Rain All Day
Posted on Jun 21, 2009 8:29 pm
By Alex Belth
That did not go at all according to planned. Matter of fact, it was lousy as the Yanks continue their routine as the Castor Earl Kids.
The rain continued in New York this weekend–it’s been raining for weeks and is supposed to continue to rain this coming week too–but it was hot and sunny in Miami. CC Sabathia left the game in the second inning with tightness in his left bicep and although the Yanks held a 3-1 lead their two-week funk continued as the Marlins rallied to win 6-5.
The on-line Merriam Webster dictionary defines “mediocre” as “of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance : ordinary, so-so.” That just about sums up Brett Tomko who coughed up the lead by allowing home runs to Hanley Ramirez and Cody Ross.
I watched the Tomko outing unfold and cursed Joe Girardi for letting Tomko pitch. Jorge Cantu added a key RBI base hit in the seventh–a throwing error by Melky Cabrera allowed another run to score. Matt Linstrom struck out Rodriguez to start the ninth and got Robinson Cano to roll out to second. Then Jorge Posada and Cabrera singled. Brett Gardner followed with a line drive in the right center field gap, good for a triple. Two runs scored and the Yanks were just down by a run. Johnny Damon pinch hit and drew a walk but Derek Jeter grounded the first pitch he saw to Hanley Ramirez for the final out.
If not for a lucky bad play by Luis Castillo, this would have been the fourth consecutive series that the Yankees have dropped. As it stands, they still have two more series in National League parks, and they’ve just lost four of six to the Nats and Marlins.
This is a team slump. Oh, and up here in New York it’s still raining.
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nomaas has a webster’s definition up on their site: apathy
[0] “This is a team slump.”
Team slumps are unacceptable.
That little girl would have ate the Hell out of the spinach we had tonight!
If this doesn’t make you feel better, nothing will…
We substituted one cup of white wine for the water. Yeah I know, it’s sneaky, but well worth it!
Enjoy!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Salmon-with-Spinach-Sauce/Detail.aspx
: )
Well, I had a blast @ Cooperstown today. Kevin Maas still looks pretty good, though his stance is a bit more upright now.
What started off as a fun exhibition got serious towards the end. A college kid was called in to pitch, and he was dealing. Almost nailed Jeff Kent a couple of times
Bringing in Tomko was such an obviously stupid move, but no one in the press corp pressed Girardi on the issue. For all the talk about how tough the NY media is, they seem to never ask the tough question. With easy targets like Arod they can be a pack of wolves, but for some reason, they seem to let Girardi off easy. Maybe it’s because they sense he is firmly in place as a result of the Yankees unwillingness to fire Torre’s replacement so soon after his departure? Still, I can’t believe no one has begun the drumbeat questioning Girardi’s stature.
[4] Still, I can’t believe no one has begun the drumbeat questioning Girardi’s stature.
Besides you, of course. ; )
[6] Prediction time: who thinks that Tomko is DFA’d. His ERA is over 5 and WHIP over 1.4, before today?
[5] Unfortunately, I don’t have the same readership…at least not yet.
[6] I don’t think so for the same reason Girardi isn’t fired. DFA’ing him so soon after blowing the game would amount to the admission of a mistake, and these Yankees don’t do that.
[4] [5] BOOM boom boom boom BOOM boom boom boom BOOM boom boom boom!
Wait, so Burnett is going to miss a start? I can’t believe that suspension held up.
[6] “Prediction time”
SUBJECT: Brett Tomko
His ERA is 6.28, his WHIP is 1.47, and his BAA is .344 including today’s game.
He’s already as bad as Veras, Albaladejo, and Ramirez. I sure hope they don’t give him as many innings as those other three got or his stats will be even worse!
I believe they won’t make any moves unless there is an injury during this road trip, so he should last through these next two series…
Therefore, I say he’s gone after June 28TH, one week from today. Using him during this week will yield similar results.
*hangs head*
[9] Burnett’s suspension was reduced to five games, just like Beckett’s before him, hence the missed turn.
These humps today can’t even plunk hitters correctly!
Pedro Martinez just fell out of his hammock under the mango tree at that statement!
: )
[10] I agree…he’ll be gone within a week. This is a ‘bad’ time to dump him because they don’t know about CC’s injury, and AJ has to miss a day. Plus, Wang is still a work in progress. I think they let him linger in the back of the BP for another week, and then he will be replaced.
I wonder when Nady or Molina are coming back (I know, reports say “soon”). Either one of them returning to the 25 man roster would provide the necessary excuse to remove Tomko.
[11] I thought Beckett didn’t miss a start?
[12] “Plus, Wang is still a work in progress.”
Feeling charitable are we? ; )
I think they should drop Tomko’s ass right now. Tonight. Sad excuse for a wake up call, what with him being a persona non grata, but you gotta work with what you got.
And what I got is two tickets to see the Yankees vs Orioles on July 20th! I never thought I’d go but I got em as a gift. Can I bring a pizza in there with me?
Sadly, dropping Tomko doesn’t solve the core of the problem. Afterall, Tomko doesn’t bring himself into games.
[12] I thought of that MP, but I think Berroa is gone when the first of Nady or Molina returns. Tomko may be gone when the second of those come back because supposedly A-Rod is now “fresh.”
Meanwhile, Cano has been in each of their 69 games to date, so those DFA’s may be reversed, but I hope they use Pena soon to spell Cano instead…
*rolls eyes*
[13] I understood them as saying Burnett’s suspension begins with Tuesday’s game, so he’ll miss one start.
I could be wrong about that though…
[13] I *am* trying to work on charity. It is a virtue, or something like that. Everyone knows that I would have put Wang in the BP weeks ago, but that horse dead and gone. Anyway, he looked much better last time out (obviously), but I bet they still want to shadow him for a start or three more.
I agree with you that Tomko should be cut. Then again, I argued strongly during the spring that he should never have been signed to begin with. This being said, I think he lasts another week and then he’s gone.
[16] CORRECTION
I understood his suspension began with today’s game…
[16] He wont miss a start. It seems like Girardi completely pnaicked with C.C., so he likely starts Friday and AJ goes Saturday.
[15] I still think they use injurygate as an excuse to keep the extra, extra OF. So, I predict that Nady/Molina comes back and Tomko goes. I don’t know, though–maybe not, because that would mean carrying “only” 11 pitchers. Hmmmm….
When does Marte get back? Or maybe we’ll see Melancon.
Maybe it’s because they sense he is firmly in place as a result of the Yankees unwillingness to fire Torre’s replacement so soon after his departure?
I doubt that would be the case. If anything, that should be a reason the media would hammer him. I say they don’t ask the questions because they don’t know better. I base this on the drivel some of these beat writers put forth.
FWIW, I would’ve cut Tomko before Veras.
Did anyone catch Francesa interviewing Girardi last week? The manager seemed realllll uptight. Maybe I was reading into it, but it seemed to confirm my suspicions about him. I seriously wonder if he’s cut out for this job, even for his own mental health. I guess he might be used to it and just goes around pissed off all day and night.
Btw I like Nady but I never thought I’d be looking forward to his return. Something, anything, to stir the pot a little.
I’m glad to hear Girardi panicked, frankly, because it’s better than if Sabathia really was hurt. Sabathia at this point is my rock, somewhere sane amid the kooky ups and downs of this team. I mean, he has ups and downs too but it’s like – three or four earned runs is a down.
wouldn’t leaving your $180 million ace in a June game while he’s experiencing some form of discomfort in his pitching arm qualify as a “panic” move?
[24] I don’t think that’s the word I’d use.
[19] I don’t buy the panic idea, William. As I stated in the game thread, CC was all over the place, and when the Marlins hitters put the balls in play, they were rockets. It would have been ugly had CC remained in there, maybe uglier than it was in any event, and he could have aggravated his pitching arm even more in the process of remaining in the game. Obviously to me anyway, the Marlins had a full dose of Sabathia footage that they went over and over prior to today’s game. They had after all, raked lefties so far this year.
Rather, I credit Girardi for spotting CC’s shorter delivery and failing to fully complete it. Where Sabathia is concerned, I believe it best to err on the side of caution. They can ill afford missing him for two weeks or more at this pernt during their apparent “June Swoon.”
[23] I watched that, Hawk. I think Girardi was angry at the team’s results and performances, as well as Francesa’s “expert” armchair managing idiocy. He is after all, one of the “Joe Torre apologists,” who gives infinite credit for Torre’s managerial skill in making the playoffs, yet conveniently ignores his playoff results during the last seven years of his tenure. Girardi has never received the benefit of the doubt from Francesa, while Torre got nothing but that for 12 years on that show because of the four titles in five years I contend fell straight into his lap. When Torre’s pushed buttons began to fail regularly, he remained untouchable. Girardi has never enjoyed such a luxury to date. In fact it wouldn’t surprise me if The Joe Girardi Show on YES replaces The Joe Girardi Report on Miked Up Moron if Francesa continues to treat Girardi like he’s one of his callers! Joe Girardi is not to be confused with Steve from Bayside…
[26] Do you really think Francessa is hard on Girardi? He pretty much said he tries to tread lightly with him because he wants him on his show. Having said that, I am not sure how you can be too hard on Girardi when he makes blunders like bringing in Tomko.
[27] I do agree that Girardi should have left Aceves in today’s game at least until he was gassed.
I believe Francesa has failed to remain relevant since Russo left the show and it’s declining more rapidly than Johnny Damon’s playing skills. Additionally, I believe he is both unprofessional and cruel to his callers who take contrary positions. I despise his “Roman Emperor Wave!” Why else are they giving away tens of thousands of dollars worth of Yankees and Mets tickets this month on his show? Because they are available?
LOL
He will be off of YES before Girardi, William. Girardi may have lost some games, but his players’ collective failure to execute has been the single largest problem on that team since he took over, in my opinion.
As I have said before, this team is less than the sum of its parts, and changes need to be made with the decision makers.
[28] I think Francesa has become listenable since Russo left.
[28] Francesa may be a blowhard, but he gets ratings and provides content. He’ll be on YES long after Girardi (which hopefully means for only a few more days).
Re: Girardi on Francesa, my observation was less about Girardi reacting to Francesa in particular, but rather his overall defensiveness. I’ve seen it in postgame interviews as well – he just seems to be fighting the urge to completely blow his stack at times. I don’t think Francesa was rude or pushy, and any intensity he brought to it was the frustrated fan speaking.
Francesa does lay blame with Torre for ’04 vs Red Sox. IMHO, 06 was not at all Torre’s fault, except he probably should have stopped the midge game, but remember he had two terrible Wang performances in a five game series (well, four games). I don’t really remember ’05 except for them getting shut out by Kenny Rogers and some poor performances from Randy Johnson and … Jaret Wright? … phooey!
Francesa is tough to take without Russo. He’s so ****ing repetitive! It’s like he’s malfunctioning. Nonetheless I listen or watch him … I do appreciate his passion as a Yankee fan, even if he doesn’t always make sense, or is too inflexible and pleased with himself.
For those old enough to remember “Hill Street Blues” (or have seen the reruns), Girardi is the most overcontrolled personality I have seen since Frank Furillo.
Also I think Torre earned the benefit of the doubt, at least much moreso than Girardi. Which is not to say Girardi doesn’t deserve it, but there’s no history to indicate he does. Hopefully this year he can start building up some trust in that regard … Otherwise he’s gone next season, anyway, I’d imagine.
[32] That’s a good description – overcontrolled. His description of his relationship with Posada was golden ….“I smile. We laugh together.” Damn that guy is wound tight! It seems crazy to me that he has the job, the more that I think about it.
I watch for the Sweeny Murti spots, the Joe Girardi Report, the occasional Cashman interview, and their fun with Sterling’s calls.
I miss Tony Russo the most. Listening to his calls reminded me of my many conversations about the Yankees with my grandfather over the decades. If you wanted to know what my grandfather sounded like, Tony Russo was it, only in a deeper voice with a New England accent!
I also miss the yin and yang that was the two of them. Mad Dog kept Francesa honest, something Francesa clearly abuses these days on his own.
I miss “The General’s Missives” too, with the Patton background music. The Yankees could certainly use a couple of those right about now.
I think Hal and Hank are the ones “in over their heads” more so than Girardi. To me they amount to traditional “ne’er-do-well” sons of wealthy men. Girardi has “been there, done that” as a player, and he flat out refuses to overuse any of the arms in that bullpen. I like that infinitely better than the way it used to be during the Joe Torre Era.
It’s quite possible Girardi put Tomko in the high leverage situation with the two run lead today in order to see if he could handle it. Better to do that now against the Marlins in June than in September down the stretch run against Boston or Tampa. He did the same with Alby, Edwar, and Veras to see if they were really viable. Perhaps that came from Cashman. It seems to me that Girardi is looking for the arms he can trust over the long haul. Tomko is getting a look because of how he produced in SWB…
: )
Yeah I miss Tony Russo too. Man those were great calls.
Agreed about the Steinbrenner Bros. They really represent their own kind of yin and yang, the two types of leadership I don’t want to see for the team: loudmouthed buffoonery and bland corporatism … Ah well. It wasn’t so great before either.
If the Ortiz revival is for real and the Dice-K exodus leads to Bucholz sticking in the rotation–both quite likely imo–the division is over. Anybody think we have a better team than the Rays? [checks bb-ref again]–wow, we really, really look like the 3rd best team in this division to me. Somebody talk me off the edge, please….
The only reason that Boston is in first is that they are 8-0 v. the Yankees. Does anyone really think they are that much better? Really? I don’t.
The Yankees would be better than Boston if they played up to their true talent and used their players according to ability not sentiment. That means putting Hughes in he rotation.
I really don’t care what Ortiz and Buchwhatever do.
He is after all, one of the “Joe Torre apologists,” who gives infinite credit for Torre’s managerial skill in making the playoffs, yet conveniently ignores his playoff results during the last seven years of his tenure.
With good reason. 2006 & 7 were perfect examples. We heard about the great managerial job Torre did during the regular season, only to get blown out of the playoffs in the first round. I find it hard to believe that Torre somehow forgot to manage during the playoffs.
You can find points in the season where the Yanks went 1-3, why should be be surprised when they do it during the playoffs?
Ortiz revival not for real. He hit a mistake for the homer. Two Ks after a single.
Mediocre gives them too much credit as a team. Jeter isn’t supposed to ground out to lose the game. Loss goes to Brett why-is-he-here Tomko. A-Rod should take a month off. Girardi should take the rest of the season off. They should shut it down and play for better draft picks.
Francesa has repeatedly acknowledged that Torre’s horrendous bullpen management in the 2004 ALCS (e.g., using an already overworked Tom Gordon with a NINE run lead in Game 3) was a large reason for the collapse. Of couse, anyone with a working brain would admit that same thing.
Which relates to:
[39] I find it hard to believe that Torre somehow forgot to manage during the playoffs.
I think the 2004 collapse changed the way Torre managed in the playoffs; he began to manage tight, and the players have played tight (as evidenced by the disparity between their regular season and postseason ISO Ds), in subsequent postseasons. I also think Torre was a better tactician when he had Zimmer at his side.
Obviously, the decline in starting pitcher also contributed, as has the parity inducing revenue sharing provisions of recent CBAs, and granted, luck has played a role as well.
Francesa hasn’t made a valid point on the air since sometime around ’99.
He can get credit for “steering the sports conversation” in NY as much as someone like Rush Limbaugh can be credited with steering the political discourse in the country…it may be true, but it isn’t anything to be proud of.
He’s a complete and utter Torre apologist, and this is coming from someone who was (all things considered) a Torre backer. The Yankees shortcomings from ’02-’07 were never because of anything Torre did, but rather because “they had guys like Giambi”…what the hell kind of argument is that??
Francesa has repeatedly acknowledged that Torre’s horrendous bullpen management in the 2004 ALCS (e.g., using an already overworked Tom Gordon with a NINE run lead in Game 3) was a large reason for the collapse.
Regardless, they had Rivera on the mound with a lead in games 4 & 5. You could say that Torre went for the kill in game 4 by calling on Rivera in the 8th.
I think the 2004 collapse changed the way Torre managed in the playoffs; he began to manage tight,
Any examples? It looked to me that he managed the same way over the years. His “trusted” guys both failed and succeeded in the postseason from 96-07.
The Yankees shortcomings from ‘02-’07 were never because of anything Torre did, but rather because “they had guys like Giambi”…what the hell kind of argument is that??
It’s a “sports radio” argument. Easy to discount until you listen to the type of people who listen and call in to his show.
[44] Oh I agree 100%, but thats what I’m saying…he trafficks in radio arguments.
The Red Sox are 8-0 because they’re “gamers” and the Yankees “have no heart”…Sabathia “isn’t as good as Santana” even though that is completely irrelevant…”all Torre ever did was make the playoffs” even though the results became consistently inconsistent as the years went on. It goes on and on.
All right, my neighbor was watering his outdoor plants.
???
[45] I don’t think there’s anything wrong with any of those statements. I mean, I don’t agree necessarily, but those are legitimate takes on things.
• I was reading Pete Abraham and he said just a few of the Yankees were on the charter, the rest went out on their own. I suppose to see family or friends, or just to get away and relax. The question is, is that what this team needs right now, or do they need to be made to focus. Mandatory requirement that they all be on the charter. Mandatory work out, practice on Monday. I don’t know, I have no way of knowing I’m not with the team. However, it seems to me that this was the sort of thing that Joe Torre was good at. He would know when to take the heat for the team or a player. He would know when to get on their backs. He wasn’t always perfect or always right, but he did seem to get the team to finish strong no matter how they started a season.
I know Torre was never the best at using the bullpen, and I know he was no strategic General Patton, he really did miss Zimmer’s counsel. However I think that it is more than just a fluke that he is doing so well with the Dodgers. I know he wasn’t much before he came to the Yankees. He also didn’t have great teams. It is also possible that he learned a lot in his time with the Yankees and he is better than ever for it. I think sometimes people with no experience (like the geniuses at NoMaas) think strategy is everything and they forget the human elements of getting players in the proper frame of mind to compete over a long season. Good examples of this can be found throughout history. The best, favorite and most prepared do not always win. Many times it is those that want it more, are more motivated, that win in the end. I am sure that many can find fault with Francona’s moves over the years in Boston. Especially his first year, before they won it all that Red October. All the bloggers and journalists didn’t have much faith. Yet if I were to say what the real difference between the Sox and the Yankees is right now, it appears to me to be that the Sox want it more, they are more focused. Once again I am not spending time with these teams so I don’t know if I’m right. I can only go by what I see on TV and what I read in the papers and web.
This is not to say that Girardi is a bad manager. Or even to say that he is doing a bad job right now. There have been definitely moves I would have made differently in some games strategically. Sending Arod (or putting in a pinch runner who could steal) the other day in the ninth for example. There will always be moves that can be second guessed that is the nature of sports in general, but I think more so in baseball than any other. What I don’t know and can’t get a sense of is whether he is motivating this team in the best possible manner. Every player is different and needs a different tact. Is he good at judging how to get the best out of every single individual on that team? Or how about just most of them? We all know that Torre was much more successful at it than not. You can tell by the players that loved and respected him (Jeter) and the ones who did not (the malcontent Sheffield). I believe there is a very famous old saying about how you could tell as much about a man by who his enemies ( or just people who didn’t like him) are as you could by who his friends are.
I don’t know that Girardi is a good or bad manager yet, much less a good or bad guy. I hope for our sake as Yankee fans he succeeds. I liked Torre a lot, he was a class act (and I thought represented the Yankees well and brought them respect and admiration), but he is not coming back. I can only hope that Girardi is successful.
Sorry for the long post, but I had to get that off my chest. I am really sick and tired of the crap that a man gets after 12 for 12 in playoff appearances, 6 AL championships, and 4 World Championships.
[46] I guess my problem with it is that if they aren’t expanded upon, they’re just empty cliches and yet they’re treated as bold pronouncements by so many people.
The classic example is the Joba to the pen argument. Francesa makes statements like “Joba has to relieve because he reminds me of Goose Gossage”…you can think he should be a reliever (although I disagree) and he can remind you of Gossage, but the latter is not some sort of justification of the former.
[47] Good post
[48] The idea of Joba as Gossage – first, I think someone else came up with that but anyway – the idea there is a big, intimidating force in relief. A pitcher with Gossage-like attributes best serves the team out of the pen. I’m not saying I agree but I do think there is a point to the comparison.
[43] Regardless, they had Rivera on the mound with a lead in games 4 & 5. You could say that Torre went for the kill in game 4 by calling on Rivera in the 8th.
By using the word “regardless,” you are overlooking the very real possibility that overusing Gordon significantly reduced their margin for error, which, in a short series, doesn’t have to be very large in order to have a huge impact.
Any examples? It looked to me that he managed the same way over the years. His “trusted” guys both failed and succeeded in the postseason from 96-07.
Just off the top of my head:
How about batting A-Rod 6th in Games 1 and 2, and 8th in Game 4, in the 2006 ALDS, which many players later said sent a message of panic to the team. Meanwhile, he batted Sheffield 4th in the three games he played even though he hardly hit either.
Or how about not taking the team off the field in the 2007 ALDS when the midges descended on the field, a non-move that Torre himself later admitted was a mistake.