Series After Series...
Ninety-five degrees in Jersey today. Me, Triple J, and Grossman were watching the end of the Yankee game while waiting for the rest of the foursomes to finish up their rounds. Actually, we had stumbled onto the game, as four or five kids who worked at the course were huddled around the TV in the clubhouse. Having walked in right in the middle of things, I was barking out questions at these poor kids, who were leaving me wildly unimpressed with their lack of cognizance of the game going on right in front of them. Mo was in the game in the eighth with men on first and second and nobody out. Unusual. Clearly whatever was going on, Joe Torre wasn’t fooling around. Mo for six in the 95 heat. I guess you play for keeps when there are footsteps all around you.
I’ll say it again. The White Sox are a tough out. They don’t lie down easily. But I think you’ve seen another example of the difference between the Yanks and everybody else. Mo. The White Sox can pull off magical comebacks against whatever clown closers they’ve seen so far, but nobody else has the ability to shut it down like Mo. Now some could argue, and I would listen, that Mo gave up two on Friday night, and simply lucked out. But if you watched the game, or you were there like me & Rud, it was apparent that it was a typical-atypical Mo sequence. Mo is difficult to hit. Piersynski said it best, “You keep waiting for him to make a mistake and he doesn’t make one.” When he gets hit, it’s just like Friday night. Two Little League-caliber bloops and a bleeder ground ball right between third and short. It’s going to happen sometimes. Teams are going to sneak a few through. The difference is that those are going to be finite. The White Sox got three in a row on Friday. That’s about the quota for a few weeks used up in one inning. They paid the price for those today. Two DPs and the infield-fly rule. Something new for Ozzie this year. Even Papelbon puked it up with two outs in the ninth against him. Good thing he did, and good thing the Sox pulled that game out in 19 innings. Otherwise they would be 0-6 against the Yanks and Red Sox this year and I would really be killing them.
So Jaret Wright continued to improve today. He didn’t make it out of the 6th and he didn’t get to 100 pitches, but he did something more important. He won. He’s beaten the Red Sox and White Sox this year. If he can be competent for 5-plus innings, I’ll take it. With a good offense and a sound couple of guys in the bullpen, you’ll win a lot of games that way.
A-Rod hit another high-profile home run in a high-profile game, and he and Giambi have quietly put almost every RBI on the board for the Yanks over the last couple of months. And Jeter finally popped the big fly. Speaking of Jeter, he came out snapping against the press, asking why everyone was assuming the Wild Card was coming out of the Central. Of course, he stated, nobody was gunning for the Wild Card, but it was also silly to start anointing anybody playoff-bound with 70 games to go. Particularly when they are all of two games up in the loss column. Great point. Maybe he reads BPS…
Following on that point, John Sterling made a good point on the radio yesterday afternoon. He said that the rest of the baseball season would basically constitute a full NBA or NHL season. So anything can happen. The best teams will rise to the top. We’ll find out who they are.
Also on the topic, what have we been saying here at BPS for a few months now….hmmm…. trying to remember…..oh yes… The sizzling, this-is-their-year-to-win-the-East Red Sox had yet to face two of the toughest second-half teams out there, the A’s and Angels. The Yanks are already ten games deep with those guys. Resonant of the old (new?) adage, show me the standings in June, and I will say three things. Schedule, schedule, schedule. And along those lines, enjoy it while it lasts. The Sox start their set with the Royals next. So we’ll see this slip a bit, most likely. But that’s okay. We’ll get there eventually.
Rocco, you are the BPS Hercule Poirot. Meds, I concur.
Me, Tony Sherry, Mike Rumble, Mikey Juice and the Big Boy in section 24 tomorrow (Monday) night for the Wang-er.
I'm almost afraid to comment after all the abuse I have taking from you guys today But
I will anyway.HOw are you guys gunna catch up with thesox do it and i will believe it.nice post.THE SOX WILL SWEEP KC. SO THE YANKEES BETTER WIN THIS NEXT SERIES!
-kaylee
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And Lucky name those sites I have said Or suggested I hated the yankees on besides my red sox blog.
-kaylee
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What is with all of the shenanigans on the last message board...crazy shite??....and Kaylee...if you are a Yankees fan...have faith..they will catch the ***...its just a matter of time...and if Rocco is Hercule...I hope he shaved the stash..;)
and bring us home a win boys....I'll be looking to bring one home sunday in T.O.
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Suchet_Poirot.jpg/180px-Suchet_Poirot.jpg
Hmm maybe I should shave my mustache like that!
Keylee, all I'm saying is to pick one team. It's not normal to be a fan of both teams. It's ok to be a red sox fan and post here. Just don't pretend to be a Yankees fan in the process... It make you look stupid.
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Sweeping the White Sox is the most impressive thing I've seen from New York this year.
Congratulations, I wouldn't have thunk it.
NY is definetly a bogey on Boston and Central Div radar.
Oh, and I'll stop reading (regretably) Pinstripes and Pessimism, dang it!
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go yankees. congratulations mariano!
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Exciting and impressive weekend for the Yanks, I certainly didn't have my money on the sweep, series yes, but sweep?? Nice to see.
Jared still has something to prove to me before I stop pulling out my box of Tums whenever he starts.
And as far as this Kaylee (or Andy) character goes, someone please get him/her a shrink. Or tell his mother to have him stop pestering the adults. I'm no Hemingway, but his one-line posts are a little annoying.
You all have been extremely patient and polite with him, I'll be the rude one.
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"...I'll be the rude one."
You're going to argue with a 14 yr old on the internet?
Hey, good luck with that.
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Mr. BPS, remember that saucer of milk that we wanted to put out for Wright? Don’t you love being proved wrong? I sure do. He isn’t magnificent by any means but he reminds me of late of what Ramiro Mendoza would give you when he would get the spot start.
In watching this season I have realized that it is nearly impossible for Farnsworth to be effective after he gets three outs. It is getting to the point where I think before July 31st the Yanks biggest splash will be for bullpen help. Yes, even with Dotel (hopefully?) coming back. I just hope a deal doesn’t include Melky. I said it months ago and every passing day I am reaffirmed by my thinking that we need to keep this guy around. I believe his upside is tremendous. This might be akin to blasphemy to some eyes…..but to me the guy could be the next Bernie. Let’s just hope he isn’t the next Kevin Maas (GULP!)
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Okay Let me confess I am not a big yankee fan but,I dont hate them either like your typical red sox fan would.
Glad to get that out.
-kayleee
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Okay Let me confess I am not a big yankee fan and I do hate them like your typical red sox fan would but, I can't admit it here pubicly because Boston has never had more than a four game lead and now the two teams are so close they could be wearing the same jock straps.
My goal was to be civil until October 2nd and then say,
"NAY...NAY-NAY...NAY...NAY!"
But the **** Yankees just aren't cooperating!
Glad to get that out.
-raoul
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Let's hope Wang can shut these guys down. The offense is in a real nice groove as of late and I don't really see the Mariner pitching staff to be a stopper for the Yankee bats. Bring back a Yankee win guys!!
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Fourth Inning and the red sox are lossing 3-0 to the KC royals.
-kaylee
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Mr. Curt Schilling, don't you have better things to do than post on a Yankees blog? And why with the pseudonymn--"kaylee"? I guess that nauseating bloody sock saga has run its course and now you torment us by posing as a 14 year old fan of the red sox/yankees/mets/diamondback/dodgers/giants. Please. Whos gonna believe that?
I really think I'm on to something here...
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Anyone notice that Melky leads the AL in outfield assists??? I say we keep'em, Brian.
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This A-Rod.. what are we gonna do with him?
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gjp7231:Where did you get all that info from? Most of it is True but,Where did you come up with that info.
NIce win by the red sox and yankees you guys are still trailiong US THE RED SOX though.Good Luck with Ponson tomorrow!
-kaylee
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I honestly feel bad for the guy. The situation reminds me of middle-school when the kids would find a weak spot in the opposition.
"HIT IT TO THIRD, HIT IT TO THIRD" they'd yell.
Wasn't there a player several years ago that suddenly lost the ability/confidence to throw? It just went away. Anybody know what happened to that guy?
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knobloch? didnt he retire?
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Thanks, Knobloch was the guy.
I found this on a Sports medicine site...
"Throwing a baseball accurately requires that the ball player follow through in a downward motion with his arm and hand, snapping the wrist downward in the process of a smooth follow-through. However, this natural throwing motion is actually counter to the upward and backward arm, hand and wrist motions seen in the fear response. It’s not as if the athlete’s arms literally move into that protective, defensive position. It’s far subtler than that. The result: Tension in the throwing motion, which completely disrupts the throwing mechanics causing the ball player to either hold onto the ball too long or release it too early.
Think about the outfielder or catcher who finds himself suddenly double pumping the ball every time he goes to throw it. Better yet, think about Chuck Knobloch’s throwing problems when he was the second baseman for the Yankees. Knobloch was continually releasing too early and throwing the ball wildly over the first baseman’s head into the stands. Why? One set of muscles was trying to respond with a smooth and fluid execution while another part was responding in an opposing way out of tension and fear, (perhaps of messing up again and humiliating himself in the media fishbowl that is Yankee Stadium).... "
I have seen A-rod 'double-pump' more often of late. I can understand it when the other player is not yet in position to receive but, Giambi isn't playing First every game.
Something to keep an eye on.
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