Just cause…

While some of us were sleeping, Masahiro Tanaka was busy puttin’ heads to bed out in Seattle. Only a 2-run home run by Robbie Cano in the 9th spoiled a shutout.

“Nobody’s perfect,” Jeter said after the game. “But he expects perfection.”

Tanaka went the distance anyhow, escaping a jam in the 8th, and then striking out the last two batters of the game after Cano’s homer in the 9th.  Mark Teixeira’s 3-run home run was the big hit for the Yanks.

Final Score: Yanks 4, Mariners 2. 

[Photo Credit: Luigi Ghirri]

Our boy Tanaka goes tonight.

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Carlos Beltran DH
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Brian Roberts 2B

Never mind the late start:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Jake Stangel]

Starting tomorrow and running through August 1, my pal Kate Joyce has a show of her photographs at the Rick Wester Fine Art gallery. Don’t sleep.

From a 1976 interview with Curtis Mayfield posted over at Soul Music (found via Lonform):

DN: In recent times, you’ve been working in the studios, producing yourself and other people and you haven’t been out on the road. How do you know at what point you can stop driving yourself, working hard?

CM: Well, I guess when you’ve got your trophies, your little awards they become like in the past tense. To me, I don’t feel that I’m a great success – although I’m sure on the other side, people look on me as having achieved many, many things. I guess people feel that based on what I’ve done in the past, I’m a success. I’m very proud of that and yet, because of my outlook on things and how I take in my rewards – I guess I’ll never feel that I’m a great, great success – it takes a lot of ego and playing a role that I’m not. I like the idea of having money, just living a bit better – it’s easier to do that. I’m very happy that I’m in an area that people turn their heads and listen, that I’ve got respect and naturally, I feel proud of myself.

And then, every couple of years, when you get the money in, you wonder if you’re winning or losing. It’s possible for it to become a burden – you have to insure it, support it, and then with the success comes sacrifice – the non-privacy – I cherish the time I can get away from it all.

Then, there’s your personal life that’s very important. I’m just happy that I’m here, and I see other areas where I can still prove my versatile and creative ability – I hope to achieve the best I can.

I wouldn’t mind owning 300 million dollars! But you never want to reach the peak because after all, when you’ve gone all the way up, the only way to go is down.

[Photo Via: The Chicago Sun-Times]

A lot of strange things to see around this team these days.  Low scoring affairs that are more often lost than won, the bullpen struggling to hold leads, the Hall of Fame-bound captain losing his focus either while fielding or running the bases, and strangest of all a slightly-better than .500 team only four games back in the loss column from first place (a place they’ve held more often than not while enduring such strange conditions).

Granted, injuries to the pitching corps with middling replacements has had a lot to do with this situation, but then when those pitchers hold the opposing team to a low score, the offense doesn’t show up. The Scuffle of Kansas City was definitely on the minds of many as the Yanks shuffled west to battle a former teammate who is slowly, yet steadily revealing how important he actually was to his former team, Robbie Cano and his (yes, his) Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners threw righty Hisashi Iwakuma; a former senior teammate of current Yankee ace/stopper/rookie/everything M. Tanaka, who led off the first by striking out Gardner, then giving up a hard single to Jeter. He eventually moved to second on a Teixiera single, then scored on a Beltran double. Brian McCann followed that with an infield single that scored Teixiera and sent Beltran to third. But, as has happened far too often, the team left those two on base when Solarte grounded out.

Vidal Nuño; you just want to give him your faith when you see him pitch well, but seems to fall through the bad step in a rickety staircase when you do. After getting the first two outs of the inning, old buddy Robbie let everyone see what a hitter he actually is by doubling to left. Robbie, for what it’s worth, has built his average back up since his slow April and his averaging above .300, though his power has yet to return to expectations. Cole Gillespie followed with a single that scored Cano and I’m willing to bet most of you began to think “oh here we go” again. But Gillespie was subsequently caught stealing, momentarily short circuiting any potential rally, which for all intents and purposes is a good thing.

While Iwakuma cruised through the next several innings with little intrigue, Nuño continued to climb the stairs carefully through the next innings. Kyle Seager sent a pea to right field, but Ichiro channeled his inner Mighty Mouse with a leaping, tumbling grab of a certified double; you could only just shake your head and clap for the man. Later in the fourth, crumble! With two outs, Michael Saunders launched a high fly to center that was either going to nail the top of the wall or sneak over. Jacoby Ellsbury was on his horse though, cruising back to the wall, leaping and snagging the delinquent sphere that would have instigated much weeping and gnashing of virtual teeth. A fine catch on radio, I can assure you; let me know what you think about what you may have seen on TV. Nuño without a doubt was pleased that the staircase held his weight; I imagine there will be a steak dinner in the future for those two.

In the sixth, however, Robbie once again took advantage of the situation and singled to center, prompting Girardi to bring in the burgeoning star righty Dellin Dancin’ Bentances, who finished off the inning by inducing a ground ball from pinch hitter Endy Chavez. But in the seventh, Betances’s dance managed to stomp a hole through the step as he lost the plate and hit catcher Mike Zunino with a breaking ball, then uncorked a wild pitch that sent Zunino into scoring position; a chip that was cashed in two batters later by Dustin Ackley. Nuño, who had one of his good days that we always hope for, was suddenly out of the picture and Betances was staring cockeyed at a western omelet. Well, there was nothing for it at this point, so he wiped off the mess and squelched the impending rally two batters later by striking out Willy Bloomquist to end the inning and leave the game tied. For what it’s worth, Betances is growing; not quite what you would expect to say about a guy 6’8″ at 26 years old, but he’s steadily becoming a pitcher’s pitcher.

The following inning was a sine wave of philosophical impulses; do you believe in luck and if you do, is this a sign the Yanks’ bottle of good stuff has turned to vinegar? John Sterling had this to say in Gardner’s subsequent turn at bat:

“…THERE IT GOES TO RIGHT! IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT ISSS… FOUL..?“

It inched too far to the right of the foul pole, apparently. Bad luck? Then what did you think of the next pitch, which Gardner had the nerve to hit high and far to center, only for it to be caught at the warning track? Sucks to be him, I guess. But it didn’t suck to be Derek Jeter, who followed that drama with a big, big double to left center that also chased Iwakuma (up to this inning still cruising) from the game, and the Mariners gambled on their bullpen to hold it for the remainder to give their big hitters a chance to break the tie in the bottom.  Only that didn’t happen; what did I say about luck? Ellsbury singled to the other alley and Jeter raced in with the go ahead run. All you needed now was for Adam Warren to hold the lead into the ninth so that The Hamma’ could nail it down and get a sorely needed win. Could he do it? Sure, though Cano once again punched a hole in the theory that he was not going to be badly missed with yet another single.

So all that was left was to root for Robertson to save the game. Zunino struck out. Saunders struck out. Ackley walked, and Lloyd McClendon pinch hit John Buck for Brad Miller. Buck is that guy who strikes out a lot and has a scary low average, but when gets a hold of one, he beats it like it owes him money. The Hamma’ was having none of that. Swing! Swing! Oops… Swing! Good night (morning?) from the far reaches of the north west corner of the nation, see you again tomorrow. Hopefully, the Yanks will finally bring some more scoring with them.

But hey, they at least won, 3-2.

[photo: Positive Exposures]

Our boys limp into Safeco Field tonight.

Never mind the self-pity:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Via: USA Today]

Sad news being reported via Twitter. Bob Welch is dead at 57.

[Photo Via Getty Images]

I really enjoyed the discussion of digital vs. film from this interview with William Friedkin over at The Dissolve:

The Dissolve: It doesn’t sound like you’re especially nostalgic for celluloid.

Friedkin: Not at all. To me, it’s like old 78 rpm records vs. CDs. There’s no noise. When you listen to a CD, you’re listening to a pure sound, the way it was recorded. It’s still a recording; it isn’t the singer live in your living room, but it’s damn good. The old 78s and even the 33 1/3s and 45s always got scratched up. Eventually, they’d wear out. But they don’t know what the end tag on digital is. Nobody knows. It’s too new. But they’re beautiful. This is the best print ever made of Sorcerer.

The Dissolve: People have these endless debates about how vinyl sounds “warmer” than CDs, and then some musicians counter that what people call “warmth” is just low-end distortion. It has a certain cozy familiarity, but that doesn’t mean it’s accurate to the original recording.

Friedkin: Well, that’s how I feel about 35s. Look, there’s not going to be any more production of 35mm. There will only be the prints that still exist and are playable. Deluxe is out of business, and Technicolor is out of the 35 business. They’re done. That’s done. It was replaced by a great medium. They didn’t put junk out instead; they have improved the experience. An audience today knows when a print has got dirt and scratches. Who in the hell misses that? That wasn’t built in. It was a flaw of the process.

The Dissolve: I could give you the names of some people who miss it if you like.

Friedkin: There’s a lot of people, like Christopher Nolan—the only way to make a film is on 35? I just don’t buy that at all. He can’t release his films in 35mm. He can shoot 35mm, and then he has to transfer to digital to get it distributed. So you can be nostalgic and this and that, but it’s a waste of time.

[Photo Via: The Smithsonian]

Phone is ringin’, Oh my God.

Brett Gardner CF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alfonso Soriano RF
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Brian McCann C
Carlos Beltran DH
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Brendan Ryan 2B

Never mind the tributes:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Painting by Edward Hopper]

You know the old joke between the Sadist and the Masochist?

Masochist says, “Beat me, beat me.” Sadist says…”No.”

Yanks had the bases loaded, nobody out in the second inning against James Shields, and didn’t score a run. There were more chances but I won’t go into it. The Royals had a couple of hits drop in the next inning, scored twice, and that would be enough to win, 2-1.

I’ve been patient with this team so far this season. Yesterday, I yelled. The Wife had to tell me to pipe down. I was going to tell her that I’d pipe down when the Yanks started scoring some fuggin’ runs, but then I thought better of it.

[Photo Via: The Retrologist]

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Carlos Beltran DH
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Brian Roberts 2B
Kelly Johnson 1B

It’s our man Hiroki.

Never mind the heat:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Picture by Bags]

Takin’ it low and slow on a Sunday morning.

[Photo Credit: Viviana Peretti via MPD]

Yanks needed digestive relief after all. They were down 3-0 on the 6th when they scored 3 runs to tie the game. But David Phelps walked the first two batters in the bottom of the inning (he threw a 3-1 curve ball to the lead off hitter, Billy Butler), and you just knew that wasn’t going to turn out well. And it didn’t because Salvador Perez cranked a 3-run homer and that put the Royals ahead for good.

“Frustrating is a PG-rated word for it,” Phelps said after the game. “Pitching decent going into the later parts of the games, but it’s tough to win ballgames when you give up four runs in the sixth and seventh inning. It’s just frustrating. … I’ve just got to trust my stuff and throw something over the plate. I’m trying to make the game a lot harder than it needs to be.”

Bromo, indeed.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) Diner Scene from two40 on Vimeo.

Final Score: Royals 8, Yanks 4. 

[Photo Credit: Peachridge Glass]

Yanks and Royals, Saturday Night.

Never mind the Bromo:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Via: San Diegan]

I’ve found myself watching Met games more often this season because I enjoy the company of their announcing team, especially Keith Hernandez. Ron Darling and Mex are smart, cultured guys as well as good baseball men. I don’t always enjoy the company of the Yankee announcers but I really like watching a game when David Cone is in the booth. (He’d be a scream paired with Mex, wouldn’t he?) He’s funny, has a student’s knowledge of baseball history, and is keen on the modern analytical part of the game, too.

Cone is what I liked most about last night’s game. Oh yeah, it helped that Brian McCann finally got a big hit, Chase Whitley pitched 7 innings and that the Yanks won, 4-2, but Cone is why I didn’t flip the channel.

Four games in K.C.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Carlos Beltran DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Brian Roberts 2B
Brendan Ryan SS

[Photo Credit: Harry Gruyaert]

Mark Teixeira feels funny.

Here’s Mike Axisa on the Yankees’ top pick in the draft. 

[Photo Credit: Simon Willims]

We’d seen this before. The offense not able to score. The bullpen trying to hold on to a slim lead. With the tying run on second base and one out in the 9th, David Robertson kicked a ground ball that was headed to center field. It looked to be a sure base hit. The game was going to be tied. But the ball knocked off Robertson’s foot and shot over toward first base. Mark Teixeira took a great angle to it and fielded it cleanly. Robertson sprinted to first and Tex flipped the ball to his pitcher for the second out. It was one of those plays that usually never turn out well for the fielding team. This time it did. Robertson struck out the next hitter and the Yanks had a 2-1 win.

Six strong from Tanaka. He wasn’t dominant. The A’s battled him with some long at bats. But Tanaka was good enough. Betances in the 7th, Warren in the 8th, and then Robertson in the 9th.

With a little bit of luck.

[Picture by Bags]