Red Sox @ Yankees - Blogging the Game

7:06 Paul Byrd against Sidney Ponson. A showdown of veritable pitching giants. Something tells me that on Opening Day, this is not how these two teams thought today’s game would begin. Just as importantly, we are joined - nay, lead fearlessly - by Stevie Phillips and Dave O’Brien.

7:09 Pedroia singles. There goes the perfect game for Sir Sidney.

7:12 Of all the little things that grounds crews have been accused of over the years of doing to favor the home team, I’ve never heard anyone being accused of timing the ads that appear on the wall behind home plate so that ads that are white, which makes the ball hard to see for fielders, show up when the home team is batting. Probably because they don’t do it. But it’d be a good idea.

7:14 Youkilis strikes out. Not that they did it for him in Yankee Stadium, but Youkilis batting reminds me how sick I am of fans who make a big deal out of guys whose names have a sound that rhymes with “boo”, like “Youk”. I think fans think they’re being really ironic when they yell these names. “Yooooouuuukk! Get it! It sounds like we’re booing, but we’re not! If you don’t know that, you’re not a real fan! Yooouuukk!” It’s the same with two guys named “Moose”: Mooooose (Mussina) and Mooooose (Daryl Johnston of the mid-90s Cowboys), among others. The only time I thought this was okay was when I didn’t know any better because I was 7 and Bills fans chanted “Bruuuuuuuce” for Bruce Smith. It only took the maturation level, however, of being 8 or possibly 9 at the oldest when I realized that this is dumb.

7:17 Sidney has allowed two in two thirds of an inning. Sounds about right.

7:18 Steve and Dave are talking about how today’s games are the last ones in MLB without replay, as replay begins tomorrow. I repeat: you cannot change rules in the middle of a season! Wait until next year!

7:20 Steve just said that Jon Lester “has become the ace” of the Red Sox staff. Not true. Josh Beckett and Dice-K have fallen so ungracefully that Lester has had no choice but to assume the “ace” role, if he even has.

7:21 Great assist to Pudge by Abreu to end the inning. We’ll miss his occasionally accurate arm next season.

7:26 Warren Spahn strikes out Damon with a pitch on the corne-...Sorry, I mean Paul Byrd’s windup strikes out Damon with a pitch on the corner. Bonus: Spahn was born in Buffalo.

7:28 Arkansas Megan is blogging the game as well. I have a sick feeling hers is going to be more entertaining than mine.

7:30 They just showed Mark Kotsay in the Boston dugout, as they just traded for him. Kotsay, of course, was at one time a brilliant acquisition by brilliant Money Ball manager Billy Beane, who has brilliantly managed his way to zero World Series appearances.

7:31 A-Rod scores Abreu from first. Suddenly the fans love him again. Hmm. 9 more years of this.

7:36 Every time I announce that I need more shaving cream, Arkansas Megan asks if I’m going to get the new kind whose commercial has hundreds of microscopic girls in tight jumpsuits and jet packs flying into the guy’s nose. Do women think that this is a popular male fantasy?

7:39 I would be more hesitant to take a shot of this garlic sauce that came with our pizza than I would be of taking a shot of the rattiest moonshine in West Virginia.

7:40 Sir Sidney fooled Ellsbury with two nice curveballs. Ellsbury has leveled out statistically to become a satisfyingly average player with above average speed.

7:47 The Phillies are currently beating Johan Santana 2-1. The Mets absolutely positively need to win that game. Just ask Matt J. If you want his head to spin around like the Exorcist girl’s. Especially now that O’Brien is reliving the Mets’ finish to last season. I happen to know that Matt J is not watching this broadcast; it’s probably for the best.

7:55 Steve Phillips proclaims to Peter Gammons that the most important player in the history of the Boston Red Sox is…Jason Varitek. I’m not even sure what to say.

7:57 Gammons is trying to clean up Phillips’ mess. It’s been roughly 10 minutes since anyone mentioned anything about what’s happening on the field.

8:02 There’s a reason Peter Gammons is a famous writer: because he’s a lousy TV announcer. Get him out of the booth.

8:04 Now they’re talking about Curt Schilling, who, I don’t have to remind you, has not thrown a single inning this season. He’s not even there. Is he even on the team? Let’s talk about Ruben Sierra!

8:11 The Most Important Player in Red Sox History flew out to center. Unrelated: I think Steve Phillips is drunk. Or he has a huge crush on Gammons who is STILL IN THE BOOTH. The game has become a sideshow. I would take Michael Kay, Al Leiter, and John Flaherty over these goobers any day. And I don’t think Dave O’Brien is that horrible!

8:15 Steve Phillips says that in his mind Maris’ 61 homers is still the single season record. I suppose Steve Phillips also thinks that Steve Phillips is a successful major league manager, too.

8:16 Footage of Roger Maris’ 61^st homer. Rounding the bases, his head was down and he wasn’t sprinting, but he wasn’t prancing either. Modern players claim to idolize guys like Maris. Why don’t they try to emulate them?

8:27 Cano brings A-Rod around on a single, tie game. Steve Phillips declares that the Yankees need “more things like that” (RBIs) in order to “turn this thing around.” Invaluable insight from the Skipper. Madden-esque.

8:28 Pudge flies out to end the inning. He has one homer and is hitting something right around the Mendoza line since joining the Yankees. In the past several years, supposedly talented veterans such as Pudge who have joined the Yankees have this look about them that says “I used to be an All-Star, but I’ve come here to falter.” Pudge has perfected this look, and he has faltered. Randy Johnson did this pretty effectively as well.

8:40 Ponson has thrown 7 straight balls, putting Youkilis at 3-0 with the bases loaded. This does not have postseason push written all over it.

8:41 Full count.

8:41 Ellsbury is walked in. Turning point of the game?

8:43 Jason Bay sac flies to right. 4-2, Boston. I can’t wait for the first Bills game.

8:43 Arkansas Megan, who has abandoned her blog for a comfy spot on the couch, notes how sad it is that the Yankees fans don’t applaud for Ponson as he leaves the game. I have to agree.

8:53 Jeter lines out. It’s ok, he’s so dreamy.

8:56 A-Rod at bat. A-Rod swings real hard. Ball soars to centerfield. Crowd gets very excited; they obviously don’t know that Coco Crisp can see where the ball is going much better than they can, as he steps under the pop fly to make the catch. Why do fans insist on ignoring the movements of the guys who are paid millions of dollars to catch the ball? They know where it’s going and watching them will help you look like not a doofus.

9:17 I really enjoy watching Pedroia play. I think he’s the Red Sox’ Jeter. He’s a great hitter who has become a leader very early in his career. He’s a relentless fielder. He’s a team guy. I’ve heard interviews with him and he seems like a good person. He beats out every hit and puts his head down when he homers. You never hear him say anything dumb (well, dumb in the sense of deconstructive to the team; all athletes are pre-programmed to say unintelligent things). He just struck out, but he did it while swinging so hard that he almost knocked himself over, which is another reason I delight in watching him. He also provides some minor unintentional comic relief because he looks like he’s about 17, then immediately ages about 25 years when he takes his helmet off.

9:25 Understandably, the announcers won’t shut up about it being the last year at Yankee Stadium. It reminds of a website, which I will not link to, that is a petition to keep the Stadium standing. Not as the home of the Yankees, mind you, but as a minor league complex, or as a museum, or even a shopping mall (I’m not kidding). This petition claims that “The Stadium is a national treasure, a part of our country’s history.” Look, there is ten tons of history there, but baseball history. Yes, ok, non-baseball events include: Louis vs. Schmeling, Zale vs. Rocky, Colts vs. Giants in “the greatest game ever played”, a few papal visits, the 1946 Army-Notre Dame (the Game of the Century), the win one for the Gipper game, and some concerts. And other things, I’m sure. But let’s not get carried away here. It is not critical to our nation’s history that the Stadium remains. Battlefields, monuments to great men, Yankee Stadium? Not so sure about that. The Polo Grounds was torn down and its legend probably looms larger than if it hadn’t been torn down. Let the Stadium go. Its legend will only grow.

9:32 Delcarmen lays down the Yanks in order to end the 7^th, still 4-2 Sox.

9:37 Paraphrasing Phillips: “Bay is actually having a pretty good year. He’s actually a pretty good player but you’d never know it before now because he’s been in Pittsburgh!” Take a closer look at the hand that feeds you, Steve, for your answer.

9:46 Bases loaded, no outs. I’m not even nervous. Just waiting.

9:47 Sac fly. 6-2, Boston.

9:49 7-2 Sox on a Crisp single. It may be bedtime.

9:56 Red Sox have batted around. Papi just did something good after some other guys did some good things since I last updated. Oh, Pedroia knocked a grand salami. 11-2, Boston. 1 out, by the way.

9:57 McCain has reportedly picked his running mate, and will make the announcement on Friday at 11 am, presumably timed to take the wind out of Obama’s sails after his speech on Thursday night. Hopefully a post on this topic will write itself tomorrow.

10:00 Youkilis hit the ball and a Yankees player caught the ball before it hit the ground. I don’t remember what that means.

10:03 From the east coast! To the west coast! This is oooouuuurrrr cooouuunnttrryy!

10:06 Mike Timlin wears one of those little ropes around his neck. I never understood that trend. I don’t understand many trends, in fact. I’m not very trendy. Don’t listen to me.

10:08 Yankees haven’t had a hit since Sunday. I mean the 5^th inning. You can stick a fork in the fat lady, the party’s over. Or however that saying goes.

10:10 I enjoy Old Spice commercials. The centaur in the shower, and the Doogie Howser bits. Pretty funny. I’d link to them if I could for just a second rip my eyes away from these wet noodles parading around in pinstripes.

10:14 On to the bottom of the ninth. Time for a ten run rally. The giant plush turtle I won at an amusement park is sitting on his head in place of a rally cap.

10:17 Tonight’s game was sold out with 55,027 in attendance. Last night it was sold out with 55,058 in attendance. What do you call a sold out game that 5% of the ticket-holders don't go to?

10:18 The 42 people left in the stands watch Giambi hit a meaningless home run. The nearest fan is still running to go get the ball, because he was 17 sections away. He was the closest one to the ball.

10:19 Nady with a nice base hit to left. This is nonsense.

10:20 Matsui singles to right. Timing is everything.

10:23 Double play to end the game. This game was a microcosm of the Yankees’ season: shaky starting pitching, underachieving offense, ending on a double play. Boston will play its last ever game at the Stadium tomorrow. Maybe we’ll have a disputed, replayed home run to make it interesting. Actual meaningless, non-binding prediction: Yankees pound it out and win easily with Moooooooooose on the mound. I don’t think they lose their last game against the Red Sox at the Stadium to get swept.

Yankees Stumble

The Yankees blew it last night, with A-Rod leading the way (0-5, 7 LOB, and an error). Michael Kay pointed out a dumb but oddly interesting A-Rod statistic: in recent history, he’s played much better in odd-numbered years. He won his MVPs in 2003, 2005, 2007. He hit higher in each of those years than in 2004 and 2006. He was clutchclutchclutch last year (at least during the regular season), much to the disappointment of his haters. He was fantastic with RISP, which this season is the downfall of the entire team including him. His numbers across the board this year are down, although he is hitting .312. Gotta love baseball.

One guy who remains a mystery to me is Jose Molina. His numbers are not very good: .227, 2 HRs, 14 RBIs. I say without exaggeration that it must be that I have been watching when he’s hit both home runs and at least 12 of the 14 RBIs, because if I didn’t have the numbers in front of me, and wasn’t reminded by his stats and by Michael Kay every time he came to bat, I would say he’s having a good season.

Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post wrote an interesting if not a bit scatterbrained article about loving and hating baseball.

TMQ loves to point out instances in which sports announcers claim to be able to distinguish tenths or even hundredths of a second, claiming it is absurd. I agree with him. In this week’s edition, TMQ notes that Olympian Usain Bolt reportedly broke Michael Johnson’s record in the 200-meters by one-fiftieth of a second. He writes, “Bolt is great, but declaring him one-fiftieth of a second better than the previous record-holder seems absurd. Reader Ryan Stormo of Bellingham, Wash., adds that a Canadian announcer declared Bolt had "smashed" the record. By a 50th of a second? Bolt is great, but declaring him one-fiftieth of a second better than the previous record-holder seems absurd. Reader Ryan Stormo of Bellingham, Wash., adds that a Canadian announcer declared Bolt had ‘smashed’ the record. By a 50th of a second?” TMQ must read Middle Relief.

Feels Like...

Ah, a familiar feeling. The regular season is coming to a close. The playoffs are a long shot, requiring a remarkable run against some fine teams. Debates abound about giving young guys playing time versus making a hard push for making the postseason but most likely getting bumped out early. Not looking ahead to next season yet – no, that would be giving up – but relishing the role of spoiler for the postseason pushes of others. I’ll pay close attention, as usual, but will begin to root extra hard for my fantasy team, so I might get some sort of satisfaction out of the season. Anything I can do to not think about missing the playoffs every year for 10 years or how if only the defensive line hadn’t had so many injuries…

Wait a second! Why am I having all of my annual end-of-NFL-season feelings at the end of baseball season? This is when I’m supposed to be gearing up for the playoffs! Grind out the divisional series against scrappy Anaheim or scrappy Minnesota, battle the Red Sox in an epic seven game ALCS (it is, after all, the greatest rivalry not only in sports history but in world history, narrowly edging out creationism vs. Darwinism, Tutsis vs. Hutus, and Cindy Lou Who vs. the Grinch), and then pummel some weenie National League team masquerading as a World Series contender.

Okay, so by no measure has that scenario been true for a good while now. The championship has evaded the Yankees’ grasp for some time now, and the Yankees are no longer the class of the AL. But the offense is good enough to carry the wobbly pitching through to the ALCS, right? Wildcards go the distance these days. All they need to do is survive a short series against the Angels and we’ll throw down with the Twins for the right to host the World Series (thank you, All-Star game)!

Okay, okay. So the Angels murdered the Bombers a couple weeks ago. Fine. At the very least I should be expecting a divisional series, right? Lose the first two games, have someone unexpectedly toss a beautiful third game while the bats wake up, and then watch A-Rod hit multiple meaningless home runs when the Yanks are down 6 in the 8th of decisive Game 4. I’ll take that over no playoffs. I mean come on, I’m a Yankees fan. Aren’t I entitled to watching my team participate in the postseason in some fashion?

Full Disclosure: I would stop short of saying that it’s a relief that the Yankees likely aren’t going to make the postseason, but I would be stopping just short. Of course I want them in it. Of course I want them to sweep their way to the championship. But you know, it’s kind of refreshing seeing them take the approach that they did this year. Yes they did make some trades, but nothing enormous (especially the way things have worked out on the whole, yeesh). They didn’t dump Kennedy and Melky last offseason for Santana, something the Yankees of old would have done. (Turns out to have not worked so far in the Yankees’ favor, as Melky may never return from AAA and Kennedy hasn’t exactly been stellar.) But the point is that they’re developing young talent, guys that fans can learn to love and stick with, hopefully for years. (Which is why I don’t understand just giving the rotation spot to Hughes to get him some major league innings, as opposed to letting the expensive and fragile Carl Pavano audition for his next job at the Yankees’ expense.)

Also, the whole “will this be the year they break the streak and miss the postseason?” anxiety will come to pass. I know, it’s hard to sympathize for a Yankees fan who’s tired of dealing with the expectation that their team will make the postseason every year; it’s just two ideas that don’t go well with another. But I can see how this year has been good for the game of baseball. Tampa and Florida doing so well with such tiny payrolls is good for the game, and if it has to come at the expense of the Yankees missing the playoffs for the first time in a billion years, then so be it. If anything, it will hopefully wake them up and make them hungrier next year. They should be a hell of a spoiler team down the stretch too.

Starting tonight against Boston.

Not Blogging Night One of the DNC

A couple noteworthy columns from the past couple days include:

Dave Barry’s take on the DNC: “Sen. Clinton will either call on her supporters to unite behind Obama, or attempt to snatch the nomination and escape with it by helicopter to a secret mountain fortress.”

Tommy Friedman had a good article on Sunday examining what makes the US Olympic team different from the China Olympic team, and why the things that make them different contributed to each team winning so many medals.

Andrew Breitbart wrote a must-read article on the absurdity of the mud-flinging campaign coming from the left.

Baseball: I can’t believe that Hardball Times doesn’t advertise this better. I also can’t believe that I immediately spent an hour on this when I found it. Wait, I absolutely can. It’s a page where you rank baseball’s ethical scenarios, from religious imagery in scoreboards to umps asking fans for their opinions to pine tar to corking bats. The idea is that once enough people do it enough times, the people doing the study will come up with a master ranking of what were the least ethical transgressions in baseball history. Fascinating.

In the mean time, the Yankees are going to miss the playoffs and Carl Pavano won a Major League Baseball game. What’s going on here? More tomorrow.

Huge Trading Deadline

After what feels like forever, I'm getting a chance to post again. It's largely my fault for not making the time, but I have to now because of all that's happening: baseball is seriously heating up, the presidential race is driving me up a wall, and the country is slowly, in places, falling to pieces. Today's post is going to be stolen almost entirely from an email I wrote this morning (for some context, it was to a good friend in Boston who is a true fan of not only his team the Red Sox but also of the great, all-encompassing game of baseball, two very different things. He was at Lackey's almost no-hitter at Fenway the other night and called me yesterday evening to proclaim that his Red Sox will miss the postseason.) Here goes:

Secondly, I know several people both real (myself, one of my attorneys who is a big, big Cubs fan) and fake (ESPN talking heads) who agree with you that the Red Sox may miss the postseason. Honestly, a foreign thought after the past couple years. If the Yankees overcome and win the wild card, you're looking at the World Series champions finishing third in their division and the NL champs lucky to finish second in their division, which will be won by a team hovering around .500. What a crazy game.

Thirdly, you must tell me what the reaction in Boston to The Trade is like, primarily because you'll be talking to people and listening to the radio so you'll get a better feel, and secondarily, and probably more importantly, because I refuse to read any of it myself; I prefer having you as a filter! I am very interested to see how ultra-laid back Joe Torre deals with Manny. I feel like you must be glad to some extent that he's gone, despite the fact that his absence may seriously cut the Sox' playoff chances. As Schilling said on ESPN (quoting Schilling? What??!!), it's disheartening to play with a guy who you know doesn't want to be there (or is at least acting like it, as Manny was).

What a huge trading deadline. Allow me a small indulgence here to say that all three major AL East trades went the Yankees' way: getting Nady and Marte, a much needed bat and a much needed lefty specialist, getting Pudge, whose value needs no explanation, and of course Manny being shipped to the senior circuit, because, and I'm sure you don't need to be told, he just eats Yankee pitching for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ortiz-Bay doesn't come within 100 miles of Ortiz-Ramirez. Although, I don't think Bay will be hitting 4, anyway; who will? Drew? Lowell? Guess we'll find out tonight.

Did you see the highlights of the near-no-no? I noticed what you did also, that Lackey seemed nearly emotionless. After he gave up the homer, you could see him yelling to his catcher, "Just give me the fucking ball!" clearly wanting to finish the game. Very cool.

I thought the Angels hammered the Red Sox so badly because Boston was tired and distracted by the whole Manny saga. Then they absolutely pounded the Yankees last night. Scary looking team, although no one seems to think they're going to last in the postseason. Interesting; assuming that's true and they're "not built to last" and the Rays are "too young and inexperienced", that leaves the three of the Twins/Sox/Tigers/Yankees in the AL. That's making the big assumption, of course, that the Red Sox completely fall apart and the Yankees overtake them. It is going to be a great last couple months, to say the least.

This year is shaping up to be one of the more exciting in recent memory. And no, I don't think that every year.

Yankees Take Down Mighty Rays

Just when I was getting ready to write a post about how, even though I’m not happy about it, I’m willing to accept this year as a non-playoff year and focus on next year. That would mean being happy about Cashman not making any big moves, or any at all, before the trade deadline, keeping the prospects, not acquiring any more aging veterans, etc. And I hope that still happens. But as far as being a team that may sneak into the playoffs, the Yankees aren’t out of it. Last night’s win in Tampa was impressive. Pettitte pitched real well and the bats kicked Kazmir out of the game pretty early, and he’s no slouch. It was the Yankees’ eighth shutout of the year; they had five all of last year. In fact, this was their fifth in the past 21 games. Melky, who finally homered for the first time in about a month, has matched his total from last year. Remember I had mentioned that Jose Molina had a great stealers caught ratio? Last night’s Michael Kay-less YES broadcast confirmed that it is by far the best in the bigs. His 12 consecutive runners thrown out matches a streak last achieved in 1993…I’m just sayin’ they’ve been playing well lately, and with a ton of injuries. That’s all.

Jeter said about last night’s game: "People make a big deal, obviously, because it's Tampa.” Is this a parallel universe? New York slashed their deficit to Tampa in the loss column to, uh…8. Yikes. Tonight: Edwin Jackson vs. Gentleman Sidney Ponson.

In the meantime, the AL East is the only division in baseball without a team that has a negative run differential. (Yesterday everyone was in the black but Baltimore didn’t do so well last night and is now at 0.) Does this mean anything? I’m not sure, but it’s interesting. I wish I had time to research it.

The NL West only has its two top teams in the black in run differential, and they’re at +5 and +6! (Diamondbacks and Dodgers, respectively) Arizona is leading the division at exactly .500, which will probably be enough to win it at season’s end. The Orioles are at .500 and are in 4^th place, 10.5 GB. There are 15 teams in the majors with better records than the Diamondbacks – half of MLB! Again, I don’t know what any of this means, except that the NL West stinks.

Quickie

Some real quick nuggets:

• Should have blogged the game last night. Joba went 6 with 3 runs and 5 Ks, which was good, but he also had 4 BBs, which was not so good, not to mention a wild pitch that let a run score and a slider that slid all the way behind Youkilis’ thigh. All in all not a bad outing.
• Rivera pitched two strong innings for the win while Papelbon got walked off by rookie Brett Gardner. He’s really fast.
• Jose Molina has made several perfect throws to take guys out at second and third this past week or so. He has an impressive throw out rate, about 50/50 on bases stolen/guys thrown out.
• A-Rod tied the Mick for career home runs.
• Boston lost its sixth straight one run game.
• Joe Morgan was at the top of his moronic, self-loving game. Or maybe I mean he was at the bottom. Whatever; he was notably unbearable, even for him. He and Jon Miller continue to impress by messing up players’ names, confusing them with managers, etc.
• You know the irrepressible fear that I get whenever Kyle Farnsworth comes in with a lead smaller than 12 runs? I get the feeling that Red Sox fans are starting to feel the same way about Hideki Okajima (the guy who, if you listen to Miller and Morgan’s hyperboles, never ever looks at the plate before he pitches. We’re talking from when he walks out of the bullpen to when he leaves. Never looks. Yes, he jerks his head in a funny way. We get it.)
• Why is A-Rod’s divorce first page news on ESPN? I love ESPN but I’m starting to lose faith in them.
• I know I’m picking on the Red Sox a lot in this post when there are equally annoying or bad things about the Yankees. I’ll get to them later.
• Did you hear about the kid at Purdue who got in trouble for bringing a book to work about the Ku Klux Klan? Not just any book, but one about how the students of Notre Dame battled the Klan in the 1920s; not a book glorifying the Klan! Just by bringing the book to work he was accused of “harassing behavior” towards his black co-workers. He was ordered to not bring the book to work anymore or he might get fired. By the way, he was working for Purdue. An American university punishing a student worker for reading a book they carry in their own library!
• The latest GOP plan to “trap” Obama into a flip-flopper role is symptomatic of the disease that is the electoral season. Obama is clearly a flip-flopper; we all know it and he’s shameless about it. But guess what: they all are! Democrats, Republicans, anyone who wants to get elected is! They do it every cycle! Do we learn nothing! McCain’s camp is trying to trap Obama into either a) admitting that he is going to ignore the realities on the ground Iraq and stick to his 16 month plan no matter what, which will expose him as being someone who ignores facts and is unable to change, or b) changing his position on his withdrawal plan so he can be labeled a flip-flopper. Obama and his cronies must be spending time figuring out how to avoid this trap. I wish them luck. The McCain cronies must have spent a bunch of time figuring out how to lay the trap. Is this really what these people are spending all their time on? This is how we win elections in this country?
• Senators are expending so many resources, using so many people who are supposed to be smart on their campaign. Senators themselves are, theoretically, also smart. We could have all these people using their collective brain juices on solving the real problems this country is having as opposed to creating problems for their counterpart blowhards. As such, upon declaring their candidacy for the presidency, senators should be forced to resign their positions in Congress. This will not only allow their constituents to retain a representative who is actually serving them, but it will also make certain senators (and congressmen and governors, for that matter) think twice about opening campaigns that everyone knows are doomed from the beginning but are just for the publicity (see: Huckabee, Mike and Paul, Ron). They can run again later if they want but for the duration their constituents need people who are paying attention to them and not personal endeavors.

Blue Jays @ Yankees (Joba starts)

7:20 My mlb.tv is all messed up on the desktop, so I can’t watch the game on the TV, so I’m on the laptop. I tuned just in time for the first pitch, and since then it hasn’t gone so great. Joba walked the leadoff on a full count and his since given up a run. At the moment there are two outs with a man on first, Blue Jays up 1-0. He’s already thrown 24 of his 70 pitches. Not a good start.

7:23 3-1 to Matt Stairs. This 70 pitch limit in itself isn’t what’s absurd, it’s the fact that everyone knows it, including the Blue Jays. Is anyone in the world surprised that their hitters are laying off everything, trying to push Joba to 70 by the second inning? Granted he has to throw strikes to get them to not do that, like any starter does, but it’s ridiculous to tell the other team how many pitches you are allowing your starter.

7:27 Another walk, his third. I don’t want to say that I know he’s nervous or uncomfortable, but he’s not locating.

7:27 They’re calling the pen. This could be a very short blog post. Although, Dan Geise is warming up in the pen, who just got called up and will be interesting to watch too, especially in what will be a long relief role.

7:29 K to end the inning on 99 mph heat. According to the hype, the first three batters were supposed to go down that way, on 9 total pitches for the inning. I, naturally, am let down.

7:31 Damon with a leadoff triple. He’s been on a tear lately. I don’t have the numbers because I’m trying to squeeze in dinner in between tops of innings, but I’ll get them later. (Michael Kay just mentioned in a very timely manner that Damon is on a 12 game hitting streak. Thanks, Mike.)

7:34 Jeter hits a slow roller to third. 0-1 with RISP tonight for the Yank. If I made this a drinking game I would get so loaded. Not just tonight, but every game. Last night they were 3-16

7:35 Joba on the bench in a hoodie. He’ll be back in the second. He looks like a basset hound.

7:38 Halladay hit A-Rod with a curveball. He doesn’t seem like the guy who would hit someone on purpose. I don’t mean that in a “He wouldn’t protect his guys” kind of way, but just in a “He seems too efficient” kind of way.

7:39 Matsui singles in Damon. 1-3 RISP. He’s been on fire too. Also no numbers for him at the moment.

7:40 Giambi singles in A-Rod, 2-1 Yankees, 2-4 with RISP. Alright!

7:41 Cano ends the inning. Let’s see how Joba does with a lead that’s not in the 8^th inning. They say he has great mound presence and everything, but I can’t imagine the amount of pressure he’s feeling right now.

7:47 Two away after a flyout and a strikeout. He seems to have calmed down. He also seemed to have controlled his emotions a little after the strikeout. This at bat represents the first time he’s faced the same batter twice in the same outing, and the first time he’s pitched more than 40 pitches in one outing. He’s at 54.

7:48 Flyout, 1-2-3 second for Joba. I wonder what it’s like to get hit by a 99 mph fastball.

7:53 I hate sideline reporters.

7:55 Damon doubles as the sideline reporter airhead interviews Joba’s dad. What a waste of time and attention those interviews are.

7:58 Jeter flies out. He’s 0-2 with RISP.

8:04 The Jays waited Joba out and he’s out in the third. Dan Geise makes his debut in a minute.

8:16 Bottom third, 2-2. Geise looked alright. Quick delivery.

8:19 Matsui goes the other way, so he’s 2-2. He is pretty consistent but always manages to stay under the radar. I wonder why.

8:20 Giambi and some of the guys started growing moustaches a week or so ago, and since Giambi started hitting better, he decided to keep the stache. He looks pretty ridiculous.

8:22 It’s not David Eckstein’s fault that he’s on my crap list, I suppose, it’s baseball announcers and writers from a few years ago who labeled him as “scrappy.” I think this is a stupid description. It’s supposed to mean it’s someone who plays hard, usually is pretty good on defense, hits lots of singles (or so it seems, anyway), maybe they steal some bases. It for some reason gives me the impression that the person falls down a lot while they field or run. The reason why it’s silly is because it always seems to describe someone who is short or skinny. In other words, it’s a skinny guy who plays hard. Why don’t we just say that they play hard? “Scrappy” is discriminatory and I won’t stand for it.

8:29 Eckstein is up to bat now, and Michael Kay just said “He doesn’t look like a great player, he doesn’t have great skills, but he was a World Series MVP.” How can those both be true? You can’t be in baseball if you “just try hard”, which is what announcers seem to say about “scrappy” Eckstein. He is clearly a good player to be in the majors, obviously to win a World Series MVP.

8:33 Al Leiter doesn’t know the difference between “less” and “fewer”.

8:35 I just realized that there’s only one out in the top of the 4^th, and the game is already an hour and a half old. So much for a reasonable bedtime tonight. Damn patient hitters. More importantly, this half inning has gone on for so long I haven’t been able to refresh my refreshments since the last commercial break, long, long ago.

Post game The game got out of hand when the Yankees bullpen came in the game. Geise took the loss, giving up one. Veras gave up two and Ramirez gave up four as the Yanks fell 9-3.

Even though he didn't pitch last night, I think this is appropriate to post. From ESPN's Page 2:

Ten things that make Yankee fans nervous:

1. Kyle Farnsworth entering in a tie game in the eighth inning.
2. Kyle Farnsworth entering with a one-run lead in the eighth inning.
3. Kyle Farnsworth entering with a two-run lead in the eighth inning.
4. Joe Girardi saying that he's not "afraid to use [Farnsworth] at any time."
5. Girardi saying "Farnsy has thrown the ball very well for us all year long, and you're probably going to see Farnsy in that situation a lot."
6. Kyle Farnsworth warming up in the bullpen.
7. Kyle Farnsworth walking out to the bullpen before the first inning.
8. Kyle Farnsworth driving up to Yankee Stadium before the game.
9. Kyle Farnsworth pretty much doing anything other than brawling with Paul Wilson.
10. Kei Igawa.

Billy Wagner

He is apparently a player-manager. He's in the press making critical comments more often than Willie, about whom I never hear anything. If this continues, what does it do to the Mets clubhouse down the stretch? Get them in gear, divide the team, nothing at all?

In the meantime, the Yankees are in last place; yet, they're only a game and a half behind the Mets in the Baseball Universe (of America) standings. Should be a super series this weekend! Hooray for interleague play!

Edit: As irony would have it, I did read an article about Willie this morning after I initially posted, but it wasn't so much about his team as about interleague play.

"I think interleague play has worn out its welcome for me," Randolph said. "I think we should get back to playing in our division and playing in our league. But it's a nice change. It's six games, and it gets a little bit chaotic when it happens. But I think it's good for the fans.

"You do want to get through it so you can get back to some so-called normalcy. The hype is a little overplayed sometimes. But once the game starts, it's where you want to be because it's exciting and you can feel the buzz and the energy in the stands. It's nice to be able to compete in a different kind of game where it's like the only game in town."

The Mets have gone 25-35 against their interborough rivals since the start of interleague play in 1997, including 10-20 in the Bronx.

"Now playing center field for the New York Yankees, Mariano Rivera": I thought this was a cool little story. Apparently to keep his legs fresh, Rivera likes to go after fly balls during BP, and Peter Abraham watched him steal a hit from A-Rod with a nifty catch.

Tidbits

That’s Nasty: I love the pitching highlights segment on Baseball Tonight. It nearly perfected the show. “Web Gems” is terrific, “Touch ‘Em All” is fun to watch, and the newly incorporated (as of last year, I believe – I can’t really remember) “That’s Nasty” is a reel of the best pitches of the night. Last night one of the pitches they showed was a 61 MPH changeup from Mike “I’m Still Relevant” Mussina. Sixty-one! Then they had Joba throwing 98, followed by the killer slider. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the pitching (particularly the bullpen?!) has exceeded expectations; if only the offense were supporting them. The other day, Peter Abraham reported from the clubhouse that the pitchers are, understandably, growing impatient with the hitters and the lack of any sort of steady run support. (I feel misleading talking about the pitching without mentioning the downfall of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, although Kennedy had a superb Triple A outing and will get the start today against the Rays, so we’ll see about him.)

Speak of the Devil (Rays): Yesterday Buster Olney outlined the 12 great moves that the Rays have made over the past couple years that laid the foundation for this year’s success so far (lifted shamelessly and directly, word for word, from Olney’s blog on ESPN.com):

But in the last year, Rays general manager Andrew Friedman and the Tampa Bay baseball operations staff has pitched the front office version of a perfect game, in keeping with a long-range plan that was begun long before that. Virtually every transaction that the Rays have made, going back to last year's June draft, has worked out, and contributed to Tampa Bay's strong start and ascension, for the first time, into the ranks of contenders.

The Rays are 22-16 and have racked up five consecutive victories -- against the Blue Jays, Angels and Yankees -- and as we sit here today, on May 13, they are fielding arguably the best defense in the AL; the fifth-lowest bullpen ERA in the game, with a relief ERA that is three runs lower than last year -- three runs.

Perhaps most impressively, the Rays have escaped the thick pessimism in which the team had been embedded for the last decade, and Friedman's changes have been instrumental in making this happen, brick by brick.

Example No. 1: On July 28, 2007, the Devil Rays were 38-65. Tampa Bay shipped infielder Ty Wigginton to the Astros for Dan Wheeler, a solid veteran reliever -- and at the time, the expectation was that this would allow Friedman to trade then-closer Al Reyes. But Friedman hung onto Wheeler, signed him to a multi-year deal, to help build the kind of relief depth the Rays had never had; Tampa Bay had always seemed to rely on too many overmatched youngster in their bullpen.

No. 2: Delmon Young racked up 186 hits and 93 RBIs in his rookie season with Tampa Bay in 2007, and yet the Rays traded him in the winter in a deal for pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett -- an extremely bold move, because Young was seen as a rising star, and because there had been so much early discussion about how Young is destined to be a Hall of Famer, with his spectacular eye-hand coordination and ability to hit the ball with the fat part of the bat.

But it is evident that in their internal evaluations of Young, the Rays also looked at other factors: Young's willingness and ability to make adjustments; his uncomfortable and sometimes stifling clubhouse presence, borne out by his threats to walk out at the end of the 2007 season; and the frustration he engendered in other teammates. "He just doesn't work very hard," said one Ray.

There has been little doubt about Young's talent, and even the possibility that he will go on and have a career of many hits and RBIs. But the Rays seem to have made a very sound judgment that he would not reach his full potential with them, a savvy decision that takes courage.

So Tampa Bay swapped Young for Garza, at a time when it is very difficult to get pitchers with electric arms, and Garza has done well.

The Rays also landed Bartlett to play shortstop, to give their infield the kind of stability it hasn't had in the past, and Bartlett has done nicely in this, rival advance scouts believe.

No. 3: The Rays convinced Troy Percival to come back and be their closer, but more importantly, to help change the culture of their clubhouse, and Percival has done excellent work in both roles.

No. 4: Tampa Bay dumped the talented Elijah Dukes, another high-ceiling talent with an oppressive clubhouse presence.

No. 5: J.P. Howell, who had floundered as a starter in the big leagues, was converted to relief and has thrived; I remember standing on the field in St. Petersburg in March and listening to Rays manager Joe Maddon talk about how intrigued he was by what he was seeing in Howell this spring.

No. 6: Edwin Jackson's results had been awful for most of his career, but rather than bury him -- which must have been tempting after another of his many brutal outings early in 2007 -- Tampa Bay has been patient with him, nurtured him, and lo and behold, he has made slow but steady progress. He has become an asset.

No. 7: The Rays targeted Akinori Iwamura as a free agent partly because they liked his athleticism and versatility, and this spring, as Evan Longoria has climbed to the big leagues, Iwamura has made a seamless transition to second base.

No. 8: After benefiting from the unexpected emergence of first baseman Carlos Pena in 2007, Tampa Bay signed him to a fair-and-balanced three-year, $24 million deal, holding the line in negotiations.

No. 9: The Rays talked to many free agents, fishing around before convincing Eric Hinske to sign an $800,000 deal, and Hinske has fit them perfectly: as a left-handed hitter, as an experienced veteran, as a patient hitter who has helped the Rays develop the kind of patient water-torture lineup that is pervasive among the better AL offenses.

No. 10: The Rays signed Cliff Floyd for his ability to hit and for his positive influence, and now that he's back from the disabled list, he's adding hits along with his experience.

No. 11: They signed James Shields and Longoria -- foundation pieces -- to long-term deals, and now Crawford has made it clear he wants to stay, too.

And No. 12: The Rays have never once deviated from their overriding blueprint of drafting and acquiring and developing young pitching talent. Within two years, the best of that group -- Wade Davis and Jake McGee, who are in Double-A, and former No. 1 pick David Price -- will join the likes of Shields and Scott Kazmir in the big leagues.

"They've obviously done an excellent job at evaluating their own talent," said a rival executive. "And they haven't panicked, haven't rushed. They've stuck to their plan, and it's working."

Yankees Ticket Prices: Getting crazy. Arkansas Megan and I are going to be in New York this weekend, and I was scoping out tickets to the Yankees-Mets game. I know it’s the Mets so the prices are going to be inflated more than usual, and I’ve ready many an article about the super over-inflation this year because of the Last Season, but I hadn’t actually looked for tickets until now. Not sure if we’re going to make it.

Hello, what?

Items

You’ve Probably Seen This Already: Asdrubal Cabrera’s unassisted triple play is here.

Sign of the Times: Last night Andy Pettitte lost in Tampa for the first time since September 16, 1998.

Sign of the Times, Part 2 (Possibly): The Rays have won 5 straight and 14 of their last 19. For all their injuries and their playing below potential, the Yankees are only 4 out. It’s still early, but maybe the East won’t be a two team division this year.

Pet Peeve of the Day: If you have spent any time talking with me, you should know that I absolutely hate when people use the word “literally” to describe something that is inherently not literally whatever is being described. Example: “I am literally starving.” I assure you, someone who is just bitching to go downstairs to go to Subway is not literally starving. That being said, the latest Vehix.com commercial begins with a woman saying that on their website “you can literally take a test drive.” No, you can’t! The action then cuts away to several other people talking about how great the website is, then the woman is back: “You are practically behind the wheel.” Literally and practically are not the same thing; in fact, they are somewhat opposing, especially in this context! This infuriates me. More on the devolution of the language at a later date.

I Would Never Wish Ill Unto Others: The New England Patriots marched into Super Bowl XLII with a League-best 18-0 record and an army “experts” picking them to win, only to be upset by the New York Giants. The Boston Celtics marched into the NBA playoffs with an Association-best 66-16 record and an army of “experts” picking them to win, and they are currently 0-5 on the road in the playoffs and tied two games to two games with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals. The Boston Red Sox entered this MLB season as a popular pick to win the World Series. My question is: can one city/metropolitan area blow such high expectations in so many sports in a matter of months? Lest we not forget that the Bruins lost in the NHL playoffs just some weeks ago, nor that the New England Revolution of MLS irrelevance have lost the last 3 MLS cups, and 4 since 2002.

Morning Quickie

Jersey Matt was wrong. His link to Scoop Jackson’s article did not ruin my morning; it threatened to ruin both my night last night and my morning. As such, I refuse to even click on the link until after I’ve had my coffee.

The directions on my 3 minute rice noodle soup bowl say to “Just add boiling water or microwave” without explaining how, exactly, adding a microwave to the noodles will help ready them for consumption. And people say syntax doesn’t matter.

Even though it’s probably about a week old, I heard a funny quote this morning. Apparently when he heard that he is getting sued for $10 million by Eliot Spitzer’s call girl, Girls Gone Wild founder/owner/creator Joe Francis quipped something along the lines of “She had sex with Spitzer for $2,000. It doesn’t seem right that she’s suing me for $10 million just for showing her breasts.” I think this Francis guy is a bit of a moron, but he has an amusing point. (Quick tangent: the lawsuit, of course, is that the girl, 17 at the time of the breast filming, had to sign a release after she was done being filmed, which constitutes entering into a contract. 17 year olds, by law, are not of “mature mind” (paraphrasing) to enter into a legal contract. I’m not saying that filming underage girls, corrupting youth, ruining the world, etc., as Francis apparently does for a living, is alright. But that girl knew exactly what she was doing. Also, suppose it had happened the day before her 18th birthday; you’re telling me that the next day she would suddenly be much better (100%, in fact) suited to enter into a contract? I know, you have to draw the line somewhere, but I don’t think it should be so cut and dry. Hopefully the judge agrees and throws this out. My furthest reaching goal with thoughts like this, you understand, is trying to unclog the overloaded court system, particularly of stupid tort claims. Tangent over.)

Last night the estimable Darrell Rasner (who is the only Rasner in major league history, by the way) went 6, giving up 5 hits and 2 ER, for the win. Jeter, Abreu, and Matsui are the only (relatively healthy) Yankees hitting over .300 (.313, .306, and .324, respectively). Red Sox at Tigers tonight, Indians at Yankees on Wednesday – there’s a running diary in there somewhere.

Review of the Cavaliers ending the Wizards’ season and my thoughts on Jeremiah Wright to come.

Via Email

From: Jersey Matt
To: Virginia Matt

OK Yankee fan, are you worried yet?



From: Virginia Matt
To: Jersey Matt

Again, yes and no. It would be easy to be worried given the abysmal team performance with RISP and the pitching. But you have to remember what happened last year. I'm not saying that having a poor April and May isn't going to hurt you, of course it is. However, we were worse last year at this point and came back, and that was after a hotter Boston start and no real significant Boston collapse (which is always a possibility). The other thing is the injuries. There are more this year, and more significant ones. This is also a "yes and no" event. Injuries are bad because they could be long term or linger (everyone is a year older, after all), but they also may be a legitimate reason for the early futility that may get turned around when (if) everyone gets healthy. So in short, yes I'm worried but no I'm not hopeless yet.

Also, I honestly have no problem with this turning into a true rebuilding year, which it in a small way already is. Kennedy and Hughes have obviously been taking their lumps, which is really hurting the team. But you know, thinking long term, that's what it takes. I hope they don't panic and go out and make some ridiculous signing, but instead stick to the plan. I'd be up for a veteran-for-veteran trade though (Giambi).

Last night at the Nats game someone (drunk) was yelling at Felipe Lopez for making an error on a true routine play. "FELIPE! I am PERSONALLY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU! HOW COULD YOU FLUB SUCH AN EASY BALL!" to which some guy in my row replied "Hey! He can't speak English!"



From: Jersey Matt
To: Virginia Matt

Can that entire email be posted?

Running Diary: Yankees @ Indians

6:58 Minutes until game time. We’re venturing into unchartered territory before, as this is my first running diary. I’m not sure if I was supposed to plan this out or what. I just wolfed down some food but am by no means full. Am I allowed to get up during the game? I suppose I could pause the game, go get more food, and come back and unpause. What do I do when a possibly drunk Arkansas Megan stumbles through the door? What if the phone rings? Why is Mike Greenberg on Sportscenter? I hate that guy.

7:02 Shulman, Hershiser, and Phillips in the booth tonight. I like Hershiser alright…at least we’re spared Miller and Morgan.

7:03 I’m already 30 seconds behind live as I had to rewind to see how to spell “Shulman.” Great start. I have a feeling this could be exhausting. I probably should have poured a drink. Damn.

7:06 Progressive Field, not The Jake, in Cleveland. That’s a shame.

7:07 Posada out of the Yankees lineup for the first time since 1996. On the ESPN ticker on the bottom of the screen where it usually says “MLB” or “NBA”, it just said “Clemens” to deliver the news of his alleged affair with that country singer whom I had to look up to discover that she at one time was famous for getting arrested a lot. I wish Clemens would go away.

7:08 Pitching for Cleveland is Aaron Laffey, who has never faced the Yankees. He was just called up from AAA Buffalo. Do the Yankees still scare young guys just by virtue of being the Yankees? I’m not so sure. Maybe that leadoff walk of Melky was indicative of something. Maybe Laffey is just freaking cold because it’s like 45 degrees there.

7:11 Jeter reaches on error. Shulman said it was scored as “a fielder’s choice, E4.” What?

7:13 “Subpoenaed” is an awkward looking word.

7:13 A-Rod pops up with men on the corners. The Yankees have been atrocious so far this year with RISP.

7:14 I’m not going to recount every at bat, don’t worry. I think I’m just excited and/or nervous and/or a blogging phenom, but that last one remains to be seen.

7:15 Typical of the Yankees this year. It looked like Giambi crushed that ball and it just sort of died in right center and was caught for the third out. I can only hope that once the weather warms up that the Yankee bats will do the same. And that Giambi will at least get up to the Mendoza line, which would currently be nearly double his average. Yes, double.

7:18 Moose pitching for the Yankees. The last time I watched him pitch, Manny Ramirez made Moose’s whole week, if you know what I mean. (He’s had at least one real quality start since.)

7:22 People who sit behind home plate and are constantly on their cell phones and waving at the camera should be prosecuted as terrorists.

7:23 I’ve quickly noticed a huge advantage to this running diary thing. I’m paying attention to only my thoughts and what is going on on the field; I rarely if ever am listening to the dummies in the booth!

7:26 Jack Daniel’s commercial…damn the power of advertising. Be right back.

7:30 I went to the kitchen to get my drink and everything went wrong. The dishwasher started to (and continues to make) some seriously threatening noises and a bunch of ice fell out of the freezer. I missed the whole half inning, save for some quick glances and listening to the play-by-play. Laffey must have thrown what, 5 pitches? Way to be patient, hitters.

7:35 Two things that I love that don’t go well when consumed at the same time: avocado and whiskey. I know, you’re surprised too.

7:36 Jeter just reached a grounder but couldn’t make the throw. Sabermetricians love to bash on Jeter, and I’m well aware that it’s partly because it’s Jeter and Sabermetricians love to show how their stats and graphs buck conventional wisdom so Jeter is a perfect subject. That being said, I do agree that he’s overrated in the field. But I also don’t think he’s as horrific as the Saber guys would have you believe. Speaking of Jeter, this always makes me laugh.

7:44 One of the dummies just pointed out that Casey Blake shares the record for putouts in an inning: 3. Is this really necessary to point out that he shares a record with hundreds if not thousands of other players?

7:46 Whoa. Just went to baseball-reference to find some Steve Phillips stats to make fun of, and they’ve redone their search. Results now come up in a wiki. Weird. Also, BR lists Al Leiter as a New York Met “franchise player.” Really?

7:48 Indians batting. Right on cue, E6. Ugh.

7:50 Hershiser retired with 204 wins and an ERA+ of 112, 25 SHO, and 2014 Ks. Not bad at all. I don’t recall ever seeing him pitch. He was only in the AL for 3 years, only one of which I was living in the country. If only we had a time during the season in which fans of AL teams could have the opportunity to see NL players matched up against their favorite…just kidding. I hate interleague play and don’t you forget it.

7:51 While I was harping, another ball (hit) got by Jeter. I don’t believe in jinxes.

7:58 I can’t believe people get paid to do this.

7:59 Approximately the 47^th pitch of this at bat coming up. Mussina won’t last 5 at this rate.

8:00 There we go. Moose pitched out of a small jam there. He makes me nervous this year, and I feel bad. I feel like I’m letting a friend down. He had a rough year last year and a terrible spring. He’s getting old. He routinely gets whupped by Boston. I’m pulling for him but this year is definitely his swan song. By the way, the story behind the saying “swan song” is surprisingly half-interesting.

8:04 Someone just mentioned how Jeter, assuming he remains healthy, will race by 3,000 hits and will have a legitimate shot at 4,000. It’s going to be so weird watching him DH as I assume he will near the end.

8:05 Among other boggling stats, A-Rod has 10 straight 30 HR seasons.

8:11 On the ESPN ticker…”NBA Alert…Giants will move P Barry Zito to bullpen.”…some intern just got fired.

8:16 Jhonny Peralta…was that on purpose or did his parents make a mistake? I honestly wonder without judgment. Believe it or not.

8:19 Those people behind home plate are STILL waving, Jose Molina is slower than molasses, and potentially drunk Arkansas Megan’s drunkenness is currently incalculable through text messages.

8:27 Cano just got hit in the back, which seems to be the only way the Yankees will get on base tonight. Still no hits on Laffey.

8:31 Drudge is relaying an article that a couple “experts” are predicting that gas will reach $10 a gallon this summer. They base this on a projection that oil will reach $200 in the next two to three years. Well I think oil will reach $6,000 a barrel and gas will be $194.50 a gallon. There are roughly a bzillion factors that go into those prices and these so-called experts can’t make any better projections than you or I can.

8:34 Giambi totally blew that pick-off.

8:34 In the same article I reference above comes this quote: “There was a pray-in at a Chevron station in San Francisco on Friday led by a minister asking God for cheaper gas.” I don’t even know what to say about that. That is a factor that I did not include in my estimate of a bzillion.

8:35 Back to back hits on Moose. This is a typical 5^th inning for him this year. He’s pitched pretty well so far though so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here.

8:36 Jose Molina has 9 stolen bases in his career. The brothers Molina have a combined 16 stolen bases in a combined 25 years of major league baseball.

8:39 First run of the game goes to Cleveland. Two on, no out. I think Moose lets things affect him much more psychologically than he used to. I don’t have a good feeling about getting out of this inning without letting any more runs in.

8:40 Clemens’ agent’s name is Rusty Hardin. Potential stage name?

8:41 Another hit, bases loaded, no outs. The Moose is shaken, and he should be. Cleveland didn’t beat the Yankees and reach the ALCS last year for nothin’. Bullpen is alive.

8:42 Jonathan Jessica Albaladejo is warming up. One down in the meantime. Hafner up. He’s tied for the MLB record for grand slams in a season, with 6 in 2006. (Tied with Mattingly, 1987)

8:45 Hafner sac fly, another run in. It was an obvious out and not out of the park and yet I didn’t see the Cleveland fans jump out of their seats and scream wildly as if the bases were about to be cleared. Philly fans, take note.

8:48 If Mussina gets out of this down 2-0, he will have done a great job…as he loads the bases again with a walk. Still, he’ll have gotten out relatively unharmed, given the potential for the New York bats. Albaladejo still comes in in the 6^th, I think.

8:50 Lineout to Jeter. Not bad, Moose.

8:51 Kevin Kouzmanoff, currently with the Padres, was with Cleveland in 2006 when he hit a grand slam on the first pitch he ever saw in the majors.

8:53 First hit of the night for the Yankees comes from Melky. Say what you want about the Yankees’ mediocrity so far this year, but no-hitting them through 5 is still a feat for the youngin Laffey.

8:54 Jeter caught a break there but it was a makeable play by Blake. Score is a hit.

8:56 Abreu loads the bases with a line drive to left. No outs. I wish the Yankees would consider hitting like this earlier in games, before they’ve fallen behind. I’ll take what I can get.

8:57 A-Rod is .350 with 16 homers with the bases loaded in his career. The guy is not as bad with RISP as people would have you believe.

8:58 He also is good at getting hit by the ball. 2-1, Cleveland.

9:00 A-Rod has been hit 128 times in his career…what else do you expect me to do when the Indians meet at the mound?

9:01 Giambi RBI groundout ties the game. He’s good for something, I guess.

9:02 Matsui RBI groundout, Yankees up 3-2. Ah, a base hit or two would have been nice. Laffey is done.

9:05 Hershiser was kind to call Ensberg’s squib a “chopper” as somehow everyone is safe and another run comes in. 4-2, Yankees.

9:07 Cleveland finally gets out of the inning as Cano grounds out. I am currently very unsure as to whether Mussina comes back. I say yes, for a hit or two. The bullpen has been worn out lately.

9:08 I need to meet Arkansas Megan at the occasionally exceptionally shady metro stop in about 15 minutes. I’m not sure what’s going to happen when we get back as I can still not ascertain the exact level of drunkenness. Such are the natural risks of blogging, I suppose.

9:10 Moose in fact did not return. Albaladejo and his career 206 ERA+ take the mound. (Alright, 22 career IP.) I’m just glad I can consistently say his name correctly. Former National, by the way. It’s a wonder he’s not with the Mets, as every other former National seemingly is. I’m sure there’s no connection between that fact and the Mets’ current state.

9:15 Kyle Farnsworth is warming up. I’m suddenly very uncomfortable. (For a similar scenario, see: Jersey Matt when Jorge Sosa is warming up. Scratch that; any member of the Mets bullpen that isn’t Joe Smith or Pedro Feliciano. Maybe Figueroa if he hasn’t been drinking at all. Or maybe only if he has been drinking heavily. I’m not sure.) (That would be Jersey Matt drinking or not drinking, not Figueroa.)

9:18 In the meantime, the Indians have runners on the corners and 2 outs.

9:20 The dummies are discussing how to pronounce “Albaladejo”. They clearly were not trained by Michael Kay, as I was.

9:21 K for the last out. Nice pitching.

9:23 Metro time. Game paused. Love DVR.

9:39 Back, beat the buffer. Excellent.

9:42 Superb catch by RF Jason Michaels to rob Jeter of a hit. Web gem.

9:43 Just accidentally fast forwarded through a whole non-commercial segment. I don’t know what happened. Don’t want to risk that again so I’m going to just go forward slowly…

9:45 Well I just totally screwed that up and I’m back on live and missed everything that had recorded. Top 8, 2 out, Matsui up, still 4-2 Yankees. Apparently I didn’t miss much.

9:46 Matsui snuck a hit to the wall for an RBI 2B, Damon scores. 5-2. I can’t believe Matsui is younger than Jeter. Pitching change for Indians.

9:49 Morgan Ensberg is up. Read his guest appearance on Phil Hughes’ blog.

9:51 Ensberg pops up, Joba should be out next.

9:54 I wish Joba would bend his hat’s brim. Just a little.

9:55 Hershiser made a great point about a pitcher being able to deliberately slow a game down immensely, in reference to Joba and the bugs in last year’s ALDS in Cleveland. Young guy trying to tough it out, I think. Either that or he was a rookie in a real tough spot in the playoffs and he wasn’t thinking straight, which is totally understandable.

9:58 Joba gets out without any damage.

10:00 Surprisingly sober Arkansas Megan just asked a very valid question: How many times have they shown that Baseball Tonight guys at the Bobby Thompson game commercial tonight? Sadly, I do not know. But it’s been many.

10:01 They just showed a Rick Ankiel highlight, which immediately prompted someone to mention what a great story Ankiel’s is. Have we forgotten that the guy was found to have used HGH? Why was it such a big deal but suddenly we’ve forgotten? For some reason I still don’t mind it nearly as much as announcers’ constant fawning over Shawne Merriman and never ever mentioning his steroid suspension.

10:03 8-9-1 for Rivera in the bottom of the 9^th after the break. He hasn’t given up a walk this season.

10:05 Shulman just stole my stat, only I think he said that Mo hasn’t given up a hit either, which is not true.

10:06 One out. Mussina is in line for the win, by the way.

10:07 Damn you, Shulman! How do I get to be the guy who slips the dummies all their stats?

10:09 Those uniform patches commemorating the Stadium’s last season are way too big.

10:10 Flyout to Abreu, two down.

10:11 Baseball-reference lists Rivera’s current ERA+ as “infinite”

10:11 Game over, Yankees 5 – Cleveland 2. Mussina gets the win, Mo the save. A successful first running diary? Comments and self-criticism tomorrow will tell.

Why I Hate Some Yankee Fans and Joe Morgan (again)

LaTroy Hawkins just came into the game for the Yankees to try to hold off what feels like an impending Red Sox rally. LaTroy is wearing #22 tonight after beginning the season as #21. He came to the Yankees this past offseason. LaTroy is by all accounts one of the nicest guys in baseball. He’s a veteran who immediately stepped up and became a leader in a clubhouse chock full of young pitchers. He’s not a stellar player, but he’s a good guy. He was forced to switch to #22 after Yankees fans insisted on booing him every time he came out because Paul O’Neill had worn #21 when he was with the Yankees, and the fans took offense to LaTroy daring to wear “Paul’s number”.

Paul O’Neill was a good Yankee. We all liked him. But booing a guy like LaTroy for wearing #21, which he chose to honor Roberto Clemente, by the way, just soils the whole thing. It’s disgusting.

Joe Morgan went on to mention that Yankee fans were also upset because Clemens also wore #21. That isn’t true. Clemens wore #12 at first precisely because O’Neill had #21. Clemens then changed to #22 midseason. Good job Joe.

Joe and Dave O’Brien (Jon Miller must be off forgetting things somewhere…actually, O’Brien just explained that it’s because Rick Sutcliffe has cancer. As Arkansas Megan just pointed out, “Why do they need to talk about someone with cancer, during baseball?” Excellent point.) were talking about Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. Joe was fawning over it, as usual, talking about how special and inspiring it is. He mentioned how his first time playing at Yankee Stadium he went out there before the game and as a result was so touched, he was inspired to play well that night. Well, Joe, I checked, and you were 1 for 4 with a strikeout. Oh and you had an error too. And it was in the World Series. Nice.

Yankees-Sox Rivalry loses luster...

Joel Sherman says what I've been thinking for a while....

Sunday Night Baseball

Currently watching the Red Sox meltdown in the 8th inning.  And if Francona brings Papelbon in for 6 outs I'll drive up to Boston myself and crush him....Francona goes to the mound and here comes....Javier Lopez...this could get ugly quickly.

Listening to Jon Miller and Joe Morgan is always a bittersweet experience.  There is hardly anyone better in the game than Miller when it comes to letting the game do most of the talking while providing context and description that only adds to the experience.  

"Double play! Beautiful! Dustin Pedrioia took it the only way it could've been done." 

Damon hits into a 4-4-3 double play. (Author breathing easily.)  That was classic Miller -- no frills, proper excitement.  This is a guy who realizes that the game is being broadcast on TV and that his audience is able to see what is happening.  Another great talent that Miller has is the set-up.  Too often a lost art, Miller's color commentary consistently places his partner in the position to offer cogent and timely observations...which brings me to "the other guy."

Quickly, however, Joe Morgan jumps into the action.  Certainly Morgan has been doing this a long time and has impeccable playing (read: HOF) credentials, yet I think his analysis lacks evenness and depth.  Too often, Morgan describes something that the audience can plainly see, thereby covering over more intelligent analysis that he also provides just a few seconds later.  

Earlier in the 8th, Miller and Morgan cut away to an in-game conversation with Peter Gammons (who is not only a HOFer but also will go straight to heaven if God is even slightly just) for a discussion about PEDs.  (Isn't it sad that PEDs are just as commonly discussed as RBIs and ERAs?)  But I digress: the conversation between the three is wrapped up and Morgan says (and I'm paraphrasing): PEDs weren't part of the game, there were players who made it part of the game because they were using them.  But there were plenty of players who didn't use them and make them part of the game.

Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough on the keyboard to type his comments down verbatim, but I came away thinking: whhhhat?  This is Emmy quality reporting?  Not as bad as Charlie Steiner, but we don't need Joe Morgan speaking as if he gets paid by the word, thank you very much.

You're not going to find another Big Papi or Manny in the next few years...

more penetrating analysis from Joe! (Umm Joe, have you seen any Brewers or Phillies games?)

And while I'm thinking about....does ESPN realize that the entire country doesn't want to see the Phillies, Mets, Sox or Yankees every dang weekend?

As Requested

Last night, in anticipation of a rain storm, Joe Girardi kept scheduled starter young Ian Kennedy in the bullpen, replacing him with long reliever Brian Bruney. This sort of move is not unheard of. The reasoning behind it is to “save” Kennedy’s start. If he had started and then there had been an extended rain delay after only a couple innings, it would have then been unwise to return the young arm to the game. Most pitchers, especially 23 year old pitchers, are likely to hurt their arms if they allow them to cool for a long time then return them to action. Some pitchers are even adversely affected by their offense having an exceptionally long half inning at bat (especially in the AL – lazy bastards).

That being said, if Kennedy had started and there had been a long rain delay, Girardi probably wouldn’t have let him continue after the delay and would have to then relieve him anyway, wasting his start. If the game had been called, his start also would have been wasted, obviously. Girardi didn’t want to waste a few of what are going to be carefully monitored Kennedy innings.

I don’t see anything wrong with this move. As it happened, there was no rain and Kennedy ended up coming in in relief late in the game anyway, pitching three fairly ineffective 3 innings, giving up 2 runs and only throwing 32 of his 52 pitches for strikes. This is the part I don’t understand. If you’re going to save the start, save it! Bringing him in late in the game against Zach Greinke, who pitched a great game, doesn’t make much sense to me. I didn’t watch the game, so I don’t know how much Kennedy had actually been throwing and whether or not he ruined himself for starting tonight. Maybe Girardi was looking ahead to the Boston series this weekend and was thinking about matchups there. But in that case, wouldn’t he just have started Kennedy anyway?

Managing pitching to win today versus managing pitching to win tomorrow: an interesting dilemma that the old Joe had issues with. It will be interesting to see how the new Joe handles these sorts of things going forward.

Being a former catcher he must know the psychological impact that bringing a young starter in in relief late in the same game he was scheduled to start must have. That’s for a later post, I suppose. I just hope Joe knows what he’s doing.

In the mean time, formerly 0-7 Detroit pulled it together for their first win, against Boston and overhyped Jon Lester. Papi continues his dismal start, going 0-4 and dropping his BA to .091. I was taking delight in this last week but am now forced to wonder if he’s hurt. Something must be going on with him that we don’t know about.

Tonight: Marlins at Nats. Forecast: beautiful, 67 at game time. Tickets: None yet, will buy at box. Pondering infield gallery, will take pictures. Bonus: free curly W and schedule magnet.