The Twins in a nutshell: average offense, average rotation, excellent defense and bullpen.
The offense is three-tiered, with the MVP-quality performances of Joe Mauer (.389/.465/.648) and Justin Morneau (.323/.399/.601, 21 homers, 69 RBIs) on top, the similarly alliterative Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Joe Crede, and, uhm, Denard Span at or above league average in the middle, and the punchless skill positions of shortstop, second base, and center field (currently occupied by Brendan Harris, Nick Punto, and Carlos Gomez, respectively) dragging things down from below.
The manner in which the Twins are punting offense at those three skill positions is a throwback to the days when teams couldn’t really expect to get much production from their middle infielders, which is to say, it’s outdated and inappropriate to competing in the DH league in 2009. The Twins are at least getting elite defense from Gomez in center and Punto at second base, but Harris is a complete dud on both sides of the ball, which underlines just how poorly Alexi Casilla (.180/.242/.225 and since demoted to the minors) and Matt Tolbert (.184/.275/.232 and benched) had to perform in order for Harris to make his way back into the lineup.
The presence of Harris in the lineup while Delmon Young rides pine behind Cuddyer, Kubel, Span, and Gomez underlines just how much the Matt Garza trade has blown up in the Twins’ faces. Young has now hit .285/.326/.392 in 204 games as a Twin and is well south of that overall mark this season. Meanwhile, Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett is headed to the All-Star Game on the strength of two and a half flukey months of hot hitting. Bartlett’s bat will come back to earth, but his glove will continue to outshine Harris’s. Meanwhile, Matt Garza helped the Rays reach the World Series last year as the ALCS MVP.
The Twins aren’t hurting for starting pitching. Their rotation of Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn, Francisco Liriano, and Glen Perkins is comprised entirely of home grown pitchers 27-years-old or younger and includes two lefties (Liriano and Perkins). They have so much home-grown pitching that even their injury replacements come from the farm, as is the case with 23-year-old Anthony Swarzak, who will start for the injured Slowey on Thursday. Still, Garza was likely the best of their bunch given Liriano’s disappointing post-Tommy John performance, and while they tried to deal from that strength to correct a weakness, all they managed to do was create an additional weakness at shortstop. Young is just 23, leaving open the possibility of significant improvement, but he’s heading in the wrong direction for the Twins to hope for a way to salvage that trade.
The Johan Santana trade isn’t looking much better, though that comes as less of a surprise given the lack of bargaining power the Twins had and their rejection of superior offers from the Yankees and Red Sox. Like Young, Gomez is just 23, but he’s never shown any ability to hit in the majors. Most agreed that the Mets rushed him in 2007 due to injury-created need and that the Twins needed to give him more development time in the minors, but Gomez hasn’t spent a day in the minors since joining the organization. He might be the best defensive center fielder in baseball, but that doesn’t make up for his .250/.293/.353 line in 225 games as a Twin.
As for the three minor league right-handers included in that deal, Phil Humber was designated for assignment earlier this year, Kevin Mulvey has been solid but ordinary as a 24-year-old righty in Triple-A this year (4.17 ERA) and is trapped behind the aforementioned home grown starters, and Deolis Guerra has yet to impress in his third full-season in the Florida State League (though he is just 20).
The Yankees swept the Twins in a memorable four-game series in the Bronx in mid-May. The first three wins were all walkoffs, two of them coming in extra-innings. The difference in the entire series was five runs. Since then, the Twins have dropped two of the losing pitchers, letting the A’s claim lefty Craig Breslow off waivers and demoting Jesse Crain to Triple-A. You can bet the Twins remember that series all too well and will come out with some extra fire for this week’s three-game set in the Homer Dome.
Things kick off tonight with a battle of aces. Scott Baker doesn’t lead the twins in any major pitching category, but his 1.41 WHIP and 4.11 K/9 add up to make the 27-year-old righty their best starter despite his 4.99 ERA and .500 record. Indeed, Baker fell one inning short of his sixth-straight quality start in his last outing, but still held the Royals to one run over five inefficient frames. Over those last six starts, Baker is 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and a 4.38 K/BB. Much to my surprise, Baker hasn’t faced the Yankees since 2006, when he beat them twice.
CC Sabathia takes the hill for the Yankees. CC’s coming off a disappointing outing in which he couldn’t locate his pitches yet still struck out eight Mariners in 5 2/3 innings. Two starts prior to that, he was pulled in the second inning due to tightness in his bicep. Otherwise, he lasted a minimum of seven innings in each of his other nine starts since May 8, going 6-1 with a 2.75 ERA in those outings and only passing 113 pitches once (tellingly in the one loss).
Francisco Cervelli catches CC yet again tonight. Brett Gardner roams center. Hideki Matsui hits fifth behind Alex Rodriguez with Nick Swisher batting sixth and Robinson Cano dropping to seventh ahead of Gardner and Cervelli.
Finally, this series marks the Yankees last trip to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome barring an only moderately unlikely postseason matchup. Good ridance, I say. I’m happy to have the place confined to my 1987 World Series box set, bringing us one step closer to the end of Astroturf and indoor stadiums in baseball.
Minnesota Twins
2009 Record: 43-40 (.518)
2009 Pythagorean Record: 45-38 (.542)
Manager: Ron Gardenhire
General Manager: Bill Smith
Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (93/93)
Who’s Replaced Whom:
- Anthony Swarzak (minors) replaces Kevin Slowey (DL)
- Bob Keppel (minors) replaces Jesse Crain
- Brian Duensing (minors) replaces Craig Breslow
- Delmon Young (family leave) replaces Luis Ayala
25-man Roster:
1B – Justin Morneau (L)
2B – Nick Punto (S)
SS – Brendan Harris (R)
3B – Joe Crede (R)
C – Joe Mauer (L)
RF – Michael Cuddyer (R)
CF – Carlos Gomez (R)
LF – Denard Span (L)
DH – Jason Kubel (L)
Bench:
R – Delmon Young (OF)
R – Mike Redmond (C)
S – Matt Tolbert (IF)
L – Brian Buscher (3B)
S – Jose Morales (C)
Rotation:
L – Francisco Liriano
R – Nick Blackburn
R – Scott Baker
L – Glen Perkins
R – Anthony Swarzak
Bullpen:
R – Joe Nathan
R – Matt Guerrier
R – R.A. Dickey
L – Jose Mijares
R – Bob Keppel
L – Brian Duensing
15-day DL: RHP – Kevin Slowey (strained wrist), RHP – Boof Bonser (labrum and rotator cuff surgery)
60-day DL: RHP – Pat Neshek (TJ)
Typical Lineup:
L – Denard Span (LF)
R – Brendan Harris (SS)
L – Joe Mauer (C)
L – Justin Morneau (1B)
L – Jason Kubel (DH)
R – Michael Cuddyer (RF)
R – Joe Crede (3B)
R – Carlos Gomez (CF)
S – Nick Punto (2B)
Also, per Pete Abe, Aceves is starting Thursday and Angel Berroa has been released. Both of those are good news.
Note to Yankees hurlers:
Keep the newest version of the "M&M Boys" both inside the park and off the bases.
That is all...
: )
[0] The death of "Astroturf" in MLB is one I hope I live to see, Cliff!
Talk about "Ding dong, fake grass is dead!"
: )
[1] The best part about Aceves starting is that allows Hughes to be saved for another sub-10-pitch appearance!
OK, ok, Aceves starting is overall a good thing, especially if it means that Tomko is not starting. But I am a little miffed at the way Hughes is being handled.
Joba is on an inning limit of 140-145. At his current rate, he will miss his last 3-4 starts. Are they saving Phil for this? I don't believe the Yankees see Phil's future in the BP. I can't figure out what they are doing. With Andy gone next year, and Wangs future unknown, the Yankees HAVE to be planning for Phil to be in the rotation in 2010. I'm baffled by his usage this year.
Maybe they are afraid of Hughes getting hurt you know, the way Joba did going from the pen to the rotation last season.
I could be wrong about that though...
A's 1 - Red Sox 0
Sox coming up in the bottom of the first...
Scott Hairston (!) with the tater ovah the Mwonstah off Beckett!
: )
[6] Yeah, it's possible. of course, there is no evidence that switching Joba from the pen to the rotation (where he had been his entire baseball life) actually caused any injury, espcially when we consider that Joba made 12 starts before the swap suddenly caused his injury.
But even if it DID cause his injury, Joba managed--as I noted--twelve starts before his injury emerged. If that is what the Yankees are looking at, they could damn near ride Hughes to the end of the season before him going (back) into the rotation would cause an injury.
Finally, if the Yankees are seriously concerned that swapping a young player from the bullpen to the rotation seriously increases the chance of injury:
1) they should never have put Hughes in the BP to begin with, since they effectively damned him for the year.
2) Girardi et al were basically lying when they said that he could expect to be back in the rotation, and that his demotion (or whatever) was temporary
3) The team foolishly shorted themselves at pitching depth, by effectively eliminating Hughes as a potential starter.
[8] In fact, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the Yankees have screwed Hughes out of two years of development. This season is basically lost, and next year will have to be used to "stretch" him, a la Joba, and he'll be lucky to see 130 innings. So maybe in 2011 Hughes will be available for 150 or 160 IP.
My bladder is happy to report that we can now pee during the 7th inning "God Bless America" at Yankee Stadium:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07072009/news/regionalnews/wee_change_for_yankees_178024.htm
Your long excretional nightmare is over? ; )
Hey, we missed Marc Rzepczynski. His first start in MLB, for the Jays. Diana must be sorely disappointed.
I don't understand at all why you would move Hughes to the rotation right now. First, we're looking for a temporary starter (based on what we know). 2, at best 3, starts. So you want to stretch Hughes for 3 starts? And create another Hughes or Wang situation in a month?
Hughes is dominant in the bullpen right now and building confidence. I don't see why you'd shift him into the rotation right now for a temporary stint. And I don't see space for him long-term absent a more serious injury than the ones to date.
[13] by long-term i mean 2009 season. long-term this season. Not long-term as in 2010 or anything. Clearly he should be in the rotation next year. And Girardi has said as much so I'm cool with that.
[14] But, as mp related above, they've already essentially punted Hughes as a full-time, year-long starter next year, because they've already punted his innings for *this* year.
[15] I don't they've punted him yet. For one thing, he may need to switch with Joba in the second half. Secondly, they could always tack on 30 innings in winter ball. There is still plenty of time to manage things properly. What the Yankees need to do is assess Wang's future, consider some trade options and then position Joba and Hughes for the rest of the season.
[13] Wangs progress has been slow at best, and now he's injured again. I am not at all convinced that Wang will return to the rotation, let alone return and be effective. In addition, there is a decent chance that Pettitte or AJ will come up lame at some point. I would come up with a plan immediately to work Hughes back into the rotation and worry about Wang later.
As for creating a Hughes/Wang situation in the future. Well, there is basically no avoiding this until next season when Andy is, presumably, gone. But avoiding the problem of having to choose between starters does not seem like a good reason to bury Hughes in the BP...and especially the way he is being used.
If Hughes were being used a la a young Santana, pitching multiple innings and building up innings, I'd be less bothered. But having him deployed for 8 and 9 pitches at a time strikes me as an enormous waste, no matter how much confidence he is building.
Finally, how much confidence does he need to build, anyway? I mean, this is the guy who threw 8 INN, 3 H against the Rangers in his second-to-last start. Three of his last four starts were perfectly adequate. From my view, he was heading in the right direction only to be demoted for Wang. Then everyone in the organization said that his move to the BP was temporary, and now when Wang gos down again, Hughes is left in the BP. One might anticipate that this treatment will hurt his confidence as much as getting an inning here and there out of the pen has helped his confidence.
Evidently, Matsui doesn't hit in "bad luck" in the 5th spot ...
[16] Yes, it *is* possible for Hughes to pick up innings in winter ball, to add to the handful of innings he has this year at AAA. That at least would build up his innings. However, I thought the consensus was that innings at AAA were more or less hollow, because Hughes was not being challenged. I'm not sure throwing winter ball compares any more to facing MLB hitting than MiL.
In my humble opinion, he needs MLB innings, ideally about 130 or so this season so that he can be a reasonable full-time starter next year. It is possible for him to reach this total in the BP, if he is used more carefully. Not 8 and 9 pitches an appearance.
I'm stuck with Waldman/Sterling on the radio tonight. But at least I can pull for the Jays over the Rays on TV.
nice start. Baker has been tough against us. I'm happy to pick up even one run.
from Abraham "Hard not to admire how the Twins play the game". really? why? to me they're pretty boring...
[22] I love how the Twins play the game in a larger sense: so long as "poor," "small market" teams like the Twins prove that they can compete (and in the case of the Twins, compete fairly regularly), it undermines the old saw about the big, bad, spending Yankees spoiling the game.
That's what I'm talking about!
: )
Run, Garty, run!
[13][14][15] You guys are not allowing for the 'Cashman Secret Scenerio'. It's a distinct possibility, don't you think?
[8] I disagree MP, and I’ll tell you why.
Training an arm for the pen, where you can pitch in games on consecutive days for an inning or two all out, or throwing one day then having a day off, with a ceiling of 25 pitches or less, is one thing.
Throwing as a starter, where you are expected to go hard but paced for 80-120 pitches for as many innings as you can is another.
So is bouncing from one role to the other.
This is why it's easier to go from the rotation to the pen, and more difficult to go from the pen to the rotation. Hence the "stretched out" term, as well as the fact that it would take a few weeks to get Hughes ready again for the rotation. Keep in mind he really hasn't been the "long man" like Aceves has, which is also why he gets the start Thursday and Hughes remains in the pen...
[9] As far as development goes, it begins anew with the off-season throwing program. Again keep in mind Hughes has pitched more than 100 innings in the past (146 in '06, 109 in '07 due to injury, and 70 in '08 due to injury, and 69 this year as he began in SWB for 19). He can easily get to 100 this year from the pen health permitting. He only needs 31 more innings. In fact I would argue if they shut down Wang, Aceves remains in the rotation. Should another starter become injured, and Hughes replaces Aceves in the pen as the long man in the interim, then he will be added to the rotation. If no injuries occur to the rotation, Hughes will remain in the pen and still get his 100 plus innings after the ASB and even more this winter.
In any event, going from the rotation to the pen and back to the rotation isn't merely "plug and play," especially with such a young and inexperienced arm as Hughes'. This is why folks shouldn't really get so worked up because they didn't put him back into the rotation right away.
If I remember correctly, they kept Hughes up in the first place to primarily "observe a lot by watching" MLB from the pen, rather than log the bulk of a season's innings in SWB, where he has nothing to prove...
lucky hit there by tex
[27] You might be right. I will point out, however, that since moving into the bullpen Hughes has thrown the following number of pitches and innings (in order):
Pitches: 11, 63, 21, 24, 11, 27, 16, 9, 15, 8
Innings: 1.0, 3.2, 1.0, 2.0, 1.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0, 0.2, 1.0
So, it looks like the team had no problem bouncing him between shorter and longer appearances (at least until the last few appearances). He was also set up well, until a few appearances ago, to be stretched out (having thrown 20+ pitches in four of six appearances).
In other words, even if I accept your argument (and it is persuasive), this situation was created by very, very poor usage over the last few outings, going back to June 28. Instead of using Hughes in the manner of a young Santana, he has been converted into a one inning (or less than one inning) reliever. A situation which may very well mean, as you point out, cost Hughes any chance to start again this season.
[22] "How they play the game.." You mean, having weak-hitting, avergage fielders at several key positions? I would say this is playing the game quite poorly..
People who glorify the Twins and Ron Gardenhire really don't understand good baseball..
[27] If no injuries occur to the rotation, Hughes will remain in the pen and still get his 100 plus innings after the ASB and even more this winter.
I am mostly concerned that he now is being used exclusively in short appearances. To make that 100 INN (MLB + MiL), we are looking at 30 appearances in the second half of the season. Yikes.
He simply has to be employed differently, whether as a starter or longer reliver.
Damned Blue Jays are not helping much tonight...
[26] Maybe Cashman plans to move Wang and wants to make him appear healthy and still a starter for us. Announcing Hughes to the Rotation would make Wang look questionable.
[30] exactly. In the AL alone I find the red sox, the rays, the tigers, the angels even the royals as teams that play more interesting baseball than the twins.
Morneau and Mauer aside, I don't find any of their players interesting. even nathan -who is great- is kind of boring.
[33] It would be tough to make Wang appear healthy, given that he's on the DL and everyone seems to think that he won't be back for around a month. So at best, he would get back right around the time of the trading deadline.
Two good ABs for Cano.
Not a great AB for Gardner.
[36] everybody's having good at-bats, except probably a-rod.
[34] Pete Abe didn't say "interesting" baseball. just saying...
Nice play by Jeter.
[31] "To make that 100 INN (MLB + MiL), we are looking at 30 appearances in the second half of the season. Yikes."
After tonight, there are 79 games left in the regular season.
He can get 30 more one inning appearances by pitching one inning every other day, with time off to spare (19 games).
Easy peasy...
Then he can get additional innings in the playoffs and begin "stretching out" in the fall league to every fifth day in order to resume starting duties in ST.
I say if he remains healthy, and doesn't have to be used as Aceves' replacement as long man, he gets his 115 plus innings through the playoffs and winter ball. In fact the more medium to low leverage innings he can throw the rest of the way, with the odd high leverage appearance here and there, the sharper he'll be for the postseason in high leverage situations.
Yay Jays!
[38] When it comes to Cano, I take nothing for granted. ;)
[39] then what does he admire? the way they trade away their stars for nothing? the way nick punto plays? or probably how they manage to hang around in that crappy division?
[32] they've tied it up and are threating! (i'm sure you know this...)
it's the damn A's that aren't helping out... : /
nicky punto with his OBP
More runs.
[41] Last year, F. Rodriguez led the AL with 76 appearances. Papelbon had 67, Mo had 64. Jose Veras had 60. Pitching Hughes 30 APP in 79 games (basically half a season) would mean to use him at a rate of the top 30 or so most pitchers last year.
I'm not sure that kind of wear is "easy peasy" on a young arm, especially one that has been accustomed to starting its entire life except for fewer than a dozen appearances this year.
[44] Exactly. It's the widespread cliche about organizations that "do things the right way" (Angels and Twins come to mind). There is only one "right way to play the game" and that is have to have a high .OBP & Slugging, run well, play good D, etc. Attitude & scrappiness mean nothing, this is baseball not football!
I'll miss Cervelli just like I miss Pena.
[48] "...most used pitchers..."
[45] Yes, but sadly they borrowed a trick from the Yankees base running manual. Tied going into the bottom of the eighth.
Set up.
baker has 80 pitches = awesome way to start a series!
I'm a spoiled bastard. I'm on vacation w/o Yes and stuck with gameday and the occasional trip to the car radio. I give y'all credit that do it on a regular basis. Well, I used to listen to 70% static for four yeas whilst stuck in Md. BTW, according to Mr. Sterling, baseball still cannot be predicted. : D Off to the radio, again. Hey, bases loaded, no outs.
[49] you are assuming a lot. The reason many people think the Twins do things the right way is because they survive in a small market, constantly rear and utilize talent, and manage to win with limited financial resources. One way in which they compensate for having lesser talent (and losing their better talent to free agency) is by utilizing their players in a variety of ways. SOME of these ways include "scrappy" play and maintaining good team attitudes which are important components.
wow, 8 straight balls.
let's capitalize!!! or is it capitOlize? i always get confused. dumb drummer... : ~
I just looked at Giambi's numbers this season--he looks pretty cooked. I admit, I thought the team should have picked up his option, given his pretty good year with the stick last season (and not knowing Cashman had his sights on Teix, bwahahahaha). I was wrong, wrong, wrong.
why did they just bring a lefty in?
[35] If you believe MLBTR, a few teams have already enquired about Wang. The Yanks say he will be starting again in a month. Do you believe that? He wasn't pitching that well before this injury. Certainly if the Yankees DO intend to move him, they will underplay this injury, and appear to be saving Wangs spot in the rotation.
Overswinging.
[56] We agree on this one.
holy shit gomez pulled that salami back in
Nice catch by that jerk Gomez.
that was about the easiest over the fence catch i've ever seen
[60] Do I believe it? No.
But if other teams have asked, maybe the Yanks are playing it like you say.
wow
jesus, Tex.
did A-rod *just* miss a granny?!
if we only get 1 run outta this, i'll be slightly displeased...
He did have plenty of time and was a little in front of the wall. None-the-less, ARod missed a salami by about 3 inches.
[48] Apples and oranges, friend.
Closing is always high leverage. Hughes isn't a closer.
With 79 games left, he can easily get to 100 innings plus or minus ten frames in five appearances every two weeks, especially if they use them wisely. I'm sure they will employ him similarly as they've already done, not really going more than 30 pitches for a couple of innings.
I really think they've used him as sort of a "bonus arm" so far without attaching any real role to him at all. This may also be why they haven't gone to 11 pitchers on the 25-man.
I could be wrong about that though...
Only getting 1 run in this inning will be....
UNACCEPTABLE!
i hope Swish shows some patience here. he seems to have turned into Robbie lately...
A-Rod wuz robbed!
They better get more than one here!
wow, the Muts are just hopeless. down 7-0, about to lose their 9th in 11 games...
do the twins have something againts strikes tonight?
OBP is kind of hot.
Man... the A's have ZERO offense. Their highest OPS is .799. Giambi batting .198! But with an OBP better then Cano's..
As a reliever, 4 out of the top 5 leveraged appearances for Hughes have come in his last 4 outings.
Until Bruney comes around, there's little to suggest Phil Hughes will *not* be pitching in high leverage situations for the foreseeable future.
well, there's the patience i wanted from Swish!
but now robbie's gotta hit w/ lotsa ducks on the pond.
rubber duckie, you're the one. you make bathtime so much fun...!
Looking at Cano's stats with RISP, it reminds me of Yogi's quote that: "Ninety percent of this game is half mental."
[70] Not all of the high appearance guys were closers. Closing or not, 60 appearances in 162 games (≈ 30 appearances in 81 games) is a lot of wear and tear. I suspect that more innings in fewer appearances is easier on the arm (until one reaches a critical point where total innings take their toll).
Base loaded + Cano = Ground ball.
Jeez... does Cano always have to JOG to 1st base!!!!!!
damn you Gomez.
bad robbie, bad. : /
[80] might just be 99% with robbie these days
frbbbttsbbbtt.... >:'
Will Cano ever get a hit with men in scoring position? The problem seems mental now. I wonder if it would have progressed this far if he had been moved out of the 5th slot earlier?
Wear and tear is not just about appearances. It's also about how many times a reliever has to warm up, even if he doesn't ultimately come into the game.
[86] *weeps*
[77] Yeah, they're brutal. Sometimes I wonder of Beane doesn't get a bit of a free pass.
Lidge just blows another save...
[91] He totally gets a free pass!! He's a smart guy and a good GM overall but man..this Oakland team is apallingly bad..how many years can you continue to "rebuild" for?? (Pittsburgh and KC, that applies to you too)
[92] Make Madsen the closer.
[80] very much the gist of Cano's troubles.
CANOOO!!!!!!!
Still more runs.
[94] i don't think Madson did well this year filling in for an injured Lidge, nor has he done that great in his setup role. of course, i could be way off!
great inning by CC!
free baseball for Rays, Jays & monkeypants!
[93] I will say that at least the A's have competed at some point in the season year-to-year; something neither KC nor Pittsburgh can claim.
pushups, slappy!
[99] My wife cringes at the term "free baseball." In her mind, nine innings is enough--if not too much. What I see as a bonus, she sees as a burden!!
[81] In any event, I would hazzard a guess that if Phil can get to 115-130 innings through winter ball, as well as get back to throwing every fifth day, he can be ready to start with a 150 limit next year heading into ST, unless he gets hurt or develops a "tired arm."
That's roughly 27 starts or so depending on his average innings per time through the rotation.
Tough to argue this "vacation" in the pen hasn't helped him mature in a posivitve fashion.
I'd rather carry bags in the show than win it all in AAA!
: )
[99] Now you can call the Rays,
And you can call the Jays...
but you never have to call Riccardi! >;)
[104] "Or that time JJ Johnson hosted my show for a week..what was I thinking, Oy!" --- Krusty the Klown
[102] When announcers are "boring," my wife falls asleep, extra innings or not. She thinks Splittorff and the play by play guy for K.C. are the worst...
: )
[102] burden-ball! may the "ays" with the "J" win!
[104] what did a young Orlando Hudson call Ricciardi? O-Dog said he dressed like a "pimp daddy", or something like that!
[93] Of course, he's not awful like Ricciardi--who doesn't have any of Beane's track record of at least infrequent success, and who got his job solely on the fact (as far as I can tell) that he worked for Beane.
I'm very much confused by gameday. I can't see Yankee highlights but these live game look ins keep popping up. WTF.
[105] JJ Johnson - the trombone player?!?! : o
My two cents on Aceves: I'm glad it's not Mitre or Igawa. I'd prefer to have Hughes be a starter, but Aceves is superman and seems suited to do it all. We'll see I suppose. More importantly, I hope the Yanks get Joba right and Wanger comes back in a month.
Oh and I hope we can go 4-2 and be only 2 games out at the break; that would be ideal I think.
[111} Pettitte's not exactly right either. If Aceves pitches well as a starter, he could stick there.
Hey - thelarmis, to answer your question from the other day, yes the turtle is well. It's a red-eared slider. Interestingly enough, they're illegal in Australia and there's a 5 year prison or $100K (maybe $200K) fine associated with them and selling them is illegal in Florida. Weird.
But they're native to Alabama so I guess it's okay.
[110] Maybe he meant the one from Electric Chairs (?) >;)
[112] yep, you're right. Hopefully by October, two thing happen:
1. We're division champs; and
2. Cash and Girardi are struggling to figure out who's on the staff because all 5 starters are right and so are the other two
[113] there's gotta be in joke in there somewhere! where's Sliced Bread when ya need him?! ; )
Alex looking much, much better at 3rd since he got started getting time off ...
5 inn
68 pitches.
sweet.
I just hear that Aceves has a 65 pitch limit (and this is probably old news for everyone else since I just got here), so I'm guessing we're looking at him for 5 innings and Hughes for 2?
Hopefully it's 10-0 Yanks after 5 and we can watch Tomko and Bruney pitch their little hearts out.
[119] "heard" not "hear"
[114] you mentioned something about the word game Boggle on a thread the other week. i saw it after the fact... it's my favorite game!!! : )
[119] If Hughes pitches 2 innings, I will fall out of seat in surprise, then weep for joy. Frankly, I'll be happy if he throws more than ten pitches.
[121] hey thelarmis, asked you this before maybe but..you know Manu Katche, right? a friend recommended I pick up his most recent disk on ECM..you heard it?
well, i always say i'd like them to call the strike at the letters ... maybe with *just* a smidge more regularity, though, huh blue???
[116] I just thought it was weird that they're illegal in Australia. Apparently they're not native and they're a threat to other wildlife
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_ear_slider#Australia
go figure. But when the fine is $100K or 5 years you know they're not kidding.
Teix appears to be busting out of it.
Whoa. Seven out of ten of CBS News.com's headlines are about Jackson. That seems to be a little wacky.
Playing wall ball tonight.
i'm really glad Cano is not in the 5-hole...regardless of what happens here...
damn, did Godzilla *just* miss that?! i'm NOT liking Gomez...
Damn, man! He did it again. Tsk-tsk, when will Alex learn...
[125] Bart Simpson brought his pet frog to Australia once, let it loose, and then things went haywire. Of course, a koala was hanging on their plane on the flight back to the states.
man ... you'd think if the Yankees hit 2 balls a combined 820 feet, they'd get a little more than 1 run out of it ...
It's BOUND to happen eventually, right? Right?
[131] Wait, that was Matsui? That'll learn me to not cook, type, watch TV, chew gum and rub my tummy and head at the same time... >;)
[127] I've got Jackson-Fatigue bad....Just bury him already.
Tonight I flipped by Nancy Grace on CNN and the field reporter told Nancy that Jackson's casket is in a secret location. So Nancy actually said, "and where is that?" I really wanted the field reporter to respond by asking Nancy if she understood the word, "secret"
Musical tastes are extremely subjective and I just wasn't a fan of his music and I found all the accusations (the criminal ones), which are now being swept under the rug, more than a little troubling.
[123] yeah man, of course, i know Manu! don't know his latest solo cd though, sorry...
the Mouzon album is pretty great! thank you soooo much for hipping me to it! there's another one of his on BN, that's supposedly better and similar to Cobham's "Spectrum", albeit with waaaay less odd-meter. then, there's at least one other solo 70's Mouzon record on BN. the cd is an import and tough to find. i'll pick up both of them, at some point...
[125] that fine is crazy. they ain't fuckin' around! my old roommate in college, had a bunch of toitles...
Bases loaded + Cano ≠ DP!
Cano flashes his Ray Charles smile (that was his nickname at one time, I think).
Stat paddin', duck fear sufferin', Robbie!
: P
uh-oh, bases juiced for Robbie, after a Swish walk. 2 outs...
it's deja-vu all over again!
Dogs and cats living together. : D
CANO!!!!
see, that wasn't so bad after all!!! ; )
[121] Yeah, something boggled the mind and I went on a tangent somewhere... that usually happens when you leave a straight line in front of me >;)
[135] you must NOT be a drummer! ; )
[136] Yep...a truly creepy person, who was deeply disturbed and quite possibly criminal, and he is being idolized. Very strange.
Knucksie coming in. is he wearing stirrups? (sometimes he does...)
Go go Gardner Triple!
Gardner adds to his collection of very, very odd XBH.
This is fun.
[137] Cobham was just insanely dextrous, though I prefer him int he band context and not so much his own dates. Nothing beats him on those Mahavsihnu records!
Got some Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette on the iPod today, jazz at it's finest!
well, this game's a laugher now, we stay one back of the BoSox!
[147] He needs catcher's gear tonight... for protection...
: )
Blast. TB wins it in 11. No more extra baseball.
Trade Molina!
CC dealing with the M&M boys was key I believe...
Cervy with a smile!
: )
Gritner!
Tampon and Shit Sox both won...
[146] No strange at all, really. It happens all the time..look at some of the obits for Robert McNamara..it seems to be the pattern when someone dies to wash away their sins..
Soon should be the time for Ransom-at-SS and Hinske-at-3B.
[125] Aussie and New Zealand are two places that are serious about invasives. We really ought to be more serious about them here.
[157] That's true. But Jackson had a whole other level of weird going on. Oh well.
Double Digits!
yes, trade Molina. bury Ransom in the baggydome...
Frankie Brains & El Nino!
Cervelli will never hit in the big leagues.
[145] I was on that track when I was young, but then I started drawing angry self-portraits and I suppose someone thought it was better I didn't get used to having blunt instruments in my hands for too long >;)
let's keep playing to our Run Differential...!
[157]
Not this one.
Is Drums a blunt instrument?
paul konerko just hit his 3rd homer of the night...
[166] FUN instrument!!! : )
[165] Wow!
[167] ever hear Gerry Hemmingway? I think he plays marimba and some other percussion..i remember seeing him in college, was amazing! am awaiting your solo cd and expect the same, man!
[168] Quiet! I got Luds older then you.
[166] Here's a better question...
C.C. not making the ASG was a good thing for the Yankees. Assuming he pitches Sunday and then Friday, that would allow the Yankees to use him in three of the next 7 games.
[170] of course! i've got a pretty cool avant-garde trio cd of gerry hemingway with the awesome trombone player Ray Anderson. i don't remember if there's any marimba on it, but gerry plays drums and percussion.
i have a marimba in my living room! OYF - i'm not a Ludwig drum fan, but my marimba is the same company: Musser. my very first snare drum (10th birthday present from my parental units), came on a Ludwig stand.
Jazz Tokyo - thanks man. no one is awaiting this damn cd more than me. it's taking forever to get done. it'll feel like a two-ton heavy thing lifted off me once i'm holding it in my hot little hand. let's hope it happens in '09!!!
[170] btw, sooo freaking cool that you know of gerry hemingway. you've got HUGE ears and know a ton about some great music! you ever play an instrument?
Ahhhh...and now I can switch over to M's v. O's on Rogers Sports Net Pacific. This much extra baseball may drive my wife to distraction.
[173] It would be great if he could throw a 110 pitch CG to give the bullpen a night off on this road trip...
It would be a good time to try Hinske out at 3B, to see if he can play there at all.
[173] i agree and thought of that before!
[179] Oh suuuurrrre, so you say.
; )
wow, Willie Randolph got tossed today...as the bench coach. i've always liked Willie. met him outside the Stadium when i was super young. i'll never forget it!
[177] I'd actually pull him here and let Tomko or Robertson try to pitch the last three innings.
[180] okay, well ya got me - i did think that it was good he wasn't going 'coz he was pitching Sunday and he'd get some rest. but you're right - i didn't calculate the 3 games in 7 bit. how'd you do that?!?! ; )
[175] Nah, man. Hemmingway played with Braxton so that's an easy connection. I was blessed to have some older jazz collectors with Serious knowledge of the music introduce me to many things..the rest came easy!
Played piano as a kid, then quit at 10 to pursue my dream of becoming Don Marttingly's replacement at 1B..shockingly, that didn't happen...
21 baserunners thus far. me likey! a lot...
[182] Ewww @ Tomko my wife just said.
That means 10-1 isn't a large enough lead (see also Veras).
Mattpat would smile at that...
: )
Manny got thrown out of the Muts game today. i just saw highlights of both his punchouts. he had a case. both pitches looked high and outside...
[186] yeah man, where IS mattpat? anyone hear from him? should we worry???
Here it is. Thelarmis's first acid trip.
(my fav part at 3:45)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chhxK_RhZIk
[187] I wonder if he is wondering if the umps are targeting him?
[188] He popped in during the afternoon a few days back.
Rolen extended his hitting streak to 24 games...
Buehrle about to pick up his 9th win. all that guy does, is quietly rack up the W's...
[188] He won't come back until the Yankees suck again.
[188] He posted like one time on one of the non-game threads a few days ago, but that's been it for weeks as far as I recall.
Damon and Jetes out...
Melky and Cody in, respectively...
[181] "No Willie, that's the Jerry Manuel Method for getting a manager gig. That only works in Queens... "
[194] Good. That also leaves 3B for Hinske.
[187] i wouldn't be surprised, re: umps/manny.
any word on the Foster ump that screwed over jeter? i haven't seen anything...
thanks all, re: Mattpat. glad the kid is alright!
shouldn't Hinske be one of the replacements? get Alex off the rug?
Time to pull CC. IT'S TOMKO TIME!
[189] noooooo!!!! NEVER do drugs. ever. ick.
i just watched a few seconds of that and it looks AWESOME!!! i've gotta watch that in full, at some point. think i'll bookmark it. btw, what he's using in his hands, are called "Swizzle Sticks" - drumstick tips at one end, hard felt mallet on the other. they're really cool. i have a pair...
7 innings
100 pitches.
good night, CC. thanks much for a wonderfully pitched game!!! : )
Cano is relaxed... no ducks...
Whew!
Apparently, they aren't allowed indoors...
: )
It's raining here again. What a shock.
[189] That drum's got issues. It needs some quiet time and a luude...
[201] i think the Aflac duck musta been shown on the scoreboard and scared the living bejeezus outta robbie...
I was absent during this revelation; when did Robbie say or show that he was deathly afraid of ducks?
[204] At his house, he has "people" to watch out for those commercials on television and they quickly change it to Univision for reruns of Sabado Gigante...
: )
and there it is...
Hinske at 3rd
Tikki Tikki on the mound
[205] i think PJ came up with it: robbie can't hit with "ducks on the pond" (runners on the bases). he's scared of ducks...
[207] If only Bum Rush were around to go berserk over this!
b double o to the bb.
[209] to be honest, i'm glad he's not. it's much more civil, relaxing and enjoyable. would've loved to have him around if he were able to rein in the personal attacks.
and Tomko walks the "piranha"
[209] apparently he's good at creating new names.
Fire Girardi....just kidding.
[211] Oh I agree.
[212] I wondered about that.
jesus. i was hoping for an easy inning and then one more. what a chump.
harrumph!
[212] yeah man. i was here with you on the thread that followed his banning. it was quite clear he had 1 or 2 comments under new monikers. considering he had originally signed up with an email addy he didn't check, he prolly has other ways to sign in and show up...
Tomko's ERA creeps up again...
Sheesh man!
[214] yes, he was briefly "fated pig".
Tex w/ a 4-hit night!
[218] yup, that one was rather obvious!
[216] Without dredging up too much unpleasant stuff, what got Rob Gee banned before the most recent, er, incident?
I sure hope CC can do that to the Halos! That would be sweet in their building!
Clever, ducks on the pond and Robbie.
Doesn't take much to tick people off around here, but it sure takes a lot to get banned.
Had Girardi pulled CC after 6, Tomko might be in line for a save tonight!
Having 4x as many hits and 5x as many runs is strange, and purely unacceptable. : )
Sterling just stated definitively that there is no such thing as momentum in baseball. This may force to me re-evaluate my own opposition to the concept of momentum.
[221] man, that was years ago! i can't fully remember that crushing blow. he sure was an angry hot head though! of course, he was smart and baseball savvy, as well. i'm remembering bits and pieces, but i can't be completely certain and i wouldn't want to put anything out there that was incorrect. i'm sure someone hear remembers the final straw...
there were other guys that just disappeared before it getting to that point. guys like "Stormer Sports"...
[222] we have a better shot to beat them in their bldg than ours!
[223] true dat. nice to see ya, btw. we've been on different threads as of late...
[226] hilarious! : )
all things told, Tomko did alright. and we get a +8 in the Run Diff dept...
nice way to open this series! their pen is spent and ours is rested. let's keep the bats hot!!!
sizzlin' to the top!!!
12th time we've reached double digit runs this season. most in the majors...
[227] that must have been before my time..i'm still a newbie!
[226] Sterling vs Hawk, still can't decide who is worse..but mehtinks Hawk takes that "prize"...He Gone!
[231] Hawk is definitely worse. pale hose were on wgn the other day and it was completely unlistenable...
well, i lurked all night. had too much work to do. that was a nice relaxing win. if only we could pick up a game. There is always tomorrow!!
I recall that he was in the middle of a flameout and people were begging for him to be banned immediately. It must have been really offensive, because both Alex and Ken had to come in and clean up the mess; his comments were deleted before I could read them. He came back a few days later as "URToast" with a rant about the death of free speech before he disappeared into space, and that rant with him. I missed his contributions at the time since I was fairly new, but seeing others who followed his path, it was likely for the best...
[231] oh please don't compare anyone to Hawk. or remind me of that annoying guy. i can't stand him. he says such stupid things.
[227] That's interesting. I figured he followed everyone here to the new site, but I guess he was banned from the old digs at the Toaster. I've posted pretty heavily on both sites for years, but don't remember him getting the axe.
Anyway...
[234] You know, I didn't think I was around but that all sounds very familiar. I mean, I was "around" since i've been posting here since pre-toaster. those must have been toaster days since Ken had to come around. Interesting stuff.
[234] That's pretty funny stuff..in that not really ha-ha funny sort of way. Man I don't even remember that.
But since we are down memory lane, Jim Dean keeps crossing my mind lately. Another guy who was intense. I think that thread where he passed still kind of freaks me out. The whole thing. Hope he has found fertile grounds wherever he is now.
[235] hawk did look mighty fine in his Nehru jacket back in the 60s..
[236etc] Good thing random music comments are not banned here! I'd be lonely and frightened at LoHud or elsewhere
[228] Yeah, been doing some script development, and about to start a PA gig on a reality show, so you might not see me too much over the next month, but I'll keep you guys posted.
[233] we didn't pick up a game, but we kept ground and our Run Diff looks good. Boston ahead by 5, Tampa by 9, having played 1 more game. pretty even in those regards now. we also have a good road record, 5 above even. we need to take at least 2 of 3 in this Minny series. tomorrow being an obvious swing in our favor, with AJ going...
[239] Yep. I'm pretty certain I made some cracks about him after he stopped posting on the thread, figuring he just went out for a beer or whatever. I may have even made some allusions to him on a subsequent thread or two (you know, my typical "X will make Jim Dean's head explode), until we heard what had happened.
I had some enormous arguments with him over Cashman and the team's declining fortunes (in his estimation).
[240] honestly, some of my best times here are chatting up non-baseball stuff. Had a little chat earlier today with Ms October about the Wire. Great great tv show. I remember a bunch of us chatting up Sun Ra one night too. Anywhere you can chat up Sun Ra is ok in my book. :D
[239] yeah man, that was nothing short of bizarre.
Too bad I missed the temporary incarnation of Bum Rush...
On Saturday, the Yankees were facing an extra inning loss with a burnt out bullpen. Not only did they win that game, but they also won 2 of the next three without having to use Hughes, Coke and Mariano. All three should now be caught up on their rest and in prime position to contribute over the final 5 games before the break.
[242] yep yep. good way to look at it.
[243] yeah, there were some intense arguments. still are. :)
[244] the Sun Ra thing was just amazing. i am constantly impressed with the quality of people here at the Banter. and in sooo many branches. it really is a special place and i'm honored to be a tiny part of it.
speaking of Sun Ra - i hope JL is okay. he hasn't been around too much, though i saw he peeked in not too very long ago...
[240] The Banter has made my move to Canadia much more palatable. It's my one outlet to talk baseball, and I gotta lot to say! Now, I'm not sure everyone else appreciates my wide use of this space to yammer...
[244] Indeed! Sun Ra.. words cannot describe the weirdness..who would be the Sun Ra of baseball??
Okay guys, I'll leave you to it. Solid win with the QS+7. They've averaged that and are 12-2 since producing at that level consistently!
Catch yas tomorrow!
: )
[249] Tell me about it! With all the crazy baseball fans here, the locals just don't get my Steve Balboni fandom...
..though i have a GREAT picture from a Yakult Swallows game of a guy in a Hensley Muelens jersey, from when he played here..
[248] cheers to that!
[249] i just don't care too much about winning arguments and getting sucked into them too deep. You go in full bore. Which is cool. This is a great place for sure and you are a vital contributor!!
ok, i need to sign off now too. got lots of work to do in the morning. See y'all tomorrow night!
[249] i, for one, always appreciate ya, mp! : )
[250] Bill "Spaceman" Lee?!
sounds good, people. i need to go to the studio and PRACTICE!!!
[250] oh, and that'd be an awesome discussion but i'm too tired to have it. lol
[254] Spaceman Lee for sure..will think this one over!
Work calls, time to Sam Spade it..
There are quite a few guys and gals who've either not crossed over or have made only guest appearances since the switch. I remember only one or two semi-regulars who were miffed at leaving Toast. Two guys I really miss off the top of my head are wsporter and Sliced Bread, though Sliced dropped in recently. Those guys are must-reads...
nighty-nighhht! >;)
[258][259]
If you see this tonight or tomorrow--the obsessive compulsive and professional historian in me compelled me to search through old Banter archives. I found the Rob Gee "incident" (6/17/2006) and to be honest, it was not nearly as rough as some of the more ferocious debates and comments we have here quite often. But he did insult the owner, so...
It was fun reading through some of the old threads and comments. Some smart stuff from guys like mehmattski.
But enough of this nostalgia. Till tomorrow...
[260] I think Chyll or thealarmis or somebody mentioned it already, but a lot of the really nasty stuff Rob Gee said was deleted by Ken . . . so I imagine those comments didn't make the transition over here.
In any case, Bum Rush has been banned? When did that happen?
[258] Ditto. And yankz, though he disappeared while the Banter was still at the Toaster. I've never found out why.
[260] The archives over at the old Toaster (only the posts, not the comments, were moved over here) are pretty cool to read through from time-to-time. One of the great things about this forum is the level of accountability. Because of the relatively smaller number and dedicated nature of participants, one is forced to actually stand by their opinions. Having archives addes to that element.
[261] Bum had another one of his fits and then dared Alex to ban him, leaving the latter with no choice.
There are a few people who haven't transferred over from the old place, including yankz, mehmattski and JL25and3, who stand out in particular.
I don't know if it would appropriate, but it might be nice to have a member list somewhere on the site.