Daily Archives: March 10, 2009

Did you guys watch the Netherlands vs. Dominican Replublic elimination game last night? The game went scoreless into extra innings. The D.R. got a run in the top of the 11th on a walk and a ball the right fielder lost in the lights that was ruled a triple. Then, with Carlos Marmol on the mound, three outs from elimination, the Netherlands’ sent up a pinch-hitter who led off with a double, moved to third on an out, and scored on a single by Gene Kingsale, the right fielder who lost the ball in the top of the inning. In checking Kingsale at first during the subsequent at-bat, Marmol threw wild to first, sending Kingsale, the winning run, all the way to third due to the large foul territory at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Marmol struck out the batter for the second out, but with two strikes, Yurendell de Caster hit a cue shot down the first base line that defensive replacement Willy Aybar booted, allowing de Caster to reach safely just ahead of Aybar’s throw to Marmol at first and Kingsale to come home with the winning, and clinching run.

My heart is still racing. I haven’t been that wrapped up in a game since the 2004 ALCS.

Oh yeah. Blah blah Yankees blah 7-1.

Lineup:

L – Brett Gardner (CF)
L – Johnny Damon (LF)
R – Xavier Nady (RF)
L – Hideki Matsui (DH)
R – Cody Ransom (3B)
R – Jose Molina (C)
L – Juan Miranda (1B)
R – Angel Berroa (SS)
S – Ramiro Peña (2B)

Subs: Eduardo Nuñez (SS), Kevin Russo (3B), Jesus Montero (C), Shelley Duncan (RF), Austin Jackson (CF), John Rodriguez (LF), Kevin Cash (DH)

Pitchers: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Coke, Kei Igawa, Christian Garcia, Anthony Claggett

Opposition: The non-WBC Reds

Big Hits:

A three-run homer by Shelley Duncan off Jordan Smith in his only at-bat and a solo shot by Juan Miranda (1-for-3) off Nick Masset. Hideki Matsui doubled and walked in three trips. Ramiro Peña doubled and singled in three trips.

Who Pitched Well:

Joba Chamberlain, finally. After failing to reach 90 miles per hour in his first start and walking four of five batters and not getting an out in his last outing, Joba hit 96 mph, struck out three and walked none in three innings. That he also gave up a run on three hits (one a Chris Dickerson triple) was no big deal. Talking to Alex on the phone this evening I said Joba would have to pitch three solid innings for me to get over the concerns I had following his first two outings. Well, he did, so I’m over it.

Kei Igawa pitched two perfect innings and struck out two. He hasn’t given up a run all spring and would be pitching his way into the long-man race if not for the fact that he’s Kei Igawa. Anthony Claggett pitched a perfect ninth striking out two. Christian Garcia pitched around a walk in the eighth and struck out two. Phil Coke struck out three in two scoreless innings, giving up just three harmless singles.

Who Didn’t:

No one.

Battles:

Brett Gardner went 2-for-3, pushing his spring average back over .400. Xavier Nady broke his string of extra-base hits with a single in two trips, though he still hasn’t drawn a walk. Phil Coke dropped his spring ERA blew 2.00 with two scoreless innings.

WBC:

Francisco Cervelli is on his way back to camp as Italy was eliminated from the WBC by Venezuela. Cervelli was praised for his intensity, leadership, and work behind the plate for Team Italy, but went just 1-for-7 with a walk and a strikeout. I don’t doubt that Cervelli could catch in the majors right now, but from what I’ve seen of him, he has some work to do on his hitting.

Robinson Cano and Damaso Marte are also on their way home due to the Netherlands stunning and thrilling upset. Cano went 3-for-13, all singles, with a walk and a K. Marte pitched a pair of scoreless innings, striking out two and allowing only a single.

Derek Jeter is thus the only Yankee remaining in the WBC. He and the U.S. will play Venzuela to determine the Round 2 seeding tonight at 6:30. If they lose, they’re realy going to screw up my plans for Saturday.

Ted Berg has a great head of hair.

New York, back when.

And the sounds of Amsterdam Avenue…

In 1984, Topps printed its final card for Lou Piniella as a player. Even though he was hitting .302 at the time, Piniella realized that he was blocking the way of younger outfielders in the organization and agreed to retire in the midst of that season. The sweet swing, the reliable hands, and the clubhouse agitation—all prominent features of the longtime Yankee—departed the Bronx to make room for a new wave of outfield youth.

Piniella was one of the last remnants of Gabe Paul’s regime as Yankee general manager. After the 1973 season, Paul sent aging reliever Lindy McDaniel to the Royals for Piniella, who had won the American League’s Rookie of the Year in 1969 but had slumped to a .250 batting average and a .291 on-base percentage during his final season in Kansas City. Paul figured that Piniella had endured an off season, nothing more. Piniella fit Yankee needs precisely—given their lefty-leaning lineup—providing them a semi-regular outfielder and DH who would play against all left-handers and occasionally against right-handers, too. In three of his first five seasons in pinstripes, Piniella hit .305 or better while filling in day-to-day gaps in left field, right field, and at DH. He became a vital complementary piece to the world championship teams of 1977 and ’78, culminating in his miraculous “stop” of Jerry Remy’s sun-screened line drive in the tiebreaking playoff game of 1978.

Aside from his one-hop snare of Remy’s drive, I’ll remember two features of Piniella’s game more than others. First, he owned one of the best opposite-field strokes of any hitter I’ve seen. As he took his stance, he kept his hands back, wrapped almost behind his right shoulder. With his left shoulder tucked in and his back visible to the pitcher, Piniella pushed the ball toward right field with the same kind of ease and precision that most players reserve for their pull side. Then there was his reliability in the field. Though he lacked speed and had nothing more than an average throwing arm, Piniella possessed hands of velvet. If he could reach a fly ball, he caught it. And whenever he pounded his fist into his glove, he was sure to make the play.

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Today’s news is powered by a view of hip labrum surgery (not for the easily squeamish, but hey … what OTHER baseball website is gonna offer you this?):

• The initial hip labrum surgery for A-Rod was deemed a success.
• Did you know that golfer Greg Norman and ice skater Michelle Kwan have had the same procedure done?  Its part of an excellent article detailing the physiology at play in A-Rod’s surgery.
• First it was pool …. now Girardi has the players “golfing” … on the basepaths.
• Andy Pettitte realizes the pitchers have to step up in the absence of A-Rod.
• The Captain believes the Yanks will survive without Alex … cause …. what choice do they have?:

“We were hit pretty hard last year,” Jeter said. “You’re talking about the combination of Jorge and Hideki, that’s a pretty big chunk right there, two guys in the middle of your lineup.

“But hopefully Al is not going to be gone for long. I don’t know the timetable, but you hope he’s back sooner rather than later.”

Can the Yankees survive without A-Rod?

“We have no choice,” Jeter said. “But we have enough guys on our team that we’ll be all right.”

• Count Wallace Matthews in the camp of “he should have had the whole procedure done now”:

By announcing that A-Rod will undergo a scaled-down surgical hip repair this morning, then be rushed back into the lineup ASAP, the message they are sending out is an SOS.

As in, Save Our Season. How misguided is that?

In the interest of long-term safety, they could have chosen to shut down their $275-million third baseman for four months, allow him to take as much time as he needs to recover, and try to muddle through with the other $190 million or so worth of ballplayers still on their active roster. …

… But the Yankees didn’t do any of those things. Instead, in announcing A-Rod’s fast-track recovery plan, they made an unmistakable announcement of their own: We can’t win without this guy.

Forgetting, conveniently, that in five seasons, they have yet to win a thing with him.

[My take: There are back-handed compliments … and then there are back-handed putdowns.  But I do agree that for the long-term health of A-Rod, having the entire procedure done now in one shot would have been preferred.]

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