We love CC around these parts even if he’s struggling. Even if he’ll never be an Ace again.
Not sure how much he’s got left, but I do know how much of a boost it’d be to the team if he could be even decent down the stretch.
Dream big, right?
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Chris Young RF
Chase Headley 3B
John Ryan Murphy C
Didi Gregorius SS
Brendan Ryan 2B
Never mind the standings:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
Luis Severino has a plus fastball and at times last night he had a sharp-breaking slider and a decent change. He didn’t pitch deep into the game–and was done a disservice by Chase Headley who made another throwing error–but he made a good impression in his debut. The Yanks were stymied by Steven Wright–the other Steven Wright, though it is fitting that a guy with that name is a knuckle ball pitcher. And they had the tying and wining runs on base in the 9th when pinch-hitter Brian McCann flew out to center field to end the game. Near miss and bummer of a loss since the O’s and Jays both won.
Speaking of Steven Wright I once saw him in the lobby of the Brill Building. This was 25 years ago. He got out of the elevator, wearing an old Red Sox cap. I just looked at him and said, “The Red Sox?” And in that monotone voice he looked at me, deadpan, and said, “Well, I’m from Boston.”
Which made sense.
[Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso/USA TODAY Sports Images]
Tonight, the Yanks counter with a pitching prospect of their own. Luis Severino makes his big league debut.
And don’t forget to have fun.
Meanwhile, Brian McCann is gimpy and won’t play tonight. Also, good news: Garrett Jones is back. I like that Garrett Jones and was bummed to see him go. Think if these 2015 Yanks are gonna do something, he’s going to have a little cameo role.
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Carlos Beltran RF
Chase Headley 3B
Stephen Drew 2B
Didi Gregorius SS
John Ryan Murphy C
Never mind the nagging injuries:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
Painting by Roger Eliot Fry.
Whenever I pass the Ansonia Hotel on Broadway I get to thinking about Babe Ruth or Saul Bellow–whose novella Seize the Day takes place in and around the Ansonia–or even Plato’s Retreat. What a history, right? And still, what I think about most, especially from this point of view is Matthau leaning out of the building in The Sunshine Boys, bellowing: “The Feeeenghah! The Feeeenghah!”
For a good while tonight there wasn’t much scoring and then…
…well, then, our boys took care of that, thank you very much.
In the end, it was a familiar story for the 2015 Red Sox, another beating.
The Yanks unloaded in the 7th, scoring 9 runs, more than enough to put the Sox away, 13-3.
All this after an odd bit of strategery from ol’ Joe G.
[Image Via: Tavis Coburn]
Ackley’s hurt and so is Big Mike. Enough to be worrisome, of course.
It’s Tanaka Time as the Yanks return home to face the Red Sox. Henry Owens, one of their pitching prospects, makes his first start in the majors tonightski.
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Chris Young LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Carlos Beltran RF
Chase Headley 3B
Didi Gregorius SS
Brendan Ryan 2B
Never mind those chirpin’ birdies gainin’ on ya:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
Nice chat with the Wood Man over at Vanity Fair:
Sam Fragoso: You’re more prolific than most people.
Woody Allen: But prolific is a thing that’s not a big deal. It’s not the quantity of the stuff you do; it’s the quality. A guy like James Joyce will do just a couple of things, but they resonate way beyond anything I’ve ever done or ever could dream of doing.
Would you say your quality, in spots, dipped because of the quantity?
It always [has]. When you start out to make a film, you have very big expectations and sometimes you come close. When I did Match Point, I felt I came very close. But you never get that thing that you want. You always set out to make Citizen Kane or to make The Bicycle Thief and it doesn’t happen. You can’t set out to make something great head-on; you just have to make films and hope you get lucky.
Have you considered scaling back, making a film every few years?
It wouldn’t help. It’s not that I feel, “Oh, if I had more time or more money, I could make this better.” It’s coming to terms with the shortcomings in one’s own gift and one’s own personality.
What are your major shortcomings?
I’m lazy and an imperfectionist. Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese will work on the details until midnight and sweat it out, whereas for me, come 6 o’clock, I want to go home, I want to have dinner, I want to watch the ballgame. Filmmaking is not [the] end-all be-all of my existence. Another shortcoming is that I don’t have the intellect or the depth or the natural gift. The greatness is not in me. When you see scenes in [Akira] Kurosawa films … you know he’s a madman on the set. There would be 100 horses and everything had to be perfect. He was crazy. I don’t have any of that.
Really enjoyed reprinting Harry Stein’s 1976 Esquire profile of Harry Ritz. Dig in.
“As far as I’m concerned,” says Mel Brooks, “Harry Ritz was the funniest man ever. His craziness and his freedom were unmatched. There was no intellectualizing with him. You just hoped there were no pointy objects in the room when he was working ’cause you were down on the floor, spitting, out of control, laughing your brains out. Harry Ritz always put me away. Always.”
“This man gave comedy a whole new dimension,” says Sid Caesar. “Harry was the great innovator. His energy and his sensibility opened things up for all of us. He had to be the funniest man of his time.”
“Harry was the teacher,” says Jerry Lewis. “He had the extraordinary ability to deny himself dignity onstage. Harry taught us that the only thing that mattered was getting a laugh—whether you did it with a camel or with two rabbis humping a road map. Harry spawned us all. We all begged, borrowed and stole from him, every one of us. Without him, we wouldn’t be here.”
Almost to a man, comics adore Harry Ritz; they tirelessly tell stories about him, they dissect his style, they imitate his routines. If the world was made up of comedians, Harry Ritz would be the biggest star you ever saw.
But it isn’t, and he’s not. The recognition Harry did receive—as the top banana among the three Ritz Brothers—was relatively scant and short‑lived. During his heyday, in the late thirties and early ’40s, his particular brand of comedy was not thought of as art, and when it came time to list the immortals of that period, no one thought to include Harry’s name among them. Today, 33 years after the Ritz Brothers starred in their last feature film, it is very difficult to find anyone under the age of 40 who has even heard of them.
A win today and the Yanks’ll go 6-4 on the road trip; lose, and they’re 5-5.
They look to get some length from Mr. Nova.
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Carlos Beltran RF
Chase Headley 3B
Stephen Drew 2B
Didi Gregorius SS
Never mind the room service:
Let’s Go Yankees!
And on Saturday night, the Yanks got their asses kicked in Chicago.
The Yanks are in for a fight these last two months of the season and I suppose that’s how it should be. Let’s see if they’ve got enough grit and good fortune to get their asses to the ALDS. Brian Cashman held on to his prized young talent as the trade deadline came and went.
Last night, our boys beat the bejesus out of the White Sox in Chicago by the tune of 13-6, thank you very much. Mark Teixeira hit a grand slam early and then one later. Alex was 2-2 with 3 walks and 4 runs scored. Brendan Ryan and Carlos Beltran had 3 hits, Chase Headley, John Ryan Murphy, and Chris Murphy Young (everyone wants to be a Murphy sometime in their lives) all had 2.
Next.
[Photo Via Aberrant Beauty]
Not much doing for the Bombers today. They did let Garrett Jones go, which is a drag cause I always liked him–my ideal of what the average Elmore Leonard hero looks like.
Yanks in Chicago tonight.
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Chris Young LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Carlos Beltran RF
Chase Headley 3B
John Ryan Murphy C
Brendan Ryan 2B
Didi Gregorius SS
Let’s hope they get back in the groove.
Never mind the deadline:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
Got to love baseball. Riding high on Tuesday, dumpsville come Thursday. Not only did the Yanks blow a winnable game last night in Texas–about which the less said the better far as I’m concerned–Michael Pineda is hurt, and the Blue Jays got David Price–to go with Tulo.
The talk now is that they are making a push for Craig Kimbrel or Aroldis Chapman which is certainly interesting, and indicates the Yanks are aiming for a killer bullpen and not an expensive starter (I’d guess that Adam Warren would go back to the rotation should a trade go through).
Anyhow, it was a long, mostly forgettable day.
Let’s hope today gives brighter news.
Gotta figure the Yanks are going to do more than bring in Dustin Ackley.
We wait, we wonder.
Meanwhile, the Yanks’ve got a game tonight.
Never mind checking Twitter:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Tom Pennington]
