"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

Ace in the Hole

Aaron Small out-dueled Kirk Saarloos yesterday afternoon in Oakland as the Bombers rebounded from Friday night’s beating. As our colleague Ken Arnson noted, the final score of 7-0 is misleading as this was a tense game until the Yankees broke it open in the seventh (Ken was at the game and took a series of nice photographs). And even then, the A’s were close to getting out of the inning without the damage being too costly.

With the score 1-0, Hideki Matsui came to the plate with the bases loaded and just one out (Posada had singled, Cano dribbled a single that barely found a hole through the left side of the infield, then Bubba Crosby sacrificed the runners to second and third before Jeter was walked intentionally). The A’s brought in the left-hander Ricardo Rincon. Though Matsui has been slumping, I had a good feeling about his at bat as I’m sure many Yankee fans did. Sure enough he smashed a line drive up the middle. But it was speared by Oakland’s second baseman Mark Ellis and it appeared as if the A’s were going to be able to turn the double play and get out of the inning. But Matsui beat the relay throw, a run scored, and the inning was alive. It was a heck of a way for Matsui to drive in his 100th run of the year.

The young right-hander, Justin Duchscherer replaced Rincon, got ahead of Gary Sheffield but then lost him. Sheffield walked and the bases were juiced again for Alex Rodriguez who had two ground ball singles and had been hit by a pitch on the afternoon. Rodriguez took a strike and then fouled off a fastball that was over the plate. The second pitch was his pitch to hit and he missed it. But Rodriguez did not give up. Duchscherer then just missed striking Rodriguez out with a curve ball. The pitch was low but Rodriguez’s knees buckled all the same. Two more balls and the count was full before Rodriguez poked an outside pitch into right field for a single, scoring two runs. Rodriguez said something aloud half-way to first, and he clapped his hands once he reached the bag, looking directly into the Yankee dugout (the visitor’s dugout in Oakland is along the first base line). At that moment Joe Torre, who held the eighth team meeting of the season prior to the game, pointed directly at Rodriguez as if to say, “Right on!” That is about as animated as Torre gets, but it was an important at bat. Rodriguez did not try to do too much, he went with the pitch and came through once again. Jason Giambi followed, and he muscled a three-run dinger into the right field seats and that, as they say, was that.

After getting blown-out on Friday night, Aaron Small pitched a shut out. Hard to believe what a ride this guy has had since joining the team this summer. I’m sure it has been the time of his life. One thing is for sure, he has been a savior for the Yankees. I shutter to think where they’d be without him.

The Yankees, and their fans are forced to have to be patient and wait to see what shakes out for Mike Mussina’. There is no telling whether or not he’ll be back this year. If he isn’t, it is hard to see the Yankees enjoying any kind of happy ending to 2005. Speaking of Moose, I loved this uncharacterisitically frank exchange in Michael Kay’s YES mailbag the other day:

Hi Michael,
Do major league players tend to take the advice of observers such as yourself? I mean it is painfully obvious to anyone with eyes that Mike Mussina is “bat shy” and nibbling too much. What are the chances he’d listen if someone told him exactly that? If not you, would he listen to a former player like Kitty, Kenny, Bobby or Paul?

Marc Duclos — Rochester, N.Y.

KAY: Hi Marc,
I personally don’t think Mike Mussina would throw a Dixie cup of water on me if I were on fire, so taking advice from me on pitching is quite unlikely, as in, no way. Mussina doesn’t really listen to Mel Stottlemyre and serves as his own pitching coach, so he is never go to listen to anyone from the broadcast booth. Mike acts as his own pitching coach, and that’s it.

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5 comments

1 rbj   ~  Sep 4, 2005 11:55 am

1.  Interesting that Moose doesn't listen to anyone. Rocket, I could understand, but no one is so good they don't need to listen to some advice.

Wang didn't do well last night, giving up 11 hits (2 dingers) in 5 innings, only 2 Ks, but no walks. He had 10 ground outs, 3 flyouts. I can't tell if most of the hits were hard hits or seeing eye singles that might get snatched up by better infielders.

2 bp1   ~  Sep 4, 2005 12:27 pm

2.  That is definitely Michael Kay radio guy rather than Michael Kay YES broadcaster. No way would he say that sort of thing in the YES booth, even as true as it might be. Gotta wonder how many other Yankees would pass on their turn with the dixie cup with a flaming Kay in their midst.

Geez, wouldn't I love to be a fly on the wall in the clubhouse sometimes.

Great game yesterday. Please - don't let Small pinch himself. This is one dream I don't want him to wake up from. Anyone read how Reggie Jackson (Reggie Freakin' Jackson!!!) told Small's son that his dad was "Awsome". I mean - do these things happen in real life?

This season is such a roller coaster. Man, oh man, win or lose, nobody can say it hasn't been exciting.

BP

3 rbj   ~  Sep 4, 2005 1:42 pm

3.  Would it kill Red Sox opponents to beat them? Yeesh. Are the Yankees going to have to run the month?
Yesterday's game has got to be the highlight of Aaron Small's career, I hope so far.

4 Zack   ~  Sep 4, 2005 3:25 pm

4.  Judging by their joint broadcasts, I'm not sure O'Neil would extinguish a flaming Kay

5 Jen   ~  Sep 4, 2005 7:28 pm

5.  From what I've heard though, Kay and O'Neill are somewhat friends. I think a lot of what we hear is just good natured ribbing. Kay and Mussina on the other hand, there's a genuine dislike to say the least. Once in a while he'll tell the story of why he doesn't like Moose.

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"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver