Seriously. Why come here, after last night? Do you expect the balm of healing words? Or the razor cut of truth?
Listen, what happened last night was a humane and gentle defeat. No hysterics. No fireworks. No comeback, falling short, no last-minute bomb, no plot twist in the final act: We simply swallowed the red pill and went to sleep.
Luis Severino shouldn't have made it out of the first. Six runs. Bomb shots. Could've been worse. By the third, David Cone was suggesting that Sevy was tipping pitches - a kind form of excuse-making that didn't touch the root fear of most Yank fans: Another Sevy setback.
Whenever Sevy gets hammered, schedule the MRI. His fastballs were slow by a few ticks, and headed straight to home video. He might be hurt. He might be tired. He might just be overrated. Or maybe we just rack it up to climate change?
Either way, down by six, facing Clayton Kershaw... really, there wasn't much hope.
Josh Donaldson belted two HRs. I'm tempted to say they didn't matter - the game was out of reach - but that would be unfair to Jackie, about whom we have said harsh words. He has a long way to go to escape the IT IS HIGH shit list. The beginnings of an atonement? We'll see. (But a little voice is all of us is shouting, TRADE HIM, NOW!)
The bullpen did its job. Tommy Kahnle threw a scoreless - albeit stressful - inning. Ryan Weber was Ryan Weber. Albert Abreu, who cannot be demoted to Scranton without going through waivers, pitched the finale.
What can you say? Sevy gets bombed, Judge didn't hit a HR, and that's China Town, Jake. At least it was humane. Good night, Irene.
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My inside info is that Sevy is moving to the OF after Allen's injury news.
Also, ASSman offered him a a 6yr. K at 15M, with a mutual 14Mil with a 6M buyout on the 7th.
Fastball down to 94-95, you know there's something wrong with him. This guy routinely throws in the high 90's and even a 100 when healthy. I suspect strongly that he was hiding an injury because he'd feel bad about landing on the I.L. again. Either that or he was pitching with a stomach virus/hungover/three day orgy in Seattle with the Seattle Superharlots. We'll have to hope that it was the latter, but my bet is on another injury.
We were wondering how long of a leash Donaldson will get. Well, give the bastard some credit, he didn't take long to ax that question. Now that he's hit TWO homers in his first game, you know he's going to be here to the bitter end of the year. Dumbass Cashman might even re-sign Donaldson to a new four year, 60 million dollar contract.
Trade Donaldson now? Yeah, of course that would be the thing to do. But no one is dumb enough to take him in a deal. If the Yanks paid his entire salary, someone desperate might be willing to take a chance, maybe. But there would have to a big injury or two to third basemen around the majors.
Tonight, on national tv, Yanks look to get embarrassed even worse than last night. They're going to get swept out in LA LA Land.
Barring a major injury this year, getting Sevy at 15 million per year is a great deal for the Yankees. I'd go four years but regardless, on the open market, he'd get at least 20 million per year, probably closer to 25.
Look at Rodon: He will average an annual contract value of $ 27 million based on 2 good years. And he's been more injury-plagued than Severino. While Clueless Cashman eked out a signing, other clubs anteed up as well. So he was hardly alone in this pursuit. It's the current market for near-elite pitchers, the category in which Lucky Luis certainly resides. Even for the oft-injured. They both have a similar career ERA with Sevy owning a 3.43 and Rodon 3.60.
Their WAR is close but Sevy beats him in winning percentage, WHIP, and the above-mentioned ERA.
We shouldn't even talk about Rodon, since he'll never pitch in a Yankees uniform, anyway.
Donaldson came back with a bang. But it pisses me off. I want him to suck. As much as I want the team to win, I still want him to suck. I want him gone. Unless, of course, he hits two home runs in every game, in which case he can stay.
After Sevvy implodes, we have Cole tonight. He of the five straight shit starts. Great.
On a lighter note, Schmidt supposedly has developed a new "sweeper" that's different from a "normal" sweeper, and that's why he's so good all of a sudden. Well, we'll see. I hope it keeps working, because if Sevvy heads back to the IL, we'll need him.
I was working late. I missed what sounds like a glorious debacle. As painful as a herpetic sore on the anal verge of the IIH commentariat.
Unwavering positivity!!!
Always something with Severino. I was disappointed last year when we picked up his option. Happy to say I didn’t watch one pitch of this total defeat last night, but from everything I’ve read it does sound like there’s something wrong with him. Bryan Hoch says it may be something of a “dead arm” period, normally experienced in ST. That makes some sense given the circumstances .
Hard to feel confident in Cole lately. We could definitely be looking at a sweep here.
According to today’s I Ching divination, after much wind the mountain with throw great thunder.
So in other words - look for a return to form for Cole as he will have a great game.
I read my fortune cookie.
It said, "May you live in interesting times."
Like a virulent plague. Or the HAL regime.
Also, I have low expectations of enjoyment with both of the next two on national TV.
Even more unbearable with the Master on hiatus.
I do expect a sweep. I am conforming to Dorothy Parker's advice on approaching life -- expect the worst in people, you'll never be disappointed.
With all this talk about the I Ching and fortune cookies, I'd like to remind everyone that LaChoy makes Chinese food swing American.
Something to have for dinner before heading out to the Utica Club, where it really swings. A place where a gentleman should offer a Tiparillo to a lady. Even though she's got her own cigarette now, baby, and come a long, long way.
It's Shasta, Mr. Shane.
But rice-a-roni is the San Francisco treat.
"Chinese" food, marketed by an Italian, based on an Armenian recipe. How American! Like Spam.
Spam, Hawaii's favorite. The last thing I ate from my mom's "care packages" of food when I was in college. Fried, of course. A desperation move.
Life is much more fun when you're refreshed.
Rufus, my dad was a big "let's try it" kind of grocery shopper, so we did try LaChoy once. God, it was awful. Chef Boyardee spaghetti in a can was better.
A lot of Swanson Hungry Man TV dinners in our Haus.
Turkey was a big time fave.
Made us all big and strong
JM,
I spend winters in Hawaii. There is a McDonald's in the commercial section of our building. They serve a breakfast with spam, Portuguese sausage *and* bacon. It also comes with white rice and a yellow blob that they call scrambled eggs. Spam is also sold in 40 packs at the local Costco's. There's a reason Pacific Islanders have a life expectancy under 50.
The Yankees formally granted outfielder Kole Calhoun his release on Saturday afternoon, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi.
Carl, I loved Sevvy when he was at his best. But since blowing out his arm near the end of a start against Boston midway through 2018—something your New York Yankees STILL have not acknowledged—he has simply not been the same pitcher.
In the five seasons, 2019-2023, he is 9-5—with all of 29 appearances and 25 starts.
In the playoffs since his career-altering injury in 2018, he has made 7 appearances and 6 starts, and is 0-3, surrendering 15 runs in 16 2/3 innings. Hell, he wasn't much of a playoff pitcher even before his massive injury. He has won 1 game in October, against Cleveland in 2017, and has a lifetime, postseason ERA of 5.15.
He will also be 30 going into next season.
If the Yanks cannot do any better than this come free-agent time, they really are hopeless.
Oh, and regarding your comments on fielding stats, Carl: yes, fielding in baseball is, I think, one of the hardest aspects of sports to measure accurately. Unlike almost everything else in baseball, even the new fielding stats tend to measure what someone THINKS should have happened, not necessarily what did.
You mentioned OF assists, which is a good example. Most big arms in the OF tend to run up a lot of assists early in their careers—and then not so much, because people stop running on them...
...This applies to infield stats, too.
For almost all of Bobby Richardson's career, the Yankees had the best or close to the best staff in the AL, as measured by ERA. They were ALSO repeatedly at or close to first in the AL in strikeouts.
In Horace's time, the Yankees' staff tended to be more groundball pitchers, sometimes even near the bottom of the league in strikeouts. So this probably accounts for at least some of Clarke's advantage in chances—there were more groundballs for him to field.
But Yankees' pitchers—anonymously, and years after the fact—acted like every pitch they threw resulted in a groundball that went through Horace's wickets. Followed by another pitch that SHOULD have resulted in a DP, but Horace wouldn't stand in...
...Which is nonsense.
It wasn't just that Horace Clarke got to more balls in a season than Richardson, it was that he kept leading the league in assists, and putouts, and double-plays. Maybe he could have got to more...but obviously, he wasn't the problem. (And pretty much every "new" stat—DWAR, etc.—confirms that.)
The weirdest part of the complaint in general was that those NYY teams did not suffer from giving up lots of runs. The Yanks were almost always among the leaders in fewest runs allowed. And they weren't even bad teams, PERIOD! The Yankees had winning records in 1968, and 1970-75, and were 80-81 in 1971.
They were just bad by comparison to what had come before.
Where Clarke hurt the team most was as a lead-off man. He had a lifetime OBP of .308. (Richardson's was even worse: .299.) Who should've been the leadoff guy on those teams? Probably Roy White (.360 OBP). But then there would've been precious few people to drive anyone in.
Roy White was a very good ballplayer. Quietly professional in every way.
Thank Yahwey for the mute button on my TV.
Hoss and Roy White are why I liked rooting for the Yankees when they sucked. Well before the current time when they suck. Relative to where they should be -- winning championships at least every other year.
This is Lawrence. Lawrence Kansas. Is there anybody out there? Anyone at all?
Bauers hit one over the towers
Time for a 5 year, 75 million dollar contract!
Roofy, you are one cheapskate.
8 years @ 120 mil
AA,
That's for 2 good games!
Ohhhh - thanks for clarifying
WTF happened to Jack Bauer? Was it another assassination attempt?
And Cole must have had a dinner reservation.
He couldn’t get Chloe to open another socket…..
And WHY did they take Cole out after 80 pitches for Peralta !!!!!
Walking the guy that's batting under .200?
I miss Jack. But then again, I like the Grey Man series *and* Jack Reacher.
I am reminded of the last playoff Yankee game I attended.
Ivan Nova was removed in the 2nd inning with *NO* announcement as to why. The death barge PR working, just like today.
Cole must have experienced "stiffness". Unlike the "stiffness" at the topless bars.
Gleyber Cano swinging at another ball.
Schmucktz is on message tonight.
He’s brilliant!
An inspiration to many!
Buck-Like in so many ways
Wow Judge smacked that wall really hard. Shoulder Shudder
Nice catch though
Shit, it's not Schmidt with the new sweeper, it's Holmes.
Big difference.
Oz!!
Good thing we sent Cabrera down to AAA…oh
Send him down, bring him up, and boom.
Yankees Win!!!
a win is a win, but does anyone believe the death barge's spin on Cole exiting early?
Rosenthal needs a milk crate…
Speaking of old stats, how many of you know that Mantle's "pathetic" final produced an OPS+143? Whenever I look at his stats, especially the OPS+ numbers I almost have to pinch myself. Imagine if he had today's coaching, fitness (ahem) and diet regimes... Fcking animal...
...and a personality that is not grating.
Kevin,
Just don't think of how the conditioning and ANALytics gurus would have turned him into a Charlie Lau hitter.
And try to think of him *without* his drinking buddies in NYC. Amazing talent, flawed human.
Rufus,
Amen.
Happy Fool Moon Dreams to everyone
Kevin, you're a man after my own heart. I've been saying that for years, here and elsewhere.
Mantle, in 1968—a physical wreck—led the team in HRs, walks, OPS, and OPS+. He also played 144 games.
He was third—THIRD—in the AL in on-base-pct., 9th in OPS, SECOND in walks, 8th in OPS+, 7th in "Adjusted Batting Runs" (whatever the hell that is), 7th in Adjusted Batting Wins, 8th in something called "Bases-Out Runs Added," 4th in "Win Probability Added," 8th in "Situation Runs Added," 7th in "Base-Out Wins Added," 3rd in putouts at 1B, 4th in assists at 1B, SECOND in Range Factor/9 Innings and Range Factor/Game at 1B.
In other words, he was STILL one of the elite players in the game.
Horace, that's insane talent. Just as important the WILL to ignore terrible pain, the will compete, to play, to win. And to think that he cried when his lifetime batting average dropped below .300. Truly a crying shame that he went out not realizing how great he still was. Men like that made me a sports fan as a kid. Yes, there are some throwbacks like him in sports. But you're more likely to see guys lionized for wearing a symbolic ribbon, putting their name on a Foundation, expounding on politics and history that confirms how ignorant they are (doesn't matter their fans share their ignorance). Yeah I have become an old Bastard, I have graduated from middle-aged confirmation bias to understanding that most of what I believed was true after all. 😇
I wore #7 the entire time I played baseball.
I wore #52 the eight years that I played football.
The Mick was Leonidas.
He was Rooster Cogburn without a horse.
He was a warrior.
He was elite on one leg.
He was man enough to tell the world of the errors of excessive drinking.
I have 11 Mantle baseball cards which will never be sold. Period.
He IS Mt. Rushmore.
He was The Mick
They don't make em' like that anymore.
Anyone says different can go to hell.
From everything I've read, The Mick was an unhappy guy, who alienated many of the people closest to him, before he tried to straighten out his life: his wife, his sons, etc. But...I don't know how much happier he would've been, growing up as lead miner in what is still a Superfund site. He was a dealt a tough hand in life to start with—and it sounds like it didn't help that he was sexually molested by a cousin, and endured a cold and withholding mother.
In the end, I do think the class he showed on the field, in spite of everything, has come to be underrated, and his problems given too much focus.
Me, I don't care so much about what causes ballplayers espouse. I do get tired of the constant celebrations of singles, the incredibly elaborate home run rituals, all the seeming exhaustion so many of these guys have in dealing with press and public.
This is the game, enjoy it while you can, because it won't last long.
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