Its too early to celebrate their demise, but that does not mean I can't enjoy it.
I find this really interesting - from todays Post Derek Jeter, who normally makes few public stands, stepped outside his persona to firmly voice that "in no way is [Torre] responsible for how we are performing" and that the firing talk "is unfair and it should stop."
Yet, when it came to offering support for A-Rod, let's just say he was less supportive than he is now being with Torre.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Craps, you lose
In 4 of their 5 victories over the Yankees this year, the Sox have scored 7 runs...
In the other? 11...
Strange.
In the other? 11...
Strange.
Tragedy
Well, I guess since they won the WS last year, you can't say they are cursed (curse of Curt Flood?). With former Sox farm hand dying in a car crash on top of the Kile tragedy a few years back, it reminds us it is just a game. And the strange thing about this one is that just like with Kile they were playing Chicago.
On a lighter note, the Pats trade for Randy Moss? It could be great for Brady. But it also could be a disaster. Hopefully he is done with his immature phase like Dillon and now wants to actually win.
On a lighter note, the Pats trade for Randy Moss? It could be great for Brady. But it also could be a disaster. Hopefully he is done with his immature phase like Dillon and now wants to actually win.
Friday, April 27, 2007
A look back at April (Fantasy land)
Pardon me for my brief diversion into fantasy land. The casual reader (that includes you too CHB) can guess that the main contributors (Earl, X, Grieve, and IBID) to GYS are also in a fantasy baseball league together. I know fantasy baseball has little to do with reality but I thought a brief diversion might be nice, seeing that we'll all be surfing the net anyway tonight as rain soaks NYC.
So, here is a list of the top ten hitters and pitchers in our league. The question is, who will remain hot and who will not. It should be noted that our league is an AL-only-no-yankee-no-arod league. Yes, we made sure if he got traded we couldn't pick him up. (Although Earl cleverly drafted him in the final round to see how long it would take us to notice). For the sake of comparison I threw in any Yankee that scored in the top 10.
Hitters: (Runs, HR, RBI, SB, Average)
0. Arod - Holy crap! Might this be true?!
1. Ian Kinsler - I think he's the real deal. He might plateau but he won't drop far.
2. Vlad - Is it me or are we just waiting for the next injury?
3. Vernon Wells - So solid, the Jays were smart to sign this guy long term
4. Magglio - WTF?
5. Sizemore - Honestly, I don't know... my guess is he will plateau
6. Hunter - WTF2?
7. Ortiz - Likely to climb the rankings
8. Hafner - Will be right on Ortiz's heels if not slightly in front
9. Crawford - Crazy good
0. Abreu - What can I say.. this guy rocked in Philly... he rocks in the Bronx
10. DeJesus - Ah... I love early season anomalies
Ok. Honestly, I don't get paid to do this so I'll do the pitchers later this weekend.!
So, here is a list of the top ten hitters and pitchers in our league. The question is, who will remain hot and who will not. It should be noted that our league is an AL-only-no-yankee-no-arod league. Yes, we made sure if he got traded we couldn't pick him up. (Although Earl cleverly drafted him in the final round to see how long it would take us to notice). For the sake of comparison I threw in any Yankee that scored in the top 10.
Hitters: (Runs, HR, RBI, SB, Average)
0. Arod - Holy crap! Might this be true?!
1. Ian Kinsler - I think he's the real deal. He might plateau but he won't drop far.
2. Vlad - Is it me or are we just waiting for the next injury?
3. Vernon Wells - So solid, the Jays were smart to sign this guy long term
4. Magglio - WTF?
5. Sizemore - Honestly, I don't know... my guess is he will plateau
6. Hunter - WTF2?
7. Ortiz - Likely to climb the rankings
8. Hafner - Will be right on Ortiz's heels if not slightly in front
9. Crawford - Crazy good
0. Abreu - What can I say.. this guy rocked in Philly... he rocks in the Bronx
10. DeJesus - Ah... I love early season anomalies
Ok. Honestly, I don't get paid to do this so I'll do the pitchers later this weekend.!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Bloody Hell!
By now I am sure you all have caught wind of this he-said-he-said story regarding the HOF sock. Mike and Mike in the Morning brought my attention to the story, and coined the phrase "he-said-he-said". Deadspin put their typical humorous spin on it, and Curt hasn't addressed it yet. Not sure if he will, my guess is he tries to ride this out (e.g. hopes the story goes away).
Personally, I think the story is a dead-end. It's interesting that Thorne called out Mirabelli by name, which certainly lends some credibility to his story and/or at least puts Mirabelli in the hot-seat. The team has circled the wagons and has presented a unified front, which leads me to believe the story will go no-where. As the Deadspin guys point out, are any of us surprised at the thought of Curt "self-aggrandizing"? No, not really. Should we have the HOF test the sock? I hope it doesn't get to that, but that certainly would put end to the story. I am not sure I can take another fake story right now.
Personally, I think the story is a dead-end. It's interesting that Thorne called out Mirabelli by name, which certainly lends some credibility to his story and/or at least puts Mirabelli in the hot-seat. The team has circled the wagons and has presented a unified front, which leads me to believe the story will go no-where. As the Deadspin guys point out, are any of us surprised at the thought of Curt "self-aggrandizing"? No, not really. Should we have the HOF test the sock? I hope it doesn't get to that, but that certainly would put end to the story. I am not sure I can take another fake story right now.
Panic or Good Managing?
With the rainout last night for NY, there was excitement because Pettitte will now be able to pitch during the Sox series. He would have pitched tonight.
Hughes pitches tonight instead.
Is Torre trying to give Hughes the start that he thought he was going to get, or matching up Pettitte against the Sox? Both?
It is only game 20 or so. Again, even if the Sox sweep this weekend and go 7-8 games up, it will still only be April. As a Sox fan, I would be concerned to fall behind that much this early, but with 140 games to go, 7-8 games isn't a huge deal.
Isn't it just as important to beat Toronto tonight as the Red Sox this weekend to the Yankees?
The reason I really ask is because the Sox claim to play every game as if it is as important as any other. Of course, the argument can be made that Francona gave Tavaras that in between start before the Yankees series to line up Schilling, Beckett, and Daisuke.
So what is the real story with pitching matchups this early in the season?
Hughes pitches tonight instead.
Is Torre trying to give Hughes the start that he thought he was going to get, or matching up Pettitte against the Sox? Both?
It is only game 20 or so. Again, even if the Sox sweep this weekend and go 7-8 games up, it will still only be April. As a Sox fan, I would be concerned to fall behind that much this early, but with 140 games to go, 7-8 games isn't a huge deal.
Isn't it just as important to beat Toronto tonight as the Red Sox this weekend to the Yankees?
The reason I really ask is because the Sox claim to play every game as if it is as important as any other. Of course, the argument can be made that Francona gave Tavaras that in between start before the Yankees series to line up Schilling, Beckett, and Daisuke.
So what is the real story with pitching matchups this early in the season?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Puttin' on the Brakes...
So this morning I did a bad bad thing. I listened to the sports radio despite my current ban...
All the yahoos were out in full force claiming the Yankees are done. Seems to me like we've had this early-season conversation a few times before.
As a Sox fan it is very tempting to jump all over the Yankees right now. A sweep, a four-game lead. As well, the Yankees are rushing Hughes up to pitch this week despite saying this wouldn't happen...3 of their 5 starters are on the DL. Their bullpen is already tired and looks very weak. But we've got to stay focused and realistic here.
The Yankees lineup is silly. They are going to score a bazillion runs and there are a lot of teams with bad pitching out there right now. They will win many of those games. I was too lazy to look it up, but most of us agreed in a post last year that beating up on the bad teams is a great way to notch many wins...And they will again add Matsui to the mix...They will score a ton and just outscore teams.
They will also shower Clemens with money...
They will also make trades for relievers...
Their "lower" payroll will again skyrocket well over $200MM.
They will be there all year.
The Sox, meanwhile, are winning with pitching, but have also lost many low scoring games due to lack of offense. They are scoring like crazy at home and go silent on the road. Until the Sox show consistency on the road and offensively, and Mussina and Wang do not come back, I am holding up my victory parade.
I do, however, think the Sox have vastly superior pitching in all aspects. The starting rotation from 1-5 at this point is better than the Yankees (and this will probably be the case for the entire season). The middle relief is better, and the closer is better. They have extra pitching in Pawtucket.
Manny hasn't started to hit, yet, and A-Rod will cool off a bit. Lowell looks like he is going to have a better year than last, as does Crisp. That lengthens the Sox lineup a lot which means they will eventually be consistent. And don't rule out the acquisition of another big bat at some point.
Playing at their current pace, the Sox would win 108 games. I don't think they'll get there, but (if they find offensive consistency), 100 is not out of the question. If they don't find that consistency (and struggle on the road) 93-95 wins...
With their lineup, I see the Yankees very capable of winning 92-93 games with their current pitching situation. If Mussina and Wang come back strong, they should make the playoffs, and could win 95-96 games.
That's kind of close to call, isn't it? There are a ton of what-ifs? And let's not forget the injuries...We saw what happened last year...
I am not being pessimistic here...just realistic. There are so many games to play, and such a small current sample size on which to make judgements.
Of course, another 3-game sweep in the Bronx could push me over the edge...
All the yahoos were out in full force claiming the Yankees are done. Seems to me like we've had this early-season conversation a few times before.
As a Sox fan it is very tempting to jump all over the Yankees right now. A sweep, a four-game lead. As well, the Yankees are rushing Hughes up to pitch this week despite saying this wouldn't happen...3 of their 5 starters are on the DL. Their bullpen is already tired and looks very weak. But we've got to stay focused and realistic here.
The Yankees lineup is silly. They are going to score a bazillion runs and there are a lot of teams with bad pitching out there right now. They will win many of those games. I was too lazy to look it up, but most of us agreed in a post last year that beating up on the bad teams is a great way to notch many wins...And they will again add Matsui to the mix...They will score a ton and just outscore teams.
They will also shower Clemens with money...
They will also make trades for relievers...
Their "lower" payroll will again skyrocket well over $200MM.
They will be there all year.
The Sox, meanwhile, are winning with pitching, but have also lost many low scoring games due to lack of offense. They are scoring like crazy at home and go silent on the road. Until the Sox show consistency on the road and offensively, and Mussina and Wang do not come back, I am holding up my victory parade.
I do, however, think the Sox have vastly superior pitching in all aspects. The starting rotation from 1-5 at this point is better than the Yankees (and this will probably be the case for the entire season). The middle relief is better, and the closer is better. They have extra pitching in Pawtucket.
Manny hasn't started to hit, yet, and A-Rod will cool off a bit. Lowell looks like he is going to have a better year than last, as does Crisp. That lengthens the Sox lineup a lot which means they will eventually be consistent. And don't rule out the acquisition of another big bat at some point.
Playing at their current pace, the Sox would win 108 games. I don't think they'll get there, but (if they find offensive consistency), 100 is not out of the question. If they don't find that consistency (and struggle on the road) 93-95 wins...
With their lineup, I see the Yankees very capable of winning 92-93 games with their current pitching situation. If Mussina and Wang come back strong, they should make the playoffs, and could win 95-96 games.
That's kind of close to call, isn't it? There are a ton of what-ifs? And let's not forget the injuries...We saw what happened last year...
I am not being pessimistic here...just realistic. There are so many games to play, and such a small current sample size on which to make judgements.
Of course, another 3-game sweep in the Bronx could push me over the edge...
Monday, April 23, 2007
Best of the week Part III
The look on Chase Wright's face pretty much says it all. What a great weekend.
Runners up include a montage from former Red Stocking Freddy-I-can-dance-like-Michael-Jackson-Sanchez and this photo of what happens when you mess with Freddy
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Back to back to back to back
Don't think I've ever seen that before. Think they figured out something about this Chase guy?
Of course, Daisuke just gave up a ground rule double to Mientkiewicz, so this game is far from over.
Also, I hate the term "back to back to back". Makes no sense.
Of course, Daisuke just gave up a ground rule double to Mientkiewicz, so this game is far from over.
Also, I hate the term "back to back to back". Makes no sense.
Well, then.
The other day Grieve4Eva made the comment that the one upside to A-Rod's insanity is that he could actually get 74 HR, knocking Bonds off the single-season record books (which, if the Yanks were out of playoff contention, might even be worth rooting for). I realized that's a big reason I don't really care about Bonds's overtaking Hank Aaron. It seems so temporary - barring some huge injury problems (which he's never had so far) A-Rod's a lock to pass both of them. He'll very likely be the first to the 800 club, and 850 even seem possible. I was thinking about posting something about this, but then the Mysterious Baseball Hermit ("Andrew") came out of nowhere (in only his fourth post of the year!) with a far better discussion of this topic than I could have possibly done. So I'll just leave it to Andrew.
On the topic of goodness from other blogs, via Twitch 124, here's a ridiculous ad for ESPN fantasy baseball starring John Kruk, Peter Gammons, Joe Borowski, Carlos Lee, Bronson Arroyo, Gary Sheffield, a lecherous Florida Marlin, some others I can't identify...and the lead singer of Rush. Holy crap.
On the topic of goodness from other blogs, via Twitch 124, here's a ridiculous ad for ESPN fantasy baseball starring John Kruk, Peter Gammons, Joe Borowski, Carlos Lee, Bronson Arroyo, Gary Sheffield, a lecherous Florida Marlin, some others I can't identify...and the lead singer of Rush. Holy crap.
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