My cat Moe Green was sitting on the window sill in my office this afternoon when a gust of wind knocked his ass down. I heard him land and looked up to see him on the floor looking back over his shoulder at the window, slunk down low. I sat up to see if a bird had gotten to close to the window but this was no bird. Just the wind.
A few hours later, I walked up to Johnson Avenue where I saw parts of two big trees on the sidewalk–a huge branch was hanging on the telephone line above. Police barrier outside of the Hunan Balcony. I walked home with my groceries and heard a rumbling like the wheels on a skateboard. But it was a cluster of trees just behind me, thrashing.
It was some serious wind, man. And Moms Nature was ‘spressin her own bad ass self from Philadelphia to Boston this afternoon. The Mets won in extra innings again today against the Giants at Citifield and the sharp late afternoon light and shadows covered the field. In Philly, the shadows were just as daunting a short while later. I know about the Phillies because Fox cut to their game when the Yanks and Sox were delayed with two outs in fourth inning, Yanks up 6-3. CC Sabathia was on the mound pitching to his old catcher Victor Martinez. CC was in his rhythm, not rushing, and didn’t anticipate how quickly the storm was going to hit. But it went from no rain to downpour within thirty seconds.
Cut to the Braves-Phils, and start grinding your teeth.
I started the afternoon off irritated which is usually the safest way to start a Fox Saturday broadcast with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. Because no matter what, the mood will only darken and then fester. Buck and T Mac are especially tough to stomach when they cover the Yanks and Sox, whose games are exhausting to begin with. And if the Yanks are losing? At Fenway? Forget it. Makes for a long day’s journey into night. Heck, even when they win it’s a beating.
Saturday’s game was filled with weirdness of all sorts, some of it costly. First, there was CC getting snubbed for a chance at a win with the rain delay. Yanks had a 2-0 lead when CC gave up a solo homer to Darnell McDonald. Then with two outs, CC drilled Dustin Pedroia in the ass. Payback for last night. Martinez followed, worked the count full and then tied the game with a bomb over the green monster. But…Francisco Cervelli had three big hits driving in five, go figure that
When the game resumed after the delay, Alfredo Aceves pulled up lame and had to leave the game (he pitched long enough to get the win). The next inning, Red Sox reliever Ramon Ramirez gave up a solo home run to Mark Teixeira (his second of the game) and then threw a pitch to Alex Rodriguez and then left the game with an injury.
It started raining again close to eight o’clock. The crowd thinned out, small enough so that you could hear individual voices and chants. “Ster-oids, ster-oids” accompanied Rodriguez in his final at bat, a walk (he was 2-2 with 3 walks on the day). “Let’s Go Yan-Kees,” “Let’s go Red Sox.” The Yanks poured it on late, drawing walks, stinging the ball, tacking on runs, the rain coming down, big drops popping near the microphones in the broadcast booth, no joy in Mudville but for the storm troopers in the New York uniforms.
To cap it off, left fielder Jonathan Van Every pitched the ninth for the Sox. Derek Jeter led off pounding a bp fastball off the center field wall for a double. Van Every struck Brett Gardner out looking and serves Gardner right for looking at that pitch. Teixeira mashed his third dinger over the monster to make it 14-3. And that’s your final.
Weird, wild and we’ll take it. Three homers. Not bad, Teix. That’s six straight for the Yanks and another series win.
Rays finally lost today which puts the Yanks only a half-game out of first.
Saturday Night’s all right…
[Photo Credit: Michael Dwyer/AP]
"Tim, you have Joe West on speed dial. Call and ask him about the length of this game."
That figures. That figures so very, very hard.
Brutally windy here today too. Lost power for a couple of hours.
Go for the throat tomorrow.
[3] A blowout win will make next week a great one for me. I'm not sure you NYers can appreciate what a difference this kind of game makes to the Quality of Life of us New England Yankee fans.
4) I bet. Makes it really nice down here in the BX too! LOL.
[5] Yeah, I bet! Though in a different way.
Hey, via RAB, Ace expected to miss "two or three days". Tolerable, if that's all it is.
[6] Aceves will be out 2-3 days.
Ledger_Yankees, Star Ledger
http://twitter.com/Ledger_Yankees/statuses/13637699517
FWIW
[6] new frankie brains quotes - from the AP recap:
"I do my best. That's all I can do," he said. "I play every game like it's my last."
Saturday Night’s all right…
...for fightin' ...
thrash metal masters Flotsam & Jetsam covered that elton john classic on their brilliant sophomore record No Place For Disgrace.
Hopefully Vulture will be back in a few days and avoid the DL.
This injury streak is just getting silly.
To a point from earlier today, seems like Juan Miranda is back from the HBP to the elbow that had him out for a few days, so he may be up for NJ.
Here's a great interview from Mike Ashmore with Nardi Contreras that I recommend highly
http://thunderbaseball.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/nardi-2/
That kid Cervelli is destined for greatness. He knows how to win.
[11] He's ready for the eighth.
[12] Forgive the typo. I meant "teh eighth."
Buck's and McCarver's bluster aside, I love what Sabathia did today. Even after the HR to Vmart, it was still the right move. Chemistry can be overrated, but this group has it. To see such a talented group really seem to enjoy each other is icing on the cake.
Alex, I keep forgetting you're in Riverdale now. I grew up there, find the good bagel place yet? :)
[11] and any post with the word "drummer" in its title, is destined for greatness, as well! : )
[16] Yes, but do you know what song he's quoting there? All time Public Enemy classic that you may not dig! :)
Sweep the leg tomorrow, gentlemen!
[17] yeah, kinda. i actually know it from Antrhax!!! what's even funnier, is it took me several years to actually figure out what the hell they were saying! i couldn't make out the word "wicked", the way they pronounced it.
i love anthrax and charlie is a ridiculously amazing and unreal drummer!!!
good lord, do i frickin' HATE rap, hip hop, etc. just god awful. and NOT music in the slightest...
oh well. i'm off to bed. looking forward to actually being able to see the yanks play live the next two nights! : )
[18] The only hole in your otherwise excellent music taste my friend! Public Enemy were a rock band, no matter anyone says!
Watching the Yanks-Sox replay on tv tonight, top 1st and already I see what people were talking about regarding Timmy & Joe...the Pedroia love was so over the top, hysterical.
I'm thinking here....
Between JV and Andy, if one really wanted Joba to be a starter, now would be a good time to stretch him out.
But the Yankees don't appear interested.
I thought it was that no SR slot was available, but I'm beginning to wonder. Have the Yanks seen something that makes them think Joba can't be an effective starter?
Joba's #s so far are very good: 13.2 IP, 5 BB, 14K, 1.17 WHIP, 2.63 ERA. Very nice, but not fantastic.
Have the Yankees soured on Joba?
There is a part of my gut that says he would be included in a trade for pitching. Paranoid me?
[20] I think they'd rather not bounce him around. Andy is only missing one start. Obviously the hope is that JV rights himself. Neither is gone yet so I wouldn't move Joba out of a high leverage situation just yet to stretch him out or whatever.
[20] I think they have just decided as an organization that he is better suited to be a reliever. I think when Jeter says somehing like that publically, you know it's a done deal. People haven't talked about it much, but he is taking an important role in the pen. He got the call while Mo was out. As good as the rest of the pen can be, I don't think anyone else can be the closer. Joba's not there yet, but that's what this year is for.
[14] Exactly. Buckarver were so annoying on that issue, acting like their logic was unassailable, that the Beckett HBP's were obviously unintentional and therefore CC's equally obvious "payback" was unwarranted. First, they ignored the Cervelli knockdowns which were much more suspicious. More importantly, there comes a point where it simply doesn't MATTER whether it was "intentional" or not. Enough is enough, and too much was definitely too much. If I'm Girardi or CC I send a clear message that, intentional or not, you'd better find a way to cut it out fast. It will be very interesting when we next face the Grinch...
[16] If you're going to drum that into us, we'll have to grab some sticks and give you a beat down. /jk
Winning sure beats losing.
"My cat Moe Green was sitting on the window sill in my office this afternoon when a gust of wind knocked his ass down" is one of the best first lines ever.