About an hour ago I was on my way home from New Hampshire and listening to the Dan Shaughnessy Show on the new "SportsHub" 91.5 FM. Dan and his co-host, whoever it was, were talking about the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, "now on his way to Arlington Cemetery." I'm telling you this: he was not on his way there. That may have been his ultimate destination -- pardon the gallows humor -- but he must have been stopping off somewhere north of Boston first.
I know this because I was on the phone with my wife a few minutes earlier when I saw unbelievable phalanx of rubberneckers. They were on my side of the highway, the other side, and literally on the sides of the road. Like, the shoulders. Pulled over. People out of their cars. People congregating on the overpass in whatever town that was, just a few miles north of Waltham. I thought, "This doesn't look like an ordinary accident. This is either the most heinous crash in history (or, as they would call that in Massachusetts, a fender bender), or maybe a suicide by someone who realized that a swan dive from an overpass to I-95 is a very effective method of killing oneself.
I was all tongue-tied. "Um, baby, um, hold on; oh, wow. This must have been something ...
... hey, wait ... this is Ted Kennedy's funeral procession."
Flags were waved. Signs were held up. ON THE INTERSTATE.
I'm not from here, so I don't feel the same feelings for this man that even his staunchest political opponents at home might feel, let alone those who voted for him over and over -- who voted for his brothers way back when. But I was glad I could witness a scene such as this. You don't see something like that every day. And it wasn't a setup. It wasn't a made-for-TV ceremony. It was a bunch of people going out on their own to say goodbye. On the Interstate.
SHOCKING TRADE
I'm not going to waste my time at this moment to look up the scouting reports or histories of the prospects the Angels traded to Tampa Bay to acquire Scott Kazmir. You can do that on your own, and I'll do it later. But those prospects had better be can't-miss future All-Stars. I don't mean solid prospects. I mean can't-miss future All-Stars. I don't care what Kazmir's numbers are this year. And I'm not saying he's the second coming of Sandy Koufax. That the reigning AL Champions, however, would trade a man who is entering his prime and has already been a reliable staff ace, a two-time All-Star, for prospects, while they are in the thick of the wild-card race, which they absolutely are, is downright disappointing.
Shaughnessy, by the way, said as much on his show, but his angle had more to do with why the Red Sox didn't try to get him, especially in light of his ending up with their probable first-round playoff opponent. Dan. Buddy. Are you serious? I don't like that the Rays traded him. But at least they're not stupid enough to trade him to one of their two most important division rivals. That was never going to happen.
I just can't believe the Rays would give up a guy who, current stats aside, could be such a boon to their playoff fortunes THIS YEAR. Kazmir was part of a shocking trade once before, but at least it made sense for the Mets to trade him to Tampa. The only part of that deal that didn't make sense was that the Mets accepted a bum in return. But trading a prospect for a Major League player was fine for the Mets. Trading him now, for the Rays, a team with plenty of young up-and-coming players, by all accounts, makes no sense at all.
HAWKS TAKE FLIGHT
Just got home from my first St. Anselm football game of the season. Man, am I excited about the second game of the year. The Hawks have brought in an enormous freshman class in this, coach Pat Murphy's second year at the helm. Will they propel St. A to a winning record this season? It seems unlikely that a team that went 2-8 a year ago and now starts so many freshmen can expect to break the .500 barrier.
Clearly, however, this is going to be a much more fun season to be a St. Anselm fan. The Hawks pushed Kutztown, a team that demolished St. A 35-0 a year ago, right to the brink today, finally succumbing 17-13 after a sack of freshman QB Michael Pierce turned second-and-1 to third-and-14 as the Hawks were driving for the winning touchdown. This came moments after the Hawk defense got the ball back after the Hawks' freshman running back Austin Wakinakoa fumbled at the Kutztown 1-yard line.
St. A killed itself with those two plays, plus a costly personal foul on a St. A lineman. A year ago, St. A never got the chance to kill itself because its opponents were killing the Hawks just fine. This is a different team. Plymouth State visits next Saturday. Can a St. A victory over the D-III foe be the catalyst for a winning season? Who's to say no!?!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Congratulations, losers
I've been pretty busy this week, so I'm still watching last Friday's Yankees-Red Sox game, about an inning and a half at a time. So I just saw this, but ...
A couple got married last Friday night at Fenway. Not engaged. Married. They showed this on NESN coming back from a break. I'm guessing YES did not show this.
But yes. Two Sox fans, wearing jerseys and, in her case, a ballcap with a veil hanging out the back, said their I dos. That's fine. Actually, it's not. It's pathetic. But Sox fans never tire of telling the world what great fans they are. So I guess it's typical. "We love the Red Sox so much, we got married in the stands at Fenway during a game."
"Wow! That's quite a story. How'd the Sox do?"
"The Yankees beat them 20-11."
A couple got married last Friday night at Fenway. Not engaged. Married. They showed this on NESN coming back from a break. I'm guessing YES did not show this.
But yes. Two Sox fans, wearing jerseys and, in her case, a ballcap with a veil hanging out the back, said their I dos. That's fine. Actually, it's not. It's pathetic. But Sox fans never tire of telling the world what great fans they are. So I guess it's typical. "We love the Red Sox so much, we got married in the stands at Fenway during a game."
"Wow! That's quite a story. How'd the Sox do?"
"The Yankees beat them 20-11."
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Bad Broadcasting
You'd think I'd be on here to talk about tonight's rubber match at Fenway. Obviously there is a lot I could say about a Sunday-night, nationally televised pitchers' duel in Boston between the Yankees and Red Sox. All I will say for now is that, after missing the first two games due to work Friday and a wedding yesterday, I am very excited for tonight's game and hope it doesn't disappoint. I'd be shocked if it did.
Instead, I have to point out two pieces of crappy commentary from the past week; both on national telecasts. My good friend Space tells me broadcast critique could be my calling on this blog. So here goes:
Monday night was ESPN's first "Monday Night Football" game of 2009, a preseason tilt between the Giants and Panthers. First of all, I don't believe Monday Night Football even exists anymore. I know ESPN has been showing the games all along, because ESPN has had control of ABC's sports programming for some time. But once the show left network TV it was over.
I watched Monday only because I watch all Giants games. So I saw the debut of John Gruden, who I hope will be getting another coaching job soon. First, Gruden misinterpreted the concept of "down by contact" so badly on a Panther's fumble that it would make one wonder if he was qualified to coach Pop Warner. On a super slo-mo replay, it was clearly shown -- super slo-mo was not needed -- that the ball popped out of the ballcarrier's hand when the back of his hand hit the ground. "DOWN BY CONTACT" Gruden shouted. As any slightly-more-than-casual football fan knows, a ballcarrier is "down" when any part of his body touches the ground other than a hand or foot. Gruden should know this like the back of his hand. Pun intended. Needless to say, a fumble was ruled on replay and the Giants were awarded possession.
A silly discussion ensued about at what point the hand becomes the arm. Wrist? Forear? WHO CARES?!?! None of those things touched the ground. The hand did.
Gruden's worst offense, however, came at the end of the game. The only reason I, my father-in-law, or anyone else might have been watching were that we didn't feel like getting up and shutting off the TV. But we were. And, as most folks now know, the game ended when the Giants' Clint Sintim knocked a ball out of the hand of the Carolina quarterback Hunter Cantwell. It was caught in the air by the Giants' Tommie Hill, a guy trying to make the team, as are almost all the players in a preseason game with 10 seconds left. Hill returned the fumble or interception for a touchdown.
As Hill entered the end zone, Gruden's commentary consisted of goofy laughter, followed by the words, "What a finish! Monday Night Football on my birthday!"
I knew ESPN was unmatched in its ability to congratulate itself and make itself the news, but I didn't realize this skill now extended to individuals. I was going to write "individual broadcasters," but Gruden is not a broadcaster, and he never will be, even if he has a headset surgically attached to his head, if this is the kind of performance he is going to give. I know this was a fun moment at the least meaningful moment of the least meaningful game ESPN will televise this year. But for a member of the crew to mention his own birthday during the live call of a game-winning play at the final gun of an NFL game is unconscionable. Let's hope Gruden was told this and that things will not be this way for a whole season.
Just a few minutes ago, Chip Caray, whom I like, just committed what some print journalists refer to as an EYF. The practice refers to the concocting of a ridiculous synonym as a way of avoiding repetitive use of a word, even if that word happens to be a prominent part of the story. For instance, in a story about winter weather, you'll often hear TV weather people refer to snow as "the white stuff," lest they find themselves using the word "snow" 100 times. There is nothing wrong with using the word "snow" 100 times if it's appropriate 100 times, which, in a story about winter weather, it usually is. When I hear "the white stuff," I always think to myself, "cocaine?"
Perhaps Chip Caray does not wish to keep referring to players' batting averages "with runners in scoring position."After all, he's a professional baseball play-by-play man. He must use that phrase a thousand times a year. But that does not make it a good idea to do what he just did, referring to Jason Bartlett as "the man who has been the Rays' best hitter this year with runners at second third base."
What the hell is second third base? Does he mean "second and third base"? I'm sure they have a stat for that, but it's probably not that meaningful. Does he mean "second or third base"? If so, does exclude situations with runners at both of those bases?
Chip, I know what you mean, but that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive your murder of the English language. Just say "with runners in scoring position." And don't give me a bunch of nonsense about how you said what you said for the casual fan who might not know what "scoring position" means. You tried to get cute. It's not necessary.
And in case anyone wonders what EYF stands for, it was, according to legend, "elongated yellow fruit." Apparently somebody got tired of writing "banana" in a story in which a banana figured prominently. And what a story that must have been.
Instead, I have to point out two pieces of crappy commentary from the past week; both on national telecasts. My good friend Space tells me broadcast critique could be my calling on this blog. So here goes:
Monday night was ESPN's first "Monday Night Football" game of 2009, a preseason tilt between the Giants and Panthers. First of all, I don't believe Monday Night Football even exists anymore. I know ESPN has been showing the games all along, because ESPN has had control of ABC's sports programming for some time. But once the show left network TV it was over.
I watched Monday only because I watch all Giants games. So I saw the debut of John Gruden, who I hope will be getting another coaching job soon. First, Gruden misinterpreted the concept of "down by contact" so badly on a Panther's fumble that it would make one wonder if he was qualified to coach Pop Warner. On a super slo-mo replay, it was clearly shown -- super slo-mo was not needed -- that the ball popped out of the ballcarrier's hand when the back of his hand hit the ground. "DOWN BY CONTACT" Gruden shouted. As any slightly-more-than-casual football fan knows, a ballcarrier is "down" when any part of his body touches the ground other than a hand or foot. Gruden should know this like the back of his hand. Pun intended. Needless to say, a fumble was ruled on replay and the Giants were awarded possession.
A silly discussion ensued about at what point the hand becomes the arm. Wrist? Forear? WHO CARES?!?! None of those things touched the ground. The hand did.
Gruden's worst offense, however, came at the end of the game. The only reason I, my father-in-law, or anyone else might have been watching were that we didn't feel like getting up and shutting off the TV. But we were. And, as most folks now know, the game ended when the Giants' Clint Sintim knocked a ball out of the hand of the Carolina quarterback Hunter Cantwell. It was caught in the air by the Giants' Tommie Hill, a guy trying to make the team, as are almost all the players in a preseason game with 10 seconds left. Hill returned the fumble or interception for a touchdown.
As Hill entered the end zone, Gruden's commentary consisted of goofy laughter, followed by the words, "What a finish! Monday Night Football on my birthday!"
I knew ESPN was unmatched in its ability to congratulate itself and make itself the news, but I didn't realize this skill now extended to individuals. I was going to write "individual broadcasters," but Gruden is not a broadcaster, and he never will be, even if he has a headset surgically attached to his head, if this is the kind of performance he is going to give. I know this was a fun moment at the least meaningful moment of the least meaningful game ESPN will televise this year. But for a member of the crew to mention his own birthday during the live call of a game-winning play at the final gun of an NFL game is unconscionable. Let's hope Gruden was told this and that things will not be this way for a whole season.
Just a few minutes ago, Chip Caray, whom I like, just committed what some print journalists refer to as an EYF. The practice refers to the concocting of a ridiculous synonym as a way of avoiding repetitive use of a word, even if that word happens to be a prominent part of the story. For instance, in a story about winter weather, you'll often hear TV weather people refer to snow as "the white stuff," lest they find themselves using the word "snow" 100 times. There is nothing wrong with using the word "snow" 100 times if it's appropriate 100 times, which, in a story about winter weather, it usually is. When I hear "the white stuff," I always think to myself, "cocaine?"
Perhaps Chip Caray does not wish to keep referring to players' batting averages "with runners in scoring position."After all, he's a professional baseball play-by-play man. He must use that phrase a thousand times a year. But that does not make it a good idea to do what he just did, referring to Jason Bartlett as "the man who has been the Rays' best hitter this year with runners at second third base."
What the hell is second third base? Does he mean "second and third base"? I'm sure they have a stat for that, but it's probably not that meaningful. Does he mean "second or third base"? If so, does exclude situations with runners at both of those bases?
Chip, I know what you mean, but that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive your murder of the English language. Just say "with runners in scoring position." And don't give me a bunch of nonsense about how you said what you said for the casual fan who might not know what "scoring position" means. You tried to get cute. It's not necessary.
And in case anyone wonders what EYF stands for, it was, according to legend, "elongated yellow fruit." Apparently somebody got tired of writing "banana" in a story in which a banana figured prominently. And what a story that must have been.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Make that the bottom of the 15th!
Jeter, Damon and Teixeira against Tazawa. I think we're about to win.
We go to the bottom of the ninth...
... and no matter what happens from here on out, this has been a tremendous ballgame. This is the way baseball is supposed to be played.
I was at a party a few weeks ago with a group of Sox fans who were talking about Manny -- this was before the Ortiz revelations -- and declaring, "I don't care about steroids. They make the game more interesting."
I'm sorry, but home run derby is only interesting when it's, you know, in the Home Run Derby. I like this form of baseball. I would advocate raising the mound back to 1968 levels, moving the fences back so that every park plays like Citi Field, and even contracting the number of teams to reverse the watering down of the pitching. I don't mind seeing 19 runs scored in a game, such as what happened last night, but I'd like to see the teams earn their 19 runs. That doesn't happen with Pedroia, Damon and Kotchman hitting cheap home runs. I love this new stadium in so many ways, but this is one thing I absolutely hate about it.
By the way -- couldn't Phil Hughes have pitched the top of the ninth? Isn't it a waste that we have two absolute weapons in the bullpen, and we're probably going to need both of them, and one gets to get one stinkin' out? Suppose Okajima gets through this inning unscathed. Now we go to the 10th with maybe one more inning of Rivera, and the Red Sox can probably get four innings if they need them out of their two weapons, Bard and Papelbon.
OK, Francona is shooting my theory full of holes, bringing in Bard with one out. Hopefully the rookie wilts under the pressure of the Stadium, with all its history and overzealous fans. Oh, wait. The Stadium with the history is rotting across the street, and the overzealous fans have been priced out.
OK, let's watch the rest of this baby.
I was at a party a few weeks ago with a group of Sox fans who were talking about Manny -- this was before the Ortiz revelations -- and declaring, "I don't care about steroids. They make the game more interesting."
I'm sorry, but home run derby is only interesting when it's, you know, in the Home Run Derby. I like this form of baseball. I would advocate raising the mound back to 1968 levels, moving the fences back so that every park plays like Citi Field, and even contracting the number of teams to reverse the watering down of the pitching. I don't mind seeing 19 runs scored in a game, such as what happened last night, but I'd like to see the teams earn their 19 runs. That doesn't happen with Pedroia, Damon and Kotchman hitting cheap home runs. I love this new stadium in so many ways, but this is one thing I absolutely hate about it.
By the way -- couldn't Phil Hughes have pitched the top of the ninth? Isn't it a waste that we have two absolute weapons in the bullpen, and we're probably going to need both of them, and one gets to get one stinkin' out? Suppose Okajima gets through this inning unscathed. Now we go to the 10th with maybe one more inning of Rivera, and the Red Sox can probably get four innings if they need them out of their two weapons, Bard and Papelbon.
OK, Francona is shooting my theory full of holes, bringing in Bard with one out. Hopefully the rookie wilts under the pressure of the Stadium, with all its history and overzealous fans. Oh, wait. The Stadium with the history is rotting across the street, and the overzealous fans have been priced out.
OK, let's watch the rest of this baby.
Watney on Smoltz
Heidi Watney just reported that the Red Sox made the "tough decision" to release John Smoltz. If that's a tough decision, what would constitute an easy decision? "Guys, Mr. Epstein has decided to remove the arsenic-infused caesar salad from the postgame spread. Hope nobody has a problem with this decision."
Beckett is on. But he is not cute. That's the official scoring decision from the Ambassador's wife.
Nice throw, Jorge. Keep it up.
I'm still on beer No. 1. Probably why I'm not that into this blog thing yet. Then again, I'm not really into this beer thing tonight. But I'll follow last night's formula. Porter, Lager, Black & Tan, Light.
Cano leads off the third against Beckett. Always used to hear his swing compared to Rod Carew's. I hadn't heard that for a while, but Orsillo just brought it up. Is it really that uncanny? I was only 12 when Carew retired, but I did see him play many times, including at least once in person. I really don't see it. Mattingly reminded me more of Carew, but I think I just broke the Cardinal Rule of Sports Comparisons, which states that one cannot liken a white athlete to a black athlete and vice versa.
Beckett is on. But he is not cute. That's the official scoring decision from the Ambassador's wife.
Nice throw, Jorge. Keep it up.
I'm still on beer No. 1. Probably why I'm not that into this blog thing yet. Then again, I'm not really into this beer thing tonight. But I'll follow last night's formula. Porter, Lager, Black & Tan, Light.
Cano leads off the third against Beckett. Always used to hear his swing compared to Rod Carew's. I hadn't heard that for a while, but Orsillo just brought it up. Is it really that uncanny? I was only 12 when Carew retired, but I did see him play many times, including at least once in person. I really don't see it. Mattingly reminded me more of Carew, but I think I just broke the Cardinal Rule of Sports Comparisons, which states that one cannot liken a white athlete to a black athlete and vice versa.
This will be low-scoring ...
... at least, it will if Burnett finds his control, because Beckett appears to be on. Again. It amazes me that this guy ever goes through stretches where he is not so great. The guy's stuff is so good.
Underway
Only took half an inning to catch up to the live action tonight. I hope A.J. Burnett only needed half an inning to catch up as well. Ten of his first 13 pitches were balls. Didn't we see enough of that from Joba last night?
Let's make it 2-8
Yanks go for their second win of this key four-game series. It will NOT be as easy as their first. I'd personally like to thank the Red S*x for waiting a day too long to designate John Smoltz for assignment. Ironic he got shelled like that -- perhaps for the final time -- in front of Muhammad Ali. This fight was like Ali-Holmes '80, except that Smoltz will not be left punch-drunk.
But someone might. Let's see if any bad blood remains from last night's plunking of Dustin Gaedel Pedroia by Mark Melancon. This did not appear to be a big topic of discussion in the blogosphere today, and it was not given prominent ink in the papers I read. Doesn't mean it's not a big deal. We'll find out. Damn, it'll be fun.
As for me -- MUCH better pre-game warmup routine. Went for a nice long run along the Charles, then came back, had some water with a splash of cran and lime wedges -- used to be my favorite non-alcoholic drink when I was bartending, and got back on the grill. The coals lighted on the second try instead of the third, and tonight's turkey burgers have a nice golden crust on them. Last night's were charred like David Koresh.
Anyway, first pitch in about five minutes. Time to click on NESN and hit "pause."
But someone might. Let's see if any bad blood remains from last night's plunking of Dustin Gaedel Pedroia by Mark Melancon. This did not appear to be a big topic of discussion in the blogosphere today, and it was not given prominent ink in the papers I read. Doesn't mean it's not a big deal. We'll find out. Damn, it'll be fun.
As for me -- MUCH better pre-game warmup routine. Went for a nice long run along the Charles, then came back, had some water with a splash of cran and lime wedges -- used to be my favorite non-alcoholic drink when I was bartending, and got back on the grill. The coals lighted on the second try instead of the third, and tonight's turkey burgers have a nice golden crust on them. Last night's were charred like David Koresh.
Anyway, first pitch in about five minutes. Time to click on NESN and hit "pause."
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wrapping it up
Thoughts: It's only one win. And no, it doesn't "break the seal" or prove to the Yankees that, "Yes, we can beat Boston," because if you think they entered this game thinking "We can't beat the Red Sox," you're crazy. But it's certainly better to win than lose.
But I'm not impressed. I'm not disgusted, but it was a tough performance to watch for Joba Chamberlain. As far as the offense, they hit the hell out of a John Smoltz who in the best-case scenario is still recovering from off-season arm surgery, or, in the more likely scenario, is a completely shot pitcher; then they poured it on against Billy Traber, who will not pitch in any meaningful innings for the Red Sox. Light up Josh Beckett tomorrow and I'll be impressed. By "light up," I mean "score four runs."
A Yankee will get plunked hard by a pitch before this weekend is over. That's fine. But I don't have any sympathy for the Red Sox. Pedro Martinez and co. used Derek Jeter as their personal pinatas for years. The Yankees have to handle this situation like men. You will remember, Varitek's mashing of A-Rod's face with his mitt, however sissified it was by the presence of his mask, was clearly the turning point of the Red Sox 2004 season -- and, by extension, Red Sox history. It is also easy to remember that the Yankees' gangsta response to Armando Benitez's plunking of Tino Martinez in 1998 was the moment that galvanized that team as the greatest of its generation.
Something is about to happen between these two teams. I can feel it. How they handle it could go a long way toward determining how ready each one is heading toward the home stretch of this pennant race.
LET'S GO YANKEES!
But I'm not impressed. I'm not disgusted, but it was a tough performance to watch for Joba Chamberlain. As far as the offense, they hit the hell out of a John Smoltz who in the best-case scenario is still recovering from off-season arm surgery, or, in the more likely scenario, is a completely shot pitcher; then they poured it on against Billy Traber, who will not pitch in any meaningful innings for the Red Sox. Light up Josh Beckett tomorrow and I'll be impressed. By "light up," I mean "score four runs."
A Yankee will get plunked hard by a pitch before this weekend is over. That's fine. But I don't have any sympathy for the Red Sox. Pedro Martinez and co. used Derek Jeter as their personal pinatas for years. The Yankees have to handle this situation like men. You will remember, Varitek's mashing of A-Rod's face with his mitt, however sissified it was by the presence of his mask, was clearly the turning point of the Red Sox 2004 season -- and, by extension, Red Sox history. It is also easy to remember that the Yankees' gangsta response to Armando Benitez's plunking of Tino Martinez in 1998 was the moment that galvanized that team as the greatest of its generation.
Something is about to happen between these two teams. I can feel it. How they handle it could go a long way toward determining how ready each one is heading toward the home stretch of this pennant race.
LET'S GO YANKEES!
Oh, the beer thing!
So, beer in Ireland. Can anyone tell me why the NFL-draft-signee-type slotting system for beers in Irish pubs?
Also, when did Coors become "The Banquet Beer?" I've been to many banquets. Never seen Coors. Coors Lite, maybe, but not that gold-can crap (as opposed to the light crap).
Also, when did Coors become "The Banquet Beer?" I've been to many banquets. Never seen Coors. Coors Lite, maybe, but not that gold-can crap (as opposed to the light crap).
Beer and beanballs
Beer update: Wifey and I have just a Cecil Fielder-load of booze left over from the wedding -- and yes, you're all invited to come drink anytime (Sox fans must wait until after the game Sunday; you're not allowed in The Embassy during the War).
We got married in Pennsylvania, where the very fine offerings of Yuengling are as inexpensive as crappo beer like Bud Lite and Coors Lite. And people seem to LOVE the stuff. So that's the only beer we got for the wedding.
So tonight it was Yuengling Porter in pregame, followed by Lager, then Black & Tan, and now I'm on a Light Lager. If that's the lucky formula, I guess I'll be sticking with it tomorrow. Heading to a party after tomorrow's game. Hope the wife can drive.
Two more beer notes: the pubs in Ireland all have pretty much the same beers. Not all Irish beers, but they all have some combo of Guinness (obviously) and Smithwick's (obviously). Then they also all have Budweiser and Coors Light, but never Bud Lite or anything Miller. They ALL have Heineken, but not Amstel.
Got some fireworks on the field now, as Melancon hits the mouthy little weiner Pedroia. Does this guy ever shut up? There is absolutely no reason why Melancon would hit him, yet he's yapping like the little Shih Tzu that he is.
Been about two minutes and he's still flapping his gums.
Give Pedroia credit for going into second hard at Jeter. That's fine. Jeter smart to realize it's coming. I can't stand Pedroia, but the little bastard can play the game. A Yankee is going down in the bottom of the eighth. Sox obviously think Melancon's pitch was intentional. Oh, crap. Warnings were issued. Guess it'll happen early tomorrow, because Francona's not going to let one of his players get him suspended for a game.
We got married in Pennsylvania, where the very fine offerings of Yuengling are as inexpensive as crappo beer like Bud Lite and Coors Lite. And people seem to LOVE the stuff. So that's the only beer we got for the wedding.
So tonight it was Yuengling Porter in pregame, followed by Lager, then Black & Tan, and now I'm on a Light Lager. If that's the lucky formula, I guess I'll be sticking with it tomorrow. Heading to a party after tomorrow's game. Hope the wife can drive.
Two more beer notes: the pubs in Ireland all have pretty much the same beers. Not all Irish beers, but they all have some combo of Guinness (obviously) and Smithwick's (obviously). Then they also all have Budweiser and Coors Light, but never Bud Lite or anything Miller. They ALL have Heineken, but not Amstel.
Got some fireworks on the field now, as Melancon hits the mouthy little weiner Pedroia. Does this guy ever shut up? There is absolutely no reason why Melancon would hit him, yet he's yapping like the little Shih Tzu that he is.
Been about two minutes and he's still flapping his gums.
Give Pedroia credit for going into second hard at Jeter. That's fine. Jeter smart to realize it's coming. I can't stand Pedroia, but the little bastard can play the game. A Yankee is going down in the bottom of the eighth. Sox obviously think Melancon's pitch was intentional. Oh, crap. Warnings were issued. Guess it'll happen early tomorrow, because Francona's not going to let one of his players get him suspended for a game.
Heidi Hotney
I'm too nice. My wife has referred to two Yankee pitchers as "cute" tonight, one of them being Joba Chamberlain.
Yet I stifle my instincts to point out how absurdly hot Heidi Watney is. Something's not right here.
Yet I stifle my instincts to point out how absurdly hot Heidi Watney is. Something's not right here.
For the first time, I'm watching tonight's game live. Which means I'll also be seeing commercials for the first time, so I hope NESN has a funny one in the queue.
Dave Robertson in to pitch. Two Yankee pitchers, two "Ooh, he's cute" declarations from the Embassy wife. She'll be in trouble for this one. Not by me. I don't care. But by a friend of a friend of hers, who is actually married to him. You know how catty women can be.
Dave Robertson in to pitch. Two Yankee pitchers, two "Ooh, he's cute" declarations from the Embassy wife. She'll be in trouble for this one. Not by me. I don't care. But by a friend of a friend of hers, who is actually married to him. You know how catty women can be.
I called 5.1 innings and 110 pitches for Joba. He threw 108 and has gone 5. I assume his night is over. I hope it is. Though I'd bet he could put it all together for one good sixth, I don't see the point. They're supposed to be managing his innings, but it's really his pitches they should be worried about, and if they let him go out and warm up after 108 pitches, then throw another 15 or 20, it would be hard to take even their revised Joba Rules very seriously.
I think pitchers are way overprotected, but Joba has really labored tonight. The bullpen should not be too taxed. Anyway, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Let's get this win in the books. We haven't beaten these bastards all year, and one win guarantees we wake up Monday in first place. And we won't drop the next three, anyway.
My wife is currently breezing through another thick Harry Potter tome. She's read them all multiple times. The only person I've ever seen read faster than her is Will Hunting. Meanwhile I'm the slowest reader in the world. Maybe if I didn't waste my brain cells surfing the Internet for Red Sox columns to rip apart.
Matsui just rewarded me for my earlier Valentine to him with a two-run double. This year doesn't seem to be wearing him down. Maybe by next spring he's at full health for one or two more years of Matsui-level play. This guy was some player in his prime.
I think pitchers are way overprotected, but Joba has really labored tonight. The bullpen should not be too taxed. Anyway, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Let's get this win in the books. We haven't beaten these bastards all year, and one win guarantees we wake up Monday in first place. And we won't drop the next three, anyway.
My wife is currently breezing through another thick Harry Potter tome. She's read them all multiple times. The only person I've ever seen read faster than her is Will Hunting. Meanwhile I'm the slowest reader in the world. Maybe if I didn't waste my brain cells surfing the Internet for Red Sox columns to rip apart.
Matsui just rewarded me for my earlier Valentine to him with a two-run double. This year doesn't seem to be wearing him down. Maybe by next spring he's at full health for one or two more years of Matsui-level play. This guy was some player in his prime.
There's the Greatest of All Time, Muhammed Ali, getting his ear talked off by Reggie Jackson. I'm guessing the conversation goes something like this:
Jackson: "Champ, you're probably the only person in this world who can relate to the magnitude of me."
Ali: "Who the hell are you?"
Joba opens the fifth with six straight balls. OK, I guess 39 minutes is a long layoff. Now seven straight. And eight. And that's 89 pitches. Looks like my prediction is going to be right on.
Sarcastic cheer for Joba for strike one on Big Syringe. Hockey fans are so much better at the sarcastic cheer than baseball fans.
Apropos of nothing, but if you're a Yankee fan and you've never heard Don Orsillo do a game on NESN, tomorrow might not be a bad night to head to a friend's house in New Haven to watch the game on NESN. He's really good. The YES crew is fine, but you won't miss them for one night. Call my friends Ray and Sean. I'm sure they'll have you over. Sean makes a mean chicken marsala.
Jackson: "Champ, you're probably the only person in this world who can relate to the magnitude of me."
Ali: "Who the hell are you?"
Joba opens the fifth with six straight balls. OK, I guess 39 minutes is a long layoff. Now seven straight. And eight. And that's 89 pitches. Looks like my prediction is going to be right on.
Sarcastic cheer for Joba for strike one on Big Syringe. Hockey fans are so much better at the sarcastic cheer than baseball fans.
Apropos of nothing, but if you're a Yankee fan and you've never heard Don Orsillo do a game on NESN, tomorrow might not be a bad night to head to a friend's house in New Haven to watch the game on NESN. He's really good. The YES crew is fine, but you won't miss them for one night. Call my friends Ray and Sean. I'm sure they'll have you over. Sean makes a mean chicken marsala.
That's all for Smoltz. Glad my worst fears were not realized.
And as Billy Traber warms up to pitch to Hideki Matsui, I'd like to take a moment to rocognize Matsui as a worthy teammate to the Big Four (Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Posada), and a worthy recipient of the O'Neill-Brosius-Tino torch. This guy hit a grand slam in his first game as a Yankee, then absolutely ripped the Red Sox in the 2003 ALCS. I'll never forget the image of him sliding across the plate with the tying run in the eighth against Pedro, then popping up and going into a mad celebration. I'm really sorry to see the way he's broken down these last three years.
Obviously I'd want the Yankees to win the World Series if they had 25 Alex Rodriguezes, but if there's one guy I really want to see win one, it's Matsui.
And there he is, as if on cue, hustling his ass off to beat the throw from second by the tiniest of steps to get the Yankees their sixth run.
And now, by extension, their seventh, eighth and ninth, because the inning stayed alive and Jorge just crushed one. 9-3 Yanks. Joba, you'd better come out throwing strikes. I don't want to hear any crap about how the long layoff stiffens you up.
And as Billy Traber warms up to pitch to Hideki Matsui, I'd like to take a moment to rocognize Matsui as a worthy teammate to the Big Four (Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Posada), and a worthy recipient of the O'Neill-Brosius-Tino torch. This guy hit a grand slam in his first game as a Yankee, then absolutely ripped the Red Sox in the 2003 ALCS. I'll never forget the image of him sliding across the plate with the tying run in the eighth against Pedro, then popping up and going into a mad celebration. I'm really sorry to see the way he's broken down these last three years.
Obviously I'd want the Yankees to win the World Series if they had 25 Alex Rodriguezes, but if there's one guy I really want to see win one, it's Matsui.
And there he is, as if on cue, hustling his ass off to beat the throw from second by the tiniest of steps to get the Yankees their sixth run.
And now, by extension, their seventh, eighth and ninth, because the inning stayed alive and Jorge just crushed one. 9-3 Yanks. Joba, you'd better come out throwing strikes. I don't want to hear any crap about how the long layoff stiffens you up.
81 pitches for Joba through four. My prediction is looking pretty good.
Posada rips a double. Still pissed at him, but the guy can hit.
Six minutes behind live play as we start the bottom of the fourth, and the Yankees are hitting Smoltz pretty hard. Incidentally, the dual that Smoltz lost 1-0 to Andy Pettitte in Game Five of the 1996 World Series was easily one of the three or four best ballgames I've ever seen. I have that on tape and should watch it sometime soon. My wife wonders why I keep videotapes like this. I don't get women.
Posada rips a double. Still pissed at him, but the guy can hit.
Six minutes behind live play as we start the bottom of the fourth, and the Yankees are hitting Smoltz pretty hard. Incidentally, the dual that Smoltz lost 1-0 to Andy Pettitte in Game Five of the 1996 World Series was easily one of the three or four best ballgames I've ever seen. I have that on tape and should watch it sometime soon. My wife wonders why I keep videotapes like this. I don't get women.
The inevitable talk about how neither of these home runs -- Pedroia's or Damon's -- would have been out of Yankee Stadium last year. Never mind that. I saw a photo today of Dave Righetti's final pitch in his no-hitter against Boston. You could see the left-center field power alley over his shoulder. 430 feet. 4 effing 30. Then Woody Woodward became GM in 1985 and moved the fences in. That was the year I started reading Yankees Magazine, and I'd bet I still have that article.
I miss the old days when you could land a plane in the Stadium outfield. And I wasn't even around for the old days of 457 to right center and 461 to left center. Dammit, hitting a home run used to be hard. It meant something. Isn't that the way it should be? It's baseball, not home run derby.
I miss the old days when you could land a plane in the Stadium outfield. And I wasn't even around for the old days of 457 to right center and 461 to left center. Dammit, hitting a home run used to be hard. It meant something. Isn't that the way it should be? It's baseball, not home run derby.
Remeber what I said about Joba and throwing 110 pitches to get through 5.1 IP?
Oh, never mind. One pitch, one 4-6-3 DP for Big Juicer. Would have been a triple play if not for steroids.
Except that Ortiz would have been out of baseball years ago without steroids.
Lazy fly ball to end the third. DVR update: I go to the bottom of the third 10 minutes behind the live action.
Nice catch by Ellsbury. Red Sox Nation declares it the greatest catch of all time.
Oh, never mind. One pitch, one 4-6-3 DP for Big Juicer. Would have been a triple play if not for steroids.
Except that Ortiz would have been out of baseball years ago without steroids.
Lazy fly ball to end the third. DVR update: I go to the bottom of the third 10 minutes behind the live action.
Nice catch by Ellsbury. Red Sox Nation declares it the greatest catch of all time.
Just finished eating. Paused the game on DVR while cooking, so I'm 14 minutes behind. Therefore my posts will be behind until I catch up.
In a related story, it took me three tries to get the charcoal lit with the chimney starter. Finally got it going good. Actually, too good. Burnt the crap out of all four burgers. I don't think it's anything physical, but I may have to go to Scranton to work on my mechanics.
Meanwhile, Posada just cost the Yankees a run by not running hard from third to home on Swisher's would-be RBI single, and by basically copping a feel on Victor Martinez coming to the plate, rather than sliding or running him over. Looked like a big sissy. This, combined with that pathetic effort Friday night in Chicago in which he tried to rush a double play instead of making a sure out at home, tagging a runner with his glove while the ball was in his throwing hand. Needless to say, I'm not very happy with our catcher right now.
But at least he doesn't start fights while wearing his catcher's mask, unlike Boston's cowardly catcher. Excuse me -- backup catcher.
That's a huge run -- at least one run -- that the Yankees just gave away. Looks even more huge now that Dustin Gaedel has hit a Yankee Stadium cheapie. I'd advocate Joba drilling Pedroia, but the target is so small he might take 50 pitches to do it.
In a related story, it took me three tries to get the charcoal lit with the chimney starter. Finally got it going good. Actually, too good. Burnt the crap out of all four burgers. I don't think it's anything physical, but I may have to go to Scranton to work on my mechanics.
Meanwhile, Posada just cost the Yankees a run by not running hard from third to home on Swisher's would-be RBI single, and by basically copping a feel on Victor Martinez coming to the plate, rather than sliding or running him over. Looked like a big sissy. This, combined with that pathetic effort Friday night in Chicago in which he tried to rush a double play instead of making a sure out at home, tagging a runner with his glove while the ball was in his throwing hand. Needless to say, I'm not very happy with our catcher right now.
But at least he doesn't start fights while wearing his catcher's mask, unlike Boston's cowardly catcher. Excuse me -- backup catcher.
That's a huge run -- at least one run -- that the Yankees just gave away. Looks even more huge now that Dustin Gaedel has hit a Yankee Stadium cheapie. I'd advocate Joba drilling Pedroia, but the target is so small he might take 50 pitches to do it.
Here we go again
The Yankees got off to a nice start this year and the Red Sox struggled. Then Jason Bay crushed the hardest-hit home run ball I've ever seen anyone get against Mariano Rivera on the night of April 24 at Fenway Park, and the Red Sox were off and running -- off to an 8-0 record against the Yankees, and off to a long stretch of time in first place. The Yankees actually held a slim lead heading into the teams' three-game set in June, but that was quickly flopped.
After that, I hoped the Yankees would simply keep themselves within striking distance of the Red Sox. There was no reason to believe they would play so much better ball than Boston as to give themselves a lead of 2 1/2 games heading into this weekend's series. But here we are.
Who is the better team? Anyone watching baseball the last two months would have a hard time picking the Red Sox, but I saw one comment on ESPN, from a fan, that was dead-on: "You don't go 8-0 against a team that's better than you."
So what does it all mean? Were the Red Sox really that much better than the Yankees from late April through early June? They clearly were. And if things really haven't changed much since then, then I guess the Sox are going to win this series this weekend, too. So how much have things changed?
Let's start with the matchups. Chamberlain vs. Smoltz tonight. Clearly, the edge goes to Joba. But can't you just smell one of those can't-explain-it anomalies coming? You know, the one where Joba is erratic and needs 110 pitches to go 5.1 innings, while Smoltz, who has been smacked around by everyone but the Stratford Brakettes, puts it all together for one night?
I don't see why this would happen, and it's only one game, but suppose it does and the Red Sox win it. Now they're 9-0 heading into Friday's Beckett-Burnett showdown. You know you have to go with Beckett in that one. Burnett has stunk it up against Boston -- though he's been lights-out since -- while Beckett is at the top of his game right now. If that aforementioned scenario plays out, you can easily see the Yankees dropping the first two of this series.
Saturday should be a lock, with Sabathia against shaky Clay Buchholz. Sunday is a little closer, with Pettitte, who's been hot, against Lester, whose ERA is better but has not been overwhelming this year.
You can see this series being a split, but a win tonight should give the Yankees the inside track on taking 3 of 4 and increasing their lead to 4 1/2 games.
My original question: how much is different? What's different is pitching. How confident would you feel, Yankee fans, if a healthy Daisuke Matsuzaka were opposing Chamberlain tonight and a healthy Wakefield were going Saturday against CC? Still confident, but less confident, I would guess.
But that's not the case. And the Yankee bullpen is fortified for the series while the Sox pen is shaky -- though we have no Hughes tonight.
And anyway, how important is this series, anyway? Obviously the first eight games were important, but they weren't the be-all and end-all. If they were, the Yankees wouldn't be in first place. Say Boston sweeps this weekend. Now we're all sure the Yankees can't beat them -- until they get hot again against all the weaker sister and go back into first place, and then win the next series with Boston.
Yet, you get the feeling the Yankees are ready to win games like this. They are certainly due. Three of four puts them pretty comfortably in front, and the Red Sox more likely have to deal with Tampa and Texas just to get the wild card. That's my prediction.
Not that I won't take a sweep!
Some random thoughts: WEEI reported that David Ortiz would hold a press conference from Yankee Stadium at 3:30 today. Never happened, though WEEI.com now says it's scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Could it be that the information for which Ortiz was waiting turned out to be, "Hey Papi -- you really were busted for steroids"? Or could it be that he really has a good alibi and just wants to let Yankee fans rip him for two nights, then make asses of them Saturday? My guess is he's as guilty as anyone whose been caught, and he'll say the exact same things they did: Nothing. Well, nothing of value, anyway.
Watching the MLB Network pregame show now. The Embassy does not subscribe to the MLB Package and thus does not get games on the YES Network. Thus we here get to watch games on national TV, or when they play the Red Sox. Problem is I'm pretty sure the game will be blacked out here on MLBN, and I'll be stuck with the NESN broadcast, so hearing Jim Kaat's voice during the MLBN pregame show is nothing but a tease. I guess, right now, I wish he had gone to work full-time with NESN instead of just a temp role.
By the way, does Kaat have a roided-up son who can take the place of Jerry Remy's roided-up son? Bill Simmons, in a conversation with his Yankee-fan buddy Jack-O on the BS Report, seemed to think this story is going to become a real problem for the "Olde Towne Team." I don't know about that, but it sure would be fun. Incidentally, that podcast on Monday was the first one I ever downloaded to my iPod. Apparently Jack-O has a big following on Twitter. I may break my Twitter cherry with his tweets. Imagine Sports Guy humor, without the insufferable Red Sox propaganda.
Gotta get going to cook some pre-game burgers with the wife here at The Embassy, which has shut its doors to outsiders. Had my two best Boston friends here to watch the Sox last Friday. None of that this weekend. I want this to be all about rooting for the Yankees. Not interested in a fan rivalry, so the Embassy is in lockdown. All Sox fans who try to get in will be hit in the face with a cat.
Upcoming topics: the wedding and Ireland honeymoon, the AC/DC show, the start of Giants camp and some more fun with the Typical Boston Fan, a Boston blogger on whom I have missile lock.
Check for updates during the game. LET'S GO YANKEES!
After that, I hoped the Yankees would simply keep themselves within striking distance of the Red Sox. There was no reason to believe they would play so much better ball than Boston as to give themselves a lead of 2 1/2 games heading into this weekend's series. But here we are.
Who is the better team? Anyone watching baseball the last two months would have a hard time picking the Red Sox, but I saw one comment on ESPN, from a fan, that was dead-on: "You don't go 8-0 against a team that's better than you."
So what does it all mean? Were the Red Sox really that much better than the Yankees from late April through early June? They clearly were. And if things really haven't changed much since then, then I guess the Sox are going to win this series this weekend, too. So how much have things changed?
Let's start with the matchups. Chamberlain vs. Smoltz tonight. Clearly, the edge goes to Joba. But can't you just smell one of those can't-explain-it anomalies coming? You know, the one where Joba is erratic and needs 110 pitches to go 5.1 innings, while Smoltz, who has been smacked around by everyone but the Stratford Brakettes, puts it all together for one night?
I don't see why this would happen, and it's only one game, but suppose it does and the Red Sox win it. Now they're 9-0 heading into Friday's Beckett-Burnett showdown. You know you have to go with Beckett in that one. Burnett has stunk it up against Boston -- though he's been lights-out since -- while Beckett is at the top of his game right now. If that aforementioned scenario plays out, you can easily see the Yankees dropping the first two of this series.
Saturday should be a lock, with Sabathia against shaky Clay Buchholz. Sunday is a little closer, with Pettitte, who's been hot, against Lester, whose ERA is better but has not been overwhelming this year.
You can see this series being a split, but a win tonight should give the Yankees the inside track on taking 3 of 4 and increasing their lead to 4 1/2 games.
My original question: how much is different? What's different is pitching. How confident would you feel, Yankee fans, if a healthy Daisuke Matsuzaka were opposing Chamberlain tonight and a healthy Wakefield were going Saturday against CC? Still confident, but less confident, I would guess.
But that's not the case. And the Yankee bullpen is fortified for the series while the Sox pen is shaky -- though we have no Hughes tonight.
And anyway, how important is this series, anyway? Obviously the first eight games were important, but they weren't the be-all and end-all. If they were, the Yankees wouldn't be in first place. Say Boston sweeps this weekend. Now we're all sure the Yankees can't beat them -- until they get hot again against all the weaker sister and go back into first place, and then win the next series with Boston.
Yet, you get the feeling the Yankees are ready to win games like this. They are certainly due. Three of four puts them pretty comfortably in front, and the Red Sox more likely have to deal with Tampa and Texas just to get the wild card. That's my prediction.
Not that I won't take a sweep!
Some random thoughts: WEEI reported that David Ortiz would hold a press conference from Yankee Stadium at 3:30 today. Never happened, though WEEI.com now says it's scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Could it be that the information for which Ortiz was waiting turned out to be, "Hey Papi -- you really were busted for steroids"? Or could it be that he really has a good alibi and just wants to let Yankee fans rip him for two nights, then make asses of them Saturday? My guess is he's as guilty as anyone whose been caught, and he'll say the exact same things they did: Nothing. Well, nothing of value, anyway.
Watching the MLB Network pregame show now. The Embassy does not subscribe to the MLB Package and thus does not get games on the YES Network. Thus we here get to watch games on national TV, or when they play the Red Sox. Problem is I'm pretty sure the game will be blacked out here on MLBN, and I'll be stuck with the NESN broadcast, so hearing Jim Kaat's voice during the MLBN pregame show is nothing but a tease. I guess, right now, I wish he had gone to work full-time with NESN instead of just a temp role.
By the way, does Kaat have a roided-up son who can take the place of Jerry Remy's roided-up son? Bill Simmons, in a conversation with his Yankee-fan buddy Jack-O on the BS Report, seemed to think this story is going to become a real problem for the "Olde Towne Team." I don't know about that, but it sure would be fun. Incidentally, that podcast on Monday was the first one I ever downloaded to my iPod. Apparently Jack-O has a big following on Twitter. I may break my Twitter cherry with his tweets. Imagine Sports Guy humor, without the insufferable Red Sox propaganda.
Gotta get going to cook some pre-game burgers with the wife here at The Embassy, which has shut its doors to outsiders. Had my two best Boston friends here to watch the Sox last Friday. None of that this weekend. I want this to be all about rooting for the Yankees. Not interested in a fan rivalry, so the Embassy is in lockdown. All Sox fans who try to get in will be hit in the face with a cat.
Upcoming topics: the wedding and Ireland honeymoon, the AC/DC show, the start of Giants camp and some more fun with the Typical Boston Fan, a Boston blogger on whom I have missile lock.
Check for updates during the game. LET'S GO YANKEES!
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