Monday, June 30, 2014
There must be a website that keeps track of LOB.
I want to see if Teixeira is going for the record. Two more tonight so far.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Because Trout hit the ball really far ... get it?
Mike Lupica is in Foul Territory:
"I can’t be sure of this, but I think that home run Mike Trout hit against the Royals on Friday night just landed."
Ha ha ha!
What other insightful baseball observations from the New York Metropolitan area's leading sports columnist?
"For all the hand-wringing about injuries to Yankee starters, tell me who among us, at the start of spring training, was expecting huge things this year from CC, or Nova, or Michael Pineda?"
Well, most of the initial hand-wringing is due to the fact that the Yankees lost 3 of their 5 starters. That means the team would have to use 8 starting pitchers, at a minimum. No team has that much depth at starting pitching. So a perceived Yankee strength suddenly became a weakness.
Whitley has been good so far; Phelps has been OK; Nuno not so good. In any case, the Yankees have evaded Starting Pitching disaster so far. But Nuno and Phelps could probably help from the bullpen. Maybe Whitley, too, or perhaps he has ascended to spot starter.
As for the expectations of the Yankee starters on the DL, Lupica used the world "or."
Did I expect CC or Nova or Pineda to have a big year? Yes. I expected probably 2 out of 3 to have "big years." Depending on what you mean by "big year." With this garbage offense and pitiful infield defense, a big year out of Nova might be 15-12, 4.25 ERA.
Pineda I think still has some upside potential, maybe even in 2014. If not a "big year," then certainly better than Nuno.
CC I think is shot forever.
So while I think it would be foolish to expect the undefined "big seasons" from all three, I think a lot of people expected big things from at least one of them.
But why am I even talking about this?
The Yankees' biggest problem is their garbage offense. Which is why nobody is complaining about the Replacement Starters.
"Brett Gardner is having a terrific season."
Officially.
Because Mike Lupica noticed.
"I can’t be sure of this, but I think that home run Mike Trout hit against the Royals on Friday night just landed."
Ha ha ha!
What other insightful baseball observations from the New York Metropolitan area's leading sports columnist?
"For all the hand-wringing about injuries to Yankee starters, tell me who among us, at the start of spring training, was expecting huge things this year from CC, or Nova, or Michael Pineda?"
Well, most of the initial hand-wringing is due to the fact that the Yankees lost 3 of their 5 starters. That means the team would have to use 8 starting pitchers, at a minimum. No team has that much depth at starting pitching. So a perceived Yankee strength suddenly became a weakness.
Whitley has been good so far; Phelps has been OK; Nuno not so good. In any case, the Yankees have evaded Starting Pitching disaster so far. But Nuno and Phelps could probably help from the bullpen. Maybe Whitley, too, or perhaps he has ascended to spot starter.
As for the expectations of the Yankee starters on the DL, Lupica used the world "or."
Did I expect CC or Nova or Pineda to have a big year? Yes. I expected probably 2 out of 3 to have "big years." Depending on what you mean by "big year." With this garbage offense and pitiful infield defense, a big year out of Nova might be 15-12, 4.25 ERA.
Pineda I think still has some upside potential, maybe even in 2014. If not a "big year," then certainly better than Nuno.
CC I think is shot forever.
So while I think it would be foolish to expect the undefined "big seasons" from all three, I think a lot of people expected big things from at least one of them.
But why am I even talking about this?
The Yankees' biggest problem is their garbage offense. Which is why nobody is complaining about the Replacement Starters.
"Brett Gardner is having a terrific season."
Officially.
Because Mike Lupica noticed.
Friday, June 27, 2014
I don't know about the pitch framing part ...
... but I am happy to find an article that hypes Lucroy for MVP.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
They're not laughing with you, they're laughing at you.
Teixeira actually said, without sarcasm, that he drew inspiration from Saturday Night Live and Between Two Ferns.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
OMG you guys, I was totally thinking that!
"Even before Carlos Beltran hit that bottom-of-the-ninth shot against the Orioles on Friday night, you know I was saying that Beltran is the most important hitter the Yankees have.
And the one who can, if healthy, best fill the void in the batting order left by Mr. Cano."
I was totally thinking the same thing!
I was like, "Swing batter batter batter ..." and then he hit a home run to win the game!
I told you guys that was going to happen. Well, technically, I didn't tell you out loud, but I was thinking it, and I was going to tell you.
Same thing with UConn in the NCAA basketball tournament. My official pick had them losing in the second round, but I was going to pick them to win the whole tournament ... and then they did!
"Apparently, if you pay attention to the flackery, now that Alex Rodriguez has dropped the last of his lawsuits — this one against Dr. Christopher Ahmad — we’re supposed to believe that he’s officially been saved like St. Paul on the road to Damascus."
You guys!
And the one who can, if healthy, best fill the void in the batting order left by Mr. Cano."
I was totally thinking the same thing!
I was like, "Swing batter batter batter ..." and then he hit a home run to win the game!
I told you guys that was going to happen. Well, technically, I didn't tell you out loud, but I was thinking it, and I was going to tell you.
Same thing with UConn in the NCAA basketball tournament. My official pick had them losing in the second round, but I was going to pick them to win the whole tournament ... and then they did!
"Apparently, if you pay attention to the flackery, now that Alex Rodriguez has dropped the last of his lawsuits — this one against Dr. Christopher Ahmad — we’re supposed to believe that he’s officially been saved like St. Paul on the road to Damascus."
You guys!
Just now, I was totally saying that I bet Mike Lupica writes something about Alex Rodriguez that nobody cares about anymore!
I'm on fire!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
ESPN reports power outage in Yankee Game.
Why is this news? In every game the Yankees play, there is a power outage.
Bam!
I said it!
Top that, Mr. Foul Territory.
Bam!
I said it!
Top that, Mr. Foul Territory.
Not sure if Mike Lupica watches baseball. Pretty sure he doesn't.
"The Yankees haven’t played half a season yet, and already the media have declared that all his [sic] forgiven with the Yankee farm system, it turns out to be a gold mine after all, forget what everybody was saying a year ago about how that same system was a ghost town."
"The media."
What media?
Who media?
Where media?
The only significant reports I have seen about the Yankee farm system lately is that top prospect Gary Sanchez has been benched for disciplinary reasons. But he hasn't been hitting, anyway.
Then, another report was more like a strategy change. Because the farm system is so dry in America, they're going to focus overseas.
Betances has been great and Solarte has been good. Did "the media" point this out and that's why Lupica says "all is forgiven"?
Or is it, like, Lupica had a private argument with a co-worker and now he passive-aggressively takes it public?
Why does this bother him so much? Why is it so important for Mike Lupica to endlessly and relentlessly obsess over the people who manage the New York Yankees? Some might say it's downright creepy, no?
"Sometimes the people in social media and the sports media this obsessed with LeBron James seem downright creepy."
Says the guy obsessed with Randy Levine and Damon Oppenheimer.
"Somebody needs to explain to me why the talent level with the Mets is Terry Collins’ fault."
Collins was, once again, given public assurances regarding his job security. Collins is seldom criticized for his team's continually awful performance. I'd even classify the Mets as underachievers this season and during Collins's entire tenure.
Maybe Lupica needs to explain why Collins gets more slack than Randolph or Manuel.
Watch a replay of that line drive single to left field and tell me that Chris Young was "busting his butt."
"Reports of Capt. Jeter’s demise have seemed slightly exaggerated on the West Coast this week, no?"
Well, since you asked: "No."
His batting average is .270, more or less a decent average.
He has one extra-base hit in June. He has 10 extra-base hits in the past 2 seasons (approximately 300 at-bats).
He has a .328 on-base% and a .318 slugging%.
He has 14 RBIs the entire season. Rey Ordonez-level production at that plate. Rey Ordonez without the glove.
Morte.
"The media."
What media?
Who media?
Where media?
The only significant reports I have seen about the Yankee farm system lately is that top prospect Gary Sanchez has been benched for disciplinary reasons. But he hasn't been hitting, anyway.
Then, another report was more like a strategy change. Because the farm system is so dry in America, they're going to focus overseas.
Betances has been great and Solarte has been good. Did "the media" point this out and that's why Lupica says "all is forgiven"?
Or is it, like, Lupica had a private argument with a co-worker and now he passive-aggressively takes it public?
Why does this bother him so much? Why is it so important for Mike Lupica to endlessly and relentlessly obsess over the people who manage the New York Yankees? Some might say it's downright creepy, no?
"Sometimes the people in social media and the sports media this obsessed with LeBron James seem downright creepy."
Says the guy obsessed with Randy Levine and Damon Oppenheimer.
"Somebody needs to explain to me why the talent level with the Mets is Terry Collins’ fault."
Collins was, once again, given public assurances regarding his job security. Collins is seldom criticized for his team's continually awful performance. I'd even classify the Mets as underachievers this season and during Collins's entire tenure.
Maybe Lupica needs to explain why Collins gets more slack than Randolph or Manuel.
Watch a replay of that line drive single to left field and tell me that Chris Young was "busting his butt."
"Reports of Capt. Jeter’s demise have seemed slightly exaggerated on the West Coast this week, no?"
Well, since you asked: "No."
His batting average is .270, more or less a decent average.
He has one extra-base hit in June. He has 10 extra-base hits in the past 2 seasons (approximately 300 at-bats).
He has a .328 on-base% and a .318 slugging%.
He has 14 RBIs the entire season. Rey Ordonez-level production at that plate. Rey Ordonez without the glove.
Morte.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Stud
"Mariners hitters had a better chance of finding Sasquatch than they
did of squaring up a Tanaka pitch until Robinson Cano lined a one-out,
two-run home run in the ninth.
That is when Tanaka really toughened up, striking out the last two hitters looking on 94-plus-mph fastballs on the black."
That is when Tanaka really toughened up, striking out the last two hitters looking on 94-plus-mph fastballs on the black."
Monday, June 09, 2014
Few things are worse than unfunny people trying to be funny.
In the Ellsbury episode, Teixeira refuses to race because of a headache.
Sunday, June 08, 2014
RISP: 1-for-17 and that hit didn't drive in a run.
Not even clutch pinch hitter Teixeira could save the day.
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
Now what? They win 80 games, that's what.
"Right now, it's tough to distinguish between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners, or the Minnesota Twins, for that matter, who left the Bronx this weekend with a series win. They have spent like the big-market team they are but are playing like the middle-market teams they have come to resemble, with a couple of key differences: Their roster is loaded with players at the end of their careers, not the beginning, and there doesn't seem to be much coming up behind them.
And frankly, for all their abundance of resources, there doesn't seem to be much that they can do about it right now."
I mean, maybe some of the injured players can come help a little bit, but that's wishful thinking. Maybe some of the under-performing players are due to improve, but probably not enough to get to 90 wins..
The A's are coming to Yankee Stadium for three games.
In terms of run differential this season, the A's are +115 and the Yankees are -23.
The A's should be disappointed if they don't sweep.
Tanaka is tough to beat, this is true. That means that four out of five times the Yankees take the field, the opponent should expect to win.
Not that the Yankees are a .200 team. You're not going to win every game you're supposed to. I'm just talking about intimidation factor.
And frankly, for all their abundance of resources, there doesn't seem to be much that they can do about it right now."
I mean, maybe some of the injured players can come help a little bit, but that's wishful thinking. Maybe some of the under-performing players are due to improve, but probably not enough to get to 90 wins..
The A's are coming to Yankee Stadium for three games.
In terms of run differential this season, the A's are +115 and the Yankees are -23.
The A's should be disappointed if they don't sweep.
Tanaka is tough to beat, this is true. That means that four out of five times the Yankees take the field, the opponent should expect to win.
Not that the Yankees are a .200 team. You're not going to win every game you're supposed to. I'm just talking about intimidation factor.
Robinson Cano is a grown man who didn't want to continue playing for the Yankees.
"Robinson Cano was little more than a casual observer in the Mariners’ 10-2 victory in the Bronx on Monday night, and yet, two months into the season, it feels like the right time to wonder: What if the Yankees could get a do-over on letting their former second baseman walk?
Would they take it? Stubbornness would prevent them from admitting to any such notion, and it’s fair to argue that two months has minimal impact on a decision that was about refusing to make a 10-year commitment.
Yet considering the state of this offensively challenged team, the Yankees surely miss Cano more than they expected. Suffice it to say their huge offseason spending spree designed to make up for his absence hasn’t exactly paid dividends."
"Let him walk" is an odd description for a man whose car left screech marks.
The Yankees didn't want to pay $240 million over 10 years. Even if they did, there is no particular reason to think Cano would have accepted.
"The point of all this is that Cano’s presence, offensively and defensively, would have given them an MVP-caliber player to make a difference right now and stabilize whatever uncertainty lies ahead."
I don't think Cano's production is disputed by anybody. The Yankees knew this when they offered him a ton of money. A ton of money which was dwarfed by the Mariners offer.
"Of course, the Yankees can still change the narrative dramatically by getting healthy over the coming months and playing their way into October."
Gee, I haven't pondered "Yankees" and "October" in a while, but I appreciate the rare show of optimism. I think the narrative may change in 4 or 5 years when a whole bunch of Diminishing Returns contracts are cleared from the books.
"The Yankees will always argue that, regarding Cano, they learned from their mistake on redoing A-Rod’s contract, but it’s also fair to ask if they would have won a championship in 2009 had they let A-Rod walk."
My goodness. Am I reading this correctly? What have you done with the New York Daily News?
A more relevant question might be whether or not anyone is watching this boring team.
Love him or hate him, ARod was an attraction.
"How much is that worth to the franchise that sells itself on its championship history?
After all, considering that the Yankees print money, cost should never be a determining factor in retaining their best player. And had they pushed more aggressively to sign Cano to an eight-, nine-, 10-year contract, any diminished returns on the back end could easily be chalked up to the price of chasing greatness."
Yeah, but ...
OK, I think the Yankees are worse than they were last year ... and it's obvious that Cano was their best player last year.
But Harper is putting all the onus on the Yankees. The Yankees made their offer. The Mariners blew that offer away. Cano didn't want to stay in New York.
Would they take it? Stubbornness would prevent them from admitting to any such notion, and it’s fair to argue that two months has minimal impact on a decision that was about refusing to make a 10-year commitment.
Yet considering the state of this offensively challenged team, the Yankees surely miss Cano more than they expected. Suffice it to say their huge offseason spending spree designed to make up for his absence hasn’t exactly paid dividends."
"Let him walk" is an odd description for a man whose car left screech marks.
The Yankees didn't want to pay $240 million over 10 years. Even if they did, there is no particular reason to think Cano would have accepted.
"The point of all this is that Cano’s presence, offensively and defensively, would have given them an MVP-caliber player to make a difference right now and stabilize whatever uncertainty lies ahead."
I don't think Cano's production is disputed by anybody. The Yankees knew this when they offered him a ton of money. A ton of money which was dwarfed by the Mariners offer.
"Of course, the Yankees can still change the narrative dramatically by getting healthy over the coming months and playing their way into October."
Gee, I haven't pondered "Yankees" and "October" in a while, but I appreciate the rare show of optimism. I think the narrative may change in 4 or 5 years when a whole bunch of Diminishing Returns contracts are cleared from the books.
"The Yankees will always argue that, regarding Cano, they learned from their mistake on redoing A-Rod’s contract, but it’s also fair to ask if they would have won a championship in 2009 had they let A-Rod walk."
My goodness. Am I reading this correctly? What have you done with the New York Daily News?
A more relevant question might be whether or not anyone is watching this boring team.
Love him or hate him, ARod was an attraction.
"How much is that worth to the franchise that sells itself on its championship history?
After all, considering that the Yankees print money, cost should never be a determining factor in retaining their best player. And had they pushed more aggressively to sign Cano to an eight-, nine-, 10-year contract, any diminished returns on the back end could easily be chalked up to the price of chasing greatness."
Yeah, but ...
OK, I think the Yankees are worse than they were last year ... and it's obvious that Cano was their best player last year.
But Harper is putting all the onus on the Yankees. The Yankees made their offer. The Mariners blew that offer away. Cano didn't want to stay in New York.
Monday, June 02, 2014
If voting ended today, Nelson Cruz and Melky Cabrera would be on the All Star Game starting roster.
The only player I will vote for is Alex Rodriguez. It will be a write-in vote.
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