Daily Archives: August 27, 2008

Okay, well they weren’t technically on Broadway but close enough.  Point is, the Yanks got served again by the Red Sox.  Thought they’d get saved by the mercy rule, but you’ve got to be down by ten for that to kick in, and right now there is no mercy for the Yanks or their fans.

It was close for a minute–a two run game after seven–then Jose Veras and David Robertson got bombed in the eighth and that was that.  11-3 was the final.  Sidney Ponson gave up four runs and didn’t make it out of the fourth while Paul Byrd kept the Yankees off balance allowing just a couple of runs over six (I think the Bombers must have hit three or four homers foul against him.)  Alex Rodriguez had a pair of doubles in his first two at bats, bouncing back from a tough game on Tuesday but that turned out to be a minor positive note in what turned out to be another uninspired loss. 

The Yanks are making this easy.  The way they are playing it’s as if the end of the season can’t come soon enough.  They don’t seem to have any fight in them right now.  Man, even if they are going to miss the playoffs it’d be nice to see them play spoiler.  That seems like a stretch though doesn’t it? 

Meanwhile, even more upsetting is this piece from Deadspin.  Reportedly, a fan was escorted from the Stadium recently for wanting to use the restroom while "God Bless America" played.  Did you guys even know the Yankees had a policy about fan movement during the playing of "God Bless America?"  I sure didn’t.  Over at Futility Infielder, Jay Jaffe pulls no punches:

I’ve taken many a restroom break during “God Bless America” during my days and nights at Yankee Stadium, and I’ve not only never been harassed by anyone for doing so, I was never aware that they actually had a policy — almost certainly illegal and blatantly unconstitutional — to try to quell such activity. Nonetheless, given the ever-eroding quality of my own experiences at the stadium in recent years, I fear that the allegations are true.

Yankee Stadium security deserves no benefit of the doubt here, nor in this instance does the Steinbrenner family if they’re the ones who have ordered the policy be implemented. Forcing paying customers to stand at rapt attention during a song isn’t some cute little attempt at patriotism to bolster the legacy of Mr. Born on the Fourth of July Steinbrenner, it’s FASCISM. Roughing them up over their failure to stand still during a canned recording of a song that’s been drained of all meaning by its endless repetition is in diametric opposition to what the song and the country it so proudly celebrates stand for; this is about as un-American as you can get.

Furthermore, this incident puts the lie to any claim regarding “the hallowed ground of Yankee Stadium” at a time when the ballpark’s history is being celebrated and its demise mourned. The Yankees deserve to reap all of the bad PR they’ve sown with this, and the Steinbrenner family can cram it up their Yankee Doodle Dandies until they figure out why they’re in the wrong.

I didn’t know about this Yankee Stadium policy but I think it an outrage. It doesn’t exactly surprise me but it is beyond disappointing.

Sho nuff, this has been a down year for our boys.  Games like last night just underscore what has been a frustrating season this has been.  Still, there’s thirty games left.  Soon enough, fall will be upon us and there will be no more baseball until the spring.  It’s looking like there won’t be October baseball in the Bronx, which only makes me appreciate what an impressive run the Yanks have enjoyed since 1995.  So even if they team isn’t that wunnerful, at least we get to watch baseball for a little while longer.  And that’s nothing to sneeze at.

Ponson vs. Byrd tonight.  Can’t get any worse.  And even if it does, we’re prepared.  Damn the torpedos and let’s go Yan-Kees.

I’m as guilty as anyone of beating a dead horse as far as Alex Rodriguez is concerned.  Course it ain’t as bad as it was a few years ago, but since it is the theme of the day, here’s one last link to ponder.  From It’s About the Money, Stupid, the question is asked: Who is more clutch: Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter?

I called a friend of mine who roots for the Mets this morning to comisserate about a pair of tough losses last night.  In no time, it became a competition to see who is suffering more, to figure which loss was more devastating.  Misery does love company, don’t she?

The Mets blew a 7-0 lead and lost in 13 innings to their division rivals, the Phillies.  That makes for a rough, sleepless night.  However, the Mets are just a half-a-game out of first place.  

The Yankees, on the other hand, are almost out of it completely.  They aren’t "officially" sunk yet, but last night’s loss seems extra painful because it was a game that sums up their entire season.  Right now, the Yankees are simply not a team that creates many opportunities, and when they do have opportunities they are not cashing in on them.  Spiritually, they are the antithesis of the Dynasty teams.  Toss in the fact that the loss came to a Boston team that is not at full strength, and that ain’t helping matters.  Neither is the thought of the Yanks needing a win with Sidney Ponson on the hill tonight.  Granted, Ponson hasn’t pitched badly for the Yanks. Still, y’all what I’m talking about. 

After the game last night I was apoplectic and I sent my friend Rich Lederer an e-mail:

"A Rod picked the wrong time to go into a slump.  Was 0-5 tonight.  Hit into two HUGE double plays.  They were booing the sh** out of him at the Stadium and for once I can’t defend him.  He really came up small when they needed him.  For as great as he is, he’s just not steadily the kind of big game hitter as Pujols or Vlad or Manny are.

Rich, who was born and raised in California, and is a level-headed sort, replied:

I know you have been an A-Rod supporter, but I believe you are being overly harsh when judging him.  He had a bad game tonight.  Big deal.  The truth of the matter is that he is held to a different standard than all the other Yankees.  It’s so silly.  The better he does, the more fans expect.  Hell, it’s no surprise to me that he doesn’t come through given the burden he carries.  The whole thing is so silly.  As much as I like Guerrero, I will trade you Vlad for A-Rod right now.  And every other day of the week. 

 

Funny, no mention of Pettitte’s poor performance.  Or Giambi.  Even though both are making the big bucks.  Giambi, in fact, makes more than any player not named Rodriguez.  But nary a word.  Why?  Because you don’t expect as much out of him.  As such, he gets away with it.

 

Look, I’m not here to defend A-Rod’s poor game tonight.  These things happen.  But I will defend him (inclusive of tonight).  He is a great player.  No single game will change that.  His clutch stats over the course of his career are just fine.  Unfortunately, they are not measuring up this year.  Bring back Morgan Ensberg.

For the record, here are Rodriguez’s rate stats with runners in scoring position since 2000 (thanks to Diane Firstman for the numbers):

Season BA OBA Slug%
2000 .295 .414 .597
2001 .307 .402 .647
2002 .366 .479 .752
2003 .281 .383 .527
2004 .248 .346 .439
2005 .290 .410 .484
2006 .302 .431 .508
2007 .330 .457 .659
2008 .246 .400 .413

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2008 New York Yankees.

Last night in the comments section, Schteeve asked, "If the 2008 Yankees were a character from fiction who would they be?" 

Chyll Will offered: "Gollem: Seems he was good maybe five hundred years ago…Garfield: Old, fat, and not nearly as entertaining as he used to be. Or The Family Circus: stuck in a time warp and way out of touch with reality." 

Mr OK Jazz TOKYO wrote:  "Charles Foster Kane: Started out with ideals and became a bloated, pompous mess with no friends, spending money wildly and ending up alone in an over-priced tomb."

Jeb had a bunch of winners: "Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby: Looks good, but has no integrity and will ultimately disappoint you. How about Dorian Gray? Seemingly young and virile, but with a picture of themselves in the attic that’s aging beyond belief…For some reason I initially kept thinking of Bob Ewell from To Kill a Mockingbird but there was no way that could work unless Yankee fans are Arod’s daughter and we’re put Cashman on trial for Arod’s sins….Hey it does kind of work."

Man, our readers are so cool.  What else ya got?