One of the anonymous baseball fans quoted frequently in this blog came to this writer Tuesday morning with a grin on his face. It was a classic "I was wrong" grin which I knew immediately had to do with his position on Alex Rodriguez and the current state of the Yankees. This writer's position on A-Rod has been consistent in that it is my contention the he should not be traded, allowed to leave, or faulted as not being clutch in the post season. We all want the Yankees to be heroes in October, but, they need to get there. This season, more than any other in recent history has illustrated fact more distinctly. Alex Rodriguez is having a phenomenal season, and the A-Rod haters want him to fail in the post season, should the Yankees actually make it there, so they can watch him leave.
That has been the unswerving stance of the aforementioned Yankees fan that arrived at my desk this morning, ready to be contrite. "Is something happening here?" He asked, that wry smile indicating that he was having a change of heart. "Can the Yankees actually have a chance at overtaking Boston?" What my baseball friend was alluding to was that a nine and one half game deficit in early June in the A.L. East does not seem so insurmountable with a hundred or so games left in the regular season. "A-Rod has exceeded my expectations." My friend continued. There was so much he wanted to say, that he was popping off all of his comments sporadically. "I'm ready to eat crow," He said finally, shaking his head. "If he (A-Rod) keeps this up, in September, I'll as for a big plate of crow, covered in ketchup."
After assuring him that I'd be happy to break out the BB gun from my attic to track down and kill such a crow for his consumption, he hesitated, raised a finger and added one caveat "I'll wait until October. If he bats one-fifty, then the deal is off." We both laughed, and he went off to his office, trying to both feel confident about his favorite baseball team and their post-season chances and reconciling his feelings towards a player whom he previously had no confidence in. The joke is that he'll never eat an actual crow, but he's man enough to admit he may have been too harsh in his analysis of Rodriguez in the past.
Needless to say, hoping to keep his offer of culinary contrition alive, I told him as he held the door to the office open and turned back to see me, that it didn't matter what Alex Rodriguez batted in the post-season, as long as he helped get them there. This was a point I was happy to repeat to him for maybe the one hundredth time. He smiled, and walked away. He does not know it, but crow does taste better with ketchup. I've had to eat it plenty of times in my life. Go A-Rod.
June 12, 2007
June 11, 2007
Yankees Quick Check: What A Difference A Fan Makes
Those who visit Mr. Grudge are aware of how very seriously he takes the dedicated baseball fan. Over the course of this very difficult 2007 season, this writer has polled the only other resource available, besides print media, websites (Gotham Baseball Magazine, for one) and merely watching games, and that is interviewing fans. For better or for worse, baseball fans carry the history of baseball, readily available to those who will listen, as part of their own personal history. Some tell the story of baseball and how it fits into their analysis of the game, and how it affects their lives better than others. That is why this writer polls the same individuals on a regular basis. Though I don't mention names, or give descriptions of my fan-analyst contributors, I do try to distinguish them by writing about their experiences and predictions etc, at different times. Today is no exception, and I am ready to introduce readers of Mr. Grudge to a personality who has a wealth of baseball knowledge, and a keen eye for trends, trades, and many other things vital to a die hard baseball fan's world such as confidence in one's team.
The gentleman in question, who shall remain nameless, is one of those fans who do not get emotional regarding his favorite team. He's been a fan longer than most of today’s Yankees fan contingent for whom Derek Jeter is the only shortstop they even saw in pinstripes. When everyone else this writer queried over the course of the last few weeks regarding the Yankees deep hole in the A.L. East standings ranted wildly, demanding trades, predicting gloom and the absence of a post season berth, and secretly wishing that Joe Torre be yanked off the bench in full view of the fans the team in the middle of a game with a giant hook, my quiet baseball acquaintance countered with his own view of the Yankees season.
"All they need to do," He said "is chip away at Boston's lead by winning series. They'll get better, they have to, and other teams will hit rough patches. If they reduce their deficit to fewer than ten games by the All Star break, then a wild card berth seems plausible. They don't have to overtake the Red Sox."
This writer didn't believe him then, though he was very confident as he gave me his analysis, offering a knowing nod for reassurance. As of yesterday, after sweeping the Pirates, my friend's scenario didn't seem so far-reaching after all. Their nine and one half games back behind Boston, and Five and one half games behind Detroit, and tied with Minnesota in the Wild Card standings. This is all well before the All Star break. Maybe, the older gentleman was right? Could this be true? An average fan with an above average baseball I.Q. calmly predicts that the Yankees will right their ship and they will give themselves the chance to make it to the post-season. That's the kind of poise and maturity needed for a true baseball prediction.
Of course, one of the others often anonymously quoted in this space commented on the Yankees sweep of the Pirates: "It's only Pittsburgh." He said. To that point, this writer countered "Yes, but they need to beat everybody they face, and they did this time." After that, I gave him a two minute drill down of the man quoted in this space about chipping away at Boston's lead by winning series. He agreed, reluctantly, choosing the path of the cynic rather than believing what is apparent for all to see, that the Yankees have suddenly surged, hit their stride, or done whatever it needs to take to get themselves back on a winning track. This is what good teams do, and what is expected of this team. Way back, a few weeks ago when they were in the cellar with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, no one was chatting around the water cooler at work wondering what Tampa needed to do to get into the post season. The Yankees are expected to play in October, and the Rays are perennial bottom feeders. The fact is that right now they are one game below five hundred, and there is still plenty of baseball left.
The same Yankee fan who quipped "It's only Pittsburgh" did offer one comment which Mr. Grudge thought useful: "The Red Sox are one Big Papi injury away from big problems themselves." Let's hope Big Papi doesn't get injured, as one does not want to win that way and it is not very sporting to wish for players to be injured so your team can have an easier time of it; although, it would be nice if Ortiz went into a forty or fifty game batting slump.
The gentleman in question, who shall remain nameless, is one of those fans who do not get emotional regarding his favorite team. He's been a fan longer than most of today’s Yankees fan contingent for whom Derek Jeter is the only shortstop they even saw in pinstripes. When everyone else this writer queried over the course of the last few weeks regarding the Yankees deep hole in the A.L. East standings ranted wildly, demanding trades, predicting gloom and the absence of a post season berth, and secretly wishing that Joe Torre be yanked off the bench in full view of the fans the team in the middle of a game with a giant hook, my quiet baseball acquaintance countered with his own view of the Yankees season.
"All they need to do," He said "is chip away at Boston's lead by winning series. They'll get better, they have to, and other teams will hit rough patches. If they reduce their deficit to fewer than ten games by the All Star break, then a wild card berth seems plausible. They don't have to overtake the Red Sox."
This writer didn't believe him then, though he was very confident as he gave me his analysis, offering a knowing nod for reassurance. As of yesterday, after sweeping the Pirates, my friend's scenario didn't seem so far-reaching after all. Their nine and one half games back behind Boston, and Five and one half games behind Detroit, and tied with Minnesota in the Wild Card standings. This is all well before the All Star break. Maybe, the older gentleman was right? Could this be true? An average fan with an above average baseball I.Q. calmly predicts that the Yankees will right their ship and they will give themselves the chance to make it to the post-season. That's the kind of poise and maturity needed for a true baseball prediction.
Of course, one of the others often anonymously quoted in this space commented on the Yankees sweep of the Pirates: "It's only Pittsburgh." He said. To that point, this writer countered "Yes, but they need to beat everybody they face, and they did this time." After that, I gave him a two minute drill down of the man quoted in this space about chipping away at Boston's lead by winning series. He agreed, reluctantly, choosing the path of the cynic rather than believing what is apparent for all to see, that the Yankees have suddenly surged, hit their stride, or done whatever it needs to take to get themselves back on a winning track. This is what good teams do, and what is expected of this team. Way back, a few weeks ago when they were in the cellar with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, no one was chatting around the water cooler at work wondering what Tampa needed to do to get into the post season. The Yankees are expected to play in October, and the Rays are perennial bottom feeders. The fact is that right now they are one game below five hundred, and there is still plenty of baseball left.
The same Yankee fan who quipped "It's only Pittsburgh" did offer one comment which Mr. Grudge thought useful: "The Red Sox are one Big Papi injury away from big problems themselves." Let's hope Big Papi doesn't get injured, as one does not want to win that way and it is not very sporting to wish for players to be injured so your team can have an easier time of it; although, it would be nice if Ortiz went into a forty or fifty game batting slump.
June 8, 2007
Mussina Throws, A-Rod Slams
In Thursday's invective laden tirade against Mike Mussina, Mr. Grudge stated in a very un-Mr. Grudge like tone about Mussina: "He's an intense player who's quick to criticize others, has finicky habits about getting ready for his starts, and his skills are diminishing. That's not to mention that he's a bad "clubhouse guy" who keeps to himself and huddles over crossword puzzles with a haughty air or self-assurance."
It's time to apologize, if not to Mussina, who will never, ever read this column, but to my readers for absolutely blowing it. It’s one thing to make bad predictions about a game or an entire season; but, to personally attack a player simply because he hasn’t performed up to his usual level is unprofessional. Mussina did an excellent job of pitching last night and needs to be congratulated. Many people kept telling me that Mussina will come around, and this writer turned into a spoiled Yankee fan, tossing a fit because his favorite team is in the toilet. Mussina has not been the only problem the Yankees had with the few bad starts he produced. And, if the team didn’t sink to the bottom of the AL East in the standings, his performance in those games would not have mattered. With that said Mr. Grudge vows to return to his usual, objective self and not go off on emotional outbursts when one player turns in a bad performance for one game, like Josh Phelps for instance. Just kidding.
After all of my apologizing in the previous paragraphs, my support of Alex Rodriguez has been consistent from the inception of this blog. Mr. Grudge was the one making the case to keep him when everyone else wants to send him back to Texas, or some other baseball version of Siberia. There was one article I wrote criticizing him for wanting to opt out of his contract; but, by and large, my support for him has been constant throughout. This writer believed then, and still does now that A-Rod is a keeper. I've heard others tell me that in spite of the terrific season he is having, including the grand slam he had in the ninth inning against the White Sox Thursday that they'd like to see him do that in the post season. This writer's answer is that the Yankees have a very deep hole to climb out of to even think of getting to the post season, and Alex Rodriguez is one guy that can make that happen. Forget the post season; let's see them get to .500 first. Keep hitting them out of the park, Alex, and mea culpa, Mussina.
It's time to apologize, if not to Mussina, who will never, ever read this column, but to my readers for absolutely blowing it. It’s one thing to make bad predictions about a game or an entire season; but, to personally attack a player simply because he hasn’t performed up to his usual level is unprofessional. Mussina did an excellent job of pitching last night and needs to be congratulated. Many people kept telling me that Mussina will come around, and this writer turned into a spoiled Yankee fan, tossing a fit because his favorite team is in the toilet. Mussina has not been the only problem the Yankees had with the few bad starts he produced. And, if the team didn’t sink to the bottom of the AL East in the standings, his performance in those games would not have mattered. With that said Mr. Grudge vows to return to his usual, objective self and not go off on emotional outbursts when one player turns in a bad performance for one game, like Josh Phelps for instance. Just kidding.
After all of my apologizing in the previous paragraphs, my support of Alex Rodriguez has been consistent from the inception of this blog. Mr. Grudge was the one making the case to keep him when everyone else wants to send him back to Texas, or some other baseball version of Siberia. There was one article I wrote criticizing him for wanting to opt out of his contract; but, by and large, my support for him has been constant throughout. This writer believed then, and still does now that A-Rod is a keeper. I've heard others tell me that in spite of the terrific season he is having, including the grand slam he had in the ninth inning against the White Sox Thursday that they'd like to see him do that in the post season. This writer's answer is that the Yankees have a very deep hole to climb out of to even think of getting to the post season, and Alex Rodriguez is one guy that can make that happen. Forget the post season; let's see them get to .500 first. Keep hitting them out of the park, Alex, and mea culpa, Mussina.
June 7, 2007
Wang Keeps Up The Momentum
Chien-Ming Wang gave the Yankees exactly what they needed facing the White Sox Wednesday night. Not only did he pitch well, he pitched a one run complete game. He looked like the Wang we all came to know and love when he started as a rookie, all the way up until his name started to be mentioned in the same sentence as Cy Young's last season.
The Yankees need momentum. As this writer mentioned in his previous column, quoting the old baseball adage that in baseball, momentum ends with the next day's pitcher, then Yankee fans have every reason to be nervous with Mike Mussina scheduled to take the mound against the White Sox Thursday night in Chicago. Without going on a rant, this writer will just state that he has very little confidence that Mussina will give a good performance. There's no need to compile stats when offering up the observation that Mussina pitches well until he decides its okay to give up a home run or two. His game will sometimes fall apart after that. This season, it seems to happen more often. He's an intense player who's quick to criticize others, has finicky habits about getting ready for his starts, and his skills are diminishing. That's not to mention that he's a bad "clubhouse guy" who keeps to himself and huddles over crossword puzzles with a haughty air or self-assurance.
Maybe it's just a fantasy that fans such as me believe that baseball players cluster together in groups around each other's lockers looking for inspiration, and coaching each other so they can win games. We saw the Red Sox become a bunch of idiots and win the World Series. Johnny Damon, a veteran idiot is a "clubhouse" kind of guy who could possibly bring the same type of mood to this team of Yankees. If Mussina takes a break from poring through his dictionary and thesaurus, he could wander over to the group of guys congregating near his locker and learn that the answer to number one, across "What the Yankees need to rescue their season, eight letters", is pitching.
Unless Mussina is a total flake and cares about nobody but himself, he should go out there tonight and try to keep up the momentum that began a few days ago with young Tyler Clippard and continued with fan-favorite and trusted arm Chien-Ming Wang. It doesn't hurt that the Red Sox have had their own troubles facing the Oakland A's and losing five of their last six games. This is the time to capitalize on all that is going good for the Yankees, and all that is going wrong for their rivals.
The Yankees need momentum. As this writer mentioned in his previous column, quoting the old baseball adage that in baseball, momentum ends with the next day's pitcher, then Yankee fans have every reason to be nervous with Mike Mussina scheduled to take the mound against the White Sox Thursday night in Chicago. Without going on a rant, this writer will just state that he has very little confidence that Mussina will give a good performance. There's no need to compile stats when offering up the observation that Mussina pitches well until he decides its okay to give up a home run or two. His game will sometimes fall apart after that. This season, it seems to happen more often. He's an intense player who's quick to criticize others, has finicky habits about getting ready for his starts, and his skills are diminishing. That's not to mention that he's a bad "clubhouse guy" who keeps to himself and huddles over crossword puzzles with a haughty air or self-assurance.
Maybe it's just a fantasy that fans such as me believe that baseball players cluster together in groups around each other's lockers looking for inspiration, and coaching each other so they can win games. We saw the Red Sox become a bunch of idiots and win the World Series. Johnny Damon, a veteran idiot is a "clubhouse" kind of guy who could possibly bring the same type of mood to this team of Yankees. If Mussina takes a break from poring through his dictionary and thesaurus, he could wander over to the group of guys congregating near his locker and learn that the answer to number one, across "What the Yankees need to rescue their season, eight letters", is pitching.
Unless Mussina is a total flake and cares about nobody but himself, he should go out there tonight and try to keep up the momentum that began a few days ago with young Tyler Clippard and continued with fan-favorite and trusted arm Chien-Ming Wang. It doesn't hurt that the Red Sox have had their own troubles facing the Oakland A's and losing five of their last six games. This is the time to capitalize on all that is going good for the Yankees, and all that is going wrong for their rivals.
May 29, 2007
Yankees Quick Check: Pitching + Run Support + Defense=Win
Tyler Clippard came through for his seasoned, big league teammates Tuesday night against the White Sox. In return, the defense and the offense chipped in to help him out. This Yankees' season could have been scripted by the late, great, Kurt Vonnegut himself, as this cosmically challenged team found itself fraught with a plague of injuries, poor plays, and silent bats in the lineup. If momentum ends with the next day's starter, the Yankees have stumbled every fifth day with a new, unproven arm sent out to the mound to earn his first major-league win and to keep the team from slipping further down the greased pole that is the AL East standings.
Tuesday night's game represented the prototype game which the Yankees need if they are to get back to .500 and then mount some sort of run at either a wild card berth, or, dare I say it, the division title. There's been a lot written about the talent that's on this team and how eventually these players will begin to play better baseball because "they have to, they're too good." It seems so simple after watching them play Tuesday night that all they have to do is pitch well, play solid defense, and hit in the clutch and their problems will fade away the same way as one forgets a dreadful nightmare somewhere after the time they wake up and before they eat breakfast.
The flip side of this is whether or not the fickle finger of fate decides to torment some other team in their division instead of them. One wouldn't want to see anyone get hurt; but, what if the Red Sox began to slide backwards due to injuries to key members of the pitching staff? What if Big Papi, David Ortiz, fell into a "two for forty nine" batting slump? Things can happen. If Kurt Vonnegut can have theoretically written a "Dead Eye Dick" style script for this Yankee team's unexpected and unprecedented run of bad luck, then some other unseen author could craft a tale of a former underdog team, the Red Sox, which found themselves at the top of the division early in the season, only to find themselves in a rapid skid downward by the All Star Break. It can happen, though this writer would rather see the Yankees get by on their merits, than by capitalizing on unfortunate events which ruin other teams.
My point in all of this is that just as no one could have predicted the karmic catastrophe which befell the Yankees this season, the recipe for extricating themselves from this division standings quagmire seems to consist of fundamental baseball, solid pitching, and timely hitting. Mix some bad luck for their division rivals for good measure.
Tuesday night's game represented the prototype game which the Yankees need if they are to get back to .500 and then mount some sort of run at either a wild card berth, or, dare I say it, the division title. There's been a lot written about the talent that's on this team and how eventually these players will begin to play better baseball because "they have to, they're too good." It seems so simple after watching them play Tuesday night that all they have to do is pitch well, play solid defense, and hit in the clutch and their problems will fade away the same way as one forgets a dreadful nightmare somewhere after the time they wake up and before they eat breakfast.
The flip side of this is whether or not the fickle finger of fate decides to torment some other team in their division instead of them. One wouldn't want to see anyone get hurt; but, what if the Red Sox began to slide backwards due to injuries to key members of the pitching staff? What if Big Papi, David Ortiz, fell into a "two for forty nine" batting slump? Things can happen. If Kurt Vonnegut can have theoretically written a "Dead Eye Dick" style script for this Yankee team's unexpected and unprecedented run of bad luck, then some other unseen author could craft a tale of a former underdog team, the Red Sox, which found themselves at the top of the division early in the season, only to find themselves in a rapid skid downward by the All Star Break. It can happen, though this writer would rather see the Yankees get by on their merits, than by capitalizing on unfortunate events which ruin other teams.
My point in all of this is that just as no one could have predicted the karmic catastrophe which befell the Yankees this season, the recipe for extricating themselves from this division standings quagmire seems to consist of fundamental baseball, solid pitching, and timely hitting. Mix some bad luck for their division rivals for good measure.
May 25, 2007
Good Luck Yankees, I'm Out For the Weekend!
As if anything I do or think will have any effect on the Yankees level of play, I have to take the weekend off with my family. That means, no more crying about the Bombers in the confines of this space, and no more advice from my living room armchair for Brian Cashman and company. Of course, I'll watch the games, such as I can, while attending the many gala events I've been invited to over the course of the next three days. But, I will watch them in much the same way kids view horror movies. That is with my hands over my eyes while peeking through my fingers.
They should get through okay though, the Yankees that is. They seem to respond well to a good pitching performance by their starters of late. The lone exception would be that aging, fragile, touchy, intense, opinionated, clubhouse loner, Mike Mussina. That's another whole column right there. But, that will have to wait until Mr. Grudge returns after this glorious Memorial Day weekend.
It needs to be said, however trite this offering may be in this space, that I offer a special thank you to all of our service men and women in the United States Armed Forces fighting for our country overseas. Also, thank you to all of my readers both here and over at Gotham Baseball Magazine for making this site ever more popular.
Happy Memorial Day.
They should get through okay though, the Yankees that is. They seem to respond well to a good pitching performance by their starters of late. The lone exception would be that aging, fragile, touchy, intense, opinionated, clubhouse loner, Mike Mussina. That's another whole column right there. But, that will have to wait until Mr. Grudge returns after this glorious Memorial Day weekend.
It needs to be said, however trite this offering may be in this space, that I offer a special thank you to all of our service men and women in the United States Armed Forces fighting for our country overseas. Also, thank you to all of my readers both here and over at Gotham Baseball Magazine for making this site ever more popular.
Happy Memorial Day.
May 24, 2007
Yankees Quick Check: Taking It Day By Day
A quick and un-scientific survey of the dwindling number of Yankees fans at my place of employment on Thursday revealed that hope is still alive in Yankees Land. "Day by day, that's the only way I can take them." Reported one of the longest tenured and most stalwart of the fans I surveyed. "They looked good last night," He continued "and they blew it the night before, and the kid Clippard did great against the Mets. Let's see how they do against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this Friday. coming up."
He said the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" for dramatic effect. It was like saying "General George Patton," instead of merely "Patton." Tyler Clippard takes the mound again against the younger, more competant of the Weaver brothers for the Angels. The Yankees have a good chance in that game as no one named Mike, Moose, or Mussina will be pitching for them.
Such was the general consensus as I made my rounds, polling my co-workers. Apparently a memo went out to all Yankee fans announcing that this was supposed to be the "opinion of the day" which the Yankee's faithful must cling to, rather than jump off the bandwagon. This writer didn't get the memo. It's frightening to think what the Angels, certified Yankee-killers, will do to this team if the Yankees feel good about themsleves and think they can drop one or two games in a row. This writers cynicism about this season has grown to the point that if the Yankees do win a game, I'm under the assumption that it has more to do with the other team blowing it, rather than the skill of the Yankees. Maybe that's a terrible way to think; but, if it gets me through, one day at a time, then I'll do it. I'll be miserable.
He said the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" for dramatic effect. It was like saying "General George Patton," instead of merely "Patton." Tyler Clippard takes the mound again against the younger, more competant of the Weaver brothers for the Angels. The Yankees have a good chance in that game as no one named Mike, Moose, or Mussina will be pitching for them.
Such was the general consensus as I made my rounds, polling my co-workers. Apparently a memo went out to all Yankee fans announcing that this was supposed to be the "opinion of the day" which the Yankee's faithful must cling to, rather than jump off the bandwagon. This writer didn't get the memo. It's frightening to think what the Angels, certified Yankee-killers, will do to this team if the Yankees feel good about themsleves and think they can drop one or two games in a row. This writers cynicism about this season has grown to the point that if the Yankees do win a game, I'm under the assumption that it has more to do with the other team blowing it, rather than the skill of the Yankees. Maybe that's a terrible way to think; but, if it gets me through, one day at a time, then I'll do it. I'll be miserable.
May 23, 2007
NY Yankees: Hey Moose, Buy A Clue!
Apparently Mike Mussina didn't get the memo. The New York Yankees are trying to battle their way out of a deep hole in the American League East and win their division. Yes, that is a tall order, and if the level of determination they showed on both Sunday and Monday indicated that they were serious about becoming contenders, all of that was lost on the "Moose."
As reported by Kat O'Brien in the Wednesday, May 23, 2007 edition of Newsday, "Mussina has never really gotten on track this season, and he did not do so last night. He gave up six runs in four innings in his first start of the year, then strained his hamstring in his next outing. Once he came off the disabled list, he had two decent games before reverting to inconsistency in his last two." Mussina is quoted as saying: "I felt like my arm had some life the first two," Mussina said. "I haven't felt like I had that life the last two." Not for nothing, if you don't feel like you can pitch before a game, then don't.
If the Yankees were ten games up over the Red Sox instead of the other way around, this writer would feel that Mussina was right to take the ball and give it a shot. At this point in their season, every single game, every inning, every pitch is important. Mussina should have either sucked it up and thrown like he never has before, or given the ball to someone else. Given that all of the rookies who have been called up this season have largely done a terrific job, one of them could have taken the mound on short rest.
Still, Mussina's lousy outing does not get the rest of the team off the hook. The team was back to it's typical (for this season) listless approach at the plate, and allowed Julian Tavarez to squelch their offense. Now they have to face Curt Schilling tonight and they can't win while asleep at the wheel. They need to pretend that this is the post season even though the Red Sox are on cruise control. The Yankees have to pretend that this is a big, important game like game seven of the 2004 ALCS. No, wait, scratch that.
Just when one thought that the Bombers have turned a corner over the last two days, they go ahead and fall flat on their collective face, again. What's Joe Torre's take on Tuesday night's game? "We had opportunities," manager Joe Torre said, "and we just couldn't get the big hit." (Kat O'Brien, Newsday)
This latest tepid performance has raised the level of frustration felt by many Yankees fans to the point where they feel everyone should be traded and Brian Cashman should replace all of them with young guys from Triple "A" Scranton. At least those young guys would play hard, and it would be worth rooting for a team full of players who are thankful that they are playing in the big leagues, instead of a collection of sloths resting on their past laurels, making excuses, and apologizing for nothing in particular except to say that they're sorry. Oh, I'm sorry, that last one was aimed just at Jason Giambi.
As reported by Kat O'Brien in the Wednesday, May 23, 2007 edition of Newsday, "Mussina has never really gotten on track this season, and he did not do so last night. He gave up six runs in four innings in his first start of the year, then strained his hamstring in his next outing. Once he came off the disabled list, he had two decent games before reverting to inconsistency in his last two." Mussina is quoted as saying: "I felt like my arm had some life the first two," Mussina said. "I haven't felt like I had that life the last two." Not for nothing, if you don't feel like you can pitch before a game, then don't.
If the Yankees were ten games up over the Red Sox instead of the other way around, this writer would feel that Mussina was right to take the ball and give it a shot. At this point in their season, every single game, every inning, every pitch is important. Mussina should have either sucked it up and thrown like he never has before, or given the ball to someone else. Given that all of the rookies who have been called up this season have largely done a terrific job, one of them could have taken the mound on short rest.
Still, Mussina's lousy outing does not get the rest of the team off the hook. The team was back to it's typical (for this season) listless approach at the plate, and allowed Julian Tavarez to squelch their offense. Now they have to face Curt Schilling tonight and they can't win while asleep at the wheel. They need to pretend that this is the post season even though the Red Sox are on cruise control. The Yankees have to pretend that this is a big, important game like game seven of the 2004 ALCS. No, wait, scratch that.
Just when one thought that the Bombers have turned a corner over the last two days, they go ahead and fall flat on their collective face, again. What's Joe Torre's take on Tuesday night's game? "We had opportunities," manager Joe Torre said, "and we just couldn't get the big hit." (Kat O'Brien, Newsday)
This latest tepid performance has raised the level of frustration felt by many Yankees fans to the point where they feel everyone should be traded and Brian Cashman should replace all of them with young guys from Triple "A" Scranton. At least those young guys would play hard, and it would be worth rooting for a team full of players who are thankful that they are playing in the big leagues, instead of a collection of sloths resting on their past laurels, making excuses, and apologizing for nothing in particular except to say that they're sorry. Oh, I'm sorry, that last one was aimed just at Jason Giambi.
May 22, 2007
Mr. Grudge Is In Gotham Baseball Magazine
Mr. Grudge is in Gotham baseball Magazine. For those of you who love baseball, this magazine is a must read. Click here to catch up on all that is happening in the world baseball in the major leagues, minor leagues, and even fantasy leagues and high school baseball. Of course, please read my column. Also, sign up and enjoy the forums.
Mr. Grudge wants to give thanks to the kind folks at Gotham Baseball Magazine for believing in my writing, and for posting me on their fine website. I encourage all of my readers to visit them and subscribe. Thanks you.
Mr. Grudge wants to give thanks to the kind folks at Gotham Baseball Magazine for believing in my writing, and for posting me on their fine website. I encourage all of my readers to visit them and subscribe. Thanks you.
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