Thursday, April 8, 2010

Yanks Take Rubber Match

The Good

Obviously Pettitte, Park, and Granderson all played big roles in this game. But I'd like to highlight Granderson's two home runs to right field in this series. This is certainly a good sign for a lefty who plays in Yankee Stadium. I think it's safe to say we can expect an air show from this guy over the course of the season.

The Bad

Whenever Papelbon blows a save or leaves a game with runners on, he sits in the dugout with this ugly look on his face. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's already ugly, but he manages to somehow get uglier. Then we, the viewing public, have to be subjected to regular shots of him as the rest of the game plays out. It's not only bad, it's unjust.

The Ugly

After Granderson grounded out in his last at-bat of the opener, Joel Sherman of the Post wrote a column in which he argued that Granderson would have to fight the legacy of Damon and Matsui, two guys the Yankees were always comfortable with in a big spot. Well, last night Granderson hit a go-ahead (and ultimately game winning) home run against Jonathan Papelbon, the same Papelbon against whom he grounded out in the opener. But Sherman still hasn't apologized (in writing or in person), retracted the column, or been fired.

The Power Surge

You may want to check and see whether your appliances are still working, because there has been a power surge on the Yankees. Well, not really. This team is basically built to knock the hell out of the ball, but I'm going with the power surge thing anyway. Granderson hit another home run against the defenseless Papelbon, who spent the rest of the game crying uglily.

Posada 1hr = $1
Granderson 2hr = $2
Cano 1hr = $1
Total = $4

9 comments:

Rich Mahogany said...

You are right on about Granderson. He is going to tear it up as a Yankee.

Sherman can write whatever stupid things he wants, but in the end, Granderson will put up similar or better production than what Damon gave us last year, only he will do it playing a good CF rather than a bad LF.

Joe West commented on the Angel Hernandez time out issues from game 2. His comments were ... surprising.

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/pro_sports/baseball/yankees/90192892__It_s_a_disgrace_to_baseball_.html

Rich Mahogany said...

If that link doesn't work, you can Google "joe west disgrace".

lady gaganonymous said...

lolSherman

"The Bad" made me laugh, because it's true. You also should have thrown in Posada looking like a dying seal when he flopped to home plate and Ellsbury almost killing Andy AGAIN.

Wow. That was... a game.

Unknown said...

Papelsmear always looks ugly, just different types of ugly.

1. When he is pitching and trying to look "intense" and "scary" he has the Zellweger I smelled a fart, sucked on a lemon or I've been backed up for three weeks ugly look.

2. When he wins his face has to unfold and stretch from holding the squinchy face for so long (Guess Mom was right about Making faces and it freezing that way). Him smiling looks unnatural and slightly demonic. Reminds me of Thriller when MJ turns into the Werewolf.

3. Finally the face when he fails. It is Face 1 with a scowl, but it tightens and all points of the face pulls in closer. The fear is that if he blows too many saves that his face will actually implode in on itself causing a black hole that only the mass of a Molina will be able to plug.

lady gaganonymous said...

Also Gardner completely owns Papelbon, it is awesome.

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

Wow, Rich. That's a crazy article. I understand the whole 'these games are too long' thing, but this isn't like when Nomar had to change his gloves between each swing. These two teams both employ a patient style of hitting and the scoring tends to go back and forth. They're two of the best teams in all of baseball, and when they play, the fans line up. I understand if you're playing the Pirates or Royals, not wanting to be stuck in the ball park for four hours. It's a different story when it's Yankees-Red Sox. Those games are supposed to be epic.

Dylan said...

If they really want to make a change, they should just change the rules so the game has to be faster. For example limiting pick-off attempts or the amount of times a pitcher can step off, or lowering the allowed time between pitches. Players shouldn't have to hurry up though. Umpires get paid enough to be happy, so they should just stay quiet.

Rich Mahogany said...

Maybe there could be less commercial time between frames. Oh wait, I forgot MLB could only consider options that would piss off players or fans.

Anonymous said...

Excellent point, Rich, about the time added by TV.

Hey--watching a Pappelbon meltdown is one of the most beautiful things in sports. I just enjoy it for what it is.
(That it just aobut always comes served with a Yankee win over Boston, that's just so much sweeter.)

Joe