MARK IT DOWN
If the Yankees fail to make the playoffs this year, if they fall short chasing Seattle or get passed by the Central runner up, we might look back ona very specific moment when the momentum shifted and the recent run petered out. It is Monday night, the sixth inning. you need to take at least one from the Angels to prevent this single series turning into the biggest pothole of the season. They've just come off an east coast swing, limiting their home city advantage. The weakest pitcher on their team takes the hill, while you know the weakest on your team will face their ace the following night. You are starting a youngster with no muscle memory of Yankee futility in Anaheim. And now, in the 6th, you actually have a 4-3 lead. You also have men on first and second and nobody out, with a real chance to extend your lead, which is crucial since this is a team, unlike the Yankees, that excels at scratching out runs. You have Cano at the plate, with Phillips following. but you know its late enough in the game that you can pinch hit Giambi for Phillips and bring Betemit in for defense (which Torre did in fact do). You give me this situation or any situation like it and I will always sacrifice. Men on second and third 1 out, you should score a run, with a grounder or a fly. A hit you get two. First and second lots can go wrong; second and third not so much. And you don't need a blow out, you have the opportunity to beat the Halos at their own game. Play the percentages Joe; play the NL ball for which you were once known. Nah! Torre sits there and does nothing. Cano hits it hard but right back to the pitcher who turns two (that's what can go wrong!) and the Yankees fail to score, leaving the Angels ready to pounce and win just the kind of one run game the Yankees can't seem to. Mussina follows script tonight and gets bombed (Ian Kennedy for fifth starter!) and the Yanks are 2.5 out of the wild card, 6 back in the East and suddenly falling fast. Baseball is like that. A single poor managerial decision can put your season in jeopardy. That's why it matters that slow Joe is so slow, tactically speaking. And, to be honest, I don't give a fuck how much Derek Jeter loves or respects him.
posted by joe valente | 11:20 PM
2 Comments:
The best thing about Monday's game was listening to Ric Sutcliff in the ESPN booth. The man, who has as recently as last season publicly apologized for being soused on air, was clearly at least mildly drunk. He slurred his words once or twice and was saying the weirdest fucking things you can imagine: such as revealing his one time fantasy of actually killing Reggie Jackson by throwing a fastball directly at his face.
but the weirdest thing of all came when he went on this tangent about how some managers are "intimidated" by Joe Torre and so don't run let their teams play aggressive against the Yankees. Did anyone else out there hear this, and does anyone know what in God's name he was talking about?
Turning the subject to Hughes: he didn't look so bad; i guess what's strange is that he didn't look like anythign special. It seems to me like there is something wrong with his breaking pitchings right now, and I didn't see his fastball top the mid 90s--I am I confusing him with Joba, or doesn;t Hughes also get it up to the high 90s sometimes? In any event, as the putatuve 5th starter, he certainly gave them enough against a team like anaheim, especially when the offense scored 6 runs. this game was lost due to the overwork of Vizcaino, in my opinion, which, not to beat a dead horse, has a lot to do with Wang being a 6 inning pitcher now. in any event Torre shouldn't have sent hughes out to start the 7th. maybe Viz. coming in with the beases empty would've gotten better results. in any event, the bullpen, though so much improved, is as exhausted aftre this series as it has been in a while. they ought to demote Henn and get a fresh arm for the weekend series--and don't by any means ask Mo to pitch Friday, or Saturday if possible. Joba can close Sat., if neceesary, and it'll just have to be the big F friday.
Hughes fastball does not and never has so far as I know reached into the upper 90's. Ninety-six, maybe, but that's about it. The thing that makes hughes look spec ial to me is that people don't really hit him, even when he's not so good. anaheim only got 4 hits in 6.1 innings. The problem is his control from the stretch, which is nothing special. Like many young pitchers who totally dominate at the lower level, he hasn't had to rely that much on his stretch stuff and it's not that developed yet.
I did hear Sutcliffe's comments about killing Reggie and Joe the intimidator. He has always struck me as a first rate bucklepper and perhapps the most annoying voice in all of sports (and yes that includes Joe Morgan). But now he is passing into another dimension. revealing his beanball lust? Making stuff up about ohter managers. "We both know who I'm talking about," he said, but the puzzled tones of the play by play man inidicated he has no longer even sure whom he was talking to.
ESPN has to do a Psycho Lyons on him and soon.
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