It’s my nature
There was a time when I could not wait for October. It couldn't come any sooner. Growing up a Yankees fan in the 90s will do that to you. The playoffs were a birthright and destiny was on our side every year. Sure, every now and then a team other than the Yankees would sneak in a championship (See: 1997 Marlins, 2001 Diamondbacks). But that was only to give fans of other teams some hope.
I was never worried about the playoffs then. Every other team was inferior to the Yankees it seemed. That only question that fans asked was, "In how many games are the Yankees going to win?"
Then 2004 happened. Everything changed. (No need to go further. It brings up too many painful memories.)
And ever since then, my Yankees have been exposed in the division series every year. They may have run through their opponents during the regular series, but as soon as October hit, their flaws were exposed like Ray Liotta's face in fluorescent lighting.
Take 2007 for example. During that season, New York had a 6-0 record against the Cleveland Indians during the regular season. Playoffs arrived. Out in 4 games.
So ask me if I'm "pumped" for the playoffs?
I could care less about the nine game lead. I could care less about the +149 run differential. I could care less about the 47-20 home record. This means nothing to me. And I'm sure it means nothing to any real Yankee fan. Right now, it's all fluff.
Ask the 2001 Seattle Mariners about their regular season. 116 wins. Most all-time. Lost in the ALCS to the Yankees in 5 games.
So no, I'm not "pumped". I'm worried about our flaws (Once again, I'm allowed to use "our". I feel I've spent enough emotion on this team.)
-What the HELL is the deal with Joba Chamberlain? Holy crap Yankees. Way to ruin a promising young pitcher. Regardless of how I feel (Bullpen! cough cough Bullpen!), shouldn't you have some conviction in your decision? Was this the plan from the start? He was going to be a starter, but with a 160 inning limit, but when he approached 160 innings and they needed him for the playoffs he would make starts of 2,3,4, and 5 innings to slowly build back up to regular starts, but when the playoffs start the innings count would wipe clean, but he MAY be a reliever in the playoffs. What. The. Hell? He used to be a commodity. Now he's a liability. Can't hit the strike zone, can't hit 95 MPH, overthrows, doesn't trust his stuff. Just about everything you DON'T want in a pitcher. Does any Yankee fan out there want him to start a playoff game? Something to think about.
In terms of flaws, that's about it. Which is a good thing. But given their recent history, I'm sure many more flaws will expose themselves. Suddenly Sabathia's playoff ineptitude will rear it's ugly head, the Yankee offense will disappear with runner's in scoring position, or the bridge to Hughes and Mariano will crumble with the pressure on.
I'm scared. I'm petrified. I won't be relieved until we have number 27.
I’m starting to embrace the “Dog Days”
What a weekend, huh? I mean, for me, as a Yankee fan. Your weekend could've been terrible. But mine was great. And by "great" I mean, the Yankees won. They won baseball games. All of them. And more importantly, they won them against the Red Sox. Thereby lengthening their division lead over Boston to 6.5 games.
It's funny how your overall mood changes based on how your favorite team is performing. If the Yankees are struggling, I am suddenly snarky and critical, everything I eat tastes bad, and one little inconvenience can set me off for the day. Not this weekend though. It could've been raining acid and fire I would have had an upbeat attitude. Yankee wins cures all ills. Especially in the manner they did it over the past four days.
Forget the fact that they were playing the Red Sox. These wins would have been considered epic if they played the Long Island Ducks. Having the wins be against Boston was just icing on the proverbial cake.
Coming into Thursday, the Yankees were 0-8 against the Red Sox for the season. A stat that has been shoved down the throats of Yankee fans since the last time the two teams met. But the Yankees changed for the better since then. They have a relatively healthy Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira decided to start earning his paycheck, and Phil Hughes has become Goose Gossage circa 1977.
The series was a perfect storm for the Yankees. And they took advantage. The Red Sox were (and still are) seriously depleted. Jason Bay was out of the lineup for the first two games of the series with a hamstring injury. Big Papi, who was careless and took some supplements and blah blah blah, has been a shell of a shell of his former self. It's almost comical how much he has fallen off. There were pitches thrown to him this weekend, that if they were thrown to him in 2004, they would've landed on the Deegan. 2009, not so much. It looked like he was swinging a 20 pound bat and his arms were made of jello. Final box score from this weekend: 1 for 14, 2 BBs, 3 Ks, and millions of broken hearts.
You can really fault the Sox pitching for their humilation. Other than Smoltz (whom they designated for assignment), Beckett, Lester and even Buchholz held their own. In fact, the Yankees couldn't touch Beckett or Lester. So say what you will about Boston right now, but if they some how find a way into the playoffs, you can punch their ticket to the second round. Because no one is beating them in a short series (maybe the Tigers).
Since the beginning of the season, I've bemoaned the fact that the new stadium is dead. When I went there it felt cold and sterile. And don't even get me started on the $1,250 seats. Not to mention how half of the seats are empty, but the fans who are there couldn't be bothered. When they're not ordering food, they're either text messaging from their Blackberries or waving to the camera. WATCH THE GAME! YOU DIDN'T PAY (I'm assuming) A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO TEXT! Anyway, for obvious reasons, the fans were more into this series. It seemed like the old stadium for once. After Texieira's go-ahead home run in the eighth last night, the stadium was rocking like it's predecessor. Even the fancy seat jerks took time between texts to give a polite golf clap.
Right now, everyone is feeling good. With their rotation, bullpen, and lineup, the Yankees can coast into the playoffs. Which is something I am already nervous for. Since 2004, I can't seem to trust this team. No matter how many clutch hits they get, walk-offs by A-Rod, and shutdown performances by Sabathia, I'll always be nervous for the playoffs. In 2007, the Yankees went 6-0 against the Indians during the regular season. Playoffs come around, eliminated in five games. Essentially nothing matters what happens during the season once October hits. Nothing. I can only hope this good karma carries over to the next three months.
Headlines
Red Sox rally, remain undefeated against Yankees
Want a good laugh? Head on over to Nick Swishers Twitter page and take a gander at his "tweets". In addition to being unbelievably boring, Swisher remains eternally optimistic about the Yankees. Okay, I guess that's the attitude you're supposed to have, but it would be nice if he could back up any of his tweets on the field. Here is his tweet prior to the game on Wednesday:
"Let's get 'em tonight"
Hey, way to be Swish! That's the spirit! Go get 'em! That's the kind of enthusiasm I like from my team's players. Based on that tweet, I am sure Nick had a stellar game. You would think, right? But no. A horrendous base running mistake and a dropped ball in right later, Swisher was back at the keyboard typing up another enthusiastic tweet. Here's his tweet from before last night's game:
"Alright...enough is enough. Let's get this one tonight."
Hmm, not as confident as I would hope, but he is trying. He wants to make up for his blunders from the night prior. Did he? Once again, no. He got doubled-up off of second on a fly ball to left field. If he were in little league, he wouldn't even get a snow cone. Toddlers don't even make that mistake.
I think it's time for Swisher to sit out the next few plays if you know what I mean. Trust me, I love effort and determination. But not at the expense of generic baseball smarts and intuition. Boy needs to read Baseball for Dummies. But it might be too advanced for him.
Fisher nails three at end of regulation, Lakers win in OT
I mentioned a few days ago that this was one of the least interesting NBA Finals ever. I take it back. What I will say now is that it will be one of the most interesting five-game series ever. Two overtime games, a missed potential game-winning layup, some serious pushing and shoving, J.J. Redick's sudden relevance. Just riveting stuff! But there is no way the Lakers lose on Sunday at home. The Magic are going to be too broken from blowing last night's game. I mean, how does Fisher get that shot off? My guess: Magic.
Some thoughts I’ve had
At around 9 o'clock this evening I found myself watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel. I love that show. To be honest, I love most shows on the Travel Channel. I would love to eat the foods that Adam Richman eats on Man V. Food. Walking around barefoot, smoking cigarettes, and having an overall surly disposition like Anthony Bourdain does on No Reservations is like a dream of mine. And without mincing words, I want to be with Samantha Brown. But why did I find myself watching the Travel Channel when there was a game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox on MY9 at the same time? I'll explain.
-Because A.J. Burnett was signed by the Yankees to a 5-year, $82.5 million contract under the impression that he would be successful against the Boston Red Sox. And how has he fared against the Sox this season? In two starts and a combined 7.2 innings, Burnett has given up 11 earned runs, 13 hits, and 8 walks. Ah, quite the way to spend $16.5 million a year. Burnett better thank his lucky stars he lives in America. Because if he was a soccer player in Argentina, some fan would be holding him for ransom.
-Because David "Big Papi" Ortiz, who has been hitting well under his weight for the entire season, suddenly found his swing by hitting a home run to dead center off Burnett. The home run only made it 2-0 at the time, but once the ball left the bat, I was already entering "6-7-0" on my remote to change the channel. I know it was over then.
-Because the Red Sox have three players with a OBP over .400 and the Yankees have zero. Because seven Red Sox hitters saw more than 20 pitches tonight and zero Yankees saw more than twenty. Because Alex Rodriguez hasn't had a multi-hit game since May 25th and is batting .243.
I can go on for a while. The Yankees are 0-6 against the Red Sox this season and still are tied for first place so I can't complain. But if there is any hope for them to be successful in the playoffs, they need to start beating the teams that will be in the playoffs. That sounds dumb and obvious, but it's true.
Headlines
Cavaliers win Game 5, Magic lead series 3-2
That headline should really read "Lebron wins Game 5". I am thinking about the game right now and I can't remember if there were any other Cavaliers on the floor last night. I thought I saw Mo Williams for a minute, but that could have been a mirage. Lebron's back must be killing him today because he carried his teammates, his coaches, and the fans to a win and made this series interesting. Look at Wally Szczerbiak in that photo, you can tell he spent more time on his hair than he did preparing for last night's game. The most he did to prepare was putting that thing on his finger that probably does nothing. If it helps him miss 3-pointers, then its doing its job. Anyway, the series will be headed back to Orlando for Game 6. Bottomline: Lebron needs another triple-double to force Game 7. I doubt Zydrunas Ill-Something or Daniel "Boobie" Gibson has a big game to take a load off James' back. Should be a fun game.
Annnndddd those are the headlines from yesterday. Really nothing else happened last night. There was a few baseball games, none of them were of consequence. Unless you consider Terry Francona, Jason Varitek, Mike Redmond, and Ron Gardenhire being tossed from the game against the Twins consequential. Oh, and Venus Williams lost some French Open match. I met her once. Nice girl. Had a small dog with her. Yeah, so that's about it. Lakers and Nuggets play today, something to look forward to.
I'll be back...
New England was eerily quiet this evening (I’m guessing)
You can't put too much stock in a May loss to a non-divisional opponent. But this one had to sting. David Ortiz goes 0 for 7 with 3 strikeouts and leaving 12 (!) men on base in a 5-4 loss to the Angels in twelve innings. Jeff Mathis drove in the winning run in the bottom of the twelve. And in case you're keeping score at home, Big Papi is batting a robust .208 for the season with no homeruns. Lets not forget that .618 OPS. Should I go through some of the players who have a higher OPS than that this year? You're right, I should. Freddie Sanchez, Kosuke Fukudome, Mike Napoli, Orlando Hudson, Jason Kubel, Jesus Flores, Russell Branyan, Kurt Suzuki, Marco Scutaro, and many, many more.
Look. We all know that this series was going to go seven games. Since their inception, the Celtics have been in about 1000 game sevens. But if Boston plays anything like they did tonight on Sunday, there won't be an opportunity for them to play another one. It was fun to watch them struggle and play dumb basketball for once. For forty-eight minutes they took bad shots, made bad passes and let Dwight Howard own the boards. Yet they kept it close. Keep your fingers crossed for a Magic win on Sunday. I've had it up to here (Hand at chin), with this impromptu Celtics run. It's very inconvenient. I liked it a lot better when they were tanking games down the stretch so they would have a better lottery pick.
"When exiting the bandwagon, please stand clear of the doors." Anyway, unlike yesterday's game seven, this one (as well as the Red Wings/Ducks one) was riveting. I was riveted. Versus was nice enough to put Sports Soup on hold and play the overtime period of Bruins and Hurricanes. Mike Iseman must have been pissed.
Headlines
Celtics tie series 2-2 on Big Baby buzzer beater
To even think about experiencing what it would be like to be a Boston sports fan for a day is considered treason where I live. That being said, it must be nice. Really nice. As I type, both the Celtics and Bruins are legitimate contenders for their respective championships and the Red Sox are arguably the best team in Major League Baseball. Last night alone, all three teams won. Glen Davis' 18-foot jumpshot as time expired changed the complexity of their series against the Magic. Orlando was poised to take a commanding 3-1 series lead and have an opportunity to wrap things up in Boston. Now, the Celtics have a chance to take a 3-2 series advantage at home in the Garden. The Bruins, who were down 3 games to 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes, humiliated Carolina 4-0 on the stellar goaltending by Tim Thomas. Even though the Hurricanes are leading the series, it looks as if Boston has taken the momentum. Boy is it frustrating to watch every New England-based franchise contend. Not to mention having to hear it from their fans who are never shy about expressing their feelings. It's always nice to walk down the street and have Red Sox fans tell me where I can put my Yankee hat.
Without Yao, Rockets still manage to rout Lakers, series tied 2-2
If the Rockets end up winning this series and perhaps winning it all, is there a better case of addition by subtraction? McGrady: Out. Yao: Out. No problem. On the backs of their "complimentary" players, the Rockets made the Lakers look awfully pedestrian. Aaron Brooks, who is about 4 foot 11, scored a career high 34 points and caught Los Angeles napping. And if the Rockets do defeat the Lakers, it will prove once again that general managers do not have to be ex-players and that the future of player development, drafting, and overall NBA personnel should be at the hands of stat geeks and number crunchers. Daryl Morey, we salute you!
Headlines
Carl Crawford ties moden record, steals 6 bases
Ever heard of a pitch-out? During the course of the Rays/Red Sox game in St. Petersburg, Florida, Carl Crawford went 4 for 4 and stole six bases. By doing so he tied a modern major league record that has only been done by three other players: Otis Nixon, Eddie Collins, and Eric Young. Is it just me, or have stolen bases gone up drastically over the past few years. During the late nineties and early "oughts" (?), a stolen base was about as rare as a triple play. Since everyone was on steroids, speed was put on the back-burner. Why steal a base and run out of breath when you can hit a 900-foot home run? That way, you can have a nice jog around the bases. But now it seems speed is not taken for granted and for those teams who have it, they are taking full advantage. Earlier this season, the Rockies' Dexter Fowler swiped five bags. Now Crawford with six. Anyone have seven in them?
Hawks beat Heat in Game 7, face Cleveland in second round
Arguably the most boring seven game series of all time. Maybe it was because there were no lead changes after the first quarter in any of the games, or because it was matched up against the greatest seven game series of all time (Chicago/Boston). Whatever the case, the outcome was largely material. The Atlanta Hawks have no chance against the Cavaliers. Not only is Cleveland the best team, they have the best player and the best home court advantage. And they haven't played a game since April it feels. Wait, they HAVEN'T played since April. A well-rested Cavs team up against an exhausted Hawks team? It could get ugly.
Only two headlines today. Got to study. I'll be back.
So that’s why Dustin Pedroia is so good, he’s a mutant.
I won't even IMDB who that actor really is because it will ruin my fun. He looks like Dustin Pedroia and I will believe so until I am proven otherwise.
Big Papi warns Joba
On the eve of the first game of 47 between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, David "Big Papi" Ortiz offered a few pieces of advice for young Yankees starter Joba Chamberlain:
"None of that, man -- just play the game the way it's supposed to be, and that's about it," Ortiz said, referring to Chamberlain. "This is a guy, as good as he is, the next step for him will be to earn respect from everybody in the league. He's not a bad guy, but when things like that happen, people get the wrong idea."
Since Joba entered the league in 2007, he has established himself as somewhat of a headhunter. And by headhunter I mean, he often throws baseballs at Kevin Youkilis' head. Why just Youkilis? Who knows. Maybe he doesn't like his bald head and goatee. I sure don't.
Though, I am not sure what Ortiz's motives were for a quote like that. It is not as if Chamberlain doesn't understand the consequences for throwing a 98 miles per hour fastball as someone's head. If Joba had the intention to do so prior to the quote, I'm guessing Ortiz politely asking him not to won't deter him.
In the end, this just adds a little more spice to a rather dull April rivalry.
Empty seats are forcing Mets and Yankees to talk prices
Maybe they will lower the prices for those seats and just charge a leg.
Late Night 90's Song:
MLB Attendance Study (Day 4):
Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays (Rogers Centre)
Attendance: 15,487
Chicago White Sox at Baltimore Orioles (Oriole Park at Camden Yards)
Attendance: 11,723
Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros (Minute Maid Park)
Attendance: 26,081
Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners (Safeco Field)
Attendance: 17,639
Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field)
Attendance: 40,039
Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Indians (Progressive Field)
Attendance: 12,852
New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals (Busch Stadium)
Attendance: 38,522
Milwaukee Brewers at Philadelphia Phillies (Citizens Bank Park)
Attendance: 36,395
Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Angel Stadium)
Attendance: 38,543
Average: 26,364.56
-
How is Wesley Snipes in a movie? Work release? [seanbfitzgerald]
-
RT @jacko2323: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MINOR UPSETS??? [seanbfitzgerald]
-
4-2!!!! #USA [seanbfitzgerald]
-
Hockey? Oh yeah! US vs. Canada! When we're done with them, they'll be grateful they have universal health care! [seanbfitzgerald]
Subscribe to my RSS feed!
- Video of the Day March 11, 2010
- Now or Never! March 10, 2010
- Video of the Day March 9, 2010
- Talent vs. Character March 8, 2010
Tags
Recent Comments
- Sean B. Fitzgerald on Stephen Curry hires agent, will enter NBA Draft
- DCfan23 on Stephen Curry hires agent, will enter NBA Draft
- Sean B. Fitzgerald on Jersey Shore: Episode 6
- mp on Jersey Shore: Episode 6
- Sean B. Fitzgerald on Jersey Shore: Episode 6
