Out of heartbreak, Swisher’s back on Cloud 9
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During Andy Pettitte’s postgame press conference last night, Nick Swisher stood to the side and listened. When it was over, he began to applaud then looked at the room of reporters and said, “Nobody claps?”
When he went to the table for his press conference, Swisher took a video recorder with him and filmed the moment of him taking center stage. Someone joked that he’s supposed to act like he’s been there before and Swisher replied, “But I haven’t been here before.”
“I think tonight just really, really turned things around for me,” he said. “You know, I mean, obviously this post-season has been kind of a struggle for me, but I’ll tell you what, I think the real thanks from me definitely goes to my teammates, my manager. Those guys have never lost faith in me. And my family, they’ve been behind me this whole way. It’s different. When you’re in the postseason and you’re in New York, it’s completely different than anywhere else I’ve ever been. It’s nice to have a day like this, but it’s just one game. I mean, right now we’re sitting 2-1, and it’s all about the team. We want to get this thing. Obviously coming here into a hostile crowd like tonight, it’s great to definitely get a game here.”
Swisher entered Saturday hitting .114, but Joe Girardi said before the game that Swisher has been the team’s right-fielder all season and that wasn’t going to change because of three and a half bad weeks. He sat Swisher in Game 2, and Swisher responded in Game 3.
“That was heartbreaking,” Swisher said. “There’s no doubt about that. I’m an emotional guy. You definitely know what I’m thinking. I wear my heart on my sleeve. Skip sat me down the other day and said, ‘Hey, just relax. I want you to just watch this game, enjoy this game.’ And then we talked about some stuff after the game. But I think it really helped me mentally, not necessarily physically because right now you’re such on cloud 9 because you’re playing in the World Series, you don’t really feel anything.
“But it was nice for my head to just rest and enjoy that game, and especially for us to win, that was great. So for today, I talked to Skip a lot today, I talked to K Long, our hitting coach, and those guys have really helped me out, as well.”
Here’s the Swisher audio.
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on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 11:02 am by Chad Jennings.
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Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
“Paid by Fox. Their job is not to be impartial, where did you get that? They have probably been instructed to lean a little towards the perceived underdog. In any case, you can bet that they have been coached and not given free rein to express themselves.”
I assumed that they would be impartial since it wasn’t the broadcast arm for any specific team. I guess I was wrong.
Good to get Swisher’s bat going. I really like the Yankees chances tonight with CC going agaist Blanton. The Yankees have always hit Blanton well back to his Oakland days.
Maybe Swish’s breakout game will caution people not to jump up and down over small sample sizes in the postseason.
OK, I doubt it will have that effect, but a writer once asked Roger Maris if he was upset about having batted .267 in the World Series.
The writer, I guess, wasn’t banking on the smarts of The Rog, but in reply he said:
“You do realize, had I got another hit, I would have hit .300 for the Series?”
Hi Chad, hope all is well for you in your new gig, you sound like you’re having fun.
ps- change your clock…..
regards,
SteveB
That was a paraprhase, so you can attribute the poor grammar to me, not Roger.
Had I had gotten another hit…
Swisher saying I don’t read the papers, I just look at the pictures cracked me up.
Coming out of spring training, I thought that Swisher was someone who would get on my nerves quickly because he was more clown that ballplayer.
Hearing about him working with Dave Eiland to improve his throwing changed my mind about that. Now I see him as someone who is willing to do anything he has to to get better and help the team even if that means being the biggest cheerleader for the organization, manager, coaches and every teammate in the clubhouse.
He seems to like all that is NY and he seems to be doing everything he can to stick here.
Haha, great quote bodhi.
Swisher is like the nice version of Boomer.
I think people greatly underplay Swisher’s contribution to this team this year. Not only did he carry team offensively early in the year before Alex came back, he has been a huge factor in the chemistry of the team the whole season.
As a player he’s always been streaky and can be very bad at times but also very good at times. Lets hope he stays in one of his hot grooves at least a few more games.
Who cares if they’re playing in Philly ?
The Giants at 1:00
The Yankees at 8:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNm39BzFP2I
LOL.
9 hours and 51 minutes until Game 4!!!!!!!!!
There were comments made about Nick and Melky pretending to throw the balls into the stands. Well according to Mark F they were verbally and physically abused by the fans. They had things thrown at them.
Now really verbally is one thing, but to throw things at an opposing player that takes it to all new low.
Now I see what Met fans were saying about Philly fans being a nasty bunch.
NYY626- GO ANDY!!!
November 1st, 2009 at 9:54 am
Erica – I know it wasn’t a triple, but did you happen to notice Andy’s game tying single last night?!?!?! ( I may or may not have done a victory lap around my friends couch last night in front of a bunch of people I don’t know, who now probably think I’m insane). Also, many thanks to your PBF for allowing me to watch Andy run the bases
*****
You were the first person I thought of when he got that hit!!! LOL. I said in the thread that he dedicated it to you!
What a sports day! Giants/Eagles, Packers/Favres, with it all topped off by Game 4.
Going to church then gettin my sweatpants on and getting prepared to be a couch potato
Today, we take a stranglehold on the series.
Happy for Nick Swisher. Glad he got such a happy first press conference.
What a sports day! Giants/Eagles, Packers/Favres, with it all topped off by Game 4.
****************************
And for me there is also the Jets-Dolphins game.
bodhisattva – Destiny Wears Pinstripes November 1st, 2009 at 10:11 am
Maybe Swish’s breakout game will caution people not to jump up and down over small sample sizes in the postseason.
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As long as Joe G. noticed and benched him a game….it’s what he needed, a day off.
K. Long widened Swisher’s stance on the off day and it sure seemed to have worked last night.
He did the same thing with Alex earlier this season and that seemed to pay dividends too.
K. Long gets a big assist in last nights win.
For all the complaints about the Yankees, why is it never brought up that Phillies are buying their way into the post season? Their 2 best pitchers were not even on the roster opening day.
One guy on MLB last night said that some Phillies fan threw a crutch at him during a game. There isn’t any excuses for that type of behavior. Its why I can’t stand the “throw it back” mentality of the opposition HR balls. Its petty and being a sore loser.
Swisher is a fun player to have on the team. I love the kid type attitude he has in counterpoint to most of the other players. I think his manner tends to make him under appreciated for the work he puts into his playing. He has worked on his throwing, batting and fielding. I think he, along with Damon and CC help to keep the Yankee teammates playing less tight.
Its great that he can feel comfortable enough with himself that he can state his mind in interviews. Its refreshing.
In watching him play throughout the season, he has shown improvement in his game, while retaining his carefree attitudes. I don’t think you can ask for more than that.
We got one fair pitch called all night, to Mark Texeira called Ball 4 in the 4th inning, which may have turned around the complexion of the game. Aside from that, the HP umpire seemed to have his Phillies, Mets, or Red Sox garb underneath his uniform.
All we can hope for tonight is a fair HP umpire.
You could just tell, when Swish got that double, he was so, so happy. It was nice to see.
Last I checked, all teams actually pay their players to play the game. If the owners pay the salaries, when a team wins the owners bought the championship, regardless of the range of salaries.
I think the Yankees will have their swagger back tonight. They were tight the first two games.
You were the first person I thought of when he got that hit!!! LOL. I said in the thread that he dedicated it to you!
I’ve watched the replays of that inning about five times already this morning.
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Haha thanks! I choose to think that Andy got that hit for me as well
Murphdog–
Best of luck to you and your dog..I know the feeling and am thinking good thoughts for both of you.
Murphydog, absolutely it’s ok to pray for animals and I will do so for your sweet dog.
I would also go with Gaudin in game 5 if we win tonight, but I’m not assuming anything. I have many hours to soak up last nights win and I want to enjoy that before I start getting nervous again.
I wonder if Robertson is ok – rumors are that he’s not, that his velocity has been diminished and he’s not 100%. Baseball Prospectus apparently said recently that he’d be having surgery now if it wasn’t for the WS-I’d like to believe that isn’t true, given that Dr. Andrews found nothing structurally wrong. Still, it does seem like Robertson hasn’t pitched much.
Kudos to Marte – who maybe is finally healthy now. Remember that his velocity was still iffy when the Yankees recalled him – maybe it’s taken all this time to finally come to hand? Whatever it is, he’s blooming again at the right time because the Yankees were/are not going to win with 1 man in the pen.
some highlights of the game for me:
Andy’s hit
Andy almost getting caught by Jeter at the plate
Jeter telling the ump about Andy’s bragging about his hit
Swish’s post game, taking a picture of himself
murphydog
My prayers are with you, Murphy, and your family.
Oh, c’mon Swish… I love you, but you’re not supposed to say you were “heartbroken” that you had to sit for one game, especially when the guy who played in your place delivered a fairly big hit. Just bite your tongue and say it’s all about the team and winning the game (even if you don’t mean it) because it IS.
Best thoughts and wishes to murphydog on the sad loss of his dog.
Michael Kay tells the story about Alex being able to see what fans in the CF stands in Fenway had in their hands when he was up to bat. Last night he seemed to know the ball hit the camera the minute he got to second base.
If there is such a thing as better than 20/20 vision, Alex must have it.
Back to the “camera gate” thing, why are Kruk and Buck acting like the home run ruling was at all controversial?
This from Jack Curry in the NY Times this morning:
“Gerry Davis, the crew chief, explained how the umpires tour the field and review the ground rules before the first game of a series at a ballpark. Since the umpires do not control how the camera operator moves the camera, Davis said any ball that hits the camera is a homer.”
So, that means trajectory was inconsequential–even though Alex’s ball appeared to be going out.
I actually have found McCarver much more bearable this time than Buck, which is usually not the case. Oh, except for when he obscured the Yankees pumpkin in the booth shot.
upstate kate November 1st, 2009 at 10:57 am
some highlights of the game for me:
Andy’s hit
Andy almost getting caught by Jeter at the plate
Jeter telling the ump about Andy’s bragging about his hit
Swish’s post game, taking a picture of himself
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Yeah, that pretty much sums up the night for me as well lol.
Sony
November 1st, 2009 at 10:58 am
Oh, c’mon Swish… I love you, but you’re not supposed to say you were “heartbroken” that you had to sit for one game, especially when the guy who played in your place delivered a fairly big hit. Just bite your tongue and say it’s all about the team and winning the game (even if you don’t mean it) because it IS.
*******
I think its great that Swish said he was heartbroken. When guys act aloof about being benched it shows lack of heart.
Murphdog–
I will pray for your pup. There is little better in this world than a good dog.
Swish can only get healthier at the plate with that meatball tosser Blanton on the mound tonight. GO SWISH! GO CC! GO YANKEES!
Kate,
Your moments were also my highlights. I would also add one more – Alex’s HR because it seems that those kind of plays always involve Alex and it got the Yankees back in the game.
Prayers coming your way, Murphydog. I know exactly what you’re feeling.
The Yankees have found their bats. Swish is back. We’re 5 by 5 and I’ve never felt better.
Arod’s ball hitting the camera lens was a one in a million shot, he should win a corvette for that.
And to the haters that say the Yankees bought this (ESPN in particular who can’t seem to get over it) , tell me about another team that has 4 core players that have been there for this long and are still producing. There’s nothing else that compares. The Yankees didn’t buy anything, it’s a dynasty. Let’s win this.
The Yankees will win one for Murphy!
I was at the game last night and it’s true. Melky and Swisher were ridiculously TORTURED by the fans. Not so bad for Damon as there was a big group of Yankee fans in left field. Overall I was surprised there was so few Yankee fans at the game. I’ve been to Yankees at Phillies games many times during the regular season interleague games and there’s usually about 40% NYY fans in the stands. Not last night! It was a little scary.
The crowd was insane early in the game, but was much quieter after Arod’s homer. Philly fans really thought the Phillies were going to just roll over the Yankees.
Fran (the original) and OPPC member
November 1st, 2009 at 11:05 am
Kate,
Your moments were also my highlights. I would also add one more – Alex’s HR because it seems that those kind of plays always involve Alex and it got the Yankees back in the game.
*****
You’re right. I don’t know about anyone else, but as soon as A-Rod hit that home run, I knew we were going to win the game
Wait till the world series:thanks for the kind thoughts on the dog, but she’s not gone yet. At the dog hospital now. More tests I’m told and a new issue. Not out of the woods but the doggie was eating at least. She looks pretty banged up with the IV in her foreleg. She’s not coming home today afterall. I’ll come back for her tomorrow.
Did anyone go watch the road game at yankee stadium during the last round? Is it worth heading up there?
@ RSM
Brave man. Did you wear a Yankees hat? I wouldn’t.
Murphy, thoughts and prayers with you.
My family just lost our border collie Namath to cancer. Be strong.
I was thrilled for Swisher last night. I was like a little kid jumping up and down when he hit his homerun. I’ll be honest though, I did that every time a Yankee got an RBI.
So does Marte get the Graeme Lloyd award for stepping it up on the post season after a wreck of a regular season? Marte is a perfect example of how a manager has to ride the players that are “feeling it” in the post season. Kudos to Girardi for recognizing and not stubbornly sticking with his bullpen by matchup mindset from earlier in the playoffs. We all tend to forget that this is Girardi’s rookie post season and he is learning that confidence and coolness sometimes need to supercede “the book”.
Erica,
Are we playing GTLU today? Did you play yesterday? I was out driving around in my new car and did not have a chance to check yesterday.
Sam, Chad, and Josh, 26
PLEASE REMEMBER FLASHPOINTS TODAY!
Fran (the original) and OPPC member
November 1st, 2009 at 11:17 am
Erica,
Are we playing GTLU today? Did you play yesterday? I was out driving around in my new car and did not have a chance to check yesterday.
*******
There was a game yesterday, we had 13 winners and now there is a 5-way tie for 1st place. Today I am doing GTLU from 3-4:30.
What kind of car did you get?
murphy
hope you can bring her home tomorrow.
eating is a good sign
Fran and Erica
you are right, I should have included Alex’s HR.
I watched kruk’s tirade and he seemed more upset that the umpires knew there was a problem w/ the position of the camera, but didn’t address it before the game started.
Erin
November 1st, 2009 at 11:16 am
I was thrilled for Swisher last night. I was like a little kid jumping up and down when he hit his homerun. I’ll be honest though, I did that every time a Yankee got an RBI.
*****
Me too!!! LOL
Especially Johnny’s big hit
Abdaba…,
Re having the crutch thrown at him: Did you hear the other commentator? “That was to help you run faster.” lol
Pat,
M. Kay also said on the YES postgame that Swish closed his stance a bit. If the mechanics were the issue, maybe Swish will continue to hit through the rest of the series. Could be significant.
Oh yeah! Blue Yankee pullover and cap.
Admittedly, If I knew there were going to be so few of us I may not have.
RSM
November 1st, 2009 at 11:21 am
Oh yeah! Blue Yankee pullover and cap.
Admittedly, If I knew there were going to be so few of us I may not have.
*****
But you lived to tell about it
Here is the truth about last night’s game:
1. Andy Pettitte showed how the great (and nearly great) pitchers handle a big game when they don’t have anything close to good stuff.
2. Nick Swisher shut up everyone who wanted him benched until 2010. Girardi said it best, ‘you don’t sit down your regular player because he’s sucked for a few weeks’. And kudos to Kevin Long for providing a swing thought that worked for Nick. Sometimes it’s more a matter of getting rid of way too many swing thoughts for just one no matter what it is.
3. The Yankees bullpen pitched great and all of a sudden Damaso Marte has emerged as a ‘go to’ guy-he stuff was absolutely nasty last night. Ryan Howard has now faced Marte 4X in his career and is 0-4 with 4 K’s.
4. It’s not fair to be down on Phil Hughes because he’s having problems. If it wasn’t for him, the Yankees bullpen wouldn’t have emerged into a dominant force in the second half and they probably wouldn’t be in this position. He’s most likely tired-you can see his fastball velocity is down and he isn’t locating consistently. He’ll be fine next year and since you can never tell in baseball he could still wind up doing something important before the series ends with #27.
Of course, this being the LoHud blog, the negative comments will continue as soon as something doesn’t go right tonight, particularly with the chosen ‘bashed’-Cano and Posada.
Phillies win in five with relative ease. Cliff Lee shuts out the Yankees tomorrow night in NY as we watch your bandwagon media eat the choking Bombers alive.
Enjoy the series.
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you just cant predict these things
the better pitching will win
our offense has been off in all 3 series except a few games & here we sit up 2-1 in the ws
yes you do need some offense but just enough
who would of thought marte would pitch well,hughes would struggle,mo would be lights out
ok just kidding about mo but cc pitched well enough to win but lee was dominant
aj was lights out,pettitte pitched better than hamels
this series is far from over but if cc wins today no way the phillies win 3 in a row
it is all about pitching & just enough offense
cashman was smart & went out & got an ace & a solid number 2 pitcher to go with pettitte & company
going forward i think we need another solid pitcher to replace pettitte when he leaves
webb,lackey,becket,halladay,etc…
2 aces,a solid # 3 & a decent 4th pitcher seems to be the formula needed with still no guarantees & the more offense you have the more you might be able to deviate
the bottom line is we have 3 pitchers getting it done better than any other team in baseball
next year we can have the same pitchers & it isnt good enough
if we ever get a solid # 2 pitcher & move aj to # 3 look out
i let matsui & damon go & get a big bat for one of the corner of spots at the minimum
dhing swish is also an option with gardner in cf & melky in rf or lf while getting a big bat for one of the corners or both
1,2 or 3 outfielders is needed
maybe a corner of & a dh or a dh & cf
The one glaring thing I noticed about Swisher…his batting stance. If you have any video from Game 1 or the ALCS games, you’ll see that Nick was putting his front foot WAY back in the bucket. So much so that he was pratically FACING the pitcher. That severely limited his ability to drive anything with power or reach outside pitches.
Ovbviously, he worked with K-Long to get his stance much more squared up. The front foot and back foot were now in line and parallel to the plate. That gave him much more authority to put something on the ball, rather than just pop everything up. Kudos to Long for getting Nick to go for the change, and kudos to Nick for executing perfectly. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
bru
November 1st, 2009 at 11:25 am
i let matsui & damon go & get a big bat for one of the corner of spots at the minimum
****************
Watch out-Erica will be after you for that comment.
I hope your wrong-I would love to have both Damon and Matsui back.
bru,
what do you think? pettite back, hughes in the rotation, and joba in the bullpen as the heir apparent to mo?
Edit: you’re not your.
Someone mentioned in this thread that Swisher and Damon were verbally and physically abused by PHIL fans to the point of stuff being thrown at them.
It is one thing to have verbal insults, that is baseball, and to be expected… it is quite another if actually PHIL fans did throw stuff at these guys.
I really am suspicious of this because if true, the Yankees could haul their players off the field and PHIL could be subject to forfeit if the fans continued.
I am sure Joe G would protect his players and bring them off. That is why I doubt this happened or it might have been an inconsequential hot dog or something..
There are somethings that are tolerated by ML players (verbal), there is no compromise on physical though.
Erica,
I’ll play later
My car is a 2010 Toyota Rav4. I wanted an SUV because I am 5′2″ and like to sit higher up. It’s black with a biscuit color interior. I already love it.
Benching him was one of the best moves Joe made.He seen the team win without him,and Hairston jr’s impact on the team with a timely hit,it worked.
Now if only somebody would jump start Cano,Tex,and Melky to start hitting.
Yahoo sports titled an article:Andy helped the Yankees with his arm and bat.
If anyone would’ve said AJ would get the first WS win as a starter.
Followed by Andy winning the game,in spite of throwing 51 pitches in the first two innings,and hitting a RBI,coupled with the opposing pitcher being knocked out in 3.1 innings.
I would’ve thought you lost your mind.Andy fought to keep the Yankees in that game.
I wish the game threads were troll free. I thought about posting, but after reading for 5 minutes, I quickly left. It was troll city before the Yankees started scoring.
I don’t understand anyone who doesn’t want Matsui back next year. He has lost absolutely no bad speed in the past couple of years, what could possibly be wrong with having him play 80-100 games as a DH with 400 plate appearances, 20 HR, 75-85 RBI, and someone who scares the opposition off the bench?
The money is a Yankee issue, not a fan issue. They will figure it out if they recognize how much he contributes to this team.
kate,
I missed Kruk’s tirade about the camera. By the way did anyone say whose camera it was? And why was it hanging over the railing anyway?!
Fran,
what color is “buscuit”?!
Erin,
i don’t think matsui will be back.
the Truth Squad
November 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am
I don’t understand anyone who doesn’t want Matsui back next year. He has lost absolutely no bad speed in the past couple of years, what could possibly be wrong with having him play 80-100 games as a DH with 400 plate appearances, 20 HR, 75-85 RBI, and someone who scares the opposition off the bench?
The money is a Yankee issue, not a fan issue. They will figure it out if they recognize how much he contributes to this team.
*****************
Agreed. I really hope they can work something out over the winter. I hate to think of Matsui in another uniform. That would just seem wrong to me.
I think benching Swisher worked wonders. Sometimes it’s a good for a player to take a seat and watch a game from the bench when they’re struggling. And didn’t Swisher respond well to a benching earlier this season? Good move by Girardi.
Why has nobody mentioned when talking of last night’s game, the HP umpire cheating the Yankee batters time and time again in the latter innings. The only call I remember being favorable to the Yankees was the Teix Ball 4 prior to the Al HR and the Strike 3 to Werth in which he argued (the Werth pitch may well have been a strike).
What’s funny about Matsui’s situation is that supposedly, the Mets have let him know that they have interest in him. And people wonder why the Mets are the pathetic organization that they are. Matsui cannot play the outfield anymore so why would a NL team be interested in him? Why would he want to go to an NL team, where he’d only be a pinch hitter and might only see one AB a game?
I think that the Yankees should sign Matsui. If they don’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if SEA gave him a shot. He’s still a good hitter and a class act.
Kudos to Marte – who maybe is finally healthy now.
Betsy-
FI(nally) (hea)LTHY= FILTHY
Wow at Cole Hamels……how can he say something like this? I know what he means, but it still sounds terrible. He’s a very talented pitcher who just lost his way this year, but he might have some patching up to do with his teammates. First he shows up Utley against the Dodgers and now this?
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/s.....inous-sign
Hamels lost on Saturday night, and the manner in which it happened — and what the left-hander said afterward — should be more unsettling to Philadelphia fans than the defeat itself.
“I can’t wait for it to end,” Hamels said of his tumultuous season. “It’s been mentally draining. … You can’t wait for a fresh start.”
Really? It’s the World Series, and Hamels can’t wait to be through with all this stuff.
Look. The Yankees, who were 8-5 victors in Game 3, are very good. There is no shame in losing to them. But Hamels’ collapse was so profound that Manuel couldn’t even promise afterward that his onetime ace would start a Game 7.
Hamels lost on Saturday night, and the manner in which it happened — and what the left-hander said afterward — should be more unsettling to Philadelphia fans than the defeat itself.
“I can’t wait for it to end,” Hamels said of his tumultuous season. “It’s been mentally draining. … You can’t wait for a fresh start.”
Really? It’s the World Series, and Hamels can’t wait to be through with all this stuff.
Hey, guys. Just wrote an entry on Swish that got stuck in the filter. Any reason why? If you could release it, that’s be great. Thanks.
Regarding Swisher and Melky, I never saw anything thrown at them. I was sitting behind 3rd base, so obviously my vantage point for right field was at a distance. But what I did see was severe verbal abuse by a lot of fans for much of the game. Initially Swisher tried to be a good sport about it and acknowledged the fans, but it only made things worse. I would descibe the environment as “hostile”, but not necessarily “dangerous”.
Oops, sorry for posting stuff twice
I hope right now Joe Giradi and Kevin Long are having an intervention with Cano to get him going
“The Truth Squad”
Thank You for some sanity.
It’s a Fox camera for an extra angle, when MLB approved it they knew there were times the camera might hang over a few inches and informed the umpires that any ball that hit it would be a HR. Would have been nice had they informed everyone involved… might have eliminated a lot of stupid comments.
The issue with Matsui is the roster paralysis that comes with a player who can only DH and the belief that both Posada and Rodriguez will need DH opportunities in the years ahead. Now if Damon is not retained, Matsui has a chance. But if the Yanks intend to get younger, more athletic and cheaper then Matsui cannot be part of their future.
what color is “buscuit”?!
***************
muffin stump,
Guess I should have checked my spelling. It is “biscuit” which is a fancy name that Toyota used for taupe.
RSM,, that is why I am suspicious of the reports it happened. Again, if crap gets thrown on the field, the players come off poste haste; I am sure there would be no hesitation on Joe G’s part.
I can imagine the verbal jabs though.
For opposing OF in this town, that is no place for the faint of heart!
86w183,
Thanks for the camera explanation. Then it should have been a no-brainer when Alex’s ball was it. Both teams are informed of the ground rules of the stadium at the beginning of the 1st game in the ballpark.
There is a plan to get Cano going… it’s called Ricky Blanton
Fran (the original) and OPPC member
November 1st, 2009 at 11:44 am
86w183,
Thanks for the camera explanation. Then it should have been a no-brainer when Alex’s ball was it. Both teams are informed of the ground rules of the stadium at the beginning of the 1st game in the ballpark.
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it was a no brainer for the umpires, that’s why they only needed one look at the replay to change the call.
So wait? Murphydog is a person?
All this time I thought it was just an intelligent Yankee dog.
Next I’ll find out GB’s dog Killer can’t type either, and that Jimmy Rollins dog has been feeding him World Series predictions ala David Berkowitz.
Murphy, best of luck to you and the dog.
Great game last night !! Need the little guys to keep the bats going, Damon and Swish were huge !
Love it, keep the flow rockin tonight !
I don’t think the RF umpire was sure it hit the camera, but knew it bounced “weird”. The umpires handled it properly. I wonder what he would have called without the replay safety net.
” Not out of the woods but the doggie was eating at least.”
that’s got to be a good sign.
you forgot to mention that murphy must have been sitting there while you typed all those excellent sunday morning posts that i always looked forward to reading .
i always gave you the credit, but i can see now it was a team effort.
hang in there buddy.
Fran (the original) and OPPC member
November 1st, 2009 at 11:29 am
Erica,
I’ll play later
My car is a 2010 Toyota Rav4. I wanted an SUV because I am 5?2? and like to sit higher up. It’s black with a biscuit color interior. I already love it.
*******
I have a 2009 Rav!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it!!! Its the best car I have ever driven. Mine is silver. I got mine last February and it did wonderfully after a big snow storm which was my biggest concern.
muffin stump
November 1st, 2009 at 11:28 am
bru,
what do you think? pettite back, hughes in the rotation, and joba in the bullpen as the heir apparent to mo?
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hard to say but i see pettitte back & joba & hughes starting at least for a while.
robertson will get a shot at the 8th inning or we sign a setup man
damon might come back if he does not get greedy & i wouldnt mind but our of is very weak
damon & or swish could dh but we need a permanent one
do we get a whole new of or one corner of,2 corners or some combination.
maybe 2 corner of & dh damon & swish or a cf & dh,rf & dh,lf & dh
one big corner of might be enough.
bay in lf & dh swish with melky in rf,gardner in cf
The biggest shock for me this postseason is seeing Matre actually pitching decent. Who would have thought such a thing based on his track record during the regular season?
Erica,
That’s good to hear. I think the 2010 is basically the same as the 2009 with a few tweaks to the knobs and trim on the interior.
The Yankees don’t have to sign Matsui to a long term deal. He may be willing to take a 1 year deal with a club option. Hey, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? The current team is constructed very well and apparently are a successful combination of players. Why mess with near perfection?
if we sign damon & let matsui go i would like to sign a big bat for dh or of & a solid pitcher
Robby Cano should be Kevin Long’s next project to work with.
He looks completely lost at the plate.
Gardner will never be a regular outfielder for the Yankees no matter what some of you think. Not enough offensive skills, no power, mediocre arm, and lacks some baseball intelligence. A good guy to have on the team as a backup but that’s about it unless he completely revamps his game so he hits everything on the ground.
Fran,
oh, like the j-crew colors. biscuit sounds nice. lol.
“if we sign damon & let matsui go i would like to sign a big bat for dh or of & a solid pitcher”
bru, if the Yankees let Matsui go, that would be the big bat for DH so that doesn’t make sense. If they keep Damon and let Matsui go, they need to sign a big bat for LF. Bay will most likely stay with BOS. They may try to get Holliday, but I think he’s better suited for the NL. The other question is where does Austin Jackson fit into all of this?
I decided to take my bicycle to the boardwalk in Long Beach now that the rain stopped. I’ll be back in time for GTLU. Catch you all later!
cano doesn’t care for the game. never hustle’s it really bothers me..
bru,
i thought the reason for letting mastui go is to open the dh spot for posada for fifty games and resting the older regulars, arod, et al. they won’t sign a big hitting dh, i don’t think. maybe bay, as you suggested earlier, for a corner.
does anyone know whether swish has another year on his contract?
neil,
good idea re an intervention with cano. can you give k long a call?!
“does anyone know whether swish has another year on his contract?”
He does. I actually think he’s got two years left. He most certainly has at least one more.
“I can’t wait for it to end,” Hamels said of his tumultuous season. “It’s been mentally draining. … You can’t wait for a fresh start.”
“Really? It’s the World Series, and Hamels can’t wait to be through with all this stuff.” -betsy
betsy-
i said yesterday when i was giving my reading the baseball tea leaves comment before the game that i thought the yankee would hit hamels. i thought some of the things he was saying was very defeatist.
when he was saying things like when you pitch in the majors it must be because you have done something good in the minors and that he just needed to trust that, i figured he was doubting himself.
wow, talk about a patched up rotation. adding lee, pedro, hamels a mess. blanton going against the yankee tonight when he hasn’t pitched well against them.
can’t get overconfident, but things are lined up pretty well for the yankees.
The biggest shock for me this postseason is seeing Matre actually pitching
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You say Matre…I say Marte…..Just don’t say Mitre.
“cano doesn’t care for the game.”
Really. When did he tell you this?
If Robbie is anything, it’s frustrated. He has changed his approach for the playoffs and he’s not having any success. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think he needs to go back to his “free swinging” ways. He’s let a few first pitch strikes go by that he usually would have murdered.
Right Christina
Wow, bad typo on my end. At least I didnt say Mitre though!
Marte!
Laura – “You should know I bleed Blue, but I ain’t a Crip though”
November 1st, 2009 at 11:58 am
“cano doesn’t care for the game.”
Really. When did he tell you this?
If Robbie is anything, it’s frustrated. He has changed his approach for the playoffs and he’s not having any success. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think he needs to go back to his “free swinging” ways. He’s let a few first pitch strikes go by that he usually would have murdered.
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Laura, give yourself 5 Gold stars for that comment, that’s exactly why Cano is having problems at the plate. He’s a first pitch hacker who hits .432 when he puts them in play, .373 when he puts a 1-0 pitch in play, and .329 when the count is 0-1. When he puts one of the first two pitches in play, his batting average for 2009 was over .400 with 12 HR and 39 RBI is 259 plate appearances. He hit about .250 with 2 strikes, which is probably the league average. That’s why so many on this blog have no clue because they think every player has the same strengths and weaknesses.
Murph – definitely sending up a prayer for your dog. I send them up all the time and they seem to get listened to,at least.
Excellent win last night. I’m still excited this morning.
randy,
Aside from the Arod HR, actually Hamels was pitching well until he started to get cute with his curveballs to both Swish and amazingly, Petitte.
One of the few valid points McCarver has made was the fact Hamels got beat without his best stuff. Now, he may have been trying to establish that pitch in the yankees’ hitter minds, but I also saw the possibillity that he was taking those pitches off, not giving it his all. Just saying its a possibility.
Glad the Yankees surprised me and hit him though afterwards.
They need to do the same against Blanton.
Teix is another guy you want swinging early in the count-he hits below .200 with 2 strikes and about .400 early in the count-with 1-1 counts he actually hit .492 in 60 ABs with 10 HR and 25 RBI.
Anyone acting like they knew Swisher was going to have a break out game last night is full of it.
He had just been benched for being a black hole in the lineup.
I’m thrilled he hit well last night but it was far from a foregone conclusion and coming in here after he has his first good good game to scold anyone who had their doubts in him is just sad.
I was just thinking about it. The only 2 favorable calls we got from the HP umpire and Cole Hamels argues the first and Werth argues the second. I cannot understand how we get 2 “cheap” calls in our favor and they are both argued by the opposition. We get 20 cheap calls go against us and nobody says a word (FOX, our players just shake their heads with no or little disrespect shown).
In which drunk people watch baseball
http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com/?p=1161
(If you really want to be amused, watch the video at the end. Well, either you’ll be amused or you will need to have your ear drums replaced…)
thanks re info on swish contract. so rf is taken next year.
Matsui will go to the Angels,he’s better than Vlad.I hope the Yankees don’t release him.Coming of the bench as a pinch hitter,and hits a bomb.
CR9, maybe you need to take some meds for paranoia, the guy behind the plate did a pretty good job last night-all you can ask is for consistency and he was that-he was giving high strikes all night to both teams and also widened the strike zone consistently as well. He didn’t give much down low, that’s why Teix got the walk in front of Arod’s HR.
Hey guys,
Why didn’t Rivera get the save last night?
Rebecca–Optimist Prime,
Interesting. Bar we were at last night — there were many chants of “Lets go Yankees”, and people also sung along to Enter Sandman.
We’re were all drunk too. Are you saying watching baseball drunk is evil?
Because the tying or winning run wasn’t on base, at bat, or in the on-deck circle when he came into the game
“Hey guys,
Why didn’t Rivera get the save last night?”
He didn’t pitch a full inning. The tieing run was still in the dugout.
murphydog -
Prayer said. I hope your dog pulls through.
I hope the Yankees continue to be able to hit against Blanton. I hope CC pitches at least s well as he did the other day. I never like to get too ahead of myself, nor too confident, because anything can happen.
But I do like the way the Yankees have carried themselves this post season. They do not get too far ahead of themselves; they take one game at a time; and they do not seem to take anything for granted. No grand predictions, no underestimating their opponents. They’re an easy team to like.
I LOVED Swisher taking a picture of himself on the podium last night. What a breath of fresh air he can be.
And I love Andy Pettitte. I loved his post-game interview. He has no pretense about himself. And his hit and “running” to home were a real highlight of the game.
I hate that tonight’s game starts so late.
I love that the Yankees get contributions from everyone, even though they have stars that put them over the top.
I can’t wait for tonight’s game.
If a closer doesn’t get 3 outs he at least has to come in with the tying run on deck.
If Hughes was allowed to go one more batter and put him on base, then Mo would have gotten the save.
“Aside from the Arod HR, actually Hamels was pitching well until he started to get cute with his curveballs to both Swish and amazingly, Petitte.”
yankees 21-
he seemed to missing his target high a lot. he was getting away with it, but was hoping it would eventually cause him problems.
i would have watched closer had i not been so concerned about andy. he was all over the place. it’s a miracle he went 6 innings and only gave up four runs.
theTruthsquad
My issue is not with the umpire. The strike calls on pitches a foot outside were only called against the Yanks. I have come to expect stuff like that. My issue is with FOX showing their FOXtrax only on pitches that supported their anti-Yankee propoganda. They showed the pitch to Teix at least 3 times using FoxTrax, giving credence to the idea that the Phillies got cheated. However, when 10 pitches that were at least a foot outside were called strikes against the Yankee batters, FoxTrax was nowhere to be seen.
“I hope the Yankees continue to be able to hit against Blanton. I hope CC pitches at least s well as he did the other day. I never like to get too ahead of myself, nor too confident, because anything can happen.”
I’m with you Doreen.
Tonight is a must win. CC needs to be on his A-game and the offense needs to get to Blanton and that Philly bullpen again.
“But if the Yanks intend to get younger, more athletic and cheaper then Matsui cannot be part of their future.”
Having a designated DH didn’t hurt the Red Sox all these years.
I think it’s silly when people say A-Rod and Posada will need the DH spot so that can rest.
A-Rod is a year younger than Jeter who played a majority of the games at SS. Don’t see why A-Rod will need the DH as a crutch.
Last year everyone thought Jeter was finished and look what happened this year.
I wish people would stop aging the Yankee players before they’re ready to be aged.
Murphy- Just read about your dog. Hopefully things start to turn around you hear some good news next week when you take him to see the cardiologist.. Its certainly a tough thing as pets are just as much part of the family as people are…
“Tonight is a must win.”
If you mean it’s a must win for the Phillies then you’re kind of correct.
The Yankees don’t have to win tonight. It’d be nice but it’s not a necessity.
Jeremy, realistically speaking, tonight is more of a must-win game for the Phillies, rather than the Yankees.
Ah got it- thanks everyone.
“I wish people would stop aging the Yankee players before they’re ready to be aged.”
I agree with you Ray. If Damon and Matsui are willing to take one year contracts next season then I would sign them instead of investing a 100M in Holliday or Bay.
“Anyone acting like they knew Swisher was going to have a break out game last night is full of it.
He had just been benched for being a black hole in the lineup.”
Swisher is a lifetime .249 hitter. .249 hitters are often black holes in the lineup. It’s why he bats 8th in the lineup.
Expecting .249 hitters not to be black holes in a lineup at one point or another is just sad.
Keys to tonight:
score early.. score often
CC today and we win. Up 3-1 I start Gaudin tomorrow in a throw away game against Lee figuring we should lose. If Gaudin steals a win so be it.
Don’t burn AJ in that game if up 3-1. I would feel good about coming home up 3-2 with a fully rested AJ against Pedro and CC and Andy waiting in the wings for a game 7 against Hamels.
If we win today and Cano has another bad game then I would sit him tomorrow against Lee and hope for the same results as Swisher got.
Someone on here last night predicted 3 for 4 or 3 for 5 with a HR and at least 2 RBI.
While Nick did not have 3 hits or 2 RBI, he did have a HR and also accounted for 2 of the Yankee runs.
Yankee Ray,
Absolutely agree with you about starting Gaudin tomorrow if the Yankees win tonight.
CR9, baseball games are won or lost on the field, not in the broadcast booth. I could care less what any announcer says, you should try it sometime.
“CC today and we win. Up 3-1 I start Gaudin tomorrow in a throw away game against Lee figuring we should lose. If Gaudin steals a win so be it.
Don’t burn AJ in that game if up 3-1. I would feel good about coming home up 3-2 with a fully rested AJ against Pedro and CC and Andy waiting in the wings for a game 7 against Hamels.”
If the Yankees are fortunate enough to win today, I would still go with my three best pitchers on short rest.
MLB Official Rule Book….
read most of the posts but don’t post myself, big Yankee fan out here by myself on the WC….tired of all of the save questions…..its a pretty simple rule
10.19 Saves For Relief Pitchers
A save is a statistic credited to a relief pitcher, as set forth in this Rule 10.19.
The official scorer shall credit a pitcher with a save when such pitcher meets all four of the following conditions:
(a) He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his team;
(b) He is not the winning pitcher;
(c) He is credited with at least a third of an inning pitched; and
(d) He satisfies one of the following conditions:
(1) He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning;
(2) He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, or at bat or on deck (that is, the potential tying run is either already on base or is one of the first two batters he faces); or
(3) He pitches for at least three innings.
arod his going to end up with 9 hr’s and break bonds record…you heard it here first. 2 tonite and 1 tomorrow on his way to WORLD SERIES MVP.
When will people understand CR9 IS JIM PIR ONE. He is just in disguise.
If it turns out that one of Damon / Matsui does not return, I’d sign free agent OF Marlon Byrd before either Bay or Holliday.
Bay is a strikeout machine and no more than an average LF. Holliday is a National Leaguer.
Byrd can play any OF position and swings a decent bat.
http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/t....._id=407781
I am very happy for Swish. I don’t even enjoy watching when he is playing poorly and avoid the boards and talk radio so I don’t have to hear/read him get slaughtered by fans. I hope he is in a hot streak for the rest of the year.
It was delightful watching Swisher in his press conference last night. He really seems like a nice guy. I am happy for him.
He has good OBP, good slugging, but he needs to bring his batting average up.
He can hit for power, but he needs to be able to hit consistently.
That will make him a good player.
Apparently Swisher is one of Long’s major projects, post season. For now it was just a band aid, ie closing his stance some and trying to eliminate some of those moving parts ala Alex. It would be heartening if he converts Swisher from “Bring in the clowns”. There was major improvement this year in his throwing so we could see a new and improved Swisher next year.