I'm Back to Attack Thanks to Big Mac (Rhymalicious!)
Friday, January 08, 2010
Why hello there, Yankees fans and folks who accidentally clicked my link from a Google search for "Kate Hudson A-Rod Breakup"! 'Tis I, the Yankees Chick - a gal you've likely forgotten thanks to my abysmal failure to update this sucker even once in the past 5+ months.
Yes, it's been a minute or two since I last blogged (and longer still since I kept this site updated on a truly regular basis), and I apologize for my absence. No, I haven't stopped obsessing over the Yankees (come on now), nor have I given up on the blog - 2009 was simply a wildly busy year in the land of the YC. Even whilst I was forced to push the bloggity to the back burner last year, I always intended to fire it back up as soon as one of three things happened:
1) I finished school, thus freeing up my evenings for bloggin' 2) Vince McMahon hired me as a high-paid special consultant for the WWE, with my sole responsibility being to watch every episode of Raw and Smackdown and offer suggestions on how the storylines and characters could be improved (for the love of christ, can John Cena and Randy Orton not be in a title match at just one PPV?), thus freeing up my days for bloggin' 3) Something ridiculous in the baseball world fired me up so much that I decided I simply MUST get back on the blogging saddle pronto, regardless of my lack of time to do so.
I'm still in school, and Mr. McMahon has yet to seek out my valuable services, so you can all thank Mark McGwire for inspiring me to dredge up my blogger.com password and get back to work!
If you're a die-hard MLB Network viewer like myself, perhaps you saw this little nugget yourself last night:The fuck? What year is it?
The most shocking thing about this seemingly out-of-nowhere Big Mac news is that Harold and the gang at the MLB Network failed to mention what seems in my opinion to be the obvious motivation for such a move: a better chance at Hall of Fame election. Since becoming eligible for the HOF in 2007, it's become abundantly clear that the voters have no interest in allowing McGwire into Cooperstown (I know, I know - it's shocking that they don't believe his steroid denials, isn't it?), and making a brief comeback may give him a fighting chance. By rejoining the field of active players, Big Mac would no longer be eligible for the HOF for the time being, but once he re-retires and waits out another 5 years for renewed eligibility, attitudes may have changed enough to give him a chance at election.
Cuz seriously, there's no other reason for the man to even consider re-joining the MLB. I don't think he's that hard up for cash, and I certainly don't think elderly pinch hitters are such a rare commodity that the Cardinals are banging down his door begging him to return.
That's it for today - again, I apologize for my long absence, and I look forward to writing much more in 2010. Stay tuned this weekend for my thoughts on the Yanks' off-season moves thus far (fare thee well, sweet Melk-Man...)
After what has proved to be a wild ride in the world of the Yanks this past week, some fans are admittedly frustrated. We've seen some truly frightening pitching, the worst of which came from the Wangster, whose performance today moved him from the "well, anyone can have one or two bad starts" category to the more critical "pardon me sir, but what the fuck is wrong with you?" status, and we're down an outfielder (I guess the Cash Man was on to something with those 13289023890 outfielders after all) thanks to Nady's elbow - but despite all this there have been plenty of great things to focus on in Yankeeville thus far this season. So forget about the game you watched today and ponder all these silver linings surrounding the bad stuff:
1) Robby Cano Dontcha Know is BACK TO ATTACK! His numbers weren't great last year, but he finished the 2008 strong and he has picked things right back up in 2009. So far he's hitting .405 with a .468 OBP, 3 homers, 2 dubs, and 8 RBI - stellar!
2) CC's opening day start really was a fluke. His subsequent two starts have been just what we were all counting on from him.
3) Nick Swisher, our "backup/utility dude", has proven himself worthy of a roster spot. Is the lifetime .240-ish hitter going to finish the season with the .371 average he's currently rocking? Of course not. But is he better than the average utility player? YES.
4) Melky is doing his damndest to stay on the team. He lost out on the starting job to Gardy, but he's not giving up - every time he gets a chance, he's making an impact.
5) Mariano is still Mariano. Every year I think "maybe this will be the year he starts to decline, he is getting pretty old..." and every year he proves me wrong. Thank you.
6) Dandy Andy Pettitte is off to a great start.
7) So is AJ - and he's managed to stay un-injured!
8) Swapping the Jeet and Damon in the lineup is already paying off - Jeet has stolen 2 bases (that ain't gonna happen on Damon's bum foot) and isn't hitting into infinite double plays!
9) A-Rod is on his way back and is in great shape. Say what you will about the man's indiscretions, frightening choice in women, etc etc: he is one hard working man and will do anything to get back in action. He's been working his cute little booty off since the moment he woke up from his hip surgery and I have every confidence that he'll be back in full effect right on schedule as planned.
Monday and yesterday's games were admittedly a tad disappointing pretty disastrous. The Wangster and CC didn't bring their A-game and the relievers didn't look too keen on picking up their slack; we also didn't see anything spectacular from our pricey new toy over at first base. Nevertheless, I don't think there was any need for the sheer panic I was hearing from fans, much less the glee anti-Yank crusaders were expressing. Case in point, from the comments on Monday's post:
It's Wed. and yet again the yanks are lossing in the 5th 7-1. It's going to be a long year if your a Yankee fan. The best last place team money can buy. They spent 180 million a un-tested first baseman who is now 0 for 6 (hitless and clueless) 161 million on a pitcher who couldn't get one K in his first outing. Time to fire Girardi?????
First, the Yanks were losing, not lossing. Second... IT WAS THE SECOND GAME! I try to judge players on a larger sample size than, say, 5 innings. Third, since when is Tex "un-tested" - I'd say six seasons of experience is a decent "test". Finally, what does Girardi have to do with this? He had nothing to do with the contracts any of these guys received and can't force CC to throw strikes (unless I'm mistaken and he is indeed a puppet master).
Sheesh. Had this stressed-out commenter not posted anonymously, I would have contacted him and/or her directly to issue some soothing words.
Luckily, the Yanks took care of that for me by playing a fabulous game today. In case you missed it, here's the highlights:
Final score: 11-2
Burnout's line: 5.1 IP, 7 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Coke, Veras, Bruney, and Mo combined for 3.2 scoreless/hitless/walkless innings
Homers from Tex, Cano, and Swisher
Stolen base for Gardy
Molina threw out a potential base-stealer
Cano was 3-4 (I told you last year was an anomaly!)
So seriously: simmer down. Everything will be just fine.
...who are doomed to pass by infinite newsstands tomorrow featuring the NY Post, whose cover will surely lambaste poor CC.
What will it be? C-See Ya Later? CC Sucksbathia? Post your guess in the comments. Best one wins a prize!
Aside from the pitching, the game wasn't that bad. Jorgie, who I consider to be our biggest question mark, came through with a sweet homer, and Gardner showed off why he earned that centerfield gig with a huge assist to gun down Mora at the plate. As for CC, he'll be just fine - everyone is entitled to a bad start every now and then, it's just unfortunate his had to come today.
The good news is that the Orioles have nothing after Guthrie. See you Wednesday, O's!
Gimme a D! Gimme an E! Gimme a Fense Who the Hell Needs Drills?!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Time sure does fly when there's not a Yankees game to sit down and watch every night, doesn't it?
It's been a couple weeks since I last had a moment to stop by here and chit-chat, but not because there hasn't been anything about which I could blather. Quite the contrary! I had a fabulous time watching the WBC and even went to see the USA humiliate themselves against our superior Japanese brethren on Sunday evening, allowing myself to holler such foreign phrases as "GO D-WRIGHT!", "USA! USA!", and "YOU BLEW IT JETER!" After watching the games on TV and seeing the semi-final up close and personal (and by "up close and personal" I mean "far, far away in the upper deck"), I think it's fair to say that the WBC has highlighted a fundamental truth that has been overlooked in the MLB lately:
DEFENSE IS IMPORTANT. ERRORS COUNT.
The Domincan Republic, Venezuela, China, and the USA all lost huge games thanks to lazy and sloppy defense, while teams like Japan and Korea cruised past their competition with seamless, textbook play in the field. When Team Japan was in the field, you could just about guarantee that any ground ball hit to the infield was going to result in an out - no need to fear the bobble or wayward throw. The half-assed fielding efforts displayed by the likes of Dunn (not entirely his fault; what was he doing in right field anyway?!) and even our dear Jeet offered no such assurances.
I'm sure that defensive drills are boring as hell, and there's nothing overtly sexy about watching a game packed with tight defense (we don't cheer for defensive feats with quite the same gusto as we cheer a home run... unless a player dives into the stands, I suppose). Everyone loves a stolen base or a stand-up triple, but the results of the WBC make it clear that defense is important too.
Let's hope Jeter brings that message back to Tampa.
What is it about Scott Boras that seemingly hypnotizes otherwise sane people into behaving as if he and his clients are eligible for some sort of special treatment the rest of the world shall never receive?
He's pulled a number of stunts over the years that made me cringe, but what really makes my blood boil is the ludicrous responses he manages to illicit out of club owners and management as a result of these antics! After his and Manny's latest refusal of yet another unnecessarily generous contract offer from the Dodgers, while the rest of us were rolling our eyes and mocking Manny, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt had this to say:
We love Manny Ramirez. And we want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves. When his agent finds those ‘serious offers’ from other clubs, we’ll be happy to re-start the negotiations.
Um... really? I do appreciate the little sarcastic jab he tossed in there directed right at Boras ("suuuuuuure buddy, you just let us know when you find those other offers, *cough* LIAR *cough"), but why is he still drooling over Manny? If he doesn't really believe that Boras has any other offers out there - and I am with him on that one - then why are you falling all over yourself to proclaim your love for that jackass?!
Everybody, remain calm. In the face of disaster, it's best to try not to panic.
I am speaking, of course, of the latest chapter in the tale of A-Rod's "Long and Awkward Journey to Complete Mental Breakdown." This morning Sports Illustrated reported that four sources who had been a part of the (supposedly) anonymous MLB drug testing in 2003 had independently confirmed that A-Rod was among the 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during the survey. And we ain't talking about a little HGH to heal from an injury (not that I condone that either, Pettitte): he tested positive for testosterone and an anabolic steroid called Primobolan.
The 2003 survey was done under conditions of anonymity with no threat of punishment; the goal was to determine whether the MLB needed to put a strict testing-and-penalty program into effect. After finding that 104 players - about 5% of the MLB - were using banned substances, such a policy went into effect in 2004. The identities of the 104 Cheatie McCheatersons were supposed to remain classified with the lab that performed the tests, but the results were seized by federal agents in April 2004 during the BALCO investigation* (don't get confused, though: A-Rod has never been linked to BALCO. Yet.). One of the drugs allegedly found in A-Rod's peepee was Primobolan, which was very popular in 2003 largely because players didn't have to take it for as long as others and it was detectable in the system for less time.
In case you don't recall, the 2003 season was a good one for A-Rod. He won his 3rd straight AL home run title (with 47) and his first (of 3) MVP awards, and convinced the Yanks they must have him. It was a truly impressive year, but I have a feeling A-Rod might not be looking back on it as fondly now that he knows that WE know what HE KNEW.
Get that?
Since the MLB implemented the new testing and punishment system in 2004, A-Rod has never tested positive and has never really been thought of as one of the many juicers in his era. In fact, quite the opposite: he was often looked at as the au natural super-player who was going to rescue baseball's records and dignity from the clutches of Bonds et al. I know I certainly felt a little better about Bonds breaking the all-time home run record last year because I "knew" that A-Rod would be setting the "real" record in a few years. The Yankees were also pretty jazzed on the idea of ensuring that all those records were enshrined in pinstripes when they created A-Rod's new contract in 2007; it contains clauses that allow him to earn a $6 million bonus each time he ties one of the four players at the top of the list and an additional $6 million for eventually passing Bonds. Whether people loved him or hated him, regardless of what he did or didn't do in the playoffs, or how much he stalked the Jeet, it was pretty much agreed upon in the sports world that A-Rod was the hardest working talent in the game and was destined to prove that all those feats the juicers accomplished COULD be done with raw talent and batting practice.
In response to the allegations, A-Rod advised reporters to talk to the Players Union. I'd advise A-Rod to get on the horn with his manager and start working on two things: a) a public apology, and b) a lawsuit against whoever leaked the now non-anonymous (ymous? nonymous?) test results. Both are of vital importance at this juncture: an honest apology complete with some tears and well-rehearsed remorseful facial expressions could salvage an ounce or two of dignity and maybe a few forgiving fans (I know I for one am a forgiving gal), and the lawsuit because the offending test results were promised to be confidential - such was the agreement between the MLB and the Players Union when A-Rod consented to the test. He might as well profit off this gossip as "well, he has a lot of money" might wind up being the only thing he'll have going for him in a few years.
B.Q.E. o' the Week: Cuz He Didn't Feel Bad Enough Already
Friday, February 06, 2009
From the "10 Easy Ways to Emasculate and Humiliate a Man" file:
"Alex tried just so desperately to be that guy, all the time... I don't care how talented you are or how much money you make, this is Jeter's ballclub. I think what he tried to do was be close to Derek and to try to -- I don't want to say imitate him -- but just try to get a feel of what the personality is supposed to be on this ballclub."
Yes, that's Joe Torre, talking more smack about A-Rod. JT was on the MLB network today chatting up his new book The Yankee Years with Bob Costas and took the opportunity to dispel all the controversy surrounding his brutal honesty exposed in therein. Just kidding, he reiterated the fact that A-Rod is a pathetic chump with no personality (or dignity) of his own.
If there's one thing the Hankster loves, its riling people up. And he knows how to do it:
“There’s nothing we are not looking at. And personally, I like Manny. He’s one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game. He’s a free spirit for sure, but he knows how to win. We like some of the other guys, too. We just don’t know yet.”
A few short months ago, the YES Network introduced us all to one of the most maddeningly obnoxious commercials known to mankind, and to add insult to the mental injury sustained just by watching it, they played it over. And over. And over. AND OVER.
I am, of course, talking about Giuseppe Franco and his hair-boosting wonder tonic, Procede (which he DOES NOT OWN, let me assure you). The worst part of the commercial is the Francster's own hair! He has SO MUCH OF IT. I guess it indicates that the product may indeed live up to its claims, but there is such a concept as too much of a good thing. GF's hair is so voluminous it has left him with about half a centimeter of forehead real estate. One more Procede application and his hairline will merge with his brows.
Let's take a gander:
See what I'm saying here, folks? Do you see?! Could any commercial be more annoying?!
I'm sad to say that the answer to that question is a resounding YES.
Thanks to TBS, we have a new winner. We saw these commercials during the division series last year, but since I rarely watch TBS otherwise I had pretty much forgotten about the horror that is FRANK CALIENDO and his horrible, mediocre impressions. Who told him he was good at this? Putting on a wig does not transform you into Jack Nicolson. At all. And how about losing a few lbs? It might help. It's hard to convince me that you're Al Pacino.
Check him out:
I just realized that the commercials don't even tell us what the format of the show is. I guess it's just him standing in front of a wall doing "impressions" for a half hour? And we're supposed to watch it? I wouldn't even watch Darrell Hammond do impressions for 30 minutes, and he's good.
I suppose that's enough non-baseball biz for today. GO RAYS!
A Sad Day in Sports AND One of the Best Pictures I've Ever Seen
Monday, October 06, 2008
Without the Yankees around to throw my support behind, I've had to refocus my attention on the Chargers (fail), Jeff Hardy (fail... and don't try to tell me he's not an athlete), and, oddly enough, the freakin' Dodgers. Yeah, that's how odd it is for me to not have the Yankees to cheer for - I've begun cheering for the Dodgers simply because Joe Torre and Mattingly are at the helm. It seems very wrong to care one hoot about the old enemy winning, but I find myself liking the team and the way they play. Sorry.
With my post-season choice intact, Saturday was a fine day. I was happy to see the Dodgers advance and even happier to win a bet with the YCBF that made him responsible for paying for Sunday night's No Mercy PPV. The Brewers won, too, which was nice because I really didn't think that the Phillies were all that much better than them - a sweep would have been a surprising bust for those poor fans (I feel bad for Cubs fans too, but didn't care quite as much since, like I said, I've been sacrilegiously supporting the Dodgers... but hot damn, talk about not fulfilling expectations).
So what the hell happened on Sunday? My whole sports world was turned upside down. First, the Chargers lost to the freakin DOLPHINS, whose 2007 record was, I believe, approximately 1-964. That was supposed to be a sure win, and they could barely get into the double digits (or the end zone). Come on!
Then the Angels and Red Sox started their game, and I found myself rooting with all my might for the godforsaked ANGELS. The thought alone is enough to make me want to vomit. Over the past couple years I have found myself hating the Angels just about as much as the Red Sox and heartily more than the Dodgers, thanks, of course, to the Yankees utter lack of ability to beat them, EVER. Yesterday, though, I realized once and for all that when it comes down to it, my hatred for the Red Sox apparently supersedes any hard feelings I have for The The Angels Angels of Anaheim. I MAY have emitted a "YESSSSS!" or two during the game. In favor of the Angels. I felt very ashamed and their win was little consolation. Can't they just both lose and let the Rays and ChiSox keep battling it out for another 7 games?
The worst part of the day came towards the end of that aforementioned WWE PPV, and while simply admitting that I not only WATCH professional wrestling but enjoy it enough to shell out $40 to watch 12 PPVs a year is pretty damn embarrassing in and of itself, it's the truth so let's move on to the disappointment I felt when Triple Fucking H retained his title. With the way Vince & Co have been pumping the dear drug-addled boy Hardy over the past few months, I was 100% sure that the title was as good as his. First they essentially make a mockery of CM Punk by having him lose to just about everybody while he had the title, and now this?! Suuuuure, JH has had some "personal problems" that have precluded him from reaching his potential in the (recent) past, but come on dudes, he's had a nice long stretch of sobriety (sort of) and he's CLEARLY been taking acting lessons to improve his previously pathetic mic presence - not to mention the fact that everyone loves him - and methinks he deserves a gaudy pseudo-athletic award.
That pretty much sums up my bad day in sports! Luckily, today is already going MUCH better, thanks in large part to this picture of A-Rod that essentially defies explanation:
Let's examine: I see crumbs and a half-drunk glass of agua (vodka?), so I'm surmising that he is at some sort of dining establishment. In the left hand, he's fisting a wad of what we can assume to be hundos (that's how he rolls, yo), and in his right, a singular Benjamin, probably about to be used to pay the bill for his $7 eight-egg white and mushroom omelet. So far, a perfectly reasonable scenario for a mega-millionaire.
But then... he's rubbing it on his face. Right towards the camera that we KNOW he knows is there. With a look that says "Cynthia said WHAT about me?! Let's flash some dough and remind her what she missed out on by signing that pre-nup, HAHAHHAHAHHA!"
PS: A-Rod: Money is dirty. Watch out for pimples on that cheek.
After our unexpectedly pathetic team got themselves officially eliminated last week, I started asking myself the question we've all been pondering in the back of our minds for much of the season: WHY can't they just WIN?!
During the season, I was able to rationalize with the old "they'll get it together - they always do!", innocently dream that once some injuries had been resolved the team would really perk up, and assume that Cano and Melky would heat up. Once it became clear that those things simply were not going to happen, I started my hunt for a scapegoat.
I'm having a hard time believing that the team didn't have the TALENT to hack it. No team with A-Rod, Jeter, Giambi, Mariano, Moose, and Pettitte should be counted out due to lack of skill. No... it had to be something else. Was it the injuries? Did we put too much stock in Hughsie and IPK? Would things have been different if we had had less faith in those aforementioned losers and did whatever we could to grab Santanamania? Or maybe it was because we lost the magic touch of Torre!?
According to you delightful readers (the ones of you who haven't stopped checking this bloggity, maintaining the faith that I will at some point post updates*), the answer is ALL OF THE ABOVE. 2008 provided the perfect storm of FAIL. Most people who voted in the poll couldn't even decide who to blame - 32% said they couldn't pick just one person/thing on which to peg the blame. For those who, like me, prefer to focus their disappointment on one entity, it was the Injury Gods who received the most votes: 25%. Next on the list was the always-popular decision to just blame the entire roster; 19% of people felt that way.
Interestingly, not many people thought that having Santanamania on the mound would have made much difference (4%) and Hughsie and IPK were also essentially exonerated (4%). Robby Cano Dontcha Know was the LEAST blamed dude, with only 2% of you thinking his suckage was what sunk the team.
My vote was for the injuries. I sincerely believe that having Matsui's and Jorge's bats in the lineup would have made a HUGE difference - that's 40 homers right there! - and Wang would have won three times as many games as all of his replacements combined. Not to mention the fact that A-Rod missed a couple weeks himself, as did Jobamania. Who knows what could have been if the DL Resort and Casino wasn't so booked??
* About that: I am wholeheartedly sorry for my failure to give this bloggity its deserved attention over the past couple months... the many of you who have attempted to juggle full time work AND school can understand that my free time adds up to approximately 78 minutes per week - barely enough time to watch RAW on the DVR, much less write about the poor dilapidated New York team (not you, Mets... although that tag applies to you as well). However! I assure you that I am still committed to the team AND the blog and I will be making a concerted effort to spend a few of those precious minutes ranting and possibly raving (goooo Moose!) here on YC. I swear.
Well, the season is effectively over. The team has been eliminated and the Girardi has switched to "let's see what these no-names and prospects can do" mode when creating his lineup.
I was hesitant to start throwing blame around while the Yanks were technically still in the mix, but now that the FAIL has been made official I think it'd be interesting to get some opinions on who - if anyone - and/or what y'all think is at fault. Obviously, there were a LOT of problems plaguing the team, from injuries to slumps to peeps not living up to their expectations, but I can't help but think that there has to be one prevailing reason that the team couldn't hack it.
Or perhaps I just want to single someone/something out so that I can comfort myself with the fact that at least there is a REASON they lost... and that if that person/thing just shaped up for 2009 things would be totally different. Ya hear?
With 10 games left to play/butcher, the Yanks' elimination number is down to a meager 3 games. That's right: we're just any combination of 3 Yankees losses and/or wins by anyone ahead of us (D-Rays and Sox in division race, as well as the Twinsies in the WC hunt) from the season actually being over.
Not that it hasn't been over for quite some time now... but the official failure is still going to be hard to take. Its truly a shame, and not just because they're breaking their amazing million-years-in-a-row post-season streak. The true sadness is that they are leaving the old stadium on a sad note, which is just not the Yanks style. The Yankees have made history with broken records, World Series wins, flashy plays, big name players, and a penchant for fanfare - having the final few games at Yankee Stadium mean nothing in terms of season status just seems wrong.
And unexpected! Who would have guessed at the beginning of the year that our team would disintegrate into a pile of FAIL? I suppose our naive belief in Hughsie/IPK did us in. As did Cano.
In addition to being swamped with the wonders of work and school, my poor soul is also being crushed by my team... as they continue to get crushed by everyone from the Jays to the Sox to that delightfully heart-warming little group of ball-playing rapscallions from Hawaii.
Sigh. For more on my feelings regarding the trauma, refer to the previous post.
Anyway. Just wanted to mention another quick bit of sadness today, this one for all you mathematics enthusiasts out there (REMEMBER! I am the former Vice President of the La Canada High School math club): There is a legitimate chance that if this team doesn't shape up, they won't finish the year at the .500 mark (82 wins). With just 73 wins under their belt at this point and 25 games to go, they need to go 9-16 just to maintain some sense of dignity. Sounds easy enough, but their opponents this month are the Angels, BoSox, Jays, Rays, O's, ChiSox, and Mariners - several of which are actually, ya know, good teams.
I said yesterday that this series against the Soxies was essentially going to be the maker or breaker of the Yanks' season, and I stand by that remark. Getting back into the mix required a sweep, and that is obviously no longer an option. I suppose there is a dim chance of the perfect storm of Red Sox failures and some magical transformation in the performances from the likes of Ponson, C-Pav, and A-Rod (for the record: I still love the man. He just hasn't been clutch. Not even close. Not that anyone else HAS been, but after last year I thought he was over the "OMG OMG I'm so nervous!" spasms. And to the guy that emailed me saying that A-Rod was a "bum" that we were "stuck with" for 10 years... simmer down and ponder where this team would be in the rankings without him every year), but it is admittedly improbable.
Have I given up? I'd like to say no... but I'm going to have to go with a resounding YESSIR. It breaks my heart to say such a blasphemous thing, but it must be said.
And this way, if a miracle occurs, I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Generally speaking, I'd say that approximately 87% of my blog posts contain at least one or two cogent thoughts, whether I'm explaining the consequences of some sort of devastating injury or my thoughts on an awesome trade (sorry, Farnsworthless). Today, though... no such luck. The season has spiraled downhill in such a ridiculous fashion (it actually has the potential to be comical, if it weren't so sickening) that I find myself incapable of retaining any semblance of rationale, calm, or writing ability (do you like how I imply that I usually DO possess some ability? Ha!).
That said, let's take this post in a direction more akin to free-floating hostility and stream of consciousness reporting...
...I know that lamenting the fact that the Yanks may not make the playoffs sounds very spoiled, but what fan doesn't want their team to make the post-season - regardless of how many times they've been there before? What, am I just supposed to sit back and console myself with the fact that they DID indeed win a lot over the past 15 years and be happy for other teams? The YCBF (a dirty dirty Mets fan) seems to think so. False.
...I guess I am sort of happy for the Rays. They're a fun team to watch and they've been working on their roster for years, sans big bucks. No such love for the Angels or Red Sox.
...Has anyone else noticed that this team has essentially become the Braves, making the playoffs every year and FAILING? The hell?
...At least the Jeet has returned to good form. As usual, he's doing his best to carry his team through tough times.
...Johnny Damon in center is driving me absolutely batty. I don't even hold his disgusting defense against him personally. He shouldn't be out there in the first place. I understand that Matsui has to be the DH, leaving no other place for JD but in the field, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch. Tis a sad state of affairs.
...I am so disappointed in Cano. He is so much better than this. Did he just give up? Was his performance over the past couple years due solely to the hugs of Joe Torre?
...The fate of Joba seems like a cruel joke. How often is it that a reliever turns into a starter with essentially ZERO adjustment time - no pathetic outings, the ability to go deep in the game, etc?
...Speaking of cruel jokes, what the F is wrong with Hughes and I-Ken? I know it's rare that even a top prospect ends up living up to his hype, but we were led to believe these dudes were sure things. I honestly expected at least ONE of them to contribute SOMETHING this year. I don't think there's a Yanks fan amongst us that didn't think exackle the same thing. The fact that neither of them was even seriously considered to pitch on Saturday speaks volumes about the lack of confidence the Girardino et al have in them.
...While I'm not exactly thrilled about the great C-Pav making a return to the mound, I'm trying to remain positive - I've even brought back the seldom-used "Pavano Must LIVE" tag. We have zero other options. He's worked hard (allegedly). I'd say there's a decent chance he pitches well. Plenty of pitchers come back from Tommy John surg raring to go, no?
...Does anyone else find themselves rooting for the Dodgers a bit now that Torre and Mattingly are at the helm of that ship?
...Perhaps I'm just living in a state of denial, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. Let's give them a couple more weeks. They might still have it in them.
First off, let me tell y'all that this gosh darned (insert much fouler language of your choice here) team is literally making me sick to my stomach these days, and that is not an exaggeration. Two 3-run homers served up to Delmon Young in as many games?! The hell?? Leave it to this flailing team to give D-Y a chance to feel like Big Papi for a couple days.
Anyway. Serenity now. Onward to the latest installment of Best. Quote. Ever., this one courtesy of none other than the head honcho himself, Big Stein. It should come as no surprise that with the way they've been playing/failing lately he's getting bitter himself. In fact, he's even sounding like he's resigned himself to the possibility that this may finally be the year that his team has to sit out in October - and he's pinpointed the reason:
"I think it's very simple, we've been devastated by injuries. No team I've ever seen in baseball has been decimated like this. It would kill any team. Imagine the Red Sox without Beckett and Lester. Pitching is 70 percent of the game. Wang won 19 games two straight years. Chamberlain became the most dominating pitcher in baseball. You can't lose two guys like that. We're going to win it next year. If we need to add a top veteran pitcher, we'll do that. We'll do whatever we need to do. Next year we'll be extremely dangerous."
Sounds to me like he's pretty much given up and decided to pin his hopes on next year instead. Somewhat depressing, yes, but at least he's being realistic. And on the bright side, if the Yanks don't find a way to weasel their way into playoff-ville you KNOW The Stein will be all about shelling out the big bucks to sign someone like CC or Tex. Bring it on.
If a blog dies in the blogosphere and there are no readers around to hear it, does it make a sound?
No, I'm not dead, nor is the bloggy. I've just been deathly busy with school and work, leaving me with barely a minute to spare to even watch the Yankees lose, much less write about my recent disgust. With the way the Yankees have been playing of late - how many double plays can those losers ground into?! - it was probably a good week for me to take off.
I have some catching up to do with my baseball reading - I need to further investigate the Joba status, check out the team's stats with RISP (and cry), and see what Carl Pavano is up to these days (hardy har har) - and then I'll return with further YC commentary.
To those of you that emailed me wondering where I've been: thank you for the concern.
In 2009 Curtis Granderson published a book: All You Can Be: Dream It, Draw It, Become It! Granderson "shares the lessons that he learned growing up--the importance of family and choosing the right friends, the power of listening and staying positive, and most important, the value of being yourself."
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