It’s Rasner vs. Duchscherer tonight in Oakland.

Can the Bombers jump to two whole games over .500?

I can’t call it, man.

Let’s Go Yanks!

Or…

Joe P takes on Joe D and Junior Griffey.  This is a good one. 

The 13 strikeouts just boggles the mind. 

A friend send me this link to a great audio piece on James Brown. 

Peep, don’t sleep.

Eliot was one of the great characters in baseball.
–Jim Bouton

 Eliot Asinof, the accomplished author most famous in baseball circles for Eight Men Out, his classic narrative of the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Asinof enjoyed a long, varied career, that saw him through the dark days of the blacklist, and later found him flourishing as a screen writer, journalist–he was a frequent contributor to the New York Times magazine in the late ’60s and also wrote for Sports Illustrated–and author (he wrote about civil rights in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, the television industry as well as many novels).

One of his novels, The Fox is Crazy Too, about a con man/master criminal who pretends to be insane to escape responsibility for his crimes, was found alongside a handful of books and a postcard addressed to Jodie Foster in John Hinckley Jr’s hotel room the day Hinckley shot President Ronald Reagan. Asinof was once married to Jocelyn Brando, Marlon’s sister, and he also dated Rita Moreno.

This morning, I received the following e-mail from Roger Kahn:

Eliot was a fine and gifted friend, with a remarkable work ethic and an enduring anger at what he perceived to be injustice. Aside from his writing, quite an aside, he was a good ball player, a good carpenter, a good chef, and an excellent pianist.

He was an Army lieutenant during World War II, sent to lead a platoon on Adak Island. Since a Japanese invasion of the Aleutians seemed imminent, this was not exactly a plum assignment. "You’ll love it on Adak," his colonel told him. "There’s a beautiful woman behind every tree."

As Eliot told me more than once, "When I got there, I found there are no trees on Adak Island."

Ralph Blumenfeld, writing in the New York Post, once described Asinof as "balding and muscular, a cross between Ben Hogan and Leo Durocher on looks." After graduating from Swarthmore college in 1940, Asinof played in the Phillies farm system for a few years before being drafted. "My bonus was a box of cigars," Asnioff told Blumenfeld, "and I didn’t smoke."

In 1955, Asinof published a baseball novel, "Man on Spikes," roughly based on the career of a friend as well as his own stint in pro ball. In a recent e-mail, John Schulian told me: 

You could smell the sweat of honest labor on Asinof’s work.  If you’ve read "Eight Men Out," you know what I mean.  But there’s something about "Man on Spikes" that touches me even more profoundly, for here was a guy who’d kicked around in the bushes describing just how back-breaking and heartbreaking that life can be.  I never met Asinof, but I like to think that he carried what baseball taught him to his grave.

In the original New York Times review, John Lardner wrote:

Eliot Asinof, in giving his reasons for writing "Man on Spikes," says, "The folklore and flavor of baseball fascinated me then [when he was playing ball in the Philadelphia Phillies’ farm system, some years ago], and it still does today." That sounds a little ominous; but Mr. Asinof, I’m gald to say, has not let his sense of the game’s folk-meaning involve him in a Bunyaneque or a comic-Faustian or a dream-symbol treatment of baseball. "Man on Spikes" is a plain and honest book, the first realistic baseball novel I can remember having read."

Years later, in a piece on the All-Star team of baseball fiction, Daniel Okrent wrote (also in the Times):

In print for about an hour and a half in the middle 50s, Asinof’s book is about a young man of endeniable talent, whose career is thwarted and eventually destroyed by the arrogance of the men who ran baseball back then, and the servitude players were forced to live in. It is a harsh book, unsettling and, finally, depressing. It is also perhaps the truest baseball novel ever written.

(more…)

Right Place, Wang Time? Wang Turn? If Loving You Is Wang I Don’t Want To Be Right?

Generally speaking, scoring twice in the first inning and then not at all for the next seven frames is not a recipe for success. But the Yankees made it work last night, thanks mostly to Chien-Ming Wang’s return to form, and pulled out a 3-1 win over the surprisingly non-crappy Oakland Athletics to go one game over .500 yet again. (As Cliff noted last night, the A’s aren’t likely to keep up this pace, but it’s still an impressive start for a team whose biggest star is probably… I don’t know, Eric Chavez, I guess? One day I’d love to see what Billy Beane could do with a payroll of more than $17.83.)

Wang was efficient through seven and a third, and while Oakland’s leadoff batter reached base in EVERY SINGLE inning, Wang allowed just one run, thanks to a bevy of ground balls and well-timed double plays. Apparently pitching coach Dave Eiland had urged him to “get the ball out of his glove a little bit quicker,” which would improve his sinker. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what that really means or why it would be true, but it seems to have helped.

In fact, even Wang’s one run allowed should have been unearned. It came in the 4th inning, after Wilson Betemit made what looked to me like an obvious and fairly egregious error on a Jack Cust grounder, but it was ruled a hit, and the run eventually scored. “Isn’t this the big leagues?” asked a bewildered Ken Singleton when the scoring decision was announced. Betemit is a pretty ungainly defender, so it’s a good thing his bat makes up for… oh, wait.

Anyway. Earned or un-, the Athletics’ lone run wasn’t enough. The Yanks scored their decisive two in the first, when Derek Jeter walked and Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi (ignoring his usual warm and loving reception from the Oakland fans) each hit RBI singles. Oakland starter Dana Eveland was described by Joe Girardi, after the game, as “conveniently wild,” which sounds about right. He walked six, but his stuff was good and unpredictable, and the Yankees never really got a rally going. In the ninth Melky Cabrera homered off our old pal Keith Foulke, tacking on an insurance run which Mariano Rivera, pitching for the 4th straight day, didn’t need.

Perhaps it’s just that I’d gotten used to the perma-calm of Joe Torre, but I’m always struck by Joe Girardi’s intense emotional reaction to pretty much every game: you can watch him in a postgame interview and tell within seconds whether the Yankees won or not. It’s not just his facial expression, either — he actually appears pale and worn if they don’t win, like he’s in physical pain. While it’s nice to know how much he cares, that can’t be healthy, can it?

Miscellaneous thoughts:

-The As pitched Jason Giambi up and in all night – guess they read the scouting report – which resulted in two pitches barely missing his head and a third hitting him in the back. I very much doubt that any of that was at all intentional, but: if you can’t pitch up and in safely, don’t pitch up and in. The pitch in his first at-bat looked like it came within a few inches of his skull.

-In the sixth inning Giambi actually tagged up and moved to second on a fly ball, and it was quite a sight. When your own family, watching in the stands, cracks up imitating your running style, you know you don’t exactly have the grace of a gazelle. Still, between that and his shift-beating RBI hit in the first, it had to be a satisfying day for the Porn ‘Stache of Doom.

-In the 8th, Alex Rodriguez reminded everyone that catching pop ups remains the one and only element of baseball he’s not great at. It’s hard to understand how someone can rush to 500 home runs in record time, steal bases with a high success rate, throw bullets, and field efficiently after learning a completely new position halfway through his career…yet go sprawling awkwardly while failing to nab a routine pop-up. I’m not complaining — it’s just odd.

-Joe Girardi went to Jose Veras in the 8th, after Wang was pulled, and Mariano Rivera in the 9th for the fourth straight day, the first time Rivera’s pitched in that many consecutive games since 2005. Kyle Farnsworth was available, apparently not bothered by the “fatigue” in his bicep, but I’d say Joe Girardi is suffering from Farnsworth fatigue. Every baseball fan in the tristate area, to Girardi, in unison: We told you so.

Oakland Athletics

2007 Record: 76-86 (.469)
2007 Pythagorean Record: 79-83 (.489)

2008 Record: 34-29 (.540)
2008 Pythagorean Record: 37-26 (.588)

Manager: Bob Geren
General Manager: Billy Beane

Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Oakland Coliseum (93/93)

Who’s Replacing Whom:

Daric Barton inherits Dan Johnson’s playing time
Kurt Suzuki inherits Jason Kendall’s playing time
Emil Brown replaces Shannon Stewart
Travis Buck inherits Mark Kotsay’s playing time
Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Sweeney (DL) replace Nick Swisher
Mike Sweeney and Frank Thomas replace Mike Piazza
Rajai Davis is filling in for Mike Sweeney (DL) and Frank Thomas (DL)
Donnie Murphy and Jack Hannahan inherit Marco Scutaro’s playing time
Gregorio Petit is filling in for Donnie Murphy (DL)
Dana Eveland replaces Dan Haren
Greg Smith replaces Joe Kennedy and Dallas Braden (minors)
Rich Harden replaces Lenny DiNardo (minors) in the rotation
Justin Duchscherer replaces Chad Gaudin in the rotation
Chad Gaudin replaces Colby Lewis and Ruddy Lugo in the bullpen
Huston Street reclaims half of his save opportunities from Alan Embree
Embree replaces those save opportunities with innings reclaimed from Ron Flores
Keith Foulke replaces Jay Marshall
Brad Zielger is filling in for Santiago Casilla (DL)

25-man Roster:

1B – Daric Barton (L)
2B – Mark Ellis (R)
SS – Bobby Crosby (R)
3B – Eric Chavez (L)
C – Kurt Suzuki (R)
RF – Travis Buck (L)
CF – Carlos Gonzalez (L)
LF – Emil Brown (R)
DH – Jack Cust (L)

Bench:

L – Jack Hannahan (3B/IF)
R – Rajai Davis (OF)
R – Gregorio Petit (IF)
S – Rob Bowen (C)

Rotation:

R – Rich Harden
L – Dana Eveland
R – Justin Duchscherer
R – Joe Blanton
L – Greg Smith

Bullpen:

R – Huston Street
R – Kiko Calero
L – Alan Embree
R – Keith Foulke
R – Andrew Brown
R – Chad Gaudin
R – Brad Ziegler

15-day DL: R – Frank Thomas (DH), R – Mike Sweeney (1B), L – Ryan Sweeney (OF), R – Donnie Murphy (IF), R – Santiago Casilla, R – Joey Devine

Typical Lineup:

R – Mark Ellis (2B)
R – Bobby Crosby (SS)
L – Jack Cust (DH)
L – Eric Chavez (3B)
R – Emil Brown (LF)
L – Travis Buck (RF)
L – Daric Barton (1B)
L – Carlos Gonzalez (CF)
R – Kurt Suzuki (C)

(more…)

New York Sun columnist Tim Marchman is interviewed by Maury Brown:

Marchman: The Yankees are entertaining as usual; this is a transition year for them and I’m mainly surprised that they seem to be sticking with the idea of developing the young talent while trying to squeeze a last run out of the older players, rather than visibly panicking. I do have the sense that Hank Steinbrenner could become a really serious problem for them, just because you never want an owner expressing opinions on which players should be in the rotation or the lineup, especially when those opinions are different from those of people with actual professional qualifications, but for right now he’s a harmless diversion. The Yankees may not be good, but there’s never any sense of abject hopelessness about them, and that puts them up on the Mets.

…Bizball: We’re about to see the end of two very different stadiums in New York in Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium. As they get ready to dance off into the sunset, what are your thoughts on the two?

Marchman: I’m utterly appalled by both of them. Yankee Stadium is on the merits one of the worst places in the country to watch a ballgame, and there’s really little that’s more hilarious in baseball than the pretense that this giant concrete bowl is some magnificent cathedral and monument to the glories of the game. It just drips with pompousness and fake old-timiness, and I won’t miss it at all. Shea Stadium has immense sentimental value to me, but while I consider the giant neon ballplayer on the side, the apple in the hat, the swamp gas rising from the field and so on to be really charming, in essence it’s the physical representation of the whole failed idea of Queens as the locus of the future and as such is somewhat depressing. Mainly I think it’s too bad that the new Yankees park is displacing public parks, that the Mets park is displacing the really vibrant chop shop district at Willets Point, and that both seem to be simultaneously titanic monuments to a really bombastic idea of New York and utterly divorced from the life of the city. At least one of them should have been built in Brooklyn.

Congrats to Junior Griffey for hitting home run #600.

Last Friday I went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I didn’t expect much even though I like Jason Segel. The thought of another comedy about a self-loathing/pitying sensitive meathead turned me off, and I thought the trailers were shaky. But Segel is ideally suited for the role, he was shrewd enough not to over-play it (his woe-is-me rendition of "The Muppet Show" had me in stiches) and I enjoyed the movie a good deal. Russell Brand and Kristen Bell were both winning and Mila Kunis was fine as the down-to-earth wild child. But there was something missing in Kunis’ performance. Like I said, she was fine, but not inspired.

The part was limiting–it was more of a fantasy than a real-life character–but she didn’t add anything to it. If anything, it showed her limitations as an actress–she’s all big eyes and pursed lips, like a young girl, not woman. Which is a shame because there was an opportunity for something more. At first her character seems innocent, later it turns out that she’s had a volatile past. But the movie doesn’t turn–like it did when Ray Liotta showed up in Something Wild and the movie really became threatening, wild. Which is also fine.

But it got me to thinking about actors who go beyond the limitations of the script, who bring more to the table. I’m thinking of Debra Winger in Urban Cowboy or Officer and a Gentleman. Maybe there should be a VORS (Value Above Replacement Script) award. For me, no actor has consistently been better than his material than Gene Hackman. Some great actors can be miscast, but that never seems to be the case with Hackman. But he’s been in some lousy movies. Still, he is always credible, authentic, and has the ability to make magic out of bad material. Not every great actor can do that.

Who are some others? Spencer Tracy. Who else?

Wish I was there…

How do you beat the heat?

The Yankee bats let Mike Mussina down and Mo Rivera got tagged for another homer as the Royals beat the Spanks 3-2 today at the Stadium.  Mussina was terrific, allowing just two runs in eight innings (89 pitches total).  Alex Rodriguez cracked a two-run dinger to tie the game in the seventh.  But Jose Guillen hit a lead-off homer against Rivera in the ninth.  Mo yelled as Guillen circled the bases.  The frustraing game ended fittingly when Melky Cabrera tapped out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.  All of which will make for a long trip to the coast.

One step forward, one step back.  Hard to know what you make of these guys, but the record says it all: 2-2 split against an awful Kansas City team and 32-32 overall.

Dag, it’s hot. 

If Mike Mussina becomes the first pitcher in the American League to reach ten wins?  (Considering how well he’s been going, perhaps that’s pushing our luck.  The Royals aren’t a good offensive ball club, but considering how hot it is out there, I don’t exactly expect a pitcher’s duel today, do you?)

So, wouldn’t it just be nice if the Yanks win?  If Jorge, Giambi and Rodriguez keep mashing?  

If we could find old quotes (Joe Posnanski on Johnny Damon) as good as this one? 

Or how about, if we could all stay cool?

You Gots to Chill.

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

Crazy hot in New York.  Don’t be a Herb, keep hydrated.

In his first major league start last Tuesday, Joba Chamberlain was both inefficient and undermined by his pitch count. The Blue Jays entered the game with a game plan of taking pitches to get Chamberlain out of the game, and it worked like a charm. Chamberlain is a swing-and-miss pitcher who has thus far in his major league career succeeded by fooling hitters with nose-diving sliders and blowing them away with fastballs that are often above the strike zone. By letting those pitches go by, the Jays were able to draw four walks and drive Chamberlain from the game after just 2 1/3 innings despite picking up just one hit, a weak single through the infield.

Today, with a higher pitch limit and facing a less accomplished team, Chamberlain faced 18 batters before walking one, and pitched into the fifth inning despite throwing just 16 more pitches than in his previous start. In his first start, Chamberlain threw just one more than half of his pitches for strikes, but facing the Royals today, he threw 68 percent of his 78 pitches for strikes. In his first start he threw just two curveballs and otherwise stuck to his fastball and slider. Today, he threw eight curveballs and three changeups.

(more…)

After my visit to the Farmer’s Market yesterday I just had to stop on 207 to get the best chicken I’ve been able to find uptown. Doesn’t matter that they don’t speak English in there. It ain’t hard to say “Pollo.” I didn’t care that I had to wait 25 minutes at the lunch counter, with the homely but tough and unsmiling dark-skinned women just inches away, everyone sweating profusely. The chicken is worth the wait. Plus, I like the commotion, the smells, the language, the music, the heat and the sweat.

Speaking of mmm, mmm good, we’ve got a tasty pitching match-up today at the Stadium, as the talented Mr. Greinke goes against Joba Chamberlain. It’s going to be nothing short of oppressive as far as the heat is concerned. Should be interesting to see if these two young pitchers can keep the ball from flying out of the yard.

Over at the Post, Mike Vaccaro writes about Joba and ‘splains why, at last count, there are 43,792 compelling reasons why baseball is the greatest game. Which brings to mind a smug, but amusing piece that Tom Boswell wrote years ago, “99 Reasons Why Baseball is Better Than Football.”

Here are just a couple:

9. Baseball has a bullpen coach blowing bubble gum with his cap turned around backward while leaning on a fungo bat; football has a defensive coordinator in a satin jacket with a headset and a clipboard.

25. More good baseball books appear in a single year than have been written about football in the past fifty years.

37. Baseball statistics open a world to us. Football statistics are virtually useless or, worse, misleading.

54. At a football game, you almost never leave saying, “I never saw a play like that before.” At a baseball game, there’s almost always some new wrinkle.

64. Baseball means Spring’s Here. Football means Winter’s Coming.

78. In baseball, fans catch foul balls. In football, they raise a net so you can’t even catch an extra point.

82. Football coaches walk across the field after the game and pretend to congratulate the opposing coach. Baseball managers head right for the beer.

86. Baseball measures a gift for dailiness.

89. Football is played best full of adrenaline and anger. Moderation seldom finds a place. Almost every act of baseball is a blending of effort and control; too much of either is fatal.

92. Turning the car radio dial on a summer night.

Let’s everyone try and stay cool today while the Yankee bats stay hot.

At one point, Louie grabs his grandson’s bottle of Gatorade and takes a drink.  The boy says, "Aw, Grandpa, it’s too hot to be sharing drinks."

Louie chuckles and says, "That’s okay, cause in a little while it’s gunna be too hot to be paying for any drinks." 

(more…)

Fireworks in the Boogie Down.

The Yankees won a wild one on a scorching hot afternoon in the Bronx. Down 5-1 early, they rallied to tie the game, chasing Brian Bannister in the process. They took the lead in the fifth on a long solo home run, an upper deck job, by Jason Giambi. But Andy Pettitte couldn’t hold it. He was Bad Andy early and Bad Andy late today. The Royals tied the game at six in the seventh inning and then Jose Guillen ripped a high fastball off Pettitte for a grand slam.

The Yanks were not done. Alex Rodriguez absolutely crushed a two-run dinger in the bottom of the inning–the ball short-hopped the retaining wall of the left field bleachers, and then Johnny Damon singled home two runs in the eighth to tie the game again, this time at ten. The Yanks still had a chance to go ahead. With two men on, Bobby Abreu hit a long line drive to left center field for the second out before Rodriguez grounded out to end the inning.

So what happens next? David DeJesus smacks the first pitch he sees from Mariano Rivera, a flat cutter that got too much of the plate, for a home run into the right center field bleachers and the air goes out of the Stadium. Silence. It reminded me of when I was at the Garden and Reggie Miller scored seven points in the last twenty seconds against the Knicks. It wasn’t that upsetting but it was that quiet. And it was hotter today too.

An unshaven Rivera turned to watch the ball and flexed his right hand open several times. It was the first homer Rivera has allowed since last August, a span of 45 innings. He shook and then bowed his head, came back and retired the next three batters in order.

Joakim Soria got Jason Giambi to line out to start the ninth and then Jorge Posada slammed the first pitch he saw into the right field seats and the game was even one more time. Posada’s shot was a liner, only question was if it was going to stay fair.

“Whoever loses this game, that’s about as hard a loss to take right there.” said David Cone on the YES broadcast.

Soira retired Robbie Cano, walked Wilson Betemit, and then gave up a full-swing, cheap-o, infield single to Melky Cabrera. Damon worked the count in his favor and then lined the 3-1 pitch on a hop to the right field wall, good for the game winner. Oh, it was Damon’s sixth hit of the game, giving him a nifty 6-6, 4 RBI line. It was also the first “walk off” hit in Damon’s career as a Yank.

That was exhausting, but the final score is sweet:

Yanks 12, Royals 11.

The Yanks need a bounce-back win this afternoon against one of Joe Posnanski’s favorites, Brian Bannister.  It is hotter n July hot in the Bronx today–hot, hazy, dumb hot.  Andy Pettitte goes for the Yanks.  The ball should be a-jumping, boy. 

Keep cool, y’all and…

Let’s go Yan-Kees!

“We think our team should get over that .500 mark,” said Damon, who went 0 for 5 to end his 14-game hitting streak. “We had a great game yesterday, and today our offense puttered. That shouldn’t happen to our offense. We’re supposed to be better than this.”
(Kepner, N.Y. Times)

Darrell Rasner pitched eight effective innings on Friday night, throwing 118 pitches in all, the most for a Yankee pitcher this season. He left trailing 2-1 and lost the game 2-1. What a drag. In the bottom of the eighth, with two out and runners on first and second, Jason Giambi was called out on a full-count, check-swing. It was a bogus call, but sold experptly by the Kansas City catcher, and it effectively ended the Yankees’ night.

“I took a good at-bat, can’t do anything more than that,” Giambi said after cooling off for almost an hour after the game ended. “I really love and respect (home plate umpire) Ed Montague and I’d never say anything bad against him. There’s not much else I can do about it now.”
(Peter Botte, N.Y. Daily News)

It says something about Montague’s reputation that Giambi didn’t rip him even thought he was unhappy with the call. But one call did not do them in; the Yankee bats were silenced by Kyle Davies. The men in pinstripes also got a look at Joakim Soria, Kansas City’s impressive young closer. He did not disappoint, overpowering the Yanks in the 9th.

While the big boys fizzled, Tyler Kepner brings word of a wild night in the minors. Chad Jennings adds that Jeff Kartsens is close to returning.

In other news, the Yanks are talking to Brian Cashman about extending the GM’s contract. According to Peter Botte in the Daily News:

The organization’s co-chairman said the sides are “a ways away” from announcing a contract extension, adding “there’s a good chance” such an agreement will not be done until after the 2008 season.

“I told him we want him back and he wants to come back, but he’ll take some time to talk it over with his family,” Steinbrenner said Friday. “I feel comfortable with leaving the baseball end of it in his hands. But I also told him he has to make up his mind on what he wants to do. Obviously, nobody’s irreplaceable.

“But we want him to stay. I want to make that clear.”

I have been assuming that Cashman would finally bolt after this year, but perhaps he’ll stay after all. I’m no expert on his track record but I’ve always admired the way Cashman conducts his business and would be pleased to see him stay with the Yanks.