An early win for New York
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on May 07, 2010 
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I was never a good baseball player as a kid.
My best friend threw a no-hitter when we were young, but I was just a little guy who couldn’t hit, couldn’t throw and went to the plate hoping to draw a walk and steal a bag.
I was a one-and-a-half-tool player: I could catch the ball and I could kind of run. That’s all I was bringing to the table.
None of which matters today.
This morning I played the best baseball game of my life, and I played it at Fenway Park. In the New York media’s 20-3 win against Boston, I was 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run, inside-the-park home run that I’m told was the first in the history of the media game. And it was legitimate. No errors. I went the other way, got the ball into the right-field corner and ran. My teammate and blogmate Sam Borden was the third-base coach who waved me home.
If this post reads as if I’m excited … well … I am. I made a few plays at second base that I’m happy about as well. My little sister lives in Boston and came to watch the game. She declared it the greatest athletic achievement of my life.
It was a good day all-around for the New York boys. Sam started in right field, had a hit and scored a run. Pete Caldera tripled, Tyler Kepner got the win after five strong innings and Bryan Hoch closed it out with a scoreless sixth.* At that point we had run out of time. Something about a major league game being played there in a few hours.
Above is a picture my sister took of Sam and I, trying to look young and hip with our hats on backwards. I’ll be back at the field in a few hours to report about the team you really care about, but so far it’s been a pretty solid day for New York baseball.
* By the way, those are only the plays that I can immediately think of off the top of my head. We had a lot of guys who could really hit. John Harper and Jack Curry were the starting left side of the infield — and our No. 1 and 2 hitters — and those two can really play. Marc Carig drove a ball to left that was caught, but was also one of the hardest-hit balls of the game.
Congratulations! Sounds like a thrilling morning
Pat M, when you say pitch to the park, do you mean that Phil (or any pitcher) has to not be scared of the wall and just do his thing?
Sorry for the lack of updates during the game. My iPhone worked once, but it wouldn’t let me update after that first inning post. I have no idea why.
Nice job Chad. You’ve done us proud.
Chad,
congrats. it must be awesome to play on a major league field.
did pete play? did you talk a little trash about blog volume? i would have
Chad, you are HOT! GORGEOUS! You sort of resemble Wayne ROOOOOOOOOOONEY in that picture!!!!!
Sam, you’re not too shabby yourself, but Chad’s got ya beaten!!
Good for you guys sounds like a lot of fun.
Did Pete play?
Congratulations, Chad-that’s awesome!
Jeter SS
Johnson DH
Tex 1B
ARod 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
GGBG CF
Cervelli C
Winn LF
I am still a hostage of semi-annual hair day. I will catch you all later when/if I am released from this wretched place. I was just very afraid I will miss the line up window. This can’t be normal
That’s an awesome day. You should be proud.
Just because you now cover the game for a living doesn’t mean you have to neutralize your love of the game. It will actually help your work because you realize just how hard it is to play the game at a high level.
Although a home run hitter like yourself already knows that! lol
Well done Chad. Glad you had a great time!
And YAY! For Chad-
Okay, going back to giving dirty looks to every person in this salon
Boxscore?
LT’s lawyer is on with Francesca. I know LT once did a cameo on The Sopranos but that doesn’t mean he had to hire an extra from the set to represent him. You should see this guy.
grins.
Was the Boston old? Or did you just have better pitching- which can be a big deal in Softball. You guys drubbed them
Betsy,
Phil just has to pitch to the hitters. The wall doesn’t come into play.
You just go out and pitch your game and whatever the results are, they are.
You never pitch to a ballpark. That’s a recipe for disaster.
Hope this is a sign of great things to come for the weekend.
I’m glad your sister was there to witness your grand achievement. Should be a funny story to share over turkey.
As pat said, video or it didn’t happen.
(did you guys play on a backfield? that’s not the green monstah)
Congrats Chad – you done us proud !!!!!!
Did the ball rattle around that corner like they say it does? Nice piece of hitting, Jeteresque.
congrats on the win and the HR!
I don’t know why, but Pete didn’t play. I’m actually not sure anyone from the Globe played.
Also, I only mentioned the plays I could instantly remember. We had a lot of good players on the team. John Harper and Jack Curry are legitimate ball players. Those were our No. 1 and 2 hitters, and our starting SS and 3B. They’re good.
How long would it take Pete to get down to 1st base?
I bet he can run a 4.4, and by that, I mean 4 hours and 40 minutes.
The NY Media doing a nice job of getting the writers up in beantown in the mood for lamentation. Nicely done.
When one considers the Boston offense it is a story largely dominated by right handed hitting – particularly right handed pull hitting at fenway park.
It’s obviously a very small sample, but these are Phil Hughes’ number so far this year against right handed hitting over 41 plate appearances:
BA: .077 OBP: .122 Slg: .077 OPS: .199 12K 2BB
Those numbers are overwhelming. If you’re batting average = slugging percentage that is fairly amazing. That means you haven’t given up any extra base hits. And Hughes hasn’t given up anything but singles to RH hitters.
Now this level of performance clearly isn’t going to last – if it did Hughes would be the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball.
But what it does signal is the quality of his stuff so far this year.
Hughes success has been built off of the foundation that his four seam fastball with late life in the zone has provided. It is a dominant pitch right now. And it’s that pitch which sets up and has coupled with his rapidly developing cut fastball that makes Hughes so difficult.
The four seamer has so much life that it is very difficult to discern the four seamer and cutter just off action.
And even if Hughes isn’t going to put up numbers like those he has – that combination with the curve ball mixed in is going to be extremely difficult on right handed hitting.
Good chance Hughes gives up extra base hits tonight given that wall out there. But his stuff has been outstanding in terms of quality and his strengths play very well against the strength of the boston line up.
YES guys play? – why am I so interested?
Pat M. May 7th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Beckett will be more than formidable tonight…..This is going to be a tough series, for both clubs……BoSox are in a corner though….However a good showing this weekend could be the cure to what ails them……Do not take this weekend lightly
———————————————————————————————————————-
Pat, not sure why, but, I expect to see two blowouts, one from each team and one pitcher’s duel. Season records and individual player numbers don’t ever seem to matter when these two teams play.
The difference was pitching. I think we walked two batters all day. Kepner can spot the ball, which was huge. Plus, like I said, guys like Curry and Harper can really play.
And we were on the big field. A group of us took some balls off the Monster before the game. The sound is insane, and it’s amazing how differently the ball plays depending on how high it hits up the wall. I mean, you see it happen like that all the time, but to actually see some balls die and fall straight down while others shoot into left field was really eye-opening.
backfield??!?!
That’s Fenway, m. Maybe the perspective of the pic is playing tricks on you.
so it was Hardball? not Softball? wood bats?
I am back home and at my computer.
The following people have submitted lineups for GTLU so far today. If you submitted a lineup and you do not see your name on the list, please let me know. Thanks!
MTU
BBYanks
AL Duque
Erin
upstate kate
Uncle Ellsworth
rodg12
IDCWYT
RayVT
Patrick from CT
Phil Columbus
Hoffa
comet
muffinstump
Fran (the original)
kd
Erica
Congratulations Chad!!!!!!
You lads set the light for tonight!
I’m hopeful of a win tonight.
If the Yankees win tonight, the entire weekend is pressure free.
At worst, they split 6 games in Fenway. Meaning, no net gain for the Sox.
They don’t go into Fenway until the last weekend of the season. A series that may not have any meaning.
You just don’t want to get swept. Any other result is favorable to the Yankees, given the current standings.
Survive the May schedule, and get guys healthy, and the entire season opens up for the Yankees, while the schedule gets tougher for the Sox.
“Did the ball rattle around that corner like they say it does? Nice piece of hitting, Jeteresque”
If only it had for Tony Clark that night in game 5 in 2004.
CB,
I read that V-mart will probably sit tonight with Varitek catching Beckett. Victor has also struggled against righties.
Nick,
I think I was fooled by all the signage. I thought it was a huge scoreboard.
Greg (Chicago)
Hughes going tonight. He has been phenomenal all year but mostly against some less than potent offenses (O’s, A’s Chi-Sox). Has he finally turned the corner and become the prospect everyone has raved about or is he benefiting from facing some less than great hitting?
Jayson Stark (1:43 PM)
This is clearly a test of where he’s at. But it’s hard to argue with 10 hits allowed in 25 innings — against three major-league teams. It’s not like he did that in the New York-Penn League. He’s made big strides, I think. He has three “plus” pitches, and he’s barely even using the change-up, which he worked on all spring. Looks like the real deal to me.
You’ve never been to Boston, right?
meaning, i thought the monster had more scoreboard than that.
Clark hit a hard-hit ground rule double down the line, not a Fenway holy roller that runs around that corner into deep right and never stops…
He has “three plus pitches’. But Clay Buccholz has 10 plus pitches. And he can throw each plus pitch from 4 different arm angles, so he’s 40 plus pitches…
No, haven’t been.
If I’m lucky enough to go one day, Fenway is the last play I’d go!
100 percent baseball. No underhand nonsense. We paid four legitimate umpires to call the game, had a stadium PA announcing our names when we came to the plate and our names were on the scoreboard for every at-bat. A really cool experience.
This is the one day I wish my job was working for the NY media. To play at fenway, be part of the winning team(20-3) would be so special.
Since I’m a 4 tool player, I would have been hitting balls either off the green monster or
over, LOL
Ever notice the Morse code on the Monster?
Doreen –
SS Jeter
DH Johnson
1B Tex
3B The man that has ruined baseball by stepping on a patch of dirt
2B Cano
RF Swish
LF Thames
CF Gardy
C Cervelli
Phil’s only problem will come if he is being squeezed. Boston is like the yankees in that they take ALOT of pitches.
“I read that V-mart will probably sit tonight with Varitek catching Beckett. ”
That’s fine. Martinez is still a better hitter despite recent performance.
Varitek has looked better at the plate but I’m not buying into his “resurgence of his at the plate.”
He simply doesn’t have a great deal of bat speed.
Unless Hughes makes a mistake Varitek will have difficulty with his stuff.
Dallas Braden May 7th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Doreen –
SS Jeter
DH Johnson
1B Tex
3B The man that has ruined baseball by stepping on a patch of dirt
2B Cano
RF Swish
LF Thames
CF Gardy
C Cervelli
___
Man that dallas braden guy is everywhere
Chad that makes all the more impressive. anyone get Hit by Pitch?
With all of the seams, rivets, ladders, doors scoreboards on that wall, it has to drive players crazy trying to play it the first time. Add in the hollow spots and metal braces behind the tin. It would be safer searching for land mines with your feet.
Hey Chad and Sam–great job getting baseball off on the right foot this weekend! The difference is always pitching isn’t it! What a blowout! Glad you guys had fun.
Greetings from the West Coast! We’ll be watching!
…—…
Pete Abe didnt bother playing.
I guess he didnt want to embarrass himself in front of Amalie Benjamin!!
Or he is just too busy thinking of ways to help out the Red Sox.
It’s the odd angle/perspective of that picture. When you see the players out there tonight, the scoreboard part of the wall will look much bigger, as will the Monster itself.
Fenway is a must-visit park for any baseball fan — IMO!
The neighborhood around Fenway is pretty crowded — not a lot of backfields. I’m trying to think of any ballpark with backfields… not aware of any. This ain’t the Yankees’ Tampa complex!
Six innings? What, no Bad News Bears-style “Let them play” chants? I’m embarrassed as both a sports and a sports-movie fan. Forshame Fenway, forshame.
Chad, Congrats but how long did your game take? Joe West wants to know.
“Fenway is a must-visit park for any baseball fan”… to po-op on!
Bad News Bears – Awesome Movie
Yes, espn does their part of making the monster look much bigger than it actually is.
As for Fens? I don’t think I’d be a stadium hound. I love the game, but I’m not sure I would appreciate the hollow buildings themselves. I’d rather visit other architectual wonders than a stadium for the sake of visiting a stadium (except YS).
Congrats Chad, I hope the Yankees do as well this weekend.
Chad – if you’re reading this – glad you had a great time and congratulations on the inside the park HR. Sounds like it was a blast of a time for all (except maybe the Boston writers).
Just reading the names of the roster – you and Sam, Kepner, Jack Curry, Carig – some really good writers. Yankees fans are fortunate to have such a group of professionals to read.
# CR9 May 7th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
How long would it take Pete to get down to 1st base?
I bet he can run a 4.4, and by that, I mean 4 hours and 40 minutes.
******
oh come on be a little realistic. I say 4 minutes 40 seconds.
Jetes SS
NJ DH
Tex 1B
Ales 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
GGBG CF
Cervelli C
Winn LF
Thanks Doreen!
And Chad and Sam you both look adorable btw!
Chad, I just took a breather to read your Media Game update. Sounds like a blast!!! Congratulations on the Inside-The-Park-Homer.
Some Red Sox fan said that Phil Hughes is not going to be that good of a pitcher. Saying that Clay is better. Though the facts don’t back up the claim because Hughes was ranked the best pitching prospect in 2007. Clay is good but I think Hughes is better and I see him having the better career. Some Sox fans are blind homers and all they do is listen to the talking points from the Boston media and ESPN. The New York media never gives a lot of credit to the Yankees but the Boston media kisses up to Theo and Red Sox management like their some gods.
jennifer
Come on guys Fat jokes? they are as old as Berroa
You can see live baseball games inside the stadiums…. if you time your visit right.
And at Fenway they welcome Patriots fans with open arms.
Nice going Chad, congrats. Did you have to slide at the plate?
SJ, thanks!
Good stuff, CB, but I do think Phil will be the greatest pitcher in history; anything less will not suffice.
I’m not sure if you saw this today, but:
http://www.nydailynews.com/blo.....-pace.html
Still, he says he won?t simply morph into exclusively a fastball-changeup pitcher. His curveball is an effective weapon and he likes throwing his cut fastball to right-handed hitters, so expect Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis to see a few of those Friday night when Hughes starts at Fenway Park.
Hughes is only throwing his change about ?seven or eight percent? of the time, according to pitching coach Dave Eiland, and mostly to left-handed hitters. The pitch fades away from lefties, making it hard for them to pull it, vital in a place like Yankee Stadium. ?He has the ability to pound lefties in hard and now he can go to something soft down and away, which is huge in this ballpark (Yankee Stadium),? Eiland says. ?Hitters can?t cover both.?
But, Eiland adds, ?He doesn?t have good enough command to throw it down and away to righties yet.?
Hughes hopes to change that. ?I work on it in the bullpen,? he said. ?Obviously, I throw it to the arm side (away from lefties) and I?ve been trying to work it to the glove side (away from righties) because I feel like it can be a good weapon for me against righties. As many things as you can get into a hitter?s head, the better.
?I?d like to throw the changeup more to righties. Maybe we?ll see it down the way.?
Jeter-SS
Johnson-DH
Tex-1B
ARod-SS
Cano-2B
Posada-C
Swisher-RF
Gardner-CF
Winn-LF
The next time these writers meet it will be at a real ballpark in a real city …….. NYC in the borough of the Bronx.
Not bad, 3 plus pitches.
I think Stark is right in that it’s a test as to where he is right now…..but whatever happens, Phil’s start has exceeded my expectations (and that’s putting it mildly).
Jeremy -
Can’t Clay & Phil be equally as good. I mean, I don’t know a lot about Clay, only what I read here. But does it matter who’s better, except if they’re pitching head-to-head? As long a Phil Hughes is the pitcher we’re all anticipating him to be, I don’t care about Buccholz at all. I don’t see how what the media says about how they compare makes a difference to the Yankees or to Phil.
dorren –
jeter ss
nj dh
tex 1B
alex 3b
cano 2b
jorge c
swish rf
winn lf
brett cf
phil franchise p
Fenway’s a great place to watch a game. The seating’s a bit cramped but the park itself is very interesting.
Jeremy, of course Sox fans would say that the same way Yankee fans would say Phil is better. Clay has pitched very well; as to who’s the better pitcher going forward, I guess we’ll see. Phil is 2 years younger than his rival, so he has that on him.
My brother’s watched a game at Fenway and loved the experience. Told me at some point I have to make the trip. I will – I love to visit different stadiums – at some point, but NOT to see the Yankees. I will plan on seeing a non-contending team play the Red Sox at Fenway. That way, I’ll enjoy myself!
WTG, Chad! Did you go to Mizzou, or are you just wearing the shirt?
I just checked the Red Sox team home-road splits:
Offense:
Home: .275/.354/.470/.823
Road: .275/.348/.462/.810
Boston leads the AL in team SLG, and trails only the Yanks in team OPS, .822 to .818, an insignificant difference.
Pitching:
Home: 4.53 ERA
Road: 4.90 ERA
The difference in pitching stems largely from a difference in the SLG allowed, .397 at home vs .477 on the road, of which 40 points of the difference is attributable to batting average. Oddly, their pitching has been so far been helped by Fenway.
Adding that all up, I think you can conclude that Boston’s problem has not been caused by their offense, which has been as good as ours so far, and their offense has not been particularly helped by Fenway as they have been hitting approximately the same at home and on the road so far.
Uncle
Wave,
Difference is the quality of teams they have played. They have played an easier schedule than the Yankees thus far, which skews the numbers.
The interesting thing will be when they play better teams.
Their record against the Yankees, Rays and Twins, the three best teams they have played so far this year is, 2-8.
Once their schedule heats up, they are going to have to be better than just a 1 game over .500 team if they want to stay with the Rays and Yankees all season.
I don’t have any Patriots gear.
And I can’t stand the thought of standing elbow-to-elbow and belly-to-belly with a bunch of drunken Sox fans. :yuck:
“I will plan on seeing a non-contending team play the Red Sox at Fenway.”
Two non-contending teams in one game? Sounds relaxing.
I was at opening day at Fenway this year. It was my first time @ Fenway, and the experience was a little jarring. I had a Yankees jersey on (there’s no way I wouldn’t represent), and I was booed and called names ALL day, wherever I went. I was the only Yankee fan in my party (I’m from NY, but live in Vermont, and ALL New Englanders stick together), and to top it off, they ended up losing that game. The Subway’s a crickety piece of crap, and instead of enjoying their own victory, Boston fans just chanted “Yankees Suck” all night stinkin’ long. I MISSED YANKEE STADIUM!!! I missed the class the most!
Doreen
I think Clay will be good. But I get sick of hearing how the Sox are so good with developing talent and that Dustin the Elf is better than Cano, and that Clay is better than Phil. Same thing as the Nomar being better than Jeter thing.
The Boston media and national media props up Theo “the most overrated GM in baseball” and Red Sox management including the New York media. I don’t care if they love the Sox but at least they can use facts when talking about Yankee players/prospects. Not just some talking points from Red Sox management.
Fenway Field is a landfill, and the visitors of the majority of their 81 home games are vile scum!
If you want to get berated and attacked for wearing Yankee regalia, go to Fenway Field!
chad-
any day you get to play baseball is a good day, and in a mlb park even better.
inside the park home run at fenway?
that makes a good day even better .
Doreen,
That would be gut-wrenching, huh? Seeing all the Yankees get booed for simply being beautiful, upstanding people.
And hot. I forgot to add hot!
Congrats Sam and Chad. Sounds like a really cool experience and a lot of fun.
Disappointed that Pete didn’t play.
Betsy
I think as fans we always think are player are better than the other team. But I like Phil’s makeup and his stuff a little more than Clay. I think when it is all said and done Phil will be the better pitcher just like Jeter was better than Nomar.
Doreen,
Thanks for setting this up.
Derek SS
Johnson DH
Tex 1B
ARod 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Gardner CF
Cervelli C
Winn LF
m -
No way I’d subject myself to what Sara went through! Yuck.
@nick in sf -
If I do make it to Fenway, it’s strictly as a tourist – no stress whatsoever.
Fans can be pretty brutal in the Bronx too.
Sara – I feel for you.
I’ve gone to Camden Yards, and the old Vet in Philly to see games, and always wore my Yankees cap. Never got hassled once. But I wouldn’t try it in Boston. Something about that city that doesn’t exactly suggest tolerance.
I should have said that the New York media always props up Boston. The media in New York is so negative when talking about New York teams. You listen to the Boston media and all they do is kiss up to Theo, Francona, Henry and the rest. Daily talking points straight from Red Sox management.
kd -
I got your lineup from earlier. You’re welcome.
SJ44-
The strength of Boston’s schedule and ours has been about the same so far. I checked, and quality-wise it’s impossible to tell. They might have even played slightly tougher teams overall than we have.
They have had a better schedule home-road wise, 17-12 vs 12-15 home-road. But as I showed, their offense hasn’t really been any better at Fenway than on the road. For some reason, their pitching has stunk on the road.
Jeremy -
I do understand – it sometimes seems like we’re inundated with stories of how Boston can do no wrong. I kind of ignore them whenever possible. Better for my mental health.
Why can’t fans of opposing teams show respect for one another. I despise the Sox and their fans more than anybody on this green earth, but I still treat them with respect in person.
Jeremy, without comparing the two, you know how high I am on Phil; he’s going to have a tremendous career. He’s got it all going for him….
Jeremy and Doreen
Yes! It’s because the NY media enjoys our failure, and success of the Sox!
Doreen
LOL ! Yeah I read a few articles on Daily News. I have to stay away from that place or I might go crazy.
Doreen GTLU
SS Jeter
DH Johnson
1B Tex
3B ARod
2B Cano
C Posada
RF Swisher
LF Thames
CF Gardner
Supposedly voted on by fans, here is the Yanks all time team. Anybody going to complain about a pen that has Goose and Sparky setting up Mo? hahaha
http://espn.go.com/new-york/ga.....38;image=0
Joelsherman1 Just about every #Yankee out for early BP at Fenway, including Posada, which bodes well for him returning to starting lineup tonight
Jeter-SS
Johnson-DH
Tex-1B
ARod-SS
Cano-2B
Swisher-RF
Gardner-CF
Cervelli-C
Winn-LF
CR9
I believe that. I think the media in New York loves it when New York teams fail. It really is sick ! I bet you they were happy in 2004. If you hate New York teams then why be a New York Sports writer. Go to Boston where you don’t have to write articles because you get the talking points from Boston teams.
CR9 -
I don’t think they enjoy the success of the Red Sox so much as they tend to take the skeptic’s view of all things Yankees because it makes for more interesting copy. The Red Sox just happen to have filled the role of challenger and worthy adversary the last few years. The 2004 debacle is the grain of sand upon which the pearl of all this type of coverage has been supported.
no Jack Cheesbro!?
“Boston’s problem has not been caused by their offense, which has been as good as ours so far, and their offense has not been particularly helped by Fenway as they have been hitting approximately the same at home and on the road so far.”
Wave-
Boston has played 12 road games so far this season out of the 29 games they’ve played. Of those 12 3 were against Kansas City who have been dreadful this season. And 3 have been against the O’s and their atrocious bull pen.
I don’t think empirical results from a skewed 29 game sample from this season trump prior track records and the particular skill sets the red sox hitters posses.
Perhaps the addition of Beltre, Cameron and Scutaro have made them more adept at producing runs. I personally don’t see that as 2 of the 3 were brought in at least in part as RH pull hitters who play plus defense.
The Red Sox skill sets are still much more fit to produce runs at home than on the road, IMO.
# CR9 May 7th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Fenway Field is a landfill, and the visitors of the majority of their 81 home games are vile scum!
If you want to get berated and attacked for wearing Yankee regalia, go to Fenway Field!
========================================================
I sat in the Fenway bleachers with my family, all in everything Yankee, caps, shirts, etc…and had no problems.
All time Yanks team v all time all- star team – Yanks would hold their own.
A year ago you were covering the SWB Yanks, a few blocks from Dunder-Mifflin.
Now you’re hitting shots @Fenway and interviewing future All-Stars on a daily basis.
Good for you, dude. You’re doing a great job.
Well done, Chad! And good on the Sox and Yankees for allowing these games.
CR9, I completely agree with you. I wish people could be more tolerant. I work in an office full of Red Sox fans, and we are all respectful of each other.
The thing about how I was treated at Fenway; If I was a 20 something year old guy with a group of guys and we were all wearing Yankees gear struttin’ around Fenway, I can see where we’d get heckled. I am a 32 year old female who was ALONE, and people were screaming at me! It was ridiculous. But let me tell you what, I would do it again in a heartbeat to see my Yankees. I go to as many games as I can, and when a co-worker came up to me the Friday before Easter, and said “Hey, I have an extra ticket to the game on Sunday”, there’s NOTHING that would have deterred me from taking that ticket!
mick
Lucky you! I wouldnt tempt fate again if I were you, though!
I heard the last part of an interview with Kevin Youkilis by the Ripken brothers today on XM while I was driving home. I didn’t dislike him.
I don’t know where people are getting this sillyness from. Boston has played more winning teams this year than we have (most likely because we don’t play ourselves… but)
http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/rpi/_/sort/sos
Doreen – GTLU Stuff & Photos May 7th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
I heard the last part of an interview with Kevin Youkilis by the Ripken brothers today on XM while I was driving home. I didn?t dislike him.
**********************
Doreen, that is disturbing.
Erin -
I know, right?
I agree with SJ, a win tonight would really take the pressure off the rest of the series. I hate to get greedy but a sweep would really put Boston in a tough hole to dig themselves out of.
Pretty big test for Hughes..as long as he does what he’s done so far he will be fine. He needs to challenge this lineup just the same as he has everyone else…if he doesn’t do that then that is where he may get into trouble. Should be a great game and a fun series.
cr9
I’ve been there many times, with family, maybe that’s why they layed off of us.
I’ve also seen Yank fans at the Stadium get all over RS fans.
To say one is worse than the other is difficult.
The deciding factor is the alcohol consumption, although Fenway might draw a younger crowd, and they have more bitterness towards us than we to them.
CB-
I really wasn’t concluding much about the future, just posting the numbers to show that the 29 games Boston has played so far do not justify concluding that Boston’s offense is not good. And, in 29 games at least, Fenway has not particularly helped their offense.
As to what the future holds, I for one don’t place a whole lot of emphasis on Boston’s first 29 games one way or the other. I thought they were the second best team in the major leagues going into the season, and I still do.
I’ve got the following people with lineups for today’s GTLU:
MTU
BBYanks
AL Duque
Erin
upstate kate
Uncle Ellsworth
rodg12
IDCWYT
RayVT
Patrick from CT
Phil Columbus
Hoffa
comet
muffinstump
Fran (the original)
kd
Erica
Dallas Braden
NYY626
Warning Track Power
Joe from Long Island
SportsGeek
champ809
Let me know if you don’t see your name and you submitted a lineup. Thanks.
The Red Sox fans have an inferiority complex like Met fans. They know in their hearts that the Yankees will always be better than them and 2004 didn’t change that.
Aside from 04, we have beaten them in more ways than they could ever imagine beating us, including Joe D winning the MVP (of course the 56 game streak had something to do with it), from Williams in his .406 season.
Sara
Sorry you had to deal with that. That’s terrible. I’ve been with a child before (not mine), and it did not stop them from abusing us! Such is life, I guess!
mick
Im sure there are idiot Yankees fans…
Ive honestly been to Fenway about 6 or 7 times and I’ve never had any issues besides mild/mutual teasing with sox fans. I got boo-ed a little on opening day but it wasnt malicious.
A few years ago, some guy did tell me to take off my yankee shirt because it was “making him sick and he almost threw up his nachos” LOL.
The seats in Fenway are superrrrrrr uncomfortable though.
Yeah the Red Sox played some winning teams but look at the quality of those teams. The Angels stink right now even a little league team could beat them based on their performance of late.
You guys are being too literal when looking at the schedules. The Yanks opened the season in Boston and Tampa. And then shortly after went on a west coast swing. On top of that, they’ve played the majority of their games on the road. Those three things make their first month of the season very difficult.
“And, in 29 games at least, Fenway has not particularly helped their offense.”
Perhaps. But I would think that if you’ve only played 12 road games and 50% of them were against KC and the O’s that would help you’re road offense which in turn could mask any benefit that playing at home would produce in the split statistics.
Doreen – GTLU Stuff & Photos May 7th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
I heard the last part of an interview with Kevin Youkilis by the Ripken brothers today on XM while I was driving home. I didn’t dislike him.
_____________________________________________________________________
I want to hate Youk so badly but I’m not gunna lie and say that I didnt find the whole Jeter shoving Youk on 1st base thing a few weeks ago pretty cute. This hurts lol
re: tolerant fans in Fenway
it’s funny how internet tough guys are never quite so malicious in the real world.
I went to a game for the first time at Fenway last August (I’d done the tour a few years earlier). I didn’t have much problems even tho’ the four of us wore our Yankee jerseys and other stuff. Of course by that time we were 6 1/2 games up in the standings and we won the game 20-11 … how sweet that was !!! They were leaving in droves by the time the Yankees scored 17 runs so besides an occasional Yankees suck chant I had a great time. I’m not a fan of Fenway ..looks like a minor league park because it’s so small. The screen on the scoreboard is so tiny. I didn’t like the fact that they listed derogatory stats about Yankee players either..eg. Cano’s RISP stats at the time which were quite bad. They don’t do stuff like that at the Stadium. It seemed very low class. The seats were a horror…if you weigh over 150 lbs you can forget about any comfort. My daughter is 5’9 and her legs were smashed up against the seat in front of her and every time the man in front of me stood to let someone pass..he literally sat on my lap. It didn’t help that it was one of the most humid weekends with everyone so on top of each other. I’m just happy we didn’t go to the Saturday game because we lost 11-0 and I can only imagine the torture I would have had to survive that day ..lol.
Anyway …here’s hoping the Yankees kick some Boston butt…
Go Yankees 2010 !!
“Ive honestly been to Fenway about 6 or 7 times and I’ve never had any issues besides mild/mutual teasing with sox fans. ”
————-
ditto, I’ve had only minor issues with the fans. I get plenty of dirty looks for sure… but it’s not that bad.
I’ll be wearing my Yanks shirt and 2009 World Series champions hat to tonight’s game… so we’ll see if that gets me in any “trouble”
“Yeah the Red Sox played some winning teams but look at the quality of those teams. The Angels stink right now even a little league team could beat them based on their performance of late.”
Jeremy, we’ve played the Angels 6 times, the Red Sox have played them 4.
The only real difference in the schedules, aside from the home-road split, is that they played KC, Minnesota and Toronto (all on the road), while we played Oakland and the White Sox. I just don’t think you can draw much of a distinction there.
Did Pete Abe eat any players when he thought no one was looking?
Just wondering.
Met fans act the same way. As soon as they start winning just a little bit they talk about how great they are and how they are the top team in New York and that the Yankees stink. Sox win in 2004 you would think they had a tradition of winning.
NYY626 May 7th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I want to hate Youk so badly but I?m not gunna lie and say that I didnt find the whole Jeter shoving Youk on 1st base thing a few weeks ago pretty cute.
***********************
I had to smile at that too, but only Jeter was cute. There is nothing about Youk that’s cute.
CB, they also played Minnesota and Toronto on the road, which does balance out KC and Baltimore.
# CountryClub May 7th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Supposedly voted on by fans, here is the Yanks all time team. Anybody going to complain about a pen that has Goose and Sparky setting up Mo? hahaha
http://espn.go.com/new-york/ga…..mp;image=0
——————————————————————-
Joe D. hitting 7th, come on now…
Are you saying you think Boston is better than either Tampa or NY? If you think they are the second best team in baseball, that’s what you are saying.
Nothing we have seen this season suggests that’s the case.
Youkalis and pedroia could play on my team any day…they would have to find different positions on the Yankees of course
but I like them both as players and are reported to be pretty good guys.
I have no burning desire to go to a Sox or Mets game at the Stadium these days because of jerk fans on both sides.
SS. DJeter
DH NJ
1b Tex
3B Arod
2B Cano
C Posada
RF swish
CF GGBG
LF Winn
Thank you
Tom
No. But he did eat Peter Gammons and Nick Cafardo!
On Mark Feinsand’s blog via Marc Carig’s twitter:
http://www.nydailynews.com/blo.....Bombers%29
# Uncle Ellsworth May 7th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
I have no burning desire to go to a Sox or Mets game at the Stadium these days because of jerk fans on both sides.
========================================================
You think it would change if they banned alcohol?
I have never gotten drunk, or close to it, at a ballgame.
Especially at 9 bucks a pop.
In my humble opinion the Yankees only have one team to worry about in the AL. One team that stands in their way of winning number 28. That team is the Tampa Bay Rays. They are for real and they aren’t going anywhere. They are playing better than 2008 when everyone thought they were a fluke. Well if the Yankees want to get back to the promise land the Rays stand in the way.
Mike did they set a line-up? I thought it was just by position.
Jeter
Joe
Lou
Babe
Mickey
Alex
Reggie
Yogi
Tony
???? thoughts
There really seems to be no need for this extended run of personal insults against anyone, never mind Pete.
I don’t see the attraction of insulting people over the internet.
Especially when some of the people doing the insulting have made it a point to protect their own rights to express themselves as they see fit without being insulted by others.
And on the whole while it may offer some kind of personal catharsis or schadenfreude, it makes for tediously boring reading.
Youk looks like a caveman.
Youkilis was on a Man vs. Food when Adam Richman went to Boston.
He was hanging out in a burger joint. It didn’t seem like he was using it as a photo op, more like just there as a regular dude. He definitely gives the impression of someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously.
Honestly, if Pedroia and Youkilis are good guys for Jeter, that’s all I need to know.
Mike_Boston,
I could be wrong, but I don’t believe they had those guys listed in a batting order. If I remember correctly it was by position.
Pete was damn good for this blog. Hell, none of us would likely be hanging here if not Pete.
Cease and desist w/the personal attacks on Pete!
If Youk or Pedroia were on the Yankees, even Pedro or Manny, Yankee fans would embrace them as they did Clemens and Boggs and Damon.
“Are you saying you think Boston is better than either Tampa or NY? If you think they are the second best team in baseball, that’s what you are saying. ”
Not unless math in your world works differently than in mine.
I said going into the season I thought Boston was the second best team. I think that leaves room for us to be the best, which I also thought. I thought Tampa was the third best – I thought the top three teams in baseball were all in the AL East.
I know Tampa has played better than Boston so far, as have we. I can read the standings. However, I think that if I had to rank which of the Yanks, Tampa and Boston would win the most games from tonight through the end of the season, I would pick New York first, Boston second and Tampa third.
30 games should not be enough to change your mind about relative strengths if you had good reasons to begin with. I think I had good reasons (maybe I won’t turn out to be right), so I’m not going to change my mind yet.
Uncle, I got it from this where they had Mick at 2 and Joe at 7: http://espn.go.com/new-york/rivalry/_/id/5162401/
I like your lineup better…Give Mick the RBI chances at 5th, hitting him 2nd is a waste of his power.
I liked Dusty a lot more before his “laser show” comment.
After Manny and Pedro left it is a lot harder to dislike the players
we still have Tek thoughand Bucky
Last call for GTLU.
Yay Chad!!!
Did you get pied?
CB,
Your vocabulary is amazing.
“Perhaps. But I would think that if you?ve only played 12 road games and 50% of them were against KC and the O?s that would help you?re road offense which in turn could mask any benefit that playing at home would produce in the split statistics.”
CB–To add to your point, Boston’s runs per game in their small sample of home games has been drastically influenced by that 4-game series vs. the Rays. Overall, I think they’ve averaged 5.35 runs per game @ home. Outside of that series against the Rays they’ve averaged 6.31 runs per game @ home. On the road they have averaged 4.92 runs per game. Obviously I cherrypicked that stat, but it does speak to the effect a single series can have on averages at this point in the season.
Joe put the ball in play
a crazy 370 ks in his career ? do I remember correctly?
Glad to see Lazzeri (the forgotten star) get the nod
Ever check out Joe Gordon over Ted Williams in 1942?
Gordon won the MVP but Ted had much better numbers.
Jeter: SS
Johnson: DH
Tex: 1B
Arod: 3B
Cano: 2B
Posada: C
Swish: RF
Winn:LF
BG: CF
Guess The Line Up is Now Closed. No more lineups. Thank you for playing!
doreen…give me same lineup as Mike-Boston, ok? at 3:07
Wave your hat
The fact is that Boston has too many flaws. Their pitching is not that great. The stats show that the Yankees and Rays pitching staff have better numbers and even if Boston does improve in that area they really aren’t better than them. Their offense is not in the same league as the Yankees and Rays, their bullpen isn’t that good, and their defense which was going to be a plus for them is not that good. All in all the Red Sox will be a 3rd place team. They are good but no match for the Yankees and Rays. Three strongest teams in the AL Yankees, Tampa, and Twins.
Got yours, Mike_Boston.
at the buzzer, Doreen?
I think you’re right about Joe’s K’s Uncle, he might have had more career HR’s than K’s!?
Isn’t there something crazy too about only having like 2 popup’s in one of his seasons?
This is the first time I’m playing GTLU, but I’ve got a feeling about this one.
Jeter SS
Johnson DH
Tex 1B
Alex 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Thames LF
Cervelli C
Gardner CF
Okay, mick.
Thanks Doreen!
Uncle Ellsworth, you are correct. Without looking up Joe D’s #s, he hit almost as many HRs in his career as he had Ks. Amazing! Look at today’s players who routinely K 130-160 times a year to hit 40-50 HRs. Joe D was amazing. IIRC Don Mattingly had a season where he did something similar. He hit about as many HRs as he had Ks.
Ledger_Yankees Good afternoon from Fenway Park, where one squad from New York has already posted a victory. Now to see what the other does.
Well, I’m a little late apparently. =) Oh well.
tank you doreen
# charlestonchew May 7th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Well, I’m a little late apparently. =) Oh well.
==========
Thames wont play so dont worry.
Charleston Chew – yours is absolutely the last lineup to be accepted.
Thank you too, Doreen!
“Joe put the ball in play
a crazy 370 ks in his career ? do I remember correctly?”
Yes, you are right.
Joe D- 369 career Ks, 361 career HRs while missing what probably would have been the 3 most productive years of his career because of WWII.
Dimaggio – 369 Ks, 361 HRs.
From baseball-reference.
jeremy, I simply don’t see how you conclude Tampa’s offense is better than Boston’s. It isn’t.
As for schedules, Tampa has played more at home than on the road, and they have played KC 4 times, Baltimore 6 times, Seattle 3 times and the White Sox 3 times. Their schedule has been easier than ours or Boston’s.
Let’s just wait a little longer before we start drawing conclusions about how this season will shake out.
pena,bartlett,longoria,crawford,upton trump youk,pedroia, and current crew anytime.
A team of Career yanks that are not hall of famers
Jeter
Posada
Maris
Bernie
Oneill
Pinella
Randalf
Nettles
Donnie
probably some old timers Ive overlooked
CB
I respect your opinions, your analysis, your character…
Pete is a scumbag Red Sox fan, that’s why I enjoy insulting him. Also, he does not read this blog and read the insults!
He did whatever he could to alter or develop people’s views about Alex, Joe G, to his point of view!
He’s a hypocrite and a phony. He wont insult David Ortiz the way he did Alex. Wont attack Theo and Tito for holding back information the way Joe was accused of.
He wished death on numerous people on this blog, and via email. He is a terrible human being.
youlilis and pedroia are the crux of that team now, without either one of them they are dead.
CR9…wow!………say what you really mean…
It’s tough to draw conclusions about teams before Memorial Day at the earliest. Look at the Yankees last year at this time, for instance.
Boston is definitely a question mark, though, because they haven’t come out of the gate the way they usually do, and the reason really is their pitching, which was supposed to be their strength.
The Yankees offense leads in OBP, OPS, wOBA, SPD rating (surprising!). 3rd in BB%, 4th lowest K%, 5th best team average (impresive when 2-4 is so low), 3rd best SLG. They are doing all of this with a middle of the road BABIP.
Tampa has outscored Boston by 18 runs, but Boston leads them in almost every other measurable statistic.
http://www.fangraphs.com/teams.....38;month=0
I know many of those guys played for other teams
“Randalf”
Is that Randalf the Gray or Randalf the White?
mick
Okay. Will do! He is a detriment to society. Like Mike Lupica, he has a face not even his own mother could love.
kubek, richardson,tresh,munson,gene michael….
Chad, I love how your enthusiasm -and thus more of your personality- comes through in this post. Please keep it up! I know I love a personal, visceral take on what goes on at the ballpark, in the locker room, etc.
Just my thought. Thanks for the great job!
“Here’s Dustin Pedroia’s reaction to rumors of a bomb threat at Fenway Park on Wednesday, via the Projo Sox Blog:
Upon hearing about the bomb scare, Dustin Pedroia strode into the middle of the clubhouse and barked, “Bomb squad? Bomb squad? They’re early!” and flexed his muscles in anticipation of all the ‘bombs’ he would hit later. “
Okay. Will do! He is a detriment to society. Like Mike Lupica, he has a face not even his own mother could love.
=========================
maybe on Mother’s Day….in all fairness, why was a native New Englander hosting a Yankee blog? Talk about conflicted.
Good one nick
Munson! I just think of him as in the HOF
Interesting quote from Robin Roberts –
“When I have good stuff I throw four fastballs out of five pitches. When you take up a hitter in a clubhouse meeting, no matter what his weakness is, it’s going to end up low and away or high and tight, and the curveball must he thrown below the belt. That’s the whole story of pitching. Keep your life and your pitching real simple and you’ll get along fine.”
The Rays hit like .191 bases empty, but they bat out of their minds with men on. Unless they are super clutch, it is a kind of unsustainable offense and their offense won’t be able to keep clicking like it does.
And it will matter in a series vs the Yankees, when guys like Hughes/CC/AJ/Pettitte will limit base runners and manage damage when runners get on.
“youlilis and pedroia are the crux of that team now, without either one of them they are dead.”
It is great to see Boston’s plans go up in smoke. First, with losing out on Tex. Secondly, I have to believe they were counting on making a huge push for Mauer, moving VMart to DH/backup C/ backup 1B; while acquiring Adrian G to play first and move Youk to third.
With Mauer now unavailable, they will have to live with a poor defensive catcher for years, or else trade Vmart for other pieces. Hopefully, San Diego doens’t cave and trade AGonz cheaply.
Uh Ellsworth, you do realize on your list that Jeter is a future sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer.
mick
He was not conflicted in the least bit.
He did whatever he could to detriment the Yankees while he covered them, all the while waiting for the opportunity to arrive to cover and help his Red Sox any way he can.
Moment he left for Boston, he insulted Gannett and the Journal News, like any true scumbag Bostonian would do!
In that regard, I respect his display of honesty.
rconn Of course! but he ain’t there yet
Ledger_Yankees Time of the first Red Sox-Yankees game very played, on this date in 1903? 1 hour, 38 minutes.
I know for certain, I wouldnt be conflicted working for the Boston Globe.
I’d write slanted pieces against the Red Sox, until the the Globe fired me after a week for not being a Red Sox homer/Yankee hater.
The RS lost their mojo with the departure of Manny.
They are a team in disarray and most won’t notice it til they finish 4th in the division this year if Toronto can hold on.
Manny batting behind Ortiz was an influence that not many have stressed enough.
They simply have gotten old and their pitching is overrated.
Joe, that’s a great quote……
Just got to Fenway, where we’ll still waiting for lineups.
To answer a few quick questions:
1. Yes, I went to Mizzou. I was wearing an MU shirt and hat for the game.
2. Yes, I had to slide. And I was wearing shorts. There was blood.
3. Yes, one person was hit by a pitch. A Boston reporter.
4. No pies. This one was certainly no walk-off.
5. No one asked but…
I can’t believe I forgot to mention that Mark Feinsand made an out in one of the later innings, and he had to run from first base to the third-base dugout. Just to do it, he ran right across the mound. The New York media was cracking up.
CR9 always seems to have a fit when those who get tired of his nonsense and BS start to insult him personally.
But he doesn’t that he’s a hypocrite when he makes fat jokes and insults Pete Abe quite frequently.
Now I wasn’t the biggest Pete Abe fan myself, but the past is the past and I don’t dwell on it everyday.
“3. Yes, one person was hit by a pitch. A Boston reporter. ”
YEAH!!!! I hope you got him with a Roger Clemens fastball right between the numbers!!!!!!!!!!!
“When I have good stuff I throw four fastballs out of five pitches. ”
But what would he do when he didn’t have good stuff? Maybe somebody can dig up that quote and show it to Vazquez.
GF
Im glad you’re recovering nicely, btw!
I couldnt care less when Im being attacked personally. I am what I am, a wackadoodle!! I care that Yankees fans resort to insulting each other! I care more when others on the blog, such as Betsy, find themselves being attacked for ‘worrying’ too much.
Anyway, no hypocrisy here. I insult Pete Abe, because he isnt reading this blog and wouldnt get insulted if he did read it.
Joel Sherman is reporting that Posada is out of tonight’s lineup.
You list is correct except for Jeter. If he retired today, he’d be a HOFer in his first yr of eligibility. He is one of the 5 best SS’s of all time.
Mark in Tampa
V-Mart will be a FA after this season.
Aww, Jo-Po! Better that he get the proper rest that he needs, though.
No need to send him out there less than 100%.
YankeesWFAN
Jeter Johnson Teixeira ARod Cano Swisher Gardner Cervelli Winn. Hughes vs Beckett. RHP Romulo Sanchez is here. OF Greg Golson out.
Sanchez arrival prob means Mitre officially in to start in Pettitte’s spot. Waiting for official word from Girardi.
I knew it after the report from RAB. Sigh – it stinks, but I think the Yankees need to DL Jorge; they can’t go around with 1 catcher and the roster a man short.
New Post w/lineup
Can Sanchez give us innings? Why him? He doesn’t have good control and is he pitching well in AAA?
Where did Pete play? Lol
How cool to play a game on the field at Fenway Park.
And then to hit a inside-the-park HR, wow. Congratulations, Chad.
I don’t know that it would be the athletic achievement of everyone’s life to do what you did, but it sure would be the most memorable athletic achievement for just about everyone.
I was on a Little League team with Chad. I had a bat he liked to use.
If I would have known, I would have Fed-Exed you the bat, but only if you would have returned it signed.
Chad…
I just got home. Sounds like lots of fun this morning. I am proud of you and the rest of the NY team. Now we should duplicate it this evening.
I couldn’t imagine playing on a field like Fenway. You guys are lucky to have to chance to play ball on that field, even if it’s just for fun.
Awesome job. Didn’t the New York media annihilate the Boston media last year too?
Congrats from all the guys who got picked last for pick up games.