Game 104: Give Me Mute or Give Me Death
ByProps go out to Jamal for the title. ESPN Sunday Night games usually means Joe Morgan’s incoherent rants and constant reminders that as a HOF second baseman, he’s smarter than everyone else. However tonight is a special night, because Morgan will be up in Cooperstown at the HOF induction ceremony, and filling in for him is the man that once traded for Mo Vaughn and the $59,666,668 left on his contract, Steve “the Yankees need a set-up man” Phillips. What a way to end the weekend.
On the field, the Yanks are straight rollin’. They’ve won eight in a row and 13 of their last 16. The pitching staff leads baseball with a 1.56 ERA since the break, and they’re fifth in baseball with a .858 team OPS. After being 5.5 GB of the Wildcard just two weeks ago, a win tonight will move them into the lead by percentage points over the Sox.
The Yanks went out like wimps the last time they faced Lester, but things were different then. The team was in the middle of losing 10 out of 15, and they didn’t have X. Nady and a molten hot Robbie Cano adding depth to the lineup. Plus the Yanks just own the Sox in the second half, they’re 19-7 against them after the All-Star break since 2005.
The Rays already lost, so they’ve got a chance to gain some serious ground with a win. Besides, sweeps in Fenway are just awesome.
1. Damon, DH – .211-.318-.263 since coming off the DL
2. Jeter, SS
3. Abreu, RF
4. A-Rod, 3B – Happy 33rd Birthday, now put one onto the Mass Pike
5. X, LF
6. Cano, 2B – leads the AL in OPS since the break
7. Dick Lock Sexy, 1B
8. Melky, CF
9. Molina, C
And on the mound, Sidney “2.33 ERA on the road” Ponson.
Notes: The Yanks are undefeated during the Richie Sexson era … the pitching staff has an unreal 83-18 K/BB ratio since the All-Star Break … Edwar Ramirez is five days away from having a hitless July … Jarrod Washburn was damn good today, but the Yanks didn’t have anyone there to watch him … the Organizational Depth Chart has been updated to reflect all the recent moves … did you know that Bronson Arroyo is the 12th highest paid SP in baseball? Yikes … we play today, we win today, das it
Update (7:35): They’re saying there will be a slight delay, but they should be able to start within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time. I’ll believe it when I see it. Thankfully The Simpsons is on at 8.
let’s see if cano can get more bases than at bats tonight (slg%) since break!
Hey Mike you watch Family guy though? I just feel that Family guy has surpass The Simpsons.
Of course, and yeah, FG > Simpsons. Gotta wait until 9 for FG though.
Family Guy is definitely the better show NOW. Simpsons’ movie was great though
Yes it was, thought it would have a South Park effect where the show suffered because the creators were working on the film but after the film was done then the show would get better. Alas…
American Dad is a high quality show too. I didn’t like it at first, but the last few months I’ve realized that it’s comedic gold.
Still trying to catch-on myself
It’s iight, I don’t really the show so that is why I don’t have a good read on it.
Oh by the way, this upcomming season, Cleveland from FG is gonna have his own show. That’s gonna be interesting.
Yea, that simpson movie was hilarious, better than what I thought.
Have you guys seen the South Park Cartoon Wars episodes? After watching those, I could never really watch Family Guy again.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone basically ethered Family Guy for me.
I was thinking of firing up a movie on demand but they seem to think the game will start soon after 8 so I guess I’ll wait.
This BS of benching Giambi against lefties in favor of Sexson has to stop.
as long as Big Sexy hits I could care less
Really, when has Sexson been hitting? And it isn’t a one game instance, Girardi has done that now for anytime they are facing a lefty.
Sexson blows and taking Giambi out hurts the team dramatically.
This has happened, what? One game? I agree it seems dumb but let’s at least give it a chance a few times.
Giambi can’t play everyday.
Well Giambi’s been in a bit of a slump anyways, so a day off might not be the worst thing
I apologize if this has been answered already, but with Marte taking #34 what will Hughes wear if/when he comes back in a couple of weeks?
Supposedly he’s going back to #65.
fresh start or something like that
I’ll take Phillips over Morgan any day of the week…and with Orel there, he’s pretty good
Oh good, at least Orel Hershiser will be in the house to balance out Steve Phillips’ stupidity.
“They not gonna trade me, Boston is not stupid…” I swear, that is one of the highlights of this whole season.
agreed. the one thing i like about manny that he’s calling out the red sox front office and making them look like idiots. i’ll support that any day.
he’s making himself look like a piece of shit more, IMO. It’s not being Manny being Manny anymore, its Manny not being part of a team, taking plays off, and being a huge clubhouse distraction
what do you want from the guy? he’s in the last year of a $160M contract and has uncertainty about his $20M option for next year.
the guy just wants to feed his kids.
put yourself in his shoes, i am sure you would start shoving old men too.
after only paying him $160M, Boston OWES him an extension. it’s the least they can do.
Hopefully X does what he does against LHP tonight
Peter Gammons just basically said that Manny Ramirez does not care about anything other than getting his next contract. Isn’t that just a tad unprofessional? What has he said that has led Gammons to believe this. Ramirez also said that he wants to be traded to a contender if he is traded at all. Did Gammons speak to Ramirez (highly doubt that)? I have disliked Gammons for a long time but I have always respected him, that is starting to change.
I met Gammons in person a couple weeks ago. Good guy. Friendly, very nice.
He’s an ass.
Yeah, he sucks. So Boston biased.
Yeah I found that a big odd, since there is apparently no foundation, and then Gammons said that it could be a good pickup for the Phillies because a contract motivated Manny could be a good thing.
BTW, if any of you are ever bored, check out sonofsamhorn.com The way they talk about the Red Sox during a loss is nothing short of hysterical. They are literally the evil twin of NoMaas.
Sorry, it’s sonofsamhorn.net, not .com.
i’d rather bash myself in the face with a pitching wedge.
its sonsofsamhorn.net
man, i wish i could get santana’s hitting statistics for my fantasy team. love the shutouts, but he’s got a nice swing, too.
He just needs to RUN TO FIRST IDIOT.
hahah seriously. he almost hit it out, though.
Hmm, 118-pitches in a start on July 27th for Johan Santana? I fail to see the wisdom in that. They called up a LHP for today’s game, they could have used him.
Also, John Kruk needs to keep his vacuum of a mouth shut.
Kruk just said Joba is not the “real deal” yet. I have no idea what his definition of the real deal is
Joba needs to play for the Phillies and/or be Chase Utley before Kruk considers him the real deal.
they’ve already pissed me off: “I don’t think Joba’s the real deal.”
Kruk’s opinion matters why?!?
It’s not raining at all, can we start this puppy already?
Really wonder what the problem with Manny and the front office is. Sox offense aren’t the same with out Manny, you can pitch around Ortiz, and when JD Drew gets hurt, they’ll have a gaping hole
Okay, it’s freaking 8:30 already and Yanks-Sox games tend to be marathons, so let’s get the show on the road. People have to work in the morning.
9 PM tentative start time. Unreal – this will be over at 1 if we’re lucky
Maybe it’s just me but I wouldn’t have been upset with a rainout tonight. I was thinking this earlier when the weather was looking worse but would avoiding a Lester vs Ponson game been so bad? O well, they’re hot and hopefully will find a way to win
Okay, so assuming they decline his option and Manny becomes a FA, who’s going to sign him? How much?
Mets
phillies. 5 yrs, $75million.
Astros, 10-years/$276M.
hahah
Even Manny doesn’t get 10 years in this market. Not at his age.
you never know with ed wade.
Kruk is an idiot “The Red Sox brought him 2 world championships” actually Manny brought the Red Sox 2 ws titles, or helped bring them to Boston
Another #$&*^$# late Sunday night game for us… tons of fun when you have to wake up at 6:30 tomorrow (or work in general)
were those tattoos on ervin santana’s forearm or scars?
Its a tattoo of a bunch of scars.
wtf. who are you?
Bizarro giselle!
this creeps me out beyond belief. you cant get your own username?
hahahaha SHOWDOWN
Someone get the inflatable pool and KY Jelly.
Cat fight!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry giselle, had to say it, man rule) lol
hahah screw you guys. and i thought it was a pool of vaseline?
Something tells me you had some wild, wild times at Penn State…
i dont fight like a girl, though. i go out and grab my louisville slugger to settle my arguments.
Oh, I meant Mike but you don’t sound like you had a lot of down time either.
ah, i know. i didnt go to penn state.
Man if I were a Rays fan I would be pissed for every Sonnanstine start with the pitchers they have in the minors
i heard they might bring up david price to pitch in the BP.
Yeah, I heard that too. They should just start him.
Between Price and Davis one should be in the rotation
I wonder if people care enough about the Rays down in Tampa to have an idiotic debate about whether David Price should remain in the bullpen or not.
They haven’t fired that up for Kruk yet on BBTN
i’m sure they wont like it if he pumps his fists after a 1-2-3 8th.
Sorry guys, but I can’t complain about the late start. I work the second shift so it means more of the game I get to watch when I get home.
I can’t complain either, my summer vacation still has a little over a month left. :
God I miss college
I can’t complain either, I’m unemployed.
second that. actually i’m not unemployed, i’m a stay-at-home college grad.
Well I still have almost 3 weeks of summer vacation, but I’m working, so it sucks for me
lol steve the yankees need a setup man philips// i agree with that statement haha/// sidney 2.33 era on road ponson lol// u guys write good articles
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3507424
Cool, I guess.
Since he went sidearm that guy has been unstoppable.
Man, if the Brewers win the division, you could make a case that Braun & CC should win the MVP & Cy Young.
probably will be tough for CC to win the NL Cy with only half a year in the NL
If both miss the playoffs, who do you vote for N.L. Manager of the Year, Tony La Russa or Fredi Gonzalez?
Torre!
I dunno, probably LaRussa, creator of the 4-pitcher inning.
Hey, even if we lose this game we play the Orioles tomorrow and they have to play the Halos.
I hate when people say “Well, you can’t put him in the Hall of Fame just yet” when referencing a young phenom. Whoever said some shit like that? Can’t people just praise a young stud without hearing dumb ass comments like that?
Get used to it Grasshopper…………
Lets go already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally get to see one of these games after getting screwed by Fox yesterday and living in Sunny Florida only to have it rain delayed……………….aaaaaaargggghhhh!
Btw, Family Guy has surpassed The Simpsons imho……but you all do realise that The Simpsons os the longest running show in Network history. Not bad for a crude cartoon with snippets on The Tracy Ullman show back in 1987
It’s on? It’s on!
i wonder if the crowd will boo manny.
Look at that 7-8-9 of Boston’s lineup, ugh. J.D. Drew has been struggling this month despite showing some nice power considering his struggles.
uggggh jon miller and steve phillips?!?!?! crap
since theres no Joe Morgan i’ll accept the hour delay
I hear that Jon Lester had cancer.
I have to give it to Jon Lester, never thought he would regain that velocity.
Over/under on how many times we hear about Lester’s cancer at five.
Five? You mean per inning, right?
Over. Way over.
Seriously. I don’t get why the media was so focused on him, Lowell had the exact same cancer. Besides, when Lester was diagnosed he was projected to make a full recovery (not to trivialize his pain/work to get back, but the word “cancer” just makes people go nuts)
Lowell had Testicluar Cancer, Lester had Lymphoma.
I actually doesn’t seem like Ellsbury has been around for so long, maybe because Phillips has the Sox every Monday night game
With tomorrow night’s game hosting the Angels, the Red Sox will have been featured in 60% of ESPN’s last five baseball telecasts.
Dumb ass, no need to leap, if he gets injured that is all his fault.
That jump by Ellsbury was completely unnecessary
that was a gratuitous jump there for the boy w/ the waxed eyebrows.
He’s man-pretty.
or gross.
Actually Jon Miller, this spot has been where the Yanks have excelled. They have been tops in baseball all year w/RISP and two out.
It’s time for me to close my eyes; Ponson is about to start pitching.
I guess the good news is that aside from Damon, they put some good wood on Lester’s pitches.
Not really looking forward to how Sir Sidney fares tonight. It could be bloody.
Let’s go Sid.
and the WHIP goes up further
Wait. Is that possible?
Here we go
NOW PITCHING: CARL “HEARTBREAK” PAVANO!!!
Ohh the .350 avg against to lefties isn’t pretty
Pavano????? Really ESPN? Did anyone else see that?
I missed it, what happened?
Stop saying that word. It’s worse than the F-bomb!
Yeah what are you referring to?
Nice try Abreu
Should we be shock by the start so far.
not the dp they needed
Ugh. Ponson is terrible…
Here we go. Maybe he gets bloodied up enough so that we can finally ditch the good Sir.
This couldn’t have been more obvious. Sidney Ponson should not be in anyone’s rotation
He should be in the National Pie Eaters rotation.
Nor should Rasner which is why they have to get Washburn and call-up Kennedy who I aint a big fan of but Im tired already of Ponson and Rasner.
Look at it this way—there won’t be any more illusions about Ponson being useful.
Not to overreact so soon here, but is anyone else sort of hoping that if it starts to go bad (as in they will def. lose) that it goes really bad so that Ponson doesn’t get another start. If hes going to get roughed up, I want it to be convincing enough to bounce him from the rotation.
I completely agree
No, I hope the Yankees win. In fact, I always hope they win. I don’t care who’s on the mound or who’s in the batters box. I want them to win
Reading comprehension. Learn it.
“if they will def.(initely) lose”
As in we would rather Ponson got completely blown out and they lose rather than he just sucks and they lose and Girarde keeps him in the rotation.
I get it, but he’s been as advertised, an average innings eater that we hate watching pitch but we had no other options with Wang, Hughes, etc… out. When we have better options obviously Rasner or he will be out, I don’t see the reason to continually type these things when we don’t really have anyone else now
Well some of us would argue that we do have better options atm than Ponson.
Ponson keeps giving up 2 strike hits
Goddamn, Ponson is just laying the balls down the middle of the plate.
I am slowly wishing this game was PPD.
This is why we needed tonight’s game rained out. Too bad Washburn pitched a gem in Toronto today and not at Fenway tonight (although granted I doubt he wouldve done the same obviously vs the Red Sox)….
So four baserunners this inning. Quality work by Ponson. Any time someone else wants to pitch instead, I’m ok with that.
Ben, what are you talking about? He’s pitched really well thusfar in Pinstripes, just ask the media
I say by next weekend Washburn and IPK are the 4 and 5 starters hopefully.
I’m available. I’d even do it for free.
sidney ponson is terrible.
Sighs…
They should have turned that double play and then probably no runs score that inning
Well it’s only 3-0, we can certainly comeback. Lester ain’t Pedro. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be so bad to have Kennedy pitch.
Yanks are going to have to score at least 8 tonight.
Plus, to be fair, we are playing with house money in this game.
beat cancer (check)
ugh
for those of you who didn’t see it before…Pavano was listed as the pitcher on the defensive setup for the yankees a the beginning of the game….that was what people were mentioning before
really? i bet gammons typed in himself.
Since when is thigh-high “up in the zone”, Steve Phillips?
Sexson, crushing lefties
That’s two…in one inning. You guys were right, the O/U should have been five in one inning.
does the “check” thing count, because if it does I think we’ve surpassed five already. lol
Instead of being “that really good young lefty,” ESPN’s turned him into “that cancer guy.”
LOL i think the cancer has been mentioned 3 times already.
More like 5
Werent there people here who at the beginning of the season constantly mocked and ripped Lester for being at best a 4th-5th starter who was clearly not as good as IPK or Hughes????
Ellsbury looks like Carrot Top sans the red hair and now the roid body
…………..great a double, shit!
Phew, at least Melk didn’t try to throw home.
That ain’t good pitching, that’s bad hitting by Melky.
96 mph fastball shoulder-high with 2 strikes is good pitching.
How long do we have to wait for Dan Giese?
1 more batter.
i would think at least till the 5th? hopefully they can be held to 4 runs.
the outcome for this game was kind of already known wasn’t it? I’m not really concerned.
It aint over til its over!
true indeed i’m just saying i wasn’t expecting much…if we score 10 again that would be great. but if not so be it…
thats why you win the first two, and consider it a small miracle if Ponson can get you a W
molina got a hit off of him so he cant be that good. as long as our bats show up tonight we should at least make it a game.
Pray for rain, heavy, long lasting rain before the fifth inning.
Come on Cap’n, no GIDP!
come on now you basically called it lol.
…and there it is
Classic Jeter
And like clockwork, Jeter hits into a DP. Jesus Christ.
Wll the real NY Yankees please stand up….
Seriously, Derek? Seriously?
15th GIDP on the season for Jeter
You know, I’m really not going to miss Abreu. At all.
I was looking over the numbers and trying to figure out the Elias formula, I don’t see how he’s not a Type-A.
he is type A, he was #7 last rating, and his 2006 wasn’t particularly amazing
I will, just his long, patient ABs and walks will make me ask where he is next season (especially in the 1st half with Robbie swinging at the first pitch and grounding out)
You think the 2009 version of Jason Giambi would be a better option in that spot?
I’d say yes, as long as he keeps it up, but then again he is playing for a contract
sorry, read 2008 for some reason, but you know what I mean anyway
Ugh. How obvious was that GIDP by Jeter? I know it isn’t the case, but it seems to be that every time he comes up with runners on 1st and 2nd he grounds into a picture-perfect DP. Absurd.
God I hope they trade fuckin Manny to the NL….
Jason Varitek up w/RISP, I feel comforted.
…Fuck Sidney Ponson, fuck him right in the ear.
Not with Ponson on the mound.
LOL, you know your day going bad when Varitek gets an RBI.
You know what, Jarrod Washburn or IPK, I don’t even care anymore, I don’t want to watch Sidney Ponson anymore =(
thankfully you’re not the GM
arods such a good guy. see how he let that little red sock grab the ball outta his glove?
Suddenly Washburn doesn’t seem so bad.
Ponson stinks….the Yanks have to get another starter…..and I think they will…the Washburn deal isn’t dead yet…
Girardi should bring in Dan Giese.
Xavier Nady kills left handed pitching.
It’s a good thing Ryan Braun hits his homers late in the game, because we all know that 3-R HRs in the 2nd inning are only worth 2 runs, while 3-R HRs in the 9th inning are worth 5. Clutch.
i wonder how jason varitek feels about simultaneously being team captain and the worst player on the team.
wonder what his agent is thinking on how the hell he’s going to get him a contract
Boston fans are one stupid group of fucks:
http://cache.boston.com/images.....trader.jpg
That made my night. Hysterical.
Is that sign they hold up when Bucholtz is pitching?
Ouch Jamal….I wasn’t even there that night!
Why are Mets fans getting hurt/dying falling off escalators at Shea? This never happens at Yankee Stadium.
*Gulp, gulp, gulp…*
Well they’re watching the Mets, what do you expect?
Zing!
That pitch to sexson was not a strike.
These are the Yankees we all know and love. Leadoff double stranded, 0 for 6 w/RISP through 4 innings.
You think ESPN will give a shit how inside that pitch was? Like two days later, will Karl Ravech and John Kruk be bitching about an inside Strike 3 call?
notice they didn’t show it on k-zone
Peter Gammons, why would a speedster with minimal power try to loft the ball?
Because he’ll be better than Grady Sizemore by 2009.
Seriously, how many 1-2-3 innings has Ponson gotten since he came here? 2?
This game definitely has a “eh, we’ve won 8 in a row” feel to it. Mailin’ it in.
Get ‘em tomorrow night with D-Ras on the hill. Boy, we could really use another starter.
i warned you not to do the write up tonight!!
The game is still a long ways from over.
And besides, we’ve got a good thing going.
Got a little closer to being over
it’s pretty over.
Nice catch by Melk, he ran a long way for that.
I would actaully think that Ortiz needs Manny more than Manny needs Ortiz
Youkilis should not say “goddammit” or “fuck” on national tv. Take the out like a man.
He’s a POS…don’t know no better
Looking for that elusive scoreless inning.
nope
I think watching Ponson pitch at Fenway on an ESPN broadcast violates some of the Geneva conventions.
Sir Sidney, proving what he is. IPKs road to the majors just got easier
well that suck.
Beyond ugly. Someone put some alcohol in the dugout, maybe he’ll follow it off the field
This might be one of those “take one for the team” for Ponson.
Dan Giese should be ready.
The Yanks will bring the tying run to the plate in this game.
Bold call, I hope it’s accurate
Only if someone can stop the bleeding.
you are very wise and powerful.
well gents and ladies have a good night, im going to mail this one in too.
Grit didn’t make Pedroia catch that one
it’s the lack of height that really screwed him
Lets Go Yanks
If you told me Molina would have 2 hits in this game, i’d figure we’d be up 7-0
I love the “Lester will be one of, if not the best LHP in the bigs” comments. Gammons has been saying that since 2006. Just like “Craig Hansen found his mechanics is back to where he was in college.”
I thought Varitek said that
Gammons has been saying it too.
Jeter DP!
I wander what Jeter will do this at-bat…….
There ya go, chip away.
Please STFU about Varitek. He’s not that good and his D is overrated.
But … but … but he’s caught 4 no-hitters by 4 different pitchers! No one else in history has done that!
You gotta admit coincidence or not that is pretty impressive.
Give credit where credit is due, good call BigBlue.
NO GIDP THIS TIME JETES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
C’MON JETER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s a line drive in the box score.
I’ll take it!
I’ll take it, let’s keep this going Robert
Do you think if John Lester asked Steve Phillips for a little mid-inning fellatio, he’d do it? I don’t think I’ve ever been more sickened by a broadcast team than I have tonight.
Good job Jeter?
He tried to gidp
abreu GS i feel it…
no no no, Abreu walks in a run then A-Rod GS
For the most part I love Abreu AB’s
This could get interesting……….
clutch walk!
X. Nady is going to put one into orbit. I can feel it in me bones.
well he put it into orbit all right
A little bit here, a little bit there.
X better do something here
yeah, please, dude is still looking for his first hit as a yankee…
Everyone say it, typical A-Rod!!!! LOL
Well, I guess that counts as orbit. Let’s go Cano.
Nady blows
WHY DIDNT HE TAG?
because Steve Phillips said he should have
Nady has been pretty useless. And whoever was on third should’ve scored, what an awful throw from Crisp.
Nady has played 1.5 games here
Tell me you did not expect a comment like this.
You’re so right, I don’t even know why I responded
You gotta be fuckin kidding me, how the hell do you not tag up on that!!!!
Down 5, with 2 outs, bases loaded and Cano coming up, you don’t tag. Extremely shallow fly ball, throw was off line, but would have been in plenty of time. Not worth the risk to make it a 4 run game and potentially strand the runners with Cano up next.
Good, Lester’s pitch count is up. Their pen is brutal.
And tired after last night.
What a letdown.
It should be 7-3. Dammit Damon.
Goddamn, not scoring a run with bases juiced and no outs. Inexcusable.
What are you talking about? They score 2 runs with the bases loaded and no outs.
Needed to get some more there
Zero runs with the bases juiced, ugh (when A-Rod was up). Damn, when was the last time A-Rod did not hit a ball hard? Mike Lowell robbed him of a hit in the first inning on Friday too.
Pre ASG yanks are back for this game
That was a inning we should gotten 4 or 5 runs.
i know. that ball (in this game) had hit written all over it….. meanwhile varitek is hitting .217
That was great.
Am I really going to have to watch these commercial for the live Sportcenter for the next 14 days?
I feel the exact same way
WTP…No more juice for Varitek?
Nada. He gave that one everything he had.
How bout a Dick-Bomb from Dick Sex?
Sexson’s swing looks horrible.
Richie Sexson’s length is a detriment.
What a soft-ass Lester is.
kiss ass
Lester’s at 104 pitches. Time to make that bullpen feel like the group of no-talent ass clowns they are.
And we have the top order coming up.
http://thunderbaseball.wordpre.....-want-one/
Want.
Only time I would ever want Ian Kennedy over Joba Chamberlain.
Never mind, just realized it’s all on one base. Ashmore is right, that is pretty good deal.
Yes. Only I’d have to buy a freakin plan ticket with it.
Does look pretty cool. Im sure will be on Ebay pretty soon.
the two yankees i have on my fantasy team are the only two yankees without a hit tonight. cano and nady.
CAN WE END THE PONSON EXPERIENCE NOW????