Blog Archives

Sorry about this folks, but the Banter is taking the day off on the count of I’m sick at home. I twisted my lower back over the weekend and am in no position to be doing much of anything.

To keep you busy with baseball news, don’t forget to check out these spots:

Baseball Think Factory, Hardball Talk, The Pinstriped Bible, River Ave Blues and Was Watching.

Oh yeah, and check out this piece by Glenn Stout on Josh Beckett’s historically bad season:

How bad has Josh Beckett been? Using ERA and a minimum of fourteen starts as a measure, every other pitcher in Red Sox history – with one notable exception – has been NABAB – Not As Bad As Beckett. Matt Young in 1991? Sixteen Starts and a 5.18 ERA, but Not As Bad As Beckett. Danny Darwin in 1994? Thirteen starts and 6.30 – NABAB. Frank Castillo in 2002? NABAB. Ramon Martinez in 2000, Jerry Casale in 1960, Gordon Rhodes in 1935, Frank Heimach in 1926? You can look ‘em up, NABABs all. Even the immortal Joe Harris, who went 2-21 for the 1906 Red Sox, was NABAB – his ERA was a sparkling 3.52, a number Josh Beckett and Theo Epstein would both kill for. And the list goes on and on and on and on.

Somehow this historic achievement has gone unnoticed. In a season best defined by the disabled list it has been easy to overlook Beckett’s expressionless appearances on the mound. Then again, they’ve often been so brief he’s been easy to miss. The fact is even with all the injuries, if Josh Beckett was pitching like an average starting pitcher, rather than a historically bad one, the Red Sox would be making plans for October.

We’ll have a game thread up tonight for the game…

[Picture by Bags]

It was raining at the Stadium this afternoon when Robinson Cano launched a gram slam into the bleachers. That gave the home team a 5-0 lead for CC Sabathia, more than enough even after a long rain delay. When it was all said and done, Cano had a career-high six RBI and the Score Truck put a ten spot on the board as the Bombers cruised to a 10-0 win. That’s win number 17 for CC.

Wet and damp in the Boogie Down today. Yanks look to win the series.

Go git ’em, boys!

[Picture by Bags]

From Diane Firstman…

It started ugly but ended, if not pretty, than well enough for the Yanks today in the Bronx as they beat the Mariners, 9-5. Ichiro! led off the game with a home run against Javier Vazquez and then Russell Branyon became the first man to hit a home run into the right field upper deck at the new Yankee Stadium (Branyon is also the only player to hit the Mohegan Sun bar in center). The Yanks scored four in the bottom of the first (two-run single by Robinson Cano and a two-run dinger by Jorge Posada) but Vazquez gave it back and didn’t last long–three innings. This after not making it into the fifth in his previous two starts.

Right now, it’s CC Sabathia and pray for the Score Truck…

Jason Vargas, meanwhile, retired fifteen straight Yankees after the tough first inning. The score remained tied at four until the bottom of the sixth when Eduardo Nunez got his first big league hit–punching a high change-up, well out of the strike zone, through the hole in the right side of the infield for an RBI single. The ball came back to the infield and was passed over to the Yankee dugout. On its way, Nunez, briefly held it. He was standing on first, smiling. He kissed the ball, smiled some more and tossed the ball to Gene Monahan, the Yankee trainer, for safe keeping.

The Yanks added a couple of more runs, then another one in the ninth on their way to the win. Mariano Rivera, that bum, that zero, that dog, allowed a run in the ninth raising his season ERA to 1.18 (bum!). Otherwise, the Yankee bullpen was terrific, especially Chad Gaudin, who pitched three scoreless innings.

A nice win for the Yanks, though another rotten outing for Vazquez does nothing to help the digestion. On top of that, Alex Rodriguez is headed to the DL. “We’re going to play it safe,” Joe Girardi said after the game. “We don’t think he’s any worse than the time before.”

Right-handed pitcher Ivan Nova will take his place on the active roster. Nova will make his first major league start on Monday.

* * * *

Elsewhere, around the majors, Cliff Lee got beaten about the face and neck again today, this time by the Orioles (eight runs in 5.2 innings). The Red Sox and Jays play at 7, the Rays are in Oakland again later tonight.

[Picture by Bags]

The summer is almost over. The city is relatively quiet. The farmer’s markets are bursting with corn and tomatoes and peaches and all that good stuff.

Javier Vazquez hasn’t impressed lately. Perhaps he turns it around today. We’ll be root, root, rootin’ him on.

Let’s Go Yan-Kees.

Taking the Mrs downtown for a bite today. We’re gunna go slurp some soup dumplings.

[Picture by Bags]

Or Corner’s Keener, as it was sometimes known, is making a comeback thanks to SNY.

This is good news, indeed. According to Richard Sandomir:

“Kiner’s Korner” is getting a new life online, providing Mets fans with a chance to see Ralph Kiner in his television heyday as the host of Channel 9’s postgame (and rain delay) show from a cramped studio in Shea Stadium.

Starting Tuesday, SNY.tv. will post the first of nine weekly webisodes that combine clips from Kiner’s postgame interviews and new chats between him and the host Ted Berg for the Mets network’s dip into nostalgia.

“When I’m in town or in the car, people yell out, ‘Kiner’s Korner,’” Kiner said by telephone Friday. “I can’t tell you how many people tell me that they grew up with ‘Kiner’s Korner.’”

The footage that will be seen is about all that is known to have been rediscovered. Only some of it is usable.

Nearly all the “Korners” are gone, tossed out or taped over at a time when few local stations, networks or teams understood the value of a video archive of their history and broadcasts.

It was over before it started. Ichiro singled to begin the game last night and Chone Figgins followed with a walk before Russell Branyon hit a long three-run homer, putting the Yankees in a hole that they would not climb out of against the dominant Felix Hernandez who tossed another gem at ’em in the Bronx. Actually, dominant might be overstating things, the man only threw eight shut-out innings this time, and didn’t have the nerve or reserve to finish them out. By that time, the game was in hand, however, as the Mariners skipped to a 6-0 win.

The bad news is that Alex Rodriguez had to come out of the game after just one at-bat. He hasn’t been placed on the DL but is back to being day-to-day.

Good news from out-of-town helped ease any hard feelings Yankee fans might have. The Red Sox were pounded at Fenway to the tune of 16-2, and the A’s staged a late-inning comeback to beat the Rays, 5-4. Yanks are still in first, ahead of the Rays by a game and in front of the Sox by six. And although Jason Vargas, today’s pitcher for the Mariners, has been outstanding this year, the Yankees can at least take stock in the fact that he’s not a King.

The Mariners are in town for a three-game series this weekend. As usual, our man Cliff has the preview over at the Pinstriped Bible.

Felix Hernandez has pitched thrown two complete games against the Yanks this year, allowing just one run. 

Here’s hoping to woim toins tonight and the Yanks show the King who is:

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

[Picture by Bags]

Herman Leonard, the famed jazz photographer passed away last weekend. He was 87. Here is some of his work:

Duke Ellington

Sinatra

Miles

Art Blakey

Dexter Gordon

Thank you, Mr. Leonard. You left us some bounty.

Off the Broiler is off the chain in this piece about the perfect BLT:

Say Word.

The Man Who Loved Women (and the women who loved him right back):

Man, I love this movie, a real beaut by Robert Towne, Hal Ashby and company:

George: Let’s face it. I f***ed them all. That’s what I do. That’s why I went to beauty school. They’re always there, and l…I don’t know why I’m apologizing. So sometimes I f*** them. I go into that shop and they’re so great-looking. I do their hair. They feel and smell great. I’d be on the street…at a stoplight, or go into an elevator. There’s…a beautiful girl. I don’t know. That’s it. It makes my day. It makes me feel like I’m gonna live forever. As far as I’m concerned with what I’d liked to have done in my life…I know I should’ve accomplished more but I have no regrets. I mean…Maybe that means I don’t love them. Maybe it means I don’t love you. Nobody’s gonna tell me I don’t like them very much.

While we’re in the Eighties, here goes one of my favorites from those fun-lovin’ sombitches, Van Halen:

I was never a huge Van Halen head like some of my friends but their David Lee Roth records bring me back to middle school, and dag, a lot of those records really kicked ass. Still do, though Eddie’s guitar playing style sounds dated to me now. Can’t believe anyone would prefer Van Hagar to the original. Once they parted ways with Diamond Dave, they didn’t have the same magic.

Aw, hell, here’s another one that always makes me smile:

Roger Clemens Faces the Music.

[Photo Credit: Pewari Naan, Drawing by Larry Roibal]

In the second inning yesterday afternoon, Mark Teixeira chased a pop fly hit by Johnny Damon. Teixeira was in foul territory when he put a glove on the ball and started to slide. What followed will be sure to make those How About That? highlight reels that are played on Stadium Jumbotrons between innings. The ball popped out of his glove twice but he held on and made the catch.

The very next pitch Phil Hughes threw was lined to deep left center field. Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner raced for the ball, headed straight for each other, giving viewers that sickening feeling that you get right before you see an accident. They arrived at the ball at the same time, both tried to make the catch. Granderson came up with the ball as Gardner spun away. Fortunately, neither man was hurt.

The Score Truck showed up in the sixth inning as the Yanks rallied for nine runs, more than enough to dispose of the angry Tigers.

For more on the game, check out:

River Ave Blues

The Yankeeist

It’s About the Money, Stupid

and The New York Times.

The Red Sox are playing the Angels at home tonight. They are 9-0 against the Halos this year, my Goodness. Later on, the Rays play in Oakland.

Free free to fall through and banter.

[Picture by Bags]

Yanks 11, Tigers 5.

The score truck brings treats.

Right, Nigel?

Fresh direct from the Lo-Hud Yankee oven, today’s line-up:

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Austin Kearns DH
Ramiro Pena 3B

Also, Lance Berkman has been placed on the DL. Drag. Eduardo Nunez was been called-up.

Meanwhile, tough day for Mr. Clemens.

[Picture by Bags]

Not a big fan of this group, though I enjoyed their records before Synchronicity: