Talk to you later.

I have to tell you that just about the opposite happens at fenway, and I goof on it all the time. A base hit sounds like the’ve won the world series and everything that looks like a possible home run is grounds for delerium…until it’s caught. I actually think they sound goofy!

Yes, not being at the stadium, I feel like I can’t comment on the crowd noise overall. But on television, at least, the crowd seems very “into” the game and animated. The players seem to have no problem with it. And in key situations, they do seem to get loud enough.

It’s hard to be loud in a game when it is obvious the other pitcher is not going to be easy prey.

My only complaint about the Yankee Stadium crowd is the same one I had when they were at the old Stadium – they wait for the action to start before really getting loud, instead of anticipatory loudness, if you know what I mean.

But the reaction of Buck/McCarver to the two double-play scenarios was illuminating, to say the least.

Frank, I haven’t been to the Stadium so don’t know about crowd noise. I do know that when your team is losing 6-1 on a freezing cold and rainy night it might be hard to muster up energy to cheer. I also know that any time the crowd started to get noisy in the 2nd game (I know because I am watching it know, Buck was totally derisive in mentioning it. I think the quote was something to the effect of “And at 9:10, the crowd at Yankee Stadium came alive.”

I thought they sounded pretty noisy. But I wasn’t there. They’re certinaly noisy in the 7th, going crazy over AJ’s Ks!!!!!)

As much as we WANT to believe that YS is a “26th man,” according to all of the articles that I have read, it’s just not the case.

McCarver went to Philly U. as a “caddie” and where Buck gets it from, I haven’t a clue. Both are not pro Yankee for sure!

Nonetheless, YS has been too “corporate, too staid” for all of us to admit.

Maybe this will change if there’s a game 6 &/or 7.

The mute button didn’t work. I might try getting CBS on my laptop (as I said, I can’t figure out how to get AM radio on the audio/video system I have set up at home – how silly is that??).

Is it really too much to ask for a more impartial broadcast of the World Series? McCarver played for the Phillies, and clearly doesn’t like the Yankees. Buck? Doesn’t seem to like the Yankees, either. I mean, they give credit when they must, but go way overboard for the other team, whatever the other team is. I just want even-handedness. Call a spade a spade – for both teams – yay or nay. But it seems to be as futile as hoping that instant replay (which I used to be against, but once the umpire said “I felt in my heart” that was that for me!) will get more use, at least in the playoffs.

Ah, well.

I want to be happy and positive for tonight. So that’s the last rant.

yankee 21-

on the contrary,i liked hearing your thoughts on hamels.

i don’t have the time to follow every team and really don’t know the philly’s team that well. watching them play is a crash course in who they are.

i was just surprised to see how mediocre hamels has been. he has really high pitch counts so the yankees really need to work on that. get in to the bullpen early when there’s three games in a row and it’s like body punching in a heavyweight fight.

eventually the phil’s bullpen could be worn down for a key moment or inning. in the same way it’s important for andy to pitch deep into the game. on paper i see an edge for the yankees in the match up because pettitte has a better chance to go deeper into the game.

manuel gave away his team’s hitting strategy against pettitte when he said he has lost his good stuff because of age and has to live on the corners. manuel said the phillies needed to be selective and not swing at balls off the plate.

this sounds like they will be taking some close pitches. what i’d do as a catcher is to stick a few pitches up and in to give them something else to think about or maybe a cutter at their ankles to make them move their feet .

anything to tick them off and keep them aggressive. when they’re like that they won’t be patiently taking pitches as manuel wants them to do.

in short, i’d tick them off. it’s hard to be ticked off and patient at the same time. if posada and pettitte don’t want to play nasty head games like i would, simply throwing first pitch strikes wold probably work too to make being patient a penalty

I know how you feel – Hamels has not been the Hamels of last season, but you think, does he have one good game left in him? Will that game be tonight?

But Andy already had his bad game this post-season – the one in Anaheim where he didn’t hold the lead. (That’s how I’m thinking of it, anyway). So, Andy will be Andy.

The Phillies sure are a talkative bunch, aren’t they? I swear I have never heard a Yankees player or coach go so far out of their way to sound, for lack of a better word, disrespectful, toward their opponent. If anything, they bend over backwards to give credit whenever possible.

So, it should be a fine time in Philly tonight.