jersey”
****
LOL. I like that idea. The winner gets the state of Jersey. That would make that place so much better
I have a feeling that Posada will catch AJ tomorrow.. Posada behind A-rod worked great yesterday..
Also, Posada is 12-29(.414) against lackey..
vin October 21st, 2009 at 12:06 pm
No Yankee fan in his or her right mind can complain about the scheduling of this series. Having CC able to make 3 starts in the LCS, only 1 of which on short rest is a tremendous advantage – as we saw yesterday.
From a baseball standpoint, the scheduling definitely runs contrary to the regular season. In the reg. season you need 5 starters, and usually in the post season you need 4 starters. To make the playoffs a battle of each team’s 3 best starters is antithetical to the way the sport is typically played.
========================
If memory serves me correctly, in the 5-’s and 60’s, most teams only used 3 starters.
How about Northeast Corridor series?
As an ex Philadelphian Yankee fan, I can’t wait to shut up all of my friends!
Phillies are not true WS champs, JC Romero should never have pitched after testing positive. ***
raymagnetic,
Someone was posting yesterday as “The Curious Case of Joba Chamberlain” and since you threw in “The Curious Case of Joe Girardi” today, I figured you were one in the same…seems a bit “Curious” that you are using that too…
Whoever it was knows who they are and knows full well that their whining and crybaby behavior yesterday defines their ineptitude as a baseball and so-called Yankee fan.
Did SJ44 seriously threaten to call someone’s parents?
I saw once an article in the NY Times exploring the fuzzy boundary line between Yankee and Red Sox territory.
Is there anyone here who lives close to the Yankee-Philly line of demarcation? Care to comment?
“The Yanks historically have hit Cliff Lee very well…”
Yeah, but the bulk of that was when he was a very different pitcher.
“2009 World Series: A Met Fans Hell On Earth!” ?
Just call it The East Coast series.
RE: Steve Phillips
I’m not sure why any of you are even dignifying him with conversation on this blog.
Everyone knows his knowledge is a laughable at best and, furthermore, anyone who watches “Baseball Tonight” is selling themselves short when MLB Network is far superior analysis and commentary. Of course I realize that MLB Network isn’t available via all cable providers, so to those who suffer from this: “Its not your fault.”
SJ44 CALLED the parents (by his story)
Don Mattingly has drawn the interest of the Indians and the Astros.He(48) was passed over for Joe G. as you remember,
says he’s ready to manage.
Just let Posada DH.
haiku-man
October 21st, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Don Mattingly has drawn the interest of the Indians and the Astros.He(48) was passed over for Joe G. as you remember,
says he’s ready to manage.
****
I still believe that the Yankees had a deal in place with Girardi when the Marlins let him go. Girardi was offered a deal to manage Baltimore and turned it down to sit in the YES booth.
I am almost certain the Yankees told him if he turned down Baltimore, the managerial job would be his soon
SJ44,
Come on now…what is this all about?
mick
October 21st, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Just let Posada DH.
****
Why????
iiicollies
October 21st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I saw once an article in the NY Times exploring the fuzzy boundary line between Yankee and Red Sox territory.
Is there anyone here who lives close to the Yankee-Philly line of demarcation? Care to comment?
———————————————
I think Trenton is the imaginary boundary for phillies/yanks… North and east of Trenton its all yankees/mets… South and west of Trenton is all phillies..
There are lots of yankees and sox fans in the philly suburbs though..
OK wait a minute…whose parents did SJ44 call? That is the real question?
Was it the parents of an adult? If so, what grown man or woman still lives with their parents (excepting those who are caretakers)?
MPIP
Obviously adolescents (and probably younger) can also post on here
Make Jorge happy. Sit Matsui a game, he’s cold. Bat Jorge 5th again to protect Al. Need his bat. If we bomb them again we don’t have to hit for Molina. Enough reasons?
““2009 World Series: A Met Fans Hell On Earth!” ?”
I like it already.
“raymagnetic,
Someone was posting yesterday as “The Curious Case of Joba Chamberlain” and since you threw in “The Curious Case of Joe Girardi” today, I figured you were one in the same…seems a bit “Curious” that you are using that too…
Whoever it was knows who they are and knows full well that their whining and crybaby behavior yesterday defines their ineptitude as a baseball and so-called Yankee fan.
Did SJ44 seriously threaten to call someone’s parents?”
I was on the blog during the AM yesterday, I made a few posts with the same headline but definitely didn’t say anything bad about Joba.
SJ, if it were the real SJ posted that he called somebody’s parents who impersonated him yesterday.
Personally, I’m okay with Molina starting tomorrow night provided Posada DH’s.
I love Matsui and actually thought he’d have a huge series, but Jorge needs to be in the lineup and if Molina can block AJ’s pitches slightly better and discourage any running game it helps.
Joe showed some foresight by batting Jorge in front of Hideki last night.
That said, my preferred lineup has both Jorge and Hideki in it and Molina on the bench, but what’s done is done. Molina is going to catch AJ so there’s no use crying about it.
I think that means he’s riding the hot hand.
iiicollies, I’m curious, where did the article say the dividing line was in Connecticut for Red Sox/Yankees?
Mad Prince,
This is what SJ44 or the fake SJ44 posted earlier today
“SJ44
October 21st, 2009 at 10:35 am
Sam e-mailed me last night re: the imposter.
Somebody on my staff, a computer wizard, was able to trace it back to someone.
I was able to talk to that particular person’s parents and, needless to say, they weren’t happy with the actions of their kid.
That situation was put to bed at about 9 last night.
I can’t do it for everybody who impersonates me or others on the blog but, at least one of the folks doing it has been handled.
Hopefully, they add registration next year. That will make it much better for everybody.”
With an eye towards 2010 and beyond comes this news:
mlbtraderumors RT @jorgearangure Breaking: Aroldis Chapman to arrive today in New York to begin series of meetings with teams. Story to be posted soon.
Aroldis? Ooh. Maybe we’ll trade the Big Baby to make room for him.
I do not believe Posada should DH
Everyday players do not always thrive in the DH role. Plus, Posada can pinch hit for Molina at any time. If you have Posada as the DH, you cannot pinch hit for Molina so easily. Posada would have to catch or you lose your DH. If you put in Cervelli, you are using your last catcher.
raymagnetic,
So you were the one posting as “The Curious Case of Joba Chamberlain” yesterday? Or not?
Sorry, now I’m confused.
When the “Fatal Attraction,” headcase showed up at his house,she was already in a crazed state.Steve and his “Chippy Slut,”caused pain to his wife,and children,broke up a marriage,as well as tarnishing his and her careers.
Warning,whenever a person is willing to be your”Play thing on the side,” they usually aren’t emotionally balanced.She could have did a “Lorena Bobbit” on him!!
how funny would it be if SJ44 and the fake SJ44 was just a person with a split personality disorder like Jim Carrey in Me Myself and Irene?
Wouldn’t be a need to make room for him, seems like if signed Chapman would need time in the minors to get his game right and ready for MLB. He would hopefully be a better investment than the team’s last “big” international signing (not Aceves, the other pitcher…)
Posada has a career 1.055 OPS against Lackey, and Matsui a career .808 OPS against Lackey. Seems a shame to sit either one.
Since the Yanks are up 3-1, I’d take what some around here would consider a chance (I don’t, personally) and let Posada catch AJ tomorrow.
That way, if AJ gets pasted, no huge harm done, but if AJ pitches well, that would show (it really wouldn’t show anything as the whole controversy is nothing but a figment of people’s imagination but lots of people would believe it showed)that Posada can catch AJ and we’d be a lot better off in the World Series.
raymagnetic – The Curious Case of Joe Girardi
October 21st, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Mad Prince,
This is what SJ44 or the fake SJ44 posted earlier today
“SJ44
October 21st, 2009 at 10:35 am
Sam e-mailed me last night re: the imposter.
Somebody on my staff, a computer wizard, was able to trace it back to someone.
I was able to talk to that particular person’s parents and, needless to say, they weren’t happy with the actions of their kid.
That situation was put to bed at about 9 last night.
I can’t do it for everybody who impersonates me or others on the blog but, at least one of the folks doing it has been handled.
Hopefully, they add registration next year. That will make it much better for everybody.”
=========================================================
All I have to say to that is…Balls!
Ghost
The article was a few years back – I would need to search for it. The line does meander a bit.
m,
Who is the “Big Baby”?
Here’s something from 2006 but it’s not the same I read
http://news.blogs.nytimes.com/.....e/?apage=3
Andrew,
That’s not the point!!!
Mad Prince,
Read back through the thread. Try to keep up.
Here’s the article!
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08.....8fans.html
SJ44 did the right thing. The parents should know they are raising an identity thief.
Maybe they can start saving for those legal bills
I don’t know what’s going on today on the LoHud…I’m not even sure if I’m sober yet…
But raymagnetic is on of my absolute favorite commenters on this blog, no joke. Realistic beats the fake optimist/pessimist dichotomy people try to push.
And SJ44 called Aroldis Chapman’s parents??? That’s cool. Can’t wait to see that guy throwing darts in pinstripes!
As far as Aroldis goes, I’m more interested in 2009 than I am about any potential additions to our 2010 squad.
I’m shocked the paper gave info on a poster to someone other than the proper authorities. I’m assuming they didn’t have the imposter’s permission.
How old is Chapman again? 21?
G Love-
If either Molina or Cervelli were decent hitters I could see starting Posada at DH, but since they aren’t if you start Posada at DH the Yanks are condemned to weak hitting from the catcher spot all game, as opposed to 1 or 2 ABs.
I don’t think that’s the best way to go. I’d start Posada at catcher, but if he doesn’t, he should sit and replace Molina later in the game.
Nick in SF in… Torrance? Redondo Beach?
October 21st, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I don’t know what’s going on today on the LoHud…I’m not even sure if I’m sober yet…
But raymagnetic is on of my absolute favorite commenters on this blog, no joke. Realistic beats the fake optimist/pessimist dichotomy people try to push.
****
Where does blatent sarcasm and light hearted levity fall on your list of favorite posters??
Thanks for the article iiicollies! If I had to guess I’d say the hard line of demarcation was around New Haven. You something else that is weird? That article you linked to is almost from the exact same date I moved to Connecticut!
Nick,
You ceaselessly impress me with your wit.
I’m not necessarily trying to get on raymagnetic’s case.
I’m simply calling out one particular naysayer from yesterday who wanted Girardi fired at the end of the season.
If that person is posting under a different name today, then I find that to be pretty childish.
Mr. Clutch…I get the mental game aspect of the pitcher/batter and how timing can greatly affect that. For the record, I’m not all that concerned about how long a baseball game takes. My wife certainly disagrees with that but I could really care less. I made the comment more to say to MLB (who clames slow pace is the reason replay is not used more) that if pace is really an issue there are other ways to address that. But I really don’t see replay as something that will drastically slow down the pace of the game as I mentioned above. I said earlier I was on the fence about it until this post season, and really until last night when I was just amazed by how quickly the TV guys were able to throw replays up there…if they can show 2-3 replays BEFORE the next pitch is even thrown, there’s no reason a guy can’t sit in a replay booth and do that to make sure the calls are right and just alert the crew chief.
“raymagnetic,
So you were the one posting as “The Curious Case of Joba Chamberlain” yesterday? Or not?
Sorry, now I’m confused.”
Nah, it wasn’t me. I had the tag line that I currently have. Before that my tagline was “Big Game Pettitte equal Yanks up 3-0.” I’m sorry to say I was wrong about that one.
Nick,
I didn’t know you cared. lol. I like you too though.
““2009 World Series: A Met Fans Hell On Earth!” ?”
This is really funny. It’s almost like a mirror version of the ‘86 World Series. I bet a lot of Met fans will end up rooting for the Yankees this year. I remember in ‘86 I was definitely rooting for the Mets. Anyone else?
The Ghost
October 21st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Thanks for the article iiicollies! If I had to guess I’d say the hard line of demarcation was around New Haven. You something else that is weird? That article you linked to is almost from the exact same date I moved to Connecticut!
————————————————————
where in ct are you?
i am in wallingford.
5 minutes from nh
i might have asked you before?
“For the record, I’m not all that concerned about how long a baseball game takes.”
As far as the long game times, it seems to me that the between innings breaks are at least a minute to minute and a half longer than they used to be. So that is nearly a half hour per game added right there.
I am not in favor of replay, but if they do it, it must be similar to the college football system, which has almost no impact on game disruption. The NFL system is horrible, and detracts from the game for me.
Great great job Sam and Chad.
Sobriety check for Nick in SoCal
Please caption the following photo:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com.....3fda0f.jpg
Has anyone posted Buster’s entry yet? If not, I can do that for you all
Has anyone checked out stubhub? the prices are absolutely insane!
Sarcasm and levity, those are my bread and butter.
Thanks, Mad Prince. There always clowns on here adopting new names and saying crazy stuff. The Yanks roll on obliviously.
raymagnetic, I always enjoy your take on things. Maybe it’s the hangover talking.
bru, I’m in Fairfield, Wallingford is beautiful.
If we finish what we started and it becomes a NY – Philly world series, it would be “The Battle of NJ” since NJ is the ultimate suburb statefor both Philadelphia and New York.
I live hundreds of miles from NY or Boston but it is pretty evenly divided here. Maybe 60-40 for the Sawks.
“I now pronounce you husband and abyss.”
sorry to go waaayy off topic here, but has anyone seen Where the Wild Things Are?
Wave,
Agreed.
The truth is if Girardi thinks his team is going to the World Series, he needs Posada to start catching AJ.
You CANNOT bench Posada in an NL park for Molina.
Might as well get it out of the way tomorrow night.
The only reason I’m not going to kick and scream if he starts Molina and lets Jorge DH is that you have Matsui to pinch hit for Molina in a big spot and then Cervelli to catch the rest of the way.
If something happened to Cervelli, you give up the DH spot and let Jorge catch in that worst case scenario.
I don’t agree with starting Molina. I never did and I always felt that decision had Girardi’s ego written all over it. I think since he was a light hitting catcher he’s got mad love for light hitting good defensive catchers.
If he does start Molina, then I think Jorge needs the at bats tomorrow night.
Taking Molina out of the equation, if I had to choose between Jorge and Hideki for one offensive spot right now I go Jorge.
Okay, got espnews on so of course the highlights have been repeating.
The more I see the blown call on that sac fly, the worse it is.
Not so much that McClelland blew the call. That happens. It’s that he let the fielder appeal and gave him the call. Hunter’s looking up to catch the ball, how can he emphatically appeal to the umpire that Swisher left early? He had his eye on the ball, not on Swisher.
And to see a flabberghasted Cerevelli and a confused Swisher in the dugout just adds to it.
Just glad that it didn’t hurt us and that we weren’t losing at the time. If we were, you know Girardi would be in McClelland’s face. But it wouldn’t matter anyway. You wouldn’t see them overturn a call unless they conferenced and let McClelland off the hook.
Umps should conference more. It gives them a chance to wiggle out of a blown call. But instead, they stand their ground. Why not ask for help from your crew?
I don’t think Chapman will be playing in the majors in 2010, at least not right away, unless its for a club desperate to have anyone throwing the ball.
He has talent, but from all reports its too raw yet for the majors.
The Ghost
October 21st, 2009 at 1:04 pm
bru, I’m in Fairfield, Wallingford is beautiful
nice
wallingford is beautifull
used to be a lot of farms
i have an acre of land.
very peacefull
Hokiehill
October 21st, 2009 at 1:07 pm
sorry to go waaayy off topic here, but has anyone seen Where the Wild Things Are?
***********
I have!
Nick,
did you end up making it down to Anaheim for either of the games?
“The Battle of NJ”
So, am I to take up arms or something?
Rishi,
Please do if you can. I see a link about A-rod’s adjustments? Is that the same as dumping your wife and hooking up with a Hollywood hottie?
Crossroads of the Revolution Series
Buster’s Blog Entry:
============================================================
A-Rod’s adjustments may be paying off
——————————————————————————–
The camera in center field caught the full picture of Alex Rodriguez on Tuesday night, present and past. As Rodriguez turned and blasted his fifth homer of the postseason, there was agent Scott Boras, peeking over A-Rod’s shoulder, standing in his private box, right in the middle of everything. In the two-dimensional image, it looked as if Boras could have whispered in A-Rod’s ear.
But then A-Rod moved up the first-base line and Boras went out of the picture, and it was all about the baseball, as it really has been since Sports Illustrated reported in February that Rodriguez had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.
It might have been this way all along, of course, if not for the unnecessarily ostentatious contract negations of 2000, the requests for special 24-and-1 treatment, the strangely demeaning comments made about peers like Derek Jeter, the appalling leak of Rodriguez’s intention to opt out of his Yankees contract in the midst of the 2007 World Series.
It might have always been about the baseball, because he has always been an iconic player. Rodriguez didn’t need an agent or a contract or special contractual requests to tell anybody that, and never has. He has always cared deeply about excelling, and he has always prepared diligently and played hard, and has performed at a historic level. If it had always been all about the baseball, he would be regarded as perhaps the greatest ever.
But for years, all of that other superfluous stuff seemed to get in the way; he was always forced to deal with hurdles he and his camp had created for him.
The revelation about his past steroid use and his submission admission, however, ended his quixotic pursuit of acceptance. Once that came out, he was never going to achieve the type of status that he and Boras seemed to pursue.
Maybe Rodriguez recognized this. The other day, he gently chased off writers as they searched for answers about how and why he has changed, telling them only that he’s in a very good place. He has told friends that he is a happier person now than he had been, away from the baseball field. Good for him. He is letting his play speak for itself, and his play is extraordinary.
Maybe this is the way it needed to be for him; maybe he needed to take a meandering journey to get to where he is now. But he deserves credit for making the adjustments he has made — the at-arms-length manner in which he’s dealt with the media this year, his subtle retreat in his public persona, whatever else he has done — because he could have simply barreled along the same path without change.
—
A-Rod has gone from postseason failure to royalty, writes John Harper. A-Rod is rewriting his legacy, writes Mike Vaccaro.
Some A-Rod numbers, by the count: When A-Rod liked what he saw early in the count last night, he went after it, doubling on the first pitch in one at-bat, and hitting a home run on a 0-1 pitch. His other three plate appearances all reached full counts. During the regular season, when the count was 0-0, he hit .397 with five HRs and seven extra-base hits. He hit .357 on 0-1, with seven HRs and 10 extra-base hits. On all other counts, Rodriguez hit .259 with 18 HRs and 31 XBHs.
CC Sabathia and A-Rod have put on a two-man show, writes Tyler Kepner. Sabathia is the biggest man on the Yankees, writes Mike Lupica. Sabathia proved he is a money pitcher, writes Joel Sherman.
Why Sabathia won, from John Fisher of ESPN Stats & Information:
He pitched to contact: On Tuesday night he had just five strikeouts against 14 groundouts and five fly outs. It’s a trend. In his last start, he had seven strikeouts, and in the previous one, eight. He’s pounding the zone.
For the second straight start, he gave up no hits when behind in the count (0-5 in Game 4, 0-3 in Game 1); he allowed a .273 BA during the regular season when behind.
Only four hitters saw three-ball counts (13 percent; league average is 19 percent).
Half of his innings went 1-2-3; league average is only 31 percent.
His off-speed pitches were strikes 72 percent of the time; league average is just 61 percent.
Overall, his strike percentage was 68.3 percent, his best in a start since Sept. 2, and his fourth straight start with improving strike percentage.
He threw 28 changeups, and had only two starts all season in which he threw as many (got the loss in both previous starts); this kept hitters off his fastball, as the Angels hit .125 (2-16) against his heater (.257 opponent BA versus his fastball entering Game 4).
The Angels got clubbed, but one coach turned all Joe Namath, Bill Plunkett writes. Joe Girardi defended his decisions in Game 3, writes Tyler Kepner.
Melky Cabrera delivered, writes Mike Puma.
Erin
October 21st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Hokiehill
October 21st, 2009 at 1:07 pm
sorry to go waaayy off topic here, but has anyone seen Where the Wild Things Are?
***********
I have!
SO how good is it?
“You CANNOT bench Posada in an NL park for Molina.”
Unfortunately, I’m not sure Burnett would pitch in NL part.
Game 1 CC (NY)
Game 2 AJ (NY)
Game 3 Andy (NL)
Game 4 Gaudin (NL). I don’t think there is the extra off day in the WS.
Game 5 CC (NL)
Game 6 AJ (NY)
Game 7 Andy (NY)
m, I think Hunter yelling for the appeal on the Swisher play is something that bothered me more than the bad calls did.
I couldn’t understand how Hunter would have had any type of view of the play, yet it seems that McClelland was very influenced by that. I would have understood Figgins doing so, but not Hunter.
Uncle Ellsworth (much ado about nothing)
October 21st, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Erin
October 21st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Hokiehill
October 21st, 2009 at 1:07 pm
sorry to go waaayy off topic here, but has anyone seen Where the Wild Things Are?
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I have!
SO how good is it?
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I loved it. I want to go back and see it again. Highly recommended.
Whoa. Bad news for the Mets. Don’t know how much the liquidator will seek, but it looks like they’ll try to recover something.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=4581715
m
I think Swish was so flabbergasted he didn’t know how to react.
Abdababdaserser
agree 1000% Say Swish left early there is no way Hunter could have seen it.
Erin is it too dark for kids?
Mad Prince: yeah, that’s why I’m down in SoCal now. A buddy of mine got a couple comp tickets for Monday night and my generous sister (coughbrotherinlawcough) got tickets for last night’s game for me and my bro.
I don’t know how the stars aligned to get me into two Yankee ALCS games, but it’s probably a karmic reward for all the positive energy I put out into the Yankeeverse.
Right now I’m trying to decide whether or not I can stall out down here for game five or head back home.
The combination of bad weather and Selig’s terrible scheduling could result in a World Series where the two aces, Sabbathia and Lee, start every game! Selig’s gotta go -these TV days off are a joke!
m- so this nonsense that the mets lost 800 million was just that nonsense. They actually made money! WHOA
jennifer
October 21st, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Abdababdaserser
agree 1000% Say Swish left early there is no way Hunter could have seen it.
So the two guys that did not see the play made it happen.
Well, maybe Swishy wasn’t too upset because he really shouldn’t have been at 3B in the first place. He’s a good guy.
Or were the two blown calls involving Swisher in different innings?
So many blown calls, I’m confused!
William Buckner
October 21st, 2009 at 1:18 pm
“You CANNOT bench Posada in an NL park for Molina.”
Unfortunately, I’m not sure Burnett would pitch in NL part.
Game 1 CC (NY)
Game 2 AJ (NY)
Game 3 Andy (NL)
Game 4 Gaudin (NL). I don’t think there is the extra off day in the WS.
Game 5 CC (NL)
Game 6 AJ (NY)
Game 7 Andy (NY)
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Provided CC gets game 1 Start.. If the ALCS goes for 7 games, then AJ/AP probably gets Game 1 start, followed by AP/AJ in Game 2 and CC in Game 3.. Guadin in game 4.. After that depends on the score in the series..
If CC gets game 1 start, I think it will be CC in game 4 so as to give him 3 starts..
Game 1 CC (NY)
Game 2 AJ (NY)
Game 3 Andy (NL)
Game 4 CC (NL)
Game 5 Gaudin (NL). I don’t think there is the extra off day in the WS.
Game 6 AJ (NY)
Game 7 CC (NY)
Uncle Ellsworth (much ado about nothing)
October 21st, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Erin is it too dark for kids?
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I don’t think so, but since I don’t have kids I may not be the best judge. LOL I don’t think there would be any problem though.
Nick, how’d it work out with the Yankee gear in Angels Stadium? Lemme guess, you wore your vintage Babe Ruth uniform, stirrups and all, and the lovely Angels fans loved it. No?
What is this “committee” thing Mike is talking about?
Wallingford CT Rules ! Best Italian subs at Rosa’s on Rte 5 and a ton of Yankee fans in New Haven county
The two Swisher calls were in the same inning. Swisher really should not have been on third to be able to run home. Its why some suppose that it was a “make up” call, going back to back like they did.
Reading the article on the Mets, it seems to me, being that so many lost a ton of money from Maddoff, that the Mets (Wilpons) have a lot of explaining to do. How is it that they made money when everyone else didn’t?
Thanks for the responses Erin. I’d love to see it. I read a thing today that younger kids may not get it or may get kind of bored with it and that the movie is made more for adults who remember the book from their childhood. My first child won’t be born until March so I don’t have to worry about that…I’m just a fan of Spike Jonze and the book and think it looks awesome.
I just wore my Yankee cap, both games. I got minimal heckling, especially compared to other Yankee fans decked out in jerseys and more gear.
It was comical last night, there were Angels fans sitting right next to me screaming at Yankee fans a few rows away but ignorong me and my bro.
The thunder sticks tampered down in the latter innings. I got a lot of nice pics, will try to post some down the line.
nick,
rest assured that all the Anaheim guns will be poised for blazin’ in tomorrow’s game.
That team will not go down without a fight, I guarantee you that.
Might be a pretty good game to try and hold out for.
I am jealous, would have loved to have been down there…uncle has season tix and I believe he had a seat for all three games.
It was comical last night, there were Angels fans sitting right next to me screaming at Yankee fans a few rows away but ignorong me and my bro.
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I’m sure they sensed the sarcastic and witty vibes you were putting off and wanted no part of you.
Thunder sticks are lame.
Hokiehill-you’re welcome! You should definitely check it out. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Congratulations ahead of time on your impending special delivery!!
Am I a bad person because I was laughing hysterically when Fox showed the little girl crying? I couldn’t help it.
I really really dislike the Angels.
new thread
and the rally monkey, while modestly hilarious, is a bit overplayed at this point…kinda like God Bless America at Yankee Stadium.
The thunder sticks are lame and appropriate for the Angels fans. Off for a little golf, good day.
The New York Post called it a potential “Turnpike Series” today. All I know is that my boyfriend is a huge Phillies fan, and that’s actually how we met during the series back in May. How fitting… Hopefully a different result.
saw wild things…wouldn’t recommend it for adults or kids.
Provided CC gets game 1 Start.. If the ALCS goes for 7 games, then AJ/AP probably gets Game 1 start, followed by AP/AJ in Game 2 and CC in Game 3.. Guadin in game 4.. After that depends on the score in the series..
If CC gets game 1 start, I think it will be CC in game 4 so as to give him 3 starts..
Blackaccord
Game 1 CC (NY)
Game 2 AJ (NY)
Game 3 Andy (NL)
Game 4 CC (NL)
Game 5 Gaudin (NL). I don’t think there is the extra off day in the WS.
Game 6 AJ (NY)
Game 7 CC (NY)
This scenario would start cc on 3 days rest twice. andy gets only 1 start.
Let me think…
if anyone, the angels should be complaining about the schedule, not us. This extra off day gives us the luxury of getting CC out there 3 times. This series isn’t over, and if by some bizarre collapse the yankees end up in a game 7, you will be thanking the FOX and TBS execs for being so money hungry. I know the idea of a game 7 seems absurd right now, but it was just as absurd in 2004. Lets not count our chickens before they hatch.
That being said, what do you think our WS rotation would be?
Gaudin in game 4, and then CC on short rest for game 7? of course it will depend on how the series is going at game 4, but i think that would be the wisest choice for Girardi.
I appreciate the Wallingford love on here. I’m from Meriden, but just moved to the Tampa area.