Yanks are close. But close doesn’t count, do she?

People get ready. G’wan be lots of cheering tonight as the pennant is on the line for the New Yorkers.

Give ’em hell, boys:

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

Tonight’s starter, Big John Lackey on how to deal with Alex Rodriguez:

“You’ve got to pick your spots, obviously,’’ said John Lackey, the pitcher tasked with keeping Rodriguez off the bases in tonight’s elimination game for the Angels. “It’s tough to pitch around one guy in this lineup because they’re so deep. But if I pitch up to my capabilities, I think I’ll be OK. I’ve had a little bit of success against him [9 for 51 lifetime, 4 homers].

“It would be nice to get the guys out in front of him. That kind of limits the damage right there. You’ve got to try to get those guys out in front of him, and hopefully he’s hitting with nobody on base.’’
(Amalie Benjamin, Boston Globe)

Speaking of Lackey, Joseph Pawlikowski over at River Avenue Blues (the blog for the city that never sleeps), weighs in with his take on the man.

And then there is AJ Burnett.

When I think about Burnett, I can’t help but think of Todd Drew. Been thinking about Todd all day, really. Todd liked AJ, loved his stuff, was a fan. After two good outings so far this October I feel that Burnett is due for a clunker. But another part of me–the part that is touched by the Todd Drew Angel from Above–wonders if he won’t be onions, hunches be damned.

Which one of these?

“This is why I signed,” Burnett said before yesterday’s off-day workout. “The opportunity to pitch in the postseason, you know. …The first year over here I have an opportunity, so I’m taking full advantage of it. I cannot wait.”
(Pete Botte, New York Daily News)

Neither can we, Meat. Neither can we.

There is a show of Robert Frank’s most famous photographs at the MET. I haven’t been yet but plan of getting there soon as I’m a great fan of those pictures.  In the Times review, Holland Cotter writes:

I’m reading feelings in here, but I think Mr. Frank was reading them into his subjects, which is why his pictures, separately and together, feel so personally laden. At this point, in 1955, he was on the first leg of a transcontinental car trip that would last 10 months and take him 10,000 miles. He was still learning the American language, the language of race and class, a stranger in a strange land that was getting more baffling.

How did he come to be there? Born in a German Jewish family in Zurich in 1924, he was interested in picture making early on. He apprenticed with several leading local photographers in his teens; in his early 20s he was doing promising work, examples of which are in the Met show. But he was temperamentally restless and impulsive. He needed to leave home, so he headed for New York.

Years after he took these career-making pictures, Frank directed an infamous (and officially un-released) documentary about the Rolling Stones.

The Dodgers turn to one V. Padilla tonight as they hope to bring the series back to L.A.

Man, oh man, it is going to be tough to beat the Phillies though.

Skillz.

Mark Lamster’s second book was released this week. It is called Master of Shadows: The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens.  Dig this essay from the Wall Street Journal:

Today, Peter Paul Rubens is best remembered as the Old Master with a penchant for fleshy, pink nudes and baroque grandiosity. These perceptions suggest a man of unchecked libertinism, but Rubens was in fact a man of controlled appetites, with a modest disposition and a reputation for tact and discretion. Almost inevitably, given his proximity to monarchs and statesmen across Europe, he was conscripted into political service as a covert diplomat and spy; his artistic work could always provide cover for his clandestine activities.

Because we think of Rubens primarily as an artist, and because the political affairs of the 17th century are so remote, Rubens’s diplomatic career is neglected when it is not altogether forgotten. But a review of Rubens’s correspondence, along with other archival sources, suggests he played a central and active role in European statecraft. Indeed, many of his contemporaries considered him as skilled a diplomat as he was an artist, and he was then almost universally revered as a painter without rival.

Rubens worked primarily as an operative for the Spanish crown, which was engaged in a prolonged war with the nascent Dutch republic, an intractable conflict that had engulfed all of Europe’s powers and that extended fully around the globe. Rubens believed he could resolve this perpetual war, and he devoted several years of his life to this effort, risking all that he had achieved. His plan was triangular: he would arrange for a peace between Spain and England, with the expectation that England would then force its Dutch ally to compromise with Spain. It was a savvy bit of strategic thinking, but it would not work unless Rubens could convince England and Spain, traditional enemies, to come to terms.

Mark, known around these parts as the co-founder of YFSF, is nothing if not versatile and wildly talented.

I received my copy of the book this morning and it is stunningly handsome. Once the baseball season is over it’s at the top of my reading list. Congrats to Mark on the publication of what looks to be a terrific book. What an accomplishment, man. We’re proud to know him, count him as a friend, and wish him nothing but success.

Maybe one day he’ll post a picture of the 1975 Yankees bumper sticker he once showed me.

CC Sabathia’s performance in the fifth and sixth inning last night–bend don’t break, son–was the season for me. That was an ace out there. And Alex Rodriguez’s home run was about as satisfying as it gets. I knew they didn’t want Scott Kazmir to face Rodriguez again, not after Rodriguez had a good hack in his first at bat, and hit a line drive up the middle the next time up. So they bring in a reliever who threw a good pitch, down and in, and Rodriguez jacked it over the fence in left.

Mmmmm.

Oh yeah, and Johnny Damon’s home run in the eighth was none too shabby either.

Still one very big win left. So I ain’t countin’ no chickens. And, dag, for such a compelling win, there sure was some ugliness–Mr. Posada and Mr. Cano, I’m looking at you. But in the end, yeah, that was the way to respond to a tough loss, wasn’t it?

In some ways, and all the most important ones, this game went according to plan: C.C. Sabathia dominated, because he eats three-day rests for breakfast; A-Rod bashed the hell out of the ball again; and this time his teammates even decided to join him. The Yankees won emphatically, 10-1, and are now up three games to one in the ALCS.

In other ways, though, it was a bit of a mess; as I wrote earlier, if this game were an interwar German Expressionist film, it would be “The 1,000 Mental Errors of Dr. Mabuse”. Yankees and umpires alike made some baffling decisions this evening, though in the end the New York boomsticks made them pretty much irrelevant.

Sabathia started out strong, and got stronger. He went eight innings on only 101 pitches, allowed one run, struck out five and walked two. He was still touching 96 mph on FOX’s radar gun when Girardi pulled him and and, with a then-six-run lead, let Chad Gaudin (the bullpen’s Lonely Man) finish the game. It’s really impossible to overstate just how terrific Sabathia has been this October, and how valuable; the Yankees piled on the hits today, but even if their woes with runners in scoring position had continued, it might not have mattered.

Angels starter Scott Kazmir kept the Yankees off the board for three innings, but he looked plenty shaky in the process, with leadoff hits and walks and a metric ton of pitches thrown. (This might be some minor comfort to Mets fans after their painful season, if only it had been another team doing the damage). Finally, in the fourth, the rains came: A-Rod singled, moved to third on a Posada double, and scored with a close play at the plate on Cano’s fielder’s choice; then Nick Swisher walked to load the bases, and with the Yankees on an 0-for-26 skid with RISP, Melky Cabrera knocked a refreshing two-RBI single into left-field to put the Yanks up 3-zip.

The fourth inning also brought us the first of many blown calls, when Nick Swisher was caught too far off second base and tagged out by a foot, but was nonetheless called safe. Third base ump Tim McClelland then evened the blown-call score by calling Swisher out for supposedly tagging up from third too soon on Johnny Damon’s fly ball… even though replays showed he did not. (If a runner is wrongly called out when he should have been out on a previous play anyway, does it make a sound?) These shenanigans were only prelude to an incredibly odd series of events in the fifth, wherein both Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada were tagged out at third base during the same play, but only Posada was called out, and I’d like to explain it in more detail but frankly it still makes my head hurt, so just watch for yourself.

Anyway, before the ump oddness, the Yankees tacked on two more runs in the fifth with a Mark Teixeira single (nice, but his only hit of the night, so it’s too soon to say if he’s out of his slump) and then… you’ll never guess… yes, an Alex Rodriguez home run. Seriously. Another one. He is now slugging 1.000 in the ALCS, which is just stupid. In the bottom of that inning, Sabathia faced his only major threat of the night – a Kendry Morales solo shot and two singles – but he recovered and pretty much cruised from there on out. Three postseason starts, three earned runs.

The later innings were pretty low-stress for a change – and a good thing too, as Yankee fans have been, let’s just say, a mite on edge these last few days. Johnny Damon hit a two-run shot, Melky knocked in another couple of runs, and there were no terrifying extra-inning contortions to endure. This is the Angels we’re talking about, so I will not be lulled into a false sense of security, but I’m glad my stomach lining got a chance to recover before Thurday’s Game 5. Enjoy the off-day, Banterers.

From Roy Ayers to Teix, Cano (all the hitters, really) and the Big Fella.

It’s on you.

Go git ’em BOYS!

Okay, maybe a ‘lil bit.

I thought I’d find more Yankee fans in a state of fury today. But the ones I’ve spoken to have been reasonable.

One thing is for sure, everyone is placing the blame for yesterday’s loss squarely on Joe Girardi’s shoulders. As Cliff mentioned earlier it was a dispiriting loss. Tit for tit, as Dwight Schrute would say. Yanks won a tough one on Saturday, lost a tough one on Monday.

Still, the Bombers have Sabathia on the hill tonight in a game that feels like Game 4 of the ALCS in 1998–the El Duque game. I was dating a girl in Brooklyn at the time and I was sick that night, my stomach killing me. So I begged out of going to a party with her–she was not pleased or understanding, and the relationship didn’t last too long after that–and went back to her apartment and watched that game in bed, hiding under the covers for most of it.

I have faith in CC though and am eager to see how the Yanks bounce back after a tough loss. Let’s see what kind of onions these dudes really have, eh?

Today’s news is powered by . . . cellos and Metallica:

• CC on 3 days rest? No problem:

. . . And in four career regular-season starts made on three days’ rest, he (Sabathia) has posted a 3-1 record and a 1.01 ERA, averaging nearly a strikeout per inning.

“You know that going on certain rest that you’re not going to have your best fastball,” Sabathia said. “So you’ve just got to stay under control and make sure your delivery is good, and make sure you go out there and throw strikes.”

. . . the Yankees also knew that the benefits would last more than one game. Starting Sabathia on short rest would also allow them to use A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte on regular rest in Games 5 and 6, before bringing Sabathia back on regular rest, if necessary, for a potential Game 7 at Yankee Stadium.

. . . Amassing 230 innings in the regular season, Sabathia fell short of his 2008 regular-season total by 23 innings. And so he entered the postseason fresh.

“You look at everything,” Girardi said. “The thing about CC is he doesn’t have the amount of innings that he had the last two years in the regular season. We slowed him down. He’s been able to have extra rest, and that’s why we feel good about it. We wouldn’t ask him to do something that we didn’t think he was capable of, or that he didn’t have a chance to be successful at.”

• 20 post-season homers for the Captain.
• MLB.com heaps praise on Mo:

Rivera’s 36 saves in postseason play are the most in Major League history. The most remarkable aspect of those saves is that 12 of them have been two innings or more. Rivera’s 0.72 postseason ERA — spread over 81 appearances — is also tops for anyone with at least 30 innings.

Girardi got three rings as a player, largely because of Rivera. Now, he hopes to ride his closer to another as manager.

“I think the Yankees have been very blessed to have Mo over this long run that he has had,” Girardi said. “Obviously, if you blow a save during the regular season, you have a lot of time to make up for that. But if you blow a save during the postseason, in a short series, there’s not quite so much time. He has meant so much to this organization and to the success of this organization in the playoffs.”

(more…)

‘Nuff said.

With two wins in their first two tries against the Angels, the Yankees once again have me feeling good. Just like last week, when I profiled Walt “No Neck” Williams, I’m in the mood to talk about one of my favorite ex-Yankees, one who reminds me of Game Two hero Jerry Hairston, Jr. This time the happy spotlight falls upon Cesar Tovar, who was even more versatile than the Yankees’ current utility infielder.

Tovar’s Yankee career didn’t amount to much. He batted a mere .154 in a handful of games in 1976, brought back by an appreciative Billy Martin, who had managed him with the Minnesota Twins in 1969. I wish Tovar had played longer with the Yankees, if only because he was a damned interesting character, a fun player on the field who lived to the fullest—sometimes a bit too full—off the field.

Originally signed by the Cincinnati Reds’ organization, Tovar never actually played for the Red Legs. In 1964, they traded him to the Twins, where he would make his major league debut the following year. Foreshadowing the careers of players like Randy Velarde, Tony Phillips and Mark DeRosa, the undersized Tovar eventually moved into a kind of “super utility” role, playing almost every day, but usually at different positions. Tovar didn’t seem to care where he played, just so long as he did get in the game. His boundless enthusiasm, determination, and hard-nosed approach all gained him favor with the Twins.

The native Venezuelan also impressed the Twins’ brass with his speed and willingness to sacrifice his five-foot, nine-inch, 155-pound body. Aggressive on the basepaths, he tried to steal bases at every opportunity. Tovar weighed relatively little, but he had a strong, muscular build, with little body fat. He particularly seemed to enjoy getting hit by pitches, which provided him with another way to reach first base. As former Twins beat writer Bob Fowler once explained to me, Tovar never flinched, instead taking pride with each hit-by-pitch.

(more…)

More cold, more rain in New York today. Woke up late, read the paper, smiled, and read the sports page again. Wanted to go to the movies but the rain and the cold and the sleepiness and…nah. So, I shopped, cooked my wife food for the week, and then made the princess pancakes.

After that, I made like so:

Content. Allowed myself a day off from worry and anxiety.

There’ll be plenty of time for that tomorrow and the rest of the week. In the meantime, there’s a ball game tonight.

Here, here. Chin, chin, and Enjoy!

Joe Buck summarized it perfectly in the ninth inning: “What. A. Game.”

Game 2 of the American League Championship Series went the way pundits and prognosticators figured every game between the Yankees and Angels would. There was great pitching, timely fielding, and enough punching and counter-punching from both sides to merit an HBO documentary. And like Game 2 of the Division Series against the Minnesota Twins, nine innings weren’t enough to decide the outcome.

Question marks defined the lead-up. Would the weather hold? Would AJ Burnett? How quickly would the Yankees offense strike against Joe Saunders and get into the Angels’ bullpen? Would the Angels rebound after matching the worst defensive performance in their postseason history?

The answers were yes (until the ninth inning); yes, sort of quickly but not with enough oomph to force Scioscia’s hand; and kindasorta.

The scoring reflected the team’s personalities: The Yankees flexed their power while the Angels thrived on their speed and ability to execute small ball. In no inning was this more apparent than the 11th: Alfredo Aceves followed 2 1/3 innings of splendid relief by Mariano Rivera by promptly walking the leadoff man, Gary Matthews, Jr. A sacrifice bunt by Erick Aybar put the lead run in scoring position for Chone Figgins, whose first hit of the postseason plated Matthews to give the Angels a 3-2 lead. In the bottom half, Angels closer Brian Fuentes, who led the AL with 48 saves during the regular season and was a stalwart to the Colorado Rockies’ run to the World Series two years ago, made the mistake of throwing an 0-2 fastball up and out over the plate to Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod drilled a line drive to right field — a 320-foot Yankee Stadium Special into the second row to tie the game at 3-3.

”I just can’t imagine a scenario where you would go braindead and want to do that,” said MLB Network’s Joe Magrane, referring to Fuentes’s decision on 0-and-2 to throw the fastball in that location.

There were times over the next few innings where both teams wasted scoring opportunities. Jeff Mathis belted a two-out double in the top of the 12th and was stranded when Matthews struck out to end the inning. In the Yankees’ half, A-Rod popped up with the bases loaded and the winning run on third. In the top of the 13th, Robinson Cano, for the second time in the game, misplayed a routine grounder off the bat of Aybar. And for the second time, the pitcher bailed him out; David Robertson induced an inning-ending groundout from Vladimir Guerrero, which left Aybar at third base.

The Yankees did not waste their chance in the 13th. Jerry Hairston, Jr.’s leadoff single plus Brett Gardner’s sac bunt had the Yankees set up well. After an intentional walk to Cano, Melky Cabrera, the Yankees’ designated walk-off king during the regular season, hit a bouncer to Maicer Izturis at second base and Izturis, instead of getting the sure out at first base, threw to second to try to force Cano. The throw was wide, pulled Aybar off the bag and rolled to Figgins, who had a play on Hairston at the plate. Figgins bobbled the ball, Hairston scored and the Yankees won thanks to another Angels miscue. The Yankees’ ability to play small-ball and manufacture runs has been lost in the series analysis.

From a fan standpoint, it was a welcome sight to see the Yankees celebrate another extra-inning playoff win. The last time the Yankees played an extra-inning game in the LCS was 2004, when David Ortiz singled home the winning run in the 14th inning of Game 5 to keep that epic comeback alive.

Now it’s on to California, and the big question: With a 2-0 series lead, regardless of what happens Monday, will Sabathia pitch Game 4?

(more…)

The rain has held off all day. Though the skies remain gray and threatening, it seems they’ll get Game One of the ALCS in. I only hope it’s without interruption. Even still, it should be a miserable night to be out there as temperatures dipping into the 30s could get downright icy with some precipitation. In the comments the other day, Sliced Bread compared the weather to an air-conditioned car wash. CC Sabathia has spent his career pitching for teams in Cleveland and Milwaukee, but one wonders if the cold could be partially to blame for his perennially poor Aprils. Either way, here’s hoping he waxes the Angels tonight.

As a sort of pregame show, here’s the latest Bronx Banter Breakdown staring Alex, myself, and Ted Berg talking Yankees-Angels ALCS. My massive series preview is the post below this one. We can’t get any more ready. Play ball!

I keep reading these missives from the mainstream media that breathlessly wonder how the Yankees are going to deal with the Angels’ attack-dog offense, their aggressive baserunning, and their deep starting pitching. Well, here’s what I want to know. How are the Angels going to deal with the Yankees, who scored more runs than any major league team in the regular season, have the best starting pitcher of the two teams in the ALCS, and feature a far deeper and more dynamic bullpen? How are the Angels going to deal with a balanced lineup filled with hitters who know how to control the strike zone, most notably Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez? And just how will an undermanned Angels bullpen handle a lineup that features four switch-hitters in Mark Teixeira, Jorge Posada, Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera, making favorable late-inning matchups a difficult proposition?

Perhaps it’s just the usual glass-half-empty approach from an overly paranoid New York press crew, but all of the expressed concerns about the Angels have me wondering how the Yankees could possibly be favored by the oddsmakers. It seems to me that all of the fawning analysis about the Angels ignores two basic facts: 1) the Yankees, and not the Angels, led the major leagues with 103 wins and 2) the Yankees won three of the final four head-to-head matchups against their longtime nemeses. Maybe it’s just me, but an objective analysis of the teams and their accomplishments has me thinking optimistically about the Yankees’ chances. For what it’s worth, I’ll take the Yankees in six.

(more…)

It is bone cold in New York. And it is raining.

How they plan to play this weekend I don’t know.

I don’t know if Bobby Abreu is a Hall of Famer–he’ll probably walk too much when all is said and done–but he sure is in the Hall of the Extremely Good. (Back in 2005, Rany Jazayerli of Baseball Prospectus called him “the most underrated player in the game.”) I enjoyed him as a Yankee and am thrilled that he’s had such a good season for the Angels. Talk about a value!

Plus, he’s got great teeth and a winning smile.

Seeing someone with great teeth and a winning smile like Bobby Abreu can inspire a desire for a confident and healthy smile of our own. Taking care of our dental health is essential, and visiting a trusted dental clinic can help us achieve that goal. With advanced dental care services and expert professionals, clinics like Dental Made Easy Brooklyn NY provide comprehensive solutions for all our oral health needs. From routine check-ups and cleanings to cosmetic treatments and orthodontics, they offer a range of services to enhance our smiles and maintain optimal dental well-being. So, just like Bobby Abreu’s captivating smile, if you’re longing to have a radiant smile of your own, consider scheduling an appointment at a reputable dental clinic near you to embark on a journey towards a confident and healthy set of teeth.

Tyler Kepner profiles Abreu today in the Times:

“When you see a player every day, you really get a feel for him,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. “At times, you’re maybe a little disappointed in what a player brings and you thought it was a little different package. With Bobby, it’s been nothing but exclamation points.”