Witness to a Loss (Postgame Notes 06 June 2007)

"Take that shirt off, they lost today!" A middle-aged man shouts it from the passenger seat of a car while I am crossing 3rd Ave, walking back from the subway to my apartment.

"I know," I say, "I was there."

I was there to see CC struggle in the middle innings, to see David Price allow only two hits, to see Rivera falter, Coke implode and BJ Upton's reach be just long enough to end the game, and quash a rally.

I was there, to see, in the ninth inning, as a foul ball knocked out a young girl and made everyone who could see it--those in the area and those sitting immediately above--forget about the game.

Did Mo know it happened?

If he did, it might explain why he couldn't pitch through the ninth. Alas, I have my doubts that such was the case.

Rivera struggled against the Rays in a tied game in the beginning of May, so while it doesn't excuse it, it might help to explain it.

Much is being made of the decision to take CC out of the game after eight, but I never thought much of it. I'm not sure if it was the right or the wrong decision, because it wasn't as though the Yankees were going for the ninth inning with Jose Veras or David Robertson. Still, you have to balance that with Mo's struggles this year, and you end up playing games of what-if-this and what-if-that.


The only real knock on the Yankee offense today was Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada being unable to even reach base in the ninth, though to his credit Posada did battle.

The Yanks' couldn't hit Price well, but looked as though they were running wild against the Rays' bullpen. Teixeira's jack bounced off the wall on the luxury suite level--utterly no question about it.


Ah well.

Tomorrow's another day.

Yankees vs Rays, 6 June 2009: An Unlive Blog

10.04 AM: i'm headed out to today's game, so here's some things to get you going.

The line up is the same as yesterday's was supposed to be, with David Price on the mound for the Rays:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Posada DH
Cano 2B
Swisher 1B
Cabrera CF
Cervelli C

(Thanks to LoHud


Today is also the 65th anniversary of the D-day landings.

My grandfather served in WWII, though he served in the Pacific and was not part of D-Day, but the sacrifice of all should be remembered.

I could go on about how genocide and war still goes on today and whatnot, but this is a baseball blog. so I will gladly remember the service of those that helped us defeat evil in that war, and then move on.


10.08 AM: The Yankees have been real hot of late, but one of the knocks I've heard is that, other than Texas, they haven't really been playing decent teams. Well, despite the record, the Rays and Sox certainly count as decent teams. Now would be a great time to send a statement....



Catch you all on the flip side.

Tampa Bay Rays: 2008 American League Champions (no, it's not 1 April)

(With apologies to Joel Sherman)

Joe Maddon almost made the same mistake Buck Showalter made in 1995.

Just in the nick of time, as though defusing a bomb right before the counter reached 00:01, Maddon remembered the lesson that he was supposed to have learned last week, and now the Tampa Bay Rays are headed to the World Series.

In 1995, Showalter, you will remember, hadn't realized the talent he had in Mariano Rivera, so when the ALDS was on the line in Game Five, he didn't use Rivera.

In 2008, Maddon almost made the same mistake with David Price.

It took a bases loaded situation in the eighth inning for Maddon to finally realize that Dan Wheeler, JP Howell and Chad Bradford could not get it done, but, as the Rays fans are probably thinking, at least he came to his senses.

Now, the Tampa Bay Rays are headed to their franchise's first World Series.

The ALCS, of course, should have never gotten to a game seven. Had Maddon used Price at perhaps any time in the eighth or ninth inning of game five, the Rays would have likely clinched in Boston.

However, the Rays were lucky--game five was not an elimination game and afforded them a very important lesson: 27 outs in a baseball game and you have to play all of them. There's no clock to run out.

Now, going into the World Series, the Rays know what it's like to choke, and to face elimination, and more importantly, how important to get over it and put it in the past.

Congratulations to them, though Boston shouldn't lose heart--they gritted through it and gave baseball a game five that will enter the pantheon of all-time greats.

There will be a Rays-Phillies Series Preview up sometime before Game One.

Remember, get your entries in for the Monumental Trade Proposal Contest!

The Price Is Right (Postgame Notes 14 September 08)

The Yankees won the game, but today belonged to Derek Jeter.

Jeter needed just three hits today to tie Lou Gehrig's record for career hits at Yankee Stadium, and...wow, the Jets need a kicker...I mean, Jeter did just that, going 3-4.

His Gehrig-tying hit came on a solo home run, perhaps not in true Jeterian up-the-middle fashion, but it did make you remember, if just for a moment, that watching Derek Jeter is watching greatness.

The other story of the game, and no, I don't mean Carl Pavano getting hurt (again), was the major league debut of David Price.

He came in early for an ineffective Edwin Jackson and motored through the Yankee lineup as though it was an AAA line up.

Okay, so given the offensive struggles, that might not be saying much, but even so...



Right. Going to moan about the lack of defense from the Jets. Pulling my hair out now...

Giants fans, enjoy your win.