Obviously, it was a tough loss. When the Jays pounded David Phelps in the eighth, the deflation in Suzyn's voice was that of a child learning that Santa is a lie. (Children reading this blog: I'm joking, ha ha.) "Ooooh, boy," she said, invoking her catchphrase. "Did this game ever turn around in a hurry."
This happened as both had spent four innings trying to comprehend why God betrayed the Yankees on a call at the plate. It made no sense. Francisco Cervelli beat a tag. Francisco Cervelli was illegally blocked. Everybody saw it. Everybody knows. This is America in 2014, not Russia in 1960. How could this happen? EVERYBODY SAW IT. They tried to analyze the call - to digest it, to rationalize it. This proved impossible. They asked the ultimate question: Why, God, why? They received no answer.
Nevertheless, the game rendered several talking points from The Master:
1. He likes this team. He really likes this team. The Yankees have made some very smart moves, which will pay off this season.
2. He loves the young, no name, hustling infielders - Dean Anna and Yangervis Solarte - for what they bring to the Yankees: Young, no-name hustle.
3. He really loves the big bats the Yankees have assembled for the middle of their lineup. You better believe they won't go far into the season without hitting home runs. Once they start - and they will - this team will score runs.
4. He really, really loves what he has seen of Jacoby Ellsbury, though we all knew what Ellsbury can do. He's a tough out at the top of the order. You combine Ellsbury and Brett Gardner, and that speed will win ballgames.
5. Most of all, he really, really, REALLY loves the energy and youth that Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda bring to this rotation. When you have two 25-year-old pitchers anchoring your rotation, you really have something.
It's a shame there is no Santa, there is no God, and you cannot predict baseball. Because if there was, and He was, and you could, we'd be looking at a great season in 2014. Unfortunately, we're not sure if this is New York in 2014... or Berlin in 1936.
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1 comment:
I think John and Suzyn are the fair and balanced choice for my Yankees news and information... Because right now I'm choosing optimism. Your MSNBC Bush era pessimism isn't wrong, but it's not right yet. Get on the bandwagon, only one wheel has fallen off so far and we almost rode a unicycle into the playoffs last year.
And FU MLB at bat app, you cut in after the opening theme song two times in a row before the pregame... But thank you for not playing commercials :). I love hearing the stadium noise, random organ music, and interinning children's base races or whatever they do at minor league parks like Houston and Rogers Center. When is Eddie Gaedel coming to bat?
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