Sunday, October 7, 2018

The world is rediscovering Aaron Judge

If someone asks, who is today's face of baseball?, you needn't look beyond the now best-of-three Yankee-Redsock duel. There, you won't find Mike Trout, or Bryce Harper, or the Japanese Babe Ruth, or anybody from the slip-sliding Cubs or money-clogged Dodgers. Study the NY-Boston series, where Mookie Betts and Aaron Judge are battling for the mantle of the game.

And today, I am happy to report that our smiling, gregarious giant is kicking that scrawny little fucker's ass.

Three HRs in three post-season games. The world is taking notice. Last year, Judge's time in the national spotlight came during a prolonged slump, and the general view seemed to be that he might be a 6'7" once-around-the-league, who would Shane Spencer for two months and Zolio Almonte the rest of the way. Today, Judge is on the verge of a career defining October, and stat wonks are pro-rating his numbers had he not missed a quarter of the season. (My take: he'd have 35 HRs, 90 RBIs.) If he and the Yankees keep this up, Judge will not just become king of New York; he'll be the Pepsi-Chrysler-"What's-in-your-wallet?" face of American sports. Jeter, but bigger... in a time when bigger is always better.

(Note to juju gods seeking to poke holes in this post and ruin our chances: I said, if he and the Yankees keep this up. Read carefully, dammit. I am assuming nothing. Nor am I crowing over an apparent Yankee victory last night. In fact, I'm not even assuming the victory will stand, as the league will surely subject it to video review, and may decide to overturn several calls and declare the Redsocks as winners. I am not mocking anybody, not even David Price, who looks like the guy you'd meet on a mountaintop in Tibet, instead of cover boy for a tribal nation of 19-year-old Brett Cavanaughs. I am being respectful. A good sport.)   

I still don't know what to make of last night. Is Price really that weak-assed? Has the long-awaited redemptive breakout for Gary Sanchez really arrived? I still can't shake a sense that we should be heading to New York up 2-0 in the series, and that we should feast on their bullpen at every opportunity (especially with the poisonous knuckleballer Stephen Wright gone.) But if Dellin and El Chapo have their act together - still an "if" - the Yankees have a colossal advantage in the late innings. Last night, when Chapman walked the lead off batter, you could feel a shudder move through the Yankiverse like a South Pacific tsunami. The game-ending ground ball double play was the first one he's thrown all season. I can't explain it. But it happened.

So... it's a day for football, brutal trench war, and I can't help but think once again that the fates of the Yankees and football Giants remain intertwined. Traditionally, I've always believed that the worse the Giants play, the more hope for the Yankees. If that theory holds true, we could run the table this October, because Giants fans are already thinking about drafting first. The Giants sure could use Aaron Judge. Thank God he didn't listen to his high school football coach. It's too late for Saquan Barkley, I guess. That's juju, folks. And right now, the gods are on our side. I think they're intoxicated with Aaron Judge, the face of baseball, the face of sports.

32 comments:

  1. Sing it.

    Maximum effort through October until Winter comes.

    You know what comes next.

    So endeth the JuJu.

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  2. Didn’t Price admit to throwing a gofer ball to Jeter for some big milestone hit? I think he could be one of ours. A Yankees double agent place deep behind enemy lines. If the Yankees do take this series, maybe we WILL see Price swinging from Old Ironsides.

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  3. KD, I wish I could repost your post on some Redsockian blog. The resulting discussion would be most enjoyable for all of us in Yankeeland...

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  4. LBJ- I found a great red sox blog.

    Here is the link;

    " Weareallassholes.edu"

    Have fun with it.

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  5. Feel free to share, LBJ. Your grammar/spelling edits would be appreciated prior to posting, however!

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  6. And the Price will be right in Boston for -- count them -- four more years @ $31 million a year. What a great bargain!

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  7. Today is a vacuum that I'll fill with work. Why not? Then tomorrow, I can spend all day preparing for the Big Game.

    Tanaka is only 29, and has two years left on his 7-year contract, according to the TBS announcers. If they get to the Series, I don't think he'll be opting out.

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  8. Here is the link;

    " Weareallassholes.edu"


    I didn't know if you visited that site, but the images are what you might expect. This one is on their home page banner.

    If you click the "About Us" link on the main menu, you'll see this.

    I'm loving this.

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  9. Absolutely. Judge is a star. It's more than skill. It's the size, the personality, his name, his power.

    But to be a mega-star ... that comes with championships.

    But's it's strange the the single biggest swing of this season came from the .182-hitting walking-disaster-of-a-season Gary Sanchez. Look, if he hits into a DP there (as, face it, most people were expecting) and we have another missed-opportunity inning, the socks fans would have been crazy. They'd have the momentum. Moreland's single would have been cause for panic and Kinsler's double would have opened the floodgates. Anyone out there not believe that Boston wouldn't have taken the lead that inning?

    Sanchez's home run (which I think is finally descending somewhere over Gloucester now) stopped all that. No panic after Kinsler's hit. The fans were limited to a pathetic "Yankees suck" chant, which they pull out when they know they are beaten.

    I think that Boston wins that game without Sanchez's blast. We'd be down 2-0 and digging out our "Yankeeography" discs to get us through the offseasons (since there's no point in watching the Rangers or Knicks this year).

    Of all the players to give the team some life, it's Sanchez. Go figure.

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  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. Judge can be Captain one day if he stays healthy and keeps his good attitude.

    Today is a day for quiet, a day to conserve energy, a day to count our blessings.

    I am still plotting and planning to hit the road, but the weather gods are holding me upside down and tickling my feet, laughing at my plans.

    At least my sinuses are almost back to normal and the pup is good and I'm not enmeshed in some awful relationship or marriage that is sucking the life out of me. Been there, done that.

    I'm going to go top off my cooler with another bag of ice, watch the Weather Channel, try to get some work done, read a camera manual, think about dinner...after all else is gone, we still have food...and try to stop reading about how to get live/work visas for some other countries.

    I am here now.

    Ommmmmmmmm......

    oh yeah...FUCK BOSTON...

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  12. October is here. The real season has started. All that came before is nothing. All that happened to get us here is nothing. ICS could have literally crapped his own junk during a game this season, and it would be erased from memory by a monster postseason. Only October will be remembered. Only postseason play is real. All else is gossamer on a forgotten highlights reel. Championships are the only thing that matter for the Yankees. Win this year and be a legend forever.

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  13. I'm glad you're feeling better, Honey Pie!

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  14. Too many innings by lefthanded pitchers in Fenway...big data, advanced stats be damned, that gets the juju gods attention. And Alex Cora suffered for it.

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  15. There’s data that describes the past. Then there is the present which cares little for the past, unless some team or player decides to live there. Happy to see that Gary isn’t letting data, and the past, rule his postseason. I’ll happily let the redsocks live in the past while we take charge of the present. This is JUJU! The past has no predictive power! It just does not matter!

    Go Yankees! Tonight it is AnDUjar’s turn.

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  16. El Duque, what are you thinking. Saying you're not crowing does not make it so. Now listen carefully: We have no chance against the Red Sox team of destiny. Now go sacrifice a goat to the JuJu gods and STFU.

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  17. I'll have curried goat (or oxtails) tomorrow for lunch tomorrow. Does that count?

    Very little chance of getting any of this crowd to shut up. Not that I know anything about that, really.

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  18. Judge for the HOF! 99 in Monument Park! Retire his number!

    Seriously though, they really should consider him for a Stanton-esque extension (hopefully without 5 opt outs). I think he's proved himself to be more Trout or Jeter than an Arod and well worth extending him now.

    The trouble is that the Yanks will probably be at least $50 million over the salary cap when it comes to paying (and keeping) all these youngsters before free agency. It'll be hard to keep the core 4 (or whatever they are calling them now) together.

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  19. Whatever offer they make to the young guys, when the time for each comes, they should submit 2 pieces of paper:

    1 - the contract offer itself

    2 - a photo of Joggy Cano.

    I'm stupid enuf to think this might actually work.

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  20. I am resting and clearing my throat and texting fingers. I am sure I have another 10 Warbles left inside me. I will get them out one way or another pants and heads be damned.

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  21. Pants and pink frilly crotchless underpants be damned.

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  22. That head cold reignited an ancient, dormant mild addiction to Ricola drops. I'd better stop before it triggers a dental episode. I have too much free time on my hands. I need some baseball. Clamp the electrodes on either side of my skull Doctor Sterling. Beam me up, Scotty. Let the tubes warm up and hand me some popcorn and a calzone.

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  23. http://motelsign.com/boone.jpg

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  24. okay, it was a little sloppy, quick and dirty, but I like it better without the hair. sexier that way:

    http://motelsign.com/boone2.jpg

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  25. LBJ,

    I think your link might not be right. Can't get it to load.

    TWW,

    You have ruined IBS lady for me. A fantasy destroyed. I hope you are proud of yourself!

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  26. Forgot to comment:

    RS are running scared, moving a Yankee cast off up to start the next game.

    Price only pitched an inning or so yesterday. Can the RS start him in game 4 please?

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  27. Bring the JuJu. Maximum juJu, every day and night, until October moves on into Winter.

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  28. when's Hoss getting back? I don't know what to think of him now. actually CHOOSING to spend time with non-baseball people when his JuJu is needed here the most. There is no guarantee that the Yanks will be playing post season baseball against the hated redsocks ever again in our lifetimes. Yet he flits off to enjoy the company of the Portuguese people and their cuisine while missing some of the most compelling baseball moments in modern Yankees History. Good Grief! People.... who can understand them?

    I kind of blame this on Alphonso and his Spanish Ladies, who are only beautiful because they emulate Portuguese women. Hoss simply could not resist.

    I hope at least he's getting a little and enjoying the Port.

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  29. Fret not about Hoss and said JuJu powers. He is wielding them with all the care and effort the playoffs deserve, whether he is watching the games or not.

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    ReplyDelete

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