Yankees vs Angels, 30 April 2009: A Liveblog

5.08 PM: I have a ton of work to do (again), so the updates will be few and far between.

Bobby Abreu is making his return to the Bronx tonight, he should get a nice hand.

Some nasty looking rain clouds overhead; the forecast for the next week is basically every day, so I would not be surprised to see bunch of rain delays or a rain out or two. It would suck, but such is life when you don't build a stadium with a roof.

5.17 PM: Madagascar bothers me. Stop closing your ports, damnit!

(No, really, I'm doing my work, I promise!)

7.21 PM: Unless my ears deceive me, and it's been known to happen, Bobby Abreu got a 'roll call' from the bleacher creatures. Nice move.

7.27 PM: Some nice 2-out hitting there. Matsui's legs seem to be feeling better.

7.32 PM: Bandbox.

7.57 PM: Great bounceback inning for Burnett. Now we'll see if the top of the order can do something about that. Am a little surprised Jeter showed enough range to get to that baseball, of course...


Also, these smoking commercials? Can someone please stop them? If you don't know by now that smoking is bad for you, I don't think those ads are gonna help much.

8.02 PM: Bandbox.

8.31 PM: Some nice 2-out clutchin' from the cap'n. Yanks up, 4-3.

8.37 PM: AJ Burnett, apparently, does not want to win this game.

8.58 PM: That CS of Napoli was a thing of beauty. Never mind what Posada did last night, but catchers probably shouldn't steal bases.

9.33 PM: I kind of hate Jacoby Ellsbury right now.

9.43 PM: Melkman is being all sorts of awesome of late. And Robbie has a 17 game hit streak.

Oh, buy the way? Stadium sounds deafening right now, even with the empty seats. And it's raining.

HOLY RAMIRO PEÑA, his first career RBI(s)!

9.58 PM: Mo's getting hit a lot more this year, isn't he?

Timing is Everything

Now that the Yankees have done the improbable-but-not-impossible and signed Sabathia, Burnett and Teixeira, the rest of the Free Agent market is beginning to fall into place.

Last night, for example, Pat Burrell signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, and rumor has Jason Giambi agreeing to a one year deal with the Oakland A's.

Surprisingly, perhaps, depending on your take, one player who still has not been signed is former Yankees' right fielder, Bobby Abreu.

Offensively, Abreu, despite his age, is still a solid player--not one for home run power, but he will hit 100 RBI per year on a consistent basis, and he is, historically, known to work the count--something other Yankees, like Canò and Cabrera have yet to do.

Defensively, however, Abreu is more of a liability than an asset--he takes poor roots to fly balls, and while his arm is still a canon, his accuracy can make you blush.

When you combine the above with his age, his expected salary and the current market for right fielders and DHs, you end up with a situation in which an older player, who still has something to give to the game, is out of a job.

Abreu's current situation might be the most high profile, the most obvious instance of how, in professional sports, timing is everything.

If you're really really good--like, say, if your name is Albert Pujols or Tim Lincecum, then timing is perhaps less important--you are that good, you're going to get your chance anyway.

However, if you're like the majority of professional baseball players, your career depends almost more on timing than anything else.

Everything needs to work out just right to have a chance, and then you have to pray that you're not nursing a bum hamstring or a sore quad if you do happen to get that chance.

Many of us don't think about the timing issue at the major league level. Yet, for every guy that has signed a multi-year, million dollar contract, there is one that got a chance at the major league level, only to have the spot taken away because of an injury or because someone better comes along, or, perhaps, in Bobby's case, because the skills they offer aren't what is needed at the current moment.

Right now, for Abreu, it probably doesn't help that THE GREAT FINANCIAL MELTDOWN OF DOOM is upon us, and teams who aren't the Yankees and don't print their own money may be loath to spend the salary that Abreu could, historically, demand.

Should Abreu have a job?

Definitely--you can't find 100 RBI guys everywhere you look.

Where he would currently fit, however, is another story. The Yankees wouldn't work--you have Xavier Nady in right, one of Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera in center (uh-oh?) and one of Johnny Damon/Hideki Matsui in left, very possibly with the other DHing.

An argument could be made that there's no knowing about how Matsui's knees will hold out, or how a Gardner/Cabrera tandem will work, but with Austin Jackson (likely) waiting in the wings, it makes no sense for the Yankees to sign Abreu to anything more than a one year or one year plus team option deal, but for someone with Abreu's track record, when one acknowledges the deal that other players have received, it makes no sense for Abreu to want anything less than a multi-year deal, and thus, because of bad timing, Abreu is left in the cold.

X-Men Cometh (Postgame Notes 03 August 2008)

Down 5-0 in the fourth inning, Yankees fans were just praying the deficit wouldn't get any larger.

Maybe, just maybe the Yankees would be able to chip away and make the game close, and maybe, just maybe, there would be that little glimmer of hope that the Yankees could end the series on a positive note.

When a base-running error with one out in the fourth inning by Bobby Abreu kept the Yankees from scoring on a sacrifice fly from Xavier Nady, you could hear the collective groaning from Yankee fans everywhere: that was our inning, and we missed it.

Guess everyone forgot that 27 outs are a lot of outs.

From the fifth inning on, the Yankees scored at least one run every inning--one in the fifth, three in the sixth, four in the seventh and then six in a wild eighth inning.

Xavier Nady had a career high 6 RBI, including a home run in the seventh to put the Yankees ahead 8-5. As a Yankee he is hitting .385 with three doubles, three home runs, and ten RBI in eight games--and that's despite a very slow start in Boston.

Boston can keep their Jason Bay; the Yankees like the X Man just fine.

In terms of pitching...well, there wasn't much of it unless you count what John Lackey did in the first three innings, and what Dan Giese did in the middle innings.

If anything, Giese made a case for him to start next Friday night against Lackey in Anaheim in place of Darrell Rasner, who did not have a good performance.

Edwar Ramirez was overdue for a couple of baserunners, but the grand slam he gave up to Mark Teixiera was a crushing blow after the Yankees had just taken a three run lead. Had the Angels played something remotely resembling defense in the eighth inning, it would have been a crushing loss for the Yankees.

As luck would have it, however, the ghosts seemed to be out today, and the Yankees, seemingly sparked by Justin Christian's double steal in the eighth, would not lose the game, and battled themselves to a split with the league's best team.

A word of caution: Apparently Mariano Rivera was unavailable to pitch today due to back spasms.

Let the Old Time(r)s Roll (Postgame Notes 2 August 2008)

There are few certainties in life.

Death, taxes. and that Old Timer's Day will always leave a chill in your Yankee fan blood.

At about noon this morning, it was pouring Noah's Flood, and it looked like the Yankees would be lucky to get the ceremonies in, but, almost as if by destiny, the skies cleared and 72 former Yankee players--some Hall of Fame Legends, some that just caught lightning in a bottle--were able to assemble on the field of the House that Ruth Built for one last time.

While Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford produced goosebumps, and Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, David Cone and David Wells made you pine for the late nineties, it was the return of Willie Randolph to the Stadium that received the most attention from the Stadium crowd.

As Michael Kay said in his introduction, "once a Yankee, always a Yankee."


The game that followed did not disappoint, from a Yankee point of view.

Mike Mussina pitched an absolute clinic--he did not allow an Angel baserunner to reach after the second, retiring seventeen in a row. It was a pure vintage performance, and while he struggled with his control in the first two innings, he found a rhythym and didn't look back.

The Yankee offense was sparked by an unusual source: a two-run home run from Wilson Betemit in the bottom of the second inning, the first of four Yankee home runs on the day.

After last night's offensive debacle, the Yankees had home runs from Betemit, the streaking Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, and Jose Molina, who had his first home run of the season as part of a 3-3 day.

The Yankees now have a chance to salvage a split out of the four game set--which would be impressive against a team as good on the road as the Angels are--though a win last night would have meant the possibility of taking three out of four.

Brian Bruney, who was not expected to be back at all this season, pitched a one walk, one hit ninth inning. His command was a little off, but given the time he has missed, it is understandable.

Diabolic (Postgame Notes 31 July 2008)

One could have argued that tonight was one of the most important games of the year for the Yankees to win. They had Andy Pettitte on the mound in the most favorable pitching match up of the Angels series...

So, like clockwork, the Yankees get blown out of the water.

Andy Pettitte has one of his worst starts of the season and it could not have come against a worse (for the Yankees) opponent.

He struggled in the first and second inning before giving up a pair of three-run home runs in the third--nine of the Angels runs were scored on three run home runs--a poor performance in a place where Andy usually succeeds.

The offense wasn't good at the beginning of the game, but picked it up in the later innings--problem is, when you're down by nine runs in the ninth, there's not a whole lot that an offense can do.

There was an absolutely HORRENDOUS call in the seventh inning, when Ivan Rodriguez was clearly safe at home plate--on the replay his hand is touching the base and Mathis hadn't even made the tag.

There's no shame in losing to a good team. The shame comes when you get completley blown out at home, with a pitcher who's built his reputation as a 'stopper' on the mound.

The Yankees haven't just lost four of their last five, but they've gotten blownn out in three of those games.

The pitching that had been so good straight out of the break seems to, with the exception of Joba, collapsed completley, and despite the excellent trade deadline, the Yankees still have issues that they need to deal with--and quickly if this run is to be for real.

El Comedulce (Postgame Notes 30 July 2008)

On a team overloaded with Designated Hitters, the Yankees picked up a new one today: Bobby Abreu.

Getting the start at DH to spell him from the field, Abreu had a mammoth day at the plate, going 3-4 with two home runs, three RBI and four runs scored--he either batted in or scored five of the Yankee runs today--and on two occasions, he did both.

More importantly, he helped the Yankees stop their losing streak at three, and helped them go into their four game series with the best team in the league, the Angels, on a high note.

Joba Chamberlain pitched great (can we say 'as usual' yet?)--six innings, one earned run. Still not as economical with his pitches as the Yankees would like, but also still technically a quality start.

Breaking News

According to ESPN, and confirmed by YES, the Yankees have traded Kyle Farnsworth to Detroit for catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

Lesson learned: When Cashman says the Yankees are content with Molina and Moeller, don't take him at face value.

Eight Wins Up (Postgame Notes 26 July 2008)

In the first inning, Andy Pettitte simply could not get a pitch called a strike.

Boston pushed two runs across before the Yankees had their second at bat, and they were looking for more.

...and still, the Yankees won.

In terms of the games that the Yankees have pitched since the All Star Break, it wasn't the prettiest, but Pettitte got stronger as the game went on, and, as a true showcase of how good the bullpen has become, when Jose Veras struggled in the seventh, Joe Girardi went to Dàmaso Marte, Edwar Ramirez and David Robertson. The three did not allow another hit.

In fact, one may look at today's game as indictive of the differences between the Yankees' bullpen situation and that of the Red Sox.

Consider the statistics:

Yankee bullpen: 3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 0 ER
Red Sox bullpen: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 4 ER

In trading for Marte, the Yankees have made a strength stronger and kept the Red Sox from addressing what is probably the weakest part of their ball club.

More good news about today's win?

Today's offensive effort--ten runs in what is technically a come-from-behind win--means that the Yankees don't have to be concerned about the fact they only went 1-9 with RISP last night.

In fact, Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and Robinson Canò all had two out RBI (Canò had two and three RBI on the day).

Whatever this Yankee team is, the team it was in the first half is not it.

The starting pitching is giving them a chance to win every game, the offense is, post break, scoring 6.12 runs a game (read: what they were supposed to do all season) and the bullpen is phenomenal.

On July 6, the Yankees were nine games out of the division lead.

Today, on July 26, they are tied in the loss column with Boston for the Wild Card lead.

Everyone has said that if the Yankees were going to make a move, that it has to be now, this month.

That is precisely what they have done.

The Yankees will try to close out the series tommorrow evening. Whatever happens, the Yankees can rest a little easy knowing that no matter what they have taken two out of three from Boston at Fenway.

The Dark Knight is Amazing. Go See It. (Postgame Notes 18 July 2008)

If only the Yankees could play like this every night.

Good starting pitching, clutch hitting, clean defense and an overpowering bullpen will get you a win almost every time, and that's exactly what the Yankees had tonight.

Mike Mussina was not dominant--he gave up nine hits over six--but he was effective. He allowed one run in the first and did not allow another run the rest of the game. He did not walk a single batter and struck out the side in the second--all looking.

Mussina now has more wins (12) than he had all of last season, and still has a potential, if unlikely, shot at 20 wins. Many agree that one 20 win season would give Moose the boost he needs to be a serious Hall of Fame candidate.

I could gush more about the season that Mussina is having, but tonight's win wasn't just Mike Mussina.

The Yankee offense did something it's not done much of late, and played a good game. It wasn't just one guy with a good night, but the entire team seemed to be playing well.

Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Canò and Melky Cabrera all had multiple hit games that included extra base hits (doubles for Abreu and Melky; home runs for Alex and Canò).

More telling, however, was that six of the Yankee runs were scored on two outs--three of those coming on Robinson Canò's home run in the third to put the Yankees ahead. The Yankees never relinquished the lead.

The bullpen, which tonight didn't see Jose Veras, Kyle Farnsworth or Mariano Rivera, was absolutley dominant.

David Robertson struck out the side in the seventh; Edwar Ramirez struck out two of three in a one-two-three eighth, and LaTroy Hawkins had a one-two-three ninth, ending the game with a strike out.

In the last few years, and, most notably, last year, the Yankees have been a second-half team, and tonight, they posted one of their best-played wins this season to start it off.

If you believe in omens t all, consider tonight a good one.

Power of the 'Stache (Postgame Notes 09 July 2008)

I have a confession to make.

I went to the Yankee game today.

I was at the Yankee game, and for the first time since August 5th, I witnessed a Yankee victory. It was my first win this season (on my sixth try), and I have to say, it was a quality win as well.

I wasn't expecting a whole lot from Sidney Ponson (I mean, dude, he's Sidney Ponson), but he did ore than exceed my expectations in only surrendering one run over six innings. That's not to say Ponson didn't flirt with disaster throughout a couple of those innings, but he was able to reprise his Houdini act from his start against the Mets and give the Yankees what they needed.

It proved to be important as even though Edwin Jackson wasn't anything special, the Yankees again had trouble scoring with runners in scoring position.

It's probably fitting, then, that on Mustache Day, Jason Giambi had an RBI single in the first, and that, after making an excellent catch in the 8th, Bobby Abreu had the double in the tenth to win the game.

Don't look now, but the back end combination of Veras, Farnsworth and Rivera looks unhittable. Granted, Mo's Cy Young season helps, but that's not the point.


Anyway, I've got a few pictures from the day.


Outside Gate 6


My brother, having fun with the 'stache.


My friend Andrea and her friend Alisa 'staching it up.


Ponson walking out to the bullpen to warm up


John Sterling with some more facial decoration. Waldman had one, too.


Brett Gardner warming up. He did successfully steal second the one time he reached base.


View from our seats


The 'Stache after the RBI single in the first


The Spanish language broadcasters pushed the button to 32 home games left.


Well, what are you waiting for?


Jose Veras. The back end of the bullpen has really become something.


Enter Sandman


Exit light, enter night.


Walk off celebration


Mobbing Bobby

Day and Night (Postgame Notes 27 June 08)

Day

I don't know why my karma is so bad, but I am now 0-5 at Yankees games I have been to this year. One had the sense after the Mets took a 3-1 lead that there was absolutely no way the game was going to end at that score.

It didn't.


It just didn't end in a score to the Yankees favor. It wasn't that the Yankees didn't hit...they did...but each pitcher they had was progressively worse than the one before. Dan Giese threw too many balls, Edwar was not sharp, and Ross Ohlendorf was bad enough to get himself optioned back to Scranton.

However, there were a few bright spots (and the part where I was on the DiamondVision doesn't count)...like, as shown in the picture above, when a fan came out of the right field bleachers and ran onto the field.

I'm not quite sure it was worth the getting arrested part, but it was the highlight of the first game (at least from the Yankees' point of view).


Night

What a difference a...bus ride (?)...makes!

Everything the Yankees didn't do in the first game, they did in this one.

Poor pitching with men on base in the first game?

The Yankees escaped bases loaded, less than two out jams twice in the night cap without surrendering a run.

Poor hitting in the first game?

Every Yankee starter--yes, even Sidney Ponson--contributed offensively in the second game.

Speaking of Sidney Ponson...

...The first few innings were certainly a roller coaster, but in an old Sports Illustrated article I have hanging on my wall, New Jersey Devils' goalie Martin Brodeur is quoted as saying that a roller coaster ride is okay, as long as you end on a high, and Ponson certainly ended on a high.

Six innings, five hits, no runs and four strikeouts certainly qualifies.

While he certainly can't expected to escape bases loaded situations without surrendering a run every time, Ponson has earned himself another start.


Do Not Go Gently...

The Yankees have Andy Pettitte on the mound tomorrow, against Johan Santana, without question the marquee match up of the series. He's working on a streak, of sorts.


Also of note--Hideki Matsui has been placed on the 15 day disabled list, though that is not exactly a surprise.

Pirate Booty (Postgame Notes 25 June 2008)

What a difference a day makes.

Twenty four hours after the Yankees had what was arguably their worst loss of the season, they came out and played like a top-tier team beating up on one that hasn't had a winning season in sixteen years.

Every Yankee starter, with the exception of Joba Chamberlain, had at least one hit, and even Joba had a walk and a well placed sacrifice bunt.

While the game was an offensive display for the Yankees, the true player of the game was easily Joba Chamberlain, who pitched brilliantly and got his first win as a starter. He allowed six hits through six and 2/3ds innings, with seven strike outs and only one walk.

Joba continues to get better with every start he makes. It's no longer a question of whether he should start, but if, in Wang's absence, he can mount the role of 'Yankees' ace', and thus take some of the load of of Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina.

While his pitch count was a little high for the innings pitched, he made the important pitches when he needed to, and did not at all look uncomfortable.

He won't pitch this well every start, but on a night where the Yankees really needed a good start, they got it.

The offense, of course, helped.

Robbie Canò had his first home run since May 8th (!), Bobby Abreu had a three run home run, his second home run in as many nights, and Derek Jeter had two doubles.

They scored in six different innings, including the first and the ninth, with both the regulars and the bench, and they did so without the services of Johnny Damon (who is expected to be okay) and Hideki Matusi (whose knees must be a source of real concern).

Justin Christian, who was just called up yesterday, has hit to the tune of .375 over the two games, proving a viable solution while Damon and Matsui are out.

****

If you didn't catch it, Fresno State won their first ever NCAA championship at the College World Series. They are the lowest seeded NCAA team to ever win a championship.

If you get a chance, watch the highlights and their celebration. The joy on the kids' faces?

That's why you play the game.

Extra Good (postgame notes 31 May 2008)

Well, for the very first Yankee game I've seen in over a week, the Yankees certainly managed to keep it interesting.

It's been so long since the Yankees had won an extra-innings game on the road that when the game went to ten innings, one had to wonder if it was just a matter of time before marking the loss column. Fortunately, despite a couple of very close calls, the Yankees could mark the win column.

Even better: the Yankees are now over the .500 mark--hopefully, for good.

The Yankees' offense seems to finally be showing some signs of cohesion; instead of collapsing when Minnesota staked out to a 2-0 lead, it kept going. Even the Yankee pitching, far from great tonight, never let Minnesota take control of the game.

The win was satisfying because the Yankees had to work that much harder for it, though now it's been five rough starts in a row for Wang.

****

I'm still battling jet lag, hence why this post is late and undetailed. I'm working on a couple different non-gamers; I'll get them up eventually.

Swept (Postgame Notes 1 May 2008)

I only caught the bottom of the ninth inning tonight, but it seemed to play out like the rest of the game--it got off to a decent start, and then stagnated, before imploding with a whimper.

OPTIMIST TAKE: Bobby Abreu had a three-run home run in the first. I'm sure there's more to be optimistic about, but like I said, I only caught the bottom of the ninth.

***

My actual evening, however, was more entertaining. I had tickets to the Syracuse-Pawtucket game; because the weather was awful, cold and raining, there were not many people that made it out to see the game.

I somehow am now in possession of a foul ball. I don't know how I got it, but somehow a ball hit the back of my leg while I was walking, and, well, it's got a nice scuff to it. The ball, not my leg, though my leg will probably have a small bruise tomorrow.

One of the best parts of minor league games that no one goes to is that no one sits out by the bullpen, so in the late innings, you can wander down there, and the security guy might stare at you a little bit (especially if your friend has beer), but he will generally leave you alone.

There were about four of us out by the Syracuse bullpen--Dan and myself, and two other guys we did not know--and, despite the cold, rainy evening, it was fun watching the pitchers warm up, hearing their conversation (though it was too cold for there to be much of a conversation) and even interacting with them.

I guess you can say I am easily amused.

Just Another Day at the Office (Postgame Notes 22 April 2008)

If Sunday's game from Andy Pettitte was a clinic on how to pitch, tonight's game from Chien Ming Wang as a clinic on how to grind it out and battle when you don't have your best "stuff".

Though he gave up ten hits in six innings, Wang was able to keep the White Sox to three runs, hich shows true grit among the starter.

As for the offense, tonight was the type of night you hope you see more often--hitting from Johnny Damon and even Jason Giambi, and Bobby Abreu with a clutch grand slam in the seventh.

It looks like the Yankees may be coming out of their offensive funk; Johnny Damon especially had a great day including a double in the top of the first, an infield hit in the seventh to set up the Abreu grand slam, and, as if for good measure, a three run home run in the eighth.

The bullpen was shaky--Billy Traber walked the only man he faced, Brian Bruney walked a man and gave up an infield hit, Joba walked in a run, and Kyle Farnsworth gave up a solo HR in the ninth--but, in the end, the Yankees did not have to go to Mariano.

OPTIMIST TAKE: The way Wang battled through the game shows a mature pitcher--young pitchers might give in and fold, but Wang pulled a Pettitte with his ability to get out of jams with men on base with only minor damage. Jason Giambi had a home run, though for those thinking Giambi should be benched, I guess it wouldn't be a good thing. Johnny Damon had an excellent night, and, of course, Bobby Abreu's four run home run was kind of cool, too.

Moose & Bobby

Pick the performance of the night:

Mike Mussina, six innings, one run, two hits, one walk, three strike outs

or

Bobby Abreu, three-for-three with a home run, a triple, a single and a walk.

Tonight was plain old, good fashioned, quality Yankee baseball. There was excellent pitching from Mussina, Bruney and Farnsworth, and good-enough pitching from Hawkins. There was actual offense, including hits with less than two outs and runners in scoring position.

However, it was not a perfect night, as Derek Jeter left in the second inning with a strained left quad, and while Wilson Betemit might be an adequate fielder, hit well, he does not. If Jeter's injury is serious (first reports are day-to-day, though injuries tend to be underreported at first), the Yankees have a dilemma.

Neither Morgan Ensberg, nor Shelley Duncan, who inspire more confidence at the plate, play shortstop. Given that shortstop is one of the most important defensive positions, you can sacrifice the bat for a few games, but eventually, it will come back to hurt.

The Yankees have to hope, then, that Jeter's injury is not serious.

OPTIMIST TAKE: On (yet another) cold night, the Yankees finally mounted something that more than resembles an offense. Bobby Abreu is on fire right now, and while A-Rod might not have a 13-home-run-April, he's had some very nice swings. Same with Matsui.

Over the past two games, the Yankees have given up just one run, earned or otherwise. I wonder if they did that at all--back to back games giving up one run or less--last year...


SCORES AND STUFFS

Pirates 5, Reds 3.

Orioles 5, Mariners 4. Orioles are 5-1.

Cubs 10, Pirates 8. Cubs blew a seven run lead and had to win in 12.

White Sox 7, Twins 4.

Padres 8, Giants 4. Giants are 1-6.

Astros 5, Cardinals 3.


Marlins lead Nationals 8-7 in the 8th, Braves lead Colorado 1-0 in the 8th, Diamondbacks lead Dodgers 4-0 in the third, Indians and Angels scoreless in the first.

Same Ole, Same Ole (Postgame notes Exhibition Game Two)

Some notes from today's exhibition game:

1) It looks like there's going to be some competition for the first base spot, and if competition gets guys to produce, I'm all for it. Giambi had a great game, and looked good even on defense.

2)Jason Lane, a guy you might not have been aware of before today, hit to the hard half of the cycle, with a home run and a triple.

3) A-Rod and Posada each just missed their own home runs, and Bobby Abreu is already having a great spring. In fact, if you didn't know it was Abreu's walk year before, you'd probably recognize it now.

4) A bunch of notes pitching-wise:

--Andy Pettitte had an okay first (for him) and a great second. As per Andy Pettitte Start Regulations (tm), there was a double play and a pick-off.

--Steven White couldn't finish his two innings and did not look sharp at all. Four runs and five hit in 1 and 2/3 innings.

--Scott Patterson only pitched 1/3 innings but did his job.

--LaTroy Hawkins looked great, one inning no BBs, hits or runs.

--Kyle Farnsworth picked up where he left off, giving up a home run on his second pitch, but he settled down after that. It's only one inning for one game so it's too early to make any judgments; next few times out should tell us a lot more. However, John Sterling, Suzyn Waldmen and Michael Kay all have amazing timing.

--Sean Henn, (surprisingly) did not give up a run.

--Brian Bruney, despite looking much better conditioned, did not pitch well. Three hits, two runs and a walk in an inning of work. He and Farnsworth need to be able to pitch well for us to be able to start Joba as a starter, so there's some work to do there.

--Jose Veras looked great. I think he threw a grand total of six pitches, but I might be wrong on that.


5) I like the no extra innings in spring training.


6) That is the first TV I've watched since the episode of "House" after the Super Bowl. That was 5 February. Which means...I had gone 25 days without watching TV. And no, I did not watch the Oscars or any American Idol. My TV must have been mad at me; it randomly turned off in the middle of the game (and then turned back on again).

Profiles in Pinstripes, Week Three: Bobby Abreu

All right guys, thanks for your good wishes, but I'm not actually taking the GREs till the 10th, so I've got an extra week to brush up on my math! Yay!


Oh, and the clocks go back tonight, which is both good and bad. Good, because we get an extra hour of sleep (YES!) and bad because to me that's always like the last breath of summer finally leaving.


Anyway, for today's Profiles in Pinstripes, it seems kind of obvious that given that the Yankees exercised their team option on him, today's PIP should be none other than...

Bobby Abreu!

Bobby hails from Venezuela, and prior to joining the Yankees he has played for the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies.

While Abreu is noted for his good batter's eye, his hitting for average and strong arm in the outfield, it's also equally impressive to note the consistency of games played: in 2001 he played in 162 (of 165) games.

In 2007, despite getting off to a notoriously slow start, Abreu still managed to be second in the AL for runs scored, third for pitches per plate appearance, ninth in times on base and played in 158 games.

Abreu is a two-time All Star and won the Home Run Derby in 2005. He is also heavily involved in charity work and has won the Roberto Clemente award.

Abreu came to the Yankees via trade in 2006.

source

A (Friday) Night at the Movies

Okay, so my camera battery kept dying as I was trying to do this...I know I say 'uh' and 'umm' way too much.

It's kind of long, but stick through it to the end...





...Yes, I do know that I need a hair cut. Play nice.

You Learn Something New Every Day, Week 3

Hey--it took me a while to figure out what to do for today's YLSND, so if you guys have something you'd like to see here, feel free to email me or post it in the comments.

For this week's YLSNED, I thought originally I might try explaining free agency and everything that goes along with it, but a) it's kind of boring, and b) it's...uhh...kind of boring.

So, instead, I thought I'd go and explain some of the lesser-used pitches: the knuckleball and the gyroball.


A knuckleball is probably the one with which you are the most familiar. The knuckleball is thrown to minimize spin on the ball; if done correctly the ball will change directions mid-flight, but the pitch is incredibly hard to throw.

Originally, the pitch was gripped with the knuckles, hence the name, though nowadays it's common for pitchers to use their fingertips and using the thumb for balance.

Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox is one of the better known knuckleball pitchers today.

You can read more about the knuckleball here


The Gyroball has got nothing to do with the Greek food, though I'd be lying if I said it wasn't making me incredibly hungry right now...

The gyroball is a Japanese-developed pitch, designed to reduce the stress on a pitcher. A gyroball is thrown so that the arm does not move towards the body, but instead away from the body. The legs are key to the delivery; if done correctly, it flies like a fastball, but because of the delivery the batter is fooled by the spin, thinking that the pitch is faster or slower than it is.

You can read more about the gyroball here



The Yankees have until tonight to pick up Bobby Abreu's option; rumor is that they will do it.

[edit] Per ESPN News, the Yankees have picked up Abreu's 2008 option

That Squirrel's Got Nuts! (Postgame notes 4 Sept 07)

When that squirrel made his appearance in the sixth, you knew something was going to happen.

You probably didn't think it'd be a seven run seventh, but if you're reading this, chances are you enjoyed it just the same.

The Yankees burst out of their recent offensive woes in a big way, with 20 hits tonight, including hits with RISP, two from Betemit and four each from Abreu, Posada and Cano each with four. Abreu was a triple shy of the cycle, Posada had two home runs and A-Rod had a MONSTER shot.

That aside, until the sixth inning, there was a lot of anxiety.

Until the sixth inning the Yankees had just one run on six hits, and it looked like it was going to be a repeat of the weekend.

If it wasn't for the absolute gem from Wang, and Matsui's great play in the fifth, there's no way the Yankees take a 1-0 lead to the sixth.

However, they did take the 1-0 lead to the sixth, and they did, finally, decide to bring the bats to the game, and for that you can't complain.


Wang has seventeen wins and is now tied for the major league lead. He just needs three more for twenty, and as it's only September fourth, he has an outside shot of it. Might be the quietest year ever for a guy trying to get to 20 wins. If you consider that he missed the beginning of the year with injury, he probably WOULD have 20 wins and be a definite Cy Young candidate.


Otherwise:

Vizcaino has given up five runs in his past two innings of work. It's an area of concern--overshadowed right now because the Yanks won big, but if it's a 4-2 game and you don't have Joba available, you need your eighth inning guy to be able to pitch well.

Scary, scary, scary, SCARY moment with A-Rod in the seventh. Readers, if you play baseball, please don't slide head first. It looked for a moment that A-Rod was down and out...but TOUGH ALL DAY prevailed.

Looks like Wang was just stiff in the eighth from the long half inning before, and that's another huge sigh of relief.

Phil Hughes starts tomorrow, so let's hope the Squirrel (Rocky Squankee?) makes another appearance ;)





Other scores of interest:

Red Sox beat Toronto 5-3. Toronto's playing for their playoff lives. They've lost two to the Red Sox so far, but they're obviously not playing for the division. It's not surprising to see Toronto put up the fight it's putting up.

Chicago White Sox beat Detroit 3-1. Detroit had runners on second and third with two out for the ninth, but the ChiSox had Bobby Jenks. You can guess how that went.

Minnesota is up on Cleveland 5-3 in the bottom of the eighth.

Mets beat Cinncinnati and Phillies beat Atlanta, meaning that the NL East is becoming a race between the Mets and Phillies. South Jersey must be near war...

Rick Ankiel did not hit a HR today, but he does have an RBI.

Arizona is up 5-0 on San Diego in the fifth.

As far as the NL Central goes, Chi Cubs lost and Milwaukee and St. Louis won.




Interesting night. Feel free to comment with name suggestions for the Squirrel...or anything else, for that matter.