The Long Ball

I had a few (rare) moments of free time tonight, and I stopped by my own blog.  Much to my surprise, it’s been MONTHS since my last post….  Shame. On. Me.

Ironically, in said post I was promising everyone that the poor-playing Yankees would come around.  The bats will wake up, the pitching will fall into place, and all will be right in Yankee universe.

…It feels good to be right.

I know, I know…. As of today we’re coming off 4 tough losses – and today an especially brutal dinger from the A’s in the 12th inning.  Side note: I actually stopped running and walked away from the treadmill tantrum style at the gym when I saw Coco Crisp hit the game-winner…  But I digress.  

Have the Yanks hit a skid?  Yes.  Am I worried?  Of course not.  Only Texas has a better record than the Yanks in all of MLB!!  Oakland is a good team, tied for second place in a division shared with Texas and the Angels.  I’d say they’re doing alright for themselves.  I missed most of the games of this series due to my insane schedule this summer, so I can’t speak to specifics the way I normally would.  However – I am not worried about the Yankees, and you shouldn’t be either.

I know everyone thinks that somehow they’re going to fail because they’ve been relying on home runs to win many of their games.  I disagree.  We have good pitching – not great pitching, but sufficient-for-now pitching.  We have power hitting.  Joba is coming back real soon, and topping out at 98 mph in his minor league games.  And we’ve also got a few gold glove winners on the field.

Am I bummed that Gardner is out for the year?  For sure.  But this is not a running team!  This is a power team.  We hit home runs, and those home runs help us win games.  So am I worried that we rely on the long ball?  Nope.  In fact, I think it’s great.  Do you need to grind out wins sometimes?  Yes.  And I’d like to see it happen.  But in the meantime, I’m fine with letting our bats do the talking.

Catching Up with the Yanks

I haven’t watched as many Yankee games as usual lately.  Between the NHL playoffs and my bout with the flu, I was out of the game time loop.  But even I am keenly aware of the Yankees’ struggles and abominable statistics as of late.

And yet, I still believe that the Yankees will come around.  Maybe I’m delusional.  But I’m convinced that their bats have to come back eventually.  I will be the first to admit that Tex has not had the best 2 years of his career here offensively, but his glove is incredible.  I also acknowledge that A-Rod seems to have lost his power and currently can’t be counted on for anything more than the occasional base hit.  So I think we need to take him out of the 4 spot.  Still – with all that being said, last night’s game proves to me that this team wants to win.  They used a an error, a hit-by-pitch and a bunt to load the bases before Jeter’s single and Granderson’s groundout (that drove in the go-ahead run).  It wasn’t a pretty win – but it was a win.  And if this is how we start our ‘comeback’, I’m fine with it.

These guys are professional baseball players.  Many of them were on the team that won the World Series in 2009.  Are they aging?  Yes.  But Derek Jeter and Raul Ibanez (and Andy Pettitte for that matter) have proven to us that age is mostly irrelevant.  This isn’t the first time they’ve gotten off to a bad start.  The bats will come around.  I refuse to accept the notion that this team is subpar.

The pitching continues to be inconsistent but there are positives to pull from the last few weeks.  First, Phil Hughes is not a total loss.  Do I maintain that he belongs in the bullpen?  Yes.  But he’s not going there anytime soon.  His ERA in May is 3.55 – which is a significant drop (at one point it was up there around 7).  If he can give us 6 solid innings and hold the opposition to 3 runs or less on a regular basis, I’ll take it.  That may be asking a lot, but I don’t think it’s too much for Hughes.

Second, CC Sabathia is a warm weather pitcher who always gets better as the season progresses.  I have absolutely no concerns about him.  He’s our ace.  Period.

Kuroda is anybody’s guess.  I holding strong to my position on NL pitchers coming to the AL East.  It’s not a good idea.  At least for the Yankees.  Maybe he’ll straighten out, but he’s been unpredictable- even erratic- and he’s getting shelled.

Nova – my guy – has been getting hit hard as well.  His ERA went from somewhere around 3 or 4 in early April up to 6.2 in May and just over the last 7 days he’s up around 7.  I’m crossing my fingers for the kid because I think he has poise under pressure.  And to be honest I haven’t watched enough baseball recently to pinpoint his issue.  Is it velocity? Control? Command? All of the above? I don’t know.  But whatever it is, I’m hoping he gets it together.  Because he’s one of my favorites.

Ultimately the starting rotation needs some work but I will continue to be patient.  Are there issues that need to be dealt with?  Yes.  Are they significant issues?  Yes.  But I’m convinced that the Yankees will figure out a way to address them.  We have the talent. This team just needs time to sort itself out.

Maaaaaaarty

It’s been a while since I blogged, and I have a lot to say.  I’m breaking this up into two parts – Rangers for tonight, and Yankees for tomorrow.  And I’ll try to keep it short.

During Game 4 of the ECF, the Rangers and Devils series officially got chippy.  Point fingers wherever you want – it’s there.  These teams hate each other and it was bound to happen, regardless of who started it or who is to ‘blame’.

Here are the main issues that I have with the press that the Rangers have been getting over the penalties:

#1: I’m not condoning Prust’s elbow.  It was illegal and it was dangerous.  But the NHL needs to be consistent.  Are they going after intent or injury?? Because Volchenko was fine.  He sat there on all fours for a minute, then got up and he eventually came back into the game.  Meanwhile, several dirty hits on the Rangers have received no penalty (on or off the ice) and the reason given was that there was no injury, and intent is not penalized.

#2: Many people, mostly Devils fans and supporters, have claimed that Marty’s comment about going after the Rangers’ heads was a joke.  Fine.  But guess what?  It’s not funny.  He should have known not to make a comment like that because people are going to react to it.  And on the topic of Marty and his comments – Mike Rupp didn’t punch him.  If Rupp ‘punched’ him, we would all know it.  He gave him a little shove.  Get over it.  Next counterargument: “If the Devils went after Henrik, you’d be all over them”.  Yes, I would.  Because my goaltender is not an idiot.  He doesn’t make stupid comments.  He lets his play do the talking.  And by the way – he is a better goalie than Marty Brodeur.  Has he been playing as long? No.  And Marty is a great goalie- there is no denying that.  But Henrik is better.

From the Ranger perspective, this series is completely winnable.  The Rangers need to come out in the 1st the way they have been coming out in the third.  It shouldn’t take them 2 periods to get into a rhythm. Game 4 better give them the push they need to come out strong tomorrow night.  Otherwise, we’ll be ending the season a few weeks early.  We all know this team could be THE team.  They’re young.  They’re hungry.  They’ve got the talent, the coach, the work ethic, the guts and the drive.  They just have to be more consistent in their effort.

Let’s Go Rangers!!!

Flu, Type A

It may seem to many that I have been MIA for a short while.  I have. 

I’ve been under the weather.  Today I (finally) took a sick day and went to see the doc, and she confirmed it- I’ve got the flu.  Type A, apparently.  Oh joy.  

So- podcasts will be on hold for a week or so.  I’ll try to blog if I can but I’ve been doing a lot of sleeping.  And obviously, I’ll be watching (and tweeting) every playoff game along the way.

 

Let’s Go Rangers!! 

Rough Night in NY

A quick post to sum up the night…

NYR: ARE YOU SERIOUS? Tonight was bad.  It was bad because EVERYONE who was watching could see that something was missing, and it looked a lot like a sense of urgency.  We know that offensively you are missing that “big scorer”.  All that means is that your defense has to show up.  Remember the bloody, gritty team from a few games back? The one that didn’t even flinch when blocking shots? Call them.  Tell them they missed Game 6, and they’d better show up for game 7.

NYY:  Everyone needs to lay off DRob.  The bats suck right now (understatement) and we all know that he is a ridiculously good pitcher.  He’s been lights out for us.  A couple of shaky nights are no reason to panic or kill the guy.  He’s under a lot of pressure.  Give him a chance.  He’ll be fine.  And remember… there’s only one Mariano Rivera.

NYK: Let’s be honest.  We all knew you were not beating the Heat, especially with the ridiculous amount of injuries.  In one SHORTENED season, you managed to have more story lines than most others do in a full season and more.  I was just happy to see you avoid the sweep.  Have a good summer.

Tomorrow is another day.  Time to bounce back, New York.

Oh, Mo

There’s no denying that Mariano Rivera is the story today.  Yesterday the irreplaceable closer tore his ACL while shagging fly balls in the outfield before the Yanks game vs the Royals (side note: can we stop using the word “shagging” now? Every time I hear it, I hear it in an Austin Powers voice).

When the news broke that Rivera’s injury was more than just a twisted knee, speculation immediately began about whether or not Mariano Rivera was ready to call it a career.  Yes, it’s highly likely he was planning on retiring after this season.  But could he really give it all up now?

As it turns out – no.  Mariano spoke to reporters before tonight’s game and said the following, which easily moved up into my top ten favorite quotes of all time list:

“I’m coming back. Write it down in big letters. I’m not going out like this”

So there it is, Mo.  I would like to apologize for all of the people (myself included) who doubted you- even just a little, and even for a moment.  You are one of the core four.  You are the epitome of class and hard work.  You are the greatest closer in the history of the game, and with this statement you showed us yet again that you are a true champion.

Get well soon, Mo.  We’re all pulling for you.

Phelps Starting Thursday for Yanks

After today’s 6-2 win over Detroit, Joe Girardi announced that David Phelps will be taking Freddy Garcia’s place in the starting rotation.  He will make his first start against the Royals Thursday night.  

I’m very happy about this move.  After Garcia’s disastrous performance this season, it was only a matter of time.  The kid is young but he is good (ERA of 3.57 over 17 2/3 innings).  He got hit hard by Texas but at this point, there is no doubt that he’s an upgrade over Garcia and at the very least a temporary solution.  At best – we may have found our fifth starter.  

I know we’re all thrilled that Andy is coming back but in my mind he is still a huge question mark.  And if this kid Phelps is for real, there’s no reason to bump him.  Put Andy in at #4 (after CC, Nova, Kuroda IMO) and send Hughes to the bullpen.  Done. 

Good luck, kid.  We’re pulling for you. 

Better Late Than Never – Some Thoughts on the NFL Draft

OK – So between the mess that is the back end of the Yanks starting rotation and the NHL playoffs, I admit: I have been COMPLETELY neglecting my beloved Jets and football in general.  This is normally inexcusable, especially on draft week- I know.  But my Rangers are about to play game 7.  This is serious, people.  

Anyway – wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on the draft tonight and the Jet’s biggest needs and projected moves? 

I have a bunch of thoughts.  Won’t get them all in here but to start off the discussion…

There is a lot of talk about the Jets moving up and going for Trent Richardson.  Great.  He’s fast, he’s versatile, he’s strong.  But what about his knee?  I worry about injuries with this guy.  Don’t want to waste a pick, esp one that we moved up for.  I’ll be happy if we get him.  Can’t help if I’m a worrier.  Do you blame me?   

People (myself included) have been complaining about Wayne Hunter for some time now.  It can’t hurt to shore up the O-line.  Will they do it?  I don’t think so.  We all know how defensive-minded Rex is.  And who knows… maybe Hunter will surprise us this year.  I’ve actually been mentally working on a post about him.  Coming soon. 

The Jets could also use a speedy DE.  Ingram’s name (DE/OLB) has been going around in the Ingram vs Upshaw debate.  It’s been all over twitter.  I see no reason to revisit other than to say I’d be happy if the Jets drafted Ingram.

Now that Plax is gone we def have needs at WR.  But I don’t think that’s necessarily something we need to address immediately, or during the draft at all.   And personally, I think it won’t matter how many amazing wide receivers we have/get if Sanchez can’t get a throw off because the O-line is sucking. 

Those are my thoughts people.  Quick and to the point.  Feel free to leave comments and/or questions.  I’d love to hear what you all think! 

Pitching Problems Part II

Early yesterday evening the Yankees announced that Michael Pineda will be out for the entire 2012 season.  He has a torn anterior labrum – and he will need surgery.  Immediately following the announcement, twitter exploded with people who were outraged over this injury and suspected a conspiracy by the Seattle Mariners.  “THEY KNEW!!” shouted the masses.

Personally, I don’t think Seattle knew that he had a torn labrum.  I do think that they knew they were getting the better end of the deal involving Pineda and Jose Campos for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi.  My thoughts (in retrospect, and purely speculative) are that there had to be something else going on- whether it was work ethic, attitude, or something physical- for them to let him go.  And regardless of whether or not there was in fact some sort of convoluted plan going on, the Yanks are stuck with Pineda.  So it’s a moot point.

Pineda’s absence, however, brings with it a load of new questions.  Namely- how will we fix the bottom of our starting rotation?  Garcia and Hughes have been awful in their first few starts this season.  And with Pineda out, we stand to have a gaping hole in our starting rotation if one of them doesn’t get it together- and stat.  Andy Pettite is expected to make a return and he will presumably (pending health and ability) take over one of the rotation spots.  But Freddy Garcia and Hughes are both on the chopping block.

At this point we have to assume that Freddy Garcia will be the first to go.  He hasn’t been around as long as Hughes and he’s much older.  Their salaries – believe it or not- are around the same.  So what will the Yanks do with Phil Hughes?  Will they leave him in the rotation for now, hoping for the best?  At this point in the season it’s become pretty apparent that he belongs in the bullpen.  He cannot carry this team through 5+ innings.

In fact, he can’t even carry them through three.  Hughes’ pitch count was well above 57 in the third inning.  His velocity was decent but his location was terrible and the Texas Rangers were crushing his pitches out of the ballpark.

The Rangers have a tough lineup to begin with, leaving pitchers no room for error.  Phil Hughes needed to be in top form tonight in order to prove to Yanks management (and the fans) that he deserves a place in the starting rotation.  He did the opposite of that on a night where Yankee fans were already restless over the Pineda news.

So who will take his place?  Phelps?  I think the kid looks great so far, even with his one bad game in Texas- but he’s still young and doesn’t have much experience in the big leagues.  We can give the kid a shot, and I think if he continues to pitch the way he did the first several innings of his season then he will deserve that chance.  But at this point it’s still an uncertainty.  Banuelos is a hot mess in triple-A right now, with injuries of his own and an ERA over 10. Betances looked better in his second start at the end of last season but has yet to show us anything in 2012.  He’s currently 0-2 with an ERA of 8.82.

We have to wait and see what Joe Girardi and the Yankees decide to do to fix this mess.  Because that is what it is becoming – a mess.  And somebody’s gotta clean it up.

*****Paging Andy Pettitte****

Game 7 – It’s ON.

Going into game 6, everyone had an opinion.  Many felt the Rangers’ season was over.  I did not.  I strongly felt that Hagelin would be the difference maker on the ice for the Blueshirts.  I was also very concerned about the absence of Brian Boyle.

Let’s face it – Boyle has been the centerpiece of the NY Rangers during this series.  Torts himself said it – he’s been the best player on the team.  He’s been playing so hard and so well that he ended up inadvertently making himself a target.  It started with the verbal taunts from Senators fans.  And it ended when Chris Neil decided to take things into his own hands- or technically, his shoulder.

My problem (and I’m clearly not alone in this) with Chris Neil is that he is undeniably a dirty player.  He has had dirty play after dirty play.  It’s not even just hits anymore.  But somehow he consistently gets away with it.  The NHL reviewed the play and decided that Neil’s hit on Boyle was clean.  I was personally incensed by this call because I think the intent was there – and I think the intent when it comes to this guy is always evident.  As we all know by now, Neil wasn’t even given a hearing.

When the Rangers started playing tonight, I felt like something was missing.  They seemed lackluster.  They didn’t seem to have the sense of urgency that I felt, that I saw in Game 1 when Callahan came out leveling people left and right.  The spark I was looking for came after Prusty finally took it to Neil.  Would I rather have seen Rupp out there?  Maybe before the fight.  But I was happy to see Prust’s fist meet Neil’s face as he got a couple of good shots in.  It was apparently enough to rattle the guy- or at least light a fire under the Rangers.  And it was a long time coming.

I was even more impressed with Michael Del Zotto’s hit on Neil.  It was a perfect replica of Neil’s hit on Boyle last game, but from the other direction.  And ironically, I’ve never seen a professional hockey player cry to the refs they way Neil cried after the MDZ hit.  He didn’t just complain on the ice, either.  After the game Neil continued the drama by making threats directed right at Del Zotto.  As if we all needed to be reminded that this guy is a classless piece of crap.  Irrespective of Neil and his over-inflated sense of self-importance, I was proud of MDZ and of Prusty.  You’ve got to love the way these guys came out fighting – both for their life in the series and for their teammate.  They showed resilience and continued spirit.  And I’m not just talking about MDZ and Prust.  I’m talking about all the guys who did their part for this win.  Who played with the emotion that should have been there for a game like this.  Honorable mention goes to Lundqvist, who was visibly seething after Neil (clearly) kicked in the last shot and then interfered with the goalie on the way down.  And he didn’t hold back when talking with the refs or with the press after the game about the awful call on that goal.

Regardless of the calls – I’m proud of my team tonight, and I’m pumped for game 7 Thursday.  And some advice for Neil – if you can’t take the hits, you shouldn’t be giving them.

MDZ hit on Neil