How much can Mo take?
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Oct 30, 2009 
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There have been 23 postseason saves of at least two innings since 1996, and Mariano Rivera has recorded 14 of them. That includes his last three in the World Series and, most recently, Game 6 of this year’s ALCS against the Angels.
It is not hard to see why Rivera is asked to do so much – now, in particular, the Yankees options in the eighth inning aren’t nearly as comfortable as simply giving the ball to Rivera a little sooner, and so that’s what Joe Girardi has been doing. The question is, will it ultimately hurt him?
Rivera is 39 years old and threw 39 pitches last night, most he’s ever thrown in a World Series game. He says he’s ready to go again in Game 3 and beyond, but he also didn’t look untouchable on the mound; he walked Jimmy Rollins and put two men on in the eighth, then gave up a double in the ninth before getting out if it.
Could the work be affecting Rivera’s effectiveness? Rivera says no and says he’ll be ready when needed.
“You know what you have and what you can do,” Rivera said. “It’s always difficult to pitch in those situations, but you have to do your job.”
He has done it, maybe even a little too well. It’s understandably hard for Girardi to trust Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain right now, so the best way to get to Rivera is to have him setup for himself. Can he do it for three more wins? That remains to be seen.
“He’s special. Nobody does what he does,” Derek Jeter said. “He wants to win, and he’ll do whatever it takes. If someone wanted him to start, he’d go out there and start. He’s unique, once-in-a-lifetime.”
32 hours and 44 minutes until Game 3!!!!!
They have no choice, nobody else is reliable. If they lose, lose with your best.
Mo knows what Mo can handle. I am sure if he felt otherwise, he would discuss with Girardi. He has nothing to prove by injuring himself and keeping it quiet like the young guys.
Rivera will have 5 months to rest after we win the world series.
At 39 years old, he’s still the best closer in the game.. Now is the time to let him go for it all. Go with our best, until they prove they can beat him!
And FYI, mo was being squeezed in the 8th a bit. Some of those pitches are usually strikes, like int he 9th. I dont think he was showing wear and tear.
Marte has pitched well, Robertson is very good, Hughes deserves a chance as does Joba. It is not prudent to overuse Mo.
World Series: MLB commissioner Bud Selig not a fan of expanded replay: MLB commissioner Bud Selig said has been.. http://bit.ly/3kXjw7
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If not, how bout holding your umps accountable to these pretty bad blunders. I feel you need to have more umps available and these idiots should be replaced in the next game if they screw up like this.
That’s just it… Mo is the type of classy guy that wouldn’t admit that he needs a rest in the playoffs. If his arm was sore, he’d probably say something like “Well, Andy is pitching today,” and would leave it at that. I hope Girardi is wise enough to clue into these subtleties, such that we can save Rivera for later in the series.
We need to pound Hamels tomorrow. If we can secure a win and give Rivera a second night off to rest his arm (so we have the possibility of using him consecutively for games 4 and 5)… we’d be in a great position.
I had no problem with Girardi going to Mo for two innings last night. I don’t think it will be a regular occurance, but with the score so close I don’t think he had a choice, with the rest of the pen being unreliable right now.
Mo has had a lot of rest this post-season. He has another day off today. I don’t think Girardi is overusing him.
I don’t think it will happen with no days off in Philly. A 4-out save, maybe, but not a 6-out one. And not in consecutive games.
It’s time for someone else to take a deep breath and help out. I think it will be okay.
All season long, when the Yankee pen wasn’t good, they pretty much all weren’t good (much like Wednesday night). But it never lasted long. I’m concerned Hughes has given all he has to give, but I think he’ll be able to amp it up a couple more times before the end of the season.
Does anyone else think that all this rest that is supposed to be keeping them fresh and strong is doing just the opposite at this time of year? Especially since the days off allow people (players, that is) to think too much?
I was thinking about this last night. I think Mo has been so great and effective for so long because he is mostly just used for 3 out in the 9th and an occasional 4 out use. Girardi has managed the bullpen but I think he is overusing Mo.
Granted, our bullpen has been shaky, we can’t put it all on one guy, even if his name is Mariano Rivera.
I was really hoping last night, Girardi would go batter to batter with AJ in the 8th.
Deserves a chance?
Minus Marte and Rivera, the pen as a whole has not made anyone feel like they deserve to be out there in a world series. Lets just hope we get 8 from pettitte tomorrow and we will be ok. I think though, they will go to Joba in the 8th before Hughes moving forward. Hughes just seems like he has reached a limit this year and burned out a bit. I dont believe his confidence is gone.
Morning all! after a;ll the talk about hughes yesterday. thought i’d post a link to an article i just read. Reaffirms my thought that he is a stand up guy, just lost his cool.
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/1.....w/?tid=sbn
Re-post
I don’t know about you guys but these 6 out saves are absolutely killing me. Tension city.
For the life of me, I don’t know how Mariano does it.
And he didn’t seem himself in the dugout between innings. I commented last night that he didn’t look well. A little glassy eyed.
Obviously over the next three games, this can’t continue.
Not counting Gaudin, there’s 7 other arms out there.
Don’t get me wrong because I think Joe showed some chutzpah by going straight to Mo with an essential game on the line and the day off. But if they are going to pull this off, those 7 arms are going to have to contribute somewhere at some point.
But who?
Hopefully there’ll be some more run padding so Mo doesn’t have to be in the position to pitch the 8th, but that’s not looking too likely. If Mo really feels like he can’t keep up the pace, I think he’ll let it be known to the team.
“I was really hoping last night, Girardi would go batter to batter with AJ in the 8th.”
Fair enough, but Girardi got a lot of criticism for doing exactly that in game 5 of the ALCS.
Mentioned that I don’t like 2 inning saves. It’s obvious that Mo is not as sharp because of it. Someone blogged last night that there were only 2 swings and misses? Something like that.
But anyway, I have every faith that Mo can do it. I just don’t like the residual effects. We’ll need him at least 3 more times this series (although, I’m not opposed to a blowout).
They still could’ve avoided a 6-out save and the shaky bridge by letting AJ go batter-to-batter in the 8th. He had an easy 7th, why not let him try with a short leash?
BTW, totally off-topic or maybe related. But a local sports jock thinks Charlie Manuel made a huge mistake by letting Lee go out in the 9th with a commanding lead, if the plan is to pitch Lee on short rest.
Yup deserves a chance. These guys (Hughes, Joba) are the pitching future and they have performed well enough to have some confidence shown towards them.
This where we thought the Yanks would exceed – Hughes for the 8th and Mo for the 9th. Without a reliable Hughes things look very different.
rivera pitching 2 innings at a time unfortunately is the product of our GM sitting on his rear with his finger up his nose at trade deadline time….everyone knew the yankees were a little “light” in the bullpen and rotation in july…but thats the way it goes..
i’m a little scared if rivera has to continue doing it though…even in his 2 inning save against the angels he was hit pretty hard…and if it wasn’t for cano “cheating” by trying to hold the runner close to second that torii hunter grounder would have gone through for a hit and run scored…cano picked that ball up on the SHORTSTOP side of the base…
i would think if the yankees need a bridge to mo the next few games joe G may have to look at burnett, CC and even pettite (on their off days of course)to chip in for an inning….you can’t trust hughes, joba, coke or aceves at this point…5 games left in the season – you can rest after november 5…..
They have no choice at this point. This is the World Series… PEDAL TO THE METAL!
I think Girardi really wanted this win (Tex even called it a must win)and w/ the game being close he didn’t want to take a chance, so he went w/ reliable Mo.
Mo handling 2 innings in the postseason is like a certain Boston blogger handling 2 cheeseburgers.
notta problem!
But I totally understand why they did it. This was a must-win, and everyone else in the pen is young and lack world series experience.
But at some point, they’re going to have to trust those guys. Lots of pinch-running and pitching changes, I just hope Girardi remembers, he’s got 25, not 40 guys to work with. Don’t go crazy with the one out relief appearances.
Hey Same I’ll be Philly d wished they had a RIVERA.
You get Jeter,Andy,Mo,or Posada near a WS,and a possible win,and YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN YET!!!
Yankee bats just need to come alive,then Mo can rest…..
Wave Your Hat
Girardi did get criticism but AJ looked so good in that 7th. I don’t think anyone would have been upset if he got another batter.
I think Mo will be fine throughout the end of the season, its just what happens after.
Wave and DB – I responded in the previous post. No need to bring it here.
cowherd is bashing arod already this morning. Cowherd flip-flops more than any talk show host. He jumps on whoevers bandwagon thats winning at the time.
KF,
My answer to your Pedro question got stuck in the filter. Long story short, yes, he’s a narc.
Mo needs to be huge this WS, or how else am I going to win my WS MVP prediction?
As big as game 3 is, game 4 will be huge. In a perfect world, CC goes the distance in game 4 or the Yanks win a blow out – which would give Mo a day off during the 3 game stretch.
Listen, Hughes has not been getting pounded by any means, no one really has. His strikes look good, but he is lacking control a bit.
Can’t come into a tight game and walk a guy, that is amature, you have a GREAT defense behind you, use it.
Anyone who says our bullpen has been dismal in the post season compared to the reg. season is nuts.
Everyone that is complaining about Mo’s 6 out saves, just shut up. We won, he’ll be okay.
October 30th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Yup deserves a chance. These guys (Hughes, Joba) are the pitching future and they have performed well enough to have some confidence shown towards them.
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joe has showed confidence in them and in hughes’ case, he has not delivered in the postseason. i know he is better than that, but this isnt the time for loyalty. you go with your best chance to win and dont worry about hurting their feelings.
I love Jeter’s comment: “Once in a lifetime”.
I have been telling my son the same thing for the past few years. Mo is simply amazing.
Angel Berroa,
Go take a Geritol and the other 20 pills you take when you wake up. No one’s “complaining”, just expressing concern for Mo.
Sal Governale, hilarious.
Where’s Richard? under your desk?
I don’t think Rivera will be used for another two inning save until Game 5. There aren’t any rest days until next Tuesday.
Girardi is always prepared (overprepared?), so I’m sure it was part of the strategy to use Rivera like they did in Game 2.
Hopefully, the bats come alive against Hamels and they can give Mo an extra day.
Blaming Cashman for the Yanks pen is idiotic. The strength of the team in the 2nd half of the year was the pen.
Hopefully they can get a laugher in one of these games. It would be great to get a win where Mo doesnt have to pitch (like game 4 vs the Angels).
m,
Let Mo worry about Mo. Would you rather have someone else pitch and lose the World Series? His arm isn’t going to fall off.
I loved Jeter’s comment, “If someone wanted him to start, he’d go out there and start.”
If the series is tied 3-3, maybe Rivera should start the 7th game and go as long as he could. That way the Yanks would get as many innings as posible from their best pitcher.
If the Yankees win the WS this year what the chances that Rivera calls it quits. He seems like one of those leave on top kinda guys. I hope not..
Angel Berroa,
I’ve already expressed my opinion on last night.
His arm isn’t going to fall off, but he can’t keep throwing 35-40 pitches per outing.
But I’m hopeful that we’ll have some cushion so that we can just go to the traditional 4-out save.
3 games without an off day will mean Mo will have to be rationed more than he was yesterday.
Joe is going to have to trust someone and right now those someones appear to be Joba, Marte and Robertson.
Marte could be important with the Philly lefty bats.
Joba and Robertson have strike out stuff so they may need to throw them in the deep end of the pool and see if they can swim. Saving Mo as just the life preserver if they flounder on occasion.
Gaudin could be an important arm in the pen depending on whether he’s going to get a start or not.
Satchel Paige pitched till he was 59. He pitched year round through most of his career, started games days in a row, sometimes started a game and came in relief in the second game of a double header.
I don’t think Mo can match that, but he won’t be able to hide it if he isn’t ready to compete.
Mo’s a victim right now of both his own dominance, and the futility of the rest of the bullpen.
It was a loss for Philly, but a win in that they got to see Rivera for 39 pitches.
The Yankees are not going to win the World Series by Mo getting three more two inning saves – at age 39.
That’s just not going to happen.
If it does, they should not just build a monument to Rivera, they should rename the stadium after him.
Bottom line is, somebody else in that bullpen is going to have to get a crucual out if the Yankees are going to win this series.
By the way, if the Red Sox still want him, Adrian Gonzalez, they will get him for probably nothing this winter. Their bum Assistant GM or whatever position he holds, Jed or Jeb Hoyer, whatever his name is, went to the Padres. That means they have another one of their guys in the front office of another team to hand them players.
Think of it like Kevin McHale handing Kevin Garnett to the Celts.
The Rollins AB really set the tone. How many pitches were fouled off before he was walked ? This points to the biggest difference in Mo now vs years past. He has lost a little from his FB/Cutter and can not blow the ball by a hitter like he used to. Maybe its me, but I think he has averaged more pitches per AB and inning than in years past. While his total IP may be down yr over yr, with a higher # of pitches thrown, his workload may be the same or higher than before. Something to think about.
Going to MO for 6 outs was a rational move by Girardi. Who could have forseen that Hughes would be horrible in the post season ? Maybe it is fatigue…he was hitting 91-92 the other rather night, rather than 94-96 like he was during the season. Without a reliable Hughes, we dont have an 8th inning guy.
Looking forward to Saturday nite !
Hopefully they can get a laugher in one of these games. It would be great to get a win where Mo doesnt have to pitch (like game 4 vs the Angels).
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yesterday should have been a laugher if not for the really bad double play call and jeter for some unknown reason bunting strike 3. i’ll follow jeter anywhere, but that did confuse me and everyone watching with me a bit.
MAYBE corner outfield but if not than DH. (probably best suited for 1b but obviously thats a problem) I read he really likes catching and is determined to better his catching skills but in the end its up to the team. The problem is that he is already a big dude and he is still young so he most likely will keep growing. Should be interesting.
Mo is a spiritual man. He’ll be ok, it’s the World Series now or never
jon sterlings call of Tex’s HR was excellent. you can hear it on yankees.com
pat,
Good thoughts. I still don’t “trust” Marte, but he’s done his job this postseason so that’s a good thing.
I do think that Hughes has something in him and I hope he can redeem himself. I know he can pitch in the postseason, he did it in ’07.
I would go in order of trust for the righties: Robertson, Hughes, Joba, Bruney, Gaudin, Aceves (that last one hurts to type).
This is a little simplistic, but I thought this was interesting nonetheless:
http://www.fannation.com/si_bl.....ref=fromSI
I have never gone to HOF inductions but I have promised myself that when Mo is inducted I am going to be there to watch it. Everything about the man is special. His humility in the face of being almost otherworldly is one of his most compelling features,IMO.
AJ is who he is and he shouldn’t try to change at this point. I mean, he might be able to succeed in lowering his walk total (this year was especially high) a great deal, but that would come at a price and take away his biggest strength, which is the movement on his pitches. Instead of castigating him for what he’s not, it might be better if we appreciate him for what he is. You have to take the bad with the good with AJ – so be it. He’s pitched well this post-season except for one game and yesterday he did what he was paid to do – he pitched like an ace; he was dominant. He doesn’t have to pitch like that again – he just has to pitch solidly and keep his team in the games. However, you can’t underestimate his performance because he did find it within himself to put that up in the biggest game of his career and the biggest game of the season for the Yankees.
As to Mo, I don’t see how the Yankees can win without a pen. We can’t keep going to this guy for 2 inning saves – his arm is going to fall off and, anyway, he’s human. He’s also nearly 40. It’s a shame that the pen has fallen apart like it has…..and Phil needs to man up.
Trish, you won’t hear those words from me. I like Joe personally, but he simply leaves a lot to be desired. I don’t believe AJ needs Molina to pitch well – I have faith in AJ’s ability. He’s not a baby. I still think it was a bad decision…….but that’s been done to death at this point.
“cowherd is bashing arod already this morning.”
His teammates had his back last night with the bats, gloves and microphones and that’s all that really matters in the end.
This isn’t even worth discussing. Mo is going to pitch and pitch well when he’s called on period. The pen, beyond Robertson, Marte (lately at least) and Mo of course has been brutal. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else in there at that point last night. Maybe you could have went with AJ batter by batter in the 8th but it’s really looking like Joe might go with AJ on 3 days rest so you want to keep his totals low for the potential fast turnaround.
With the off day today bringing him in for 6 outs was a complete nobrainer. I’m sorry but confidence in Hughes/Joba is totally out of the window at this point.
would go in order of trust for the righties: Robertson, Hughes, Joba, Bruney, Gaudin, Aceves (that last one hurts to type).
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You would go bruney before gaudin? no way!
Hughes CAN pitch, it just seems like he is burned out. He has never thrown 95 mph consistantly, and his arm may be feeling the wear of it now.
If the Red Sox get Gonzalez, it won’t be for nothing.
Hoyer would be doing himself and the Padres a great disservice by trading Gonzalez for a package of anything less than four or five top tier prospects.
There is no reason for Hoyer to help the Red Sox. There really isn’t.
And who knows the Red Sox farm system better than Hoyer?
“I was really hoping last night, Girardi would go batter to batter with AJ in the 8th.”
He did in ALCS game 5. It didn’t work. Going to the pen in the 8th was the correct move.
But can somebody in the pen not named Mariano please step up if only for a few more games?
In alphabetical order:
Aceves? was shaky over the last month or so and continues to be shaky. He’s a virtual mop-up man now.
Bruney? Oy! Maybe it’s rust, he looked pretty good over the few weeks of the season but WTH happened Wed night? Horrible! He’s currently not in the circle of trust.
Joba. Is a possibility. Hasn’t looked great, sorta lucky, and it’s clear 2007 is ancient history. Hey Joba? If you can’t start and you’re not a reliable reliever? Why are you here again? Regardless of my negativity, he may be my darkhorse over the next week.
Coke: Not too bad. But he’s a specialist. Batter to Batter only.
Gaudin: I’m assuming he’s getting a start or is insurance. He did look great in his 1 inning. Funny but I think I trust him more than the next guy who is…
Hughes: He’s got no control. It’s way off the plate or down the middle. Joe says he still believes? I don’t think he means it.
Marte: Has been a pleasant surprise. I would have left him in to face Werth. But again, he’s sort of a specialist. Maybe he can do more. Maybe he would flop if given more.
Robertson: Well, he’s only let inherited runners score. But he’s not been himself. 3 hits/3 walks and 1 K in 3.1 ? Rookie jitters? Maybe he’s still hurting? Doesn’t matter. He’s not getting the 8th for himself. Batter to batter only.
batter by batter in the 8th
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funny how NOW people want burnett to go into that next inning, but in his last game, people wanted to fire girardi for letting him start the 7th after 80 pitches.
the difficult part in this is that Mo is never going to say to Joe (at least not in the World Series) “this is too much” I can understand Girardi’s position at this stage though. we thought we were set going into the post season with hughes and joba if needed, but the early performances from each has left the question mark. Robertson’s been good but looked a little shaky in his last outing…Marte has been good but Joe doesn’t seem to trust him against righties (same with coke). Bruney hasn’t pitched much of late and what little he has pitched hasn’t been that good. Even I cringed when Ace was warming in the pen last night. Half of me wants to say, “don’t overuse Mo’ but the other part of me is thinking, “what’s the other option?” I’ll leave the decisions to Joe (he gets paid for this) and support his call, whatever it may be.
This is my first and only post re: Pete.
From his blog…
This is the biggest load of crap I’ve ever read. Complete and utter homer garbage from a writer who’s pens are fueled with the ink of contempt.
He’s a disgrace. What a biased piece of crap.
————————————————————
• The paranoid Yankees actually used their army of security people to deny postgame access to the concourse that runs between the two clubhouses. The reason? George Steinbrenner was being whisked out of the building on a golf cart.
Security actually forced people into rooms and closed the doors so they could not see Steinbrenner go by. They also locked the door of a stairwell, trapping dozens of media members for 10 minutes after the game.
I realize Steinbrenner is sick — apparently more so than believed based on this — but it’s dangerous to lock people into a crowded stairwell. MLB needs to prevent the Yankees from acting this way. Isn’t locking the exits to a public building illegal?
• Alex Rodriguez has four three-strikeout games this season, three of them against Philadelphia. He is 0 for 8 in the series with six strikeouts. According to Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse, Rodriguez is the first position player with consecutive three-strikeout games in the World Series. The last hitter to do that was Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg in 1967.
• The Phillies had their eighth inning rally snuffed out on a double play that wasn’t as Chase Utley looked safe at first. “I’m not saying nothing about the umpiring,” Charlie Manuel said. “I’m just saying he was safe. That’s all I’ll tell you.”
And that’s all we’ll be posting for now. Thanks for reading. “
The Phillies had their eighth inning rally snuffed out on a double play that wasn’t as Chase Utley looked safe at first. “I’m not saying nothing about the umpiring,” Charlie Manuel said. “I’m just saying he was safe. That’s all I’ll tell you.”
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This is rich. Your ‘rally’ would be all for nothing if the yankees had not been screwed and they were set to unload in the 7th and put that game out of reach.
CR9 –
Adrian Gonzalez is going nowhere. He’s cost-controlled and he’s the only big ticket item that team has.
A star player of his heritage playing in San Diego?
Going nowhere.
• The Phillies had their eighth inning rally snuffed out on a double play that wasn’t as Chase Utley looked safe at first. “I’m not saying nothing about the umpiring,” Charlie Manuel said. “I’m just saying he was safe. That’s all I’ll tell you.”
****************
Did Manuel go out and argue this? If he did, I didn’t see it.
trisha-
I responded to you in the last thread. At your request I won’t bring it here. Ball’s in your court…
Meh, Pete’s just pandering to the croud…he did some of that here as well, although usually the Yankees were involved and he was at least covering the Yankees at the time. Now it’s just starting to seem like he doesn’t know how to do anything but cover the Yankees…or he’s just figured out that he’ll get more hits on the site from us by trash talking Yankees then he will from the Sux fans by actually talking about their team. Regardless, I still have no reason but to wish him the best and say thanks for the memories.
The double on Utley was a bang bang play. The Howard play was obviously wrong too
Two run lead in AJ’s last two games. AJ was not batter-to-batter in Anaheim. He faced two batters and gave way to Phil who gave way to someone else? Anyway, thanks to Phil 3 runs scored. That was a supreme shock for someone who pitched lights out during the regular season out of the bullpen. But he just hung that curveball.
But anyway, Mo for 6 was the right move, hopefully he can stay sharp. It could be that the Phillies have really, really good hitters and Rollins didn’t want to give in to his greatness.
How come Pedro didn’t take his meds yesterday?
You can’t worry about tomorrow in the Series. They can win by 10 tomorrow or lose by 10. They had to have the game. They had no cushion. Joe had no choice but to go to Mo for six outs there. It would be nice if we could have an occasional comfortable win though. Even the one blowout against the Angels didn’t really turn into a rout until the end.
People didn’t come down on Girardi for letting Burnett come out for the 7th in Game 5 of the ALCS.
It was the “one batter too late” mistake Girardi made.
You have a two run lead and your starter, Burnett, had settled down and was in somewhat of a groove – although he didn’t have his nasty strikeout repetoire in that game.
His pitch count was solid. But given A.J.’s history, Girardi should have had the “if he let’s one guy on, I’m pulling the plug” mentality.
Instead, Girardi leaves him out there to walk the number nine hitter and puts the bullpen in an unenviable hole.
That was the mistake.
Anyway, that’s ancient history. Burnett was unhittable last night. Let’s hope his penchant for Jeckyl and Hyde performances doesn’t continue this series.
m
Joba ahead of Hughes(and it hurts to say that) for me right now until proven otherwise.
In a strange way, I think going on the road will be good for some of the guys. May not make much sense but there might be less pressure to succeed in front of 50,000 who would rather boo you than cheer you.
mysticsox wrote:
Someone needs to sue old man Steinbrenner for this.He is acting like Howard Hughes now that he is in his final days.I can’t wait for the old lug to kick the bucket.What I do on his grave won’t pass for flowers.
10/30/2009 10:51 AM EDT Recommend Report abuse Permalink
mysticsox wrote:
Steinbrenner, in his last days on earth here,is reminding me of old Montgomery Burns or Ebeneezer Scrooge or Mr.Potter-he just won’t die,as much as everyone wills it-he won’t.
10/30/2009 10:56 AM EDT Recommend Report abuse Permalink
mysticsox wrote:
I’m not getting over this obnoxious tycoon Steinbrenner acting like God,locking up people like cattle just so they don’t see his stinkin’,decayin’,decrepit rotting flesh stroll by!
The arrogance of these rich capitalists who grease politicians to bail them out.Donald Trump’s eyebrows…oh..forget it!!!!
From the Boston extra bases. Read this sick human being’s comments.
I can’t believe some of you still follow Pete. He was nice at times, but for the most part he was surly, bitter and arrogant (not unlike most New Englanders). He also wasn’t a particularly good writer to be honest.
Yeah he got a few scoops, but I’d have to say Feinsand and Kepner were more on top of it.
What he did do better than the rest was bring you along for the ride on his journey as a beat writer. I’ll give him credit there. He made the job his life . . . it served him well, he moved up the ladder.
I believe Sam to be a better writer, but Pete had a more acerbic wit. They could each learn a little from each other.
If Joba is ahead of Hughes, then our pen is not as good as we all hoped going into the series, or as good as it was in the last half of the season.
That’s not to say that Girardi would be wrong to move Joba ahead of Hughes, just that the ceiling is not as high as it once was.
What this team (and Mo) needs is a 12-4 win on Saturday. That would allow Gurardi to use the entire bullpen to close it out.
I have a question for those of you who care to speculate.
I do not think that the media members involved can sue the Yankees. I say this because, if they do, could the Yankees refuse access in the future of the bums like Pete Abe who tried to or did sue them (win or lose)?
Speaking of med… last night a number of the Phillies players looked like they were either hopped up on speed or are coming down with something. Glassy eyes, very large pupils, eyes open wider than normal.
I know there is some bug going around their clubhouse, but still it looked very unusual.
Regarding this series. I would be shocked if the Yankees dont pick off 2 of 3 in Philly. Philly is a pretty good team but they do play in the National League which is clearly weaker than the AL. I think Girardi needs to find an 8th ining guy. I am amazed at how poorly Hughes has pitched in the post season. I am amazed that Joe was ready to use Joba last night in the 7th even though Joba did very little relief work all season, and he has been worse than Hughes in the post season. I am amazed that Joe has basically written off Aceves, even though outside of MO and Hughes, he was the next most consistent reliever all year. I am amazed that Bruney, who was left off the roster the first two rounds, suddenly elevates to pitch in a tight game 1 situation. I was glad to see Swish sit, and I hope Girardi has the sense to put Matsui in the games over the weekend and lift him for defense if needed as his bat is always clutch. I love Jeter but what a ridiculous decision to have one of your absolute best hitters bunt with two strikes with runners in scoring position, unless Jeter is afraid he would hit into a DP? With 7?? umps on the field ita amazing they can be that bad
he was “the interested reader”
jpb1973
October 30th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
What this team (and Mo) needs is a 12-4 win on Saturday. That would allow Gurardi to use the entire bullpen to close it out.
***************
That would be lovely
I highly doubt that all the games in this series will be such that they require Mo to pitch 6 out saves.
When you start getting into the Chad Gaudins and Joe Blantons of the world, you’re going to see heavier offensive production and hopefully, for the Yankees, a wider gap in runs that favors the Yankees.
I don’t know about all of you, but I am very pleased by the fact that Pettitte is on the mound tomorrow. I don’t think there is too many others I’d rather have out there.
Isn’t Yankee Stadium Steinbrenner’s house? He can do whatever he wants in there he owns the place !
READ THIS: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/1.....tmosphere/
I know I’m supposed to skip posts I don’t want to read, but sometimes, when it’s there, I just can’t stop myself from reading. Big Six, and others, if you want to refer people to Pete’s posts from now on, you could just provide a link? That way, it’s an extra step to go out of one’s way to read it.
I really care to know any more how he feels about the Yankees – or, rather, what he writes about the Yankees. He’s been disapproving most of this season about everything the Yankees did especially with regard to their security, the new Stadium, and don’t even get me started on his anti-Arod bias (which I always tried to ignore even when he was here). Now his fan base is one where they revel in an anti-Yankee slant to the reporting. I’m not a Red Sox fan. I don’t want to read a blog meant for their eyes.
Thanks in advance.
girardi did not go batter to batter in game 5 against the angels else aj would have been out after the leadoff hit to mathis.
i would have started aj in the 8th and if anyone gets on he is out..that is batter to batter einstein.
hughes needs to throw strikes and challenge the hitters else he is as bad as joba and the rest of the clowns..marte gotten his last 4 batters out and robertson has been good that is it……………….
** Um, make that I really DON’T care to now.
My post was link to comments that Jimmy Rollins made to our sleeping fans. I was at game 1 and it was like a morgue from the 1st pitch – no home field advantage.
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/1.....tmosphere/
** KNOW, not “now.”
Tess,
I simply do not agree with that statement: that the National League is clearly weaker than the A.L.
The NL has some VERY VERY good teams and players and need you be reminded who the defending World Champions are?
St. Louis, LAD, Colorado, are all just as solid of teams as Anaheim, Minnesota, or Boston.
I just don’t get the NL is weaker bit. On the pitching side, across the NL are some absolutely dominant starting pitchers…just as many as there are in the AL. Lincecum, Wainright, Carpenter, Lee, Josh Johnson, Santana. I’m sure I’m probably missing others.
The point is, there is just as much talent in the NL as there is in the AL.
Anyone else like the pitching matchups for the next few days?
Nobody’s going a CG or even past 6-7 if the game is close–need the AB for a pinch hitter.
It will come down to the BP. Let’s hope the Yankees can crush Hamels so we will not be worrying about the BP.
Now is really the time for the hitters to step it up.
Mad Prince-
How do you explain the AL’s dominance in interleague games?
Correct me if i’m wrong but did I hear that moron on FOX say that Pedro’s delivery is so deceiving because his fingers are sooooooooo long that the ball stays in his hand longer on the release. Really? Really? Are you kidding me? Are these guys for real?
Mo has pitched about 13 innings so far this postseason.
The remaining 8 members of the pen have pitched about 18 innings. Some of those guy’s are young enough to be Mo’s children.
Mo’s pitched 40% of all the pen’s innings. And he’s 40 years old.
It’s incredible, amazing, beyond human; and all the rest of the relevant superlatives.
But I also see a danger light.
If disaster strikes. Nobody better point a finger at Mariano.
Peter sounds bitter about not having the access he used to have. The blog site still doesn’t include him in the picture of the writers.
If this happened as he reports then why isn’t there other reports about it?
When the President goes anywhere they close down access to a far larger area for a far longer period of time.
Being that he would have his own area for viewing the games and accessing the area, it seems to me that this was in a fairly private area of the stadium which belongs to Mr. Steinbrenner. Its his “house”, so to speak. Given that, Peter is a guest, that doesn’t give him unquestionable access. He really isn’t very mature at times. This complaint of his is childish.
The Yankees are not going to win the World Series by Mo getting three more two inning saves – at age 39.
That’s just not going to happen.
If it does, they should not just build a monument to Rivera, they should rename the stadium after him.
Bottom line is, somebody else in that bullpen is going to have to get a crucual out if the Yankees are going to win this series.
=======
rconn23,
It’s funny – last night I was saying we should just rename River Avenue “Rivera Avenue.”
I don’t see why the city would have a problem with this. How appropriate – that the street address for the Stadium bear Mariano’s name.
I was very glad to see Stairs coming to the plate last night. Theoretically, a power lefty like Stairs could have tied the game, but a power lefty like him, who is immobile in the box, is the perfect foil for Rivera. The strikeout pitch was vintage Mo.
BTW: People keep saying how the Stadium was “rocking,” last night. Not true. It was pretty reticent until the Jose pickoff play, and only got really loud when Teix went yard. It only became “The Stadium,” however, when Matsui put the ball over the fence.
It’s typical of the WS crowd, actually. A lot of people who were around for the earlier series’ don’t have the bread or access to Series tickets, and you get a fair amount of dilletantes, “Sunday” baseball fans, and the sort that sniff at those leading chants.
There was wayyyy too much milling around and socializing – dead in the middle of Rivera’s two innings – for my taste.
First day with your new fingers, Doreen? Or are you studying under GB7?
Doreen,
I gotta side with you on this one.
I couldn’t care less what Peter writes about any more, especially the Yankees. He is doing his job for a Red Sox publication and that is fine and dandy. But I’d be hard pressed to find anything in his blog worth reading as a Yankee fan. Its always nice to have a fresh perspective, but in blogs you have to accept the inherent bias.
And like you pointed out, he was a HIGHLY negative opinion on several Yankee related topics. A lot of people came down hard on A-Rod because they were disappointed, felt cheated, already hated him, thought he handled it poorly, the list goes on. But a lot of good has come of his admission and I don’t think Peter ever had the cajones to admit as much.
And that is ok…that’s his gig and I have fully embraced Chad, Sam, and Josh. Personally, I don’t think Peter did anything more than what they’re doing, but I will tip my cap to him for the time and energy he put into establishing this blog because it is outstanding on the whole.
I read Pete’s blog. I think he’s posting what he is in an attempt to get us all mad enough to keep visiting so his page hits go up. That place is a morgue.
Even when we were knocked out of the post season last year, this blog was hopping with comments on the post season and what we all thought the Yanks should do in the off season.
Mark in Tampa -
LOL!
I think the Mo issue comes down to simple math. He could go two innings yesterday because he has today off. Tomorrow, if he is needed, Girardi will have to be creative navigating through the 8th with the other arms he has in th bullpen. Mo will most likely not be used excessively on consecutive days (unless the Yanks are facing elimination).
I don’t envy Girardi at this point, having to find someone to trust. Hopefully the jitters have been dealt with and the previously reliable guys can step up and help the team win.
Yeah Sam be more acerbic!!
I’m afraid the more looks they get of Mo eventually he will blow one. Its always nice to see him come in and blow 3 away with 9 pitches and scurry into the night. Kinda like now you see him now you don’t. Who was that bad man?
JOE NAMED CC GAME 4 STARTER! Manuel hesitant to name Lee GAME 4 starter on short rest.
“Are you saying Burnett should walk more people? I’m not sure what point you are trying to make. Its common knowledge that the only thing separates AJ from an elite pitcher is his inconsistent command.
The only thing that those stats prove is how good his stuff is and that like Nolan Ryan he’s one of the few pitchers who can succeed in spite of his wildness. All i’m saying is that he could be better if he threw more strikes like he did last night, if you don’t agree with that then we will just have to agree to disagree”
Blake, you are willfully ignoring my very simple point here. I’m not saying Burnett should walk more people, that’s beyond retarded. I simply said that throughout his career, Burnett has been more effective when he walks 3 or more batters a game.
I never said Burnett is more effective BECAUSE he does that, I think I made that point extremely clear. When Burnett is pitching well his stuff is so good and moves so much that he tends to walk more batters. My original post was simply stating that last night he pitched well and only walked 2 batters which is not the norm for him.
Please, in the future try to read my posts before you say how wrong I am.
As long as people are making comparisons…..Charlie Manuel should be called Uncle Charlie….he really becomes the character from My Three Sons very often.
“or he’s just figured out that he’ll get more hits on the site from us by trash talking Yankees then he will from the Sux fans by actually talking about their team.”
I think that’s the whole point. I don’t think he cares enough to actually root for/or against any team. Instead, the hope is that comments like this will attract readers from blogs like this to go there and get into back-and-forths with the handful of Red Sox supporters. Once this blog got going, it was the readers and their comments that fueled its exponential growth, not the founder. If he can’t establish that at his new blog, he won’t be able to build a following anywhere comparable to this one. His greatest strenth isn’t his ability as a beat reporter or sportswriter, it’s that he understands the dynamic of this platform and is willing to do whatever it takes to make it succeed. Even if he doesn’t succeed this time, he was able to succeed once and all of us–from Sam & Chad to the readers to the Blogfather himself–have benefited greatly.
Wave Your Hat,
I place a lot more stock in success in the World Series than I do in interleague games. I’m not saying interleague games aren’t relevant.
And if you look at this decade, the champions have been relatively even with respect to the post-NYY dynastic time period:
2000: NYY
2001: ARI
2002: LAA
2003: FLA
2004: BOS
2005: CHI
2006: STL
2007: BOS
2008: PHI
I hope NYY tips the balance further in the AL’s favor this time around
Lets face it. we won’t see the bullpen unless we have a 3 run lead or more .
Mo can rest in the offseason
Andy Pettitte faces Cole Hamels on Saturday night. Hamels has been very inconsistent all year, specifically with his ability to locate. Keep an eye on who the Home plate umpire will be. CC Sabathia has already been announced as the Yanks game 4 starter, while Manuel is waiting to see what happens in Game 3 before announcing his. He wants to avoid using Lee on short rest if at all possible.
Does any Yankee Fan have any THOUGHTs on what Jimmy Rollins said about the last or noice the crowds have made?? He is correct, it has been very quiet. Almost like the fans are asleep.
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/1.....tmosphere/
“I hope NYY tips the balance further in the AL’s favor this time around”
Well we sure agree on that!
Mark in Tampa, funny stuff.
The Man. .i could honestly care less about our crowd . I had the volume MUTED anyways !.
As long as we win !
G. Love,
I think you hit the nail on the head in part.
The media knows that controversy stirs up interest and while I appreciate his desire to gain more attention for his blog (and he will over time I am certain), I think there are other, more commendable ways of doing so.
I think I’ve spent enough time writing about that OTHER blogger for the Red Sox. No more wasted time on the subject today.
Mr.October, Where?
What is last of noice?
I was at Game 1 and the crowd was atrocious. The drop off from Game 6 of the ALCS to the WS in terms of enthusiasm, passion, and interest shocked me. Damon was visibly trying to get the LF bleachers pumped up and the few of us that responded were told to sit down and calm down by “Yankees fans.” I guess most people were deep-pocketed stubhub buyers and not season ticket people. I was embarassed that the Phillies fans in my section were more into the game than the people around me.
cr9-
Yankees Universe has it posted already. I cut and pasted this:
Andy Pettitte faces Cole Hamels on Saturday night. Hamels has been very inconsistent all year, specifically with his ability to locate. Keep an eye on who the Home plate umpire will be. CC Sabathia has already been announced as the Yanks game 4 starter, while Manuel is waiting to see what happens in Game 3 before announcing his. He wants to avoid using Lee on short rest if at all possible.
eric in queens,
I think Lee dominating the Yankees for 9 innings had at least a little to do with the quiet.
But you’re right, if the crowd was a little bit more into it, perhaps it’d have made a difference. I wasn’t there, so I can’t say, but you never know.
The little boy and his dad that told Ryan Howard to sit down on his fourth strikeout weren’t sleeping.
For whatever reason, Jimmy Rollins doesn’t bother me as much as Hunter.
I saw a link about some harsh Rollins comments about Burrell, but I didn’t bother reading. The prediction bothered me, but only in that we lost game 1 and weren’t able to stuff his big mouth.
Oh, did I say that out loud?
cr9-
it also says some jazz about if the Yankees loose game 3 but i choose not to think like that!
When is Cowboy Joe West home plate umpire? I might need to be heavily sedated that night and tied down to a chair.
I’m not at the game nor am I a player so I guess that makes a difference, but as long as the Yankees win that is what will be remembered by the fans and Jimmy Rollins.
I wrote Pete after the ALDS to thank him for everything.
He wrote back and told me that he hopes the Yankees win it all because he thinks they’re a good bunch of guys. I believe he was being sincere.
I didn’t ask him anything about the Yanks or baseball. It was a totally unsolicited comment.
I don’t get how so many people had such a problem with him yet remained loyal to the blog.
I have no problem with using Mo for 2 innings last night… It was a must-win and he had 3 days of rest beforehand. Also, you have Hamels with a 6 ERA in the postseason going for Game 3, so that could end up being a blowout. Obviously Mo can’t go 2 innings every time, but you gotta do what you gotta do to win.
Ignore Rollins. He will say anything to stir things up.
In re: to the lack of run support for AJ, especially in the first two games Tex’s comments last night we’re so cute.
(re: his homerun) “Hopefully it gave AJ the confidence that we were actually going to score some runs for him”.
So, the players know they’ve been stingy with their run support for AJ. haha.
Pete is writing things that show his real phony self,but he’s not getting any audience from the sawx in the process. The comments numbers are very low!!
Bodd-It’s nice to know their are a few of us on the board who rememembers My Three Sons. Manuel does not remind me of Uncle Bub from that show. Recall him(William Frawley)?
“If this happened as he reports then why isn’t there other reports about it?”
Many of the NY beat writers wrote about it on Twitter. George is a physically frail man now and his family is trying to protect him from public scrutiny.
We’ve all dealt with aging relatives or will and it’s not an easy thing. Trying to help them keep their dignity in tough situations is to be commended in my book but I’ve lived it first hand so I’m biased.
M
I went from liking Torii Hunter to not liking him due to his big mouth. Now I am back to somewhat liking him, b/c he is rooting for the Yankees to win.
Mad prince,
Lee’s dominance was definitely a factor. But even in the early innings when the game was tied or when it was still close, it did not feel like Yankee Stadium. The crowd provided little encouragement for a rally. IMO.
There you go G Love, that’s my question too.
Does anyone know the umpire rotation? The Joe West behind the plate game is going to be one to keep an eye on.
Michael Kay brought up a great point about the noise. Apparently its normal for the old stadium to get louder because of the over hang from the second and third deck. The tiers would provide an echo making it especially loud. Since the upperdeck in the new stadium doesnt have the same over hang it is normal for it to not get as loud.
Mr. Ex,
I’ve been trying to figure it out. I’m not sure how the rotation is working. At first I thought Joe West was being set up as home plate ump for a potential game 7 (gasp!), but now I think it’s coming soon.
When he is behind the home plate he will make the game about him imposing his will.
It will be ugly. I was stunned he was on the World Series ump roster.
Imagine the day you had yesterday if you lived in NY and your name happened to be “Cliff Lee”.
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo....._fans.html
Cant believe im saying this but its obvious that Girardi no longer trusts his bullpen. Can we see a situation ala Randy Johnson in 01 where one of our starting pitchers come in in the 8th inning to bridge the gap to mo?
Wave feel free to read my final response on the topic.
***************************************
Yesterday someone said that he noticed pine tar on Cliff Lee’s cap. He said he had DVRd the game and played it back and said it definitely was not smudges of dirt but was pine tar. He surmised Lee had it on his hands and when wiping his cap, it ended up there.
Here’s my question. If that is true, that is a pretty serious thing. How did MLB get to review the possibility of Mariano throwing spitballs? How did the information become so relevant that MLB decided to investigate? They investigated and said there was nothing to the allegation. Shouldn’t they be doing the same thing about this allegation – even if it turns out to be incorrect?
Pat, I know that as well. I don’t follow any of that Twitter stuff. Too much garbage is posted with that.
As to being locked in stairwells and rooms, there isn’t any problem with that if it can be over-ridden for emergencies. More likely, they weren’t trapped, they would have probably had to go outside the stadium though.
Its a limited amount of time in any event, but the media in general seem to think they are privileged persons and deserve special treatment, regardless of circumstance. They probably were more upset over not getting their chance to badger George.
Regarding the noise levels, if it doesn’t naturally produce the noise the old stadium did, it can be enhanced electronically fairly easily. A few microphones placed around the stadium can be pumped through sound systems separate from the main one.
I was sad to see West on the crew as well. You could see him the other night, in game 1, yapping when they had the meeting on Rollins play.
I’m sure someone has the rotation. Perhaps Sam, Josh, or Chad can find out . . . or maybe the guys at RAB.
Yesterday, I made a comment that by and large the media hasn’t crucified Girardi for starting Molina in the postseason.
Someone responded (agreed) to me and “let’s go yankees” disagreed with that person and it went back and forth a bit.
I still stand behind my asssertion, but I came across something last night that I wanted to share. I found one person who was “baffled by the decision to start Molina and Hairston”. So I’m “manning up” because I found a writer who didn’t like it. Otherwise, I still stand by my original position.
Anyway, it’s a good read. Here’s Posnanski’s live blog of Game 2:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....?eref=sihp
Pedro is so deceiving because his fingers are so long….WHAT??? FOX should put Ozzie Guillen in the booth and let him butcher the english language the whole game. I would rather get kicked in the junk multiple times than listen to dumb and dumber broadcast.
Bronx Jeers -
I never had a “problem” with Pete at all. I ignored the few things he wrote about that I didn’t agree with. I appreciated (and still do) the work he did here. He has a different job now and a different audience.
I have thin skin when it comes to people criticizing my Yankees, and I do try to avoid it. (Even my mom was giving me her critique on the phone this a.m., and it was all I could do to find a way to disagree without being disagreeable.
) That’s all it is for me.
TRISHA-
Thats a great little tidbit! Does anyone here have the game DVRd that can look at it.
m
October 30th, 2009 at 11:01 am
“Hey, guys.
Someone mentioned it would take a couple more starts like this to trust AJ. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment.”
m-
i’m the one who said that it would take more big game starts like this for me to trust aj in big games.
why would you think i’d be disappointed if he turns out to be a big game stopper ?
i of course would like that. why not? i’m a yankee fan.
it seems to me you’re falling into the silliness on the blog where people pick players they like and or don’t like and then get involved in a competition to see whose favorite player does well.
i’m a yankee fan. i’d like to see aj be a stud pitcher in big games or alex to become the hitter he was in the first two playoff series and the last few months of the year.
to express concern or not being sure about a player doesn’t mean you root against them.
i realize that some people on the blog do. there are people who root against jeter, against alex, against cano, against posada, etc.
i don’t consider you one of those, but i have to take exception to you saying i’m one of those with burnett.
i’m slow to make judgements with players. one game and even one year doesn’t make a yankee.
m-
one more thing.
that was a nice step in the right direction by aj
Oops. Forgot to mention that Joe P. said this before the game started and later mentions something about Girardi and his gut and says Molina’s pickoff was a huge moment in the game. And furthermore he mentions a tangible shift at the stadium after the pickoff. A little hokey, but maybe Aura and Mystique were whispering in Posnanski’s ear.
randy l,
No, it was someone else this morning that sparked that post.
Patrick, If you didn’t think it was a factor then why did you bother to mention it or dig up stats to support it.
I’m not trying to argue, lets just move on. I think we both can agree that walks are bad but sometimes AJ can be effectively wild..
“I don’t get how so many people had such a problem with him yet remained loyal to the blog.”
Because Yankees fans came for Yankees information. And Yankees fans are the most loyal fans in the world, to their team.
So i get home late last night just in time to watch the top of the ninth inning. After the game was over i switched from mlb t.v. and espn. MLB TV was showing the play that Howard caught on a hopper and threw to Rollins for a mistaken double play. The cast was saying that it was an obvious blown call. Me being me couldnt get enough of the win turned it to espn. Coincedently the were showing the same play and their cast commented that it was obvious it was a catch and that the double play the Yanks made on Utley was a bad call freezing the picture and blowing it up. While the Howard catch was not. Am i missing something here?
How many people here are like me. When the Yanks lose, i dont have any sports news on. When they win, i will watch reruns till i cant keep my eyes open any longer?
m,
I tip my cap to you for manning up. Its not like we didn’t understand where you were coming from.
Who WOULDN’T rather see Posada’s bat in the lineup?
Sometimes you shake things up because something didn’t work the last time around. The best part about that is that if those new additions don’t work out early, you have the option of switching them out. Fortunately, they worked last night.
Don’t be surprised to see Hairston in RF tomorrow.
Pedros’s
Press conference:
A. I care more about the fans reaction to me than the game.
B. I couldn’t sleep or eat for two days before the game but that is no excuse but I’ll make sure to emphasize it again.
C. I didn’t tell anyone I was sick because Me making the start is the most important thing to Me.
D. If I was a Yankee I’d be king of New York.
“How many people here are like me. When the Yanks lose, i dont have any sports news on. When they win, i will watch ”
reruns till i cant keep my eyes open any longer?”
Oh yeah.
trisha I noticed his hat looked brown as well. Shouldn’t the manager or coaches be looking for things like that?
And furthermore you totally read that wrong, randy l.
You’re setting yourself up for disappointment if you think that AJ will pitch like this forever based on a few good starts.
This is what’s going to happen (because I’ve seen it happen this season). AJ will go on a good roll, then he’ll lose it for a bit. And then those who were expecting him to keep rolling really get down on him. Like he’s a fraud, stealing money from the Yankees, nothing but an underachiever, a .500 pitcher, and on and on and on.
So, just because AJ has a few magical starts like this isn’t going to change who AJ is. He’s flawed, he’s mercurial, but when he’s on it’s a beautiful thing. I just wish that people wouldn’t hold his bad side against him so much.
That’s all. You know me, I respect everyone’s opinion.
Wanna keep Mo limited to 3 outs or less? The answer is very, very simple: the offense needs to score runs!!!
With a 3 or more run cushion, I think Girardi wont feel he needs to use him for more than that.
So the way I see it, it is up to the offense to keep the Yankees’ main deterrent fresh and ready for games 4 and 5 (because we will take it in 5!!!!)
Does anyone feel that Damon is the next to get benched? Possibly if Happ starts or against Lee.
So a big question for game 3. What does the outfield look like, Do you sit Matsui?
pine tar?
come on people…Lee’s been dominating for a while now…if he was using a foreign substance don’t you think he’d have been caught by now?
hard to believe this is has any substance, pardon the pun.
MR. OCTOBER -
I had the game DVRd but couldn’t delete it fast enough. That said, I don’t think I would know how to begin to distinguish. The person who posted was very confident that it was pine tar.
I just wish we could somehow get MLB to take a look at it the same way they took a look at MO’s spit! I just don’t know how you go about that!
Jweav -
I also found it oddly offensive how they discussed how intelligent Pedro Martinez is, what a good interview he is. They sounded surprised, and I’m not sure why.
It’s also an interesting study in media/player relations (a la Jason Giambi) – the nicer a guy is around the media, or the more accommodating or entertaining, the more slack they give him and the more favorable reporting. I guess it’s human nature. But I’ve actually read in print (I forget where) about the Giambi relationship with the media.
To some extent, it’s understandable – those gregarious guys make a reporter’s job much easier – always ready with a quote, a point of view, a story. Pedro is a reporter’s dream.
Abdababdaserser
Is it o.k. to amplify the stadium noise through speakers? I believe the nfl does not allow it.
I’ve seen Cliff Lee pitch a fair amount and I’ve never seen him have that kinda break on that “spike curve” That thing was ridiculous..
Mad Prince – wouldn’t you want to know for sure? I would. By the way, he went through a period of being anything but dominating this season. Unfortunately I dropped him from my fantasy team right about that time. So I know from whence I speak. Who knows. Maybe pinetar is more ample in Philly than in Cleveland, where they specialize in midges.
Blake, Agreed. Lee is a good pitcher, without a doubt. But some of the break and movement on his pitches were so sick, I thought I was dreaming looking at them.
M,
It was a puzzling move if only because all year long, Joe’s been stacking lefties like a madman. We’ve seen 7 lefties in a lineup against a righty many, many times.
I’m sure when Pedro found about Hairston and Molina, his reaction was “Cool!”
It did work out though. Both of them actually had better at bats than ARod last night!
“trisha I noticed his hat looked brown as well. Shouldn’t the manager or coaches be looking for things like that?”
jenn that’s the stuff that drives me crazy. They all seem to turn their backs when it’s happening. Or maybe because it was raining etc. they weren’t paying attention. Remember when Kenny Rogers got caught? LaRussa didn’t do a thing about it.
Trisha-
Good point about deleting it. It would be pretty hard to tell what it was. Pine tar and dirt are pretty different though. If it was a substance that looked like dirt he can argue it was dirt. But dirt doesnt really look like pinetar and any substance on his hand is illegal.
Did anyone else interepret what I wrote like randy l did? I certainly wasn’t trying to say I told you so or anything like that.
Just was trying to say, a couple of good starts like this doesn’t mean that bad AJ won’t pop up now and then.
I’m basically saying that you can’t really trust AJ (or any pitcher really) to always give you what you need. Especially when he’s more prone to mechanical failure due to his emotion/psyche.
And in AJ’s case you should just appreciate the good he does and not focus so much on the negative. I don’t know why he has to be more perfect than the others.
Didn’t someone say that all the hoopla about Mo started on an Angel’s blog? Well…
randy didn’t you say that last night was the test on how AJ pitched under pressure? I know you definitely said something to that effect.
CR9 Blake-
I agree there was a lot of movement on that spike pitch. I had seats in the “cafe section” behind the plate. Even though it was pretty far back you can see the ball dropping like crazy. At one point my friend asked myself and another guy “what is he throwing?” I told him I have no idea what that pitch is but it is biting like crazy. Didnt give it any thought until now. I would love to see that video.
thanks m-
never mind
SOS, I’m the same way. When the NYY win I’m watching/reading everything I can until I realize it is a loop. When they lose I’m in total media blackout.
m wrote: “So, just because AJ has a few magical starts like this isn’t going to change who AJ is. He’s flawed, he’s mercurial, but when he’s on it’s a beautiful thing.”
Well put!
m,
No one expects Burnett to be perfect every time out.
He’s just a maddening pitcher, because he has SO much talent. He should be one of the great ones – if he just had a better makeup.
But when he loses it, it’s too often not just for a “little bit.”
He was virtually unhittable last night. The Phillies had no chance and they knew it.
However, he’s going to have to pitch again this series. No one can or should expect him to duplicate his performance the next time out.
However, he can’t fall apart like he did the first inning in Anaheim.
He’s got to find a way to give a real quality outing when he doesn’t have his best stuff. That’s his biggest problem.
Sabathia does that, Burnett too often can’t.
Sabathia has great stuff, some of the best in baseball. But when he’s on, when he’s really on, Burnett’s stuff is almost beyond compare.
He gets rattled, loses focus – a baserunner here, a passed ball there – and in a blink of the eye the game has gotten away from him.
That just shouldn’t happen. I don’t care how mecurial he is.
He’s a 32-year old veteran pitcher, not a 22-year old rookie.
I hope A.J. is great his next start because I’m a Yankee fan.
History tells me not to count on it. I would love to be wrong.
The Philles are a great team, but the NL is clearly weaker. There are a ton of players who were struggling in the AL and are doing much better in the NL. It looks like once you cannot do it any longer or as well in the AL you could go to the NL and keep your career alive
Javier Vasquez, Brendan Donnelly, Latroy Hawkins, Miguel Tejada, Vincente Padilla, George Sherrill, David weathers, Gary Sheffield, Brad Penny, Ryan Franklin, Joel Pinero, John Smoltz. Ron Villone all players who struggled mightily or were unable to compete in the AL but have done well in NL
“Randy didn’t you say that last night was the test on how AJ pitched under pressure? I know you definitely said something to that effect.”
trisha-
absolutely.
the yankees as a team needed good aj and i think he personally needed it after his bad start if he were going to get another start in this world series.
it was a gut check for and he let his good aj happen.
that’s all being clutch is, being yourself under pressure.
he did it.
but one game doesn’t totally win me over with a player. aj has to do it on a consistent basis the way pettitte has over his career. pettitte has his clunkers too. but he’s had so many good games you know it’s not because of nerves when he does. he’s just bad.
aj went a long way last night to show he can pitch in big games.
he’ll get another chance in game 5 or 6 now to show he can do it on a consistent basis.
if he does, the yankees have themselves a good if not great postseason #2 pitcher.
Mariano pitches when he feels right, the game conditions, and the game importance.
How he’s used during the regular season is programmed into his endurance in the postseason.
good win..but girardi is playing a dangerous game, bringing in mo for these two inning saves. he protects him all year and now , he stretches him out. how many times can mo come back effectively after 35-40 pitch saves. makes me very nervous for key situations later in the series.
he’s not managing by what he sees on the field. aj could easily have pitched the 8th
With more than a one run lead you have to give Joba or Phil a chance to get at least one or two outs.
Sure, Mo is going to shut the door, but what happens last night if they don’t turn two on Rivera’s last pitch of the 8th???
The Phillies seemed determined to make him work his pitch count up and they almost succeeded in having him unavailable/worn out for the 9th. He was up in the mid-twenties (pitch count) and had one out before that pitch. That inning could have easily turned into 35-40 pitches for Mo and then who would pitch the 9th??
In that case, Girardi would have looked beyond follish and we all would have wanted his head. It is a very risky move bringing in Mo for 6 outs, saying nothing of what it could do to his arm strength later in the series. The fact is, he was that close to even being unavailable for the one inning he is SUPPOSED to pitch. Dumb move by Girardi and if he keeps doing it, it will surely backfire on him one way or another. Time to put even just a little bit of trust back in the setup guys.
It’s the world series. He was on 3 days rest, he’s resting today, it’s fine. It’s fine, people! Believe it! He’s that good!
p.s. It’s the WORLD SERIES.