Friday, September 30, 2011

And it Begins...

Tonight will be the first game of the American League Division Series where one Constantino Chamberlain Sabathia will take on Justin Verlander. The major league season ended yesterday, but the Yankees season ended a week ago when they clinched the division. After this, Yankees fans had to witness something they were largely unfamiliar with: meaningless September baseball. The Yankees fielded more minor leaguers in the last week than the Pirates did all year. But now, the Yankees have to turn everything up a notch and come prepared to face the Tigers. Ladies and Gentlemen, the quest for number 28 is afoot.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Well That Escalated Quickly

The Good

Mark Teixeira's bat got hot right in time for the post season. He hit 2 homeruns, including a grandslam. Jones also hit a homerun, while Betances made his first major league start, going 2 innings and not allowing a run. In the meanwhile, over in Baltimore, the Orioles were playing what must have seemed like the world series to them. When all was said and done, the Red Sox couldn't stave off the Orioles in the 9th, and Papelbon took the loss on a walk-off single by Robert Andino. This now proves that Andino is actually a prophet, having foreseen his future success when he took his profile picture at the beginning of the season:

Picture Source

The Bad

We lost. Not in any real sense, but still.

The Ugly

Dropping a 7 run lead has to go here, but at the point the Rays were rallying, our regulars were on the bench, our bench players were on the field, and our best releivers were at their respective homes, or at least should have been considering that none of them were going to pitch today. You have to tip your hat to the Rays. They came back from a 7 run deficit to win the game in extra innings. It was kind of epic the way the Rays were playing into extra innings while the Red Sox had a rain delay also extending the outcome of the game later into the evening. When all is said and done, the Rays completed their epic surge while the Red Sox completed their epic collapse. I'm sure the Mets could offer some words of consolation in this time.

What a Great Way to End the Season for the Babies

Three homeruns between Teixeira and Andruw Jones. What a great way to end the season for the Children's Health Fund. That's $6 for the babies.

Mark Teixeira 39hr = $78
Curtis Granderson 41hr = $82
Russell Martin 18hr = $36
Alex Rodriguez 16hr = $32
Jorge Posada 14hr = $28
Robinson Cano 28hr = $56
Andruw Jones 13hr = $26
Brett Gardner 7hr = $14
Nick Swisher 23hr = $46
Derek Jeter 6hr = $12
Francisco Cervelli 4hr = $8
Eduardo Nunez 5hr = $10
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $2
Eric Chavez 2hr = $4
Jesus Montero 4hr = $8
Chris Dickerson 1hr = $2
Total = $444

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Further Praise of David Robertson

I mentioned earlier that his ERA is at 1.08, but I just noticed that he has exactly 100 strikeouts on the season in 66.2 innings pitched. What a contributor he's turned out to be.

Reeling Yanks Can't Stop Surging Rays (Wink Wink)

The Good

Russel Martin hit a homerun a day after getting thrown out of the game for arguing balls and strikes. It was a solo shot, but in a game where the Yankees didn't do much else it really stands out. Did anyone notice that Dave Robertson's ERA is at 1.08?

The Bad

Rafael Soriano giving up 3 a run homerun comes to mind. After the game, Girardi defended Soriano saying that he's played well for us, and wrote this off as a fluke. What Soriano has he been watching this season?

The Ugly

Russel Martin hit into a triple play, which takes a lot of skill when you really think about it.

Cano and Granderson, where are you at?

Russel Martin hit a homerun to make sure the kids wouldn't leave empty handed, but Cano, who's charity the homerun money goes to, and Granderson, who's our only 40 homerun hitter, have been real quiet of late. There is one more game left, and I demand homeruns!

Mark Teixeira 37hr = $74
Curtis Granderson 41hr = $82
Russell Martin 18hr = $36
Alex Rodriguez 16hr = $32
Jorge Posada 14hr = $28
Robinson Cano 28hr = $56
Andruw Jones 12hr = $24
Brett Gardner 7hr = $14
Nick Swisher 23hr = $46
Derek Jeter 6hr = $12
Francisco Cervelli 4hr = $8
Eduardo Nunez 5hr = $10
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $2
Eric Chavez 2hr = $4
Jesus Montero 4hr = $8
Chris Dickerson 1hr = $2
Total = $438

Monday, September 26, 2011

Yanks Fail to Defeat Rival Rays (Wink Wink)

The Good

Cano continues to hit better than most mere mortals. Did you ever notice that Robinson Cano is an anagram for Superman? No? Well, that's because it's not. But he still has more power than you!

The Bad

Russell Martin got thrown out of the game in the fifth for arguing balls and strikes. He wasn't questioning the strike zone, as much as talking to every pitch, debating the balls on matters of political concern. The Ump couldn't take the inane points Martin kept raising and finally threw him out in the fifth inning. Girardi tried to argue, but once he realized Martin had spent the better part of the game trying to convince various baseballs that the key to creating jobs is eating a low carb diet, he gave up.

The Ugly

The Yankees lost a game in which Farnsworth pitched for the other side. WTF?

Cash Money All-Stars

Remember them? Well, you shouldn't. $2 more for the kids courtesy of Robinson Cano. Will he reach 30 again this season? He better if he cares about his own charity!

Mark Teixeira 37hr = $74
Curtis Granderson 41hr = $82
Russell Martin 17hr = $34
Alex Rodriguez 16hr = $32
Jorge Posada 14hr = $28
Robinson Cano 28hr = $56
Andruw Jones 12hr = $24
Brett Gardner 7hr = $14
Nick Swisher 23hr = $46
Derek Jeter 6hr = $12
Francisco Cervelli 4hr = $8
Eduardo Nunez 5hr = $10
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $2
Eric Chavez 2hr = $4
Jesus Montero 4hr = $8
Chris Dickerson 1hr = $2
Total = $436

Sorry For the Delay: Red Sox Series Update

The Good

A lot can be said about the Yankees in this space, but I think the best thing that happened this weekend was that, while we took the series and played well, we didn't dash the Red Sox's playoff chances. I know we would all love to see a monumental collapse, but that's petty small picture stuff. I'd rather have a team like the Red Sox in the playoffs who are limping in than a team like the Rays in the Playoffs who are charging in. Playoff baseball is about who's hot and right now the Red Sox are not. Rather them as potential October competition than a young team that is hungry and playing with fire in their bellies.

The Bad

Losing that game in extras wasn't good, but I can't complain too much. I wish Cano hadn't booted that ball and I wish Nova had pitched ever so slightly better. But truth be told, if Cano cleanly fields that double-play ball the Yankees probably win that game.

The Ugly

After Sunday's nightcap, Scott Proctor was asked how he felt about giving up the winning runs. This was his response:

"Sometimes I cry myself to sleep. Not because I'm sad, but because I have nothing better to do. So I cry myself to sleep. That's what I do."

Needless to say the interview was over.

Show Me the Money

Sorry for the Jerry Maguire reference but I couldn't think of anything else. Jeter, Montero, and Posada each had a single home run in the weekend series. $6 more dollars for the kiddos.

Mark Teixeira 37hr = $74
Curtis Granderson 41hr = $82
Russell Martin 17hr = $34
Alex Rodriguez 16hr = $32
Jorge Posada 13hr = $25
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Andruw Jones 12hr = $24
Brett Gardner 6hr = $12
Nick Swisher 23hr = $46
Derek Jeter 6hr = $12
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Eduardo Nunez 5hr = $10
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $2
Eric Chavez 2hr = $4
Jesus Montero 4hr = $8
Chris Dickerson 1hr = $2
Total = $430

Friday, September 23, 2011

Colon Explains His Performance

Colon has not been good of late, and he hasn't won a game since August. After the game, RJG caught up with Colon for an explanation:

RJG: Hey Bartolo! You sure suck lately. What gives?

Colon: Pitching isn't something easy to do. You have to block out the distractions when you're on the mound, but sometimes it's just too hard. Like today, before I leave for the park, my wife brushed an eyelash off my face and then blew it away. I was all 'what was that about?' And she's like, 'I made a wish'. So I'm like, 'that's so f#$&@!*g stupid! You think an eyelash is going to grant your wish?! You didn't even say your wish out loud! Is the eyelash a mind reading eye lash? Can it read your thoughts? Is it a magic eyelash, because I'm pretty sure it's just dead hair?! How does it go about granting your wish? Does it have like a Costco card or something? Does it go to Costco to grant the wish from when it read your mind?' I was thinking of that all day and I just couldn't focus on the mound.

RJG: Wow. How'd that go over with your wife?

Colon: Not well. Can I stay with you guys tonight?

RJG: No.

The Oddest Year

The Yankees locked down the division a couple games ago, and now have a week of what amounts to imaginary baseball. Though it will appear they are playing baseball, we'll be seeing a lot of names on the roster that we've never heard of, and numbers on jerseys that are closer to a hundred. But thinking back to the beginning of the seasons, the Red Sox were a lock for the division, the Yankees were the underdogs, the Rays were looking at what to do with their 50 first round draft picks, and the Blue Jays were just happy to be rid of Vernon Wells. The Yankees missed out on Cliff Lee so they turned to the next best thing: signing every veteran who ever threw a ball in the major leagues. This approach landed us Bartolo Colon, and Freddy Garcia who haven't been great of late but essentially are why we've won the division. It also got us Andruw Jones, Eric Chavez, and Russell Martin who have been contributors, and have really helped stabalize this team. The Red Sox if you remember had just traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed Carl Crawford. If any team was poised to take the division it was them. But baseball is funny that way, and the Yankees really caught lightning in a bottle this year. They essentially took the money ball approach and signed low cost, high-ceiling players and let it play out. I for one did not think Freddy and Bartolo would both make it this far, but here we are in September, and neither are on the DL. Another great development has been Ivan Nova who was sent down mid-season to make room for Hughes, but is back, and has made a strong case to pitch behind Sabathia in the post season. When all is said and done, this has been a remarkable year. I don't know how we'll fare in the post season as our rotation seems in tathers, but with how odd this year has been I wouldn't be surprised if Colon found his 104 mph heat from his Cleveland days, and Freddy Garcia's splitter lands him 9 strikeouts a game here on out. For now, I'm just happy to have the division locked, and we'll see how the rest of the season goes.

So This is What Hung Over Baseball Looks Like

The Good

It was kind of cool seeing the future of the Yankees yesterday. Well, more likely the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates where half of those guys will likely end up, but still, we're seeing the future of some franchise on the field today. One cool thing was seeing Andrew Brackman pitch. He survived 1.1 innings in releif, which is good I suppose. Jesus Montero went 3-3 with a double and Andrew Jones hit a homerun. What fun!

The Bad

The Yankees were clearly disinterested in playing baseball. Girardi didn't even try. The starting lineup had Nunez, Laird and Golson, with Jones covering in the outfield and Posada playing first base. Then after the game got out of hand, Jeter, Teixeira, and Swisher, the only regulars, got pulled for Dickerson, Pena and Romine. Its smart to rest the regulars once the division is a lock, but it must have been a real challenge for Girardi to find the most sober regulars to plug into his lineup. I'm surprised Swisher made it in.

The Ugly

Bartolo Colon was awful. 7 runs in 3 innings just isn't post season material. I know he wants to figure it out, but the season is over next week. We can't hope that some mechanical adjustments will fix him for the ALDS. BTW, that Moore kid is magical.

A Little Something

Andruw Jones made sure the kids at the Children's Health Fund would be supported despite the blowout loss. His homerun adds two more dollars to the CHF.

Mark Teixeira 37hr = $74
Curtis Granderson 41hr = $82
Russell Martin 17hr = $34
Alex Rodriguez 16hr = $32
Jorge Posada 12hr = $24
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Andruw Jones 12hr = $24
Brett Gardner 6hr = $12
Nick Swisher 23hr = $46
Derek Jeter 5hr = $10
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Eduardo Nunez 5hr = $10
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $2
Eric Chavez 2hr = $4
Jesus Montero 3hr = $6
Chris Dickerson 1hr = $2
Total = $424

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Yanks Do A Lot of Clinching, But Not Lame Clinching Like in Boxing

The Good

The Yankees swept the double-header, winning both games by a score of 2-4. The first game guaranteed the Yankees a playoff spot, the second guaranteed them the division. Sabathia spared the bullpen in the second game, going 7.1 innings and allowing only two runs. Good thing, because at that point Girardi had Posada warming up to pitch. Feeling bad that he had to sit Posada back down, Girardi let him pinch hit in the eighth and Posada delivered the division winning single.

The Bad

Hughes missed another start due to back pain and was administered an epidural. Apparently the back pain began shortly after Hughes's water broke.

The Ugly

Joe Maddon used four relief pitchers in the eighth inning in order to give up two runs. That's not very efficient. He didn't really do it to give up the two runs however, he did it to test whether his pitching coach knew all the names of the relievers in the bullpen, which he did by monitoring the bullpen phone. Some might question whether such a test was appropriate when his team is vying for the Wild Card, but Maddon's genius is not to be questioned, like Theo's.

The Middle Infielders

Nunez had a solo shot in the first game and Cano had a solo shot in the second. $4 more for the kids.

Mark Teixeira 37hr = $74
Curtis Granderson 41hr = $82
Russell Martin 17hr = $34
Alex Rodriguez 16hr = $32
Jorge Posada 12hr = $24
Robinson Cano 27hr = $54
Andruw Jones 11hr = $22
Brett Gardner 6hr = $12
Nick Swisher 23hr = $46
Derek Jeter 5hr = $10
Francisco Cervelli 3hr = $6
Eduardo Nunez 5hr = $10
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $2
Eric Chavez 2hr = $4
Jesus Montero 3hr = $6
Chris Dickerson 1hr = $2
Total = $422