Results tagged ‘ Joba ’
Taking The AL East By Storm
Literally.. check the forecast..
Yanks could’ve afforded a roof right?
All jokes aside though.. playoff fight in July.. Gotta love it.
The
next meeting between the AL East titans isn’t for a couple of weeks,
but the Cold War has already begun. It’s a tie on top following the
latest walkoff in the new ballpark and the dramatic battle for October
baseball that was absent in Yankee Universe last season is about to
have a match lit under it.
Notes on the one from last night first..
Mid-Game Musings:
-
A.J. is hysterical. We all knew the pie to the face was coming and now
it’s a game in itself waiting to see how it’ll happen. After this one,
the camera stayed focused on Godzilla at the stadium as the celebration
went wild. Burnett could be seen lurking in the background. Mariano seemed
to be the one to distract Matsui with another handshake as Hideki was
waiting for his on field interview and then the prankster pounced by virtue of assault with a pastry.
-
Whoever is the guy in charge of the highlights shown mid-inning at the
stadium should be bowed down to. Middle of the first, what is shown on
screen? A highlight reel of Joba Chamberlain, complete with endless
variations of his trademark fist pump.. all surely for Aubrey Smart A**
Huff.
- Was Melky & A-Rod’s “Bride Wars” type fight for Hideki’s flung batting helmet not hilarious? Alex took his cue from Hudson.
-
Though it goes without saying, the plays at the plate in the 8th were
beyond incredible.. not solely because they saved the game. Teix’s
throw was “jump onto the field and hug the guy” worthy, as was Molina
& Coke’s effort. Phil’s slamming throw of the ball to the ground
after the ump made his call was beyond badazz.
Beast Of The Ball Game:
With the game winner.. no surprise.
Crowd Quotes:
- “Why are they booing?… Boooo… Why are we booing?” – The new mindless level of idiocy at the ballpark never ceases to amaze me.
On Deck: Sergio Mitre is being called up to start in place of Wang, who just a breeder of bad news, to face Rich Hill, with a sparkling 7.22 ERA, for the Orioles, making his first career start against the Yanks. Serg’s chance to make an impression. Make it 5 straight.
Back To Business
That’s
right. The break is over, the game faces have made their return and no
time’s been wasted for the product of a much needed rest to reveal
itself. Despite the lack of excitement during the extended vacation [for some], void of games that don’t give the illusion that they
count, with the relatively uneventful HR Derby and All-Star Game this
year, the upside following the Midsummer Classic seemingly always
manifests with the surge that comes after. We’ve seen what could be
done with two days rest and now with four, it’s getting interesting.
Fresh From The Break:
- Teix has hit one that may make it to Mars.
- Alex is milking the new stadium for all it’s worth.
- Joba picked up a how to pitch book.
- CC outdueled Verlander.
- And Moose made his return… for a day [as an Old Timer].
Side Notes:
- I mega miss Moose.
- Was let down Paulie & Tino didn’t show.
- Would love to see Mickey Rivers take on Brett Gardner. 60 years can’t even slow those legs down. Must have a 90 feet dash for next year’s Old Timer’s Game.
- My calls are on point this year. Check what I tweeted a few seconds before Teix’s bomb.
- I don’t know who was watching the Ranger game two days ago, but it was delayed thrice
not because of bees, midges, or black cats, but because the home plate
ump Brian O’Nora had to take multiple breaks after a ball bounced and
hit him in the worst possible place a male can get hit. Though O’Nora didn’t get on my good side with a game he called in April, took a hell of an effort to remain in that game, so *swisher salute*.
- Teix = beast beast beasssst.
On Deck: Andy Pettitte to start off the next series with Baltimore against David Hernandez. I’ll be there.. looking for four straight.
Disaster With A Side Order Of Delusion
Nuke LaFarnworth has just about been replaced by Nuke LaChamberlain.
Nuke: “I held it like an egg.”
Crash: “Yeah, and he scrambled that son of a b****.”
Side Notes:
- Still can’t fathom how a game that looked as good as it did at the start could become such a nightmare by the end.
- Digesting The Disaster That Is Joba Chamberlain:
In 17 games this season, he’s lasted more than 6 innings just twice.
9 hits in each of his last 3 outings.. [in just 5.1, 3.2, and 4.1 innings..]
Managed to accomplish a 9 pitch 1st in this one, only to follow it with a 29 pitch 2nd.
Bats jumped on Saunders early.. and he lasted longer than Chamberlain.
Is king of the no-decision.. which may actually be benefiting him.
And he’s beyond delusional.
Joba’s Latest Various Statement’s of Denial:
“I think things are going well.”
“I made great pitches throughout.”
“You can’t change the past.”
“The last two starts is the best my stuff’s been all year.”
[Last two starts: 3.2 innings, 8 runs & 4.1 innings, 5 runs..]
“The sun is going to come up tomorrow.”
I sh*t you not on all of the above.
-
Jeet with a four hit night.. and a Castillo-esque dropped pop-up. Not kidding. Ball must’ve had a mind of it’s own.. never seen
that happen to the Capt’n.
-
Another game, another bomb. A-Rod now one behind Palmeiro on the
seemingly pointless all-time HR list now. With or without the ‘roids
though, Alex is a beast.
-
Posada bare handed play = sick. Facial expression he gave after it =
siiiiick. I’ve realized the reason he and Burnett have the ultimate
chemistry.. badazz’s think alike. Gave Figgins a good stare down.
- Despite the bashing that could [and has been] rained upon Brian Bruney tonight and of late, hey, the guy got it right in the 8th.
- *Virtual bowdown* to Jonathan Sanchez on the would-be perfecto. Uribe must love himself.
Leader Of The Crapfest:
Fact Of Baseball:
Offense gives you five runs, bright idea wouldn’t be to give them back.
Start breathing through your eyelids.
On Deck: Interesting pitching matchup.. Pettitte taking on Jered Weaver. Redemption after that last start by Andy would be much appreciated.
Comeback Kids Showing Off
Just when you thought a Chamberslaying
had this one in the loss column..
that short right porch comes in handy.
[Starting to like that jet stream.]
Side Notes:
-
Whatever the case may be, Joba is making it really hard to continue
viewing the guy as a starter. I wouldn’t mind having he and Hughes
switch roles right now.
- Whose bright idea was it to bring back up Cody Ransom?
- Hideki on fire. Way to shut me down.
-
And the Mets moments never end. One went right through Overbay’s legs in this
one.. Don’t know what it is about the Yanks that makes other teams lose
all capability to field the ball, but it’s funny.
-
Leave it up to Cano to pick up two hits in this game, neither with
runners in scoring position, and yet still find a way to look lost.
Was caught stealing and the king of the ground out in every other
at-bat, including ending the first inning with one with two men on
base. Two hits though, so I can’t completely trash the performance
today.. but I’m doubting he’d have gotten them if the bases hadn’t been
clear.. just sayin’.
- Jeet, Tex and Mo representing the Yanks in the All-Star Game. As with every year, there are some questionable choices
that I’d love to complain about, but it’s expected so I’ll leave it at
that. I have to say though, this year the National League may have a chance.
- There’s still the Final Vote left.. Kinsler got robbed, so get him in.
Beast Of The Ballgame:
4 innings, one hit, 12 out save. Hell of a job.
On Deck:
Last game with the red hats [at last] with Andy on the mound, coming
off a solid start, to close this series out against Ricky Romero, with
a live 20 scoreless innings streak [meaning he's due to get creamed], for Toronto. How about a four game sweep?
Walk-Off Win For America
Match-up may have had loss written all over it, but..
sorry Canucks, not today.
Side Notes:
-
In all seriousness.. Halladay on the mound, shoulder strain pulls Wang
out in the 5th, and the Yanks still manage to pick up a W.. what are
the odds?
- Abraham’s Wang Update:
“He
is headed for the DL with what is being described as a strain with
bursitis. But everybody seems to think that he will be back within a
month.”
I am itching to mention he who must not be named,
but I won’t do it. Who’s glad that Hughes is a reliever now? Phil is
obviously the only competent option to be the replacement, but with the
decreased arm strength stemming from the move to the pen, he likely
won’t be able to give a full start in 5 days. I’m thinking one will be patched together by he and the other relievers on Thursday, though Abraham suggests Sergio Mitre in Scranton could be the choice.
-
Message to the New York media: Yankee Stadium = launching pad.. we get it. The
restatement of this every time one ends up over the wall in right is unnecessary.
- Digesting The Disaster That Is Robinson Cano:
Now 0 for his last 20 with RISP..
Made the last out in 5 of his 6 AB’s today..
Stranded 10 single-handedly..
Batting near, if not below, the Mendoza line with RISP for the season..
Leading the team in double plays.
And he’s number 5 in the lineup..
The icing on this cake? In the only at-bat he didn’t end the inning with, he ever so intelligently chose to bunt [into a force out at third]… with a 3-0
count. Girardi may or may not be a smart guy [latest managerial
decisions have been raising some doubt] but this one seems simple.. Ice
cold bat + sheer idiocy = bench.
-
Badazz Burnett strikes again, this time with Joba as the
co-conspirator. This date in Yankee history can now add “Posada Pied“
to accompany The Birth Of The Boss and Baseball’s Gettysburg Address on
its resume.
Beast(s) Of The Ballgame:
I
asked someone to tell me the worth of Hideki Matsui.. and the guy told
me himself with his second tater and multi-hit game in the last three
days.
A bomb and the game winning hit.. How’s the thumb feeling?
On Deck: Joba on the hill to face Brett Cecil, with a mere 7 Major League appearances under his belt, for Toronto in a battle of the 6’2″ 23 year olds.
P.S. Forgot to mention, if you think you’re losing it, Eric Hinske did indeed arrive from Pittsburgh.. three days ago. He supposedly requested a trade from the Pirates because of a lack of playing time.. must be glad he got it.
Back In The Bandbox
So.. anyone still have a problem with it?
. . . besides this guy:
- Got to see Joba, Hughes and Aceves before the game. Joba is a funny
dude. Buttons, by the Pussycat Dolls, was being played in the stadium
at one point [yeah..] and in the midst of the meet and greet Joba was
jamming, bobbing his head and probably two seconds from busting out
dance moves. He was the last guy to leave from the gate and took a six man
entourage with him, while Aceves could’ve walked out of the Great Hall alone. All three walked right past me, and were all huge and brolic enough to have me scared to touch them..
-
Speaking of scary.. I know I’ve said it before but A.J. is the ultimate
badazz. Even when the guy laughs or smiles, which he was oddly doing a lot of
during BP for some reason yesterday, he still manages to look sinister.
I was having a convo with a friend about him and brought up something I
would’ve liked to see during interleague. First off, I would’ve gotten
a kick out of seeing A.J. go to bat with biker gloves.. but I would’ve
given every dime I have to see an opposing pitcher have the nerve to
hit him. I can picture Burn just breaking the bat on his knee,
walking to the mound, standing 6 inches away from whoever threw the pitch and just staring
him down till the guy ran away or pissed his pants.. and A.J. then taking his place at first base.
- About the game.. How about that dandy Andy? Return of Mr. Reliable? Solid stuff.
- Two days rest and A-Rod musters up this kind of energy? Do we dare to give him three?
- The stadium may be helping the Melk Man, but I don’t care. 7 homers at home [1 on the road].. Fine by me.
- I’m thinking Girardi should go by the name Slow Joe right now. Finally moved Cano out of the 5-hole, after
a storm of criticism, and last night makes questionably weird move
#82638234 removing Aceves after one batter. Yeah, textbook baseball
tells you to bring in Coke for the lefties, but the micromanaging is
ridiculous. It worked out so no one is throwing a hissy fit, but even Alfredo was
surprised by it, walking off the mound with a sarcastic grin. Hughes
probably wanted to do the same, after warming up for no reason.. Just sayin’..
- Don’t know how it managed not to rain, but good night at the ballpark. Mick Foley was there [I sh*t you not].. and a Paul O’Neill chant broke out.. love it.
Beast Of The Ballgame:
P.P.S. An update.. scaffolding is now completely surrounding the stadium next door and they no longer keep its lights on.. an extremely sad and scary sight. I don’t know what it is but, despite the win, I realized the new stadium didn’t give me the same “God, I love baseball” feeling walking out of it last night as the old one did endlessly. Just started sinking in that the old home is being torn down.
P.P.P.S. This = hilarious.
Defining Elite In Satisfying Sweep
I should say defining embarrassment as well, to cover the Mets’ display of talent this series, but that’s too easy.
Manuel, I pity you.
Side Notes:
- Another night Mets escape errors, but the bonehead moves were still in abundance. Reason New York has another team = sheer entertainment.
- Wang finally picks up his first win in over a year and no one cares because Mo’s the story.. tough.
- Randomness.. Wanger needs a sick haircut. Swish could probably come up with something good, but this would be pretty hilarious.
- How ’bout that sarcastic cheer for Castillo every pop-up in his own ballpark? I repeat: The guy is never coming back from that.. Bright side? Blooper/Oddity Of The Year [whatever TYIB Awards wants to call it this year] is his, hands down.
- I shouldn’t put it this way, but.. Robbie, cut the crap. I realize A-Rod’s new found “leave it all up the next guy” tactic [also referred to as taking the walk] has been putting the pressure on ya lately, but Alex wasn’t spared the sympathy, so Cano, figure it out.
- Sorry to put it so bluntly but could someone tell me the worth of Hideki Matsui?
- Closer vs. closer, bases loaded, 3-2 count… and a walk to force in a run. Classic. As a wise man once said.. “It couldn’t have happened to a better guy on the mound.”
Beast Of The Ball Game:
500th save and an RBI to boot. Can’t touch The Sandman.
Mo, thank you for being a Yankee.
On Deck: Joba on the mound, following a solid start in Atlanta, to face Brandon Morrow, currently transitioning back to the starter role, for Seattle. Make it 6 straight.
P.S. For your Off Day Boredom Relief, what Godzilla should consider doing:
[Not what he did on the first pitch.. Matsui is already doing a lot of that.]
P.P.S. Must quote the ever classy Mo from the ESPN interview shown after the game because it defined the man..
When asked about chasing Trever Hoffman, Mo’s response:
“I play the game because I love it.. I don’t chase records, period. I don’t play for records. I play for the New York Yankees.”
When asked about PED’s..
“I don’t even drink coffee.. If the talent that God has given me is not enough, well I have to quit. When I leave this game, I know, deep in my heart, deep in my mind, that I was clean.. Nobody can point a finger at me.”
Amen.
In Retrospect
Semi rounding up this past week [rather randomly]:
- Baseball is funny. Exhibit A [B, C, D and especially E]:
The New York Mets. At this point I really don’t know if I should
further their embarrassment.. but I’m going to anyway. *Virtual
bowdown* to the art form of losing they’ve developed. First Luis
Castillo’s epic failure, and now 3 errors in an inning by all
infielders but Luis Castillo.. irony at its best.
- I live for interleague play. Because of it, a pitcher
did the honor of knocking the other out of a game, the big man became
an offensive threat and Mariano, the Sandman, Rivera put on a batting
helmet and hit it hard. I’m seriously thinking the Yankee arms could pinch hit in non-interleague games, if necessary.
-
Mike Gonzalez is a ginormous weirdo. How does he not get the slow play
fine for his windup alone? It’s like a minor rain delay every pitch. [And like we haven't had enough of those..]
- A-Rod.. glad to have you back. [And I'm not just talking about your bat.. back to women that don't have biceps bigger than yours is a good sign.]
- It’s pretty clear right now that Joe G. is going to play the hot bat to handle the
outfield situation. That currently has Swish sitting out.. [for last
night at least.] What does the Red Bull Manic do on the bench? Sharpie his bat. Classic Swishness.
-
Happy belated to the Capt’n. Don’t know if he’s in the lineup tonight,
but if he isn’t.. jeezus, Peña makes a hell of a backup. If he is, the
Mets are the perfect opponent to kill the funk.. considering he hasn’t driven
in a run in two weeks, since last facing the blue & orange. DJ’s
cologne bottle is just laughing at him. Yeah, double plays aren’t fun to
ground into, but imagine how fun they are to watch. [Funny how the move to leadoff was supposed to solve that problem huh?] [That didn't quite
turn out to be the Happy Birthday I had in mind..]
- Brett The Jet = Beast. Yeah, the kid has legs.. but 5-6, with a homer at Citi? Beware the beast.
Lastly,
Yours truly is officially a high school graduate. [I'm as surprised as you are.]
Now which Yankee wants to sign my yearbook?
P.S. R.I.P to the man that gave the world P.Y.T.
P.P.S. Will live-blog it tomorrow, for the last game in this interleague road trip. Hope all stop by for the ESPN bashing at least.
Icing The Cake Before Heading To Beantown And Eating It
And this was how to enjoy it:
http://www.facebook.com/v/1157045373252
[Excuse the misguided Mets fan yelling let's go Rays.. He's mentally ill.]
[And yeah.. we celebrated Damon's shot with Freddy! =)]
Who’s heading into [and leaving] Boston with sole possession of first place?
Side Notes:
-
First off, was there a 5-Hour Energy promotion before the game I didn’t
know about? [Because there should be..] Because the crowd was pretty
pumped last night. The wave went through the entire stadium literally 4 or 5 times straight [despite how corny it is].. Your Quick Bit of Hilarity: When standing up and sitting down and the greatest thing in the world becomes synonymous.
- For the record.. Swish’s bomb? Called it [approximately
10 seconds before the pitch was thrown to be precise].. I must be
somewhere near 7 out of 10 this season now. Finally getting that career
prediction average over the Mendoza Line..
- How about that jet stream?
- Teixeira = beast beast beast beast beast.
- And let the Joba Hughes bullpen/starter debate begin..
Crowd Quotes:
- With the entrance of Mo: “Why everybody clapping?” [I swear, there's always that one person..]
- Upon noticing a friend was cheering for anything..
Me: “Who are you even rooting for?”
Friend: “I don’t even know.. I’m going for the Lakers.”
- Same Friend: “What quarter is this?”
- Same Friend: “How many points they have? Three right? Three points baby!!”
- “Haha.. B.J... Who would name their child B.J. [Upton]?”
- With crowd yelling “Hugheees”..
Friend: “Why are they booing?”
Other Friend: “So that way they can like strike him out.”
- Me: “SoOoOo, enjoyed the game?”
Red Sox Friend: “Watch.. tomorrow man..”
On Deck: Another Boskees series.. beginning with Burnett and Beckett.. Hmm.. loving this match-up.
P.S. Just re-watched Swish’s innerview that aired on the pregame a couple of days ago.. Swish’s response to what he’d do during a rain delay: “I love naps” Me too, my friend.. me too.
Blowing Out A Candle Without A Breath?
Yeah, it’s possible.. Have two teams with powerful offenses go head to head and a blowout as a result is not so surprising.. However, one in which the winning team did not smack a single ball over the fence?… Who knew…
Check out the beauty of a box score:
19 hits spread throughout the lineup [none of which were of the long ball variety], 11 runs [none of which scored via the long ball], and 4 RBI’s by the king of the long ball [none of which were a result of the long ball].. surprising, and yet good stuff.
Side Notes:
- Brun heading back to disabled list after only one appearance. I hate to throw he who must not be named into the air, but I must say.. you’ve just about used up your DL tokens for the year Bruney. Hope you figure out the problem.. and don’t suffer any bruised buttocks in the process.
- You can obviously partly attribute the turnaround by Tex to the return of the guy hitting behind him, but Marky is now getting hits [and homers] off broken bats.. That is all his amazingness [and hopefully not that of banned substances]..
- Didn’t write about the games these last few days, but bringing up Melky’s magic here is necessary. The Walk-Off Wonder Boy has been putting on a show. Someone should really change the scoreboard and make it the 9th for his every at-bat.
- Bowing down to the performance of Hughes right now. Holding the Rangers to 3 hits, allowing merely one walk, over 8 innings? Definitely WWE belt worthy [and apparently Phil wasn't afraid to flaunt it.. doing post-game interviews with the belt on his shoulder.. haha]..
- I reiterate: A-Rod = beast.
On Deck: Joba on the hill again following the less than an inning outing he made versus Baltimore after being hit with a liner. He faces Kevin Millwood in the second game of this series with my second favorite team [though, sorry, Yanks get 99.99% of my love]..
P.S. I’m all for honoring the soldiers who’ve fallen and America itself.. but caps the color of red? Really? Sure, it goes with white and blue on the flag.. but not with the Yankee uniform.. just sayin’..
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