The kid Phelps gets the start tonight in Kansas City. First of four against the Royals. Chad Jennings has the lowdown.
Derek Jeter DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Russell Martin C
Jayson Nix LF
Never mind the butterflies, son: Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Marvin E. Newman]
WHAT THE FUCK. They just showed Mo being lifted up onto a cart after he apparently banged into the outfield wall during batting practice. He had 2 guys on either side of him and he holding him above the ground. Oh, Jesus.
[1] Auuuuugggggghhhhhhh! *runs around in panic*
Fuckity fuck fuck fucking fuckity fuck.
(cursing very appropriate here.)
MLBN
Mo was shagging flies, as per usual, slipped/fell on the warning track, injured his knee.
Sweeney Murti saying he wasn't putting any weight on his knee. Knee may have have buckled on the warning track. Not banging into outfield wall. Oi!
Ugh. Video just about made me sick to my stomach.
[5] Yup. I hope it's simply a sprain, he goes on DL for 15-20 days. Time for the Alabama Hammah to step up.
Oh. fuck ME!
Fucking hell, really?
His knee?
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
Man oh man.
Oh No...that cannot have not happened.
Ohhh, fuck!
Just saw the clip, goddamn!
Owwwww!
Fuck fuck fuck.
"Rivera ran into the center field wall while attempting to make a leaping catch of a ball that was hit over the fence. Rivera fell to the warning track, his face contorted in obvious pain, rubbing his right knee with his hand."
Is that what happened?
[10] Link Please
Why is Teix hitting third now?
[12] Just saw it on YES.
He didn't run into the wall, he sort of landed wrong as he leapt to catch a flyball, stumbled awkwardly to the ground, writhing in pain. He may have rolled up against the wall at the end of the fall, but the injury was about his landing.
::facepalm::
DOH!
Is it too early to start getting one of "those" feelings about this year?
[13] He and A-Rod switch off. You hadn't noticed?
[17] I thought he and Rob switch off?
I thought Teix was the number five guy all year.
[13] LH Pitcher and a slumping Cano.
[18] Hm, maybe when Swish bats second. But Joe doesn't like putting Rob after Curtis, two lefties in a row.
Oh Robbie.
Okay, here we go, rook!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it...
15) I thought the injury happened when he planted his leg before the leap. Could be wrong though. Either way, that was scary.
Well done, Eduardo. Perfect positioning.
Nun-fucking-ez.
[23] Yes, that sounds more accurate.
Over/Under on that being the LAST fly ball Riveria will ever shag....
[27] Uh. Over/under?
Over/under is a number. So I say, seven. Or forty-two.
Kid seems just a tad nervous...
Holy cow. Nice slider!
[27] Zero, at least while he's still playing.
Do not break glass unless in case of a save.
HEY, I COULD USE SOME HELP HERE.
Cheez.
Oh, whew, rbj is here. I was feeling like I was alone out on the mound.
Oh, and [31] tell Amare :-(.
[33] Most of us are still in a state of shock, slack jawed, staring blankly into space, a little drool running down the corner of our mouth. Others are suffering a fit of hysterical blindness, sorta like when Hank Hill caught his mother and her boyfriend on the kitchen table.
Sigh.
Can we get a YES crew over to the MRI tube? Live coverage would be very helpful. This is no ordinary knee.
Oh, and got my copy of Damn Yankees yesterday. Going to save it for lake week in August, sitting out on the porch in the evening, drinking a beer and listening to the Mud Hens via my TouchPad.
[33] No problem, and offensively offense woes continue.
[15] It looked to me like he kind of face planted into the wall to add insult to injury after twisting the knee. sigh.....
[33] Can't speak for everyone else, but I've been busy praying for Mo. That video was horrible.
On a less prayerful note, holy crap does Duffy throw hard! 99 from a lefty?! Wow.
Every AAA Yankee game offers their tickets online except this Sunday's game. It was announced earlier that Pettitte will be starting at Frontier Field that day. I wonder if they're going to jack up the prices. I am going to give it a shot tomorrow at noon.
Yeah.
Well, he wasn't going to shut them out.
[35] That about sums up my state too. Damn...
[39] Lightning in that arm. Scary.
Hm, important for Phelps to get ahead in counts, I guess.
Making it out of the second is already better than Freddy.
Live on the outside corner, David.
Thank goodness MIchael Kay isn't calling the game, he'd be hyperventilating about Rivera and making our anxiety even more acute.
Jeter! 500 career double. Wow.
Jetes still has it.
If only someone else on the team could catch some of it!
[46] Man, was just thinking that. Cone and Singleton an oasis of calm.
Loved hearing about Cone facing him and Eddie Murray all those years back.
Man, Granderson's swinging when the ball's in the glove.
OVerpowered.
Curtis had no chance.
[46][49] Having said that, I'm freaking out.
[46] Amen and then some. Kay would make this unbearable.
[48] Against lefties at least. He's hitting what, .600 so far against lefty pitchers this year? I hope the Yanks keep facing lots of lefties!
Good work, Teix.
Nicely done, Mark.
[52] [53] More unbearable, I should have said.
Nice! Doubles doubles. Now that its May, maybe Tex will start heating up.
Hey, Teix!
Finally, Teix.
Dave Eiland!!
[56] Unbearabler.
Alex missed his pitch, 2-0. Good job not swinging at crap and drawing the walk.
1-0, beat with heat right down the cock. DAG. Good swing too.
shite.
[59] I still wonder what he did to get fired, but probably best we don't know.
[59] You know, Hughes did have his two best seasons when Eiland was the pitching coach . . . just sayin' . . .
[60] I like it. The word, not the situation to which it might apply.
[64] Suggested that Mo shag more fly balls. "Good for the legs".
[66] Too soon.
Billy Doubles. I like that.
Wheel play on?
64) I heard rumors about it involving something with wives and affairs and a bunch of unpleasantness.
C'mon, need a double play.
Glug.
Is it time to start praying that Clemens gets off so that he can rejoin Pettitte in the rotation?
Here's the Mo video:
http://web.yesnetwork.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=21128493
Hello (or HEJ HEJ, thanks Eric).
This is and has been a brutal week for the Yankees and fans.
I don't want to be a downer, singing a lament for Mo.
A win tonight would be a tonic. Phelps looks good, and you can't really blame the seeing eye grounders. Let's see if he toughens and gets out of this.
[70] Yeah, heard that rumor too, which is why I don't want to know. John Edwards is ugly enough.
Phelps got away with one there to Frenchie.
Nice k David.
I love Jeff Francouer. I mean, on other teams.
[70] No man is an Eiland, no man stands alone.
Ya can't always fight what you feel. Ask Cashman.
How's Cone's arm nowadays?
I'm out to a Russian music festival today. Hope there's a lot of vodka. Go Go Yankees. (泣く...)
[76] Ditto, though its been two years now, finding out can't be that bad.
Is Clay Rapada Girardi's personal security blanky? Ugh.
You know what keep Yankees starters from throwing so many pitches so early in the game, Coney? Having corner outfielders and an Eduardo Nune4567 who could actually field the ball.
Quiz answer . . . Hmm . . . my first thought was good old Bye Bye Balboni, but I'm pretty sure he never hit 30 with the Yanks. Then I realized who it was, but I think we should let Raging chime in with the answer. ;)
OMG! I just saw the video on YES. Mariano! ! I am trying not to freak out, but WTH?!
[85] There should be a giant disclaimer on it. I don't think I can watch it again.
[83] I'm just thinking that if some families have reconciled, it doesn't need to now be made public.
Geez, I think I'm more worried about our offense than Mo. If you only score one run a night, there are going to be few save opportunities.
Sigh.
[87] Excellent point; I hadn't considered that.
I think the offense will be fine, particularly once Gardner and Swisher are back and Nune4567 is out of the lineup on a regular basis. A-Rod, Tex, and Cano can't all hit this badly all season.
You're calling Derek out on that pitch?
[89] I admit my vouyerism, just try and keep it in check.
4 runs in four games? Don Mattingly to the white courtesy phone please.
Duffy has got really tough stuff. But the Yanks haven't scored for shit in the last four games including tonight. Need to break out some fuggin runs, man.
Yes, let's mix and match in early May against the Royals, rather than have a real backup outfielder.
[93] Or a real backup SS.
Fucking circus. Clap-clap-clap-clap-clap.
[94] Let's not get ridiculous and expect a competent bench.
Have to get up early, goodnight all.
Do I smell 1965?
[97] It could happen...
So what's the story with Eiland? He was messing with a player's wife? Inquiring minds want to know.
[97] What does 1965 signify? End of the dynasty?
[99] He buggered the Bat Boyy in the back of Bellview Blvd.
[101] Was it consensual?
[100] In 1964, with Mantle, Maris, Stottlemyre, Elston Howard, Whitey Ford, Bouton, Al Downing, Tom Tresh, Clete Boyer, Tony Kubek, Joe Pepitone and Bobby Richardson, they just lost in the WS.
In 1965, with the same roster, they finished 6th out of 10th.
In 1966, they finished 10th.
OK. I knew about '64. There's a good book about it by David Hardtospell.
So the point is these Yankees smell like those Yankees?
[103] And Ken Boyer hit the grand slam in game 6 in the '64 WS that snatched victory from the Yankees. He made me cry. Bob Gibson pitched and won in game 7. Yogi Berra was fired as manager after that loss.
It was a character building experience to be a Yankee fan from age 7 when they were in the wilderness for so many years.
What in the hell was that!!!
[105] I started at 7, too. But it was 1970 and still in the wilderness, of course.
[104] Well it might be the ultimate example of an entire elite team all getting old at once. Our boys aren't that old, and better conditioning (I believe) has older players now experiencing a more gracious decline.
But it was scary to go from literally GREAT to under .500 in the blink of an eye.
The film of Mo is now headlining the ESPN website.
Nunez. Sigh. That was a great throw though.
97) The 1965 analogy has been used every single year the Banter has been around, since 03 and counting. First appearance this year.
At least its good (?) to know that Soriano still blows.
That was a bullet of a throw from Martin.
Ah, Frenchie.
Wow... that was an AMAZINGLY quick throw by Martin!
MLBTV had a replay on that, which showed Martin standing up toward 3rd before he caught the pitch, and in one motion, catching it and throwing a perfect strike to ARod. Really, a thing of beauty.
Captain!
Damn! Jeter ON FIRE!
Jeter's current line: .404 .441 .587 1.028. DAMN!
Let's get this done, boys!
C'mon Tex.
Good job, Teix. You the man!
FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!
Nice scoop by Hosmer. Shit.
WTF Tex!
Wow, terrible call.
This will end badly.
100 mph. But here comes a breaking ball maybe?
Jeter was called on on strikes when not one pitch was over the plate.
Wow, good cut. Figure he's still going with something soft to get him out.
If he can throw something off speed for a strike Alex is toast.
Good job spoiling the slider.
Way to lay off that shit.
Good eye. Little bingo.
Wow, valiant AB by Alex.
Goddamn Fucking Horseshit!
Good at bat. Great play . Tip your cap.
I am going to be sick.
After the last two games against the O's, the injury to Mariano, this is a bummer of a loss. I figured they were going to come back and win it all along. Damn.
A-Rod snuck a peak a 3rd about halfway down the line. Might have been the difference.
[140] No... it wasn't that close at 1st.
[140] Sorry, "peek."
Brutal night. I need a puppy to kick...
Anyway, going back a batter, Tex has to put the ball in the air in that situation. Dude is not getting it done.
From RAB: Girardi: Rivera ‘appears’ to have a torn ACL
What are the implications of that?
On the bright side. It's a holiday in Japan and the sun is out after 4 straight days of pissing rain. Think, I'll go for a run and clear my head.
[145] He's done for the year.
Can the Yankees catch a break when it comes to their pitching? First Chamberlain, then Pineda, and now Rivera.
Are you kidding me?
[145] Typical recovery time is 9 months.
So ends Mo's career?
This ain't 1965, but if that's the end of Mariano Rivera's career, what a colossal, cosmic bummer. Then again, it's better than watching him lose it.
Remember your cliches - this is a long season.
The Yankees are far from done, folks.
Bloody hell. A torn knee ligament. I really hope this is not how Mo's career ended.
Does this suck? Of course it does, shit it's probably the worst I've felt as a Yankee fan in over a decade.
But we've been on borrowed time with Mo for a looooong time. Would any of us. Be half as shocked if he walked off the mound clutching his elbow? It's not that he got hurt, it's the way it happened.
Good teams find a way, and I don't doubt this one will too. The hurt is because we're watching a chapter of our lives as fans end. But that doesn't mean we're watching a season end.
Terrible news. I just hate to see his career end this way
This is the worst thing to happen to the Yankees franchise in my lifetime.
Short of some TV movie like miracle resurgence, this could be the death blow for this year. Jeter is playing so fucking well. What a shame he has no team behind him.
This is awful. He's crying, because he let the team down.
[157] Is there video I am missing?
[158] I was watching the post-game show on YES.
I blame my stupid idiotic fucking self. I have a Cubs t-shirt that I avoid wearing on most days because I believe it is cursed. I wore it today. Last night's hockey game took most of the starch out of me. The stupid fucking piece of shit cubbies t-shirt was clean. The Yanks were in Kansas City and I gave up on the Knicks the moment they had the utterly shit luck of finishing ahead of Philadelphia.
What could go wrong? EVERY FUCKING THING.
I really hope this is not the end. If there is any chance that Mo wants to go out with one good run - which was really what was keeping me worked up about this season at all (him getting the chance to do just that) - I've been feeling for some time now that next year looked like a better "last run" year than this one. A pitcher or two may finally be ready, maybe Cashman/someone else can construct a better squad than he did this time around - maybe Hal can realize that bad product = your equation is fucked, etc.
If this is the end, though, I guaran-fucking-tee you that this stupid piece of shit shirt is getting burned.
Please let this not be the end.
So the world really does end this year.
I just refuse to accept this is the end. I refuse.
Beyond any athlete I've ever rooted for, he's surely earned it if this is it, but something as great as his career - it shouldn't end like this.
I say Jeter convinces him to make one last run next year.
A man whose every action has been the definition of grace for almost twenty years ending his career in a twisted, awkward heap? Fuck that.
I refuse to join with the premature sackcloth wearers who insist on proclaiming this the end. At least until I hear the man himself say it. And I'm hoping he decides the other way.
I know that I'm in the vast minority on this, but Rivera's injury has not bothered me so much. To be sure it's a blow from a baseball perspective, and also from a personal and emotional perspective (who ever wants to see such a graceful athlete, dominant at his position, whose career spans a generation of fans, end his career, especially on a sour note). That said, maybe because I believe that the closer position is vastly overrated, I am not convinced this injury will impact the team as negatively as the loss of a starter at another position. At least the team has a few viable replacements for the back end of the bullpen, unlike they do for, say, the OF or C. Plus, as someone posted here or maybe on RAB, we've been watching Mo on borrowed time. The guy is 42 and was going to hang them up this year or next in any case. This day was coming soon, in one form or another.
[163] C'mon man..this is Mariano we're talking about. Who can think logically about this guy, at this point? I'm crushed..
[164] To be honest, I can. But in truth I think that is because I have never been all that into Mo, at least compared to many devotees who frequent this site. And again, that probably has much to do with my own strong feelings (and biases) about how pitchers are used, blah blah.
I know it makes me a heretic, though...
[165] Respectfully, yes. Close to a heretic (at the Banter, at least.)
Overrated? Mo in postseason: 8-1, 42svs, 0.70 ERA in 141IP. .174/.212/.227. This was vs. best comp under most pressure. (from Twitter, not fact checked.)
No one else comes even remotely close to Mo.
[166] I never said he was overrated. But for whatever reason, he has never been my favorite Yankee, nor is the closer position one that I am particularly attached to (I just don't get excited about relievers, even the great ones), and (again for whatever reason/s) I am just not that emotionally traumatized about this as it appears other here are. That's all I'm saying.