Sunday, May 14, 2023

BIG GAME TODAY

Big game today (1:35 p.m.) for the last fourth place Yankees. (Call your mother.)

Yesterday unveiled an instant Yankee Classic, featuring...

1. A rally from a 6-run deficit. (Initiated by Higgy, no less.)

2. A rally against the Rays' previously unbeaten ace. (Higgy!)

3. Two HRs from Aaron Judge, signifying his return from injury. (Judge/Higgy - Dynamic Duo.)

4. A perfect, manufactured run by Anthony Volpe - a bunt single, two SBs and scoring on a wild pitch. (Discombobulated the Rays pitcher.)

5. Two bunt singles in an inning. (Last time that happened, the game was interrupted by a flock of passenger pigeons?)

6. A nail-biting finish. (Clay Holmes is going to kill me yet.)

7. Proof that Tampa can be beaten after all. (Call your mother.)

57 comments:

ranger_lp said...

Yes it is a big game. We're starting Clarke Schmidt. Looks like a bullpen game to me...

el duque said...

One more moment for the collection... Oswaldo's big hit.

AboveAverage said...

But I can’t call my mother because, she’s dead.

Is there anyone else I could call?



Rufus T. Firefly said...

Ghostbusters!

AboveAverage said...

Thanks, Roofy.

I got them on speed dial!

Rufus T. Firefly said...

Duque,

At least the passenger pigeons scared the dodo birds off of the field.

And it is nice seeing the Carmines in their appropriate location in the standings.

Carl J. Weitz said...

Above Average, just cut down the telephone wire so it lands on her grave like they did in that Twilight Zone and you'll be able to chat on a really long distance call until they repair line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBF1mFD5rhU

AboveAverage said...

Thanks Carl. Thanks for the tip. It’ll save me a ton on Mediums.

BTR999 said...
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BTR999 said...


2 unexpected, uplifting wins.

I think Ranger nailed it above, today seems like a bullpen game one way or the other.
We are burning through the BP arms like Joe Torre with a flame thrower.

Meanwhile another puzzling booone lineup…Bauers leading off?)

J Bauers (L) LF
A Judge (R) RF
A Rizzo (L) 1B
D LeMahieu (R) 3B
H Bader (R) CF
W Calhoun (L) DH
A Volpe (R) SS
J Trevino (R) C
O Cabrera (S) 2B

BTR999 said...

Oh, and Happy Mother’s Day to all you Mothers!

Carl J. Weitz said...

@ BTR, there's no mystery to Buffoone's lineup. Same process as every day. He sticks pieces of paper with player's names up his ass and lets the Yankees pet mascot gerbil named Brian pick them in any order it wants.

JM said...
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JM said...

Boone does nothing without analytics back-up so his ass is completely covered. Remember Cashman's comment about a manager "going by his gut." The only way a Yankees manager under Cashman can be fired, it would seem, would be for him to make moves that don't pan out and aren't based on the data.

If moves based on the data don't pan out and we lose, well, there's nothing wrong with that. Because, over the long haul, all data-based decisions will prove better than human decisions. Like, ten years, or maybe 20. You can lose a lot of games in a decade waiting for the numbers to always be correct.

Bauers batting first? Why not, maybe he's an on-base machine on Mother's Day when facing pitchers whose names start with Z and whose last name appears to be "Effin'" when you look fast.

But no batting order can save us from Schmidt. Data proves that pitchers whose last name is close to Schlitz cannot be effective starters, due to Schlitz changing their formula back in the 60s and losing a chunk of their audience.

You can look it up.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

Carl scores comment of the day at 11:39.

JM, wasn't it the 70s (I'm too lazy to look it up)? I remember it being a good beer back in middle school, which would have been the 70s for me. Then it turn to the schlitz, so to speak.

And happy Mother's day to all you mothers (the 6 letter ones, not the 12 letter ones).

edb said...

I am not confident with Schmidt on the mound. I hope he proves me wrong.

AboveAverage said...

Happy Mother’s Day to all you Fathers out there.

Don’t let that lead off double get you down.

AboveAverage said...

We’ll need six more runs to win this one

Joe of AZ said...

Boone has got to be the stupidest manager in MLB...he gonna leave Schmidt in until he loses

JM said...

Schmidt turns to shidt. As expected.

We're gonna need some more heroics.

JM said...

Oh, Jesus. Abreu.

JM said...

Fucking hell.

Doug K. said...

Can't keep throwing Schmidt out there or using Abreu in important situations.

You'd think they know that.

I mean Abreu has controll issues so putting him in with the bases loaded in a tie game is flat out stupid. Either he walks a tun in or, in fear of doing that, has to groove one.

Morons!

Carl J. Weitz said...

Apparently, the Yankees have no better starters on the farm than Schmidt and middle relievers there than AA Abreu.

Publius said...

Abreu in that situation is just awful. Highest leverage situation of game. On the one hand Cash loves his nerds and the wacky data driven lineups they produce. On the other hand he ignores a generation of data analysis that demonstrates quite clearly that a manager should employ the best arm possible in the most critical game situations, regardless of inning. Yankees management is despicable.

Publius said...

And yes, it's Blake/Boone's decision not Cash's but it's obvious this "inning", "role", "lane" concept of bullpen management is organization wide. Abreu was today's guy if the starter doesn't get out of the 5th, score/situation/context be damned. It's so aggravating.

BTR999 said...

All good points guys, and it’s tough to justify sending Schmidt out there every 5 days. I understand, there’s nothing on the farm, (Ryan Weber now up) which leads right back to the lack of organizational depth and the folly of handing out contracts to perpetually hurt pitchers. It’s looking more and more like Rodon might be out all year. Suggestion: if Severino comes back and shows any life at all, consider flipping him for young pitching. He’s a free agent at the end of the year; are we really going to re-sign him? Maybe package him with Torres and create some salary cap space to keep Steinway happy. Doubtful any of this happens though.

JM said...

The Kid!!!

HoraceClarke66 said...

Ah, hell.

ranger_lp said...

Didn’t miss by much…

HoraceClarke66 said...

When I saw the pitcher bend over, I thought, maybe...

JM said...

Yeah, me too, Hoss.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Not that it likely would have mattered, but Gleyber couldn't just turn and stick some part of his back in front of that pitch? That way Rizzo at least would've got up, too.

Ah, well.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Would've been epic to pull out that one, too. But yeah, once again, By-the-Numbers Boone has to stick in Abreu in a key slot, as if we were playing an April game against Pittsburgh here.

Loved his warning after yesterday about how nobody should get too excited. Right, no space for emotion here. Just keep pretending we're all digits in a computer program...

AboveAverage said...

Just to continue an earlier point - I thought that once he straightened back up, Tampa's pitcher Jason Adam's reaction was priceless. Feigning the heart attack and all.

The Archangel said...

Just to continue on a theme, why does rooting for this Yankee management team make one feel like a gerbil?

Doug K. said...

Yesterday at Scranton C Ben Rortvedt 3-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R, 1 K

Hazel Motes said...
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HoraceClarke66 said...

I did like Adams' reaction, AA! Pretty funny. Very Tug McGraw.

Hazel Motes said...

What was Boone thinking pinch-hitting Torres for Bauers against a tough righty? Was Bauers injured? Or was this simply the Boone/Cashman weakness for the "veteran" in a key spot? Barring injury to Bauers, it made no sense using any yardstick of rationality. Just another example of seat-of-the-pants superstition that is banished from analytics-oriented teams like the Rays.

The Yankees pulled out a couple of close games in this series on homeruns that would have been routine flyballs in any other ballpark. So their little updraft will be turning into a downdraft soon enough.

Volpe had one of his good days, but overall he is overmatched at the plate at this level and could use a year of seasoning in AAA. The Yankee Brainless Trust is determined, however, to wring stardom out of this white Italian suburban guy to fend off the horror of a heavily black Latino roster. This is not a very good or a very well constructed team; it is hobbled by management's serial stupidities and its subtle but unmistakable racism. And the looming return of Donaldson and Stanton--who will immediately go into heavy rotation to justify their idiotic, bloated, forever contracts--will only hasten the decline. Oh--and the big-contract Hicks will get regular playing time to add his considerable dead weight to the sinking ship. Get ready for a long season.

edb said...

Hate to tell you, Duque, The Yankees lost the game. Clarke Shit, Albert in a can Abreu and the great Big Jake Bauer and Willie Calhoum. Bad players help with bad results. I guees Genius Cashman cannot resurrect the careers of stiffs or develop young pitchers.

Kevin said...

EBD: Oh
yeah, this is Boston circa 1965. Only it's 2023 and the Yankees are all in on holding People of Color down, it's so obvious. Gotta get that young dago to play shortstop so as to attract the Other Brown People, you figured it, the Itais. Of course this was the same move you were on board with not so long ago. 'Bring some young, athletic players up from the minors, let them learn on the job like the Tampons do'. I do wish that you were the GM for ten years. You don't have any idea how much. But no early retirement. Maybe drop the racist jabs, huh?

Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside said...

I’m totally OK with Volpe stinking up the place occasionally because he bunted, stole two bases, got home and saved baseball. He’ll be even better tomorrow.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Yeah, I like Volpe's game, too.

The guy I don't want to see anymore of? Falafel. There's no reason for IKF to be out there starting games. He gives his all, he can play some 3B, and he might even be a valuable bench player.

But that's ALL he is. A late-inning sub, somebody to give someone a day off. Volpe and the Oswaldii. That's it. The success of those three players is what this season should come down to. If they can't do it, then at least we know that. If they can, well, maybe that's the beginnings of a new foundation.

But there's just no reason to have IKF out there. It's as if the Yanks had acquired Willie Randolph back in 1976, then insisted on playing Jim Mason at second. NO.

Kevin said...

I agree, two reasons: 1. Volpe is rapidly becoming an all-around ballplayer, a rare commodity these days. 2. IKF has already reached his ceiling at 28, Volpe is only 22, but it's safe to say that his floor is already past IKF's.

IKF, has likely seen his best baseball.

Hazel Motes said...

Kevin--Stay strong. The sun will come out tomorrow. Just cuddle up to your Donnie Baseball doll tonight and think pure thoughts, knowing that your Yankees are the best damn organization in the entire known universe. You and many eight-year-olds out there desperately need to believe this, so what's the harm? There could never be anything racist or errant about an organization run by the inbred progeny and nepotism hacks of a madman who once paid a small-time hood to dig up dirt on one the best black players in baseball and mercilessly ridiculed and berated him in public. Nor could that happen in an organization bred in the tradition inspired by the openly racist and anti-semitic Billy Martin, with whom GMS was locked in a sado-masochastic love-hate psychodrama for the better part of a decade. Just couldn't be possible in an organization run by his heirs, any more than Trump's sons could possibly replicate the sins of the father. Yet see the article below to understand what the REAL Yankee tradition has been under the thumb of the Steinbrenner family:

Reggie Jackson: Billy Martin Used Racist and Anti-Semitic Epithets When He Managed the Yankees
https://www.espn.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7158864/former-new-york-yankees-great-reggie-jackson-says-billy-martin-used-anti-semitic-epithets

Hazel Motes said...

What's all the mooning over Volpe every time he has a decent game? Recency bias, anyone? I"m all for giving a meaningful trial to young players WHEN THEY ARE READY. Volpe is not ready to hit major league pitching--there was nothing in his minor league resume to warrant skipping the step of AAA other than his having had a good spring--but no first-rate organization makes major player judgments mainly on spring-training performance, for obvious reasons--reasons that are obvious to everyone but Cashman and Company. Franchy Cordero had a red-hot spring for the Orioles, who promptly released him because they have a competent front office--the Yankees have a moronic front office, which is why they promptly picked him up. That's why the Orioles are four games ahead of the Yankees now on one third of the payroll. We are nearing the one third mark of the season, and Volpe is showing himself to be not ready for prime time. I think that Peraza would be a more valuable player if he were healthy and given the chance. Volpe is a good--not great--fielder and a distinctly sub-par hitter so far. But at least he's not black or Latin, so go Anthony! Gotta sell those YES app subs and season tickets to the LI, Westchester, and NJ suburbanites who make up the bulk of the Yankee fan base.

AboveAverage said...

we aren't making the post season this year - I hope that this won't come as a surprise to anyone here. this statement should be a banner for 2023. it ain't happening

Hazel Motes said...

Gary Sheffield Claims that the Yankees Treated Black Players Differently

https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=3376301&page=1

Hazel Motes said...

Did the Yankees discourage Aaron Judge from speaking out about racial issues? Yes, according to one report.

https://yanksgoyard.com/2020/07/10/yankees-aaron-boone-aaron-judge-avoid-racial-issues/

Kevin said...

Hello Barney

Kevin said...

You really need to stay away from your racist jabs, I really don't care for it, Barn.

Hazel Motes said...

So devastating--like your real name is "Kevin." Why don't you just type out your real name and address and phone number, "Kevin," to prove what a brave boy you are? We will then forgive you your apologetics for racist practices in your favorite corporations.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

Turd in the pool. Everyone out.

Kevin said...

Guys, I hope that nobody believes that I "started" anything with Barney, but I won't tolerate bigotry. I don't think many people were fooled by her ID switch, and I played along as well. And that's all I'm going to say say about THAT.

Hazel Motes said...

"I won't tolerate bigotry." HA! This from the poster who can't refute the instances of bigotry I documented from his favorite team, the Yankees, and so he bizarrely flings that charge against someone who is EXPOSING AND CRITIQUING bigotry.

Anyone can see that I was criticizing racism, not perpetrating it. Anyone except an unconscionable flame addict. The links I posted attest to a chronic pattern of racism and bigotry within the Yankee organization through the years. In those instances it was blatant. In the current incarnation, it's more subtle, but it's unmistakable. Only in a tormented psyche can a critique of racism be transmogrified into its opposite. It takes all kinds, and you will find them alas, on this blog.

Here, by the way, is another carefully documented account of the Yankees' long tradition of racism, from Steve Goldman, formerly of Baseball Prospectus.

On Jackie Robinson Day, the Yankees must answer for Jim Crow Baseball

The Yankees held to the color line longer than all but three teams. An organization that wants to be credited with the franchise's positive history must acknowledge the negative as well.

https://www.pinstripealley.com/2013/4/15/4228172/jackie-robinson-day-new-york-yankees-vic-power-elston-howard

Hazel Motes said...

THE SHAMEFUL HISTORY OF THE YANKEES' AND THE RED SOX'S DISMISSAL OF BLACK TALENT

https://samuelburleigh.medium.com/the-shameful-history-of-the-red-sox-and-yankees-dismissal-of-black-talent-60bf4d56d982