You have to think funny tonight, even if you’re also sad, because we’ve got Yogi in our thoughts and in our conversations. That’s a pretty good guy to have on the brain, don’t you think?

So let’s hope the Yanks win this one cause that’s another thing Yogi was about–winning. When it counted. Hardly anybody did it more.

Who the hell knows what to expect from Ivan Nova tonight. He looked lost last time out and now he’s got to face the Gashouse Gorillas. I mean, it really could be a long night. Guess that’ll just give the announcers more time to talk about Yogi. Might be worth listening to John and Suzyn tonight, come to think of it. That’ll be boozy n schmoozy.

Never mind the eulogizing, (there’s a game to play):

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Fabrizio Raschetti]

R.I.P Yogi.

Here’s the obit I wrote for SI:

Yogi. It’s hard not to smile when you hear his name. You might think of his goofy mug, with the crooked smile that looked as if it had been ripped from the funny pages. Then there’s the oddly-shaped wrestler’s body—squat torso, long arms—that inspired his first Yankees manager to call him “the Ape.” And of course then there were the malapropisms, some authentic, others invented by sportswriters, which he delivered in a monotone sprinkled with the flat A’s of his Midwestern roots.

If anyone didn’t like Yogi Berra, it could only have been someone who played on the teams he helped beat so relentlessly for 19 seasons. Then again, many of his opponents and their fans echoed the sentiments of my father, whose love for the Brooklyn Dodgers was matched only by his hatred of the Yankees: Once, when I asked him if he hated Yogi, Dad looked at me with incredulity. “How can you hate Yogi?”

As Mickey Mantle said, “He was the guy who made the Yankees almost seem human.”

Photo Via: N.Y. Times

I was walking past Madison Square Garden last night when I looked in the window of a restaurant and saw Alex Rodriguez batting on a the giant screen TV inside. He popped out but the Yanks had a 2-0 lead. By the time I got home to the Bronx–following the action on my Gameday App and listening to the radio call–the Jays had tied it. (Severino pitched well.) I watched the game with The Wife, doing my best to behave in the face of what seemed like pending doom.

The home crowd cheered like nuts when Rodriguez whiffed with the bases loaded in the 7th. The Yanks went ahead the next inning on a solo home run by Carlos Beltran (which was similar–just not as long–as the one he belted as a pinch-hitter last time the Yanks were up north), and then Dellin Betances courted disaster in the bottom of the inning. With a  man on second and two out he walked Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista and went 2-0 to Edwin Encarnacion. And those two pitches to Encarnacion weren’t even close. Beatances looked shook (when did he turn into the ever-dramatic John Wetteland?). But he gathered himself and spotted a fastball right over the plate and then threw another one in the same spot–Encarnacion swung through it. Betances put his man away with a slider, well out of the zone–Encarnacion missed it by a couple of feet.

The Yanks had runners on the corner with nobody out in the 9th, primed for insurance, when Ellsbury hit a fly ball to right field. Medium deep, I’d say. Bautista caught the ball and then uncorked a strike to home plate where Chris Young was tagged out to complete the double play. Just a great play by Bautista. The Jays got out of the inning without giving up a run.

Which was pivotal when, with one out in the bottom for the 9th, Dioner Navarro launched a home run into the left field seats.

Bring the noise, Toronto.

Now, one thing you should know about The Wife. In the almost 14 years since we’ve been together she does not find self-pity arousing. I know this sounds crazy, but I’ve never been able to get any action by playing the sympathy card (curious, but women just don’t find it sexy). Now, I’m not saying she felt bad for me, but when the 9th inning ended and the game went into extra innings she turned to me and gave me a choice: baseball or bed.

Now, the disgust was starting to wash over me but I stopped myself right there–am I crazy?–and clicked the TV off and The Wife and I went and had some fun. When we were finished I turned the game back on to see what’d happened and there was Andrew Miller still pitching, 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th, the Yanks now leading 6-4. Turns out Greg Bird slapped a 2-2 change up just over the wall in right field for a 3-run home run. Encarnacion got a measure of revenge nailing a solo shot off Miller but Miller got the last word when he retired Navarro on a fly ball to left to end the game.

Say it like, John: Yankees win, Thhh-uuuuu Yankees Win!

Yanks turn to ‘Lil Luis to come up big. In his short time in the majors this’ll be Severino’s third start against the Blue Jays. Last one didn’t work out too well for him or the Bombers.

Here’s hoping he bounces back this evening.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Brian McCann C
Carlos Beltran RF
Greg Bird 1B
Chase Headley 3B
Dustin Ackley 2B
Didi Gregorius SS

Never mind fretting:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Picture by Bags

Interlude:

Photo Via Vavavoomrevisited

Drawing by Edward Hopper

I don’t know from this Dijon mustard but I would like to. 

Good Eats. 

[Photo Credit: Susan C]

Yeah, he’s still really good. David Price handled the Yanks last night and a rough first inning for Adam Warren was more than enough to give the Jays a 4-2 win. Alex Rodriguez put together a good at bat against Price with one out and the bases loaded in the third but stuck out.

“I had some good pitches to hit, fouled them off, and when you get your pitch, you can’t foul them off that many times,” Rodriguez told reporters after the game.

In the eighth, with two men on and one out (Brett Gardner, called out on a questionable third strike), Rodriguez whiffed again.

These games against the Jays have a very 1985 feel to them.

Fortunately, the wildcard exists to give the Yanks hope.

Who needs a preview? We know it’s David Price vs. Adam Warren. We know the Yanks need to go up to Toronto and sweep the Jays.

We know we’ll be root, root, rooting our asses off.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Brian McCann C
Carlos Beltran RF
Chase Headley 3B
Greg Bird 1B
Didi Gregorius SS
Dustin Ackley 2B

Never mind the autumn chill:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Autumn is in the air. It was chilly this morning.

New York in fall is a lovely thing. But you know what? I don’t think I’ve ever had hot chestnuts.

Picture via Lomography of the Day.

Better late than never.

C.C. Sabathia gave up consecutive doubles to start the game last night. Both came on 0-2 pitches. I figured it was going to be a long night. Instead, that was the last run Sabathia allowed. He went six innings and kept his team in the game against Matt Harvey who was predictably stellar. Also predictable was that he didn’t last long. Harvey pitched 5 innings and left with a 1-0 lead. The favors did not stop as Chico’s Bail Bonds took over for the home team as the Mets kicked the ball around to the tune of 4 errors. A pair of 3-run home runs–Dustin Ackley, Greg Bird–helped put it out of reach as the Yanks pounded the Mets, 11-2.

Yanks gain a game on the Jays and win the season series against the Mets. Yeah, staying up late worked out last night.

Picture by Bags

And you thought tonight was going to be hype because of Matt Harvey. Well, the Jays lost this afternoon so this is a big one for the Yanks, no matter who starts for the Mets. Yanks win, they’ll go up to Toronto two-and-a-half out. (Regardless, they’ll be without their Ace.)

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Carlos Beltran RF
Brian McCann C
Greg Bird 1B
Chase Headley 3B
Dustin Ackley 2B
Didi Gregorius SS
CC Sabathia SP

Never mind counting sheep:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Picture by Bags

Two home runs and a gang of pitchers gave the Yanks a 5-0 win over the Mets on Saturday in Queens. The first home run, a 3-run jammie, came from Carlos Beltran in the first inning; the other one came in the sixth, courtesy of Brain McCann.

Joe Girardi earned his paycheck and got his win. Thor was impressive and the Mets threatened a few times but they never scored.

Even better, the Red Sox rallied in the 9th then survived a Jose Bautista home run to beat the Jays. I watched it and found myself cheering David Ortiz. That was weird.

Sox and Jays are currently tied at 3 this afternoon. They’re in the 7th now.

Let’s Go Bo-Sox!

Picture by Bags

I went upstate last night to hang with my niece and nephew–my bro’s family–so I missed the game. Mercifully, it turns out. I checked the score on my phone, of course, but turned it off when it was clear this was going to be another hard-luck loss for the Yanks and another hard-earned, well-played, fortuitous win for the Mets.

The Hell you want to sit through that for? Okay, I came back later to see how it ended–more pain. But I wasn’t going to let the Yankees’ misfortune get in the way of our good time so I let it go at: Fey.

Anyhow, I’ll be watching the game this afternoon, root, root, rooting for the visitors. It’s all about Big Mike. That dude shows up, I like the Yankees’ chances. If he’s not, we’re looking at the Yankees’ getting their asses swept. Go up to Toronto DOA and oy fuggin’ veh. Maybe Jacoby can show up to play, hah? And maybe Bird gets into one. How bout you, Headley?

Thor is not untouchable but he’s also no joke. The kid can dial it up.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Carlos Beltran RF
Brian McCann C
Greg Bird 1B
Chase Headley 3B
Dustin Ackley 2B
Didi Gregorius SS
Michael Pineda SP

Never mind the open sores:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

The Yanks turn to their ace, Masahiro Tanaka tonight in Queens.

Never mind the hype:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Picture by Bags

I’m just standing in a doorway.

Picture by Bags

Dellin Betances doesn’t have the fine control he had last year. He’s still tough though. Dude came in the game in the 7th inning with nobody on and two out and walked the bases loaded. Gasp. Then, he struck James Loney out on 3 perfect pitches–breaking ball, fastball (pea at the knees, inside corner), breaking ball in the dirt (swinging). Tuesday’s hero, Nick Franklin couldn’t get a bunt down against Betances with a man on and nobody out in the 8th. He popped the pitch up–it was caught and the runner nailed off first. And that was the last moment of tension for the visitors. Greg Bird hit a moon shot in the 9th to push the Yankees’ lead to 3-1 and Andrew Miller struck out the side to end the game.

Yanks have the day off and then visit Citifield this weekend, followed by 3 in Toronto.

Onward. 

[Photo Credit: Daniel Shea via MPD]

Chris Archer pitches well against the Yanks. Last time, they got the better of him, late in the game. I’m sure he’ll be on point tonight. Let’s hope Luis Severino matches him.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Brian McCann C
Carlos Beltran RF
Greg Bird 1B
Chase Headley 3B
Didi Gregorius SS
Dustin Ackley 2B

Never mind the dome:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Picture by Bags