Open Thread: A-Rod & Jerry Jr. playing stickball

August 29, 2009 by Mike Axisa 165 Comments

For those of you hanging around the house tonight, here’s a clip of A-Rod and Jerry Hairston Jr. playing stickball with some kids in the Bronx.

Here’s your open thread for the night. The Jets are playing the Giants at 8pm on NBC, and you’ve also got the Chargers and Falcons on CBS at the same time. If you’d rather stick to baseball, you’ve got the Rockies and Giants on MLB Network a little later tonight. It’s Jason Marquis vs. Barry Zito, and the two clubs are separated by just two games for the NL Wild Card lead.

If none of those games whet your appetite, you can come hang out with me at MLBTR or check out Ben’s recap of the Yanks’ 10-0 victory over the White Sox. Anything goes; just don’t be a dick.

Rocky Road Redemption (formerly RAB poster)

Repost: Good news: I think that the Red Sox are throwing Paul Byrd against Roy Halladay.

If Halladay shows up, that’s sort of like the battle between a hammer and a nail. Guess which pitcher is which.
Salty Buggah

Mike, that site about how the Yanks supposedly ruined Carter’s career you linked to has a lot of comments on it bashing that guy.
- DreDog
  
  That post was idiotic. Just pure rubish. I posted a few times on there about how silly that post was.
Salty Buggah

That kid in the video can say he got a swing and miss from A-rod
- Johan Iz My Brohan
  
  A-Rod trying to pad his stats in non MLB-sanctioned games? PATHETIC!!
  
  But yeah that kid is lucky.
DreDog

Little League World Series on tonight too! Rain pushed back the start.
Tom Zig

I was really hoping A-rod would just crush one and have it land like 3 blocks away.
Free Mike Vick

another unclutch HR from A-rod…what a stat padder! LOL
Rocky Road Redemption (formerly RAB poster)

This one will open your eyes.

http://jonahkeri.com/2009/08/28/cheating-death/
- Salty Buggah
  
  Yea thats deep stuff
http://www.eporro.com Eric SanInocencio

Arod working the count even in stick ball. He’s zoned in.
Riddering

I’d like to thank the good Mo for the fact that the Yanks only have two uniforms.

And no camo.
Johan Iz My Brohan

Red Sox acquire Joey Gathright oh noes!
- Free Mike Vick
  
  oh god i’m shaking in my nikes!!
- Tom Zig
  
  What do Joey Gathright and Cody Ransom have in common?
  - Free Mike Vick
    
    they can jump over a house??
- Salty Buggah
  
  Theo strikes again! Look what Joey he can do:
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cySfw8f0beg
  
  He’s a guy who’s OBP, which also sucks, is higher than his SLG!!!!
Salty Buggah

Buchholz perfect through 1!!!!
Billy

i think the yanks need to get penny. even tho mitre pitched great today, i still dont trust him or gaudin. at least penny has a history of being decent.
- Rocky Road Redemption (formerly RAB poster)
  
  Doesn’t Sergio Mitre have a lower ERA than him?
  
  No thanks.
  - Billy
    
    mitre is a bum with no talent, penny is a bum with talent
    - Salty Buggah
      
      I’d take both for depth
    - Rocky Road Redemption (formerly RAB poster)
      
      Mitre has a lot of pure talent, it’s just that he had surgery after a few mediocre very early seasons.
    - Drew
      
      “Mitre is a bum with no talent.”
      91-93 mph sinker
      83 mph change
      77 mph slider/curve
      
      I don’t know what you define as “talent,” but I’d say he’s got it.
- http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
  
  . . and while were at at it, lets replace Andy Pettitte with Livan Hernandez, AJ Burnett with Carl Pavano, and CC Sabathia with Joe Saunders.
  
  Then we will have cornered the market on pitchers with the worst ERAs in Baseball.
  
  http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/pitching/_/count/46/qualified/true/order/false
  - Lanny
    
    People already falling in love with Mitre. Dont let 6 good innings distract you from the fact that hes below average
    - steve (different one)
      
      and what is Penny?
Salty Buggah

Ricky Romero struggling already. Bos up 1-0 with no one out and a guy (if you can call Pedroia that) on 1st.
- Salty Buggah
  
  Victory Martinez got a cheap groundball single
Dela G

how come the blue jays shit their pants against boston all the fucking time?
- Johan Iz My Brohan
  
  How did the Blue Jays start the year off with a bang…?
  - Dela G
    
    i have no idea! I swear they were maybe 26-13 at one point? or maybe 23-13?
    
    wow
- Salty Buggah
  
  Chavez has sucked defensively in the 1st, could’ve picked off Ellsbury and then let a ball go by him.
  
  While Im typing this, he picks off Pedroia
Dela G

hahaha the elf is thrown out at third
- Salty Buggah
  
  And Papi K’s. He stinks! The only reason he’s getting HRs is because he’s cheating fastball all the time. Otherwise, he can’t catch up to it.
- http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
  
  The elf is thrown out at third, the elf is thrown out at third, hi-ho the berry-o, the elf is thrown out at third!
  
  Yayyyyyyyyy!!!!!
- JobaJr
  
  You mean the Lawn Gnome.
Dela G

holy shit romero got out of it

incredible
Manimal

I seriously thought Arod was going to strike out
- Dela G
  
  seriously? you are nuts… ha
http://deleted RollingWave

whoever wins the US pool will face the Taiwan team from my county ;) the international pool play was pretty darn cool as it was a rematch of the pools final with a different result. the Taiwan team got owned by Mexico’s starter last time out (lefty with solid command and breaking balls in little league? that’s unfair) but this time they bunted him to death heh.
- http://deleted RollingWave
  
  btw, Moose and Bernie were in the booth at the broadcast. cool stuff
Riddering

Two ugly pop-ups from Pujols and Holliday back-to-back. I can’t think of the last time our guys did something so…irksome.
Dela G

i put this on the game wrapup thread, but i’ll repost here

Like i said yesterday, i really like mitre. I really hope for him to do very well.

Take a look at his post game interview, he sounded pretty proud of his outing but bummed he couldn’t finish it.

http://web.yesnetwork.com/medi…..id=6355935
- http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
  
  I’ve supported him throughout. He has good stuff and I like his makeup. I also don;t expect much out of our 5th starter, so he’s fine even if he doesn’t always pitch like he did today.
  - Riddering
    
    Definitely agreed re: his performance.
    
    After all, 6.1 innings of 1-hit ball is something I’d take from starters 2-4 any day of the week and the Ace on Thursdays.
- Dela G
  
  oops, i didnt mean to quote that, those were my own words… haha
  - DreDog
    
    What happens to Mitre next year? I would love to have him in AAA, but he may get a major league job.
    - Salty Buggah
      
      I think he’s under contract with us.
      - http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
        
        I hope so, you could always use the depth.
        
        Salty Buggah
        
        Yea, Cot’s says he has a 2010 club option
        
        http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
        
        *pumps fist*
        
        Dela G
        
        [/jeter & joba’d
        
        DreDog
        
        There’s no details on the option. I want details!
        
        Chris
        
        He’s also still in his arb years, right?
Salty Buggah

Everytime I watch Buttholez (3rd time today), he does well. I need to stop watching his starts.
- Dela G
  
  i saw him give up 7ER last time i watched, so maybe there is hope
- JSquared
  
  I really don’t think he is as good as many people think, there was definitely a reason Boston was willing to trade him and Bowden in the same deal.
  - Salty Buggah
    
    Agreed. I think he’s meh
    - JSquared
      
      Bowden, does not seem like someone who is worthy of note in the first place, Buccholz just seems to be the guy who can be the #2 or 3 on an NL Wild Card team.
      - DreDog
        
        I feel like a prospect has to be really good to be AL East good.
        
        JSquared
        
        definitely, i see Montero as someone who can come up and make an impact because he is that type of hitter, idk where he will play defensively, i say LF if anything.
        
        Austin Jackson will probably have trouble making the trasnition to begin.
        
        DreDog
        
        I think A-Jax will benefit a lot from a Damon resigning. He won’t have to be rushed, and maybe something will rub off on him.
  - Chris
    
    He’s got good stuff, but he’s prone to mistakes. In AAA, that’s not a big deal. In the AL East, that gives you whiplash.
DreDog

California just put up a 9 spot on Texas in the first inning. They still only have one out!
- Drew
  
  That’s rough, I’m watching it on espn360
Salty Buggah

ESPN heartbroken, that was going to be their #1 WebGem of the night.
http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist

Does anyone really care when Ozzie Guillen makes an ass of himself and rips his players?

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2009/08/29/guillen-im-embarrassed/

LoHud may think its newsworthy, but I don’t.
- Salty Buggah
  
  It’s funny but its stupid. Like Ben said earlier, does he really think he can make his team play better like that?
Brazilian Yankee

Ricky Romero is secretly a Red Sox fan.
Salty Buggah

Nick Swisher>>>>>JD Drew
- http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
  
  Nope
  
  http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting/_/league/al/sort/OPS/order/true
  - Salty Buggah
    
    Hmm, like 2 weeks ago, Swisher was better. I think its because Swish has cooled down a bit and JD has gotten hot with all the HRs lately.
    - http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
      
      Yeah, Swish was OPSing around .900 a month or so ago. Very streaky hitter.
http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime

RIVER AVE BLUES AD JUST ON YES!!

So awesome!
- Salty Buggah
  
  really? How was it?
  - http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
    
    Its the ad where there’s this little stack of money with googley eyes on top of it, and some cheesy 80’s song playing in the background.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  Not for nothing, but finally. That shit was supposed to be up in May.
  - Drew
    
    u don’t have video of it on youtube do ya?
    - http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
      
      Ooooohhhh that would be nice.
    - http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
      
      No, not yet. I haven’t even seen the thing myself, just the script.
      - Dela G
        
        there’s a script? oh this has to be good
      - Salty Buggah
        
        Did you pay for it or was it part of the contract you guys signed with them? and can you tell us the script?
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
        
        Hells no we didn’t pay for it. It’s part of the deal.
        
        The script is lame, it’s like the MetsBlog ads on SNY.
        
        “Head to RAB for the latest news, opinion, and analysis on the Yanks…blah blah blah.”
        
        We’re not in it or anything.
        
        Salty Buggah
        
        Weak. I bet you could up with something very creative.
        
        ShuutoHeat
        
        Like…some dude in a Yankees jersey swinging at the crotch of a Papelbon paper cut out?
        
        Yea I know..that was weak too.
        
        http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
        
        Yeah, exactly.
        
        Something original like Mike and Joe dressed up like cavemen.
        
        Salty Buggah
        
        while this little stack of money with googley eyes on top of it stares at them and cheest 80’s music plays in the background
        
        that would the best idea
  - Drew
    
    It will probably lead to a good increase of traffic. I found RAB when I saw a commercial on YES for Pintripedbible I went there and they had a link to RAB and I’ve been here since.
- http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
  
  Really? Details, please.
  - Drew
    
    +1
  - http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime
    
    It was really quick and I was shouting HOLY SHIT so loudly I didn’t actually hear what they said. But it was RAB in all its glory.
    - http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
      
      Ben was naked?
Dela G

really romero?

you fucking suck
- DreDog
  
  He sucks. Also, Jason Larue looks like some wildman WWE wrestler.
Dela G

HOLY COW!!

RICKY ROMERO IS HOUDINI!!!

thank you god
Salty Buggah

HAHA! Bases juiced no one out and no runs for Bahston!!!!!!!!!
JM

I thought the game started at 7… Mitre pitching well was a once in a lifetime experience!
Drew

Romero gets out of bases loaded 0 outs unscathed.
- Riddering
  
  Was it Burnett-esque or defensively aided?
Dela G

man aaron hill has no range
Salty Buggah

Hill sucks, Cano gets that
Salty Buggah

Tazawa sent down to GCL?
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  It’s a paper move. The GCL season ends Monday, so they can call him up for his Weds start still.
  
  Once the MiL season ends, the 10-day rule no longer applies.
  - Salty Buggah
    
    oh gotcha
http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime

My friend, a boston fan says that the sox now have Joey Gathright…can anyone confirm?
- Dela G
  
  yep, its official on MLBTR
- Salty Buggah
  
  yes…read above
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  Yes, they got him.
- JSquared
  
  Sucks for them.
JSquared

HAHA, Someone tell Ortiz Steroids are not going to help him hit that.
- Salty Buggah
  
  Like I said, he’s cheating fastball and it that isnt it he’s toast.
  - JSquared
    
    yeah, no doubt he’s lost something.
    - Salty Buggah
      
      though Im sure he misplaced that “thing” on purpose
Salty Buggah

cmon Ricky, get out of this
Salty Buggah

Romero lucks out but getting out of another 2nd and 3rd 1 out jam.
http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa

Too many penalties on the Jets so far. Just giving them yards.
Sean

ummm was that a bat to play stickball? what the hell, get a broom
JSquared

Chargers and Falcons is a lot more exciting than the New York game so far.
VO

The Jets are giving them waaayy too many yards, because of the penalties.
Salty Buggah

hill stinks defensively
Salty Buggah

Heh the sponsor on Jerry Remy’s B-ref page says this:

Brian Dodds sponsor(s) this page.

REM-DAWG…YOU’RE THE BEST! If Remy and Fisk had been healthy in 1979, the Sox would have won it all…25 years sooner. Oh Yankee fans, I hope Sabathia chokes on a ham bone!

Hah!
- JSquared
  
  I wish the Red Sox played a team that was actually good in their World Series wins. Played Pujols and Carpenter and a Rockies team who shouldn’t have made it into the playoffs.
  - Salty Buggah
    
    yea, they got lucky
    - JSquared
      
      Those are teams who by far dont have anyone like… Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine in the 90’s or Johnson and Schilling/Florida’s Horse Pitching Staff.
VO

TOUCHDOWN!
Salty Buggah

Whoa! The last thread has been Lanny’d. He makes some of the most absurd comments ever. I was talking about how Cash won today’s game because of Mitre, Gaudin, and Hairston having good days. Then he asks if he won last night’s game because he signed CC and Cano. There are a couple more comments like that.
mike jones

Cortez Broughton is throwing 78 MPH in the LLWS…When do we get this kid in pinstripes?
- Dela G
  
  at the winter meetings
- Chris
  
  Don’t worry too much. He won’t be able to raise his hand over his head in a couple years.
  - JMK
    
    Hopefully he doesn’t play college ball at Rice…then get drafted by the Rangers. You know, if his arm is still physically attached to his body at that point.
Salty Buggah

From ESPN stats:

• Command: Mitre threw 82 percent of his sliders for strikes (43 percent entering); changeup, 71 percent strikes (58 percent entering); threw first-pitch strikes 71 percent of time (55 percent entering).

• Finished hitters: Retired all nine Chicago hitters that reached two-strike counts.

• Filthy offspeed stuff: White Sox hitters chased 57 percent of offspeed pitches out of the strike zone (MLB avgerage is 31 percent).
Dela G

C’mon jets
Dela G

good god brandon league!!!

3-0 red sox
Dela G

damn you brandon league
Reggie C.

This Buchholz kid is pretty good. I gotta say he was very much maligned on these threads and we failed to see the Hughes-like upside. Except Buchholz is starting and he’s hit a stride. I think we forgot how good his stuff could be.

RS are not gonna miss Penny.
- Dela G
  
  well tomorrow paul byrd will most likely face roy halladay
  
  they will miss him because byrd might get shelled harder than penny wouldve
- Chris
  
  Buchholz does not replace Penny – they were both already in the rotation. It’s Tazawa (or Byrd, or Daisuke) that replaces Penny, and I don’t think he’s an upgrade.
  
  As for Buccholz, his problem is that he’s prone to mistakes that get hit for HR in the majors. He’s got great stuff, but about once per game he leaves a ball out over the plate that can get crushed. He’s given up 1.3 HR/9 compared to 1.0 for Hughes and 0.9 for Joba. If he can drop his HR rate, then he could live up to the potential. I don’t see that happening, since he wasn’t able to do it in the minors.
- JMK
  
  Stuff is great-no question. But as Chris said, he seems to get a bit careless sometimes and gets CLOBBERED. Ace potential, though.
Dela G

jason bay is terrible

i feel sorry for whatever team gets him next year
- Johan Iz My Brohan
  
  I can’t decide if I want him to stay on the Sox or go.
  - DreDog
    
    I want the Sox to sign him to a big deal!
    - JMK
      
      5 year deal would be fantastic.
pollo

Mark Sanchise! Repent Giants fans, shed your beliefs in false prophets — Elisha Manning — and come and embrace your true savior!
- JMK
  
  It’s preseason, he’s done nothing yet. Wait until the season starts to get football woodies.
Dela G

i love mark sanchez

as a jets fan, i am super stoked
- VO
  
  +6, besides those penalties early on, I have liked what I’ve seen overall especially from Sanchez. He’s played great very alert.
Bryan

Does anyone know what S means for baseball statistics? Apparently tonight, Jeter got an S but I have no idea what it means.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  That is the almighty sac bunt. Jose Contreras was in mid-meltdown, and Jeter felt like giving up an out.
  - http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist
    
    “Jose Contreras was in mid-meltdown”
    
    Unless of course, the next pitch he threw was a ground ball that turns into a double play. Then he “regained his composure”.
- scooter
  
  S = Sacrifice
  
  Jeter bunted runners to 2nd and 3rd
JM

Blue Jays offense:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l12Csc_lW0Q
Salty Buggah

Here’s Ben talking about RAB on Yesnetwork.com:

http://web.yesnetwork.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6326157
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  Wow, didn’t even know that was up. I know he went and filmed it, but I figured it was going to be on some bi-weekly show on the idiot box.
- JMK
  
  Anyone else think Ben looks a bit like Posada?
baravelli

Blue Jays mounting a comeback in the ninth…
- baravelli
  
  Whoops, sorry, jinxed it.
Salty Buggah

Wells sucks
Salty Buggah

So does Millar
http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com/ The Artist

Just reading Mike’s piece on the Pirates. Think about the lineup they would have right now had they made no trades over the past 2-3 years.

McCutchen-CF
McLouth-RF
Nady/Bay-LF
Adam LaRoche-1B
Jack Wilson-SS
Freddy Sanchez-2B
Jose Bautista-3B
Ronny Paulino-C

#1-Zach Duke
#2-Ian Snell
#3-Paul Maholm

Grabow-Setup man
Damaso Marte-Closer

That’s not a bad team. Short on starters, but a solid lineup and nice back of the bullpen. They could contend for a WC.
- mtt
  
  This is very similar to the 2007 Pirates roster. That team went 68-94. Duke and McClouth are much improved from that year but almost everyone else on the list has regressed. I’m not sure your list can contend for a winning season.
- aj
  
  Contend for a world series?! With Adam Laroche as their cleanup? and what about hitters 5-9? That rotation is also very flawed outside Zach Duke. There’s no way this team can stack up, you’re missing the rest of that bullpen and the rest of the rotation. This team would’nt even come close to making the wild card with that team. Let them rebuild and we’ll see what happens.
  - JobaWockeeZ
    
    WC = Wild Card
V

Wow, Carr sucks.
- VO
  
  You should get a ford edge with a panoramic roof.