Thursday, May 31, 2007
Hilligoss Streaks to 37
Charleston River Dog's Mitch Hilligoss didn't wait until his last at-bat to extend his hitting streak to 37 games tonight. Hilligoss lead off the bottom 1st with his 1st HR of the season.
The streak matches the one Joey Cora had back in 1989 for Las Vegas (PCL). Hilligoss' was one of 4 hits he had through the 8th tonight. His season average is now .335.
The streak matches the one Joey Cora had back in 1989 for Las Vegas (PCL). Hilligoss' was one of 4 hits he had through the 8th tonight. His season average is now .335.
Hilligoss Streaks to 37
Charleston River Dog's Mitch Hilligoss didn't wait until his last at-bat to extend his hitting streak to 37 games tonight. Hilligoss lead off the bottom 1st with his 1st HR of the season.
The streak matches the one Joey Cora had back in 1989 for Las Vegas (PCL). Hilligoss' was one of 4 hits he had through the 8th tonight. His season average is now .335.
The streak matches the one Joey Cora had back in 1989 for Las Vegas (PCL). Hilligoss' was one of 4 hits he had through the 8th tonight. His season average is now .335.
The New RonDL
Jason Giambi has landed on the DL yet again. As reported by the Journal News' Peter Abraham, Giambi went to have his bad heel checked out by foot and ankle specialist Dr. William Hamilton. The doc found a tear of the plantar fascia and Giambi is done for 3 weeks. In the meantime he'll have a walking boot.
The way this season has gone, the Yankees should give a career minor leaguer like Shelley Duncan a shot to make something happen.
The way this season has gone, the Yankees should give a career minor leaguer like Shelley Duncan a shot to make something happen.
The New RonDL
Jason Giambi has landed on the DL yet again. As reported by the Journal News' Peter Abraham, Giambi went to have his bad heel checked out by foot and ankle specialist Dr. William Hamilton. The doc found a tear of the plantar fascia and Giambi is done for 3 weeks. In the meantime he'll have a walking boot.
The way this season has gone, the Yankees should give a career minor leaguer like Shelley Duncan a shot to make something happen.
The way this season has gone, the Yankees should give a career minor leaguer like Shelley Duncan a shot to make something happen.
Around the Horn (5/31)
It's been a while since we went Around the Horn, but here goes...
Matsuzake gets diced up
Dice-K has been roughed up lately, though its pretty much gone unnoticed because of the Red Sox success. The righty struggled with gastro problems and the Rangers last week, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings, but picked up the win.
Last night the Indians hammered the Diceman to the tune of 6 runs and 12 hits in just 5 2-3 innings. Since his 1st 3 starts, Dice-K has a 5.64 ERA, but has gone 6-1. The Red Sox have averaged more than 8 runs in each of those games.
Does he throw a slowey ball?
The Minnesota Twins are beginning to rival the old LA Dodgers for stud pitching prospects. Here comes another one in the person of Kevin Slowee. The 6'3" righty has been tearing up the International League this year, striking out 57 batters in 64 1-3 innings. And get this, he's only walked 5 batters (his K/BB ratio last season was 151/22). With a 6-2 record and an amazing 1.54 ERA, the Twins realized it was time to kick Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson to the curb.
He still can't make it there
Had a good laugh the other night seeing the Giant's Armando Benitez meltdown at his old home, Shea Stadium. Benitez balked, not once, but twice, with the 2nd allowing Jose Reyes to come home with the tying run. Carlos Delgado then finished off Benitez's night in style with a walk-off HR.
Update - 5/31 9:30 pm - The San Francisco Chronicle learned that Benitez is on the verge of being dealt to the Florida Marlins.
His average won't change much
Matt Bush was the San Diego Padres 1st round pick in 2004 as a shortstop. But he's looked more like a pitcher when it comes to hitting. So the Padres are going to make him one.
Bush hit just .221 through 2006 and was batting just .204 this season when then the Pads front office decided to make the switch. Bush was a dominant pitcher in high school and is said to be "ecstatic" about the switch.
Matsuzake gets diced up
Dice-K has been roughed up lately, though its pretty much gone unnoticed because of the Red Sox success. The righty struggled with gastro problems and the Rangers last week, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings, but picked up the win.
Last night the Indians hammered the Diceman to the tune of 6 runs and 12 hits in just 5 2-3 innings. Since his 1st 3 starts, Dice-K has a 5.64 ERA, but has gone 6-1. The Red Sox have averaged more than 8 runs in each of those games.
Does he throw a slowey ball?
The Minnesota Twins are beginning to rival the old LA Dodgers for stud pitching prospects. Here comes another one in the person of Kevin Slowee. The 6'3" righty has been tearing up the International League this year, striking out 57 batters in 64 1-3 innings. And get this, he's only walked 5 batters (his K/BB ratio last season was 151/22). With a 6-2 record and an amazing 1.54 ERA, the Twins realized it was time to kick Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson to the curb.
He still can't make it there
Had a good laugh the other night seeing the Giant's Armando Benitez meltdown at his old home, Shea Stadium. Benitez balked, not once, but twice, with the 2nd allowing Jose Reyes to come home with the tying run. Carlos Delgado then finished off Benitez's night in style with a walk-off HR.
Update - 5/31 9:30 pm - The San Francisco Chronicle learned that Benitez is on the verge of being dealt to the Florida Marlins.
His average won't change much
Matt Bush was the San Diego Padres 1st round pick in 2004 as a shortstop. But he's looked more like a pitcher when it comes to hitting. So the Padres are going to make him one.
Bush hit just .221 through 2006 and was batting just .204 this season when then the Pads front office decided to make the switch. Bush was a dominant pitcher in high school and is said to be "ecstatic" about the switch.
Around the Horn (5/31)
It's been a while since we went Around the Horn, but here goes...
Matsuzake gets diced up
Dice-K has been roughed up lately, though its pretty much gone unnoticed because of the Red Sox success. The righty struggled with gastro problems and the Rangers last week, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings, but picked up the win.
Last night the Indians hammered the Diceman to the tune of 6 runs and 12 hits in just 5 2-3 innings. Since his 1st 3 starts, Dice-K has a 5.64 ERA, but has gone 6-1. The Red Sox have averaged more than 8 runs in each of those games.
Does he throw a slowey ball?
The Minnesota Twins are beginning to rival the old LA Dodgers for stud pitching prospects. Here comes another one in the person of Kevin Slowee. The 6'3" righty has been tearing up the International League this year, striking out 57 batters in 64 1-3 innings. And get this, he's only walked 5 batters (his K/BB ratio last season was 151/22). With a 6-2 record and an amazing 1.54 ERA, the Twins realized it was time to kick Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson to the curb.
He still can't make it there
Had a good laugh the other night seeing the Giant's Armando Benitez meltdown at his old home, Shea Stadium. Benitez balked, not once, but twice, with the 2nd allowing Jose Reyes to come home with the tying run. Carlos Delgado then finished off Benitez's night in style with a walk-off HR.
Update - 5/31 9:30 pm - The San Francisco Chronicle learned that Benitez is on the verge of being dealt to the Florida Marlins.
His average won't change much
Matt Bush was the San Diego Padres 1st round pick in 2004 as a shortstop. But he's looked more like a pitcher when it comes to hitting. So the Padres are going to make him one.
Bush hit just .221 through 2006 and was batting just .204 this season when then the Pads front office decided to make the switch. Bush was a dominant pitcher in high school and is said to be "ecstatic" about the switch.
Matsuzake gets diced up
Dice-K has been roughed up lately, though its pretty much gone unnoticed because of the Red Sox success. The righty struggled with gastro problems and the Rangers last week, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings, but picked up the win.
Last night the Indians hammered the Diceman to the tune of 6 runs and 12 hits in just 5 2-3 innings. Since his 1st 3 starts, Dice-K has a 5.64 ERA, but has gone 6-1. The Red Sox have averaged more than 8 runs in each of those games.
Does he throw a slowey ball?
The Minnesota Twins are beginning to rival the old LA Dodgers for stud pitching prospects. Here comes another one in the person of Kevin Slowee. The 6'3" righty has been tearing up the International League this year, striking out 57 batters in 64 1-3 innings. And get this, he's only walked 5 batters (his K/BB ratio last season was 151/22). With a 6-2 record and an amazing 1.54 ERA, the Twins realized it was time to kick Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson to the curb.
He still can't make it there
Had a good laugh the other night seeing the Giant's Armando Benitez meltdown at his old home, Shea Stadium. Benitez balked, not once, but twice, with the 2nd allowing Jose Reyes to come home with the tying run. Carlos Delgado then finished off Benitez's night in style with a walk-off HR.
Update - 5/31 9:30 pm - The San Francisco Chronicle learned that Benitez is on the verge of being dealt to the Florida Marlins.
His average won't change much
Matt Bush was the San Diego Padres 1st round pick in 2004 as a shortstop. But he's looked more like a pitcher when it comes to hitting. So the Padres are going to make him one.
Bush hit just .221 through 2006 and was batting just .204 this season when then the Pads front office decided to make the switch. Bush was a dominant pitcher in high school and is said to be "ecstatic" about the switch.
Yankees Roar Past Jays
Alex Rodriguez started out his day on Wednesday by finding out a picture of him and a mystery busty blond were splashed all over the NY Post. He finished the night off by ticking off the Toronto Blue Jays as his "shout out" helped the Yankees break open a close game in the 9th.
A-Rod had come through in the clutch with a 2-out single to extend the Yankees lead to 7-5. Then he talked with his mouth instead of his bat. The next batter, Jorge Posada, hit a pop up on the left side of the infield. 3rd Baseman Howie Clark camped under, but let the ball drop after A-Rod passed behind him. That's where the controversy begins.
Replays clearly showed A-Rod shouting something as he ran by - it appeared to be 'Hah". Clark claimed he yelled "Mine". Either way, the Yankees got another run as Hideki Matsui scored, and added two more on a Jason Giambi single for a 10-5 lead. Jay's shortstop John McDonald started jawing with A-Rod and had to be pulled away by the umpiring crew. Jay's manager John Gibbons also joined the fray and was still angry after the game.
"The thing about the Yankees, one of the reasons they're so respected, is they do things right. Always have," manager John Gibbons said. "They've got a lot of pride and a lot of class. They play the game hard.
"That's not Yankee pride right there," he said. "That's not the way they play. I thought it was bush league."
A-Rod naturally played down the incident in post-game interviews.
"I don't know what my intention was," Rodriguez said. "I didn't say, 'I got it' or anything like that."
"Honestly, I couldn't care less," he said. "They have their opinions. We're looking not to be swept."
"That play happens to me three or four times a week, except it's not at third base, it's over in foul territory by the dugout," Rodriguez said.
Even A-Rod's teammates were unsure how to answer reporter's queries. "I wasn't sure that was allowed," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "If it is, maybe we'll keep on doing it."
The only thing more amusing on the night was A-Rod deftly handling questions about the NY Post report. When a reporter asked if newspaper's getting personal bother him, A-Rod responded, "you mean about that play?".
Okay back to the game.
The Yankees showed some life last night, kick starting the game with a 5-run first inning. Johnny Damon lead off the ball game with his 3rd HR of the season off of rookie Jessie Litsch (1-2). The Yankees then loaded the bases on a single by Hideki Matsui and walks to A-Rod and Jorge Posada.
A Jason Giambi sac fly brought home one run and a Josh Phelps single brought in two more. Robinson Cano finished off the scoring with the 1st of his 3 doubles.
Yankee's starter Tyler Clippard (2-1) breezed through the first, but struggled through the next 4 innings. He got out of a two-out, two-walk jam in the 2nd, but gave up two runs in the 3rd and another the 4th on home runs by Alex Rios and John McDonald.
With the Yankees leading 6-3 in the 7th, Brian Bruney surrendered a 2-run to a 2-run shot to Matt Stairs. But Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth, and Mariano Rivera, who picked up his 4th save, shut down the Jays the rest of the way. And then the Yankees mouthed their way to insurance runs.
~~~
Johnny Damon's 1st inning HR was the 1,999th hit of his career. One inning later, he singled to left to reach the 2,000 hit milestone.
Robinson Cano went 4-4 to snap an 0 for 10 skid.
Jorge Posada set a career high with 2 stolen bases- that is until the official scorer changed the call to fielder's indifference for his 9th inning swipe. Back-to-back nights with Giambi and Posada stealing - must be a full moon - and it is.
A-Rod had come through in the clutch with a 2-out single to extend the Yankees lead to 7-5. Then he talked with his mouth instead of his bat. The next batter, Jorge Posada, hit a pop up on the left side of the infield. 3rd Baseman Howie Clark camped under, but let the ball drop after A-Rod passed behind him. That's where the controversy begins.
Replays clearly showed A-Rod shouting something as he ran by - it appeared to be 'Hah". Clark claimed he yelled "Mine". Either way, the Yankees got another run as Hideki Matsui scored, and added two more on a Jason Giambi single for a 10-5 lead. Jay's shortstop John McDonald started jawing with A-Rod and had to be pulled away by the umpiring crew. Jay's manager John Gibbons also joined the fray and was still angry after the game.
"The thing about the Yankees, one of the reasons they're so respected, is they do things right. Always have," manager John Gibbons said. "They've got a lot of pride and a lot of class. They play the game hard.
"That's not Yankee pride right there," he said. "That's not the way they play. I thought it was bush league."
A-Rod naturally played down the incident in post-game interviews.
"I don't know what my intention was," Rodriguez said. "I didn't say, 'I got it' or anything like that."
"Honestly, I couldn't care less," he said. "They have their opinions. We're looking not to be swept."
"That play happens to me three or four times a week, except it's not at third base, it's over in foul territory by the dugout," Rodriguez said.
Even A-Rod's teammates were unsure how to answer reporter's queries. "I wasn't sure that was allowed," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "If it is, maybe we'll keep on doing it."
The only thing more amusing on the night was A-Rod deftly handling questions about the NY Post report. When a reporter asked if newspaper's getting personal bother him, A-Rod responded, "you mean about that play?".
Okay back to the game.
The Yankees showed some life last night, kick starting the game with a 5-run first inning. Johnny Damon lead off the ball game with his 3rd HR of the season off of rookie Jessie Litsch (1-2). The Yankees then loaded the bases on a single by Hideki Matsui and walks to A-Rod and Jorge Posada.
A Jason Giambi sac fly brought home one run and a Josh Phelps single brought in two more. Robinson Cano finished off the scoring with the 1st of his 3 doubles.
Yankee's starter Tyler Clippard (2-1) breezed through the first, but struggled through the next 4 innings. He got out of a two-out, two-walk jam in the 2nd, but gave up two runs in the 3rd and another the 4th on home runs by Alex Rios and John McDonald.
With the Yankees leading 6-3 in the 7th, Brian Bruney surrendered a 2-run to a 2-run shot to Matt Stairs. But Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth, and Mariano Rivera, who picked up his 4th save, shut down the Jays the rest of the way. And then the Yankees mouthed their way to insurance runs.
~~~
Johnny Damon's 1st inning HR was the 1,999th hit of his career. One inning later, he singled to left to reach the 2,000 hit milestone.
Robinson Cano went 4-4 to snap an 0 for 10 skid.
Jorge Posada set a career high with 2 stolen bases- that is until the official scorer changed the call to fielder's indifference for his 9th inning swipe. Back-to-back nights with Giambi and Posada stealing - must be a full moon - and it is.
Yankees Roar Past Jays
Alex Rodriguez started out his day on Wednesday by finding out a picture of him and a mystery busty blond were splashed all over the NY Post. He finished the night off by ticking off the Toronto Blue Jays as his "shout out" helped the Yankees break open a close game in the 9th.
A-Rod had come through in the clutch with a 2-out single to extend the Yankees lead to 7-5. Then he talked with his mouth instead of his bat. The next batter, Jorge Posada, hit a pop up on the left side of the infield. 3rd Baseman Howie Clark camped under, but let the ball drop after A-Rod passed behind him. That's where the controversy begins.
Replays clearly showed A-Rod shouting something as he ran by - it appeared to be 'Hah". Clark claimed he yelled "Mine". Either way, the Yankees got another run as Hideki Matsui scored, and added two more on a Jason Giambi single for a 10-5 lead. Jay's shortstop John McDonald started jawing with A-Rod and had to be pulled away by the umpiring crew. Jay's manager John Gibbons also joined the fray and was still angry after the game.
"The thing about the Yankees, one of the reasons they're so respected, is they do things right. Always have," manager John Gibbons said. "They've got a lot of pride and a lot of class. They play the game hard.
"That's not Yankee pride right there," he said. "That's not the way they play. I thought it was bush league."
A-Rod naturally played down the incident in post-game interviews.
"I don't know what my intention was," Rodriguez said. "I didn't say, 'I got it' or anything like that."
"Honestly, I couldn't care less," he said. "They have their opinions. We're looking not to be swept."
"That play happens to me three or four times a week, except it's not at third base, it's over in foul territory by the dugout," Rodriguez said.
Even A-Rod's teammates were unsure how to answer reporter's queries. "I wasn't sure that was allowed," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "If it is, maybe we'll keep on doing it."
The only thing more amusing on the night was A-Rod deftly handling questions about the NY Post report. When a reporter asked if newspaper's getting personal bother him, A-Rod responded, "you mean about that play?".
Okay back to the game.
The Yankees showed some life last night, kick starting the game with a 5-run first inning. Johnny Damon lead off the ball game with his 3rd HR of the season off of rookie Jessie Litsch (1-2). The Yankees then loaded the bases on a single by Hideki Matsui and walks to A-Rod and Jorge Posada.
A Jason Giambi sac fly brought home one run and a Josh Phelps single brought in two more. Robinson Cano finished off the scoring with the 1st of his 3 doubles.
Yankee's starter Tyler Clippard (2-1) breezed through the first, but struggled through the next 4 innings. He got out of a two-out, two-walk jam in the 2nd, but gave up two runs in the 3rd and another the 4th on home runs by Alex Rios and John McDonald.
With the Yankees leading 6-3 in the 7th, Brian Bruney surrendered a 2-run to a 2-run shot to Matt Stairs. But Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth, and Mariano Rivera, who picked up his 4th save, shut down the Jays the rest of the way. And then the Yankees mouthed their way to insurance runs.
~~~
Johnny Damon's 1st inning HR was the 1,999th hit of his career. One inning later, he singled to left to reach the 2,000 hit milestone.
Robinson Cano went 4-4 to snap an 0 for 10 skid.
Jorge Posada set a career high with 2 stolen bases- that is until the official scorer changed the call to fielder's indifference for his 9th inning swipe. Back-to-back nights with Giambi and Posada stealing - must be a full moon - and it is.
A-Rod had come through in the clutch with a 2-out single to extend the Yankees lead to 7-5. Then he talked with his mouth instead of his bat. The next batter, Jorge Posada, hit a pop up on the left side of the infield. 3rd Baseman Howie Clark camped under, but let the ball drop after A-Rod passed behind him. That's where the controversy begins.
Replays clearly showed A-Rod shouting something as he ran by - it appeared to be 'Hah". Clark claimed he yelled "Mine". Either way, the Yankees got another run as Hideki Matsui scored, and added two more on a Jason Giambi single for a 10-5 lead. Jay's shortstop John McDonald started jawing with A-Rod and had to be pulled away by the umpiring crew. Jay's manager John Gibbons also joined the fray and was still angry after the game.
"The thing about the Yankees, one of the reasons they're so respected, is they do things right. Always have," manager John Gibbons said. "They've got a lot of pride and a lot of class. They play the game hard.
"That's not Yankee pride right there," he said. "That's not the way they play. I thought it was bush league."
A-Rod naturally played down the incident in post-game interviews.
"I don't know what my intention was," Rodriguez said. "I didn't say, 'I got it' or anything like that."
"Honestly, I couldn't care less," he said. "They have their opinions. We're looking not to be swept."
"That play happens to me three or four times a week, except it's not at third base, it's over in foul territory by the dugout," Rodriguez said.
Even A-Rod's teammates were unsure how to answer reporter's queries. "I wasn't sure that was allowed," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "If it is, maybe we'll keep on doing it."
The only thing more amusing on the night was A-Rod deftly handling questions about the NY Post report. When a reporter asked if newspaper's getting personal bother him, A-Rod responded, "you mean about that play?".
Okay back to the game.
The Yankees showed some life last night, kick starting the game with a 5-run first inning. Johnny Damon lead off the ball game with his 3rd HR of the season off of rookie Jessie Litsch (1-2). The Yankees then loaded the bases on a single by Hideki Matsui and walks to A-Rod and Jorge Posada.
A Jason Giambi sac fly brought home one run and a Josh Phelps single brought in two more. Robinson Cano finished off the scoring with the 1st of his 3 doubles.
Yankee's starter Tyler Clippard (2-1) breezed through the first, but struggled through the next 4 innings. He got out of a two-out, two-walk jam in the 2nd, but gave up two runs in the 3rd and another the 4th on home runs by Alex Rios and John McDonald.
With the Yankees leading 6-3 in the 7th, Brian Bruney surrendered a 2-run to a 2-run shot to Matt Stairs. But Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth, and Mariano Rivera, who picked up his 4th save, shut down the Jays the rest of the way. And then the Yankees mouthed their way to insurance runs.
~~~
Johnny Damon's 1st inning HR was the 1,999th hit of his career. One inning later, he singled to left to reach the 2,000 hit milestone.
Robinson Cano went 4-4 to snap an 0 for 10 skid.
Jorge Posada set a career high with 2 stolen bases- that is until the official scorer changed the call to fielder's indifference for his 9th inning swipe. Back-to-back nights with Giambi and Posada stealing - must be a full moon - and it is.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Hilligoss Streak on the Line
Mitch Hilligoss has been unsuccessful thus far in trying to extend his 35 game hitting streak. The Charlotte River Dog's outfielder is 0-3 with a walk. A hit would break the all-time South Atlantic League record that he currently shares with former Yankees' minor leaguer Scott Seabol.
We'll post back here after his next at-bat.
9:40 pm Update
Hilligoss Extends Streak
It'll look like a line drive in the paper, but Mitch Hilligoss opened himself up to criticism by bunting for a base hit in the 7th inning tonight. There's an unwritten, albeit very silly, rule in baseball that you don't bunt to break up a no-hitter. It's less talked about with hitting streaks, but it may pick up steam after tonight.
The bunt single extended Hilligoss' streak to 36 consecutive games, the new all-time record for the South Atlantic League.
Update 5/31 10:50 am
Hilligoss and his manager respond to questions about bunting.
We'll post back here after his next at-bat.
9:40 pm Update
Hilligoss Extends Streak
It'll look like a line drive in the paper, but Mitch Hilligoss opened himself up to criticism by bunting for a base hit in the 7th inning tonight. There's an unwritten, albeit very silly, rule in baseball that you don't bunt to break up a no-hitter. It's less talked about with hitting streaks, but it may pick up steam after tonight.
The bunt single extended Hilligoss' streak to 36 consecutive games, the new all-time record for the South Atlantic League.
Update 5/31 10:50 am
Hilligoss and his manager respond to questions about bunting.
"(Charleston manager Torre) Tyson mentioned it to me in the dugout, but I didn't think (bunting) was a good idea at the time," Hilligoss admitted.
"But when I got up there and saw the third baseman playing back, I thought about it again," he added. "I looked at the third baseman and Tyson gave me a shrug so I thought, 'Why not.' He threw an outside fastball and once I got it down I knew I had it beat."
"They were shifting towards the left-field line," added Tyson. "I told him the bunt was there."
Hilligoss Streak on the Line
Mitch Hilligoss has been unsuccessful thus far in trying to extend his 35 game hitting streak. The Charlotte River Dog's outfielder is 0-3 with a walk. A hit would break the all-time South Atlantic League record that he currently shares with former Yankees' minor leaguer Scott Seabol.
We'll post back here after his next at-bat.
9:40 pm Update
Hilligoss Extends Streak
It'll look like a line drive in the paper, but Mitch Hilligoss opened himself up to criticism by bunting for a base hit in the 7th inning tonight. There's an unwritten, albeit very silly, rule in baseball that you don't bunt to break up a no-hitter. It's less talked about with hitting streaks, but it may pick up steam after tonight.
The bunt single extended Hilligoss' streak to 36 consecutive games, the new all-time record for the South Atlantic League.
Update 5/31 10:50 am
Hilligoss and his manager respond to questions about bunting.
We'll post back here after his next at-bat.
9:40 pm Update
Hilligoss Extends Streak
It'll look like a line drive in the paper, but Mitch Hilligoss opened himself up to criticism by bunting for a base hit in the 7th inning tonight. There's an unwritten, albeit very silly, rule in baseball that you don't bunt to break up a no-hitter. It's less talked about with hitting streaks, but it may pick up steam after tonight.
The bunt single extended Hilligoss' streak to 36 consecutive games, the new all-time record for the South Atlantic League.
Update 5/31 10:50 am
Hilligoss and his manager respond to questions about bunting.
"(Charleston manager Torre) Tyson mentioned it to me in the dugout, but I didn't think (bunting) was a good idea at the time," Hilligoss admitted.
"But when I got up there and saw the third baseman playing back, I thought about it again," he added. "I looked at the third baseman and Tyson gave me a shrug so I thought, 'Why not.' He threw an outside fastball and once I got it down I knew I had it beat."
"They were shifting towards the left-field line," added Tyson. "I told him the bunt was there."
Hughes out 4-6 More Weeks
The bad news just keeps on coming on for the Yankees this season. Phenom Phil Hughes will not be able to climb back on a mound for another 4-6 weeks. Hughes rolled his left ankle on Friday while rehabbing his injured left hamstring.
An MRI came up negative, but now the Yankees are calling it a Grade 3 sprain, further setting back Hughes' possible return to the Bronx.
An MRI came up negative, but now the Yankees are calling it a Grade 3 sprain, further setting back Hughes' possible return to the Bronx.
Hughes out 4-6 More Weeks
The bad news just keeps on coming on for the Yankees this season. Phenom Phil Hughes will not be able to climb back on a mound for another 4-6 weeks. Hughes rolled his left ankle on Friday while rehabbing his injured left hamstring.
An MRI came up negative, but now the Yankees are calling it a Grade 3 sprain, further setting back Hughes' possible return to the Bronx.
An MRI came up negative, but now the Yankees are calling it a Grade 3 sprain, further setting back Hughes' possible return to the Bronx.
'Cause she's a brick..house
As if the Yankees needed another distraction in this hell-hole of a season, Alex Rodriguez's picture was splashed on the front page of the NY Post this morning. With a buxom blond that wasn't his wife. Heading into a strip club. It's not going to get better if I keep typing.
First off, the NY Post is a piece of garbage I wouldn't line my bird's cage with (if I had a bird). Whether or not you like, love, or hate A-Rod, none of this is any of our business.
There was a good discussion on Mike and Mike this morning on ESPN radio concerning the impact of the press on athlete's lives. The beat writers that cover teams don't mention player's indiscretions and they certainly don't take photographs of them in compromising positions (not including Josh Phelps playing 1st Base). But the world has changed now, and ruthless paparazzi and gold diggers are all around trying to take advantage of celebrity slip ups.
Most athletes are not like soccer star David Beckham who thrive on the attention. And most athletes that are on the gossip pages tend to be coupling with female celebrities (i.e., Tom Brady, Derek Jeter). Mike Greenberg of the Mike&Mike tandem feels that this is a new day. That athletes now have the same cache as actors, rockers, etc., which means that gossip hounds will stalk them in the same rude manner.
I don't care what A-Rod does in his personal life. That's between him and his wife. (That is of course unless it crosses the line such as the behavior of Tampa's Elijah Dukes). As long as its legal, we won't get into moral, and doesn't affect his play, I don't want to hear about it.
First off, the NY Post is a piece of garbage I wouldn't line my bird's cage with (if I had a bird). Whether or not you like, love, or hate A-Rod, none of this is any of our business.
There was a good discussion on Mike and Mike this morning on ESPN radio concerning the impact of the press on athlete's lives. The beat writers that cover teams don't mention player's indiscretions and they certainly don't take photographs of them in compromising positions (not including Josh Phelps playing 1st Base). But the world has changed now, and ruthless paparazzi and gold diggers are all around trying to take advantage of celebrity slip ups.
Most athletes are not like soccer star David Beckham who thrive on the attention. And most athletes that are on the gossip pages tend to be coupling with female celebrities (i.e., Tom Brady, Derek Jeter). Mike Greenberg of the Mike&Mike tandem feels that this is a new day. That athletes now have the same cache as actors, rockers, etc., which means that gossip hounds will stalk them in the same rude manner.
I don't care what A-Rod does in his personal life. That's between him and his wife. (That is of course unless it crosses the line such as the behavior of Tampa's Elijah Dukes). As long as its legal, we won't get into moral, and doesn't affect his play, I don't want to hear about it.
'Cause she's a brick..house
As if the Yankees needed another distraction in this hell-hole of a season, Alex Rodriguez's picture was splashed on the front page of the NY Post this morning. With a buxom blond that wasn't his wife. Heading into a strip club. It's not going to get better if I keep typing.
First off, the NY Post is a piece of garbage I wouldn't line my bird's cage with (if I had a bird). Whether or not you like, love, or hate A-Rod, none of this is any of our business.
There was a good discussion on Mike and Mike this morning on ESPN radio concerning the impact of the press on athlete's lives. The beat writers that cover teams don't mention player's indiscretions and they certainly don't take photographs of them in compromising positions (not including Josh Phelps playing 1st Base). But the world has changed now, and ruthless paparazzi and gold diggers are all around trying to take advantage of celebrity slip ups.
Most athletes are not like soccer star David Beckham who thrive on the attention. And most athletes that are on the gossip pages tend to be coupling with female celebrities (i.e., Tom Brady, Derek Jeter). Mike Greenberg of the Mike&Mike tandem feels that this is a new day. That athletes now have the same cache as actors, rockers, etc., which means that gossip hounds will stalk them in the same rude manner.
I don't care what A-Rod does in his personal life. That's between him and his wife. (That is of course unless it crosses the line such as the behavior of Tampa's Elijah Dukes). As long as its legal, we won't get into moral, and doesn't affect his play, I don't want to hear about it.
First off, the NY Post is a piece of garbage I wouldn't line my bird's cage with (if I had a bird). Whether or not you like, love, or hate A-Rod, none of this is any of our business.
There was a good discussion on Mike and Mike this morning on ESPN radio concerning the impact of the press on athlete's lives. The beat writers that cover teams don't mention player's indiscretions and they certainly don't take photographs of them in compromising positions (not including Josh Phelps playing 1st Base). But the world has changed now, and ruthless paparazzi and gold diggers are all around trying to take advantage of celebrity slip ups.
Most athletes are not like soccer star David Beckham who thrive on the attention. And most athletes that are on the gossip pages tend to be coupling with female celebrities (i.e., Tom Brady, Derek Jeter). Mike Greenberg of the Mike&Mike tandem feels that this is a new day. That athletes now have the same cache as actors, rockers, etc., which means that gossip hounds will stalk them in the same rude manner.
I don't care what A-Rod does in his personal life. That's between him and his wife. (That is of course unless it crosses the line such as the behavior of Tampa's Elijah Dukes). As long as its legal, we won't get into moral, and doesn't affect his play, I don't want to hear about it.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Rocket Ready to Launch
The Yankees made it official this afternoon. Barring any changes, Roger Clemens will makes his 2007 Yankees debut on the road against the Chicago White Sox next Monday. Clemens started one game each at Tampa, Trenton, and Scranton, with his best start being his last one. Now if he could only hit a few home runs.
Kei Igawa is still muddling through. Brian Cashman continues to take a big hit on this one. Igawa threw 5 less than stellar innings for Scranton tonight. He allowed just 1 walks and struck out 6, but allowed 4 runs on 8 hits.
On a brighter note, one time star prospect Eric Duncan hit a pair of home runs.
Kei Igawa is still muddling through. Brian Cashman continues to take a big hit on this one. Igawa threw 5 less than stellar innings for Scranton tonight. He allowed just 1 walks and struck out 6, but allowed 4 runs on 8 hits.
On a brighter note, one time star prospect Eric Duncan hit a pair of home runs.
Rocket Ready to Launch
The Yankees made it official this afternoon. Barring any changes, Roger Clemens will makes his 2007 Yankees debut on the road against the Chicago White Sox next Monday. Clemens started one game each at Tampa, Trenton, and Scranton, with his best start being his last one. Now if he could only hit a few home runs.
Kei Igawa is still muddling through. Brian Cashman continues to take a big hit on this one. Igawa threw 5 less than stellar innings for Scranton tonight. He allowed just 1 walks and struck out 6, but allowed 4 runs on 8 hits.
On a brighter note, one time star prospect Eric Duncan hit a pair of home runs.
Kei Igawa is still muddling through. Brian Cashman continues to take a big hit on this one. Igawa threw 5 less than stellar innings for Scranton tonight. He allowed just 1 walks and struck out 6, but allowed 4 runs on 8 hits.
On a brighter note, one time star prospect Eric Duncan hit a pair of home runs.
Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio
While the major league Yankees continue to flop, there are a number of minor leaguers in the Yankees' system that are having outstanding seasons. One of those players is Charleston River Dog's Mitch Hilligoss.Hilligoss tied the Atlantic League record by hitting in his 35th consecutive game. He didn't accomplish the feat until his final at-bat. The 2-run double pulled him even with another former Yankees prospect Scott Seabol, who hit in 35 games for the 1999 Greensboro Bats.
Hilligoss' streak is the 3rd longest in the last 20 years of minor league baseball. Only Joey Cora (37) and Brent Gates (36) have hit in more consecutive games. Just as any major leaguer, Hilligoss will also be chasing Joe DiMaggio. The Yankee Clipper set the minor league record by hitting in 61 straight games in 1933.
Longest Streaks in Minor League History
61 - Joe DiMaggio (1933)
55 - Roman Mejias (1954)
49 - Jack Ness (1915)
Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio
While the major league Yankees continue to flop, there are a number of minor leaguers in the Yankees' system that are having outstanding seasons. One of those players is Charleston River Dog's Mitch Hilligoss.Hilligoss tied the Atlantic League record by hitting in his 35th consecutive game. He didn't accomplish the feat until his final at-bat. The 2-run double pulled him even with another former Yankees prospect Scott Seabol, who hit in 35 games for the 1999 Greensboro Bats.
Hilligoss' streak is the 3rd longest in the last 20 years of minor league baseball. Only Joey Cora (37) and Brent Gates (36) have hit in more consecutive games. Just as any major leaguer, Hilligoss will also be chasing Joe DiMaggio. The Yankee Clipper set the minor league record by hitting in 61 straight games in 1933.
Longest Streaks in Minor League History
61 - Joe DiMaggio (1933)
55 - Roman Mejias (1954)
49 - Jack Ness (1915)
Objects Are Further Than They Appear
Another night, another loss, another game further back in the stands. 14.5 to be exact. I've run out of adjectives to describe just how badly this team is playing. The series win over Boston was obviously a mirage.
I'll give the Yankees this - they seem to find a different way to lose every day. Tonight's winner was a steal of home by the Jay's Aaron Hill. Hill took a huge lead off of third with lefty Andy Pettitte's back to him. By the time Alex Rodriguez, and anyone else, yelled, and Jorge Posada jumped out from behind home plate, it was too late. Hill slid in ahead of Pettitte's pitch to give the Jays a 2-1 lead after 7 complete.
The Yankees managed to tie it up in the 8th with the help of a couple of Blue Jay errors. Jorge Posada singled in Derek Jeter to knot things up at 2-2, but closer Jeremy Accardo came on to strike out Jason Giambi, who had earlier homered, and get Bobby Abreu on a weak grounder to first (is it just me or does Abreu have 1 or 2 of them a game?).
The tie was short lived though as Adam Lind lead off the bottom of the 8th with a deep double to left and moved to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt by John McDonald. Joe Torre decided to bring in Scott Proctor to face right handed hitting Alex Rios. Proctor nearly had Rios called out on a strikes, but his full count pitch was then driven to deep center for a sacrifice fly and the difference in the ball game. As usual, the Yankees mounted no threat in the 9th.
~~~
Pettitte pitched his guts out again, only to have nothing positive come from it...again. Of the 3 runs he allowed in 7.1 innings, only 1 was earned due to errors by Jeter and A-Rod. The Yankees have scored 9 runs in Pettitte's 4 losses, not to mention the leads the bullpen has blown after he left the game.
Giambi's home run was his 1st in 7 games and just his 3rd of the month. More shocking is the '1' now for his stolen base total. Blue Jay's shortstop Royce Clayton dropped the throw from catcher Jason Phillips and was charged with an error, but Giambi was still credited with a steal.
Another 5-hit night for the "Bombers" as 6 starters took the collar.
I'll give the Yankees this - they seem to find a different way to lose every day. Tonight's winner was a steal of home by the Jay's Aaron Hill. Hill took a huge lead off of third with lefty Andy Pettitte's back to him. By the time Alex Rodriguez, and anyone else, yelled, and Jorge Posada jumped out from behind home plate, it was too late. Hill slid in ahead of Pettitte's pitch to give the Jays a 2-1 lead after 7 complete.
The Yankees managed to tie it up in the 8th with the help of a couple of Blue Jay errors. Jorge Posada singled in Derek Jeter to knot things up at 2-2, but closer Jeremy Accardo came on to strike out Jason Giambi, who had earlier homered, and get Bobby Abreu on a weak grounder to first (is it just me or does Abreu have 1 or 2 of them a game?).
The tie was short lived though as Adam Lind lead off the bottom of the 8th with a deep double to left and moved to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt by John McDonald. Joe Torre decided to bring in Scott Proctor to face right handed hitting Alex Rios. Proctor nearly had Rios called out on a strikes, but his full count pitch was then driven to deep center for a sacrifice fly and the difference in the ball game. As usual, the Yankees mounted no threat in the 9th.
~~~
Pettitte pitched his guts out again, only to have nothing positive come from it...again. Of the 3 runs he allowed in 7.1 innings, only 1 was earned due to errors by Jeter and A-Rod. The Yankees have scored 9 runs in Pettitte's 4 losses, not to mention the leads the bullpen has blown after he left the game.
Giambi's home run was his 1st in 7 games and just his 3rd of the month. More shocking is the '1' now for his stolen base total. Blue Jay's shortstop Royce Clayton dropped the throw from catcher Jason Phillips and was charged with an error, but Giambi was still credited with a steal.
Another 5-hit night for the "Bombers" as 6 starters took the collar.
Objects Are Further Than They Appear
Another night, another loss, another game further back in the stands. 14.5 to be exact. I've run out of adjectives to describe just how badly this team is playing. The series win over Boston was obviously a mirage.
I'll give the Yankees this - they seem to find a different way to lose every day. Tonight's winner was a steal of home by the Jay's Aaron Hill. Hill took a huge lead off of third with lefty Andy Pettitte's back to him. By the time Alex Rodriguez, and anyone else, yelled, and Jorge Posada jumped out from behind home plate, it was too late. Hill slid in ahead of Pettitte's pitch to give the Jays a 2-1 lead after 7 complete.
The Yankees managed to tie it up in the 8th with the help of a couple of Blue Jay errors. Jorge Posada singled in Derek Jeter to knot things up at 2-2, but closer Jeremy Accardo came on to strike out Jason Giambi, who had earlier homered, and get Bobby Abreu on a weak grounder to first (is it just me or does Abreu have 1 or 2 of them a game?).
The tie was short lived though as Adam Lind lead off the bottom of the 8th with a deep double to left and moved to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt by John McDonald. Joe Torre decided to bring in Scott Proctor to face right handed hitting Alex Rios. Proctor nearly had Rios called out on a strikes, but his full count pitch was then driven to deep center for a sacrifice fly and the difference in the ball game. As usual, the Yankees mounted no threat in the 9th.
~~~
Pettitte pitched his guts out again, only to have nothing positive come from it...again. Of the 3 runs he allowed in 7.1 innings, only 1 was earned due to errors by Jeter and A-Rod. The Yankees have scored 9 runs in Pettitte's 4 losses, not to mention the leads the bullpen has blown after he left the game.
Giambi's home run was his 1st in 7 games and just his 3rd of the month. More shocking is the '1' now for his stolen base total. Blue Jay's shortstop Royce Clayton dropped the throw from catcher Jason Phillips and was charged with an error, but Giambi was still credited with a steal.
Another 5-hit night for the "Bombers" as 6 starters took the collar.
I'll give the Yankees this - they seem to find a different way to lose every day. Tonight's winner was a steal of home by the Jay's Aaron Hill. Hill took a huge lead off of third with lefty Andy Pettitte's back to him. By the time Alex Rodriguez, and anyone else, yelled, and Jorge Posada jumped out from behind home plate, it was too late. Hill slid in ahead of Pettitte's pitch to give the Jays a 2-1 lead after 7 complete.
The Yankees managed to tie it up in the 8th with the help of a couple of Blue Jay errors. Jorge Posada singled in Derek Jeter to knot things up at 2-2, but closer Jeremy Accardo came on to strike out Jason Giambi, who had earlier homered, and get Bobby Abreu on a weak grounder to first (is it just me or does Abreu have 1 or 2 of them a game?).
The tie was short lived though as Adam Lind lead off the bottom of the 8th with a deep double to left and moved to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt by John McDonald. Joe Torre decided to bring in Scott Proctor to face right handed hitting Alex Rios. Proctor nearly had Rios called out on a strikes, but his full count pitch was then driven to deep center for a sacrifice fly and the difference in the ball game. As usual, the Yankees mounted no threat in the 9th.
~~~
Pettitte pitched his guts out again, only to have nothing positive come from it...again. Of the 3 runs he allowed in 7.1 innings, only 1 was earned due to errors by Jeter and A-Rod. The Yankees have scored 9 runs in Pettitte's 4 losses, not to mention the leads the bullpen has blown after he left the game.
Giambi's home run was his 1st in 7 games and just his 3rd of the month. More shocking is the '1' now for his stolen base total. Blue Jay's shortstop Royce Clayton dropped the throw from catcher Jason Phillips and was charged with an error, but Giambi was still credited with a steal.
Another 5-hit night for the "Bombers" as 6 starters took the collar.
Rockets and Duds
While Roger Clemens was donning a Scranton Yankees uniform and dominating the Triple-A competition, the Yankees were pulling another no-show in Toronto. Joe Torre held a 1 hour meeting prior to the game to try to infuse some life into his listless team. They responded by getting 5 hits off a guy (Dustin McGown) with a 7+ ERA and the Jay's bullpen.
Matt DeSalvo made what will probably be his last start in pinstripes this season, maybe ever, after another poor performance. Whatever caused his control problems last season, seems to have returned with a vengance.
Of course no game would be complete without the bullpen putting the game out of reach. This time it was Ron Villone's turn, with a little help from Mike Myers.
The Yankees offense consisted of a Hideki Matsui 2-run HR in the 8th. The loss moved the Yankees into the basement alongside the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Pathetic.
~~~
Clemens meantime was having a much better time than he did at Trenton last week. He threw 89 pitches, 57 for strikes in 6 dominant innings against the Toledo Mud Hens. The only real question remaining is whether Clemens makes his 1st Yankees start against the Red Sox or White Sox.
~~~
The Yankees may not be hitting, but prospect Mitch Hilligoss is continuing to streak his way through the South Atlantic League. With a 3-6 performance in Charleston's game on Memorial Day, Hilligoss extended his hitting streak to 34 games.
Matt DeSalvo made what will probably be his last start in pinstripes this season, maybe ever, after another poor performance. Whatever caused his control problems last season, seems to have returned with a vengance.
Of course no game would be complete without the bullpen putting the game out of reach. This time it was Ron Villone's turn, with a little help from Mike Myers.
The Yankees offense consisted of a Hideki Matsui 2-run HR in the 8th. The loss moved the Yankees into the basement alongside the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Pathetic.
~~~
Clemens meantime was having a much better time than he did at Trenton last week. He threw 89 pitches, 57 for strikes in 6 dominant innings against the Toledo Mud Hens. The only real question remaining is whether Clemens makes his 1st Yankees start against the Red Sox or White Sox.
~~~
The Yankees may not be hitting, but prospect Mitch Hilligoss is continuing to streak his way through the South Atlantic League. With a 3-6 performance in Charleston's game on Memorial Day, Hilligoss extended his hitting streak to 34 games.
Rockets and Duds
While Roger Clemens was donning a Scranton Yankees uniform and dominating the Triple-A competition, the Yankees were pulling another no-show in Toronto. Joe Torre held a 1 hour meeting prior to the game to try to infuse some life into his listless team. They responded by getting 5 hits off a guy (Dustin McGown) with a 7+ ERA and the Jay's bullpen.
Matt DeSalvo made what will probably be his last start in pinstripes this season, maybe ever, after another poor performance. Whatever caused his control problems last season, seems to have returned with a vengance.
Of course no game would be complete without the bullpen putting the game out of reach. This time it was Ron Villone's turn, with a little help from Mike Myers.
The Yankees offense consisted of a Hideki Matsui 2-run HR in the 8th. The loss moved the Yankees into the basement alongside the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Pathetic.
~~~
Clemens meantime was having a much better time than he did at Trenton last week. He threw 89 pitches, 57 for strikes in 6 dominant innings against the Toledo Mud Hens. The only real question remaining is whether Clemens makes his 1st Yankees start against the Red Sox or White Sox.
~~~
The Yankees may not be hitting, but prospect Mitch Hilligoss is continuing to streak his way through the South Atlantic League. With a 3-6 performance in Charleston's game on Memorial Day, Hilligoss extended his hitting streak to 34 games.
Matt DeSalvo made what will probably be his last start in pinstripes this season, maybe ever, after another poor performance. Whatever caused his control problems last season, seems to have returned with a vengance.
Of course no game would be complete without the bullpen putting the game out of reach. This time it was Ron Villone's turn, with a little help from Mike Myers.
The Yankees offense consisted of a Hideki Matsui 2-run HR in the 8th. The loss moved the Yankees into the basement alongside the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Pathetic.
~~~
Clemens meantime was having a much better time than he did at Trenton last week. He threw 89 pitches, 57 for strikes in 6 dominant innings against the Toledo Mud Hens. The only real question remaining is whether Clemens makes his 1st Yankees start against the Red Sox or White Sox.
~~~
The Yankees may not be hitting, but prospect Mitch Hilligoss is continuing to streak his way through the South Atlantic League. With a 3-6 performance in Charleston's game on Memorial Day, Hilligoss extended his hitting streak to 34 games.
Heads Will Roll
King George has definitely mellowed. In past years blood would have surely been shed by now. The manager, the general manager, etc. King George has already stated that Brian Cashman wanted full control and is now "on the hook". A firing will take place before the week is over. You can bank on it. Except it won't be Cashman or Joe Torre. Kevin Long will be the victim.
For years now, King George has fired one of the lieutenants to get a the generals. I've lost count of how many pitching coaches have lost their jobs in the wake of one of George's tirades. This time it will be the hitting coach, Long. Ron Guidry is safe for now because the veteran starters have pitched fairly well, and there have been far too many rookies making their debuts. The bullpen is another story all together.
The biggest problem that the Yankees have right now, besides a complete lack of desire or grit, is a total lack of offense. Bobby Abreu hit .330 in his time as a Yankee last season. He's at .233 entering tonight's action. Robinson Cano was in a race for a batting title last year, finishing at .342. A recent 11 game hitting streak helped raise his average to .260. The team batting average is .273, but much of that is due to the superb years Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada are having. So the sacrificial lamb will be Long.
I am certainly not saying its Long's fault. A supposed professional hitter like Abreu should not be hitting .233 at this point of the season. And injuries have effected Johnny Damon's and Jason Giambi's season. But Long is the new kid on the block and will go. Right or wrong, it's King George's world.
Heads Will Roll
King George has definitely mellowed. In past years blood would have surely been shed by now. The manager, the general manager, etc. King George has already stated that Brian Cashman wanted full control and is now "on the hook". A firing will take place before the week is over. You can bank on it. Except it won't be Cashman or Joe Torre. Kevin Long will be the victim.
For years now, King George has fired one of the lieutenants to get a the generals. I've lost count of how many pitching coaches have lost their jobs in the wake of one of George's tirades. This time it will be the hitting coach, Long. Ron Guidry is safe for now because the veteran starters have pitched fairly well, and there have been far too many rookies making their debuts. The bullpen is another story all together.
The biggest problem that the Yankees have right now, besides a complete lack of desire or grit, is a total lack of offense. Bobby Abreu hit .330 in his time as a Yankee last season. He's at .233 entering tonight's action. Robinson Cano was in a race for a batting title last year, finishing at .342. A recent 11 game hitting streak helped raise his average to .260. The team batting average is .273, but much of that is due to the superb years Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada are having. So the sacrificial lamb will be Long.
I am certainly not saying its Long's fault. A supposed professional hitter like Abreu should not be hitting .233 at this point of the season. And injuries have effected Johnny Damon's and Jason Giambi's season. But Long is the new kid on the block and will go. Right or wrong, it's King George's world.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Bedeviled Again
Was there any doubt, albeit with the worst called 3rd strike in history, that the Yankees wouldn't rally for a win on Saturday? Was there any doubt that they wouldn't on Sunday either. You take the combination of the Angels, who the Yankees just can't seem to beat, add in a team that has no grit, no fire, and basically sucks at the moment, and it all adds up to another loss and another game further back in the loss column.
Mike Mussina looked like a man on his last leg, or in his case, his last arm, in his last 2 starts. Yesterday he had what it took against a free swinging Angels that was off-balance all afternoon. In fact he struck out the first four batters of the game for the 2nd time in his career. Everything was great until Mussina was removed from the ball game.
Wil Nieves, who had 1 hit this season entering Sunday's action, had a pair of RBI singles and the Yankees lead 2-1 after 6. After striking out Gary Matthews Jr. to start the 7th, Mussina's 95th pitch was ball four to Casy Kotchman. Joe Torre called on Scott Proctor, who in the grand tradition of the 2007 bullpen, threw grease on the fire.
Howie Kendrick doubled into the left field corner to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Torre decided to keep the infield back, conceding the tying run to not allow a bigger inning. The only problem is that the ball has to be put in play for that to happen.
Proctor walked Mike Napoli to load the bases. Then pinch-hitter Erick Aybar had a tremendous at-bat, finally walking to force in the tying run. One thinks after giving up a double and back-to-back walks, a call to the bullpen may be in order. But Joe Torre can mismanage as well as anyone and he left Proctor in one batter too many. Chone Figgins drew another walk to force in yet another run and the Yankees were in a 3-2 hole. Torre finally sent for Brian Bruney, who surrendered a sac fly by Reggie Willits before ending the inning.
Trailing 4-2 in the 9th, the Yankees tried to mount a rally against Francisco Rodriguez. Bobby Abreu lead off with a walk and pinch-hitter Jorge Posada followed with a single. Johnny Damon's ground out moved both runners up, giving the Yankees 2 shots to tie the game. Though Nieves had been removed from the game when Damon pinch-hit, Torre HAD to go to a pinch-runner with the incredibly slow footed Posada on 2nd. And of course he didn't.
Melky Cabrera's hard liner to right nearly went over the Tommy Murphy's outstretched glove. Instead Abreu scored and Posada moved up to 3rd. That left it up to the captain. Derek Jeter had a hard fought at-bat against K-Rod, but finally flied out to deep right-center to end the ball game and drop the Yankees to just 1 game from the basement.
~~~
Derek Jeter had his 19 game hitting streak end on Saturday, but came right back with a hit in Sunday's game. He's had a hit in 40 of 42 games.
Robinson Cano doubled to extend his streak to 11 games.
Mike Mussina looked like a man on his last leg, or in his case, his last arm, in his last 2 starts. Yesterday he had what it took against a free swinging Angels that was off-balance all afternoon. In fact he struck out the first four batters of the game for the 2nd time in his career. Everything was great until Mussina was removed from the ball game.
Wil Nieves, who had 1 hit this season entering Sunday's action, had a pair of RBI singles and the Yankees lead 2-1 after 6. After striking out Gary Matthews Jr. to start the 7th, Mussina's 95th pitch was ball four to Casy Kotchman. Joe Torre called on Scott Proctor, who in the grand tradition of the 2007 bullpen, threw grease on the fire.
Howie Kendrick doubled into the left field corner to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Torre decided to keep the infield back, conceding the tying run to not allow a bigger inning. The only problem is that the ball has to be put in play for that to happen.
Proctor walked Mike Napoli to load the bases. Then pinch-hitter Erick Aybar had a tremendous at-bat, finally walking to force in the tying run. One thinks after giving up a double and back-to-back walks, a call to the bullpen may be in order. But Joe Torre can mismanage as well as anyone and he left Proctor in one batter too many. Chone Figgins drew another walk to force in yet another run and the Yankees were in a 3-2 hole. Torre finally sent for Brian Bruney, who surrendered a sac fly by Reggie Willits before ending the inning.
Trailing 4-2 in the 9th, the Yankees tried to mount a rally against Francisco Rodriguez. Bobby Abreu lead off with a walk and pinch-hitter Jorge Posada followed with a single. Johnny Damon's ground out moved both runners up, giving the Yankees 2 shots to tie the game. Though Nieves had been removed from the game when Damon pinch-hit, Torre HAD to go to a pinch-runner with the incredibly slow footed Posada on 2nd. And of course he didn't.
Melky Cabrera's hard liner to right nearly went over the Tommy Murphy's outstretched glove. Instead Abreu scored and Posada moved up to 3rd. That left it up to the captain. Derek Jeter had a hard fought at-bat against K-Rod, but finally flied out to deep right-center to end the ball game and drop the Yankees to just 1 game from the basement.
~~~
Derek Jeter had his 19 game hitting streak end on Saturday, but came right back with a hit in Sunday's game. He's had a hit in 40 of 42 games.
Robinson Cano doubled to extend his streak to 11 games.
Bedeviled Again
Was there any doubt, albeit with the worst called 3rd strike in history, that the Yankees wouldn't rally for a win on Saturday? Was there any doubt that they wouldn't on Sunday either. You take the combination of the Angels, who the Yankees just can't seem to beat, add in a team that has no grit, no fire, and basically sucks at the moment, and it all adds up to another loss and another game further back in the loss column.
Mike Mussina looked like a man on his last leg, or in his case, his last arm, in his last 2 starts. Yesterday he had what it took against a free swinging Angels that was off-balance all afternoon. In fact he struck out the first four batters of the game for the 2nd time in his career. Everything was great until Mussina was removed from the ball game.
Wil Nieves, who had 1 hit this season entering Sunday's action, had a pair of RBI singles and the Yankees lead 2-1 after 6. After striking out Gary Matthews Jr. to start the 7th, Mussina's 95th pitch was ball four to Casy Kotchman. Joe Torre called on Scott Proctor, who in the grand tradition of the 2007 bullpen, threw grease on the fire.
Howie Kendrick doubled into the left field corner to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Torre decided to keep the infield back, conceding the tying run to not allow a bigger inning. The only problem is that the ball has to be put in play for that to happen.
Proctor walked Mike Napoli to load the bases. Then pinch-hitter Erick Aybar had a tremendous at-bat, finally walking to force in the tying run. One thinks after giving up a double and back-to-back walks, a call to the bullpen may be in order. But Joe Torre can mismanage as well as anyone and he left Proctor in one batter too many. Chone Figgins drew another walk to force in yet another run and the Yankees were in a 3-2 hole. Torre finally sent for Brian Bruney, who surrendered a sac fly by Reggie Willits before ending the inning.
Trailing 4-2 in the 9th, the Yankees tried to mount a rally against Francisco Rodriguez. Bobby Abreu lead off with a walk and pinch-hitter Jorge Posada followed with a single. Johnny Damon's ground out moved both runners up, giving the Yankees 2 shots to tie the game. Though Nieves had been removed from the game when Damon pinch-hit, Torre HAD to go to a pinch-runner with the incredibly slow footed Posada on 2nd. And of course he didn't.
Melky Cabrera's hard liner to right nearly went over the Tommy Murphy's outstretched glove. Instead Abreu scored and Posada moved up to 3rd. That left it up to the captain. Derek Jeter had a hard fought at-bat against K-Rod, but finally flied out to deep right-center to end the ball game and drop the Yankees to just 1 game from the basement.
~~~
Derek Jeter had his 19 game hitting streak end on Saturday, but came right back with a hit in Sunday's game. He's had a hit in 40 of 42 games.
Robinson Cano doubled to extend his streak to 11 games.
Mike Mussina looked like a man on his last leg, or in his case, his last arm, in his last 2 starts. Yesterday he had what it took against a free swinging Angels that was off-balance all afternoon. In fact he struck out the first four batters of the game for the 2nd time in his career. Everything was great until Mussina was removed from the ball game.
Wil Nieves, who had 1 hit this season entering Sunday's action, had a pair of RBI singles and the Yankees lead 2-1 after 6. After striking out Gary Matthews Jr. to start the 7th, Mussina's 95th pitch was ball four to Casy Kotchman. Joe Torre called on Scott Proctor, who in the grand tradition of the 2007 bullpen, threw grease on the fire.
Howie Kendrick doubled into the left field corner to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Torre decided to keep the infield back, conceding the tying run to not allow a bigger inning. The only problem is that the ball has to be put in play for that to happen.
Proctor walked Mike Napoli to load the bases. Then pinch-hitter Erick Aybar had a tremendous at-bat, finally walking to force in the tying run. One thinks after giving up a double and back-to-back walks, a call to the bullpen may be in order. But Joe Torre can mismanage as well as anyone and he left Proctor in one batter too many. Chone Figgins drew another walk to force in yet another run and the Yankees were in a 3-2 hole. Torre finally sent for Brian Bruney, who surrendered a sac fly by Reggie Willits before ending the inning.
Trailing 4-2 in the 9th, the Yankees tried to mount a rally against Francisco Rodriguez. Bobby Abreu lead off with a walk and pinch-hitter Jorge Posada followed with a single. Johnny Damon's ground out moved both runners up, giving the Yankees 2 shots to tie the game. Though Nieves had been removed from the game when Damon pinch-hit, Torre HAD to go to a pinch-runner with the incredibly slow footed Posada on 2nd. And of course he didn't.
Melky Cabrera's hard liner to right nearly went over the Tommy Murphy's outstretched glove. Instead Abreu scored and Posada moved up to 3rd. That left it up to the captain. Derek Jeter had a hard fought at-bat against K-Rod, but finally flied out to deep right-center to end the ball game and drop the Yankees to just 1 game from the basement.
~~~
Derek Jeter had his 19 game hitting streak end on Saturday, but came right back with a hit in Sunday's game. He's had a hit in 40 of 42 games.
Robinson Cano doubled to extend his streak to 11 games.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Sunday Morning Services
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to say good-bye to the American League East title. From its strong beginnings in 1998, to its peak to in the early new millennium, to its declining health in the last couple of seasons, the AL East title has always stood by us.But as we know, all things must return to the earth and the AL East title is no different. We saw this coming even if we did not want to admit it to ourselves. Our manager's motivation techniques don't work with these players, and his choices have become, shall we say, garbage. Our GM wanted full control and lost control of his senses. And the players, oh the players. There are still some from the glory days who scratch and claw their way through every game. But there are so many that are lackluster, lazy, unmotivated, and just plain suck.
Yes, those miscreants to the north have many warts, but they aren't all exposed at once. Such is the case with our beloved Yankees.
So for the first time since 1997, we lay the AL East to rest. You had a good run. Peace be with you.
Sunday Morning Services
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to say good-bye to the American League East title. From its strong beginnings in 1998, to its peak to in the early new millennium, to its declining health in the last couple of seasons, the AL East title has always stood by us.But as we know, all things must return to the earth and the AL East title is no different. We saw this coming even if we did not want to admit it to ourselves. Our manager's motivation techniques don't work with these players, and his choices have become, shall we say, garbage. Our GM wanted full control and lost control of his senses. And the players, oh the players. There are still some from the glory days who scratch and claw their way through every game. But there are so many that are lackluster, lazy, unmotivated, and just plain suck.
Yes, those miscreants to the north have many warts, but they aren't all exposed at once. Such is the case with our beloved Yankees.
So for the first time since 1997, we lay the AL East to rest. You had a good run. Peace be with you.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Help Wanted: Relief Pitcher, No Experience Necessary
Just in case you thought the Yankees were going to get on some kind of roll after taking 3 of 4 from the Mets and Red Sox, the Yankees made sure last night that you came back to earth in a hurry. Tyler Clippard, who was outstanding in his debut last Sunday night against the Mets, was just ordinary last night. That being said, he was pulled after 4 innings and 76 pitches. The Yankees trailed 3-2 at the time. A few innings later the deficit was 10-3 and the night was over.
I can somewhat understand Joe Torre's thinking in giving Clippard a quick hook, but he lost me after that. Instead of going with Ron Villone, who is used to coming in and giving the Yankees 2-3 innings, Torre went with rookie Matt DeSalvo. DeSalvo has started 79 of the 83 games he has appeared in. So what made Torre think DeSalvo could suddenly transform himself into a middle innings reliever?
DeSalvo had less control than a 10-year old on a sugar kick. He walked Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera to start the inning. He also squeezed a wild pitch in between. A single by Vlad Guerrero and a double by Gary Matthews Jr. made it a 5-2 lead and sent DeSalvo to the showers.
But Torre signaled for the human torch, Luis Vizcaino. Vizcaino actually managed to get an out before he followed up with an intentional walk to Howie Kendrick by walking Mike Napoli to force in a run.
The Yankees rallied in their half of the 5th against Jered Weaver. Jorge Posada doubled in Derek Jeter, cutting the lead in half, and Jason Giambi followed with a single, but Posada was thrown out at home by leftfielder Tommy Murphy.
But the human torch was back out for the 6th. He quickly gave up a 2-run HR to Chone Figgins, walked Cabrera, and gave up a double to Guerrero. Torre finally went to Villone who allowed both runners to score and the Yankees were in a deep 10-3 hole. And the bullpen, which was so fantastic for much of April, embarrassed themselves again.
Robinson Cano's 3-run double in the 8th cut the lead to 10-6, but the Yankees would get no closer. Ironically, Boston beat Texas by the same 10-6 score, pushing their lead over the Yankees back to 10.5 games.
~~~
Derek Jeter was 1-4, extending his hitting streak to 19 games. He's had a hit in 39 of 40 games.
Jorge Posada had 2 hits and leads the AL with a .371 average.
Jason Giambi entered the game 2-34, but went 2-3 with a walk.
Robinson Cano has a 9 game hitting streak (13-37) that has seen him raise his average by 26 points.
I can somewhat understand Joe Torre's thinking in giving Clippard a quick hook, but he lost me after that. Instead of going with Ron Villone, who is used to coming in and giving the Yankees 2-3 innings, Torre went with rookie Matt DeSalvo. DeSalvo has started 79 of the 83 games he has appeared in. So what made Torre think DeSalvo could suddenly transform himself into a middle innings reliever?
DeSalvo had less control than a 10-year old on a sugar kick. He walked Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera to start the inning. He also squeezed a wild pitch in between. A single by Vlad Guerrero and a double by Gary Matthews Jr. made it a 5-2 lead and sent DeSalvo to the showers.
But Torre signaled for the human torch, Luis Vizcaino. Vizcaino actually managed to get an out before he followed up with an intentional walk to Howie Kendrick by walking Mike Napoli to force in a run.
The Yankees rallied in their half of the 5th against Jered Weaver. Jorge Posada doubled in Derek Jeter, cutting the lead in half, and Jason Giambi followed with a single, but Posada was thrown out at home by leftfielder Tommy Murphy.
But the human torch was back out for the 6th. He quickly gave up a 2-run HR to Chone Figgins, walked Cabrera, and gave up a double to Guerrero. Torre finally went to Villone who allowed both runners to score and the Yankees were in a deep 10-3 hole. And the bullpen, which was so fantastic for much of April, embarrassed themselves again.
Robinson Cano's 3-run double in the 8th cut the lead to 10-6, but the Yankees would get no closer. Ironically, Boston beat Texas by the same 10-6 score, pushing their lead over the Yankees back to 10.5 games.
~~~
Derek Jeter was 1-4, extending his hitting streak to 19 games. He's had a hit in 39 of 40 games.
Jorge Posada had 2 hits and leads the AL with a .371 average.
Jason Giambi entered the game 2-34, but went 2-3 with a walk.
Robinson Cano has a 9 game hitting streak (13-37) that has seen him raise his average by 26 points.
Help Wanted: Relief Pitcher, No Experience Necessary
Just in case you thought the Yankees were going to get on some kind of roll after taking 3 of 4 from the Mets and Red Sox, the Yankees made sure last night that you came back to earth in a hurry. Tyler Clippard, who was outstanding in his debut last Sunday night against the Mets, was just ordinary last night. That being said, he was pulled after 4 innings and 76 pitches. The Yankees trailed 3-2 at the time. A few innings later the deficit was 10-3 and the night was over.
I can somewhat understand Joe Torre's thinking in giving Clippard a quick hook, but he lost me after that. Instead of going with Ron Villone, who is used to coming in and giving the Yankees 2-3 innings, Torre went with rookie Matt DeSalvo. DeSalvo has started 79 of the 83 games he has appeared in. So what made Torre think DeSalvo could suddenly transform himself into a middle innings reliever?
DeSalvo had less control than a 10-year old on a sugar kick. He walked Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera to start the inning. He also squeezed a wild pitch in between. A single by Vlad Guerrero and a double by Gary Matthews Jr. made it a 5-2 lead and sent DeSalvo to the showers.
But Torre signaled for the human torch, Luis Vizcaino. Vizcaino actually managed to get an out before he followed up with an intentional walk to Howie Kendrick by walking Mike Napoli to force in a run.
The Yankees rallied in their half of the 5th against Jered Weaver. Jorge Posada doubled in Derek Jeter, cutting the lead in half, and Jason Giambi followed with a single, but Posada was thrown out at home by leftfielder Tommy Murphy.
But the human torch was back out for the 6th. He quickly gave up a 2-run HR to Chone Figgins, walked Cabrera, and gave up a double to Guerrero. Torre finally went to Villone who allowed both runners to score and the Yankees were in a deep 10-3 hole. And the bullpen, which was so fantastic for much of April, embarrassed themselves again.
Robinson Cano's 3-run double in the 8th cut the lead to 10-6, but the Yankees would get no closer. Ironically, Boston beat Texas by the same 10-6 score, pushing their lead over the Yankees back to 10.5 games.
~~~
Derek Jeter was 1-4, extending his hitting streak to 19 games. He's had a hit in 39 of 40 games.
Jorge Posada had 2 hits and leads the AL with a .371 average.
Jason Giambi entered the game 2-34, but went 2-3 with a walk.
Robinson Cano has a 9 game hitting streak (13-37) that has seen him raise his average by 26 points.
I can somewhat understand Joe Torre's thinking in giving Clippard a quick hook, but he lost me after that. Instead of going with Ron Villone, who is used to coming in and giving the Yankees 2-3 innings, Torre went with rookie Matt DeSalvo. DeSalvo has started 79 of the 83 games he has appeared in. So what made Torre think DeSalvo could suddenly transform himself into a middle innings reliever?
DeSalvo had less control than a 10-year old on a sugar kick. He walked Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera to start the inning. He also squeezed a wild pitch in between. A single by Vlad Guerrero and a double by Gary Matthews Jr. made it a 5-2 lead and sent DeSalvo to the showers.
But Torre signaled for the human torch, Luis Vizcaino. Vizcaino actually managed to get an out before he followed up with an intentional walk to Howie Kendrick by walking Mike Napoli to force in a run.
The Yankees rallied in their half of the 5th against Jered Weaver. Jorge Posada doubled in Derek Jeter, cutting the lead in half, and Jason Giambi followed with a single, but Posada was thrown out at home by leftfielder Tommy Murphy.
But the human torch was back out for the 6th. He quickly gave up a 2-run HR to Chone Figgins, walked Cabrera, and gave up a double to Guerrero. Torre finally went to Villone who allowed both runners to score and the Yankees were in a deep 10-3 hole. And the bullpen, which was so fantastic for much of April, embarrassed themselves again.
Robinson Cano's 3-run double in the 8th cut the lead to 10-6, but the Yankees would get no closer. Ironically, Boston beat Texas by the same 10-6 score, pushing their lead over the Yankees back to 10.5 games.
~~~
Derek Jeter was 1-4, extending his hitting streak to 19 games. He's had a hit in 39 of 40 games.
Jorge Posada had 2 hits and leads the AL with a .371 average.
Jason Giambi entered the game 2-34, but went 2-3 with a walk.
Robinson Cano has a 9 game hitting streak (13-37) that has seen him raise his average by 26 points.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
5 Memorable Games vs. Angels
April 26, 2005 A-Rod vs Angels
Bartolo Colon probably sighed a bit of relief when he saw he wouldn't be facing the Yankees this weekend (May 25-27). That's because Alex Rodriguez owns him. In just 45 official at-bats A-Rod has 8 home runs, 17 RBI, and a .444 average (20-45). A good chunk of that came on April 27, 2005 at Yankee Stadium.
With 2 aboard in the first inning, A-Rod crushed one of the 399 ft. sign in left-centerfield. In the third he one even farther, into the Angels bullpen in left.
The tape measures came out again in the 4th, when he lifted one over the 408 ft. sign in straight away centerfield. 3 swings, 3 home runs. Reminiscent of a certain #44. He also "settled" for an RBI single in the 6th.
Oh, and Carl Pavano was the winning pitcher.
October 2-5, 2002 The Emergence of K-Rod
The Angels won their 1st World Series championship in 2002 and it all began with a 3-1 victory over the Yankees in the ALCS. One of the main reasons they won it all was the emergence of Francisco Rodriguez, aka "K-Rod".
Rodriguez had only appeared in 5 regular season games in his rookie year, but he looked nothing like a rookie in the post-season. He gave up a couple of runs in Game 2 of the ALDS, but emerged the winning pitcher. He won again in Game 3, striking out 4 in 2 innings of work. In the clincher, Game 4, 3 of the 5 outs he recorded were by strikeout.
October 10, 2005 ALDS Disappointment Again
The Yankees and Angels met in the first round of the playoffs again in 2005. The teams split the first 4 games, setting up the clincher in LA. Mike Mussina had been brilliant in winning game 1 and was staked to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning on an RBI single by Bubba Crosby and a sac fly by Derek Jeter.
But the Angels answered right back in their half of the 2nd. Garrett Anderson led the inning off with a home run and Adam Kennedy finished it off with a go-ahead 2-run triple.
The Angels struck again in the 3rd. Anderson followed back-to-back singles by Orlando Cabrera and Vlad Guerrero with a sac fly. Bengie Molina singled and Darin Erstad brought home Guerrero with a fielder's choice. Trailing 5-2 with 2 outs in the 3rd, Joe Torre had seen enough and called on Randy Johnson.
Johnson had been horrible in the Game 2 loss, but was outstanding on this night with 4 1-3 shutout innings. But the Yankees couldn't solve the Angels pitching. Bartolo Colon had to leave the game in the 2nd inning with a sore shoulder, but Ervin Santana had come on and done a fine job once given the lead. In the 7th Jeter homered to lead off the inning, but Santana got A-Rod on a ground out before Mike Scioscia went to the pen.
The Yankees final chance would come against K-Rod in the 9th. Jeter singled to start the inning, but A-Rod bounced into a killer double play. The Yankees weren't giving up though. Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield stroked back-to-back singles to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Hideki Matsui. But K-Rod won the battle, getting Matsui to ground out to 1st to end the game and the series.
July 25, 1993 Hope Begins to Return to the Bronx
The losing teams of the 1980s and early 1990s had begun to take a turn with players like Paul O'Neill, Wade Boggs, and Jimmy Key coming to the Bronx. July 25, 1993 was one of those games that would help build the winning character of the team that would eventually win 4 World Series.
Poor pitching by Melido Perez and Rich Montelone, and a crucial error by Mike Gallego lead to an 8-run second inning for the (California) Angels. Mike Stanley breathed some life into the Yankees offense with a solo HR leading off the bottom of the inning.
In the 3rd, Danny Tartabull and Bernie Williams delivered RBI singles to cut the lead to 8-3. One inning later, Boggs brought home a run with an RBI ground out.
The Yankees really turned up the head in the 7th. Jim Leyritz doubled and came around to score on a pair of ground outs by Don Mattingly and Tartabull. The score was 8-5 with 2 outs, but the Yankees weren't done yet. Stanley singled and Bernie walked to put two aboard. Paul O'Neill drove one to deep center for a 2-run double, and suddenly and dramatically, it was a 1-run game.
Angels reliever Jim Frey walked Tartabull to start the 9th. Then what goes around, comes around. Angels shortstop Gary Disarcina booted Stanley's potential double play grounder. Greg Myers was the starting catcher for the Halos that day, but he had been removed for a pinch-hitter in the top of the 9th. His replacement, Ron Tingley, committed a passed ball to allow the runners to both move into scoring position. Bernie was intentionally walked to set up a force at any base. Then the warrior delivered, albeit in a mild way.
O'Neill's sac fly tied the game at 8-8. After Gallego was retired for the 2nd out, Pat Kelly singled to left, bring home pinch-runner Henlsey Meulens with the winning run.
John Habyan picked up the win. Gene Nelson took the loss for the Angels. Nelson was a former Yankees farmhand who made the jump from 'A' ball to the majors in 1981 and won his 1st major league game as a Yankee.
August 31, 1995 O'Neill Hits the Bulls-eye
Paul O'Neill had quickly become a fan favorite since his acquisition from Cincinnati. The fans in the right field seats had begun holding up signs for Paulie to hit HRs to. The letter "O" looked like a bulls-eye. Unfortunately a number of fans also spelled his name with only 1 'l'. No matter, for on August 31, 1995 the Warrior tried to accomodate his flock.
Wade Boggs and Bernie Williams started off the game with back-to-back singles and O'Neill followed with a 3-run HR. One inning later, with Randy Velarde and Bernie aboard, O'Neill went deep again. Two innings, two at-bats, two 3-run HRs.
No one was on base in the 5th, but that didn't stop O'Neill. He blasted a solo shot, his 3rd HR of the night in as many at-bats. A run producing single in the 6th gave him an 8 RBI night. O'Neill would have one more at-bat in the 8th, but struck out looking against Troy Percival. He had 4 hits, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, and you can bet Paulie was pissed at being called out on strikes!
Bartolo Colon probably sighed a bit of relief when he saw he wouldn't be facing the Yankees this weekend (May 25-27). That's because Alex Rodriguez owns him. In just 45 official at-bats A-Rod has 8 home runs, 17 RBI, and a .444 average (20-45). A good chunk of that came on April 27, 2005 at Yankee Stadium.
With 2 aboard in the first inning, A-Rod crushed one of the 399 ft. sign in left-centerfield. In the third he one even farther, into the Angels bullpen in left.
The tape measures came out again in the 4th, when he lifted one over the 408 ft. sign in straight away centerfield. 3 swings, 3 home runs. Reminiscent of a certain #44. He also "settled" for an RBI single in the 6th.
Oh, and Carl Pavano was the winning pitcher.
October 2-5, 2002 The Emergence of K-Rod
The Angels won their 1st World Series championship in 2002 and it all began with a 3-1 victory over the Yankees in the ALCS. One of the main reasons they won it all was the emergence of Francisco Rodriguez, aka "K-Rod".
Rodriguez had only appeared in 5 regular season games in his rookie year, but he looked nothing like a rookie in the post-season. He gave up a couple of runs in Game 2 of the ALDS, but emerged the winning pitcher. He won again in Game 3, striking out 4 in 2 innings of work. In the clincher, Game 4, 3 of the 5 outs he recorded were by strikeout.
October 10, 2005 ALDS Disappointment Again
The Yankees and Angels met in the first round of the playoffs again in 2005. The teams split the first 4 games, setting up the clincher in LA. Mike Mussina had been brilliant in winning game 1 and was staked to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning on an RBI single by Bubba Crosby and a sac fly by Derek Jeter.
But the Angels answered right back in their half of the 2nd. Garrett Anderson led the inning off with a home run and Adam Kennedy finished it off with a go-ahead 2-run triple.
The Angels struck again in the 3rd. Anderson followed back-to-back singles by Orlando Cabrera and Vlad Guerrero with a sac fly. Bengie Molina singled and Darin Erstad brought home Guerrero with a fielder's choice. Trailing 5-2 with 2 outs in the 3rd, Joe Torre had seen enough and called on Randy Johnson.
Johnson had been horrible in the Game 2 loss, but was outstanding on this night with 4 1-3 shutout innings. But the Yankees couldn't solve the Angels pitching. Bartolo Colon had to leave the game in the 2nd inning with a sore shoulder, but Ervin Santana had come on and done a fine job once given the lead. In the 7th Jeter homered to lead off the inning, but Santana got A-Rod on a ground out before Mike Scioscia went to the pen.
The Yankees final chance would come against K-Rod in the 9th. Jeter singled to start the inning, but A-Rod bounced into a killer double play. The Yankees weren't giving up though. Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield stroked back-to-back singles to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Hideki Matsui. But K-Rod won the battle, getting Matsui to ground out to 1st to end the game and the series.
July 25, 1993 Hope Begins to Return to the Bronx
The losing teams of the 1980s and early 1990s had begun to take a turn with players like Paul O'Neill, Wade Boggs, and Jimmy Key coming to the Bronx. July 25, 1993 was one of those games that would help build the winning character of the team that would eventually win 4 World Series.
Poor pitching by Melido Perez and Rich Montelone, and a crucial error by Mike Gallego lead to an 8-run second inning for the (California) Angels. Mike Stanley breathed some life into the Yankees offense with a solo HR leading off the bottom of the inning.
In the 3rd, Danny Tartabull and Bernie Williams delivered RBI singles to cut the lead to 8-3. One inning later, Boggs brought home a run with an RBI ground out.
The Yankees really turned up the head in the 7th. Jim Leyritz doubled and came around to score on a pair of ground outs by Don Mattingly and Tartabull. The score was 8-5 with 2 outs, but the Yankees weren't done yet. Stanley singled and Bernie walked to put two aboard. Paul O'Neill drove one to deep center for a 2-run double, and suddenly and dramatically, it was a 1-run game.
Angels reliever Jim Frey walked Tartabull to start the 9th. Then what goes around, comes around. Angels shortstop Gary Disarcina booted Stanley's potential double play grounder. Greg Myers was the starting catcher for the Halos that day, but he had been removed for a pinch-hitter in the top of the 9th. His replacement, Ron Tingley, committed a passed ball to allow the runners to both move into scoring position. Bernie was intentionally walked to set up a force at any base. Then the warrior delivered, albeit in a mild way.
O'Neill's sac fly tied the game at 8-8. After Gallego was retired for the 2nd out, Pat Kelly singled to left, bring home pinch-runner Henlsey Meulens with the winning run.
John Habyan picked up the win. Gene Nelson took the loss for the Angels. Nelson was a former Yankees farmhand who made the jump from 'A' ball to the majors in 1981 and won his 1st major league game as a Yankee.
August 31, 1995 O'Neill Hits the Bulls-eye
Paul O'Neill had quickly become a fan favorite since his acquisition from Cincinnati. The fans in the right field seats had begun holding up signs for Paulie to hit HRs to. The letter "O" looked like a bulls-eye. Unfortunately a number of fans also spelled his name with only 1 'l'. No matter, for on August 31, 1995 the Warrior tried to accomodate his flock.
Wade Boggs and Bernie Williams started off the game with back-to-back singles and O'Neill followed with a 3-run HR. One inning later, with Randy Velarde and Bernie aboard, O'Neill went deep again. Two innings, two at-bats, two 3-run HRs.
No one was on base in the 5th, but that didn't stop O'Neill. He blasted a solo shot, his 3rd HR of the night in as many at-bats. A run producing single in the 6th gave him an 8 RBI night. O'Neill would have one more at-bat in the 8th, but struck out looking against Troy Percival. He had 4 hits, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, and you can bet Paulie was pissed at being called out on strikes!
5 Memorable Games vs. Angels
April 26, 2005 A-Rod vs Angels
Bartolo Colon probably sighed a bit of relief when he saw he wouldn't be facing the Yankees this weekend (May 25-27). That's because Alex Rodriguez owns him. In just 45 official at-bats A-Rod has 8 home runs, 17 RBI, and a .444 average (20-45). A good chunk of that came on April 27, 2005 at Yankee Stadium.
With 2 aboard in the first inning, A-Rod crushed one of the 399 ft. sign in left-centerfield. In the third he one even farther, into the Angels bullpen in left.
The tape measures came out again in the 4th, when he lifted one over the 408 ft. sign in straight away centerfield. 3 swings, 3 home runs. Reminiscent of a certain #44. He also "settled" for an RBI single in the 6th.
Oh, and Carl Pavano was the winning pitcher.
October 2-5, 2002 The Emergence of K-Rod
The Angels won their 1st World Series championship in 2002 and it all began with a 3-1 victory over the Yankees in the ALCS. One of the main reasons they won it all was the emergence of Francisco Rodriguez, aka "K-Rod".
Rodriguez had only appeared in 5 regular season games in his rookie year, but he looked nothing like a rookie in the post-season. He gave up a couple of runs in Game 2 of the ALDS, but emerged the winning pitcher. He won again in Game 3, striking out 4 in 2 innings of work. In the clincher, Game 4, 3 of the 5 outs he recorded were by strikeout.
October 10, 2005 ALDS Disappointment Again
The Yankees and Angels met in the first round of the playoffs again in 2005. The teams split the first 4 games, setting up the clincher in LA. Mike Mussina had been brilliant in winning game 1 and was staked to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning on an RBI single by Bubba Crosby and a sac fly by Derek Jeter.
But the Angels answered right back in their half of the 2nd. Garrett Anderson led the inning off with a home run and Adam Kennedy finished it off with a go-ahead 2-run triple.
The Angels struck again in the 3rd. Anderson followed back-to-back singles by Orlando Cabrera and Vlad Guerrero with a sac fly. Bengie Molina singled and Darin Erstad brought home Guerrero with a fielder's choice. Trailing 5-2 with 2 outs in the 3rd, Joe Torre had seen enough and called on Randy Johnson.
Johnson had been horrible in the Game 2 loss, but was outstanding on this night with 4 1-3 shutout innings. But the Yankees couldn't solve the Angels pitching. Bartolo Colon had to leave the game in the 2nd inning with a sore shoulder, but Ervin Santana had come on and done a fine job once given the lead. In the 7th Jeter homered to lead off the inning, but Santana got A-Rod on a ground out before Mike Scioscia went to the pen.
The Yankees final chance would come against K-Rod in the 9th. Jeter singled to start the inning, but A-Rod bounced into a killer double play. The Yankees weren't giving up though. Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield stroked back-to-back singles to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Hideki Matsui. But K-Rod won the battle, getting Matsui to ground out to 1st to end the game and the series.
July 25, 1993 Hope Begins to Return to the Bronx
The losing teams of the 1980s and early 1990s had begun to take a turn with players like Paul O'Neill, Wade Boggs, and Jimmy Key coming to the Bronx. July 25, 1993 was one of those games that would help build the winning character of the team that would eventually win 4 World Series.
Poor pitching by Melido Perez and Rich Montelone, and a crucial error by Mike Gallego lead to an 8-run second inning for the (California) Angels. Mike Stanley breathed some life into the Yankees offense with a solo HR leading off the bottom of the inning.
In the 3rd, Danny Tartabull and Bernie Williams delivered RBI singles to cut the lead to 8-3. One inning later, Boggs brought home a run with an RBI ground out.
The Yankees really turned up the head in the 7th. Jim Leyritz doubled and came around to score on a pair of ground outs by Don Mattingly and Tartabull. The score was 8-5 with 2 outs, but the Yankees weren't done yet. Stanley singled and Bernie walked to put two aboard. Paul O'Neill drove one to deep center for a 2-run double, and suddenly and dramatically, it was a 1-run game.
Angels reliever Jim Frey walked Tartabull to start the 9th. Then what goes around, comes around. Angels shortstop Gary Disarcina booted Stanley's potential double play grounder. Greg Myers was the starting catcher for the Halos that day, but he had been removed for a pinch-hitter in the top of the 9th. His replacement, Ron Tingley, committed a passed ball to allow the runners to both move into scoring position. Bernie was intentionally walked to set up a force at any base. Then the warrior delivered, albeit in a mild way.
O'Neill's sac fly tied the game at 8-8. After Gallego was retired for the 2nd out, Pat Kelly singled to left, bring home pinch-runner Henlsey Meulens with the winning run.
John Habyan picked up the win. Gene Nelson took the loss for the Angels. Nelson was a former Yankees farmhand who made the jump from 'A' ball to the majors in 1981 and won his 1st major league game as a Yankee.
August 31, 1995 O'Neill Hits the Bulls-eye
Paul O'Neill had quickly become a fan favorite since his acquisition from Cincinnati. The fans in the right field seats had begun holding up signs for Paulie to hit HRs to. The letter "O" looked like a bulls-eye. Unfortunately a number of fans also spelled his name with only 1 'l'. No matter, for on August 31, 1995 the Warrior tried to accomodate his flock.
Wade Boggs and Bernie Williams started off the game with back-to-back singles and O'Neill followed with a 3-run HR. One inning later, with Randy Velarde and Bernie aboard, O'Neill went deep again. Two innings, two at-bats, two 3-run HRs.
No one was on base in the 5th, but that didn't stop O'Neill. He blasted a solo shot, his 3rd HR of the night in as many at-bats. A run producing single in the 6th gave him an 8 RBI night. O'Neill would have one more at-bat in the 8th, but struck out looking against Troy Percival. He had 4 hits, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, and you can bet Paulie was pissed at being called out on strikes!
Bartolo Colon probably sighed a bit of relief when he saw he wouldn't be facing the Yankees this weekend (May 25-27). That's because Alex Rodriguez owns him. In just 45 official at-bats A-Rod has 8 home runs, 17 RBI, and a .444 average (20-45). A good chunk of that came on April 27, 2005 at Yankee Stadium.
With 2 aboard in the first inning, A-Rod crushed one of the 399 ft. sign in left-centerfield. In the third he one even farther, into the Angels bullpen in left.
The tape measures came out again in the 4th, when he lifted one over the 408 ft. sign in straight away centerfield. 3 swings, 3 home runs. Reminiscent of a certain #44. He also "settled" for an RBI single in the 6th.
Oh, and Carl Pavano was the winning pitcher.
October 2-5, 2002 The Emergence of K-Rod
The Angels won their 1st World Series championship in 2002 and it all began with a 3-1 victory over the Yankees in the ALCS. One of the main reasons they won it all was the emergence of Francisco Rodriguez, aka "K-Rod".
Rodriguez had only appeared in 5 regular season games in his rookie year, but he looked nothing like a rookie in the post-season. He gave up a couple of runs in Game 2 of the ALDS, but emerged the winning pitcher. He won again in Game 3, striking out 4 in 2 innings of work. In the clincher, Game 4, 3 of the 5 outs he recorded were by strikeout.
October 10, 2005 ALDS Disappointment Again
The Yankees and Angels met in the first round of the playoffs again in 2005. The teams split the first 4 games, setting up the clincher in LA. Mike Mussina had been brilliant in winning game 1 and was staked to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning on an RBI single by Bubba Crosby and a sac fly by Derek Jeter.
But the Angels answered right back in their half of the 2nd. Garrett Anderson led the inning off with a home run and Adam Kennedy finished it off with a go-ahead 2-run triple.
The Angels struck again in the 3rd. Anderson followed back-to-back singles by Orlando Cabrera and Vlad Guerrero with a sac fly. Bengie Molina singled and Darin Erstad brought home Guerrero with a fielder's choice. Trailing 5-2 with 2 outs in the 3rd, Joe Torre had seen enough and called on Randy Johnson.
Johnson had been horrible in the Game 2 loss, but was outstanding on this night with 4 1-3 shutout innings. But the Yankees couldn't solve the Angels pitching. Bartolo Colon had to leave the game in the 2nd inning with a sore shoulder, but Ervin Santana had come on and done a fine job once given the lead. In the 7th Jeter homered to lead off the inning, but Santana got A-Rod on a ground out before Mike Scioscia went to the pen.
The Yankees final chance would come against K-Rod in the 9th. Jeter singled to start the inning, but A-Rod bounced into a killer double play. The Yankees weren't giving up though. Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield stroked back-to-back singles to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Hideki Matsui. But K-Rod won the battle, getting Matsui to ground out to 1st to end the game and the series.
July 25, 1993 Hope Begins to Return to the Bronx
The losing teams of the 1980s and early 1990s had begun to take a turn with players like Paul O'Neill, Wade Boggs, and Jimmy Key coming to the Bronx. July 25, 1993 was one of those games that would help build the winning character of the team that would eventually win 4 World Series.
Poor pitching by Melido Perez and Rich Montelone, and a crucial error by Mike Gallego lead to an 8-run second inning for the (California) Angels. Mike Stanley breathed some life into the Yankees offense with a solo HR leading off the bottom of the inning.
In the 3rd, Danny Tartabull and Bernie Williams delivered RBI singles to cut the lead to 8-3. One inning later, Boggs brought home a run with an RBI ground out.
The Yankees really turned up the head in the 7th. Jim Leyritz doubled and came around to score on a pair of ground outs by Don Mattingly and Tartabull. The score was 8-5 with 2 outs, but the Yankees weren't done yet. Stanley singled and Bernie walked to put two aboard. Paul O'Neill drove one to deep center for a 2-run double, and suddenly and dramatically, it was a 1-run game.
Angels reliever Jim Frey walked Tartabull to start the 9th. Then what goes around, comes around. Angels shortstop Gary Disarcina booted Stanley's potential double play grounder. Greg Myers was the starting catcher for the Halos that day, but he had been removed for a pinch-hitter in the top of the 9th. His replacement, Ron Tingley, committed a passed ball to allow the runners to both move into scoring position. Bernie was intentionally walked to set up a force at any base. Then the warrior delivered, albeit in a mild way.
O'Neill's sac fly tied the game at 8-8. After Gallego was retired for the 2nd out, Pat Kelly singled to left, bring home pinch-runner Henlsey Meulens with the winning run.
John Habyan picked up the win. Gene Nelson took the loss for the Angels. Nelson was a former Yankees farmhand who made the jump from 'A' ball to the majors in 1981 and won his 1st major league game as a Yankee.
August 31, 1995 O'Neill Hits the Bulls-eye
Paul O'Neill had quickly become a fan favorite since his acquisition from Cincinnati. The fans in the right field seats had begun holding up signs for Paulie to hit HRs to. The letter "O" looked like a bulls-eye. Unfortunately a number of fans also spelled his name with only 1 'l'. No matter, for on August 31, 1995 the Warrior tried to accomodate his flock.
Wade Boggs and Bernie Williams started off the game with back-to-back singles and O'Neill followed with a 3-run HR. One inning later, with Randy Velarde and Bernie aboard, O'Neill went deep again. Two innings, two at-bats, two 3-run HRs.
No one was on base in the 5th, but that didn't stop O'Neill. He blasted a solo shot, his 3rd HR of the night in as many at-bats. A run producing single in the 6th gave him an 8 RBI night. O'Neill would have one more at-bat in the 8th, but struck out looking against Troy Percival. He had 4 hits, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, and you can bet Paulie was pissed at being called out on strikes!
Yankees vs. Angels Preview
The Yankees face another test this weekend when the Los Angeles Angels come to The Stadium. It would be nice to get some more momentum going after winning 3 of the last 4 from the Mets and Red Sox. But the Angels have proven to be a pain in the ass in this decade. In addition to the playoff eliminations in 2002 and 2004, the Yankees, with 2003 being the exception have pretty much sucked wind against the Halos since 2000.
2006 4-6
2005 4-6
2004 4-5
2003 6-3
2002 4-3
2001 3-4
2000 5-5
Luckily for the Angels, they play in the weak AL West, where its going to be between them and the A's for the division title. Texas and Seattle pretty much stink and won't be much of a factor.
Outside of Vlad Guerrero, there's not a whole lot going right for the Angels when they're at the plate. On top of that, regulars Garrett Anderson, Chone Figgins, and Howie Kendrick have all spent significant time on the DL. Anderson is still out and Figgins (.133, 3 steals) appears to not be fully recovered from the fractured fingers he injured in spring training.
Bartolo Colon won his first 5 starts before losing yesterday's game. A-Rod will certainly miss him facing him - he's hit .444-8-17 in just 45 at-bats. John Lackey is the ace of the staff with 7 wins and a 2.38 ERA.
Brendan Donnelley, long a mainstay of the Angels pen is now in Boston, but Francisco Rodriguez and Scott Shields still form quite a 1-2 punch (though Shields has struggled at times this season).
Probable Pitchers
Friday - Jered Weaver vs. Tyler Clippard
Saturday - Kelvim Escobar vs. Chien-Ming Wang
Sunday - John Lackey vs. Mike Mussina
2006 4-6
2005 4-6
2004 4-5
2003 6-3
2002 4-3
2001 3-4
2000 5-5
Luckily for the Angels, they play in the weak AL West, where its going to be between them and the A's for the division title. Texas and Seattle pretty much stink and won't be much of a factor.
Outside of Vlad Guerrero, there's not a whole lot going right for the Angels when they're at the plate. On top of that, regulars Garrett Anderson, Chone Figgins, and Howie Kendrick have all spent significant time on the DL. Anderson is still out and Figgins (.133, 3 steals) appears to not be fully recovered from the fractured fingers he injured in spring training.
Bartolo Colon won his first 5 starts before losing yesterday's game. A-Rod will certainly miss him facing him - he's hit .444-8-17 in just 45 at-bats. John Lackey is the ace of the staff with 7 wins and a 2.38 ERA.
Brendan Donnelley, long a mainstay of the Angels pen is now in Boston, but Francisco Rodriguez and Scott Shields still form quite a 1-2 punch (though Shields has struggled at times this season).
Probable Pitchers
Friday - Jered Weaver vs. Tyler Clippard
Saturday - Kelvim Escobar vs. Chien-Ming Wang
Sunday - John Lackey vs. Mike Mussina
Yankees vs. Angels Preview
The Yankees face another test this weekend when the Los Angeles Angels come to The Stadium. It would be nice to get some more momentum going after winning 3 of the last 4 from the Mets and Red Sox. But the Angels have proven to be a pain in the ass in this decade. In addition to the playoff eliminations in 2002 and 2004, the Yankees, with 2003 being the exception have pretty much sucked wind against the Halos since 2000.
2006 4-6
2005 4-6
2004 4-5
2003 6-3
2002 4-3
2001 3-4
2000 5-5
Luckily for the Angels, they play in the weak AL West, where its going to be between them and the A's for the division title. Texas and Seattle pretty much stink and won't be much of a factor.
Outside of Vlad Guerrero, there's not a whole lot going right for the Angels when they're at the plate. On top of that, regulars Garrett Anderson, Chone Figgins, and Howie Kendrick have all spent significant time on the DL. Anderson is still out and Figgins (.133, 3 steals) appears to not be fully recovered from the fractured fingers he injured in spring training.
Bartolo Colon won his first 5 starts before losing yesterday's game. A-Rod will certainly miss him facing him - he's hit .444-8-17 in just 45 at-bats. John Lackey is the ace of the staff with 7 wins and a 2.38 ERA.
Brendan Donnelley, long a mainstay of the Angels pen is now in Boston, but Francisco Rodriguez and Scott Shields still form quite a 1-2 punch (though Shields has struggled at times this season).
Probable Pitchers
Friday - Jered Weaver vs. Tyler Clippard
Saturday - Kelvim Escobar vs. Chien-Ming Wang
Sunday - John Lackey vs. Mike Mussina
2006 4-6
2005 4-6
2004 4-5
2003 6-3
2002 4-3
2001 3-4
2000 5-5
Luckily for the Angels, they play in the weak AL West, where its going to be between them and the A's for the division title. Texas and Seattle pretty much stink and won't be much of a factor.
Outside of Vlad Guerrero, there's not a whole lot going right for the Angels when they're at the plate. On top of that, regulars Garrett Anderson, Chone Figgins, and Howie Kendrick have all spent significant time on the DL. Anderson is still out and Figgins (.133, 3 steals) appears to not be fully recovered from the fractured fingers he injured in spring training.
Bartolo Colon won his first 5 starts before losing yesterday's game. A-Rod will certainly miss him facing him - he's hit .444-8-17 in just 45 at-bats. John Lackey is the ace of the staff with 7 wins and a 2.38 ERA.
Brendan Donnelley, long a mainstay of the Angels pen is now in Boston, but Francisco Rodriguez and Scott Shields still form quite a 1-2 punch (though Shields has struggled at times this season).
Probable Pitchers
Friday - Jered Weaver vs. Tyler Clippard
Saturday - Kelvim Escobar vs. Chien-Ming Wang
Sunday - John Lackey vs. Mike Mussina
How to Bring Your 'A' Game
Last night's Yankees win over the Red Sox was how the game is supposed to be played. Excellent starting pitching, offense, both early and often, and making the routine and non-routine plays in the field.
Andy Pettitte, as he has often done in his Yankee career, picked up the team when they needed it most. Instead of losing 2 of 3 to both the Mets and Red Sox, the Yankees split the 6 pressure packed games. Pettitte once again showed the difference between he and Mike Mussina. Pettitte is like Larry Bird. Game on the line, clock running down - gimme the ball. Mussina may have been like that once, but has weakened both physically and mentally. Brian Cashman can be criticized for many things this season, but bringing back Andy Pettitte is certainly not one of them.
Extra bonus points are earned too when you humble Schitbag. He was very subdued after last night's game in which the Yankees tattooed his pitches. It started right off the bat, pun intended, when Johnny Damon double and scored on Derek Jeter's single. Hideki Matsui followed with a line drive 2-run HR to jumpstart the Yankees to a 3-0 lead.
Jeter singled in another run in the 3rd and in doing so, passed Joe DiMaggio for 5th all time on the Yankees hit list. A triple later in the game raised his season average to .367.
Jorge Posada singled in a run in the 4th, and then Schitbag's former teammate Doug Mientkiewicz took him deep, off the facing of the upper deck, for a 6-0 lead. In addition to Jeter, Mientkiewicz and Damon had 3 hits each, and Matsui drove in 3.
About the only thing that went wrong last night was Jason Giambi's 0-4 performance in the wake of his meeting with the commissioner's office and the report of a failed drug test.
~~~
Pettitte upped his record to 2-3 with 7 hard-nosed innings. Lack of run support and an imploding bullpen has kept Pettitte from being 6-1, but being the leader he has become, he's unaffected by it.
Jeter has 2,216 hits and is 120 behind Bernie Williams for 4th on the all time Yankees list. Health and Bernie remaining on the sidelines permitting, he should catch him this season. Jeter also extended his hitting streak to 18 games and has a hit in 38 of 39 games.
Andy Pettitte, as he has often done in his Yankee career, picked up the team when they needed it most. Instead of losing 2 of 3 to both the Mets and Red Sox, the Yankees split the 6 pressure packed games. Pettitte once again showed the difference between he and Mike Mussina. Pettitte is like Larry Bird. Game on the line, clock running down - gimme the ball. Mussina may have been like that once, but has weakened both physically and mentally. Brian Cashman can be criticized for many things this season, but bringing back Andy Pettitte is certainly not one of them.
Extra bonus points are earned too when you humble Schitbag. He was very subdued after last night's game in which the Yankees tattooed his pitches. It started right off the bat, pun intended, when Johnny Damon double and scored on Derek Jeter's single. Hideki Matsui followed with a line drive 2-run HR to jumpstart the Yankees to a 3-0 lead.
Jeter singled in another run in the 3rd and in doing so, passed Joe DiMaggio for 5th all time on the Yankees hit list. A triple later in the game raised his season average to .367.
Jorge Posada singled in a run in the 4th, and then Schitbag's former teammate Doug Mientkiewicz took him deep, off the facing of the upper deck, for a 6-0 lead. In addition to Jeter, Mientkiewicz and Damon had 3 hits each, and Matsui drove in 3.
About the only thing that went wrong last night was Jason Giambi's 0-4 performance in the wake of his meeting with the commissioner's office and the report of a failed drug test.
~~~
Pettitte upped his record to 2-3 with 7 hard-nosed innings. Lack of run support and an imploding bullpen has kept Pettitte from being 6-1, but being the leader he has become, he's unaffected by it.
Jeter has 2,216 hits and is 120 behind Bernie Williams for 4th on the all time Yankees list. Health and Bernie remaining on the sidelines permitting, he should catch him this season. Jeter also extended his hitting streak to 18 games and has a hit in 38 of 39 games.
How to Bring Your 'A' Game
Last night's Yankees win over the Red Sox was how the game is supposed to be played. Excellent starting pitching, offense, both early and often, and making the routine and non-routine plays in the field.
Andy Pettitte, as he has often done in his Yankee career, picked up the team when they needed it most. Instead of losing 2 of 3 to both the Mets and Red Sox, the Yankees split the 6 pressure packed games. Pettitte once again showed the difference between he and Mike Mussina. Pettitte is like Larry Bird. Game on the line, clock running down - gimme the ball. Mussina may have been like that once, but has weakened both physically and mentally. Brian Cashman can be criticized for many things this season, but bringing back Andy Pettitte is certainly not one of them.
Extra bonus points are earned too when you humble Schitbag. He was very subdued after last night's game in which the Yankees tattooed his pitches. It started right off the bat, pun intended, when Johnny Damon double and scored on Derek Jeter's single. Hideki Matsui followed with a line drive 2-run HR to jumpstart the Yankees to a 3-0 lead.
Jeter singled in another run in the 3rd and in doing so, passed Joe DiMaggio for 5th all time on the Yankees hit list. A triple later in the game raised his season average to .367.
Jorge Posada singled in a run in the 4th, and then Schitbag's former teammate Doug Mientkiewicz took him deep, off the facing of the upper deck, for a 6-0 lead. In addition to Jeter, Mientkiewicz and Damon had 3 hits each, and Matsui drove in 3.
About the only thing that went wrong last night was Jason Giambi's 0-4 performance in the wake of his meeting with the commissioner's office and the report of a failed drug test.
~~~
Pettitte upped his record to 2-3 with 7 hard-nosed innings. Lack of run support and an imploding bullpen has kept Pettitte from being 6-1, but being the leader he has become, he's unaffected by it.
Jeter has 2,216 hits and is 120 behind Bernie Williams for 4th on the all time Yankees list. Health and Bernie remaining on the sidelines permitting, he should catch him this season. Jeter also extended his hitting streak to 18 games and has a hit in 38 of 39 games.
Andy Pettitte, as he has often done in his Yankee career, picked up the team when they needed it most. Instead of losing 2 of 3 to both the Mets and Red Sox, the Yankees split the 6 pressure packed games. Pettitte once again showed the difference between he and Mike Mussina. Pettitte is like Larry Bird. Game on the line, clock running down - gimme the ball. Mussina may have been like that once, but has weakened both physically and mentally. Brian Cashman can be criticized for many things this season, but bringing back Andy Pettitte is certainly not one of them.
Extra bonus points are earned too when you humble Schitbag. He was very subdued after last night's game in which the Yankees tattooed his pitches. It started right off the bat, pun intended, when Johnny Damon double and scored on Derek Jeter's single. Hideki Matsui followed with a line drive 2-run HR to jumpstart the Yankees to a 3-0 lead.
Jeter singled in another run in the 3rd and in doing so, passed Joe DiMaggio for 5th all time on the Yankees hit list. A triple later in the game raised his season average to .367.
Jorge Posada singled in a run in the 4th, and then Schitbag's former teammate Doug Mientkiewicz took him deep, off the facing of the upper deck, for a 6-0 lead. In addition to Jeter, Mientkiewicz and Damon had 3 hits each, and Matsui drove in 3.
About the only thing that went wrong last night was Jason Giambi's 0-4 performance in the wake of his meeting with the commissioner's office and the report of a failed drug test.
~~~
Pettitte upped his record to 2-3 with 7 hard-nosed innings. Lack of run support and an imploding bullpen has kept Pettitte from being 6-1, but being the leader he has become, he's unaffected by it.
Jeter has 2,216 hits and is 120 behind Bernie Williams for 4th on the all time Yankees list. Health and Bernie remaining on the sidelines permitting, he should catch him this season. Jeter also extended his hitting streak to 18 games and has a hit in 38 of 39 games.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Welcome to Distraction City
As if there wasn't enough termoil in Yankeeland, tonight's game will be chock-full of additional distractions. A match up of Curt "Schitbag" Schilling and Andy Pettitte should be enough to entice fans, but there's also more to consider.
The biggest of this is the Daily News' report today that Jason Giambi failed an amphetamines test within the last 6 months. A first penalty is just continued testing, whereas an additional "flunk" would lead to a suspension. Every day Giambi proves that his contract was a rip off and that he's not a stand up individual.
Curt Schitbag likes to thrown inside and tonight he may do it a little more, especially to Alex Rodriguez. Red Sox 2nd Baseman Dustin Pedroia took exception to a hard slide by A-Rod to break up a double play in the 8th inning last night. Pedroia felt A-Rod threw an elbow in breaking up the double play. Instead of taking care of it between the white lines, the Red Sox rookie decided to shoot his mouth off to the press.
"He went in late and kind of threw an elbow," Pedroia said. “It was a little cheap but no big deal. I'll remember. I play second base. I've got to turn two with the Yankees 19 times a year, so I know now when he’s coming in, my (arm) slot gets dropped to the floor. That's it."
If Schitbag throws at A-Rod or any other Yankee, the Yankees must retaliate whether it be with payback or fists. Joe Torre cannot continue to let the Red Sox throw at his players at will. The imbalance of hit batters between the two teams is absurd- the Yankees coming out on the short end.
The biggest of this is the Daily News' report today that Jason Giambi failed an amphetamines test within the last 6 months. A first penalty is just continued testing, whereas an additional "flunk" would lead to a suspension. Every day Giambi proves that his contract was a rip off and that he's not a stand up individual.
Curt Schitbag likes to thrown inside and tonight he may do it a little more, especially to Alex Rodriguez. Red Sox 2nd Baseman Dustin Pedroia took exception to a hard slide by A-Rod to break up a double play in the 8th inning last night. Pedroia felt A-Rod threw an elbow in breaking up the double play. Instead of taking care of it between the white lines, the Red Sox rookie decided to shoot his mouth off to the press.
"He went in late and kind of threw an elbow," Pedroia said. “It was a little cheap but no big deal. I'll remember. I play second base. I've got to turn two with the Yankees 19 times a year, so I know now when he’s coming in, my (arm) slot gets dropped to the floor. That's it."
If Schitbag throws at A-Rod or any other Yankee, the Yankees must retaliate whether it be with payback or fists. Joe Torre cannot continue to let the Red Sox throw at his players at will. The imbalance of hit batters between the two teams is absurd- the Yankees coming out on the short end.
Welcome to Distraction City
As if there wasn't enough termoil in Yankeeland, tonight's game will be chock-full of additional distractions. A match up of Curt "Schitbag" Schilling and Andy Pettitte should be enough to entice fans, but there's also more to consider.
The biggest of this is the Daily News' report today that Jason Giambi failed an amphetamines test within the last 6 months. A first penalty is just continued testing, whereas an additional "flunk" would lead to a suspension. Every day Giambi proves that his contract was a rip off and that he's not a stand up individual.
Curt Schitbag likes to thrown inside and tonight he may do it a little more, especially to Alex Rodriguez. Red Sox 2nd Baseman Dustin Pedroia took exception to a hard slide by A-Rod to break up a double play in the 8th inning last night. Pedroia felt A-Rod threw an elbow in breaking up the double play. Instead of taking care of it between the white lines, the Red Sox rookie decided to shoot his mouth off to the press.
"He went in late and kind of threw an elbow," Pedroia said. “It was a little cheap but no big deal. I'll remember. I play second base. I've got to turn two with the Yankees 19 times a year, so I know now when he’s coming in, my (arm) slot gets dropped to the floor. That's it."
If Schitbag throws at A-Rod or any other Yankee, the Yankees must retaliate whether it be with payback or fists. Joe Torre cannot continue to let the Red Sox throw at his players at will. The imbalance of hit batters between the two teams is absurd- the Yankees coming out on the short end.
The biggest of this is the Daily News' report today that Jason Giambi failed an amphetamines test within the last 6 months. A first penalty is just continued testing, whereas an additional "flunk" would lead to a suspension. Every day Giambi proves that his contract was a rip off and that he's not a stand up individual.
Curt Schitbag likes to thrown inside and tonight he may do it a little more, especially to Alex Rodriguez. Red Sox 2nd Baseman Dustin Pedroia took exception to a hard slide by A-Rod to break up a double play in the 8th inning last night. Pedroia felt A-Rod threw an elbow in breaking up the double play. Instead of taking care of it between the white lines, the Red Sox rookie decided to shoot his mouth off to the press.
"He went in late and kind of threw an elbow," Pedroia said. “It was a little cheap but no big deal. I'll remember. I play second base. I've got to turn two with the Yankees 19 times a year, so I know now when he’s coming in, my (arm) slot gets dropped to the floor. That's it."
If Schitbag throws at A-Rod or any other Yankee, the Yankees must retaliate whether it be with payback or fists. Joe Torre cannot continue to let the Red Sox throw at his players at will. The imbalance of hit batters between the two teams is absurd- the Yankees coming out on the short end.
A Life Lesson
Things that you can count on being small
. A Hobbit
.Mini-Me
.A newborn
.Tax rebates
.Mike Mussina in a big spot
Last night's Yankees 7-3 loss to the Red Sox proved once again that Mike Mussina is nowhere near the pitcher he was from 2001-2004. Over the last 3 years, Mussina has proven to gag in the spotlight. Some of it is physical - he's 38, his fastball can barely break a pane of glass, and some is mental - the slightest change in his routine makes him cantankerous and whiny.
Mussina put the Yankees in an immediate hole, that they would never recover from when, he served up a 1st inning 3-run shot to Manny Ramirez. He's become a master at not holding leads or giving the lead up when the game is tied. It's plagued the Yankees in the regular season (last week's White Sox game for instance), and in the post-season (e.g. the '06 ALDS).
Brian Cashman clearly made a mistake in bringing Mussina back. Mussina's fastball is not reaching 90 and his propensity for getting injured has increased greatly. He looks like a guy who has thrown over 3,200 big league innings. The Yankees should buy Mussina out of the 2nd year of his contract and move on to a younger, more durable, guttier pitcher.
. A Hobbit
.Mini-Me
.A newborn
.Tax rebates
.Mike Mussina in a big spot
Last night's Yankees 7-3 loss to the Red Sox proved once again that Mike Mussina is nowhere near the pitcher he was from 2001-2004. Over the last 3 years, Mussina has proven to gag in the spotlight. Some of it is physical - he's 38, his fastball can barely break a pane of glass, and some is mental - the slightest change in his routine makes him cantankerous and whiny.
Mussina put the Yankees in an immediate hole, that they would never recover from when, he served up a 1st inning 3-run shot to Manny Ramirez. He's become a master at not holding leads or giving the lead up when the game is tied. It's plagued the Yankees in the regular season (last week's White Sox game for instance), and in the post-season (e.g. the '06 ALDS).
Brian Cashman clearly made a mistake in bringing Mussina back. Mussina's fastball is not reaching 90 and his propensity for getting injured has increased greatly. He looks like a guy who has thrown over 3,200 big league innings. The Yankees should buy Mussina out of the 2nd year of his contract and move on to a younger, more durable, guttier pitcher.
A Life Lesson
Things that you can count on being small
. A Hobbit
.Mini-Me
.A newborn
.Tax rebates
.Mike Mussina in a big spot
Last night's Yankees 7-3 loss to the Red Sox proved once again that Mike Mussina is nowhere near the pitcher he was from 2001-2004. Over the last 3 years, Mussina has proven to gag in the spotlight. Some of it is physical - he's 38, his fastball can barely break a pane of glass, and some is mental - the slightest change in his routine makes him cantankerous and whiny.
Mussina put the Yankees in an immediate hole, that they would never recover from when, he served up a 1st inning 3-run shot to Manny Ramirez. He's become a master at not holding leads or giving the lead up when the game is tied. It's plagued the Yankees in the regular season (last week's White Sox game for instance), and in the post-season (e.g. the '06 ALDS).
Brian Cashman clearly made a mistake in bringing Mussina back. Mussina's fastball is not reaching 90 and his propensity for getting injured has increased greatly. He looks like a guy who has thrown over 3,200 big league innings. The Yankees should buy Mussina out of the 2nd year of his contract and move on to a younger, more durable, guttier pitcher.
. A Hobbit
.Mini-Me
.A newborn
.Tax rebates
.Mike Mussina in a big spot
Last night's Yankees 7-3 loss to the Red Sox proved once again that Mike Mussina is nowhere near the pitcher he was from 2001-2004. Over the last 3 years, Mussina has proven to gag in the spotlight. Some of it is physical - he's 38, his fastball can barely break a pane of glass, and some is mental - the slightest change in his routine makes him cantankerous and whiny.
Mussina put the Yankees in an immediate hole, that they would never recover from when, he served up a 1st inning 3-run shot to Manny Ramirez. He's become a master at not holding leads or giving the lead up when the game is tied. It's plagued the Yankees in the regular season (last week's White Sox game for instance), and in the post-season (e.g. the '06 ALDS).
Brian Cashman clearly made a mistake in bringing Mussina back. Mussina's fastball is not reaching 90 and his propensity for getting injured has increased greatly. He looks like a guy who has thrown over 3,200 big league innings. The Yankees should buy Mussina out of the 2nd year of his contract and move on to a younger, more durable, guttier pitcher.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Oh yes, they call him the streak
Hey, we got to be happy with the Yankees for more than 24 hours - an no rainouts were involved! The Yankees indeed put back to back wins on the books, taking a big first game from the Red Sox, 6-2. Coming on the heels of Sunday night's win over the Mets, the Yankees moved to 9.5 games back of the 1st place Sox with some suddenly hot bats and pitching that was good enough.A-Rod homered for the 3rd straight game, a tremendous blast off of Tim Wakefield that landed somewhere over in the UK. The first inning HR jump started the offense and set the tone for the night. It was A-Rod's major league leading 18th of the season and number 482 of his career.
Johnny Damon took steps to get out of his season long funk with a 3 hit, 2 stolen base night. In fact the Yankees were very aggressive with Wakefield on the mound, stealing 4 bases in 5 attempts.
Chien-Ming Wang didn't have his best command, but the team's ace pitched like one, limiting the Sox to 2 runs over 6 1-3 innings. The Wanger evened his record at 3-3, lowering his ERA to 4.28 in the process. Mike Myers, Brian Bruney, Scott Proctor, and Kyle Farnsworth finished up the final 2 2-3 innings. Mariano Rivera was warming up in the bullpen just in case.
The Yankees offense came up big for the 2nd straight night to back their starter. Jason Giambi, who has been nothing short of miserable lately, launched a knuckler into the upper deck to start the 2nd, for a 3-0 lead. Later in the inning, Derek Jeter delivered a 2-out RBI single to push the advantage to 4-0. The hit extended Jeter's hitting streak to 16 and raised his average with runners in scoring position and 2 outs to .650 (13-20).
Robinson Cano finished off the scoring with a 2-run triple in the 5th. Then it was down to the pitching. Proctor came on in relief of Bruney with 2 on and 2 out in the 8th, and immediately hit Alex Cora to load the bases. But Julio Lugo bounced into a force out to end the inning. The Manny-Ortiz combo went 2-7 with 2 RBI and 2 walks, but the Sox managed only 7 hits total on the night.
~~~
About the only downside of the game was Jorge Posada going for the collar to end his career high 15 game hitting streak.
Oh yes, they call him the streak
Hey, we got to be happy with the Yankees for more than 24 hours - an no rainouts were involved! The Yankees indeed put back to back wins on the books, taking a big first game from the Red Sox, 6-2. Coming on the heels of Sunday night's win over the Mets, the Yankees moved to 9.5 games back of the 1st place Sox with some suddenly hot bats and pitching that was good enough.A-Rod homered for the 3rd straight game, a tremendous blast off of Tim Wakefield that landed somewhere over in the UK. The first inning HR jump started the offense and set the tone for the night. It was A-Rod's major league leading 18th of the season and number 482 of his career.
Johnny Damon took steps to get out of his season long funk with a 3 hit, 2 stolen base night. In fact the Yankees were very aggressive with Wakefield on the mound, stealing 4 bases in 5 attempts.
Chien-Ming Wang didn't have his best command, but the team's ace pitched like one, limiting the Sox to 2 runs over 6 1-3 innings. The Wanger evened his record at 3-3, lowering his ERA to 4.28 in the process. Mike Myers, Brian Bruney, Scott Proctor, and Kyle Farnsworth finished up the final 2 2-3 innings. Mariano Rivera was warming up in the bullpen just in case.
The Yankees offense came up big for the 2nd straight night to back their starter. Jason Giambi, who has been nothing short of miserable lately, launched a knuckler into the upper deck to start the 2nd, for a 3-0 lead. Later in the inning, Derek Jeter delivered a 2-out RBI single to push the advantage to 4-0. The hit extended Jeter's hitting streak to 16 and raised his average with runners in scoring position and 2 outs to .650 (13-20).
Robinson Cano finished off the scoring with a 2-run triple in the 5th. Then it was down to the pitching. Proctor came on in relief of Bruney with 2 on and 2 out in the 8th, and immediately hit Alex Cora to load the bases. But Julio Lugo bounced into a force out to end the inning. The Manny-Ortiz combo went 2-7 with 2 RBI and 2 walks, but the Sox managed only 7 hits total on the night.
~~~
About the only downside of the game was Jorge Posada going for the collar to end his career high 15 game hitting streak.
Prospect of the Night (5/21)
The Trenton Thunder's Brett Smith dominated the Portland Sea Dogs, taking a no-hitter into the 8th inning. The Dogs' Bryan Pritz got the team's only hit of the night when his hard comebacker ricocheted Smith for an infield single. Smith left to a huge ovation after his 8 inning performance in which he struck out 10 and issued 2 walks.Smith, who threw 3 years of college ball at Cal-Irvine, had an unremarkable rookie year in 2004 (split between Charleston and Tampa). He had a decent year at Tampa last season, but its unlikely anyone expected him to have the year he's having this season at Trenton.
With 8 shutout innings tonight, Smith now has a 1.03 ERA (remarkably, it is only 2nd to the Blue Jays Jesse Litsch, who has a 0.96). It was the 2nd time this season that Smith had a no-hitter into the 7th inning.
Smith has credited his success this season in getting ahead in the count. If he keeps this up, he can count on pitching in Yankee Stadium one day.
You can read more on Brett Smith here.
Prospect of the Night (5/21)
The Trenton Thunder's Brett Smith dominated the Portland Sea Dogs, taking a no-hitter into the 8th inning. The Dogs' Bryan Pritz got the team's only hit of the night when his hard comebacker ricocheted Smith for an infield single. Smith left to a huge ovation after his 8 inning performance in which he struck out 10 and issued 2 walks.Smith, who threw 3 years of college ball at Cal-Irvine, had an unremarkable rookie year in 2004 (split between Charleston and Tampa). He had a decent year at Tampa last season, but its unlikely anyone expected him to have the year he's having this season at Trenton.
With 8 shutout innings tonight, Smith now has a 1.03 ERA (remarkably, it is only 2nd to the Blue Jays Jesse Litsch, who has a 0.96). It was the 2nd time this season that Smith had a no-hitter into the 7th inning.
Smith has credited his success this season in getting ahead in the count. If he keeps this up, he can count on pitching in Yankee Stadium one day.
You can read more on Brett Smith here.
Here They Come Again
Yankees - Red Sox Preview
Someone find the schedule maker and hit them upside the head. Who's bright idea was it to put the Yankees-Red Sox on the heals of Yankees-Mets? Not that it matters to me, but it must be the same bozo who immediately schedule the Mets in Atlanta.
It's only May 21st, but uh-oh, it's already May 21st. The Yankees find themselves 10.5 games behind the Blow Sox as the two teams get ready to due battle in a 3 game series. This IS make or break time for the Yankees. If they want to get themselves back into any kind of a playoff race, whether it be the division or wild card, a stand has to be made now. The Yankees HAVE to take 2 of 3 in this series to get some confidence, to get on some kind of a roll, to not let the 2007 season slide completely away from them.
Their pitching rotation is set up for the first time this season. Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, and Andy Pettitte are scheduled to take Yankee Stadium mound on consecutive nights. If ever there was a time to make a point, to make a move, this is it.
Probable Pitchers
Monday - Tim Wakefield vs. Chien-Ming Wang
Tuesday - JulianTavarez vs. Mike Mussina
Wednesday - Curt Schilling vs. Andy Pettitte
Here' s some more inspirational thoughts, real or, um, otherwise. Part of this first one is shown on the Yankee Stadium scoreboard during 9th inning
Over? It's not over 'til we say it's over!!!
"It's a topsy-turvy world, and maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!"
Someone find the schedule maker and hit them upside the head. Who's bright idea was it to put the Yankees-Red Sox on the heals of Yankees-Mets? Not that it matters to me, but it must be the same bozo who immediately schedule the Mets in Atlanta.
It's only May 21st, but uh-oh, it's already May 21st. The Yankees find themselves 10.5 games behind the Blow Sox as the two teams get ready to due battle in a 3 game series. This IS make or break time for the Yankees. If they want to get themselves back into any kind of a playoff race, whether it be the division or wild card, a stand has to be made now. The Yankees HAVE to take 2 of 3 in this series to get some confidence, to get on some kind of a roll, to not let the 2007 season slide completely away from them.
Their pitching rotation is set up for the first time this season. Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, and Andy Pettitte are scheduled to take Yankee Stadium mound on consecutive nights. If ever there was a time to make a point, to make a move, this is it.
Probable Pitchers
Monday - Tim Wakefield vs. Chien-Ming Wang
Tuesday - JulianTavarez vs. Mike Mussina
Wednesday - Curt Schilling vs. Andy Pettitte
Here' s some more inspirational thoughts, real or, um, otherwise. Part of this first one is shown on the Yankee Stadium scoreboard during 9th inning
Over? It's not over 'til we say it's over!!!
"It's a topsy-turvy world, and maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!"
Here They Come Again
Yankees - Red Sox Preview
Someone find the schedule maker and hit them upside the head. Who's bright idea was it to put the Yankees-Red Sox on the heals of Yankees-Mets? Not that it matters to me, but it must be the same bozo who immediately schedule the Mets in Atlanta.
It's only May 21st, but uh-oh, it's already May 21st. The Yankees find themselves 10.5 games behind the Blow Sox as the two teams get ready to due battle in a 3 game series. This IS make or break time for the Yankees. If they want to get themselves back into any kind of a playoff race, whether it be the division or wild card, a stand has to be made now. The Yankees HAVE to take 2 of 3 in this series to get some confidence, to get on some kind of a roll, to not let the 2007 season slide completely away from them.
Their pitching rotation is set up for the first time this season. Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, and Andy Pettitte are scheduled to take Yankee Stadium mound on consecutive nights. If ever there was a time to make a point, to make a move, this is it.
Probable Pitchers
Monday - Tim Wakefield vs. Chien-Ming Wang
Tuesday - JulianTavarez vs. Mike Mussina
Wednesday - Curt Schilling vs. Andy Pettitte
Here' s some more inspirational thoughts, real or, um, otherwise. Part of this first one is shown on the Yankee Stadium scoreboard during 9th inning
Over? It's not over 'til we say it's over!!!
"It's a topsy-turvy world, and maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!"
Someone find the schedule maker and hit them upside the head. Who's bright idea was it to put the Yankees-Red Sox on the heals of Yankees-Mets? Not that it matters to me, but it must be the same bozo who immediately schedule the Mets in Atlanta.
It's only May 21st, but uh-oh, it's already May 21st. The Yankees find themselves 10.5 games behind the Blow Sox as the two teams get ready to due battle in a 3 game series. This IS make or break time for the Yankees. If they want to get themselves back into any kind of a playoff race, whether it be the division or wild card, a stand has to be made now. The Yankees HAVE to take 2 of 3 in this series to get some confidence, to get on some kind of a roll, to not let the 2007 season slide completely away from them.
Their pitching rotation is set up for the first time this season. Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, and Andy Pettitte are scheduled to take Yankee Stadium mound on consecutive nights. If ever there was a time to make a point, to make a move, this is it.
Probable Pitchers
Monday - Tim Wakefield vs. Chien-Ming Wang
Tuesday - JulianTavarez vs. Mike Mussina
Wednesday - Curt Schilling vs. Andy Pettitte
Here' s some more inspirational thoughts, real or, um, otherwise. Part of this first one is shown on the Yankee Stadium scoreboard during 9th inning
Over? It's not over 'til we say it's over!!!
"It's a topsy-turvy world, and maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!"
Is There a Doctor in the House?
He's won batting titles, World Series rings, and plays a mean guitar. Now Bernie Williams can add PHD to his trophy case. Bernie got an honorary doctorate yesterday at Iona College's 2007 commencement at Madison Square Garden.Afterwards, Bernie spoke briefly with reporters. He's kept in shape and isn't ruling out playing again, though he didn't seem like it was a burning desire.
Bernie also feels for his former teammates.
“Obviously, I feel for those guys,” Williams said of his ex-teammates, who face an unprecedented deficit in the Joe Torre era. “I know they’re not going through a very good moment right now, but I have enough confidence in their abilities that they’re going to pull out of it and I send them my best.”
Bernie wasn't the only former Yankee pick up a degree yesterday. Willie Randolph's pre-game for last night's Yankees-Mets game included an honorary degree from Fordham University. Included in the graduating class was Willie's daughter Ciara.
Is There a Doctor in the House?
He's won batting titles, World Series rings, and plays a mean guitar. Now Bernie Williams can add PHD to his trophy case. Bernie got an honorary doctorate yesterday at Iona College's 2007 commencement at Madison Square Garden.Afterwards, Bernie spoke briefly with reporters. He's kept in shape and isn't ruling out playing again, though he didn't seem like it was a burning desire.
Bernie also feels for his former teammates.
“Obviously, I feel for those guys,” Williams said of his ex-teammates, who face an unprecedented deficit in the Joe Torre era. “I know they’re not going through a very good moment right now, but I have enough confidence in their abilities that they’re going to pull out of it and I send them my best.”
Bernie wasn't the only former Yankee pick up a degree yesterday. Willie Randolph's pre-game for last night's Yankees-Mets game included an honorary degree from Fordham University. Included in the graduating class was Willie's daughter Ciara.
Snap, Crackle, Pop
The Snap was Friday night when the Yankees could snap out of their doldrums in losing the to the Mets 3-2. The Crackle was the sound of Darrell Rasner's finger breaking on Saturday. His finger and the Yankees hopes of winning were immediately fractured. The Pop was Sunday night as the offense returned with 3 home runs in a much needed 6-2 victory.I was driving home Saturday from the LPGA Sybase Classic, when I turned on the car radio to listen to the game. Having had enough of John Sterling's theatrics and his, along with Mrs. Yankee Suzyn Waldman, spinning every bad move into something positive, I turned on WFAN's coverage of the game. Howie Rose was doing the play-by-play. Good guy, good broadcaster. Miss him doing NY Rangers games.
Anyway, 2 batters into the bottom of the 1st, Rasner joined Jeff Karstens in the Jaret Wright "my body is a human target" club when Endy Chavez ricochet a ball of Rasner' pitching hand. 3 warm up pitches in front of Gene Monahan and Joe Torre went okay. Then Rasner tried to throw a split-finger fastball and went running from the mound in excruciating pain.
Mike Myers and Luiz Vizcaino were the first two to replace Rasner, and as usual, it was like throwing buckets of grease on the Towering Inferno. A couple of David Wright homers later and the Yankees were down 8-2. The offense woke up a bit late in the game, but Billy Wagner struck out both Robinson Cano and Josh Phelps with 2 on in the 9th as they each represented the tying run.
Having lost the first 2 games of the series and sending a rookie pitcher, Tyler Clippard, to the mound, the Yankees couldn't have felt too good about things. But thankfully, Clippard hasn't been around the team, so he went out to the mound full of energy and confidence. 6 innings later, he left the mound with a 6-1 lead, having impressed his manager, teammates, and the Yankees fans. He did it not only with his arm, but with his bat as well.
Trailing 1-0 to another Wright HR, the Yankees had 1st and 2nd with one out in the 4th. Up came Clippard who laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Johnny Damon followed with a bloop double in front of a diving Shawn Green in right to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Derek Jeter followed with a 2-run HR to left to give the Bombers a 4-1 lead. The HR extended Jeter's hit streak to 15 games, and he has now had a hit in 35 of his last 36 games.
In the 5th, Jorge Posada extended his hitting streak to 15 games as well with a long solo HR into the right field seats. In the 6th Clippard shocked everyone again with a double in the gap in right-center. Though he was stranded, he energized the Yankees dugout.
Clippard threw 95 pitches in his 6 innings of work, allowing just 3 hits, while walking 3 and striking out 6. He made an immediate impression by striking out lead off man Jose Reyes with 3 straight pitches to start the Mets half of the 1st. The final strike was a wickedly breaking curve ball that bounced in the dirt as Reyes swung and missed.
The only real trouble the Yankee Clippard got into was in the 2nd. After allowing Wright's HR, he faced a bases loaded situation after walking pitcher John Maine with 2 out. But he retired Reyes again, this time on a fly to Hideki Matsui in left.
Scott Proctor pitches a pair of scoreless innings before turning things over to Mariano Rivera, who hadn't worked since Wednesday. Mo couldn't get out of the game unscathed, allowing a solor HR to Damion Easley, but looked pretty good overall.
The Yankee Clippard made all of the Yankees feel pretty good overall.
~~~
A-Rod homered both Saturday and Sunday, giving him a major league leading 17. Hopefully he's starting to get his stroke back.
Bobby Abreu had some positive signs last night with 2 hits and 2 walks.
Robinson Cano bounced back from Saturday's miserable 3 error game, with a smooth game at 2nd.
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