Sportsapalooza II!

 

...did not go quite as well as the (now renamed) Sportsnado. But hey, it did produce New York's first ever, all-female, champion pro sports team, the New York Liberty. Congratulations, Ladies of Liberty!

It took the Libs 28 years and six championship series, but they won a WNBA title, led by Jonquil Jones, their hard-driving center (above, looking over where is now her city; or some city), and MVP of the team's thrilling final.

This is great for women's basketball and, we can only hope, a great augury for your New York Yankees, the team that set off the weekend Sportsapalooza by finally scraping their way back into the World Series.

Sadly, though, the weekend was not so great for the New York Mets, who fell just two games short of making this a Subway Series (and thereby sparing us enough agita to choke a horse). Much worse was the fate of our two local football teams, who lost their games by a combined score of 65-18. Ouch! Where was that vaunted Jets defense? Where was that vaunted Aaron Rodgers? Where have all the Giants gone?

Never mind. Hey, the Devils barely lost in overtime, the Islanders won a shootout, and the Rangers took it to the Maple Leafs (shouldn't that be "Leaves"?). The defending National Women's Soccer League champs, the NJ/NY Gotham FC, took a big step toward another women's team ticker tape parade (maybe?), by severely damaging the Pride of Orlando, 3-1.  

Sports are a-flourishing here (at least outside the Meadowlands), but the grandest celebration of all would be seeing a New York baseball team roll up the Canyon of Heroes. Right? Well, wouldn't it? Please?

The mission is not accomplished, but let's thank the people behind our success

Well, we are going to the World Series. 

Whatever happens, it will be a wild ride. And even in defeat, we will be joyful and thankful for this grand opportunity. 

Today, let's acknowledge those who made this possible: 

The juju gods, who just last week somehow coaxed four wild pitches in one game! That's felony grade juju, folks. You can't teach it. You can't buy it. And the juju gods have it. 

These tireless deities deserve our respect. Not only do they work around the clock - nights and weekends - but they never whine, they show great attention to detail and - hey, you know what? They are hot. Yes, it needs to be said: They are, by far, the best looking gods on the firmament spectrum. And smart, too. Smart as the dickens. They wear glasses and read a lot - Russian novels, thick books, heady stuff. And they're nice to old folks. Have I ever mentioned how fundamentally kind they are? Sure, now and then they'll royally screw you - it's the job! - but overall, our juju gods are the unsung heroes of the indigenous immortality community. 

So, to all you juju gods - keepers of bad hops and expanded strike zones - I humbly salute you. Thank you for your hard work in  2024. You are top-notch beings. 

Regardless of how the series ends - I mean, none of us at IT IS HIGH would ever put our earthly demands over the gratitude we feel- I say, BRAVO! Way to go, chief! You've done it again! And, hey, have you guys lost weight? 

Remember this day, and keep it holy.

 

Today, October 20th—10/20—is of course Mickmas, the holiest day on the Yankees calendar. It celebrates the birthday, in 1931, of the man who was the first sports hero for many of us. And on this day, in 2024, we find ourselves back in the World Series.

Some hominy: Mm, hominy! homilies fitting to this occasion:

1—Yes, we give Brian Cashman his props. I completely agree that we would have been here many times more in the past 25 years, with almost any other, conceivable general manager.

But...somehow, that dog's breakfast of a bullpen that he put together has, for a change, been largely brilliant. So has his designated replacement for Derek Jeter, Gleyber Torres.

So has his latest shortstop of the future, Anthony Volpe, and his off-season trade, Juan Soto. Not so much his other acquisitions or farm call-ups, such as Verdugo, Rodon, Stroman, Wells, Trevino, and Chisholm. But still. We're in the World Series. The little bastard gets his propers.

2—Yes, Hal spent the money and got it done. He is a seriously weird character. Even on the field last night, he was unable to smile or laugh. I have seen that in an other public men, and they are usually sociopaths. 

I don't say that Hal is a sociopath—just the expected result of growing up with George Steinbrenner as a father. 

Hal, time to unclench. And yes, open up that wallet. You can't let Juan Soto walk away, not after this past season and this last game. Write the check, put him in the outfield with Aaron Judge and The Martian, and we'll see what's what. 

Break the cycle! You can give other people pleasure, even if your father could not give it to you!

3—Yes, we were lucky. For a change, our path to the World Series was as easy as it could have been—unless, perhaps, the Tigers had made the ALCS. We got to skip the Orioles and, above all, our longtime tormentors, the Houston Cheatin' Heart Astros, long may they rot. Kansas City was plucky but little more; Cleveland was maybe the worst team I've ever seen the Yanks play in the championship series.

But as a great man (and lousy Yankees catcher) once said, "Luck is the residue of design." The Yanks built much of their path to the Series by (finally) finishing with the best record in the AL, and bringing enough depth to the postseason to win.

4—Yes, the Yankees played better than I thought they would. Much of the season, obviously (I had them down for all of 66 wins), and especially in the postseason.

No, the team often did not look like they could hit a beachball during the ALDS, especially, and at times in the second round. Their fielding was spotty to start off—though often that was due to decisions by management (A first baseman with two broken fingers? Really, Aaron?).  

But they overcame all that, they made a lot of excellent plays in the field (even Verdugo and Soto in the outfield, and Berti and Cabrera at first). They've seemed visibly steadier and more mature as play has progressed, taking a hard punch in Game 3 in the ALCS and not letting it faze them in the least.

Clutch stat: Your New York Yankees have now played 9 straight games decided by 3 runs or less—two short of the playoffs record (11, the 1980 Phillies). They have won 7 of those games.

5—Yes, they hit. Sort of. Judge's endless strikeouts were maddening at first, and the endless numbers runners left on base were demoralizing. 

But Judge had some big hits, Gleyber has had a stunningly good playoffs leading off, Volpe seems to have somehow turned it around, Rizzo has at least been able to hit singles, broken fingers or no, and even Wells smacked a home run. Basically, everyone except Jazz Chisholm has had some big moments at the plate—and he's been fielding well.

And then there were Stanton and Soto. Six home runs off the Guardians' elite relief corps in five games? Not too shabby.

(It did help that Stephen Vogt managed like...well, Aaron Boone on a bad day. Constantly challenging the Yankees' best and hottest hitters, even when they could easily have been walked? I don't get it.)

6—No, the starting pitching has not been outstanding. This has been our weakest area in the postseason, despite one excellent start apiece from Cole and Rodon. That's not enough. Clarke Schmidt has got to pick it up, and Luis Gil has got to continue to improve, after a promising start in Cleveland. Otherwise, our bullpen will collapse from overwork. Why Stroman is even on the roster is beyond me.

7—No, they will not win the World Series with this team. Unless...maybe. Both the Mets and the Dodgers have obvious holes in their bullpens, and they have been wearing each other down.

It will help us if the NLCS goes seven...though thanks to MLB, it won't help us as much as it should. They will still get to rest from Monday-Friday. Unless it rains in Southern California. Wait—it never rains in Southern California. But girl, don't they warn ya.

Both the Dodgers and the Mets look to have better, deeper lineups than we do. The Mets swept us during the regular season, and would love nothing better than to do so again. MLB would love nothing better than for Ohtani to have a great World Series—and they have that killer gate in right field. And don't expect Carlos Mendoza or Dave Roberts to be anywhere near as stupid as Stephen Vogt.

Either will be very, very tough. But not invincible.

8—Yes, win or lose, we must re-sign Juan Soto. The case will be made that the Yanks have many other needs: a power-hitting, lefty first baseman; another couple of starters, more relievers, etc. 

Bullshit. Juan Soto is a generational talent. At just 25, he is worth whatever insane amount of money he will want. 

All other needs can be met with more of Brian Cashman's vaunted dumpster diving, and his vaunted (in his mind) minor-league system. Give T.J. Rumfield a shot at first. Put Cabrera on the field more...everywhere. Let Rizzo go with our blessings. Let Verdugo go...all right, with more blessings. After all, it was his patented, weak, bouncing groundball to second base that unexpectedly set off that rally last night.

God bless you, Alex Verdugo. Now get out of here. We mean it.

9—Yes, Brian Cashman will probably re-sign Gleyber Torres. For some ridiculous number of years and amounts of money. Sigh. Well, as long as it doesn't interfere with re-signing Juan Soto. If it does...

10—Yes, you guys are the best. You add immeasurably to my enjoyment of this wonderful, silly game, and life in general. Let's go get the World Series. But if we don't, well, we can only remember the words of the one and only hit, Broadway musical made about our New York Yankees:

We ain't fussin'

Cause we got ussin'!

Quick trivia quiz: Who does Joe Hardy rob on the final play of said musical, while playing outfield for the Washington Senators?

  

  

Some Thoughts About Last Night

Soto's HR

In 1976 I was twenty-years old. The Yankees had never made it to the series in my legitimate memory. The last time they made it I was eight and while I was a "Yankee fan" because I had a hat and a Roger Maris pop up home run trainer... it was not the same.

By the time 1976 rolled around I was a die hard. Attending 15-20 games a year. Rarely missing one in some form or another. 

The Chris Chambliss HR against KC brought me to tears. Literally. 

Maybe it was the excessive amounts of tequila. Maybe it was the Thai stick. Or maybe it was twelve years of frustrations. Twelve years of hoping that guys like Joe Pepitone and Ron Blomberg could bring us back to the promised land... They couldn't.

Either way that was my first GREAT Yankee HR.

There have been others. We all know them. Reggie's three against the Dodgers, Bucky Fucking Dent, Leyritz, Tino... Ending with Hideki owning Pedro (again and again) on the way to their last championship.

Then nothing. Nothing for fifteen years. Fifteen years of hoping guys like Raul Ibanez or Gary Sanchez could provide that thrill. The big, big home run, that catipulted the Yankees to the top of the baseball world... they couldn't. 

Even Judge's 62nd, while feeling good, was kind of anti-climactic.  Great personal achievement but different. 

Last night's HR by Soto was the real thing.  Start to finish it was a great at bat. You could see it in his eyes. Every foul ball turning wheels in his head. He was going to get this guy. He was not going to give in until he did... and while I didn't cry or even jump out of my chair, that was one GREAT Yankee HR. 

It was about time.

The Post Game 

I watched the on field celebration a couple of times. Primarily because I wanted to enjoy the moment a little longer, and secondarily because I was interested in seeing how each player celebrated after the initial jumping up and down.  

Stanton

When people were jumping near Stanton all I could think of was "Dear G-d! Don't let them hurt him."

Stanton was mostly serious. Standing above it all, easy to spot because of his height, older than everybody else and not just in age. This is the first time he has gotten this far and it seemd like he understood the moment on a different level. He said they weren't done and you could tell he meant it.  

Judge 

My favorite Judge moment was when he bent way over to take a hug and a kiss from his mom. Judge was happy over all but there was a sense that he knows he still needs to do more. Probably a projection but you can tell he feels the weight of expectation. Fortunately for him, unlike other years he had Soto and Stanton to take some of the heat off. Ideally he is able to finally relax and get back into crushing the ball. 

Soto

Someone hug tackled Soto. I'm pretty sure it was his dad. If that's true that's just awesome!

Gleyber

Gleyber was holding smiling at and kissing his (two year old?) kid. I rip him all the time, forgetting that he's a person. I will try not to do that as much. He's been really really good this last month. 

My Favorite Moment By Far

When they introduced Hal, Brian, and Boone. 

At that point there were pretty much only Yankee fans in the stadium... and they booed! They booed Hal. They booed Brian. And they booed Boone. 

All is not forgiven. While Yankee fans are happy today it doesn't mean for a second that we think these three are not responsible for how long it took to get back. They got lucky. I guess we are stuck with them now. 

Boooooooo!

No matter what happens this winter, Juan Soto will be a Yankee icon, but will the media let us enjoy it?

Excuse me? Hello? Yeah, me? In the back. Sorry, but I got a dumb question...

All due respect to the TBS announcers - the exit velos the sideline interviews, the cool  graphics - last night, did the play-by-play guy, Brian Anderson, have to follow Juan Soto's incredible, game-breaking hit by saying, "His price tag just went up." 

Yeah. That's what he said. I mean, was that necessary? Was it witty? Was it right? Would he have said it about, say, Alex Verdugo? Or any of the Cleveland Guardians? When Patrick Mahomes throws a TD pass, do they say, "Worth every cent!" Because that's exactly what he also said about Soto, as if he's a stone-hearted mercenary calculating his next contract while rounding third. Even fellow announcer Ron Darling jumped ship, wondering why they always must make it about money?

Look, I appreciate that Soto will soon be in line for a golden shower an avalanche of cash, when he becomes a free agent. And yes, the sports media always needs the simplest, crudest narrative possible, which is usually to assign money to everything. Next year, Soto might be a Seattle Mariner, just as Joggy was, or even play for the crosstown Mets, like Luis Severino and Harrison Bader.  That will be his choice, which he will have earned. But does that mean the world series requires Soto to be replaced by a dollar sign avatar? If so, I hope the announcers remember to bring up Shohei Otani's deferred cash payments, a voodoo salary structure, which will outlast the polar caps and make Bobby Bonilla Day look like a trip to the 7-Eleven for a pack of cigs. 

I say, fuck them all. Soto is one of the best things that happened to the Yankees in 15 years. He is the most expressive and entertaining batter since Reggie Jackson. He is wonderful to watch, and he never phones in an AB. When he was hurt last summer, we fell apart. Every Yank fan knows what's coming: Hal will either pony up the cash - because, after all, we are the New York Fucking Yankees - or Soto will go somewhere else (and, by the way, make the biggest mistake of his career.) Hopefully, Cooperstown Cashman will figure something out. (And didn't Cash look like an old man in the owner's box? Dorian Gray. What happened? Or has it been that long...?)

But is it impossible to let us simply enjoy our first trip back to the world series in a generation? Must they make it about money? Because that worn-out narrative about George Steinbrenner demanding results - that's as old as our last championship. Kids growing up today have no memory of the Yankees buying Catfish, or Reggie, or any of them. If the Yankees win the world series, they will ride down the Canyon of Heroes in a cloud of confetti that is unrivaled anywhere in the world. I believe that such an experience will change hearts and minds, though apparently not the MLB announcers, who will simply see wallets being drained and unfulfilled betting parlays.

Look, this site has a lot of old-timers, who can be quite cynical at times. The Yankees have done that to us. But really, when it comes to old school disillusionment, we got nothing on TBS. 

Game Thread: No (More) Mistakes on the Lake

Gleyber WTF!

I Am Low On JU-JU Juice

 Every bottle in my closet is empty.  Even those with caps still on them. 

As a borderline sober person this morning, I am relieved and out of breath.

Guys showed up last night whom I thought I had seen on a cruise ship in the Bahamas only two days earlier. 

If I survive this series, and the Yankees win this series, I will have aged 4 years.  And I don't have that much of a longevity cap remaining. But I'll take it.

There still remains one, accessible, juicy Ju-Ju fruit. ( from which the juice is derived, for those of who who are knowledgeable ) 

 But it is at the very top of the tree and my ladder is made of bamboo.  As are my arms. 

Here we go, gents. 

" Once more, into the breach."

No midges, but still a three-hour heart attack: Ten takeaways

Can't take many more of these. Of course, we want a victory. But if the Yankees must lose tonight, let's do it by - say - eight. Last night was a slasher flick: Whenever we seemed safe, Cleveland did a perfect Michael Myers sit-up and started killing teenagers. I missed John and Suzyn - can't synch their audio to TBS - but the Master must have been delirious. (Here's a link to his "Juannderfull, marrrvelous" call of Juan Soto's early HR.)  

Ten Takeaways:

1. If Giancarlo wins us a ring, or just stays hot, I shall never, never, EVER again whine about his contract. In the IT IS HIGH AP Style Book, he'll be a "well paid, salaried staffer." 

2. Am I dreaming, or is Anthony Volpe hitting as he did in April? (FYI: He's 8 for 25 - .320 - with eight - yeah, 8 - walks: That's a .485 on-base percentage.) 

3. If it stands, would there ever be an unlikelier Yankee postseason hero than Mark Leiter Jr.? (The ones that come to mind: Jim Leyritz, Aaron Boone.) 

4. Something's wrong with Anthony Rizzo. He should be our best fielding 1B, but he's waving at balls. He pulled a Buckner on Leiter's shovel pass in the eighth, split the uprights. Donno what to do, but it's a thing.

5. That said, Rizzo charging a potential bunt - with the batter swinging - was one of the ballsiest plays I've seen in years. He was 50 feet from the plate. Fearless.

6. Austin Wells has become a Gold Glove catcher. All night, he won deserved praise from Ron Darling & company. Saved at least five wild pitches. 

7. Biggest heart attack moment: Verdugo running down that drive off the bat of Santa Claus Noel. It looked gone, and the TBS cameras panned to the bleachers. Somehow, Verdugo got there. I cannot recall a better decision by Boone than choosing Verdugo over The Martian in LF. 

8. Glad to see Luke Weaver get a rest, though Boone had him warming in the 9th. I hope that didn't fry him. 

9. I thought Boone should have given Luis Gil a shot at the 5th inning. He'd retired the last four batters, seemed to be settling in. We knew the bullpen would be stressed. 

10. A bit surprised that Marcus Stroman didn't get called upon. Yes, he was shaky down the stretch, but at some point, we'll need him. 

10. (Tie) The end of that game will forever be frozen in time - Berdi botching the grounder, then recovering to make the play. But is it my imagination, or was the Cleveland runner exceptionally slow. That play should have been closer.

Whew.

 

So many pitchers, so few choices

 

There are 12 fucking pitchers on our ALCS roster. 12. And the bullpen is threadbare.

You get past Weaver and Kahnle and Hill is the only serviceable arm out there. Maybe we need to call on Stroman. Somebody has to give our Big Two some rest. They can't come in again today and also tomorrow.

We have slack and nobody there to pick it up.

Cashman, as usual, did nothing for the bullpen at the trading deadline. Every guy he picked up off various scrap heaps or scrap teams is gone. (Hill being the only somewhat pleasant surprise, so you know how bad the rest of them were.)

Maybe we should have hung on to Caleb Ferguson. Or dug up Maynard Ferguson. Or given Marinaccio more of a chance instead of putting him on waivers. Or...or...something. Anything.

Boone is an idiot, yes, no question. But who the hell is there to bring in when he needs to quell the opposition? No-fucking-body.

I would love to see Gil put in one of his great seven-inning games tonight, but I doubt it. If we need middle relief, it's got to be Stroman. Weaver's arm is going to fall off.

Which means that, basically, we don't have a great chance at going up 3-1 tonight. A far greater chance at ending up 2-2. 

But if Boone can just give Weaver and Kahnle a break so they can pitch effectively tomorrow before the day off Sunday, I'll frustratedly take 2-2 with three left. If those guys spend tonight in the jacuzzi, we have a much better chance of winning tomorrow and Monday.

Fucking Cashman. The incompetent, arrogant, shitheaded asshole.

Last Night I ....

 ....finished the AI based algorithm I had been testing all year. 

It is 100% predictive under the right circumstances.  And those circumstances read, " today."

The simple, and unbearable conclusion, is this:  "The yankees cannot win with this bullpen."

Luis Gil has to go nine innings or Boone has to have Stroman or Nasty Nestor ready to deliver 4-5 scoreless innings.  No names like Weaver, Holmes,  or Hill can be relied upon. 

My formula, the hard AI product for which I am responsible, says more;   

" Luis Gil could pitch 6 innings of shut out ball and leave the game with a 5-0 Yankee lead, and we cannot win with the existing bullpen. "

My AI model leaves us with one more miserable existential truth: " that blow up yesterday ended our season."

The key, and unavoidable reason, is that:  " we have a highly lame bullpen and it cannot due the job at this level. "

As a person now trying to maintain sobriety ( I am close to an 18 day chip ), it will not be possible for me to watch the Yankees, until the meaningless games begin in the spring.  I can't stand the pain without four manhattans. 

But I can watch the Mets  ( hee , hee ). 

Sorry.

More reasons to be cheerful!

And now, in honor of the Yankees' 11th straight playoff failure to reach the World Series, here are 11 more reasons to be cheerful, from Ian Drury and the Blauchheads:

1—We’re just one win away…from the first, all-female New York team taking a trip down the Canyon of Heroes!

 

2—At least we don’t have to watch our boys get swept in the World Series by the New York Mets.

 

3—At least we don’t have to watch our boys get swept in the World Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

4—At least we don’t have to watch our boys in the World Series. Ever.

 

5—Why worry about baseball when Ghosts is starting again?

 

6—Are you ready for the football?  (I hear the Jets just acquired Carroll Dale.)

 

7—Hey, when have the Knicks and Rangers ever disappointed?

 

8—Four words: NJ/NY Gotham FC. No, wait, that’s actually one word and three sets of initials. Plus a slash. Or, you could say it’s seven words. Anyway.

 

9—I’m sure Juan Soto will want to play for this club now. 

10—Now Cashman can get started on that Alex Vertigo extension. 

 

11—Think of Rob Manfred and MLB looking at the ratings for the big, Dodgers-Guardians World Series. Especially after Ohtani pulls a hamstring.

A soul-crushing Yankee defeat conjures a long buried memory of Aaron Boone

They say everything has happened before: It's preordained, scripted by some Shakespearean juju god, with help from Stephen King, and our future is already in the books, having come and gone long ago - and it shall occur again, long after we are animal bedding. But here's the thing: Sometimes, for one brief moment, we recognize the eternity and the entirety of our folly, in this case, as Yankee fans.   

If so, I hereby thank the juju gods for crushing our souls on the early side this October, rather than waiting for the Dodgers to lower the boom. If it's gonna happen, cap'n - that is, if we're gonna pee the Posturpedic - let it be now. Bring it on.

And please... no more like last night.    

Seriously. So much for the idea of an easy and enjoyable ALCS. So much for the notion that the 2024 Yankees are or were a team of destiny. So much for - oh, fukkit - for everything. Last night killed hope. 

Does anybody here not expect Cleveland to roll us in six? 

I mean, how do you come back from a loss like that...? 

Nope. I've seen a lotta shit, and I know when the juju gods have a big toe on the scale. Last night wasn't a cheap, forgettable loss. It was an existential demolition derby - a massive, cruel bait and switch. Every time you accepted defeat -a 3-1 loss wouldn't have crushed us - every time you accepted the outcome, the Fates flipped a card and fucked with us, assured us we'd win, and then - kaboom - the Babadook. 

I will go to my grave reliving that game. And believe me, the pain larder over the last 20 years is already full. 

But one moment, in particular, stands out.

Sherman, set the Wayback to last night, around 8:20 p.m. It's the 9th inning, Yanks lead 4-3, and Cleveland just botched a tag on Anthony Volpe. We have runners on 2nd and 3rd, nobody out. Fortunately, we have Austin Wells to bat for Jose Trevino. The slumping rookie catcher has a chance for redemption, a chance to drive in an insurance run and further the rally. All he needs to do is hit the ball. Choke up. Bunt. Whatever. Just hit the fucking ball. Instead, Wells fans, swinging out of his shoes at a shoulder-high pitch. The Yankees only score one run, and we all know how that turns out, eh?

You know who Wells flashbacks me to? The 2003 world series against the Marlins. Game Four, Yankees leading 2 games to 1. It's the 11th inning, and we have the bases full, one out, and here comes Aaron Boone, the ALCS hero against Boston and future managerial lug nut. He's slumped this series, but here's his chance: All he needs to do is put the fucking bat on the fucking ball. Bunt. Choke up. Whatever. Of course, he strikes out, swinging. The Yankees don't score. Florida wins the game, evens the series, then rolls us in the final two nights. 

They say we're still in the driver's seat against Cleveland. Yeah, right. I'm still on the couch, watching Boone strike out in 2003. That magic dust, which had transformed Luke Weaver into Mariano Rivera? It seems to have blown away. (Maybe too many five-out saves?) The Fates that guided grounders to our overwhelmed first-basemen, they have given bad bounces. We're actually putting our future into the hands of Luis Gil, who hasn't pitched since - gulp - September? And what happens if he cannot make it through the fifth?

What happens? Fuck if I know. But this has all happened before. And tonight we will know... 

Game Thread ~ Do iT for JOBA !

( And WELLS should have been the starting catcher, batting 7th or 8th in the order! )

Fear

 I agree with Duque, that Wells may be returning to the hitting form he was known for.  He finally " barreled up" during his last at bat of the night.  Not dis-similar, in a way, for the optimism  we feel that Judge may be regaining his stroke after launching that key dinger. Wells could bar on the cusp of breaking out. 

But the talk is of benching Wells, not of rearranging the lineup.  And that means a defensive change. Trevino is like the red light that doesn't work at the four way intersection. 

A baserunner gets on and he steals second.  Doesn't matter if it is a bunny or a rhino doing the running. And it becomes demoralizing.  Balls fly into centerfield, and the fans get energized. 

If Trevvy went 3-4 with two doubles, it might balance off. But he doesn't.  He can't throw or run. 

He has been good Yankee.  But the fuel is running down in the tank and Wells is better at everything.  

Boone is overly loyal to veterans.  If he had his way, DJ would be playing third base. So Boone will follow his instincts. 

I believe  this may be " a give-up game."  And this is not the time of year where such a thing is acceptable. 

If Clark goes 4 plus innings and gives up 0-2 runs,  we have to bring in Stroman or someone other than our typical one inning corps. That is like rolling the dice. 

And I fear that if Cleveland gets some energy,  we are in for a long week. 

We need Clark to throw a no hitter.  Okay.  I can live with that. 

In Cleveland, Yankees will need lefty hitting in the center of the order

Hot scoop: Monday night, in the 8th, Austin Wells actually looked good. Well, decent, maybe. A big AB. He whacked a few foul liners, then hit one directly at the RF. In the box score, just another out from a guy who is 2 for 24 this postseason. I'm not gonna write the BA. Let's just say, it's the stuff of Joey Gallo.

But here's the thing: Wells actually barreled a few balls, and he didn't strike out - (as he has 10 times in six games) - and then trudge back to the dugout hearing boos. (Yes, in Yankee Stadium, boos.) So, symbolic victory, right? 

Well, dunno. The problem with Wells - whose slump began in late August and might not even be a "slump" - is that he bats cleanup, right after the (hopefully) awakening volcano called Mt. Judge. He's supposed to break up the string of RH bats that includes Gleyber, Judge, Giancarlo and Volpe. Thus far, it hasn't worked.  

The Yankees made their late-season run with a lefty boost: Jazz Chisholm at 3B, Alex Verdugo and The Martian in LF, Anthony Rizzo back and Wells hitting. The team punted on DJ LeMahieu, a painful divorce, but he was getting nowhere. Ever since, they have beaten up on RH pitchers, but floundered against lefties. 

So, who is likely to give a lefty lift? 

1. Wells? Don't want to mimic Boone, and assign significance to a few swings, but that's all we've got. If Wells doesn't start hitting, he must be dropped in the order (swapped with Jazz or Rizzo) or replaced at catcher by Slow Hand Trevino (against a LH pitcher.) His slump has reached DefCon mode, especially if Judge is heating up. Somebody must protect the Captain. 

2. Chisholm. Either he starts hitting, or his cocky manner takes a hit. Nice to see him fake a bunt two nights ago. I love to see Yankees bunt. It fucks up opposing pitchers and defenses. Chisholm's double Tuesday night was negated by a ridiculously bonehead base running move, something that might be becoming a problem. Imagine the cold winter if Jazz brings a world series-killing rally on the base paths?  

3. Rizzo. He's 3 for 7 since returning. Too small a sample. Smashed a double, then got picked off, horribly. Dare we dream he's all the way back? A candidate to take over cleanup, in place of Wells. And he's eliminated concerns that Oswaldo/Berdi should be playing first.  

4. Verdugo. His stellar LF fielding has justified his presence. He's 5 for 20 - not bad - and when he gets on base, we roll into Gleyber/Soto/Judge, which has the Guardians shitting their knickers. All he needs to do is grind out a few walks. 

5. Of course, Soto. Our best hitter in the postseason - 7 for 20. He has the greatest protector in baseball. And all we need is somebody hitting after Judge. 

Question of the Day: How is Juan Soto a Gold Glove Finalist?

 Seriously? How?

Yanks in the lead, but they better not get comfy; Cleveland isn't done

Can't shake the feeling that we're on thinner ice than we think.

Last night, the Yankees won despite several massive goofs, most notably in the pickoff limbo between 2nd and 3rd. They strangled a rally that could have salted away the game. The Yankees have a 2-0 lead, but the nights have turned cold, there is snow in the Adirondacks, and anything can happen in Cleveland, including a Joba-like mayfly hatch. Expect a slog, because The Babadook remains at large.

Some terrors...

1. Gerrit Cole reverted back to dirty coal. Our ace failed to make it through the 5th. Yes, it was nice to have Carlos Rodon crush game one. But every winning October scenario revolves around Cole, and right now, he's on a roller coaster. Beginning Thursday, the Death Barge will turn to Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil, with promotional considerations from Marcus Stroman. It's a huge drop, and the message from Cole is that nothing is sure. Don't wanna be Chicken Little here, but we're entering the phase of the ALCS when the opposition  stops giving away games. We'll need Cole in game six, and who knows what he'll bring?

2. I can be wrong - (I once believed in our one true lord and savior, Jesus Montero) - but I hated seeing Luke Weaver pitch the 9th with a four-run lead. Boone gave the Guardians a free chance to scout Weaver, our greatest October Surprise. What we saw is a slight, but clear lessening of his dominance - in this case, the homer to Jose Ramirez. The more Cleveland sees of Weaver, the more likely they will hit him. Couldn't Ian Hamilton have thrown the 9th? Was it necessary to use our best bullpen weapon? And if Weaver gets hit, will the results be catastrophic to our bullpen zeitgeist?  

3. The Yankee base-running was abominable - especially after Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Rizzo had come through with doubles. Both, picked off second and, in Chisholm's case - so embarrassingly that he called for a bogus video review, which only amplified his guilt. The Yankees nearly ran themselves out of a game. Can you imagine the Yankiverse today, if those goofs had cost us?

Yes, we're sitting pretty. But every hopeful prediction had us winning games one and two. Now, it's gonna get dicey. 

Second Day of Sportsnado Better, Not Great.

 

Love how the shark almost seems to be holding Lady Liberty's torch in this poster...

So, in the end, NYC's epic Two Days of Sport was something more like Two Days of Meh.  

On the plus side, your New York Yankees went up, 1-0, in the ALCS, beating the Conies in Walkathon II: The Pitches Are Wild!. The Mets rallied gamely to tie up the Bums, and the Shark-Free Liberty managed not to blow a 17-point lead on top of blowing an 18-point lead.

So, good. Where this will all take us, who knows? Sure makes the fall fun, though. Save for...the football.

What a mess our two "hometown" ("home" being a New Jersey swamp in this instance) gridiron galoots are. Both are now 2-4, and between them have lost 3 games for want of a decent placekicker, which must be some type of record.

(Actually, last night, the Jets' Greg Zuerlein managed to hit the uprights twice, which to my mind should be worth 4 points.)

The Jets promptly doubled down on their in-season rebuilding, looking to bring in Davante Adams. But while Aaron Rodgers showed flashes of his old self, even pulling out a Hail Mary touchdown before the half, it looks like the Jets lack a line to protect him, and then there were those 110 yards in penalties. Of the Jints, best we not even speak.

It appears there will be little left to celebrate after baseball—and the WNBA, give the Liberty their props—shut down. Oh, wait: the Rangers did smack down Detroit last night, and they're looking very sharp. What could possibly keep them from winning their second Stanley Cup in the last 84 years?

But I digress. Yanks need to get to the Series, before the long, cold winter sets in.

An Above Average Haiku Tuesday ~ "Pinch Me, I Must be Dreaming" Edition

 

Weaver Fever

Luke Weaver
Can be a deceiver
Young, bright, even cleaner
Than Beaver Cleaver
Yet kills with his heater
Like dengue fever
Cincinnati weren't believers
DFA'd him, pulled the lever
New York thought him keener
Not as a starter, neither
Now the late-game Caesar
Star reliever
Overachiever
From kids to geezers
The Yankeeverse is flying in the ether
Heavy breathers
With Weaver Fever

Last night was an anomaly; the Guardians will not go down so easily again

Big night for maligned Yankee contracts. 

Carlos Rodon, into year two of a $162 million deal, threw a solid six. Giancarlo Stanton, at $32 million per gulp into 2028, hit another HR. Anthony Rizzo, halfway through a $40 million dream, hit a broken finger single. And Aaron Judge, still a toddler in a $40 million deal that might outlast the democracy, had a walk and a sac fly. The Yankees soared, Cleveland clanked, and somewhere out there, the gods of money celebrated a victory for the status quo. 

Walks, wild pitches, failures to drive in runners - you name it, the Guardians performed their best Saturday Night Live impersonations of the KC Royals. With Jose Ramirez as Bobby Witt Jr. 

I hate to be a colonoscopy prep. Last night, I was as drunken with hope as anyone. But don't expect a repeat. The Canyon of Heroes remains a long, perilous Uber from the Bronx. This series will go seven games. A lot of shit is going to come down.

How can I speak such blaspheme?

1. Their best starter, Tanner Bibee, goes tonight. 

2. Last night, they didn't use any of their four lockdown relievers, the best bullpen in baseball. If they get an early lead, they'll unleash the dogs.

3. Ramirez went 0-for-4 last night. Every year, this guy kills us. No reason to think he won't continue.

4. Judge still isn't on the beam. You keep waiting for the burst, but the fly dies at the warning track. Until he's hitting, the Yankees are weak in the middle. (Especially with Austin Wells in his increasingly troubling slump.)

5. Beginning in July, the Yankees commonly would win the first game of a series, then fall apart. It continued through September. 

Of course, tonight we'll have Gerrit Cole, our best pitcher, according to status quo. But which version will show up? The Cole who shut down KC to win the ALDS, or the one who got cuffed around in game one?

Last night, as Cleveland catchers put on a salute to Gary Sanchez, the game looked deceptively easy. It won't happen again. 

I cannot escape the feeling that this series will go seven. If so, that's a lotta shit coming down.  

Time to MAN-UP, Carlos!

"Channel.  Your.  Inner - Spock!"

                                                   

                                                    - James Tiberius Kirk -

This Team Is Weird

Baseball is my favorite sport in part because it is the most individual of all the team sports. You do your job (hit, field, run) pretty much on your own. No one blocks for you, no one passes you the ball or puck or fails to pass it to you when you're open, or sets a screen. Your job is to execute.

As a result of this, the sport allows for personalities and even inter team rivalries that couldn't survive a different type of game. It allows for a Bronx Zoo, but ideally you have a team that meshes into a no drama unstoppable force. The late 90's Yankees are a great example of the latter.

The 2024 Yankees are neither of these. They are straight off the Island of Misfit Toys. The team is comprised of head cases, showboats, and far too many players with one foot out the door. 

The all seem to like each other, which is good,but you get the feeling that as soon as school is out they won't be seeing each other again. 

Look at the line up

1B Rizzo (Probably gone - team option) 

He's on the ACLS roster broken fingers and all. But don't worry we have two back ups who, despite not being 1st basemen, can get by. 

2B - Gleyber (Better be gone - Free Agent)

A total head case with attention span issues. Worst baseball IQ in recent memory plus a slow internal clock that makes it hard for him to make the turn on double plays.

He has been hitting well as a leadoff but disappears as the game goes on. Perhaps what ever he takes in the locker room before the game (Big Cup of Coffee!) wears off by his third at bat. 

SS Volpe 

Should be the second baseman but is playing shortstop. Has not yet delivered. Unsteady at best. Also, some really bad throws. Made a great catch the other day but overall...

3B Chazz 

Another second baseman playing out of position. Flamboyant. Is he a yutz? Is he Kevin Hart? He hasn't hit yet in the playoffs that's for sure.

RF Soto (Probably gone)

A 500 million dollar ballplayer who has everyone holding their breath when the ball is hit in his direction. The guy can hit though and has the "Clutch Gene" so there's that.

CF Judge  

The quiet man, and by quiet I mean he hasn't hit. Needs to deliver to cement his legacy.

LF Verdugo  (Gone)

Is HE a yutz?  Ground ball machine.

DJ and Stanton (They will never leave.)

No comment needed but between them they have one leg.  Stanton does come up big though... until he doesn't. DJ was an All- Star at second base so, of course he never got to play there. I know he's hurt but he's a misfit toy none the less.

Cole  (Could opt out.)

Head case

Rodon 

Bigger head case. 

Stroman 

Another head case.

Dominguez 

His nickname is THE MARTIAN for g-d's sake!

I'm not saying they can't win. I'm just saying that the team is weird.

Starting tonight: It's the Carlos Rodon redemption series

Soon - like, hours from now - we shall know once and for all whether signing Carlos Rodon was a masterful idea.

Seemed cool at the time. He shaved. He wore a tie. All was groovy. Twenty eight million bucks per season, through 2028. Just for scraping his whiskers.

But after two years, everything remains unresolved.

And tonight, we'll know.

This is Rodon's chance to flick the last two seasons into the memory hole and launch a new Yankee reality. We'll forget the $28 million for each of the next four years. We'll ignore the ERA close to 4.00, the angry exchanges with fans. We'll even throw in his Game Two debacle against KC last week, when in a four-inning span he went from Sandy Koufax to Sandy Duncan. We'll forget everything. We'll move forward, figuring that he's a two-time All Star who could start three games in a seven-game series, if need be. Three solid outings from now, he could be a Yankee hero, the lynchpin of a world series team, something we haven't seen in 15 years. 

Sending Rodon out tonight is like that ad in the newspaper personals: "Come back, Carlos. You didn't fracture my skull, you merely broke my jaw. All is forgiven." We'll forget the DL lists. We'll forget Salvador Perez. We'll forget everything. All shall be forgiven.  

Tonight, Carlos Rodon can wipe clean his unfortunate Yankee slate. All we need are six zeros. Six scoreless innings, and we forget all the other crapola. Seems like a good deal, doesn't it? Almost as good as the one two winters ago. 

And tonight, we'll know.

Coming up in the ALCS: The same old Yankee media narratives

Shortly after Gleyber Torres homered in game one of the ALDS, the comedy team of Cost & Darl made one point clear: Had it not been in Yankee Stadium, the ball would have been caught. 

And, of course, in game four, when Juan Soto snagged a long fly at the wall in Cleveland, it didn't take long for the analysis to agree: Had that ball been hit in Yankee Stadium, it would have gone out, and the game would be tied.

So go the media narratives that undermine the Yankees, be it June or October: 

The Yankees... 

a: Play in a shrunken bandbox specially contoured for their advantage. 

b. Spend more money than opponents, even when they don't.

c. Are always debating future contracts, even when they're not.

The last point - c - pertains to the constant bellowing over the future of Juan Soto. No matter what he does, every Sotonian ppearance conjures up the question of whether he will return to the Yankees next year. Here's a fun fact: Other teams have looming free agents, as well. Pete Alonzo. Corbin Byrnes. Gary Sanchez. 

But let's be thankful that one regular narrative appears to be dead. The Cinderella Tigers are no longer in the chase. Make no mistake: If the Yankees played Detroit, we would have spent the next week being characterized as evil, big spending fat cats, while every move by the young and hungry Tigers would be celebrated as a gain for humanity.

In fact, the Miracle Mets will spend $30 million more on their team than the Yankees this year, and the Dodgers are using voodoo math to defer payments to their Japanese stars, thus appearing to be frugal when, in fact, they are the worst of all. As for Cleveland, they play in a division full of small market teams who have been more than willing to tank - aka the Royals, in drafting Bobby Witt Jr. 

But when Gerrit Cole pitches, the media sees not only a pitcher, but a contract. And if he gives up a Yankee Stadium HR, don't expect anybody to note that it would have been an out in Cleveland.  

An Attempt at Relevance

 
Why we climb the walls:

Nice, eh?

Uh-oh. It's a Sportsnado!

 

With all due respect to the many people suffering in Florida—including some of my many cousins—we here in New York are about to endure...a Sportsnado! Or maybe, "Sportsageddon"?

Anyway. Look at the schedule for Sunday and Monday:

Sunday

3 PM—New York Liberty continues its fight for the WNBA crown, down one game to nothing, after blowing a record lead in a WNBA championship series. That's got to stop. Hey, Liberty, there are already plenty of male teams around here that could pull off a record choke!

8:15 PM—New York Mets at Los Angeles. Let's go, Mets. No way, no how can we ever not root for any team over the treasonous Bums.

8:20 PM—New York Giants host the Cincinnati Bengals, on Sunday Night Football. The Giants: no worse than the Jets!

Monday

4:08 PM (what's with these weird starting times?)—Mets take on the Dodgers in Game Two. Mets need to take one of two in L.A. We want the NLCS to go a full seven, preferably all in extra innings, and finishing with many sore arms, battered hammies, shattered egos, etc.

7:37 PM (what did I just say?)—Our boys swing back into action, against the Guardians of Traffic or the Tigers. Let's hope they still remember the rules.

8:15 PM—New York Jets host the Buffalo Bills. Time to see if the refurbished Jets can get back on the road to their first Super Bowl in 55 years. (I'm guessing no.)

There it is. I hope we (and our teams) can survive it. The National Sports Health Administration strongly advises participants to hydrate between beers, stock up on eyedrops, and keeping the remote away from anyone else in your household.

 

 

Boone made the right decision in left, could Luke Weaver someday be a great Yankee, and other esoteric matters

Off day. Grrrrr. I feel like Martin Sheen, holed up in a hotel, drinking and pacing, waiting for the assignment to take out massive Marlon. Considering how we missed the postseason last year, one of the darkest autumns in memory, I'd blissfully forgotten all that downtime in October. Every bullpen piece rested. Every bat, dormant. Every fear, triggered. Excuse me while I punch the mirror...

1. Say what you will about Aaron Boone, the man, the myth (Bob Costas comparing him to the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon), the manager... His decision to play Alex Verdugo in LF was the right one. It says something about the state of the Yankee farm system that The Martian, Jasson Dominguez, was not ready to play the outfield at a major league level. (The idea that he was being groomed for CF is particularly troubling.) Maybe next year. Doogie made every play, every throw, and the game outcomes balanced on the thin thread of his defense. If he can get a few more hits, who knows? Maybe he could even return next year!

Wait, nah. He's gone. The Yankees' Project 2025 includes The Martian, somewhere. But that's for November.

2. Luke Weaver has been magnificent. I don't want to jinx him, but unlike so many other MLB closers, who are massive, hairy, lumberjack brutes, a few chromosomes from the Mad Hungarian, or Bigfoot, the slender Weaver looks almost David Cone-ish out there. Almost, gulp, Mariano-ish? No. It's a total hex to make such a comparison. But he's been great, and if he pitches the Yankees to a world championship, his legacy will be enduring. 

Who imagined Luke Weaver - age 31, on his sixth team, with a career ERA of 4.85 - could be our salvation?

3. I cannot decide who to root for today between the Tigers and Indians Commanders Guardians. Whomever wins will be hungry and hot. I wish we could play the losers.

But I think it will be Cleveland, and if so, we should expect a long, hard seven-game series. The benches and bullpens will be emptying multiple times. And everything will revolve around Aaron Judge. 

I'll take the Bengals.

 

Since it seems to be all the rage, I'll deliver myself of a few thoughts on our postseason adventure so far, what we've done and what we could do.

1—I'll have Detroit, please. I know, I know. The Tigers have already mauled us three times in this century come October, while the Cleveland Indians have really given us no trouble since...1954. Well, there was that awful loss in the 1997 ALDS. But as a certain Yankees third sacker might say, they got lucky. 

Statistically, this year the Bengals and the Guardians of Traffic look almost identical. But in truth, Those Who Keep Us Safe on the Road have a slightly better lineup—Detroit barely has any full-time starters—and a great bullpen. 

Fortunately, the Tribe Traffic Cones were able to force the Tigers to a fifth game, so that they will have to use their one, terrifying starter, Tarik Skubal. We want Skubal to demonstrate his greatness here. We want him to go all Jack Morris, ten shutout innings on their Cone asses, in a one-run nail-biter. We don't want him ready to go again until Game 3 or 4 of the ALCS.

2—Aaron Boone did all right. For the first time since 2003 against Boston, I'm ready to give the man his props. Somehow, he has been able to transform Clay Holmes into a useful set-up man again, and there were no egregious mistakes. Let's hope this lasts.

3—One thing I wish Boone would consider...I get the advantage of going righty-lefty-righty. But not when the lefty has to be Austin Wells, a .229-slumping rookie. Why, why, why not bat Judge and Stanton back-to-back and belly-to-belly when we have Stanton back and in form for what will no doubt be another 30 seconds? (I'm expecting reports of his next injury any moment now.)

Or...even Judge-Soto-Stanton, if they're so eager to stick to that righty-lefty-right thang. Huh? "I look at things that never were, and ask, 'why not'?"

4—Someone was getting on Joe Torre. Stop it. No, Joe Torre was generally not a good field manager. But no, Joe Torre was not simply "lucky."

We forget: Joe took over the team after the horrendous firing of Buck Showalter. Joe took over the Yankees when Old King George was at the nadir of his madness, making the Bronx so toxic that leading free agents didn't want to come here, even for more money; the Mets were running the town, and the Yanks kept slipping lower and lower.

Joe changed all that. He was the one Yankees manager who proved able to handle George for any length of time, and he was a great manager when it came to the press and the clubhouse, which in New York baseball is at least two-thirds of the job.

Joe saved us. Without him, the Yankees probably would have continued melting down, and George likely sells the team to James Dolan, famous rock-'n'-roll front man, which he almost did anyway in 1998. Yes, it can always be worse.

5—We must not look past the ALCS. As they have demonstrated all season, these New York Yankees could drop a playoff series to anyone, even the White Sox or the PCH A's. But if they should make the World Series...

The Mets, I fear, would kill us. Though their one weak spot—the pen—might do them in. In any event, a Subway Series would probably kill me. The Dodgers and the Padres both seem to have more weaknesses—though an entire World Series of the hired commentariat telling us how much better Shohei Ohtani is than Babe Ruth would be nauseating. Don't think they'd do that? I would bet on it (get it?).

6—Props where props are due. This Yankees team still looks like it can't hit to save its life. But at least everybody now seems to be alert. They are playing outstanding ball in the field—Jon Berti, what a play!—taking the extra base when possible—incredible, Mr. Stanton—and usually pitching with their heads as well as their arms. 

Even the hitting has been better than it sometimes looks. Last night, Volpe and Gleyber were scorching balls right at guys, and Judge seems to have emerged at last. All this is good. Will it last? Consult the Oracle at Delphi, or at least the Magic 8-Ball.

7—It's harder than it looks. I was amazed, last night, noticing the difference between the slowest and fastest of Lucas Ercegs's pitches, which seemed to be about 82-100. And he's not even one of the best closers in the game. And the Yanks were hitting him!

Playoff ball, an even more extreme version of regular-season-baseball, with the starters always pulled early and countless relievers coming in to throw any number of pitches, is, I fear, killing the game. It's as if you substituted for the quarterback on every series of downs in football. But it sure must make it hard to hit.

Two remaining questions on Erceg: why couldn't Cashman get him instead of Lou Trevino-Trivino? And does KC have the greatest names, or what? Cole Ragans? Michael Wacha? Seth Lugo, Angel Zerpa! Vinnie Pasquantino—wasn't he a character on Welcome Back, Kotter? 

Ah, they were a plucky little team that deserved better. But fuck 'em, they're dead. Their fans can turn back to their fabulous football team, and its rock-star groupie. 

I'll leave this list at "7" for obvious reasons. But a World Series by Mickmas? Wouldn't that be nice? We can always dream...