Results tagged ‘ Red Sox ’
Restoration Of Once Accustomed Success [w/ Update]
Though it may pain the brain to relive the memory, bear with me for a sec for a quick look back to last year in Yankee Universe.
By
the beginning of August of just last season, a look at the AL East
standings would blow your mind. 3rd place had been graced by the
Yankees’ presence. The deficit was 5.5 games and the team on top was
none other than the Tampa Bay Rays.
Fast forward to present day.
First place is enjoying the reunion with pinstripes.
Boston is attempting to keep pace.
The team from Tampa is slowly returning to nonexistence.
And the Yankees are kicking a** daily.
In other words, exhale.. all is right with the world again.
Without
a doubt, the 2009 team has partially benefited from the Yanks unlimited
spending plan, which brought big names to the Bronx in Sabathia,
Burnett and Teixeira, during the offseason, but I will share with you
the true secret to the revival.. performance enhancing drugs.
These may be outdated, but the Yanks are tearing it up due to what’s
known as a “chill pill”. Despite the intensity and pressure that
encompasses playing in New York, the 2009 New York Yankees are thriving
largely because of a new attitude in the clubhouse.The boys are
allowing themselves to relax and joke before, during and following
games.. a mentality that hasn’t taken away from their focus.
As the wins keep coming, it’s become clear that ’08 is in the past, and the Yanks are back and bringing the heat. Rest of the league: you’ve been warned.
*More on this post when I return from a three day college orientation.
UPDATE: Really been slacking with the blog.. Apologies. Leaving for college in a few days. Will have to see how much time I have on my hands to keep this up. I’ll try and at least host a game during the upcoming Oakland series. Summary since I’ve been gone: Yanks still kicking a**.
P.S. I utterly forgot how I was going to extend this post.. Don’t murder me.
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.
For NL, Higher Expectations Bring Same Result
And that result would be this:
Over/Under an eternity next time National League wins an All Star Game?
Side Notes:
- Hope it wasn’t just me who felt like baseball was dying with the odd “this is the last game that will ever be played” sort of feel to the pre-game.. essentially set it up to be anticlimatic. Producer must receive mid-season Overkill Award.
- Pretty weird, yet cool, to see Major League ballplayers starstruck for a change, during their meet and greet with the President.
-
That fly swatter himself/leader of our nation, Barack Obama, was called on to toss
the first pitch in this All-Star Game.. and he did so with White Sox
gear.. in the home of the Cardinals.. bold. However, just in
case you didn’t detect it from the boos Mr. President, the sea of red
and white in St. Louis didn’t appreciate the lack of bipartisanship..
- This was a needle to the retina.
-
Was hoping to see a monster shot from Teix during the ASG, but apparently no one was allowed to take it over the wall at Busch.
- Charlie Manuel has some killer managerial tactics.. The guy still has me wondering how you choose to intentionally walk any guy in a lineup literally
full of All-Stars. The walk served up in the 8th robbed Victor Martinez
of an at-bat in the game, while the guy after him, Adam Jones, drove
in a run with a sac fly.. the run that happened to win the game.
-
Explanation needed as to why the national broadcasts are always the
worst.. Do we not endure enough sportscaster stupidity, Boston a**
kissing and Yankee salary criticisms throughout the year? Just sayin’.
- Your Quick Bit Of Hilarity: Mo nailing down the save.. for none other than Jonathan Papelbon.. and he wasn’t even the one who truly
saved it for Pap, as Crawford’s catch in left robbed what would’ve been a
game-tying home run. MVP honor well deserved.. “Winning pitcher” label
in this one, not so much..
-
National League, your time will come.. when Mo
retires.
- Lastly, the all angles feed by MLB/Fox was seriously the greatest thing in the world since Red Mango:
Just about fell in love with it..
On Deck:
The second half of the season.. A 10 game homestand in store for the
Yanks, beginning with a three game set against Detroit, following the
next two off days. It’s that time again.
P.S. No Derby post because.. it was unquestionably lame. Did we all really want ‘roids banned in baseball?
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.
Taking Care Of Business
Here’s a radical concept for ya.. stress-free baseball..
I don’t know how the Yanks managed to follow a series that ended exactly the way it shouldn’t
have with a game that went exactly the way it should [despite no A-Rod,
no DH, a limping Capt'n and youth, their weakness, on the mound for the Marlins],
but thank you.
Side Notes:
- First on the agenda.. Alex.
Right about now, I would question/criticize Girardi’s overdue move to
finally bench A-Rod like everyone and their mother understandably was doing tonight, but I took a second to digest it.. and I’ve come to
the conclusion that Joe G. really has zero say in when Alex Rodriguez
does or does not play. Given the fact that Alex’s ex-wife stayed as
long as she did with him, despite his multiple acts of infidelity made public, and
the fact that A-Rod still scored a hefty contract with the Yanks,
despite all threats given by the organization that he would, under no
circumstances, be dealt with after the opt-out ordeal.. it’s pretty
obvious Alex is quite a persuasive dude. Girardi may be the manager,
but when A-Rod says he’s playing, he’s playing.. and apparently, when he says he isn’t, he isn’t. As for A-Rod’s timing.. pretty clear he’s attempting to limit his chances to choke in front of his family.
- Sean West, sorry you had to be the kid the Yanks realize they need to tee off against, but tough luck.
-
Andy with a great outing and a double and ribbie to boot. Got my dose
of hilarity watching him round the bases.. and so did the bench:
I seriously love interleague play.
- Probably obvious, but LandShark Stadium is weird and massive, and sounds like someone should sell naming rights.
- Swish needs to double up his intake of Red Bull.. and fast.
-
Been a while since I could look forward to the 8th inning and it’s
infinitely great to have a guy who can do his job back in the bullpen,
but who’s the bright guy giving Brun physical appearance advice? Going
baldy and now the porn star ‘stache? Really? Look, Big G barely pulled it off last year. Though the “Support The ‘Stache” campaign and ‘Stache Day
at the stadium was pretty funny.. it’s been done man. Tattooing Macho
Man on your forehead would probably give you more cool points.. Just a thought.
-
In other news, Papelbon attempted to make things clear today regarding
one of his many trivial attempts to make headlines, this time
surrounding his willingness to play in pinstripes when his contract
expires, by stating “I don’t want to go (expletive) play for the
Yankees”.. Haha, like we’d ever let him.
On Deck: A.J. on the mound tomorrow to face Josh Johnson, who’s sporting a stellar 2.76 ERA and 6-1 record to match. Pitching duel?
Yeah.. Baseball Gods Still Run Shiet..
.. and they rather cleverly tag-teamed with Mother Nature this time to prove it. Add this series loss [to a team 18 games behind in their division in the middle of June] to the.. surprises
of the Subway Series and you get their point. Don’t underestimate the
level of their cruelty [or count your wins before they're in the
books.. or something like that..]. As if winless against Boston so far
this season wasn’t enough, we must witness this:
Thanks.
Side Notes:
- New schedule proposal: 20 games against the Mets next year, how ’bout it? At least then the Yanks could play crummy baseball and still win the games.
- I swear Adam Dunn = Seth Rogan + Wheaties/’Roids.
-
Congrats to Francisco Cervilli for becoming one of the few in the
game to make a great play that could very well be labeled a blooper at
the same time. Most hilarious dive for a ball ever.
-
Also in the category of stellar plays is Gardner’s catch and crash.
Can’t even bow down enough to the effort [and overall grittiness] being
displayed by Brett The Jet. That collision last night really didn’t look pretty. Not a moment’s hesitation from entire team to jog out to center when he went down. The kid is vital.
-
In the category of “about damn time” is Bruney’s re-return and Jose
Veras’ disappearance. No offense to JV, but that DFA was a long time
coming.
-
I’d still love to know why this lineup can’t, for the life of them, hit
rookies. The opposition can pick any random AAA arm out of a hat and
put him on the mound if they want a win against the Yanks these days..
and hey, look, a rook is on the mound for the Marlins tonight.
On Deck: Pettite
will face a 23 year old by the name of Sean West to start a 9 game
interleague roadtrip. Though the Yanks will probably continue to make
young guns looks like Cy Young, pitchers bat in NL parks.. and one
might just slip.
Some pics from Tuesday’s game, if interested:
Okay I lied.. that was more than some.
P.S. Almost forgot.. first homerless game in the Bronx this season last night. Never thought it’d happen.
Off Day Boredom Relief
Recent Hilarious Happenings:
-The latest 6 year old temper tantrum in baseball thanks to Carlos Zambrano:
When will they ever listen to Jimmy Dugan?
P.S. Despite the modern twist, with a beverage machine instead of water cooler, Paul O’Neill still takes the cake when it comes to smashing.
- My realization of why Warner Madrigal makes me giggle inside:
Tell me you see the resemblance.
-
The return of Toronto’s incompetence. The Blue Jay team has finally
dropped out of first and have begun their decline, which was clearly
highlighted by a stellar effort yesterday. Halladay going 7, leaving with a 5 run lead and still a loss? That is more like it.
- Cash’s trip to the mound last
night that lasted all of two seconds, in which no words were exchanged.
Picking up the rosin bag, dropping it and jogging back? Classiiic. The look on A.J.’s face? Priceless.
Sweet Shizz:
- The new bleacher tee graphic by Bald Vinny made because “”Teix Message” is F’n Stupid”:
.. which no doubt would’ve gone well with this screencap of “The Teixecutioner” at work:
For anyone wondering.. ^that^ is the first step to crushing a baseball.
- CC, Swish and some of the other guys heading to the NBA playoff game in Cleveland tonight, according to Bryan Hoch. Cavs must win with the boys in the building.
Side Notes:
-
Seriously.. what would it take for Veras to disappear? With the way the
Yanks work, the only answer I can muster is.. improvement. Veras
apparently learned a valuable lesson from Nuke LaFarnsworth.. continue
to be an epic failure and you’ll keep getting the ball. Start getting
guys out and they’ll up and ship you to Detroit.
-
Unfortunate to see Melk out of the lineup for at least the next few
days, but Brett The Jet never ceases to amaze. The legs on Speedy
Gardzalez makes baserunning seem like a sport all its own.
-
Saltalamacchia’s rainbow-esque display of his name on his back is
chuckle-worthy enough.. but Flash’s struggle with pronouncing it gave
me another good laugh.
- According to Pete Abe, Posada will be activated tomorrow..
- An update: Tex = beast.
-
Yanks were tied for first before the Sox unfortunately won their game
today.. but I’m thinking Yanks claim sole possession real soon.
On Deck:
Pettitte facing Cliff Lee tomorrow in a game I won’t see because it’s
Prom night, so I hope Andy will mow ‘em down while I’m watching people do idiotic things.
In The Hole: I’m hoping continued dominance from double half a squiggly.
Off The Bench: Hughes taking on he who must not be named.. Would love to see some retribution this time.. but more importantly.. Must see him stub his toe or someone drive a ball at him.. No way Cleveland gets to have him for a full season either..
P.S. I was randomly watching women’s college softball on ESPN today [no idea why] but upon stating that one of the female players was a “loyal Seattle Mariners fan”, one of the analysts actually said “you’d kind of have to be loyal to be a fan of Seattle”.. burrrnnnn.
In Retrospect
I
get wrapped up in ditching class, trying to find time to sleep,
agonizing over the 5 game losing streak [that was just snapped
tonight], being lazy overall and this is what happens:
Re-Defining “Performance Enhancing Drugs”:
Talk about insane timing. I was considering just reusing my last ‘roid post title “Baseball Is A Dirty Rag That Just Can’t Enough” for this new bombshell, but I realized that just didn’t do the job for me after reading this:
“However,
two sources said the substance Ramirez tested positive for was a
gonadotropin. Major League Baseball’s list of banned substances
includes the gonadotropins LH and HCG, which are most commonly used by
women as fertility drugs. They also can be used to trigger testosterone
production. Testosterone is depleted by steroid use, and low
testosterone can cause erectile dysfunction.“Testosterone
and similar drugs are effective for erectile dysfunction in that they
jazz up your sex drive,” said Charles Yesalis, a professor at Penn
State University who has testified before Congress on issues of
performance-enhancing drugs. “But far more clinicians accept that
affect with Viagra and Cialis. It’s hard for me to understand if it was
erectile dysfunction why they would use it.”Another
physician with experience in international drug-testing said LH and HCG
are occasionally prescribed for men “whose testicles have basically
stopped functioning.”“
Though
what Manny tested positive for wasn’t exactly a steroid or human growth
hormone, it is said that “HCG is used to re-stimulate the testicles,
primarily in men with a history of steroid use”.. But if the fact that
Manny’s “performance”/testicular problems is now plastered everywhere doesn’t give you a good laugh, you need a sense of humor.
But, in all seriousness, HFS. [Hey friggin soos.] This game will never be rid of this. Never.
Take a game that encompasses picking statistics down to the bone, toss
in a fistful of tainted numbers and some tablespoons of doubt, stir exhaustively and
I guarantee you will no longer know what you’re eating / being stuffed down your throat.
The Return Of That Dude At Third Base:
Again,
talk about insane timing.. and not just on that first swing tonight.
The day after the Manny news is released and is handed a 50 game
suspension and hell of a fine, A-Rod plays his first game of the
season, after spending April and the first week of May on the DL
following some steroid news of his own over the offseason. So how does
it enfold?
First pitch.. first swing.. first homer.
Baseball
Gods can be pretty big a-holes some times, but they kind of know how to
script these things. A tad optimistic here, but would be too much to
ask for this beginning to lead to a storybook ending? [Yeah, I know..]
Paid Vacations In Abundance:
Oh how pinstriped boys love the DL…
Seriously,
let me get this straight.. even the backup guys aren’t safe? Cervelli
better have some magic in him.. though I think we’d all no choice but
to settle for a decent job behind the plate and whatever he manages to accomplish in the batters box.
Other Shizz:
- Double half a squiggly
was A-mazing in this win. Reason why the opposition was held scoreless
in this one: the bullpen never got a chance to screw it up. Thought a
tweet by HTBP was pretty funny:
“We usually say the game is over when Mo comes in, now we can say the
same thing of our bullpen.” However, judging by the two long balls he
served up the other night and the fact that Joe G. is admiting he’s
having arm strength issues.. maybe no one can be a guarantee on this team’s ugly pen.
- Speaking of those back-to-back smacks off Mo.. does Joe G. have a set of functioning balls on him or what? Pulling out the Sandman in the middle of the 9th? Haven’t seen that since… time out, has that ever happened?
-
Uh.. I don’t even remember what else I wanted to say, but I refuse to
reflect much on those 5 knife stabbing losses before tonight, so I will
just say that let’s forget the problems and get moving in the right
direction [and avoid the bullpen at all costs].
On Deck: Hughes taking the mound to face Adam Eaton at 7:05 looking deliver an additional stellar outing to keep things on track.
P.S.
Swish is still awesome. Really cheered for that ejection the other day.
The umpiring the entire homestand was ridiculous and someone needed to
curse one of those umps out. I would’ve did it myself when I went to
the Boskees game on Tuesday but my ejection wouldn’t have be so awesome
and would’ve been a total waste of a ticket.. so I winded up settling
for just yelling really loud, losing my voice, sticking it out through
the rain, developing a sore throat and being an hour and a half late to
school the next day instead.
P.P.S.
I will likely deny this later, but I may have a slight new found respect for
Pap.. yeah, the Jonathan Papelbon.. though solely because of his response to the
Manny news in this interview:
http://player.theplatform.com/ps/player/pds/u0lMosxXzi&pid=8lf5kxnddRMjs4iDc7D_InQKy2Iud_tk
Props.. However, I will continue to loathe him full force on the field.
At Last, The Tides Have Turned
.. and the world has restored itself to it’s former glory:
^This is more like it.^
Side Notes:
-
I honestly can’t believe nothing went completely haywire in this game.
An upset has been almost guaranteed every night when playing this damn
team.. and yet, no problems. Has to be a sign from above. Tides have definitely turned.
-
Boston.. as flattering as it is, you really can’t be the Yanks. Van
Every may also be sporting a 0.00 ERA, but he’s no Nick Swisher. =P
-
Though Ramiro Peña did his job in this game [unlike the guy who started off
at 3B this season], A-Rod can’t come back fast enough. The bats got it
done, but one is still holding hands with the Mendoza line. Tex needs
the original “failure with RISP / booed at home & away” guy, A-Rod, to
absorb some [or a lot] of the pressure.
-
Speaking of ‘roid boy.. more news came out about.. what else? A-Rod and
steroids. Right about now, I really don’t give a damn. Just as A-Rod is
about to return, low and behold, it hits the fan that used steroids in
high school and with the Yankees. Could it be any more convenient? What I’d love for Selena Roberts to explain is how he managed to use them while in a Yankee uniform
and yet not fail a single drug test since ’03. Also on the list of things I’d also love her to do is 1.) disappear, 2.) attempt to deny her obsession with him so I can laugh, and 3.) use her excellent reporting skills to go research the top 5 most unoriginal book titles of all time, because I can guarantee hers is on it. “A-Rod”? Really? Best you could do? You know, you didn’t really have to be afraid that we’d actually expect you to write about anything other than #13.
- In continuing to talk about this game though, I must take the time to highly praise The Melk Man for his performance. Leche has a lot of fight in him and is finally wreaking havoc again.
- However, I must not praise the Yankee execs who have obviously not gotten it right yet.
On Deck: Pettitte
facing Jered Weaver tonight looking to keep the train moving [hopefully
right over the Angels these next two games and the Red Sox the next two
after that]. Won’t be satisfied until this winning streak hits.. 172..
or the Yanks puts up some lopsided numbers in the two game set with the
idiots Monday & Tuesday. Payback is calling.
Or Not. . .
Unbelievably despicable.
All I have to say after that slow and painful massacre is maybe the Yanks should’ve ditched these love seats:
… and spent their money on a bullpen that just might not let this happen:
Though 8 of those runs were charged to Jeckyll/Hyde Burnett today.. a 6 run lead turned into a 5 run loss? Seriously? I swear the bases were loaded more times than hours played these last two games… Disgusting.
Side Notes:
- I honestly don’t even care about winning the game tomorrow.. I want each and every player wearing a Red Sox jersey plunked… twice.
- Jim Wolf and Brian O’nora both should pay the eye doctor a visit. Burnett was squeezed and [to quote a tweet by Rebecca of This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes] “If TIM F***ING MCCARVER says [Ellsbury] was out, he was f***ing out.”
- Thank you to Jeffy, Jason, Julia, Tim The Wiz, Nick, Andrew & Pinstripepower for all stopping by the in-gamer today.. Julia was obviously the only one happy by the end of it.
On Deck: Hopefully the real stopper will be standing up. Andy Pettitte facing Justin Masterson in a “Can we salvage some
pride [assuming we have any left]?” game tomorrow night. I’m thinking
it’ll be another disaster, unless Old Reliable can go the full 9.. or 8
at the very least [though Boston seems to have a spell over Mo]..
*Fingers crossed*..
P.S. If Joe T. were still managing and George Steinbrenner were still in charge, Joe G. would of got a verbal smack in the face by now. I hate to be hard on him, but c’mon.. a couple bad moves too many.
P.P.S. According to Abraham, “Bruney has what they are calling a strained flexor mass. His ligaments
are fine, it’s a muscle injury. He will not throw for a week and
they’re hoping that takes care of it.” Some good news.. but we’re still screwed till he gets back..
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