The Mariners hit the ball hard against Mike Mussina in the first two innings last night but couldn’t score a run. Mussina pitched out of jams in both innings, then quickly settled down and pitched his finest game of the year. Moose went eight, and didn’t allow a run. For the first half of the game Seattle’s baby-faced starter, Gil Meche blanked the Yankees too. However, they chased him from the game in the seventh as Rodriguez-Giambi-Sheffield and Posada hit a string of consecutive doubles to put the Yanks on the board.

The following inning, Bernie Williams connected on a 3-2 pitch for a single to center. After Rodriguez whiffed, then Giambo homered to right. Sheffield scorched a double to right field and Jorgie doubled him home. Done and done. Paul Quantrill pitched a scoreless ninth, which is great because Flash Gordon and Mo Rivera will be rested plenty for Sunday.

Watching the game, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that Rich Lederer and I chose to write a piece on Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter this spring. Williams has traditionally struggled early in the season, but now that he’s older, it’s easier to say, “Oh, maybe he’s just warshed up.” Still, he’s bristling at called strikes every night, and that’s not like him. On the other hand, Jeter has never slumped like this in his career. Who knows why it’s happening no–armchair shrinks start your engines—but I can’t recall a time when Jeter has experienced this kind of prolonged misery.

He was called on on strikes in his first at-bat. The pitch was on the outside corner and it looked good to me. The over-head angle replay showed that it was just off the plate, still it was close enough to swing at. Jeter had a conversation with the umpire before he walked back the the dugout, which he is doing more than ever these days.

The following inning, the YES cameras showed an exasperated Jeter talking with his hitting coach, Don Mattingly. Jeter was going over that third strike, and he shrugged his shoulders like there was no way he could win. But the biggest problem for Jeter isn’t that he’s getting killed with the outside fastball–although, that’s been an issue too–it’s that he can’t catch up with the fastball right over the plate. His bat is slow. In that first at-bat, Meche threw a fastball right by Jeter that was down the heart of the plate. It’s only natural that Jeter would question himself if he can’t catch up with that pitch. Then they kill him outside, and that’s what he fixates on.

During Jeter’s third at-bat, you could clearly hear some Seattle fans chanting, “Over-rated.”

Another thing that I’ve noticed lately is that Jason Giambi just doesn’t look like a happy guy. When he’s on the bench and he takes his hat off, he looks tense and alert, not quite comfortable in his own skin. His body language is stiff, and his choppy hair and big eyes make him look like an owl. It wouldn’t be so strange if Giambi wasn’t so different back in his Oakland days, where he was the B.M.O.C., the rock’n’roll leader of the pack. Just by looking at the dugout shots on TV, I don’t get a sense of which players Giambi is tight with. They don’t seem to dislike him, but he looks isolated. He hardly ever smiles. I don’t know, he’s not the same guy. Maybe it’s the hair. I wish he’d grow it out ala Donnie Baseball–anything to loosen him up a little.

One last observation. Regular readers here are familiar with the fact that I’m no Kenny Lofton fan, but I have to say the guy smiles and jokes around more than any other Yankee. He’s playful, and his teammates seem to enjoy him. At least that’s what I get from what they show on TV. Maybe I could learn to like him after all.

Oh, one last, last thing: be sure and check out Kevin Kernan’s piece today on Dioner Navarro, the kid who is generally considered the best prospect in the Yankees system.

Curt Schilling was a beast for Boston yesterday hurling a complete game five-hitter, as the Sox rolled over KC, 9-1. (Pokey Reese had an inside-the-park-homer.) But the most appealing game of the day has to be Texas out-lasting the Tigers, 16-15 in 10 innings. Our boy Sori went 6-6 with 4 RBI. Deep in the heart of Texas!

By Bruce Markusen

Regular Season Edition
May 6, 2004

Friday Night Massacre

Most Yankee fans fondly recall the “Boston Massacre,” that memorable four-game sweep of the rival Red Sox in September of 1978, which helped New York overcome a 14-game deficit in winning the American League East. Fewer fans likely remember another Massacre

Awww, Nertz

Brett Boone was out of the line-up for Seattle on Friday, but Edgar Martinez

Eight is Enough

Javier Vasquez had his worst outing as a Yankee and after a rough start, the young Rich Harden handled the Yankees to earn his first win of the year, as the A’s avoided being swept at home. The A’s bullpen didn’t blow the lead, and Mark McClusky can digest again. He isn’t alone either. Even Yankee fans like the new and improved Steve Bonner weren’t too upset over the loss.

Kenny Lofton returned to the line-up and played well for the Yankees last night. Jason Giambi missed the game with a quesy stomach, and his back-up Travis Lee will be out for the rest of the year after he has surgery on his shoulder next week. Hand it to the Post for getting the scoop on one of the secrets to Jorge Posada’s success.

Elsewhere, after a tough first inning in Cleveland, Pedro Martinez was his usual stingy self, as the Sox beat up on the Indians. Boston finds themselves in sole possession of first place going into the weekend.

Finally, future Hall of Famer Michael Piazza hit a game-winning dinger in extra innings as the Mets swept the Giants. (Hey, you gotta believe, baby.) Barry Bonds played, and didn’t get a hit. But that hasn’t prevented him from expressing himself.

When you’re hot, you’re hot…

When I got home from Shea last night my girlfriend was wrapped up on the couch watching the Yankee game. My sister loaned Em a stuffed animal of Marsupilami, a popular comic book character in France, a couple of years ago, and Marsu has been on the living room couch since the Yankees started their winning streak last week. I thought I’d mention to Em before we retired that the Yanks hadn’t lost since Marsu has been on the couch, but you know what they say about messing with a streak. (Oops.)

I saw Gary Sheffield hit a line-drive homer off of Barry Zito–he swung so hard that he nearly knocked himself off of his feet on the follow-through–and also watched the Yankees leave a lot of runner on base. The A’s were leading 2-1 when I went to bed.

I used to agonize over not watching the Yankees’ west coast games, but now, I actually enjoy the surprise of waking up in the morning and waiting until I get to the newsstand to see what happened. As you can imagine, I’ve had two excellent mornings this week. (For a re-cap of the game from a New York-perpective, head on over to Clifford’s Big Red Blog.) The Yankees did leave a lot of men on base last night, but they are a team on a roll, and they overcame their mistakes–as well as Oakland’s–and came-from-behind again, scoring two in the ninth and winning, 4-3. Jason Giambi hit a solo homer off of Zito to tie the game at two, and Alex Rodriguez added a solo shot off of Arthur Rhodes in the top of the ninth to tie the game at three. Tony Clark’s double later in the inning proved to be the game-winner.

It was another sickening loss for Oakland. Mariano Rivera allowed back-to-back singles to start the ninth, but retired the next three batters for the save. Derek Jeter sat out with a stomach virus, and Jose Contreras was demoted to the minor leagues. Ruben Sierra sat with a sore leg (though he did pinch-hit) and Kenny Lofton is still riding the pine. Other than that, everything is coming up roses and daffodil’s for the Bronx Bombers.

The Red Sox remain tied for first with New York as they beat the Indians last night. Cookie Monster hit two bombs, as Boston halted its five-game losing streak. Pedro Martinez will pitch tonight.

In other news, Rocket Clemens keeps on rolling along on his Magical History Tour, and MLB sinks to a new low.

Alex Ciepley and I were in the Mets ticket office at 6:15 last night picking up our tickets (courtesey of Josh O) when we learned that Barry Bonds would not be in the line up. Without thinking I exclaimed, “Son-of-a…Bitch.” An elegant-looking security guard took exception with my vocal critisism. “Hey, that’s not very nice.” I surprised myself a little by the comment, but it was an honest gut-reaction. “Aw come on,” I protested. “He’s the reason we came all the way out here.” He repeated, “That’s not very nice.”

I got more sympathy from the gentleman who took our ticket at the gate. The guy was a dead-ringer for the barber character Arsino Hall played in “Coming to America.” I expressed my disapointment that Bonds wasn’t playing and he said, “Goddamn, you’d think you could find a way to play, even if he does have a little cold. Especially with all these people coming to see him.” My pernt exactly. “Hey,” I told him, “at least you get to be here tomorrow night.”

Anyhow, by the time Mike Piazza came to bat in the first inning, I said to Jay Jaffe, “Well, even if we won’t see Bonds maybe we’ll be able to see Piazza make history.” Less than a minute later, Yazzie homered to right centerfield to become the all-time ding-dong leader for catchers. There was less than 20,000 people at the park, but they stood up and gave Piazaa a rousing ovation. When it was over, Josh said to us, “That’s the loudest it’s going to get all season.”

We had expected it to rain, and with the score tied at the end of the fifth, it came down in buckets. Having no investment in who won this replacement-level affair, and with a long trip home to the Bronx ahead of me, I decided it was time to split. The game would resume by 10:00 and Shane Spencer homered to boost the Mets to an 8-2 victory.

As disapointing as it was not to see Bonds, I feel fortunate to have seen Piazza get his record.

Jose Contreras got his tits lit but good last night, and didn’t make it out of the third inning. But that shouldn’t come as a great surprise. However, the full moon must have been in effect anyway, as Ruben Sierra once again had the key hit in a Yankee comeback against Oakland (like last Tuesday, the knock came off of Ricardo Rincon). Shoot, how often does Mark Mulder have two bad starts in a row? I don’t know, but the Yankees sure will take it. How about Donovan Osborne getting the win again, as he did last Tuesday in the Bronx? Yeesh, that was a game worth staying up for, huh?

The Bombers pounded out 17 hits against A’s pitching. Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player in history to reach 350 career dingers, had three hits and four RBI in his best offensive game as a Yankee. As good a win as this was for New York, is was a terrible loss for the A’s. Head on over to Athletic’s Nation for plenty of hard feelings:

I don’t want to go overboard and say that this is a fatal blow to the A’s season because we’re still so early in the season, but maybe a new catcher behind the dish and a new pitching coach have been too big an adjustment for the Big Three to make. When do we see Zito, Hudson and Mulder give up, in order of their starts…six earned runs in six innings (Zito), six earned runs in seven innings and eight runs overall (Hudson) and then seven earned runs in six and a third (Mulder tonight)?

…Watching those pitchers get shelled the last three times out is like watching Superman get kicked in the privates with a kryptonite-tipped steel toe. You know that there isn’t any better way to inflict damage on the psyche of an A’s fan than to shell the Big Three.

The Red Sox lost their fifth straight and are now tied with the Yankees for first place in the east.

Finally, looking for a good quote? Then check out Tom Verducci’s recent interview with George Steinbrenner.

My apartment is between 236th and 238th street in the Bronx. What happened to 237th street, I’ll never know, but that’s how it goes sometimes in the boroughs. Em and I live on the top floor (7th) of one of those aparment houses that was built in the sixites. The main attraction of our place is the terrific eastern view that looks down onto Broadway, and up onto the Kingsbridge hill. We get a natural horizon, with lots of buildings and roads in the middle. Every morning, we are greeted by the sunrise. It is serene and quiet up here, but we can see the constant motion of the city–the Major Deegan Expressway, the subway, the Metro North, almost a dozen side streets, as well as helicopters and airplanes and other assorted winged creatures overhead. It is reassuring to know that even when we are tired and peaceful, the city is still moving.

Tonight, we were treated to the full moon, a huge yellow ball. I turned off all of the lights and smooched my girl for a while, and then we watched some of Steve Trashcan pitch for the Mets. It’s cool outside, but man, what a gorgeous spring night to be out at the ballpark. Barry Bonds is out of the line up tonight with a cold. I’ve got plans to be at Shea tomorrow with Jay Jaffe and Alex Ciepley. It is supposed to rain all day, but hopefully, the game will get in, and Barry Bonds will be feeling better. Imagine schlepping all the way out to Flushing to see Bonds and he’s not playing? Considering the fact that I’ve never seen him play live before, it’s a chance that’s worth taking.

I’ve got to be up mad early for work in the a.m., so my old ass won’t be staying up for the Yankee game. I assume they’ll have a full moon in Oakland too. Wonder if anything strange will happen. Maybe Mulder flirts with a no-hitter, or perhaps Gary Sheffield hits a couple of homers. And who knows just how a full moon could effect our boy Contreras. Two good starts in a row, against the same team? Ya think?

Anyhow, if any night owls are up watching the game tonight, feel free to start a thread in the comments section below and leave your observations and impressions. I sure would appreciate it.

And now for something…

Oh, and on a totally unrelated note, if anyone ever gets a chance to see an exhibition of Lucian Freud’s paintings, I suggest that you not let it pass you by. Freud’s portraits are fascinating, difficult, and memorable. You’ve never quite seen flesh painted the same way before. He’s first-class and there is a good article on him in the Times today.

Roger Angell embraced the Yankees’ early-season struggles as a welcome surprise. In the latest Talk of the Town (peace to TFD for the link), Angell notes:

This was miserable or delightful, depending on where your loyalties lay, but most of all it was weird. It was glorious…The Yankeesí losing streak suspended all this, for a while at least, and what was refreshing about it was that the Yankees were suddenly so bad, at the plate and afield, that they seemed removed from the games, spooked or laid low not by the opposing pitcher or sluggers but by some cosmic change of terms. They were playing in a cartoon or on an asteroid landscape.

Of course, the Yankees 8-4 come-from-behind-win against the A’s last Tuesday changed the team’s fortunes (at least for the moment). They’ve won six straight, and for Angell, it’s back to business as usual, in which “Confirmation replaces expectation at these levels of sport, and fun feels prearranged.” However discouraged, Angell does a nifty job of describing how the Yankees got their groove back:

The double, by pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra, curved sharply toward foul ground in deep left field but then changed its mind and hit the line instead

Sweep Dreams

What could be finer than the Yankees sweeping a series at home? Oh, the Red Sox getting swept in a three-game series against the Texas Rangers? Sure, that’s a start. Mike Mussina struggled early again yesterday, but a 4-6-3 double play saved his bacon in the third, he gained his composure–retiring the last eleven men he faced–and only allowed two runs in seven innings of work. Down 2-0 in the third, Hideki Matsui doubled and advanced to third on Ruben Sierra’s flyout. Then he tagged and scored on a shallow pop fly to left.

Jason Giambi (2-4) nailed a solo homer into the right field upper deck to tie the game in the fourth. The game remained tied in the seventh, when Jorge Posada led off with a double. Matsui followed and singled to right. Posada was waved home by Luis Sojo and scored. Juan Gone’s throw missed the cut-off man and Matsui alertly moved to second. Godziller moved to third on wild pitch and scored on a sac fly by Ruben Sierra.

Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera finished the Royals off and the Yanks have now won six straight. For the last couple of years friend Greg G has been saying that Rivera needs to hit more batters, just to keep them honest. Well, after giving up a single to start the ninth, Rivera did just that, plunking Joe Randa, and putting the tying run on base. Next, he blew away Matt Stairs and Desi Relaford, then got a ground out to end the game.

Joe Torre, who missed Saturday’s game to attend his daughter’s communion, notched the 800th win of his Yankee career.

Back in Business

Jon Lieber pitched seven solid innings against the Royals in his Yankee debut on a warm Saturday afternoon in the Bronx. The Yankee offense provided him with plenty of cushion for his first win in almost two years (it was the fifth consecutive win for New York). Derek Jeter had three hits, and Alex Rodriguez added two, as did Jason Giambi, who also walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Rodriguez has a twelve-game hitting streak working. Hideki Matsui homered, scored three times and collected three RBI, but it was Ruben Sierra who was the slugging star of the day, hitting a three-run homer in the third and a grand salami in the eighth.

Two night ago my girlfriend scolded me for regularly cursing Sierra out. It’s not so much that she likes Sierra–which, incidentally she does–but she hates to hear me dog any of the Yankees. She thinks it’s negative karma. I tried to convince her that Ruben, Ruben is all warshed up as a player, and she said “Well, what about the hit he got the other night to win the game?” Doesn’t matter, he’s still garbage, I reasoned.

Well, I’m sure Emily is pleased that her boy had such a good day, and so are most Yankee fans I figure. The only people who should be upset are Royals fans who have to stomach getting killed not just by Rodriguez, Giambi and Sheffield, but old man Sierra as well.

I didn’t get a chance to watch the game, so if anyone has any impressions–particularly of Lieber–that they’d like to share, I sure would appreciate hearing from you.

Strictly Business

Oh, I almost forgot to mention ol’ Rocket Clemens, who won his major league-leading fifth game of the season last night. His ERA this year is 1.95. Here is the quote of the night:

“It’s amazing how a man his age still throws 94 or 95 [mph],” said Cincinnati’s Jacob Cruz, who struck out three times against the 41-year-old Clemens. “I’m upset that he didn’t retire. We all are.”

Bet the Astros would beg to differ.

Spring is easily my favorite season of the year in New York City. (Fall is second.) The way the weather is right now, chilly in the morning, chilly at night, and lovely during the day–is choice. I love it. All of the trees now have buds, and some are almost in full bloom. Women are wearing skirts and dresses again. Hello? Yams galore. Oh baby, how about those NYC legs? Hey now. Talk to me, talk to me.

I went out to dinner with a friend from high school who just bought a two bedroom apartment on 115th street just off Broadway. Which means that it’s essentially on the Columbia University campus. We went out for Indian and then took a walk on the campus. Dave’s father went to graduate school for business at Columbia during the late 1960s. His pop went on to become a successful and financially comfortable executive who retired early, golden parachute and all. His parents now live in Florida year-round.

Not so long ago, they visited Dave in New York and took a stroll on the Columbia campus. It was the first time Dave’s dad had set foot on Columbia since he left grad school in 1968. He told his son that he would have to step over protesting bodies in order to get to class. Which just goes to show, no matter how much attention the hippies got, twenty years later, there were a whole lot of guys who retired early with golden parachute deals too, man.

The weather was great and riding the train home, even waiting for the bus, was pleasent simply because it felt so good to be out. As the subway moved above ground through the northern Manhattan streets, I thought about how much I love living in New York City, how proud I am to call it home.

When I got home Carlos Beltran had just hit a one-out single off Mariano Rivera. It was the ninth inning and the Yanks were ahead 5-2. As I hugged Emily and we said our hellos, Rivera walked Mike Sweeney and Mel Stottlemyre came out for a talk. Mo then blew away Matt Stairs swinging and got Ken Harvey to wave at a pitch two feet over his head to end the game. Fourth in the a row for the Bombers and there was more smiles to be had. (Royals manager Tony Pena even got into it flapping his arms like a chicken after the Royals intentionally walked Alex Rodriguez and then Gary Sheffield in the fifth inning.)

As I learned in the highlights, the game was all about Javier Vasquez, who is the most impressive pitcher on the Yankees staff so far this season.

According to the Daily News and the New York Times:

“I saw it early on,” Torre said. “He’s very comfortable with himself. He has a lot of confidence. You recognize that when he gives up a home run like that and then buckles down. He’s very professional. He seems to be mature beyond his years.”

“The thing I’m most impressed with is how he bounces back after a bad pitch or a bad hitter,” said Joe Torre, the Yankees’ manager.

“He throws a lot of strikes. He gets ahead in the count and keeps hitters in a defense mode. He throws a very lively fastball, plus he has a slider and a changeup that he is confident to throw at anytime. For a kid 27 years old, that’s pretty amazing. He came here knowing how he wanted to pitch, and he wasn’t going to change that.”

Mike Scioscia once told George Will that a pitcher has his best stuff working only 60-70 percent of the time. The rest of the times they have to concentrate on the craft of pitching more than they can on having dynamite stuff.

“It’s never easy, but I felt good,” Vazquez said. “The guys put five runs on the board and that helped. I’m a fastball pitcher and it was there for me today. I didn’t think my stuff was so great, but I mixed the pitches up pretty good.”

The win was important because it gave the Yankees a winning record for a month in which they played poorly. In fact, they have now had a winning record in the month of April for 13 consecutive seasons. Considering how they must have felt after getting their asses handed to them by the Red Sox, it is something to feel good about. I sure know that I feel good about it.

The Yankees are like the great rap duo EPMD: no matter how you slice it, it all comes down to Business. I have to admit, I’m not a business-minded person at all. At least not naturally. But growing up following the Yankees, I’ve grown to appreciate their Business-like approach to the game. I do admire the fact that Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter work so hard to maintain a high level of performance. Some people find it boring and I can understand that. I find it comforting.

I always slapped hands, or high-fives when the Yankees, or any team I rooted for, won a game. But starting in 1998, my brother and I just gave each other a firm, hearty hand shake. Maybe a pat on the back. We got so used to watching the team win, and shake each other’s hands at the end of the game, we just thought it was the most natural thing to do as well. Any other kind of celebrating–unless the game was appropriately dramatic–seemed exessive, in bad taste.

On Wednesday night, when the Yankees beat the A’s all of the guys I was with who were Yankee fans shook each other’s hands. Job well done guys, nice doing business with you.

Going out of Business?

Speaking of business, that’s just what Pedro Martinez seems to be giving the Boston Red Sox. According to the Globe, Pedro will test the open market at the end of the season:

“I will consider any team as of now,” he said. “The Dodgers don’t have the same people that were there when I was mistreated. I’m open to anybody, just as I am open to anybody in the future.”

…”I’ll play for anybody, but I’m not going to say I’m going to try to play for the Yankees before I give Boston the opportunity to sign me,” he said. “Boston has probably the same chances the Yankees will have.”

Check out some of the fine voices from Red Sox Nation linked to the right for the fan reaction.

Certainly Out of Business

Sometimes you have to wonder how the Mets do business at all. It can’t just be about bad luck. Jose Reyes had a setback in rehab and will be shut down for more than a minute. How long before he returns is anyone’s guess. Lee Jenkins reports in the Times:

“He feels like maybe he came back too soon,” [Reyes’ agent, Peter] Greenberg said. “He’s dejected, frustrated, very upset. He’s kicking himself.”

So are the Mets, who have been treating Reyes for almost two months with no real results. Reyes will undergo a treatment program in Port St. Lucie that includes weight lifting, aerobics and exercises in a pool

Derek Jeter blasted the first pitch (a fastball) he saw from Barry Zito last night out near the monuments in left center field and ended his hitless streak at 0-32. Oakland’s third baseman Eric Chavez connected for a two-run shot off of Kevin Brown in the top of the first, and Jeter stabbed Scott Hatteburg’s liner to end the frame (nice play). Then he homered and there was relief in the Bronx.

Barry Zito pitched a strange game, alternating filthy curve balls with flat change-ups and mediocre fastballs. His hook is a beautiful pitch to watch, and seemingly impossible to hit. But it wasn’t enough. Alex Rodriguez hit a solo homer to left off a fastball in the third, and Bernie Williams hit his first home run of the year–a solo shot–off a hanging change up in the fifth to give the Bombers a 3-2 lead.

Jermaine Dye collected his first hit of the series–an RBI double–in the sixth which tied the game. However, the biggest shot of the night came in the bottom of the frame, when Mr. Magoo, Miguel Cairo smacked a horseshit cut-fastball for a three-run homer, putting the Yankees ahead for good. It was the first time Zito had ever given up four dingers in a game.

Kevin Brown wasn’t terrific either. He left some sinkers up in the zone, and after giving up a lead-off single to start the seventh, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre visited the mound to give the bullpen some time to ready itself. Brown’s face looks very much like a cartoon. He’s got a sharp nose, and a seemingly permanent frown. His chin sticks out and he’s got a buldging adam’s apple. Nasty McNasty himself, Brown isn’t the sort of pitcher who takes kindly to visits from any coach, no matter how esteemed. When Stottlemyre reached the mound, Brown turned his back and walked away. Stottlemyre was left there with Giambi and Posada. He must have appreciated Brown’s old-school disposition because he laughed out loud.

Brown couldn’t put the next batter, Bobby Crosby away on a 3-2 pitch, and the rookie doubled to left. Brown’s night was over. Paul Quantrill relieved him and got out of the inning only allowing one run to score. The A’s put another run on the board in the eighth, and Mariano Rivera replaced Flash Gordon with runners on the corners and two outs. He threw one pitch to Crosby, who grounded out to second.

Bubba Crosby had an RBI infield single in the ninth, and the Sandman retired Oakland 1-2-3 to seal the three-game sweep for the Yankees. While Jeter’s home run was the highlight of the night for the Yankees, my favorite moment of the game came in the bottom of the seventh. Bernie Williams lead off against erstwhile Yankee reliever Chris Hammond. Hammond’s best pitch is a Bugs Bunny change up. With two strikes, you could see that Williams was fighting to remain patient, and keep his hands and weight back. Hammonds floated an Eddie Lopat special that tailed inside and Williams almost dropped his right knee to the ground and made a desperate stab at the pitch to foul it off. At the last possible moment, he chopped it foul toward the Yankee dugout. It looked as if a bumble bee suddenly zipped towards his face, and Bernie tried to karate-chop it away.

You could see a sheepish smile on Williams’ face as he looked toward the dugout. He stepped back in the batter’s box and swiftly struck out. When he returned to the bench, Williams sat next to Jeter, who was holding his stomach he was laughing so hard. The YES cameras showed Jeter immitating the chop swing several times, cracking up. It was a hearty, full-bodied laugh. Javier Vasquez was chuckling next to Bernie. Panning the rest of the bench, you could see the entire team joining in on the fun. Mattingly was dying, as was Torre. Finally, Bernie threw up his arms in mock fury and stood up in protest, going along with it. Godziller Matsui passed by and the joke was not lost in translation; he was smiling too.

It was great to see the Yankees loose and smiling again. Funny what winning does to a team. As removed as modern athletes often feel from us in interviews, we are still invited to observe the intimacy and spirit of the dugout, when men light up like boys. Last night, the Yanks had a good reason to feel good about themselves. Really, how often do you go up against Hudson-Mulder-Zito and come away with a sweep? Not often, that’s for sure. The A’s have now lost six straight, but they will have another shot at the Yankees next week in Oakland.

Elsewhere, the Red Sox continued to roll, as they swept a double-header at home against the Devil Rays. Andy Pettitte collected his 150th career victory in his second start of the year, and the Mets beat the Dodgers, 6-1. Jeff Weaver started for the L.A., and pitched relatively well. I have to say his shaggy blond hair looks much better suited in Dodger blue than it ever did in the Bronx.

Jose Contreras pitched his best game of the year, and the Yankees beat the A’s on a beautiful spring night in New York. It was a relatively tension-free game and it was a relief to see Contreras pitch with more confidence. The A’s have some good hitters, but they swing at far more pitches than the Red Sox do. Jason Giambi made a nice, diving grab to rob Eric Chavez of a hit with two men on in the third, and that’s as good a scoring opportunity as Oakland would get. Tyler Kepner and John Harper have good reports on how Jorge Posada guided Contreras to a strong outing. Posada added a solo home run, and so did Jason Giambi (who hit a seed off of Arhur Rhodes in the ninth). Giambi had three hits on the night, and Gary Sheffield had two.

I was at the game with a group of guys. We didn’t reach our seats until the bottom of the first, as the Yankees were putting three runs up against Mark Mulder. To be honest, I was too caught up in conversation to remember much of the game. The most memorable part of the night was the standing ovations that Derek Jeter received in his final two or three at-bats. Unfortunatley for the Yankee captain, the cheers didn’t help him get a hit. Jeter is now 0-for his last 32. While Jeter continues to be humbled, at least his team has won a couple of games.

It was a good, if not terribly exciting night for the Yankees. In fact, there wasn’t any bad news until I read the morning papers. Bernie Williams was not in the line-up after he strained his left knee on Tuesday night. Though Williams will not go on the DL yet, the news is troubling:

“I am concerned,” Torre said of the 35-year-old outfielder who will wear a brace or sleeve when he returns. “It’s frustrating for him and I decided to give him a blow. We will give it a day and take it day to day.”

“You know what’s interesting about Bernie, during this whole time I’ve been here, it’s been one problem or another,” Torre said. “He’s been disabled a couple of times. I don’t think he’s ever been 100 percent when he’s played. He really hasn’t.”

Not so long ago I wondered if Williams would be able to make it to the Hall of Fame. Now, who knows if he’ll play out his contract (2005) with New York. As much as it pains him to admit, Steve Bonner thinks it’s time for the Yankees to trade Bernie. Maybe Rob Neyer isn’t just crying wolf when he insists that Carlos Beltran will be playing center field in the Bronx by August. Travis Lee is also hurting, and it appears as if he’s going to have surgery on his left shoulder, which means Tony Clark is here to stay for now.

Meanwhile, Curt Schilling and the Red Sox shut out the Devil Rays, 6-0.

Oh, and for the latest on Barry Bonds and the steroids story, head on over to John Perricone’s Only Baseball Matters, forthwith.

Congrats to Mr. Met Mike Piazza who went yard last night and tied Carlton Fisk for the most homers ever hit by a catcher (351). It is only fitting that the home run came at Dodger Stadium, where Yazzie began his career. Mr. Piazza is the best-hitting catcher of all-time, but is he the best catcher of all-time? Labelmate Rich Lederer takes a look. Check it out.

Oh, what a relief it is

Down 8-4, the Yankees staged a dramatic comeback in the eighth inning, scoring six runs, giving New York its most compelling victory of the season. Mike Mussina, who allowed five runs in six innings of work said after the game that he hasn’t seen the Yankees this excited since the playoffs last year. It sure was good to see them smiling again.

Mussina said that he felt good about his performance, though it wasn’t especially sharp. Eric Chavez proved why he is the goods in the top of 3rd when he pounded a solo home run to left. Ooof, that man has a sweet swing, and boy is he ever strong. After the Yankees jumped on an equally shaky Tim Hudson for four runs in the bottom of the frame, Mussina gave it all back in the fourth. The Yankee defense didn’t help, as Miguel Cairo couldn’t field a ball, and Mussina had another grounder deflect off of his glove. Mussina was smiling by the end of the inning, as if to say, “It can’t get any worse than this.”

Tim Hudson, who is a dead-rinder for Ray Liotta for the nostrils down, left several pitches up in the zone during his seven innnings of work (he got away with a hanging splitter to Clark in the fourth, which the big man swung over), but the Yankees couldn’t take advantage. But in the third, Matsui lead off with a single and advanced to third on a double by Tony Clark. Migeul Cairo then double them home. Derek Jeter, who grounded out in his first at-bat, laid down a sacrifice bunt which moved Cairo to third. Bernie walked and Rodriguez grounded out to Chavez, scoring Cairo. Next Jason Giambi singled through the Boudreaux-shift for an RBI single. A sign of life! A two-out hit. Hey, I remember what those look like.

However, the Yankees would not get another base hit until the seventh inning. Meanwhile, the A’s continued to add to their lead. Mussina left a pitch up to Frankie Menechino in the fifth, who smacked an RBI single to center. Gabe White relieved Moose in the seventh and recorded two quick outs. Then Scott Hatteberg dumped a double into center field just beyond the reach of Bernie Williams. The play must have left Yankee fans shaking their heads, “Jeez, that was a play Bernie used to make, right?” (I doubt that Larry Mahnken was that kind.) After Durazo doubled to make the Oakland lead 6-4, Paul Quantrill came in and Marco Scutaro skied a high fly ball to left center.

You can run but you can’t hide. The winds were swirling last night, and Bernie Williams took a poor route to the ball. He dove but the ball knocked out of his glove, and the A’s had another run. Williams looked old. My girlfriend Emily tried to console me, but I shook my head and cursed my favorite player anyway.

Paul Quantrill tweaked his sore right knee on the final play of the seventh, so Mark Kotsay bunted for a base hit in the eighth. Next, Bobby Kielty hit a liner to right which popped out of Gary Sheffield’s glove. The ball floated in the air like a football that tipped off a reciever’s fingertips. Sheffield tried to recover and snag it, to no avail. It was scored an error and helped lead to another Oakland run, 8-4.

It looked like another night of bad breaks for the Yankees. Jeter’s third-inning sacrifice was admirable or desperate, depending on how you look at it. Regardless, it was a contribution. He stung the first pitch he saw from Hudson in the fifth, but it was right at the shortstop. And so it goes when you are slumping. Credit the stadium crowd for giving Jeter a standing ovation when he came to bat in the seventh. It was a rousing moment. Jeter missed a 1-2 fastball that was up, fouling it straight back. On the next pitch, Jeter grounded out, and his hitless streak would reach 0-28 by the end of the game.

Hudson was replaced by Jim Mercir in the eighth, and Bernie Williams hit a solid single through the right side to start the inning. Alex Rodriguez followed with a seeing-eye single through the left side. Then, Jason Giambi walked on a close full-count pitch. At this point, I was hoping for a home run, but expecting a double-play. Gary Sheffield cued a ball off of the end of his bat that squibbed towards the right side. It went for an infield single, and an RBI.

Jorge Posada spoiled a good pitch (outside fastball or splitter) and lined a single through the left side, and now the Yanks were down 8-6. The southpaw Ricardo Rincon came in for Mercir, and quickly got ahead of Matsui 0-2. But the next four pitches were out of the strike zone, Matsui walked, and the Yankees were within a run. Clutch at-bats from the Bombers here. Ruben Sierra pinch-hit for Cairo. I was cursing the move at home, loudly predicting that Sierra was going to hit into a double play. Instead, the bulky bench player smacked the 3-1 pitch into left for a double. Two runs scored and the Yankees had the lead for good. Sierra’s ball landed smack dab on the foul line. It was the luck the Yankees needed. Bernie Williams added an RBI on a fielder’s cherce, Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth, and the Yankees won, 10-8.

Another frustrating game turned into an improbable win, and like I said, it was great to see the Yankees smiling. What a sight for sore eyes. That they rallied in the nickel-and-dime tradition of the 1998 Yankees made is especially rewarding. With Jose Contreras pitching tonight, it was close to a must-win for New York. Now, if they can swipe one of the next two games, they should feel good about themselves. For Oakland, it was a vexing loss, considering that they blew a four-run lead on a night when Tim Hudson was not on his A-game.

By Bruce Markusen

April 22, 2004

Card Corner: Hair Here, There, And Everywhere

Call him the “Unfrozen Caveman.” Call him “The Hippy.” Call him the “Mountain Man.” Call him whatever you like, but no nickname can entirely capture the untamed image that Johnny Damon has created by not cutting his hair for nearly a year and not shaving his face since the latter stages of 2003. Damonís “biblical” appearance has become such a sidebar of attention that it motivated ESPN.com to come up with an all-time, all-hair team featuring some of the longest and most unusual hairdos in the gameís history. ESPN included some worthy candidates on its list, including Oscar Gamble and Ross Grimsley (owner of the white-man afro, as ESPN puts it), but somehow left off the man who sported baseballís longest hair during the frenetic decade of the 1970s.

Until Damon and Pittsburghís Craig Wilson, whose flowing blond locks arenít far behind Damon in length but havenít received nearly the attention, no one had longer hair than former major league catcher Dave Duncan, now the pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. Based on how he looks today, with short hair and a clean shave every day, you might not have recognized the wild-looking Duncan during the latter stages of a journeyman career that saw him play for the Oakland Aís, Cleveland Indians, and Baltimore Orioles from 1964 to 1976. In his formative years with Oakland, Duncan still featured a close-cropped hairdo, as did most players of the 1960s. (There were two primary reasons for the short-hair preference of that era. Most teams had unwritten policies that outlawed the wearing of long hair, along with mustaches and beards. Also, a number of players served in the military reserves during the Vietnam War, necessitating that they maintain their hair in the brush-cut look.) That all started to change in 1972, when Reggie Jackson showed up to spring training with a fully-grown mustache, eventually prompting owner Charlie Finley to offer $300 bonuses to each Aís player who followed suit. Duncan complied with the ownerís “request” and then pushed the trend two steps further by growing a beard and letting his blond hair grow out. By the end of the í72 season, Duncan sported both a full beard and lengthening hair that stretched beyond the collar of his neck, making him look like an extra during the filming of Deliverance.

The following spring, the Aís traded Duncan, not because of his new mountain man appearance, but because of a salary dispute that saw the catcher engage in a spring training holdout while asking the penurious Finley for more money. The spring training trade landed Duncan in Cleveland, allowing him to bring the long-hair look to the Midwest. Duncan shaved off his blonde mustache and beard but continued to let his hair lengthen, well beyond the lower reaches of his helmet and cap, to the point that his tresses draped onto his shoulders. Whenever Duncan ran, his long mane of hair flapped as if stirred by a stiff breeze, creating a memorable impression for those who had become used to major league players who looked more like soldiers than flower children.

Sometimes derided with catcalls of “Goldilocks” and “Prince Valiant,” Duncan drew raised eyebrows from many in the baseball establishment. Some critics used Duncanís unusual hair style as an excuse for questioning his smarts and hustle, portraying him like a caricature of Cheech and Chong proportions. Yet, those close to Duncan realized that such characterizations were all stereotype and little truth. “With that long hair, he looked kind of goofy as a player,” said former slick-fielding shortstop Eddie Brinkman, who coached with Duncan during a stint with the Chicago White Sox. “But once you get to know him, you realize heís one of the kindest, smartest men youíll ever meet.” Few would question Duncanís baseball intelligence, given his success as a pitching guru with the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, White Sox, Aís, and Cardinals. Heís sometimes criticized for being too blunt with young pitchers, but his triumphs with veteran hurlers and the overall success of his pitching staffs remain his hallmark.

Most of Duncanís baseball cards donít do his “Mod Squad” head of hair full justice, but his 1975 Topps card (No. 238 in the set) probably offers the most emblematic view of his blond bombshell appearance. Duncan is also featured in an intriguing 1977 Topps card (No. 338) wearing the air-brushed colors of those awful White Sox throwback uniforms, yet he never actually played for Chicago, instead drawing his release just before the start of the 1977 season and prompting him to call it quits. By the time of Duncanís retirement, a number of other players had also “let down their hair,” as baseballís conservative approach toward grooming quickly crumbled and gave way to a more liberal hygiene. And perhaps weíre headed toward that same trend again, at a time when almost every fashion statement is allowed on the field, from goatees to earrings to tattoos. Yes, let the hair flow freely.

All-Hair All The Time

ESPN presented its own All-Hair Team, so why canít I? Letís give it a try, position-by-position:

Catcher: Dave Duncan (backed up by Ted “Simba” Simmons and curly-haired Rick Sweet)

First Base: Don Mattingly (long hair prompted a fine and a benching)

Second Base: Pete Rose (enough said there)

Shortstop: Teddy Martinez (a full but well-manicured beard)

Third Base: Buddy Bell (flowing blond locks)

Left Field: Craig Wilson (a Duncan-Bell look-alike)

Center Field: Johnny Damon (backed up by Jose Cardenal and his mini-Gamble afro)

Right Field: Reggie Jackson (first mustache since Wally Schang in 1914)

Backup Outfielder: Tarzan Joe Wallis (Mountain Man III, pre-Damon, post-Duncan)

Designated Hitter: Oscar Gamble (the largest afro this side of Darnell Hillman)

Starting Pitcher: Randy Johnson (mullet madness)

Starting Pitcher: Don Sutton (as Skip Caray once said, hair like cotton candy)

Starting Pitcher: Ross Grimsley (afro aside, he allegedly didnít wash his hair or bathe regularly)

Starting Pitcher: Mudcat Grant (somehow made mutton chops look good)

LH Reliever: Stan Wall (hair almost as long as Duncanís)

LH Reliever: Al Hrabosky (king of the Fu Manchus)

RH Reliever: Rod Beck (his long, ragged hair epitomized the wild and wooly look)

RH Reliever: Rollie Fingers (from handlebar mustache to Hair Club For Men)

Major League Morsels

The Kenny Lofton Era has started poorly in the Bronx, so much so that the Yankees are already shopping their free agent acquisition, who has already made a visit to the disabled list with a strained quad (the most fashionable injury of the last 15 years). A combination of factors have pushed Lofton to the trade block, in particular the play of backup outfielder Bubba Crosby (who deserves a spot on the 25-man roster), Loftonís chronic complaints about his roles with the team, and Joe Torreís unwillingness to remove Bernie Williams from center field on a fulltime basis. Two contending teams may be interested in Lofton: the Phillies, who are unhappy with the development of center fielder Marlon Byrd as a leadoff man, and the White Sox, who also need help in center field and at the tablesetting spots in the batting order

The Angels swept the A’s over the weekend, so Oakland has something in common with the Bronx Bummers. There are several articles in the New York papers this morning delineating the Yankees’ recent struggles. Things of course could get worse, what with Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito scheduled to pitch for the A’s this week.

I’m not going to be able to post tomorrow morning so make sure to read Cliff Corcoran, or any of the other fine Yankee-based sites listed on the right. For the Oakland perspective, make sure to check out Baysball, Athletics Nation, and our old friends over at Elephants in Oakland.

Baseball culture is rich with sayings and phrases. Paul Dickson even wrote a baseball dictionary to document it all. Do you have a favorite baseball word or expression? I do. For me, there is no single word that is more flexible or evocative (or fun to say) than “horseshit.” I don’t know when baseball men started using it, but when you say the word, you can fantasize that you are connected with baseball history, from John McGraw, Sal Maglie, Gorman Thomas, and Nuke LaLoosh, to a craggy old bird-dog spitting tabacco into a cup in Florida.

In his excellent book about the world of baseball scouting, “Dollar Sign on the Muscle,” Kevin Kerrane gives us the following description:

Any baseball talent, body, body-part, effort, action, player, team, city, or scouting assignment can be horseshit. The term vovers everything but the world of words

A few final thoughts on the Yanks-Sox series…

–I neglected to mention it this morning, but for the first time in a long while, I didn’t wear any gear to the game on Saturday. I usually have a Yankee cap, and sometimes I wear a Yankee t-shirt as well. But I lost my Yankee hat over the winter and haven’t yet replaced it. I have to admit it was interesting to be at the game sans team colors. When I looked at a Red Sox fan, they didn’t know how to look at me. Was I a friend? Same goes for the Yankee fans, although I think they assumed I was a foe if I wasn’t wearing any Yankee clothing.

–I wanted to call this morning’s post, “The Out of Towners,” because for the most part, that is who attends Yankee games.

–Watching Manny Ramirez and Javier Vasquez face off yesterday made for great baseball. Vasquez got ahead of Ramirez in the first with fastballs, and struck him out on a curve ball. The next time up, Ramirez was down 0-2. This time however, Vasquez’s curve hung in the zone; Manny paused, then pounced, knocking the bejesus out of the ball. In his third at bat, Vasquez showed no signs of backing down, and got ahead of Ramirez, throwing fastballs by him again. Vasquez had two strikes on Ramirez, but Manny knocked a flat (though not terrible) change up into center for a single. Watching Ramirez is like watching a hitting clinic. Vasquez was impressive too. He’s been a bright spot for the Yankees so far this year.

–For all of the pumped-up histrionics, there was some genuine moments of electricity at the stadium on Saturday as well. The crowd buzzed when Alex Rodriguez first appeared on the field during warm-ups. Also, you could hear a pin drop as the National Anthem played. When it ended, the crowd was united for the first and only time all day, letting out a huge ovation. The surge of unity felt surreal.

Late in the game, you could feel the tension in the stands as well. The game was tied, and the crowd was busy making lots of noise right until the instant that the pitcher went into his motion. Then, for a brief moment, everything was suspended, and still. Ah, if you could bottle that in time.

–My friend Johnny Red Sox spotted a middle-aged Yankee fan wearing a “Serpico, #8” pinstriped jersey. Sign that man up.

–I’m not deeply concerned about the Yankees offense. Frustrated is more like it. Although he’s more likley to have a productive year, Jeter’s slump is more troubling than Bernie Williams’ simply because Bernie never hits well in April. (Okay, he did last year, and look what happened there.) It’s been strange to see Jeter so out-of-synch.

–I’m going to the Yankee-Oakland game on Wednesday and I look forward to washing away the memory of Saturday’s ugliness. Things could be fugly on the field though, as Jose Contreras will pitch against Mark Mulder. Talk about a contrast in styles, not to mention results. Oy.

–The Yankees need somebody to go Paulie O Postal on a water-cooler. Hell, even if it doesn’t help them hit, it’d make me feel better.