David Wright, Lou Piniella, Phil Hughes and Jim Spadafore
Jim Spadafore covered the Michigan men's basketball team for The Detroit News for many years _ his byline is on the bottom of this story _ including 1992-93, the season I covered the Wolverines for The Michigan Daily. That season ended like this. Jim was a nice enough fellow, but what I remember most about him was when he and his Detroit News teammates wrote columns with the most simple format: News, and Views.
It would be something like this:
News: Michigan loses to Minnesota, 82-72.
Views: Bad loss for the Wolverines, who are now 5-11 lifetime at Williams Arena. Also, look for this team to be embroiled in a huge scandal.
Because I don't like to steal other people's ideas or words, I wanted to credit "Spad" and his Detroit News teammates of the time _ Terry Foster, Tom Gage and Mike O'Hara come to mind _ for making this blog entry possible.
But first, some updated playoff seedings:
AL
Angels (1) vs. Boston (4)
Tampa Bay (2) vs. White Sox (3)
NL
Cubs (1) vs. Mets (4) or Dodgers (3)
Philadelphia (2) vs. Dodgers (3) or Milwaukee (4)
News: It's Armageddon once more at Shea.
Views: Man oh man. Where do we begin? With the bottom of the ninth, IMHO. Daniel Murphy leads off with a triple, putting a Mets victory 90 feet away, and with righty Bob Howry on the mound, Cubs skipper Lou Piniella opts to pitch - carefully, mind you - to David Wright. Despite getting ahead, 3-and-0, Wright goes down swinging on a fastball outside the strike zone.
Then Piniella intentionally walks the hot Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran to load the bases go after the ice-cold Ryan Church and Ramon Castro. Perfectly played by Lou, as Church hits into the force play at home and Castro strikes out on three pitches.
Sweet Lou gets flack for his temper, for his handling of a pitching staff and for his abilitiy to wear down nearly everyone around him. But the man can manage some.
Meanwhile, Wright looked like he was pressing. He should've looked at that last pitch for ball four, at which point Howry would have needed to pitch to either Delgado or Beltran with no one out. Wright now has a .705 OPS (.329 OBP, .376 SLG) with runners in scoring position this year. Alex "He's why the Yankees never win it all" Rodriguez has an .847 OPS (.396 OBP, .451 SLG) in the same spots.
Does tonight now become Pedro Martinez's most important start as a Met? I'd say so. If Pedro checks in with a typically shaky first inning, Shea just might implode about 72 hours earlier than scheduled.
I still think the Mets survive and make the playoffs. They have too much talent - talent that is playing well at the moment - to blow it again.
News: The Brewers climb back into a playoff spot.
Views: With another game against the Pirates tonight, and then the "playoffs first" Cubs coming to Miller Park over the weekend, the Brewers are benefiting from an easy schedule. Nevertheless, a collapse can happen even with cream puff opponents, as we saw last year with the Mets. Credit the Brewers and interim manager Dale Sveum for righting themselves.
CC Sabathia, last night's winner on three days' rest, is making a case to be placed on NL Cy Young and MVP ballots _ if not first place, then somewhere. And with this heavy workload, he's got to be scaring prospective suitors this winter, at least a little.
News: The Yankees win again, and Phil Hughes pitches well.
Views: In my conversations with Yankees fans, I am seeing more of a divide than ever. There is a strong segment that is at peace with what transpired this year, that sees the team moving forward with more of an emphasis on youth and versatility. And there is an equally strong segment that thinks Brian Cashman, Joe Girardi and A-Rod should all be sent to the island from this movie.
As the regulars know, I'm taking the half-glass-full approach with this team. Yes, there are concerns for the future, and yes, it's fair to wonder exactly how good a job Cashman has done, and yes, you can especially question whether Girardi is the right person to handle the unique demands of being the Yankees' manager.
But the Yankees continue to develop interesting, young players. Now there's reason to be hopeful about Hughes again, and Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke both have displayed potential. Austin Jackson had a promising year at Double-A Trenton. Maybe Brett Gardner, hitting low in the lineup, can keep the centerfield job warm for Jackson.
Most of them won't stick; where have you gone, Shelley Duncan? But the idea is, if you bring enough young talent into the organization, and you give enough of them a chance, then you can build a team using some of those players for your club and some as trade chips to get other, established players, like in the trade that acquired Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady.
News: The Twins beat the White Sox again, closing within a half-game of the AL Central lead.
Views: I have just one guarantee here. No matter who wins the division, the AL Division Series pitting Tampa Bay against the AL Central champ will not sniff prime time.
News: The Dodgers clinch a tie for the NL West title.
Views: Last fall, I agreed with those of you who thought it was time for Torre to leave the Yankees. But the lack of respect with which the Yankees have treated Torre, since Game 4 of the 2007 ALDS, is appalling.
First, there was the offer they wanted him to turn down, in the delusional hope that Yankees fans would be stupid enough to say, "It's Torre's fault! They made him an offer!" Then there was the snubbing at the Yankee Stadium farewell. And now Hank Steinbrenner, who had virtually nothing to do with the Yankees from 1996 through 2007, is sniping at Torre.
In Shaun Powell's column today, you'll see that Torre took the high road regarding the recent developments. Of course he did. Torre might have lost plenty of games for the Yankees due to strategical mistakes and poor bullpen usage. He might have lost his job, ultimately, because he couldn't get along with his Yankees superiors. But Torre's next PR loss will be his first.
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Comments (57)
Pure baseball heaven...may you live in interesting times. Rain, plagues, questionable mangerial strategies, teams playing baseball with two hands around their throat...
What a story line it would be for the Mets to get rained out today and the Brewers win at Pittsburgh, putting the Mets 1/2 game back in the wild card and having to wait a day (or longer) to play....and be constantly bothered by a sports press corps dredging up September 2007 during the delay,
Glad to see someone else recognizes Aceves.
I like this guy...A LOT. He throws strikes.
I think he will be a very pleasant surprise next season (I have already pencilled him in as the 5th starter...for starts).
And Coke looks like a reincarnation of Sparky Lyle.
Both in pitching style (his delivery is eerily similar) and the nasty slider he throws.
Just my opinion.
Heaven indeed. Quite a week.
Agreed, Piniella can manage.
Nice comment about Torre...he's always had a nice perspective even going back to his playing days.
The Brewers have restored their equilibrium...I see the Mets going 1-4 the rest of the way. Awful baseball...these guys don't deserve to be in the playoffs.
Ken earlier this month you said the Mets had an .05% chance of missing the playoffs. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with this, but with the Blue Jays and Mariners looming over your head, it was a pretty reckless prediction.
The Rogue's Blog. That's where he offered his predictions, his dirty little
secret. Avereage height, devious, full head of hair. his name was Davidoff. He killed the Mets season.
Lou played that inning well, but he whiffed in an earlier situation. Why did he have Jeff Samardzija walk Endy Chavez? That was a mistake and he paid for it with a bases-loaded walk.
Speaking of Samardzija, I'm shocked he's developed into what looks like a pretty decent relief pitcher. That contract the Cubs gave him looked like a disaster at the time (he didn't pitch much before they drafted him and didn't pitch well), but it seems to be paying off so far.
The Hughes last night is the Hughes the people who follow the minors leagues have seen for years. Good command of the fastball, and the ability to throw the curveball for strikes over the plate and off the plate as a swing-and-miss pitch.
Hughes has been mishandled in many different ways by the Yankees. And not just because he was rushed. Even the way his games have been called (where they had him throwing what seemed like ninety percent fastballs, and Posada basically going with nothing but fastballs until an 0-2 count).
At a minimum, Hughes has a chance to be a very sold major-league pitcher. And if the Yankees don't want him, I think most teams would take him.
First off, to the non-regs who read Kens blog, I rib him on his predictions all the time, though outside of the Blue Jays, I was pretty much agreeing with him on the rest. But no one remembers my predictions so it doesn't matter.
OK, my serious point...(I too agreed at the time the Mets were a virtual lock to make the postseason)...Piniella outmanaged the heck out of Manuel last night. I thought after Wright struck out the Mets had to squeeze. They had to pinch hit Church. They needed to do something. They hadn't had a clutch hit all night with men on base...outside of Delgado's Grand Slam. It was one of those moments where Manuel should have said, "I'm taking a freaking risk and winning this game for my team." He didn't do it.
I dont see the Mets turning this around so easily though. The bullpen is awful and best case scenerio has them going three innings tonight. The Cubs are playing hard right now, but will they really play the same way Sat/Sunday?? Plus, who do you think they want in the playoffs? The Mets who have an amazing lineup and Santana, or the Brewers who have CC but not that much else. Plus Milwaukee is Wrigley 2. I could see Piniella going a little soft on Sat/Sunday. And I wouldn't blame him.
News: The Mets Lose 9-6 after blowing a 5-1 lead and having a runner on third with no outs in three consecutive innings.
Views: A 40-year old man falls off the couch in his Huntington home, curled in the fetal position, muttering something about Tucker Ashford before finally passing out in a pool of his own despair.
Look, the gods smiled on Johan Santana on Tuesday and frowned on the rest of the club last night.
How else can we explain the Santana broken-bat single, a happening that Tim Kurkjian swore he had never seen before?
Last night, the Mets were not quitters -- otherwise, they would not have gotten the leadoff man on base in five straight innings. As I noted in my previous post, the Run Expectancy Matrix shows that they should have scored nearly seven runs in those five frames; instead, they netted but one.
Yes, Pinella deserves credit for pitching around Wright, but it was unfortunate that David as hitting on a 3-0 count, let alone striking out on ball four.
JE, I think Wright has to swing on 3-0 there. (Actually my big pet peeve is more hitters dont swing on 3-0. How many times do you know you're getting the fastball right down the middle??)
A walk is NOT as good as a hit in that situation. It is better than a K, but Wright is the Mets leading RBI man, and his responsibility is to end the game. He had a good swing, just didn't deliver. It makes no sense to let a pitch go by in that situation though.
RG, both Delgado and Beltran have also had their share of RBIs, no? If Wright walks, then the right-handed pitcher has to throw strikes to either Delgado or Beltran. Wouldn't you have wanted to see Beltran hit with the bases loaded and no one out?
We can discuss the good and bad of swinging away on 2-0 and 3-0 at some point, but my beef with Wright was that Howry was not even trying to throw a pitch down the middle of the plate!
JE, I dont have the replay, but the only time I was dissappointed at Wright for swinging was when he struck out. Those pitches he swung at were strikes I believe (except the last one). And yes, I would think Beltran would deliver, but I would think Wright would too. I dont want him taking a 3-0 fastball right down the middle just because its 3-0. I know the pitch wasn't right down the middle, I'm just talking philosophy here.
I have a question for you. There was another great Met who swung at a 3-0 pitch. Gary Carter. Bases loaded, Mets down by a run in the bottom of the 8th in Game 6 against the Red Sox. He hit a looooong Sac Fly bringing home Mazilli. I know its a different situation, but what was your take on that?
BTW, this is what makes baseball great.
Re: the Yanks... put me solidly in the at peace with this year group. Buster Olney had a great quote the other day from an anonymous GM: "You can't tell your fans, but you've got to have a down year now and again." His point was, you get draft picks, you get to evaluate, you get to reset the battle plan, which is preferable to throwing money at the problem, which is what the Yanks did from 2001-2004, and look where it got them. I think most of the pre-'96 fans can take the long view, most of the post-'96 fans aren't all that bright, anyway.
Re: Torre: Dead right on all counts. And Mattingly had some interesting things to say, as well.. basically, that the powers that be in Tampa and the Bronx took Torre for granted. As I've said, he might not have won them the East, but I'm not sure we would have gotten to September 23rd out of the race, either.
Re: The Brewers: That team is acting like a guy with terminal cancer and a lot of money and no heirs. And CC's the checking account.
Re; The Mets: Johann and Pelfrey and pray for... well, pray for something...
Hehehe! Somehow, I KNEW that you were going to ask me about Carter's swing!
Here's the difference: Carter was up with the bases loaded. (While you and I differ on how often batters should swing away on 2-0 and 3-0 counts, I am not suggesting that it is always wrong.) Therefore, there was a greater likelihood that the next pitch was going to be right down Broadway.
Howry could afford to relinquish the walk last night. As for the 3-2 pitch, it was just maddening that Wright swung at an awful pitch.
Who knew that my favorite mascot, the Phanatic, was preaching jihad?!?
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20080924_Phillies_ballpark_evacuated.html
All of a sudden David Wright has become A-Rod in clutch situations. The Mets cannot get out of their way. And all of a sudden the Brewers have new life.
1 good start form Hughes last night doesn't make up what he did this year and before he got hurt.
Ken, what was your take on the famous Chris Weber "timeout" game against UNC in the National Championship Game in 1993? And what's your on the Ed Martin scandal that involve the Fab 5 that resulted in a mess for Michigan?
Am I getting too predictable??? haha
The other difference was the Mets were down by a run and in this game they were tied. So Carter needed to get that run in more than Wright needed to. But still, I want my best RBI guy looking to end it, not put it off on someone else.
Announcers all the time say really stupid things that they view as truth. Such as it doesn't matter if a player gets to 3rd with two outs because he'll score from 2nd on a hit. I bet under 55% of all outfield hits score a run from 2nd. But the one fake truth I'm talking about is you may as well take on 3-0 bc you'll get the same pitch at 3-1. Thats just not true!! The 3-0 pitch is generally a fastball right down the middle. The 3-1 pitch is generally not right there. That's why I'm a big proponent of swinging.
I know I suck as a ballplayer. But I always loved swinging on 3-0 because even if I fouled the ball off, I felt it helped my timing for the next pitch.
And just for the record, I think the majority of times you should take on 3-0...but its all situational.
Dennis, I actually agree with you that Wright looked completely frazzled at the plate in the ninth.
However, let's compare: with two out and a runner on second in the tenth, Lee managed to get his bat on the ball and blopped it into right field for a double. Three innings earlier, Murphy came up with runners on first and second with no one out, smashes a line drive into Lee's glove, resulting in a double play.
Those two plays have nothing to do with clutch; they have to do with bad luck. And it's the difference between the Mets being a half-game back of the Phils and being tied with the Brewers.
Regarding Carter, RG, you are right: the Mets were down (was it the fifth inning?), but you know as well as I do that no Met fan (or Met, for that matter) wanted to go to extra innings. Come to think of it, it is not very often that I am filled with ABSOLUTE DREAD when the Mets go into extra innings at Shea. Actually, the last time I felt that way may very well have been during the 1988 NLCS.
Oops! In the last paragraph, it should read, "Regarding Carter, RG, you are right: the Mets were down (was it the fifth inning?), but you know as well as I do that no Met fan (or Met, for that matter) wanted LAST NIGHT'S GAME to go to extra innings."
My bad.
For most hitters with zero plate discipline, you force them to take on a 3-0 count. But a player like Wright should be allowed to have the green light.
If you mandate no cuts on 3-0 counts, you are simply waiting for the pitcher to fail, as opposed to creating a positve at bat. By waiting for someone else to fail, the team becomes passive. And by the time the other teams do fail (something that you do not control), it may be too late and the season could be over.
JE it was the 8th inning when Carter hit that Sac Fly. And I'm not sure if there were one or two outs at the time. I believe the Mets scored two runs in the 5th and one of them came on a DP by Santana or Heap??
And no, once last nights game went to extra innings you knew the Mets would lose. We need Tufts/Ken to settle this death blow argument. (Though if they disagree with me I will get two other random people)
Ken/Bob...should Wright have been swinging on
3-0 last night?
Sweet Lou knows what he's doing. And the Yanks will be fine - I'm actually excited for the future. They need more kids in the lineup.
Being a graduate of UM in '93, I can tell you what my take on the Chris Webber time out game is. Turned out to be a great night actually.
2 words: ACTING CHICK.
Ken knows what I'm talking about.
Rock
Murray Chass (www.murraychass.com) reports that Cashman, despite all his denials, has been negotiating with the Yankees and is close to a deal for more than $2 million per year. So, as many of us knew all along, Cashman was just blowing smoke and has no plans to go anywhere.
Dennis,
The notion of "clutch" is such a subjective idea that I don't even think it should be broached. The whole notion of "clutchness" is laughable at best.
Ken,
What can you say about the Mets at this point? It's beyond inexcusable to not drive in someone from third with no outs. That inning is essentially their season right there. I just can't picture them making the postseason after this.
As for CC being the MVP or the Cy Young, it's possible, but I think the more important issue is that the Brewers are really, REALLY losing face in the baseball community. I think the Brewers would be willing to let CC throw every day until he started coughing up blood from exhaustion. It's terrible to see; I understand he's a rental and they want to make the playoffs, but at what cost? Imagine if this injures CC badly next season, the Brewers would never (and should never) hear the end of it.
Wright's career stats:
3-0 count: (a very small sample of actual AB's)
2 for 3, double and a HR, 75 walks
Runner on 3rd, less than 2 outs
76 for 170 ,447 avg., 116 RBI's
--
I don't know about Ken, but I'd turn him loose. I still have bad memories of Beltran staring at a strike 3 in the playoffs vs. the Cards.
Kudos to the Cubs - they were thinking 3 batters ahead, took the risk and got the payoff.
What's with this apparent pipeline of Newsday sports writers from the Great Lake State?
Davidoff, Rock, Strang...am I missing anyone?, all matriculated at Michigan schools.
Did Strunk and White retire with the fortune they amassed from their pocket writing primer and become tenured in Lansing and Ann Arbor?
Are the great wordsmiths of Adelphi, NCC, Post, SUNY, Hofstra and Dowling restricting their creative work to the sides of LIRR cars and LIE overpass walls?
Has the diaspora of writing talent from Long Island forced Newsday to add a travel budget to the recruiting effort for quality writers?
What's going on back there?
Thanks for the link, Jim. We're looking into it. I know that Omar is getting a 4-year extension through 2013, with 2009 already locked in; perhaps it will be phrased as a new, "five-year deal," starting next year. But the reports were not wrong. Murray loves to shoot down other people's reporting.
I think he might have jumped the gun on this Cashman story; perhaps Cashman knows how much money he WOULD get, but I don't think he has decided yet.
Richie G. and JE, re: Wright swinging at 3-0, it's simple math. Lou had two open bases, three feared hitters and no outs to work with there; something had to give. So when Wright went up 3-0, I think he should've been taking. If he gets on, then Lou has one open base, two feared hitters and no outs - still a problem. But once Wright struck out, then Lou had two open bases and two feared hitters and one out and could work through it.
Dennis, I'm not sure what sort of thoughs you're looking for. Obviously, I was unhappy about both developments. But I was happy for JRock.
Oh, and Richie, I didn't write ".05" chance of the Mets missing the playoffs. I wrote ".5" You're making me look 10 times worse! ;)
Yeah but you gotta love the Seinfeld reference! What % do you put the Mets at now? I think they got very lucky that the Marlins and Astros aren't going to be able to come through the back door. I have faith in Milwaukee screwing up. The thing that sucks is having to play the Cubs in the 1st round.
Ken, do you take any stock into the fact that Wright has hit a ton over the last four or five games?
And just so we never make this a big thing as to why the Mets lost...the 3-0 pitch was a strike anyways. Its the 3-2 pitch that wasn't.
Agreed, Richie, the 3-0 pitch was a strike. No more percentages for me. I think they're going to make it. I don't put much stock in Wright's hitting well, because with Delgado and Beltran behind him, the Mets had the numbers to their advantage. But once Wright whiffed, then the Cubs had the edge.
As I opined earlier, RG, the 3-0 pitch may have been a strike, but hardly a perfect hitter's pitch. It seemed to be on the inside corner, which helps explain why he nearly yanked the ball into the Cubs' dugout.
And even though I am not a believer in "clutchness", I was surprised that Wright looked rather uncomfortable at the plate during that entire at-bat. I was frankly even more surprised that Castro looked incredibly feeble during his three-pitch K. (By the way, I know Castro is not known for throwing out many baserunners, but wasn't that a pretty poor throw on the Theriot stolen base attempt?)
Looks like the Mets will try to play tonight. But the possibly of the Mets making up games against the Marlins is possible. Let's say tomorrow and Saturday's games are postponed because of the weather. Then the Mets will have to play a doubleheader on Sunday and play the other game on Monday. The Mets would be in a disadvantage with their pitching if the weather plays a big factor.
Ken, I know you cover the Michigan Basketball team in 1992-93 for the school's newspaper. Did you interview Chris Webber after the "timeout" game afterwards and what were his thoughts?
I was at Webber's news conference afterwards, Dennis. He took full accountability and said it was his fault the team lost. Very admirable.
If Friday and Saturday are rained out, that works out nicely for the Mets because they can skip the dreaded Niese, Figueroa, Knight start. A Sunday doubleheader of Pelfrey/Santana would not be the end of the world as the one big worry (taxing the bullpen) would be lessened as the odds are both starters would go deep in the game. Then Ollie goes on regular rest on Monday.
JE I agree 100% that he should be looking for a perfect pitch to hit. I only watched it from work but it seemed it wasn't a terrible swing. Its hard for me to concentrate from work though (I actually concentrate on work instead of the game!!).
But couldn't Manuel have pinch hit Church and Castro??? Church doesn't look good and Castro is ehhh.
Ken dont take away your %'s from me. Its all I got!
BTW, we definitely have our disagreements baseball wise, but I've been with you every step of the way with the Mets. So this surprises me as much as it surprises you. I still think they'll pull off the miracle and get the Wild Card. And if they win out (which they wont) they'll win the division.
You were concentrating on work?!? OK, your secret is safe with me! ;-)
His slump notwithstanding, I still believe that Church was the best option available. Regarding Castro, well, he was a late-inning replacement so what can you do? (Interesting that he did not pinch-hit for Schneider though. That says quite a bit about his recent struggles at the plate.)
On a related note, until August, all I kept hearing from fellow Mets fans was "Schneider is overrated defensively" and "Schneider can't hit worth a damn." Well, I was at the game in DC last week where he belted two home runs, which encouraged me to check on his slugging percentage. It stands at a not-SO-terrible-for-an-eighth-place-hitter .368. His OBP is a respectable .340. Oh, and he is still throwing out a better-than-average percentage of would-be base stealers.
If the Mets fully collapse, I wonder if Omar does anything drastic or does he just continue business as usual, bring everyone back, etc? Not that we are starting to see it probably wasn't the manager, won't changes be in order?
One thing the Mets (and their "fans") don't want to see is Santana pitching on Sunday. He pitches Sunday he can't be used twice in the opening round of playoffs, which undoubtedly the Mets realize they need him to do. So, the Mets will do absolutely everything in their power to play today, tomorrow and Saturday and hope whatever race they are in is decided by then and NOT have to pitch Santana.
Ken, one thing we have not discussed at all, is next year's schedule. What strikes me the most about it is that next year's World Series will be played mostly in November. I don't like it, but I'm sure Fox does because it's Sweeps time and they are guaranteed decent ratings for a change on a nightly basis. Is this the beginning of expanding the playoffs so that every World Series is played in November and baseball can get more cash from Fox because of the important ratings time it will be played in?
Jim, I think Omar is going to look at the whole season rather than the last three weeks and playoffs to determine what he's going to do. I know he'll try to make a run at K-Rod, and if they fail to make the postseason, they may throw more money at him than Ken or JE would advise. And if they dont make the playoffs, maybe they make a run at CC. But the only player who I think is fighting for his Mets life is O.Perez. I think everyone elses fate has pretty much already been determined.
Question, Sandy: aside from the "sweeps" issue, is playing part of the World Series during the first week of November really that horrible? (My fall softball league doesn't conclude until the Sunday before Thanksgiving!) According to meteorologists, your average nighttime temperature is higher at the beginning of November than at the start of April.
As long as MLB doesn't try to add a second wildcard winner per league, I am not sure having one, two, or even three World Series games in November would be so awful.
Jim what I meant was pretty much his decisions are already made. JE I agree with you about the November thing. I loved Jeter being called Mr. November.
Omar has done a good job, not a great job. I doubt he really deserves a 4, 5 or 6 year contract (Murray Chass reports the longer contract will be signed, not the shorter one). I understand the Wagner injury could not have been forseen, but the Mets bullpen was lacking for most of the season. But, this deal is the product of personal relationships between Omar and the two Wilpons. the Wilpons are content to compete. The Steinbrenners have traditionally wanted to win (George and Hank at least). If the Mets collapse, changes are absolutely imperative. If I was a Mets fan I would be demanding it. I am not happy being competitive. I want to win.
Sandy, the November dates are a product of the calendar's cycle. This year, the season started as early as it ever starts - March 31 (not counting the Japan games) and consequently, the World Series will be played entirely in October. Next year, the season will start as late as it ever starts, April 6, and that produces the late World Series.
Richie, unless the Mets collapse and that changes their thinking, they're not going after K-Rod.
I cannot continue to watch this game on MLB.TV. I am going out for the balance of the evening. The Amazins are down, 3-1, to a Cubs lineup WITHOUT Soriano, Lee, Ramirez, and DeRosa?!? Uy, uy, uy!
Sandy, the November dates are a product of the calendar's cycle. This year, the season started as early as it ever starts - March 31 (not counting the Japan games) and consequently, the World Series will be played entirely in October. Next year, the season will start as late as it ever starts, April 6, and that produces the late World Series.
Richie, unless the Mets collapse and that changes their thinking, they're not going after K-Rod.
JE: I wouldn't really want to play at night in the northeast with temps in the lower 30s. I iknow they all do it in April, but this is the World Series. And don't forget Minnesota's new ballpark wont be domed, wanna play at night in November up there? How about Colorado?
And Bud has already said he wants to expand the playoffs which will make November World Series an every year thing, plus give baseball a ton more money from Fox for the rights.
I agree with Ken. K-Rod won't be recruited by the Mets. Oh sure, we will go through the usual game of the Mets acting like players. That's something the Wilpons probably demand and Omar needs to feed his ego. But, I don't see the Mets making a serious run at K-Rod. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he stays right where he is now.
For all your late-evening entertainment purposes since the Mets can't manage to do anything enjoyable for their loyal fans. This was sent to my Yankee friend in NY from a Met fan (and yes, he is a Mets fan) today and forwarded to me for laughs. This is why I always love to watch the Mets lose. It's called "Let's Celebrate Yankee Elimination Day!":
Friends:
Lets relish in Yankee Elimination day!
It occurred much sooner this year so what
team will the hater thank this year? And for this
early elimination, Evil Empire fans get to pay three
times for their tickets at the Stadium that Ruth
would despise. A gift that keeps giving!!!
And this one from a few days earlier:
Morning Yankee Fans!
How have you been enjoying NY Yankee Baseball this month? If you haven't checked the standings, with three weeks left in the season, the Evil Empire rests in 4th place in the AL east. 4th Place? Didn't your team spend $208 Million dollars this year on players like Jeter, A-Blonde, Pudge, Giambi, and Damon? Great signing by the Genius, Brian Cash of your injured catcher giving him a four year contract? Isn't he 37 years and at that age, prone to injury? Nice to Carl Pavano is back and hitting every bat in sight. But don't worry Evil Empire fans, Joseph Elliot Girardi who is the biggest kiss a-- in professional sports will be back next year to lead your club again. He can tell you how great everything is despite the obvious. You can also tune into Sterling and Waldman say
"John, if only that ball that Cano hit up the middle was a few feet to the left, it would have been a base hit and changed the game". The Evil Empire deserves those whining toads as their broadcasters. Enjoy the Post Season, Yankee fans. You'll get to see the Bo-sox make another run at the brass ring. Oh did I mention, the Evil Empire today stand in 4th place?
Baseball is a summer game. The Fall Classic concluded in very early October until the past few decades. November is ridiculous. Temperatures in NY and Boston at night could be below freezing. Watching players all bundled up and the umpires looking like they are at the North Pole does little to help the game. Wasn't there once a commissioner who insisted on wearing a light suit despite the cold temps to try to show that it really wasn't cold at all? Baseball officials make fools of themselves by doing stuff like this.
"They" put the games deeper into football season than ever - heck it's even hockey season. "They" start the games late. The games run 3 or 4 hours or more and then "they" complain when the ratings stink. Bob Tufts, we need you in the MLB office "now more than ever." Hey, wasn't that Richard M. Nixon's slogan?
Sandy when did Bud say he wants to expand the playoffs? I'm not surprised but I never heard this.
Ken, why do you say no on K-Rod? Waht's the Mets plan next season for a closer? It cant possibly be Ayala??
I agree that they will do a Santana and try to buy the horrible stench of this season away with a big free agent if they lose. But I'm pretty surprised they wouldn't go for K-Rod. That's the one thing me and you agree on!!!
(Though I've always said he'll stay with the Angels even though they say they wont pay more than $15 mil per season. They will pay more)
And Jim...I remember Game 4 of the 86 World Series switching between the Rangers and Mets. Hockey season is early October. (Game 4 was a blowout people. The scary part is I remember the Rangers were playing the Kings and I think they won 6-1. I wish there was a way to check that)
Oh, yeah, that nutty commissioner in the summer suit was our good friend and 2008 HOF inductee, B--ie Kuhn.
Jim - to confession with you for invoking one of the baseball antichrists again...
Just remember that after one paragraph of any speech, Bud Selig immediately switches to increased revenues and high attendance figurs in any sppech on the State of The Game. You're fighting a losing battle Jim, as Bud is simply providing his ownership board of directors with the short term economic happiness they desire and receiving $ 14 mm plus for the duty.
Sandy, where did Selig say that? He was very wary about putting the World Series in November at all. I don't see them going any later than the current cycle.
Richie, here's the column I wrote on the Mets and K-Rod:
http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/ny-spken145842792sep14,0,3166550.column
Ken, I really think they cant come back with the same group of sorry relievers. How can you expect to compete with this bunch?
Bob, we need to make a list of banned people on this blog.
BTW, did you see Harden hit a grounder in between 1st and 2nd? He never looks at the ball and runs his butt off to first. Pedro doesn't break to the bag and Harden beats him by a step.
One player was playing for his playoff life. One player was just playing. Amazing, truly amazing.
I believe the World Baseball Classic might have something to do with the 2009 baseball season potentally ending November 5. I read that spring training will open as early as February 10. The 2009 WBC will be held March 5-23. So blame the WBC for the 2009 baseball season potentally ending November 5.
SNY was talking about Church not barrelling into the catcher bc of past concussions. I thought they could do some sort of out of baseline play on that?? But not one announcer said anything and Lou didn't come out so I guess you can circle the dirt all you want.
The catcher did a real bad job of blocking that plate. Duh.
Both the Mets and Brewers win tonight in walk-off fashion. So as we speak the mets trail the Phillies by 1 game in the NL East. And the Mets and Brewers are tied for the Wild Card. Now we will see how the weather will wreck havoc this weekend on the pennant race.
What was Koyie Hill thinking? The Cubs catcher for some reason was not even protecting home plate with the ball in his glove and did a lousy job of it, Church was able to get around Hill and touch home plate.
Sandy, right now the Mets need to get to the postseason before they even consider setting up their rotation for the postseason. And depending on the weather here, Santana is going to be needed to pitch. And by the way, the Yanks are in 3rd place in the AL East at 87-72 and the Jays are 84-75, 3 games back.
Dennis, the late 2009 World Series has nothing to do with the WBC. Last year, MLB restructured its World Series calendar to make Game 1 on a Wednesday and the potential Game 7 on a Thursday. That pushed back Game 1 by four days. The result, when the calendar runs as it does next year, is a World Series largely in November.